Monthly Archives: November 2016

Round tables in the middle are better (Luke 14:8-11) November 30, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 137-139

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 14:8-11
Jesus: Whenever someone invites you to a wedding dinner, don’t sit at the head table. Someone more important than you might also have been invited, and your host will have to humiliate you publicly by telling you to give your seat to the other guest and to go find an open seat in the back of the room. Instead, go and sit in the back of the room. Then your host may find you and say, “My friend! Why are you sitting back here? Come up to this table near the front!” Then you will be publicly honored in front of everyone. Listen, if you lift yourself up, you’ll be put down, but if you humble yourself, you’ll be honored.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Being a colonel in the Army and particularly in my last assignment as Chief of Staff of the Army Medical Department’s training facility for medical personnel, I had to sit at a lot of head tables. Quite frankly, my wife and I hate it. A lot of people want to add another seat or two or five or ten so they can get to sit at the head table, but let me tell you, it’s not so great sitting up there. I’ve had to do it too many times and never volunteer.

Usually you and your wife are separated so you don’t even get to sit together. The host wants everyone to mix and mingle and everyone to have the opportunity to meet each other at the head table. So your best friend doesn’t get to talk to you. And then you’re limited to talking to the person on your right and left. That’s it. Bending around to talk to someone two or three seats down the line just isn’t too kosher. And if you’re hearing isn’t all that great, like mine, you can’t carry on a conversation with anyone farther than the person next to you anyway.

Then there is the problem of the food. Sure the head table gets served first, but the polite thing to do is wait until at least half of the crowd is also served before eating. So if the crowd is large enough to warrant a head table, by the time half the tables have been served, your food is cold. You have to pretend it tastes really good though because you’re the guest and that’s the polite thing to do.

Now you have your food and you know everyone is watching you eat. Do you eat fried chicken with your fingers or with a fork? And which of those six forks at your plate do you use first? Everyone is watching so you don’t want to make any mistakes, right? So there you are with a drawer full of silverware in front of you three or four glasses two or three plates and your sitting elbow to elbow. You don’t even know which set of dishes is yours to be honest. Great fun so far sitting at the head table.

Then you try to carry on a conversation with someone you barely know or might have met for the first time. If you’re a slammed against the wall introvert like me, this gets really awkward. I talk about my kids, the weather, the Spurs, but since I’m not that big a sports nut, that conversation lasts about two seconds. Where do you go from there. If I’m the guest speaker, I really don’t want to talk at all, because I want to concentrate on what I have to say in a few minutes, but that’s not going to happen either because the people on your right and left think they are also obligated to maintain a stream of awkward conversation.

So all this time, I stare out across the room at all the round tables with everyone else laughing and talking across the tables and enjoying group conversation with one or two introverts at the table just listening and this introvert is stuck between two other introverts trying to look like we’re having a great time sitting at the head table. What a blast! Nope. Don’t ever put me at a head table if you invite me to a party. Jesus was being really kind when he gave that advice to all those gathered around Him that day.

And besides, He’s right. If you sit at the head table and someone more important comes in, someone gets bumped. That’s just the way it is. Protocol puts the ranking people at the table. If you happen to be at the end of the table, guess what? You’re either sitting by the kitchen door or on the floor. All the other spaces are full and you get left out. That’s certainly no fun.

So the right answer? Remember that we all put our pants on the same way. The round tables in the middle really do have more fun at parties and banquets than the head table. Don’t ever envy those guys sitting up there that get their food first. I’ve been there too often and it’s not a good place to be. Trust me. 

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

Who will you rescue? (Luke 14:3-5) November 29, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Nehemiah 1-4

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 14:3-5
Jesus: Is it permitted by traditions and the Hebrew Scriptures to heal people on the Sabbath, or is it forbidden?
They didn’t reply. Then Jesus healed the man and sent him on his way.
Jesus: Would any single one of you leave his son or even his ox in a well on the Sabbath if he had fallen into it, or would you pull him out immediately?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Put together this time of year and Jesus words and it reminds me of a series of commercial spots I really don’t like. It’s not that they’re bad commercials and it’s not that I don’t like what they’re doing. But it’s the whole premise that comes across when you watch these commercials and especially when you talk with some of the real die-hards of the organization that promotes the commercials.

You’ve seen them. You can’t help but see them. They spend a lot of money getting them into prime time. There it is, that sad looking puppy locked in a cage begging for a home. The ASPCA and it’s sister organizations use Christmas carols and old hymns playing in the background to capture the Christian community and play on emotions as if dogs and cats were people. They are not. They are sometimes lovable companions, but they are still animals, not people. God gave us dominion over all the animals of the earth. They are not our equals as many in some of those organizations would have us believe.

I think Jesus would probably point to those commercials and ask, “Where are the commercials about rescuing the hungry and the enslaved? Where are the commercials about helping the orphans and widows? Where are the commercials about just showing kindness to your neighbors?”

It’s not that adopting an abused animal is bad, it’s not. But when we put more emphasis on abused animals that we do abused children, something is wrong. When we get more irritated an animals that have been killed than policemen that have been killed, our society is out of wack. When murder no longer shocks us, we have fallen far from where God wants us to be.

If you haven’t seen one of the ASPCA commercials today, you will before the week is out. They come up too frequently for you to miss them. I hope it will shock you into thinking not about animals that need a home, but about people that need a home. People that need a friendly face. People that need a warm meal and a blanket. People that need a loving hand to reach out to them and tell them they matter.

We have opportunities every day to reach out and show God’s love to others. You don’t have to adopt someone or take someone on as a full time project to show God’s love, but He might ask you to. All of us can smile and give a warm touch. All of us can be kind instead of rude. All of us can share the fruit of the spirit where we go. Whether at home, in the office, or on the freeway, there are opportunities to let God’s love shine through you today. Don’t miss those opportunities. You never know when that special moment is the one that God uses to touch the heart of one of His children and transforms them by the power of His spirit.

What a marvelous gift that would be if you could be part of rescuing a lost soul instead of a lost pet. Helping a wayward soul find their way into the kingdom instead of helping a dog find its way into a house. What a difference it would make if instead of spending all that time and energy and effort saving animals, we would spend that same time and energy and effort introducing people to the One who can save their soul.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against helping animals. I have two dogs myself, one of which is a rescued dog. But lets make sure we keep people and animals in the right perspective this Christmas season. Let those ASPCA commercials tug at your heart strings, but let them remind you of the many people who need rescuing at this time of year.

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.

Be bold (Luke 13:32-35) November 28, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Deuteronomy 20-22

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 13:32-35
Jesus: You can give that sly fox this message: “Watch as I cast out demons and perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I’ll reach My destination. But for today and tomorrow and the next day, I have to continue My journey, for no prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.”
O Jerusalem! O Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and you stone the messengers who are sent to you. How often I wanted to gather in your children as a hen gathers in her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing to come to Me. Look now, your house is abandoned and empty. You won’t see Me until you welcome Me with the words of the psalms, “Anyone who comes in the name of the Eternal One will be blessed!”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

It’s interesting to see Jesus’ boldness in the middle of all the political and religious turmoil in Judea. When you think about the historic time in which Jesus lived, Judea was a powder keg waiting to explode. The Jews lost their nation when the Assyrians attacked the Northern Kingdom and then the Babylonians finished the job and drove the Judeans into exile almost 600 years earlier. The nation never ruled itself independently from that time until the United Nations gave Israel the strip of land they now govern after World War II.

That’s a long time to feel God’s punishment for their disobedience. But He warned them through the many prophets He sent their way to change and follow His decrees, but they wouldn’t. Through all that time, both as a nation and as the vassal of some other kingdom, the Jews continually revolted against their leaders, just as they revolted against God. They would not be ruled by anyone.

Consequently, the Greeks kept a strong military force in Judea after they conquered the Persians and took over the country. Then the Romans kept a stronger military force in the country after they conquered the Greeks. Here Jesus stood in the midst of all the political turmoil in which the Zealots were trying to build Israel into an independent nation again. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were at each others throats trying to gain control of the temple. The Essenes fought both of those primary Jewish sects to try to reform their religion and bring back real worship into the temple again as keepers of the ancient scrolls.

The upheaval across the country was tremendous. Everyone walked on eggshells because Herod wanted to show the populace that he was in charge as the Judean king. Pilot kept an iron fist to make sure everyone knew that Rome still held the reins over the tiny country. The various sects within the Jewish faith argued their sides in the Sanhedrin and levied fines and imprisonment for infractions of their laws to ensure the citizens of their country knew it was the temple they must obey.

And in the middle of all of this uproar, Jesus comes on the scene and tells His followers things like this. Tell Herod, that old fox, that I’m going to do what I’m supposed to do until I get to Jerusalem. He might think he can kill me, but he doesn’t have a chance. I have a purpose to fulfill and I’ll be in Jerusalem in three days after I’ve completed my mission of healing and driving out demons for the next three days first.

No one talks to the king like that…unless of course you are God’s Son. Oh, yeah, He is. As many times as the Pharisees or Herod or the scribes or the townspeople tried to do Jesus harm, they never could. The Father had His hand of protection firmly over His Son ensuring nothing happened to Him until He gave Himself over to those guards in Gethsemane. Until Jesus allowed Himself to be taken and beaten and crucified, no one could harm Him.

Jesus said we could have the same boldness when we talk about the kingdom of God, though. He said if we will allow His Spirit to inhabit us and give Him control of our lives, He will give us the words to say when we face kings and authorities and are dragged into court on account of Him. We don’t need to be afraid of the times. It will get tougher for Christians in the coming years. The Bible predicts it. But we don’t need to cower or fear. Jesus promised He will never leave us or forsake us. He will be with us to the very end.

So like Jesus in those days of political and religious turmoil, don’t be afraid of unrest that goes on around you. There will always be political and religious upheaval as long as people fail to follow God. That’s just the way it is. We live in an evil world that will continue to create chaos and turmoil until Jesus returns. But don’t worry, it won’t be much longer. All the signs are coming together. As Galatians says, “…when the set time had fully come…”. He’ll come back to get us. 

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.

Which side of the glass are you on? (Luke 13:24-30) November 27, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 1 John 1-3

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 13:24-30
Jesus: Strive to enter through the narrow door now, because many people—hear Me on this—will try to enter later on and will not be able to. Imagine you want to enter someone’s home, but you wait until after the homeowner has shut the door. Then you stand outside and bang on the door, and you say, “Sir, please open the door for us!” But he will answer, “I don’t know where you’re from.”
Then you’ll say, “Just a minute. We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.” But he’ll say, “Sorry, I have no idea where you’re from. Leave me, all of you evildoers.” Then you’ll see something that will make you cry and grind your teeth together—you’ll see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves will be on the outside looking in.
And then you’ll see people streaming in from east and west, from north and south, gathering around the table in the kingdom of God, but you’ll be on the outside looking in. That’s how it will be; some are last now who will be first then, and some are first now who will be last then.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

As these words came from the Master’s mouth those centuries ago, the people around Him would not have received them very well at all. These were radical, brutal, vicious words coming from Jesus’ mouth. Why would I think that? Look at the end of the message. “You’ll see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you will be on the outside looking in. [and oh, by the way,] all the people you call outsiders now, those living in the east and west and north and south, all those Gentiles, will be gathered around the table with God, but you’ll still be on the outside looking in.”

Those were fighting words to the crowd gathered around Jesus.

We talk about racism and bigotry in our country, but despite a few pockets of radical racism, our nation really is one of the most diverse and tolerant in the world, if not the most diverse and tolerant on this planet. We cry about intolerance and we bemoan the slavery that happened in the early part of our country’s history, but today, for the most part, our citizens view humans as humans, not by the color of their skin or their nationality or gender or religion. We are fairly tolerant.

If you don’t believe that, buy a ticket to some of our sister countries around the world and make a few observations. First, you’ll find that no other country has as lenient an immigration policy as ours. Second, you’ll discover that as a whole we are not racist. Yes, there are some racists. Yes, there are some bigots. Yes, there are some extremists in just about every community. But frankly, I think that makes up a relatively small percentage of our nation.

Third, most other countries do have an intolerance problem. Whatever group is in power has little tolerance for the other groups in the nation, whoever they might be or whatever agenda they might have. Few other nations around the world have peaceful transfers of power from one party to the next. Although, this year, I’m beginning to wonder if we can talk about our peaceful transition of power anymore. But other countries openly practice genocide. Human rights are rights only for those that look and act and think the way those do that hold the seats of power in the nation. Everyone else is considered less than human and give few if any rights.

And it was the same in Jesus’ day. Racism abounded. The Jews believed they were better than anyone else. And here Jesus was telling them that all these other people would be sitting at the banquet table in the kingdom of God with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, their patriarchs, while that looked in with their mouths watering and their eyes bulging. How could this be? They were the chosen? What was this radical preaching that Jesus gave? How could God let outsiders into His kingdom and exclude His chosen people, those with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob’s blood flowing through their veins?

But then and now, entrance into the kingdom of God has never been about pedigree. God doesn’t care who gave birth to you. He doesn’t care about your lineage. Then and now, God doesn’t care what church you belong to. These were temple goers. They partook in all the right rituals. They brought their sacrifices and put money in the offering plates. They sang their songs and prayed their prayers. These were not bad people, but for God, these men and women had become the outsiders looking in.

Why? Because they failed to build a relationship with God. They failed to understand He gave His Son out of love for them. They failed to understand the very heart of the message God wanted them to share with the world. The message that the kingdom of God is near and all the commandments can be boiled down to two, love God and love your neighbor. Just do those two things. But in their selfishness, they couldn’t. They couldn’t give up their selfish desires.

So which side of the glass will you be on? Will you sit at the banquet table or be staring through the glass on the outside looking in? Only you and God know the answer to that question. 

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

Are you doing your part? (Luke 13:18-21) November 26, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Acts 19-20

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 13:18-21
Jesus (explaining): Do you want to understand the kingdom of God? Do you want Me to tell you what it’s like? It’s like a single mustard seed that someone took and planted in his garden. That tiny seed grew and became a tree so large that the birds could fly in and make their nests in its branches.
Do you want Me to tell you what the kingdom of God is like? It’s like some yeast which a woman hid within a huge quantity of flour; soon the whole batch of dough was rising.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We don’t talk about heaven and the kingdom in our churches much these days. We hear a lot of sermons about ethics and moral values. We hear a lot of sermons about how we should behave and how we should improve our relationships with each other. We hear a lot of sermons about the state of the world today and how we should work to improve the nature of things around us. We hear a lot of sermons about the latest topic in the news and how it affects us spiritually and how to guard against it. But we don’t hear many sermons anymore about heaven or hell.

So it’s good to stop and think about Jesus’ words today and just ponder what He says about heaven and the kingdom of God. Most of the time when we think about heaven we think about the way it looks, the streets of gold, the mansions being built for us, the brilliance of the light, the music sung by choirs of angels, the indescribable beauty of the place we hope to spend eternity. But these words give us a very different picture of the kingdom of God. It doesn’t talk about the beauty or streets or even the kind of people who will populate heaven. Jesus gives a different description for us to think about and the description involves us.

He says the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed or some yeast, so what does that mean to us? We are getting to know more about yeast as more people begin to enjoy baking as a hobby. We still do more purchasing of baked goods than actually baking today, but the hobby is growing and you can find lots of people who bake bread, rolls, cookies, pies and cakes, etc. And in a lot of those things that need a dough in their preparation, they also need yeast to make the dough rise. So many today understand yeast, but not nearly as many as did in Jesus’ day.

Not so many understand Jesus’ comparison of the mustard seed with the kingdom of heaven because most of us haven’t seen the results of planting mustard seeds. Around the area where Jesus spoke, mustard plants grew wild and in fact were sometimes considered a nuisance plant. Just that tiny seed the size of a pin head grew into a bush fifteen to twenty feet tall, tree size with branches sturdy enough to hold birds’ nests.

So we aren’t quite so familiar with these illustrations today. The point I think Jesus wants to get across is that the kingdom of heaven, like that mustard seed starts small, but grows as we let God work through us and spread the good news He gives us. Others hear His word and accept Him as Lord and the kingdom grows more. Those share the message and the kingdom continues to expand. Then like those mustard seeds that grow into tree-sized bushes, they produce more seeds that are scattered across the land and more mustard plants take root and grow. The kingdom expands throughout the area as we let God use us and work through us to do His will.

Or the kingdom is like yeast when we let God work through us. He places us in a community to do His will in that community and like yeast, the good things we do for others spreads throughout the community. Others see us and watch the transformation in our lives because of His spirit in us. They hear the message He has for them and His resurrection power changes them, too. The good news spreads throughout the community and cannot be stopped just as yeast spreads throughout the dough when it is kneaded. And what does the yeast do to the dough? It makes the dough double or triple or quadruple in size, just as the good news causes God’s kingdom to expand exponentially through those that hear it.

Today Jesus might use one of those room fresheners you plug into the wall as an illustration. The odor starts at the wall when you plug it in, but soon the smell reaches every corner of the room. Or maybe he would like the kingdom to the foam insulation that goes in the walls of new homes. A five gallon canister of liquid is shot into the space between the walls of the house and that small five gallon canister is enough as it expands to fill all the outer walls of an average house with foam.

Whatever example Jesus or you might use to explain the growth of God’s kingdom, it still in part depends on one Christian, transformed by the power of God’s spirit in you, sharing the good news of what He has done with another person. Then that person sharing with one more and so on until the kingdom continues to grow at an exponential rate.

Are you doing your part to grow the kingdom?

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.

Try on those new eyes (Luke 13:15-16) November 25, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Malachi

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 13:15-16
Jesus: You religious leaders are such hypocrites! Every single one of you unties his ox or donkey from its manger every single Sabbath Day, and then you lead it out to get a drink of water, right? Do you care more about your farm animals than you care about this woman, one of Abraham’s daughters, oppressed by Satan for 18 years? Can’t we untie her from her oppression on the Sabbath?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus didn’t have much room for people like the hypocrites He spoke to in today’s scripture. It’s the problem that became very obvious across the country this year in all the political drama on both sides of the aisle. People saying one thing and doing another. People declaring they are one thing but living another. People saying they want all of us to abide by certain laws but then not living up to them themselves.

That became the major emphasis of both major presidential candidate’s campaigns this year, did you notice? Neither laid out a platform of how they would help the country recover from the degradation we have slid into over the last several decades. Neither had a plan to raise the moral and ethical state that has robbed us of our innocence and has caused our children to be sold into slavery to sex and drugs and immoral vices that only which a miracle from God can free them.

Both could only blast the other about how they broke the laws of the country and were themselves a blight on society and lied to the people about each others moral character and inability to lead the country. And probably at least half of all that was said is right. I’m not sure we saw any candidates in the long list of people who spent millions of dollars in campaign ads were morally and ethically worthy of our votes. Our country has really come to that point in its slide toward debachery, self-centeredness, and evil, I’m sorry to say.

All you need to do is look at the number of laws and programs that Congress imposes on us,the citizens of the country, but excludes them, the legislators, to understand how true Jesus words are today. Obamacare doesn’t apply to Congress or many other special interest groups. Many of the tax laws exclude our government representatives. Special traffic laws, parking permits, and housing rules apply to our government leaders for the purpose of their protection, but more often for the purpose of their indulgence if the truth were told. And the list goes on.

But frankly, those things have been around since way before our Constitution was formed, way before Jesus talked about it with those Pharisees, way before the Romans came into power. That hypocrisy has been around since Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden. Men and women have this selfish side to them that says I want something you have or I have something I don’t want you to have and I’ll do anything necessary to keep you from it. Even kill. And so this evil springs up and we see the difference in the haves and have-nots everywhere.

Socialism thought it could blot it out, but it couldn’t. The Soviet Union was that great social experiment and it lasted a whole 70 years before it collapsed on itself. People say China’s socialist society works, but it doesn’t. It’s really not very socialist. It still operates under the rules of the ancient dynasties more than it does socialism so you have the elites in halls of power and the peasants who feed everyone else.

The same is true in the church, unfortunately. We find those who would impose what they think is God’s will on others but will not follow the same course of action for themselves. They are fast to see the errors that others are making and are quick to declare God’s wrath on all who might disobey those rules laid down for others to follow, but don’t see the hypocrisy in their own actions by failing to show God’s mercy and grace when that’s what He extends to everyone who will come to Him with a repentant heart.

And too often in the church today, we are much like those political candidates. Instead of providing the answers to those who come to us in need of forgiveness for their sins, we only point out the darkness in their heart. We know the answers they seek. We know that Jesus can heal their brokenness and clean up their lives. But instead of providing the solutions to the problems they face, we only point out the ugliness we see. We only point out the past mistakes and dredge up every mistake we can find. We look hard to find the weakness and failure and sin when what we should see in others is what God sees…His image, potential, His creation, a child ready for adoption into His family and His kingdom.

Will we ever learn to see with Jesus’ eyes? We can. All we need to do is give ourselves to Him. Let Him be Master and Savior and Lord. When we do, we see things, and particularly people, in a whole new way. Try on those new eyes and see how different things can look.

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.

Don’t give up (Luke 13:6-9) November 24, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Ecclesiastes 9-10

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 13:6-9
Jesus: (following up with this parable) A man has a fig tree planted in his vineyard. One day he comes out looking for fruit on it, but there are no figs. He says to the vineyard keeper, “Look at this tree. For three years, I’ve come hoping to find some fresh figs, but what do I find? Nothing. So just go ahead and cut it down. Why waste the space with a fruitless tree?”
The vineyard keeper replies, “Give it another chance, sir. Give me one more year working with it. I’ll cultivate the soil and heap on some manure to fertilize it. If it surprises us and bears fruit next year, that will be great, but if not, then we’ll cut it down.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I remember as a lieutenant, one soldier in my platoon that just couldn’t do anything right. I’m not sure how he made it out of basic training and certainly couldn’t understand how he got through his medical training to become a medic. But there he was in my platoon formation every morning filling one of the slots and as short as we were of personnel at the time, I had to figure out how to use him or get him better trained to do the missions we needed to cover to take care of the soldiers in the battalion my platoon served.

After he had been there for about three months and doing everything I knew to do to try and teach this kid how to do his job, I’d just about given up. Everything I tried backfired. None of the companies we supported wanted him as part of the team when it came to their medical support. He just couldn’t do anything right and was a lot more of a hindrance than a help when it came time to go to the field and train.

I was ready to do the paperwork to send him home before he hit that magic timeline to get him all the benefits as a veteran and just let him go when my platoon sergeant came to me. It was a lot like the story of the fig tree. He asked me to give him one more month to work with this soldier and see if he could turn him around. It would still fit within that probationary timeline before he received full VA benefits and I agreed.

I don’t know what my platoon sergeant said or did with that soldier, but a minor miracle occurred in that month. Something woke up in his brain and he suddenly started understanding his role and responsibilities as a soldier-medic in a deployable infantry battalion. He understood that the lives of those infantrymen he went to the field to support were in his hands as they trained and maneuvered in some fairly risky environments. And he became one of my best medics in the rest of my time as platoon leader in that organization.

I learned a lesson from that soldier and from that platoon sergeant that carried across in both my professional and spiritual life. I’ve tried not just write people off. I think we are often too quick to do that sometimes. We assume people are unsalvageable and quit on them. We give up trying and consequently lose out on an opportunity to gain a good employee, win a good friend, or bring another person to Jesus.

We forget that some people just aren’t ready to accept what we have to teach them or tell them and need time to think things through. Few parents today know that a hundred years ago, formal education, reading, writing, math, didn’t start until kids were 8 or 9 years old. The thought was their brains weren’t ready for them to sit in a class all day and absorb the information. A kid’s role in life was to play, learn to get along with other people, begin to form their basis for moral and ethical values through their interaction with other kids and adults. Their job was to play, not go to school. So maybe those kids that don’t get it in first and second grade today aren’t slow or behind or learning disabled. Maybe they are right on target and we just miss the boat in how we try to educate our kids. We need to give them another chance and remember that we are not all alike.

And maybe that son or daughter that you’ve been praying for or that neighbor that you know needs God or that co-worker that seems so abrasive just needs a little more nurturing in God’s love to have that eureka moment when it all comes together and suddenly the lights come on. In our instant gratification world, we want everything to happen right now. That’s not how things usually work in nature. Often it’s not how God works things out for us in our spiritual journey, either.

So when you have that urgent prayer need, that loved one that really needs God and you’ve been praying your heart out for them. Don’t give up. Remember the story of the fig tree and the caretaker. Give it a little longer with extra effort and extra care and see what happens. You never know what God will do in that time. You might be surprised at the results.

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.

Bad things happen (Luke 13:2-5) November 23, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 134-136

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 13:2-5
Jesus: Do you think these Galileans were somehow being singled out for their sins, that they were worse than any other Galileans, because they suffered this terrible death? Of course not. But listen, if you do not consider God’s ways and truly change, then friends, you should prepare to face His judgment and eternal death.
Speaking of current events, you’ve all heard about the 18 people killed in that building accident when the tower in Siloam fell. Were they extraordinarily bad people, worse than anyone else in Jerusalem, so that they would deserve such an untimely death? Of course not. But all the buildings of Jerusalem will come crashing down on you if you don’t wake up and change direction now.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I think from the time Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden as punishment for that first act of disobedience, we seem to lay the blame for every bad thing that happens at God’s feet. It must be God’s punishment for something that caused him to go through that terrible tragedy. It must be some sin in her life that brought on that awful disease. God is punishing him for actions in his past. That must be true, right? Wrong!

There are a couple of things we can learn from these words from Jesus, though. He makes it pretty clear not all the bad things that happen to us are because of sin in our lives. The Galileans killed by the Romans were killed as a demonstration that Rome was still in charge. No reason for their murder other than they came to Jerusalem to worship and perhaps didn’t have all the right permissions stamped on their papers. The Romans ruled with an iron fist and showed their ruthless power occasionally just to let people know who still ruled them and it wasn’t those temple priests.

Jesus let those around him know the Galileans that lost their lives did nothing more or less than any others around them yet lost their lives. It’s not their individual sins that caused those bad things to happen, it’s the fact that death entered the cosmos with that first sin Adam and Even committed and so bad things happen to everyone. Trouble in life is a universal issue for all of us. We all get sick. We all face taxes and bills and mortgages. We all find laws conflicting with other laws and have to make choices as to which we will bend to follow others. We all find difficult relationships with someone somewhere.

Face it. Bad things happen to us occasionally. We can’t get away from it. Expect it. And it comes just because we breathe air on this side of dirt. If you take that first breath out of your mother’s womb, you will have bad things happen to you. It’s a fact of life and you just can’t get away. Maybe it’s like James Dobson once said, it’s to keep us from getting too comfortable here and help us remember there is a better place awaiting us. If we never had problems here, we might not long for heaven the way we do. So maybe it’s okay for bad things to happen just because.

But Jesus also indicates that sometimes bad things do happen as a result of our wrong doing. That wasn’t true for those Galileans who were killed or the victims of the tower wall that fell in Siloam, but He warns those listening to Him that they better changed their ways or bad things will happen to them soon. He says the walls of Jerusalem will come crashing down on them if they don’t change.

Those are interesting words considering in forty years the Romans will destroy Jerusalem and the temple and the whole city will be reduced to rubble. I wonder how many of those in that crowd were caught under the falling stones as catapults and battering rams smashed the walls. Some of them didn’t change their ways. We know that from their behavior toward Jesus at the mock trial, calling for His crucifixion, mocking Him on the cross.

So some of the bad things that happen to us are a result of our wrong doing. Either natural consequences of our bad behavior, like the health problems that come from drug addiction, abuse of alcohol, and a host of other illicit behaviors. Or punishment from God for our disobedience to Him like He did with the Israelites and sent a plague among the community.

The bottom line for any individual is that you know your heart. Is there any unconfessed sin there? If so, ask God to forgive it and thank Him for His forgiveness. Then recognize that all of us will suffer in this world. Accept the suffering as identifying with our Lord. He suffered and died for us and was sinless. If He suffered and did no wrong, then we have nothing to complain about when we suffer for the wrong we do. Bad things will happen to us. Use them to remember Jesus faced bad things, too. He faced them so we can enjoy good things for all 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.

Be a good citizen (Luke 12:58-59) November 22, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Ezra 6-10

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 12:58-59
Jesus: Imagine you’re being sued. You and your accuser are on your way to court. Wouldn’t you do everything in your power to settle out of court before you stand before the magistrate? After all, he might drag you to stand before the judge, and the judge might hand you over to the police, and they might throw you in jail. Once you’re in jail, it’s too late: you’re not going anywhere until you’ve paid in full.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Early in my military career, we had a nearly a million soldier on active duty just after Viet Nam and a lot of those soldier were draftees that didn’t want to be in the Army and some were sent there instead of to jail. Consequently, we had correctional barracks on most of the installations to take care of some of the less that stellar troops that committed crimes on the installation. The correctional barracks are long gone from most of the installations now. That’s a good thing. But one of the advantages of having those facilities on the post was that you could arrange a visit every once in a while for a salvageable, but wayward young soldier.

I knew several of the officers who worked in or with the correction barracks facility and when I had a soldier that lost his way, I would ask one of my Military Police friends to give that wayward soldier and inside visit of the barracks. This wasn’t a prison, so the conditions were much better, with more privileges than the military prison system, but a young soldier’s eyes were opened pretty quickly when they suddenly found themselves going through the doors with an MP in handcuffs and standing on the wrong side of that yellow line.

When the iron gate closed behind them and suddenly they found themselves cut off from the world with fencing topped with razor wire and the barracks filled with real criminals, that hour or two that the MP spent taking them through the facility letting them know the rules of how they would live for the next six months or two years or six years, depending on the infractions that were building up, felt like an eternity. I’d watch their eyes grow to the size of saucers. Seldom did those soldiers leave that facility without understanding life would not be the same if they didn’t change their ways.

Most of the soldiers I sent for a visit to the barracks for an hour or two turned around and became good soldiers. They straightened up and understood that the Army had rules for a reason. A couple of them even became Sergeants Major, the highest enlisted rank in the Army. Most thanked me later in their career for giving them the opportunity to visit the barracks instead of taking the formal actions I could have taken to send them there or to prison on a more permanent basis.

Jesus’ words today, reminded me of those times in my early career. Isn’t it better to negotiate with people and fix things than to watch them explode in front of you? Isn’t it better to build relationships rather than tear them apart? Of course, the best action is never to get yourself into a position to be sued or charged in the first place. Obey the law. Do what’s right. Love your neighbor. Pray for those that injure or abuse you. Love your enemy. Those are the things Jesus told us to do.

When we do the right thing, we will seldom find ourselves on the wrong side of the law or sitting in the defendant’s seat in court. We will seldom find ourselves facing a judge for doing things that run against the civil laws of the land. Most people will be surprised at our kindness and love for others, but we will seldom be dragged into court for kindness, gentleness, goodness, self-control, those fruit of the spirit that grows in the spirit-filled believer.

What should we be dragged into court for? Going to church and declaring Jesus as Lord. With the state of the world moving in the direction it is moving, it might not be long before that happens. But if it does, if we are dragged before authorities for declaring that Jesus is the Son of the living God. If we face prosecution for declaring that only by believing that Jesus died for our sins can we gain eternal life and forgiveness for our sins. If we face punishment for our faith. Then Jesus says God spirit will put the words we need in our mouth so we do not need to worry about what to say or what to do when we face the judge.

Whatever else someone might call us into court for account we should be careful. Do the right thing. Obey the laws of the land. Be a good citizen while on this journey of life. Build good relationships so that others can know you are a child of God and a citizen of another kingdom. Then proclaim your citizenship and how to get your name on those immigration papers found in the book of life. 

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 will we do about the signs? (Luke 12:54-57) November 21, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Deuteronomy 16-19

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 12:54-57
Jesus: (speaking to the crowd) You see a cloud arise from the sea in the west, and you can say, “Here comes a shower!” And you’re right. Or you feel the hot wind blowing in from the desert in the south and you say, “It’s going to be really hot!” And you’re right. Listen, hypocrites! You can predict the weather by paying attention to the sky and the earth, but why can’t you interpret the urgency of this present moment? Why don’t you see it for yourselves?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

As I was reading Jesus’ words today, I’m not sure I would pick the same illustration He used. We use weathermen as a joke. The only profession in which you can be wrong half the time and still keep your job. But that’s really not a very good joke. They really are pretty good at what they do. They can tell us with pretty good accuracy what the weather will be for the next few hours anyway. Do they always get it right? No, but they get pretty close most of the time and they get it right most of the time for the next several days up to about a week in advance. So I guess it wasn’t a bad illustration for Jesus to use.

Today, He might pick different examples. Not the stock market or climate control or politics. None of those are predictable anymore. I’m not sure you can pick out any signs or symptoms that give you any sure signs of what’s to come in those areas. But the point He makes is there are things that we can see and have some pretty good evidence of what will come next. You see dark clouds rising and expect a storm. You feel wind coming from the desert, that’s where the hot air comes from. If you’re in Oklahoma and see some funny looking funnel clouds in the sky, you take cover because a tornado is likely to pop out of the sky.

We see those things and we can predict what will happen soon. But Jesus told us and Daniel told us and Ezekiel told us and John told us what the signs of the end would look like and we just ignore them. We can’t see those for what they are. We look at those things and assume they are just normal everyday happenings and don’t attach any significance to them.

What am I talking about? Jesus talked about wars everywhere. He talked about division and debate and kingdoms rising up against each other. He predicted the anger and hatred between factions and power hungry leaders. He talked about strange weather patterns with no reasonable explanation and the earth beginning to groan under the weight of sin’s destructive power. Earthquakes. Strange happenings in the heavens and on earth. Drought. Famine. Floods.

So take a look around and what do you see around the globe? Earthquakes. Floods. Drought. Famine. War. Hatred. Unexplained weather patterns. We can see everything Jesus talked about that heralds His coming back to take us home with Him. Time is soon to come to an end. All the signs are there. He could return at any moment without failing His prophecies in any respect. So why don’t we pay attention to those signs?

I’m afraid we don’t pay attention for the same reason the scribes and Pharisees and the crowds around Jesus didn’t pay attention. We are so caught up in our own lives and our own wants and desires we don’t look for what God wants in our lives. We don’t look expectantly for His return. He tells us to watch for Him like a guard would a thief he knew was coming at a certain hour of the night. But instead, we do our own thing. We try to satisfy our desires and pleasures our own way. We forget that God put us here for a purpose and it isn’t our purpose, it’s His.

He created us with His purpose in mind. He made us to do His work, not ours. We inherited this selfish bent from Adam and it hasn’t stopped since. We still want what we want instead of what God wants for us. Until we begin to look for Him and His purpose for the world, we will not see the signs for what they are. We will let Satan blind us to the truth and be unable to see that God has something better for us.

I’ve used the illustration before, but it is appropriate. The signs are hidden in plain view, like the objects in the hidden picture on the old “Highlights” magazines. Satan has blinded us with his lies, but once God becomes Lord of your life, you see the truth and those objects in the picture, the signs of the times, appear as clear as day. Once you know the truth, those hidden objects are no longer hidden, they are visible and you can’t unsee them. Every time you look at that picture, the objects are right there in the open. That’s how it is with the signs of the times around us.

It’s time to open our eyes. See what is happening. Be ready for Jesus’ coming. Warn those around us of His impending return. Give everyone we know the opportunity to know Jesus as Savior. The signs are there to see. What will we do about 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.