Category Archives: Christian

Pruning the vines (John 15:1-17) December 23, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready -John 15:1-17

Set – John 15-17

Go! -John 15-18

John 15:1-17
Jesus: ¹ I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. ² My Father examines every branch in Me and cuts away those who do not bear fruit. He leaves those bearing fruit and carefully prunes them so that they will bear more fruit; ³ already you are clean because you have heard My voice. ⁴ Abide in Me, and I will abide in you. A branch cannot bear fruit if it is disconnected from the vine, and neither will you if you are not connected to Me.
⁵ I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you abide in Me and I in you, you will bear great fruit. Without Me, you will accomplish nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is like a branch that is tossed out and shrivels up and is later gathered to be tossed into the fire to burn. ⁷ If you abide in Me and My voice abides in you, anything you ask will come to pass for you. ⁸ Your abundant growth and your faithfulness as My followers will bring glory to the Father.
⁹ I have loved you as the Father has loved Me. Abide in My love. ¹⁰ Follow My example in obeying the Father’s commandments and receiving His love. If you obey My commandments, you will stay in My love. ¹¹ I want you to know the delight I experience, to find ultimate satisfaction, which is why I am telling you all of this.
¹² My commandment to you is this: love others as I have loved you. ¹³ There is no greater way to love than to give your life for your friends. ¹⁴ You celebrate our friendship if you obey this command. ¹⁵ I don’t call you servants any longer; servants don’t know what the master is doing, but I have told you everything the Father has said to Me. I call you friends. ¹⁶ You did not choose Me. I chose you, and I orchestrated all of this so that you would be sent out and bear great and perpetual fruit. As you do this, anything you ask the Father in My name will be done. ¹⁷ This is My command to you: love one another.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Here again I gave My disciples a metaphor that was very clear to them, but perhaps not as clear to you, so let Me explain a little. Vineyards grew everywhere in Judea. Almost everyone had their own small vineyard, in fact. Anyone who owned property grew a small garden to raise some vegetables and grapes. Vegatables to eat and grapes to drink. Wine was important to everyone because the surface water in Judea is exceedingly poor to drink. The rivers flow fast and pick up a lot of dirt and silt as they flow down the mountainside. You just can’t drink it. So from an early age, wine with meals just happens.

Fermentation allows the alcohol in the wine to kill the bacteria in the water with which children’s wine is commonly diluted. But everyone drank something other than surface water in My day. So everyone knew about vineyards and how to grow grapes. You probably get grapes from your grocery and may have never seen a vineyard except in pictures. But it’s hard work to maintain a good vineyard. The growers take great care of their vines.

Those branches without fruit, though, take up precious water and nutrients from the soil and do nothing except grow useless branches and leaves without giving anything back. So the grower cuts off those branches, removes them from the vineyard and burns them. They aren’t good for anything. They’re not strong enough for making things. They’re hollow, but porous, so you can’t even use them as straws. They’re crooked so not really useful at all. They usual have a foul odor when you burn them, so they’re not even good for kindling. So the grower makes a pile of the branches, lets them dry and burns them in a great heap.

The good grower also cuts off the runners from the branches that grow fruit so that those runners don’t take away extra nutrients from the fruit. Once again, those runners are useless, so they also go into the heap and end up as part of the blaze. If you’re the vine, the cutting might sound painful, but it is necessary for production of the best crop.

The same happens metaphorically between God and His creation. Those who do not obey Me and therefore do not obey Him, are like the branches that do not produce fruit. He cuts them off and burns them in the fire. They will forever be separated from Him at the end of time. Those who do follow Me and therefore obey Him, He still prunes so they produce the best fruit possible. Pruning is an important part of the growing process. He cuts away those parts of us that are unproductive, ineffective, useless to His plan and His kingdom. It may seem painful when He prunes things from our lives, but remember the Father is God, the Creator. He knows how best to use you and how best to help you grow. Trust Him to prune your life for your best advantage as the perfecter of your faith.

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

Enjoy the peace of Jesus’ legacy (John 14:15-31) December 22, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – John 14:15-31

Set – John 13-14

Go! – John 12-14

John 14:15-31
Jesus: ¹⁵ If you love Me, obey the commandments I have given you. ¹⁶ I will ask the Father to send you another Helper, the Spirit of truth, who will remain constantly with you. ¹⁷ The world does not recognize the Spirit of truth, because it does not know the Spirit and is unable to receive Him. But you do know the Spirit because He lives with you, and He will dwell in you. ¹⁸ I will never abandon you like orphans; I will return to be with you. ¹⁹ In a little while, the world will not see Me; but I will not vanish completely from your sight. Because I live, you will also live. ²⁰ At that time, you will know that I am in the Father, you are in Me, and I am in you. ²¹ The one who loves Me will do the things I have commanded. My Father loves everyone who loves Me; and I will love you and reveal My heart, will, and nature to you.
The Other Judas: ²² Lord, why will You reveal Yourself to us, but not to the world?
Jesus: ²³ Anyone who loves Me will listen to My voice and obey. The Father will love him, and We will draw close to him and make a dwelling place within him. ²⁴ The one who does not love Me ignores My message, which is not from Me, but from the Father who sent Me.
²⁵ I have spoken these words while I am here with you. ²⁶ The Father is sending a great Helper, the Holy Spirit, in My name to teach you everything and to remind you of all I have said to you. ²⁷ My peace is the legacy I leave to you. I don’t give gifts like those of this world. Do not let your heart be troubled or fearful. ²⁸ You were listening when I said, “I will go away, but I will also return to be with you.” If you love Me, celebrate the fact that I am going to be with the Father because He is far greater than I am. ²⁹ I have told you all these things in advance so that your faith will grow as these things come to pass. ³⁰ I am almost finished speaking to you. The one who rules the world is stepping forward, and he has no part in Me; ³¹ but to demonstrate to the cosmos My love for the Father, I will do just as He commands. Stand up. It is time for us to leave this place.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

It was so hard to give those final words to My disciples that night. I knew what was coming and wanted to tell them so much more, but I knew they would not understand yet. Time was so short for My human frame. Judas had already left and was going to the priests to give them the sign by which he would identify Me to the soldiers who would take Me away. I knew the brutality of what was ahead. As a man, I feared death. I feared the physical pain I was about to endure. I knew the Father would stay near Me until the end, but I also knew there would come a point at which He must turn His back on Me because I would bear the sins of the world and I must appease the penalty for sin before I could conquer the grave.

I tried to give words of comfort to My disciples and listened to those same words in My humanness. I believed them. I knew them to be true. I was in touch with My Father and knew the splendor of heaven that awaited Me, but I also dreaded the sorrow and pain both My disciples and I would endure in the coming hours. The depth of that conflict between My deity and humanness shows in My garden prayers. I wanted to avoid what was coming if there was any other way to get the Father’s plan accomplished. But His plan is always paramount…always.

So I gave encouragement to those around Me as best I could so they could face the coming trial and perhaps better understand all the events that would happen in the three days that would transpire before they saw Me again. I wanted them to believe and perhaps these words of encouragement would get them through the grief until I could return to them. Then, of course, they would understand. And when My Spirit return, they would have Me in them. They would really begin to comprehend all I said to them and My words would open to them as never before.

I wanted them to know the peace I enjoyed despite the coming trauma. Peace despite the accusations. Peace despite the coming crucifixion. Peace that the world will never enjoy. Peace that I leave as a legacy to all My followers. Peace. The angels who heralded My birth said I would give peace to all people who pleased God. That is My legacy. Enjoy My peace.

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’s a shepherd? (John 10:1-21) December 21, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – John 10:1-21

Set – John 10-11

Go! – John 9-11

John 10:1-21
Jesus: ¹ I tell you the truth: the man who crawls through the fence of the sheep pen, rather than walking through the gate, is a thief or a vandal. ² The shepherd walks openly through the entrance. ³ The guard who is posted to protect the sheep opens the gate for the shepherd, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When all the sheep have been gathered, he walks on ahead of them; and they follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ The sheep would not be willing to follow a stranger; they run because they do not know the voice of a stranger.
⁶ Jesus explained a profound truth through this metaphor, but they did not understand His teaching. ⁷ So He explained further.
Jesus: I tell you the truth: I am the gate of the sheep. ⁸ All who approached the sheep before Me came as thieves and robbers, and the sheep did not listen to their voices. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be liberated, will go in and go out, and will find pastures. ¹⁰ The thief approaches with malicious intent, looking to steal, slaughter, and destroy; I came to give life with joy and abundance.
¹¹ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep in His care. ¹² The hired hand is not like the shepherd caring for His own sheep. When a wolf attacks, snatching and scattering the sheep, he runs for his life, leaving them defenseless. ¹³ The hired hand runs because he works only for wages and does not care for the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep, and My sheep know Me. ¹⁵ As the Father knows Me, I know the Father; I will give My life for the sheep. ¹⁶ There are many more sheep than you can see here, and I will bring them as well. They will hear My voice, and the flock will be united. One flock. One shepherd. ¹⁷ The Father loves Me because I am willing to lay down My life—but I will take it up again. ¹⁸ My life cannot be taken away by anybody else; I am giving it of My own free will. My authority allows Me to give My life and to take it again. All this has been commanded by My Father.
¹⁹ When He spoke these words, some of the Jews began to argue.
Many Jews: ²⁰ He has a demon and is a raving maniac. Why are you people listening to Him?
Other Jews: ²¹ No demon-possessed man ever spoke like this. Do demons give sight to the blind?

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The shepherd metaphor probably means a lot less to you today than it did to those Jews who heard Me give it 2000 years ago. They saw shepherds every day tending sheep on the Judean hillsides. Many of them owned sheep and understood what it meant to hire out the job of tending sheep to low paid hired hands who ran from danger.

Maybe a better metaphor for you can be found in a number of news articles that find their way into local papers these days. Gunmen enter a school and you hear about the heroics of teachers taking charge of their class of students. Those teachers protect the students in amazing ways, often standing in the way of gunfire and sometimes giving their lives to protect the children under their care from the random shooting of some crazed gunman. But at the sound of the first shot, most who are not given the responsibility of students flee from the scene as fast as they can. That’s the difference between the shepherd and the hired hands in the metaphor.

The teacher is ready to die for his or her students to keep them from harm. The aid or janitor or vendor visiting the school is often out the door and away from the scene because they don’t feel the close relationship with the children and responsibility to care for them. It’s that teacher’s willingness to give her life for her children that starts to touch on the love for others that I have for you when I gave My life for you on the cross. Yet My love is so much greater.

As heroic as the stories sound of those teachers that stand in the line of fire, as amazing as their love sounds, it’s nothing compared to the love I have for you. No one could take My life. I willingly gave it up. No executioner could kill Me. I had to let him nail Me to the tree and tell the angels to turn their backs and hold back their wrath. I am your protector and will keep you safe from the evils of the world. But understand what that means. Does that mean you will be free from trouble? No. You will face persecution just as I did, but I will guard your heart. You need not fall to temptation if you let Me act as that teacher in the room for you. If you’ll let Me be your Shepherd. If you’ll let Me into your heart to guide your life from this point on. I can and will do it for you. Just ask Me in.

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.

Why is He so smart? (John 7:12-20) December 20, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – John 7:12-20

Set – John 7

Go! – John 7-8

John 7:12-20
¹² The crowds would talk in groups: some favored Jesus and thought He was a good man; others disliked Him and thought He was leading people astray. ¹³ All of these conversations took place in whispers. No one was willing to speak openly about Jesus for fear of the religious leaders.
¹⁴ In the middle of the festival, Jesus marched directly into the temple and started to teach. ¹⁵ Some of the Jews who heard Him were amazed at Jesus’ ability, and people questioned repeatedly:
Jews: How can this man be so wise about the Hebrew Scriptures? He has never had a formal education.
Jesus: ¹⁶ I do not claim ownership of My words; they are a gift from the One who sent Me. ¹⁷ If anyone is willing to act according to His purposes and is open to hearing truth, he will know the source of My teaching. Does it come from God or from Me? ¹⁸ If a man speaks his own words, constantly quoting himself, he is after adulation. But I chase only after glory for the One who sent Me. My intention is authentic and true. You’ll find no wrong motives in Me.
¹⁹ Moses gave you the law, didn’t he? Then how can you blatantly ignore the law and look for an opportunity to murder Me?
Crowd: ²⁰ You must be possessed with a demon! Who is trying to kill You?

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

During My time on earth, many questioned how I could be so wise about the Hebrew Scriptures without a formal eduation. I spoke about concepts within the law that amazed the people and confounded the scholars. I turned the Pharisees’ arguments upside down on them when they tried to trap Me in their traditions and opened the laws to catch them in their own traps. So many questioned My abilities and My understanding, My sources and authority.

It would be easy to say all of it came from the God side of Me, but that is only half the story. I was completely God, but also completely Man. My mother, Mary, and My earthly father, Joseph, made sure I knew My real heritage from an early age and made sure the scriptures were available to Me. Joseph would read to Me often from the Law and the Prophets before I could read and Mary would help Me memorize long passages of scripture as a young boy.

I would spend time meditating on what those scriptures meant and because of knowing the story of My birth, I could see the prophecies within those scriptures that pertained to Me throughout My life. I saw the truth of My birth in Bethlehem, yet being called a Nazarene living in the town of Nazareth. I understood the cries of mothers since all the boys My age were killed by Herod. My parents fled to Egypt and called out of Rahmah. I knew the story and the scriptures.

Throughout My life I made the scriptures part of My life and they awakened every day as My human life unfolded around Me. But you can use the scriptures the same way, you know. They are about Me, but when you let Me into your life, you can understand the scriptures with authority because of My Spirit in you and confound those around you.

The issue most have in understanding the scripture is they fail to do what I did when I was young and continued to do throughout My life. I made the scriptures part of Me. I learned them. I studied them. I let them speak to Me and through Me. I didn’t try to twist them to suit My desires, but rather made sure My desires fit the scriptures. That’s hugely different from what I hear in a lot of pulpits today. The scriptures haven’t changed. Neither have men and women. The truths contained in My word are as old as creation and I gave them to you to help guide you through life so you might enjoy more abundant living.

In America, statistics tell you high school graduates read less than one book per year after graduation. What a dismal indictment and waste of your education. But certainly you should at least read My book. How else will you understand how to live? I gave you a manual to live by. Proverbs is full of short lessons that if followed will keep you out of trouble financially, in your relationships, with your boss, in almost every area of life. Read a chapter of Proverbs every day and you’ll read it once every month. It’s not hard, but it will change your life.

The book is only 1500 pages in most translations. If you read an hour and a half a day, you can read it in 52 days. About fifteen minutes a day and you’ve read it in a year. Can’t you afford that much time to learn about Me and what My plan for this world and for you might entail? Can’t you spend just fifteen minutes a day in My word to better understand the precepts by which I will judge you at the end of time? Don’t you think if you’re going to have a test over you life it makes sense to read the rule book? It’s there for you.

How did I speak with such understanding and knowledge? I made the scriptures a significant part of My human life every single day…without exception. The Father’s words given to humankind are the most important words you can read each day. I understood that from an early age and lived it throughout My life with you. Make them a part of your daily life, too. You won’t regret it.

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

Why do you follow Jesus? (John 6:22-40) December 19, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – John 6:22-40

Set – John 6

Go! – John 5-6

John 6:22-40
²² The following day some people gathered on the other side of the sea and saw that only one boat had been there; they were perplexed. They remembered seeing the disciples getting into the boat without Jesus.
²³ Other boats were arriving from Tiberias near the grassy area where the Lord offered thanks and passed out bread. ²⁴ When this crowd could not find Him or His disciples, they boarded their small boats and crossed the sea to Capernaum looking for Him. ²⁵ When they found Jesus across the sea, they questioned Him.
Crowd: Teacher, when did You arrive at Capernaum?
Jesus: ²⁶ I tell you the truth—you are tracking Me down because I fed you, not because you saw signs from God. ²⁷ Don’t spend your life chasing food that spoils and rots. Instead, seek the food that lasts into all the ages and comes from the Son of Man, the One on whom God the Father has placed His seal.
Crowd: ²⁸ What do we have to do to accomplish the Father’s works?
Jesus: ²⁹ If you want to do God’s work, then believe in the One He sent.
Crowd: ³⁰ Can You show us a miraculous sign? Something spectacular? If we see something like that, it will help us to believe. ³¹ Our fathers ate manna when they wandered in the desert. The Hebrew Scriptures say, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
Jesus: ³² I tell you the truth: Moses did not give you bread from heaven; it is My Father who offers you true bread from heaven. ³³ The bread of God comes down out of heaven and breathes life into the cosmos.
Crowd: ³⁴ Master, we want a boundless supply of this bread.
Jesus: ³⁵ I am the bread that gives life. If you come to My table and eat, you will never go hungry. Believe in Me, and you will never go thirsty. ³⁶ Here I am standing in front of you, and still you don’t believe. ³⁷ All that My Father gives to Me comes to Me. I will receive everyone; I will not send away anyone who comes to Me. ³⁸ And here’s the reason: I have come down from heaven not to pursue My own agenda but to do what He desires. I am here on behalf of the Father who sent Me. ³⁹ He sent Me to care for all He has given Me so that nothing and no one will perish. In the end, on the last day, He wants everything to be resurrected into new life. ⁴⁰ So if you want to know the will of the Father, know this: everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will live eternally; and on the last day, I am the One who will resurrect him.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Why do you follow Jesus? I knew that many that crossed the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum that day were following Me only to see more miracles. They didn’t care about My teaching, they only wanted to see Me turn a small lunch into enough to feed a crowd again. Or to cause a blind man to see. Or make a lame man walk. They followed Me to see some circus act and see what kind of spectacle I might perform in their presence so they could tell their children and their neighbors about it when they returned home.

But why do you follow Me? If you follow Me only so I protect you or heal you or provide for you, you’ve come to Me for the wrong reason. Remember what I told you. In this world you will have trouble. If you follow Me, you will find yourself surrounded by those who want to hurt you or even kill you. They tried to stone Me, push Me over a cliff, even kill Me. They could do none of those things until I allowed them to take Me to the cross, but they can and will do those things to you. Look at the trail of martyrs that have gone before you. Don’t think you will remain exempt from the persecution that has befallen the church.

So why do you follow Me? Do you want to hear My words? Do you want to learn from Me? Do you want to find out how to gain the abundant life I spoke about when I walk alongside you? Do you follow Me to discover how I want you to live? Do you follow Me to become like Me as My disciple? Why do you follow Me? Doing so will cost you everything. It will cost your plans, your wealth, your family, maybe even your life. The reward is worth it, but you must count the cost before you decide to follow Me. Understand it will cost you everything when you follow Me.

Stop and think about it. Most of the crowd that day just wanted to see more miracles. They didn’t understand My mission or meaning. Few who come beside Me will take up the mantle and truly follow. But abundant life awaits those who do. Will you be one of those who follow Me for the right reasons?

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.

Best man or the groom? (John 3:22-36) December 18, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – John 3:22-36

Set – John 3-4

Go! – John 2-4

John 3:22-36
²² Not long after, Jesus and His disciples traveled to the Judean countryside where they could enjoy one another’s company and ritually cleanse new followers through baptism.^23-24 About the same time, Jesus’ cousin John—the wandering prophet who had not yet been imprisoned—was upriver at Aenon near Salim baptizing scores of people in the abundant waters there. ²⁵ John’s activities raised questions about the nature of purification among his followers and a religious leader, ²⁶ so they approached him with their questions.
John’s Followers: Teacher, the One who was with you earlier on the other side of the Jordan, the One whom you have been pointing to, is baptizing the multitudes who are coming to Him.
John the Baptist: ²⁷ Apart from the gifts that come from heaven, no one can receive anything at all. ²⁸ I have said it many times, and you have heard me—I am not the Anointed One; I am the one who comes before Him. ²⁹ If you are confused, consider this: the groom is the one with the bride. The best man takes his place close by and listens for him. When he hears the voice of the groom, he is swept up in the joy of the moment. So hear me. My joy could not be more complete. ³⁰ He, the groom, must take center stage; and I, the best man, must step to His side.
³¹ If someone comes from heaven above, he ranks above it all and speaks of heavenly things. If someone comes from earth, he speaks of earthly things. The One from the heavens is superior; He is over all. ³² He reveals the mysteries seen and realities heard of the heavens above, but no one below is listening. ³³ Those who are listening and accept His witness to these truths have gone on record. They acknowledge the fact that God is true! ³⁴ The One sent from God speaks with the very words of God and abounds with the very Spirit and essence of God. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and withholds nothing from Him. ³⁶ Those who believe in the Son will bask in eternal life, but those who disobey the Son will never experience life. They will know only God’s lingering wrath.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin knew about miracles. He was a miracle himself. His mother, Elizabeth told him the story of his birth many times before he began telling the story of his cousin, Jesus. John’s mother trained him well and he knew his mission to herald the coming King, the Messiah, God incarnate. When his followers tried to touch some spot of jealousy for the crowds Jesus began to draw away from him, John’s retort is noteworthy.

John understood his mission as the best man compared to the groom at a wedding. His job was to remain close by, but the bride and groom were the center of attention, not him. John held no jealousy for the notariety Jesus gained at his expense. It was why his mother told him he was born in the first place, to pave the way for the promised Messiah. John fulfilled his mission.

How about you? Do you stand in the shadow of someone? Do you feel jealous toward someone who has taken the limelight you once had? Did you ever consider that I have given that person their mission and I have something else in mind for you? John ultimately found himself in Herod’s prison and beheaded for preaching the truth to Herod and his wife. I probably won’t ask you to await execution for Me, but I might. Are you willing to stand the test for Me? The day might come when you must do just that, you know.

The real issue, I have plans for you that are yours and yours alone. I have plans for those around you that belong to them. I give each person responsibilities and task fit for them. You cannot carry their cross and neither can they carry yours. Together, though, My ultimate plans for this world are completed so that My children find eternal rest in Me and the wicked never plague you again. Instead, as John says, they will experience My wrath.

So, examine your life, your thoughts, your actions. How do you react to those who seem to gain promotions you think you should have? How do you feel about those in the limelight? How do you treat those who get the recognition after you put in the effort? Do you behave as John? Or do you turn green with envy and wish it were you getting the spotlight, the headlines, and the recognition? Beware of what you ask for, you never know what goes along with it. Remember, John was beheaded and Jesus was crucified!

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.

Build your character (2 Peter 1:1-11) December 17, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Peter 1:1-11

Set – 2 Peter 1; John 1

Go! – 2 Peter 1-3; John 1

2 Peter 1:1-11
¹ Simon Peter, a servant and emissary of Jesus the Anointed One, to those who have received the same precious faith we share through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus the Anointed. ² I wish you a full measure of grace and peace as you grow in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
³ His divine power has given us everything we need to experience life and to reflect God’s true nature through the knowledge of the One who called us by His glory and virtue. ⁴ Through these things, we have received God’s great and valuable promises, so we might escape the corruption of worldly desires and share in the divine nature.
⁵ To achieve this, you will need to add virtue to your faith, and then knowledge to your virtue; ⁶ to knowledge, add discipline; to discipline, add endurance; to endurance, add godliness; ⁷ to godliness, add affection for others as sisters and brothers; and to affection, at last, add love. ⁸ For if you possess these traits and multiply them, then you will never be ineffective or unproductive in your relationship with our Lord Jesus the Anointed; ⁹ but if you don’t have these qualities, then you will be nearsighted and blind, forgetting that your past sins have been washed away. ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers and sisters, work that much harder to confirm that God has called you and claimed you. If you do this, then you will never fall along the way; ¹¹ and you can be sure that you will be richly welcomed into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I talked a few days ago about Paul’s words to you to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Peter gives you a formula to help you in those efforts with the words you heard today. This effort in faith requires character building. I want you to want Me as I’ve told you many times. I want you to desire to be like Me. To be one of My disciples. To be a disciple takes work, devotion, commitment. It comes about by a change of habits and lifestyle. It takes changing your very character. I help you with the process, but you also play a part in that transformation in your willingness to let Me transform you.

Peter reminds you of the process that builds character in you as your faith in Me grows. He tells you to add virtue to your faith. What is virtue? Behavior showing high moral standards. Let others see your good behavior. Then to virtue add knowledge. Know good from evil by knowing My word. Knowing My word, you will begin to know Me. Then to knowledge add discipline. You must discipline your mind and body to obey you to keep from falling to the temptations Satan puts in your path. Discipline keeps you on the narrow path of obedience that My followers trod.

After discipline, add endurance to your bag of character traits. Compared to eternity, life is very short, but each day seems long when in the middle of it. To follow Me, though, you will need endurance. The race is not for the faint of heart. Next add godliness to your portfolio of character traits. Godliness only comes by letting Me live within you and transforming your mind to Mine. Then show affection toward others. This gets rid of the selfishness that springs up inside you when you focus on the needs of others rather than your own.

Finally, to affection add love, the real key to following in My footsteps. When you truly love, the other characteristics will also mature and flow through you unhendered. Love will become the foundation of your character and you’ll demonstrate it continually in your behavior toward others and toward Me. And, as Peter tells you, you will never become ineffective or unproductive in your efforts for Me with these characteristics in your life. You will become who I made you to be and accomplish My purpose for you.

Will these changes come easily or quickly? Not necessarily. I Might have you working on some of these character traits for a lifetime, but never give up. I can change you if you’ll just listen to Me and walk the path I lay out before you. Trust Me to give you the strength you need to become the person I made you to be.

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 part of the house (1 Peter 2:1-12) December 16. 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 1 Peter 2:1-12

Set – 1 Peter 2-3

Go! – 1 Peter 1-5

1 Peter 2:1-12
¹ So get rid of hatefulness and deception, of insincerity and jealousy and slander. ² Be like newborn babies, crying out for spiritual milk that will help you grow into salvation ³ if you have tasted and found the Lord to be good.
⁴ Come to Him—the living stone—who was rejected by people but accepted by God as chosen and precious. ⁵ Like living stones, let yourselves be assembled into a spiritual house, a holy order of priests who offer up spiritual sacrifices that will be acceptable to God through Jesus the Anointed. ⁶ For it says in the words of the prophet Isaiah,
See here—I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone, chosen and precious;
Whoever depends upon Him will never be disgraced.
⁷ To you who believe and depend on Him, He is precious; but to you who don’t, remember the words of the psalmist:
The stone that the builders rejected
has been laid as the cornerstone—the very stone that holds together the entire foundation,
⁸ and of Isaiah:
A stone that blocks their way,
a rock that trips them.
They stumble because they don’t follow the word of God, as they were destined to do.
⁹ But you are a chosen people, set aside to be a royal order of priests, a holy nation, God’s own; so that you may proclaim the wondrous acts of the One who called you out of inky darkness into shimmering light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received it.
¹¹ Beloved, remember you don’t belong in this world. You are resident aliens living in exile, so resist those desires of the flesh that battle against the soul. ¹² Live honorably among the outsiders so that, even when some may be inclined to call you criminals, when they see your good works, they might give glory to God when He returns in judgment.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Peter addresses his modern world. Many of his day assumed they would not like this new Christian religion because of its freedom from the rules established by Moses centuries before. So they fought against Peter and his compatriots. They assumed faith in Me as the living God-Man, born of woman and of God could not be who I showed them I was and could not do the things I did even when they saw it with their own eyes or heard it from the lips of eyewitnesses.

Many were afraid of what others might think of them if they abandoned the religion they pledged their allegiance to as children or young adults feared the isolation from their old religious order more than they feared the living God, as My Spirit spoke to them convicting and convincing them of sin. I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. Unfortunately, the same conditions exist today.

You fear what others think far more than you fear Me. You listen to the voice of religious leaders than you listen to My voice. You follow the fancies of men instead of following the precepts of My word. I look around and even in My church, I find hatefulness, deceiption, insincerity, jealousy, and slander. These characteristics might be expected from those outside the walls the cathedrals built for My worship, but from those who gather to worship Me? From those who call themselves Christian? How can I tolerate such behavior?

The answer is, I can’t and I won’t. The title by which you call yourself makes no difference to Me. It is your behavior and your heart that I watch and see. I know when you love Me and worship Me. I know when your prayers are sincere or just for the hearing of those around you. I know you better than you know yourself. And there will be a test at the end of time. I will judge your heart.

So what should you do? Peter tells you. Come to Me like babies crying out for spiritual milk if you have tasted Me and found I am good. And you will. Then like growing children, be curious about Me. Learn My language of love for others. Engross yourself in My word and you will find more than ample demonstrations of My grace and mercy and love to mimic as you reach out into the world around you to minister to My creation, the people lost in their sins and blinded by the veil Satan puts over their eyes.

Become one of the spiritual stones that make up the spiritual house in which I dwell. Each of you plays a significant role, no one more important than another, but I am the cornerstone and on My foundation, you together for the spiritual edifice for true worship. But how can you fill that role if you are unwilling to allow the Master Builder to place you in the perfect spot to erect the walls and floors and windows and doors of the edifice. The Master Builder knows just what to do with each stone.

He knows where to place you in His plan. You were called out of darkness into the light of His glory to fill that perfect spot in His perfect plan for your life. Don’t give up. Don’t ease off. Don’t retire from your task. Fulfill your place in the spiritual house I am building for us 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.

The problem with humanity is selfishness (James 4:1-10) December 15, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – James 4:1-10

Set – James 4-5

Go! – James 1-5

James 4:1-10
¹ Where do you think your fighting and endless conflict come from? Don’t you think that they originate in the constant pursuit of gratification that rages inside each of you like an uncontrolled militia? ² You crave something that you do not possess, so you murder to get it. You desire the things you cannot earn, so you sue others and fight for what you want. You do not have because you have chosen not to ask. ³ And when you do ask, you still do not get what you want because your motives are all wrong—because you continually focus on self-indulgence. ⁴ You are adulterers. Don’t you know that making friends with this corrupt world order is open aggression toward God? So anyone who aligns with this bogus world system is declaring war against the one true God. ⁵ Do you think it is empty rhetoric when the Scriptures say, “The spirit that lives in us is addicted to envy and jealousy”? ⁶ You may think that the situation is hopeless, but God gives us more grace when we turn away from our own interests. That’s why Scripture says,
God opposes the proud,
but He pours out grace on the humble.
⁷ So submit yourselves to the one true God and fight against the devil and his schemes. If you do, he will run away in failure. ⁸ Come close to the one true God, and He will draw close to you. Wash your hands; you have dirtied them in sin. Cleanse your heart, because your mind is split down the middle, your love for God on one side and selfish pursuits on the other.
⁹ Now is the time to lament, to grieve, and to cry. Dissolve your laughter into sobbing, and exchange your joy for depression.¹⁰ Lay yourself bare, facedown to the ground, in humility before the Lord; and He will lift your head so you can stand tall.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

James hits the nail on the head. The problem with humanity is selfishness. You don’t get what you want and war erupts within you. Then often it explodes in your behavior. Sometimes it even goes global with national policies and global alliances. You are selfish by nature. That’s the problem with every individual, every group, every town, every nation. You want to gratify your wants and don’t care what it might cost others. Envy and jealousy are your hallmarks.

I can help you with it, though. When you turn away from your own interests and turn toward Me, I give you the grace you need to stay on the path of righteousness. The path of right living. Living with the good of others in mind. I give you the grace you need to live in community with your brothers and sisters. I give you the love you need so you express hope for those around you just as you express hope for yourself.

You can’t get rid of your selfishness on your own. But I can help you. I can make you over again so that you are no longer double-minded wanting My will but locked into your own. Submit to Me and fight against the devil and his schemes. I will make a way of escape for you. I will make a way for you to stand up in the face of his temptations. He will flee from you when he knows I am on your side. He knows he cannot defeat Me.

Failure to align with Me, though, means declaring war against Me. You can’t live on the fence. You are either fully for Me, or fully against Me. There is no middle ground with Me. It just doesn’t work. You see, I am a jealous God. Yes, I want My way. But My way is good. It is the best thing for you. I know it is because I am God. I created you and all there is. I will judge you at the end of time. There will be no jury of your peers, because they have also sinned. Only I am holy. So I alone will judge you.

Doesn’t it make sense if I am judge and jury to please Me? Doesn’t it make sense if I’m the one who will determine your eternal rewards and punishments to read My word and abide by its precepts? Does it make sense to declare war against Me when you understand the consequences of doing so? Then why wait to join My team? Give yourself to Me whole-heartedly today. You won’t be sorry you did!

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.

Discipline is important (Hebrews 12:1-13) December 14, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Hebrews 12:1-13

Set – Hebrews 12-13

Go! – Hebrews 12-13; Jude

Hebrews 12:1-13
¹ So since we stand surrounded by all those who have gone before, an enormous cloud of witnesses, let us drop every extra weight, every sin that clings to us and slackens our pace, and let us run with endurance the long race set before us.
² Now stay focused on Jesus, who designed and perfected our faith. He endured the cross and ignored the shame of that death because He focused on the joy that was set before Him; and now He is seated beside God on the throne, a place of honor.
³ Consider the life of the One who endured such personal attacks and hostility from sinners so that you will not grow weary or lose heart. ⁴ Among you, in your striving against sin, none has resisted the pressure to the point of death, as He did.
⁵ Indeed, you seem to have forgotten the proverb directed to you as children:
My child, do not ignore the instruction that comes from the Lord,
or lose heart when He steps in to correct you;
⁶ For the Lord disciplines those He loves,
and He corrects each one He takes as His own.
⁷ Endure hardship as God’s discipline and rejoice that He is treating you as His children, for what child doesn’t experience discipline from a parent? ⁸ But if you are not experiencing the correction that all true children receive, then it may be that you are not His children after all. ⁹ Remember, when our human parents disciplined us, we respected them. If that was true, shouldn’t we respect and live under the correction of the Father of all spirits even more? ¹⁰ Our parents corrected us for a time as seemed good to them, but God only corrects us to our good so that we may share in His holiness.
¹¹ When punishment is happening, it never seems pleasant, only painful. Later, though, it yields the peaceful fruit called righteousness to everyone who has been trained by it. ¹² So lift up your hands that are dangling and brace your weakened knees. ¹³ Make straight paths for your feet so that what is lame in you won’t be put out of joint, but will heal.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The writer uses several metaphors to help you understand the role of suffering in the world. Do I like to watch you suffer? No. But My Son used the suffering He received as discipline just as I want you to use it. Was the suffering His fault? No. Did I cause it? Not all of it. Some I gave to help His human nature stay within the boundaries I set for all of humankind. I want you to keep control of the base desires and instincts that Satan corrupts and uses for evil.

As the Son of Man, Jesus felt all those same temptations you feel to yield to quick and unholy gratification of those desires. But the discipline I taught Him from an early age through His parents, His rabbis, My word, and My Spirit helped Him keep from falling to the temptations Satan set before Him. Some of that discipline was painful emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Discipline is not always easy or pleasant, but necessary for growth. So even the Son of Man required discipline to withstand the temptations He would face later in His life as He faced the cross.

So if I disciplined My Son so He could face the cross when the time came when He was born free from the inbred nature of sin that the rest of humanity inherits through Adam, can you begin to understand the importance of discipline in your life? Do I want you to suffer? Do I want you to undergo discipline so you can stand under the temptations that will come your way on your journey through life? Absolutely. Will some of that discipline cause pain spiritually, emotionally, and physically? Probably.

When suffering comes, though, think of it as a means to the end. Think of it as a part of the discipline process to make you able to stand just as I discipline My Son so that He could stand. The suffering may not come from Me. It may come as a result of the good you do for others. Remember I promised you would have trouble in this world. But if you look at all suffering as discipline and not try to figure out which is which, you will be less likely to try to seek revenge. You will be more likely to forgive wrongs if you see all suffering as discipline from Me. You will find more grace from Me as you struggle through the difficult circumstance of life.

Do I enjoy disciplining My children? No more than you enjoy disciplining your children. But it is necessary to help them mature and become effective citizens later. I want you to be effective citizens in My kingdom, so expect Me to discipline you. It’s important.

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.