Category Archives: Christian

Encourage each other (Hebrews 3), July 6, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Hebrews 3

Set – Hosea 6; Hebrews 3

Go! – Hosea 6–9; Hebrews 3

Hebrews 3
¹ So all of you who are holy partners in a heavenly calling, let’s turn our attention to Jesus, the Emissary of God and High Priest, who brought us the faith we profess; ² and compare Him to Moses, who also brought words from God. Both of them were faithful to their missions, to the One who called them. ³ But we value Jesus more than Moses, in the same way that we value a builder more than the house he builds. ⁴ Every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. ⁵ Moses brought healing and redemption to his people as a faithful servant in God’s house, and he was a witness to the things that would be spoken later. ⁶ But Jesus the Anointed was faithful as a Son of that house. (We become that house, if we’re able to hold on to the confident hope we have in God until the end.)

⁷ Listen now, to the voice of the Holy Spirit through what the psalmist wrote:
Today, if you listen to His voice,
⁸ Don’t harden your hearts the way they did
in the bitter uprising at Meribah
⁹ Where your ancestors tested Me
though they had seen My marvelous power.
¹⁰ For the 40 years they traveled on
to the land that I had promised them,
That generation broke My heart.
Grieving and angry, I said, “Their hearts are unfaithful;
they don’t know what I want from them.”
¹¹ That is why I swore in anger
they would never enter salvation’s rest.
¹² Brothers and sisters, pay close attention so you won’t develop an evil and unbelieving heart that causes you to abandon the living God. ¹³ Encourage each other every day—for as long as we can still say “today”—so none of you let the deceitfulness of sin harden your hearts. ¹⁴ For we have become partners with the Anointed One—if we can just hold on to our confidence until the end.
¹⁵ Look at the lines from the psalm again:
Today, if you listen to His voice,
Don’t harden your hearts the way they did
in the bitter uprising at Meribah.
¹⁶ Now who, exactly, was God talking to then? Who heard and rebelled? Wasn’t it all of those whom Moses led out of Egypt? ¹⁷ And who made God angry for an entire generation? Wasn’t it those who sinned against Him, those whose bodies are still buried in the wilderness, the site of that uprising? ¹⁸ It was those disobedient ones who God swore would never enter into salvation’s rest. ¹⁹ And we can see that they couldn’t enter because they did not believe.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Some say they can serve Me apart from a community of believers. That’s not how I intend you to serve Me. You’ll find life much easier to contend with when you bind together in fellowship and travel through it together than if you try to face it alone. That’s why the writer of Hebrews says to encourage each other every day.

Meeting together and encouraging each other in the face of adversity and persecution helps you know you are not alone in the troubles you face from the world. The world will always tell you that following Me is not worth the effort. Those who oppose Me will always try to block your path and lure you away from Me in a variety of ways. But being a part of a fellowship of believers will strengthen you and encourage you along your journey.

Solomon’s proverb reminds you that two are stronger than one and a rope of three strands is not easily broken. The same is true when applied to groups of believers. When you meet together, you have the strength to stand up to whatever the world might throw your way. You can lean on each other and help carry each others burdens.

I made you to want to have meaningful relationships with other people, not just with Me. That’s why I told you it is impossible to love Me and hate your brothers and sisters. How can you hate your brother who you see and love Me who you cannot see? It just isn’t possible. You need each other and meeting together to worship Me is a great place to start that bonding in fellowship.

It’s also especially helpful and important to encourage each other in these times. You can see the pressure increasing on those who really stand for Me. As long as you move along with the ideas of those who just call themselves Christians but bow to the whims and ways of the world, you don’t have problems. But stand for Me and My word and you will face ridicule, slander, insult, and persecution. Expect it. Embrace it. Encourage each other in the face of it.

As the end of times approach, persecution against the church and My people will increase. The rise in violence against you will become increasingly severe as My return approaches. Be ready. Lean on each other. Encourage each other every day – while “today” is still around. I’m coming back to take you with Me. Persevere until the end. It’s worth 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.

Come back, stay faithful (Hosea 2:2-20), July 5, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Hosea 2:14–23

Set – Hosea 2; Hebrews 2

Go! – Hosea 2–5; Hebrews 2

Hosea 2:14-23
¹⁴ But once she has nothing, I’ll be able to get through to her.
I’ll entice her and lead her out into the wilderness where we can be alone,
and I’ll speak right to her heart and try to win her back.
¹⁵ And then I’ll give her back her vineyards;
I’ll turn the valley of Achor, that “Valley of Trouble,”
into a gateway of hope.
In the wilderness of exile she’ll learn to respond to Me
the way she did when she was young, when I brought her out of Egypt.
¹⁶ And I swear when that day comes, she’ll call Me “my husband” and never address Me again as “my master” as she did those other gods. ¹⁷ She’ll never invoke the name of any other master again.
Everyone will forget that gods by that name ever existed. ¹⁸ When that day comes, this is what I’ll do for My people: I’ll make a covenant for them with the wild animals and flying birds and crawling insects, and they’ll agree never to devour her crops again. I’ll smash all the bows and swords and weapons that could be used to invade their land, and they’ll live in security.
(to His reclaimed bride) ¹⁹ I’m going to marry you, and this time it’ll be forever in righteousness and justice. Our covenant will reflect a loyal love and great mercy; ²⁰ our marriage will be honest and truthful, and you’ll understand who I really am—the Eternal One.
²¹ And I swear that when that day comes
I’ll answer the sky and prayers for rain,
and the sky will give the land the water it’s asking for.
²² And the land will give the grain and wine and oil the fertile soil they need to develop,
and the crops will shout back to Me, “God sows!”
²³ I won’t just restore the agricultural abundance;
I’ll sow into My beloved land and plant the people in the land and make them My own.
To the one who has not been shown mercy,
I’ll rename her Mercy.
I’ll tell Not My People, “You are now My People!”
and he’ll respond, “You’re my God!”

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

You might remember Hosea’s story. I asked him to marry a harlot as an example of how My children treated Me. Hosea’s wife ran off to other men instead of being faithful to her husband, but he goes to her and brings her back home despite her unfaithfulness. The poetry in the prophecy tell of his actions to win her back. Hosea tried everything he could to keep her faithful to him. He gave her his love and remained faithful to her even though she was unfaithful to him.

My children treat Me like Hosea’s wife treated him too often. I give you blessings and you don’t appreciate them. I give you My love and you chase after worldly things instead. I protect you, provide for you, help you, teach you, yet you throw My love away and give yourself to meaningless activities and throw yourself to whatever will give you temporary pleasure instead of aspiring to develop lasting relationships with Me.

How is it that you can read history and know what happens to those who oppose Me and still continue on the path you take? How can you continue to defy Me when you see that in the end only a relationship with Me will last? How can you chase after the things of the world when you see the evidence time and again that those things only lead to your destruction?

It was difficult for Me to use Hosea as an example for the Israelites. I knew the heartbreak he would feel as his wife deserted him and ran off after other men. I knew the tears he would shed because of her deceit after all he did to provide for her. I knew the anguish Hosea would experience because of the rejection he felt from the one he loved.

I knew Hosea would experience these things because I experience them when one of My children, one of My creation, reject Me despite the love I give them. I do everything I can to reach to you, yet you run away from Me. I give you My love, even to the point of sacrificing Myself on the cross to redeem you, still you turn from Me and follow your own path. I love you with a love that reaches deeper than your vilest sin. All I ask is that you return to Me and be a faithful bride.

Like Hosea, I will take you as you are. But I won’t let you remain in your sin. I won’t let you continue to return to your unfaithful ways. I won’t allow you to continue to reject Me forever. I love you, but I remain holy. I cannot live in the presence of sin. It must be blotted out. I made provision for you so your sins can be blotted out. I died for you for just that reason.

Perhaps remembering Hosea’s story will help you understand how I feel when you run from Me. I want you with Me. Come back to Me. I’ll accept you as you are and help you remain faithful if you will work with 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.

The Son, the Anointed One, God! (Hebrews 1), July 4, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Hebrews 1
Set – Hosea 1; Hebrews 1
Go! – 2 Kings 15–16; Hosea 1; Hebrews 1

Hebrews 1
¹ Long ago, at different times and in various ways, God’s voice came to our ancestors through the Hebrew prophets. ² But in these last days, it has come to us through His Son, the One who has been given dominion over all things and through whom all worlds were made.
³ This is the One who—imprinted with God’s image, shimmering with His glory—sustains all that exists through the power of His word. He was seated at the right hand of God once He Himself had made the offering that purified us from all our sins. ⁴ This Son of God is elevated as far above the heavenly messengers as His holy name is elevated above theirs.

⁵ For no heavenly messengers have ever heard God address them with these words of the psalms:
You are My Son.
Today I have become Your Father.
Or heard Him promise,
I will be to You a Father,
and You will be My Son.
⁶ Now, when the Son, the firstborn of God, was brought into the world, God said,
Let all My heavenly messengers worship Him.
⁷ Concerning them, God said,
I make My heavenly messengers like the winds,
and My servants like a flame.
⁸ But to the Son He said,
God, Your throne is eternal;
You will rule Your kingdom with the scepter of justice.
⁹ You have loved what is right
and hated what is evil;
That is why God, Your God, has anointed You
with the oil of gladness and lifted You above Your companions.
¹⁰ And God continues,
In the beginning, You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth
and set the skies above us with Your own hands.
¹¹ But while they will someday pass away,
You remain forever;
when they wear out like old clothes,
¹² You will roll them up
and change them into something new.
But You will never change;
Your years will never come to an end.
¹³ Did God ever say to any of the heavenly messengers,
Sit here, at My right hand, in the seat of honor;
and I’ll put all Your enemies under Your feet?
¹⁴ No, of course not. The heavenly messengers are only spirits and servants, sent out to minister to those who will certainly inherit salvation.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

My Son, fully human, fully God. It’s something you cannot understand if I tried to explain it. There at the beginning of time, yet alive in human skin for a mere 33 years. Lived among, died a cruel death, rose from the grave, lives eternally. The human mind cannot comprehend how it happens except that My Son is God and is Man. I came to you to show you how to live. I came to show you how to love. I came to show you who I am.

Hebrews gives a discourse on the supremacy of My Son as worthy of worship because He is God incarnate. The Hebrews couldn’t understand it. Jesus in the flesh ran counter to much their religion evolved into over the course of time. Their religion became a list of rules and traditions. Rituals that adherants must perform at certain times in certain ways. Religion without heart or real devotion or worship.

I came to them as I come to you to remind them I am a God of love. I am alive. I care about you because I created you. I want a relationship with you. But I am still a holy God and abhor sin. It cannot dwell in My presence. So I had to make a way to bridge the gap between us. My Son, God incarnate, Me in the flesh as the perfect sacrifice for the redemption of sin was My plan from the very first act of disobedience in the garden.

There was never anything you could do to bridge the gap. Only I could do it. So I came to you and became one of you. I gave My life for you so you could have life. This book, these few chapters written centuries ago still hold the same solid arguments as they did when penned. As you read them, let them move you like they never have before. Let the author of Hebrews help you understand why I came and what I offer you as My followers.

The opening verses tell you Jesus, My Son, is worthy of worship. He is part of Me. He stands above all others. He participated in creation and will stand at the final judgment. He is eternal as I am eternal. He is God as I am God, part of the triune Godhead. All will bow at His feet and call Him Lord one day. It’s best to start now.

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

What does God want you to do? (Isaiah 6), July 3, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Isaiah 6

Set – Isaiah 6; 2 Chronicles 26

Go! – Isaiah 6–7; 2 Chronicles 26–27; Philemon

Isaiah 6
¹ In the same year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a grand throne way up high with a flowing cape that filled the whole temple. ² Bright flaming creatures waited on Him. Each had six wings: two covering its face, two covering its feet, and two for flying. ³ Like some fiery choir, they would call back and forth continually.
Flaming Creatures: Holy, holy, holy is the Eternal, the Commander of heavenly armies!
The earth is filled with His glorious presence!
⁴They were so loud that the doorframes shook, and the holy house kept filling with smoke.
⁵ Isaiah: I am in so much trouble! I’m ruined!
I’m just a human being—fallible and stammering.
My lips are encrusted with filth;
and I live among people just like me.
But here I am, and I’ve seen with my very own eyes
none other than the King, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies.
⁶ Then one of the flaming creatures flew to me holding a red-hot ember which it had taken from God’s table, the temple altar, with a pair of tongs. ⁷ The creature held it to my lips.
Flaming Creature: Look! With the touch of this burning ember on your lips,
your guilt is turned away;
All your faults and wrongdoings are forgiven.
⁸ Then I heard the Lord’s voice.
Eternal One: Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?
Isaiah: Here I am! Send me.
Eternal One: ⁹ Go to this people and say,
“Keep listening, but do not comprehend;
Keep looking, but do not understand.”
¹⁰ Make their hearts hard, their ears deaf, and their eyes blind.
Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,
Understand with their hearts, and then turn and be healed.
¹¹ Isaiah: How long, Lord?
Eternal One: Until cities are in ruins, the houses sit empty,
and the land has become a wasteland.
¹² You see, the Eternal has determined to move the people far away;
place after place will be completely abandoned.
¹³ And even if just a tenth survive, it will be burned again;
imagine a terebinth or an oak; once it is cut down, the stump remains.
The holy seed remains in the stump.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I let Isaiah peek into My throne room. He saw what few have seen. He viewed a scene that thrills Me. My seraphs and seraphim surrounding the throne singing and worshiping Me. They cannot help it. All who see Me worship in My presence. They cry out “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God, Almighty.” When you see Me, you will do the same. You won’t be able to resist.

Isaiah saw something else as He peeked into the My throne room. He listened in on a conversation between Me and My angels. I asked a question to which I already knew the answer, but wanted him to realize the answer. It’s always better to let the owner of the task discover the task themselves. So I let Isaiah hear the conversation and he volunteered.

Like many of My followers, Isaiah didn’t know what the task really entailed. He didn’t know the sacrifices he would eventually make. He didn’t know the resistance he would face. Isaiah was ready to tell the world what he saw. He was ready to proclaim whatever I told him to the world. He didn’t realize that few would believe him just like few believe Me.

That’s what I want from those that follow Me, though. I want you to volunteer to do whatever I want you to do. I want you to be like Isaiah. Just say I’ll go before you even know what I’m asking. Be so willing to do anything that you jump up and down with your hand in the air that I’m reminded of the kindergarteners volunteering for their favorite teacher.

My missions will sometimes be tough. But I’ll be with you. Sometimes what I ask of you will seem impossible, but I’m in the business of the impossible. Remember, I created everything from nothing. The impossible is My specialty. People will often hate you for doing what I ask of you. But don’t worry, I will love you and that’s what counts.

Isaiah had a special viewing before I gave him his task. You might not. I still want you to work for Me. Will you do it? Can you stand up the test? Are you man or woman enough?

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.

Choose your path wisely (Isaiah), July 2, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Isaiah 5:1–7

Set – Isaiah 5; Jude

Go! – Isaiah 4–5; Psalms 115–116; Jude

Isaiah 5:1-7
¹Let me now sing for my dear friend,
a love song about his vineyard.
My friend, whom I dearly love,
had a vineyard on a fertile hill.
² He labored to prepare the ground, tilling the soil and digging out rocks,
and then he planted it with the best plants he could find.
In its midst, he built a watchtower over it
and cut out a winepress in the hill nearby;
Then he waited, hoping it would be bountiful.
But the vineyard produced only wild, bitter grapes.
³ Eternal One: That’s it. Enough. Now, you who live in My special city, Jerusalem,
you people of this choice country, Judah,
Who’s in the right—Me or My vineyard?
⁴ What else could I possibly have done to make it flourish?
Why, when I had every reason to expect great beauty and bushels of grapes,
Did it yield only wild, bitter fruit?
⁵ I’ll tell you what I’m going to do,
what I’ve determined to do to My vineyard:
I’m going to take away its protective fence
and let the deer, raccoons, and rabbits devour it.
I’ll break down its wall,
let the vines be eaten and trampled.
⁶ I will set it up for destruction—
do no pruning, no tilling—
And it will be overrun with nasty briars and thornbushes.
I will even order the clouds not to water it.
⁷ See here, the vineyard of the Eternal, the Commander of heavenly armies,
is the house of Israel, His special people.
And the shoots and buds He nursed so lovingly along
are the people of this choice country, Judah.
He expected a paragon of justice and righteousness—
but everywhere injustice runs bloodred in the streets, and cries echo in the city!

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I try hard to bring you to Me. I want you in My home. But I’m a holy God. I cannot tolerate sin. So I made a away to teach you right from wrong. I made a way of escape for you so you can choose right instead of wrong. But you still have a choice. I created you with that capability. Unfortunately, as much as I try, you often choose the wrong over the right. It’s your choice, but you must understand, I have not changed. I still cannot tolerate sin and ultimately, I will destroy every vestige of sin that exists.

I separated the Israelites as My chosen people to especially teach them My ways so they could then teach them to the rest of the world. Instead, they turned from Me and chose their own path. It led to their destruction at the hands of other nations. Only in the last century have I allowed them to stand up as a nation again with national boundaries and their own government. But time for them to truly return to Me is drawing short.

I raised up a nation across the seas with individual freedoms like no other nation. I gave it democratic rules and representative government. I blessed it with men who saw far beyond themselves and established laws that would give self-government to individuals and cities as far as possible to protect freedom from tryanny. You called yourselves Americans. I hoped this new democracy would follow Me based on the people who fled the persecutions they faced in Europe.

The new settlers followed Me for a while, but like Israel, when you gained prosperity and power in the world, you forgot Me. You felt self-sufficient and thought you no longer needed Me. Despite the fact I gave you what you needed to begin this experiment in self-government, you cast Me aside. Now you begin to feel the payment for your arrogance. As with Isaiah’s prophecy so many centuries ago, the metaphor still holds true.

I am like a the farmer who planted the vineyard and did everything I could do to create a good crop, but the vineyard produced only wild, bitter grapes. You are that vineyard and will leave you to your own destruction. I will no longer tend to you or help you in times of despair. You have chosen your path by the actions you take in your courts, your legislature, you seats of power. You choose the wrong path instead of following Me. You choose to tickle your ears with personal pleasure, you hear only what you want to hear to satisfy your base desires instead of listening to what separates you from the rest of the animals in creation.

So since you have chosen your path, I will leave you to your own ends. I will let you see what it is like to live as a nation without Me. I will allow you to become the wild, wanton creatures you choose. It pains Me to watch, but I gave you freedom to choose and I will not withdraw that freedom. Remember, however, you do not choose the consequences of your choice. I do. You will not like the consequences of the path you follow apart from Me.

For 20 centuries, the Israelites wandered without a country to call their own. They were My chosen people. What do you think will happen to you when I withdraw My protection from you? Choose your path carefully. As a nation, it is done. As individuals, you still have a choice. Choose wisely!

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

You know what God wants, do it (Isaiah 1:2-20), July 1, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Isaiah 1:2–20

Set – Isaiah 1; Titus 3

Go! – Isaiah 1–3; Titus 3

Isaiah 1:2-20
² Listen and take note,
from the farthest reaches to the nearest!
Listen up heaven and earth,
for the Eternal One has spoken.
He is not happy with the children He raised.
Eternal One: Despite all I’ve done,
My children have rebelled against Me.
³ Oxen know their owners;
even donkeys know where their master feeds them,
But Israel is ignorant.
My very own, they ignore Me.
⁴ Truly this is a wicked nation,
a people fat with wrongdoing,
Like a litter of miscreants,
a pack of wilding adolescents.
They’ve rejected the Eternal,
despised the Holy One of Israel;
they’ve turned their backs on Him.
^5-6 Why do you insist on taking a beating?
Why do you persist in such reckless rebellion?
Your bodies already suffer head to toe—
your heads ache and hearts flutter;
Your skin is covered with bruises,
swollen with welts, and gaping with wounds,
with no tending, no healing, no soothing.
⁷ Your country is a waste.
Your cities are dead, sooty rubble.
Your farms and fields are consumed,
everything you worked for destroyed
by foreign armies as you look on—helplessly.
⁸ Zion, our portion of heaven on earth, is no longer protected;
Jerusalem stands like a watchman’s shelter in a vineyard,
Like a hut in a melon field,
like a city assaulted and besieged.
⁹ Except for the fraction of us who hang on
by the grace of the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies,
We’d be destroyed and deserted
like Sodom and Gomorrah, utterly done in.[a]
¹⁰ Listen to the word of the Eternal One,
you rulers of Sodom!
Attend to God’s instructions,
citizens of Gomorrah!
¹¹ **Eternal One**: What do I care for all of your slaughter-gifts?
I have had enough of your burnt offerings.
I’m not interested in any more ram meat or fat from your well-fed cattle.
The blood of bulls, lambs, or goats does not please Me.
¹² When you come into My presence,
who told you to trample down the courtyard of My temple bringing all of this?
¹³ Just stop giving Me worthless offerings;
your incense reeks and offends Me!
Your feasts and fasts, your new moons and Sabbaths—
I cannot stand any more of your wicked gatherings.
¹⁴ Likewise, I deplore your holidays,
those calendar days marked specially for Me;
They weigh Me down.
I am sick and tired of them!
¹⁵ When you summon Me with your hands in the air, I will ignore you.
Even when you pray your whole litany, I won’t be listening
Because your hands are full of blood and violence.
¹⁶ Wash yourselves, clean up your lives;
remove every speck of evil in what you do before Me.
Put an end to all your evil.
¹⁷ Learn to do good;
commit yourselves to seeking justice.
Make right for the world’s most vulnerable—
the oppressed, the orphaned, the widow.
¹⁸ Come on now, let’s walk and talk; let’s work this out.
Your wrongdoings are bloodred,
But they can turn as white as snow.
Your sins are red like crimson,
But they can be made clean again like new wool.
¹⁹ If you pay attention now and change your ways,
you can eat good things from a healthy earth.
²⁰ But if you refuse to listen and stubbornly persist,
then, by violence and war, you will be the one devoured.
These things were spoken by the very mouth of the Eternal.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I don’t care about the stuff you try to give Me or the rituals you perform. I established the system of sacrifices and offerings Moses presented to the Israelites at Mout Sinai and carried out in the tabernacle and the Temple before their exile. But when the system becomes mindless ritual, I’m no longer interested in hearing it. I want your worship to come from the heart.

I used Isaiah to give that message to the Israelites and the message hasn’t changed. The only real sacrifice I want is you. I want you to willingly give of yourself. The bulls and rams and grain offereings only symbolized what I really want from you. Those give their all when they are laid on the altar. They give their life’s blood as a symbol of devotion. But it’s only a symbol.

What I want is you. I want your total devotion. Your total dedication. Your total worship. I want your willing acceptance of the tasks I give you to perform. I want you to lift your hands, not because some worship leader asks you to, but because you feel something in your spirit that stirs you to point to Me as the supreme entity. I want you to realize I am above everything. All except Me is part of creation. Everything has been created except Me and I am the One who began all of creation put it into order.

As you understand who I am, you will understand why nothing short of you is acceptable as an offereing to Me. Paul tells it best. “Offer yourself as a living sacrifice – this is your spiritual worship.” One day you will bow to Me and know I alone am worthy of worship. I ask you to do it now so you can do it throughout eternity with Me instead of apart from 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.

What are you teaching? (Titus 2), June 30, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Titus 2
Set – Psalms 104; Titus 2
Go! – Amos 7–9; Psalms 104; Titus 2

Titus 2
¹ As to you, Titus: talk to them; give them a good, healthy diet of solid teaching so they will know the right way to live.
² Here’s what I want you to teach the older men: enjoy everything in moderation, respect yourselves and others, be sensible, and dedicate yourselves to living an unbroken faith demonstrated by your love and perseverance.
³ And here’s what I want you to teach the older women: Be respectful. Steer clear of gossip or drinking too much so that you can teach what is good ⁴ to young women. Be a positive example, showing them what it is to love their husbands and children, and teaching them to ⁵ control themselves in every way and to be pure. Train them to manage the household, to be kind, and to be submissive to their husbands, all of which honor the word of God.
⁶ Encourage the young men in the same way: in every situation, they should learn to control themselves.
^7-8 Titus, you have to set a good example for everyone. Go out of your way to do what is right, speak the truth with the weight and authority that come from an honest and pure life. No one can argue with that. Then your enemies will cower in shame because they have nothing bad to say against us.
⁹ Advise all the servants: Work hard for your masters, and be loyal to them. Strive to please. Don’t be rude or sarcastic. ¹⁰ Don’t steal or embezzle your masters’ property. Show them you are trustworthy, and all the credit will go to the teaching of God our Savior.
¹¹ We have cause to celebrate because the grace of God has appeared, offering the gift of salvation to all people. ¹² Grace arrives with its own instruction: run away from anything that leads us away from God; abandon the lusts and passions of this world; live life now in this age with awareness and self-control, doing the right thing and keeping yourselves holy. ¹³ Watch for His return; expect the blessed hope we all will share when our great God and Savior, Jesus the Anointed, appears again. ¹⁴ He gave His body for our sakes and will not only break us free from the chains of wickedness, but He will also prepare a community uncorrupted by the world that He would call His own—people who are passionate about doing the right thing.
¹⁵ So, Titus, tell them all these things. Encourage and teach them with all authority—and rebuke them with the same. You are a man called to serve, so don’t let anyone belittle you.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Have you ever thought about what you should share with those around you? Too often you just assume your children and those around you at work, church or your neighbors will just pick up your habits and learn what you want them to learn. Unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way. You need to be a little more deliberate in your approach to teaching what you want those you care for to learn.

If you look at the advertising around you, you’ll find the world is pretty good at teaching impressionable young minds what it wants to teach. For instance, regardless of the known dangers of tobacco use, teenagers and young adults continue to pick up the habit and tobacco products still rake in almost half a trillion dollars in sales each year.

You see the tobacco advertisers teach children it’s cool to smoke or dip, and they teach them well. They are deliberate in the way they distribute their information and hide the truth about the damage that comes from their products. And so young people decide the teaching by the cancer societies won’t happen to them. The sales of products climb. And profits continue to grow.

The same can be said of alcohol, drugs, both legal and illegal, many of the foods you eat that you know don’t provide good nutritious value for you. But the teach of the advertisers help you decide the diseases won’t happen to you and so you partake. Adam and Eve did the same thing in the Garden of Eden with Satan’s advertisements about the forbidden fruit. Then it was too late for them.

So what do you want your children to learn? If you teach a Sunday School class, what do you want your students to learn? What do you want your neighbors to understand about you or about Me? What lessons do you want your co-workers to learn about spiritual things?

Remember, My command to you was to go and make disciples … in all the world. To meet the requirement I gave you requires deliberate action on your part. Perhaps it’s time to sit down and decide what you want others to see in you that you want them to know and learn. What habits do you have that you want your children and grandchildren to adopt? What do you want them to see and do? Can you respond like Paul, “Whatever you have seen me say or do, you do the same and you’ll find Christ.”?

Only deliberate action will overcome the plan Satan has in place to deceive those around you he wants to snatch from My kingdom. And perhaps only you can reach some of those with whom you interact each day. So what will you show them? What will you share with them? What will you teach them so they will know Me?

Paul gave Titus some clear instructions that I want to make sure you know fit you as well. “Talk to them; give them a good, healthy diet of solid teaching so they will know the right way to live.” Do this and you will fulfill My desire for you to make disciples in the world where you live.

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

A battle is brewing (Amos 5:1-17), June 29, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Amos 5:1–17
Set – Amos 5; Titus 1
Go! – Amos 4–6; Psalms 86; Titus 1

Amos 5:1-17
¹ Hear this message I sing about you;
it is my dirge for you, people of Israel:
² The virgin Israel has fallen,
fallen never to rise again;
Forsaken in her land, forgotten where she lies.
No one is there to help her rise again.
³ So says the Eternal Lord:
Eternal One: The city that sent out a thousand soldiers
will see only a hundred of them survive;
And the town that sent out a hundred
will see only ten remain for the house of Israel.
⁴ So says the Eternal to Israel:
Eternal One: Turn back to Me and you will live. There is still time.
⁵ But don’t hang your hopes on Bethel,
Or travel to Gilgal or Beersheba or any other sanctuary expecting help,
because Gilgal will surely be sent into exile,
And the shrine at Bethel will come to nothing.
⁶ Turn back to the Eternal One, and you will live.
If you don’t, He will flame up like fire against the house of Joseph,
Burn it to the ground, and no one in Bethel will be able to put it out.
⁷ Listen, you who distort justice and make it taste bitter
and trample righteousness to the ground.
⁸ The One who set the Pleiades and Orion in the heavens,
who turns night’s shadow into morning and darkens the day with night,
Who calls forth the waters of the sea to pour down rain and flood the earth—
the Eternal One is His name,
⁹ Who destroys the mighty in a flash,
and crashes against the fortress with the force of a tidal wave.
¹⁰ Those of you who hold power now hate the one who judges in the courts at the gate
and detest anybody who speaks the truth.
¹¹ So because you have climbed to success on the backs of the poor
and your wealth comes from taxes you impose on their harvests,
You may well build mansions of expensively-cut stones,
but you’ll never occupy them.
You may plant beautiful vineyards,
but you’ll never enjoy their delicious wine.
¹² For I know the depth of evil that you’ve done,
and I see the gravity of your sins:
You persecute those who do the right thing, you take bribes,
and you push the poor to one side in the courts at the city gates instead of helping them.
¹³ So the wise may decide to keep quiet just then,
because truly, it is an evil time.
¹⁴ Search for good and not for evil
so that you may live;
That way the Eternal God, the Commander of heavenly armies, will be at your side,
as you yourselves have even said.
¹⁵ Hate what is evil, and love all that is good;
apply His laws justly in the courts at the city gates,
And it may be that the Eternal God, the Commander of heavenly armies,
will have mercy on those descendants of Joseph who survived.
¹⁶ So says the Eternal God, Commander of heavenly armies, the Lord of all:
Eternal One: Get ready to hear wailing from every street,
people crying out in pain and sorrow along every highway.
The farmers will be pulled away from their fields to mourn,
and those who are trained to grieve will wail with them.
¹⁷ In every vineyard, there will be mourning
because I will pass through the middle of you.
Says the Eternal One.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Israel didn’t listen to My prophets when I warned them against the evil they were doing. They turned away from My law. They didn’t treat each other justly. The leaders took advantage of the people taxing them into poverty and making themselves rich on the backs of the people they were to care for.

I sent My prophets to warn them, but they wouldn’t listen. They continued to do as they pleased and they paid a heavy price for their disobedience. Israel was crushed under the might of Assyria and Babylonia and Persia and Greece and Rome. For centuries, Israel could not hold its own leadership, but lived under the occupation of another country whose leaders did not believe in Me. The Israelites were forced out of their homes and lived in exile as I allowed them to suffer because they abandoned Me.

The United States’ early documents talked about Me. Most of the founding fathers of the country talked of My providence in bringing the people of this country together to form a new nation with the hope of freedom from the tyranny of evil men. Churches grew up in every city and men and women prayed. The first book printed by Congress was the Bible to be used as a reader in schools.

In just two centuries, you have fallen just as Israel fell. Your prosperity caused you to look to other gods and forget Me. I have sent prophets to you, but your churches are empty except for those who tell you what you want to hear. Those who agree with your perverted sense of justice and twist My words to please you.

So I will come soon and bring justice for the righteous. I will again bring peace and hope to My world. But this time, as prophecies have foretold, the new heaven and new earth will come from the purging of all evil. I will come again and the great battle will punish the evil one and all who follow him forever. My people will be brought to live with Me and will feast with Me through 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.

Real joy in life (2 Timothy 4), June 28, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Timothy 4
Set – Psalms 80; 2 Timothy 4
Go! – Amos 1–3; Psalms 80; 2 Timothy 4

2 Timothy 4
¹And now I bring you this charge before God and Jesus the Anointed, the one destined to judge the living and the dead, at His glorious appearance and His kingdom: ² go out and preach the word! Go whether it’s an opportune time or not! Reprove, warn, and encourage; but do so with all the patience and instruction needed to fulfill your calling ³ because a time will come when some will no longer tolerate sound teaching. Instead, they will live by their own desires; they’ll scratch their itching ears by surrounding themselves with teachers who approve of their lifestyles and tell them what they want to hear. ⁴ They will turn away from the real truth you have to offer because they prefer the sound of fables and myths. ⁵ But you must stay focused and be alert at all times. Tolerate suffering. Accomplish the good work of an evangelist, and complete the ministry to which you have been called.

⁶ For I am already being poured out, and the last drops of this drink offering are all that remain; it’s almost time for me to leave. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have stayed on course and finished the race, and through it all, I have kept believing. ⁸ I look forward to what’s in store for me: a crown of righteousness that the Lord—the always right and just judge—will give me that day (but it is not only for me, but for all those who love and long for His appearing).
⁹ Come to me, Timothy, as soon as you can. ¹⁰ You see, Demas has fallen for this world, abandoned me, and headed off to Thessalonica. Crescens took off for Galatia. Titus has gone to Dalmatia. ¹¹ Luke is the only one left. Bring Mark with you because he is useful in this work and will help look after me. ¹² I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. ¹³ On your way here, pick up the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, and bring the scrolls—especially the parchments.
¹⁴ Keep your eye out for Alexander the coppersmith! He came against me with all sorts of evil—may the Lord pay him back accordingly— ¹⁵ so watch your back because he has gone overboard to oppose our message.
¹⁶ When it was time for my first defense, no one showed up to support me. Everyone abandoned me (may it not be held against them) ¹⁷ except the Lord. He stood by me, strengthened me, and backed the truth I proclaimed with power so it may be heard by all the non-Jews. He rescued me, pried open the lion’s jaw, and snatched me from its teeth. ¹⁸ And I know the Lord will continue to rescue me from every trip, trap, snare, and pitfall of evil and carry me safely to His heavenly kingdom. May He be glorified throughout eternity. Amen.
¹⁹ Give my regards to Prisca, Aquila, and everyone over at Onesiphorus’s house. ²⁰ Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus in Miletus because he was sick. ²¹ Try your best to come before winter blows in. Eubulus says hello and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters. ²² May the Lord be with your spirit, and may His grace be with you. [Amen.]

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

You can hear in Paul’s words at the end of his letter to Timothy that he knows his time is short. Soon he will hear the call from the executioner and will leave this life and join Me in eternity. He knows I will not save him from the executioners tools, it’s just a question of how he will die. He doesn’t know if his death will be quick and painless or a slow tortuous death on a cross.

Even knowing his death is coming soon, Paul’s words are not mournful. He leaves words of greeting to his friends and words of encouragement to Timothy. He wants his books, the scrolls and parchments that contain the scriptures so he can read them again and learn more from them. And even as he hears the executioner’s footsteps, he knows that I am able to deliver him if I choose.

I will soon let Paul die as a martyr, but not quite yet. Timothy’s letter will not be his last, but almost. Very soon Paul will suffer his “thorn in the flesh” no more. Soon he will join Me for eternity and will have preached his last sermon, written his last letter, counselled his last teacher. After all is said and done, Paul will continue to pronounce, “I have run a good race, I have fought a good fight, I have won the crown that awaits me.”

I encourage you to listen to Paul’s words carefully in his last paragraphs to Timothy. They are full of encouragement. Charged with a desire to go on. Yet they also show Paul knows his destiny and he accepts it willingly as a faithful servant. He is not discouraged. He is not complaining. He doesn’t sorrow. In fact, you’ll recall in other letters, he questions which is better to remain or to die and be with Me? He was torn between the two. Paul found contentment in whatever circumstance he found himself because I was always with him.

I will always be with you, too. Find contentment in Me and you will have real joy in living each moment whatever your circumstance.

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.

Paul describes today (2 Timothy 3), June 27, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Timothy 3
Set – 2 Chronicles 25; 2 Timothy 3
Go! – 2 Kings 13–14; 2 Chronicles 25; 2 Timothy 3

2 Timothy 3
¹And know this: in the last days, times will be hard. ² You see, the world will be filled with narcissistic, money-grubbing, pretentious, arrogant, and abusive people. They will rebel against their parents and will be ungrateful, unholy, ³ uncaring, coldhearted, accusing, without restraint, savage, and haters of anything good. ⁴ Expect them to be treacherous, reckless, swollen with self-importance, and given to loving pleasure more than they love God. ⁵ Even though they may look or act like godly people, they’re not. They deny His power. I tell you: Stay away from the likes of these. ⁶ They’re snakes slithering into the houses of vulnerable women, women gaudy with sin, to seduce them. These reptiles can capture them because these women are weak and easily swayed by their desires. ⁷ They seem always to be learning, but they never seem to gain the full measure of the truth. ⁸ And, just as Jannes and Jambres rose up against Moses, these ungodly people defy the truth. Their minds are corrupt, and their faith is absolutely worthless. ⁹ But they won’t get too far because their stupidity will be noticed by everyone, just as it was with Jannes and Jambres.

¹⁰ You have been a good student. You have closely observed how I have lived. You’ve followed my instructions, my habits, my purpose, my faith, my patience. You’ve watched how I love and have seen how I endure. You have been with me ¹¹ through persecutions and sufferings—remember what they did to me in Antioch? In Iconium and Lystra? I endured all of it, and the Lord rescued me from it all! ¹² Anyone wishing to live a godly life in Jesus the Anointed will be hunted down and persecuted. ¹³ But as for the wicked and the imposters, they will keep leading and following each other further and further away from the truth. ¹⁴ So surely you ought to stick to what you know is certain. All you have learned comes from people you know and trust ¹⁵ because since childhood you have known the holy Scriptures, which enable you to be wise and lead to salvation through faith in Jesus the Anointed. ¹⁶ All of Scripture is God-breathed; in its inspired voice, we hear useful teaching, rebuke, correction, instruction, and training for a life that is right ¹⁷ so that God’s people may be up to the task ahead and have all they need to accomplish every good work.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

You live in treacherous times. Paul talks about them when he tells Timothy about the last days. Listen again to his description of people in the last days. “…the world will be filled with narcissistic, money-grubbing, pretentious, arrogant, and abusive people. They will rebel against their parents and will be ungrateful, unholy, uncaring, coldhearted, accusing, without restraint, savage, and haters of anything good. Expect them to be treacherous, reckless, swollen with self-importance, and given to loving pleasure more than they love God. Even though they may look or act like godly people, they’re not. They deny His power.”

Does any of that sound familiar? Look around you and you will find the world filled with such people. Your news depicts only evil, never the good that happens around you because as a people you have become haters of anything good. You crave evil. Your movies and television shows are filled with violence, sex, and the ocult because you crave evil and hate anything good. You rebel against your parents and have become exactly the people Paul says you would become. You seek your own pleasure at any cost.

Look into the your political campaigns over the last few years and the number of discoveries on both sides of the aisle of treachery in the voting booths. The dead voting. Stolen identification cards. Non-citizens lining up at the polls. People voting at multiple sites. Treachery because some have become swollen with self-importance and are reckless with the truth. Even the Supreme Court thinks it can decide if My word is right or wrong.

You are in perilous times. But I would instruct you as Paul instructed Timothy. Find truly godly men and women who follow My teachings. Watch their lives and know they know Me. Listen to them and do what they do. But more importantly, read My words. Hear My voice. Do what I ask of you. Don’t let anyone tell you My word has become obsolete. Those who think so, find themselves crushed by it.

Paul understood the importance of My word when he told Timothy, “All of Scripture is God-breathed; in its inspired voice, we hear useful teaching, rebuke, correction, instruction, and training for a life that is right so that God’s people may be up to the task ahead and have all they need to accomplish every good work.”

Some of what you read you won’t like. Some of it will make you change your ways and cause you to do tough things, but you’ll find it worth it in the end. You’ll discover, as Paul did, My word stands the test of time and will take you through the most difficult parts of life. And regardless what the world might think or do, what’s ultimately important is having Me say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joys of heaven.”

Will you be described by Paul’s description of the populace of the endtimes or by My welcoming words of grace? It’s your choice to make. Make the right one.

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