Category Archives: devotional

Making a covenant with God (Leviticus 26/1-13), Feb 16, 2015

Today’s Podcast

Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – Leviticus 26:1-13
Set – Leviticus 26; Acts 23
Go! – Leviticus 26-27; Acts 23

Leviticus 26:1-13
Eternal One: Do not fashion any idols or blasphemous images. Do not erect any sacred pillars as the nations around you do. Do not set up any carved stones in your land and bow down to them. I am the Eternal your God. ² Honor My Sabbaths, and treat My sanctuary as a holy place I am the Eternal One.
³ If you walk in My decrees and keep My commandments in your daily lives, ⁴I will grant you plenty of rain in the seasons when you need it, and your land will produce abundant crops and your trees will be filled with fruit. ⁵Your grain threshing will last until the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest will continue until it is time to plant again. You will fill your bellies with food and feel secure as you live in the land. ⁶I will see to it that you have peace in your land. You will be able to go to bed at night without a worry on your mind. I will take away the dangerous animals that roam your land, and no armies will invade your land. ^7-8When you go after your enemies, they will fall by your sword. Five of you will go after 100 of your enemies, and 100 of you will cause 10,000 to flee. ⁹I will grant you My favor, and you will be fruitful, multiply, and have many healthy children, and I will continue to honor My covenant with you. ¹⁰You will have so much surplus food from year to year that you will have to make room for the new harvest when it comes in. ¹¹I will make My home among you and never turn away from you. ¹²I will walk among you and be your god, and you will be My people. ¹³I am the Eternal One, your God, who led you out of the land of Egypt so that you would no longer be their slaves. I have shattered the yokes that broke your backs and helped you walk straight and upright.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I made a lot of promises to the children of Israel in the covenant I made with them. Some people think I broke My promises because many of these don’t seem to hold true today as you look at the nation of Israel. But people forget what covenants are. Covenants are contracts between people. There is an if in there that the Israelites forgot.

I gladly take care of My children. I long to give them good things. But I also don’t intend to spoil My children. And so I expect them to live by the rules of My I lay out before them. They are not burdensome. They are not hard. They only require focusing on Me. They require love for Me and for each other. My Son, Jesus, put it well when He told those who would try to entrap Him, “The greatest commandment is this,’Love the Lord with all you heart, soul, mind, and strength.’ And the second, is close to it, ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’”

The Israelites failed in their responsibilities under the covenant. I still gave them many of the promises contained in the covenant. I still poured out many blessings and gave them great victories to try and win them back to worshiping Me the way I intended them to worship Me. But ultimately, I could no longer let them disregard the terms of the covenant and operate in such a one-sided fashion and maintain the glory and honor of My name. My chosen people’s rebellion toward Me required My action.

The same is true of you. I want to make a personal covenant with you. I want to pour out My blessing, My grace and mercy on you. I want to give you peace and joy and the abundant life you hear about in New Testament living. But you must give up old ways of thinking, and acting. You must let Me direct your life. I must be Lord of your life.

But think about it. If I can create the universe and everything in it; if I can keep the universe running with clockwork precision; if I can make the lame walk and the blind see; if I can do the impossible, why not put your trust in Me? Don’t you think I am capable of running your life better than you or anyone else could? Don’t you think I can help you make the decisions that are best for you? Don’t you think I would do things in your best interest?

Covenants require both parties to provide something. You provide yourself, following My way as I lead you, and I’ll do all the rest.

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.

Remember My works (Psalm 25), Feb 15, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Psalms 25
Set – Psalms 25; Acts 22
Go! – Leviticus 25; Psalms 25-26; Acts 22

Psalms 25
1 ALWAYS I will lift up my soul to You, Eternal One,
2 BECAUSE You are my God and I put my trust in You.
Do not let me be humiliated.
Do not let my enemies celebrate at my expense.
3 CERTAINLY none of the people who rely on You will be shamed,
but those who are unfaithful, who intentionally deceive,
they are the ones who will be disgraced.
4 DEMONSTRATE Your ways, O Eternal One.
Teach me to understand so I can follow.
5 EASE me down the path of Your truth.
FEED me Your word
because You are the True God who has saved me.
I wait all day long, hoping, trusting in You.
6 GRACIOUS Eternal One, remember Your compassion; rekindle Your concern and love,
which have always been part of Your actions toward those who are Yours.
7 Do not HOLD against me the sins I committed when I was young;
instead, deal with me according to Your mercy and love.
Then Your goodness may be demonstrated in all the world, Eternal One.
8 IMMENSELY good and honorable is the Eternal;
that’s why He teaches sinners the way.
9 With JUSTICE, He directs the humble in all that is right,
and He shows them His way.
10 KIND and true are all the ways of the Eternal
to the people who keep His covenant and His words.
11 O LORD, the Eternal, bring glory to Your name,
and forgive my sins because they are beyond number.
12 MAY anyone who fears the Eternal
be shown the path he should choose.
13 His soul will NOT only live in goodness,
but his children will inherit the land.
14 ONLY those who stand in awe of the Eternal will have intimacy with Him,
and He will reveal His covenant to them.
15 PERPETUALLY my focus takes me to the Eternal
because He will set me free from the traps laid for me.
16 QUIETLY turn Your eyes to me and be compassionate toward me
because I am lonely and persecuted.
17 RAPIDLY my heart beats as troubles build on the horizon.
Come relieve me from these threats.
18 SEE my troubles and my misery,
and forgive all my sins.
19 TAKE notice of my enemies.
See how there are so many of them
who hate me and would seek my violent destruction.
20 Watch over my soul,
and let me face shame and defeat
UNASHAMED because You are my refuge.
21 May honor and strong character keep me safe.
VIGILANTLY I wait for You, hoping, trusting.
22 Save Israel from all its troubles,
O True God.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

David does something in this psalm that not many people take time to do. It’s a good practice for you and I encourage you to do it. You might not be the poet David was. You might not even want to use the letters of the alphabet as he did to capture your thoughts, but then again you might. But what David did in this poem is an important exercise every once in a while for the faithful disciple.

What did he do? He stopped to consider who I am and what I do for him. To write this psalm, David spent time alone thinking about My character, My strength, My power, My intercession in his life. He thought about the times I rescued him from danger. He thought about the times I was with him in battle and brought him victory. He thought about the times he felt My presence when he felt lost and alone. He spent time thinking about our relationship together and the ways I blessed him throughout his life.

In the hustle and bustle of life, it’s easy to forget the role I play in your life. It’s easy to go through life and never see where My intervention makes a difference in your circumstances. But I urge you to stop and take time to meditate on Me. Put a pen and paper in front of you and list the ways I help you each day. Think of the events in which you see My hand at work. Understand that I am God and love you more than you can know. Begin to recognize the everlasting love I have for you that never fails.

When you see My hand at work and remember all I have done for you, you will, like David, cry out “ALWAYS I will lift up my soul to You, Eternal One, BECAUSE You are my God and I put my trust in You.” And I will be there for you.

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.

Open the gates! (Psalms 24), Feb 14, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Psalms 24
Set – Leviticus 24; Psalms 24
Go! – Leviticus 23-24; Psalms 24; Acts 21

Psalms 24
¹ The earth and all that’s upon it belong to the Eternal.
The world is His, with every living creature on it.
² With seas as foundations and rivers as boundaries,
He shaped the continents, fashioned the earth.
³ Who can possibly ascend the mountain of the Eternal?
Who can stand before Him in sacred spaces?
⁴ Only those whose hands have been washed and hearts made pure,
men and women who are not given to lies or deception.
⁵ The Eternal will stand close to them with blessing and mercy at hand,
and the God who redeems will right what has been wrong.
⁶ These are the people who chase after Him;
like Jacob, they look for the face of God.
[pause]
⁷ City gates—open wide!
Ancient doors—stand back!
For the glorious King shall soon pass your way.
⁸ Who is the glorious King?
The Eternal who is powerful
and mightily equipped for battle.
⁹ City gates—open wide!
Ancient doors—stand back!
For the glorious King shall soon pass your way.
¹⁰ Who is the glorious King?
The Eternal, Commander of heaven’s army,
He is the glorious King.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

A lot of you probably think of David as a sweet little shepherd boy and don’t think about his family, his heritage, who he became, or even his exploits as a shepherd. But this sweet little shepherd boy killed lions and bears. He ripped his sheep from their paws because he didn’t want to pay for the lost sheep. This sweet little boy was a fighter. David was a warrior.

You probably got the wrong picture of David by equating the shepherd picture with Saul’s armor falling off of David. But it’s the wrong picture. Remember how Samuel recognized Saul? He stood head and shoulders above everyone else! Saul’s armor fell off of everyone. Saul didn’t go to the local store and buy clothes off the shelf. David was a big guy; Saul was a giant of a man.

Despite his prowess as a warrior, though, David had a way with words. He spent hours alone thinking about life, about what’s important, about Me. In so doing, He wrote many of the songs collected in the Hebrew songbook, the Psalms. I like the one you just heard. It reminds you that I own everything. Everything belongs to Me. Everything. Even you. Because I made you.

The psalm also reminds you that I am a holy God and want you to approach Me with clean hands and hearts. But you can do nothing to make yourself clean enough to come near to Me. That’s why I had to wrap Myself in flesh and sacrifice Myself to redeem you. But I did that because I want you to come close to Me. All you need to do is believe what I did, I did for you. Believe I spilled My blood for you, so that your sins can and are forgiven.

I like to picture the ancient gates as the walls of your heart. All you have to do is open the gates and I’ll come in. The gates can only be opened from the inside, though. There are no bars on the outside, no locks to manipulate, no latches to work. Only you can release the bars that hold fast the doors so that the gates can open and let Me in.

As long as I’m inside, you have no fear of whatever enemies you might face. The Eternal, Commander of the heaven’s army, powerful and mightily equipped for battle stands with you to fight any battle you face. Your enemies cannot penetrate the fortress when I’m with you and in charge. When I lead, I win. When I’m in charge, the battle is as good as done. I never lose. Satan thought he defeated Me on the cross…until the tomb burst open. He thought he won a victory with My death…until I exchanged it for life.

Open the gates, the Eternal is passing by. Give Me an invitation to come 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.

Let God help with your legacy (Acts 20:13-38), Feb 13, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Acts 20:13-38
Set – Leviticus 22; Acts 20
Go! – Leviticus 20-22; Acts 20

Acts 20:13-38
¹³ Again Paul wanted us to split up. He wanted to go by land by himself while we went by ship to Assos. ¹⁴ There he came on board with us, and we sailed on to Mitylene. ¹⁵ From there we sailed near Chios, passing by it the next day, docking briefly at Samos the day after that, then arriving at Miletus the following day. ¹⁶ This route kept us safely out of Ephesus and didn’t require Paul to spend any time at all in Asia, since he wanted to arrive in Jerusalem quickly—before Pentecost, he hoped.

¹⁷ In Miletus he sent word to the church in Ephesus, asking the elders to come down to meet with him. ¹⁸ When they arrived, he talked with them.

Paul: We will have many memories of our time together in Ephesus; but of all the memories, most of all I want you to remember my way of life. From the first day I arrived in Asia, ¹⁹ I served the Lord with humility and tears, patiently enduring the many trials that came my way through the plots of my Jewish opponents. ²⁰ I did everything I could to help you; I held nothing back. I taught you publicly, and I taught you in your homes. ²¹ I told everyone the same message—Jews and Greeks alike—that we must turn toward God and have faith in our Lord Jesus the Anointed. ²² Now I feel that the Holy Spirit has taken me captive. I am being led to Jerusalem. My future is uncertain, ²³ but I know—the Holy Spirit has told me—that everywhere I go from now on, I will find imprisonment and persecution waiting for me. ²⁴ But that’s OK. That’s no tragedy for me because I don’t cling to my life for my own sake. The only value I place on my life is that I may finish my race, that I may fulfill the ministry that Jesus our King has given me, that I may gladly tell the good news of God’s grace. ²⁵ I now realize that this is our last good-bye. You have been like family in all my travels to proclaim the kingdom of God, but after today none of you will see my face again. ²⁶ So I want to make this clear: I am not responsible for your destiny from this point on ²⁷ because I have not held back from telling you the purpose of God in all its dimensions.

²⁸ Here are my instructions: diligently guard yourselves, and diligently guard the whole flock over which the Holy Spirit has given you oversight. Shepherd the church of God, this precious church which He made His own through the blood of His own Son. ²⁹ I know that after I’ve gone, dangerous wolves will sneak in among you, savaging the flock. ³⁰ Some of you here today will begin twisting the truth, enticing disciples to go your way, to follow you. ³¹ You must be on guard, and you must remember my way of life among you. For three years, I have kept on, persistently warning everyone, day and night, with tears.

³² So now I put you in God’s hands. I entrust you to the message of God’s grace, a message that has the power to build you up and to give you rich heritage among all who are set apart for God’s holy purposes. ³³ Remember my example: I never once coveted a single coin of silver or gold. I never looked twice at someone’s fine clothing. ³⁴ No, you know this: I worked with my own two hands making tents, and I paid my own expenses and my companions’ expenses as well. ³⁵ This is my last gift to you, this example of a way of life: a life of hard work, a life of helping the weak, a life that echoes every day those words of Jesus our King, who said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

³⁶ Once again, imagine this scene:

As Paul finishes speaking, he kneels down; and we all join him, kneeling. He prays, and we all join him, praying. ³⁷ There’s the sound of weeping, and then more weeping, and then more still. One by one, we embrace Paul and kiss him, ³⁸ our sadness multiplied because of his words about this being our last good-bye. We walk with him to the ship, and he sets sail.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Paul’s final departure from his friends in Ephesus tore at his heart as it did all of those around him. Lots of tears flowed that day. Paul and all those around him knew it would be the last time they would see each other this side of eternity. Paul had some parting words for them that I hope cause you to think about what you want others to think about you when that day comes for you.

You see, life is so much more than eating and sleeping and working and just going through motions every day. Life is more than just slogging through each day one at a time from the day you are born until the day you die. You might think you have no influence like Paul or Peter or James. Paul impacted lives because of one reason. He let me use him the way I wanted to use him. I had a specific plan for his life and he let Me into his life in a dramatic way.

The question is will you let Me into your life in the same way. I probably won’t ask you to go to Africa or China or Asia to face shipwreck and prison and beatings. But you know where I first asked Paul to go? The synagogue. His church. I asked him to speak the plain truth to his brothers and sisters who didn’t understand the truth yet. I might ask you to do that.

Did you know the hardest people for Me to get through to today are the ones who think they are Christians? The people that are farthest from Me are the ones that think they know Me because they fill a seat in a church service every week, but don’t engage with Me in a personal way. They have their names on a church roll. They put money in an offering plate sometimes, some of them even regularly. They know the words to the songs being sung.

But when they walk out the door of the church, they leave Me there. The world has no idea they know Me. Their actions look no different than the co-worker who doesn’t own a Bible. Their thoughts are no different than delinquent sitting in the holding tank at the police station. They just haven’t acted on their thoughts…yet. Maybe you are even one of those who fail to talk to Me for days at a time. How can we have a relationship like that?

Wearing My name doesn’t mean you’re Mine anymore than wearing a Spurs basketball jersey makes you professional basketball player. It’s what’s inside that counts. I can make you a person of influence and power. But My way. With My influence and My power, not the world’s. It will look like the kind of influence and power I want you to have because I have a plan only you can fulfill. It might be to talk with the person standing next to you in line. Do you have the courage to let Me direct your life the way I did Paul’s?

He never turned back and the legacy he left still lives on. You want to give Me a try? Go ahead. I won’t let you down.

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.

Use God’s name…but well (Acts 19:8-20), Feb 12, 2012

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Acts 19:8-20
Set – Leviticus 19; Acts 19
Go! – Leviticus 18-19; Psalms 13; Acts 19

Acts 19:8-20
⁸ For three months, Paul continued his standard practice: he went week by week to the synagogue, speaking with great confidence, arguing with great persuasiveness, proclaiming the kingdom of God. ^9-10 Once again, some members of the synagogue refused to believe and insulted the Way publicly before the whole synagogue community. Paul withdrew and took those with him who had become disciples. For the next two years, he used the public lecture hall of Tyrannus, presenting the Word of the Lord every day, debating with all who would come. As a result, everyone in the region, whether Jews or Greeks, heard the message. ¹¹ Meanwhile, God did amazing miracles through Paul. ¹² People would take a handkerchief or article of clothing that had touched Paul’s skin and bring it to their sick friends or relatives, and the patients would be cured of their diseases or released from the evil spirits that oppressed them.

^13-14 Some itinerant Jewish exorcists noticed Paul’s success in this regard, so they tried to use the name of Jesus, the King, in an exorcism they were performing.

Imagine this: There are seven of them, all sons of a Jewish chief priest named Sceva, gathered around a demonized man in a house.

One of the Jewish Exorcists: I command you to depart, by the Jesus proclaimed by Paul!

Evil Spirit: ¹⁵ Jesus I know. Paul I know. But who are you?

¹⁶ Then the man leaps up, attacks them all, rips off their clothing, and beats them so badly that they run out of the house stark naked and covered in bruises.

¹⁷ Word of this strange event spread throughout Ephesus among both Jews and Greeks. Everyone was shocked and realized that the name of Jesus was indeed powerful and praiseworthy. ¹⁸ As a result, a number of people involved in various occult practices came to faith. They confessed their secret practices and rituals. ¹⁹ Some of them had considerable libraries about their magic arts; they piled up their books and burned them publicly. Someone estimated the value of the books to be 50,000 silver coins. ²⁰ Again, word spread, and the message of the Lord overcame resistance and spread powerfully.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Some of My children don’t think I have a sense of humor. But think about this scene from the early days of the church. Paul obviously had people’s attention as he performed miracles in My name. So much so that others wanted in on the act. And like today, there were a few charlatans in the crowd that thought they could take advantage of My name and just use it any way they wanted and make a fortune.

Quite frankly, I let some of them, just like I do today. Remember what Jesus told His disciples. If My name is being preached, let them preach it, as long as it isn’t a false gospel. As long as My message moves from one to another, I hope those who spread it live the life they preach, it’s obviously much more effective that way. But even if they aren’t living the life, if others hear my message and are saved by it, I am pleased.

Sometimes, though, I make examples of those that use My name in ways that profit only them. And sometimes I do it in humorous ways. Maybe you’re not into “slapstick” comedy, but every once in a while, I like slapstick comedy. So, when Sceva’s sons tried to use My name to expand his fortune telling business by casting out evil spirits, I turned the tables on him. I allowed the spirit those boys confronted let them know who was really in charge.

“I know Jesus. I know Paul. But who are you?”

Did you like that? The spirit didn’t care for them and they didn’t care much for the evil spirit after that. He beat them, stripped them, and let them run through the streets naked. Pretty embarrassing for these characters. Pretty funny to the onlookers. Pretty sobering for any who might want to profit from falsely using My name the same way they wanted to.

Do I always make spectacles of those who use My name falsely? Obviously not. You know people who use My name in ways they shouldn’t every day and I haven’t made them run naked in the streets…yet! But beware. My name means something. Take care of it. Understand that it is special to Me and I hold all the rights to it. The scene in Acts may add some humor to the New Testament as you let the scene play out in your mind. Unless you happen to be on the receiving end of the treatment.

But one day, and only I know when, I’m coming back. I’ll ask about how well you took care of My name. If you haven’t taken care of it and honored it and held it sacred, running through the streets naked will seem like timeout compared to the consequences you will endure. I want you to use My name to do great things. But I want to live in you and direct you to do them. Don’t take My commands lightly. This example may look humorous 2,000 years in the rear view mirror, but in a not-so-distant future, those who misuse My name will ask the mountains to fall on them rather than face 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.

Gallio says, Grow up and get along (Acts 18:1-17), Feb 11, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Acts 18:1-17
Set – Leviticus 16; Acts 18
Go! – Leviticus 15-17; Acts 18

Acts 18:1-17
¹From Athens, Paul traveled to Corinth alone. ² He found a Jewish man there named Aquila, originally from Pontus. Aquila and his wife Priscilla had recently come to Corinth from Italy because Claudius had banished all Jews from Rome. Paul visited them in their home ³ and discovered they shared the same trade of tent making. He then became their long-term guest and joined them in their tent-making business. ⁴ Each Sabbath he would engage both Jews and Greeks in debate in the synagogue in an attempt to persuade them of his message. ⁵ Eventually Silas and Timothy left Macedonia and joined him in Corinth. They found him fully occupied by proclaiming the message, testifying to the Jewish people that Jesus was God’s Anointed, the Liberating King. ⁶ Eventually, though, some of them stopped listening and began insulting him. He shook the dust off his garments in protest.

Paul: OK. I’ve done all I can for you. You are responsible for your own destiny before God. From now on, I will bring the good news to the outsiders!

⁷ He walked out of the synagogue and went next door to the home of an outsider, Titius Justus, who worshiped God. ⁸ Paul formed a gathering of believers there that included Crispus (the synagogue leader) and his whole household and many other Corinthians who heard Paul, believed, and were ceremonially washed through baptism. ⁹ One night Paul had a vision in which he heard the Lord’s voice.

The Lord: Do not be afraid, Paul. Speak! Don’t be silent! ¹⁰ I am with you, and no one will lay a finger on you to harm you. I have many in this city who are already My people.

¹¹ After such turmoil in previous cities, these words encouraged Paul to extend his stay in Corinth, teaching the message of God among them for a year and six months.

¹² During this time, some Jews organized an attack on Paul and made formal charges against him to Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia.

Jews: ¹³ This man is convincing people to worship God in ways that contradict our Hebrew Scriptures.

Paul was about to speak, but Gallio spoke first.

Gallio: ¹⁴ Look, if this were some serious crime, I would accept your complaint as a legitimate legal case, ¹⁵ but this is just more of your typical Jewish squabbling about trivialities in your sacred literature. I have no interest in getting dragged into this kind of thing.

¹⁶ So he threw out their case and drove them away from his bench. ¹⁷ They were furious and seized Sosthenes, the synagogue official; then they beat him in front of the tribunal. Gallio just ignored them.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Gallio’s words could apply to many of the churches that call themselves “Christian” today, you know. You like to point your finger at the Jews of the New Testament and talk about how petty they were and how they couldn’t see past their noses to understand that Jesus was My Son, come to redeem humankind from the chasm of sin that separates you from Me. The Jews of the synagogues in almost every city Paul and his entourage visited raised up people who would start riots and blame it on Paul.

Gallio just happened to have enough smarts to see the real problem. It wasn’t the message Paul preached. It wasn’t the change in people Gallio and other city officials saw in the lives of those Paul reached. The problem Gallio saw was the synagogue leaders didn’t have a message that changed lives anymore. They had lost their focus on what was important and their faith had become a religion instead of a relationship with Me. They went through rituals every day saying their robotic prayers and making their mandated sacrifices, but there was no heart in what they did. They had lost the reason for why they came to the synagogue in the first place.

A lot of My churches are getting that way. Why is it that there are hundreds of churches in some cities, yet hundreds of thousands that never walk in their doors? Why is it you walk past each other and they assume everyone in your congregation is bound for hell because of your actions and beliefs and, of course, your congregation is assured of the same of them? Why do you let Satan get between you and let petty things detract you from what is really important? My Son told you to love each other and told you the story of the Samaritan who cared for the victimized Jew to drive the story home about who your neighbor really is. Yet you let the world see you squabbling like bad children that can never get along.

That’s not My church. Jesus went into the temple and synagogues, but His greatest works didn’t happen there. His greatest works happened outside where the people were. He ministered in the messy, everyday lives of the people He met. That’s what My church should do. Gallio understood it. He saw the squabble that shouldn’t happen going on among My children. It’s time to grow up, get along with each other. In fact, do more than just get along, love each other as I commanded you. And get out into the world and show those that really need to know Me that My church can make a difference in lives.

How about it. Are you up for the challenge?

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

Get on board! (Acts 17:1-15), Feb 10, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Acts 17:1-15
Set – Acts 17
Go! – Leviticus 13-14; Acts 17

Acts 17:1-15
¹After leaving Philippi and passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica. There was a Jewish synagogue there. ^2-3 As he had done in other cities, Paul attended the synagogue and presented arguments, based on the Hebrew Scriptures, that the Anointed had to suffer and rise from the dead.

Paul: Who is this suffering and rising Anointed One I am proclaiming to you? He is Jesus.

He came back the next two Sabbaths—repeating the same pattern. ⁴ Some of the ethnically Jewish people from the synagogue were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas. Even more devout Greeks who had affiliated with Judaism came to believe—along with quite a few of the city’s leading women. ^5-6 Seeing this movement growing, the unconvinced Jewish people became protective and angry. They found some ruffians hanging out in the marketplaces and convinced them to help start a riot. Soon a mob formed, and the whole city was seething with tension. The mob was going street by street, looking for Paul and Silas—who were nowhere to be found. Frustrated, when the mob came to the house of a man named Jason, now known as a believer, they grabbed him and some other believers they found there and dragged them to the city officials.

Mob: These people—they’re political agitators turning the world upside down! They’ve come here to our fine city, ⁷ and this man, Jason, has given them sanctuary and made his house a base for their operations. We want to expose their real intent: they are trying to overturn Caesar’s sensible decrees. They’re saying that Jesus is king, not Caesar!

⁸ Of course, this disturbed the crowd at large and the city officials especially, ⁹ so they demanded bail from Jason and the others before releasing them.

¹⁰ The believers waited until dark and then sent Paul and Silas off to Berea. When they arrived, they went to the synagogue.

¹¹ The Jewish people here were more receptive than they had been in Thessalonica. They warmly and enthusiastically welcomed the message and then, day by day, would check for themselves to see if what they heard from Paul and Silas was truly in harmony with the Hebrew Scriptures. ¹² Many of them were convinced, and the new believers included—as in Thessalonica—quite a few of the city’s leading Greek women and important men also. ¹³ Reports got back to Thessalonica that Paul and Silas were now spreading God’s message in Berea; the Jewish people who had incited the riot in Thessalonica quickly came to Berea to do the same once again. ^14-15 The believers sent Paul away. A small group escorted him, first to the coast, and then all the way to Athens. Silas and Timothy, however, remained in Berea. Later they received instructions from Paul to join him in Athens as soon as possible.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Preaching the truth about Jesus always gets a reaction. For some the reaction is one of joy because of the freedom the message brings to a heart finally stripped of the crushing burden of sins unforgiven. That joy cannot find containment and others hear about and see the transformation that comes to men and women because of the cleansing power of the blood My Son spilled for their redemption.

The other reaction is like the unbelieving Jews Paul met in the synagogues who tried to stop My message. I find their methods interesting. Here were men and women supposedly studying My law that consistently talks about caring for the strangers among them. It says to remember they were once aliens in a foreign land and show show grace and mercy to those in need. My law says to meet the needs of widows and orphans. Just the message Paul preached and lived each day as he went to the synagogues and walked the streets trafficked by Roman soldiers. He proclaimed the same message My Son proclaimed.

Now these Jewish leaders in every town wanted to protect their sacred place in the temple and synagogues and instead of heeding My message, the found ruffians in the marketplace. They spread lies about the people I sent to spread the good news I had for all people because they had not done it as I directed them to do. To protect their place in the world they were willing to do anything, even break the commandments I told them they were to hold sacred. They lied, they cheated, they disregarded the fabric of honesty and integrity that keeps justice and equity among all classes and races of people paramount in society. They were even willing to kill to protect their positions.

How far will people go to protect their positions, their titles, their preconceived ideas of who is right or wrong when the truth is staring them in the face? Paul had been one of them. The transformation in his life should have been evidence enough that I had done something dramatic in him. The miracles that happened because of My Spirit working in his life should have been evidence enough to convince them I was present and Paul had something to say just like the now long-dead prophets had something to say to the leaders before them.

Instead of taking note of Paul’s words and listening to the message, these leaders assumed they knew better than Me and would stop and nothing to destroy Paul’s, My message. But it wouldn’t work. When I’m on the move, nothing can stop Me. Men might try, but I created men. I created everything, so heaven and earth can not stop My plans once in motion. That’s the good news for those that are on My side. Paul wrote about it in his letter to the fledgling congregation meeting in Rome when he said, “…not death, life, heavenly messengers, dark spirits, the present, the future, spiritual powers, height, depth, nor any created thing, can come between us and the love of God revealed in the Anointed, Jesus our Lord.”

I’m unstoppable. When you get on board with Me, you are too. Paul found out on the road to Damascus. Those who opposed him on his missionary journeys found out I’m unstoppable, too. Wherever opponents of the church tried to crush it, My church has only grown faster and spread farther. I’d advise you to climb on board with Me. When you read the end of the book, I win. Second place is not very pretty. It wasn’t in Paul’s day and it won’t be at the judgment.

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.

Worship turns into a party (Acts 16:16-40), Feb 9, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Acts 16:16-40
Set – Leviticus 10; Acts 16
Go! – Leviticus 10-12; Acts 16

Acts 16:16-40
¹⁶ One day, as we were going to the place set aside for prayer, we encountered a slave girl. She made a lot of money for her owners as a fortune-teller, assisted by some sort of occult spirit. ¹⁷ She began following us.

Slave Girl (shouting): These men are slaves like me, but slaves of the Most High God! They will proclaim to you the way of liberation!

¹⁸ The next day as we passed by, she did the same thing—and again on the following days. One day Paul was really annoyed, so he turned and spoke to the spirit that was enslaving her.

Paul: I order you in the name of Jesus, God’s Anointed: Come out of her!

It came right out. ¹⁹ But when her owners realized she would be worthless now as a fortune-teller, they grabbed Paul and Silas, dragged them into the open market area, and presented them to the authorities.

Slave Owners: ²⁰ These men are troublemakers, disturbing the peace of our great city. They are from some Jewish sect, ²¹ and they promote foreign customs that violate our Roman standards of conduct.

²² The crowd joined in with insults and insinuations, prompting the city officials to strip them naked in the public square so they could be beaten with rods. ²³ They were flogged mercilessly and then were thrown into a prison cell. The jailer was ordered to keep them under the strictest supervision. ²⁴ The jailer complied, first restraining them in ankle chains, then locking them in the most secure cell in the center of the jail.

²⁵ Picture this: It’s midnight. In the darkness of their cell, Paul and Silas—after surviving the severe beating—aren’t moaning and groaning; they’re praying and singing hymns to God. The prisoners in adjoining cells are wide awake, listening to them pray and sing. ²⁶ Suddenly the ground begins to shake, and the prison foundations begin to crack. You can hear the sound of jangling chains and the squeak of cell doors opening. Every prisoner realizes that his chains have come unfastened. ²⁷ The jailer wakes up and runs into the jail. His heart sinks as he sees the doors have all swung open. He is sure his prisoners have escaped, and he knows this will mean death for him, so he pulls out his sword to commit suicide. ²⁸ At that moment, Paul sees what is happening and shouts out at the top of his lungs,

Paul: Wait, man! Don’t harm yourself! We’re all here! None of us has escaped.

²⁹ The jailer sends his assistants to get some torches and rushes into the cell of Paul and Silas. He falls on his knees before them, trembling. ³⁰ Then he brings them outside.

Jailer: Gentlemen, please tell me, what must I do to be liberated?

Paul and Silas: ³¹ Just believe—believe in the ultimate King, Jesus, and not only will you be rescued, but your whole household will as well.

^32-34 The jailer brings them to his home, and they have a long conversation with the man and his family. Paul and Silas explain the message of Jesus to them all. The man washes their wounds and feeds them, then they baptize the man and his family. The night ends with Paul and Silas in the jailer’s home, sharing a meal together, the whole family rejoicing that they have come to faith in God.

³⁵ At dawn, the city officials send the police to the jailer’s home with a command: “Let those men go free.”

^Jailer: 36 The city officials have ordered me to release you, so you may go now in peace.

Paul (loud enough that the police can hear): ³⁷ Just a minute. This is unjust. We’ve been stripped naked, beaten in public, and thrown into jail, all without a trial of any kind. Now they want to release us secretly as if nothing happened? No way: we’re Roman citizens—we shouldn’t be treated like this! If the city officials want to release us, then they can come and tell us to our faces.

³⁸ The police report back to the city officials; and when they come to the part about Paul and Silas being Roman citizens, the officials turn pale with fear. ³⁹ They rush to the jail in person and apologize. They personally escort Paul and Silas from their cell and politely ask them to leave the city. ⁴⁰ Paul and Silas oblige—after stopping at Lydia’s home to gather with the brothers and sisters there and give them parting words of encouragement.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

One of the things about being unbound by time is getting to see events again. I like this one. The slave girl’s interruption is just background noise. Paul and Silas in jail, also background noise. Their suffering for Me because of their message and finding themselves in prison for doing what I asked them to do. Nice part of the story, but background noise again. The officials with egg on their face for arresting Roman citizens without a trial? A nice twist to the day, but not of real interest to Me. Just a nice touch for Me messengers after they spent some time on the wrong side of the cell door. They had fun watching the city officials wiggle a little.

What I really like about this story in the Paul’s life, the worship service Paul and Silas conducted that so energized those around them that they didn’t want to leave. I wish the people in My churches today would take some lessons from those prisoners. Those guys were freed from physical chains and many of them would face mock trials, more floggings, some would receive amputations of hands or feet as punishment for their crimes. Some in those cells were even headed to the gallows because of what they had done to others.

But…something different happened to all of them that night. Paul and Silas introduced them to Me. Their sins met My grace and mercy. Their physical chains were nothing. But I forgave their sins and their spiritual chains fell off. Those men with Paul and Silas found real freedom in Me before I gave the jailer a little physical demonstration of what I was doing. Those men were already free regardless what the city or Roman government might think or do to them.

That’s the part I like about the story. They involved themselves in that worship service so jubilantly, so vibrantly, so wonderfully in that dark dungeon that none of them dared to leave that jail for fear they might miss something else. They stayed despite their loosened chains. They stayed despite the opened doors. They stayed despite the walls trembling around them in the earthquake. They stayed because I was there in their presence and they didn’t want to go anywhere that might take them from My presence.

A football game couldn’t make them check their watch. A kids soccer game couldn’t deter them from their worship. An opportunity on the lake didn’t wet their appetite. They wanted nothing more than to stay there and revel in My glory. They wanted to worship. That’s the part of this story I want you to remember. I want you to bring back such an excitement in worshiping Me that you don’t want to leave. I want you to gather together with other believers and lose all sense of time because I’m with you. I want you to sing and pray and shout and sing some more. I want you to see the lost come to Me in repentance and watch their chains fall away as I forgive them and free them from their past.

I want you to worship Me like Paul, Silas, and all those prisoners worshiped Me that dark night in Philippi. What a grand time I had that night. Let Me do it again. Come on, let’s party! Worship Me with all your might!

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

It’s all about God (Acts 15/1-21), Feb 8, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Acts 15:1-21
Set – Leviticus 9; Acts 15
Go! – Leviticus 7-9; Acts 15

Acts 15:1-21
¹Their peace was disturbed, however, when certain Judeans came with this teaching: “Unless you are circumcised according to Mosaic custom, you cannot be saved.” ² Paul and Barnabas argued against this teaching and debated with the Judeans vehemently, so the church selected several people—including Paul and Barnabas—to travel to Jerusalem to dialogue about this issue with the apostles and elders there. ³ The church sent them on their way. They passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, stopping to report to the groups of believers there that outsiders were now being converted. This brought great joy to them all. ⁴ Upon arrival in Jerusalem, the church, the apostles, and the elders welcomed them warmly; and they reported all they had seen God do. ⁵ But there were some believers present who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees. They stood up and asserted,

Pharisees: No, this is not acceptable. These people must be circumcised, and we must require them to keep the whole Mosaic law.

⁶ The apostles and elders met privately to discuss how this issue should be resolved. ⁷ There was a lot of debate, and finally Peter stood up.

Peter: My brothers, you all know that in the early days of our movement, God decided that I should be the one through whom the first outsiders would hear the good news and become believers. ⁸ God knows the human heart, and He showed approval of their hearts by giving them the Holy Spirit just as He did for us. ⁹ In cleansing their hearts by faith, God has made no distinction between them and us. ¹⁰ So it makes no sense to me that some of you are testing God by burdening His disciples with a load that neither our forefathers nor we have been able to carry. ¹¹ No, we all believe that we will be liberated through the grace of the Lord Jesus—they also will be rescued in the same way.

¹² There was silence among them while Barnabas and Paul reported all the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them among outsiders. ¹³ When they finished, James spoke.

James: My brothers, hear me. ¹⁴ Simon Peter reminded us how God first included outsiders in His favor, taking people from among them for His name. ¹⁵ This resonates with the words of the prophets:

¹⁶ “After this, I will return
and rebuild the house of David, which has fallen into ruins.
From its wreckage I will rebuild it;
¹⁷ So all the nations may seek the Eternal One—
including every person among the outsiders who has been called by My name.”
This is the word of the Lord, ¹⁸ who has been revealing these things since ancient times.
¹⁹ So here is my counsel: we should not burden these outsiders who are turning to God. ²⁰ We should instead write a letter, instructing them to abstain from four things: first, things associated with idol worship; second, sexual immorality; third, food killed by strangling; and fourth, blood. ²¹ My reason for these four exceptions is that in every city there are Jewish communities where, for generations, the laws of Moses have been proclaimed; and on every Sabbath, Moses is read in synagogues everywhere.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

It is so easy to get caught up in religion and forget the true meaning of what it’s all about. Matt Redman’s lyrics begin to get what I want from you when he wrote the words to “The Heart of Worship”:

When the music fades
All is stripped away
And I simply come…
I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about you,
It’s all about you, Jesus

Listen to his words the next time you hear Michael Smith sing the song. There is nothing more important to all the remembrances, practices, and rituals performed in your churches, your homes, your everyday lives than the words Matt expresses in those verses. You see worship happens every all the time. Wherever you are, worship should take place because I’m everywhere.

You can’t get away from Me no matter how hard you try. I’m in your workplace. I’m in your home. I’m with you at your parties and places of recreation. I’m wherever you go because I want to build a relationship with you that is the closest relationship you’ve ever known. I want to become the director of your life, your every action, and your every thought. I want you to worship and honor Me with your life. I want you to become a living sacrifice to Me. Driven let Me direct your paths, as David put it in his songs to Me.

It’s easy to get caught up in the ritual, the sameness, of church. Even when the “service” is filled with emotion and excitement, it’s easy to forget why everyone assembles together. It’s easy to pour into a building and get hyped up on the music and forget about the people around you that need more than a smile, a hug, and “we’re glad you’re here” as a matter of routine. I want you to give yourself as a living sacrifice to Me.

Paul and Barnabas found out ministry is messy. They had to give up their preconceived notions about what was important to Me. It took a dream for Me to teach Peter that lesson. It took Paul some hard lumps to learn what was really important, but he learned and he wasn’t going to let others impose the unimportant on My new followers. The debates in Jerusalem certainly raised a lot of My followers’ blood pressure and created quite a stir among those who came to listen to them. I’m glad James had the forethought to keep the most heated parts behind closed doors.

I’m also glad they went to their knees and asked Me about what I thought instead of relying on their own devices to make such an important decision about their next steps. I’d tell you the same as you minister to those around you. Read My Word carefully. My rules are not burdensome. Remember what I told people? “Swap your burdens for Mine because Mine are light and I’ll take your heavy burdens that you cannot bear yourself.” Well, don’t add burdens to those new converts. Listen to what James and the leaders of the new church decided.

James said the four rules were because Jews were in those cities and not living by those four rules would greatly offend them. I had a greater reason I bent that group toward those rules, just to let you know. The first, idols will trap you into worshiping something other than Me. Don’t! The second, sexual immorality doesn’t affect just you or you and your partner. It affects whole families. It affects your co-workers and neighbors. It affects every area of your life and every person you touch. Sexual immorality works through every person you touch just like yeast works through dough. The third and fourth rules deal with a covenant I made with Adam pointing forward to My perfect sacrifice for sin. As I told Adam, life is in the blood, whether physical or spiritual, it is blood that saves.

Don’t get tangled up in rituals and unnecessary practices. Just worship Me. Listen to Matt Redman’s song again. The heart of worship is all about Me. If anything else creeps into your demands for others, check what you’re doing, you might just be getting off track. Let Me worry about getting My children in line. You just worship 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.

How will you read scripture? (Acts 14/8-20), Feb 7, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Acts 14:8-20
Set – Leviticus 6; Acts 14
Go! – Leviticus 4-6; Acts 14

Gen
⁸ In Lystra they met a man who had been crippled since birth; his feet were completely useless. ⁹ He listened to Paul speak, and Paul could see in this man’s face that he had faith to be healed.

Paul (shouting): ¹⁰ Stand up on your own two feet, man!

The man jumped up and walked! ¹¹ When the crowds saw this, they started shouting in Lycaonian.

Crowd: The gods have come down to us! They’ve come in human form!

¹² They decided that Barnabas was Zeus and Paul was Hermes (since he was the main speaker). ¹³ Before they knew it, the priest of Zeus, whose temple was prominent in that city, came to the city gates with oxen and garlands of flowers so the Lycaonians could offer sacrifices in worship to Paul and Barnabas! ¹⁴ When they heard of this, Paul and Barnabas were beside themselves with frustration—they ripped their tunics as an expression of disapproval and rushed out into the crowd.

Paul and Barnabas (shouting): ¹⁵ Friends! No! No! Don’t do this! We’re just humans like all of you! We’re not here to be worshiped! We’re here to bring you good news—good news that you should turn from these worthless forms of worship and instead serve the living God, the God who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that they contain. ¹⁶ Through all previous generations, God has allowed all the nations to follow their own customs and religions, ¹⁷but even then God revealed Himself by doing good to you—giving you rain for your crops and fruitful harvests season after season, filling your stomachs with food and your hearts with joy.

¹⁸ In spite of these words, they were barely able to keep the crowds from making sacrifices to them.

¹⁹ Then unbelieving Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and incited the crowds against the Lord’s emissaries. The crowds turned on Paul, stoned him, dragged him out of the city, and left him there, thinking he was dead. ²⁰ As the disciples gathered around him, he suddenly rose to his feet and returned to the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

You might think I would be enamored by the story of the lame man walking again. I’m not. I made his feet, after all. It’s not so hard for Me to fix them to demonstrate My power. But that’s not what I’m all about in this world. Fixing sick bodies isn’t My purpose as God. I do it sometimes, but that’s not what I want to do for you. Your bodies are just dust that will one day decay back into the dust from which I created you. That’s not the part of this story that I want you to remember today.

I don’t even want you to focus on Paul and Barnabas being treated like gods and so many turning toward them because of the miraculous things they did on My behalf that day. They had a tremendous opportunity to exploit the scene for their gain but didn’t because they knew the source of their power. Paul and Barnabas gave the credit for the healing to Me because they understood their mission and the healing brought an opportunity to share the news about My sacrifice and My power and the hope I give people.

I don’t even want you to remember the way I sustained Paul during and after his stoning. He suffered because of Me, but I rescued him from death. His mission wasn’t finished yet and I wasn’t ready for him to die. The crowd thought him dead as they dragged his torn, bloody body out of the city, when they stoned him. They tossed his broken heap of flesh in the city dump as if he were a discarded piece of trash. I restored him and his disciples walked with him back to Lystra before he and Barnabas left for Derbe the next day.

What I want you to focus on today is the story of the Jews that came from Antioch and Iconium to stir up trouble. These “religious” men took it upon themselves to incite men and women they knew believed in pagan gods to stone a man they knew believed in Me. Paul used the same scriptures these pious men used, but refused to really read and study. These men loved their position, power, and prestige more than they loved the truth, more than they loved me. So they closed their eyes to My Word.

Paul hadn’t written his letters yet. He used the Law I had given Moses to explain the good news about My Son. He used the Songs, the Wisdom Books, and the Prophets to share My plan of salvation through the perfect sacrifice of the God-Man, My Son, Jesus. He used the same scriptures My Son used. He used the same scriptures the rabbis used. He used the same scriptures these trouble-makers used.

Here’s the problem the “religious” can get into that I want you to hear clearly. Even Satan can use the same scriptures Jesus used to try and prove a point. Remember the temptations Luke takes about with My Son in the wilderness? Satan tried to use My words to trap Him, but he only used part of My scriptures without using the whole context, nature, and plan contained in it.

You see, you can prove or disprove anything if you use only pieces of My Word. If you close your mind and refuse to My Spirit talking to you through My Word, you will become just like those trouble-makers that tried to kill My servant, Paul. But when you read My Word with open hearts and let My Spirit speak to you, you will find hope and grace and mercy and forgiveness in those words I’ve given you.

But like the unbelieving who came from Antioch and Iconium and like Paul and Barnabas. You have a choice to make. You can choose to believe My Son is the Messiah, God Incarnate. Me in the flesh, come to redeem you. Or you can refuse to believe and become the trouble-maker like you read about in My Word. It’s still your choice. I want you to make the right one, but I won’t make it for you.

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.