Category Archives: devotional

Get ready now! (Luke 17:22-37) December 17, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Acts 25-26

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 17:22-37
Jesus (to His disciples) Days are coming when you will wish you could see just one of the days of the Son of Man, but you won’t see it. People will say, “Look, it’s there!” or “Look! It’s here!” Don’t even bother looking. Don’t follow their lead. You know how lightning flashes across the sky, bringing light from one horizon to the other. That’s how the Son of Man will be when His time comes.
But first, He must face many sufferings. He must be rejected by this generation. The days of the Son of Man will be like the days of Noah. People were eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage. Everything seemed completely normal until the day Noah entered the ark. Then it started raining, and soon they were all destroyed by the flood.
It was just the same in the days of Lot. People were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building, and carrying on business as usual. But then came the day when Lot left Sodom—a different kind of rain began to fall, and they were all destroyed by fire and sulfur falling from the sky. That’s how it will be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
When that day comes, if you’re on the housetop, don’t run inside to try to save any of your belongings. If you’re in the field, don’t bother running back to the house. Remember Lot’s wife. Turning back is fatal for those who do so. If you try to hold on to your life, it will slip through your fingers; if you let go of your life, you’ll keep it. Listen, on the day of the Son of Man, two people will be asleep in bed; destruction will take one and the other will be left to survive. Two women will be grinding grain together; destruction will take one and the other will survive. Two men will be working out in the field; destruction will overtake one and the other will survive.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I was just thinking about what normal meant in Noah and Lot’s days and what normal means today. God sent the flood to destroy all humankind except Noah and his family because of what was normal for the people around Noah. He sent fire and sulfur falling from the sky to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah destroying those two cities and the plains where they existed because of what was normal for them. God said they had become a stench to Him because of their evil practices so He wiped them out.

Jesus at various times during His ministry warned of the coming wrath that will come because of the evil that will sweep across the earth. Well, I think we are just about there. Take a look at our normal today. Our selfish desires have driven us to the point that anything is okay. We tolerate aberrant behavior and call it everything but sin. We even let our government dictate that sin is okay and encourage us to support it.

Surely not, you say. Just take a look around you. Read the papers and the laws that have sprung up in recent years that fund actions and behaviors that clearly go against God’s word. What else would you call it? Sin has run rampant in our country and around the world. Revivals are unheard of in our land today. Church attendance is down and many services are pretty shallow, more entertainment than worship. Message tickle our ears with things we want to hear instead of the words we need to hear to convince and convict us and help us realize our fallen state.

I think Jesus saw the same signs in Rome and Jerusalem and Galilee. The degradation has continued. We keep sliding further toward our own destruction because we fail to give God the worship He is due. We forget that He is God and we are not. We try to satisfy that God-sized hole in our heart with everything but Him. It won’t work, but we try. But just as in Noah’s day and in Lot’s day, God will finally decide enough is enough. He will finally decide His children do not need to suffer under the hands of evil people anymore. He will finally decide He has given enough grace and will call an end to time.

It will happen in an instant, Jesus says. You won’t be able to climb down off the ladder if you’re working off the ground. You won’t be able to make it to the house if you’re out working in the yard. You won’t have time to go anywhere or do anything because His coming will happen faster than you can blink. As fast as the speed of light, He will come, take His own, and be gone. it will all be over. Judgment will come. Your standing with God will be fixed at that point and He will judge you for what you believe now, not that day. Everyone will believe on that day. Everyone will bow before Him on that day. Everyone will acknowledge that He is God and Lord and Master on that day. But if you don’t believe before that time, it will be too late.

Like in the days of Noah or the days of Lot, normal was evil. Normal opposed God’s laws. Normal tried to substitute things other than God to satisfy a spiritual need only He can satisfy. Normal then sounds a lot like our normal today. We live in a dangerous time. Not from the threat of the evil around us, but because if your heart is not right with God, there might not be much time to make it right. The flood came without warning. People wanted in the ark then, but God had shut the door. Fire and sulfur fell from the sky and there was no where to run.

We don’t know what it will be like when God comes again, but it will be fast and violent and there will be no escape for those He does not take with Him. Get ready 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.

The borderless kingdom (Luke 17:20-21) December 16, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Revelation 12-17

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 17:20-21
Jesus: The kingdom of God comes—but not with signs that you can observe. People are not going to say, “Look! Here it is!” They’re not going to say, “Look! It’s over there!” You want to see the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is already here among you.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I have a passport with the United States of America stamped on the front of it. And embossed on every page is a flag of the country. That’s where I was born and raised. It’s the country where I vote and own property and when I fill out any kind of questionnaire, I declare the United States as the place of my citizenship. I know the words to the country’s national anthem and the pledge of allegiance to the flag that represents our nation. I know the Preamble to the Constitution that sets the foundation for governance of our country that puts the power and authority for its governance in the hands of the people through our individual right to vote. I understand much of the Constitution and the amendments that have been added to it through the years. Although, I admit, I don’t understand some of the current interpretations given by some of the lower and higher courts we have heard lately.

I love the country in which I was born. In fact, in 1976, I took an oath to defend that Constitution against all enemies whether they are external or internal to the nation when I accepted my commission in the United States Army. That oath is still current because that commission never expires for officers whether on active duty, reserve, or retired. Unless the commission is revoked by the President or Congress, the commission and my responsibilities to the nation remain valid. That’s why military officer retirees retain their titles after retirement. Their oath of office never expires, only their tour of duty changes.

I say all of that to point out that I can point to a lot of physical things that describe the place where I live. If you live in some other country and have citizenship in some other country, you can do the same. I take pride in being an American and I hope if you live in another country, you take as much pride in your country as I do in mine. It is important that we support the community in which we live. I’m a firm believer that if you really don’t like what our Constitution says or the way our government is established, then leave. Find another place to live. Don’t change our Constitution. Just find another country whose governance fits your style of government and be happier. Don’t change mine.

See, there are some people who are content to live in dictatorships because they have no responsibility then in determining the success or failure of the nation. The leadership is to blame for its success or failure. Period. There are some who, instead of a republic like ours, want a completely democratic form of government. In a nation of 370 million people, a total democracy just wouldn’t work, quite frankly. Nothing would ever get done if we had to vote on every bill, every budget, every item that came before our congressmen and other elected officials. But in some small nations, tribes, and clans a democracy can work on a small scale.

Why do I talk about all these political constructs? To tell you that none of these mean anything to God. He doesn’t care if we live in a republic, a democracy, a dictatorship, a theocracy, or chaos. He doesn’t care what kind of government surrounds us because all of them here on earth are poor substitutes for the kingdom He first envisioned for us and the one that awaits those who recognize Him as king. His kingdom has no physical boundaries. You won’t find the kingdom of God outlined on any map. You can’t find it listed on any legends or indices. You can’t drive to it or sail to it or fly to it. You can’t put the kingdom of God on your vacation list or find any pamphlets telling you about real estate for sale there.

Jesus warns against anyone trying to tell you where it is. Because if they tell you, they are lying to you. Because no one knows the kingdom’s physical location. It has no physical location because it is everywhere. It is here. It is where God is. And Jesus said where two or three are gathered in His name, He is there with them. So there is the kingdom of God. He also said He lives in us, so there is the kingdom of God. Where is it? Here, in me and in you. It’s all around us, shaping us, convicting and convincing us, guiding us, making us into the people God wants us to become.

The flag of God’s kingdom? There isn’t one except the banner that says Jesus is Lord. The national anthem? Maybe the Hallelujah Chorus. The pledge of allegiance? How about, I surrender all? God’s kingdom is very different than anything on earth because it isn’t physically here on earth. It is where God is, but then He is everywhere. Unbounded by space and time. Now go figure out the dimensions of His kingdom and try to point to its borders. Not possible, is 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.

Improve your health, give thanks (Luke 17:17-19) December 15, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Song of Songs 3-4

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 17:17-19
Jesus: Didn’t all ten receive the same healing this fellow did? Where are the other nine? Was the only one who came back to give God praise an outsider? (to the Samaritan man) Get up, and go your way. Your faith has made you healthy again.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

You’ve probably heard about gratitude journals and attitude of gratitude and keeping a disposition of thankfulness and how these things can keep your mood elevated. You’ve might have read some of the current studies that medical science has performed that show these things have real merit in changing a persons mood in positive ways and they shown it by the presence of those hormones and enzymes in the brain that elicit those responses when we show gratitude for the things around us instead of complaining about our circumstances.

It’s taken a long time, though, for science to catch up with what Jesus taught us 2,000 years ago with these 10 men and what Paul told us to do when he said to be thankful in everything. But we’ve forgotten the lesson too often. We don’t hear too many thank yous anymore. We’ve come to think that people owe us kindness. We think people owe us service. We think people owe us just about anything we get. But you know, they really don’t.

That paycheck you get, perhaps you did things to earn it, but did you ever think about the fact that you are pretty fortunate to have a job? Look at the number of people just in this country that are without work. I know, you’ll tell me the unemployment numbers are better than they have been in a while. But that number is deceiving. Take a look at the tax roles. We have a smaller percentage of people paying taxes than we have since we started paying taxes. That should frighten you a little. That means a greater percentage of people are either not working or are making too little to pay taxes, which means they are at the poverty level. So how about being grateful for that paycheck and the ability to pay taxes.

What about that raggedy old car that you wish you could afford to trade. We think we deserve a new one, right? Well, if you’re car moves on its own, that’s better than walking, right? Besides, a raggedy old car is probably better than a crippling car payment when the economy is doubtful, right? So how about some thanks for that piece of junk that sits in your driveway and gets you to work every day.

Then there’s that neighbor or co-worker that just drives you nuts. You can’t get away from them and they tell you the same stories every time you see them. It seems like such a waste of time when they come by, but you grit your teeth and patiently listen to the same story again and smile and act like it’s the first time you heard it to be polite. But what if you had no friends. What if you lived all alone with no one that called or visited or cared. What a lonely pitiful life that would be because God made us for relationships, not to be alone. So how about a little thanks for that annoying neighbor as you put them in the proper perspective.

And then there is salvation. Can you think of what God did for you and not be thankful? When things begin to get tough here, just think about what’s ahead. We are promised an eternity with Jesus if we have let Him into our hearts. He died for just that purpose. He gave Himself so we can live with Him forever. He came to pay the penalty for our sins so they might be forgiven and our guilt might be swept away. If that doesn’t make you thankful, then what will? We no longer carry the sins that keep us from God’s presence. They are removed and cast away as far as the east is from the west.

I like the way David said that in the Psalms. I’m not sure David understood the north and south poles and the fact that when you got to the north pole you could go no farther north. From that point you can only go south. And from the south pole you can only travel north. But when you travel east or when you travel west, you just keep on going like the Energizer bunny. You never stop, there is no end. And that’s just how far God casts away our sins when He forgives us.

Paul told us to be thankful. Jesus told us to be thankful. Science tells us the benefits of being thankful. Have you figured out yet that giving thanks, being grateful for even the little things is good for your health. So turn up that thanks meter and improve your health today.

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

You can eat later (Luke 17:7-10) December 14, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 143-145

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 17:7-10
Jesus: Imagine this scenario. You have a servant—say he’s been out plowing a field or taking care of the sheep—and he comes in hot and sweaty from his work. Are you going to say, “You poor thing! Come in and sit down right away”? Of course not! Wouldn’t you be more likely to say, “First, cook my supper and set the table, and then after I’ve eaten, you can get something to eat and drink for yourself”? And after your servant has done everything you told him to do, are you going to make a big deal about it and thank him? I don’t think so! Now apply this situation to yourselves. When you’ve done everything I’m telling you to do, just say, “We’re servants, unworthy of extra consideration or thanks; we’re just doing our duty.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We get pretty disturbed today with a story like this one. Slavery is not something we think very highly of and we fought an internal battle that almost destroyed our fledgling democracy with the question of slavery as one of its major issues. Today slavery still goes on in the world. I’m not sure we will ever stop it as long as there are people who want cheap labor and there are people that can be exploited to perform that labor.

We talk a lot about human rights and anti-slavery laws both in the United States and internationally, but it still happens. Thousands of women and young boys are sold into the sex trafficking world every day and become slaves to their masters. Imprisoned by fear, drugs, abuse, they cannot escape their plight without considerable help from the outside. But those the hope that it will come is dim because the people that buy their wares are not interested in seeing them freed. They just want their own desires satisfied.

So we cringe as a society when we hear this story. But in Jesus’ day, as in most of the world two hundred years ago, slaves were a common sight. Men, women, and children belonged to others as property. Sometimes they became slaves voluntarily to pay the debt they owed and it was the only way they could relieve themselves of the debt. Sometimes it was the price of one king conquering the military force of another. The subjects of the vanquished became the slaves of the victor. But whatever the cause, men, women, and children found themselves subject to the commands of the master who owned them.

We might get a glimpse of what Jesus was talking about if you think about going to your favorite restaurant instead. You’ve sat down at a booth and can see the hot line from the kitchen. The waiter brings you a glass of water and a menu. He takes your order, but then sits down at the table across from you and begins to eat his lunch. In a few minutes the chef puts your food on the hot line under the lights to keep it warm and signals your waiter that your food is ready. But instead of getting your food, he keeps eating, pulls out his smartphone and reads a few messages. He sends a few texts and then goes and gets a piece of pie for dessert. All the while, your food is getting either nice and soggy or overdone under the warming lights.

Would you tell the waiter he was doing a good job? Would you leave him a generous tip? Would you ask specifically for his table the next time you come because he has become your favorite waiter? No, of course not. If you haven’t already said some choice words to the young man, you’ll probably want to see the manager on the way out and give him your opinion of his worthless wait staff. You might even ask for a refund on your meal since you had to watch it ruin under the warming lights while your waiter enjoyed himself eating on your time.

The waiter should have served you first, right? Customers first in the customer service world, right? Pay attention to those who are paying your salary, right? The waiter obviously didn’t get the memo on what his duties and responsibilities were. He should have been happy to have a customer sitting at one of his tables. It meant money was coming into the restaurant. It meant he would get paid for doing his job and if he did it well, he would probably get a tip from his customers. Besides, he took the job. If he didn’t want to wait tables and serve people, he shouldn’t have taken the job in the first place. But he did and now he was shirking his responsibilities.

It’s a good thing he wasn’t a slave. He’d be beaten or sold or just killed. As a waiter, if this was a normal pattern, I expect he won’t be a waiter very long. He’ll probably find himself on the outside of that restaurant pretty soon. But if he wants to keep his job, he’d better shape up.

So what about our responsibilities as Christians? We have duties and responsibilities God gave us when He commissioned us to go make disciples. Should we complain about it? Take a lesson from the slaves and the waiter. If you don’t like what He asks you to do, remember who He is and who you are. That should put things in perspective pretty quickly. It’s time to serve, you can eat later. 

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.

So just believe (Luke 17:6) December 13, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Nehemiah 10-13

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 17:6
Jesus (pointing to a nearby mulberry tree): It’s not like you need a huge amount of faith. If you just had faith the size of a single, tiny mustard seed, you could say to this huge tree, “Pull up your roots and replant yourself in the sea,” and it would fly through the sky and do what you said. So even a little faith can accomplish the seemingly impossible.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus talks about faith a lot. And He talks about how little faith it takes to have incredible miracles take place around you. So what is it about us that keeps us from exercising that kind of faith and seeing miracles happen today? Have we become so sophisticated in our understanding of science that we no longer believe in miracles? Do we not believe that God is still God and can twist and turn the laws of science to do what He wants the way He wants?

When you think about it, that’s really what miracles are all about. Miracles are things that seem to break the natural laws of chemistry and physics that we think govern the physical realm in which we live. God heals when doctors say there is no hope or heals faster than the medical profession says is possible. God creates assets or puts them in place in ways that seem to defy all the rules bankers and economists use in their profession.

At the beginning of creation, God put all those laws of science in place. Can’t He bend them if He wants? Can’t He set aside a rule He made or bend it to His will? He is God and existed before any of those rules came to be. He’s the One who put them in place. So if He put them in place, surely He can change them if He wants. He can use them to fit His needs. He can suspend them to make miracles happen for us. And what does it take? A little faith. Jesus says it takes faith the size of a mustard seed.

Some people tell me they just don’t have enough faith, but everyone has faith. We just don’t put it in the right thing. We have faith the sun will come up. We have faith the earth will still be spinning tomorrow. We have faith our car will start (usually). We have faith the lights will work when we flip the switch. We have faith we will get a paycheck from our employer. We have faith the government will still be in place tomorrow. We have a lot of faith.

Except for the first two about the sun coming up and the earth spinning, a lot of people around the world may not have much faith in those things. But in the United States we do. Why? Because we have experience that has shown us these things are true. But quite frankly, it’s not our experience, but the experience of thousands of others that stand together to help us have faith that these things will be true for us tomorrow.

The same is true for our faith in God. Countless have gone before us and experienced God’s goodness. They have watched Him perform miracles for His children. They have seen His faithfulness and know that He cares for us. Thousands can testify to His love and His hand at work in their lives in so many ways that can only be explained as the hand of God. That empiracle knowledge should give us confidence that translates into faith. We can believe that God will work on our behalf when we exercise faith in Him.

Faith is really that simple. It’s just a question of what we put our faith in. I’d rather put my faith in God than my car. He is certainly more reliable than my car. And my lights go out every once in a while in a storm. God never does. He’s always there in the storms of life. He never quits. He never rests. He listens to our prayers and cares for us as His dear children because we are.

Faith in Him is what He requires. Just believe. That’s all. From the deepest part of your heart believe He is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. Believe He is God. Creator. Savior. Redeemer. Believe He came and lived with us for a time in an earthly body and died on a cross for your sins and mine. Believe He rose from the dead to demonstrate His power over death and the grave. Believe Jesus, God’s Son, lives forever, one with the Father and Spirit, interceding for us. Believe. Trust Him with your life. Thousands and thousands have gone before you trusting Him and believing in Him. Their testimonies join together and give us confidence that God will not fail us either. So just believe. 

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

Don’t be a tempter (Luke 17:1-4) December 12, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Deuteronomy 26-28

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 17:1-4
Jesus (to His disciples): You can’t stop temptations to do wrong from coming. But how tragic it will be for the person who becomes the source of the temptation! It would be better if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
So each of you needs to be careful. If your brother sins against you, confront him about it, and if he has a change of mind and heart, then forgive him. Even if he wrongs you seven times in a single day, if he turns back to you each time and says he’s sorry and will change, you must forgive him.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

These can be really hard words for us if we take them to heart. We have a responsibility to teach those that come behind us. We’re supposed to make the world a better place. Jesus told us to teach others the practices He taught us. But He tells us in this discourse that if we cause others to fall because of following our example, it would be better if we were to drown in the sea. Those are pretty harsh words, but Jesus usually meant what He said.

If I’m the source of temptation for someone, then I must answer for not only my wrongs, but the temptations that led my brother astray as well. Does that seem fair? It doesn’t matter whether we think so or not, Jesus made the declaration and He will be the One standing at the Judgment bar at the end of time. So we ought to pay attention to what He says.

So what does that mean for us? Does that mean that we can never have fun and must spend all our time at the church participating in religious activities so we don’t tempt our brothers. I don’t think so. The Pharisees spent most of their time at the temple and synagogues, but got blasted about their unfaithfulness to God. They thought they were doing things right, but these words were pointed directly at them and their hypocrisy. They lost their way. They got caught up in their religion instead of in their relationship with God and man. Don’t cause others to fall.

So we can lead others astray doing good things if we leave God out of the equation. If we don’t build those good deeds on the faith in Christ that drives them, they can lead to eternal death and destruction as surely as murder and theft and adultery will. Doing good is right and proper, but there must be something behind it. Even the most evil people do good sometimes. They just have the wrong motive behind their good deeds. They do good things for something in return, not to glorify God and share His love with others.

Does making sure we don’t tempt others mean we can never have fun? Absolutely not. Some of the most fun I’ve had is in a crowd of Christian friends. And without the alcohol and drugs or other mind altering paraphernalia, we remembered everything that happened the next day! I can’t say that about some of the non-Christian friends whose parties I attended. After a few too many drinks they had a hard time remembering what they said or did the night before and didn’t want to do anything but sleep the next day. I think Jesus had a great time with His friends. I think He enjoyed life immensely. So, no, we don’t have to be a perpetual sour puss to keep others from being tempted.

Does it mean we can never associate with other sinners? I don’t think so. That’s not what Jesus taught us. He ate with sinners all the time. That’s one of the things the scribes and Pharisees kept bringing up as proof He must not be the Son of God. He kept talking with people they would never talk to because of what they did. Jesus ate with tax collectors and prostitutes, no less. But how else will they get God’s message unless we befriend sinners? That doesn’t mean we behave the same way they do, but we certainly should be their friend.

So what does Jesus mean when He tells us not to tempt others? How can we live life in such a way that we don’t lead others astray or become a stumbling block for them as they journey through life. I think it’s a simple answer but not always an easy path. The answer is live like Jesus. But the only way to do that is to let Him be in total control of your life. And that’s not always easy. He will have you going places and doing things that are against your nature. He will put you in situations where you are uncomfortable. He will put words in your mind that He wants you to share that you would rather not come out of your mouth because you don’t not what will happen when you speak them.

When you let Jesus rule your life and do what He asks you to do, you don’t need to worry about making anyone stumble. You don’t need to worry about being anyone else’s tempter. Just live like Jesus. Simple answer, tall order until He become the absolute Lord of you life. Try Him on for size. You’ll see for yourself.

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 best to be generous (Luke 16:19-31) December 11, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 John

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 16:19-31
Jesus There was this rich man who had everything—purple clothing of fine quality and high fashion, gourmet meals every day, and a large house. Just outside his front gate lay this poor homeless fellow named Lazarus. Lazarus was covered in ugly skin lesions. He was so hungry he wished he could scavenge scraps from the rich man’s trash. Dogs would come and lick the sores on his skin. The poor fellow died and was carried on the arms of the heavenly messengers to the embrace of Abraham. Then the rich fellow died and was buried and found himself in the place of the dead. In his torment, he looked up, and off in the distance he saw Abraham, with Lazarus in his embrace.
He shouted out, “Father Abraham! Please show me mercy! Would you send that beggar Lazarus to dip his fingertip in water and cool my tongue? These flames are hot, and I’m in agony!”
But Abraham said, “Son, you seem to be forgetting something: your life was full to overflowing with comforts and pleasures, and the life of Lazarus was just as full with suffering and pain. So now is his time of comfort, and now is your time of agony. Besides, a great canyon separates you and us. Nobody can cross over from our side to yours, or from your side to ours.”
“Please, Father Abraham, I beg you,” the formerly rich man continued, “send Lazarus to my father’s house. I have five brothers there, and they’re on the same path I was on. If Lazarus warns them, they’ll choose another path and won’t end up here in torment.”
But Abraham said, “Why send Lazarus? They already have the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets to instruct them. Let your brothers hear them.”
“No, Father Abraham,” he said, “they’re already ignoring the law and the prophets. But if someone came back from the dead, then they’d listen for sure; then they’d change their way of life.”
Abraham answered, “If they’re not listening to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be convinced even if someone comes back from the dead.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I don’t know if you’ve ever been around burn victims. It’s pretty terrible. Being stationed at Ft Sam Houston, Texas for the last few years of my service, I saw patients in the burn center more often than I’d like to remember. Most of them had recently returned from Iraq or Afghanistan, victims of explosions on the battlefield in which fuel in the vehicles they were riding also caught fire before they could be extracted. Some of those soldiers were 60, 70, and 80% of their body surface covered with disfiguring burns. It’s a horrible, painful injury and recovery is also long and painful.

The average burn victim undergoes more than 20 surgeries during the first two years of recovery and usually never gets full range of motion of limbs affected by the burns. We still haven’t been able to perfect plastic surgeries to heal disfigurement, so every time a burn victim looks in the mirror, there is the constant reminder of that fateful day that changed their life forever. Post traumatic stress disorder often accompanies the injury and causes frequent nightmare interrupting much needed sleep and disrupting the healing process. Burns are horrible injuries.

Every time I read this story, I’m reminded of those soldiers I visited on the burn wards at Fort Sam Houston. And I think about how horrible hell must be. To continually exist in a place of fire and brimstone as Jesus describes it, always burning but never being consumed by it. Always experiencing that agony with no hope of the pain ever stopping. And in hell, there are no drugs to ease the pain, no narcotics to allow even the shortest, restless sleep from the intense agony.

Then I think about the rich man’s request. Just the amount of water that can be held on the tip of Lazarus’ fingertip to cool his tongue. Have you ever tried to quench you thirst with the amount of water that you can hold on the tip of your finger? It’s not much water. If you stick your whole finger in a glass of water you’ll only get about two or three drops of water off the end when you pull it out. But that was the rich man’s request. He was in such agony, such torment, he would be happy with just the amount of water that would fall from Lazarus’ fingertip.

I don’t know about you, but I never want to go to a place like that. Was the scene real? It seems to me that the parables Jesus gave the crowds were more often based in reality than not. They seemed to be scenes He had witnessed and then shared with those around Him. These were not Aesop’s fables with animals living out morals to be learned. Jesus’ parables always had truths in them that could easily be seen in every day life. So had Jesus witnessed just this kind of scene before He came to earth in human form? In His glorified form, had the Son of God witnessed the rich man plead for Abraham to send one of God’s children across the divide with just a few drops of water to cool His tongue?

There is always more truth in Jesus’ parables than not. I don’t want to find out, do you? I think that means we need to be generous with the things God entrusts into our care. Think about 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.

There will be a test at the end (Luke 16:15-18) December 10, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Acts 23-24

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 16:15-18
Jesus (to the Pharisees): You’ve made your choice. Your ambition is to look good in front of other people, not God. But God sees through to your hearts. He values things differently from you. The goals you and your peers are reaching for God detests.
The law and the prophets had their role until the coming of John the Baptist. Since John’s arrival, the good news of the kingdom of God has been taught while people are clamoring to enter it. That’s not to say that God’s rules for living are useless. The stars in the sky and the earth beneath your feet will pass away before one letter of God’s rules for living become worthless.
Take God’s rules regarding marriage for example. If a man divorces his wife and marries somebody else, then it’s still adultery because that man has broken his vow to God. And if a man marries a woman divorced from her husband, he’s committing adultery for the same reason.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Many in our society want to throw out what God’s word says as archaic, meant for another time and another generation. It’s not meant for our progressive, modern society. The people of Jesus’ day had similar ideas. The Pharisees, however, were the church leaders. They tried their best to enforce the laws God had inspired in the writers of the Old Testament. They wanted to make sure all those old rules were followed to the letter of the law and, in fact, they added their own interpretation to those rules so that 612 traditions came along with the Levitical commands God gave Moses on Mt Sinai.

Jesus addressed the Pharisees often about their losing their faith because of their strict enforcement of the rules but their failure to live up to and follow those same rules themselves. But these words of Jesus are pretty interesting and important for our society today. We need to hear these words addressed to the religious leaders because it applies to us just as much as it did to them those 2,000 years ago. Listen carefully to what Jesus had to say once again.

“The law and the prophets had their role until the coming of John the Baptist. Since John’s arrival, the good news of the kingdom of God has been taught while people are clamoring to enter it. That’s not to say that God’s rules for living are useless. The stars in the sky and the earth beneath your feet will pass away before one letter of God’s rules for living become worthless.”

Many want to take that first sentence and stop. They want to conveniently forget the rest of the paragraph. But Jesus didn’t stop talking after the first sentence. The role of the law and prophets changed, but they didn’t go away. Before John the Baptist came to herald the coming of Christ and the kingdom of God to earth, the law and prophets set the boundaries of behavior and condemned the actions of men and women in community. It told us how to live together in society and what God’s standards for living were. The law and prophets pointed out the evil in us.

But their role changed when Christ came on the scene. When He died for us and His spirit came to live in us when we let Him, His laws are written on our heart. It’s a law of love. Remember what He told the scribe who asked about the greatest commandment? Love God and love your neighbor, every other commandment rests on these two as their foundation. But we can’t love the way He wants us to love until He lives in us and we let Him control our lives. When He does, He writes His laws on our hearts. His laws don’t go away. They transform us. His rules don’t disappear, they become an integral part of who we are because He becomes an integral part of us.

All of the don’t do this and don’t do that kind of evil rules of living get turned around to do this and do that kind of good because you love God and love others the way He loves. The world gets turned upside down because you begin to see the way He sees. He lives in you and you become part of Him just as He is part of you. The rules didn’t change, you do. The guidance doesn’t change, you do. The taboos don’t change, you do. The things that He says will destroy your life don’t change, you just don’t desire them any more. God transforms our thinking because He wants to live in a temple – us – that remains pure and clean and holy. So He changes us. He wants us to be that vessel.

Is adultery still wrong? Yes. Is homosexuality still wrong? Yes. Is theft still wrong? Yes. Is lying and cheating and stealing and desecrating the Sabbath and disrespect for you parents and murder and breaking all the other commandments still wrong? Yes. These things hurt not just the one committing the sin, but they hurt the community in which they are committed. Just look around at the state of our society and it’s not hard to see that thinking it’s okay to throw out the commandments is okay has led to total decay across our land.

God’s laws will not go away before the stars in the sky or the earth beneath your feet disappear. It might be worth while to brush up on them. There will be a test at the end. 

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

Be generous, helpful, and kind (Luke 16:1-13) December 9, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Revelation 7-11

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

Today’s Devotional

16:1-13
Jesus: Once there was a rich and powerful man who had an asset manager. One day, the man received word that his asset manager was squandering his assets.
The rich man brought in the asset manager and said, “You’ve been accused of wrongdoing. I want a full and accurate accounting of all your financial transactions because you are really close to being fired.”The manager said to himself, “Oh, no! Now what am I going to do? I’m going to lose my job here, and I’m too weak to dig ditches and too proud to beg. I have an idea. This plan will mean that I have a lot of hospitable friends when I get fired.”
So the asset manager set up appointments with each person who owed his master money. He said to the first debtor, “How much do you owe my boss?” The debtor replied, “A hundred barrels of oil.” The manager said, “I’m discounting your bill by half. Just write 50 on this contract.” Then he said to the second debtor, “How much do you owe?” This fellow said, “A hundred bales of wheat.” The manager said, “I’m discounting your debt by 20 percent. Just write down 80 bales on this contract.”
When the manager’s boss realized what he had done, he congratulated him for at least being clever. That’s how it is: those attuned to this evil age are more clever in dealing with their affairs than the enlightened are in dealing with their affairs!
Learn some lessons from this crooked but clever asset manager. Realize that the purpose of money is to strengthen friendships, to provide opportunities for being generous and kind. Eventually money will be useless to you—but if you use it generously to serve others, you will be welcomed joyfully into your eternal destination.
If you’re faithful in small-scale matters, you’ll be faithful with far bigger responsibilities. If you’re crooked in small responsibilities, you’ll be no different in bigger things. If you can’t even handle a small thing like money, who’s going to entrust you with spiritual riches that really matter? If you don’t manage well someone else’s assets that are entrusted to you, who’s going to give over to you important spiritual and personal relationships to manage?
Imagine you’re a servant and you have two masters giving you orders. What are you going to do when they have conflicting demands? You can’t serve both, so you’ll either hate the first and love the second, or you’ll faithfully serve the first and despise the second. One master is God and the other is money. You can’t serve them both.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Did you get that lesson about the purpose of money? We really blow it these days. We think the purpose of money is to get more stuff for us. We think it is to make us more comfortable or make us look more important or ensure our future. But Jesus didn’t mention any of those things when He talked about the purpose of money as He discussed this parable with those around Him, did He? “The purpose of money,” He said, “is to strengthen friendships, to provide opportunities for being generous and kind.”

That is a far cry from what the world tells us to do with our money, isn’t it? Financial managers will tell us to hoard it away. Make sure you multiply it so you don’t run out. Don’t give too much of it away because then you won’t have it. The world says use it for your personal gain. That’s how you get ahead in this world.

Jesus’ advice and the world’s advice are rather contradictory to each other, aren’t they? But who should we listen to? If God made the world and He will be the final judge of our actions at the end of time, doesn’t it make sense to pay attention to His rules instead of the world’s rules? Doesn’t it make sense to take God’s advice since He’s the one we will face someday?

Even if you don’t believe there is a heaven and hell, being generous and kind doesn’t do any harm to you or anyone else. And if you are right, you have done good things for others all your life. You have been good and kind and generous and helped others along life’s path. But if you’re wrong and you fail to give to others, hoard everything you make, push aside others and fail to help others along life’s path, what will you say to God when you face Him at the judgment?

If you don’t believe, you still might not make it across the threshold into heaven, but I’m not God, thank goodness, and I don’t know how He will judge at the end of time. Perhaps ignorance of Him will be weighed against good things you have done or failure to do those good things. Perhaps generosity and kindness will have something to do with the intensity of punishment received. I have to tell you I don’t know how all that will work. The Bible doesn’t tell us. But one thing for sure, Jesus’ words about the use of money point us again and again to using it to help others not ourselves. Being generous and helpful and kind with the assets God entrusts to us. So we’d best get on with those duties, don’t you think.

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.

Celebrate the new birth (Luke 15:25-32) December 8, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Song of Songs 1-2

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 15:25-32
Jesus: Now the man’s older son was still out in the fields working. He came home at the end of the day and heard music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what was going on. The servant said, “Your brother has returned, and your father has butchered the fattest calf to celebrate his safe return.”
The older brother got really angry and refused to come inside, so his father came out and pleaded with him to join the celebration. But he argued back, “Listen, all these years I’ve worked hard for you. I’ve never disobeyed one of your orders. But how many times have you even given me a little goat to roast for a party with my friends? Not once! This is not fair! So this son of yours comes, this wasteful delinquent who has spent your hard-earned wealth on loose women, and what do you do? You butcher the fattest calf from our herd!”
The father replied, “My son, you are always with me, and all I have is yours. Isn’t it right to join in the celebration and be happy? This is your brother we’re talking about. He was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found again!”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Man, I hate to read this part of the story sometimes. It reminds me too much of what we do as Christians. The new guy comes to church, goes to an altar and prays. God forgives him and suddenly the pastor and teachers and everyone gushes all over him. They invite him to lunch, invite him to go play golf with them, invite him to use their extra ticket to the basketball game even. They never did that for me and I’ve been in the church my whole life! What gives? Why does the new guy get all the attention?

Maybe I’ll just quit. That will show that crowd of do-gooders. Then maybe they’ll pay attention to me. At least they’ll miss my tithes. Well, my offerings because I don’t really believe in that tithe stuff anymore. That’s Old Testament stuff and we live according to the New Testament, right? They just don’t understand. And this new guy, he’ll probably fall off the wagon again and be right back where he was before the year is out. He’s had this roller-coaster ride of trying to be good before.

Can’t the pastor understand that I need some attention, too? Doesn’t he understand that he has some parishioners that he doesn’t call on enough, like me? Sure I’m there all the time. Sure I help out in a lot of ways. Sure I have a good relationship with everyone in the church and read my Bible and pray. Sure I do everything the church asks me to do. But doesn’t that mean the pastor should spend a little time with me instead of this sinner guy that just came in off the street and said he felt forgiven by God?

Green with envy. That’s where we find ourselves sometimes. But why? Aren’t we already in the church enjoying the fellowship of other believers? Don’t we have the assurance of our eternal rest as we follow God’s commands and stay in His will? Can’t we rejoice in seeing one more added to the kingdom? And isn’t it our job to teach others the practices we have been taught as Christians so that they stay grounded in the truth of God’s word? Did those practices include being jealous of the pastor’s time? Did those practices Jesus taught include wanting to quit because we don’t get the attention we think we deserve because of the work we do for the kingdom?

Yeah, it gets tough to read the last part of this parable, sometimes. It can be pretty convicting if you pay attention to the actions of the older brother. Not someone we should emulate, but too often we follow in his footsteps instead of Jesus’. But there is a solution to the older son’s problem just as there was a solution to the younger son’s. The father embraced his youngest son and welcomed him home. He had a few strong words for his older son but still reminded him that he was welcome to join the party. All he had to do was accept the invitation.

It’s funny, though, we never find out if the older son goes to the party or not. We know the father wants him to come, but we don’t know if he shows. Why is that? Because the son has to make his own choice. The father can’t choose for him. It’s the same with us. The Father invites us to His party, but we much choose whether we will attend. We have to play by His rules to get there. We have to celebrate the return of our lost brothers and sisters. We have to rejoice every time one more person comes to know Him as Lord of their life. We have to understand our position. We are all His children. No one is more important than another and every time one more joins the family we all celebrate the new birth. 

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.