Category Archives: devotional

The good and bad in a twelve year old (Luke 2:49) September 18, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Philemon

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 2:49
Jesus: Why did you need to look for Me? Didn’t you know that I must be working for My Father?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We’ve moved into the gospel of Luke today. The only gospel that has any mention of Jesus’ childhood beyond His birth, the family’s escape to Egypt, and return to Nazareth. All the other gospels pick up His life’s story with His baptism at the Jordan River by His cousin John the Baptist. But Luke, Paul’s physician companion on his missionary journeys gives this brief snippet into Jesus’ childhood just as He is reaching the age of accountability according to Jewish tradition.

Jesus is twelve. He accompanies His family to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. That was a five day journey for them when the roads weren’t terribly crowded and the weather was pretty good. It’s about 120 miles on foot. And that was how they traveled. On foot. Like most twelve year old boys, He probably ran ahead and played with friends or explored some interesting find on the path while His parents caught up, then ran ahead again throughout the five day journey. With all the pilgrims keeping an eye on all the children at play on the road, parents didn’t worry much about their kids getting lost. They just had them check back every once in a while to make sure they stayed relatively close and safe. He acted like a twelve year old on a five day trek.

But then He saw the temple during the Passover. It probably wasn’t His first time, but for some reason we don’t know, Jesus was invited into the circle of scribes on this occasion. And as He listened to them, He was allowed to make comments. Now that was really unusual. He was only twelve, not yet of age to be heard. But these scribes listened to His opinions because Jesus had wisdom well beyond His years. They were amazed at this young man’s understanding.

Jesus’ family left for the journey home, but instead of leaving with them, He slipped back into the temple and the circle of scribes. Something about this place drew Him close. The scriptures acted like a magnet to Him and the men who surrounded Him welcomed Him because of the things He said. They listened to His thoughts as if He were a seasoned rabbi. Soon, Jesus forgot His family was leaving town and He missed their departure.

Surprising to us, it was three days before Mary and Joseph discovered Jesus’ absence. But remember that almost all of Nazareth would have traveled to Jerusalem for Passover. As many as could, went to Jerusalem for the three great feasts God told Moses to present to the Israelites in the desert – Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Mary and Joseph would have made as many of these feasts in Jerusalem as possible. The city burst at the seams with people. It was a time for family reunions and reuniting with old friends. With that many people coming together, Mary and Joseph would easily assume Jesus was with His cousins and aunts and uncles as they traveled.

Finally, Mary and Joseph figured out Jesus was not in the entourage and headed back to Jerusalem frantically searching for their missing son. But as they made inquiries and their search led them back to the temple, there He was confounding the teachers of the law with His amazing understanding of the scriptures at such a young age.

No doubt Jesus was in trouble for the worry He caused. No doubt He didn’t get to run ahead or play with His friends on the rest of the journey home. I expect if they could have done so without raising too many eyebrows, they would have put a lasso around Him and kept Him tied to one of them. So the lesson in these scriptures is not to run away from your parents. That’s not a good thing. Even for Jesus, that was not a good thing. He probably got some fairly hefty punishment for the scare He caused and His failure to leave with the family, even though He was doing something very good at the time. He really needed to tell His parents what He was doing before He scared them to death.

But the other thing we learn from today’s words is that scripture was important to Jesus from a very early age. Remember we closed the book of Mark talking about just how important scripture was to Jesus. We talked about the fact that many of His last words on the cross came from Old Testament Psalms. How was He able to recite those verses under such extreme duress? Because from the age of twelve, whenever you couldn’t find Jesus, just look in the temple or the synagogue or with a group of rabbis or scribes. You’d find Him learning scripture. You find Him reading the ancient texts, learning the prayers of David and Isaiah and Daniel and Moses.

Jesus was a student of His Father’s words as handed down through the writers of our Old Testament. He used them often in His preaching and teaching, in His confrontations with Satan and his minions, in His times of greatest joy and deepest sorrow, and even on the cross. If scripture was so important to Jesus, the perfect Son of God, don’t you think it should be important to those of us who are so imperfect? Pick it and read it today and every day. It will do you good. 

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.

Spread the word! (Mark 16:15-18) September 17, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – John 19-21

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 16:15-18
Jesus: Go out into the world and share the good news with all of creation. Anyone who believes this good news and is ceremonially washed will be rescued, but anyone who does not believe it will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: they will be able to cast out demons in My name, speak with new tongues, take up serpents, drink poison without being harmed, and lay their hands on the sick to heal them.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Mark gives us a little different version of the Great Commission than Matthew. We like to recite Matthew’s better. I wonder why? Don’t we like the aspect of casting out demons, speaking in new languages, taking up serpents, drinking poison and healing the sick? Don’t those sound pretty exciting in what are mostly hum-drum routine days for most of us?

We get up, get dressed, go to work or school. We see the same people most of the time and go about our daily business without much change from day to day. Don’t you think it would shake things up a bit if we saw some of the things Jesus says will follow us if we believe in Him and these signs follow us around? So what happened? Why don’t we see any of these things except in some of the fringe groups that we usually call a little crazy.

We don’t talk about exorcism. Demons are just fairy tales, right? Some think speaking in tongues is a sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence, but most think speaking in different languages is just one of many gifts and view the gift differently than those denominations that view it as the only real evidence of God’s indwelling presence, so some call that group a little odd.

Snake handlers? Well, God cursed them in the Garden of Eden and I guess He did a good thing. I have no desire to handle snakes, especially poisonous ones. Doing so on purpose? Yep, just about everyone I know thinks that borders on the not so sane side. But there are some that pick out this verse and stand on it as something we should be doing. So they take them to worship services with them. Just don’t expect me to be in those services, okay?

Drinking poison? Another one of those that isn’t the norm. If the body is God’s temple, I don’t want to be pouring poison in it on purpose. Now healing the sick, I’d like to see a lot more of that, but we don’t seem to call people together to lay on hands and pray for the sick do we. We ask the preacher to do that, but do we, as believers do what Jesus said to do and lay hands on the sick to heal them? Not very often.

So what happened? Why don’t we do these things? Why do we like the Matthew version so much better than this one? First, we need to consider that some of those crazy sounding things, taking up serpents, drinking poison, maybe even casting out demons are for our physical protection. Remember Jesus said we would be hated because of His name. His earliest followers were thrown in prison, stood before kings and authorities. Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake on the island of Malta and some of those early leaders were forced to drink poison in Rome’s attempt whip out this new group they could blame for their troubles.

Through the centuries, God has, on occasion, used His miraculous power to let His children overcome such sure means of physical death. He intervened many times for many people to demonstrate His mighty power and bring glory to His name. Because He is God, He can circumvent the normal processes of this world and do things we cannot imagine. As Jesus said, anything is possible for God. So He can make the bite of a deadly snake nothing more than a sting. He can change the effects of a deadly poison to a sweet tasting nectar as easily as He changed the water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Anything is possible for Him. And sometimes He does those things for His children.

So why don’t we get together over the sick, lay hands on them, and ask for His healing? Is it because we don’t believe? Why don’t we share the message of the good news with all creation? Are we afraid? Of what? If He can change the nature of snake venom and poison, why should we be afraid to share the message? Who should we fear? Jesus told us, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Do we really believe? We might say we do, but if we really believe, we be doing what He said to do. Not just make disciples, but going about boldly, without fear, healing the sick, casting out demons, not worrying about poisons, or snakes, or anything else Satan might throw at us to try to distract us from the mission Jesus sent us out to do. Spread the word, Jesus died that we might live. 

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

The best source of strength (Mark 15:34) September 16, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Amos 5-9

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 15:34
Jesus: Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

“My God, My God, why have you turned your back on Me?” Jesus’ question to His father from the cross. We often read the words of Jesus from the cross and forget that many of them are prayers recited from the Psalms. This one comes from Psalms 22. It’s interesting to go back to those hymns that Jesus used as His prayers on the cross recorded for us by the gospel writers and put them back into their context. I often wonder if Jesus prayed the whole Psalm while on the cross, or just the verses recorded for us.

If you go back to Psalm 22, you’ll find the words Jesus spoke in the first verse. “My God, My God, why have you turned your back on me? Your ears are deaf to my groans. O my God, I cry all day and you are silent; my tears in the night bring no relief.”

Most of the rest of that psalm describe exactly what Jesus was experiencing.

I’m surrounded by many tormentors; like strong bulls of Bashan, they circle around me with their taunts. They open their mouths wide at me like ravenous, roaring lions. My life is poured out like water, and all my bones have slipped out of joint. My heart melts like wax inside me. My strength is gone, dried up like shards of pottery; my dry tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; You lay me in the dust of death. A throng of evil ones has surrounded me like a pack of wild dogs; They pierced my hands and ripped a hole in my feet. I count all my bones; people gawk and stare at me. They make a game out of dividing my clothes among themselves; they cast lots for the clothes on my back.

Perhaps we sometimes draw the wrong conclusion about this particular phrase. I usually think about God turning His back on Jesus because He carries the sins of the world on His shoulders and the Father cannot stand the sight of sin. He abhors sin and so Jesus carries the weight of all humanity’s sins alone.

But what if, instead, Jesus draws strength from reciting this psalm from the cross. The hymn begins these stark words from the depth of David’s misery. It describes the suffering Jesus will endure. But there are some other words in that same song from which He can draw great comfort.

Still, You are holy; You make Your home on the praises of Israel. Our mothers and fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You rescued them. They cried out to You for help and were spared; they trusted in You and were vindicated.

and

But You, O Eternal, stay close; O You, my help, hurry to my side. Save my life from violence, my sweet life from the teeth of the wild dog. Rescue me from the mouth of the lion. From the horns of the wild oxen, You responded to my plea. I will speak Your Name to my brothers and sisters when I praise You in the midst of the community. You who revere the Eternal, praise Him— descendants of Jacob, worship Him; be struck with wonder before Him, all you children of Israel. He’s not put off by the suffering of the suffering one; He doesn’t pretend He hasn’t seen him; when he pleaded for help, He listened. You stir my praise in the great assembly; I will fulfill my vows before those who humble their hearts before Him. Those who are suffering will eat and be nourished; those who seek Him will praise the Eternal. May your hearts beat strong forever! Those from the farthest reaches of the earth will remember and turn back to look for the Eternal; All the families of the nations will worship You. The Eternal owns the world; He exercises His gentle rule over all the nations. All the wealthy of the world will eat and worship; all those who fall in the dust will bow before Him, even the life that is headed to the grave. Our children will serve Him; future generations will hear the story of how the Lord rescued us. They will tell the generations to come of the righteousness of the Lord, of what He has done.

Could Jesus’ words on the cross be a reminder to us of the importance of scripture and prayer in the face of life’s greatest challenges? Certainly, these few hours were Jesus’ most the stressful and challenging of His short life. And throughout those hours, the majority of His words can be traced back to the scriptures He knew so well. Is this, too, the beginning of a song, only the beginning of which was recorded by the gospel writers, but within Jesus’ heart and soul, soared to His father as a song of praise and worship even in those dark hours? Could it be that He was teaching us even in these last hours of His life that God’s word remains our best source of strength in times of trouble? Jesus used it; shouldn’t we? 

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.

He’s coming in the clouds of heaven (Mark 14:62) September 15, 016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Proverbs 23-24

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 14:62
Jesus: I am. One day you will see the Son of Man “sitting at His right hand, in the place of honor and power,” and “coming in the clouds of heaven.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus said these words at His trial before the Sanhedrin. They were looking for a way to find charges against Him worthy of death. They wanted to get rid of this trouble maker and wanted to do it fast. So they tried witnesses hired by some of the less scrupulous among them, but the witnesses contradicted each other. So the court couldn’t convict Jesus based on their testimonies. Interesting, isn’t it, that they would use the laws of their court, but wouldn’t use the laws of God in examining Jesus.

The Sanhedrin questioned Jesus more. They twisted His words and asked more pointedly about His teaching. Jesus didn’t answer. Finally, Jesus gave them what they wanted to hear, almost. They were looking for blasphemy, but when it’s the truth, it’s not blasphemy. Still, when the priest, as chief prosecutor asked if Jesus was the Messiah, He answered with the title God used as He addressed Moses in the desert, “I am.”

Those next words in Jesus’ answer to the Sanhedrin caused a near riot in the hall. But I want us to think about them today as we hear them again and take them to heart. “One day you will see the Son of Man ‘sitting at His right hand, in the place of honor and power,’ and ‘coming in the clouds of heaven.’”

Have you considered the promise Jesus made to the Sanhedrin in those early morning hours? They were looking for blasphemy, but He made a promise to all those who would follow Him and also to those who would not. He was headed to heaven to take His rightful place on at the throne. He would sit at the right hand of the Father, the place of honor. They might take His life, but He would overcome them. They might try Him for blasphemy, but He would prove them wrong.

Jesus gave them a picture of the future as He shared the truth of who He was and what would soon happen when He broke out of the tomb and returned to heaven with to await His bride, the church. He would soon go home and one day everyone would see Him as He is, Messiah, God incarnate, the One who saves us from our sins. Our bridge to heaven. We will see Him in His place of honor and power.

The second thing Jesus promises is that He is coming back. He said we would see Him coming in the clouds of heaven. The angels said that when the disciples were gathered on the hillside watching Him leave. They told those who wept at His departure, not to worry or fear or weep, because He was coming back the same way He left, in clouds from heaven.

That will be a great day for some. It will be a tragic day for many. Jesus said the road to heaven is narrow and few find it. For those that find that road, it will be a great day. Seeing Jesus return in the clouds will mark the day He gathers us together to join Him in heaven forever. For those who refuse to believe in Him for His saving grace, for those who refuse to follow Him and obey Him, that day will be a horrible day. That crowd will realize too late that Jesus meant what He said. They, too, will see Him coming in the clouds, but for them, He will come as the avenger of His church. He will come to avenge His name and pour out His wrath on the disobedient. For them, it will be a day they will with they had never been born.

Those gathered in the courtroom that day heard Jesus’ prophecy as blasphemy. We, on this side of the cross, who believe what He said and trust in Him, know His words are true and know His words are far from blasphemy, but a promise to all who follow His teachings. He will come again, just as He said. Right now He sits on the throne with the Father. He leans in close so He doesn’t miss a word. He awaits the message from His father, “Go get your bride.”

With the mention of those words from the Father, Jesus will climb onto those clouds and descend from heaven to get us. His words to the Sanhedrin will come true. He will come to take us away. What a spectacular day that will be. One day, we will see Him sitting at the right hand of the Father, in the place of honor and power and coming in the clouds of heaven. 

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.

Where will you meet Him? (Mark 14:48-49) September 14, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – -Psalms 108-110

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 14:48-49
Jesus: Am I a thief or a bandit that you have to come armed with swords and clubs to capture Me? I sat teaching in the temple every day with you. You could have taken Me at any time, but you never did. Let the Scriptures be fulfilled.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus talks a lot about light and darkness in His messages. He talks about Himself as the light of the world in fact. He says God’s children live in the light. He tells us that Satan’s minions slither around in the dark, but that those true to God stay in the light. They are not afraid to have their actions seen by all. They do not worry about being seen by others because they know their actions are good, honest, righteous. They have nothing to worry about in terms of the rightness of their behavior.

Not so those who do their work in the dark. Those who hide their behavior, most often do so because they don’t want others to see it. And they don’t want others to see it because they know it is wrong. They try to cover their behavior with darkness. It seems the dark brings out the worst in people for some reason.

It’s why I gave my kids a curfew. Even when they were older teens. Even when they came home from college. I live by a simple rule and taught them the same rule. “Nothing good happens after midnight.” So even as twenty-something college kids, the rule was be home before midnight. Period. There is little reason for anyone to be out after midnight unless you must work one of those jobs that require those kinds of shifts.

But to be out partying, driving around, even just talking with friends, nothing good happens after midnight. Think about it. After midnight, when you’re tired, your resistance lowers. Your emotions get keyed up. More fights happen after midnight. More people lose control over their drinking and drug habits. More people lose control over their sexual drive. Bad things happen after midnight. So the kids had a midnight curfew.

Am I too strict? Am I an old fuddy-duddy that doesn’t understand the way of the world? Am I just old fashioned and behind the times? Maybe, but I don’t think so. I prefer to think I’ve learned a little about this thing called light and dark. I want to be able to operate in the light and let anyone see anything I might do without hesitation. I want my life to be an open book to others. There shouldn’t be anything I’m ashamed of in my life if I’m following Jesus. But when we sneak off in the night to try to cover our behavior, we’re just not acting like our Lord.

I think that’s the message He’s giving the priests and their guards in the garden that night. He has been praying and now they come after midnight to arrest Him. They come when most people are in their beds asleep. They want to make sure their actions are unobserved. They don’t want the populace to see what’s going on because they’ll be found out. And Jesus was too popular with the people to risk taking Him in front of them. So they capture Jesus in the middle of the night. Under the cover of darkness. When no one can see their actions.

But there is a problem with their plan. Light dispels darkness. Light isn’t the absence of darkness, but rather darkness is the absence of light. Have you ever thought about that? Just the tiniest spark of light dispels the dark. And Jesus is so much more than a spark. He is the light of creation. He is brighter than the noonday sun. He illuminates our every action. He uncovers our heart. Nothing stays hidden when He is around. So when the guards come in the middle of the night, their purpose is clear to Him. The wickedness in their heart is clear to Him. Their fall from God’s law is crystal clear to Him. He sees it all, because His light shines on them and they cannot hide.

Neither can we. We can attempt to cover our actions by participating in behaviors under the cover of darkness or behind closed doors or in places we think are secret, but they are not so secret. God knows everything. He knows our actions. He knows our thoughts. He knows our heart. He sees us in the light and in the dark. And what we think we hide from Him, He still sees. There is no where to hide. His light shines through the darkest places in our lives to show us where we stand in relation to Him.

So He poses the question to us that He posed to those who met Him in the garden. We can come to Him in the temple and the synagogues and the market places and meet Him in the daylight or we can be like those guards and try to sneak in to overtake Him in the garden. Only one problem with trying to overtake Him. As John describes the scene, when they tried to take Him, the guard fell to the ground. He cannot be taken, He gave Himself up to them. He gives Himself up to us too. Will you meet Him in the light or in the dark? It’s your choice.

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.

Stay awake and pray (Mark 14:37-38) September 13, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 1 Chronicles 25-29

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 14:37-38
Jesus (waking Peter): Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you wait with Me for just an hour? Stay awake, and pray that you aren’t led into a trial of your own. It’s true—even when the spirit is willing, the body can betray it.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

There’s that combination of how to remain true to Christ again. The way to keep out of trouble in a wicked, sin-filled world. What is the secret? Stay awake and alert to the wiles of the enemy, number one. And number two, pray. Those two things, more than any other will keep you from falling into the traps Satan has set for you. Why is that so? Why would that be true and why would Jesus give that admonition to Peter and to us?

A couple of days ago, we talked about the importance of staying awake on guard duty in the military. Falling asleep while on guard during a time of war, carries a maximum penalty of death in the United States Armed Services. If convicted, a court-martial can sentence you to the death penalty for falling asleep! The same is true in our spiritual lives. If we fall asleep on the job, we can face eternal death. If we fail to keep watch and stay alert to the schemes of Satan we can fall prey to that “roaring lion” that roams the earth seeking whom he might devour.

How can we avoid the temptations, the wickedness, the schemes, the traps, the plans Satan has for us if we don’t stay alert and awake? How can we stay out of his clutches if we relax our guard and just follow the whims of the world or even our own desires and emotions? The answer is we can’t. We must be aware that we are foreigners in this place. As such, the language is different than ours. The customs are different than ours. The habits and rituals are different than our.

You might think you understand the ways of the world, and as long as you remain loyal to it, you might understand them better than a Christian. But if you are following Christ, the ways of the world should become more and more foreign to you because you do not belong here. You are part of a different kingdom. Your citizenship isn’t the one on your birth certificate or your driver’s license or identification card. Your citizenship is the kingdom of God. He does not adhere to the ways of the world. So stay awake. Be aware of the differences. Be aware that Satan is hunting you and will do anything he can to cause you to run into one of his snares.

Then there is prayer. I’ve mentioned before that the founders of most of the prominent denominations that exist today spent hours on their knees every day. They understood the importance of prayer in their lives. John Wesley, for instance, remarked that he started the day with two hours of prayer and if he had a particularly busy day ahead, he would begin with four hours of prayer. Otherwise, he could never get through his agenda. That meant rising early, very early, to meet with God and start the day.

Still John Wesley was a prolific writer, a teacher, a preacher, founder of the Methodist Church, mentor to dozens, maybe hundreds of young preachers across the country, a missionary to young America. How was he able to accomplish so much in an age without electricity, running water, and all the modern conveniences we enjoy today? He prayed. He reached out to heaven…a lot.

John Calvin in his Institutes gives prayer a prominent place in Christian practice and gives these instructions: We are to pray “continuously.” We should lift our hearts to God at all times and pray without ceasing. Yet, it is necessary, because of our weakness, for us to set certain hours for prayer. “These are: when we arise in the morning, before we begin daily work, when we sit down to a meal, when by God’s blessing we have eaten, when we are getting ready to retire.” (Institutes III, XX, 50) By spending the time at “certain hours” as Calvin recommends we come into a closer relationship with God. The result is an awareness of God in every moment.

And when Calvin talked about certain hours, he meant not just the time of day, but also the length of prayer. Time spent with God. Time communing with Him. Sharing to Him our innermost thoughts and listening to His voice in conversation with the Creator of the universe. Prayer is critical to our relationship and our survival as a follower of Jesus. We must spend time in prayer.

Jesus spent hours in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane after He shared the Seder meal with His disciples. He came back to find Peter, James, and John asleep. He warns them and us of the danger involved if we’re not careful. Listen to His words once again. “Couldn’t you wait with Me for just an hour? Stay awake, and pray that you aren’t led into a trial of your own. It’s true—even when the spirit is willing, the body can betray it.”

Stay awake and pray. It might mean your life.

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

Why doesn’t He do the impossible? (Mark 14:36) September 12,2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Numbers 17-20

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 14:36
Jesus: Abba, Father, I know that anything is possible for You. Please take this cup away so I don’t have to drink from it. But whatever happens, let Your will be done—not Mine.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus, the man, acknowledges that God, His Father can do anything. Nothing is impossible for Him. He also know that He, as God, the Son, must die on the cross to fulfill the prophecies and become the sacrifice for all humanity. His purpose, His duty, His life is dedicated to that single goal. He will die for us. But Jesus, the man, wants no part of it. He wants relief from the agony He is about to endure.

So here’s the question that comes from Jesus’ words today. If anything is possible for God, why doesn’t He intervene for us in those darkest times of life? Why does He let these terrible things happen to His children? Why do His believers get sick and die? Why do loved ones we pray for pass away earlier than we expect? Why are children taken away from us before their time? Why do we suffer so much, if anything is possible for God? Why didn’t He answer Jesus’ prayer and relieve Him of the suffering He was about to endure?

All good questions. Some would be bold enough to tell you it’s because of sin in our lives. I will tell you that is not so. Remember the blind man Jesus healed? The people who sinned to cause the malady, the blind man or his parents? Jesus answered, neither. He was blind to show God’s power and glory. As odd as it seems at the time, sometimes, the suffering we endure demonstrate God’s power and grace and glory in our lives. It might not make sense to you as you go through the pain of the circumstances you face, but often those who watch you struggle through those rough times see you lean on and trust in God to comfort you and find His grace through your strength in Him. I don’t think God causes the suffering, but He will certainly use the suffering for His glory when we let Him.

I think He also lets us suffer through difficult times to help us depend on Him. There are times in our life when we just need to draw closer to Him. Again, God doesn’t cause the evil circumstances in our lives. Those things are a result of the sin-scarred world we live in. Those are the consequences of being a part of Adam’s race. But God, in those times of suffering, asks us to draw close to Him so we can feel His mighty arms around us. He comforts us as a loving parent comforts their children in times of fear or sorrow or illness or any other heartache we endure. He wants us close and so He allows suffering to happen to let us draw closer to Him.

I think sometimes He lets us suffer because He knows what’s next. We live in an evil world. It is marred with the consequences of generations of sinful people’s actions. As long as we breathe, we cannot get away from those consequences as a part of humanity. But as we face some of those difficulties, we can build up our resilience in the same way we build callouses on our hands as we use tools. The first time you rake leaves, you can get some pretty good blisters on your hands, right? But by the end of the fall season, callouses have developed that let you rake the leaves without injury. Sometimes I think God lets us experience those sufferings to help us build up the ability to face the next ones without injury, just like we toughen our hands when raking leaves.

Sometimes I think He lets us suffer because He knows we will meet someone in the future who faces the same issues or problems we are facing. If we have gone through it with God’s help, we can be a voice of comfort, a mentor, a friend to walk along side that person to help them know there is hope and a brighter day on the other side of the issue they face. The suffering won’t last forever and one day the sun will shine for them again. We can be a witness for them because we have gone through the same suffering they face.

And quite frankly, I think sometimes God lets us go through some of the suffering the world dishes out because He doesn’t want us to get comfortable here. If this place gets too comfortable, why would we want to go to heaven? But instead, His children long for the day when we can escape the pain and suffering of this world and move on to be with Him forever. We look forward to the new heaven and new earth, the New Jerusalem that has been prepared for His followers. I think God wants to make sure we remember there is a better place awaiting us. A place so much better than the one that holds the pain and suffering we endure here.

Why doesn’t God do everything for us? I really don’t know the answer to the question. It’s something we can ask when we get to heaven. But then again, once we’re there, will we really care? He’s God and He knows what He’s doing. We can trust Him.

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.

He hasn’t had a drink yet (Mark 14:22-25) September 11, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Titus

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 14:22-25
As they ate, Jesus took bread, offered a blessing, and broke it. He handed the pieces to His disciples.
Jesus: Take this and eat it. This is My body.
He took a cup of wine; and when He had given thanks for it, He passed it to them, and they all drank from it.
Jesus: This is My blood, a covenant poured out on behalf of many. Truly I will never taste the fruit of the vine again until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

When we considered these words in Matthew 26, we discussed the importance of stopping to remember the importance of the participating in the Lord’s Supper with other believers. The fact that we should not just let it be another ritual, but we should stop and think about the meaning of the elements used and what they represent as we consume them.

I hope since then, each time you’ve taken the bread and cup in communion, you’ve stopped and thought deeply about Jesus’ sacrifice and the love He expressed for you in giving Himself so that you might have forgiveness for your sins.

Today, I want to focus on a couple of the words He spoke to His disciples that once again I’ve not considered in this way until today. Jesus said, “…I will never taste the fruit of the vine again until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

I’ve often referred to the cup and the bread as symbols of Jesus’ body and blood. I’ve preached about it. I’ve studied it. I’ve shared those symbols as part of the Lord’s Supper and used the words of the rituals written for it many times. I’ve read these words to congregations dozens of times through the years. But today, they struck me in a new way. It’s interesting the way God does that to us sometimes. Here’s what He seems to say to me today.

If you’ll remember, Jesus’ first miracle took place in Cana, a small town in Galilee. His mother, some of His friends and Jesus attended a wedding. These were big events in Jesus’ day, just as they are today. Weddings marked the beginning of new families. Weddings joined man and woman in a ceremony before God that bound them together for life and created the bond instituted by God for relationships that would provide a helpmate to get us through life’s toughest battles. Weddings were important.

Consequently, weddings took a great deal of preparation. Like many weddings today, they included lots of food, music, ceremony, laughter, dancing, and wine. It was a joyous occasion. When the wedding reception in Cana ran out of wine, Jesus helped out and turned the water used to wash the feet of the guests into the best wine in the country. A pretty good miracle, don’t you think?

Wine was a part of almost every meal in Jesus’ day. There were no water treatment plants to remove the pollutants and the Jordan, if you’ve never seen it, is a pretty dirty river. Most people used the rivers to bath, wash their clothes, water the cattle, or do whatever needed done with water. Drinking water came from wells, but even the ground water from wells was not that great. So people drank wine.

But at the last meal Jesus has with His disciples, He announces that He will not drink wine again until He drinks it with them in the new kingdom of God. Have you ever thought about that?

If you look through the rest of the New Testament at all the appearances of Jesus after His resurrection, you’ll find that He eats with some of those to whom He appears, but scripture never mentions that He drinks. He eats bread, He eats fish, but it never mentions that He drinks. I think He’s waiting. He said He would not drink wine again until the day He drinks it new in the kingdom of God.

So what picture does that conjure up for you?

John writes in Revelation about Jesus coming to retrieve His bride, the church. And when He does He takes His bride home to the new kingdom of God. He describes the great wedding feast at which the believers join in the great wedding reception. There is no marrying in heaven, but we will all be wed to Jesus, that intimate relationship most like a marriage than anything else that could describe it here on earth.

And at that feast Jesus will lift His goblet or glass or cup or whatever container holds the best wine that has ever existed and raise a toast welcoming His bride to His home. Then for the first time since the supper which announced the new covenant with those who followed His teachings He will drink from the fruit of the vine. He is waiting for us to join Him before He drinks again. He is waiting for His bride and the wedding feast so He can fulfill the vow He made to His disciples that night. Can you imagine what a glorious feast that will be when we join Him in enjoying a draught from creation’s fruit once again.

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.

We are all betrayers (Mark 14:13-21) September 10, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – John 16-18

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 14:18-21
Jesus: I tell you in absolute sincerity, one of you eating with Me tonight is going to betray Me.
The twelve were upset. They looked around at each other.
Disciples (one by one): Lord, it’s not I, is it?
Jesus: It is one of you, the twelve—one of you who is dipping your bread in the same dish that I am.
The Son of Man goes to His fate. That has already been predicted in the Scriptures. But still, it will be terrible for the one who betrays Him. It would have been better for him if he had never been born.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

How would you like to be sitting at the table when Jesus said those words? “One of you will betray Me.” Wow! Here they were just finishing the Seder and Jesus makes this announcement. He knew it a long time before this, but kept it to Himself. Of course, if the disciples understood scripture the way He did, they would know He would be betrayed, but they didn’t. No one put it together until after the fact. But here was the bombshell.

These guys had traveled with Him for over three years. They heard every message. They sat with Him for every lesson. They ate with Him. Slept where He slept. Went where He went. They were His constant companions throughout His ministry. How could one of them possibly fall away and betray Him after sitting under His teaching for three years?

But listen to the question from each of the disciples. Every one of them asked Him, “Is it me? Am I the one who will betray you? I’m not the one, am I?” Did you get that? Every one of the disciples had enough doubt in their mind about their individual loyalty that they asked Jesus if they were the one that would turn Him in to the authorities. Each of them had these hidden thoughts and secret spots in their heart they thought were deep enough that no one could see. But when Jesus made His announcement about His betrayal, every one of them felt those dark spots rise to the surface and questioned their own loyalty to Christ.

Of course, Judas already knew he was the one and asked the question in a way only the guilty can, but every single disciple felt in his heart that he might have the capacity to turn against his master. That’s an important point for all of us to see in the events that unfolded around the table that night. It’s an important point for all of us to realize as we listen to the words Jesus spoke and we should take them to heart.

Every one of us have the capacity to betray Him. No matter how solid we think we are in our faith, we have the capacity to turn against Him and betray Him. No matter how good we think we are or how long we have been following Him, we have the ability to go to His enemies and plot against Him for a few pieces of silver.

You might think you’d never do that to Jesus. He’s done so much for you. He may have healed you in the past. He might have healed your children or saved you lost loved ones. He might have salvaged your marriage or rescued you from financial ruin. Jesus may have intervened in broken relationships with family or friends. He may have worked incredible miracles on your behalf and you think you could never betray Him. But listen again to the question from the lips of every one of His closest disciples, even John, His most beloved. “Lord, is it me? Am I the one who will betray you?”

All of them, without exception, after walking with Jesus for three years and listening to His voice, knew that deep within every person, we have the capacity to choose to betray Him. Adam and Eve were sinless when they chose to turn against God, remember? But we are born with the seed of sin embedded in us. God’s word says it is passed down to us through Adam’s race. We cannot escape it. We have all sinned. And so we all carry within us the capacity to betray Him.

Judas is the one who sold the plan to identify Jesus to the guards in the garden. Peter took one swipe and a guard and then fled. The rest of the disciples just fled in terror. No one stood by His side when those horrible events of that night began to unfold. All of His disciples had the capacity to betray Him and they did. They left Him to endure His fate alone. We think of Judas as the betrayer, the one who sold Jesus to His enemies, but didn’t they all betray His friendship that night? Didn’t they all desert Him and leave Him to face His pain alone in the garden? Didn’t every one of them forget their promise to stand by Him to the end?

The difference between the rest of the disciples and Judas? Eleven repented. Judas hung himself. When you think about it, we have each betrayed Jesus, too? Which path will you take? I hope it’s the path to repentance.

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

What do you do to remember your past? (Mark 14:14-15) September 9, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Amos 1-4

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 14:14-15
Jesus: Follow that man; and wherever he goes in, say to the owner of the house, “The Teacher asks, ‘Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with My disciples?’” He will take you upstairs and show you a large room furnished and ready. Make our preparations there.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We don’t think too much about what that meal Jesus ate with the disciples that night before His crucifixion. We think about the end of it. The words He said and the new covenant He established with them. We remember the prediction of His betrayal and the passing of the cup and the bread which He said word forever represent His blood and broken body. We remember these things because we celebrate that remembrance in communion or the Lord’s Supper of whatever name your denomination gives the ritual we use to commemorate that sacred covenant.

But did you ever think about the meal the disciples shared that night? I’ll admit, the thing that got me thinking about it today was the comment Jesus made, “Make our preparations there.” That little phrase. I’ve passed over it a lot, because I always focused on other parts of the story and never on that little phrase. But I want to share a couple of thoughts with you about those four words.

First, I want to point out that Jesus sent only two of His disciples ahead to make the preparations. They found the room set up and ready, but there was a lot more to do as I’ll explain in a minute. But only two disciples were about to do a lot of work to prepare the Seder, the Passover meal, for Jesus and the rest of His disciples.

Jesus and His disciples observed the law. They carried out the rituals Moses told them to carry out. We know they did a couple of things the Pharisees and Sadducees were upset about, like grabbing a handful of grain as they walked through a wheat field on the Sabbath or Jesus telling a man with a crippled arm to straighten it out on the Sabbath. But they observed the law as Jesus understood the law. And since He was there to give it to Moses, I expect He understood it pretty well.

The Mosaic law says to eat a whole lamb and leave nothing behind. Share it with as many families as are necessary, but leave nothing behind. Any of the lamb that is not eaten must be burned in the fire. The roasted lamb is to be eaten with bitter herbs and eaten while wearing traveling clothes. All in remembrance of the death angel passing over the homes of the Israelites who put the blood of the lamb on the door posts of their houses.

So if the disciples had to kill and butcher the lamb themselves, the process would take about an hour to kill, dress, and prepare the animal for the fire, assuming these two disciples were pretty skilled at the job. It’s probably a good assumption given the times they lived in and the necessity of often killing and butchering their own meat. Then roasting the lamb took another four to five hours depending on the size of the lamb.

The two could probably do some other task while the lamb was roasting, like prepare the bread, or buy it from the market along with the bitter herbs, the wine, and other foods for the meal. The tables were already up and maybe even set for the affair, so the food was probably the biggest preparation, but think about the work that went into preparing the Seder for 13 or more people without electricity and only brick ovens and open fires. These two guys did some work.

And this was a special meal. This was the Passover. The day that marked the beginning of the nation of Israel. The day that celebrated the breaking of the bonds of their slavery from Egypt. This day of celebration began by remembering the sorrow of the Egyptians and the mighty hand of God that protected them in the midst of His awesome avenging power meted out all around them. They heard the wailing through the night and were forced out of the country before daybreak. This was the event they remembered with this meal. The story was told year after year so the children would never forget and so the adults would never forget either.

What stories do we tell our children so they never forget the hand of God in our lives? What celebrations do we perform to commemorate God’s faithfulness to us? What special events do we remember so we never forget to thank God for His protection and watch care over us in both the good and bad times of life? It’s an important question, because if we don’t tell our children how God has helped us through the tough times of life, how will they know He’s the one who does? How will they ever learn to lean on Him? Two disciples worked all day to make preparations so the disciples could remember their past. What do you to remember yours? 

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.