Category Archives: devotional

Just do it! (Matthew 8:22) February 11, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Job 11-12

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 8:22
Jesus: Follow Me! And let the dead bury their own dead.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

As I’m writing this podcast, I’m also teaching a class on the book of Romans. I can’t help but tie the two together as Paul describes the incompatibility of the man following the path of sin and death and the man who has died to sin and received the gift of eternal life. The two bodies represented by those redeemed and those who fail to accept the redemption Christ paid. The gift we have for the taking, but we must reach out and take it.

A man comes up to Jesus after He has done so much, healed so many, performed so many miracles. He says to Jesus, “Jesus, before I do the things You’ve asked me to do, I must first bury my father.” This doesn’t seem like a bad thing to do. The man’s father just died or at least death was knocking at the door. This disciple wanted to do the right thing and give his father a decent burial. He wanted to pay his last respects to the man who raised him, trained him, gave him his value system, his thought process, his inheritance. He wanted to do something good.

We would all look at the man and say, “What a noble gesture. Sure go bury your father, then come back and join us.” We would applaud and tell him he was an honorable son for not coming along and instead spending those last moments making sure his father’s body was properly washed, wrapped, covered with spices and entombed. We would think the man a great disciple doing all the right things.

What does Jesus say? “Follow Me! And let the dead bury their own dead.”

How could He be so dispassionate? How could He care so little about the man’s feelings? How could He just brush off a funeral the way He did and tell this disciple to follow Him without regard for the normal grieving rituals that accompanied the death of a loved one? What was Jesus saying to this poor disciple and to us? Was Jesus saying to leave all our emotions aside and become hard-hearted against such things?

The answer to all of those questions is no. Look at Jesus’ life and you’ll see He cared deeply about the feelings people had for others. He wept at Lazarus’ tomb. He raised the widow’s son. He performed miracles at funerals because death was never supposed to enter the world in the first place and at times He changed its outcome when He walked in the flesh with us.

Jesus knew how to grieve. He was “the man of sorrow, acquainted with grief,” Isaiah tells us. So what was the intent of His words that day?

I think Jesus saw through the man and his relationship to Him. God must take first place. Period. If He is not first place in your life, He will not take any place at all in your life. It wasn’t that Jesus didn’t understand the grief of the man, but the man’s father and family was more important than following Jesus. I think the disciple would have come to Jesus and tried his faith later with, “My mother is sick and I need to tend to her.” Sound legitimate. But then it would be, “My sister is having a baby and I need to be around to help her.” Soon he would say, “Master, the goats need milked and no one can do it like I can, I’ll do what you ask as soon as I’ve milked the goats.”

I’m not sure what Jesus asked the man to do that day, but I can guarantee you that the man could have accomplished the task before it was time to bury his father. He just wanted to put it off. Just like we do. “Jesus, I’ll do what you ask, but let me finish getting my career in order first.” “Jesus, I’ll talk to you as soon as I finish watching this football game.” “Jesus, I’ll do what you ask after the kids are asleep.”

How often do we put off what Jesus asks us to do until it’s more convenient for us? How many times do we miss opportunities to share what He is doing in our lives, that’s called witnessing, by the way, to someone around us? How many times do we fail to show His love to someone near us that we can help in some small way because we’re just too busy with our own lives to think about those around us?

What if Jesus lived His life that way? What if God lived in such a way that He only took notice of the important things. How would we fit into that? Would we even register in the mix? I’m one of 7 billion people on one of eight planets (maybe nine again) circling one of billions of stars in one of billions of galaxies in a universe too large to measure that is expanding every second. How important does that make me that God would care?

The answer is important enough to die on a cross for my sins, that if I choose, I can follow Him and have eternal life. What is more important than that? How can I not drop everything else when He gives me a task to do? He knows your heart. Follow Him. Just do 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.

Are you ready to go with Him? (Matthew 8:20) February 10, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 15-17

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 8:20
Jesus: Foxes have dens in which to sleep, and the birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus’ comments to the scribe who decided to follow Him might seem a little out of place at first. Here was a man steeped in religious tradition who was ready to give it up and follow Jesus. So why these words? Why would Jesus give the scribe a comment that would discourage him from following him? Why would He not want the scribe on His side and joining His party of followers?

Although it may seem Jesus discourages the scribe, I don’t think He did. I think Jesus just stated the facts as they were and wanted the scribe to understand the journey that lay ahead of him if he became a follower of Jesus, the Son of God, the Christ. He would immediately become an outsider to the temple. The religious leaders he stood with on this day would quickly turn against him and, like Jesus, he would have no comfort in this world.

No one would house Him. No one would give Him bread. No one would share their home. Except for what they could get from Him. Every time Jesus lighted in a home, His presence became known quickly and the house filled with the broken, the injured, the ill. All wanted Jesus to touch them. To speak to the demons that filled them and drive those demons away. To grant their prayers as He did in so many towns and villages across the territory. Jesus could not be alone in the cities and towns. He had no place to rest.

To go with Jesus meant work, tending to the needs of others above His own. It also meant finding time to commune with the Father. It meant learning from His ancient instructions and finding His will for life. It meant going to the outcast and helping them reintegrate into their community. It meant turning the rules inside out and upside down to show the meaning of love that the scripture talks about but the nation forgot in their attempts to single themselves out as God’s chosen.

Jesus laid out for the scribe the facts of life with Him. Giving up everything that the world says is dear. Houses, lands, material things. The titles and prestige that might seem important here. It all disappears when you follow Jesus. It means nothing to God and they become just so many meaningless words to Jesus’ followers. To follow Him means to give everything up and allow Him to direct the next steps you take whether it’s across the lake, to stay where you are, or move to another country where everyone finds you distasteful.

Later Jesus will use a story to describe the cost of following Him, but here, He just lays out the facts. Follow Me and you’ll give up everything. Does that mean Jesus expects you to live in poverty? Not necessarily. He just wants control of everything you have. It’s really not yours anyway. He only allows you to use it. Think about it. What would it take for all your possessions to disappear? One disaster and everything is gone.

Oh, but you have insurance, you say. And how long do you think that will last if your whole city or your state is hit by the same disaster? What happens if ISIS decided to strike our financial infrastructure instead of the physical acts of terror they have used so far? How long could you operate without your bank account? Just stop and think about it.

I have about $40 cash in my pocket at the moment. Like most Americans, I use online banking, and debit cards for almost every financial transaction in my life. So what would happen if my bank suddenly lost all of its electronic records and backups at once? What if my paychecks no longer went into my account on a regular basis? What if suddenly all those assets just disappeared? How long could I live out of my pantry, refrigerator, and freezer?

How long before someone decides to foreclose on my house, assuming they have a record. How will I buy groceries, or gas, or pay electric bills? How long will life go on as usual if a virus or deliberate attack crippled our financial system. See, we are only temporary stewards of all that stuff anyway. It all belongs to God so why do we worry about it? Why do we hold on so tight? Why can’t we understand what Jesus was saying when He made His comments to the scribe that day 2000 years ago.

Jesus want us to know the cost of following Him, but in reality, it’s no cost at all except the one thing He wants. Me and you. Everything else is just temporary stuff that we really can’t control very well anyway. We think we do, but it’s a façade. It’s one of those lies of Satan, the father of lies. When we follow Jesus, we must know the cost, Jesus says, “Foxes have dens in which to sleep, and the birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” Are you ready to go with 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.

Get your ticket (Matthew 8:10-13) February 9, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Judges 1-6

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 8:10-13
Jesus was stunned by the depth of the officer’s faith.
Jesus (to His followers): This is the plain truth: I have not met a single person in Israel with as much faith as this officer. It will not be just the children of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob who celebrate at their heavenly banquet at the end of time. No, people will come from the East and the West—and those who recognize Me, regardless of their lineage, will sit with Me at that feast. But those who have feigned their faith will be cast out into outer darkness where people weep and grind their teeth.
Then Jesus turned to the Centurion.
Jesus: You may go home. For it is as you say it is; it is as you believe.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus’ words today give us a powerful promise. God came to Abraham and told him he would be the father of many nations. The Old Testament follows his patriarchal lines through Isaac, and Jacob on through the centuries to describe the history of the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people. But chosen for what? That’s what they forgot through those centuries. They were not chosen to become arrogant and self-serving. They were chosen to bless the other nations of the world.

How were they to bless the other nations of the world? They were the people God gave His message of salvation. God gave them the mission of spreading that message, but instead they kept it to themselves and built walls between them and everyone else. The racial, political, social, and religious divides they built were extreme and they would not allow any cracks in their walls.

So the story of the Centurion, the Roman military officer coming to Jesus for help, bruised the sensitivities of the devout Jews. How could He talk to a Gentile if He was really the Son of God? Would God talk to an outsider? Would God waste His time with someone who wasn’t part of His chosen nation? Of course, we know the answer. God created all people everywhere. Israel just forgot the task God gave them. They forgot who they were. They forgot that God was God and they were not.

Jesus reminded all who gathered around Him that He came for everyone. Salvation is universal for all who believe in Him. His words must have shocked the Israelites around Him. How dare He talk about Gentiles sharing in the resurrection feast with God? But that’s the promise He makes as this “heathen” demonstrates more faith than any of the religious leaders Jesus has seen in His journeys through the country.

His words remind me, though, that we can be just as guilty as those pious, hypocrites Jesus addressed that day. If you’re a Protestant, do you bash the Catholics? Did you forget that your tenets of faith originated within their church? If you’re Catholic, do you think all Protestants are heretics? If you’re Baptist, do you think every other denomination has it wrong? What if you’re Nazarene, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist? Do you look down on other denominations and wonder about their salvation?

If you want to know the truth, Jesus would probably tell us there are some Christians in each of those faiths, and a lot of people who call themselves Christians in each of those faiths. As He told those around Him that day, it isn’t your pedigree that gets you into heaven. Jesus doesn’t care what you call yourself. You could call yourself a “Gollywopper” and be a Christian if you’ve asked for His forgiveness and follow His commands. But if you don’t come to Him repentantly and follow Him, it just doesn’t matter what you call yourself. You won’t be at the feast.

However, the promise is for all who believe. That’s it. Believe enough to know He died for your sins and mine. Believe enough to follow His direction for your life. Believe enough to act as a witness to His grace each day when opportunities arise. Believe enough to let Him change you into His likeness, His image in your thoughts and actions toward others. Believe in Him enough to let Him teach you to love like He loves, even your enemies.

That’s all it takes. Faith. The Centurion exercised his faith in Jesus and his request came to fruition. Jesus sent the Centurion home with the assurance his servant returned to health. And he did. So don’t think your title will do anything for you. It won’t. Don’t think your heritage will help you. It won’t. The only thing that will get you a ticket to the feast is your faith in Christ. And He sais all you need is as much as a grain of mustard seed and you can move mountains. Exercise a little and get your ticket to the banquet with 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.

I will come to you (Matthew 8:7) February 8, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Genesis 20-23

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 8:7
Jesus: I will come to your house, and I will heal him.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Another familiar story prompted by a military officer coming to Jesus and asking for help. His servant lay ill in his home in Capernaum. The officer makes a simple request. “Please heal my servant.” First, we need to think about the compassion of the military officer. We don’t consider Roman soldiers to have much compassion on anyone. And officers in the Roman army had less. They got their positions one of two ways. They either bought their position, so they cared little about the people that served them. To them their servants were just another piece of furniture, instruments to use as you would use a hammer or a plow.

The second way to become an officer in the Roman army was promotion through the ranks. That meant being a fierce warrior. Being more brutal than any of the men who served under you. Death, torture, brutality, were all part of their psyche. They were not known for their compassion. But this officer heard about Jesus and had pity on his servant. He went to the master and asked for his help. His compassion was remarkable for a man in his position.

Second, Romans didn’t ask favors of Jews. Occasionally they would demand Jews perform tasks for them, but they never asked for help. The Romans occupied Judea. They were the conquerors. They didn’t ask for anything. They took what they wanted and there were no questions asked. And this was an officer. He could have any demand he requested fulfilled by anyone he wanted within his area of military jurisdiction. That obviously included the ground where Jesus stood. But the officer humbled himself in the presence of Jesus and asked for help.

I love Jesus’ reply. Simple and to the point. “I will come to your house. And I will heal him.” That’s all he had to say. But listen again to those first words. I will come to your house. Imagine that! Jesus, a Jew, an itinerate, self-appointed rabbi for those who would listen to His words. He knew all the laws and traditions and He was talking to this Roman officer. One of those occupying His country. Not only that, He enthusiastically told him He would come to his house. Something a real, orthodox, died-in-the-wool, Jew would never think about doing.

But then look what He does for us. When we were still sinners, dirty, and filthy in our sins, rolling around in the mud and the filth of this world, He came to us. We didn’t deserve His love. We didn’t deserve His visit. We didn’t deserve His attention. We didn’t deserve His words of kindness. We didn’t deserve anything from Him except the outpouring of His wrath. But like the Roman officer, Jesus says enthusiastically, “I will come to you.” Invite Me and I’ll be there. I want to come. I want to show up and attend your party. I want to help you. I want to do more for you than you can ever imagine. Please invite Me. I’ll come.

The Roman was flabbergasted. He couldn’t believe it. He knew Jesus could heal and we’ll talk more about that tomorrow, but the Roman never thought Jesus would come to his house. Jews wouldn’t do that. After all, he wasn’t just a Gentile, he wasn’t even just a Roman soldier, he was an officer directing those soldiers to carry out all the atrocities against the Jews all across the city and countryside. Jesus said He would ome to his house and heal his servant.

The second part of Jesus’ answer is important to us, too. He will come to me and you, but He will also heal. What is your injury? Is it your finances? Listen to Him, give your finances to Him and let Him decide how to spend your money and He will fix them. Is it your relationships? Give them to Him. He might tell you to leave some of those “so called friends” that are pulling you into temptations, and He’ll help you make others and heal many as you do the things He tells you to do for others. Is it your health? Give it to Him. He made you and knows what you need to do to live the best life physically that you can. He can heal physically now, and will provide ultimate healing when He gives you a new body. He knows what you need and He can provide it.

The same words Jesus spoke to the Roman military officer that day, He shares with us. “I will come to your house, and I will heal him.” What a powerful message for him and for us. Think about His words and let them warm your heart 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.

Don’t tell, just do! (Matthew 8:4) February 7, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Romans 11-12

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 8:4
Jesus: Don’t tell anyone what just happened. Rather, go to the priest, show yourself to him, and give a wave offering as Moses commanded. Your actions will tell the story of what happened here today.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

How many times do we use our words to explain what happens to us in our religious experiences instead of our actions? We declare to the world, “I’m a Christian.” We say the right words and attend the right churches. We tell others of our generosity and our faith. We talk about our prayer life and our study. We have a lot of words we share with others and sort of brag about our relationship. I think that’s what Jesus warns against as He shares this instruction with the leper after his miraculous cleansing that day.

The law required a specific action when a leper’s spots disappeared. The Levitical requirement said the person marched himself to the priest and the priest determined if the spots were indeed gone and he was healed. It was the priest’s training and experience to validate the healing. Then the healed person gave a wave offering of thanksgiving to God in recognition of His hand at work in the healing process. The law was clear and so Jesus tells the man to just carry out the law’s requirements.

Just do what you should be doing as a child of God. Follow His instructions. Read His manual and do what it says. That’s enough. You see, the man won’t have to tell anyone he’s been healed. When he goes to the priest to show himself as the law requires, the priest will make the declaration. The former leper won’t have to shout to the world that he’s clean, the priest will do it. He won’t have to make a sign that says, “I’m not a leper. I’m cleansed of my disease. I’m one of you.” The priest, the authority, the one who sees him will know he has been cleansed of his leprosy and make that judgment for him and make that declaration to the world.

All the leper needed to do was praise God for what happened in his life.

That’s exactly what Jesus wants us to do as we come to Him for our spiritual cleansing. I shouldn’t have to scream out to the world that I’m a Christian. In fact, my having to tell someone that I’m a follower of Christ negates my testimony in some sense. See, my life should reflect Him in such a way that others will make that declaration for me. I shouldn’t have to tell anyone. Others should see by my actions that I belong to Him. Just like the leper that went to the priest and by his actions others learned he was no longer diseased, others should see I am no longer spiritually diseased with sin because of my actions in the world. Others should see that I am so changed by the power of Christ that death no longer holds its reign over me and I live according to the hope of Jesus’ resurrection power in my life.

It shouldn’t take my words, my verbal testimony, to make others believe I am a Christian. If that’s the only method I have to convince people of my loyalty to Christ, then I’ve missed it. I’ll be like those who at the judgment cry, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we do miraculous things in your name?” But Jesus said, “Depart from me, I don’t know you.” It’s the quiet, gentle, unassuming, behavior, the fruit of godly, obedient service, that others will see and know we are followers of Jesus. It’s the love of God we share with His family and even with our enemies that will demonstrate we know and are driven by the dictates of our Savior.

But then, don’t forget the last thing Jesus told the cleansed leper to do. It’s one thing to let others see your good works and for them to give glory to your Father in heaven. But Jesus also told the healed man to give that wave offering of thanksgiving to God. That’s something we need to keep in mind always. Paul says to give thanks in everything. He says to rejoice always and to emphasize how important rejoicing is to the Christian he repeated his admonition in Philippians. Give thanks for what God has done for you.

When we come to Jesus and He forgives us of the sin in our hearts, when He cleanses us from all our unrighteousness, when He covers us with His blood and redeems us, how can we not thank Him? How can we not lift our voice in praise to Him and give Him glory and honor and praise? But do we? Do we start our day thanking Him for the honor of being one of His children? Do we open our eyes with the thought of what privilege we have to belong to the King of kings and Lord of lords? Do we take that first conscious breath of the morning thanking Him for the opportunity to live this day with His grace and mercy?

Live each day in a state of gratitude for what God has done for you. When you accept Jesus as Lord of your life, when you let Him cleanse you, and fill that God-sized hole in your life, how can you help but rejoice in everything? He will not forsake us. He will be with us always. In the toughest times, we know we are not alone. He is with us and in us. Let you actions declare for themselves who you belong to in this world. And give thanks for what God does for you each day.

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.

Of course, He wants to! (Matthew 8:3) February 6, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Matthew 14-16

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 8:3
Jesus (stretching out His hand): Of course I wish to. Be clean.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

You probably remember the setting from which these words were spoken. Jesus comes down from the mountainside where He had been teaching and as He walked along, a leper knelt in front of Him and asked to be healed of this dreadful disease. Leprosy couldn’t be cured in Jesus’ day. It meant isolation from the community, from family, from everyone except others plagued by the same disease. Life was miserable for them. They were completely without hope for any future. Unless some miracle took place, their life ended in the caves around the city as they scrounged food from the dumps to stay alive for what little hope they had in those miracles.

But this leper heard about this man called Jesus, Joshua, Savior. He heard stories that He healed by His touch and sometimes by just His spoken word. Only God could speak creative acts such as these, but this man… The stories were everywhere. The buzz about Jesus around every well and watering place overtook every other conversation. Who was this man that came on the scene out of that little hole in the wall, Nazareth, and made fools of the Pharisees when they tried to trap Him in their questions.

So this leper came in desparation. He broke all the rules. He was unclean. His sores ran and his skin bled. His fingers and toes no longer felt the pain we feel when we injure ourselves. His case could be called extreme. But this leper wanted something more than the sentence of prolonged agony ending in sure death. He broke through the crowded lane and fell at Jesus’ feet.

When people saw the leper, they probably ran out of his way. No one wanted to be close to this diseased individual. No one wanted to catch what he had. No one wanted to face the prospect of living out the rest of their days in agony and alone. The leper doesn’t impose on the Lord. “Lord, if you wish to, please heal me and make me clean.” I like that. How often to we come to the Lord in prayer demanding our way. God, you just have to do this for me. Lord you just have to do that for me. But the leper understood exactly who He addressed that day. Lord, if you wish. If it pleases you. If it fits into your plans. It my small request doesn’t take you away from your greater work. Would you mind taking just a little time away from your journey and heal me?

Is that how you approach God with your requests? I’ll admit, most of the time I don’t. He invites us to come boldly and most of the time I do. I think we’re probably all guilty of too often coming too boldly with our requests and forgetting the humility this leper demonstrates as he comes to Jesus with his personal need. Lord, if you will, please heal me and make clean.

And I love Jesus’ answer. “Of course I wish to. Be clean.” God never meant for death to enter the world. That was our doing. God never wanted disease to come to us. That was a consequence of our failure. God didn’t want us to find ourselves cast out and alone. That came about as a result of our disobedience. We let sin in and corrupted His creation. Does God want to fix it. Yes. But God is still holy and just. Sin cannot reside around Him. There must be a redeemer to buy us out from the slavery of sin and into His family.

The good news is He paid that price. He redeemed us with His shed blood. But we must accept that redemption. He doesn’t put shackles on our feet and drag us into His kingdom. He paid the price, but asks us to voluntarily follow Him. He lets us choose the path we take. Will He cleanse us and make us free from the dirt and filth of sin? Absolutely! But we must come to Him the way the leper came to Him. The leper knew his condition. He didn’t care what others thought about him coming forward to Jesus. He knew they would talk about his breaking the rules. He assumed some what talk about how terrible he was to expose others to his disease by coming along the road with people who didn’t have his disease. The leper knew he was an outcast and could not help himself. He knew his only hope was in the healing and cleansing Jesus could bring. He knew Jesus could make the difference in his life no one else could make and had confidence in Jesus’ ability to do so. He put all his faith in Jesus.

What do you need Jesus to do for you? How do you come to Him with your request? He tells us to come to Him boldly? But do we remember that He is Lord of creation? Do we understand just Who we address when we fall on our knees in front of Him? The leper understood. He came in humble adoration and made his plea. Jesus’ response – Of course, I wish to do it! He doesn’t withhold His good gifts from us. Just remember Who you’re asking in the process. He is God, you know.

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.

Floods and foundations (Matthew 7:24-27) February 5, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Isaiah 29-33

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 7:24-27
Jesus: Those people who are listening to Me, those people who hear what I say and live according to My teachings—you are like a wise man who built his house on a rock, on a firm foundation. When storms hit, rain pounded down and waters rose, levies broke and winds beat all the walls of that house. But the house did not fall because it was built upon rock. Those of you who are listening and do not hear—you are like a fool who builds a house on sand. When a storm comes to his house, what will happen? The rain will fall, the waters will rise, the wind will blow, and his house will collapse with a great crash.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

A few weeks ago floods tore through the midwest again. The Mississippi River overflowed its banks and the same little town that routinely finds itself ravaged by those floodwaters found itself ravaged again. I sometimes wonder about the intelligence of the people that live in that little town. Year after year, the Mississippi floods when the rains hit the countrysides upstream. Rains don’t necessarily hit that town, but all through the midwest, melting snow and spring rains fill the tributaries that feed the Mississippi and invariably that little town hits the national news.

So why do the people stay there? When I hear the name of the town on the news every year, I think about Jesus’ words to the crowd on the mountainside. When a storm comes, the rain falls, the waters rise, the wind blows, and his house will collapse with a great clash. That’s what I think about as I see the houses float down the Mississippi after the floods rip them from their foundation in the spring and autumn rains. You would think people would look at the maps and quit building in the floodplain, wouldn’t you? But next year, guess what we’ll see on the news. Yep. Rescuers will be pulling someone from a rooftop or out of a tree because they built back in the same place and the Mississippi will overflow its banks and they’ll feel the power of the floodwaters as their house disappears in the torrent.

Jesus describes two kinds of people using the metaphor. The foolish are like those I just describe. We don’t understand why they keep building in the same spot just to be washed away year after year. Yet look at how many people return to their sin day after day realizing the penalty for sin is death. A payday is coming. We have the published wages clear for all to see. Evidence of the ruin sin brings to life is everywhere. Families destroyed. Relationships ruined. Self set above all else. When self reigns, the collapse is great.

Jesus tells us the opposite is true of those who listen to and live by His teachings. Their foundations are firm. They are like those who build their houses on foundations that stand up to the storm. They make good decisions on where to build in the first place. They don’t continue to build in the floodplain and when they build, they build on a solid foundation that will withstand the storms of life that come our way. Storms will come. Life happens. We all face trials that test our faith and make us wonder why God would allow things to happen the way they do.

But God isn’t to blame for the bad that happens to us. Sin entered the world and set in motion the consequences of man’s fall. Death. These events are not God’s plan, but the consequences of mankind’s doing. And so, natural consequences fall on the just and unjust. Rain falls on all of us. Storms hit all of us. Natural events happen to all of us. Evil strikes all of us. But when we follow the principles and precepts God lays out for us and honor Him as God, we build our lives on a solid foundation of trust and respect for Him and for others. We put priorities in the right place. We lean on God for the solutions to our problems and His word gives us the concepts we need to find those solutions.

We won’t be exempt form the storms of life, but we will weather them. We won’t go through life without trouble, in fact, Jesus promised we would have trouble in this world. But when we follow His teachings, we will overcome, just as He overcame. Becaue we will let Him reign in our lives. That’s His teaching. He wants to be Lord of our lives. Not just another teacher, another voice, but Lord. Director. Guide. Everything.

When our lives are built on Christ as the foundation. We can handle anything that comes along. Will it always be easy? No. Life isn’t easy. Nor is it always fair. But we can handle it because He is on our side. He doesn’t leave us to walk the journey alone. He will go with us and help us through every storm. We can anchor ourself to Him and make it through the toughest situations. Turn your life over to Him. Build on Him as the foundation of your life. You’ll be glad you did.

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

Saying versus doing (Matthew 7:21-23) February 4, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Job 9-10

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 7:21-23
Jesus: Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven. Simply calling Me “Lord” will not be enough. Only those who do the will of My Father who is in heaven will join Me in heaven. At the end of time, on that day of judgment, many will say to Me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name? Did we not drive demons out of the possessed in Your name? Did we not perform miracles in Your name?” But I will say to them, “I never knew you. And now, you must get away from Me, you evildoers!”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

These words of Jesus must have been tough for those who heard it that day. They are probably tough for us if we really stop to think about them a little. Jesus is saying all our good deeds don’t mean anything to God if they haven’t come from an obedient heart. Look at the list of things He mentions as the works of those who He turns away at the day of judgment. Prophesy, driving out demons, performing miracles. Aren’t these the very works He did? Aren’t these the things Jesus said we would do for Him when He departed?

How can He tell us that those who do these very things will not be allowed to live with Him? These people are doing great things in Jesus’ name! They show every evidence on the outside that they are His followers, so how can He now reject them from heaven?

The answer is simple. They haven’t been obedient to Him. Remember Moses? Do you remember why God didn’t let him cross over the Jordan River into the land promised to the Israelites? The event was such a simple thing. God told Moses to speak to the rock and tell water to come out of it to give the Israelites water to quench their thirst. Instead, Moses struck the rock with his rod. Years earlier in the journey God had told Moses to get water by striking the rock and water came out of the rock. So why would God ban Moses from the promised land for such a simple thing, striking the rock instead of speaking to the rock? Disobedience.

But the answer is deeper than that. Look through the rest of the story of Numbers and Deuteronomy. You’ll never see Moses take responsibility for his disobedience. In every cases where the event is told, Moses blames his failure to go into the promised land on his brothers and sisters. He blames their hard-heartedness, not his own. He never confesses that God told him to speak to the rock to get water and in his arrogance and anger at the Israelites, he disobeyed God’s command. Moses never repented of his sin before the people.

Is it this failure to confess that prohibited Moses’ entrance into the promised land? The older I get and the more I read of God’s grace and mercy, the more I think it was Moses’ stubborn failure to take responsibility for his disobedience, more than his act of disobedience that led to his rejection at the Jordan River. The same will be true for these characters Jesus speaks of in His discourse. God demands obedience, not show. He demands true repentance, not sacrifices and offerings and things for others to see.

God wants us to come humbly to Him and listen to His voice and love Him enough to do what He asks us to do, fully, without fanfare. He wants us to just go about our lives with the simple thought of saying yes to whatever He tells us to do. Maybe He’ll tell us to prophesy for Him. But He might just ask us to give kind words to those around us that are hurting. Maybe He’ll ask us to drive demons out of the possessed. But He might just want us to hold the hand of a grieving mother for a lost child. Maybe He’ll want us to perform miracles in His name. But He might just want us to go about our daily business with a smile on our face and joy in our heart so others know He lives in us.

The question He has for me and you today is whether He is Lord of your life. When He is Lord, He can ask you to do anything and you will say yes. Anything means the most important, earth-shaking responsibility in the world that will put your name in the limelight and everyone will see and know you. And it means the lowliest, nastiest task you can think of that no one in the world wants to do and everyone would look down on you because of you did it. It also means doing things that will cause people to completely ignore you and never know you’ve done anything at all, but God knows. It means obedience. That’s what Jesus being Lord means. Saying yes to His command every time, in every circumstance, at every opportunity.

If He truly is Lord, you don’t need to worry about what He will say to you at the day of judgment. His words to you will be, “Enter into the joys of heaven, you good and faithful servant.” Is He your Lord today? He can be. Just ask Him to be, then say yes to Him, always.

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.

Beware false prophets (Matthew 7:15-20) February 3, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 12-18

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 7:15-20
Jesus: Along the way, watch out for false prophets. They will come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath that quaint and innocent wool, they are hungry wolves. But you will recognize them by their fruits. You don’t find sweet, delicious grapes growing on thorny bushes, do you? You don’t find delectable figs growing in the midst of prickly thistles. People and their lives are like trees. Good trees bear beautiful, tasty fruit, but bad trees bear ugly, bitter fruit. A good tree cannot bear ugly, bitter fruit; nor can a bad tree bear fruit that is beautiful and tasty. And what happens to the rotten trees? They are cut down. They are used for firewood. When a prophet comes to you and preaches this or that, look for his fruits: sweet or sour? rotten or ripe?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

There are a lot of false prophets out there now days. They were around in Jesus’ time, thrived during the days of the early church, and keep on truckin’ today. In fact, if I read my Bible right, they will be around until Jesus comes again. And guess where they do their best work. If you guessed in the church, you’d be right. It’s sad, but true.

They come in with all the right words. They look religious. They quote long passages of scripture to prove their point. But when you look at their lives, they are empty shells with nothing inside. No real life. Nothing to show on the inside that would point anyone to Christ and His truth. Yet many will fall for their flattering words and mystic sounding phrases and follow them anywhere. Just look at the number of people that followed Jimmie Jones and David Koresh. Those two made national headlines because of the scores of people who died because of their false teaching, but there are dozens like them that don’t get the mass attention but are just as dangerous.

The false teachers typically pick a verse or two and blow it out of proportion to the rest of scriptures. They hang their hat on those few scriptures and build a religion around them. Then work to convince the ignorant that everyone else is wrong. I did say ignorant and it has nothing to do with IQ. It has to do with whether or not you study God’s word. Not the flavor of the month the false teachers give, but God’s word. Dare the false prophets to use any other translation than their own and see what happens. See, the beautiful thing about God’s Spirit working in the lives of His servants is that all the legitimate translations I’ve every read, and I’ve read about 30 of them through from cover to cover at this point, all say the same thing about God, Jesus, His Son, salvation by faith, good works as a demonstration of faith, a final judgment for all people who ever lived, an accountability for our actions, eternal destinations for those who believe in Jesus as the way of salvation and those who do not.

Every single translation I’ve read says the same things about those essential elements of the Christian faith. Without exception. So when someone tries to introduce something that contradicts the greater voice of all those translations that survived through centuries of scholarly criticism, I question the single voice. Those false prophets will try to twist scripture the same way Satan tried to twist scripture in his temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. The issue is, how do we discover the false teacher from the real thing?

The answer is simple. First, know the scriptures. Read God’s word and test what your teachers tell you. Go look it up for yourself. Put those thoughts and instructions back into the context of the whole Bible and the whole story or passage from which it came. Don’t let your teacher take a phrase or verse or two out of context and twist it around. Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my favorites for pointing out how we can twist scripture. It’s a great verse. Jeremiah gives the exiles a great promise from God: For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Eternal, “plans for peace, not evil, to give you a future and hope—never forget that.

What we seldom remember, is that God’s plans included continued exile for another 70 years, then only a small remnant of those who departed would return. Jeremiah wrote these words in around 570 BC. Israel didn’t have sovereign reign of their land again until the peace accords after World War II. That’s 2500 years before their future and hope of a sovereign nation came to fruition. So be careful what those prophets tell you. Go look it up! See what’s right! Listen to God more than you listen to man!

Second, look at the fruit of the teacher. Does he or she produce good fruit? Do you see the fruit of the spirit evident in his or her life? Do he have to fake it? Do his children tell you he’s the same person at home that he is at church? How does she treat those who work for her? Do you see good fruit there? How about at the grocery store and other places in public? Is he short with waitresses or does he treat them with the same gentle spirit you would expect from Jesus? What fruit do you see? It doesn’t take long for tree to show the kind of fruit it bears. Just look around and you’ll see it. Follow the good fruit bearer. You’ll be glad you did. 

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

Which road? (Matthew 7:13-14) February 2, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Joshua 21-25

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 7:13-14
Jesus: There are two paths before you; you may take only one path. One doorway is narrow. And one door is wide. Go through the narrow door. For the wide door leads to a wide path, and the wide path is broad; the wide, broad path is easy, and the wide, broad, easy path has many, many people on it; but the wide, broad, easy, crowded path leads to death. Now then that narrow door leads to a narrow road that in turn leads to life. It is hard to find that road. Not many people manage it.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

It’s easy to go along with the crowd. Just ask the herd of cattle on the farm. They move from the barn in the morning to the pasture and just graze around following the lead cow. In the afternoon, the lead cow knows it’s about time to go back to the barn so they follow the same worn path back to the barn until the next morning. The same routine goes on day after day, with the cows going out into the field and coming back in again until one day the lead cow leads the herd through a series of gates that ends up with the cows looking through the sideboards of a transport headed to the slaughter house.

We’re not much different. We have a tendency to just follow the leader, not thinking much about who we’re following. We get into the middle of the crowd and let it push us along mindlessly going back and forth day after day until finally we find out one day we’re looking through the sideboards of life on our way to the slaughter house and it seems there’s no way out.

My wife and I enjoy seeing Broadway plays off Broadway as they tour our community. When we first started going to the theater in our town we discovered a quick way out of the theater through an exit by the stage. Only a few people knew about that exit and it only took swimming upstream a few rows for us to break through the mass of people trying to go out the way they came in to get to that exit and beat the crowd to the parking lots.

Getting through those first few obstacles is hard. People are thinking you’re crazy. You’re going the wrong way. Everyone else is moving to the back of the room and we’re moving to the front. People jostle us. We squeeze through the cracks in the crowd. We take some verbal abuse at times. But our mind is set. We’re going for that smaller door that few people know about. Freedom from the crowd. Freedom from the meandering push. Freedom to break out and get loose.

The other interesting thing that has happened is that over the several years we have attended those plays, some of those who routinely sit around us started to notice our escape route. They started following us through that sea of people and discovered they, too, got to their cars faster and escaped the downtown traffic faster. We brought along some people through that narrow path to freedom.

I think about Jesus’ metaphor sometimes as I still bump into the newbies that don’t know about the door by the stage. They don’t know they can escape the mass of people they are following and break free to the fresh air outside if they’ll just break away from the crowd and follow the narrow path to the side door. Maybe they’ll stick around long enough to learn. Maybe I should tell them.

But more important than that secret door at the theater, I want to make sure I find and follow that narrow path that Jesus talks about. The world will take me and you down a path that’s easy to follow. Just sit and watch television and the world will tell you what you need, money, sex, fame. The world will make you believe that what you want is more important than anything else. But the world lies. What’s most important is what God wants. His will is most important and it will be accomplished. His plans will be carried out, the question is whether or not you and I will let ourselves be part of them.

We can run through life like the herd headed to the slaughter house or the crowd pushing to the back of the theater, or we can listen to Christ and follow Him. We can take the narrow road and bring some along with us. We can help others figure out the broad path leads to their own destruction, pull them aside and point out the narrow path that Jesus shows us. We can help them experience real freedom.

So which path are you on? Are you part of the herd or do you think for yourself? Are you following Jesus on the narrow path that leads to life or on the broad road that leads to destruction? You get to choose the path you take. One is easy and one is hard. Don’t take the easy road. It doesn’t turn out so well in the end. Swim uphill against the crowd. You’ll be glad you did.

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