Tag Archives: believe

It’s time! (Mark 1:15) July 4, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Leviticus 10-12

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 1:15
Jesus: It’s time! The kingdom of God is near! Seek forgiveness, change your actions, and believe this good news!

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

It’s time! It was true when Jesus first came to earth in the likeness of sinful man to tell us the good news about redemption. It is still true today. It is time! But time for what? That is the question people seem to miss as we go about our busy days.

I saw an article the other day about a new clock developed in a crowd funded firm that will be interesting if it takes root. The premise of the company is that we have changed the way we measure almost everything in our society except time. All our instruments have become more exact, measured in different ways and by different methods, but time is stuck in seconds, minutes, and hours. We watched the hands on the clock spin around every day monotonously the same way for centuries.

This company decided to take a new view of time. The clock has a single hand that takes twenty-four hours to sweep around the dial and that is only for those that must have some link back to the old way of telling time. The real time keeper is a band of yellow light that moves across the face the clock as the face changes from blue during the day to purple at night. Sounds like the sun moving across the sky during the daylight hours and the moon transiting the sky at night, doesn’t it?

The premise of the company is we need to stop being so bound by the ticks the sweep by on the timepiece on our wrist and wall and start enjoying each day. We need to breathe a little and not let time enslave us. It is time we not be slaves to time.

It sounds good, but how do you stop a world driven by calendars and clocks? My last position in the Army certainly required good time management when every day was packed with meeting from 7 am to 6 pm with no breaks in between. Plus social events, inboxes, email, church, and family. The calendar was overflowing every day of the week from before sunup to after sundown. But that pace seems to be more and more common these days for the up and coming, the entrepreneurs, and those struggling to get by. Everyone is busier than they should be.

It’s time! But that’s not what Jesus is talking about, is it? He had a very simple but very important message tied to the clock. It’s time to do three things He says. Seek forgiveness, change your actions, and believe this good news.

The first, seek forgiveness, requires us to first recognize we are sinners, apart from God, in violation of His laws, disobedient and unworthy of His grace. Until we see ourselves in light of His holiness and understand just how sinful we are compared to Him, not someone else, but Him, we will not seek forgiveness. We might be sorry we get caught at something, but we won’t seek real forgiveness. Seeking forgiveness takes more than just saying I’m sorry. It means contrition. It means repentance, which leads to Jesus’ second point.

Change your actions. You can’t remain in God’s favor doing the sinful things you’ve always done. Repentance means turning away from the evil and turning toward God. It means turning your back on the past and turning toward a different future. It means letting go of those things you wanted before and grabbing hold of God and the things He has in store for you. Repentance is so much more than just crying a few tears and saying I’m sorry. It means, as Jesus says, changing your actions.

The third thing Jesus tells us to do is believe this good news. What news is that? The kingdom of God is near. So often we think we must die and move on the the next life before we can experience heaven, the kingdom of God. But we don’t. Jesus tells us the kingdom of heaven is near. In fact, when He came to earth, the kingdom of heaven came to earth. It is where He is. We can enjoy a piece of heaven here, in this place, right now.

How is this possible in the middle of all the evil around us? Where Jesus is, heaven is. If He lives in you, heaven is in you. We can experience the peace and joy of heaven even in the middle of all the evil that takes place around us. We are not dependent on the external circumstance we face for the peace and joy we have in our lives. It comes from within and when Jesus is Lord of our lives, He brings that peace. He gives joy. He makes heaven possible for us now, in this place, when we put our trust in Him.

It is time! The kingdom of heaven is near. Seek forgiveness, change your actions, and believe this good news!

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.

Do you believe Him? (Matthew 21:19-22) May 15, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Corinthians 9-10

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 21:19-22
Jesus: May you never bear fruit again!
Immediately the tree shriveled up. The disciples were amazed.
Disciples: How did that fig tree wither so quickly?
Jesus: I tell you this: if you have faith and do not doubt, then you will be able to wither a fig tree with one glance. You will be able to tell mountains to throw themselves into the ocean, and they will obey. If you believe, whatever you ask for in prayer will be granted.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We hear the story of Jesus’ power over the fig tree and we stand in awe of Him. We hear the story of His power of the storms at sea and wonder at what He can do. The power He demonstrates, the command He has over nature, disease, demons, when we hear those stories, if we believe they are true there can be no doubt about His divinity. No one can have that kind of authority over creation except God.

But then the disciples ask Jesus a question that we sometimes forget when we recall this story of the withered fig tree. “How did that fig tree wither so quickly?” And Jesus answer, we totally ignore when we tell the story to our children. “If you have faith and do not doubt, then you will be able to wither a fig tree with one glance. You will be able to tell mountains to throw themselves into the ocean, and they will obey.”

Do you have that kind of faith?

I am pretty good at making plants wither. But I’ll have to admit, I’ve never looked at plant and have it wither at a glance. It takes me a little longer than that. I’m just terrible at keeping plants alive. When I plant things they die. But to wither a thriving tree in a single glance? I haven’t done that. Or even a bush or a blade of grass. Do I have enough faith?

But then again…maybe I do. What does it mean to have the kind of faith Jesus talks about. Could I do something or let God teach me something that could wither a fig tree? Over the years I’ve learned about different chemical, poisons, mechanical reactions, that God allowed me to learn over the course of my education and career that in a pretty short time could wither a fig tree. Does that count? Well, God put me through the right training and experiences to enable me to do it.

And how about moving mountains? Can I tell a mountain to throw itself into the sea and it happen? We certainly have the equipment, explosives, moving capability to do that today. Does that count? Some would say you can’t move a mountain. I know you can because of what I’ve seen happen in large construction projects. It might take some time, but I know we can move a mountain from where it sits today and put it into the ocean. Is that faith? It is. Is it faith in God’s ability? Yes.

God doesn’t tell us how He will get a task done when it’s in His plan. Sometimes He does things in God-like ways. Sometimes He will cause something to happen that makes that mountain move almost instantaneously. He could send one of those car-sized meteors to hit a mountain and blow it away letting the debris fall into the oceans around the world. He could split the crust under one of those mountains and let the molten core melt the rock until it flows out into the sea and cools there forming a new land mass. God could just pick it up and put it in a new location if He wanted to. He’s God.

He could also tell us to get our hands dirty and do the work to move it one shovel at a time. We can’t presume to tell God how to accomplish His plan, but we can have faith that God works His miracles. He answers our prayers. Sometimes instantaneously, sometimes through the knowledge, skill, and effort of His children. But God does answer our prayers.

The faith we exercise in our belief in God and His will for us is not different than the faith we exercise in our belief that our car will start when we turn the key. Faith is faith, the question is what and who do we put our faith in? Do we believe God will do what He says He will or help us get done the tasks He gives us to do? Sometimes He works His plans instantly. In my experience, more often He works His plans through the people who have given their lives to Him. He uses us to help those around us. He builds relationships between us to enhance our relationship with Him. He wants us to show His love by doing God-like things for others through the resurrection power available to us through His holy Spirit in us.

Jesus said, “If you have faith and do not doubt, then you will be able to wither a fig tree with one glance. You will be able to tell mountains to throw themselves into the ocean, and they will obey.” Do you believe 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.

Exercise some faith (Matthew 12:39-42) March 19, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Mark 3-4

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 12:39-42
Jesus: You wicked and promiscuous generation—you are looking for signs, are you? The only sign you will be given is the sign of the prophet Jonah. Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish, as the Son of Man will spend three days and three nights in the belly of the earth. One day, the people of Nineveh will rise up in judgment and will condemn your present generation—for the Ninevites turned from sin to God when they heard Jonah preach, and now One far greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will also stand in judgment and condemn this generation—for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom. And today One greater and wiser than Solomon is among you.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Sometimes I hear people say, “It would be easier to believe if Jesus were here.” Or, “If I could just see Him I could believe.” But you know what? That is a real cop out. I’ll tell you why. If anyone should have a hard time believing it was those who saw Him in the flesh. Jesus came at the right time and lived among us. He showed Himself to be God incarnate, the perfect sacrifice for our sins. But He preached a radical message. If you really listen to His words, He said some things that really upset the apple carts of His day.

Jesus came on the heels of a rebellion that Rome just quelled in Judah. The reason they had such a large army there was because these Jews revolted against Rome and tried to govern themselves…again. Another of their number declared he was their Messiah, their deliverer and had come to free them from the oppression of the Roman government. This Messiah and his followers died a horrible death as the Roman soldiers crushed the rebellion and stationed their cohorts across the countryside.

Now Jesus comes. But instead of revolt against Rome, He preaches love and something of a revolt against the religious rules and regulations that the Sanhedrin put in place for decades. He disrupted the religious norm, not the political norm. He came to bring peace to men’s hearts, not war in the nation. Yet Jesus let His followers declare Him to be the long awaited Messiah. He didn’t make the proclamation Himself, but let His works and His words point to the prophecies fulfilled by His coming.

To many of those who lived when Jesus came, He was just another prophet. Just another rebel making a name for Himself. Jesus was just another man doing things around the countryside. Until they stopped and listened to His words and looked back at the scriptures and put together words of the prophets with the actions of Jesus, no one saw in Him the fulfillment of the prophecies that pointed to the long awaited Messiah. Until the scribes, Pharisees, and Saducees could lay aside their hatred and compare their readings with Jesus’ actions, they would not see Him as anyone other than another rebel about to upset the delicate balance they tried to hold between their frail theocracy and the domaneering dictatorship of the Romans.

But what about us? We live on this side of the cross. We have at our fingertips 2,000 years of history. Unless you’ve studied the history of the Jewish people, you probably can’t name the eight or ten rebels who claimed their Messiahship. In fact, you probably can’t name the rebels that grew up to try to overthrow their shackles during the 400 silent years of the Bible. But they are there. Over and over, the nation tried to rebuild itself but failed. They remained under the rule of the Persians, the Greeks, then the Romans. They could not shake their chains.

But we have that history if we care to look. We know Jesus is a history fact. We have the scriptures that tell us who He is and what He did. We have the record of Pentecost. We have over 5,000 pieces of the New Testament that date back to within a hundred years of His birth that tell us the same thing. All those manuscripts lasted through the centuries and each copy is the same. The scribes meticulously copied them to ensure the letters and gospels were handed down from generation to generation. What a miracle!

So we have all of the evidence of who Jesus is. We have the stories. We have the testimonies of the disciples and the early church leaders. We have the faith of those early Christians who even suffered martyrdom for Christ. Would they do that if all of it were not true? Would they suffer the kinds of death they faced if Jesus were a farce? I don’t think so.

So we have 2,000 years of historic facts behind us. The Pharisees Jesus spoke to had only His words at the time and the gossip they heard from the uneducated masses that told them about this man who could perform miracles and must be God. We know. We have the evidence. We have the witnesses. We have God’s words handed down to us. What more do we need to believe Jesus is the Son of God? If you don’t believe Him now, like the Pharisees, you probably wouldn’t believe if He stood in front of you. What do you need to do about it? Exercise a little faith in Him. That’s all. Stop doubting and believe.

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

Blessed are you who believe (John 20:11-29) December 24, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – John 20:11-29

Set – John 20-21

Go! – John 19-21

John 20:11-29
11 Mary, however, stood outside the tomb sobbing, crying, and kneeling at its entrance. 12 As she cried, two heavenly messengers appeared before her sitting where Jesus’ head and feet had been laid.
Heavenly Messengers: 13 Dear woman, why are you weeping?
Mary Magdalene: They have taken away my Lord, and I cannot find Him.
14 After uttering these words, she turned around to see Jesus standing before her, but she did not recognize Him.
Jesus: 15 Dear woman, why are you sobbing? Who is it you are looking for?
She still had no idea who it was before her. Thinking He was the gardener, she muttered:
Mary Magdalene: Sir, if you are the one who carried Him away, then tell me where He is and I will retrieve Him.
Jesus: 16 Mary!
Mary Magdalene (turning to Jesus and speaking in Hebrew): Rabboni, my Teacher!
Jesus: 17 Mary, you cannot hold Me. I must rise above this world to be with My Father, who is also your Father; My God, who is also your God. Go tell this to all My brothers.
18 Mary Magdalene obeyed and went directly to His disciples.
Mary Magdalene (announcing to the disciples): I have seen the Lord, and this is what He said to me . . .
19 On that same evening (Resurrection Sunday), the followers gathered together behind locked doors in fear that some of the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem were still searching for them. Out of nowhere, Jesus appeared in the center of the room.
Jesus: May each one of you be at peace.
20 As He was speaking, He revealed the wounds in His hands and side. The disciples began to celebrate as it sank in that they were really seeing the Lord.
Jesus: 21 I give you the gift of peace. In the same way the Father sent Me, I am now sending you.
22 Now He drew close enough to each of them that they could feel His breath. He breathed on them:
Jesus: Welcome the Holy Spirit of the living God. 23 You now have the mantle of God’s forgiveness. As you go, you are able to share the life-giving power to forgive sins, or to withhold forgiveness.
24 All of the eleven were present with the exception of Thomas. 25 He heard the accounts of each brother’s interaction with the Lord.
The Other Disciples: We have seen the Lord!
Thomas: Until I see His hands, feel the wounds of the nails, and put my hand to His side, I won’t believe what you are saying.
26 Eight days later, they gathered again behind locked doors; and Jesus reappeared. This time Thomas was with them.
Jesus: May each one of you be at peace.
27 He drew close to Thomas.
Jesus: Reach out and touch Me. See the punctures in My hands; reach out your hand, and put it to My side; leave behind your faithlessness, and believe.
Thomas (filled with emotion): 28 You are the one True God and Lord of my life.
Jesus: 29 Thomas, you have faith because you have seen Me. Blessed are all those who never see Me and yet they still believe.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I love the reactions people have when the Father sends His messengers to meet with them. Most of the time, they recognize them as His angels and fall on their face as though they were dead. All the soldiers positioned around the tomb fell prostrate that morning. The angel’s feet touched the ground, an earthquake shook the ground, and the soldiers fell down as if dead. It happens all the time. They can be really scary dudes when they don’t come to deliver a message to you…or even when they do.

Mary got their rhetorical question that morning, “Why are you crying?” Of course they knew. She didn’t know where I was even though I had told her I would rise from the grave. Her joy overcame her fear…sort of. I’m not sure she knew they were angels yet. Then she turned to Me and thought I was the gardner. Still frozen with grief, she didn’t know who I was.

All that was to change for her and My disciples in just a few short minutes. The angels announcement, My appearance in the garden, then My appearance behind locked doors grew their faith exponentially. The eleven began a mission that changed the world at My direction. Millions believe because of the truth Mary found out from the angel that morning. The truth My disciples learned that evening. The truth of My words and My Spirit in them.

They all believed because they saw Me. Blessed are you because you believe and have not seen Me, but trust in My word and the word of those who have gone before you.

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

You can believe, too (2 Timothy 1/3-18) December 10, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Timothy 1:3-18

Set – 2 Timothy 1-2

Go! – 2 Timothy 1-4

2 Timothy 1:3-18
3-4 Timothy, you are constantly in my prayers. Day and night I remember you before God and give thanks to Him whom I serve with a clean conscience, as did my ancestors. I really want to see you, especially when I remember how you cried the last time we were together. Yes, I know it would make me joyful to see you again. 5 What strikes me most is how natural and sincere your faith is. I am convinced that the same faith that dwelt in your grandmother, Lois, and your mother, Eunice, abides in you as well. 6 This is why I write to remind you to stir up the gift of God that was conveyed to you when I laid my hands upon you. 7 You see, God did not give us a cowardly spirit but a powerful, loving, and disciplined spirit.
8 So don’t be embarrassed to testify about our Lord or for me, His prisoner. Join us in suffering for the good news by the strength and power of God. 9 God has already saved us and called us to this holy calling—not because of any good works we may have done, but because of His own intention and because eons and eons ago (before time itself existed), He gave us this grace in Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King. 10 And now, the time has come! That grace was revealed when our Savior, Jesus the Anointed, appeared; and through His resurrection He has wiped out death and brought to light life and immortality by way of this good news. 11 I was appointed a preacher, emissary, and teacher of this message. 12 This is exactly why I am suffering. But I am not ashamed because I know Him and I have put my trust in Him. And I am fully certain that He has the ability to protect what I have placed in His care until that day.
13 Remember the words that you heard from me. Retain them as the model for healthy and sound teaching in the faith and love that are available in Jesus the Anointed. 14 As for the precious thing entrusted to you, protect it with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.
15 You may know by now that all those in Asia have turned their backs on me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16-17 But Onesiphorus was not ashamed of my chains. So when he arrived in Rome, he searched for me and found me. May the Lord show mercy to his house because he has often stopped by to refresh my weary soul. 18 And may the Lord shower him with divine mercy on the last day. You are well aware of all he did to serve me in Ephesus.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Today I want to call your attention to the mission I gave Paul and one that I think speaks to everyone in many ways. “I was appointed a preacher, emissary, and teacher of this message. This is exactly why I am suffering. But I am not ashamed because I know Him and I have put my trust in Him. And I am fully certain that He has the ability to protect what I have placed in His care until that day.”

In the first couple of sentences that Paul shares here, he clearly understood his mission and that the very mission I gave him caused the suffering he endured. But I want you to pay attention to his next words. Paul wasn’t ashamed of his imprisonment as were most of his prison mates. They found themselves incarcerated for wrong doing. Paul found himself in chains for doing good. Paul was not ashamed of the gospel and whatever suffering or pain came with it, he was willing to endure.

Why wasn’t Paul ashamed? Because he knew Me. He not only saw Me on the road to Damascus that one extraordinary day, but he talked with Me and listened to My words as he prayed and read the scriptures. He died to self and let My Spirit guide his life. Paul gave his all to Me. He knew Me and had faith that I would see him through whatever circumstance he found himself or would usher him into My presence in paradise. Either option fit him just fine.

Paul knew I could protect him from whatever he faced. He didn’t hold any doubt in his mind. Paul knew with certainty I could do what I said I would. I never fail. When I make a promise, I keep it. Paul knew that about Me. His confidence in Me was sure. So he could face the trials that came his way. But Paul was just a man. There was nothing special or unusual about him. I didn’t give him some special DNA that enhanced his faith. He just exercised the faith he had. That’s it. That’s why people remember him. That’s why Paul was such an exceptional disciple. He just believed, always.

You can, too. 

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.

Believe in God (Romans 3:21-31) November 30, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Romans 3:21-31

Set – Romans 3-4

Go! – Romans 1-4

Romans 3:21-31
21 But now for the good news: God’s restorative justice has entered the world, independent of the law. Both the law and the prophets told us this day would come. 22 This redeeming justice comes through the faithfulness of Jesus, the Anointed One, the Liberating King, who makes salvation a reality for all who believe—without the slightest partiality. 23 You see, all have sinned, and all their futile attempts to reach God in His glory fail. 24 Yet they are now saved and set right by His free gift of grace through the redemption available only in Jesus the Anointed. 25 When God set Him up to be the sacrifice—the seat of mercy where sins are atoned through faith—His blood became the demonstration of God’s own restorative justice. All of this confirms His faithfulness to the promise, for over the course of human history God patiently held back as He dealt with the sins being committed. 26 This expression of God’s restorative justice displays in the present that He is just and righteous and that He makes right those who trust and commit themselves to Jesus.
27 So is there any place left for boasting? No. It’s been shut out completely. And how? By what sort of law? The law of works perhaps? No! By the law of faith. 28 We hold that people are justified, that is, made right with God through faith, which has nothing to do with the deeds the law prescribes.
29 Is God the God of the Jews only? If He created all things, then doesn’t that make Him the God of all people? Jews and non-Jews, insiders and outsiders alike? Yes, He is also the God of all the outsiders. 30 So since God is one, there is one way for Jews and outsiders, circumcised and uncircumcised, to be right with Him. That is the way of faith. 31 So are we trying to use faith to abolish the law? Absolutely not! In fact, we now are free to uphold the law as God intended.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

No one is exempt from the fall. Everyone fails to reach Me in their attempts at righteousness. Since Adam and Eve, all have been born with the propensity toward wanting your own way. But I came into the world to pay the penalty for your sinful ways. I came as the perfect sacrifice for your sins. All you need to do is believe in Me for your salvation. The law points out your sin, I redeem you from it. I give you real freedom from the law.

Many think I abolished the law, but that really isn’t true. What I really do for you is make it possible for you to live as the law intended. The law gave you guidelines and pointed out your wickedness, but couldn’t do anything to redeem you because you couldn’t keep the law. But with Me in you, covering your sin by the sacrifice I made for you, you can keep the law the way I intend you to keep it.

I gave My life so you may live in freedom. Not freedom to do anything you want as many sometimes think, but freedom from the guilt and penalty of sin. Freedom from the prison chains that hold you fast because of the selfish ways you live because of the heritage that comes by way of Adam’s sin. Freedom to live the life I intend for humankind.

The simplicity of becoming one of My children rests in believing. It’s that simple. It’s not always easy to live for Me, but it is simple. Coming to Me is so simple a child can do it. Just believe that I am who I say. Just believe I came to save you from your sins. Just believe I died for you and I rose from the grave because death cannot hold Me. Just believe that I can redeem you from the evil one that tries to hold you to this wicked world. Believe that I can free you from his death grip. Believe I have a better way for you.

It’s not hard to believe. Just look around. Look at the universe I created for you. Examine the order of all I made. How can you not believe in Me? How can you not believe in the Creator of all things when you see the perfect design of the universe and all within it. How can you not believe in Me when you see the majesty of the mountains and the seas, the stars and the galaxies above you.

So just believe in Me and you will be saved. It is faith and nothing else that saves you. But when you are saved you will do good things for those around you because of your love for Me. Your good actions will demonstrate the faith you have in Me. So just believe in Me and get ready for a great ride for the rest of your eternal 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.

Faith and righteousness (Matthew 8:1-13), November 21, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Matthew 8:1-13

Set – Matthew 8-9

Go! – Matthew 8-10

Matthew 8:1-13
1 Large crowds followed Jesus when He came down from the mountain. 2 And as Jesus was going along, a leper approached Him and knelt down before Him.
Leper: Lord, if You wish to, please heal me and make me clean!
Jesus (stretching out His hand): 3 Of course I wish to. Be clean.
Immediately the man was healed.
Jesus: 4 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.
5 Eventually Jesus came to the little town of Capernaum. In Capernaum a military officer came to Him and asked Him for help.
Officer: 6 Lord, I have a servant who is lying at home in agony, paralyzed.
Jesus: 7 I will come to your house, and I will heal him.
Officer: 8 Lord, I don’t deserve to have You in my house. And, in truth, I know You don’t need to be with my servant to heal him. Just say the word, and he will be healed. 9 That, after all, is how authority works. My troops obey me whether I am next to them or not—similarly, this sickness will obey You.
10 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. 11 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. 12 But those who have feigned their faith will be cast out into outer darkness where people weep and grind their teeth.
13 Then Jesus turned to the Centurion.
Jesus: You may go home. For it is as you say it is; it is as you believe.
And the officer’s servant was healed, right then.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Matthew comes back to a story of faith. He tells a lot of stories of faith because that is a center piece of righteousness. Many think righteousness has to do with how you behave, the rules you keep, the church you attend. It doesn’t. None of those things make you a righteous person. Go back and read about Abraham and what made him righteous. He didn’t have any rules. Remember? He came before the Law. Moses didn’t come around for another 400 years!

And how about Job. It wasn’t his behavior that made him righteous before Me. After he lost everything he had, he couldn’t do much more than grovel in the ashes. He couldn’t do any of the things he did with the wealth he had before Satan attacked him, but I still said he was righteous before Me. So it’s not about behavior.

It certainly isn’t about your church. Did you know there are probably child molestors and adulterers and murderers in your denomination and maybe in your congregation. They’re pretty invisible to most people. So it isn’t about the church you attend. That doesn’t matter much to Me. They all have their faults because they all have people in them. They all have hypocrits in them.

Righteousness is all about faith and who you put your faith in. The Centurion got it right. He put his faith in Me. I had not seen faith like his until that point in My earthly ministry. He understood. I didn’t have to go to his house. All I needed to do was say the words and his servant would be healed. He understood authority and had faith that I held authority over the disease that touched his servant. That’s faith. It’s not hard. It’s just believing that I can do what I say I can.

That’s what righteousness is all about. Believing in Me. Believing I am who I say. Believing I can make you into the person I created you to be. Believing I died to pay the penalty you owe for your sins. Believing because of My death on the cross, I have the power and authority to forgive you. And when you exercise that little bit of faith, I can transform your life. I can take away the guilt and the stain of sin in your life and show you a better way to live. I can teach you real love. I can help you to love God and love others in ways you cannot understand until your sins have been washed away by My blood.

Believe in Me. Exercise your faith in Me. Abraham learned I counted him as righteous because of that faith. I will do the same for you and everyone who will do the same. Righteousness is something I give you. Just believe.

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

How long will you doubt? (John 20:11-29), August 18, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – John 20:11-29

Set – Jeremiah 36; John 20

Go! – Jeremiah 26, 35-36; John 20

John 20:11-29
11 Mary, however, stood outside the tomb sobbing, crying, and kneeling at its entrance. 12 As she cried, two heavenly messengers appeared before her sitting where Jesus’ head and feet had been laid.
Heavenly Messengers: 13 Dear woman, why are you weeping?
Mary Magdalene: They have taken away my Lord, and I cannot find Him.
14 After uttering these words, she turned around to see Jesus standing before her, but she did not recognize Him.
Jesus: 15 Dear woman, why are you sobbing? Who is it you are looking for?
She still had no idea who it was before her. Thinking He was the gardener, she muttered:
Mary Magdalene: Sir, if you are the one who carried Him away, then tell me where He is and I will retrieve Him.
Jesus: 16 Mary!
Mary Magdalene (turning to Jesus and speaking in Hebrew): Rabboni, my Teacher!
Jesus: 17 Mary, you cannot hold Me. I must rise above this world to be with My Father, who is also your Father; My God, who is also your God. Go tell this to all My brothers.
18 Mary Magdalene obeyed and went directly to His disciples.
Mary Magdalene (announcing to the disciples): I have seen the Lord, and this is what He said to me . . .
19 On that same evening (Resurrection Sunday), the followers gathered together behind locked doors in fear that some of the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem were still searching for them. Out of nowhere, Jesus appeared in the center of the room.
Jesus: May each one of you be at peace.
20 As He was speaking, He revealed the wounds in His hands and side. The disciples began to celebrate as it sank in that they were really seeing the Lord.
Jesus: 21 I give you the gift of peace. In the same way the Father sent Me, I am now sending you.
22 Now He drew close enough to each of them that they could feel His breath. He breathed on them:
Jesus: Welcome the Holy Spirit of the living God. 23 You now have the mantle of God’s forgiveness. As you go, you are able to share the life-giving power to forgive sins, or to withhold forgiveness.
24 All of the eleven were present with the exception of Thomas. 25 He heard the accounts of each brother’s interaction with the Lord.
The Other Disciples: We have seen the Lord!
Thomas: Until I see His hands, feel the wounds of the nails, and put my hand to His side, I won’t believe what you are saying.
26 Eight days later, they gathered again behind locked doors; and Jesus reappeared. This time Thomas was with them.
Jesus: May each one of you be at peace.
27 He drew close to Thomas.
Jesus: Reach out and touch Me. See the punctures in My hands; reach out your hand, and put it to My side; leave behind your faithlessness, and believe.
Thomas (filled with emotion): 28 You are the one True God and Lord of my life.
Jesus: 29 Thomas, you have faith because you have seen Me. Blessed are all those who never see Me and yet they still believe.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

What does it take for you to believe? For Thomas, he wanted to see the nail prints in My hands and the slash of the spear in My side. The other disciples saw Me and described what they experienced when I came to them behind closed doors, but Thomas just couldn’t take it in. He would not let his mind wrap around the idea that I could overcome death even though he saw Me raise others from the dead.

But what about you? Will you need to see Me bodily before you believe? I hope not because at My next coming it will be too late. My next coming ushers in the final battle and the resurrection of all My faithful followers. Those left behind will find conditions pretty deplorable. My Spirit will not remain and hopelessness will be the new catch phrase for those who do not go with Me to paradise.

So I urge you to look around. Examine the world around you and imagine a world without God, without Me. How would all of the things around you come into existence without Me? Just how would it happen? You might want to think about a “Big Bang” but what was there before a big bang? Me! See I created the world and all that is in it. Yes, there are some terrible things happening all around the world and yes, I allow them to happen. But I didn’t want it that way. It was your choice. I let humanity have freedom in your moral choices.

Unfortunately, often you made the wrong ones despite My teaching and pleading with you. You thought you were smarter than Me. You thought the consequences I laid out didn’t apply to you even though I clearly told you what would happen when you disobeyed Me. But you didn’t believe Me. You didn’t think I knew what I was talking about.

So now you’ve seen the truth of My message through generations. You’ve seen the proof of My coming to live alongside you. You’ve seen My adversary try his best to destroy Me to no avail. You’ve seen that I have already conquered him and it’s just a matter of time until I carry out the rest of his judgment and banish him to his prepared pit forever. What else do you need to believe I am who I say I am? What else will it take to turn you from a doubting Thomas into one who believes and cries out as he did, “You are the one True God and Lord of my 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.

Five groups of people (John 7:25-52), August 5, 2015

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Today’s Podcast


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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – John 7:25-52

Set – 2 Kings 23; John 7

Go! – 2 Kings 23; 2 Chronicles 35; John 7

John 7:25-52
Some People of Jerusalem: 25 There is the man they are seeking to kill; surely He must be the one. 26 But here He is, speaking out in the open to the crowd, while they have not spoken a word to stop or challenge Him. Do these leaders now believe He is the Anointed One? 27 But He can’t be; we know where this man comes from, but the true origin of the Anointed will be a mystery to all of us.
Jesus (speaking aloud as He teaches on the temple’s porch): 28 You think you know Me and where I have come from, but I have not come here on My own. I have been sent by the One who embodies truth. You do not know Him. 29 I know Him because I came from Him. He has sent Me.
30 Some were trying to seize Him because of His words, but no one laid as much as a finger on Him—His time had not yet arrived. 31 In the crowd, there were many in whom faith was taking hold.
Believers in the Crowd: When the Anointed arrives, will He perform any more signs than this man has done?
32 Some Pharisees were hanging back in the crowd, overhearing the gossip about Him. The temple authorities and the Pharisees took action and sent officers to arrest Jesus.
Jesus: 33 I am going to be with you for a little while longer; then I will return to the One who sent Me. 34 You will look for Me, but you will not be able to find Me. Where I am, you are unable to come.
Some Jews in the Crowd (to each other): 35 Where could He possibly go that we could not find Him? You don’t think He’s about to go into the Dispersion and teach our people scattered among the Greeks, do you? 36 What do you think He means, “You will look for Me, but you will not be able to find Me,” and, “Where I am, you are unable to come”?
37 On the last day, the biggest day of the festival, Jesus stood again and spoke aloud.
Jesus: If any of you is thirsty, come to Me and drink. 38 If you believe in Me, the Hebrew Scriptures say that rivers of living water will flow from within you.
39 Jesus was referring to the realities of life in the Spirit made available to everyone who believes in Him. But the Spirit had not yet arrived because Jesus had not been glorified.
Some of the Crowd: 40 This man is definitely the Prophet.
Others: 41 This is God’s Anointed, the Liberating King!
Still Others: Is it possible for the Anointed to come from Galilee? 42 Don’t the Hebrew Scriptures say that He will come from Bethlehem, King David’s village, and be a descendant of King David?
43 Rumors and opinions about the true identity of Jesus divided the crowd. 44 Some wanted to arrest Him, but no one dared to touch Him.
45 The officers who had been sent by the chief priests and Pharisees to take Jesus into custody returned empty-handed, and they faced some hard questions.
Chief Priest and Pharisees: Where is Jesus? Why didn’t you capture Him?
Officers: 46 We listened to Him. Never has a man spoken like this man.
Pharisees: 47 So you have also been led astray? 48 Can you find one leader or educated Pharisee who believes this man? Of course not. 49 This crowd is plagued by ignorance about the teachings of the law; that is why they will listen to Him. That is also why they are under God’s curse.
50 Nicodemus, the Pharisee who approached Jesus under the cloak of darkness, was present when the officers returned empty-handed. He addressed the leaders.
Nicodemus: 51 Does our law condemn someone without first giving him a fair hearing and learning something about him?
Pharisees (ignoring Nicodemus’s legal point): 52 Are you from Galilee too? Look it up for yourself; no real prophet is supposed to come from Galilee.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

What you heard today mimics conditions today. Some listen and believe in Me because of My words. Some wait until they see physical evidence of My actions before they will believe. Some remain ambivalent about Me regardless of what they see or hear. Some discard My teachings despite the truth they see and hear. And some wish to destroy Me even though the evidence points to the truth that I am God, their Creator and their only hope of salvation.

You stand in one of those groups of people. My hope is your faith in Me is enough to put you in the first group. You hear My word and you receive it gladly believing in Me. It doesn’t take much faith. Less than it takes to put the key in the ignition of your car and believe turning it will start it. Because you see, one day your car will fail to start, but I will never fail.

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.

God does the impossible (Joshua 14:6-15), Mar 22, 2015

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Today’s Podcast


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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Joshua 14:6-15
Set – Joshua 14; 1 Corinthians 7
Go! – Joshua 12-14; 1 Corinthians 7

Joshua 14:6-15
6 Some members of the tribe of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal, including Caleb, son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite.

Caleb (to Joshua): Remember what the Eternal said to Moses, the man of God, about you and me in Kadesh-barnea. 7 I was 40 years old when Moses, the Eternal’s servant, sent me out from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land of Canaan. I brought back an honest report. 8 The others who were sent as spies only discouraged the people and melted their hearts, but I obeyed the Eternal One, my God, completely. 9 At that time, Moses swore an oath to me: “Someday the land on which you have walked will be given to you and your children as an inheritance forever because you have been completely faithful to the Eternal One, my God.”

10 So here I am. The Eternal has spared my life these 45 years since He spoke this to Moses while Israel was in the wilderness. Here I am today, 85 years old, 11 still as strong today as I was when Moses sent me into this country, able to fight and able to work.

12 So now I ask that you give me this hill country the Eternal spoke about on that day. You heard then how the Anakim were there with great fortified cities, and so they are still. Because the Eternal goes with me, I will drive them out, just as He has said.

13 So Joshua blessed Caleb, son of Jephunneh, and gave him Hebron as an inheritance. 14 Hebron belongs to the descendants of Caleb, son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, even now because he obeyed the Eternal God of Israel completely. 15 (In ancient times, Hebron was called Kiriath-arba after Arba, who was the greatest of the Anakim.) So that land was peaceful.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Caleb had a special place in the promised land because he had a special place in My kingdom. Of all the spies who went into Canaan to report on the land I would give the Israelites, only
Caleb told Moses My people should go in immediately and take it because I would be with them. All the other spies cowed to their fear of failure in the face of people bigger and better equipped for war than they. They forgot that God plus one is always a majority.

All but Caleb and Joshua forgot a few months earlier I delivered them from Pharaoh and the great Egyptian army. The Israelites didn’t lose a single person when I defeated Pharaoh’s army. I kept them safe, fed them, gave them water. I did miraculous things they saw with their own eyes, yet when they saw the size of the people in the land, they forgot Me and what I could do for them. Only Caleb and Joshua believed I could lead the Israelites to victory despite the odds against them in men’s eyes.

So Caleb, the Kenizzite, received his reward. He received all the land he spied out for the nation when he entered it forty years earlier. He also has a place in My kingdom. A place reserved for him in heaven. My servant did what I asked of him and will have a great reward because of his faithfulness among the unbelievers with whom he worked. He tried his best to convince others of who I am and what I can do. It wasn’t his fault they failed in their own faithfulness. Caleb did his part and will find his reward because of it.

The point is, trust Me. I can do all things. Something that looks impossible to you, if I’ve told you to do it, I’ll be with you and together we will make it happen. I just want you to allow yourself to be an instrument in My hands. I know what you are capable of much better than you. Remember I made you. I also know how best to use you to complete My plan on earth. So make yourself available to Me. That’s all you need to do. I’ll do the rest through you. Just believe in Me and let me take care of everything else. 

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.