Tag Archives: choice

Integrity and choice, May 21, 2018

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As hard as it is to live a life of integrity, because we have God’s help in doing so, we have a choice in living the life of integrity he desires of us. We might not think about that very often, but it’s true. In today’s society, it’s easy to blame someone or something else on our lack of integrity. We push back justify our behavior on poor parenting. We blame the lack of material goods in a house bordering on poverty in a materialistic world. We blame the violence and immorality that invades us in mind-numbing entertainment like television, movies, games, and more. We blame schools for not enforcing rules that should be set and enforced at home.

We blame anything and everything on our failure to maintain a life of integrity. Why? Because like most things in our life, we have a hard time accepting the fact that most often our failures are out fault. And the failure lies in the choices we made somewhere along the line. We just don’t want to believe that we can fail. So we pawn our mistakes, our behavior, our failure on someone else.

The problem with that approach, though, we never learn from our failure unless we take responsibility for it. We must figure out where we went wrong, fix it, and go from there. Doing everything we can not to repeat those same mistakes in the future. We will fail again? Most likely. No one is exempt from error. We all fail at one time or another at one task or another. We can’t help it. We are part of Adam’s race. He and Eve disobeyed God in that first garden and we inherited his inability to live the perfect life of integrity God desired of him and us.

But there is something we can do about it. First, we can ask God and the individuals we might have wronged for forgiveness. John wrote that when we confess our sins, he is ready, able, and just and will forgive our sins. But also wants to lead us to a life of righteousness, right living. That means we must make some hard choices at times. We must look temptations in the eye and say no. We must obey his commands despite the lure and attraction of the things the world might offer us if we yield to her demands.

We have a choice. I can choose to satisfy those base desires in unhealthy, unholy ways. I can choose to follow my selfish desires. I can choose to use other people for my gain. I can choose to hoard the things God has entrusted to me. I can choose to push the helpless and needy away when I have the means to give them hope. I can just to execute vengeance and justice instead of grace and mercy toward my enemies. I can choose the path I take.

I can choose my path, but I cannot choose what lies at the end of that path. I cannot choose the consequences of every choice I make whether good or bad. I cannot alter the natural outcome of the laws God gave us. Sure, he is a God of love and mercy, but that doesn’t mean he will stop the natural course of events that come to us as a result of our choices. We may still suffer the lasting effects of those seemingly insignificant choices we made in an hour of weakness.

So, how do I ensure I make the right choices along the way? How do I avoid the consequence that God set in place at the beginning of time? How do I stand up to the failures that I cause through my actions?

First,lean more on him. Go to God in both the good times and the bad. Pray earnestly when you’re in a time of smooth sailing. When you do, it will be easier to approach him when the going gets tough. You wouldn’t ask a complete stranger to help you with a personal, intimate problem, but you might ask a dear friend. Think about your relationship with God. If you only interact with him on Sunday mornings at church, why would he help? If you’re not his friend, why would he stop to give aid in your time of need? So in the good times, when everything is going well, be careful to give God the glory. Maintain a constant personal relationship with him. When you do, you’ll find he is willing and ready to give you the support you need and he will never leave you or forsake you. So keep your prayer life up.

Second, meditate on his word. What does that mean? Think about what you have read in scripture. Of course, that means you need to read scripture…every day. Maybe even several times a day. David said, “I will meditate on your word night and day. I will hide your word in my heart, so I might not sin against you.” If David tells us a dozen times to meditate on God’s word and deeds, maybe we should pay attention and do just that. Read the Bible. Let it soak into your everyday life. Don’t let it be one of those tomes that gathers dust on a table. Let God speak to you through his word. He gives good advice in those 66 books if we would just listen to him and do what he tells us to do.

Third, before making life-changing decisions, stop and think. It’s surprising how often we just act without thinking about the second and third order affects our choices make on us or those around us. Most of the time it isn’t too hard to think about the consequences our actions will create. We just need to step back for a second and use that gray matter that sits inside our skull. Tragically, we too often just act and think about it after the fact when it’s too late to retract our action. Once done, it’s done. Things have been set in motion and the consequences are set whether we like them or not.

Then while we’re on this pause before making a decision, when possible and practical, seek the advice of a mentor. Most of the time, the decision you are about to make has been made before. It is truly amazing the number of times we repeat the mistakes of others because we fail to heed their warnings. Just take a moment to listen to those who have gone before you. Listen to their counsel. Understand they have your best in mind. If they have traveled that road before you, they can help you avoid the pitfalls and the suffering they may have suffered because of choice they would make differently if given the chance. Remember, two heads are better than one.

We’re back to where we began today. Integrity involves choice. You can be a person of integrity. You can choose that life. It will take God’s help. We can not do it alone. But we can choose to let him walk beside us and keep us on the right path. As we go back to our original definition a few weeks ago, integrity is about unity, oneness, cohesion. When we choose with God in mind, we draw closer to him. We we choose with our selfish desires in mind, we drive a wedge between us and him.

Think about the choices you will make today. Stand as Joshua did with his declaration at the top of your priorities, “…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” It is always a choice. And God lets you make it at every crossroad of life. Choose today whom you will serve.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

 

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

The hated Master (Luke 19:12-27) December 24, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Acts 25-26

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 19:12-27
Jesus: A ruler once planned a journey to a distant country to take the throne of that country and then return home. Before his departure, he called 10 of his servants and gave them each about three months of wages. “Use this money to buy and sell until I return.” After he departed, the people under his rule despised him and sent messengers with a clear message: “We do not want this man to rule over us.”
He successfully assumed kingship of the distant country and returned home. He called his 10 servants together and told them to give an account of their success in doing business with the money he had entrusted to them.
The first came before him and said, “Lord, I have made 10 times the amount you entrusted to me.” The ruler replied, “Well done! You’re a good servant indeed! Since you have been faithful in handling a small amount of money, I’ll entrust you with authority over 10 cities in my new kingdom.”
The second came and said, “Lord, I’ve made five times the original amount.” The ruler replied, “I’ll entrust you with authority over five cities.”
A third came and said, “Lord, I have successfully preserved the money you gave me. I wrapped it up in a napkin and hid it away because I was afraid of you. After all, you’re a tough man. You have a way of taking a profit without making an investment and harvesting when you didn’t plant any seed.”
The ruler replied, “I will condemn you using your very own words, you worthless servant! So I’m a severe man, am I? So I take a profit without making an investment and harvest without planting seed? Then why didn’t you invest my money in the bank so I could have at least gained some interest on it?” The ruler told the onlookers, “Take the money I gave him, and give it to the one who multiplied my investment by 10.”
Then the onlookers replied, “Lord, he already has 10 times the original amount!”
The ruler responded, “Listen, whoever has some will be given more, and whoever doesn’t have anything will lose what he thinks he has. And these enemies of mine who didn’t want me to rule over them—bring them here and execute them in my presence.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Here’s another one of those stories I’ve read a lot, but overlooked a part until today. But that one sentence stuck out for me like a sore thumb and I couldn’t get past it. So let’s look at it today. The sentence I’ve ignored? “After he departed, the people under his rule despised him and sent messengers with a clear message: ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’”

So why would that sentence pop out at me today? I’m not real sure, except I think our whole society fits that description pretty well. Jesus left physically a couple thousand years ago when ascended into heaven and told us He would return. We don’t know exactly what He’s been doing since then. We know He’s preparing a place for us to spend eternity, but it’s a big universe out there. Maybe He’s visiting some of those other planets He created. Maybe UFOs are real and there are some other sentient beings He is offering His salvation? We just don’t have a clue what God is doing other than intervening for us with the Father and preparing a place for us. But He’s God and that doesn’t take much time when you’re God and can do anything and everything without being concerned about time, a meaningless concept for Him.

Since He left, however, we have not gotten better in our sensibilities toward solving the social problems of the planet. We still build thick walls between us. Whether nationally, racially, economically, just pick any trait and if there is a difference between any group of people, we’ll use it to build a wall so we don’t have to associate with “those” people. That’s not what God planned for us when He created us. That has been our doing.

And in the process, as God has tried to teach us with His word and His example, our selfish desires have so gotten in the way, that the world has learned to despise Him. Even those who follow His example are despised. Just take a look at the increase in martyrdom since He left. More and more Christians are killed because of following Him every year. It wasn’t just ISIS when they came on the scene. Christians have died at the hand of evil men since Jesus departed 2000 years ago for claiming Him as Lord.

Society despised Jesus so much, they even try to blot out His name. We can’t even celebrate Christmas in public anymore. Now it’s the holiday season instead of Christmas. Strange how we lose the name of the very person for whom the holiday came to be in the first place, isn’t it? How does it happen? Because we want our way. We don’t want anyone, even God, telling us how to live. We can choose to follow Him or not, though. We don’t get to choose the consequences of that decision, but we can choose to follow Him or not. Be forewarned, if you follow God, the rest of the world will despise you, just like the Master that left on a long journey 2,000 years ago. He’s coming back, though, and will ask for a reckoning of what He has entrusted to us. Choose well.

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

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

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Song of Songs 1-2

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

Today’s Devotional

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

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Are you for or against? (Luke 11:21-23) November 5, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Acts 13-14

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 11:21-23
Jesus: When a man of power with his full array of weapons guards his own palace, everything inside is secure. But when a new man who is stronger and better armed attacks the palace, the old ruler will be overcome, his weapons and trusted defenses will be removed, and his treasures will be plundered. Can you see that I’m asking you to choose whose side you’re on—working with Me or fighting against Me?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

A couple of weeks ago, a pastor friend asked me to hold a weekend renewal series of services for his church here in San Antonio. We had a great time as God moved in the services. His church had been doing a series of Jericho walks around their property, claiming the community for God and as it turned out, the last Sunday of the renewal weekend coincided with the last Jericho walk. So I used several chapters of Joshua for the background of the services that weekend.

Jesus’ words reminded me of that great battle and some of the events leading up to it. Jericho was a fortress. Built with an impenetrable defense. Walls that had never been breached. Many of the citizens lived with their houses built into the walls, in fact, so they had a vested interest in keeping that seven foot thick wall repaired and secured. Their guards were good. The citizens knew they were secure. Jericho was the place to live if you wanted security. Well, almost.

Rahab, one of the prostitutes in Jericho, listened to the stories coming from the men in the city. They told about the other nations that had fallen to the Israelites as they came across the wilderness. She heard about those who tried to stand up against this band of nomads and suffered incredible defeat at their hands. These armies should have been able to easily defeat these wanderers or at least hold their own against the Israelites, but God’s people defeated them every time. But those armies didn’t have the walls of Jericho protecting them. Surely, Jericho would stand, right?

Rahab, met the two spies. She believed God would had the city over to the Israelites. She did her part to save the spies and sent them back safely to Joshua. Rahab understood that despite what the leaders of Jericho thought Jericho was vulnerable. No matter what rhetoric the leaders of Jericho might tell her citizens, the walls might not keep out that rag-tag band of Israelites. No matter how strong or high or thick those walls were, Jericho just might not stand up to the power of the God these wanderers served. He had already shown His power too many times to be ignored. The plagues in Egypt 40 years ago. The stories of the path across the Red Sea and destruction of Pharaoh’s army. The rumors about the God whose voice called from the mountain and gave food and water to this nation of three million people every day.

This army might not look like much, but Rahab knew in her heart there was something different about them and that something was the God they believed in. The walls and the soldiers and the leadership and the gods of Jericho might have looked impressive and held the city safe for all those years, but a new man had arrived on the scene. Joshua was just across the Jordan River and his God did things for His people that no other god could do.

Rahab made a decision when the spies came to see her that she lived on the wrong side and wanted to be on Joshua’s side, on Jehovah’s side. So she told those two spies everything she knew about Jericho. She hid them on her roof and protected them from the soldiers that came to her house to find them. She gave the spies the information they needed to get back to their own people on the other side of the Jordan and share their information with Joshua. Rahab got on the side of the man she knew was stronger and would win the final battle.

Jesus asks the same question with His metaphor. “When a man of power with his full array of weapons guards his own palace, everything inside is secure. But when a new man who is stronger and better armed attacks the palace, the old ruler will be overcome, his weapons and trusted defenses will be removed, and his treasures will be plundered.”

He is that stronger man. Satan wants you to think he is. He wants you to think maybe you are and that you can stand up to everything the world throws at you by yourself, but you can’t. You need God to stand against the tide of evil that we face every day. So Jesus still asks the same question He asked those gathered around Him that day 2,000 years ago. Whose side are you on? Are you working for Him or against Him? Those are your only choices and depending on which side you’re on will make a huge difference as to whether you survive the fall of the wall of Jericho so to speak. Make sure you make the right choice.

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

I can’t decide for you (Luke 10:10-16) October 25, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Chronicles 25-28

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 10:10-16
Jesus: Of course, not every town will welcome you. If you’re rejected, walk through the streets and say, “We’re leaving this town. We’ll wipe off the dust that clings to our feet in protest against you. But even so, know this: the kingdom of God has come near.” I tell you the truth, on judgment day, Sodom will have an easier time of it than the town that rejects My messengers.
It’s going to be bad for you, Chorazin! It’s going to be bad for you, Bethsaida! If the mighty works done in your streets had been done in the cities of Tyre and Sidon, they would have been moved to turn to God and cry out in sackcloth and ashes. On judgment day, Tyre and Sidon will have an easier time of it than you. It’s going to be bad for you, too, Capernaum! Will you be celebrated to heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead.
Listen, disciples: if people give you a hearing, they’re giving Me a hearing. If they reject you, they’re rejecting Me. And if they reject Me, they’re rejecting the One who sent Me. So—go now!

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Scary words again from Jesus’ lips. Just before this, we heard Him tell seventy of His disciples to travel throughout the region and tell His message to everyone who would listen. He told them and us to start at home and spread out to the surrounding areas until the whole world heard the message of salvation. Jesus gave them the bold messge that they would have the power to heal and drive out demons and do miraculous things in His names as they carried the Father’s message with them.

Now Jesus gives those He sends out this message of encouragement. It doesn’t sound like much encouragement, but it really is. It says that not everyone will listen and respond to the message of repentance that they share. That might sound discouraging to you, but after preaching God’s words for over 30 years, I find His words encouraging. I’ll tell you why.

My job is not to win people to Christ. I’m not responsible for saving anyone. I’m not responsible for changing people’s minds and turning them into Christians. My responsibility is to share the message the best way I know how and to live its message daily in my own life. My responsibility is to ensure I’m ready at any moment to give my testimony to anyone who is willing to hear it. I am not accountable for their response, but I am accountable for sharing the message to those God prompts me to receive my testimony.

There is a passage in Ezekiel Chapter 3 that I’m often reminded of when I’m prompted by God to speak to someone. God is speaking to Ezekiel and says, “If I send this message to a wicked person—“You will die”—but then you fail to warn him or help him to reconsider his wickedness so that he may not die, then he will die as a result of his evil deeds. It will be your fault for not warning him. His blood will be on your hands. But if you do forewarn a wicked person and give him My message, and yet he does not change his wicked thoughts and actions, then he will die as a result of his evil deeds. But you will have saved your own life by doing what I directed.”

At the judgment, I don’t want to stand before God with anyone else’s blood on my hands. I want to make it to heaven and I want to bring others with me. I want to give those around me an opportunity to meet the One who can restore them to a right relationship with God just as He did for me. I want to let others know they do not have to bow down to the tyranny of sin, but can be freed by the powerful blood shed for them on the cross one day long ago on the hill called Golgotha. I want them to know they can have the same testimony I have and millions of others have had throughout the ages. Jesus saves me from my sins. He set me free through His shed blood. He lives today in my soul. He is the Lord of my life.

I can’t make the decision whether you will accept my words as true. I can’t make the decision whether you will ask Jesus to forgive you of your past. I can’t decide for you if Jesus will be the Lord of your life and your reason for living. I wish I could. But it’s not a decision I can make. Each of us must decide for ourselves. We must come to the conclusion personally that we want Jesus to reign in our life and them let Him do so. No one can do that for you except you. But it is a decision you will never regret if you decide to let Him rule your life. He is God, after all.

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 choose wealth or God? (Mark 10:18-23) Auguest 20, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – John 7-9

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 10:18-23
Jesus: You are calling Me good? Don’t you know that God and God alone is good? Anyway, why ask Me that question? You know the Commandments of Moses: “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not slander, do not defraud, and honor your father and mother.”
Young Man: Yes, Teacher, I have done all these since I was a child.
Then Jesus, looking at the young man, saw that he was sincere and responded out of His love for him.
Jesus: Son, there is still one thing you have not done. Go now. Sell everything you have and give the proceeds to the poor so that you will have treasure in heaven. After that, come, follow Me.
The young man went away sick at heart at these words because he was very wealthy, and Jesus looked around to see if His disciples were understanding His teaching.
Jesus (to His disciples): Oh, it is hard for people with wealth to find their way into God’s kingdom!

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

So why would Jesus say it is hard for people with wealth to find their way into God’s kingdom? Is He excluding them or something? Does He think they don’t belong? Is He trying to say it’s better to be poor than to have wealth? What is He trying to tell us about riches and wealth and money as He shares these words with the wealthy young man and with us?

First, we need to be clear that Jesus doesn’t say it’s impossible for the wealthy to make it into the kingdom of heaven. God wants all people to make it. His desire is that we would all come to Him in repentance and follow His decrees so that we would find ourselves with Him throughout eternity. But Jesus knew our hearts. He knew the lies Satan tells us and what makes us tick. He knew that wealth could and does often get in the way of true repentance for several reasons.

Second, wealth can blind a person to the fact they need God because they can buy most of the physical essentials they need to live a comfortable life here on earth. The wealthy can purchase food, clothing, shelter, security, some sense of happiness by satisfying some temporary physical pleasures. The basic needs of life on the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can be bought with money. The wealthy have little trouble finding these things when enough gold passes from their hands into another’s.

So as the poor are struggling to meet the daily physical needs the wealthy find so easy to come by, we get a glimpse into this obstacle to trusting God for our very lives. The poor understand it because they sometimes don’t know where their next meal will come from or even if they will have a next meal. They wonder where they will sleep tonight or if they can clothe and feed their children to stave off the ravages of the environment. The wealthy have none of those worries from day to day. So the wealthy do not cry out to God for the provision of such seemingly mundane things.

Third, since the wealthy can purchase with the gold they earn from their work or their inheritance or from whatever source it comes, they sometimes forget it all comes as a gift from God so they can experience the spiritual gift of giving. Paul takes about spiritual gifts in several of his letters and usual that list includes the gift of giving. But to be able to give, you must first have the gift of accumulation. The wealthy sometimes forget that God enables them to earn those large sums of money or property or whatever the monetary assets are so they can help others through their generosity. God doesn’t intend for us to hoard the gifts He gives. He expects us to use them for His glory.

Fourth, our society makes a significant difference between the wealthy and the poor in terms of their importance and how they are treated. We see it everywhere and in every culture. The wealthy are lifted up as the model to emulate. They are the haves versus the have nots. They are the pillars of success according to the world. We should all strive to be like them. The poor, we brush aside. We look over them or past them as we walk down the street or drive through the underpasses. We pay no attention to them unless it is to look down on them and often blame them for their own miserable conditions. We forget God created every single one of us. In His eyes there are no rich or poor, black or white, insiders or outsiders, we are all His creation. He wants all of us to know Him well enough that we plead for His forgiveness from our sins and to join Him in His eternal home.

Finally, Jesus makes it clear that the material things of this earth mean absolutely nothing to God. But when we hang on to them too tightly, we make them our God and begin to worship them instead of the One True God. The young man went away sick at heart, Mark says, because the only way He could find real peace with God was to put His wealth on a lower priority than God. He wasn’t willing to do that. Too many in our country, the wealthiest nation on earth are also too attached to the material things we have gained and unwilling to let them go. We have made our wealth, whatever amount it might be, our god. But when we do, we walk away from the One True God, Jehovah Jireh, the One who provides. And we do so at our eternal peril.

We have a choice. Will we choose wealth or God? The choice you make has eternal consequences, so make the right one.

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.

Judas had a way out (Matthew 26:21-25) June19, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Ephesians 4-6

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 26:21-25
Jesus: I tell you this: one of you here will betray Me.
The disciples, of course, were horrified.
A Disciple: Not me!
Another Disciple: It’s not me, Master, is it?
Jesus: It’s the one who shared this dish of food with Me. That is the one who will betray Me. Just as our sacred Scripture has taught, the Son of Man is on His way. But there will be nothing but misery for he who hands Him over. That man will wish he had never been born.
At that, Judas, who was indeed planning to betray Him, said,
Judas Iscariot: It’s not me, Master, is it?
Jesus: I believe you’ve just answered your own question.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

There are two things about this last supper exchange that always intrigue me. Jesus had a lot to say to His disciples during the course of that evening and all of the gospels tell us aspects of His discourse in different ways. But Jesus’ words in Matthew cause me to stop and ponder His words every time I read them.

Jesus tells His disciples one of them will betray Him. But then it seems that almost without exception each of the disciples ask if he is the one that will make the deal with the devil and betray Jesus to His enemies. Has that ever seemed odd to you? Judas was the one who would betray Jesus. In fact, he already has the money in his pocket and has given the priests the signal he will use to show them who Jesus is so there is no mistake when the soldiers capture Him in the garden.

Yet all of the disciples question Jesus because each is afraid they will become the turncoat and give Jesus over to the authorities. Each of those in that room think they have the ability to fall away and give up all they learned from Him. Each think they can fulfill the role Jesus proclaims one of them will fill. Think about that for just a moment. All of them are gathered with Him for this Passover meal. Jesus shared with them some of His last and deepest thoughts. All of them feel especially close to Him as they know they could also be part of the crowd called traitor to the crown, rioters, rabble-rousers. Those are the names the priests give Jesus and want Him arrested.

Each has the question on his lips, “Jesus, will I be the one that betrays you?” See, I think any of those disciples and any of us could be His betrayers. We could be the one that whispers to the enemy. We could be the one that nails Jesus to the cross. In fact, we all do. It’s my sins that put Him there. He died for me, for my betrayal of God.

The second thing that always strikes me about this conversation between Jesus and His disciples is Judas’ question. Judas knows. He already betrayed Jesus. He already met with the priests and took the thirty pieces of silver. He already made the plans to point Jesus out from the rest of the followers. The deed was all but done except for the kiss, the final act. But Judas had the audacity to follow suit of all the other disciples and ask, “Jesus, is it me?”

What do I learn from this? We know when we are about to give the final kiss. We know when we are on the brink of stepping across the line and going to far. Jesus gives us every opportunity to stop before we cross the line. As Paul says, with every temptation, He makes a way of escape. Judas didn’t have to be the one to betray Jesus, but he did. Judas didn’t take the warning signs from Jesus and instead carried out the act after Jesus did everything He could to give him an opportunity to escape. Remember, every other disciple carried in their heart the means of betrayal. They all questioned their motives, their resolve to follow Jesus to the end. Judas failed to take the exit when Jesus offered it. Instead, he went out of the upper room, met with the priests and soldiers, came back and placed the kiss of betrayal on Jesus cheek.

So there are three things I learn from the disciples in these short exchanges. First, all of us are susceptible to temptation and can betray Jesus if we do not keep our faith strong and our eyes on Him. Second, all of us know our position with Him. We know if we are the one selling Him out to others. Third, there is always a way of escape if we will take it. And most of the time, God points us to it pretty clearly. He makes the exit sign pretty bright, but we have to move toward the sign to get out the door. Judas answered his own question, but he still had a way out if he had chosen 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.

How do you ace the final exam? (Matthew 18:7-9), April 24, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Corinthians 1-3

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 18:7-9
Jesus: Beware indeed of those in a world filled with obstacles and temptations that cause people to turn away from Me. Those temptations are woven into the fabric of a world not yet redeemed, but beware to anyone who lures righteous women and men off the narrow path. If your hand constantly grasps at the things of this world rather than serves the Kingdom—cut it off and throw it away. If your foot is always leading you to wander, then cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to hobble, crippled, into the kingdom of life than to burn in hell with two hands and two feet. And if your eye always focuses on things that cause you to sin, then pull your eye out and throw it away. It is better for you to see the kingdom of life with one eye than to see the fires of hell with perfect sight.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Does Jesus really mean we should poke our eye out if it makes us focus on things that would cause us to sin? Does He really mean we should cut off our hand if it keeps reaching for things of this world instead of kingdom things? You know, I think if that would stop you from sinning, I think Jesus would say, absolutely! What good are your eyes if they cost you eternity with Him? What good are your hands if they damn you to eternal punishment? What good are your feet if they carry you on the path to hell?

His point is we have to get control of our bodies. There is a whole crowd of people out there now that will tell you that satisfying our natural instincts is just human nature. We shouldn’t condemn or be condemned for yielding to the natural urges of our bodies. It the same physical reaction that all animals have. Just look in the wild and you’ll see every animal species satisfying those base desires, so we should as well.

Really? So rape is okay because we’re just satisfying those natural base desires? Really? So theft is okay because we want something someone else worked for and we think it should be ours? Really? So I don’t like what you said to me so I can pick up a gun and kill you? I’d just be satisfying those base desires, right?

Well, no, you’d say. Now you’ve gone too far.

Well, how far is too far? Who sets the rules? Who draws the line in the sand and says this is enough? You can go this far and no farther? Who determines when satisfying base desires turns into crime? Or sin? It really is an easy question. Our instruction book gives us the answer if we would be so bold as to read it. There will be only one judge at the final judgment. So if God is going to judge us, doesn’t it make sense to follow the rules He puts in place?

Try going to your boss tomorrow and telling him you’ve decided you aren’t going to follow his rules any more. You think they are dumb and you want to do what you want to do. It’s not that you don’t appreciate your paycheck every couple of weeks, but you’ve decided that you just don’t want to follow his rules any more. You’ll come into work when you feel like it. You’ll decide if you like the tasks he gives you to do and then get around to them when you aren’t busy with your own projects and hobbies. You want to continue to use his resources, though, because he’s got great stuff that can come it handy for your projects. It’s okay if he puts a note in your box every once in a while to tell you he’d really like you to follow his rules again, but don’t get too pushy. You don’t want him to hurt your feelings or anything like that.

How long do you think it would take before your boss either fired you or called the paramedics to get you to the nearest psych ward and put you in a straight jacket with some high powered meds? But that’s exactly what we do to God. We’re on this planet with a task to do. He created us to worship Him and care for the rest of His creation. Read the book. It’s all in there. And what do we do? We tell Him we want to follow our own path because it’s just satisfying our base instincts. The problem with that line of thinking is that God created us in His image. We are much more than just animals. We have the ability to choose our actions. We don’t have to run around the world naked eating or being eaten. That’s the rest of the animal kingdom, you know.

God created us to come into a relationship with Him and gave us the instructions on how to do it. We can choose right over wrong, obedience over disobedience, righteousness over sinfulness, eternal life over death, we get to choose which path we want to follow. But in choosing, there are rules to follow. We follow God’s rules or we act like the idiot in the earlier illustration. God judges based on His rules, so which is the path that makes the most sense?

Did Jesus really mean follow God’s rules whatever it takes to do so? Absolutely! He’s the one that sets the rules. He’s the one that sits in the final judgment. He’s the one that determines whether or not we followed Him. Doesn’t it make sense to dust off His rule book and study up a little before that day comes? I’d sure like to ace that final exam. How about 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.

Heaven is a net (Matthew 13:47-51) March 31, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Job 25-26

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 13:47-51
Jesus: Or think of it this way: the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea, a net that caught a world of flickering fish. When the net was full, the fishermen hauled it to shore. They separated the good fish from the bad, placing the good fish in a bucket and throwing out the inedible fish. That is what the end of time will be like. The heavenly messengers will separate the good from the bad, the righteous from the wicked, the repentant from the prideful, the faithful from the hard-hearted. The bad, the wicked, the prideful, and the hard-hearted will be thrown into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
Do you understand?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I’ve never been fishing with nets. I’ve watched a few documentaries about fishing, though. And it seems no matter how good the technology today that helps fishermen find those swarms of fish for their catch, they invariably get nets full of all kinds of fish. If they trawl for tuna, they get a lot of other fish besides tuna. If they are fishing for salmon, there’s a lot more than salmon in their nets. You see, nets are pretty indiscriminate about what gets caught. It just scoops up anything too big to get through the holes between the threads.

It seems to me, when I watch those documentaries, they haul everything out of the sea, pull a release and all the fish come tumbling out on the deck. Then most of the fish go down in the hold of the ship. The fisherman take only enough time to sort out a few of the fish while on deck. Most of them just follow the rest into the huge holding tank in the bottom of the ship.

Of course, today’s fishing boats, unlike those in Jesus’ day, are almost factories on the ocean, doing a lot of the processing while at sea. Part of the crew will start filter the fish as they move through something of a water conveyor into a processing room where the fish are gutted and either preserved for selling, or cut up and used for bait for the next cast. Before the nets are thrown again, the bait goes overboard to attract the fish for the next haul.

In Jesus’ day and still in some parts of the world today, men wade out knee or waste deep and cast their nets into the sea, pull in whatever their nets capture and haul all of the catch onto shore. Once on shore, everything is hauled up away from the water and the fishermen sort out their catch. Of course, by the time all this is done, the fish have been out of the water too long to survive, so they are either sold as edible fish in the markets or thrown away. Go to those more primitive fishing villages and you’ll always find the smell of rotting fish along the shore where those fishermen cast their nets and sort their catch.

And so Jesus uses this familiar scene as He talks to those around Him about heaven. Judgment day will come. God will call and end to time and send His messengers to scoop up everyone who ever lived. No one will escape that harvest of souls. Everyone will be present for that final reckoning. All of us will give an account for the lives we lived. And His messengers will sort the good from the bad, the righteous from the wicked, the repentant from the prideful, the faithful from the hard-hearted.

How will His messengers know the difference? God stands in judgment and sees our hearts. As He gives directions, His messengers carry them out. There are no mistakes because God knows everything and sees everything. He knows those who harbor sin in their hearts and those whose sins have been covered by the blood of His Son’s sacrifice because they have come to Him in repentance. He knows our intent, or motive, or thoughts. He knows everything about us. There will be no errors in His sorting process.

The results from that sorting process should be a little scary for those whose hearts are not right with God. Jesus says they will be cast into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Doesn’t sound like a pleasant place to me. Many discount Jesus’ descriptions of hell and assume there is no hell. But Jesus talks a lot more about hell than He does about heaven. Why would He do that if it wasn’t real? I doubt if He’s just trying to scare us. That doesn’t sound like God. I think He continually tries to warn us. He doesn’t want us to go there, but He still gives us the choice.

Why would anyone choose to go there? But they do. Because when you don’t choose heaven, you choose hell. There is no other place. Jesus only talks about two places. You have your choice, but there are only two to pick from. Pick the right one.

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 soil are you? (Matthew 13:18-23) March 24, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Job 23-24

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 13:18-23
Jesus: This is what the parable of the sower means. It is about the kingdom of heaven. When someone hears the story of the Kingdom and cannot understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away whatever goodness and holiness had been sown in the heart. This is like the seeds sown beside the road. You know people who hear the word of God and receive it joyfully—but then, somehow, the word fails to take root in their hearts. It is temporary. As soon as there is trouble for those people, they trip: those people are the seeds strewn on the rocky soil. And you know people who hear the word, but it is choked inside them because they constantly worry and prefer the wealth and pleasures of the world: they prefer drunken dinner parties to prayer, power to piety, and riches to righteousness. Those people are like the seeds sown among thorns. The people who hear the word and receive it and grow in it—those are like the seeds sown on good soil. They produce a bumper crop, 30 or 60 or 100 times what was sown.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

In these verses, Jesus explains His earlier parable. We talked about our missionary responsibility and how we might act as sower looking for those most receptive to the good news. Today, what if you are the soil? What kind of soil are you?

Are you like the rocky soil? Hard-headed and refuse to hear the word and understand it? Do you refuse to let God speak to you through the gospel and just play off the scriptures as so many fairy tales or exaggerations from overly zealous religious freaks? Do you flat refuse to hear God’s word in this day of “enlightened scientific knowledge about all things”? If you fit in that category, you’ll be as fruitful as that concrete like soil on the path beaten down by everyone walking on it. The word won’t get through to you because of your refusal to listen.

Are you like the soil plagued with thorns that choke out the crops? You listen and accept the truth, but then get out in the world and listen to what they have to say and are swayed by their argument, too. You find yourself living life by the last message you heard. So was the last message from God or from the world? Is it Sunday or Tuesday? Are you at church or at work? You bend according to the company you keep and have no opinion of your own, unable to stand on your own two feet and make a decision about which side you will take.

The problem with that stance is you really have made a decision. You’re like the church at Laodecia Jesus had John send the letter about being lukewarm. Thinking everything was okay when Jesus says He would vomit you out of His mouth. He would rather you be cold as ice than lukewarm. At least then you might have a chance of seeing your lost condition and changing. But trying to grow among the thorns, you get just enough nourishment, just enough of the water and nutrients from the soil that you think you’re okay. But you’re not. The thorns choke the life out of you until finally you just wither away.

Hopefully, you are like the good soil Jesus talks about. Rich in nutrients, loose and ready to accept the seed the sower plants. Ready to hear God’s word and plant it in your heart. You’re ready to not just hear His word, but meditate on it, study it, then put it into practice. You’re ready to live it until other see your good works and glorify God because of them. Hopefully, you are like that good soil that creates a bumper crop at harvest time – 30, 60, 100 fold – bringing new disciples into the fold. Helping others find Christ and knowing His peace and forgiveness is for them, too.

Hopefully, you are like that good soil that Jesus talks about. Ready to receive all He has for you and ready to be part of His master plan to bring others to know His will that all would come to the saving knowledge of God’s Son. Ready to give testimony to all God has done in your life and act as His emissary in a world that has too many rocks and thorns and not enough ground ready to plow.

Hopefully, you are like that good soil that Jesus talks about, ready to become the person He created you to be. Full of His Spirit. Acting on His behalf. Sharing His message. Bringing others into His kingdom.

The great thing about the story of the sower and the soil is that you get to pick what kind of soil you want to be. So which is it? Are you the rocky soil, the thorny soil, or the good soil? I pray you make the right choice. Your eternal destiny depends on 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.