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Changes requires breaking bonds of familiarity, October 15, 2018

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Change requires breaking the bonds of familiarity. We often fail to change because we become familiar with our present state and that familiarity holds us in bondage.

It took over seventy years for the citizens of the former Soviet Union to overturn the tyrannical communist government and win their freedom. Why did it take so long? One reason was certainly fear. In the early years of the state, disagreement with Stalin and his hand-selected group of leaders meant death for the dissenter and his family. Consequently, few dared to revolt against the oppressive rule of their communist leaders.

What was supposed to be a utopia of standard living conditions for all citizens because every citizen worked their best for the good of everyone else in the state ended with the widening gap of the haves and have nots. Most of the country felt the abject poverty that results from the majority of the populace doing just enough to get by. Why work hard when all your labor profited someone else and your family still suffered?

Such is the result of communist and socialist rule because people are sinful and selfish. For the most part, we care about ourselves and our families. The world would be a pretty good place if we lived by the two commandments Jesus said encompassed the rest of God’s laws. What were they? “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Well…we prove everyday that we are not very good at the first with more than half our formerly “Christian” nation not claiming any adherence to any formal religion. And the news shows we certainly don’t love our neighbor when we see the mass shootings, violent crime, more interest in our cell phone than in looking someone in the eye to discover who they are, what they felel, and how we might help them.

We are extremely selfish. It’s what started the whole problem with our separation from God in the first place. Adam and Eve wanted to be as smart as their creator. They ate the fruit of the forbidden tree and knew the difference between good and evil. They understood disobedience. Was there something special about that fruit? I’m not sure that tree was much different than any of the other fruit trees in the garden. But it was forbidden. They were not to climb over the fence and eat its fruit.

Cows are not supposed to stick their heads through the fence to eat grass from the other side, but they do. Kids are not supposed to stick their hands in the forbidden cookie jar, but they do. Teenage boys are not supposed to peak at the smut magazines that used to be hidden from view on the top shelves of the racks, but they do. Toddlers are not supposed to take toys away from their playmates, but they do. Kids are not supposed to bully other kids at school that might be a little different from them, but they do.

Do you get the point? We are evil. We think evil thoughts. We do evil deeds. We act out. We don’t do what we are supposed to do. We do what we are not supposed to do. We are selfish and we get stuck in that mode because we are comfortable in that attitude. We know it is wrong, but we do it anyway because its our familiar way of life from birth. We are in bondage to self satisfaction.

So how do we get out of this rut? How do we break away from the familiar, even if it might be good, so that we can have an even better life? The Soviets struggled under their oppressive life for more than 70 years. The Israelites lived in exile for 70 years before they could return to their capital city of Jerusalem. We stick with old habits for decades knowing they are bad for us. We just don’t or can’t break away from the familiar.

It’s like a test sociologists did several years ago in which they placed a man dressed as if a homeless drunk midway between the street corner and the entrance to a facility focused on helping people with resume preparation, job hunting, skill enhancement, and so forth. Each day, they moved the man closer to the door of the building.

At first, the workers turned toward the man and noticed he was there, but most just walked by with saying or doing anything. No one asked if he needed help. A few put a few coins in his cap or cup, but that was about the extent of their aid. Remember these are people in the business of helping people! The interesting point of their experiment, though, is that as they moved the man closer to the entrance, they finally got to the point the employees had to step over the man to gain entrance. Still, however, no one in the building whose job centered on helping people just like this guy offered to lend a hand, take him into their offices, and give them exactly the help they gave their paying customers on a daily basis. They just let him obstruct their path without further notice.

That’s why companies spend money on consultants. It’s not that the staff isn’t smart enough to solve their own problems. It’s mainly because after a few months or years, we can’t see the problem anymore. We just step over the homeless guy in the doorway or around the gaping hole in the floor or ignore the broken shelf. We are so familiar with those things we just don’t see them anymore. The high priced consultant brings new eyes into the building and sees those things that you smack your forehead after the fact with a resounding, “Duh! Why didn’t I see that?”

We do. It’s just becomes so familiar we don’t think to change it because we’ve grown so accustomed to the circumstance or situation.

We can get that way in our homes, in our jobs, and in our spiritual lives. We can get familiar and complacent. We can forget when God allows us to come into his presence in prayer that we are conversing with the maker of the universe. We forget the awe he should inspire in us because we sometimes get a little too familiar. We forget the sacrifice he made so that we can speak with him. We forget he is will to forgive our sins and provide his awesome, overwhelming, stunning grace to us.

God does invite us to speak with him. Paul did tell us when we are his followers we become God’s children and coheirs this Jesus. We are adopted into his family when we repent and he forgives us our sins. But it is dangerous territory when we get so familiar with him that we begin to step over those far from him that he puts in our path to share his good news. We need to have his eyes as we travel through life. We need to open our ears to hear the cry of those around us. We need to be ready to not just give our testimony, but to be like Jesus. He always had time for the down and out, the hurting outcasts of society. He saw people as his Father saw them and ministered to them as his Father directed.

To be like Jesus, we must change. God will work on us every day to make us more like him… if we let him. And there it is. The big if. So the million dollar question for each of us today, “Will I let God into my heart, soul, mind, and strength as I love him with everything I am, so that he can work his plans for this world through me. Am I willing to let him change me and use me in any way he sees fit to further his kingdom in the place I stand right now?

That what he asks of us every moment of every day. If you ask him to let you be his instrument to reach others with his good news, it’s a pray he will always answer … sometimes in pretty amazing and unusual ways. Get ready for an exciting ride when you earnestly pray that prayer. How about it? Are you ready to get away from the routine and start a new adventure?

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 to hear more Bible based teaching. 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.

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

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

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Acts 23-24

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

Today’s Devotional

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

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Closer than you think (Mark 12:29-34) September 2, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Joel

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 12:29-34
Jesus: The most important commandment is this: “Hear, O Israel, the Eternal One is our God, and the Eternal One is the only God. You should love the Eternal, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second great commandment is this: “Love others in the same way you love yourself.” There are no commandments more important than these.
Scribe: Teacher, You have spoken the truth. For there is one God and only one God, and to love God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves are more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice we could ever give.
Jesus heard that the man had spoken with wisdom.
Jesus: Well said; if you understand that, then the kingdom of God is closer than you think.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

The scribe came to Jesus on the heels of the Sadducees trying to trap Jesus with their questions about the resurrection and the Pharisees questioning His authority. The Pharisees thought they asked a tough question, “Where do you get your authority to teach like you do and to perform the acts you do.” But then the tables were turned on them and they slithered away. The Sadducees posed the question about the Mosaic law and the requirement to marry a brother’s wife to carry on the family name and asked, “Whose wife is she in heaven.” But they were also trapped in their failure to carefully read and understand scripture.

Now the scribe comes and asks what seems to be another question, but this one appears to be a genuine question for his personal enlightenment, not necessarily as a trap. “What is the greatest commandment?” Of course, he could also have been baiting Jesus to see which one He would pull out of the law so the other scribes, the teachers and those charged with interpreting the Torah for the masses, could pounce on Jesus’ answer and find another more important commandment.

Again, Jesus turns the table with a very direct answer that could find no argument from those in attendance that day. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love your neighbor as you love yourself.” He then justified His answer by explaining that all the other laws and prophets are built on these two commands. The scribe agreed. Jesus, this unlearned carpenter from Nazareth, showed He knew scripture far better than the most learned rabbis around. Not shocking to us, but think of the surprise on the part of those scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees.

Then Jesus says something else that I’ve thought about for a few days before I put together this devotional. After the scribe asserts he agrees with Jesus’ declaration of the most important commandments, Jesus says, “Well said; if you understand that, then the kingdom of God is closer than you think.”

So Jesus has said we are to love God with everything we are and we are to love others with that same unconditional love, what else is there to do? Why didn’t Jesus just tell the scribe he was there. He got it right. Just put that into practice and you’re done. I think Jesus didn’t say those things for a couple of reasons. First, He could see into the scribe’s heart. He knew if the scribe really did love God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. He knew if the scribe really did love others as much as he loved himself. Maybe the scribe wasn’t quite there yet.

But I have a feeling there was another reason, Jesus didn’t declare the scribe okay with God, but instead said, the kingdom is closer than you think. You see, Jesus had been preaching around the countryside and His message was that the kingdom of God is at hand. He also said He was the light of the world. He also said no one comes to the Father in heaven except by way of Him. Jesus had gone about the countryside preaching, teaching, healing, and most important, forgiving people of their sins when they asked Him. The scribe, it seems, has not asked for forgiveness.

Real love asks forgiveness from those we hurt, whether intentionally or unintentionally. When we love, we don’t want to wrong others. That doesn’t mean we don’t discipline, that would be cruel and negligent, but we don’t harm. And everyone hurts God. We all sin. We all cause Him pain. We all fail to live up to the standard He sets. We all need to ask forgiveness for our sins of commission and ommission. The kingdom of heaven was close, but one thing was still needed. A repentant heart seeking forgiveness from the God of the universe.

So where do you stand relative to this question? Do you love God and your neighbor? Do you really love them with God’s unconditional love? If so, the kingdom of God is close. Have you asked Jesus to forgive you? He died on the cross for my sins and yours. But our sins are not forgiven until we come to Him in repentance and ask. The kingdom of God is closer than you think.

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

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

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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.

How about that tenth commandment? (Matthew 26:10-13) June17, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Ezekiel 7-12

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 26:10-13
Jesus: Why don’t you leave this woman alone? She has done a good thing. It is good that you are concerned about the poor, but the poor will always be with you—I will not be. In pouring this ointment on My body, she has prepared Me for My burial. I tell you this: the good news of the kingdom of God will be spread all over the world, and wherever the good news travels, people will tell the story of this woman and her good discipleship. And people will remember her.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

A woman, other writers identify as Mary Magdalene comes into the house where Jesus is eating. Breaks open a jar filled with alabaster, a very expensive perfume, and proceeds to pour it on Jesus’ feet and wiping them with her long hair. Some of the disciples are indignant and complain about the waste of this expensive gift and admonish her, telling her she should have sold it and given the proceeds to the poor.

Are you ever guilty of the disciples’ error? I have to admit, I have been. And I’m pretty sure if you thought about it a little bit, you’ve probably been guilty of the same error. Someone doing good for another person and we stick our nose in it and complain about it. We think they should be doing something else instead. Essentially, that’s what the disciples were saying. Hey, Jesus. Why are you letting her waste that perfume on your feet? She could be doing something else with the money that stuff costs.

So many times we want to second guess the good actions of other people. Did you every stop to think that maybe God prompted that person to do that act at that time for that person for a particular reason? Maybe that person needed some encouragement at just that time to keep them on track in their spiritual journey. Maybe the act performed was just the demonstration of God’s love that convinced the recipient that God is real and pointed them to His saving grace and merciful forgiveness.

We don’t know why God prompts His children to do particular things at particular times. But sometimes He does. And sometimes those acts may seem extravagant to some. But what causes us to think that way in the first place? I think it’s often that tenth commandment that gets in the way. He didn’t do that for me, so why should he do it for her? I didn’t get that extra helping of potatoes so why should He? The church recognized them for cleaning up the yard, I was there, too, why didn’t I get mentioned? Can you say covet?

We let our selfishness get in the way. Even the disciples’ comment harks back to selfishness. They wanted their plans carried out, not God’s. Why are you letting her pour perfume on you, instead of doing what we want here to do with it? If it’s up to us, we would sell it and take care of other people. Our plan is to use the proceeds for other purposes. We want to do what we want to do. Isn’t that essentially what they’re saying here? It sure sounds like it to me.

That’s the problem we have when we begin to criticize the good actions of others. When we try to categorize and assume something better or something different or something else that fits our plans should be done instead of the good work an individual is prompted to carry out for God with their personal property, we get ourselves in trouble. It’s that tenth commandment thing rearing its ugly head. We need to be on our guard as soon as it pops out of its hole.

If it’s the church’s money or an organization’s money, the answer might be different. Then the property belongs to God and is managed by a council or pastor on behalf of the congregation that it serves. In that case, there are boundaries within which to operate because the funds are not one person’s. The property is not one person’s. The decisions are not solely one person’s. So when one person does something outside the guidelines and boundaries the congregation prayerfully sets in place through the leadership of the church, there may be reason to criticize one person’s waste of the congregation’s resources.

But personal resources, when God says to do something, it’s always best to listen and do it. As with Mary’s case, there was a purpose. She prepared Jesus for burial because the women would not have time on the day He died. She probably didn’t even think about what she was doing when she went to see Jesus and anoint Him with her perfume. But as Jesus said, “wherever the good news travels, people will tell the story of this woman and her good discipleship. And people will remember her.”

Will the same be said about you for the good you do to others or because of the criticism you have for the good deeds others have done? How about that tenth commandment? 

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.

Love, do you pass the test? (Matthew 22:37-40) May 23, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Exodus 29-32

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus (quoting Scripture): “Love the Eternal One your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is nearly as important, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The rest of the law, and all the teachings of the prophets, are but variations on these themes.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

There must be a bazillion songs about love. And no wonder. Love is a wonderful thing. The problem with most of those songs, though, the world has so corrupted even the word that we don’t know what love really means any more. Most of the songs deal with satisfying some selfish desire for carnal pleasures. But that’s not what Jesus was talking about when He talked about loving God and loving others.

We’ve fallen into the world’s trap that somehow love is for us instead of for someone else. We think love is supposed to make us feel better or gain some place in the life of someone else. We talk about sharing our love with someone, but look at that phrase. Jesus never talked about sharing our love. He just said to love. Sharing implies keeping some for ourselves. Divvying up the pie, so to speak. But Jesus doesn’t see love that way. Jesus says give it all away. He wants us to follow His example.

So what did Jesus do? He emptied Himself. He loved like no one else. Jesus took on the sins of the entire world so that He could forgive us of those sins. He loved us enough to die for us. He left the throne room of heaven and wrapped Himself in the frail flesh of humanity, suffering the same things we suffer, enduring the same pains and heartaches and disappointments we endure so that when He stands before the Father, He can act as our perfect advocate.

He gave all of Himself for us. He loved us to the extreme. Not the mushy, gushy, lustful stuff the world calls love, but God’s kind of love that sacrifices all for the good of someone else, even if that someone is your enemy. That’s what Jesus did for us while we were still sinners, far from God. Working against Him. Doing things far outside His will.

Jesus says there are two commandments on which every other law rests. Love God and love your neighbor. It’s all about love, so we should understand what love is. The love of God is deeper, wider, higher, and longer than we can imagine. It began before the world came into being and will last long after it disappears from the scene. Love never fails. It’s always there and always comes through. It strengthen us in the darkest night. Love keeps us safe from the wiles of the enemy so we can stand before God at the end of time.

So if we follow Jesus example in loving others, it means we give of ourselves for their benefit, not ours. You still find that definition of love in the dictionary, but it has moved to the fourth place in Webster’s. Here’s how it reads: 4 a : unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1) : the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2) : brotherly concern for others b : a person’s adoration of God. See we keep pushing it further and further down the line of definitions because we want what suits us, not what suits God.

The first definition listed in the dictionary today? Selfish desire; self-satisfaction. Listen to it: 1
a (1) : strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties maternal love for a child (2) : attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3) : affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests love for his old schoolmates b : an assurance of affection give her my love. All of these look at satisfying something inside us. They point toward our affection, our desire, our feelings.

God’s kind of love reaches out despite the wrongs that might be done against us. God’s love does good whether or not there is affection or attraction or kinship or ties. God’s love reaches out to perform acts of kindness to show mercy and grace to those who do not deserve it just because people are part of God’s creation. If God made them, they are good and so we love them because we love Him.

Love becomes an action verb that says we participate in making life better for those around us because we can. Not because we have to or even because we want to, but we do good for others because we can. That is love. Doing good expecting nothing in return. Wanting nothing except to pour out our lives as an offering to God in the form of service He asks us to do for those who do not deserve it because He poured out His life for us when we didn’t deserve it either.

That’s real love. Do you pass the test? 

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.

Give it up! (Matthew 19:18-21) May 3, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Samuel 5-9

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 19:18-21
Jesus: Well, to begin with, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.
Young Man: I’ve kept those Commandments faithfully. What else do I need to do?
Jesus: If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give all your money to the poor; then you will have treasure in heaven. And then come, follow Me.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Isn’t it just like us? The young man, I mean. Jesus explains in pretty simple terms what he needs to do to be assured of eternal life. He explains all he needs to do is obey God’s commands. So what does the young man do? He retorts with, “Well, which commands in particular? I really don’t have to keep them all, do I? Just tell me the most important one so I can concentrate on those. Give me the cliff notes so I don’t have to study so hard and let me just keep the one or two commands that are most important to God, okay?”

We do that in school. Hey teacher, just give us the answers to the test. Let us study those so we don’t have to learn all those principles and facts. Don’t make us waste our time learning all that stuff, just give us the answers so we can get the grade we need to pass. Or how about at work. Hey boss, what if we take some shortcuts on this project. No one will know. It’s all covered up by the time we’re done. No one will know we skipped some steps or used inferior parts. It will save us time and save you some money. What do you think? We want everything now. We want great success, but we don’t want to work for it.

We do the same thing in our relationships skipping in and out of marriages. Throwing away relationships like they have no affect on us or those around us. We want the short version so we don’t get locked into anything too deeply. We do it with our prayer life, our devotions, our Bible study.

Jesus doesn’t let the young man get away with that philosophy. The young man asks, “Which commandments in particular must I keep?” Jesus starts His answer knowing the conversation will continue. “Well, let’s start with the last six of the ten commandments and see how you do. Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself, that is do not covet.”

I can see the young man puff out his chest and stick out his chin as he gives his answer to Jesus. “I’ve kept all those commandments since my youth. What else do I need to do?” He knew deep in his heart there was something wrong. He hadn’t made the cut yet. He knew he didn’t have the keys to the gate yet. That’s an important point for us to see. We know if we are right with God. We don’t have to guess. We can examine our heart and know if we are bound for heaven or not.

On with our story. Jesus knew the young man’s problem wasn’t in lying or stealing or committing murder or not respecting his parents or adultery. He even knew the young man loved his neighbors. But the young man had a problem. Something got in his way in his relationship with God. Notice Jesus didn’t mention the first four commandments when He talked about keeping the commandments. He knew the young man’s answer would have been the same as it was for the last six, but Jesus knew the young man’s heart. So Jesus probed into his inner being and put His finger on the thing that had become the young man’s god.

Jesus said, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give all your money to the poor; then you will have treasure in heaven. And then come, follow Me.” Ouch! Things had become the young man’s god. Had Jesus asked if he obeyed the first four, no doubt, the young man would answer in the affirmative, just like we would. But when Jesus put His finger on the young man’s real god, the thing that mattered most to him, he saw what kept him from attaining eternal life.

The sad commentary that follows is copy for too many of our generation. Matthew says the young man went away sad because he was very wealthy indeed. You say, “But I’m not wealthy, money and things are not my god.” Then let me ask a couple of questions. Do you substitute sports for devotion to God. Do you substitute your lawn or upkeep on your house for devotion to God? Do you substitute your house for devotion to God? Are you kids extracurricular activities more important than your devotion to God?

What does your heart tell you when you ask yourself those questions? Only you and God know the answer. You can put on the airs of the young man who spoke to Jesus and everyone around you will think everything is in order and you’re on your way to heaven. But you know what God thinks. Is it time to find an altar and put all your possessions there? God accepts nothing less. But then, it’s His anyway, we’re just His temporary stewards.

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.

Only One is good (Matthew 19:17) May 2, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Exodus 17-20

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 19:17
Jesus: Strange that you should ask Me what is good. There is only One who is good. If you want to participate in His divine life, obey the Commandments.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We talk a lot today about tolerance. We tolerate different religions, we tolerate all forms of education, we tolerate every political view, we tolerate gender identities. We seem to tolerate just about anything that comes along. I think there’s something wrong with that when I read Jesus’ words in Matthew 19. Yes, we need to tolerate people and have compassion on them. But no where do I see Jesus tolerating behavior that runs contradictory to God’s commandments.

This young man found himself in a world similar to ours. At this point in Rome’s history, their citizens’ primary goal seemed focused on personal pleasure. They engaged in the most base practices to satisfy those desires. Crowds visited the Collosium to watch men slaughter each other. Crucifixions gathered crowds just to view the spectacle of horror and agony endured by other men. Sensuality and sexual exploitation even became part of the temple worship of their gods to legitimize the evil acts they sought to satisfy their sensual desires.

Nothing seemed beyond limits of what the Romans and by association, what the surrounding nations would do to appease their growing demand for something that would satisfy the fleshly desires that continued to demand greater and greater action for an equally sensual response. So the young man comes to Jesus and asks, “What good deed can I do to assure myself of eternal life?”

I’m especially fascinated by Jesus’ answer now. Our vocabulary turns everything around. Gay meant happy when I was growing up, not sexually attracted to the same gender. Bad meant the opposite of good, yet today people refer to something as bad meaning it’s high quality music. We have screwed up our language and our meanings so much that no one understands what anyone else is talking about. It’s no wonder we can’t communicate any more. We abuse the English language to an extent we don’t know what good and bad mean any more.

Jesus clears it up. There is only One who is good. Do what He says to do. He’s the judge. Obey His commandments. I don’t see much tolerance in Jesus’ words there. I don’t see Him saying, “Well, you can follow anyone that sounds like he’s succeeding in the world.” It doesn’t sound like Jesus advocates, “Just do what feels good.”

I don’t think Jesus meant to say, “Any religion works as long as you’re sincere in your belief.” Jesus’ words come out pretty straight forward and remarkably clear. God is good. Do what He says if you want assurance of eternal life. That’s the only way to get it. There’s not other path, nothing you can pay, no spells you can cast, nothing else you can do. Just obey what He tells you to do. Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it?

We make it difficult because we don’t like His commands. We don’t want to follow His rules. He says take control of your body. Stop satisfying those fleshly desires in evil ways. Instead listen to what He says and He will satisfy the desires of your soul, but in ways that meet His requirements and in ways that keep you pure and holy. God will get you through this life without yielding to the temptations that Satan sets in front of you. He will let you tap into the same resurrection power that raised His Son, Jesus, from the dead.

We make it difficult because we want to find some easier way to get to heaven. We think there’s some other judge out there that will give us a different set of rules that let us off the hook and let us do what we want instead of what God wants. There is not.

We make it difficult because we want our way. We think we are smarter than God and want the baubles the world flashes in front of us assuming them permanent decorations, when none of those things last. Most of them don’t even last through our lifetime, much less through eternity. We just don’t want to accept that God’s way is the only way to gain eternal life.

But until we realize the truth of Jesus’ words, “There is only One who is good. Listen to His words, obey His commands. Eternal life is the reward for those who do.” Until we recognize that truth, we will continue to traipse down dead-end paths wasting time and effort for nothing. There is no other way to God than through Jesus, the Son of the living God. As He told us so many centuries ago, He is the truth, the life, and the way. No one comes to the Father except through 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.