Tag Archives: commitment

No one said it would be easy, July 1, 2019

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

As I read the scriptures from yesterday’s lectionary readings, there are some disturbing verses. Words that you probably wouldn’t search out to win someone to the Christian community. But I think we sometimes fail to give the whole picture of what it means to follow God and in so doing lose a lot of people who would follow him if they understood that he doesn’t necessarily remove us from the difficulties of life, but rather he walks through them with us.

Let me give you a sample of what was in the readings yesterday.

From 1 Kings 19 as Elijah commissions his replacement, Elisha he utters these words in verse 20. ‘He [Elisha] left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” Then Elijah said to him, “Go back again; for what have I done to you?”’

Then in Luke 9 we find these words:

As they [Jesus and his disciples] were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”

Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

These are tough verses to hear if you are a new Christian. The disciples had been following Jesus for three years and heard him talking about his upcoming destiny in Jerusalem. I’m not sure they believed he would be crucified. I think they still hoped he would be the physical, political, and religious leader they wanted him to be. But they had heard his message and heard him proclaim that he would be hung on a tree just as Moses hung the snake on a pole in the wilderness, when the Israelites wandered in the desert those centuries earlier.

Jesus puts a damper on a lot of folks who made the claim they would follow him anywhere. He didn’t say they couldn’t follow him, but he questioned their ability and their commitment to do so. In effect, he told them, it isn’t just words. To follow him, it’s a life changing event. Everything else in life must become secondary to him. He will be first or he will not be at all. He will not be second place in life. Period. He won’t even be tied for first. Nothing can come close to his sovereignty in your life. Why? Because he is God, that’s why.

God deserves that position in our lives because he made us. We don’t like to think in terms of slavery and someone owning another person. It rubs against us because of some of the horrid conditions and the abuse that some owners imposed on slaves. And it’s true. Our history shows that some owners were unkind to slaves, treated them poorly, didn’t see them as human. But not all slave owners felt that way throughout history. In fact, as you read documents from ancient times, you find accounts where people indentured themselves as slaves. Did this happen often? I don’t know. But it did ensure survival for many that would not have survived otherwise.

Slavery has been a part of the world throughout its history and is still happening today. Is it wrong? I don’t think one person should own another, but I know that many of those owners saw their slaves as assets like they we would see many of our assets in business. They took care of them if for no other reason for the economic value the assets brought to their business and their home. Greece would not have become the intellectual and philosophical giant it became without the slave labor it had. Rome would not have created the network of trade and commerce had slavery not been used to make it happen. The United States would not have fed itself in its infancy had slaves not been around to work in the fields.

The face of our world would be very different had slavery never happened. Am I a proponent of slavery? Absolutely not. I only make this point about history to note that I don’t think we in our particular point in history we fully understand the ramifications of what slavery has done or not done to the history of mankind for good or bad. People of every race have been enslaved at some point in history. And I point out the magnitude of slavery throughout man’s history because of its use as an example the New Testament writers choose for our relationship with God. We are slaves either to him or to Satan. Those are our two choices. But we are slaves nonetheless.

The penalties for runaways have always been harsh. There has never been real freedom for slaves. But as we think about the two masters, God and Satan, which would you choose to serve? Satan says you are free and in control of your life, but as we mentioned last week, you are not. We can control so little. We have an illusion of freedom, but we are not free. The chains of sin that bring guilt and pain and separation from God bind us in ways we try to push aside with self-help, drugs, short-term pleasure, and all kinds of gratification that never works.

When we are slaves to God, though, we are freed from the guilt that comes from our disobedience, our sin. We are forgiven and made a part of his family. We are treated as sons and daughters of the King of kings. We begin to experience the right to live abundantly. Not necessarily with material things, but with the assurance that we will see God face to face one day and that he will never leave us while we journey through this life. As his slaves, we know he cares for us. We know he has our best in mind in all that happens around us. We may suffer, but it is not because of him. It is because of the sin scarred world that continues to plunge toward its ultimate destruction and rebirth as the new heaven and new earth Jesus describes.

Life was as hard for Elisha as it was for Elijah. He lived much of his life in the wilderness on the run from those who tried to destroy him because of his messages from God against the wickedness that prevailed among the leaders of the nations. Elisha never enjoyed a fancy place to live, fashionable clothes, or popularity with the in-crowd. But Elisha listened to and followed God’s commands.

When we follow Jesus, life will not necessarily be easy. In fact, Jesus promised his disciples, and that includes us, that the world would hate us because of him. Satan lured Adam and Eve to disobey God and he has been doing the same to every person ever born ever since that day. He does not want us to follow God. He does not want us to give ourselves to God’s sovereignty. Satan abandoned God and wants us to do the same. But the price is eternal separation from the only one who really cares about us. The one who made us is the one we need to listen to and follow.

No one, even God, never promised life would be fair or easy or fun or pain free or full of only happy times. In fact, the closer we get to the end of time, the worse the conditions will be for those who give their allegiance to him. The world seems to be getting pretty close to the time of delivery as Jesus describes these birth pangs of earthquakes, famine, floods, wars, and things that seem to tear us apart. Just look around and note the intensity and velocity of things happening around us compared to just a few years ago. I don’t think it’s climate change. I think God is counting down the days until this old earth gives birth to a new one. Read Matthew 24 and 25 and then compare today’s news to Jesus’ description of the end times.

It won’t be long. Get ready.

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.

It takes time and effort to be a follower of Christ (Colossians 1-2), July 10, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
It takes time and effort to perfect a skill. Should we expect anything different with our Christian walk? Then why do so many Christians think they can just get by with wearing His name?
Scripture – Bible Reading Plan – http://www.Bible-Reading.com (week 28)
1. Colossians 1:10; 22-23;2:6-8
2. May their lives be a credit to You, Lord; and what’s more, may they continue to delight You by doing every good work and growing in the true knowledge that comes from being close to You.
3. …but now He has reconciled you in His body—in His flesh through His death—so that He can present you to God holy, blameless, and totally free of imperfection 23 as long as you stay planted in the faith. So don’t venture away from what you have heard and taken to heart: the living hope of the good news that has been announced to all creation under heaven and has captured me, Paul, as its servant.
4. Now that you have welcomed the Anointed One, Jesus the Lord, into your lives, continue to journey with Him and allow Him to shape your lives. 7 Let your roots grow down deeply in Him, and let Him build you up on a firm foundation. Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught, and always spill over with thankfulness. 8 Make sure no predator makes you his prey through some misleading philosophy and empty deception based on traditions fabricated by mere mortals. These are sourced in the elementary principles originating in this world and not in the Anointed One (so don’t let their talks capture you).
Devotional
1. When I was a kid, pre-teen, as a matter of fact, I took piano lessons. It was the thing to do for a lot of kids and it was a good way to learn music and, quite frankly, music teaches kids to strive toward perfection. You see, it’s pretty easy to know when you aren’t playing something correctly when you hit a wrong note. Our ears are tuned to hear things in certain harmonies and when notes are played out of harmony with everyone else, we know it. We hear those off color notes in a piece of music or a band or an orchestra and no one has to tell us.
2. Well, I took lessons for two or three years and learned to play all those songs in those first half dozen or so beginner books, but that’s about as far as it goes. Needless to say, I didn’t learn to play well. I could read all the notes. I knew what all the marks on the score meant. I understood what the timing was supposed to be when played well, but my fingers never did what the composer intended when those black and white shapes were placed on those lines years earlier.
3. On the other hand, I have a cousin who studied piano for many years and became a very accomplished pianist. He majored in keyboard in school and could play just about anything you put in front of him. He could play any type of music and accompany other musicians as they performed instrumentally or vocally. He was very good. But you know what? He started out the same way I did. Those first two or three years were brutal for his parents. Lots of practice with missed notes, obvious disharmony in the notes he played, mistakes galore. It’s the way things work.
4. We cannot expect to be accomplished musicians without years of focused practice on the instrument we want to perfect. We cannot expect to just piddle around a few times with a piano or guitar or trumpet and expect to play like those we hear in some orchestra like the Philadelphia Harmonic Orchestra. No, we would be foolish to think we could do such a thing.
5. I’m not a golfer, but I know from those who play the game, that the same is true of that sport or any other. Granted, some people are certainly more athletic than others. Some have an aptitude for certain sports and are fitted to such things much more so than others, but still they require practice. For instance, we would not expect a person four feet two inches tall to make it into the National Basketball League no matter how well he might shoot from the foul line. He just couldn’t compete against the seven footers on the court. But neither can all seven-footers play basketball. Frankly, most of the very tall people I know are a just a little uncoordinated because they’ve had to deal with their size in a world not made to fit them.
6. So golf, baseball, basketball, pick a sport, pick a vocation, pick a hobby. To be good at it, takes time and effort and practice.
7. I think the verses today tell us that about being followers of Christ. Listen to what Paul tells us in his letter to the church in Colossi:
8. 1. May their lives be a credit to You, Lord; and what’s more, may they continue to delight You by doing every good work and growing in the true knowledge that comes from being close to You.
  2. …but now He has reconciled you in His body—in His flesh through His death—so that He can present you to God holy, blameless, and totally free of imperfection 23 as long as you stay planted in the faith. So don’t venture away from what you have heard and taken to heart: the living hope of the good news that has been announced to all creation under heaven and has captured me, Paul, as its servant.
  3. Now that you have welcomed the Anointed One, Jesus the Lord, into your lives, continue to journey with Him and allow Him to shape your lives. 7 Let your roots grow down deeply in Him, and let Him build you up on a firm foundation. Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught, and always spill over with thankfulness. 8 Make sure no predator makes you his prey through some misleading philosophy and empty deception based on traditions fabricated by mere mortals. These are sourced in the elementary principles originating in this world and not in the Anointed One (so don’t let their talks capture you).
9. Paul prays about doing every good work and growing in the knowledge that comes from being close to God. That takes time and effort and commitment. He says Jesus reconciled us to present us blameless … as long as we stay planted in the faith. In this present world with it pull on us every day toward the evil one, it means we need to stay in the fight, keep up our guard, draw closer to Him. Commit ourselves to Him continuously and consistently. We must work at growing in Him. Paul says in Chapter two, to Let our roots grow down deeply i Him and let Him build us up on a firm foundation. If you’ve ever tried growing something, you know it takes work to till the soil, the plants fertilized, watered and weeded, so that you get the harvest you expect. It takes work to make roots grow deeply.
10. And what about making sure no predator makes you his prey? Have you ever watched a prey try to escape its predator? A rabbit fleeing a fox? Or a mouse trying to outrun a hawk? Talk about work! This thing about following Christ means we must work hard at the task. We can’t expect to ask Him to forgive us and then expect everything to be over. To follow Him means we must work at doing so. We must grow in Him and that means picking up a hoe or a pick and shovel and getting through the tough ground so the right seeds can be sown in our life and a harvest reaped in our own soul.
11. So as a Christian, don’t listen to those who might tell you everything will be peaches and cream when you become a follower of Jesus. It won’t. Following Jesus means work. It means commitment. It means suffering with Him. It means taking up our cross. It means giving our all because He gave His all. But is it worth it? Just ask the many who have followed Him and you will discover the joy in their lives that can never be shaken because He lives within them. Don’t expect an easy life, but expect one filled with excitement, joy, and His presence.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

How much do you want to know Jesus? (Philippians 3:7-11), July 2, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
How much do you want to know Jesus? Enough to give up everything to find Him?
Scripture
1. Philippians 3:7-11
2. But whatever I used to count as my greatest accomplishments, I’ve written them off as a loss because of the Anointed One. And more so, I now realize that all I gained and thought was important was nothing but yesterday’s garbage compared to knowing the Anointed Jesus my Lord. For Him I have thrown everything aside—it’s nothing but a pile of waste—so that I may gain Him. When it counts, I want to be found belonging to Him, not clinging to my own righteousness based on law, but actively relying on the faithfulness of the Anointed One. This is true righteousness, supplied by God, acquired by faith. I want to know Him inside and out. I want to experience the power of His resurrection and join in His suffering, shaped by His death, so that I may arrive safely at the resurrection from the dead.
Devotional
1. Some people want to be anonymous, but I’m not sure there are few who want absolutely nothing left behind. We all would like to have someone remember at least something we have done. We don’t want to go off into obscurity never leaving any mark at all on the world.
2. Paul recognizes the best mark we can leave, though.
  1. Whatever we accomplish write off as a loss.
  2. All gain and all accomplishments are like garbage compared to knowing Jesus
  3. Throw everything aside to know Him
  4. How much do you want to know Him?
  5. Is He worth everything to you?
  6. Are you willing to give up everything for Him?
3. It’s when we want to know Jesus the way Paul wanted to know Him that we can experience Him the way Paul experienced Him.
  1. Inside and out
  2. Transformed in our thinking
  3. Experiencing daily the resurrection power of that first Easter morning
4. Problem with most of us
  1. We hold to tightly to the things in this present age
  2. World blinds us to what is important
  3. That accomplishment we want others to remember
  4. The money or material possessions we accumulate
  5. The fame we get so our name is put into some history book
  6. We want to become a legend rather than letting God use us as His instrument to do whatever He wants
5. Get to know Him inside and out seeing everything else as garbage in comparison
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Bible Reading Plan – Philippians 3-4

Are you part of an accountability group? (John 8:19), February 20, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Are you part of an accountability group? Do you have anyone that really knows you and challenges you in your daily journey? How do you find someone like that in your life? One group of men I heard did just that.
Scripture
1. John 8:19
2. Jesus: You don’t know the Father or Me. If you knew Me, then you would also know the Father.
Devotional
1. A few days ago I was listening to a vignette about a men’s group that decided they wanted to become accountable to each other. The short video didn’t explain how the men met or tell much about any common interests that brought them together.
  1. Might have been a Sunday School Class
  2. Might have been a Men’s Bible Study
  3. Might have been neighbors at the time
  4. Might have been co-workers, but probably not
  5. Came several areas of business, some entrepreneurs, some blue collar
  6. Made a commitment to met for support and accountability to each other for the next 20 years
2. During those twenty years…
  1. One plead guilty to felony charges and spent time in prison
  2. Two lost a child
  3. One when through rehab for drug and alcohol addiction
  4. Three went through divorce
  5. All had major crises in life
  6. All supported each other and helped them through those crises
3. Seventeen years later
  1. They know each other
  2. No secrets
  3. Nothing off limits in their accountability circle
  4. Grow in their spiritual journey together
  5. Challenge each other in all areas of life
  6. Still committed to life of integrity
4. Jesus said we don’t know Him or the Father
  1. Maybe it was because they didn’t spend any time with Him
  2. Maybe they thought a superficial relationship would do
  3. How are you, what’s happening, good to see you, kind of relationship
  4. He wants us to commit like these ten men committed to each other
  5. Spend time with Him, get to know Him and make nothing off limits in discussion with Him. He knows anyway.
5. When we spend time with Him we will get to know Him and when we know Him we will know the Father because they are One. How? I don’t need to understand it, I just need to believe it.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

Clearer than trees (Mark 8:23-26) August 7, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Thessalonians

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 8:23-26
Jesus: What do you see?
Blind Man (opening his eyes): I see people, but they look like trees—walking trees.
Jesus touched his eyes again; and when the man looked up, he could see everything clearly.
Jesus sent him away to his house.
Jesus (to the healed man): Don’t go into town yet. [And don’t tell anybody in town what happened here.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Have you ever thought about why Jesus had to touch this man twice? What was it about this encounter that required Him to work in the man’s life two times instead of just once? In almost every other occasion we see Jesus speaking to someone or touching someone or doing something and the word says immediately the person is healed. So what is it about this encounter that is different? Why the second touch before this man could see clearly?

Was Jesus off His game that day? I don’t think so. Was this man worse than others Jesus’ had seen? Probably not. Did the man have some strange disease Jesus didn’t know about and that’s why it took a double dose of His cure? I doubt it. Jesus is God incarnate. He can do all things. This was just another simple case of healing. So why the difference?

Let me give you my thought that will run contrary to what some of you might think, but here it is anyway. You can choose to agree or disagree as you see fit, but I think there are also a lot of people who will agree with me. So here it is.

I think Jesus uses this event to teach us what Paul will later tell us about salvation and sanctification. Some say they are the same thing. I do not. I believe they are two separate, distinct actions that take place in the life of the repentant follower of Jesus. Can they happen simultaneously? They can, but I think, as illustrated by Jesus’ encounter with this blind man, they don’t have to, and the more we seem to progress in this world the farther apart these to events seem to happen in people’s lives. I’ll explain why later.

The two events, salvation and sanctification, are separate and distinct. Salvation is forgiveness of our sins. We are made right with God. He forgives the past. He pays the penalty we should pay and covers the debt we owe with His own blood. He redeems our life with His own. We belong to Him because He has purchased us with the price of His blood on the cross. Forgiveness for the past, that’s salvation, a distinct immediate action that happens when we in true repentance ask Jesus to forgive. He does and we are saved from death, eternal damnation, eternal separation from God.

Sanctification is also a separate and distinct event in the life of the follower of Christ. Can it happen at the same moment of salvation? Yes. Does it always? No. Does it often? I’m not so sure it does and here’s why, particularly in our world today. Sanctification means the setting apart of something for a sacred purpose. To make holy. That means we commit ourselves completely, totally to God. Everything we have, everything we are, everything we gain is His. Nothing held back. He hold 100% stock in us. He is the CEO and president of the company called me. He is the chairman and the board of directors of the company. I can vote, but my vote doesn’t count. He’s in charge. Period. I’m set apart, set aside, given up to Him.

And here’s why I think that setting apart seldom happens when we are forgiven of our sins at the time of our salvation. At age six, I knew what sin was. I knew I needed to ask forgiveness from God if I did bad things. And I would go the altar and ask for His forgiveness. I know He forgave me for those sins. Was that salvation? Yes. Was that sanctification? No. As a six-year old, I had no concept of what it meant to give my life completely, wholly to God. Was God still guiding me and helping me? Sure. When I asked Him to forgive my sins at 8 or 10 or 12 did that mean I was confused about salvation or sanctification? No, but I still didn’t understand what total commitment of life meant.

At eighteen, I got tired of the roller coaster life Paul describes in Romans 7, I do what I don’t want to do and what I want to do I don’t do. What a miserable life. Who can rescue me from this up and down, in and out battle? Thank God, there is one who can, Jesus, who gives us His Spirit to live in us and help us live by the Spirit instead of living by the flesh! I committed myself to Him fully, completely, totally at an altar on a rainy Sunday night in March of 1973. That was sanctification. God had given all of Himself to me, but that night I gave all of myself to Him. I am set apart for Him. His instrument. His tool to use any way He wants. That’s sanctification.

Can it happen at the same time? It can. But more often, I think we must come to an understanding of what it means to commit ourselves completely to Him. Like the blind man in this encounter with Jesus, when our sins are forgiven, we see His kingdom and His truth around us more clearly, but when we give ourselves completely to Him, His word opens up in ways that make His will and His love crystal clear. Instead of seeing people like trees, we see every detail. Commit to Him, you won’t be sorry.

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 beautiful pearl (Matthew 13:45-46) March 30, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 36-38

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 13:45-46
Jesus: Or the kingdom of heaven is like a jeweler on the lookout for the finest pearls. When he found a pearl more beautiful and valuable than any jewel he had ever seen, the jeweler sold all he had and bought that pearl, his pearl of great price.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We might associate a little better with Jesus’ parable under consideration today. Some that we’ve talked about the last few days are a little distant from our common understanding, but today we talk about jewels. We see jewelry everyday, so maybe we can understand this one better. Although we don’t see real pearls often, mostly costume or artificially cultured pearls, we still equate precious stones and jewelry with wealth and precious treasure a little more than some of Jesus’ previous examples of what heaven might be like.

Pearls were not so common in Jesus’ day. They didn’t culture them the way we do today. They didn’t have diving equipment like we have. Anyone who found pearls found them by accident and they were rare. Then to get enough of them to make a bracelet or necklace and large enough to drill holes in them without power tools, well, you can imagine the price. But since we are probably more familiar with gold, let’s use that instead of pearls since I think it carries the same message Jesus would convey today.

We’ve seen the cost of gold sky rocket over the years. When I was a kid, the price of gold was pretty stable at just over $35.00 an ounce. As I prepare this podcast, gold is $1217.23 an ounce. We sometimes talk about our weight in gold. As a kid of six or seven, I would have been worth about $1,500 in gold. Today, I’d be worth almost $3.5 million. Quite a difference in both weight and worth through the years, I guess. In any event, gold has increased in value almost 3500%. What does that really mean? It means if you had $100 worth of gold 50 years ago, it would be worth $350,000 today. Not a bad return on your money.

So here again, we have a wise jeweler looking for something of great value. Precious stones pass through his hands every day. He knew when he was looking at something of value. So when this one jewel came into his possession, he knew he had to have it. Like the man who sold everything to buy the field with the treasure in it, the jeweler, knew he must do anything to get that pearl. He sold everything he had to buy that pearl.

So I was thinking about Jesus’ heaven is like a pearl, and thought about a few things in comparison to valuable jewels. Heaven is rare. We think in terms of a few begin rare. We look for those few rare coins as a coin collector. Or those few rare painting by some great artist. Or those few rare moments that stir our hearts and bring warm memories. We can name a lot of rare things if we think about it. But talk about rare. There is only only God and He has one home, heaven. There is only one heaven. If there is only one of something, that by definition makes it rare.

Heaven is valuable. It is worth giving up everything. The writers of the books of New Testament tell us that over and over as they share the message of God’s good news. Jesus tells us to take up our cross and follow Him. Paul says we must die to self so we may live in Christ. The early church members gave all they had to the church to share with those in need because of the persecution the church felt. Everything is His anyway, we just need to acknowledge that He owns it and give Him control of it in our lives.

The jeweler was on the lookout for that valuable jewel. He wasn’t just sitting around. He spied out the things that passed through his hands and was looking for something worth his time and effort. He knew there was one special jewel out there that was worth everything and when he saw it, he wanted it. Heaven it like that. If we look for the very best there is to find, we will find Jesus. We will find heaven.

If we never look, though, we’ll never find heaven. If we keep our eyes closed to the truth, heaven will pass us by. If we refuse to do what is necessary to obtain it, it will be beyond our reach. Heaven is worth it. It is beautiful, valuable, rare, and precious. The parable of the pearl helps to teach us just how rich and wonderful it is. But like the jeweler looking for the pearl, we must look for heaven and then commit everything we have and everything we are to finding it. God accepts nothing less. After all, He gave His life for us.

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

Are you ready to follow Him? (Matthew 9:9) February 15, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Genesis 24-27

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 9:9
Later Jesus was walking along and He saw a man named Matthew sitting in the tax collector’s office.
Jesus (to Matthew): Follow Me.
Matthew got up and followed Him.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Two simple words, but do we really pay attention to them? Follow Me. That’s all He asks of us, but they are hard words. We have failed to really understand what they mean today in our feel good religions and self-indulgent society. We want to follow Him as long as it benefits our pocket book. We want to follow Him as long as it pleases us. We want to follow Him as long as it doesn’t cost us to much or inconvenience us or mess with our plans.

But if you’ll notice, there are no qualifiers in Jesus’ command. He just says, “Follow Me.” Wherever He goes, He expects us to follow in His footsteps. He expects our shoes to step into the footprints of His. He says follow Him.

His path took Him into the street to meet the needs of the outcasts. His steps took Him to the hillsides to tell others about the love of God and His kingdom. His footprints are seen in the temple worshiping the living God and confounding the priests with His knowledge of the scriptures because He studied them often. His steps took Him to quiet places to pray both alone and with His disciples.

Jesus says, “Follow Me.” His footsteps placed Him in front of the highest authorities in the land and the most poverty stricken in the land. He met the richest and the poorest. He talked with the diseased ridden and the physicians who took care of them. He saw the tax collectors and those who paid those taxes. He didn’t care who you were, Jesus went where there were needs.

Do we follow Him today? I wonder if we are willing to make the sacrifice. I wonder if we are willing to give our all and really follow in His footsteps. I wonder if we will drop everything and do what He tells us to do if it really means going to the cross, giving up our luxuries, losing our position, enduring the ridicule. Will we really follow Him?

I think we like to read the stories of Jesus going through the countryside and calling Peter, James and John. Snatching Matthew from his tax collecting job and taking him along as a disciple. I think we like to read about the disciples and the excitement of walking with Jesus, but I don’t think we realize what those disciples went through. Too often, I don’t think we make the commitment they made. Remember, all but John died a martyr’s death and their death’s were not fast and painless. Peter was crucified. Some were sawn in two. Others were burned at the stake. Some were stoned. Death was slow and painful. But they endured it for Christ’s name. Are you ready to follow Him?

Really following Him also means living for Him, though. It means dying to self so He can live in you. It means stepping in His footsteps. It means walking the path He takes you, not the path you want to go. It means dying to your desires, dreams, aspirations and living Christ’s dreams for you. Will they be the same? Sometimes. Sometimes not. But when we die to ourselves, and truly live for Christ, those selfish desires and dreams won’t matter anymore. They become so much garbage as Paul describes them.

Are you ready to follow Him? It will cost you everything. But nothing is yours anyway. Paul describes your plight in Romans so well. Either you are part of Adam’s body and a slave to sin, or you are part of Christ’s body and a slave to righteousness. One leads to death and one leads to life. One body has Adam as its head leading us into sin whose wages are death, one body has Christ as its head leading us to His gift of grace and eternal life.

You can only belong to one body, though. And you choose which one. You can follow Christ, or you can stay in Adam’s race. You can choose to die to self, admit your broken state, and ask forgiveness from the One who can bring salvation, then follow Him. Or you can choose to remain trapped in sin, lead by the lies of Satan and this world, and continue in the state you are in. You choose. But Jesus calls, “Follow Me.”

Jesus offers His free give of grace. He provides salvation. He redeems us. He purchases our freedom from the body of sin in which we are born and gives us the opportunity for adoption into His body, free from the slavery of sin. In Adam, we are free from grace. In Christ we are free from sin. The two bodies are incompatible. From which do you want to be free, sin or grace, Adam or Christ? But to follow Christ means to really follow Him. It doesn’t mean playing church. It doesn’t mean saying the right words. It means obedience to His word. It means saying “yes” to His every command. Always.

Are you ready to follow Him? Just like Matthew, He gives you the invitation. It begins with the first step. Take 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.

Commitment, what happened to it? (Matthew 6:24) January 25, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Genesis 12-15

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 6:24
Jesus: No one can serve two masters. If you try, you will wind up loving the first master and hating the second, or vice versa. People try to serve both God and money—but you can’t. You must choose one or the other.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Commitment:1. the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc. 2. an engagement or obligation that restricts freedom of action. Commitment, a word that disappeared from our vocabulary somewhere along the line except when it comes to commitment to ourselves. We want what we want and that’s it. But seldom will we use the word to dedicate or obligate ourselves to anything else. But that’s exactly what God demands of us.

People flit from one job to another, from one relationship to another, from one spouse to another, and think nothing of it. Loyalty and commitment are just meaningless words in our society, today. But God doesn’t work that way. He gave us His all and that’s the only thing He accepts in return. When we come to Him, it’s all or nothing. He knows we cannot serve two masters, just as Jesus articulated to the crowd on the hillside that day in Galilee.

No one can ride the fence in spiritual matters. God is either on the throne of your life or He is not. I either let Him have control of my decisions and actions or I don’t. It’s that simple. If I let Christ have control of my decisions and I consistently, say “yes” to His commands and demands on my time, talents, and treasures, He is Lord of my life and I others can call me a Christian, His follower. If I don’t say “yes” to His commands, if I say “no” to Him, He is not Lord. I might call myself a Christian, but I am not. It’s just a meaningless title.

It’s like calling myself a neurosurgeon. I used to recruit them for a time when I was in the Army. I know what they do. I know what it takes to become one. I know how long they go to school and the courses they take. I know the training they endure and the surgeries they must perform to certify as a neurosugeon. I know even know which residency programs are highly rated by the medical community and which the rest of the neurosurgeons look down on. But just because I know that much about neurosurgery doesn’t mean you want me to open your skull and take out a brain tumor.

There are a lot of people in the world today, I would even dare to say in your church, that call themselves Christian, that are as much Christian as I am a neurosurgeon. Like my illustration, they know a lot about what it means to hold the title. They know what being a Christian is about. They know it’s about believing in Jesus as the Son of God, that He was born of a virgin, He lived, and died for our sins. He rose from the grave and intercedes for us. They know He will return to take us to live with Him. They know there will be a final judgment at which Christ will separate the wicked from the redeemed and the redeemed will live with Him throughout eternity.

But just because they know all those things and believe all those things are true, Satan knows all those things are true as well. Jesus tells us even the demons believe in Him. That’s not enough to be called a Christian. To carry the authenticity of the title means to say “yes” to His commands. Always. Not letting “no” enter your vocabulary in response to His will. Carrying the name Christian means commitment, real commitment, putting that word back into your vacabulary and living it each day with Jesus as the center of your life. God as your master, Lord, director, leader, guide, your everything! Commitment, bring the word back to life in 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.

Jesus really did talk about divorce (Matthew 5:31-32) January 14, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Job 3-4

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 5:31-32
Jesus: And here is something else: you have read in Deuteronomy that anyone who divorces his wife must do so fairly—he must give her the requisite certificate of divorce and send her on her way, free and unfettered. But I tell you this: unless your wife cheats on you, you must not divorce her, period. Nor are you to marry someone who has been married and divorces, for a divorced person who remarries commits adultery.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

These are tough words for our society where the divorce rate soars around 50 percent. In fact, last year the divorce rate in our churches exceeded that of the unchurched. Partly because the unchurch decide not to marry and just live together, but what an indictment against the church. How do we let that happen in light of Jesus’ words? Did we forget what He said?

We have made divorce so easy and told ourselves that divorce is okay so we just throw relationships out the window when we get tired of them. God never intended them to be that way. He let us know that when He was here with us.

You might say, “We have progressed beyond those archaic rules. No one should have to stay in a relationship in which you are not happy.” I would tell you that God is a lot smarter than we are. Jesus said those words to a crowd in which marriages were arranged. Your parents told you who you would marry and you didn’t have much choice in the matter. Still the Lord of life says, don’t divorce.

The reason is relationships take work and are built by unselfishly giving to your spouse. Marriage isn’t about compromise. Spouses that go into a marriage with a 50/50 attitude never make it. Marriage is about being all in. It starts with an oath before God that you will love, honor, cherish, support, protect, do all those things …and most of the vows include that little phrase until death do us part.

So how does divorce get into the picture? Someone does something you don’t like and we jump out? Someone hurts our feelings so we quit? Someone doesn’t give us the sprinkles on our ice cream so we pout and cry and decide we’re done? It all goes back to one or both partners wanting more for themselves than for the other partner instead of giving themselves to the relationship.

Jesus saw through divorce for what it was. Selfishness in the relationship that God can fix and only He can fix. You think it will get better in another relationship? Not until you fix the selfishness you took with you into the first one. Why do you think 75 percent of second marriages end in divorce? Why do 90 percent of third marriages end in divorce? The reason is usually staring at you in the mirror. The reason is the self-centeredness that plagues the relationship on one or both parts.

Am I condoning staying in an abusive relationship? Absolutely not! But here’s the problem. A person that chooses an abusive spouse the first time very often chooses an abusive partner the second or third or fourth time. Stay in the relationship? No. Free yourself from the abuse and get help. But stay single. Don’t look for more trouble. Let God be your partner and don’t put yourself back into those abusive situations. You’ve already shown yourself you don’t choose well. Don’t exacerbate the problem.

Does that advice make me a terrible person? I don’t think so. It makes me a practical person having watched so many children suffer pain and agony of broken homes, abusive second and third step-parents. Children especially get lost in the relationships and the parents’ selfish desires to just be with anyone. Don’t do it. At least get the kids grown and out of the house before you think about finding that next mate. You’ll thank me for the advice some day.

But let’s go back to Jesus’ words. If you’re divorced, God forgives. He doesn’t like it. He wants relationships to thrive, but He forgives the past. If you’re married, work as hard as you can to keep your relationship growing. It takes both of you, but it’s worth the work. If you’re in a relationship, dating, thinking about marriage, pray hard. Make the right choice. Remember God expects you to marry for life, not for convenience.

These might be words we want to skip over and pretend Jesus didn’t say them, but He did. We have to contend with them even in our society in which divorce is rampant. Marriage is only a convenience for many. Vows mean little or nothing for too many that stand before an altar. Remember marriage was an institution created by God and He set the rules. When we abide by them, marriage works well. When we don’t, expect to suffer the consequences that come with 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.

The problem with humanity is selfishness (James 4:1-10) December 15, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – James 4:1-10

Set – James 4-5

Go! – James 1-5

James 4:1-10
¹ Where do you think your fighting and endless conflict come from? Don’t you think that they originate in the constant pursuit of gratification that rages inside each of you like an uncontrolled militia? ² You crave something that you do not possess, so you murder to get it. You desire the things you cannot earn, so you sue others and fight for what you want. You do not have because you have chosen not to ask. ³ And when you do ask, you still do not get what you want because your motives are all wrong—because you continually focus on self-indulgence. ⁴ You are adulterers. Don’t you know that making friends with this corrupt world order is open aggression toward God? So anyone who aligns with this bogus world system is declaring war against the one true God. ⁵ Do you think it is empty rhetoric when the Scriptures say, “The spirit that lives in us is addicted to envy and jealousy”? ⁶ You may think that the situation is hopeless, but God gives us more grace when we turn away from our own interests. That’s why Scripture says,
God opposes the proud,
but He pours out grace on the humble.
⁷ So submit yourselves to the one true God and fight against the devil and his schemes. If you do, he will run away in failure. ⁸ Come close to the one true God, and He will draw close to you. Wash your hands; you have dirtied them in sin. Cleanse your heart, because your mind is split down the middle, your love for God on one side and selfish pursuits on the other.
⁹ Now is the time to lament, to grieve, and to cry. Dissolve your laughter into sobbing, and exchange your joy for depression.¹⁰ Lay yourself bare, facedown to the ground, in humility before the Lord; and He will lift your head so you can stand tall.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

James hits the nail on the head. The problem with humanity is selfishness. You don’t get what you want and war erupts within you. Then often it explodes in your behavior. Sometimes it even goes global with national policies and global alliances. You are selfish by nature. That’s the problem with every individual, every group, every town, every nation. You want to gratify your wants and don’t care what it might cost others. Envy and jealousy are your hallmarks.

I can help you with it, though. When you turn away from your own interests and turn toward Me, I give you the grace you need to stay on the path of righteousness. The path of right living. Living with the good of others in mind. I give you the grace you need to live in community with your brothers and sisters. I give you the love you need so you express hope for those around you just as you express hope for yourself.

You can’t get rid of your selfishness on your own. But I can help you. I can make you over again so that you are no longer double-minded wanting My will but locked into your own. Submit to Me and fight against the devil and his schemes. I will make a way of escape for you. I will make a way for you to stand up in the face of his temptations. He will flee from you when he knows I am on your side. He knows he cannot defeat Me.

Failure to align with Me, though, means declaring war against Me. You can’t live on the fence. You are either fully for Me, or fully against Me. There is no middle ground with Me. It just doesn’t work. You see, I am a jealous God. Yes, I want My way. But My way is good. It is the best thing for you. I know it is because I am God. I created you and all there is. I will judge you at the end of time. There will be no jury of your peers, because they have also sinned. Only I am holy. So I alone will judge you.

Doesn’t it make sense if I am judge and jury to please Me? Doesn’t it make sense if I’m the one who will determine your eternal rewards and punishments to read My word and abide by its precepts? Does it make sense to declare war against Me when you understand the consequences of doing so? Then why wait to join My team? Give yourself to Me whole-heartedly today. You won’t be sorry you did!

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