Tag Archives: covenant

The King Has Come, March 29, 2021

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

Palm Sunday has slipped behind us. Passion week stands before us. As we look at the events that will happen to Jesus over the next few days, I think it will help us to understand why both the religious and political leaders want so desperately to do away with him. Everything culminated with the actions he took on the first day of the week, Palm Sunday. But without fully understanding the historical background behind the events that took place that day, we cannot understand why the chief priest and representatives of Rome were so anxious to be rid of Jesus. We fail to miss why the radical shift from crown him to crucify him.

We see Palm Sunday as Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and picture people waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna!” In our western thought, we have turned the actions into not much more than a nice children’s activity for them to make construction paper palm leaves and wave them in the air as they walk down the aisles of the church. We smile and comment on how cute they look as one of the boys chosen to play Jesus comes riding through the middle of the group on a stick horse.

The events of Jesus’ triumphal entry have significantly more to say to us than just a nice parade on a sunny Sunday morning, though. The depth of the covenant promises between God and Abraham, David, and the Israelites made the events that happened that day extraordinary. Until we put some of the background of Jewish thought and hope into Jesus’ actions, we miss the significance of Palm Sunday. Let’s start with Mark’s rapid-fire description of the entry from his gospel in chapter 11.

Now, as they were approaching Jerusalem, they arrived at the place of the stables near Bethany on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead and said to them, “As soon as you enter the village ahead, you will find a donkey’s colt tied there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it to me. And if anyone asks, ‘Why are you taking it?’ tell them, ‘The master needs it and will send it back to you soon.’ ”

So they went and found the colt outside in the street, tied to a gate. When they started to untie it, some people standing there said to them, “Why are you untying that colt?”

They answered just as Jesus had told them: “The master needs it, and he will send it back to you soon.” So the bystanders let them go.

The disciples brought the colt to Jesus and piled their cloaks and prayer shawls on the young donkey, and Jesus rode upon it. Many people carpeted the road in front of him with their cloaks and prayer shawls, while others gathered palm branches and spread them before him. Jesus rode in the center of the procession, with crowds going before him and behind him. They all shouted in celebration, “Bring the victory! We welcome the one coming with blessings sent from the Lord Yahweh! Blessings rest on this kingdom he ushers in—the kingdom of our father David! Bring us the victory in the highest realms of heaven!”

Jesus rode through the gates of Jerusalem and up to the temple. After looking around at everything, he left for Bethany with the Twelve to spend the night, for it was already late in the day. (Mark 11:1-11 TPT)

Let’s start with the geography, and the place Mark records the beginning of Jesus’ triumphant ride. He and his disciples have come to the home of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha in Bethphage near Bethany, Bethphage means the house of stables in Aramaic. These two small villages are nestled on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. Jesus came here often, it seems. Whether to visit his friends Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, to deliver the sermon we call the Olivet Discourse Matthew records in chapters 24 and 25 of his gospel, or in his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane after his last Passover meal with his disciples this place is familiar. Jesus will ascend from the Mount of Olives forty days after his resurrection.

A most fascinating aspect of the geography, however, comes from Ezekiel’s prophecy. In chapter eleven, God gives the prophet a vision in which he sees the shekinah, the visible glory of God, depart the city of Jerusalem, and stop above the mountain east of it. The mountain east of Jerusalem is the Mount of Olives. Jesus, the embodiment of God, returns to the Mount of Olives to begin his triumphant return into the city of Jerusalem on the first day of the week that will mark the beginning of his reign over the new Kingdom of God.

We next see Jesus’ foreknowledge of certain events as he tells two of his disciples to go ahead of him and get a colt they will find in the village tied to a house. Perhaps we can assume Jesus planned with the owner earlier for the colt to be available at a certain time and place, but would Jesus know about the bystanders who would question his disciples, and the answer that would placate their curiosity if they thought any thievery were in progress? It makes one wonder.

Then we see Jesus’ act of riding an unridden donkey at all. First, donkeys are well known for their stubborn streak, their unwillingness to obey their owners, much less strangers who want to put them to work. Second, this was an animal not yet tamed. Ask those who tame horses, mules, and donkeys how quickly they would hop on an unridden colt and take it into a crowd. Not one in a thousand would think you were sane to attempt such actions. But Jesus did without a second thought. He knew the animal would obey his every command. If the wind and waves obey him, so would an untamed donkey.

Riding a donkey into Jerusalem meant something special to the Jews, though. It looked unlike the victory procession of most kings. They would enter gates on stallions with their conquered kings and slaves behind them. Jesus rode a lowly donkey, and the colt of a donkey at that. But those who looked for their Messiah King saw Jesus as their rescuer from Roman oppression. Zechariah had written:

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!

Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!

See, your king comes to you,

righteous and victorious,

lowly and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zech 9:9 NIV)

Jesus, this miracle worker who dared challenge the authority of the Pharisees, and gave new interpretations to the law that spoke of love, peace, and God’s kingdom near at hand road through the gates of God’s city just as Zechariah described the Messiah. Their victor had arrived. Israel’s King came through the gates that day. Herod met his match. Caesar and his government would no longer bully God’s people. God had sent his Messiah to rescue them and bring justice back to Israel. The people on that first day of the week saw victory in its many forms – return from exile; freedom from Roman oppression; true justice reigning; God’s new kingdom beginning; the Age to Come had arrived; the Messiah, King of all nations would reign.

What they didn’t see was how that victory would take place. They didn’t understand the Messiah was a suffering servant. They didn’t think the Messiah could die on a cross, the most shameful means of execution. And they didn’t see the connection in the geography. Jesus, the embodiment of God, began his triumphal entry on the Mount of Olives, where Ezekiel last saw God’s glory revealed. Jesus rode the foal of a donkey through the narrow road to Jerusalem to the Hosannas of the crowd, and through streets of the city to the Temple. Jesus, the embodiment of God, went into the Temple, and no one recognized him for who he was. He looked around, and just as in Ezekiel’s vision, Jesus departed and rested at the Mount of Olives in the home of Lazarus.

The rest of the week will unfold with the religious leaders understanding the revolt that simmers because of Jesus’ actions on that first day of the week. The crowd sees a potential revolutionary hero rising. This Jesus came through gate of the city using prophecy to declare himself King, Messiah. Barabbas already awaited execution for inciting a revolt. Crosses lined the countryside filled with those who dared challenge Roman rule. Now Jesus rides in as if he were King of the Jews. Herod is not a friend, but at least he is not a foe of the Temple. He’s better than Caesar and has served as a buffer for Israel. Now, the authority Herod gives the priests in governing, the nation itself stands in jeopardy because Jesus’ followers declared him Messiah, King of kings. If Jesus is Messiah, Herod is not king, Caesar is not lord. The country, the Jewish faith is in trouble. Something must be done.

If the religious political leaders knew what they were about to do, they would never have killed Jesus! By their actions, they are about to usher in the Age to Come, the new creation, heaven joining earth in a way they could not imagine. A revolution is about to begin that will encompass the world – revolution of love.

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.

Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV): Scriptures are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan

God’s Covenants, March 1, 2021

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

The season of Lent includes several important points for us to consider as we journey through those 40 days leading up to Easter. Initially, baptismal candidates used the time to go through a rigorous catechism to ensure they knew what it meant to take on the title Christian in a pagan world. Church membership didn’t mean just putting your name on a roll and attending every once in a while or giving a few dollars to keep the lights burning. Becoming a member of this band of Jesus followers meant the possibility of giving up everything, including your life. You might lose your job, your possessions, family and friends, everything. As Jesus told his disciples, the world would hate them because of the message they lived before others. Lent, then, allowed these new converts to make sure they believed what they believed and knew what it meant.

Over time, we transferred Lent as a preparation for baptism and church membership to prepare for Easter, something the early church never did because every Sunday they celebrated Easter. That’s why the early Christians celebrated and worshiped on Sunday, the first day of the week when the resurrected Jesus appeared to Mary and his disciples after his crucifixion for the first time. We seem to have forgotten much of what the early church meant by their early baptism practices, Lent, even the meaning of Easter and Sunday. But Lent is in every respect a time of preparation, a time for self-examination and meditation on what God did for us on the cross.

The cross fulfilled his last great covenant with humanity. God made covenants with many throughout the Old Testament. They begin with Adam. He placed him in the garden and gave him dominion over his creation, granting him life for as long as he obeyed a straightforward command. Don’t eat from the tree in the center of the garden. Adam failed the test, and the curse of death fell upon all creation. God gave Noah a covenant and sealed it with a rainbow. He gave Abraham and David and Solomon covenants. Throughout the Old Testament, we read repeatedly covenants God made with individuals and with his chosen people.

God’s covenants have some interesting characteristics, however. His covenants are extraordinarily one-sided. God does most of the work. Covenants today would be called contracts in which each party commits to providing some service to the other party. But in God’s covenants, invariably, God commits himself to do everything except one small item. He calls the other party to obey him. Usually, that’s the sum total of what he asks. That was all he asked of Adam, Noah, Abraham, David, Solomon, Moses, Israel, and the list goes on. His covenants ask for obedience. Just listen and do what he asks. And usually, his rules are not hard. Don’t murder – not so hard. Don’t steal – we can do that. Don’t commit adultery – it seems like our culture leaves that out a lot, but if we control our appetites, we can do that without much effort. Don’t lie – it’s a lot easier to tell the truth, so you don’t have to remember who you told what lie. Don’t covet – there’s that appetite again, but it’s really about being okay with what someone else has. If we do those, it’s easier to have no other God’s before Yahweh, or not to have any images, things we’ve created to take his place, or to take his name in vain, or to set aside time to worship him. When we do all that, honoring parents is easy. And Jesus put it together in two simple commands: Love God; Love others.

So, to sum up God’s covenants, he does everything for us to succeed in his economy. He takes care of our needs, not necessarily our wants. He adopts us into his royal family and makes us part of his kingdom. God renews our humanity as he designed it. And all we need to do is love him and love others. He takes care of everything else. That should sell better than the Gansu knife. But it doesn’t because we think we know more than God. Take a look at God’s covenant with Abraham, for example.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty. Walk before me and be blameless. I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”

Abram fell on his face. God talked with him, saying, “As for me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations. Your name will no more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you. Kings will come out of you. I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your offspring after you.

God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. Yes, I will bless her, and she will be a mother of nations. Kings of peoples will come from her.” (Genesis 17:1-7;15-16 WEB)

How do we get around our obstinance and worldly attractions? Lent is a good start. Paul tells us in Philippians to think about “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy.” (Philippians 4:8 NIV) The covenant of the cross surely meets that criteria and should be in our thoughts consistently during Lent. Think about what comes from Jesus’ sacrifice – forgiveness, fellowship, adoption, inner peace, eternal life. Meditate on these things and let God’s peace wash over you during Lent.

Jesus did it all for us. He gave his flesh and blood. He endured the agony of the cross, the ridicule, and humiliation from the crowd, even death at the hands of an angry mob. He did it all. And our part of the covenant he instituted on that last night with his disciples? Obey two commands. Love God and love others.

Lent – a time of preparation, self-examination, meditation. Think back to the early church and what it meant to new believers. True believers may not be far from going underground again in this country as Christians are in many countries around the world. It’s time we stop and contemplate what it means to follow Christ. Will you follow him if it means your job, your property, your possessions, your family, your life? Will you pay the price in suffering when you walk in the footsteps of the suffering servant? Those were questions the early church faced. Will we see them in this country? Maybe. Spiritual warfare continues in realms we do not understand. Lent offers a time to reflect. Take the time as another glorious Easter celebration approaches.

Scriptures marked WEB are taken from the THE WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE (WEB): WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE, public domain.

Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV): Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan

What is integrity?, April 30, 2018

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

Last week we finished with “The Story” as we explored God’s plan to restore us to that face to face relationship he enjoyed with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before their act of disobedience that banished them from that paradise. God has been working ever since to bring us back to him and to teach us to live in community with each other and with him so we might share eternity with him in a new paradise he has created for all who follow him.

Well, as we start something new this week, I thought about a devotional series I read a few weeks ago on integrity. That’s really what God wants from us. To have integrity. To be genuine with him. But in our society today, I’m not sure we even know what integrity means anymore, much less practice it. So I want to take the next few weeks and explore what it means for us to have integrity.

Let’s start with David. He declared in Psalms 25:21, “May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord is in you.” If his understanding of integrity is such that it would protect him from something when he was running for his life from Saul’s army, then I’d like to figure out what that integrity is because I sure need some protecting in this day and age. Satan is alive and well and wants to destroy my soul. Just like he wants to destroy yours. So what is integrity, then.

The dictionary says integrity is, the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. Another definition is, the state of being whole and undivided. There are a lot of synonyms we could throw around to maybe help us get a handle on the word. Some like: honesty, probity, rectitude, honor, good character, principle(s), ethics, morals, righteousness, morality, virtue, decency, fairness, scrupulousness, sincerity, truthfulness, trustworthiness. Or from that second definition things like unity, unification, coherence, cohesion, togetherness, solidarity.

All of those sound good, but I’m not sure that’s where David was going with this when he was talking to God about integrity. We too often fit our good character, principles, ethics, morals, and virtue into our societal code which may or may not be what God is looking for in us. I’m sure you’ve heard the term situational ethics thrown about more than once in the past few years. What’s right depends on the current situation and circumstances. Well, does it? Is God that wishy-washy in his behavior that he changes his rules to fit our circumstances? I doubt it.

David, in our eyes, had every right to defend himself against his accuser, Saul. He was falsely accused. God had already had Samuel anoint him as the next king to sit on the throne of Israel. Samuel had given Saul his pink slip from God. And twice God put Saul into David’s hands, when he relieved himself in a cave and David was close enough to cut off part of his coat. And against when the whole came around Saul slept and David went into the camp and took Saul’s sword and spear. But David was a man of integrity, not someone who adhered to the idea of situational ethics. His integrity kept him on the run instead of in the comfort of the palace. Was that protection? David thought so.

Does fair and decent fit the bill? It depends on who you talk to. Who is to say what is fair. Job didn’t think life was fair when he lost everything but his nagging wife and three friends that told him what a sinner he was. We look at the narrative and look up at God and say the same thing. “God, how is it fair to bring such calamity on such a righteous man?”

Was it fair for the Europeans to blast their way through the native Indians, cut down their forests, deplete their hunting grounds, pollute their rivers and streams, and turn this continent into a new country? They certainly didn’t think so, but their European victors did. And if history had not played out as it did, what would our country be like today? Would we still be living in animal skin huts and trying to forage for deer and buffalo meat for supper? Probably not, but the country would be far different since the Europeans would not have had the land to forge the pioneer spirit that has forged us into the nation we have become. Has it been fair to every group? No. Will it ever be? Not as long as people are involved in the process.

Marx and Stalin thought they could make a fair system work under communist rule. It lasted about 70 years until those that worked hard so that the fruits of their labor went to those that chose not to work so hard. Then no one worked very hard and the Soviet Union finally collapsed. Socialism and communism only work if every single person in the system are highly motivated to give their best to the system. We know humans don’t operate that way because we are inherently selfish. So governments of any flavor are never fair because people are not fair.

Well, what about that decency rule? If you’re old enough, you remember the National Geographic documentaries of newly found tribes in Africa and South America where no one wore clothes. Were they decent? To them they were. To us they were far from it. But even in our society, we have extreme views of what people call decent. Laws can’t dictate decency, though we try. So decency is out of the question if we want to try to define integrity by that norm.

How about ethics? I’ve been to countries where it was impolite to tell a guest something that might hurt their feelings, so lying was okay if you knew the facts would be disturbing. Were they ethical? In their society, absolutely. For me and my colleagues, we were more than frustrated when the facts were discovered later. But as guests around their table drinking tea, everyone needed to be all smiles so were we told what they thought we wanted to hear. Were they wrong? To them it was quite ethical. We were the crazy Americans with stupid ideas.

I could go on down the list of synonyms and pick them apart and find that none of them describe what David saw as protection against his enemies. But I think the second definition will give us some clues about the integrity David and God have in mind when we think about integrity in spiritual terms. Think back on our journey through God’s word over the last eight months. In God’s upper story, he desperately wants to have us return to him in an intimate face to face relationship. He wants to restore that oneness Adam and Eve enjoyed before the fall.

So what was that second definition again? Integrity is the state of being whole and undivided. But when Adam and Eve were banished from the garden, a piece of them went missing – the presence of God in their life. They walked with him face to face until they disobeyed. But because of their disobedience, God’s truth, his integrity, his holiness demanded their sin be put away from his presence. So they lost his presence in their life.

Jesus talked over and over about unity among the disciples. He talked about how others would know they belonged to him, by their love for each other. He talked about the oneness between him and the father and that same unity could happen between him and us. Jesus mentored his disciples on togetherness. How to break bread with each other and share their faith. He taught them to overlook that faults and dwell on the spirit that God forgives when we ask him. Jesus talked about a kingdom that is open to anyone who believes. That kingdom is not bound by race or color or nationality. It is bound by faith. By unity. By oneness. Cohesiveness in believing in the one name above all names. Jesus, the Christ, our Savior and Redeemer.

I kind of think if David wrote this psalm in twenty-first century vernacular he might say, “God, I’m going to do my best to stick to you like glue. I know that if I do that, you’ve got my back. I don’t need to worry about the things that go on around me because you’re God and I’m not. But together I can make it because you can’t fail. I can’t make it on my own, but my hope, my peace, my joy, my comfort, my assurance is in the one I put my faith in and that’s you, Lord.”

Integrity. It’s not about me or what I think is right or wrong. It’s not about what society thinks is right or wrong, good or bad. I’m not even sure it’s about any in that long list of synonyms that focus on personal character. I think integrity has everything to do with how close I can squeeze up to God and let him carry me through this life wherever he wants to take me. Doing with me whatever he wants to do. Teaching me whatever he wants to teach me. Molding me into the likeness of his son day by day as I obey his voice as he whispers in my ear.

How do you define integrity?

If today’s devotional strikes a cord in you about your personal integrity as it relates to your nearness to God, what will you do about it today? Tomorrow and the next day?

How can you show integrity where you live?

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 about The Story and our part in it. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

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

Get rid of the selfish streak (Luke 22:7-46), October 9, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 22:7-46

Set – Nehemiah 1; Psalms 133; Luke 22

Go! – Nehemiah 1-2; Psalms 133; Luke 22

Luke 22:7-46
⁷ They came to the Day of Unleavened Bread, a holy day when a special lamb (called the Passover lamb) had to be sacrificed. ⁸ Jesus chose Peter and John and gave them instructions.
Jesus: Go and make all the necessary preparations for the Passover meal so we can eat together.
Peter and John: ⁹ Where do You want us to make preparations?
Jesus: ¹⁰ When you enter the city, you’ll encounter a man carrying a jar of water. Just follow him wherever he goes, and when he enters a house, ¹¹ tell the homeowner, “The Teacher has this question for you: ‘Where is the guest room where I can share the Passover meal with My disciples?’” ¹² He’ll show you a spacious second-story room that has all the necessary furniture. That’s where you should prepare our meal.
¹³ They did as He said and found everything just as He said it would be, and they prepared the Passover meal. ¹⁴ When the meal was prepared, Jesus sat at the table, joined by His emissaries.
Jesus: ¹⁵ It has been My deep desire to eat this Passover meal with you before My suffering begins. ¹⁶ Know this: I will not eat another Passover meal until its meaning is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
¹⁷ He took a cup of wine and gave thanks for it.
Jesus: Take this; share it among yourselves. ¹⁸ Know this: I will not drink another sip of wine until the kingdom of God has arrived in fullness.
¹⁹ Then He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and shared it with them.
Jesus: This is My body, My body given for you. Do this to remember Me.
²⁰ And similarly, after the meal had been eaten, He took the cup.
Jesus: This cup, which is poured out for you, is the new covenant, made in My blood. ²¹ But even now, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on this table. ²² As it has been determined, the Son of Man, that firstfruit of a new generation of humanity, must be betrayed, but how pitiful it will be for the person who betrays Him.
²³ They immediately began questioning each other.
Disciples: Which one of us could do such a horrible thing?
²⁴ Soon they found themselves arguing about the opposite question.
Disciples: Which one of us is the most faithful, the most important?
Jesus (interrupting): ²⁵The authority figures of the outsiders play this game, flexing their muscles in competition for power over one another, masking their quest for domination behind words like “benefactor” or “public servant.” ²⁶ But you must not indulge in this charade. Instead, among you, the greatest must become like the youngest and the leader must become a true servant. ²⁷ Who is greater right here as we eat this meal—those of us who sit at the table, or those who serve us? Doesn’t everyone normally assume those who are served are greater than those who serve? But consider My role among you. I have been with you as a servant.
²⁸ You have stood beside Me faithfully through My trials. ²⁹ I give you a kingdom, just as the Father has given Me a kingdom. ³⁰ You will eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will have authority over the twelve tribes of Israel.
³¹ Simon, Simon, how Satan has pursued you, that he might make you part of his harvest. ³² But I have prayed for you. I have prayed that your faith will hold firm and that you will recover from your failure and become a source of strength for your brothers here.
Peter: ³³ Lord, what are You talking about? I’m going all the way to the end with You—to prison, to execution—I’m prepared to do anything for You.
Jesus: ³⁴ No, Peter, the truth is that before the rooster crows at dawn, you will have denied that you even know Me, not just once, but three times. ³⁵ Remember when I sent you out with no money, no pack, not even sandals? Did you lack anything?
Disciples: Not a thing.
Jesus: ³⁶ It’s different now. If you have some savings, take them with you. If you have a pack, fill it and bring it. If you don’t have a sword, sell your coat and buy one. ³⁷ Here’s the truth: what the Hebrew Scriptures said, “And He was taken as one of the criminals,” must come to fruition in Me. These words must come true.
Disciples: ³⁸ Look, Lord, we have two swords here.
Jesus: That’s enough.
³⁹ Once again He left the city as He had been doing during recent days, returning to Mount Olivet along with His disciples. ⁴⁰ And He came to a certain place.
Jesus: Pray for yourselves, that you will not sink into temptation.
⁴¹ He distanced Himself from them about a stone’s throw and knelt there, ⁴² praying.
Jesus: Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me. Yet not My will, but Your will, be done.
⁴³ Then a messenger from heaven appeared to strengthen Him. ⁴⁴ And in His anguish, He prayed even more intensely, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. ⁴⁵ When He rose from prayer and returned to the disciples, He found them asleep, weighed down with sorrow. ⁴⁶ He roused them.
Jesus: Why are you sleeping? Wake up and pray that you will not sink into temptation.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Can you believe it? I had just explained to My disciples the significance of the meal they were sharing with Me and they start talking about who was most important among them. That selfish streak that seems to pop its head up just couldn’t stay away. It would take another 50 days, until Pentecost, before they would really understand what losing themselves to Me really means. To find out what I wanted them to know, I asked them to pray. So they did. And they prayed some more. And then they prayed some more. Until finally they let go and let My Spirit purge their lives and take control of their whole being.

It can still happen today. I still want My children to experience Pentecost. I want My Spirit to flow through you as it did My disciples in the upper room. But it takes prayer, letting go, letting Me take charge of your life. I’ll do the same for you that I did for them. Be willing to spend time on your knees with Me and you’ll be amazed at what I can do for 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.

The covenant takes two parties (Hebrews 10:1-18), July 13, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Hebrews 10:1-18

Set – Isaiah 15-16; Hebrews 10

Go! – Isaiah 15-18; Hebrews 10

Hebrews 10:1-18
¹We have seen how the law is simply a shadow of the good things to come. Since it is not the perfect form of these ultimate realities, the offering year after year of these imperfect sacrifices cannot bring perfection to those who come forward to worship. ² If they had served this purpose, wouldn’t the repetition of these sacrifices have become unnecessary? If they had worked—and cleansed the worshipers—then one sacrifice would have taken away their consciousness of sin. ³ But these sacrifices actually remind us that we sin again and again, year after year. ⁴ In the end, the blood of bulls and of goats is powerless to take away sins. ⁵ So when Jesus came into the world, He said,
Sacrifices and offerings were not what You wanted,
but instead a body that You prepared for Me.
⁶ Burnt offerings and sin offerings
were not what pleased You.
⁷ Then I said, “See, I have come to do Your will, God,
as it is inscribed of Me in the scroll of the book.”
⁸ Now when it says that God doesn’t want and takes no real pleasure in sacrifices, burnt offerings, and sin offerings (even though the law calls for them), ⁹ and follows this with “See, I have come to do Your will,” He effectively takes away the first—animal sacrifice—in order to establish the second, more perfect sacrifice. ¹⁰ By God’s will, we are made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus the Anointed once and for all time.
¹¹ In the first covenant, every day every officiating priest stands at his post serving, offering over and over those same sacrifices that can never take away sin. ¹² But after He stepped up to offer His single sacrifice for sins for all time, He sat down in the position of honor at the right hand of God. ¹³ Since then, He has been waiting for the day when He rests His feet on His enemies’ backs, as the psalm says. ¹⁴ With one perfect offering, Jesus has perfected forever those who are being made holy, ¹⁵ as the Holy Spirit keeps testifying to us through the prophet Jeremiah. After he says,
¹⁶ “But when those days are over,” says the Eternal One, “I will make
this kind of covenant with the people of Israel:
I will put My laws in their hearts
and write them upon their minds,”
then He adds,
¹⁷ I will erase their sins and wicked acts out of My memory
as though they had never existed.
¹⁸ When there is forgiveness such as this, there is no longer any need to make an offering for sin.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Did you hear what Jeremiah told you in his prophecy? “I will put My laws in your hearts and write them upon your minds. I will erase your sins and wicked acts out of My memory as though they had never existed.” That’s what I want to do for you. I’ve done all that is necessary on My part to make that happen. But I created you with a free will. You get to choose whether you will accept My plan for your life. You get to choose whether I will erase your sins and wicked acts from My memory.

Covenants always involve at least two parties. I have done My part. You must do yours also for the terms of the covenant to be complete. Your part is to believe on Jesus, My Son, for the forgiveness of your sins. Believing, of course, is more than just saying He exists and died for you. It means acting on that belief. It means turning to Him for that forgiveness. It means repentance.

Almost everyone can quote John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, He gave His only Son.” Let Me give it to you in a more modern translation. “For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life. Here’s the point. God didn’t send His Son into the world to judge it; instead, He is here to rescue a world headed toward certain destruction.”

That’s the point. Everything available to you from the world will never save you from everlasting destruction. It can offer no lifeboat, no lifesaver, no instant cure for sin. Sin leads to everlasting destruction and only I can cure it. But like any disease for which you go to the doctor, you must accept the cure. It the same with My cure for sin. The only cure is Jesus’ blood, but you must believe in His cure and accept it. It means following Him. It means giving up your past life and living the life I want you to live.

The new covenant makes the cure for sin possible. It took the sacrifice of My Son to enact My part of the covenant. It takes your acceptance of the gift and following after Him to enact your part. You won’t be sorry we enact the covenant together.

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

You have a good deal waiting (Deuteronomy 7/1-15), Mar 8, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Deuteronomy 7:1-15
Set – Deuteronomy 7; Mark 15
Go! – Deuteronomy 7-9; Mark 15

Deuteronomy 7:1-15
Moses: ¹As the Eternal, your True God, is bringing you into the land where you’re going to live when you cross the Jordan, He’ll drive out many nations ahead of you—Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—seven nations that are bigger and stronger than you are. ² The Eternal your God will put them in your power. You must crush them; destroy them completely! Don’t make any treaties with them, and don’t show them any mercy. ³ Above all, don’t intermarry with them! Don’t marry your daughters to any of their sons, and don’t marry your sons to any of their daughters.

Eternal One: ⁴This would cause your enemies to turn your children away from Me to worship other gods.

Moses: If you did worship other gods, the Eternal would become furious with you and destroy you in an instant! ⁵ So this is what you must do to these nations instead: tear down their altars, smash their monoliths, chop down their sacred poles, and throw the idols they’ve carved into the fire!

Moses: ⁶ Remember: you’re a people set apart for the Eternal your God; He is your God and has chosen you to be His own possession—His special people—out of all the peoples on the earth. ⁷ The Eternal didn’t become devoted to you and choose you because you were the most numerous of all the peoples—in fact, you were the least! ⁸ Instead, He brought you out of Egypt with overwhelming power and liberated you from slavery to Pharaoh the king because He loved you and was keeping the oath He swore to your ancestors. ⁹ I want you to know that the Eternal your God is the only true God. He’s the faithful God who keeps His covenants and shows loyal love for a thousand generations to those who in return love Him and keep His commands. ¹⁰ But He holds personally accountable those who hate Him, and He destroys them; He does not delay when anyone hates Him, but He holds them personally accountable. ¹¹ Therefore, be very careful to obey the commands and rules and judgments I’m giving you today.

¹² If you pay attention to these judgments and keep them carefully, the Eternal your God will keep the covenant He made with your ancestors and show you His loyal love. ¹³ He’ll love you and bless you and increase your population. He’ll bless your children, and He’ll bless your agriculture. The land He promised your ancestors He’d give you will produce abundantly; and you’ll have grain and wine and olive oil, many cattle, and new flocks. ¹⁴ You will be blessed more than any other people. None of your men or women will be unable to have children; all of your cattle will have offspring. ¹⁵ The Eternal will keep every illness away from you. He won’t afflict you with any of those horrible diseases you saw in Egypt—He’ll put them instead on those who hate you!

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

You just heard a lot of blessings for those that love Me and keep My covenant, My rules, My commands. You heard about how would increase children, crops, and cattle for My chosen people, if they followed Me. The blessings applied to My covenant people of the Old Testament, but blessings apply to My people of the new covenant My Son set in motion, too. All who believe in My Son for salvation gain eternal life. All who believe in My Son experience forgiveness and freedom from the guilt of sins.

When you talk about blessings, those are real blessings. Those come as a result of My sacrifice, the sacrifice of My only Son. They come at the price of My Son’s sacrifice. They come at the sacrifice of the entire triune Godhead engaged in the salvation of humankind. But the blessings come with an “if” just as they did for My chose people. If you believe. If you follow My decrees. If you listen to My voice.

My word then and now comes as a covenant. A covenant is between two entities. Between us, I’ve written it as a very one-sided document. You must believe. I do everything else. You believe, I save. You ask, I provide. I give strength in place of your weakness. I give wisdom in place of your foolishness. I give guidance in place of your confusion. I give healing in place of your sickness. I give comfort in place of your pain. I give peace in place of your fear. I provide for your needs. I provide many of your wants. I adopt you into My family.

The provision clauses on My side get pretty lengthy. The requirement clauses on your side are pretty small. But they are significant. They are wrapped up in faith, love, trust. Your part of the covenant isn’t much, but it will mean giving up yourself and living for Me. It will mean letting Me be the Lord, Master, Director of your life. It will mean transforming your mind to the mind of My Son. It will mean living as a sacrifice to Me each day.

What do you get in return for adhering to the covenant? Eternal life. Heaven. Me living in you every day empowering you to really live. It’s a good deal. I’d take it if I were 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.

Making a covenant with God (Leviticus 26/1-13), Feb 16, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – Leviticus 26:1-13
Set – Leviticus 26; Acts 23
Go! – Leviticus 26-27; Acts 23

Leviticus 26:1-13
Eternal One: Do not fashion any idols or blasphemous images. Do not erect any sacred pillars as the nations around you do. Do not set up any carved stones in your land and bow down to them. I am the Eternal your God. ² Honor My Sabbaths, and treat My sanctuary as a holy place I am the Eternal One.
³ If you walk in My decrees and keep My commandments in your daily lives, ⁴I will grant you plenty of rain in the seasons when you need it, and your land will produce abundant crops and your trees will be filled with fruit. ⁵Your grain threshing will last until the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest will continue until it is time to plant again. You will fill your bellies with food and feel secure as you live in the land. ⁶I will see to it that you have peace in your land. You will be able to go to bed at night without a worry on your mind. I will take away the dangerous animals that roam your land, and no armies will invade your land. ^7-8When you go after your enemies, they will fall by your sword. Five of you will go after 100 of your enemies, and 100 of you will cause 10,000 to flee. ⁹I will grant you My favor, and you will be fruitful, multiply, and have many healthy children, and I will continue to honor My covenant with you. ¹⁰You will have so much surplus food from year to year that you will have to make room for the new harvest when it comes in. ¹¹I will make My home among you and never turn away from you. ¹²I will walk among you and be your god, and you will be My people. ¹³I am the Eternal One, your God, who led you out of the land of Egypt so that you would no longer be their slaves. I have shattered the yokes that broke your backs and helped you walk straight and upright.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I made a lot of promises to the children of Israel in the covenant I made with them. Some people think I broke My promises because many of these don’t seem to hold true today as you look at the nation of Israel. But people forget what covenants are. Covenants are contracts between people. There is an if in there that the Israelites forgot.

I gladly take care of My children. I long to give them good things. But I also don’t intend to spoil My children. And so I expect them to live by the rules of My I lay out before them. They are not burdensome. They are not hard. They only require focusing on Me. They require love for Me and for each other. My Son, Jesus, put it well when He told those who would try to entrap Him, “The greatest commandment is this,’Love the Lord with all you heart, soul, mind, and strength.’ And the second, is close to it, ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’”

The Israelites failed in their responsibilities under the covenant. I still gave them many of the promises contained in the covenant. I still poured out many blessings and gave them great victories to try and win them back to worshiping Me the way I intended them to worship Me. But ultimately, I could no longer let them disregard the terms of the covenant and operate in such a one-sided fashion and maintain the glory and honor of My name. My chosen people’s rebellion toward Me required My action.

The same is true of you. I want to make a personal covenant with you. I want to pour out My blessing, My grace and mercy on you. I want to give you peace and joy and the abundant life you hear about in New Testament living. But you must give up old ways of thinking, and acting. You must let Me direct your life. I must be Lord of your life.

But think about it. If I can create the universe and everything in it; if I can keep the universe running with clockwork precision; if I can make the lame walk and the blind see; if I can do the impossible, why not put your trust in Me? Don’t you think I am capable of running your life better than you or anyone else could? Don’t you think I can help you make the decisions that are best for you? Don’t you think I would do things in your best interest?

Covenants require both parties to provide something. You provide yourself, following My way as I lead you, and I’ll do all the rest.

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

I can drive our your fear (Genesis 33), Jan 13, 2015

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Today’s Devotional

Today’s background scripture comes from Genesis 33.

Sometimes your past catches up with you and you are afraid. That’s the position in which Jacob found himself when he approached his homeland after escaping from his father-in-law, Laban. He cheated his brother, Esau, out of his birthright, blessing, and inheritance and now saw him for the first time since those events…coming toward him with 400 men.

If that was the last remembrance of your brother, you might feel the same way Jacob did. If the last time you saw someone you stole from them and now you saw them with what constituted a small army, you might be scared, too. But a transformation happened in those convening years for both Jacob and Esau. We don’t hear much about Esau in the ensuing years except as enemies of Israel, but he too can claim his heritage from Abraham. And I promised all nations on earth would be blessed by Abraham.

Esau grew into a mighty nation. As long as he and his children followed by teaching, they prospered. Unfortunately, they didn’t do so long and blamed Israel for their demise. They pointed to Jacob, the schemer, as the cause of their troubles and became bitter enemies of Israel throughout their history.

I keep My promises and kept Jacob safe. I kept My promises with Esau as long as he and his descendants followed Me. Most of My promises come as a covenant. I will keep My end of the covenant, but expect you to keep your end also. I give you many opportunities to come back to Me when you err, just as I did Abraham, Esau, and Jacob. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants trusted Me and became the line of My chosen people. Esau’s descendants chose a different path.

You must choose, also. Will you choose Me or your own path? If you choose My path, you might come across things from your past that look fearful at times, but I will be with you. I will never leave you or forsake you. You need not fear your past, present, or future when you put your trust in Me.

Today’s Scripture

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Genesis 33
Set – Genesis 33; Luke 13
Go! – Genesis 31-33; Luke 13

Genesis 33
Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming, and 400 men were with him. Jacob quickly divided the children among Leah and Rachel and their two servants. 2 He put the female servants with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. 3 He himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. 4 But Esau ran to meet him. He embraced Jacob, kissed his neck, and they both cried. 5 Esau looked up and saw the women and children.

Esau: Who are these people with you?

Jacob: These are the children God has graciously given your servant.

6 Then the female servants came closer, along with their children, and they bowed down. 7 Leah did likewise; she and her children approached and bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came forward, and they bowed down as well.

Esau: 8 What was your intent in sending all of your men and herds ahead of you?

Jacob: I hope to find favor with you, my master.

Esau: 9 I have enough, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.

Jacob: 10 No, please. If I have found favor with you after all these years, please accept the gifts I offer. Seeing your face again is like seeing the face of God, so graciously and warmly have you welcomed me. 11 Please accept the blessing I bring. God has graciously provided for me and my family. I have everything I could want.

Jacob kept insisting that Esau accept the gift. Finally he did.

Esau: 12 Now let’s be on our way, and I will walk on ahead of you.

Jacob: 13 My master knows that the children are very small and the nursing flocks and herds are under my care. If they are driven too hard for even one day, I’m afraid I’ll lose all the flocks. 14 Please, my master, go on ahead of me, and I will keep on at a slower pace—the pace of the animals up ahead and the children—until I come to you in Seir.

Esau: 15 Let me leave some of my people to accompany you.

Jacob: Why go to all that trouble? You have done enough already. Just let me find favor with my master.

16 Esau agreed and set out that day to go back to Seir. 17 But Jacob journeyed instead to Succoth, and he built himself a house there and put up some shelters for his cattle. That’s why this place is called Succoth, which means “shelters.”

18 At last Jacob came to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan. Overall it had been a safe and peaceful journey from Paddan-aram. He camped outside of the city 19 and purchased the land on which he had pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor (who was Shechem’s father) for one hundred pieces of money. 20 And there also he built an altar he called El-Elohe-Israel, which means “God, the God of Israel.”

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Music by the Booth Brothers from Room for More, “Faithful One” ©2008.
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.