Tag Archives: disciples

I’m glad I live now (Mark 10:33-34) August 23, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 1 Chronicles 10-14

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 10:33-34
Jesus (taking the twelve aside): Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and there the Son of Man is going to be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes. They shall seek His death and deliver Him to the outsiders to carry out that sentence. Then people will mock Him, spit upon Him, whip Him, and kill Him. But on the third day, He will rise again.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We look back to those last days of Jesus with 20/20 hindsight. We sometimes think we would like to have been with Him during that last week to sit at His feet and hear all these teachings come directly from His mouth. We think we would like to have witnessed His triumphal entry into the city, watched Him empty the temple of the money changers, eaten His last supper with Him. We think it would be neat to spend some of those last moments with Him to see the love He poured out on the people of Jerusalem as they ended Hi life and ushered Him toward His sacrifice for us.

But if you put yourself back in that time and think about the words the disciples heard for perhaps the first time, I’m not so sure we would want to be there. Jesus pulls His disciples apart from the crowds that continue to follow Him. He just recently became the intense target of the religious leaders of the day. These men held the power of life and death in their hands. No, they couldn’t carry out a sentence of execution, but they could make life impossible for those who failed to follow their decrees.

As a Jew in a Jewish community, if you were excommunicated from the group, you suddenly found yourself with no livelihood, no means of family support, no entrance into the temple or synagogue. You were cut off physically, emotionally, and spiritually from the community in which you grew up. Those were difficult times for the followers of Jesus.

Yet these men followed Him. They believed what they heard. They embraced His message of God’s love for them. But now Jesus pulls them aside and says He will be turned over to those who had been their teachers and leaders. But it wouldn’t stop there. These people plotted to kill Him. So this man who they followed for three years, who cared for them and taught them, now told them He would die. What kind of leader would do that? What kind of teacher would lead people along and talk about love and God’s goodness, peace, mercy, forgiveness, and then tell those who followed Him that He was about to be killed?

This wasn’t a very good pep talk. This wasn’t what Jesus’ followers wanted to hear. They were headed to Jerusalem for the final showdown with the religious leaders of the day. They wanted this Messiah to deliver them from the oppression they were under. How was He supposed to do that if He was dead? Jesus wasn’t supposed to be talking this way. He was supposed to be talking about victory, triumph, overthrow of the Romans, right?

Would you still follow Him? Would you still go with Him when the story changed from one of love and healing and forgiveness to one of capture and beating and execution? At the hands of those who were the leaders of your faith? Imagine the radical turn of events. Imagine just how difficult these words must have sounded to Jesus’ disciples as He spoke to them that day.

You know when Jesus spoke these words, I expect His last words didn’t even register with His disciples until Mark was recalling the conversation. I expect they were so numbed by His prediction of the abuse He would take from the religious leaders and His impending death, they probably didn’t even hear Him say He would rise again on the third day. I expect it was only later they remembered His words as they just couldn’t believe they were marching toward Jerusalem to His certain death and perhaps their own.

Was this really happening? Could they continue to follow Him? Were they dedicated enough to follow Him to the cross as He said they must do if they were truly His disciples? Did He have to talk so much about death and the cross and giving up your life for Him?

I’m glad we get to hear these words from this side of the cross. I’m glad we can look back over the centuries and remember the promise He made that on the third day He would rise again. I’m glad we can know the outcome of that awful, wonderful, terrible, glorious week. I don’t know for sure if I could have heard those words like the disciples did and followed Him to Jerusalem. But I’m glad they did. I’m glad Mark recorded His teachings for us. I’m glad they stayed true to Him so we can have the story today and know that Jesus was indeed the Messiah and what He said He would do happened. I’m glad He rose again and lives forever so we can live forever, too.

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

Beware the yeast and leaven (Mark 8:15-21) August 6, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – John 3-4

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 8:15-19
Jesus: Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.
The disciples didn’t understand what Jesus was talking about and discussed it among themselves.
Some Disciples: What?
Other Disciples: He’s saying this because we have run out of bread.
Jesus (overhearing them): Why are you focusing on bread? Don’t you see yet? Don’t you understand? You have eyes—why don’t you see? You have ears—why don’t you hear? Are you so hard-hearted?
Don’t you remember when I broke the five rounds of flatbread among the 5,000? Tell Me, how many baskets of scraps were left over?
Disciples: Twelve.
Jesus: And how many were left when I fed the 4,000 with seven rounds?
Disciples: Seven.
Jesus: And still you don’t understand?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Yeast and leaven. It spreads through the dough so quickly and thoroughly. In baking, it is such wonderful stuff. It makes tiny little air pockets in the dough so it makes it puff up and makes bread and cakes light and fluffy. Whoever discovered you could use leavening agents in baking did a great service for the world because it makes baked goods taste so good. But then again, maybe it was also part of our downfall since we have a tendency to eat too much of those tasty treats and it adds to the obesity of our generation. I digress, back to the story.

The disciples thought Jesus was talking about bread. He wasn’t. He was thinking about His recent encounter with those snakes, the Pharisees. He was thinking about they way they refused to listen and believe God even when they saw the evidence right in front of them of His hand at work. They wanted one more sign, one more proof, one more miracle, one more something. They were never satisfied because they wanted to be the center of attention, not God.

That’s want Jesus was talking about with the disciples that day. The Pharisees’ brand of religion put this selfish thought upper most in everyone’s mind. Put my way first. Put my rules first. Put my thoughts above everything else. It doesn’t matter what God wants. My way is more important. Self takes precedence. So when the Pharisees encountered Jesus and He challenged their structure and their way of life. They couldn’t handle it. When He disagreed with their emphasis on the petty things of life that they held as most important, they called Him an instrument of Satan.

The biggest problem, though, is Jesus saw their philosophy and their influence had the same influence in the world as yeast or leaven in bread. Once it gets into action, it is so difficult to stop it. It spreads and is hard to stop. People pick p on it and spread it and share it because Satan pulls this veil over our eyes. We like Adam and all of his offspring after him have this selfish seed in us that wants to believe Satan instead of God. We want to satisfy this selfish drive instead of giving ourselves to the God who made us.

And Herod was just as bad. His problem was not just hiding behind a religious veil saying he was a Jewish king, but then living the life of a Roman. He indulged in all the vices of the pagan world around him, but said he lived as one of God’s chosen people. The duel citizenship he thought he could live only showed how far away from God he really was. Yet many followed him thinking it was okay to live his same lifestyle since he was king.

Do we do the same thing today? Does the story fit us in this generation? I’m afraid so. Whether we want to talk about the Hollywood celebrities so many emulate, or the sports figures that pocket millions in salary but find themselves on the wrong side of the law, or politicians that think themselves above the law, or any number of other segments that we tend to focus on, there are those that spread leaven in our society. They plant seeds of evil, lifestyles that run contrary to the life God wants us to live. Yet we flock to them thinking it’s okay to follow their pattern of life. It’s not.

Look around, though, and you’ll find people wearing the same style clothes, styling their hair the same, using their same speech patterns. We fall into the trap of letting these leavening agents of sin slip into our lives, sometimes without even thinking about it. Jesus warns us, “Beware of the yeast, the leaven.” I don’t think He would use the terms Pharisee or Herod today. But instead He would point to those figures of authority we tend to blindly follow that will lead us to our destruction if we are not carefully discerning whether they are following God or self.

How can we tell? Know God’s word. If they act in a way that is not in concert with His word, beware. God does not contradict Himself. Beware the yeast and leaven. It spreads before you know it.

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

How to make friends (Mark 1:38) July 7, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Proverbs 8-9

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 1:38
Jesus: It’s time we went somewhere else—the next village, maybe—so I can tell more people the good news about the kingdom of God. After all, that’s the reason I’m here.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Carole and I are living in our twenty-fourth home since we’ve been married. That’s a lot of moves in just under forty years. But I’ve discovered a few perks to moving that often compared to living in the house we’re in now for the last nine. When you move that often you don’t have to spring clean, you just move. When you move that often, you don’t stash away a lot of stuff you’ll never find again because you put every thing in boxes that you open on the other end of the move. Boxes are never labeled the way they should be, of course, so every box is opened to find the stuff you thought you had, right? When you move so often, it’s like Christmas because you find things you didn’t know you had when you open some of those boxes and see treasures you’d forgotten about in the business of life.

And when you move so often, you make friends in new places. And I think that’s the best part. But moving so often also means you leave friends behind and that’s never an easy thing to do. I think it’s this friends part that Jesus and His disciples faced as He told them it’s time to move on. They wanted to stay. Incredible things were happening right there. Lots of people were hearing the good news. People were learning about the kingdom and the message God had for them. People found healing for their bodies and for their souls when they came to Jesus. But I think Jesus began to see the problem that Carole and I have often seen in even great churches because of our many moves.

Especially now in our mobile societies, an interesting phenomenon takes place in our churches that’s hard to avoid, but we really must if we really carry out the mission God wants us to carry out. Carole and I have found that almost every church has walls. Not just physical walls that hold the roof up, but invisible walls that keep newcomers from joining in. No one really means for those walls to be there and most churches think they don’t have them. But they exist, nonetheless. Here’s why.

Because we don’t have real community churches anymore in which people walk to their church and meet each other across their fence every day during the week, for most parishioners, the only time they see each other is at church. So what happens? Before services, between services, after services friends catch up on the latest news. So what do the newcomers do? They slip in and out of the building because they don’t want to interupt ongoing conversations. They hear the laughter and see the smiles. Everyone knows it’s a friendly church except the newcomers because they’ve gone unnoticed except by the person who handed them a bulletin at the door.

We don’t mean to be unfriendly as churches. We don’t think we exclude people from our fellowship. But most churches actually do a very poor job of assimilating new people into their congregation. There are some giant churches in which people come and enjoy the music and the sermons and like to worship together, but even in those mega-churches, you’ll find hundreds of people who have worshiped there for months who no one knows and they don’t know anyone there. They’re still newcomers, really.

The only way Carole and I broke the code to force ourselves into churches quickly was to join the choir. Music is one of her gifts. I mostly tagged along as her driver and to make friends. But that’s how we made friends fast in the churches we attended as we moved from place to place. We, as newcomers, kind of boldly went where others might not. We never waited for someone to ask us, we asked to join. That made us strange birds, because no one volunteers at church as soon as they walk in the door, right? Well, we did and it’s how we made friends in every church we attended through our many moves.

Why did I tell you about our experiences? Because if you’ve attended a church for a while, I’m sure you have friends there you talk with before, between, and after services. Be careful not to exclude the newcomers. Look for them and invite them into your circle. Make them part of your congregation. You never know who you might see and what you might learn along the way if you’ll just stop and pay attention. You might even see me someday!

And if you’re a newcomer, understand the dynamics of a church. People don’t purposely exclude you or shun you. Expect to have to push your way into those groups. The best way to make friends in a new place is to volunteer in an activity that meets often. For us it was the choir. If you don’t sing, volunteer in a women or men’s group. Get into a vibrant Sunday School class and participate, but don’t just sit and do nothing in that class. Join whatever group or class or activity interests you that causes people to talk to you and you to them. That’s how friendships are built.

Jesus told His disciples it was time to move on. He had a message to spread, but maybe He wanted to make sure He disciples also learned to make new friends in strange places. It’s a thought!

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 for Him to see your results? (Matthew 28:18-20) July 3, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Philippians 3-4

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 28:18-20
Jesus: I am here speaking with all the authority of God, who has commanded Me to give you this commission: Go out and make disciples in all the nations. Ceremonially wash them through baptism in the name of the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then disciple them. Form them in the practices and postures that I have taught you, and show them how to follow the commands I have laid down for you. And I will be with you, day after day, to the end of the age.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Gathered on the hilltop surrounding Jesus on this last day He would appear to them, His disciples watched and listened to Him for some departing words of comfort and direction. For forty days after His death, Jesus popped in and out of their lives at unexpected times and places to give them instructions and reassurance that He really was alive and would always be alive. Death could not hold Him even though it tried its best.

But now it was time for Him to leave. Unusually clouds were building in the sky. Maybe they were like those the Israelites saw surrounding Mt Sinai when God gave the tables to Moses. Maybe they were like the clouds from which the voice spoke at Jesus’ baptism. Whatever they were like, those gathered there knew something was about to happen.

They looked to their Master and listened to Him give one more command, a commission for those on the hillside and for all who would call themselves His follower: “Go out and make disciples… .” It’s a simple command. Easy to decipher. It’s not difficult to understand. There’s no hidden message in there. It’s very straight forward so there will be no misunderstanding between Jesus and all those who will come after those gathered that day. Go out and make disciples. So let’s look at those simple words and see what we should do.

Go. That means don’t stay put. You can’t do what Jesus told us to do by standing still. You have to get up off your good intentions and move. Go has both transitive and intransitive verb meanings. The two most apropos for this command are: to move on a course; and, to proceed without delay. He gave those assembled a course to follow and He intended they carry out His directions beginning immediately. He commands us to do the same.

Out. I’m glad He added that word. I think Jesus knew if He didn’t stick that word in there, we might get stuck inside the four walls of our nice edifices for worship and forget the majority of the people that need the message are outside those walls. We must get out into the world and share the message of the good news if we fulfill His command. So first we move on a course and that course takes us outside the walls of the buildings where we worship.

And. So know we’re out in the world. We didn’t stay stuck inside our churches and temples and synagogues, but we’re not through. Too often, we who call ourselves Christian stop right there. We go out, but that’s as much of Jesus’ commission as we’re willing to do. We don’t want to offend anyone. We don’t want anyone to think we’re intolerant of others religion. We don’t want anyone to think we’re prudish or holier than thou. So we go out but we forget the “and” and everything that comes after it.

Make. Again, two of the many definitions in the Merriam-Webster unabridged dictionary fit best: to cause to exist, occur, or appear; and, to develop into. Both require change. The first implies creating something new and for Christians we understand this well in the experience of being born again by the power of God’s Spirit in us. The second implies growth as we become more like Him through transforming our thoughts and actions to mirror His.

Disciples. A disciple is one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another. In Jesus’ day, all the good rabbis had disciples. John had disciples. Gamaliel had disciples. Good rabbis had disciples. And disciples worked hard to become just like their teacher. They studied everything they did. How they ate, dressed, studied, worked, interpreted scriptures and other literature. Disciples worked hard to be like their teacher. To be like their rabbi was the greatest mark of excellence and form of flattery for these renowned educators of the faith. So to be a disciple of Jesus means to be like Him in thought, word, and deed.

There it is. Our simple, clear directive from the King of kings on the day His feet last touched the earth. We don’t know when He will come back, but when He does, He will undoubtedly ask us an important question as His followers. “How did you do? You say you are My followers, My disciples. So how did you do? I told you to go out and make disciples, so show Me what you’ve done.”

Are you ready for Him to see your results? 

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

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

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Ephesians 4-6

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

Today’s Devotional

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

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How’s your heart? (Matthew 15:13-20) April 8, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Jeremiah 12-16

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 15:13-20
Jesus: Every plant planted by someone other than My heavenly Father will be plucked up by the roots. So let them be. They are blind guides. What happens when one blind person leads another? Both of them fall into a ditch.
Peter: Explain that riddle to us.
Jesus: Do you still not see? Don’t you understand that whatever you take in through your mouth makes its way to your stomach and eventually out of the bowels of your body? But the things that come out of your mouth—your curses, your fears, your denunciations—these come from your heart, and it is the stirrings of your heart that can make you unclean. For your heart harbors evil thoughts—fantasies of murder, adultery, and whoring; fantasies of stealing, lying, and slandering. These make you unclean—not eating with a hand you’ve not ritually purified with a splash of water and a prayer.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Don’t you just want to shake the disciples sometimes? They seem so dense when we look back and listen to the questions they have for Jesus. Explain your riddle. Tell us what your parable means. Why do you make your sermons so hard to understand. And Jesus spends time slowly going over what He’s just told the crowd. He puts things in terms kindergarteners can understand. Still they ask their questions and we sit back and shake our heads at them.

But…should we be so quick to chastise them for their ignorance? We live on this side of the cross. We have heard Jesus’ explanation of all those parables. We know the answers to the questions the disciples raised. We have centuries of writings from the apostles, early disciples, and theologians that tell us the meaning of Jesus’ words. These guys heard these words for the first time with no other background except His words.

So we have all this knowledge about this information Jesus shares with the people who listened to Him talk about those rituals and the difference between what went into a person and what came out of a person. Which one makes you clean? The rituals didn’t do it Jesus says. He made it pretty clear to the folks who listened to Him. We know that on this side of the cross. We know that what you eat or drink doesn’t make you righteous. Neither does the physical act of washing a certain way, sitting in certain places, following certain practices. None of these outward acts makes one righteous.

We know these things from the lessons Jesus gives the crowds on the hillsides of Judea and the interpretations He gives to His disciples as they ask for deeper explanations of His stories. So, if we know all these things, why do we continue to do the very things Jesus preaches against? Why do we keep acting like going to church makes us okay? Why do we act like putting a few dollars in an offering plate buys our ticket into heaven? When every other day except Sunday we look like, talk like, and act like every other person around us?

Why can’t we understand on this side of the cross that Jesus expects us to live the way He lived? Why can’t we see that just walking through religious activities isn’t good enough to make you right with God? Why can’t we read His word and see that He wants more from us?

I’ve mentioned before the survey the Barna Group did several years ago that compared those who call themselves Christian with those who are unchurched. The difference between the two groups in his study – those who call themselves Christian didn’t curse as much. Every other marker was statistically the same – lying, cheating, adultery, pornography, petty theft, embezzlement, you name the vice and those who call themselves Christian are involved in it. We just don’t curse as often. Hmmm!!

Is that how God wants us to live? Is that why He died on the cross, for us to live the same way everyone else does? I don’t think so. Jesus calls us to a higher standard. He calls us to a higher plane of life. He calls us to live a righteous, holy life. And He gave us His holy Spirit to live in us with His resurrection power to help us do just that. He cleanses us from all unrighteousness, John tells us, so that we can choose not to fall prey to the wiles of Satan, our adversary.

We are not strong enough to stand against him, but Jesus in us is. He has resurrection power and has already defeated sin and death. And His resurrection power in us can keep us if we focus on His Spirit in us, God’s indwelling presence that He sent to live in us. That’s the message He had for the disciples. What lives inside us determines whether we are clean or unclean, good or evil, obedient or disobedient. The one who has control of our mind determines which we focus on. Do we give control to God or do we keep it for ourselves?

Jesus said, it’s what’s inside that counts. How’s your heart?

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.

Step out of the boat (Matthew 14:29, 31)April 6, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 39-41

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 14:29, 31
Jesus: Indeed, come.
Peter stepped out of the boat onto the water and began walking toward Jesus. But when he remembered how strong the wind was, his courage caught in his throat and he began to sink.
Peter: Master, save me!
Immediately Jesus reached for Peter and caught him.
Jesus: O you of little faith. Why did you doubt and dance back and forth between following Me and heeding fear?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

This is the rest of one of my favorite stories in the New Testament. Jesus walking on the water. The disciples think He is a ghost or some apparition, then Peter calls out to Him, and the Master confirms it is really Him in the flesh. But then Peter does something few of us would have the courage to do. He’s still not quite sure, so He makes a request of this dim figure in the mist. “If it’s really you, tell me to join you out there.”

There’s something most of us don’t understand about the culture of that day that makes those words really important. And Jesus next words equally important. You see, these men in the boat were becoming disciples. In Jesus day, that carried certain characteristics. Everyone understood wht it meant to be a disciple. Jesus wasn’t the only person with disciples, every rabbi with any smarts had disciples.

A disciple gave up what he had to follow his rabbi. He lived with him, and watched him carefully. He ate what he ate, drank what he drank, slept where he slept, wore what he wore. He studied what the rabbi studies. He became like his rabbi in every way possible. The mark of a good rabbi was the mimicry of his disciples. How much like the rabbi were his disciples?

We sometimes decry Peter for his lack of faith and taking his eyes off Jesus. We preach sermons about his looking at the storm around him and failing to keep his eyes on the prize. We talk bad about Peter’s faith sometimes. But if you really stop and think about it, there were at least twelve disciples in the boat. All of them saw Jesus out there. All of them heard the conversation. The boat wasn’t that big that they could avoid what was going on. All of them heard Peter’s request and Jesus’ reply.

All twelve of the disciples had an opportunity to step out of the boat that night and do something no one else had done. All of them had an invitation to come out and see what it was like to walk on the surface of the sea. But only one really acted like a disciple that night. Only Peter decided he would be like his Master and stepped out of the boat. He longed to be like Jesus so much he dared to put his foot over the side and onto the stormy sea.

Peter was rewarded for his action. He began to walk to Jesus…on the water. The Bible doesn’t tell us how far he walked. We don’t know if it was two feet, ten feet, or a hundred feet, but we know it was far enough that everyone in that boat knew Peter walked on top of the Sea of Galilee. They also watched him long enough to see him take his eyes off of Jesus and look at the storm around him. When he did, he began to sink.

Two things happened then, Peter cried out, “Master, save me.” And immediately Jesus reached out His hand and rescued him. Peter knew who could help him and cried out to Him. He knew he was in over his head and needed help fast. There was only One who could rescue him and Peter sought that One, Jesus. And Jesus did.

We can learn a lot from this story. Jesus talks to them when He gets into the boat about their faith, and so we must exercise our faith in Him. But we do that by remembering this story. If we are to be a true disciple of Jesus, we must do what He did. We need to be willing to step out of our comfort zone into the unknown inexplicable areas of life sometimes when He tells us to come. Recognize that when we do, if we keep our eyes on Him we do not need to sink under the waves. We can do miraculous things through His power in us. We just need to remember Who to focus on, not the circumstances around us.

We don’t need to worry about the storms around us. Jesus is here. If we belong to Him, we have nothing to fear. He tells us that over and over, but we just don’t seem to get it sometimes. We fret over unimportant things and wonder why our faith falters. He says lift up your eyes and look at Him. It will be okay. He will rescue you from the storm.

When the storms do seem to swallow you up, remember you have One who can rescue you from what seems like an ocean of problems, distress, frustration, or fear. When we call on Him, He is ready to reach out His hand and pull us free from the things that keep us from our peace. His legacy is peace. He may not take us out of the storm, but He gives us the assurance of His presence and His peace.

I pray that I will be like Peter and step out of the boat when Jesus calls. 

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 message (Matthew 10:7-8) February 24, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 21-23

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 10:7-8
Jesus: As you go, preach this message: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Heal the sick, raise the dead, and cleanse those who have leprosy. Drive out demons from the possessed. You received these gifts freely, so you should give them to others freely.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

What message do you share with others when you tell them about Jesus? He sent His disciples out with a pretty short and sweet message. “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Then He gave them a few other things to do to demonstrate the fact of the kingdom’s arrival: heal the sick; raise the dead; cleanse the lepers; drive out demons. A pretty short list. But the list would keep them busy for a while and help show those they met that the Messiah and God’s Kingdom had arrived.

I’m afraid we don’t think too much about the message we share when we go out into the world every day. But if we take Jesus’ words to heart, we are supposed to share His message, aren’t we? Do we think about what we should say? Do we think about what those around us need to hear from God? Do we understand ourselves that the kingdom of heaven is at hand? What does that mean, anyway?

I’m afraid we sometimes get so enamored with our future in heaven that we forget we can and should enjoy a piece of it now. When Christ came to live among us and then sent His Spirit at Pentecost to remain with us until He comes again bodily, the kingdom is here. It resides wherever He lives. If He lives in you, a part of heaven and His kingdom is in you. Have you ever thought about that?

He overcame sin, death, and hell to live in us and give us a taste of heaven now. So even more so than the disciples, we can proclaim, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And what does that mean? The good news for us is that because of God’s grace, He holds back the wrath that should come pouring down on us because of our past sinful actions. It doesn’t mean those consequences won’t come. There is a judgment day and there is a harvest for each of those seeds we plant. But God’s prevenient grace and mercy holds back His wrath.

Remember the stories of the Old Testament and the early church when His presence entered the camp? People died when they disobeyed. Those who opposed Moses and the commands God uttered through him died. Some were swallowed up by the earth. Some died by snake bite. Some died of plagues in the desert. Most died from the hardships, struggles, and consequences of their disobedience. None of the adults who left Egypt except Caleb and Joshua lived to see the promised land. And in the early church, there were Ananias and Saphira, Silas, the sorceress, and others who found out pretty quickly about God’s wrath when they opposed His preachers.

Do we talk about that when we talk about the kingdom of heaven being at hand? His wrath is as real as His love, you know. Sometimes I’m afraid we water down the words into a feel-good, do whatever you want because God is love, message. That’s not what Jesus sent His disciples to say. His message was the same as John the Baptist. “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Did you notice that?

Jesus called people to repent. Turn around and walk away from sin and walk to God. You can’t have it both ways. He talks about dying to self. He talks about taking up your cross. He talks about making a complete break from what this world offers or thinks is important and listening to what God tells you is important. Jesus’ message is not for the faint of heart. It is not for the coward. It is not for the wishy-washy, in and out, fence-walker.

With Jesus, the message is “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” It’s here. God has burst on the scene. Time is short. Do something about who you will serve. You only have two choices. You can serve God or you can serve self. One leads to life, the other leads to death. One is a gift of grace from God, the other receives the wages of our sins, death. You would think it would be an easy choice. Why would anyone choose death over life? Sin over obedience? Hell over heaven? Why would anyone run away from the One who loves us more than we can begin to imagine?

Maybe people run because our behavior doesn’t match our words. So what goes with the words? Jesus said His disciples received gifts from Him. They were to use those gifts for others. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, drive out demons. What gifts has God given you? Do you use them for those around you as you share the message that the kingdom of heaven is at hand? Does your behavior match your message? Maybe if we share the gifts He’s given us and the message He’s given us we might see more results around us. Maybe we would see our churches full. Maybe we would see the miracles the disciples saw. Maybe we would rejoice in the fact that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

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.

Tell your friends first (Matthew 10:5-6) February 23, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Judges 12-16

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 10:5-6
Jesus: Don’t go to the outsiders or to the towns inhabited by Samaritans, a people whose Jewish ancestors married Gentiles. Go instead to find and heal the lost sheep of Israel.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Now that’s a strange command to give the disciples knowing He came to save the world. Why would Jesus tell His disciples not to go beyond their borders? Why not go to the outsiders, the Gentiles? Why not go the Samaritans? Why did Jesus tell them to stay away from those towns and only share His message with the Israelites? Especially given the fact that He specifically sent Paul to the Gentiles later. He gave Peter the vision of unclean foods coming out of the sky to let him know he was supposed to go to Cornelius’ house to share the gospel?

I think the answer come in several smart strategic thoughts from the Master. First, He is still very early in His ministry. He wants to get His message out to as many as possible, but the Jews still hold their racial prejudice against everyone outside their community of faith. Remember Jesus didn’t come to start a new religion. He came to clean up the Jewish faith. Just like Martin Luther didn’t intend to start a revolution that began the Protestant movement away from the Catholic Church. The disciples always went to the synagogues to begin sharing the message of the Kingdom of heaven.

So, to ask these new disciples to go out to the Gentiles early in His ministry might have been too much for them. Pentecost hadn’t happened yet. Jesus was beside them, not in them. They had not received His Spirit in them yet. Asking His disciples to give His message to outsiders might have been too radical even for these twelve selected individuals at this point in their walk with Him.

Second, I think Jesus knew the disciples hearts would be with their own people if He sent them to the outsiders first with His message. The Jews jealously guarded the scriptures. They were God’s chosen and demonstrated to others their pride in their special place. They forgot their mission to bless the world, but they guarded their position and let others know they belonged to God. The disciples were part of that heritage. As I mentioned, in every town, Jesus always started in the synagogue in sharing His message. In the early days of the church, the apostles and disciples did the same. The often found themselves thrown out into the street shortly after their message, but they started in the synagogue…as was their custom the Bible often tells us.

So if their heart was back home, how well would they do on their missionary journey if preaching to the outsiders, the Samaritans? Jesus didn’t want them to have divided loyalties on their journey and the best way to do that would be to assign them to preach to the Israelites only. Share the message with those whose histories were similar to theirs. He wanted them to share His message without an initial barrier of racial prejudice from those who would hear them.

Third, the Israelites looked for a Messiah. Scriptures pointed to the coming of God’s Kingdom and the physical manifestation of God as Savior, the Messiah. If anyone believed in the arrival of a Savior, the Israelites would. They expected Him. They prayed for His arrival. Hebrew girls prayed that they would be the mother of the coming King. Devout Jews knew He was coming. All the disciples needed to do was let people know He arrived. He was here in the flesh.

By sending the disciples only to the Israelites, they would find more success than they would among the Samaritans or the Gentiles. To share their message outside the Hebrew community meant explaining from the start who the Messiah is to those not brought up in the faith. It meant dispelling their belief in the pantheon of gods they grew up with and observed from the Greeks and Romans around them. To share the message to outsiders so early in Jesus’ ministry when they didn’t have the benefit of His indwelling Spirit giving them the words they needed when they stood before others.

Early success in their ministry kept them going before Pentecost. After Pentecost, the power of the Holy Spirit in them overwhelmed any disappointment, frustration, sacrifice, even death when they shared the message Jesus gave them. But before Pentecost, I imagine the disciples felt some disappointment and frustration when rejected by those who should know the Messiah was coming to rescue them. They also experienced the joy and excitement of leading crowds to come and see the one they followed. They took others to meet this man who could do things only God can do.

The disciples did well as they went to their brothers and sisters to share the good news of the Messiah’s arrival. Some 500 people gathered on the hillside at Jesus’ ascension. They shared the story and people believed them. They came to see for themselves, to see this man they talked about, to discover the truth about this Messiah.

So what should we do? Start sharing with those around you first. Share your good news with those who know you. They are the ones who will see the change in you first and recognize there is something different about you when you really give your life to Christ. So tell family and friends first. Then you’ll find your early success there. Then reach out beyond your immediate sphere of influence to share the message to anyone who will listen. But those who know you best are most likely to listen to your story because when Jesus gets on board in your life, they will know by your love. Tell them where it comes from. That’s all He asks. 

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.

Ranking against others doesn’t make sense (Luke 9:46-62), September 26, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 9:46-62

Set – Psalms 127; Luke 9

Go! – Ezra 4; Psalms 113,127; Luke 9

Luke 9:46-62
46 Later the close followers of Jesus began to argue over the stupid and vain question, “Which one of us is the greatest disciple?”
47 Jesus saw what was going on—not just the argument, but the deeper heart issues—so He found a child and had the child stand beside Him.
Jesus: 48 See this little one? Whoever welcomes a little child in My name welcomes Me. And whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. The smallest one among you is therefore the greatest.
John: 49 Master, we found this fellow casting out demons. He said he was doing it in Your name, but he’s not one of our group. So we told him to stop.
Jesus: 50 What? No! Don’t think like that! Whoever is not working against you is working with you.
51 The time approached for Him to be taken back up to the Father; so strong with resolve, Jesus made Jerusalem His destination.
52 He sent some people ahead of Him into the territory of the Samaritans, a minority group at odds with the Jewish majority. He wanted His messengers to find a place for them to stay in a village along the road to Jerusalem. 53 But because the Samaritans realized Jesus was going to Jerusalem, they refused to welcome them.
James and John (outraged): 54 Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy these people who have rejected You?[a] [Just as Elijah did.][b]
Jesus (turning toward them and shaking His head): 55 You just don’t get it. [56 The Son of Man didn’t come to ruin the lives of people, but He came to liberate them.][c]
He led them on toward another village. 57 Farther along on the road, a man volunteered to become a disciple.
Volunteer: I’ll follow You to any destination.
Jesus: 58 Foxes are at home in their burrows. Birds are at home in their nests. But the Son of Man has no home. 59 You (to another person)—I want you to follow Me!
Another Volunteer: I’d be glad to, Teacher, but let me first attend to my father’s funeral.
Jesus: 60 Let the dead bury their dead. I’m giving you a different calling—to go and proclaim the kingdom of God.
A Third Volunteer: 61 I’ll come, Jesus. I’ll follow You. But just let me first run home to say good-bye to my family.
Jesus: 62 Listen, if your hand is on the plow but your eyes are looking backward, then you’re not fit for the kingdom of God.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Humanity, even My disciples tried to establish a pecking order about who was greatest among them. I’m not sure why you do that. When you really think about it, what does your pecking order matter? You spend so much wasted energy trying to figure out some kind of ranking among yourselves when your comparisons are so insignificant. If you want to compare yourself, compare yourself to Me. Then you will begin to understand why ranking is so futile.

Set yourself against My standards, My measurements, My holiness, My perfection. See how you measure up against Me and then discover how well you rank. That’s the basis from which you should start your personal introspection. Don’t compare yourself to others. It’s useless. There will always be someone better in some areas and some worse in other areas than you, but what does that matter in the space of eternity. They do not measure up to Me either.

Set your sights on Me and run diligently to be like Me. Make Christlikeness your goal. Don’t worry about whether you are first or second or third in the race. The point is to finish the race and spend your energy becoming like Me in every way possible. Learn everything you can from Me and act like Me in every way you can . Let your spirit touch My Spirit and learn to soar. Become more than you ever think you could by reaching out to Me.

Keep your eyes on Me instead of others and you’ll be okay. Don’t worry about where you stand in relation to others on your spiritual journey, just keep searching for more of Me. Keep seeking. Keep learning. Keep talking with Me. Keep reading My word. Let Me determine how fast and far you can grow. Let Me determine what I want of you spiritually now and in eternity. Let Me figure out where you stand with Me. Don’t let others do it. They don’t know your heart. I do.

So it does no good to compare yourself to someone else. You are unique in the universe and so your standing with Me is unique. You’re not like anyone else. I want a relationship with you. I don’t want you to measure yourself with some set of rules or standards, I want a relationship. How are you supposed to measure that against someone else’s relationship with Me? Every relationship is unique just as every person is unique. But all of them can be incredibly rich and joyful and wonderful. It’s your choice. How much do you want to put into your relationship with Me?

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.