Tag Archives: faith

Watch truth unfold (Matthew 13:1-23), November 22, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Matthew 13:1-23

Set – Matthew 12-13

Go! – Matthew 11-13

Matthew 13:1-23
¹ That same day, Jesus left the house and went to sit by the sea. ² Large crowds gathered around Him, and He got into a boat on the sea and sat there. The crowd stood on the shore waiting for His teaching.
³ And so Jesus began to teach. On this day, He spoke in parables. Here is His first parable:
Jesus: Once there was a sower who scattered seeds. ⁴ One day he walked in a field scattering seeds as he went. Some seeds fell beside a road, and a flock of birds came and ate all those seeds. ⁵ So the sower scattered seeds in a field, one with shallow soil and strewn with rocks. But the seeds grew quickly amid all the rocks, ⁶ without rooting themselves in the shallow soil. Their roots got tangled up in all the stones. The sun scorched these seeds, and they died. ⁷ And so the sower scattered seeds near a path, this one covered with thorny vines. The seeds fared no better there—the thorns choked them, and they died. ⁸ And so finally the sower scattered his seeds in a patch of good earth. At home in the good earth, the seeds grew and grew. Eventually the seeds bore fruit, and the fruit grew ripe and was harvested. The harvest was immense—30, 60, 100 times what was sown.
⁹ He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Disciples: ¹⁰ Why do You speak to the people in parables?
Jesus: ¹¹ The knowledge of the secrets of heaven has been given to you, but it has not been given to them. ¹² Those who have something will be given more—and they will have abundance. Those who have nothing will lose what they have—they will be destitute. ¹³ I teach in parables so the people may look but not see, listen but not hear or understand.¹⁴ They are fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy:
You will listen, but you will not understand;
you will look, but you will not see.
¹⁵ The people’s hearts have turned to flab;
their ears are clogged;
their eyes are shut.
They will try to see, but they will not see;
they will try to hear, but they will not hear;
they will try to understand, but they will not comprehend.
If they, with their blindness and deafness, so choose, then I will heal them.
^16-17 Many holy prophets and righteous men and women and people of prayer and doers of good have wanted to see but did not see, and have wanted to hear but did not hear. Your eyes and ears are blessed.
¹⁸ This is what the parable of the sower means. ¹⁹ It is about the kingdom of heaven. When someone hears the story of the Kingdom and cannot understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away whatever goodness and holiness had been sown in the heart. This is like the seeds sown beside the road. ^20-21 You know people who hear the word of God and receive it joyfully—but then, somehow, the word fails to take root in their hearts. It is temporary. As soon as there is trouble for those people, they trip: those people are the seeds strewn on the rocky soil. ²² And you know people who hear the word, but it is choked inside them because they constantly worry and prefer the wealth and pleasures of the world: they prefer drunken dinner parties to prayer, power to piety, and riches to righteousness. Those people are like the seeds sown among thorns. ²³ The people who hear the word and receive it and grow in it—those are like the seeds sown on good soil. They produce a bumper crop, 30 or 60 or 100 times what was sown.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Do I hide knowledge from you? Why would I tell My disciples about Isaiah’s prophecy that “though seeing, they will not see; though hearing, they will hear; though understanding, they will not comprehend”? Do you think I hide knowledge from you?

No. But Satan often pulls a veil over your eyes so that the truth seems camoflagued. The lies you’ve heard for so long cause you not to see the truth right in front of you. It’s like looking for the hidden face in a picture. It’s not really hidden at all and once you see it, you can’t help be see it every time you look at the picture. In fact, it’s the first thing you see when you look at the picture.

When you to come to Me in faith, I can open your eyes to the truth. Sometimes your prejudices, your past, your own experiences get in the way of the truth. As Isaiah says, you can see the truth right in front of you, but not see it, like camoflague. But once you let My Spirit in you open your eyes, you can see it clearly. I give you new eyes. I transform your mind. I let you see the way I see. Truth opens up to you and you begin to understand as never before.

Exercise your faith in Me and see if truth doesn’t unfold in front of 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.

Faith and righteousness (Matthew 8:1-13), November 21, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Matthew 8:1-13

Set – Matthew 8-9

Go! – Matthew 8-10

Matthew 8:1-13
¹ Large crowds followed Jesus when He came down from the mountain. ² And as Jesus was going along, a leper approached Him and knelt down before Him.
Leper: Lord, if You wish to, please heal me and make me clean!
Jesus (stretching out His hand): ³ Of course I wish to. Be clean.
Immediately the man was healed.
Jesus: ⁴ Don’t tell anyone what just happened. Rather, go to the priest, show yourself to him, and give a wave offering as Moses commanded. Your actions will tell the story of what happened here today.
⁵ Eventually Jesus came to the little town of Capernaum. In Capernaum a military officer came to Him and asked Him for help.
Officer: ⁶ Lord, I have a servant who is lying at home in agony, paralyzed.
Jesus: ⁷ I will come to your house, and I will heal him.
Officer: ⁸ Lord, I don’t deserve to have You in my house. And, in truth, I know You don’t need to be with my servant to heal him. Just say the word, and he will be healed. ⁹ That, after all, is how authority works. My troops obey me whether I am next to them or not—similarly, this sickness will obey You.
¹⁰ Jesus was stunned by the depth of the officer’s faith.
Jesus (to His followers): This is the plain truth: I have not met a single person in Israel with as much faith as this officer. ¹¹ It will not be just the children of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob who celebrate at their heavenly banquet at the end of time. No, people will come from the East and the West—and those who recognize Me, regardless of their lineage, will sit with Me at that feast. ¹² But those who have feigned their faith will be cast out into outer darkness where people weep and grind their teeth.
¹³ Then Jesus turned to the Centurion.
Jesus: You may go home. For it is as you say it is; it is as you believe.
And the officer’s servant was healed, right then.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Matthew comes back to a story of faith. He tells a lot of stories of faith because that is a center piece of righteousness. Many think righteousness has to do with how you behave, the rules you keep, the church you attend. It doesn’t. None of those things make you a righteous person. Go back and read about Abraham and what made him righteous. He didn’t have any rules. Remember? He came before the Law. Moses didn’t come around for another 400 years!

And how about Job. It wasn’t his behavior that made him righteous before Me. After he lost everything he had, he couldn’t do much more than grovel in the ashes. He couldn’t do any of the things he did with the wealth he had before Satan attacked him, but I still said he was righteous before Me. So it’s not about behavior.

It certainly isn’t about your church. Did you know there are probably child molestors and adulterers and murderers in your denomination and maybe in your congregation. They’re pretty invisible to most people. So it isn’t about the church you attend. That doesn’t matter much to Me. They all have their faults because they all have people in them. They all have hypocrits in them.

Righteousness is all about faith and who you put your faith in. The Centurion got it right. He put his faith in Me. I had not seen faith like his until that point in My earthly ministry. He understood. I didn’t have to go to his house. All I needed to do was say the words and his servant would be healed. He understood authority and had faith that I held authority over the disease that touched his servant. That’s faith. It’s not hard. It’s just believing that I can do what I say I can.

That’s what righteousness is all about. Believing in Me. Believing I am who I say. Believing I can make you into the person I created you to be. Believing I died to pay the penalty you owe for your sins. Believing because of My death on the cross, I have the power and authority to forgive you. And when you exercise that little bit of faith, I can transform your life. I can take away the guilt and the stain of sin in your life and show you a better way to live. I can teach you real love. I can help you to love God and love others in ways you cannot understand until your sins have been washed away by My blood.

Believe in Me. Exercise your faith in Me. Abraham learned I counted him as righteous because of that faith. I will do the same for you and everyone who will do the same. Righteousness is something I give you. Just believe.

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.

Focus your faith (2 Corinthians 5:1-10), November 16, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Set – 2 Corinthians 5-6

Go! – 2 Corinthians 3-6

2 Corinthians 5:1-10
¹ We know that if our earthly house—a mere tent that can easily be taken down—is destroyed, we will then live in an eternal home in the heavens, a building crafted by divine—not human—hands. ² Currently, in this tent of a house, we continue to groan and ache with a deep desire to be sheltered in our permanent home ³ because then we will be truly clothed and comfortable, protected by a covering for our current nakedness. ⁴ The fact is that in this tent we anxiously moan, fearing the naked truth of our reality. What we crave above all is to be clothed so that what is temporary and mortal can be wrapped completely in life. ⁵ The One who has worked and tailored us for this is God Himself, who has gifted His Spirit to us as a pledge toward our permanent home.
⁶ In light of this, we live with a daring passion and know that our time spent in this body is also time we are not present with the Lord. ⁷ The path we walk is charted by faith, not by what we see with our eyes. ⁸ There is no doubt that we live with a daring passion, but in the end we prefer to be gone from this body so that we can be at home with the Lord. ⁹ Ultimately it does not matter whether we are here or gone; our purpose stays fixed, and that is to please Him. ¹⁰ In time we will all stand in judgment before the throne of the Anointed, the Liberating King, to receive what is just for our conduct (whether it be good or bad) while we lived in this temporary body.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I know sometimes you would like to see Me with your eyes and have your entire future laid out like a road map so you could see everything your path holds. But I don’t work that way. I operate in a different realm. I want you to put the facts you see aside at times and operate with faith. You have it. You have plenty of faith for your salvation. You have enough to follow Me and perform the tasks I have planned for you. You have enough faith to move the mountains that rise in front of you.

Paul recognized faith as an important aspect of our relationship. He also knew everyone has faith, just sometimes focused in the wrong direction. Paul’s faith focused on Me and the path I laid out for him. He knew I would not fail him and so whether he lived or died, Paul was content with the life I chose for him.

You have faith. You exercise it every day. You might not think about it, but you do. You have faith the water will come through the pipes when you turn on the faucet to take a shower in the morning. You have faith the lights will work when you flip the switch on the wall. You have faith your car will start when you turn the ignition. You have faith your boss will pay you on payday. You have faith.

You probably have faith in others also. You probably have faith in your doctors. You probably have faith in your mechanic. You probably have faith in many if not most of your co-workers to do their jobs as you do yours. You probably have faith in many people when you stop to think about it. So you have faith. Faith is faith, it’s a question of what and who you have faith in.

So let’s go back and think about your faith in Me. Why is it so hard for you to exercise faith in God? Why is it so hard to believe I can do all things? Is it easier to believe all of this vast universe just happened or that I created it? You know, it’s the difference in believing a master watchmaker can assemble the parts of a watch or putting all the parts in a bag and shaking it until a watch comes out. The only change is I also made all the pieces…from nothing.

But that’s faith. It’s believing even though you don’t see it. You don’t see electricity, but you believe in it because of the power it holds. You don’t see the wind, but you believe in it because you see the results of it blowing. You don’t see the explosive power of gasoline, but you believe it will power your car. Why else would you pump it into your gas tank when it’s empty? So look around. How could all of this come into being without a Master Designer? Think about the odds that a planet could sustain life in the universe and that you can hear or read these words. Think about the complexity involved in that seemingly simple act. It is a miracle.

Now why is it so hard to have faith in Me? I AM. That’s enough.

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.

Peter’s characteristics means love (2 Peter 1:1-11), July 27, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Peter 1:1-11

Set – Isaiah 51; Psalms 92; 2 Peter 1

Go! – Isaiah 50-52; Psalms 92; 2 Peter 1

2 Peter 1:1-11
¹Simon Peter, a servant and emissary of Jesus the Anointed One, to those who have received the same precious faith we share through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus the Anointed. ² I wish you a full measure of grace and peace as you grow in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
³ His divine power has given us everything we need to experience life and to reflect God’s true nature through the knowledge of the One who called us by His glory and virtue. ⁴ Through these things, we have received God’s great and valuable promises, so we might escape the corruption of worldly desires and share in the divine nature.
⁵ To achieve this, you will need to add virtue to your faith, and then knowledge to your virtue; ⁶ to knowledge, add discipline; to discipline, add endurance; to endurance, add godliness; ⁷ to godliness, add affection for others as sisters and brothers; and to affection, at last, add love. ⁸ For if you possess these traits and multiply them, then you will never be ineffective or unproductive in your relationship with our Lord Jesus the Anointed; ⁹ but if you don’t have these qualities, then you will be nearsighted and blind, forgetting that your past sins have been washed away. ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers and sisters, work that much harder to confirm that God has called you and claimed you. If you do this, then you will never fall along the way; ¹¹ and you can be sure that you will be richly welcomed into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

It wasn’t until the end of their lives that My disciples began to understand I might delay My coming for generations to allow the greatest number of people to find My grace. It was at the end of their lives they began to pen the words you heard and read in the throughout the New Testament that grab your attention and help you understand what it means to live for Me and pattern your life after Me. Then knew their lives were short and wanted to make sure the words I had given them lived on for you.

Peter learned about the character of Christians first hand. He walked with Me for almost three and a half years before I was physically taken from him by My death on the cross. Still he knew Me by his study of My word and listening carefully to what I told him through My Spirit within him.

Peter learned to build the greatest attribute you can share that is like Me – love. Start with faith, add virtue to it. Then with those in place increase your knowledge of Me. As you learn more of Me, you’ll find discipline in your life becomes more important and you’ll add discipline to your life to become more like Me in character.

To faith, virtue, knowledge, and discipline, you will discover the need for endurance because life is not a short or easy race at times and endurance is a characteristic you will need to embrace. To endurance for the race, you will need godliness and to godliness you will need affection for those around you. Without affection you will be blind to the needs of others and miss the godly opportunities I put in your path. You will not be able to endure the hardships of life or suffer through the discipline necessary to really know Me. You will slip in your life of virtues and you and others will question your faith.

Finally, from affection will blossom love for your brothers and sisters. Real heart-felt love, like Mine that you demonstrate through benevolent action expecting nothing in return. You’ll just give – of your time, your money, your energy – whatever God asks you to give for the good of those around you.

Peter reminds you that you need these characteristics as you go through life. I will remind you, too. These characteristics lead you to the point of love, the two great commandments. Love Me with all your heart and love your neighbor like you love yourself. Do these two things and you’ll do the rest. Just love.

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.

Faith and works are meant to go together! (James 2:14-26), July 18, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – James 2:14-26

Set – Isaiah 32; James 2

Go! – Isaiah 32-35; James 2

James 2:14-26
¹⁴ Brothers and sisters, it doesn’t make any sense to say you have faith and act in a way that denies that faith. Mere talk never gets you very far, and a commitment to Jesus only in words will not save you. ¹⁵ It would be like seeing a brother or sister without any clothes out in the cold and begging for food, and ¹⁶ saying, “Shalom, friend, you should get inside where it’s warm and eat something,” but doing nothing about his needs—leaving him cold and alone on the street. What good would your words alone do? ¹⁷ The same is true with faith. Without actions, faith is useless. By itself, it’s as good as dead. ¹⁸ I know what you’re thinking: “OK, you have faith. And I have actions. Now let’s see your faith without works, and I’ll show you a faith that works.”
¹⁹ Do you think that just believing there’s one God is going to get you anywhere? The demons believe that, too, and it terrifies them! ²⁰ The fact is, faith has to show itself through works performed in faith. If you don’t recognize that, then you’re an empty soul. ²¹ Wasn’t our father Abraham made right with God by laying his son Isaac on the altar? ²² The faith in his heart was made known in his behavior. In fact, his commitment was perfected by his obedience. ²³ That’s what Scripture means when it says, “Abraham entrusted himself to God, and God credited him with righteousness.” And living a faithful life earned Abraham the title of “God’s friend.” ²⁴ Just like our father in the faith, we are made right with God through good works, not simply by what we believe or think. ²⁵ Even Rahab the prostitute was made right with God by hiding the spies and aiding in their escape. ²⁶ Removing action from faith is like removing breath from a body. All you have left is a corpse.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Listen carefully to what James says here. Faith always comes first. He doesn’t say faith is not necessary, it is. Faith is paramount in walking with Me. But understand that faith without works really isn’t faith. Faith demonstrates itself through the works you do. Faith without works only amounts to a bunch of words that does no one any good. And I placed you on earth to do good for others on My behalf.

Let Me use a simple metaphor. Suppose you tell Me you have faith in the electric company in your town. You believe they will supply power to your house and if you turn the light switch on your table lamp, light will flood your room. But you never turn the switch because in the back of your mind you’re afraid it might not work. Or you’re afraid if you use too much of the power coming through the lines it will use up the power and it will run out. Or if you turn on the switch someone else might see the light, come into your room and use it for their own benefit along with you.

Instead of turning the switch, you just sit in darkness and no one around you recognizes the light available because of the power that surges through the wires in your room. Do you really have faith in the power company? Aren’t you saying that you don’t have faith? You don’t believe the power will light the lamp or the power will be enough or if you share it, the power will run out? Aren’t you limiting and belittling the power of the dynamos the power company put at your disposal?

So it is with faith in Me. When you don’t act on your faith, you belittle My power in you. You tell the world around you that I’m limited in what I can do, that I’m not who you have proclaimed Me to be. You tell those around you that I’m not real. Otherwise, you would step out on your faith in Me and act. You would know I deal in the impossible and you wouldn’t hesitate to take the first step in acting on the things I want you to do. You wouldn’t walk past the naked and hungry and just pray for them, but would take them in, feed them and clothe them.

Faith is more than words. Like My servant James says, “Without actions, faith is useless.” Like the switch on the lamp, if you never turn the switch, you never light the room. How can you exercise your faith if you never act on it.

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

Put God’s word into action – love (James 1), July 17, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – James 1

Set – Isaiah 31; James 1

Go! – Isaiah 29-31; James 1

James 1
¹ James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, to the twelve tribes of Israel who are spread across the earth: I send you my warmest welcome!
^2-4 Don’t run from tests and hardships, brothers and sisters. As difficult as they are, you will ultimately find joy in them; if you embrace them, your faith will blossom under pressure and teach you true patience as you endure. And true patience brought on by endurance will equip you to complete the long journey and cross the finish line—mature, complete, and wanting nothing. ⁵ If you don’t have all the wisdom needed for this journey, then all you have to do is ask God for it; and God will grant all that you need. He gives lavishly and never scolds you for asking.
⁶ The key is that your request be anchored by your single-minded commitment to God. Those who depend only on their own judgment are like those lost on the seas, carried away by any wave or picked up by any wind. ⁷ Those adrift on their own wisdom shouldn’t assume the Lord will rescue them or bring them anything. ⁸ The splinter of divided loyalty shatters your compass and leaves you dizzy and confused.
⁹ If you are a brother of humble means, celebrate the fact that God has raised you up. ¹⁰ If you are rich and seemingly invincible, savor the humble reality that you are a mere mortal who will vanish like a flower that withers in the field. ¹¹ The sun rises with a blazing heat that dries the earth and causes the flower to wither and fall to the ground and its beauty to fade and die. In the same way, the rich will fall and die in the midst of their busy lives.
¹² Happy is the person who can hold up under the trials of life. At the right time, he’ll know God’s sweet approval and will be crowned with life. As God has promised, the crown awaits all who love Him.
¹³ No one who is tempted should ever be confused and say that God is testing him. The One who created us is free from evil and can’t be tempted, so He doesn’t tempt anyone. ^14-15 When a person is carried away with desire, lured by lust, and when desire becomes the focus and takes control, it gives birth to sin. When sin becomes fully grown, it produces death.
¹⁶ My dearly loved brothers and sisters, don’t be misled. ¹⁷ Every good gift bestowed, every perfect gift received comes to us from above, courtesy of the Father of lights. He is consistent. He won’t change His mind or play tricks in the shadows. ¹⁸ We have a special role in His plan. He calls us to life by His message of truth so that we will show the rest of His creatures His goodness and love.
¹⁹ Listen, open your ears, harness your desire to speak, and don’t get worked up into a rage so easily, my brothers and sisters. ²⁰ Human anger is a futile exercise that will never produce God’s kind of justice in this world. ²¹ So walk out on your corrupt liaison with smut and depraved living, and humbly welcome the word of truth that will blossom like the seed of salvation planted in your souls.
²² Put the word into action. If you think hearing is what matters most, you are going to find you have been deceived.
^23-24 If some fail to do what God requires, it’s as if they forget the word as soon as they hear it. One minute they look in the mirror, and the next they forget who they are and what they look like. ²⁵ However, it is possible to open your eyes and take in the beautiful, perfect truth found in God’s law of liberty and live by it. If you pursue that path and actually do what God has commanded, then you will avoid the many distractions that lead to an amnesia of all true things and you will be blessed.
²⁶ If you put yourself on a pedestal, thinking you have become a role model in all things religious, but you can’t control your mouth, then think again. Your mouth exposes your heart, and your religion is useless. ²⁷ Real, true religion from God the Father’s perspective is about caring for the orphans and widows who suffer needlessly and resisting the evil influence of the world.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

James couldn’t have put it better. What I want you to do is put My word into action. Just listening to My word and doing nothing about it does nothing for you or anyone else. What does it mean to put My word into action? Love! Love Me with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love your neighbor as you love yourself.

When you do those two things, you will take action to help the down and out. You will assist those in need. You will teach those that need assistance how to care for themselves and lend a hand until they get to the point that they can stand on their own feet. You will take care of My widows and orphans. You will recognize each person as a living soul instead of another mouth to feed or another need to be met. You will see others as I see them.

It’s a simple task when you let Me help you. Just love. That’s all. Everyone wants love. But to get the most love, you must be generous in giving it. So let your faith act out in love toward others. It will return to you as a harvest. I promise.

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.

Faith is simple (Hebrews 11), July 14, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Hebrews 11

Set – Isaiah 21; Hebrews 11

Go! – Isaiah 19-21; Hebrews 11

Hebrews 11
¹Faith is the assurance of things you have hoped for, the absolute conviction that there are realities you’ve never seen. ² It was by faith that our forebears were approved. ³ Through faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God; everything we now see was fashioned from that which is invisible.
⁴ By faith Abel presented to God a sacrifice more acceptable than his brother Cain’s. By faith Abel learned he was righteous, as God Himself testified by approving his offering. And by faith he still speaks, although his voice was silenced by death.
⁵ By faith Enoch was carried up into heaven so that he did not see death; no one could find him because God had taken him. Before he was taken up, it was said of him that he had pleased God. ⁶ Without faith no one can please God because the one coming to God must believe He exists, and He rewards those who come seeking.
⁷ By faith Noah respected God’s warning regarding the flood—the likes of which no one had ever seen—and built an ark that saved his family. In this he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that comes by faith.
⁸ By faith Abraham heard God’s call to travel to a place he would one day receive as an inheritance; and he obeyed, not knowing where God’s call would take him. ⁹ By faith he journeyed to the land of the promise as a foreigner; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, his fellow heirs to the promise ¹⁰ because Abraham looked ahead to a city with foundations, a city laid out and built by God.
¹¹ By faith Abraham’s wife Sarah became fertile long after menopause because she believed God would be faithful to His promise. ¹² So from this man, who was almost at death’s door, God brought forth descendants, as many as the stars in the sky and as impossible to count as the sands of the shore.
¹³ All these I have mentioned died in faith without receiving the full promises, although they saw the fulfillment as though from a distance. These people accepted and confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on this earth ¹⁴ because people who speak like this make it plain that they are still seeking a homeland. ¹⁵ If this was only a bit of nostalgia for a time and place they left behind, then certainly they might have turned around and returned. ¹⁶ But such saints as these look forward to a far better place, a heavenly country. So God is not ashamed to be called their God because He has prepared a heavenly city for them.
¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when he endured God’s testing, offered his beloved son Isaac as a sacrifice. The one who had received God’s promise was willing to offer his only son; ¹⁸ God had told him, “It is through Isaac that your descendants will bear your name,” ¹⁹ and he concluded that God was capable of raising him from the dead, which, figuratively, is indeed what happened.
²⁰ By faith Isaac spoke blessings upon his sons, Jacob and Esau, concerning things yet to come.
²¹ By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed the sons of his son Joseph, bowing in worship as he leaned upon his staff.
²² By faith Joseph, at his life’s end, predicted that the children of Israel would make an exodus from Egypt; and he gave instructions that his bones be buried in the land they would someday reach.
²³ By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born because they saw that he was handsome; and they did not fear Pharaoh’s directive that all male Hebrew children were to be slain.
²⁴ By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be identified solely as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter ²⁵ and chose instead to share the sufferings of the people of God, not just living in sin and ease for a time. ²⁶ He considered the abuse that he and the people of God had suffered in anticipation of the Anointed One more valuable than all the riches of Egypt because he looked ahead to the coming reward.
²⁷ By faith Moses left Egypt, unafraid of Pharaoh’s wrath and moving forward as though he could see the invisible God. ²⁸ Through faith, he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of blood on the doorposts among the Hebrews so that the destroyer of the firstborn would pass over their homes without harming them. ²⁹ By faith the people crossed through the Red Sea as if they were walking on dry land, although the pursuing Egyptian soldiers were drowned when they tried to follow.
³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho toppled after the people had circled them for seven days. ³¹ By faith the prostitute Rahab welcomed the Hebrew spies into her home so that she did not perish with the unbelievers.
³² I could speak more of faith; I could talk until time itself ran out. If I continued, I could speak of the examples of Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, of David and Samuel and all the prophets. ³³ I could give accounts of people alive with faith who conquered kingdoms, brought justice, obtained promises, and closed the mouths of hungry lions. ³⁴ I could tell you how people of faith doused raging fires, escaped the edge of the sword, made the weak strong, and—stoking great valor among the champions of God—sent opposing armies into panicked flight.
³⁵ I could speak of faith bringing women their loved ones back from death and how the faithful accepted torture instead of earthly deliverance because they believed they would obtain a better life in the resurrection. ³⁶ Others suffered mockery and whippings; they were placed in chains and in prisons. ³⁷ The faithful were stoned, sawn in two, killed by the sword, clothed only in sheepskins and goatskins; they were penniless, afflicted, and tormented. ³⁸ The world was not worthy of these saints. They wandered across deserts, crossed mountains, and lived in the caves, cracks, and crevasses of the earth.
³⁹ These, though commended by God for their great faith, did not receive what was promised. ⁴⁰ That promise has awaited us, who receive the better thing that God has provided in these last days, so that with us, our forebears might finally see the promise completed.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

This chapter of Hebrews gives a littany of heros of faith. But the truth is they were ordinary man and women. There was nothing special about them. They had no special powers or extraordinary traits. They had one distinction that set them apart from those around them. The believed what I told them.

The first words in today’s scriptures tell it all. “Faith is the assurance of things you have hoped for, the absolute conviction that there are realities you’ve never seen.” They believed enough to take action. They believed the promises I made to them. Faith is as simple as flipping the light switch and expecting the lights to come on. It’s just believing. So exercise so faith. Like the heroes mentioned here, believe in 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.

Faith – just do it! (Matthew 14:22-36), Apr 27, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Matthew 14:22-36
Set – 2 Samuel 2; Matthew 14
Go! – 2 Samuel 2; 1 Chronicles 11; Psalms 142; Matthew 14

Matthew 14:22-36
²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on to the other side of the sea while He dismissed the crowd. ²³ Then, after the crowd had gone, Jesus went up to a mountaintop alone (as He had intended from the start). As evening descended, He stood alone on the mountain, praying.

²⁴ The boat was in the water, some distance from land, buffeted and pushed around by waves and wind. ²⁵ Deep in the night, when He had concluded His prayers, Jesus walked out on the water to His disciples in their boat. ²⁶ The disciples saw a figure moving toward them and were terrified.

Disciple: It’s a ghost!

Another Disciple: A ghost? What will we do?

Jesus: ²⁷ Be still. It is I. You have nothing to fear.

Peter: ²⁸ Lord, if it is really You, then command me to meet You on the water.

Jesus: ²⁹ Indeed, come.

Peter stepped out of the boat onto the water and began walking toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he remembered how strong the wind was, his courage caught in his throat and he began to sink.

Peter: Master, save me!

³¹ 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?

³² Then Jesus and Peter climbed in the boat together, and the wind became still. ³³ And the disciples worshiped Him.

Disciples: Truly You are the Son of God.

³⁴ All together, Jesus and the disciples crossed to the other side of the sea. They landed at Gennesaret, an area famous for its princely gardens. ³⁵ The people of Gennesaret recognized Jesus, and they spread word of His arrival all over the countryside. People brought the sick and wounded to Him ³⁶ and begged Him for permission to touch the fringes of His robe. Everyone who touched Him was healed.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Peter started what Nike made famous. I want you to pay attention to these two stories and see the similarities in what faith does. Faith just steps out and does things. For Peter he was just as afraid as the other disciples in the boat, but when he thought he recognized Me, he made one simple request. “If it’s really You, ask me to come to You.” I did and Peter stepped out of the boat. That’s what faith does.

The same was true of those in Gennesaret. They knew if they could just touch even the fringe on My robe, they could find healing from their infirmities. So many of them stretched out their arms to touch My robe and found healing. Their faith launched them into action. James talks about faith in his short letter to the early churches. Faith requires action. Without action, faith is dead. Without action, faith is only words. There is nothing to it. It’s lifeless and meaningless until you put feet to your faith.

Peter and the people of Gennesaret understood faith. They understood it takes putting yourself in motion and doing something before real faith is exercised. Do you have faith in Me? Show it with your actions. Just do something for Me. Stop talking and do something. That’s what Peter did. That’s what the people of Gennesaret did. That’s what you’ll need to do to demonstrate your faith to those around 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.

Watch the children (Mark 10:13-31), Mar 3, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Mark 10:13-31
Set – Exodus 32; Mark 10
Go! – Numbers 32-33; Mark 10

Mark 10:13-31
¹³ When the crowd gathered again, the people brought their children to see Jesus, hoping that He might grant them His blessing through His touch.

His disciples turned them all away; ¹⁴ but when Jesus saw this, He was incensed.

Jesus (to the disciples): Let the children come to Me, and don’t ever stand in their way, for this is what the kingdom of God is all about. ¹⁵ Truly anyone who doesn’t accept the kingdom of God as a little child does can never enter it.

¹⁶ Jesus gathered the children in His arms, and He laid His hands on them to bless them.

¹⁷ When He had traveled on, a young man came and knelt in the dust of the road in front of Jesus.

Young Man: Good Teacher! What must I do to gain life in the world to come?

Jesus: ¹⁸ You are calling Me good? Don’t you know that God and God alone is good? ¹⁹ Anyway, why ask Me that question? You know the Commandments of Moses: “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not slander, do not defraud, and honor your father and mother.”[a]

Young Man: ²⁰ Yes, Teacher, I have done all these since I was a child.

²¹ Then Jesus, looking at the young man, saw that he was sincere and responded out of His love for him.

Jesus: Son, there is still one thing you have not done. Go now. Sell everything you have and give the proceeds to the poor so that you will have treasure in heaven. After that, come, follow Me.

²² The young man went away sick at heart at these words because he was very wealthy, ²³ and Jesus looked around to see if His disciples were understanding His teaching.

Jesus (to His disciples): Oh, it is hard for people with wealth to find their way into God’s kingdom!

Disciples (amazed): ²⁴ What?

Jesus: You heard Me. How hard it is to enter the kingdom of God [for those who trust in their wealth]![b] ²⁵ I think you’ll see camels squeezing through the eye of a needle before you’ll see the rich celebrating and dancing as they enter into the joy of God’s kingdom!

²⁶ The disciples looked around at each other, whispering.

Disciples (aloud to Jesus): Then who can be liberated?

Jesus (smiling and shaking His head): ²⁷ For human beings it is impossible, but not for God: God makes everything possible.

Peter: ²⁸ Master, we have left behind everything we had to follow You.

Jesus: ²⁹ That is true. And those who have left their houses, their lands, their parents, or their families for My sake, and for the sake of this good news ³⁰ will receive all of this 100 times greater than they have in this time—houses and farms and brothers, sisters, mothers, and children, along with persecutions—and in the world to come, they will receive eternal life. ³¹ But many of those who are first in this world shall be last in the world to come, and the last, first.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

What a difference between the children who came to Jesus and the wealthy young man who came to Him. The children were dependent on others for food, clothing, shelter, knowledge, wisdom, health, everything. They needed others to meet their daily needs. The young man was wealthy and thought he needed nothing but his wealth to supply his needs. He thought he could buy his way through life. He could go to the market and buy the best food. He could buy the best clothes. He could buy the best housing. He could pay for the best doctors. He thought all he needed was his money.

When he saw Jesus, the young man discovered his money wasn’t enough. There was something missing. A hole existed in his life that money couldn’t fill. He tried various pleasures to fill the void, but nothing worked. When he asked Jesus how to gain the eternal life He spoke of, perhaps he thought he could purchase that, too. But eternity doesn’t work that way. Jesus hit home with the one demand the young man couldn’t fulfill. “Sell all you have and give it to the poor.”

Jesus knew the young man treasured his material goods more than he treasured God. He needed to abandon his false love for things and replace it with love for what was true, the Only True God. He needed to discover for himself that he must learn to trust in Me for what he needed, not on the fickle state of any given economy. Children don’t worry about such things. They just trust their parents to feed and clothe them and live from day to day without a care. That’s the kind of trust I want you to have in Me.

When you think you can depend on yourself, like the wealthy young man, you will find it very difficult to believe in Me. When you know you need Me for your next breath and learn to trust Me for the needs of each new day, you will begin to understand the trust I require from you. It isn’t hard. Just watch the children around you. Learn to think like them when it comes to trust, think the best in others, and believe in the impossible. You can learn a lot from watching children and their faith.

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.

Talk about your faith (Mark 8:27-38), Mar 1, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Mark 8:27-38
Set – Numbers 28; Mark 8
Go! – Numbers 28-29; Mark 8

Mark 8:27-38
²⁷ As He traveled with His disciples into the villages of Caesarea Philippi, He posed an important question to them.

Jesus: Who do the people say that I am?

²⁸ They told Him about the great speculation concerning His identity.

Disciples: Some of them say You are John the Baptist,[a] others say Elijah, while others say one of the prophets of old.

Jesus (pressing the question): ²⁹ And who do you say that I am?

Peter: You are God’s Anointed, the Liberating King.

Jesus: ³⁰ Don’t tell anyone. It is not yet time.

³¹ And He went on to teach them many things about Himself: how the Son of Man would suffer; how He would be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes; how He would be killed; and how, after three days, God would raise Him from the dead.

³² He said all these things in front of them all, but Peter took Jesus aside to rebuke Him.

Jesus (seeing His disciples surrounding them): ³³ Get behind Me, you tempter! You’re thinking only of human things, not of the things God has planned.

³⁴ He gathered the crowd and His disciples alike.

Jesus: If any one of you wants to follow Me, you will have to give yourself up to God’s plan, take up your cross, and do as I do. 35 For any one of you who wants to be rescued will lose your life, but any one of you who loses your life for My sake and for the sake of this good news will be liberated. ³⁶ Really, what profit is there for you to gain the whole world and lose yourself in the process? ³⁷ What can you give in exchange for your life? ³⁸ If you are ashamed of Me and of what I came to teach to this adulterous and sinful generation, then the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when He comes in the glory of His Father along with the holy messengers at the final judgment.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

There are no closet Christians. Jesus put it in the right words. If you are ashamed of carrying the message He came to share to a lost and dying world, He will be ashamed of you when He comes to take His bride away at the final judgment. You do not want to find yourself in that predicament at the judgment. You want to know you are the right side of the dividing line when you stand before Him.

It’s interesting to see how few of those who call themselves Christian today fail to talk about Me to their friends or family. My name comes up and they get embarrassed to speak My name. They talk about everything under the sun…except Me. People will talk about sports or cars, fashion or flings, but when something about church or the Bible comes up, Christians mouths suddenly close and nothing comes out. Not a word is uttered about Me to those who need Me most.

Some talk about Me within the confines of their small group at church, but most are hesitant to share what I’m doing in their life even then. What is it about telling others the hope that you have because of Me that causes such angst? Why can you talk about other aspects of your life but you can’t talk about the most important part? After all, it’s your spiritual life that determines your eternity. If you’re ready to face eternity because you’ve accepted the gift of forgiveness through faith in Jesus; if you’ve followed His teaching and not been ashamed of Him; if you love Me with your whole self and love others like you love yourself; then, why wouldn’t you tell someone and bring them along with you?

Read the stories of the New Testament. No one kept their new found faith secret. Why do “Christians” today seem to do so? Maybe the answer is they wear the name but don’t have the experience. Maybe they haven’t really come to the place of real repentance. Maybe it’s just a moniker for them and they haven’t counted the cost of taking up the cross and really living for Christ. Maybe their silence means they really aren’t My children after all. I know the difference between those wearing a name and those adopted into My family. Don’t think I’m fooled.

Can you keep quiet about your faith? Maybe it’s time to take a good look at who you believe. If you believe in Me, you can’t keep quiet. I forgive. I give hope. I give peace. I provide. I sustain. I comfort. I AM. When you put your faith in Me, you have to tell others. You have to share what I do for you. I provide a joy that can’t be contained. It spills out to those around you and others know you are different by the love you share. That’s what it means to wear the name Christian.

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.