Tag Archives: judgment

Nothing is hidden (Luke 8:16-18) October 17, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Deuteronomy 1-3

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 8:16-18
Jesus: You wouldn’t light a lamp and cover it with a clay pot. You’re not going to hide it under your bed. No, when you light it, you’re going to put it out in the open so your guests can feel welcome and see where they’re going.
Hidden things will always come out into the open. Secret things will come to light and be exposed. I hope you’re still listening. And I hope you’re listening carefully. If you get what I’m saying, you’ll get more. If you miss My meaning, even the understanding you think you have will be taken from you.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus’ words remind me of just how powerful and important light is to us. I remember a time when I was in ROTC in college, a buddy and I were on a scouting mission together. We got just a little off track and thought we would get out of the woods and onto some more familiar territory by using a railroad track that bisected the area that enclosed the training area we were supposed to occupy. When we got to the track we decided we would head toward a red signal light we saw in the distance.

Because it was a dark night with no moon, heavy cloud cover, and a light rain falling, we had trouble making out any of the land formations around us. That’s what got us a little disoriented in the first place and caused us to lose our pace count and direction. So when we saw the light in the distance we figured we would be safe and on track once more. We headed that direction.

We didn’t realize then just how far you can see a railroad signal light in the dark. We were accustomed to seeing flashlights and car headlights in the dark. You can see a flashlight a few hundred yards and headlights a mile or so in the weather we were experiencing. But a signal for the railroad? Two hours later at a fairly brisk jog, we seemed no closer to that light than when we started. By then, we knew we were well out of the boundaries of the training area we were supposed to stay in. In fact, we might have even left the installation at that point, but really didn’t know without any landmarks to guide us.

After another hour of moving toward that light, we finally arrived and spent the rest of the night next to that railroad signal. We found out just how bright and how tall those things are. We also felt a lot more secure knowing we would be able to pinpoint our location once the sun came up using that signal along and the terrain around us. We could make it back to our camp from there. We blew the mission. We were embarrassed. But that light helped us make it home. We were happy to have it at 1:30 that morning 45 years ago. I’m so thankful that light was burning and not hidden from view.

Light does that for us. It dispels the darkness and gives us comfort on the darkest nights. It gives us hope and encouragement when it seems there is otherwise none to be had. Light is something we seek and it draws us when we find ourselves in darkness. It pulls us toward it because light tries to bring out the detail we want to see around us. Light comforts us.

But it also reminds us of the second part of the words we’re considering today. “Hidden things will always come out into the open.”

How often have you groped around in the dark for something and then with the flick of a switch, you turn on the light and there the item is right in front of you. I do it all the time. Unfortunately, I’m one of those that need a CPAP or BiPAP when I sleep at night because I have a tendency to stop breathing periodically. But I often put the contraption on in the dark since it’s really easy to operate and I’ve been using it for over ten years. The problem is that it does have a few parts that fit together and if one of those parts happen to slip off, many times I can’t find it in the dark no matter how hard I try. But as soon as I turn the lamp on the nightstand on, I can instantly see that part that lies just beyond my pitiful attempts to find it without that light. Light brings out the hidden things.

The same is true of our lives. Just look at the vitriol that pours out during this political campaign. Look at the candidates’ hidden lives that are coming out in the media on both sides of the aisle. Those evils each have committed are being flashed through the news, twitter, Facebook, and every other electronic media available. Little about their lives over their entire lifetime is being hidden from public view. Even all those alleged sexual assaults from the Republican candidate and the email trail that is shows the selling of favors to our enemies on the part of our Democratic candidate while Secretary of State. Nothing is hidden.

But think of what the final judgment will be like. Not even our thoughts will be hidden on that day. God will expose every act and every thought for the whole world to see. The only question after that display is whether all those acts of disobedience have been forgiven through your repentant prayer. How about 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.

Stars of the jumbo-screen (Matthew 25:31-40) June 14, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 1 Kings 10-13

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 25:31-40
Jesus: When the Son of Man comes in all His majesty accompanied by throngs of heavenly messengers, His throne will be wondrous. All the nations will assemble before Him, and He will judge them, distinguishing them from one another as a shepherd isolates the sheep from the goats. He will put some, the sheep, at His right hand and some, the goats, at His left. Then the King will say to those to His right,
King: Come here, you beloved, you people whom My Father has blessed. Claim your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of creation. You shall be richly rewarded, for when I was hungry, you fed Me. And when I was thirsty, you gave Me something to drink. I was alone as a stranger, and you welcomed Me into your homes and into your lives. I was naked, and you gave Me clothes to wear; I was sick, and you tended to My needs; I was in prison, and you comforted Me.
Even then the righteous will not have achieved perfect understanding and will not recall these things.
Righteous: Master, when did we find You hungry and give You food? When did we find You thirsty and slake Your thirst? When did we find You a stranger and welcome You in, or find You naked and clothe You? When did we find You sick and nurse You to health? When did we visit You when You were in prison?
King: I tell you this: whenever you saw a brother or sister hungry or cold, whatever you did to the least of these, so you did to Me.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We probably hear lots of sermons about judgment day and the separation of the sheep from the goats, the obedient from the disobedient, the good from the evil. Well, maybe we don’t hear many sermons about that any more, but we probably should. However, if you’ve been in the church very long and if you’ve read your Bible much at all, you know a judgment day is coming on which we will be held account for the lives we live in this present age.

Rewards and punishments will be meted out for every individual based on two things. The lives we lived, that is the good and bad we did to others. And second, whether we accepted Jesus as Lord of our life during our life now. If we accept Him as Lord, the sinful acts are forgiven and not remembered by God. That’s a pretty interesting twist to God’s omniscience. God chooses to forget our sins and never remember them again when we ask repentantly for His forgiveness. But that’s a different sermon for a different time.

What I really want us to see today in the words Jesus spoke is this sentence in the middle of His discourse. “Even then the righteous will not have achieved perfect understanding and will not recall these things.” That’s a pretty interesting thing for Jesus to say at the judgment, don’t you think?

I always pictured the judgment as this long line of people walking up to Jesus, sitting on His throne. Next to Him is this gigantic jumbo-screen, like you see in a basketball court, large enough for everyone in line to see. And as you stand there, your whole life plays out in front of you. Everything you did shows up on that screen. Everything! I mean everything! But for those whose sins have been forgiven, washed away by the cleansing power of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, when those sinful acts start to play, instead of the act showing on the screen, there is this splash of blood red that covers the screen. Words scroll across the screen in big bold letters that read, “This portion of Richard’s life (or insert your name if you’re a child of God) is forgotten, covered by My blood.”

The video of your life continues. The whole of your life plays out. And as a child of God, saved by His grace, every sin committed shows up with that same crimson cover, “This portion of Richard’s life is forgotten, covered by My blood.” But the other interesting thing about that video for the righteous, is that I think we will see things we never realized happened. Words of encouragement we gave that we don’t remember. Acts of kindness we performed that slipped our mind. Giving gifts without any reason other than giving with the thought sharing God’s love at a particular moment in time, but never remembering the reason or the moment, or even the person we gave the gift.

I think for those who live under the direction of God’s Spirit in them, we will see dozens, hundreds of acts performed through our life that just happen every day because we feel compelled to do the right thing and that right thing serves God and others in ways we do not understand. At the judgment we will see how our lives impacted the world for good or evil. It will all be made clear. Until then, when God prompts you to do something, just do it. You’ll be surprised the joy it will bring to you and others when you do. Who knows, you might really be the star on a jumbo-screen one day. 

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

What kind of servant are you? (Matthew 24:48-51) June 11, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Luke 11-12

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 24:48-51
Jesus:But imagine that the master’s trust was misplaced, that the supposedly responsible servant is actually a thief who says to himself, “My master has been gone so long, he is not possibly coming back.” Then he beats his fellow servants and dines and drinks with drunkards. Well, when the master returns—as certainly he will—the servant will be caught unawares. The master will return on a day and at an hour when he isn’t expected. And he will cut his worthless servant into pieces and throw him out into darkness with the hypocrites, where there is weeping and grinding of teeth.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

In our culture this sounds like a pretty brutal punishment for a wayward servant. We can’t fathom anyone taking such extreme measures because someone exploited their position. I was thinking of the Enron executives as I read these verses and even those, as bad as it was for their investors, we didn’t tear them into pieces and throw them into darkness. Imprison them? Sure. Make them pay back the funds they squandered? If we can. Ruin their reputation and make sure they can never do that to anyone again? I hope so. But tear them into pieces? We just can’t imagine that kind of punishment.

But let’s go back to the culture in which Jesus lived. Remember He lived in a small country occupied by the Romans. The Romans were knows for their methods of imposing unique forms of cruelty on those who disobeyed. And they very often performed those acts of cruelty in public so others would not be so quick to follow suit with their disobedience.

Because of my military travels, I’ve seen what men can do to other men. The horrors of war are not soon forgotten when you see just how inhumane we can be to each other. The Romans perfected those skills. That’s the culture in which Jesus lived. And there was no such thing as firing a servant. Servants were slaves to the owner. Often the individual sold him or herself to the master because that was the only way the individual could survive in a world with no social support and only the rich and the poor. You either owned or were owned. It was a matter of survival for many.

So when a servant earned the privilege of running the master’s entire household, acting on the master’s behalf, the master placed an incredible amount of trust in that servant. The master’s entire wealth was in that slave’s hands at that point. But if that kind of trust was given, the master expected his wishes to be carried out. If not, those living in that culture knew how to inflict incredible pain and a lasting message to others who would dare to disobey.

So here we are in America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, our national anthem reminds us. We know nothing of the culture Jesus talks about in this description of the master’s return. Those around Him understood it clearly. Perhaps even some of them were slaves in some Roman’s household and understood how their master handled disobedience. Jesus’ description didn’t surprise them.

But read a little further into Jesus’ words. Think about the tasks given the servant and the tasks Jesus has given us. Just before His ascension, Jesus gave His disciples, that includes us if we follow Him, a command. Remember what He told us? “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.”

So that leads us to some pretty important questions in light of the description Jesus gave that day of His return and the coming judgment. First, am I one of His followers? If not, I won’t even have the opportunity to share with Him in glory. I’ll be part of the left behind, Jesus described earlier. I’ll never have an opportunity to carry out His tasks. I’ll face the full force of God’s wrath at judgment.

Second, if I am one of Jesus’ disciples, what am I doing to fulfill the task He gave us to go reproduce ourselves? Am I making more disciples? Am I teaching others the practices others have taught me so they can draw closer to God through solid Christian disciplines? Am I showing them how to follow the commands Jesus gave as a living example of obedience in front of them every day? How do I measure up? Am I a faithful, trustworthy servant working diligently until my Master’s return? Or am I a worthless slave not expecting Him to come any time soon and wallowing in disobedience?

Both kinds of servant will receive something from the Master. I’d much rather receive His praise and invitation to join Him that to hear His anger and be thrown into the pit where there is weeping and grinding of teeth. How about 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.

How do you ace the final exam? (Matthew 18:7-9), April 24, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Corinthians 1-3

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 18:7-9
Jesus: Beware indeed of those in a world filled with obstacles and temptations that cause people to turn away from Me. Those temptations are woven into the fabric of a world not yet redeemed, but beware to anyone who lures righteous women and men off the narrow path. If your hand constantly grasps at the things of this world rather than serves the Kingdom—cut it off and throw it away. If your foot is always leading you to wander, then cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to hobble, crippled, into the kingdom of life than to burn in hell with two hands and two feet. And if your eye always focuses on things that cause you to sin, then pull your eye out and throw it away. It is better for you to see the kingdom of life with one eye than to see the fires of hell with perfect sight.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Does Jesus really mean we should poke our eye out if it makes us focus on things that would cause us to sin? Does He really mean we should cut off our hand if it keeps reaching for things of this world instead of kingdom things? You know, I think if that would stop you from sinning, I think Jesus would say, absolutely! What good are your eyes if they cost you eternity with Him? What good are your hands if they damn you to eternal punishment? What good are your feet if they carry you on the path to hell?

His point is we have to get control of our bodies. There is a whole crowd of people out there now that will tell you that satisfying our natural instincts is just human nature. We shouldn’t condemn or be condemned for yielding to the natural urges of our bodies. It the same physical reaction that all animals have. Just look in the wild and you’ll see every animal species satisfying those base desires, so we should as well.

Really? So rape is okay because we’re just satisfying those natural base desires? Really? So theft is okay because we want something someone else worked for and we think it should be ours? Really? So I don’t like what you said to me so I can pick up a gun and kill you? I’d just be satisfying those base desires, right?

Well, no, you’d say. Now you’ve gone too far.

Well, how far is too far? Who sets the rules? Who draws the line in the sand and says this is enough? You can go this far and no farther? Who determines when satisfying base desires turns into crime? Or sin? It really is an easy question. Our instruction book gives us the answer if we would be so bold as to read it. There will be only one judge at the final judgment. So if God is going to judge us, doesn’t it make sense to follow the rules He puts in place?

Try going to your boss tomorrow and telling him you’ve decided you aren’t going to follow his rules any more. You think they are dumb and you want to do what you want to do. It’s not that you don’t appreciate your paycheck every couple of weeks, but you’ve decided that you just don’t want to follow his rules any more. You’ll come into work when you feel like it. You’ll decide if you like the tasks he gives you to do and then get around to them when you aren’t busy with your own projects and hobbies. You want to continue to use his resources, though, because he’s got great stuff that can come it handy for your projects. It’s okay if he puts a note in your box every once in a while to tell you he’d really like you to follow his rules again, but don’t get too pushy. You don’t want him to hurt your feelings or anything like that.

How long do you think it would take before your boss either fired you or called the paramedics to get you to the nearest psych ward and put you in a straight jacket with some high powered meds? But that’s exactly what we do to God. We’re on this planet with a task to do. He created us to worship Him and care for the rest of His creation. Read the book. It’s all in there. And what do we do? We tell Him we want to follow our own path because it’s just satisfying our base instincts. The problem with that line of thinking is that God created us in His image. We are much more than just animals. We have the ability to choose our actions. We don’t have to run around the world naked eating or being eaten. That’s the rest of the animal kingdom, you know.

God created us to come into a relationship with Him and gave us the instructions on how to do it. We can choose right over wrong, obedience over disobedience, righteousness over sinfulness, eternal life over death, we get to choose which path we want to follow. But in choosing, there are rules to follow. We follow God’s rules or we act like the idiot in the earlier illustration. God judges based on His rules, so which is the path that makes the most sense?

Did Jesus really mean follow God’s rules whatever it takes to do so? Absolutely! He’s the one that sets the rules. He’s the one that sits in the final judgment. He’s the one that determines whether or not we followed Him. Doesn’t it make sense to dust off His rule book and study up a little before that day comes? I’d sure like to ace that final exam. How about 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.

Heaven is a net (Matthew 13:47-51) March 31, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Job 25-26

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 13:47-51
Jesus: Or think of it this way: the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea, a net that caught a world of flickering fish. When the net was full, the fishermen hauled it to shore. They separated the good fish from the bad, placing the good fish in a bucket and throwing out the inedible fish. That is what the end of time will be like. The heavenly messengers will separate the good from the bad, the righteous from the wicked, the repentant from the prideful, the faithful from the hard-hearted. The bad, the wicked, the prideful, and the hard-hearted will be thrown into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
Do you understand?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I’ve never been fishing with nets. I’ve watched a few documentaries about fishing, though. And it seems no matter how good the technology today that helps fishermen find those swarms of fish for their catch, they invariably get nets full of all kinds of fish. If they trawl for tuna, they get a lot of other fish besides tuna. If they are fishing for salmon, there’s a lot more than salmon in their nets. You see, nets are pretty indiscriminate about what gets caught. It just scoops up anything too big to get through the holes between the threads.

It seems to me, when I watch those documentaries, they haul everything out of the sea, pull a release and all the fish come tumbling out on the deck. Then most of the fish go down in the hold of the ship. The fisherman take only enough time to sort out a few of the fish while on deck. Most of them just follow the rest into the huge holding tank in the bottom of the ship.

Of course, today’s fishing boats, unlike those in Jesus’ day, are almost factories on the ocean, doing a lot of the processing while at sea. Part of the crew will start filter the fish as they move through something of a water conveyor into a processing room where the fish are gutted and either preserved for selling, or cut up and used for bait for the next cast. Before the nets are thrown again, the bait goes overboard to attract the fish for the next haul.

In Jesus’ day and still in some parts of the world today, men wade out knee or waste deep and cast their nets into the sea, pull in whatever their nets capture and haul all of the catch onto shore. Once on shore, everything is hauled up away from the water and the fishermen sort out their catch. Of course, by the time all this is done, the fish have been out of the water too long to survive, so they are either sold as edible fish in the markets or thrown away. Go to those more primitive fishing villages and you’ll always find the smell of rotting fish along the shore where those fishermen cast their nets and sort their catch.

And so Jesus uses this familiar scene as He talks to those around Him about heaven. Judgment day will come. God will call and end to time and send His messengers to scoop up everyone who ever lived. No one will escape that harvest of souls. Everyone will be present for that final reckoning. All of us will give an account for the lives we lived. And His messengers will sort the good from the bad, the righteous from the wicked, the repentant from the prideful, the faithful from the hard-hearted.

How will His messengers know the difference? God stands in judgment and sees our hearts. As He gives directions, His messengers carry them out. There are no mistakes because God knows everything and sees everything. He knows those who harbor sin in their hearts and those whose sins have been covered by the blood of His Son’s sacrifice because they have come to Him in repentance. He knows our intent, or motive, or thoughts. He knows everything about us. There will be no errors in His sorting process.

The results from that sorting process should be a little scary for those whose hearts are not right with God. Jesus says they will be cast into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Doesn’t sound like a pleasant place to me. Many discount Jesus’ descriptions of hell and assume there is no hell. But Jesus talks a lot more about hell than He does about heaven. Why would He do that if it wasn’t real? I doubt if He’s just trying to scare us. That doesn’t sound like God. I think He continually tries to warn us. He doesn’t want us to go there, but He still gives us the choice.

Why would anyone choose to go there? But they do. Because when you don’t choose heaven, you choose hell. There is no other place. Jesus only talks about two places. You have your choice, but there are only two to pick from. Pick the right one.

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

Fear the final judge (Matthew 10:28-31) March 3, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Job 17-18

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 10:28-31
Don’t fear those who aim to kill just the body but are unable to touch the soul. The One to fear is He who can destroy you, soul and body, in the fires of hell. Look, if you sold a few sparrows, how much money would you get? A copper coin apiece, perhaps? And yet your Father in heaven knows when those small sparrows fall to the ground. You, beloved, are worth so much more than a whole flock of sparrows. God knows everything about you, even the number of hairs on your head. So do not fear.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We fight the wrong battles today. The media fills our heads with the ills of society and we fight the wrong battles. Every day we hear more stories, each more horrific than the one before about what we do to each other because of racism, poverty, greed, power, fame, jealousy, just name the vice. We fight against these things and think we are doing great things. But there’s a problem with our fight. We aren’t focused on the real battle.

Before we figure out there out strategy is wrong, each of us struggle with this enemy inside us that we try to satisfy with the things the world says will satisfy it. This hole in our life can only be filled by God, but we try everything else to fill it. Sometimes we try to act nice, do good things, but it doesn’t fill the spot. Sometimes we try bad things, things we know displease God, but we bend to the temptation in front of us and find after all the running from God and pleasing our selfish desires, the hole still stays.

Then someone tells us about religion and we race to our churches and synagogues, temples and cathedrals. We participate in all the rituals, give the institution our money, even take on some responsibilities, maybe even teach a Sunday School class. Those things make us feel good about ourselves, but that still isn’t the solution to our problem. None of those things, as good as they might be, fill the void in our heart that only God can fill. However, we let Satan make us believe they take the place of faith in Christ and following in His footsteps.

So we try, fairly unsuccessfully to fight this inner battle of right and wrong in our strength. It doesn’t work, though, because we are fighting the wrong battle. Paul reminds us the battle isn’t against flesh and blood. It takes place in spiritual realms. It happens in areas where we have no personal strength. We’ve already shown that by our failure to live the life God wants us to live. So what do we do? How should we fight? What battles are we supposed to engage in?

Let’s look back at Jesus’ words. He is in the middle of His sermon to His disciples as He is about to send them on their missionary journey within the borders of Israel. Their message is His message, “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He has instructed them to use the hospitality of trustworthy men in the villages they visit, but they can also expect resistance wherever they go. And they will stand in court to defend their faith. Soon executions will begin. Floggings with strip away their flesh. Families will tear themselves apart over the message the disciples will deliver for the Master.

But with all that goes on in the spreading of His message, Jesus says, "don’t be afraid of mere humans. Fear the One who will decide your eternal fate. He’s the One you should listen to and obey. He’s the One you should spend your time getting to know. This body is ony temporary. In a flash it will be gone, but after that comes the judgment and the One who can destroy body and soul is the One to please. He’s the One to fear.

When we believe in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, though, we do not need to fear punishment. This fear is the awe that God deserves from us when we remember exactly who He is. He is God. The Creator of the universe and all that is in it. He deserves our worship and our awe, our fear. Jesus goes on to say, though, that we are worth far more to God than the smallest creatures He takes such good care of every day. His example of the swallows God feeds and shelters helps us see how much we must be worth to God.

God knows everything about us. He knows what we have tried to fill the void in our life. He knows the path we have trod to finally discover our broken, depraved, seemingly hopeless condition in our sins. He knows the price He already paid for our salvation. God knows more about us than we know about ourselves. He knows the number of hairs on your head. Do you think you could ever count them? Don’t worry about those authorities that might want to arrest you, beat you, even kill you. Fear God. Follow His directions. He’s the One that sets the standards and makes the rules. Probably a good idea to please Him if He will be the final judge.

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.

No secrets (Matthew 10:26-27) March 2, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 24-26

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 10:26-27
Do not be afraid of those who may taunt or persecute you. Everything they do—even if they think they are hiding behind closed doors—will come to light. All their secrets will eventually be made known. And you should proclaim in the bright light of day everything that I have whispered to you in the dark. Whatever whispers you hear—shout them from the rooftops of houses.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I learned a long time ago about the dangers of trying to keep secrets. If one other person knows the secret, it’s not secret anymore. In fact, if you’re the only one that knows something, it probably won’t stay secret. We humans have a tendency to tell all. Just look at the tabloids that plaster the grocery aisles. If you think you can have a secret life, you’re wrong. It will come out. President Clinton’s sexual escapades come to mind. Nothing stays hidden.

The truth is, Jesus’ words plaster themselves as warnings across everything now. Remember George Orwell’s “1984” and big brother. The futuristic writer saw our every actions overwatched by the government by 1984. Everyone lost their individuality and ability to think for themselves. Society looked really ugly in the novel. The story centers around William Smith, a member of the Outer Party, finds Big Brother rewriting history to suit the party in power no matter what the facts of those historic events really said.

Move ahead from Orwell’s novel in 1949 to today. We are thirty plus years past the setting of the novel, but have you thought about how much of that novel is true today? With your nine-digit social security number, various agencies of the government can learn about everything there is to know about you. Just think about how much information you put in email or on the web every day. Do you bank online? Most of us do. Do you take care of medical issues online? Do you order anything online? Do you use email to share information about you or your family?

Most of us use computers on a daily basis for something. A lot of people believe their information is absolutlely safe and secure in the little black box that sits under the desk or in your laptop. Anyone who knows much about IT at all will tell you nothing is absolutely safe if it is in electronic format. The dispute between Apple and the FBI should make the average person understand just how vulnerable electronic information has become.

The FBI only went to Apple with the terrorist’s phone after they made the mistake of foreceably changing the phone’s password. Had it not been for that small error, Apple probably wouldn’t be standing up against the government. No one would know about the real capabilities of agencies like the FBI. We wouldn’t realize just how vulnerable we have become through our advanced technology.

We can get into almost any email, computer, smartphone, etc. And the user will never know it’s happened most of the time. Sometimes it’s crooks that do the hacking as noted by the stories at come out periodically about another five or ten million account compromised in some store or bank’s secure system. Even the IRS reports 750,000 records stolen from their attempt to make tax time easier last year. So if you spend any time at all with people who understand IT, you learn never to put anything in electronic format that you wouldn’t want the world to see. Because someday, they probably will.

What does our lack of secrecy have to do with Jesus’ words? It’s easier to understand now, more than ever before, how easy it is to make public our private lives. The push of a few buttons, the click of a few keys, and a person’s life is laid bare to anyone who wants to see. How much more do you think God knows about you? He knows your thoughts before you think them. He knows your actions before you take thet first sep. He knows more about you than you now yourself and will continue to know more about you until you face Him on judgment day. Then everything you’ve ever done will be laid bare before the world. Nothing will be hidden.

Jesus promises this universal disclosure of our lives as He talks to the disciples on this particular day. Nothing will be secret, everything will be known by all. So, how then should we live each day? Would your actions stand up to the scrutiny of others? Do you want you life on display for others to see? Jesus is telling us to live such that our lives can be an open book and the events of our lives, directed by Him, shouted from the mountaintops. In fact, Jesus wants us to tell others the secret whisperings He has for us. His message doesn’t change. Repent. Follow Me. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Shout it from the rooftops. Let others know your secret – Jesus is Lord, His kingdom 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.

Study the text book (Hebrews 4:1-13) December 11, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Hebrews 4:1-13

Set – Philemon; Hebrews 4

Go! – Philemon; Hebrews 1-4

Hebrews 4:1-13
1That’s why, as long as that promise of entering God’s rest remains open to us, we should be careful that none of us seem to fall short ourselves. 2 Those people in the wilderness heard God’s good news, just as we have heard it, but the message they heard didn’t do them any good since it wasn’t combined with faith. 3 We who believe are entering into salvation’s rest, as He said,
That is why I swore in anger
they would never enter salvation’s rest,
even though God’s works were finished from the very creation of the world. 4 For didn’t God say that on the seventh day of creation He rested from all His works? 5 And doesn’t God say in the psalm that they would never enter into salvation’s rest?
6 So if God prepared a place of rest, and those who were given the good news didn’t enter because they chose disobedience over faith, then it remains open for us to enter. 7 Once again, God has fixed a day; and that day is “today,” as David said so much later when he wrote in the psalm quoted earlier:
Today, if you listen to His voice,
Don’t harden your hearts.
8 Now if Joshua had been able to lead those who followed him into God’s rest, would God then have spoken this way? 9 There still remains a place of rest, a true Sabbath, for the people of God 10 because those who enter into salvation’s rest lay down their labors in the same way that God entered into a Sabbath rest from His.
11 So let us move forward to enter this rest, so that none of us fall into the kind of faithless disobedience that prevented them from entering. 12 The word of God, you see, is alive and moving; sharper than a double-edged sword; piercing the divide between soul and spirit, joints and marrow; able to judge the thoughts and will of the heart. 13 No creature can hide from God: God sees all. Everyone and everything is exposed, opened for His inspection; and He’s the One we will have to explain ourselves to.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Many quote those last verses often, but what do they really mean to you? My word is alive and moving; sharper than a double-edged sword; piercing the divide between soul and spirit; joints and marrow; able to judge the thoughts and will of the heart. No creature can hide from Me: I see all. Everyone and everything is exposed, opened for My inspection; and I’m the One you will have to explain yourselves to.

It’s nice to memorize it, but do you meditate on it? Do you think about what that means to you? Do you take it to heart and realize what My word can do for you or what it will do to you if you don’t follow it’s precepts?

Just consider the first phrase, My word is alive and moving. Many translations say it is alive and active. It doesn’t stay still, it doesn’t let you remain the same. It changes you. It continues to transform you into My likeness if you let it. If you read it and let it become part of you, it will work in your life in amazing ways. But it also judges your thoughts against Mine. Perhaps that’s why so few read and study My word today, you’re afraid of what you will find. You’re afraid you’ll have to change your ways to conform to My will or find yourselves lacking.

Whether you read My word or not, I will still be your judge at the end of the age. You cannot hide from Me. I see everything you do. I know every thought you think. As My word tells you, everyone and everything is exposed, opened for My inspection. You will have to explain yourself to me one day. And I will examine you according to the precepts explained in My word. I left them with you long ago. They’ve been available to you long before you could read and study them. They were available before I created the world.

If you refuse to take advantage of the many avenues by which you can read and hear My word, should you blame Me for that? Am I at fault for your failure to heed what has been at your fingertips for all the time you’ve been alive? Is it My failure or yours when you let My word sit on your bookshelf while you engage in frivolous activity?

I will still judge you by those precepts in My word. Suppose you pick up that book on your shelf that so seldom gets used and read it. Then read it again. Then make a few notes in the margin about what you need to do about a few of those verses that speak to you. Then study some of those precepts one more time. Maybe memorize some of those passages. You have the rest of your life to make that book part of your life. Remember, that’s the test you must ultimately pass when I give you your final exam at the judgment. Don’t you think it’s about time to study your text-book if you know there’s going to be a test?

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

Judgment is for your actions (Ezekiel 18), September 2, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Ezekiel 18

Set – Ezekiel 18; Revelation 7

Go! – Ezekiel 17-19; Revelation 7

Ezekiel 18
1 The word of the Eternal came to me with a message.
Eternal One: 2 Why do you people continually quote this proverb about Israel:
Fathers have eaten sour grapes,
and their children’s teeth are set on edge?
3 As surely as I live, I, the Eternal Lord, declare you will not quote this proverb in Israel anymore. 4 For every living being belongs to Me—parent and child alike. You will die for your own sins, not because of what your ancestors did. 5 Imagine a righteous man who always does what is right: 6 First, he worships Me exclusively; he doesn’t feast at the heathen shrines atop mountains, nor does he worship idols as others do in Israel—he won’t even look at them! Second, he does not sleep with his neighbor’s wife or have sex with a woman when she is menstruating. 7 Third, he does not persecute or abuse anyone; he gives back a debtor’s collateral and does not seize poorer men’s property. Fourth, he tends to the poor; he clothes the naked and gives his bread to the hungry 8 and doesn’t charge those poor people who borrow from him interest or keep their profits. Fifth, he is law-abiding; he does not participate in wrong deeds and is fair toward all others. 9 Sixth, he is obedient to Me, living by My statutes and faithfully keeping My laws. This man who is righteous—he will surely live.
10-11 Now suppose this righteous man has a violent son. The son is a killer and does wicked things that the righteous father has never done: He worships other gods, feasting at the heathen shrines atop mountains. He defiles his neighbor’s wife. 12 He abuses the poor and persecutes the needy. He seizes property and keeps a debtor’s collateral. He looks up to breathless idols, worshiping them. He breaks the law and commits shocking deeds. 13 He charges those who borrow from him interest and makes excessive profits. Do you think the wicked son will live? Of course not! Because he has done all of these shocking things, he will be put to death, and it will be his own fault.
14 Now, suppose the wicked son has a son of his own, and this son watches his father’s vile lifestyle and chooses not to do as his father has done: 15 He worships Me exclusively; he doesn’t feast at the heathen shrines atop mountains, nor does he worship idols as others do in Israel—he won’t even look at them! He does not defile his neighbor’s wife. 16 He does not persecute or abuse anyone; he gives back a debtor’s collateral and does not seize poorer men’s properties. He tends to the poor; he clothes the naked, gives his bread to the hungry, 17 does not participate in wronging the poor, nor does he charge those who borrow from him interest or make excessive profit. He is obedient to Me, faithfully keeping My laws and living by My statutes. This man who is righteous will not die for his father’s sins. He will surely live. 18 But his father will surely die for his own wicked deeds—taking advantage of the poor, seizing property from poorer Israelites, and refusing to do good for his people.
19 So why do you ask, “Why is the son not also punished for his father’s guilt?” Don’t you see? The son did not commit his father’s sins. The son chose to do what is just and right by remembering and following My laws, so he will surely live. 20 The person who sins will die. The child will not be punished for the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent be punished for the guilt of the child. The righteous will be credited with righteousness. The wicked will be charged with wickedness.
21 But there is good news even for the wicked. If the wicked turn away from their sins, choose to uphold My laws, be honest, and live a righteous life, then they will surely live. They won’t die. 22 I won’t remember any of their previous wrongs against them because of the right things they have done. They will surely live. 23 Do I enjoy watching the wicked die? No. I, the Eternal One, would prefer for the wicked to stop doing the wrong things they do and live. 24 If the righteous stop doing what is right, choose the sinful path, and commit the shocking things the wicked do, do you think they will live? Certainly not! I won’t remember any of their righteous deeds because of all the unfaithful and wicked things they do. They will surely die.
25 You say, “The Lord’s way is not fair at all!” Hear Me, people of Israel: You think My way is unfair? You are the ones with unjust ways! 26 If a righteous person turns away from the right path and chooses to act wickedly, he will die for it. He will die because of the sin he committed. 27 But if a wicked person turns from the wicked path and chooses to be honest and live a righteous life, he will end up saving his life! 28 Because he thought about his wrongs and turned away from the wicked things he’d done, putting them behind him, then he will surely live. He will not die! 29 Yet the people of Israel continue to complain, “The Lord’s way is not fair at all!” You think My way is unfair, people of Israel? Don’t you think you are the ones with perverted ways?
30 Therefore, people of Israel, I will judge each of you according to what you have done. Repent! Turn from your wicked ways so that your sins do not trip you up! 31 Get rid of all your wicked ways! Acquire a new heart and a new spirit! Why would you choose to die, people of Israel? 32 I don’t enjoy watching anyone die, so turn back to Me and live!

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Ezekiel’s call to the people of Israel ends with this question, Why would you choose to die? It’s still the right question to ask yourself and all those around you. You have a choice. At the end of time, when I’ve come again to call an end to this decreped, sinful world, I will conduct a judgment on each individual. You will not answer for your parents lives, nor will you answer for what your children do. You will answer only for yourself. But I will judge you. You probably know where you stand with Me if you take a quick inventory of your heart. I don’t keep those secrets from you. But I can also put you into a right relationship with Me if you’ve drifted away. Just call on Me and then follow My directions. Pretty simple instructions. Not always easy in this world, but simple instructions to follow. 

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.

Which path do you choose? (Romans 1:18-32), May 20, 2015

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Today’s Podcast


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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Romans 1:18-32
Set – 2 Chronicles 3; Romans 1
Go! – 1 Kings 6; 2 Chronicles 3; Psalms 97; Romans 1

Romans 1:18-32
18 For the wrath of God is breaking through from heaven, opposing all manifestations of ungodliness and wickedness by the people who do wrong to keep God’s truth in check. 19 These people are not ignorant about what can be known of God, because He has shown it to them with great clarity. 20 From the beginning, creation in its magnificence enlightens us to His nature. Creation itself makes His undying power and divine identity clear, even though they are invisible; and it voids the excuses and ignorant claims of these people 21 because, despite the fact that they knew the one true God, they have failed to show the love, honor, and appreciation due to the One who created them! Instead, their lives are consumed by vain thoughts that poison their foolish hearts. 22 They claim to be wise; but they have been exposed as fools, frauds, and con artists— 23 only a fool would trade the splendor and beauty of the immortal God to worship images of the common man or woman, bird or reptile, or the next beast that tromps along.

24 So God gave them just what their lustful hearts desired. As a result, they violated their bodies and invited shame into their lives. 25 How? By choosing a foolish lie over God’s truth. They gave their lives and devotion to the creature rather than to the Creator Himself, who is blessed forever and ever. Amen. 26-27 This is why God released them to their own vile pursuits, and this is what happened: they chose sexual counterfeits—women had sexual relations with other women and men committed unnatural, shameful acts because they burned with lust for other men. This sin was rife, and they suffered painful consequences.

28 Since they had no mind to recognize God, He turned them loose to follow the unseemly designs of their depraved minds and to do things that should not be done. 29 Their days are filled with all sorts of godless living, wicked schemes, greed, hatred, endless desire for more, murder, violence, deceit, and spitefulness. And, as if that were not enough, they are gossiping, 30 slanderous, God-hating, rude, egotistical, smug people who are always coming up with even more dreadful ways to treat one another. They don’t listen to their parents; 31 they lack understanding and character. They are simple-minded, covenant-breaking, heartless, and unmerciful; they are not to be trusted. 32 Despite the fact that they are fully aware that God’s law says this way of life deserves death, they fail to stop. And worse—they applaud others on this destructive path.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

There you have it. The description of humankind’s degradation. Paul saw it in the decadent conditions of the Roman empire and its influence on the rest of society. It’s happening again today. Despite America’s start based on religious freedom and faith in Me. In the nearly five hundred years since the first European settlers, the nation continues to turn further from Me and My principles of living.

Just as Paul observed in his day, you can see the escalation of humankind’s degradation today. And just as then, when men refuse to listen, I will let you make your choice and let you follow your own path. The description Paul gives shows the results of that path. Godless living, wicked schemes, greed, hatred, endless desire for more, murder, violence, deceit, and spitefulness. Any of that sound familiar today. If not, you haven’t paid attention to the headlines.

Paul goes on describing the people who continue to follow their own way and it isn’t a pretty picture. The problem is they don’t realize the penalty that comes with their actions. Just because they don’t believe in Me doesn’t mean I’m not real. Just because someone doesn’t believe there is no such thing as racism doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist today either. My word tells you there will be a day of reckoning for those who refuse to listen and obey My commands.

Unbelievers can say anything they like about My word and the events that will come to pass recorded there. One day they will know the truth, just like My followers already know the truth. Don’t let false prophets or unbelievers deceive you. Just because I have withheld My wrath for many years to pour our My mercy and grace to allow as many as possible to seek and find Me, there is still a day coming when all will face judgment for the deeds they have done.

I will come again and I will call all to account for their actions. All are guilty, but some are forgiven. Those who received the gift of forgiveness I freely offer will escape My wrath. But those who do not come to Me in repentance and receive My gift of forgiveness will feel the full force of My wrath. As Paul points out, I’ve given humankind every chance. You know the way. All you have to do is take it.

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