Tag Archives: kingdom

Traits of a child (Luke 18:16-17) December 20, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Esther 1-5

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 18:16-17
Jesus: Let the little children come to Me. Never hinder them! Don’t you realize—the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children? You can depend on this: if you don’t receive the Kingdom as a child would, you won’t enter it at all.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

If what Jesus says is true, then we need to figure out how a child would receive the Kingdom, don’t you think? So what might that be like? How should we approach the Kingdom and live each day in anticipation of God’s presence with us?

We have a tendency to think if we know about something that’s good enough. So child educators will start spewing the four learning styles and tell you every child has a favored learning style – visual, auditory, tactile, or kinesthetic. They will tell you if you can figure out which style a child favors and use that style of instruction, he or she will learn faster and retain more. So is receiving the kingdom about getting the learning style right? Figuring out how best you learn and then learning all you can about the kingdom? Maybe a little, but I don’t think that’s what Jesus was talking about.

I think Jesus looked around at the characteristics of the three and four year-olds around Him and recognized the traits child developers enumerate today. Characteristics like expansive, boasting, joyous, exuberant, adventuresome, energetic, bossy, and enthusiastic. Sure, some of those might not sound like the best traits to show Christ-likeness, but it’s who we are. We are sometimes boastful and bossy. Admit it. God knows it. We know it. When we admit it, God can help us do something about it.

But when we receive the kingdom like children, we begin to think big. We don’t confine God to our little box of what we think He can do. Children let their imagination go and “the sky is the limit” so to speak. Bigger is better for them. Nothing is impossible, because God is bigger than anything and everything. In a child’s mind, He can fix any problem just because of His size if nothing else.

And listen to a child describe God. Talk about boasting about the Creator. Just let them loose and see where their stories take them. Remember when Jesus told the Pharisees that if the crowd didn’t praise Him the rocks would cry out? Well, just listen to what a three or four year-old will say about God. It will amaze you if you just let them talk. Their insights about who God is and what He can do will startle you as they mix what they believe with the fantasies they have heard. Darth Vader will have no chance against God. Nor will Luke Skywalker or Yoda or any other fantasy character as they blend their imagination with what they know about the Creator who speaks to them.

Children are happy even in dire circumstance. They try new things. They have more energy than parents and grandparents can believe. They are like energizer bunnies and just keep going and going. Everything is awesome to them because everything is new to a pre-schooler. The world is a world of wonder for them. And they are anxious to learn about this wonderful world we live in.

Children want to play with children. It make take them a few minutes to warm up, but if parents will leave a room full of kids alone, you’ll find they are pretty inclusive and will get along pretty well in a short time. We are the ones that usually get in the way. Three and four year-old kids don’t care about color or gender or language or nationality. They just learn to play with each other.

Pre-schoolers ask the same “why” question over and over until they understand the answer. They want to know things. So they ask until they do. If you repeat the same answer in the same words they don’t understand, they will ask the same question again until they get an answer with concepts they understand. It’s just the way of a three year-old.

So Jesus looked around at the children in the crowd and told the adults, including us, we need to receive the kingdom the way they do. We need to see God as really big. Bigger than any problem we might face. Bigger than any task He gives us. Bigger than anything we can imagine. He is God, so don’t put Him in a box and limit Him in any way. Come to Him with enthusiasm and energy. He will help you with the energy part, but you need to bring the enthusiasm. And why wouldn’t we? He is our Creator and lets us come into His presence without destroying us! He welcomes us into His house. Can you imagine that? No ruler on earth does that for everyone, but the Creator of the universe does. So show some enthusiasm when you come to the kingdom.

Then, like a child, don’t be afraid to ask those questions. God isn’t afraid of them. He doesn’t shy away from our questions. He wants us to learn about Him and to know Him intimately. How else can we do that if we don’t ask questions? He’ll answer. When you come to God as a child, I can guarantee an adventure! And I can guarantee joy. There might be some sorrow and pain and struggle along with it, but their will be joy because God lets us participate in His kingdom. What else could we want?

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

The borderless kingdom (Luke 17:20-21) December 16, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Revelation 12-17

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 17:20-21
Jesus: The kingdom of God comes—but not with signs that you can observe. People are not going to say, “Look! Here it is!” They’re not going to say, “Look! It’s over there!” You want to see the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is already here among you.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I have a passport with the United States of America stamped on the front of it. And embossed on every page is a flag of the country. That’s where I was born and raised. It’s the country where I vote and own property and when I fill out any kind of questionnaire, I declare the United States as the place of my citizenship. I know the words to the country’s national anthem and the pledge of allegiance to the flag that represents our nation. I know the Preamble to the Constitution that sets the foundation for governance of our country that puts the power and authority for its governance in the hands of the people through our individual right to vote. I understand much of the Constitution and the amendments that have been added to it through the years. Although, I admit, I don’t understand some of the current interpretations given by some of the lower and higher courts we have heard lately.

I love the country in which I was born. In fact, in 1976, I took an oath to defend that Constitution against all enemies whether they are external or internal to the nation when I accepted my commission in the United States Army. That oath is still current because that commission never expires for officers whether on active duty, reserve, or retired. Unless the commission is revoked by the President or Congress, the commission and my responsibilities to the nation remain valid. That’s why military officer retirees retain their titles after retirement. Their oath of office never expires, only their tour of duty changes.

I say all of that to point out that I can point to a lot of physical things that describe the place where I live. If you live in some other country and have citizenship in some other country, you can do the same. I take pride in being an American and I hope if you live in another country, you take as much pride in your country as I do in mine. It is important that we support the community in which we live. I’m a firm believer that if you really don’t like what our Constitution says or the way our government is established, then leave. Find another place to live. Don’t change our Constitution. Just find another country whose governance fits your style of government and be happier. Don’t change mine.

See, there are some people who are content to live in dictatorships because they have no responsibility then in determining the success or failure of the nation. The leadership is to blame for its success or failure. Period. There are some who, instead of a republic like ours, want a completely democratic form of government. In a nation of 370 million people, a total democracy just wouldn’t work, quite frankly. Nothing would ever get done if we had to vote on every bill, every budget, every item that came before our congressmen and other elected officials. But in some small nations, tribes, and clans a democracy can work on a small scale.

Why do I talk about all these political constructs? To tell you that none of these mean anything to God. He doesn’t care if we live in a republic, a democracy, a dictatorship, a theocracy, or chaos. He doesn’t care what kind of government surrounds us because all of them here on earth are poor substitutes for the kingdom He first envisioned for us and the one that awaits those who recognize Him as king. His kingdom has no physical boundaries. You won’t find the kingdom of God outlined on any map. You can’t find it listed on any legends or indices. You can’t drive to it or sail to it or fly to it. You can’t put the kingdom of God on your vacation list or find any pamphlets telling you about real estate for sale there.

Jesus warns against anyone trying to tell you where it is. Because if they tell you, they are lying to you. Because no one knows the kingdom’s physical location. It has no physical location because it is everywhere. It is here. It is where God is. And Jesus said where two or three are gathered in His name, He is there with them. So there is the kingdom of God. He also said He lives in us, so there is the kingdom of God. Where is it? Here, in me and in you. It’s all around us, shaping us, convicting and convincing us, guiding us, making us into the people God wants us to become.

The flag of God’s kingdom? There isn’t one except the banner that says Jesus is Lord. The national anthem? Maybe the Hallelujah Chorus. The pledge of allegiance? How about, I surrender all? God’s kingdom is very different than anything on earth because it isn’t physically here on earth. It is where God is, but then He is everywhere. Unbounded by space and time. Now go figure out the dimensions of His kingdom and try to point to its borders. Not possible, is it?

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

The kingdom way (Luke 6:27-31) October 3, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Numbers 29-32

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 6:27-31
Jesus: If you’re listening, here’s My message: Keep loving your enemies no matter what they do. Keep doing good to those who hate you. Keep speaking blessings on those who curse you. Keep praying for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, offer the other cheek too. If someone steals your coat, offer him your shirt too. If someone begs from you, give to him. If someone robs you of your valuables, don’t demand them back. Think of the kindness you wish others would show you; do the same for them.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. We learn that ‘golden rule’ as a kid, but do we really understand what Jesus meant by it? We like to send it out to others as they rail against us or sometimes when our anger starts to boil over and we’re about to levy some pretty harsh punishment against someone for the wrongs they committed against us. At times like those we stop and quote that verse to ease the pain of whatever punishment or action is about to happen.

That’s what most people think about when they read that isolated verse out of context. But that’s what I like about the translation I’ve been sharing with you the last few years. The Voice gets it right, even if you pull that verse out of the rest of the paragraph. Listen to it again.

“Think of the kindness you wish others would show you; do the same for them.”

Now lets go back and put the verse back into the context in which Jesus was talking to those who were listening to His sermon and see what He really means.

Remember the Jews lived in an occupied country. Israel had not enjoyed political self rule as a nation since the Babylonians laid final siege to the city and destroyed it in 587 BC. At this time, they lived under the rule of the Roman Empire. Soldiers walked the streets constantly. They had the authority to press individuals into service for them to carry their loads, give them food or shelter, take whatever implements or utensils they might need. The Roman soldiers had significant leeway from Rome to do as they pleased in the occupied nations.

Fortunately, most of the soldiers were relatively decent human beings and wanted to keep peace. The officers who led them knew that if they went too far, the entire populace might rise up against them and there were not enough soldiers in all of Israel to stop a massive uprising against the garrisons within the sound of their reach. Rome wielded great power against those she conquered, but Rome also knew her power was limited to the fear they could induce and that fear was based on the greatest number of people fearing death at the hands of her soldiers in battle.

Why the short history lesson? Because Jesus was talking to a crowd that understood their predicament with Rome. Most hated the soldiers who came into their homes at their pleasure or ordered them to carry their baggage from town to town or took the food from their tables when food was sometimes scarce. The Jews hated the Romans for what they did and who they were as an occupying force.

Now put that verse back into context. Jesus was talking about doing all these good things for your enemies. Do all these good things for those who hate you as much as you might hate them. Walk the extra mile, turn the other check, give up your coat and cloak to your enemy. Then He adds that haunting verse at the very end of that paragraph.

“Think of the kindness you wish others would show you; do the same for them.”

What would you like someone to do for you today? Would you like someone to take you to lunch? Then find that person who is your enemy and take them to lunch. That’s what Jesus is telling this crowd and us to do.

Would you like someone to get you a new shirt or blouse? Pick out one that you really like, wrap it up and give it to that co-worker that really gets on your nerves every day. That’s what Jesus is telling this crowd and us to do.

Would you like someone to listen to your complaints without interruption? Go to the person who drives you crazy with all their complaints and just listen to them. Don’t interrupt, take notes, let them know you really care about their issues. See where you might help ease their burden because of your past experiences. That’s what Jesus is telling this crowd and us to do.

Is this an easy task? By no means. It takes Jesus living in us to accomplish what He tells us to do here. But what a difference it will make in your piece of the world when you start operating with His rules instead of the world’s. Everyone around you will think you’re crazy. But they thought He was too. Even His brothers and sisters came to get Him because they thought He lost His mind.

So what will you today for someone? Think of the kindness you wish others would show you; then find one of those folks that border on the hate list and do it for them. That’s the kingdom way. 

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

The weight of the stone (Matthew 21:42-44) May 19, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Job 39-40

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 21:42-44
Jesus: I wonder if any of you has ever opened your own psalter:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the very stone that holds together the entire foundation.
This is the work of the Eternal One,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
Therefore, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to people who will tend its sweet fruit and who will give the Creator His due. He who falls on the stone will be broken to pieces, and he on whom the stone falls will be crushed.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

If there was ever any question in the chief priests and elders’ minds about who Jesus was talking to when He talked about the landowner of the vineyards and the tenant workers who killed the landowner’s son, this statement cleared it up for them. Jesus took a passage out of the Psalms and aimed it square in their faces. He announced they would lose the kingdom of God and it would be given to people who would tend to it the way God intended.

You think that might have smarted a little when Jesus told them those words? You think they might have been a little embarrassed to get chastised by this man in front of the very crowds who followed Him. These were the same people they had taken offerings from for years. They had told these people how to live their lives, how to obey the laws God handed to Moses on the tablets of stone, how to practice the rituals set up through the centuries. These same people now heard this uneducated preacher from Nazareth dare to tell them they would lose the kingdom of God and it would be handed over to others who would care for it better than they could. How dare He make such statements, and especially in public places.

Jesus kind of stepped on their toes, well, he kind of stomped all over them. He let them know God’s kingdom is more than rules and regulations and rituals. God’s kingdom is about relationship with the Father and relationships with each other. It’s about grace and mercy and love. But that message went to the heart of the chief priests and elders in Jesus’ day, right?

Well, maybe. Do we act any different? Do we get so caught up in our programs and schedules and rituals and church rules that we forget what we’re really doing and why we do them? Do we put our processes above the reason for doing them in the first place? Do we get so set in the routine of our services and our ministries that we leave God out altogether?

Sometimes I wonder if God would be pleased with the focus we have in our churches and our ministries. Oh, we do some good things. But do we do them in the name of Jesus or to get our brand elevated in the eyes of the market? Do we feed the homeless making sure nothing has our church name on it or do we put a banner up and advertise who is helping? There’s a good question for you.

Why do we do the things we do in ministry? Is it really to serve others or to serve ourselves? Do we want to do good and help others or are we trying to buy that ticket into heaven? James tells us faith without works is dead and I agree with Him. And quite frankly, no one looking in from the outside can tell the difference between someone doing good works because of their faith or someone who is doing good works to try to attain favor. The outcome for the person receiving the help is the same. It looks alike to the person being fed or clothed or taught or housed. It’s just good works to them.

But God sees our heart. He knows what’s on the inside. He knows why we do what we do. Do we act out of love or duty? Do we feel the necessity to help others because God prompts us or because we have this inner ego that wants others to see how good we are to others? Only we and God know the answer to that question. We can fool everyone else for a long time, but there will be a day of reckoning and Jesus words will still be true.

If we don’t give the Creator His due, Jesus warning will happen to us just as it did to those religious leaders who worked so hard to push Him out of the way 2,000 years ago. “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to people who will tend its sweet fruit and who will give the Creator His due. He who falls on the stone will be broken to pieces, and he on whom the stone falls will be crushed.”

You don’t want to find yourself under the weight of that stone. It’s much more than you can bear.

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.

Tenants of the vineyard (Matthew 21:33-40) May 18, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 57-59

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 21:33-40
Jesus: Here is another story: A landowner planted a vineyard, put a wall around it, fitted it with a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard and left town. When harvesttime came, the landowner sent his servants to collect rent—in the form of grapes—from his tenants. The tenants attacked these rent-collecting servants. They killed one, stoned another, and beat a third. The dismayed landowner sent another band of servants to try to collect his due, a larger group of servants this time, but the tenants did the same thing—capturing, beating, killing. Finally the landowner sent his son to the tenants, thinking, “They will at least respect my son.” But the tenants knew the son was the best way to get to the landowner, so when they saw the son approaching they said,
Tenants: This is the landowner’s heir apparent! Let’s kill him and take his inheritance.
And so they did; they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
What do you think the landowner will do when he comes and sees those tenants?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

It almost seems like Jesus is taunting the chief priests and scribes and elders in the temple and around Jerusalem, doesn’t it? Here he is again with another story that points directly at them. Using our 20/20 hindsight, clearly, the story is an allegory for God’s kingdom and the judgment against the religious leaders in Israel. The landowner is the Father, the vineyard is the work done here on earth to gather people into His kingdom. The workers are those who should be spreading the word of His love and grace and mercy, those whose mission is growing the kingdom. The son of the landowner is Jesus.

What should be done to the tenants of the vineyard who kill the landowner’s son? It’s an easy question for those religious bigots to answer. Tear them to pieces. Kill them all. Throw them out. Find others who will be honest and work diligently for the landowner. But these self-righteous religious leaders didn’t see themselves as the workers in the vineyard. They saw the injustice in the story, but didn’t see their own failures in doing exactly the same thing with God’s work.

The outsiders, the Gentiles came to Jerusalem and the religious leaders to find God’s grace and they were driven away by the self-righteous leaders who held the law in their hands. Even their fellow Jews came to find grace and instead were burdened by the impossible traditions levied on them by these men who made sure everyone who came to the temple felt the guilt of their sin rather than the grace of God’s love.

Soon, they would even take action against the Father’s Son by hanging Him on a tree. Thinking Him cursed and unfit for their imagined kingdom of God, they would have Him crucified, murdered by the conspsiracy of their doing. What would happen to them? The church would grow exponentially. They couldn’t stop it. As hard as they tried, the church would grow.

So what does the story of these leaders of the past have to do with us? Do we fit into the allegory anywhere? Maybe. Take a look at what you do in your ministries. Do you drive away those who would seek the fruits of your labor. Do you try to hoard what God has done for you and try to keep it for yourself? Do you think God has blessed you in whatever way He has so that you can enjoy those benefits alone?

If so, look at the plight of those workers in the vineyard. The landowner expected a return on His investment in those tenants. He expected the laborers to give back to Him something of what they were allowed to enjoy. The landowner didn’t take it all. He just wanted a return on His investment. He could take it all, after all, the land was His. The vines were His. Everything there belonged to Him. The workers were fortunate to have an opportunity to work and probably given food to eat and a place to live as long as they worked in the vineyard. But the profit belonged to the landowner. Everyone knew it. Even those tenants.

So what about the work that you do? Do you realize that it all belongs to God? Do you give it to Him to let Him use it in whatever way He desires? Do you begrudge Him your time, offerings, energy, job, family, whatever tasks you might do in His name? If you do, remember Paul’s words. “Whatever you do, do it as if for the Lord.” Everything belongs to Him anyway. We are only tenants in this little dot of space. He owns it all and allows us to enjoy a bit of it for our pleasure for a little while. But never forget that during those few years we are here, we are just tenants. We just pass through. Remember the story. Don’t be caught like the tenants Jesus describes. 

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.

Learn to be a servant (Matthew 20:25-28) May 10, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Exodus 21-24

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 20:25-28
Jesus: Do you want the Kingdom run like the Romans run their kingdom? Their rulers have great power over the people, but God the Father doesn’t play by the Romans’ rules. This is the Kingdom’s logic: whoever wants to become great must first make himself a servant; whoever wants to be first must bind himself as a slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as the ransom for many.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Here’s another one of those speeches that got Jesus in so much trouble. “God the Father doesn’t play be the Romans’ rules.” Once again Jesus turned the world’s thought process upside down. Aren’t you supposed to work your way to the top? Aren’t you supposed to take your knowledge and wealth and power and find a position worthy of your experience as you get older? Aren’t you supposed to try to gain those seats of power in your workplace, in your home, at church, in your social circles?

That’s what the world tells us. There’s this caste system that’s alive and well around the globe. We make it easier to move between castes in this country. You might be born in poverty in the United States, but there are opportunities to break free from it through education and hard work. Your family caste in this country doesn’t lock you into generational bondage. Although sometimes we make it so by following in our parents footsteps.

In a lot of other countries, castes do determine your future. If you are lucky enough to be born into wealth and a higher caste, then you enjoy the privileges of the wealthy. If you are born into poverty, you are subject to remain there with no chance to break free from its strangle hold as long as you remain in that country. Most of the world, unfortunately, still operates under those ancient caste rules. But even in those rigid caste systems, there still remain glimmers of hope. One person in 50 or 100 might break through the bonds by the kindness of someone in the next caste above and be lifted up from the lower caste into the higher one. It doesn’t happen often, but it happens and so there is hope.

But now Jesus is saying it’s the servant, the slave, the people at the bottom of the caste system that will be held in highest esteem in God’s kingdom. How can that be? These people are the beggars on the streets. You don’t even see them. They are there, but if you keep your eyes up as you should, then they are the invisible vermin that populate the roads and ditches and sewers of the city. Why would Jesus insinuate that these people will be first in God’s kingdom?

The priests thought they should be first. They were the ones who entered into the Court of the Priests at the Temple and one of them each year, the high priest, actually went into the Holy of Holies once a year to make atonement for the whole nation. Shouldn’t they be given the seats of honor in God’s kingdom? Weren’t they closer to God that all the scum that littered the roadways?

Well, the world just doesn’t get it. Outward appearance has nothing to do with God’s kingdom. Our position and prestige don’t move God one iota. He is not impressed by the things that impress men. He made the world, so what can we do that impresses Him? We get impressed by the trappings people wear. Have you looked at the pictures from the Hubble telescope? You want to get impressed, take a look at those. God did that. Do you think anything you wear impresses Him?

But that’s not really it either. There are a lot of criminals, thugs, evil people sometimes found in every level of the castes. The poor have their share of evil just as much as the upper crust. The top tiers can often hide their evil a little better by doing so in the name of corporate investment, saving for future retirement, creating jobs by satisfying personal indulgences, and other such disguises.

But God sees our heart. Jesus talks about a servant heart. Do we serve self or do we serve others and in so doing serve God? That’s what real life is about. God created us to live in community and gave each of us different skill sets so we would be interdependent. We can get along with just a handful of people around us. But we thrive when we give our talents to others and let them give their talents in service to us. When we are interdependent, amazing things can happen. It’s like Proverbs says, a rope of three cords is not easily broken. We really do need each other.

So Jesus tells us it’s the servant’s heart in us that takes us to the top of God’s list. The problem with the wealthy, the power hungry, those seeking position more than anything else, they loose sight of what it means to have a servant’s heart and want to be served instead. Jesus turned it around and the leaders didn’t understand. It didn’t make sense to them because they bought into the world’s rhetoric.

Don’t let the world trap you into it’s idea of success. It doesn’t work. It won’t get you a seat on the bus to heaven. If you want to make it into God’s kingdom, learn to be a servant and practice every day. Practice makes perfect.

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.

Follow, whatever the cost (Matthew 18:1-11) November 24, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Matthew 18:1-11

Set – Matthew 18-19

Go! – Matthew 17-19

Matthew 18:1-11
1Around that same time, the disciples came to Jesus and questioned Him about the kingdom of heaven.
A Disciple: In the kingdom of heaven, who is the greatest?
2 Jesus called over a little child. He put His hand on the top of the child’s head.
Jesus: 3 This is the truth: unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 In that kingdom, the most humble who are most like this child are the greatest. 5 And whoever welcomes a child, welcomes her in My name, welcomes Me. 6 And do not lead astray one of the weak and friendless who believes in Me. If you do, it would be better for you to be dragged down with a millstone and drowned in the bottom of the sea.
7 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. 8 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. 9 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.
10 Make sure that you do not look down on the little ones, on those who are further behind you on the path of righteousness. For I tell you: they are watched over by those most beloved messengers who are always in the company of My Father in heaven. 11 The Son of Man has come to save all those who are lost.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

My words might sound harsh when I tell you it’s better to cut off your hand or foot or pluck out your eye than to keep on sinning. But My words are true. Don’t let anything keep you from entering the Kingdom of Heaven. You don’t want to be on the outside at the end of time. Satan will try to tell you it isn’t real. He’ll try to persuade you My truth is a façade, but Satan is the father of lies. Just look around and listen with your heart. My Spirit will guide you to the truth if you will let Him.

Being outside My kingdom means being alone. You might find some temporary pleasures for a time, but you’ll find yourself alone more often than not. In My kingdom, you’re never alone. You always have Me with you and you’ll find brothers and sisters will come beside you in times of need to bear your burdens with you because that’s what love does. My children learn to love and they will come along side you in this life just like I will.

Sometimes you might feel alone in this world, but you’re not. I will always be in you when you come to Me and My children around the world will lift you in their prayers. Some will call your name. Others will lift you up to the Father because I put them on their mind even though they’ve never met you and don’t know you. But you will never be alone as long as you are part of My kingdom.

Not so with those who fail to come to Me in repentance and allow Me to live in them. They may have people surround them that call them friend. But when the money runs out or the times get hard, those friends disappear. When you really need them, they are gone. At when the end of time comes, you are truly alone. You find yourself away from Me, away from God, isolated from everyone and everything. Truly alone with no means of comfort. No means of support. No one who cares for you. Only eternal torment – alone.

Do My words seem harsh? Not when you think of the alternative. Do whatever it takes to make it into My kingdom. Don’t let anything keep you from Me. Sacrifice anything you need to sacrifice to remain true to My word and remain on the path I lay out in front of you. The suffering you endure here will seem as nothing compared to the incomprehensible riches you receive when you come into My glory at the end of the age. Trust Me, you won’t be sorry with your decision to follow Me at all costs.

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.

Politics doesn’t run God’s kingdom (Psalm 146), October 11, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Psalms 146

Set – Psalms 146; Luke 24

Go! – Nehemiah 5-6; Psalms 146; Luke 24

Psalms 146
1 Praise the Eternal!
Praise the Eternal, O my soul;
2 I will praise the Eternal for as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God as long as breath fills my lungs and blood flows through my veins.
3 Do not put your trust in the rulers of this world—kings and princes.
Do not expect any rescue from mortal men.
4 As soon as their breath leaves them, they return to the earth;
on that day, all of them perish—their dreams, their plans, and their memories.
5 Blessed are those whose help comes from the God of Jacob,
whose hope is centered in the Eternal their God—
6 Who created the heavens, the earth,
the seas, and all that lives within them;
Who stays true and remains faithful forever;
7 Who works justice for those who are pressed down by the world,
providing food for those who are hungry.
The Eternal frees those who are imprisoned;
8 He makes the blind see.
He lifts up those whose backs are bent in labor;
He cherishes those who do what is right.
9 The Eternal looks after those who journey in a land not their own;
He takes care of the orphan and the widow,
but He frustrates the wicked along their way.
10 The Eternal will reign today, tomorrow, and forever.
People of Zion, your God will rule forever over all generations.
Praise the Eternal!

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Across the United States, politicians begin to jockey for position. They try to tell you how they will change things because of their leadership, their intellect, their ability to see things the way they really are and make things better for you. As I’m sure you’ve learned over the last several decades, their actions fall very far short of their promises. Campaigns changed recently, though, now politicians make fewer promises because they know they can’t keep them. Instead, they just tear each other down. They let their crews find half-truths about their opponents and blow them out of proportion to enhance their own likelihood for election. I suppose they think it’s best to elect the better of two evils.

Perhaps that strategy works in the world, except that the world belongs to Me. And I don’t particularly want evil of any kind to reign here. The better of two evils still sounds like evil to Me. The psalmist understood that. He recognized the falacy of putting trust in the hope of kings and princes, or in your case, presidents and congressmen. Too often individuals just want power or fame or some kind of legacy. They talk about public service or benefactor of the people, but who among them comes out of office with a smaller bank account than when they entered? How does that benefit or serve others? What have they really done?

On the other hand, My kingdom lasts throughout eternity. It always operates for My glory and your good. No human leader can create the earth or skies or living creatures, but I spoke them all into place. No human can change the course of the stars, but I set each one in motion and at My command can just as easily change their direction, cause them to cease giving their light, or make them explode to engulf their planets. I can cause it to rain or inflict draught across a region. Who among you can do that?

The rhetoric you will hear in the political campaigns over the next several months will encourage you, frustrate you, maybe even make you think you’re going insane because of the pointless arguments the candidates and their cronies shout across your radio and television networks. The elections are important to the operation of your earthly government. Governments remain in place at My pleasure. But they will never solve the real problems of the world, your nation, your state, or city.

Only bowing to the ruler of My kingdom, the triune Godhead, can the problems of the world be solved. I can rid the world of sin and evil and guilt if all people will give their lives to Me. Will it happen? Only each of you can determine that. Because each of you have the choice as to whether you will give Lordship of your life to Me. As you look across the world at the devastation you create each day, the answer is probably no. With more mass murders this year than days this year, it seems you will continue to follow your selfish paths. But the evil can stop. Just turn to Me.

Even in just one country or one state or one city, if you will listen to My words and do My will, I will make such a difference in your community that the world will be astounded by you. My will on earth is not just a few words I taught you to pray. It can be the beginning of a revival that turns the rest of the world around if you will just obey Me and let Me work in your lives. Try 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.