Tag Archives: Luke

We can join the party (Luke 4:23-27) September 22, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Proverbs 25

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 4:23-27
Jesus: You’re about to quote the old proverb to Me, “Doctor, heal yourself!” Then you’re going to ask Me to prove Myself to you by doing the same miracles I did in Capernaum. But face the truth: hometowns always reject their homegrown prophets.
Think back to the prophet Elijah. There were many needy Jewish widows in his homeland, Israel, when a terrible famine persisted there for three and a half years. Yet the only widow God sent Elijah to help was an outsider from Zarephath in Sidon.
It was the same with the prophet Elisha. There were many Jewish lepers in his homeland, but the only one he healed—Naaman—was an outsider from Syria.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Have you ever tried to convince your brothers and sisters about some new information you’ve learned that would really benefit them? I remember my younger sister trying to tell me a few things along the path of life, but she certainly couldn’t know any more than me, right? She’s four years younger, so how could she have learned any life lessons ahead of me? I’m her older brother and should be teacher her.

It’s the same with parents and aunts and uncles and often with cousins and even with neighbors who watch you grow up. It’s really hard to convince those who know you best that you know something that will help them when they know all your faults. They watched you make all those mistakes when you were a teenager, so what could you add to the discussion?

That’s the story we’re faced with as Jesus reads the scripture from Isaiah that day in the synagogue. Those who knew Him best couldn’t believe He could be the long awaited Messiah. He was just a carpenter’s son. They knew Mary and Joseph and they knew the rumors about His birth. He came too soon after the marriage. There were some things that just weren’t right about this guy, so how could Jesus be the Messiah.

It’s kind of sad that we have such a hard time telling those we love the most about important things like how to find eternal life. If those closest to us can see Christ in us and see the difference He makes in our lives, maybe, just maybe, they will want that something different, too. But they will want to see the long term results, because they also know about the fads and false starts you’ve made in the past to try to straighten out your life on your own. Those didn’t go so well, so family and friends usually have a “let’s wait and see” attitude about a radical change in your spiritual life.

But the other things Jesus talked about really excite me. He pulled out two really important stories from the Old Testament to prove His point, but they tell us something about God that should make you want to sing and dance around the room for a while. The stories Jesus mentioned about Elijah and Elisha helping two widows during famines are significant. Those two prophets were two of the nation’s greatest prophets in their history. You’ll remember that in Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain, Peter, James, and John saw Elijah with Jesus and Moses in the garden that night. Elijah and Elisha were special men.

So what’s so great about these two stories? They went to help outsiders. Jews just didn’t do that. Devot Jews had nothing to do with outsiders. If they talked with or touched a non-Jew, they had to go through some ritual cleansing before they could participate in any of the worship activiites that surrounded their daily lives. So when Elijah and Elisha went outside their countrymen and helped these two widows from foreign nations, this was a really big deal.

And what it tells me is that God cares about the outsiders. The Jews are His chosen people. They are set aside for His special purposes, but He hasn’t forgotten the rest of us. He still loves us and cares for us. In fact, He cares for us so much, that during those two incredibly savage famines that swept through the countries surrounding Israel, Elijah and Elisha ministered to people outside their own culture and faith. God directed them to two women in foreign countries that were considered unclean by the Jews. These two men listened to God and determined even the outcasts needed God and His sovereign power in their daily lives.

And that means He cares for us. We are outcasts, outsiders, enemies, yet God still pours out His love and makes it known through His Son, Jesus, that He cares for us immensely. In fact, He cares so much, that He gave His only Son to die on the cross for our sins. All we have to do is believe in Him as the Son of God. Believe in Him for the forgiveness of your sins. Believe in Him for the guidance He will give you each day as you allow Him to live in your life and teach you His ways.

We don’t have to be outsiders anymore. Jesus made a way for us to join the party. 

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.

Know your scriptures (Luke 4:12) September 21, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 111-113

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 4:12
Jesus: Yes, but the Hebrew Scriptures also say, “You will not presume on God; you will not test the Lord, the one True God.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Don’t you love it when someone argues scripture with you? I know I do. Yeah, right! But scripture says, this is okay. But scripture says I shouldn’t do that. But scripture says… And that’s exactly what Satan did to Jesus that day in the wildernes.

Hey, Jesus. You’re the Son of God. Scripture says, angels will watch after you so that you can jump off of this temple and they won’t let you get hurt. Give it a try and see if it works. Let’s see if you really are who you think you are. Maybe you’re just dreaming and your mom was just feeding you a line all these years to cover up that pregnancy story. Go ahead and jump. You’ll be okay. Angels will catch you.

And Jesus knows they would have. He knows His true Father. He’s talked to Him every day for years. He’s learned His words. He heard the story of His birth and saw the fulfillment of those obscure Messianic scriptures in His life from the time He was just a youngster. He knew who He was and also knew the path He would take to the cross at the bequest of His Father. He also knew Satan’s words were true that angels would come to His rescue and would not let Him be harmed before it was time for His execution.

There was a problem with Satan’s request, though. Satan wanted Jesus to violate a more important aspect of God’s word – obedience to His will. Jesus knew what would Him feel good for the moment. He knew would might fuel His human ego, but He also knew what would give His heavenly Father the most glory and that is what He wanted most. He wanted to satisfy His Father’s will more than His own. And that’s the point.

A verse or two taken out of the context of the whole Bible can let you do just about anything you want to do. There is justification in God’s word for all kinds of things. There are stories of violence, murder, vengeance, sex, adultery, theft, embezzlement. Pick a vice or crime or just about any sin you want to commit and it has been done and is recorded in God’s word. Just pick a few of the verses around that sin and you can figure out how to justify whatever you want to do. But that’s not God’s will.

So what is God’s will? What does the Book really tell us? It’s the story of God’s plan for our redemption. It’s His will that everyone would come to Him for the forgiveness of sin and follow His commands. It’s His will that all would recognize that He is the one and only true God and would worship Him as such. It’s His will that we would love Him with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love our neighbors and we love ourselves. That’s the message of the Bible.

It’s pretty simple. Sometimes not so easy to do, but pretty simple to remember. Just love. That’s it. Jesus showed us how. He didn’t let Satan distract Him from that simple mission or the simple message His Father gave Him to deliver to the rest of the world. Satan tried his best, but it didn’t work. Why? Because Jesus understood the message of the Book. He wasn’t about to let Satan use one little piece of it to persuade Him to do something that contradicted the message of the whole Book.

That’s where we get messed up today. Someone shows us something in scripture that tickles our ears and shows us where we can get what we want, but it doesn’t fit with the rest of God’s word. The problem is we don’t read it enough to understand the whole message. We let those little snippets that we like overpower our emotions and our will and forget we are supposed to be doing God’s will.

So how do you figure out what the Bible is about so you don’t end up falling for one of Satan’s tricks? First, you need to give your whole self to God. Let Him be Lord of everything in your life. Let Him take control of all of it. Family, job, money, everything. Then, read His instruction book. He tells us how we are to live. We just don’t like what we read and don’t do what it says most of the time. Or we just don’t read it and don’t know what it says and go about our merry way.

Jesus knew scripture. His example shows us that if we expect to stand up to the schemes Satan will use against us in this world, we should know them, too. No matter what your age, there is no better time than today to start seriously reading and studying His word. You never know when you might need just the passage you read this morning.

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

Get out of my face (Luke 4:8) September 20, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Chronicles 1-5

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 4:8
Jesus: Get out of My face, Satan! The Hebrew Scriptures say, “Worship and serve the Eternal One your God—only Him—and nobody else.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Have you ever gotten into one of those situations that you just knew Satan was trying his best to trap you into doing something you knew was wrong? I know I have. He seems to know just what buttons to push for each of us. He knows the things that we like and dislike. He knows what makes us tick. He is an angel, a fallen one, but one of God’s created angelic beings nonetheless. So Satan has some powers that we do not understand or can even begin to comprehend.

So Satan knows exactly how best to approach us to entice us with the things that will turn us away from God. Satan had already tried to lure Jesus by trying to get Him to satisfy His physical desires through means Jesus knew were wrong. Now Satan asks Jesus to shortcut the path His Father had asked Him to take by worshiping Satan and thereby gaining political power over the world. But Jesus also knew the shortcut didn’t meet the demands the Father asked of Him. And to worship a fallen angel, or an angel of any sort, would violate the Fathers command.

Satan knew this mission was a weak point for Jesus. Our Savior wants the whole world to bow to Him and recognize Him as Savior and Lord. But He wants everyone in the world to come to Him as Lord as their choice, not as a dictator with the political power to force them to do so. The shortcut Satan offered Him would not suffice. It took away the power of choice for God’s greatest creation and He would not do that. Nor would Jesus, the man, worship anyone other than the Father.

So when Satan pushes that sensitive button, when He offers something that would entice Him to get off the path His Father laid out for Him to follow, Jesus does something we should we should emulate often. Listen to those first few words again: “Get out of my face, Satan!”

When is the last time you uttered those words? When is the last time you even thought those words in your head? I think we’ve gotten so sophisticated in our understanding of scientific principles and knowledge of the universe that we forget there is a real heaven and a real hell. A real fallen angel the Bible calls Satan, the father of lies. We forget there is a created being who rebelled against God and is trying his best to capture our souls and turn us away from God, too.

We, in our modern, what we think as an intelligent world, forget that Satan still roams the earth like a lion seeking those he can devour.

The good news, though, is that Satan is weak compare to our God. And Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10, “Any temptation you face will be nothing new. But God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can handle. But He always provides a way of escape so that you will be able to endure and keep moving forward.”

Our problem is two-fold. First, we don’t look for those ways of escape. We don’t look for the exit signs. We don’t try to get away from the temptation or do things to keep from getting into those situations in the first place. We too often just let Satan beat on us with those same temptations and think we can stand there and take it for as long as he can dish it out. We can’t. Remember, Satan knows which buttons to push. He knows our weak spots and those are the ones he will go after.

But sometimes, we just can’t find an exit, or there isn’t one. There wasn’t an exit for Jesus in the desert that day. He was there. Satan was right there in front of Him. Satan was doing his best to push Jesus’ buttons and get Him to take a shortcut, skip over the tough parts of His Father’s journey for Him, take the easy road to success. Jesus saw that He couldn’t leave that desert place quite yet, so He did the next best thing. Did you get it? He rebuked Satan with those very precious words that we just don’t use enough, “Get out of My face, Satan!”

So what do you think would happen if the next time you faced a really tough temptation you did what Jesus did and yelled, “Get out of my face, Satan!” I bet if you’re not alone, you’ll get some pretty strange looks, for one. But I also bet that whatever is going on around you will take a quick stutter step and give you an opportunity to get out of there pretty fast. It’s amazing what happens when you call a spade a spade. People don’t like the truth sometimes and when you’re in the middle of something you know is wrong and call it what it is, it’s amazing how many others you will help by lending them your strength and keeping them from going down that path, too.

Jesus teaches a great lesson for us, today. When the tempter comes, get ready with your response, “Get out of my face, Satan!” With Jesus on your side, he will.

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.

Do you want to be a zombie? (Luke 4:4) September 19, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Numbers 21-24

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 4:4
Jesus: It is written in the Hebrew Scriptures, “People need more than bread to live.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Yesterday, we talked about the importance of scripture in Jesus’ life. He proved it with His temptation experience in the desert after His baptism. Satan tried to get Him to turn stones into bread to satisfy His hunger after forty days of fasting, but Jesus answered Satan’s challenge with the words we read today. Those words come from Deuteronomy 8:3 where the rest of the verse says, “what makes you truly alive is not the bread you eat but following every word that comes from the mouth of the Eternal One.”

A lot of people walk around thinking they are alive, but as we see all these movie trailers and TV show advertisements that flood the airways today, I’m reminded of exactly what we really see moving around us. We really do live in a land of Zombies. We live in a world of the walking dead! They act like they are alive on the outside. They wake up in the morning and go to work. They eat and drink and go about the routine of what many call every day life.

Those zombies out there make money, get married, have children and raise more zombies teaching them to grow up just like them. We have created generations of zombies. I bet you didn’t know that zombies reproduce, but they do. Just look around. They’re everywhere. People who think they have life, but they’re really just biological organisms destined for eternal death because they haven’t taken this verse to heart.

You can’t live by the bread or the food you eat. You can’t live by the job you have or the money you make. You can’t live by the socioeconomic status to which you climb or the number of likes on your Facebook page. Satan tried to get Jesus to let His physical hunger pangs become the most important thing to Him at that moment, but Jesus knew that a few moments of physical pain didn’t constitute life or death. Creature comforts aren’t what real life is about.

Life isn’t about satisfying our desires, it’s about satisfying God’s desires. Life isn’t about us, it’s about Him. It’s about doing His will. Life is about thirsting after God and drinking deeply from the fountain of life He shares with us from His word. Life is about doing what God wants, not what we want.

But that goes against everything the zombies around us believe. The world makes them think they are alive and well. The world makes them think life is about all those material things that go away with the last breath we take. The world says life is about money and beauty and stuff. So the zombies run blindly after all those things and when they get them, they find they still don’t have the life they are looking for. There is still no joy, no comfort, no assurances. Just fear of the unknown and questions about what’s next.

But for those who listen to Jesus’ words and believe them, we don’t walk in the way of the zombies. We know what life is about. Life isn’t limited to the few years we spend in these bodies made of clay. There is something more. We feel it deep inside and know from God’s word and the testimony of His spirit in us that there is something after these few years. We know there is an eternity out there and it only begins with the time we spend in these bodies.

How do we find real life? By doing what God says in His word. You say, “but that’s too much. How can we follow all the rules God gives us in scripture. How can we even know what He said. There is so much there.” I’d beg to differ with you, though. Most Bibles are about 1500 pages and most of those pages are not rules, but stories of God’s redemptive love. Have you ever read the tax code? I think the last version is about 20,000 pages. You’re expect to follow that and it’s just one part of our law. Then there are all the other laws and codes and bills and regulations you obey everyday. We don’t seem to have a problem keeping those and they constitute a whole library full of text.

So why do we think it is so hard to keep God’s laws? There really aren’t that many and Jesus sums them all up in two commands. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love your neighbor as you love yourself. So if we can just keep those two rules in mind and do those two, Jesus says we’ve done all the rest because all the rest are based on those two.

So what will it be as we look toward the beginning of another season of new zombie programs hitting the airways. Are we going to be part of that crowd and go around pretending to live like zombies do but without any real life? Or are we going to follow the words that come out of the mouth of God?

Once again, we get to make the choice. For me, I never did like those zombie shows. I’ll take real life every time. 

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.

A wonderfully horrible day (Luke 23:26-43), October 10, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 23; 26-43

Set – Nehemiah 3; Luke 23

Go! – Nehemiah 3-4; Luke 23

Luke 23; 26-43
26 On the way to the place of crucifixion, they pulled a man from the crowd—his name was Simon of Cyrene, a person from the countryside who happened to be entering the city at that moment. They put Jesus’ cross on Simon’s shoulders, and he followed behind Jesus. 27 Along with Him was a huge crowd of common people, including many women shrieking and wailing in grief.
Jesus (to the people in the crowd): 28 Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me. Weep instead for yourselves and weep for your children. 29 Days are coming when people will say, “Blessed are the infertile; blessed are the wombs that never bore a child; blessed are the breasts that never nursed an infant.” 30 People will beg the mountains, “Surround us!” They’ll plead with the hills, “Cover us!” 31 For if they treat Me like this when I’m like green unseasoned wood, what will they do to a nation that’s ready to burn like seasoned firewood?
32 Jesus wasn’t the only one being crucified that day. There were two others, criminals, who were also being led to their execution. 33 When they came to the place known as “The Skull,” they crucified Jesus there, in the company of criminals, one to the right of Jesus and the other to His left.
Jesus: 34 Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.
Meanwhile they were drawing lots to see who would win Jesus’ clothing. 35 The crowd of people stood, watching.
Authorities (mocking Jesus): So He was supposed to rescue others, was He? He was supposed to be God’s Anointed, the Liberating King? Let’s see Him start by liberating Himself!
36 The soldiers joined in the mockery. First, they pretended to offer Him a soothing drink—but it was sour wine.
Soldiers: 37 Hey, if You’re the King of the Jews, why don’t You free Yourself!
38 Even the inscription they placed over Him was intended to mock Him—“This is the King of the Jews!” This was written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.
39 One of the criminals joined in the cruel talk.
Cynical Criminal: You’re supposed to be the Anointed One, right? Well—do it! Rescue Yourself and us!
40 But the other criminal told him to be quiet.
Believing Criminal: Don’t you have any fear of God at all? You’re getting the same death sentence He is! 41 We’re getting what we deserve since we’ve committed crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong at all! 42 (turning to Jesus) Jesus, when You come into Your kingdom, please remember me.
Jesus: 43 I promise you that this very day you will be with Me in paradise.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

What a wonderful, horrible, gloriously, terrible day that was. As the Son of God, the day of My crucifixion was the pinnacle of success for My mission. I became the sacrifice for all humankind’s sins. No longer did anyone need to bear the burden of guilt Satan laid on your shoulders because of your failure to follow Me. You could come to the Father in all His holiness because I died for you. He forgives you because I forgive you.

What a glorious opportunity for you and for Me. Finally, the bridge between us was complete. My death, My sacrifice closed the gap that kept us apart. My blood paid the penalty that you could not pay and you could come into the presence of a holy God without fear of instant wrath. My blood covered your sins.

As the Son of Man, that day was the most horrific experienced among men. I died the most terrible death imaginable. The Romans had to create a new word, crucifixion, to describe the humiliation, horror, and agony associated with this new form of execution. They were masters at bringing their prisoners just to the point of death and keeping them alive for days as they hung on the cursed tree. Only because of the request of the priests and the coming Sabbath were the other criminals’ legs broken to speed their deaths. I gave up My life willingly. No one could take it. I proved that many times during My ministry. I could have done it again as the Son of God on the cross. But as the Son of Man, I gave up My life for you.

I endured the pain, the humiliation, the agony of that day for you. The Father turned His back on Me as I hung there as I shouldered your sins. Then I died. My blood dripped down the rugged wood beams and out across the rugged rocks of the hillside. My blood covered your sins as it covered My body and covered the cross.

It was a horrible, wonderful day for God and humankind. Remember it well. 

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

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

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 22:7-46

Set – Nehemiah 1; Psalms 133; Luke 22

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

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

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

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

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

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

What the crowd said (Luke 20:9-19), October 7, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 20:9-19

Set – Ezra 7; Luke 20

Go! – Ezra 7-8; Luke 20

Luke 20:9-19
9 He told the people another parable:
Jesus: A man planted a vineyard. He rented it to tenants and went for a long trip to another country. 10 At the harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants so he could be paid his share of the vineyard’s fruit, but the tenants beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed. 11 The man sent another servant, and they beat him and treated him disgracefully and sent him away empty-handed too. 12 He sent a third servant who was injured and thrown out. 13 Then the vineyard owner said, “Now what am I going to do? I’ll send my much-loved son. They should treat him with respect.”
14 But when the tenants recognized the owner’s son, they said, “Here’s our chance to actually own this vineyard! Let’s kill the owner’s heir so we can claim this place as our own!” 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and murdered him. What do you think the owner will do to these scoundrels?
16 I’ll tell you what he’ll do; he’ll come and wipe those tenants out, and he’ll give the vineyard to others.
Crowd: No! God forbid that this should happen!
Jesus: 17 Why then do the Hebrew Scriptures contain these words:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the very stone
that holds together the entire foundation?
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to fragments, and if that stone falls on anyone, he will be ground to dust.
19 That was the last straw for the religious scholars and the chief priests; they were ready to attack Him right then and there. But they couldn’t for fear of public opinion, and they realized that Jesus, through this parable, had exposed their violent intentions.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

What did the crowd mean when they cried out, “No! God forbid that this should happen!” Were they upset that the owner’s son was killed or were they upset that the owner came and wiped out the tenants and gave the vineyard to others? It is interesting to stop and think about their answer, isn’t it?

When you think about what will happen to Me in the next few days, you might begin to wonder who the crowd was thinking about when they cried out. Did they consider themselves the tenants, want to remain in the vineyard and live off the fruit of their labor? Did they think they would gain control of the religious authority that I alluded to as I gave them this parable? Did they think that by doing the same things they had been doing that they would keep control of all they had?

Or were they finally seeing the falacy of their religious practices? As you see from the reaction of the scholars and chief priests, they thought I was talking about them and want to kill Me right then. But what about the crowd? Whose side were they on? I spoke to the crowd and everyone there heard the same parable. Did they think I was about to take Abraham’s blessings away from them and give it to the Gentiles who occupied their city? It would be easy for the Roman army to move the Jews out of the temple and take it over. I could give it to them because of the apostacy I saw among My own people. So what did the crowd think of the parable?

More important, what do you think of the parable? If you were in the crowd and listening to the parable of the vineyard owner, the servants and the son, what would you think? Who would you think I’m talking about? There’s no interpretation, just the parable. Would you see the vineyard owner as the Father above? Would you see his servants as the prophets the Father sends to try to guide you onto the path of righteousness and bring you back into a right relationship with Him? Would you recognize that the pastors and priests He puts in your path are there to help you know Me and follow Me? Would you abuse them and fail to listen to them as My people did the prophets I sent to teach them and try to rescue them from the destruction they faced?

The parable fits today as much as it did when I gave it to the crowd that day in Jerusalem. Put yourself in the crowd. Think carefully about what your reaction to the story would be today. Would you react as the scholars and priests and determine to kill Me? Would you cry out with the crowd, “God forbid that this would happen!”? And if you cried out with the crowd, who would you mourn, the servants, the son, or the tenants who will be thrown out of the vineyard at the owner’s command?

I trust you have the right answers. Your eternity depends on it!

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

Some despised their ruler (Luke 19:11-27), October 6, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 19:11-27

Set – Esther 9; Luke 19

Go! – Esther 9-10; Luke 19

Luke 19:11-27
11 The crowd has been listening to all this, and everyone assumes that the kingdom of God is going to appear at any moment, since He’s nearing Jerusalem. So He tells them this parable:
Jesus: 12 A ruler once planned a journey to a distant country to take the throne of that country and then return home. 13 Before his departure, he called 10 of his servants and gave them each about three months of wages. “Use this money to buy and sell until I return.” 14 After he departed, the people under his rule despised him and sent messengers with a clear message: “We do not want this man to rule over us.”
15 He successfully assumed kingship of the distant country and returned home. He called his 10 servants together and told them to give an account of their success in doing business with the money he had entrusted to them.
16 The first came before him and said, “Lord, I have made 10 times the amount you entrusted to me.” 17 The ruler replied, “Well done! You’re a good servant indeed! Since you have been faithful in handling a small amount of money, I’ll entrust you with authority over 10 cities in my new kingdom.”
18 The second came and said, “Lord, I’ve made five times the original amount.” 19 The ruler replied, “I’ll entrust you with authority over five cities.”
20 A third came and said, “Lord, I have successfully preserved the money you gave me. I wrapped it up in a napkin and hid it away 21 because I was afraid of you. After all, you’re a tough man. You have a way of taking a profit without making an investment and harvesting when you didn’t plant any seed.”
22 The ruler replied, “I will condemn you using your very own words, you worthless servant! So I’m a severe man, am I? So I take a profit without making an investment and harvest without planting seed? 23 Then why didn’t you invest my money in the bank so I could have at least gained some interest on it?” 24 The ruler told the onlookers, “Take the money I gave him, and give it to the one who multiplied my investment by 10.”
25 Then the onlookers replied, “Lord, he already has 10 times the original amount!”
26 The ruler responded, “Listen, whoever has some will be given more, and whoever doesn’t have anything will lose what he thinks he has. 27 And these enemies of mine who didn’t want me to rule over them—bring them here and execute them in my presence.”

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Have you ever paid attention to the first and last of this parable? You’ve probably heard sermons and stories about the ruler who entrusted his wealth to his servants and they multiplied his riches according to their abilities. You’ve probably heard about the one who hid the master’s money and gained nothing during his master’s absence. You’ve probably heard the reprimade and punishment the servant received and how what was given to him was taken away and given to the one who multiplied the master’s money the best.

But have you ever paid attention to the first and last of this story? When the ruler went away, there were those who didn’t want the ruler to return because they despised him. And when the ruler returned from his conquest of another country, he called for those to be brought before him and executed.

There are those within the human race that despise Me despite My attempts to show them My love. Despite the fact that I created each of you and enable you to live and breathe each day. Many of you despise Me. Many of you despise Me because I give you rules to live by even though they protect you within a community and teach you to love as I love. Many of you despise Me because of your selfishness and your desire to satisfy your base instincts in ways that are harmful to the delicate balance of that provides good for all things within My creation.

I know what is best for all My creation and I know what is best for you. I gave you an established set of rules and commands to enable you to live together and care for My creation. I gave you a way to live abundantly. I even made a way to come back to Me when you were far from Me. I still love those who hate Me and want to live far from Me. But one day I will return and those who still despise Me will feel My wrath. I am a holy God and true to My word. My word tells you that those who do not follow Me will be punished eternally for their failure to recognize Me as their Lord and Master. Trust Me, you do not want to be in that group. 

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.

A flash of lightning (Luke 17:20-37), October 4, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 17:20-37

Set – Esther 1; Luke 17

Go! – Esther 1-2; Psalms 150; Luke 17

Luke 17:20-37
20 Some Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come.
Jesus: The kingdom of God comes—but not with signs that you can observe. 21 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.
22 (to His disciples) Days are coming when you will wish you could see just one of the days of the Son of Man, but you won’t see it. 23 People will say, “Look, it’s there!” or “Look! It’s here!” Don’t even bother looking. Don’t follow their lead. 24 You know how lightning flashes across the sky, bringing light from one horizon to the other. That’s how the Son of Man will be when His time comes.
25 But first, He must face many sufferings. He must be rejected by this generation. 26 The days of the Son of Man will be like the days of Noah. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage. Everything seemed completely normal until the day Noah entered the ark. Then it started raining, and soon they were all destroyed by the flood.
28 It was just the same in the days of Lot. People were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building, and carrying on business as usual. 29 But then came the day when Lot left Sodom—a different kind of rain began to fall, and they were all destroyed by fire and sulfur falling from the sky. 30 That’s how it will be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
31 When that day comes, if you’re on the housetop, don’t run inside to try to save any of your belongings. If you’re in the field, don’t bother running back to the house. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. Turning back is fatal for those who do so. 33 If you try to hold on to your life, it will slip through your fingers; if you let go of your life, you’ll keep it. 34 Listen, on the day of the Son of Man, two people will be asleep in bed; destruction will take one and the other will be left to survive. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; destruction will take one and the other will survive. 36 Two men will be working out in the field; destruction will overtake one and the other will survive.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

My coming again will be sudden and destructive for those not aligned with Me. I gave My disciples some metaphors to compare. Noah, Lot, Lot’s wife all show what My coming will be like when I return. There’s no turning at that point. You choices will have been made. I will come as fast as lightning flashing across the sky and that quickly My return will be over. My bride will be swept up with Me in the air and brought to enjoy the riches of heaven with Me.

The days after My return will be such a disaster, they will make the flood, Sodom’s destruction, and Lot’s wife’s punishment seem like a party at the beach. My wrath will pour out on all who remain for their failure to recognize Me as Lord. Those left behind will wish to die but will not be able to escape no matter how much they long to. Each will feel the full wrath of My punishment for their wickedness.

The only escape comes from joining Me as I pass through the air like lightning. If you’re ready, I’ll take you with Me. If you’re not, you stay behind. There is only one way to stay ready. Believe in Me for the forgiveness of your sins. But believing means more than just knowing that’s why I came to earth. It means doing what I ask you to do. It means following My commands. It means walking away from sin and walking toward the good I ask of you. It means loving Me and loving others. Believing means taking action because of your belief. It’s whole body, mind, and spirit given to Me.

Thinking you can figure out when I’ll come and squeeze in just in time is a risky gamble. I may come in the next storm. Oh, and did I mention that there is a storm somewhere on the planet all the time? So which storm do you want to take a chance on? Do you think I’ll wait for the one that the weatherman says will arrive at your doorstep? Don’t count on it. No one told the people of Noah’s day it would rain except Noah and everyone laughed at him. No one in Sodom believe it would rain fire and brimstone, either, but it did. No one thought a person could turn into a pillar of salt, but Lot’s wife suddenly found out when she looked back at the destruction I was pouring out on that city.

I’ve warned you for two thousand years. Just because My grace has been extended that long doesn’t mean it will be extended another year. It might, but then again…

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 clever asset manager (Luke 16:1-18), October 3, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 16:1-18

Set – Ezra 6; Psalms 138; Luke 16

Go! – Ezra 5-6; Psalms 138; Luke 16

Luke 16:1-18
1 Here’s a parable He told the disciples:
Jesus: Once there was a rich and powerful man who had an asset manager. One day, the man received word that his asset manager was squandering his assets.
2 The rich man brought in the asset manager and said, “You’ve been accused of wrongdoing. I want a full and accurate accounting of all your financial transactions because you are really close to being fired.”
3 The manager said to himself, “Oh, no! Now what am I going to do? I’m going to lose my job here, and I’m too weak to dig ditches and too proud to beg. 4 I have an idea. This plan will mean that I have a lot of hospitable friends when I get fired.”
5 So the asset manager set up appointments with each person who owed his master money. He said to the first debtor, “How much do you owe my boss?” 6 The debtor replied, “A hundred barrels[a] of oil.” The manager said, “I’m discounting your bill by half. Just write 50 on this contract.” 7 Then he said to the second debtor, “How much do you owe?” This fellow said, “A hundred bales[b] of wheat.” The manager said, “I’m discounting your debt by 20 percent. Just write down 80 bales on this contract.”
8 When the manager’s boss realized what he had done, he congratulated him for at least being clever. That’s how it is: those attuned to this evil age are more clever in dealing with their affairs than the enlightened are in dealing with their affairs!
9 Learn some lessons from this crooked but clever asset manager. Realize that the purpose of money is to strengthen friendships, to provide opportunities for being generous and kind. Eventually money will be useless to you—but if you use it generously to serve others, you will be welcomed joyfully into your eternal destination.
10 If you’re faithful in small-scale matters, you’ll be faithful with far bigger responsibilities. If you’re crooked in small responsibilities, you’ll be no different in bigger things. 11 If you can’t even handle a small thing like money, who’s going to entrust you with spiritual riches that really matter? 12 If you don’t manage well someone else’s assets that are entrusted to you, who’s going to give over to you important spiritual and personal relationships to manage?
13 Imagine you’re a servant and you have two masters giving you orders. What are you going to do when they have conflicting demands? You can’t serve both, so you’ll either hate the first and love the second, or you’ll faithfully serve the first and despise the second. One master is God and the other is money. You can’t serve them both.
14 The Pharisees overheard all this, and they started mocking Jesus because they really loved money.
Jesus (to the Pharisees): 15 You’ve made your choice. Your ambition is to look good in front of other people, not God. But God sees through to your hearts. He values things differently from you. The goals you and your peers are reaching for God detests.
16 The law and the prophets had their role until the coming of John the Baptist. Since John’s arrival, the good news of the kingdom of God has been taught while people are clamoring to enter it. 17 That’s not to say that God’s rules for living are useless. The stars in the sky and the earth beneath your feet will pass away before one letter of God’s rules for living become worthless.
18 Take God’s rules regarding marriage for example. If a man divorces his wife and marries somebody else, then it’s still adultery because that man has broken his vow to God. And if a man marries a woman divorced from her husband, he’s committing adultery for the same reason.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Have you ever thought about My parable of the crafty asset manager? He cheated his boss, but in the process gained friends so he could at least get some sympathy if he was fired and maybe get a meal or two from those he helped. Some would call him dishonest and, in fact, he was. He was dishonest to his boss and dishonest to those who owed his boss money. But he found a way to make friends.

I’m not condoning dishonesty. I am asking you to think outside the box to figure out ways to make friends. The world thinks money is the answer. The clever asset manager figured out ways to ease the financial burden for some. He found ways to connect to people. His ways were unconventional, but he certainly got their attention. Perhaps there are unconventional ways you can link with people in your community to enable you to share My message with them.

No, I don’t want you to break My laws to do it. I still want you to obey My commands, but there are ways to reach people outside the conventional means to do so. What are their interests? What are their needs? What can you do to help meet those needs in ways that do not put them in jeapordy or you in violation of My laws? The asset manager actually had the authority to discount those bills. His boss didn’t criticize him for doing it because it was within his purview to do what he did.

Can you do the same within your authorities? Can you help others in ways that you might not think of immediately in your line of work or your daily routine? If making money is not your driving force, how can you use your activities to help others and show Christ today?

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.