Tag Archives: obedience

Will you do what the Father says? (Matthew 21:27-32) May 17, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Samuel 15-19

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 21:27-32
Jesus: Then neither will I tell you about the authority under which I am working. But I will tell you a story, and you can tell Me what you make of it: There was a man who had two sons. He said to his first son,
Father: Go and work in the vineyard today.
First Son: No, I will not.
But later the first son changed his mind and went. Then the father went to his second son.
Father: Go and work in the vineyard today.
Second Son: Of course, Father.
But then he did not go. So which of the sons did what the father wanted?
Chief Priests and Elders (answering at once): The first.
Jesus: I tell you this: the tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God ahead of you. John came to show you the straight path, the path to righteousness. You did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. Even as you saw the prostitutes and the tax collectors forgiven and washed clean, finding their footing on the straight path to righteousness, still you did not change your ways and believe.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

The chief priests and elders got pretty frosted at Jesus’ story, because they knew He meant for the second son to represent them. They knew what they were supposed to do, but failed to do it. They carried on the rituals, but didn’t extend God’s love. They knew the Talmud and the Law, but didn’t live what they preached to the crowd that assembled to learn from them. The elders and chief priests understood the standards, but didn’t live up to them.

But the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the down and out that Jesus ministered to on the hillsides, those people came back to the synagogues filled with joy. They came giving their tithes and offerings joyfully. They came praising God for the transformation in their lives because of the forgiveness they experienced when they came with a truly contrite, repentant heart.

Okay, so Jesus got the attention of the chief priests and elders. That was then. It’s 2,000 years later. What does that have to do with us? He was talking about those leaders that were about to crucify Him, right? He doesn’t mean us, does He? Well, perhaps it’s time to take inventory.

Do we really worship Him when we go into our churches or do we just go through a routine every week and say we do? Do we let anything take the place of our worship of God or take the place of our service to Him? Do we sully His name by calling ourselves Christians and then acting like everyone else instead of acting like Jesus? Do we take time to talk with God on a regular basis without asking Him for something, but just talking to Him as you would your father or a friend?

How about honoring our parents? Do we give them the respect they deserve? Do we slander others and so destroy their reputation without real cause? Do our eyes wander lustfully to someone other than our spouses? Do we take home pens and paper from work or use the office resources for our personal projects? Do we cheat at solitaire? Do we try to keep up with the neighbor when then get a new car, new shutters on the house, new plants in the yard, or anything that looks interesting that we want?

Those are just the common ten commandments God tells all of us to keep, you know. He gives each of us personal commands and convictions to keep us protected from the temptations Satan throws in our path. But do we listen to Him? Do we do what He tells us to do or do we take matters into our own hands and think we know whats best and make our own decisions without consulting Him.

See, Jesus looked into our future and the story He told the chief priests and elders that day hits all of us between the eyes if we’re not careful. What God wants from us is our obedience. When we love Him we will do just that, obey. When we don’t trust Him and love Him, we hold on to parts of ourself and think we can live our lives better without Him. We try to hide parts of our lives from Him. (An impossible thing to do, by the way.) We try to maintain lordship over every aspect of our lives.

But really we can control very little of what happens to us day to day. So little of life is under our direct control. We think we have power over things, but we really don’t. How much do you really control your health, for instance? You can eat right, sleep right, exercise, do everything the medical world tells you to do. Then you step into the street and get hit by a bus. You just can’t control everything.

What we can do, though, is decide to obey God. We can do what the Father asks us to do. He will give us the ability to do it. All we need to do is make up our mind to live for Him, ask for His empowerment, and do what He says. He will help us. He promises. He always makes a way of escape from the temptations of life. Our problem is we usually don’t look for the exit signs He has glaring in front of us. We just stick around for the show instead of running away as fast as we can.

So will you be like the first son or the second son in the story? Will you do what the Father says or not? 

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.

We are going to Jerusalem (Matthew 20:18-19) May 8, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Corinthians 6-8

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 20:18-19
Jesus: We are going to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the teachers of the law. He will be condemned to death, and the priests and teachers will turn Him over to the Romans, who will mock Him and flog Him and crucify Him. But on the third day, He will be raised from the dead to new resurrected life.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We are going to Jerusalem. Jesus knew what would happen there. He laid it out in pretty clear terms to His disciples. No pulled punches. Betrayal. Condemnation. Beatings and floggings. Crucifixion. But also hope and victory. By the time He got to the raising from the dead part, I’m not sure His disciples were listening any more. I’m not sure I would be if this were the speech I was hearing at the time.

We are going to Jerusalem. Let’s go there so I can die! All you guys who have been following Me to see My kingdom come to fruition, watch Me go to the seat of our religious power and hang on a cross. Sound like a good idea to you? Oh, by the way, betrayal, that means one of you will be part of a conspiracy against Me. Which one of you wants to fill that role? Okay, pack your bags. Let’s hit the road. Let’s whistle a happy tune and get going.

What did He just say? That sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

Two things that are important for us to think about today and emulate in our walk with Him. First, Jesus knew His path and steadfastly took it. Even though He knew what was coming, Jesus set His face toward Jerusalem and went. He knew His mission ended in Jerusalem and He had to go. He knew He would die there. He knew He would face pain, torture, ridicule, death, but those did not deter Him because He knew God’s plan for Him meant going to Jerusalem and nothing would stop Him from taking the path God laid out for Him. He set His face toward Jerusalem. We are going to Jerusalem. That was it. No question about it. Done deal.

So, the question I have for you today is, Do you know what God wants you to do? If so, are you so determined to fulfill it that nothing will stand in your way to complete it? Jesus knew what completing His mission entailed. It meant betrayal, condemnation, torture, and death. But despite the obstacles that Satan put in His path, Jesus knew His mission would not fail because it was not His plan but His Father’s.

When we know God’s plan and get to it, nothing can stop it. We can boldly move toward the culmination of God’s plan even when it looks impossible. See, God works in the realm of the impossible. He takes our efforts and fills that gap between what we can do and what He plans and makes the impossible happen when He wants His plans completed.

The second thing we should learn from Jesus’ words today, let’s look at the words again. We are going to Jerusalem. We are going. You can’t get anywhere without taking those first steps. The old Chinese proverb says, the longest journey begins with the first step. It’s true with God’s missions for our lives. We might know what God wants us to do. But until we take that first step, we will never get it completed. We have to get up off our best intentions and get moving.

Jesus made a declaration to His disciples. It was not a question or a request. He made a statement and then set out doing it. You have to get up and move accomplish God’s will, not necessarily literally, but most of the time, literally. But always you have to do something. More often that not, that something will be service to others. Helping in some way. Doing something to show others God’s love, grace, and mercy.

Will there be difficult times when we serve others? Absolutely. Serving others is messy business. Getting involved in people’s lives is tough. It’s never easy, but the rewards are great. So what’s stopping you? Do you question what God wants you to do or where He wants you to go? I’ve had that problem at times. So what do you do then? Just work where you are. Maybe God has you exactly where He wants you. So just do something where you are. Maybe it’s not the distance you need to travel, but the service you need to perform in the very spot you’re standing.

So there it is. Jesus says, “We are going to Jerusalem.” So figure out what God’s plan is, get on board and just go do it. It’s really that simple. Is it always easy? No. But God will be with you every step of the way. He’s promised never to leave us or forsake us. So just take that first step and see where your journey leads.

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.

Give it up! (Matthew 19:18-21) May 3, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Samuel 5-9

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 19:18-21
Jesus: Well, to begin with, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.
Young Man: I’ve kept those Commandments faithfully. What else do I need to do?
Jesus: If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give all your money to the poor; then you will have treasure in heaven. And then come, follow Me.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Isn’t it just like us? The young man, I mean. Jesus explains in pretty simple terms what he needs to do to be assured of eternal life. He explains all he needs to do is obey God’s commands. So what does the young man do? He retorts with, “Well, which commands in particular? I really don’t have to keep them all, do I? Just tell me the most important one so I can concentrate on those. Give me the cliff notes so I don’t have to study so hard and let me just keep the one or two commands that are most important to God, okay?”

We do that in school. Hey teacher, just give us the answers to the test. Let us study those so we don’t have to learn all those principles and facts. Don’t make us waste our time learning all that stuff, just give us the answers so we can get the grade we need to pass. Or how about at work. Hey boss, what if we take some shortcuts on this project. No one will know. It’s all covered up by the time we’re done. No one will know we skipped some steps or used inferior parts. It will save us time and save you some money. What do you think? We want everything now. We want great success, but we don’t want to work for it.

We do the same thing in our relationships skipping in and out of marriages. Throwing away relationships like they have no affect on us or those around us. We want the short version so we don’t get locked into anything too deeply. We do it with our prayer life, our devotions, our Bible study.

Jesus doesn’t let the young man get away with that philosophy. The young man asks, “Which commandments in particular must I keep?” Jesus starts His answer knowing the conversation will continue. “Well, let’s start with the last six of the ten commandments and see how you do. Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself, that is do not covet.”

I can see the young man puff out his chest and stick out his chin as he gives his answer to Jesus. “I’ve kept all those commandments since my youth. What else do I need to do?” He knew deep in his heart there was something wrong. He hadn’t made the cut yet. He knew he didn’t have the keys to the gate yet. That’s an important point for us to see. We know if we are right with God. We don’t have to guess. We can examine our heart and know if we are bound for heaven or not.

On with our story. Jesus knew the young man’s problem wasn’t in lying or stealing or committing murder or not respecting his parents or adultery. He even knew the young man loved his neighbors. But the young man had a problem. Something got in his way in his relationship with God. Notice Jesus didn’t mention the first four commandments when He talked about keeping the commandments. He knew the young man’s answer would have been the same as it was for the last six, but Jesus knew the young man’s heart. So Jesus probed into his inner being and put His finger on the thing that had become the young man’s god.

Jesus said, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give all your money to the poor; then you will have treasure in heaven. And then come, follow Me.” Ouch! Things had become the young man’s god. Had Jesus asked if he obeyed the first four, no doubt, the young man would answer in the affirmative, just like we would. But when Jesus put His finger on the young man’s real god, the thing that mattered most to him, he saw what kept him from attaining eternal life.

The sad commentary that follows is copy for too many of our generation. Matthew says the young man went away sad because he was very wealthy indeed. You say, “But I’m not wealthy, money and things are not my god.” Then let me ask a couple of questions. Do you substitute sports for devotion to God. Do you substitute your lawn or upkeep on your house for devotion to God? Do you substitute your house for devotion to God? Are you kids extracurricular activities more important than your devotion to God?

What does your heart tell you when you ask yourself those questions? Only you and God know the answer. You can put on the airs of the young man who spoke to Jesus and everyone around you will think everything is in order and you’re on your way to heaven. But you know what God thinks. Is it time to find an altar and put all your possessions there? God accepts nothing less. But then, it’s His anyway, we’re just His temporary stewards.

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 dog in the park (Matthew 17:17) April 19, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Exodus 9-12

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 17:17
Jesus: This generation is no better than the generation who wandered in the desert, who lost faith and bowed down to golden idols as soon as Moses disappeared upon Mount Sinai! How long will I have to shepherd these unbelieving sheep? (turning to the man) Bring the boy to Me.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

In the weekly church staff meeting I attend, we try hard to stay on task. We usually have a lot of ground to cover and need to keep on our agenda because all of us are busy and what we really want to get to is the prayer requests that have been given to the staff. If we spend too much time on business that can be done elsewhere or start down tangents, we can easily lose lots of time in the meeting. You’ve probably all been there if you’ve been in more than one meeting in your life.

Invariably, though, something will be thrown on the table that sparks a discussion and off we go. We act just like those young pups you see in the park the owners are trying to train. They are pretty obedient in the middle stages of their training until a squirrel darts across the playground. Then all bets are off. Whatever the trainer was trying to do just ended. That squirrel has become the center of attention and the dog is off to chase it.

No matter how good the treats the trainer offered. No matter how important the training benefitted the dog. No matter how much better off the dog would be with the obedience to the commands the trainer provided. That squirrel was all that was on that dog’s mind. You’ve seen it happen. It seems like just a little thing that distracts the animal and yet it’s whole purpose changed. But a well trained dog will keep its instincts under control. It will let that squirrel run by and leave it alone. It knows his master’s commands to sit and be still will keep it from running into the street and getting hit by a car or will result in a kind word or even his favorite treat from his master.

We’re a lot like that dog being trained. We so often let our fleshly desires chase after insignificant things that will cause us to run out in front of a car instead of keeping them under control so we can get the real rewards in life. We fail to listen to the commands of our master and instead run to and fro after some illusive target that we have little chance of capturing in the first place, but we run as fast as we can to get it only to have it disappear up a tree and we’re left with nothing.

We’ve risked everything. Lost the benefit of all the training we’ve had. Given up that prime spot next to the master. Lost the reward that was just in our reach. For a glimmer of something that stayed out of reach and then disappeared forever.

Jesus described the Israelites that wandered in the desert like that. Wandering sheep in the desert who lost faith and bowed down to idols. They chased after some illusive thing that they thought could do something it couldn’t. They thought they could capture God in a piece of gold and chased after it, but the dream escaped them and He couldn’t be found there. They lost their faith because they chased after a squirrel instead of remaining obedient to the commands of the Master. Consequently, they lost the land promised to them by God. The only adults who left Egypt to enter the promised land were Joshua and Caleb. All the rest died in the desert sands chasing squirrels.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want that as a legacy. Jesus warned His disciples and those around Him about the problem. It’s easy to get off track and chase the things the world throws in front of us. It’s easy to see the glamor and the glitter and think those are important because the world keeps telling us they are important. But all those things will disappear. Those things are temporary. They cannot last. Just look around at the great civilizations and name those that have lasted. They belong in history books and they are covered with dust, buried under tons of sand. They lasted a few hundred years and then they were gone. But what is that in the span of eternity? It’s just the blink of an eye.

We must be steadfast in our faith if we want to see the promised land, heaven. We must listen and obey the commands of God if we expect to make it through the desert of this world to life everlasting with Him. We must stop our flitting around, chasing after every new fad that passes by that sounds good to our ears and pick up God’s word and meditate on it. We must make it part of our daily routine and let it permeate our life. We must become like that well trained dog in the park so that when the squirrels run by, we sit quietly at the Master’s feet knowing our reward is at hand. 

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

How much do you have? (Matthew 15:34) April 11, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Exodus 5-8

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 15:34
Jesus: How much bread do you have?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Have you ever wondered about this second set of questions from Jesus’ disciples? We read in chapter thirteen about the feeding of the 5,000 men and all the women and children with them. When Jesus told them to feed the crowd they doubted their ability and asked where they would get food to feed so many. Jesus asked what they had. Remember?

So here we are again. A crowd has gathered around Jesus to hear His teachings, to see His miracles, to bring their problems to Him for resolution. They’ve been on the hillside with Him for three days without food and Jesus says, feed them. They touch My heart, I want to take care of their physical needs, so disciples, go feed these people.

I expect the disciples Matthew writes about are not the twelve hand-picked disciples. Some of those might have been among those who questioned His feeding miracle the first time, but I expect this batch was another group of disciples. Why do I say that? Because there were hundreds at His ascension. Those gathered at His ascension were in danger of losing their lives for being there. Those were His disciples and I’m sure many of them were among this crowd of onlookers and early believers.

I expect these disciples were new to the teachings and miracles of Jesus. But when they came in contact with the incarnate God, they believed and followed Him. Now they became part of His entourage and did everything they could to assist the twelve. Perhaps the twelve were moving among the crowd assisting as Jesus had instructed them when they went to the cities and villages in the area. Perhaps they were in the cities and villages and this crowd was a result of their spreading the word about Jesus’ coming and announcing His ministry on the hillside.

We don’t know who spoke the words to Jesus recorded by Matthew other than His disciples. Someone who longed to be like Him and wished to study under His tutelage. Like many other disciples of many other rabbis of the day, they followed their teacher. They listened to His teaching. They paid attention to His interpretation of the scriptures. They tried their best to mimic His actions and lifestyle. But Jesus was different.

How could they possibly be like Him? How could they do the things He asked them to do? How could they understand the lessons He taught? They were so different from the messages of the other rabbis, the other teachers. The religious leaders of the day hated this Man who did so much good and performed acts that surely belonged in the realm of God. They wanted to be like Him but couldn’t begin to understand how.

So that brings us to Jesus’ words to these new disciples. “How much bread do you have?” Kind of sounds like that discount suit salesman, doesn’t it? How much does this suit cost? Well, that depends on how much you have. Or the loan officer at the car dealership. How much can you afford for a car payment? Well, do I have a deal for you! Only Jesus has a slightly different motive. Well, slightly different isn’t the right description. Jesus is about to feed the multitude again. His motive is just the reverse of the shady deals you might have fallen into in the past.

But there is one thing that’s alike. Jesus wants it all. How much bread do you have? Give it all to me. Don’t save any for yourself. Don’t hoard any of it away. Don’t think you can save a few crumbs and do okay for yourself. Jesus wants it all. Every last morsel. He wants even the smell of the bread to be given to Him if you could. Because He is about to do something miraculous with it.

Jesus asks the same of us. Paul describes it as being living sacrifices for Him. Giving Him every morsel of who we are. Giving up all we possess, all our ambitions and dreams, giving up everything to His governance. The amazing thing is that many times, in fact, in my experience, most of the time, when we really give Him everything, He gives it right back to us multiplied many times over. I don’t know how He does it except that He is God and we are not.

See I don’t want to let God control just My tithe. I live better on 9/10ths of my income than I do 10/10ths. I don’t understand the math, but I’ve found it to be true over the years. But I don’t want God just to control that 10%. Because if He can make 90% work better than 100%, don’t you think He can make 100% work better than 100%. It’s His math, not mine. I’m stuck with only the math that the world teaches. Two plus two equals four. But God makes two plus two so much more than four. He fed a multitude with seven rounds of bread and a few small fish probably about the size of a sardine. Now you figure out the math if you can.

All I know is that when Jesus asks, “How much do you have?” Get ready for the next comment. “Give it to Me, I want to do God-sized things with it.” But remember, it has to be in His hands for it to happen. Our hands can’t do it. Our math doesn’t work. Our skills fall short. But in God’s hands miracles happen. 

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.

Give it up, God things are about to happen (Matthew 14:18) April 4, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Exodus 1-4

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 14:18
Jesus: Bring the bread and the fish to Me.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Simple words, but they pack a powerful punch if you really stop and think about them.

The disciples had come to Jesus with a problem. Five thousand men and the women and children that accompanied them gathered on the hillside to listen to Jesus one day. He had preached, healed, taught from the scriptures, ministered to their needs, blessed them. It had been an extraordinary day. But now it late and the people needed food. In yesterday’s podcast we talked about the expectations we should have we walk the path with Jesus. Expect the unexpected. Expect to work. Expect to help people. And expect miracles.

Easy, right? We’re His followers. We understand these expectations and we get to the task. We work hard for Him. We spend days and nights at church. We feed the poor. We give our tithe. We sing in the choir and teach Sunday School classes. We get really busy doing the right things for the kingdom. But we just don’t see many results. The altars are empty. We don’t see many seeking Christ. No one seems to see the necessity of following Christ, but instead walk away as broken and lost as when they came.

What went wrong?

I think the answer can often be found in these simple words. After Jesus told the disciples to feed the crowd, they admitted they just didn’t have what it takes. "All we have are five tortillas (I live in Texas) and two sardines. What is that going to do for such a big crowd? That’s a boy’s lunch, not a feast for 20,000.

Do we ever admit that we don’t have what it takes? Quite frankly, that’s part of the problem with the services’ PTSD problems. PTSD is real, but in the service, you’re taught to be tough. We’re a team and can’t let each other down. We have to stay tough and ready to fight. Surely this nightmare thing isn’t happening to me. PTSD is something that happens to someone else, so we slough it off. But the longer the problem persists the harder it is to treat. We have a hard time recognizing that about the same number of people that will get a cold in their lifetime will have a mental illness in their lifetime. I’m not talking about schizophrenia or manic-depressive disorder or things that will hospitalize you for weeks. Colds don’t hospitalize most people for weeks either. But most people will experience depression some time in their life. Out of control anger or grief. Mental and emotional issues that they need help fixing. Just like you need help with a cold or the flu.

So we don’t admit that we can’t handle the problem. We don’t admit that a task is too hard for us without God’s help. We plow in headstrong and find ourselves with mild concussions after beating our head against that wall that just won’t budge. Still we don’t come to the source of power. We keep trying to plow through.

Remember the story of Moses and the flaming bush that wasn’t consumed by the fire? Remember how Moses argued with God about his ability to lead the Israelites and convince Pharaoh and his counselors to let the Israelites leave the country? God asked Moses what he had in his hand. When Moses answered, “A staff.” God told him to throw it on the ground and it became a snake. That staff became a symbol of the presence of God to the people of Israel because Moses had given it to God and God changed it and gave it back to him.

Elijah did the same with the widow he ask to feed him. Elisha did it with the jar of oil. And now Jesus does the same with His disciples. Give me what you have. I know you don’t have what it takes to do the job I’ve asked you to do. I’ve done that on purpose. I want you to know you didn’t make this happen, I did. So give me what you have and then do the work with what you gave Me. I’ll make your inadequacy adequate. I’ll make your incapability capable. I’ll make your lack abundant.

So what roadblocks have you found in working for Jesus? Is it because you are trying to spread those five tortillas and two fish around all by yourself? You can’t do it. You’re not God. He has creative power. He can multiply them when you give them to Him. All you can do is deliver the pieces when He gives them back to you. You can’t do more than that, but you shouldn’t do less.

Jesus says to us today, take what you have and give it to Me. Then watch what I will help you do with it. You’ll be in awe and those around you will, too. Give what you have to Me then get ready to work because God things are about to happen.

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

Watch for His miracles (Matthew 14:16) April 3, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 1 Corinthians 11-12

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 14:16
Jesus: They don’t need to go back to the villages in order to eat supper. Give them something to eat here.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus has preached all day to the crowds assembled to hear Him and see His miracles. He has met their needs. He has shared the good news of the kingdom of heaven being at hand. He has opened the scripture so their could understand God’s love for them. He shared how God wanted a relationship with them, not sacrifices and rituals and rules. He wanted obedience, but He wanted obedience in a relationship of love just as we give obedience to our spouse out of love.

So here they were. The hour was late. People were hunger. The crowd began to grow restless. Jesus preached on. The disciples slipped up next to Him and whispered in His ear. “Master, the people are hunger, why don’t we send them into the villages nearby so they can get something to eat.” Hey, boss. Time for a break. Let’s give everyone time to go to McDonalds and start again in 30 minutes. Sound good?

Jesus words astound His disciples. “Give them something to eat here.” Now I imagine the disciples stopped and looked around at the crowd, then looked at the hillsides, then looked at Jesus. I expect a few of them got big eyes and their eyebrows went sky-high in confusion. Some of them probably doubled over in laughter thinking He was pulling their leg. He must have been joking. Some got a little closer, “Excuse me? What did you say? I don’t think I heard you right. Did you say feed them here?”

"Uh, Jesus, there’s no cafeteria here. McDonald’s won’t be built here for another couple thousand years. We don’t have Long John Silvers or Captain D’s or Bill Millers or Denny’s or anything. We just have rocks and a few trees and grass. But Jesus, these people aren’t cows. They won’t eat grass and leaves and rocks.

Do what can we learn from Jesus’ words to His disciples?

First, expect the unexpected. Jesus’ response to His disciples shocked them. They didn’t know what to do with His response. They didn’t see any way out of the predicament He put them in. Feed this crowd here? It seemed ridiculous, but Jesus does things no one else can do. He does God-like things because He is God. If we are truly His, He will do God-like things through us. So expect the unexpected. Be ready for Him to use you in ways that just don’t make sense sometimes.

Second, expect to work. Jesus didn’t let the disciples off the hook. The people were hunger. They needed food. The disciples were about to work pretty hard as waiters for a crowd of 5,000 men plus all the women and children who were there. So we can assume there were well over 10,000 and probably closer to 20,000 people gathered together that day. So these disciples had their work cut out for them. Imagine waiting on 20,000 people to get enough food to them that their hunger is satisfied. Just think about the weight of food they will carry. If each person only eats 1/3 pound of food each, that’s still almost 3 1/2 tons of food they will carry one basket at a time until everyone is fed.

Third, expect to help people. Jesus wasn’t going to let this crowd go hungry. If the disciples released them into the villages to get food, they still wouldn’t be fed. Think about it. How much food do you think would have been available to feed those 20,000 people in the nearby villages? It would have wiped out the food sources. The villages couldn’t have supported such a request. These were small villages of maybe a few hundred people at the time. 20,000 people constituted the population of some of the larger cities of Jesus’ day. The local villages could not have fed the crowd anyway. So Jesus commanded His disciples to help these people satisfy their physical need.

Finally, expect a miracle. When Jesus directs us to do things in His name, He uses His resurrection power to get things done. Sometimes His miracles are extraordinary like the feeding of the 5,000 men and all the women and children accompanying them. Sometimes He heals in miraculous ways and there is almost instantaneous cure of some disease or illness. Sometimes He works through the hands of others. Sometimes His miracles are subtle, putting the right people at the right place at the right time so that their skills and talents can be put to work to make something happen. Sometimes He just lets us see that He is present with the miracle of His peace in our heart despite the circumstance we face. But we can look for the miracles around us and we will see His grace and mercy at work. We will see His mighty hand at work around us.

The disciples were astonished at Jesus’ words. On this side of the cross, we can learn from them and listen for Jesus’ words expectantly. Listen for Him to speak to you and watch His miracles work around you.

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

Let Him in! (Matthew 12:43-45) March 20, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 1 Corinthians 7-8

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 12:43-45
Jesus: Let Me tell you what will happen to this wicked generation: When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it rattles around through deserts and other dry places looking for a place to rest—but it does not find anywhere to rest. So the spirit says, “I will return to the house I left.” And it returns to find that house unoccupied, tidy, swept, and sparkling clean. Well, then not only does one spirit set up shop in that sparkling house, but it brings seven even more wicked spirits along. And the poor man—the house—is worse off than he was before. This evil generation will suffer a similar fate.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We listen to these words and think how terrible it must be to let evil spirits get hold of you. But of course we would never do that. After all, we live in an enlightened age in which we just don’t think about such things. We don’t believe in evil spirits and the supernatural. We don’t believe spirits can inhabit people and control them. We don’t believe evil spirits have power over people and can poison their minds, do we?

Jesus’ words must have been for a group of people not so enlightened as we are. They must have been for the uneducated and those who still believed in magic and superstition and the supernatural. They must have been for those who believed in the spirit world and a cosmic battle between good and evil. They must have been for those who believe in God and Satan, heaven and hell. Oops, I got a little carried away. I think that dips into our generation.

Don’t we believe in God and Satan? Don’t we believe in heaven and hell? Don’t we believe in good and evil and the spiritual battle that takes place around us unseen by powers and principals and authorities we do not know? Don’t we believe God’s Spirit can inhabit us and help us through life? And if His Spirit can inhabit us, doesn’t it stand to reason that Satan’s spirit, his demons can do the same? God’s word says he goes about the earth like a roaring lion looking for those he can devour. But he doesn’t do it physically at first. He does it spiritually, from the inside out.

Satan comes into a clean house and starts filling it with trash. He loads up our life with filth. Name the vice and he tries to introduce it until our life internally looks like a pig sty. It fills with lies, deceit, lust, corruption of every sort. Then Jesus comes along and we learn of Him. We let Him peek into our heart and we let Him turn the lights on. We see just how corrupt we are and ask Him to clean us up. We ask His forgiveness for the sins we committed and He comes in to do some house cleaning.

He does a good job and our hearts, our house is sparkling clean. But our problem is, we don’t invite Him to stay. We don’t let Him be the Master of the house. We’re glad He cleaned us up, but we don’t let Him take charge. Instead we decide we want to take charge of our life again. We want to decide what is right for our life. We want to decide what will make us happy and we push Him out the door.

Remember the words of Revelation 3:20 that you hear so much in evangelistic campaigns, “I am standing at the door and knocking. If any of you hear My voice and open the door, then I will come in to visit with you and to share a meal at your table, and you will be with Me.” We use it to try to win the lost. But the verse wasn’t written to the outcasts. John wrote this revelation to the churches. Jesus had John pen these seven letters to the seven churches in Asia, remember?

Jesus says if we don’t let Him in, if we don’t let His Spirit come inside, if we leave Him standing outside the door knocking, a pretty dreadful thing can happen. That spirit that He drives out and cleans up. You know, the filth and corruption and evil He took care of when He forgave your sins, it comes back. But it comes back with a vengeance. It comes back bringing seven friends with him. The plight of the sinner who doesn’t let Christ come in and take charge is worse than the sinner who never lets Him clean up his house in the first place it seems. Now that’s a scary thought. I can get seven times worse than before I let Christ forgive me?

He kind of hints at that in these verses, doesn’t He? The solution is to let Him in. Let Jesus live in your life. Let Him be more than a house keeper. Let Him be the Master of your life. That means saying yes to Him always. It means listening to His voice and following His commands. It means letting Him take charge of your life and letting go of your authority. Don’t forget Revelation 3:20. It’s for believers. Let Him in!

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.

Will you gather or scatter the flock? (Matthew 12/29-30) March 16, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 30-32

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 12:29-30
Jesus: Imagine you wanted to break into the house of your neighbor, a strong brawny man, and steal his furniture. First, you’d have to tie up your neighbor, yes? Once he was bound and tied, you could take whatever you wanted. Similarly—he who is not with Me is against Me, and he who is not doing the Father’s work of gathering up the flock may as well be scattering the flock.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

There are a couple of things in Jesus’ words that struck me as I read them again this morning. That word similarly in the middle as He transitions from the metaphor to His explanation of the metaphor. Did you get that similarity? He says if we’re not with Him, we’re like thieves! We’re like a neighbor who cares so little for our community that we would rob the guy that lives next door to us. That’s pretty low, don’t you think? But that’s the description Jesus uses to describe those who are against Him.

How would you like that description applied to you? One who goes into his neighbor’s house, ties up the owner and takes whatever he wants. I don’t think I want to live next to that guy or even in his neighborhood. That’s the kind of place where you put bars on your doors and windows, get high grade security alarms, and put cameras around the house. Maybe even paid guards to circle the property. Or maybe just put that guy in jail and be done with it.

The description of the neighbor in the metaphor before the transition is pretty bad. But let’s look at what comes after the transition. “Similarly,” Jesus says, “he who is not with Me is against Me…” It sounds like we have only two choices once again. We are either on Jesus’ team or not. That’s it. No other options. We are with Him or against Him. That’s it. It’s just that simple. We want to think we can somehow ride the fence and play both sides against the middle, but Jesus says it just doesn’t work that way. We are either with Him or against Him. Those are our two choices.

We probably remember those words, but we often skip the next thing He says. “He who is not doing the Father’s work of gather up the flock may as well be scattering the flock.” Now those are words we just want to ignore. We’d like to pretend they never came out of Jesus’ mouth. Why? Because they indict us when we hear them. Am I gathering the flock? If not, Jesus says I might as well be scattering it. It’s as bad as the thief He talked about earlier.

As I thought about Jesus’ words, they took me back to His earlier expressions about knowing God. I wrote several days ago about what it means to know God. To know someone intimately in the terms often used in His word, it leads to procreation. Now His comments hit us again. Are we bringing people into the fold of God care? Are we creating disciples with Him? Are we letting Him use us as His messengers to share the good news of salvation and hope to world that needs God so desparately?

Jesus says if we’re not, we might as well be scattering His flock. So it’s not just a matter of listening to His great commandment to go and make disciples, but if we fail to do so, we are tearing His church apart, scattering His church’s members. You might not think that way at first. You might think it’s okay to sit on the sidelines and let someone else do the work, but Jesus doesn’t leave us that option. If I’m not (insert your name there) gathering people into His church, making disciples, obeying His command, I’m scattering them.

How does that work, you ask? Jesus gives all of us the same command. If you carry His name, it means you will obey His commands. If He is Lord, you say yes to what He asks. That means I will make disciples. End of conversation. If I fail to go out and make disciples, then I disobey Him. If I continue to tell others I’m a Christian, a follower of Jesus, but fail to gather people into His fold, it means it’s okay to disobey Him. But we know it’s not. God demands our obedience. His tasks are not beyond our capability. He never gives us more than we can do. But He expects us to carry out His directions.

When others see us failing in God’s plan to enlarge His kingdom through the missions He gives us individually, to make disciples out in the world, it tarnishes God’s name. It says God can’t do what He says He can do. It tells others He has limited power and authority. As Christians we know that is not true, but Satan blinds us and convinces us it’s okay not to obey, let someone else gather people into the fold. Let someone else do the discipling.

That’s not our marching order from our Savior. So will you be doing the Father’s work of gathering the flock, or will you scatter the flock by your inactivity? Again, you get to make the choice. Choose the right path! 

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 One that matters won’t hate you (Matthew 10:21-23) February 29, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Genesis 32-35

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 10:21-23
Jesus: Your task will be fraught with betrayal: brother will betray brother, even to the point of death; fathers will betray their children, and children will rebel against their fathers, even to the point of death. When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next town. This is the truth: you will not be able to witness to every town in Israel before the Son of Man comes. Everyone will hate you because of Me. But remember: the one who stays on the narrow path until the end will be saved.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Who would have believed history would unfold the way it has over the last fifty years? I think about the really bad kids in my school when I was growing up. They smoked behind the bleacher! How terrible! We had no drugs in the schools. No police stood at the doors to the schools. We didn’t worry about guns or knives in backpacks. No one abused illegal or prescription drugs. Once in a long while you would hear about a teenage pregnancy, but those were few and far between. There were a lot more virgins that not and those that were not were frowned upon.

No one “lived together” to see if they were compatible before getting married. Divorce was a bad word and husbands and wives learned to work out their differences. Almost all the kids I grew up with had two parents…at home. And they were they same parents that were there at their birth! Amazing, isn’t it. Now, pornography is one of the biggest vices in the church. Divorce rates in the church exceed those in the secular world. Police walk the halls of middle schools and high schoolers face metal detectors when they enter their buildings. Smoking cigarettes is still a problem, but so is marijuna, ectascy, cocaine, crack, prescription drugs, and all sorts of homemade concoctions.

We live in evil times. And with the degradation of society, we get the news reports of fathers and mothers killing their children. We hear about children killing their parents. We read about the random slaughter of innocent people. Violence and disregard for human life runs rampant. Is it any wonder the words of Jesus mean more now than they did when He spoke them 2000 years ago? As men and women try to satisfy their selfish desires with more and more of what the world offers, is it a surprise that His words are true today as they were then?

Men will hate you if you tell them about dying to selfish desire and living for Christ. Men will hate you if you talk about repentance and obedience to God’s word. Men will hate you if you tell them the only way to heaven is by following Jesus’ example. Men will hate you for bearing the righteousness of God because of His forgiveness and His Spirit in you. Jesus promised they will hate you if you carry His message to them.

So what are we to do? Continue to share the message. Continue to love. Just because those of the world will hate you, doesn’t mean you can hate them back. In fact, if God has forgiven you, you can’t hate them. He says we are forgiven in the same measure that we forgive. How can you hate and forgive at the same time? You can’t. We must love our enemies. Do good to those who persecute us. Pray for those who wrong us. Jesus knew we would face tremendous opposition when we share His message in this evil world. But this isn’t the end.

As we help others understand the truth of Jesus’ message, some will hate us. But some will learn about Him and be gathered into His kingdom. Some will repent because His kingdom is at hand. Some will recognize their evil ways, their brokeness and want to find freedom from the burden of sin they carry. Some will listen to your words and want the peace and joy they see in your face. And for those few who find the narrow path on which we walk, all the trials and persecution and suffering and heartache will be worth it.

Jesus lays out the job description pretty well for His disciples. The road ahead will be a hard one. Even relatives, parents, children, siblings will turn against one another because of the message you share. So ingrained is the desire to satisfy our selfish pleasures that we would turn against those we love the most.

But there is a better way and those who follow Christ know that way. Just keep your eyes on Him and follow in His footsteps as He leads you along. Keep doing what He asks of you. Will it be easy. Not always. But He will never give you a task that you cannot accomplish with His help. He promises. You will be hated, but not by the only One who matters in the end. So just keep sharing His message. He’ll reward you in the end. 

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.