Tag Archives: sacrifice

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

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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.

Extend a little mercy (Matthew 12:7-8) March 13, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 1 Corinthians 5-6

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 12:7-8
Do you not understand what the prophet Hosea recorded, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”? If you understood that snippet of Scripture, you would not condemn these innocent men for ostensibly breaking the law of the Sabbath. For the Son of Man has not only the authority to heal and cast out demons, He also has authority over the Sabbath.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus points back to a peculiar prophet. God told Hosea to demonstrate His words through actions that all of Israel would understand. God told Hosea to marry a prostitute who then ran away from him and went back to her long list of lovers. But Hosea went after her and brought her home. Hosea graphically showed us God’s incredible love for us and His attempts to bring us back into His fold through Hosea’s actions with his wayward wife.

One of the outcomes of Hosea’s demonstration was the realization that God shows mercy to His children. He is more interested in mercy than the rituals we go through year after year and day after day to try to please Him. It’s not those rituals that He wants. He wants our love, He wants us to show others grace and mercy just as He shows us grace and mercy. He wants a relationship with us.

One of the things necessary to build a relationship with God is obedience. And one of the things He demands of us is mercy to others. Because He shows us mercy, we should show mercy to others, something the Pharisees seemed to have in short supply. They were ready to condemn Jesus’ disciples for being hungry and eating a few grains of wheat on the Sabbath. Their rules said you couldn’t harvest on the Sabbath and the disciples act of running their hand across a ripe stalk of wheat growing in the field and eating those few grain, they considered harvesting.

Now, you and I would probably think about harvesting as cutting down the whole field then thrashing the wheat to separate the grain from the chaff. We would think about that kind of work as a harvest activity, not the simple act of running your hand across one or two stalk to get a few grains to satisfy your immediate needs. But the Pharisees carried their rules and regulations to extreme. They put limits on even the simplest of activities. The distance you could walk on the Sabbath. The maximum weight of any object you could lift. The types of activities in which you could participate. The preparation of meals allowed and disallowed. The type of food you could eat. The clothes you could wear. They tried to control every aspect of life.

It was bad in Hosea’s day and got continually worse. God reminded His people through His prophet that He wanted them to give each other mercy. Don’t be so hard fast with rules that you forget people are involved. Don’t forget the mercy He showed you when you broke His rules and failed to obey the commands He gave you. Remember, all of us have sinned. All of us fail in our attempts to reach God in His glory. Yet He extends His mercy to us. We should extend mercy to those around us in the same way.

God instituted the ritual sacrifices to point out the necessity of coming to Him to ask forgiveness for our sins. He pointed out through those rituals that He is God and we are not. He deserves our worship and He extends His mercy to us. He reminds us the consequence of sin is death and the price demanded takes the life of the animal sacrificed in the rituals that remind us of that consequence. God gave His people those rituals as reminders of the awful justice that sin demands, but He extends His mercy to us when we follow Him. As His children, He forgives and substituted first animals and then Himself as the price for our sins.

Can we do anything short of showing the same mercy to those around us who fail to meet the standards that we hold? Does that mean we condone bad behavior? Absolutely not! No more than God condones bad behavior. But we can learn to forgive. We can show mercy and demonstrate God’s love to others. We can show others how to extend grace and in so doing, bring them into the knowledge of God. We can introduce them to the One who brings hope and joy and life to a world of hopelessness and death.

The people around Jesus that day didn’t listen to Hosea and many of them didn’t listen to Jesus. Unfortunately, it’s the same today. But the few that will listen and understand, find His peace, the legacy He left behind. They find His joy, His love, His life coursing through their veins. All it takes is trusting in Him and following His commands.

Extend a little mercy today. You’ll be surprised at the difference it will make in 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.

Learn from Job’s experience (Job 42), November 13, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Job 42

Set – Job 42; 1 Corinthians 14

Go! – Job 42; 1 Corinthians 13-14

Job 42
1 Job answered the Eternal One.
2 Job: I know You can do everything;
nothing You do can be foiled or frustrated.
3 You asked,
“Who is this that conceals counsel with empty words void of knowledge?”
And now I see that I spoke of—but did not comprehend—
great wonders that are beyond me. I didn’t know.
4 You said, “Hear Me now, and I will speak.
I’ll be asking the questions, and you will supply the answers.”
5 Before I knew only what I had heard of You,
but now I have seen You.
6 Therefore I realize the truth:
I disavow and mourn all I have said
and repent in dust and ash.
7 After the Eternal had spoken these words to Job, He turned and spoke to Eliphaz from Teman.
Eternal One: My anger is burning against you and your two friends because you have not spoken rightly of Me, as My servant Job has. 8 So now, gather your friends and bring seven bulls and seven rams. Then go to My servant Job, make a burnt offering for yourselves, and he will pray for you. I will accept his prayer. Despite the fact that you have not spoken rightly of Me, as My servant Job did, I will not deal with you according to your foolish ways.
9 So Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuhah, and Zophar from Naamath went and did as the Eternal commanded, and He accepted Job’s prayer for them.
10 The Eternal restored the fortunes of Job after he prayed for his friends; He even doubled the wealth he had before. 11 All of his brothers and sisters, along with those he had known earlier, came and shared meals with him at his house. They sympathized with him and consoled him regarding the great distress the Eternal had brought on him. Each guest gave him a sum of money and each, a golden ring. 12 The Eternal One blessed the last part of Job’s life even more than the first part. He went on to possess 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He also fathered 7 more sons and 3 more daughters. 14 He named his first daughter Jemimah, his second Keziah, and his third Keren-happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land could one find women as captivatingly beautiful as Job’s daughters, or as independently wealthy: their father gave them each a share of the family inheritance along with their brothers. 16 After all this, Job lived 140 years. He lived to see his children and their children and so on, to the fourth generation. 17 Then Job died, old, and satisfied with his days.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

When Job came to know Me instead of knowing about Me, he fell with his face in the dust in repentance. He Mourned all the things he had said about Me, but I understood all the things he had said. I understood his misunderstandings and his feelings. I understood what he was thinking and why he felt abandoned by Me. He didn’t need forgiveness from Me. He did nothing wrong. I knew his heart and he still stood righteous before Me.

His testing ended and was ready to restore his health and his fortune. First, I needed to deal with his misguided “friends”. They thought they knew better than Job and tried their best to get him to confess to things he never did. They tried to get him to tell them of some hidden sin Job never committed. But Job held on to his integrity and maintained his innocence even under such extraordinary pressure. So I refused to even listen to his friends prayers. I would not accept their sacrifices. I didn’t want to hear their excuses or their confessions. I couldn’t stand to hear their voices.

I came to their informal leader, Eliphaz, and told him to gather his friends and have Job pray for them. Only then would I consider bringing them back into favor with Me. Consider the humility with which the three of them approached Job after coming to him for months looking for him to repent. Now the tables were turned and they heard My voice from heaven commanding them to plead for Job to intercede for them. Image their state of mind at that point. The three of them came to Job with their pious reasoning, their sure stand on religious principles, and now they grovel before him asking for his forgiveness so they can receive Mine.

Imagine Job’s feelings. Many would love to refuse them. To let them wallow in their misery. Many would let them continue to live in their guilt and refuse to forgive them for the pain they caused through their months of questioning and their refusal to believe in his innocence, their pious words, their cutting accusations. But Job does what he has done for a lifetime – Job forgives. He makes a special sacrifice for his three friends so they may find My grace and mercy.

I knew Job would act on their behalf because I knew Job’s character. He had suffered enough. I restored his family and doubled his wealth. Not because I had to and not because Job expected it. But because I wanted to reward his faithfulness. Learn from Job’s faithfulness. It’s not just a good story.

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 role God plays (Hebrews 9:11-28), July 12, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Hebrews 9:11-28

Set – Isaiah 11; Hebrews 9

Go! – Isaiah 11-14; Hebrews 9

Hebrews 9:11-28
11 When the Anointed One arrived as High Priest of the good things that are to come, He entered through a greater and more perfect sanctuary that was not part of the earthly creation or made by human hands. 12 He entered once for all time into the most holy place—entering, not with the blood of goats or calves or some other prescribed animal, but offering His own blood and thus obtaining redemption for us for all time. 13 Think about it: if the blood of bulls or of goats, or the sprinkling of ashes from a heifer, restores the defiled to bodily cleanliness and wholeness; 14 then how much more powerful is the blood of the Anointed One, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself as a spotless sacrifice to God, purifying your conscience from the dead things of the world to the service of the living God?
15 This is why Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant: through His death, He delivered us from the sins that we had built up under the first covenant, and His death has made it possible for all who are called to receive God’s promised inheritance. 16 For whenever there is a testament—a will—the death of the one who made it must be confirmed 17 because a will takes effect only at the death of its maker; it has no validity as long as the maker is still alive. 18 Even the first testament—the first covenant—required blood to be put into action. 19 When Moses had given all the laws of God to the people, he took the blood of calves and of goats, water, hyssop, and scarlet wool; and he sprinkled the scroll and all the people, 20 telling them, “This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded for us.” 21 In the same way, he also sprinkled blood upon the sanctuary and upon the vessels used in worship. 22 Under the law, it’s almost the case that everything is purified in connection with blood; without the shedding of blood, sin cannot be forgiven.
23 Since what was given in the old covenant was the earthly sketch of the heavenly reality, this was sufficient to cleanse the earthly sanctuary; but in heaven, a more perfect sacrifice was needed. 24 The Anointed One did not enter into handcrafted sacred spaces—imperfect copies of heavenly originals—but into heaven itself, where He stands in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 There He does not offer Himself over and over as a sacrifice (as the high priest on earth does when he enters the most holy place each year with blood other than his own) 26 because that would require His repeated suffering since the beginning of the world. No, He has appeared once now, at the end of the age, to put away sin forever by offering Himself as a sacrifice.
27 Just as mortals are appointed to die once and then to experience a judgment, 28 so the Anointed One, our Liberating King, was offered once in death to bear the sins of many and will appear a second time, not to deal again with sin, but to rescue those who eagerly await His return.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I gave Moses a poor copy of the sacred spaces of My sanctuary. The tabernacle and all its implements held a special place in the lives of the Israelites as they wandered in the desert and in the young nation as it established itself in the promised land. The Temple Solomon built with all its grandeur still stood as a poor example of My throne room in heaven. But the plans and the space set aside for My worship did help people understand My holiness. The separate place for devotion to Me was cleaner than the rest of the city. Its water purer, the implements stronger and better made. The altar glittered from the bronze cleaned every morning and the gold within the enclosure reflected the brilliant rays of the sun wherever you gazed.

Even with all the bronze, silver, and gold in the tabernacle and Temple, the spaces were but poor examples of the glory of heaven. Nothing on earth compares to the beauty that surrounds Me continuously. A very few have glimpsed corners of heaven and are always unable to describe it. The colors, the sounds, the smells, the feelings, the beauty is absolutely beyond anything you can imagine.

That’s what I gave up to become your sacrifice. Nothing could atone for you like My blood. So I gave it freely so you could live. The imitation of the glories of heaven wouldn’t work. The imitation of pure and perfect sacrifices would work. The imitation of atonement wouldn’t work. So I gave myself. I came as the perfect sacrifice for your sins. I came as your high priest and gave myself. That’s the love I have for you. Only one Man could serve as the perfect high priest, Me, God wrapped in human flesh. Only one Man could be your perfect sacrifice, Me, God wrapped in human flesh. Only one God loves enough to become the One Man who would do it all for you. Me.

Think about the role I play in your salvation. What I gave up for you so you can be freed from the chains of sin. Then ask yourself if you have given yourself to Me as fully. If not, today can be the day you give yourself wholly to Me. I’ll take you just like you are. 

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.

You know what God wants, do it (Isaiah 1:2-20), July 1, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Isaiah 1:2–20

Set – Isaiah 1; Titus 3

Go! – Isaiah 1–3; Titus 3

Isaiah 1:2-20
2 Listen and take note,
from the farthest reaches to the nearest!
Listen up heaven and earth,
for the Eternal One has spoken.
He is not happy with the children He raised.
Eternal One: Despite all I’ve done,
My children have rebelled against Me.
3 Oxen know their owners;
even donkeys know where their master feeds them,
But Israel is ignorant.
My very own, they ignore Me.
4 Truly this is a wicked nation,
a people fat with wrongdoing,
Like a litter of miscreants,
a pack of wilding adolescents.
They’ve rejected the Eternal,
despised the Holy One of Israel;
they’ve turned their backs on Him.
5-6 Why do you insist on taking a beating?
Why do you persist in such reckless rebellion?
Your bodies already suffer head to toe—
your heads ache and hearts flutter;
Your skin is covered with bruises,
swollen with welts, and gaping with wounds,
with no tending, no healing, no soothing.
7 Your country is a waste.
Your cities are dead, sooty rubble.
Your farms and fields are consumed,
everything you worked for destroyed
by foreign armies as you look on—helplessly.
8 Zion, our portion of heaven on earth, is no longer protected;
Jerusalem stands like a watchman’s shelter in a vineyard,
Like a hut in a melon field,
like a city assaulted and besieged.
9 Except for the fraction of us who hang on
by the grace of the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies,
We’d be destroyed and deserted
like Sodom and Gomorrah, utterly done in.[a]
10 Listen to the word of the Eternal One,
you rulers of Sodom!
Attend to God’s instructions,
citizens of Gomorrah!
11 **Eternal One**: What do I care for all of your slaughter-gifts?
I have had enough of your burnt offerings.
I’m not interested in any more ram meat or fat from your well-fed cattle.
The blood of bulls, lambs, or goats does not please Me.
12 When you come into My presence,
who told you to trample down the courtyard of My temple bringing all of this?
13 Just stop giving Me worthless offerings;
your incense reeks and offends Me!
Your feasts and fasts, your new moons and Sabbaths—
I cannot stand any more of your wicked gatherings.
14 Likewise, I deplore your holidays,
those calendar days marked specially for Me;
They weigh Me down.
I am sick and tired of them!
15 When you summon Me with your hands in the air, I will ignore you.
Even when you pray your whole litany, I won’t be listening
Because your hands are full of blood and violence.
16 Wash yourselves, clean up your lives;
remove every speck of evil in what you do before Me.
Put an end to all your evil.
17 Learn to do good;
commit yourselves to seeking justice.
Make right for the world’s most vulnerable—
the oppressed, the orphaned, the widow.
18 Come on now, let’s walk and talk; let’s work this out.
Your wrongdoings are bloodred,
But they can turn as white as snow.
Your sins are red like crimson,
But they can be made clean again like new wool.
19 If you pay attention now and change your ways,
you can eat good things from a healthy earth.
20 But if you refuse to listen and stubbornly persist,
then, by violence and war, you will be the one devoured.
These things were spoken by the very mouth of the Eternal.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I don’t care about the stuff you try to give Me or the rituals you perform. I established the system of sacrifices and offerings Moses presented to the Israelites at Mout Sinai and carried out in the tabernacle and the Temple before their exile. But when the system becomes mindless ritual, I’m no longer interested in hearing it. I want your worship to come from the heart.

I used Isaiah to give that message to the Israelites and the message hasn’t changed. The only real sacrifice I want is you. I want you to willingly give of yourself. The bulls and rams and grain offereings only symbolized what I really want from you. Those give their all when they are laid on the altar. They give their life’s blood as a symbol of devotion. But it’s only a symbol.

What I want is you. I want your total devotion. Your total dedication. Your total worship. I want your willing acceptance of the tasks I give you to perform. I want you to lift your hands, not because some worship leader asks you to, but because you feel something in your spirit that stirs you to point to Me as the supreme entity. I want you to realize I am above everything. All except Me is part of creation. Everything has been created except Me and I am the One who began all of creation put it into order.

As you understand who I am, you will understand why nothing short of you is acceptable as an offereing to Me. Paul tells it best. “Offer yourself as a living sacrifice – this is your spiritual worship.” One day you will bow to Me and know I alone am worthy of worship. I ask you to do it now so you can do it throughout eternity with Me instead of apart from Me. 

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

Think about this! (Romans 5:1-11), May 24, 2015

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Today’s Podcast


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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Romans 5:1-11
Set – 1 Kings 9; Romans 5
Go! – 1 Kings 9; 2 Chronicles 8; Psalms 136; Romans 5

Romans 5:1-11
1 Since we have been acquitted and made right through faith, we are able to experience true and lasting peace with God through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, the Liberating King. 2 Jesus leads us into a place of radical grace where we are able to celebrate the hope of experiencing God’s glory. 3 And that’s not all. We also celebrate in seasons of suffering because we know that when we suffer we develop endurance, 4 which shapes our characters. When our characters are refined, we learn what it means to hope and anticipate God’s goodness. 5 And hope will never fail to satisfy our deepest need because the Holy Spirit that was given to us has flooded our hearts with God’s love.

6 When the time was right, the Anointed One died for all of us who were far from God, powerless, and weak. 7 Now it is rare to find someone willing to die for an upright person, although it’s possible that someone may give up his life for one who is truly good. 8 But think about this: while we were wasting our lives in sin, God revealed His powerful love to us in a tangible display—the Anointed One died for us. 9 As a result, the blood of Jesus has made us right with God now, and certainly we will be rescued by Him from God’s wrath in the future. 10 If we were in the heat of combat with God when His Son reconciled us by laying down His life, then how much more will we be saved by Jesus’ resurrection life? 11 In fact, we stand now reconciled and at peace with God. That’s why we celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

How often do you do what Paul asks? Stop and think about this: while you were wasting your life in sin, I revealed My powerful love to you in a tangible display – I died for you. As a result, My blood has made you right with Me now, and certainly you will be rescued from My wrath in the future.

It’s good to stop and contemplate just what I’ve done for you every once in a while. What you could not do for yourself, I did for you. It was impossible for you to make yourself right with Me. Nothing you could do could cleanse you from the sin imbedded deep within your soul. You thought evil thoughts. You committed evil deeds. You bent toward evil all the time. Your selfish nature sprang out from everywhere. Nothing you could do could stop it because you inherited that trait from your parents from the time of Adam and Eve.

But I came into the world to save you from yourself. I came to free you from the cycle of sin in which you found yourself. I came to show you a new and better way to live. I came to introduce you to the way of love of God and mankind. I came to pay the penalty for your crimes against Me. I came to take your punishment and redeem you. I came to adopt you as My own.

Do you ever stop and just think about what I’ve done for you? And I did it not while you were behaving well, but while you were still a sinner, lost, separated from Me. I did it while you were hopeless and without any means of salvation. I did it because I love you and wanted you to be near Me. I did just for you. Do you ever stop and think about that?

Do you ever stop and think about what I gave up for you? I left the splendor of heaven for 33 years and became human for you. I left the perfection of heaven and lived among the squalor of the human race. Lived in the poverty of a single, widowed mother with My brothers and sisters just trying to eke out a meager existence until I could begin My mission to save you from your sins. I gave up My glory. I gave up My throne. I gave up the angels singing My praise and meeting My every desire. I gave it all up to become like you. I endured all the suffering of humanity. I became sin. I died to save you from dying. Do you ever stop and think about that?

Paul asked you to think about what I’ve done for you. Put it on your calendar. Make a sticky note and put it where you can see it. Put a bookmark in your Bible. Make yourself a reminder somewhere to just stop every once in a while and think about what I’ve done for you.

While you were wasting your life in sin, I revealed My powerful love to you in a tangible display – I died for you. As a result, My blood has made you right with Me now, and certainly you will be rescued from My wrath in the future. So what will you do now?

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.

Don’t let the cross be in vain (Matthew 25:32-56), May 10, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – Matthew 27:32-56
Set – 2 Samuel 18; Matthew 27
Go! – 2 Samuel 18; Psalms 56; Matthew 27

Matthew 27:32-56
32 As they were walking, they found a man called Simon of Cyrene and forced him to carry the cross. 33 Eventually they came to a place called Golgotha, which means “Place of the Skull.” 34 There they gave Him a drink—wine mixed with bitter herbs. He tasted it but refused to drink it.

35 And so they had Him crucified. They divided the clothes off His back by drawing lots, 36 and they sat on the ground and watched Him hang. 37 They placed a sign over His head: “This is Jesus, King of the Jews.” 38 And then they crucified two thieves next to Him, one at His right hand and one at His left hand.

39 Passersby shouted curses and blasphemies at Jesus. They wagged their heads at Him and hissed.

Passersby: 40 You’re going to destroy the temple and then rebuild it in three days? Why don’t You start with saving Yourself? Come down from the cross if You can, if You’re God’s Son.

Chief Priests, Scribes, and Elders (mocking Him): 41-42 He saved others, but He can’t save Himself. If He’s really the King of Israel, then let Him climb down from the cross—then we’ll believe Him. 43 He claimed communion with God—well, let God save Him, if He’s God’s beloved Son.

44 Even the thieves hanging to His right and left poured insults upon Him. 45 And then, starting at noon, the entire land became dark. It was dark for three hours. 46 In the middle of the dark afternoon, Jesus cried out in a loud voice.

Jesus: Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani—My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?

Bystanders: 47 He’s calling on Elijah.

48 One bystander grabbed a sponge, steeped it in vinegar, stuck it on a reed, and gave Jesus the vinegar to drink.

Others: 49 We’ll see—we’ll see if Elijah is going to come and rescue Him.

50 And then Jesus cried out once more, loudly, and then He breathed His last breath. 51 At that instant, the temple curtain was torn in half, from top to bottom. The earth shook; rocks split in two; 52 tombs burst open, and bodies of many sleeping holy women and men were raised up. 53 After Jesus’ resurrection, they came out of their tombs, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and showed themselves to people.

54 When the Centurion and soldiers who had been charged with guarding Jesus felt the earthquake and saw the rocks splitting and the tombs opening, they were, of course, terrified.

Soldiers: He really was God’s Son.

55 A number of women, who had been devoted to Jesus and followed Him from Galilee, were present, too, watching from a distance. 56 Mary Magdalene was there, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

“Good Friday.” Good for all humankind. But what a horrible day for Me. I gave up all the glory of heaven and walked with you for 33 years. I tried to teach you My ways. I tried to show you My love and guide you to a life based on a right relationship with Me. But I was misunderstood by so many, even those who were suppose to teach you about My love.

All around Me rules and regulations became substitutes for love. You had to follow this law or that rule. You couldn’t do this activity on the Sabbath or perform that act for your fellowman because he was from another country. My love for all of humankind got lost somewhere and when I tried to show you what it was like, I was rejected by those who should know best.

After thirty years in the flesh, when My formal teaching ministry began, I knew what the end result would be. I knew the only way to bring salvation to humankind was to become the sacrifice for you. I understood My mission, but I didn’t want to go through it. The human part of Me didn’t want the suffering. Not so much the pain of the cross, though, that was torturous. That pain lasted only a short time.

The most dreadful suffering came from knowing I would bear the sins of the world on My shoulders. Knowing I must become the sacrifice to atone for all the evil ever committed by all humankind throughout history, past and future. I knew the load. I saw the evil. I felt the crush of the burden. I understood the isolation from the Father, separating Myself from Myself.

You cannot understand the agony of God sacrificing God for humankind. Touching evil with an absolutely holy and pure being. You cannot understand it because all of you are born with the sinful nature passed through the seed of Adam. I did not inherit his seed. I was born pure and righteous, born of God. I am God from the beginning of time. And to touch the evil of men and women on the cross was pure agony.

I could not allow My Father to rescue Me, though. I had to remain. I had to die. I had to become the perfect, unblemished sacrifice so you could be justified. It was the only way. It fulfilled the plan put in place so many centuries before. I wanted you to learn love, but you could only learn it through My demonstrated love despite your hate. I paid your price. I was your sacrifice. All you need to do is believe. Accept My gift to you. Follow Me. Don’t let My sacrifice be in vain. 

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.

Passover is more than a once a year festival (Exodus 12/1-30), Jan 25, 2015

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Today’s Devotional

Today’s background scripture comes from Exodus 12.
Passover is one of the most important of the festivals for remembrance I directed for My people. It changes the calendar for the Israelites and becomes the first month of the year because of its significance. Passover brought freedom to My people. It broke their chains of slavery to their Egyptian masters. It marks the beginning of the life of the new nation just as it marked the death of the firstborn in every Egyptian household.

What do I want you to remember from Passover? You already surmise a lot of symbolism can be found throughout the entire Passover festival from the time of year I chose for you to celebrate it, to the foods you eat, to the clothes you wear. But I want you especially to think about three things today.

Second, Passover is about urgency and preparedness. I demanded My people eat with their shoes on, their cloaks on, and a walking stick in their hand. I wanted their bags packed and nothing left to do before they walked out the door because they would leave in a hurry. The Passover had an urgency about it because as soon as the death angel visited at a time of My choosing during the night, the Egyptians would cry out and Pharaoh would tell My people to leave. I wanted them to go immediately.

It will be the same when My Son returns. Waiting for Him should create an urgency and a measure of preparedness in you. Just like with My people at the first Passover, those that were not ready could not go. They were lost to the exodus. My command for My people was to go when commanded. Don’t wait, don’t dawdle, don’t prepare anything else. Grab your pack, get on your feet, and get out of Egypt! When My Son returns, He will come in the blink of an eye to take His church. Those who are ready will come home with Him. Those who are not will remain. There is urgency in the remembrance of the Passover.

The Passover is about family and community. The Passover meal was never eaten alone. There was a reason a whole lamb or goat was required. One of the most important, a large number of people must gather together to consume it. Families must mend the differences between them and eat together. Neighbors must tear down any barriers between them and eat together. Newcomers on settlement were invited into homes to become part of the community. Meat in Goshen was too scarce to waste when many dined on onions and leeks. A lamb or goat as the Passover meal meant something extravagant and not for Me, but also something not to be wasted, so houses were filled with family and friends ready and waiting to begin the journey to a new life.

Finally, Passover is about sacrifice. It’s easy to think about the lamb and the goat that lost its life for the passover meal, but each Egyptian family also lost their firstborn in sacrifice for their failure to believe in Me, the One True God. Freedom takes sacrifice. Whether from the chains of slavery or the chains of sin, sacrifice remains a necessary component. For you, I already paid the ultimate price in the blood of My perfect Son, Jesus. The blood on the doorpost represent for you the blood of My Son, as well, to remember your salvation isn’t free. It comes at a price.

Jesus, My Son, instituted a remembrance at the last Passover meal He celebrated that many call the Lord’s Supper, Communion, the Eucharist, or other names. Like the first Passover, it brings with it a remembrance of His sacrifice for your sins, urgency and preparedness for His return, and togetherness as My family, My children, born of blood and spirit. Born into My kingdom…if you believe in Him. Passover didn’t just happen as an historical event, it remains as a permanent reminder of My grace in the lives of those who dare to believe in Me.

Today’s Scripture

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Exodus 12:1-30
Set – Exodus 12; Psalms 21
Go! – Exodus 12-13; Psalms 21; Acts 1

Exodus 12:1-30
Eternal One (to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt): 1-2 Mark this month as the first month of all months for you—the first month of your year. 3 Declare this message to the entire community of Israel: “When the tenth day of this month arrives, every family is to select a lamb, one for each household. 4 If there aren’t enough people in the family to eat an entire lamb, then they should share a lamb with their nearest neighbor according to how many people are in the neighbor’s family. Divide the portions of the lamb so that each person has enough to eat. 5 Choose a one-year-old male that is intact and free of blemishes; you can take it from the sheep or the goats. 6 Keep this chosen lamb safe until the fourteenth day of the month, then the entire community of Israel will slaughter their lambs together at twilight. 7 They are to take some of its blood and smear it across the top and down the two sides of the doorframe of the houses where they plan to eat. 8 That night, have them roast the lamb over a fire and feast on it along with bitter herbs and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat any meat raw or boil it in water; only eat the meat after the entire animal has been roasted over a fire with its head, legs, and intestines attached. 10 Eat whatever you can, but don’t leave any of it until morning; whatever is left over in the morning burn in the fire. 11 Here is how I want you to eat this meal: Be sure you are dressed and ready to go at a moment’s notice—with sandals on your feet and a walking stick in your hand. Eat quickly because this is My Passover.

12 I am going to pass through the land of Egypt during the night and put to death all their firstborn children and animals. I will also execute My judgments against all the gods of the Egyptians, for I am the Eternal One! 13 The blood on the doorframes of your houses will be a sign of where you are. When I pass by and see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague will not afflict you when I strike the land of Egypt with death.

14 This will be a day for you to always remember. I want you and all generations after you to commemorate this day with a festival to Me. Celebrate this feast as a perpetual ordinance, a permanent part of your life together. 15 You are to eat bread made without yeast for seven days. On the first day get rid of any yeast you find in your house. Anyone who eats bread made with yeast during the seven festival days must be cut off from the rest of Israel. 16 On the first day of the festival and again on the seventh, gather the community together for a time of sacred worship. No one may work on those two days except to prepare what every person needs to eat. 17 Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread because it commemorates the day that I led your forces out of Egypt. Honor and celebrate this day throughout all your generations as a perpetual ordinance, a permanent part of your life together. 18 From the evening of the fourteenth day of that first month to the evening of the twenty-first day of that month, eat bread made without yeast. 19-20 No yeast is to be found in any of your houses during the seven festival days. Whoever eats anything that has yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel. It doesn’t matter whether he is a foreigner or a native; the same standards apply. During the seven festival days, do not eat anything made with yeast; wherever you live and gather together, be sure you eat only unleavened bread.

21 Then Moses called all of Israel’s elders together and gave them instructions.

Moses: Go and pick out lambs for each of your families, and then slaughter your family’s Passover lamb. 22 Take a handful of hyssop branches, dip them down into the bowl of blood you drained from the sacrifice, and mark the top of the doorway and the two doorposts with blood from the bowl. After you do this, no one should go out that door until the next morning.

23 The Eternal will pass through the land during the night and bring death to the Egyptians. But when He sees the blood-markings across the tops of your doorways and down your two doorposts, He will pass over your houses and not allow His messenger of death to enter into your houses and strike you down. 24 You and all your descendants are obligated to keep these instructions for all time. 25 Even after you arrive in the land the Eternal has promised you—the land flowing with milk and honey—you must keep these instructions and perform this ritual. 26 When your children ask you, “What does this ritual mean to you?” 27 you will answer them, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the Eternal, for He passed over the houses of the Israelites when we were slaves in Egypt. And although He struck the Egyptians, He spared our lives and our houses.”

When Moses finished these instructions, the people bowed down and worshiped.

28 The Israelites went and did as they were instructed; they were obedient to what the Eternal had commanded Moses and Aaron.

29 Now this is what happened: at midnight, He struck down all the firstborn sons in Egypt—from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn son of the prisoners locked in the dungeon, and even the firstborn of all the livestock in the land. 30 Pharaoh woke up during the night. He wasn’t the only one. His servants, as well as all of the Egyptians in the land, had awoken. A great scream shattered the night in Egypt, for there was not a single Egyptian house where someone was not dead.

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.

Love like hate (Luke 14:25-35), Jan 14, 2015

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Today’s Devotional

Today’s background scripture comes from Luke 14.
Many think there is no cost to following Me. It isn’t true. I don’t need your money. I don’t need your house. I don’t need any material possession you own. I need you. And I need you to understand I already own everything you have whether you think I do or not. At best, you are only a steward of the things on earth. Life is short whether you live a few days or a hundred years. When compared to eternity, your lifetime on earth is nothing.

So why spend that time chasing after things that don’t matter? My words sound harsh, you can’t be My disciple without hating your own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and even your own life. And I will tell you, if you follow Me, you won’t hate them. But in comparison, your love for Me must be on such a higher plain than your love for them it will look like hatred to those that don’t understand. You will make choices for Me and act for Me and the world won’t get it. They will look at you the way they looked at Me.

I could have spared My earthly mother so much pain and suffering. But My love for the Father outdistanced My love for Mary so much I had to act on His behalf so I could act on her behalf. That’s the misunderstanding the world doesn’t get. Doing My will and My work means you will do good for them even when it doesn’t feel good for either of you. The world will say you lost your mind. The world will disown you. It may institutionalize you, incarcerate you, persecute you, even execute you. But following Me will be worth it all.

This life is so confused, so messed up by the sins around you, so given over to evil influences, so short. I have so much more in store for you. Open you hands. Turn your palms down. Now hang on to what you can hold in your hands. That’s what you should love of this world. Grab what lasts. Weigh the cost of serving Me. Understand what I gave to make your eternal life with Me possible. I gave everything for you. What I want in return is…you! Just you!

Today’s Scripture

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 14:25-35
Set – Genesis 35; Luke 14
Go! – Genesis 34-36; Luke 14

Luke 14:25-35

Great crowds joined Him [Jesus] on His journey, and He turned to them.

Jesus: 26 If any of you come to Me without hating your own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and yes, even your own life, you can’t be My disciple. 27 If you don’t carry your own cross as if to your own execution as you follow Me, you can’t be part of My movement. 28 Just imagine that you want to build a tower. Wouldn’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to be sure you have enough to finish what you start? 29 If you lay the foundation but then can’t afford to finish the tower, everyone will mock you: 30 “Look at that guy who started something that he couldn’t finish!”

31 Or imagine a king gearing up to go to war. Wouldn’t he begin by sitting down with his advisors to determine whether his 10,000 troops could defeat the opponent’s 20,000 troops? 32 If not, he’ll send a peace delegation quickly and negotiate a peace treaty. 33 In the same way, if you want to be My disciple, it will cost you everything. Don’t underestimate that cost!

34 Don’t be like salt that has lost its taste. How can its saltiness be restored? Flavorless salt is absolutely worthless. 35 You can’t even use it as fertilizer, so it’s worth less than manure! Don’t just listen to My words here. Get the deeper meaning.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Music by the Booth Brothers from Room for More, “Faithful One” ©2008.
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.

Trust Me! (Genesis 12), Jan 5, 2015

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The background today comes from Genesis Chapter 12.

Monotheism, worship of Me, grew up from Abram, whose name I later changed to Abraham. The Hebrews, Christians, and Muslims all came from his progeny. Too many people look at Abraham as someone with a special dose of religious power and give him much more credit than is due him. Abraham was like most of the other men of his day with one exception. He, like Noah, did what I asked him to do, even when it didn’t make much sense to him.

I had a plan for him. I started the plan with his father, but his father stopped his travels before he crossed the barren territory to the land I wanted to give a chosen leader. Abraham continued that journey when I called him out of Ur to a land he didn’t know. A land he would never own personally. While alive, Abraham traveled its length and breadth, but never settled in it to own more than the gravesite of his wife Sarah, the cave of Machpelah.

As you study Abraham’s life, you’ll see he feared for his life and lied to the Pharaoh, allowing his wife taken into the Pharaoh’s harem. He didn’t trust Me to give his wife children so he bore children through Sarai’s maid and later through concubines. All those children became enemies of Israel. Abraham sometimes lied. Sometimes lost his temper. Sometimes failed to listen to Me. Sometimes failed to trust Me. Sometimes did things you would consider abhorrent sins. Yet over time, Abraham grew to become one of the most revered leaders of all the monotheistic religions.

So what was it about Abraham? Why do we think he is so special? I think there are xx reasons.
– He is the patriarch of the major monotheistic religions
– He was the one with whom I made My covenant through which to bless all nations
– He wasn’t always right, but he always made things right when he failed Me
– Mostly, Abraham believed I would do what I said I would do; he had great faith in Me, more than in himself

That’s what made Abraham great. Trusting Me more than man. Trusting Me more than himself. Like Noah, Abraham believed in Me and did what I asked him to do, despite the opposition or the ridicule it brought him. He trusted Me with his possessions and with himself.

Ready – Genesis 12
Set – Genesis 12; Luke 5
Go! – Genesis 12-14; Luke 5

Genesis 12
One day, the Eternal One called out to Abram.

Eternal One: Abram, get up and go! Leave your country. Leave your relatives and your father’s home, and travel to the land I will show you. Don’t worry—I will guide you there. 2 I have plans to make a great people from your descendants. And I am going to put a special blessing on you and cause your reputation to grow so that you will become a blessing and example to others. 3 I will also bless those who bless you and further you in your journey, and I’ll trip up those who try to trip you along the way. Through your descendants, all of the families of the earth will find their blessing in you.

4-5 Without any hesitation, Abram went. He did exactly as the Eternal One asked him to do. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. He took with him his wife Sarai, his brother’s son Lot, all of their possessions, and all of the persons they had acquired for their household while in Haran; and they all set off toward the land of Canaan. When they reached Canaan, 6 Abram kept going through it to a sacred place called Shechem where the oak of Moreh stood. (At this time, the Canaanite people were living on this land, so Abram could not take it as his own.) 7 There the Eternal appeared to Abram.

Eternal One: I am going to give this land to your future generations.

So, out of honor and respect, there Abram built an altar table to the Eternal One, who had appeared to him and spoken these words of promise. 8 After that, Abram traveled on to the hill country east of Bethel, and there he pitched a tent and made a home for himself and his family between Bethel in the west and Ai in the east. Here Abram built another altar table for the Eternal One, where he called upon the name of the Eternal frequently. 9 Then Abram journeyed south toward the Negev region.

This is the southernmost part of the land God promises to give Abram. One day his children will possess it.

10 Now at this time, there came a severe famine in the land of Canaan. Food was scarce, so Abram made his way to Egypt to live there for a while as a foreigner. 11 As Abram was about to enter Egypt, he pulled Sarai his wife aside.

Abram: Sarai, you are a very beautiful woman, and I am well aware that 12 when the Egyptians see you, they will say, “Look, she’s his wife”; then they will kill me and let you live so they can have you for themselves. 13 Tell them you are my sister so that nothing will happen to me because of you. In this way you can save my life.

14 So when Abram came into Egypt with Sarai and his family, the Egyptians did indeed see that Sarai was very beautiful. 15 And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they told Pharaoh just how beautiful she was. So Sarai was taken into Pharaoh’s house and made part of his harem. 16 She pleased the Pharaoh, so he treated Abram very well, giving him gifts of sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17 But the Eternal One was not pleased and began afflicting the Pharaoh and his household with skin diseases because of what was happening to Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram to come before him.

Pharaoh: What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me this woman was your wife? 19 Why did you say she was only your sister, so that I felt free to take her to be one of my wives? Here she is—take your wife, and get out of here!

20 And Pharaoh gave his men orders to make sure Abram went on his way along with his wife and all of his belongings.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.