Tag Archives: truth

Do you need to argue? (Mark 11:29-33) August 31, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 102-104

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 11:29-33
Jesus: I will answer your question, if you will answer one for Me. Only then will I tell you who gives Me authority to do these things. Tell Me, when John was ritually cleansing through baptism for the forgiveness of sins, was his authority from heaven or was it merely human?
The priests, scribes, and elders huddled together to think through an answer.
Leaders (to themselves): If we say, “It must have been from heaven,” then Jesus will have us. He’ll ask, “Then why didn’t you listen to him and follow him?” But if we say, “John’s cleansing was only human,” the people will be up in arms because they think John was a prophet sent by God. (responding to Jesus) We don’t know what to tell You.
Jesus: All right, then don’t expect Me to tell you where I get the authority to say and do these things.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

How many times do you get into one of those kinds of arguments with your non-believer friends? “Well, if God made everything in six days, what happened to the dinosaurs?” “If God is real, why can’t I see Him?” “If the story of Noah is true, then why hasn’t anyone found the ark after all these years?” “If God really cares about us, why doesn’t He stop all these bad things from happening to innocent people?” “If God only makes good things, then did He make evil? Does that mean evil is good?”

If you haven’t heard any of those, then you probably have your head stuck in the sand and just aren’t witnessing to anyone at all. You probably aren’t telling anyone you believe in God and the truth of His word. See, there are a lot of people who think they have the corner on the market on intelligence and will try to spin up all kinds of arguments that are pretty meaningless. There will usually be one person who thinks himself super intelligent leading the charge with spectators sitting on the sidelines to see what happens.

What happened to the dinosaurs? Don’t know. Don’t really care. The Bible doesn’t tell us because it’s not a science book. It’s the story of God’s redemptive plan for our salvation. Did God create everything in six 24 hour days? Don’t know. Don’t really care. The word we have translated day in most of our Bibles can be translated as day or time period. So is it the time it take for the earth to spin on it’s axis or the time it takes the earth the travel around the sun or the time it takes the sun to travel around the center of our galaxy? Don’t know. Don’t care. God spoke everything into place from nothing. That’s all the science we’re given because His word isn’t a science book. It’s the story of His redemptive plan for our salvation.

Can you see God? Well, can you see a black hole? Do you believe they exist? Why? No one has ever really seen one up close and personal. So how can anyone really say they exist? Can you see an electron? Do you believe they exist? No one has ever seen one of those, either, but quantum physics is based on the theory of their existence and behavior as negatively charged particles in atoms.

We pick and choose what we want to believe sometimes and those who choose not to believe in God have a lot more faith than I do. It’s a lot easier to believe God created all that we see around us and as an intelligent-designer put all the laws of physics and gravity and all things necessary to hold everything in place, than it is to believe it all just happened. That’s like believing I can put all the parts to a watch in a bag and by shaking it, eventually a running watch will fall out.

It doesn’t work that way. After you shake the bag long enough, it’s not a watch that falls out of the bag, but dust from all those parts banging against each other. Random coincidence can’t put together the universe. But God speaking into nothingness can.

So what do you say to those who want to start one of those stupid arguments with you? What do you do when the ones who think they are so super intelligent start spouting numbers and theories and scientific mumbo-jumbo to tell you there is no God and you must be crazy to believe that stuff.

First, pray for them. They need it. Second, if you feel you really must argue a point (which you don’t, by the way, Jesus didn’t), ask where everything came from originally? Then just keep pushing back, and where did that come from? And where did that come from? And where did that come from? Finally, you’ll probably get them to talk about the Big Bang. Everything started from a spark at the center of the universe. Ok. And where did that Big Bang come from? The Bible says, God spoke. Any better explanation? Squinty eyes, tight lips, gritting teeth. Argument over. Spectators on the sideline laugh at the smart guy.

Third, and this is the one I like best, don’t argue. Just remind them. One of us is wrong. If I’m wrong, no harm done. We’ll both die and there is no judgment, no accountability for our actions, no heaven or hell. We’ll both rot in a grave and turn to dust. If you’re wrong, there’s a pretty terrible price to pay for snubbing your nose at the God you say doesn’t exist. Spectators on the sideline get deadly quiet.

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.

God’s truth always (Mark 8:33) August 9, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 1 Chronicles 1-4

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 8:33
Jesus (seeing His disciples surrounding them): Get behind Me, you tempter! You’re thinking only of human things, not of the things God has planned.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Just think, Peter tells Jesus He is the Messiah, the One who would rescue them from the oppression and bondage sin brought on the world. He proclaimed Jesus is the Son of the Living God. But when Jesus tells the group of disciples gathered around Him the events that would unfold concerning His arrest, beating, torture, and death, Peter takes Jesus aside and rebukes Him. Can you imagine the nerve it takes to rebuke the person you just called the Son of God? Do you realize how bold you must be to believe Jesus is God and then tell Him what He said is not just wrong but to rebuke Him because He said it?

Think of that word, rebuke. It means to criticize sharply or to speak to someone in an angry and critical way. That’s what Peter did to Jesus right after He told Him he believed Him to be the Messiah, the Son of God, the Liberating King, the Anointed One. The unmitigated gall! How could Peter possibly think he could contradict the One He just proclaimed to be the Son of God? It just doesn’t make much sense, does it? At least he scripture says he took Him aside instead of making the rebuke in front of all the other disciples.

“Hey, Jesus, come over here a minute. We need to talk. I need to tell you a couple of things before you go any further with this line of discussion. You know you’re God, right? You can’t be talking about death and torture and sacrifice if you want to draw a crowd. You need to get a little more upbeat and get back on track with the healing and feeding multitudes. This gloom and doom talk isn’t going to get you very far in the ratings. I think you need to tone it down a little. Understand?”

Did Peter really know what he was doing? I’m not sure, but Jesus saw through the devil’s scheme to use one of His friends to detour Him on His journey to Jerusalem and the task He was to accomplish for us. Jesus knew Satan was putting words in Peter’s mouth to try to distract Him and keep Him from His mission, the salvation of humankind.

It would have been easy to listen to Peter and tone down the message. Talk about peace and prosperity and comfort for all God’s children. But that wasn’t God’s truth for those who remain on this side of eternity. This world is corrupted because of the fall of Adam. We all have that selfish seed of sin in us that must be dealt with and until we let God work on that problem in us, we are subject to the same fate as Satan and his minions of evil. All our thoughts are continuously drawn toward evil because of that self-centeredness that lives in us.

Jesus saw it in Peter, “You’re only thinking of human things, not the things God has planned.” That message is still true for too many of us. Paul tells us the same thing in Roman 7 and 8. We don’t do the things we want to do and we do the things we don’t want to do because we live in the flesh and stay centered in the flesh instead of living by the Spirit. If we will give ourselves over to the Spirit of God and just determine to say “yes” to His commands at every turn, we will find our lives very different than that of those trapped by the world’s decrees.

The tempter tells us our goals should satisfy our deepest desires. God says our goals should accomplish His will and His plans. The tempter says store up treasures here on earth. God says treasures on earth will pass away, you can’t take them with you when you die. So store up treasures in heaven where they cannot be corrupted. The tempter says you are more important than anything else. God said to Moses and to us, “I AM.” Everything else is created by Him, how can anything be more important than its Creator?

It’s easy in the din of the world, with it’s glitter and excitement and all the enticements that promise to satisfy that deep longing that each of us have within us to follow the world’s voice. But the world’s voice is poisonous. It’s the siren of mythology that leads you to certain doom when you follow her song. It is tempting to take that easy road. It’s tempting to avoid the temporary ridicule of the world, the short term pain and suffering the world doles out to God’s followers. It’s tempting to listen to the soothing sounds of the deceiver.

But that path leads to our destruction. Jesus knew His mission and His destiny on the cross. He knew this world is only a temporary stopping place on our eternal journey. He knew if we listen to the voice of the world we would miss the opportunity to live with Him eternally. He shows us with this encounter with Peter how subtle Satan can be. We must be on our guard against the wiles of the tempter. Be discerning in listening to the voices around you. Listen for that still small voice of God’s Spirit in you and follow His truth always. 

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 go through life deaf (Mark 7: 34) August 3, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 90-92

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

Today’s Devotional

Mark 7:34
Jesus: Open up and let this man speak.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

A quick Google search about the number of people in the United States who are deaf gives a lot of different numbers depending on what you mean by deaf. If you think about disability, it can mean having difficulting hearing conversations on the telephone in an economy driven by the need to use telephones frequently. If you mean functionally deaf, the number is still pretty staggering and gets larger in the population of the elderly as you might expect. Here’s a fairly consistent number from the definitions used by the Gallaudet University in its research on the deaf population in the United States.

About 2 to 4 of every 1,000 people in the United States are “functionally deaf,” though more than half became deaf relatively late in life; fewer than 1 out of every 1,000 people in the United States became deaf before 18 years of age.

So for our purposes let’s use that lower number for the working population and children that are functionally deaf as we think about this encounter Jesus had as He approached the Decapolis. 2 out of every 1,000 in the United States means about 650,000 individuals below the age of 65 are functionally deaf. They can’t hear well enough to function in areas in which auditory clues are necessary. That’s a lot of people. 2 out of 1,000 doesn’t sound like many, but 650,000 is a lot. That’s a significant city, about the size of Baltimore, Maryland.

Now imagine you are deaf living in our sound driven world. No radio or television without the closed caption running at the bottom of the screen. No movie theaters. No sounds of cars or trains or planes. That might not be so bad. No birds. No music. Learning to talk with your hands and listen with your eyes. The warnings we get with our ears are non-existent for the deaf. It’s a world of silence. Communication is difficult. How do you begin to learn what something is without the sound of words from your parents and friends. The answer is sign language of course, but is a language not a lot of people know very well outside the deaf community. They are foreigners in their own land.

Such was the fate of the man Jesus met on the road that day. I’m not so sure there was an international sign language for the deaf back then. I’m not sure people made too many allowances for the disabled like we do today. Then if you weren’t productive in society, either your family provided for you or you died. It was that simple. There were no government programs to help. No special education avenues to give you special skills to help you if you needed it. You survived or you didn’t.

Jesus chose to help. He touched his ears, touched his tongue and the man heard and spoke clearly. Two things he had never done his entire life. Imagine what it must have been like for him. To hear words for the first time. To hear the crowd around him for the first time. To hear the sound of nature for the first time. To be able to speak so others could understand for the first time.

Jesus told him to keep quiet about his healing. Right! Like he could do that once he was able to talk. But how does all this relate to us?

Sometimes I think a lot of us are deaf without any physical hearing problems. We hear what we want to hear and block out everything else. We don’t want to hear the truth of God’s word so we close our ears to His message and instead listen to what the world has to say. We listen to the voices of that tell us fame and fortune are the goals we should set for ourselves instead of listening to God and the plans He has for us. Fame and fortune may be part of His plans, but don’t count on it. He not as interested in our fame, but in His name.

The world wants us to listen to its advertisements and buy into the idea that we are more important than anything else. We deserve to have it all. We are the center of the universe and everything revolves around our wants and desires. The world tells us it’s okay to satisfy our desires any way we choose. It doesn’t matter who gets hurt in the process as long as we get our way. It tells us the one with the most toys at the end wins.

Too often we like what the world says and we turn a deaf ear to God and what He tries to tell us. He tells us all those things the world sets as such high goals are just temporary. They don’t last. And they don’t satisfy very long. They might make you happy for a little while, but the happiness doesn’t last. What God promises is joy, not happiness. But joy can last eternally. The world promises a party. God promises life abundantly and eternally.

What does it take to hear God’s truth in a world driven by selfish motives and desires? Let Jesus touch your ears. Then He will touch your tongue and you can share His story with others as well. You don’t need to go through life deaf to the truth. Just let Him touch you. You’ll be amazed at the sounds you will hear when you do.

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.

Through the eyes of faith (Matthew 23:34-39) May 28, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Luke 7-8

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 23:34-39
Jesus: That is why I am sending you prophets and wise men, teachers of breadth and depth and substance. You will kill some of them and crucify others. You will flog others in your synagogues. You will pursue them from town to town. And on your heads, stained through your hands and drenching your clothes, my friends, will be all the righteous blood ever shed on this earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah whom you murdered in the house of the Lord between the sanctuary and the altar. I tell you: this generation will bear the blood of all that has gone before.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem. You kill the prophets whom God gives you; you stone those God sends you. I have longed to gather your children the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you refuse to be gathered. Surely you can see that God has already removed His blessing from the house of Israel. I tell you this: you will not see Me again until you say, with the psalmist, “Anyone who comes in the name of the Eternal One will be blessed.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I grew up in a parsonage. And I was ordained in my denomination twenty-five years ago, myself. So I’ve been around the pulpit a long time. One of the things I’ve learned in that time, is that a lot of people like to have the pastor for lunch. I’m not talking about inviting the pastor to their house to enjoy a meal together. I’m talking about carving the pastor up and devouring him or her over the dinner table. I didn’t know until I was a teenager how often my dad got criticism about his messages from the faithful few that just had to say something. And it was always the same few. And there were always a few in every congregation.

I discovered when I began filling pulpits the same thing happened. Most people seemed to appreciate what I had to say from the pulpit. It wasn’t always comfortable, but I always try to share what God places on my heart and invariably the message reaches the right people in the congregation. I never preach to individuals, but individuals get God’s message, often in a way I never expected. That’s how God works.

But some people will hand me a note or make a comment or send me an email and let me know I missed the mark. Do I realize the political state of the world today? I really need to preach about that. Do I understand how many people are being killed by gun violence today? I ought to have a sermon about that. Do I know how many babies die in abortions every year? Am I concerned about that?

It’s interesting how many times I’m given sermon topics that someone is sure God has spoken to them about and so is sure I should speak to the congregation about it. Well, it just doesn’t work quite that way. At least it doesn’t work that way in any of the homiletic classes I’ve even taken. So I usually thank them for their concern and let it go. I would hate to be as miserable as they appear when they pick apart sermon topics and miss what I’ve tried to talk about in that day’s message.

I think that’s what Jesus was telling the crowd of teachers and Pharisees gathered around Him that day. God sent teachers and prophets and wise men to them to help them understand God’s message, but instead of listening to their message, they had them for dinner. Criticizing everything those prophets and teachers and wise men tried to do to help them. Those Pharisees thought they knew better. They thought they knew the law better than God knew the law.

Pretty silly, isn’t it? God gave them the law. He sent the prophets. He put the words into the prophet and teachers’ mouths. Why did these governing priests, who continually fought for position and power think they knew more than those God sent?

The answer is pretty simple. The Bible tells us Satan puts a veil over our eyes. The analogy I like to use takes you back to elementary school days. Remember those hidden picture puzzles? The teacher would give us a picture and we would have to find the shovel and the comb and the pail and the apple and umbrella and other objects hidden in the picture. God’s truth in this world is like looking at that hidden picture. Satan has put a veil over our eyes and all we see is the picture until we deliberately exercise our faith in Him.

When we put our faith in God, the hidden objects appear. We see all those things we couldn’t see before. The truth stands out and every time we look at that picture, there are the hidden objects. We can’t help but see them from then on. The truth stares at us. We can try to ignore it, but we can’t. But first, we must exercise our faith in Him. So what are you waiting for? Want to know the truth? It’s there in plain sight. Take another look through the eyes of faith. 

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 children know the truth (Matthew 21:16) May 14, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Luke 3-4

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 21:16
Jesus: Yes. Haven’t you read your own psalter? “From the mouths and souls of infants and toddlers, the most innocent, You have decreed praises for Yourself.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

After Jesus overturned the tables in the temple, He did what He came to do. He worshiped. But while He was there, the same thing happened to Him that happened everywhere He went the Bible tells us. The blind and lame and sick surrounded Him and He healed them. The children circled Him and they began singing and calling Him the Son of David.

I expect this was a little unusual for the leaders of the temple. They were getting ready for their usual Passover crowd, kind of like our pastors get ready for their Easter and Christmas crowd. You know, those folks that pacify themselves by coming to church once or twice a year and think everything’s okay with them. Well, it was a little different with the Jews because their law told them to come to the temple at Passover to remember their deliverance from Egypt. So those that could make the journey, did.

These leaders expected a crowd, but they expected the crowd to participate in the activities they had planned, not flock around this itinerate, uneducated preacher. They didn’t expect children to sing about this carpenter from Nazareth, calling Him the Son of David, the title reserved for their King, their coming Messiah. They didn’t expect someone to disrupt their schedule by drawing hundreds away from their orderly affairs and disrupt their programs.

So the leaders came to Jesus, shocked, indignant, angry, “Do you hear what these children are saying? Aren’t you going to stop them? Don’t you realize they are confused? Shouldn’t you correct their ignorance? Shouldn’t you stop taking the limelight and let us get on with our program?”

Jesus didn’t stop them. Jesus didn’t stop healing the sick. Jesus didn’t stop talking about the love of His Father. Jesus didn’t stop doing the same things He had done throughout His ministry. He showed God’s love and grace and mercy. He demonstrated who God was and how He wanted us to live in community and in peace with our fellow man. He just kept on being Himself. The leaders of the temple just couldn’t stand it.

So we learn from the priests and the scribes who approached Jesus, don’t get in God’s way. Don’t worry about who is in the limelight when God is doing good things. It doesn’t matter if the miracles are happening on the platform or in the back of the crowd. When God is on the scene, stand back and watch Him work. Don’t get in His way. Just get on board.

The second thing we learn from Jesus’ words is that children can be pretty smart. They don’t hold back what they think most of the time. Some time that embarrasses us when they tell the person in front of us in the grocery line that they are fat or they stink, but children usually are pretty preceptive and at a young age, haven’t yet learned to hold their tongue. So they just say what they think.

When the children circled Jesus in the temple courtyard and sang songs of the Son of David, they just expressed what they thought. Unfiltered joy and their belief in who Jesus was. Did they understand the impact of what they said? Probably not. Did they understand the uproar in the city their songs would create? Probably not. Did the children understand the full political and theological depth of their words as they sang? No. We still don’t understand the full depth of their meaning today with our finite minds. But they sang what they believed.

I enjoy listening to children and some of the things they say about people, about nature, about God, about politics, about life in general. It’s interesting to hear their perspective of things. They don’t pull any punches. I have to answer honestly when my granddaughter asks, “Papaw, how come you have a big belly?” The answer, cause I eat more than I should and don’t exercise as much as I should.“ Her response. ”Then come play with me."

Smart kid. I can’t keep up with her, but if I tried, I’m sure I’d lose weight. She has a lot more energy than I do. One of my grandson mentions death and says, “It’s not so bad, you get to be with God all the time then, don’t you?” Another carries on pretty deep conversations about Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, His resurrection, and power to forgive sins.

Children can tell you some wonderful things if you will listen to them. They know some pretty incredible things. They know the truth of God’s word. I think sometimes angels whisper in their ear and tell them heavenly things that as adults we have a tendency to ignore. But kids listen intently with their innate curiosity and if we will listen closely to them, we will hear the voice of God reminding us that Jesus is the Son of David, the long awaited Messiah, the Son of God, the One who can rescue us from a life of sin and death.

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 truth unfold (Matthew 13:1-23), November 22, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Matthew 13:1-23

Set – Matthew 12-13

Go! – Matthew 11-13

Matthew 13:1-23
1 That same day, Jesus left the house and went to sit by the sea. 2 Large crowds gathered around Him, and He got into a boat on the sea and sat there. The crowd stood on the shore waiting for His teaching.
3 And so Jesus began to teach. On this day, He spoke in parables. Here is His first parable:
Jesus: Once there was a sower who scattered seeds. 4 One day he walked in a field scattering seeds as he went. Some seeds fell beside a road, and a flock of birds came and ate all those seeds. 5 So the sower scattered seeds in a field, one with shallow soil and strewn with rocks. But the seeds grew quickly amid all the rocks, 6 without rooting themselves in the shallow soil. Their roots got tangled up in all the stones. The sun scorched these seeds, and they died. 7 And so the sower scattered seeds near a path, this one covered with thorny vines. The seeds fared no better there—the thorns choked them, and they died. 8 And so finally the sower scattered his seeds in a patch of good earth. At home in the good earth, the seeds grew and grew. Eventually the seeds bore fruit, and the fruit grew ripe and was harvested. The harvest was immense—30, 60, 100 times what was sown.
9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Disciples: 10 Why do You speak to the people in parables?
Jesus: 11 The knowledge of the secrets of heaven has been given to you, but it has not been given to them. 12 Those who have something will be given more—and they will have abundance. Those who have nothing will lose what they have—they will be destitute. 13 I teach in parables so the people may look but not see, listen but not hear or understand. 14 They are fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy:
You will listen, but you will not understand;
you will look, but you will not see.
15 The people’s hearts have turned to flab;
their ears are clogged;
their eyes are shut.
They will try to see, but they will not see;
they will try to hear, but they will not hear;
they will try to understand, but they will not comprehend.
If they, with their blindness and deafness, so choose, then I will heal them.
16-17 Many holy prophets and righteous men and women and people of prayer and doers of good have wanted to see but did not see, and have wanted to hear but did not hear. Your eyes and ears are blessed.
18 This is what the parable of the sower means. 19 It is about the kingdom of heaven. When someone hears the story of the Kingdom and cannot understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away whatever goodness and holiness had been sown in the heart. This is like the seeds sown beside the road. 20-21 You know people who hear the word of God and receive it joyfully—but then, somehow, the word fails to take root in their hearts. It is temporary. As soon as there is trouble for those people, they trip: those people are the seeds strewn on the rocky soil. 22 And you know people who hear the word, but it is choked inside them because they constantly worry and prefer the wealth and pleasures of the world: they prefer drunken dinner parties to prayer, power to piety, and riches to righteousness. Those people are like the seeds sown among thorns. 23 The people who hear the word and receive it and grow in it—those are like the seeds sown on good soil. They produce a bumper crop, 30 or 60 or 100 times what was sown.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Do I hide knowledge from you? Why would I tell My disciples about Isaiah’s prophecy that “though seeing, they will not see; though hearing, they will hear; though understanding, they will not comprehend”? Do you think I hide knowledge from you?

No. But Satan often pulls a veil over your eyes so that the truth seems camoflagued. The lies you’ve heard for so long cause you not to see the truth right in front of you. It’s like looking for the hidden face in a picture. It’s not really hidden at all and once you see it, you can’t help be see it every time you look at the picture. In fact, it’s the first thing you see when you look at the picture.

When you to come to Me in faith, I can open your eyes to the truth. Sometimes your prejudices, your past, your own experiences get in the way of the truth. As Isaiah says, you can see the truth right in front of you, but not see it, like camoflague. But once you let My Spirit in you open your eyes, you can see it clearly. I give you new eyes. I transform your mind. I let you see the way I see. Truth opens up to you and you begin to understand as never before.

Exercise your faith in Me and see if truth doesn’t unfold in front of 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.

Don’t take someone else’s word for the truth (Mark 8:27-37), October 31, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Mark 8:27-37

Set – Job 22; Mark 8

Go! – Job 22; Mark 7-8

Mark 8:27-37
27 As He traveled with His disciples into the villages of Caesarea Philippi, He posed an important question to them.
Jesus: Who do the people say that I am?
28 They told Him about the great speculation concerning His identity.
Disciples: Some of them say You are John the Baptist, others say Elijah, while others say one of the prophets of old.
Jesus (pressing the question): 29 And who do you say that I am?
Peter: You are God’s Anointed, the Liberating King.
Jesus: 30 Don’t tell anyone. It is not yet time.
31 And He went on to teach them many things about Himself: how the Son of Man would suffer; how He would be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes; how He would be killed; and how, after three days, God would raise Him from the dead.
32 He said all these things in front of them all, but Peter took Jesus aside to rebuke Him.
Jesus (seeing His disciples surrounding them): 33 Get behind Me, you tempter! You’re thinking only of human things, not of the things God has planned.
34 He gathered the crowd and His disciples alike.
Jesus: If any one of you wants to follow Me, you will have to give yourself up to God’s plan, take up your cross, and do as I do. 35 For any one of you who wants to be rescued will lose your life, but any one of you who loses your life for My sake and for the sake of this good news will be liberated. 36 Really, what profit is there for you to gain the whole world and lose yourself in the process? 37 What can you give in exchange for your life?

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I asked Peter the ultimate question I ask everyone. “Who do you say I am?” It’s an important question that must have an answer from your heart, not just your brain. I asked the disciples who others thought I was to lead them into the question, but it’s always easier to answer that question. They didn’t look at each other or compare notes, they just answered. “Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, others think one of the prophets. It’s not hard to tell Me what others might be thinking about Me.”

What about you, though? That’s the heart of the message. Who do you think I am? Unless you understand that I am One with the Father and Spirit, part of the triune Godhead, present at creation, you’ll struggle all your life with who I am and what I can do in your life. I was fully human, but also fully God. I know it’s hard to understand. You don’t need to understand. You just need to believe me.

Listen to My word, watch the transformation in the lives of those who make Me their Lord, let Me make the same transformation in you. You will know that I am who I say. No one can do the things I do. No one can help you the way I can. No one can give you the peace I give. No one can wipe away guilt from your life like Me. Because no one else can claim the title Son of God.

But until you personally recognize Me as God incarnate, the one died to pay the penalty for your sins. The one who rose from the tomb to live forever at the right hand of the Father. Until you know Me as your personal Lord and Savior, you will not know in your heart that I am Christ, the long awaited Messiah. Only when I am Lord of your life will you be able to say with Peter that I am God’s Anointed, the Liberating King. Give your life to Me and discover the truth for yourself. Anything less means taking someone else’s word for it. 

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

God’s word is always true (Jeremiah 33), August 24, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Jeremiah 33

Set – Jeremiah 33; 1 John 5

Go! – Jeremiah 33-34; Psalms 74; 1 John 5

Jeremiah 33
1-2 For a second time the message of the Eternal came to Jeremiah as he was being held in the court of the guard. The Eternal who made the earth, who formed and fashioned it, the One whose name is the Eternal, has this to say:
Eternal One: 3 Call to Me, and I will answer you. I will tell you of great things, things beyond what you can imagine, things you could never have known. 4 I, the Eternal God of Israel, tell you that all these public buildings and royal palaces have been dismantled in vain. You thought you could strengthen the city walls with the scraps of those buildings, but it is a useless defense against the siege ramps and swords 5 of the Chaldeans. In this fight, the city will be filled with the dead whom I will destroy in My anger and wrath, for I have hidden My face from this city because of their wickedness. 6 Nevertheless, keep watching! I will restore this city and heal the wounds of My people. I will lavish them with peace and stability. 7 I will bring both Judah and Israel back from captivity, and I will rebuild their land to what it was before. 8 I will cleanse them from all the sins they committed against Me and forgive all the wrongs they have done and all the ways they rebelled against Me. 9 Jerusalem will have a sweet-sounding name once again. The good I do for her will bring Me joy, praise, and honor among all nations of the earth, for they will be in awe and tremble at the peace and prosperity I give to this city.
10 Listen to Me, Jeremiah. You say this place will become a desolate wasteland with no people and no animals, but it will not always be so. The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem may indeed become lifeless, but I, the Eternal One, promise you the silence will be broken. Once again you will hear 11 the sounds of laughter and joy, the sweet words of the bride and bridegroom at a wedding, and voices of those who bring thank offerings to the temple singing,
Give thanks to the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies,
for He is good. His faithful love endures forever.
All of this will happen because I will restore the riches of this land to what they once were.
12 I, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, promise: even this desolate place—with no people and no animals—and all of its ruined cities will once again have pastures where shepherds will rest their flocks. 13 In the towns of the hill country, in the villages of the western hills, in the cities of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the vicinity around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, once again flocks will be cared for by a faithful shepherd who will count each and every one of his sheep.
14 Look! The days are coming when I will fulfill the promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. 15 In those days, when the time is right, I will cause a righteous Branch to sprout from the old stump of David’s lineage; He will do what is right and just in the land. 16 In those days, Judah will be liberated, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And the city will be called by His name, The Eternal Is Our Righteousness. 17 I tell you, the royal dynasty of David will not cease; the throne of Israel still belongs to his family. Remember this, even as other kings rule over you. 18 Remember also that the line of Levitical priests will not cease; for all time they will stand before Me offering burnt offerings, grain offerings, and making sacrifices.
19-20 Again, the word of the Eternal came to Jeremiah.
Eternal One: If you can figure out a way to break My covenant with the day and with the night so they do not always arrive on schedule, the very rhythm of life on this earth, 21 only then will My covenant with My servant David be broken and his son not rule from his throne. Only then will My covenant with the Levitical priests who minister before Me be null and void. 22 I will make David’s descendants, along with the Levitical priests who minister before Me, so numerous they will seem like the stars of the skies that cannot be counted and the sands of the seashore that can never be measured.
23 The word of the Eternal came to Jeremiah again.
Eternal One: 24 Have you noticed what some people are saying? “The Eternal chose these two families, Israel and Judah, but He has now rejected them.” They clearly despise My people—they don’t even consider them a nation any longer! 25 But again, this is what the Eternal promises: “Just as I am not about to stop ruling the universe with fixed laws so that the day and the night become confused, 26 I will likewise keep My promise to the descendants of Jacob and David, My servant; I will not reject them. I will not forget the covenant I made with David that one of his descendants will rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will restore their fortunes and have mercy on them.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

After Jeremiah’s prophecies, many of My people began to lose hope. Thousands found themselves in exile in strange lands. They knew they would likely never return to their homeland. Others saw the might of Nebuchadnezzar’s army assembled outside the walls of Jerusalem and everything pointed toward the destruction of the city and the death of all who remained within the walls. Despair and hopelessness seemed to make up the fabric of people’s lives everywhere they turned.

But Jeremiah gave them My promise that David’s descendants would continue to sit on the throne. They would not understand how after the exile and destruction of the nation, but it would come to pass through the birth of Jesus, My Son, with both Joseph, His earthly father and Mary, His mother, descedants of David. Jeremiah believed but didn’t understand. He faithfully carried My message without knowing what it would mean for all humankind.

My kingdom would burst upon the scene in the form of a small seemingly insignificant baby. But what a difference He would make. God in human flesh. The Anointed One showing the world My love for them. Becoming a living sacrifice while He walked alongside them and the sacrifice for all sins when He died upon the cross for all humankind. Jeremiah saw a glimpse of what was to come. You know the rest of the story. Rejoice with all My believers then and now knowing My word is always true.

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.

Nicodemus is a lot like us (John 3:1-21), August 1, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – John 3:1-21

Set – Isaiah 66; John 3

Go! – Isaiah 65-66; Psalms 62; John 3

John 3:1-21
1 Nicodemus was one of the Pharisees, a man with some clout among his people. 2 He came to Jesus under the cloak of darkness to question Him.
Nicodemus: Teacher, some of us have been talking. You are obviously a teacher who has come from God. The signs You are doing are proof that God is with You.
Jesus: 3 I tell you the truth: only someone who experiences birth for a second time can hope to see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus: 4 I am a grown man. How can someone be born again when he is old like me? Am I to crawl back into my mother’s womb for a second birth? That’s impossible!
Jesus: 5 I tell you the truth, if someone does not experience water and Spirit birth, there’s no chance he will make it into God’s kingdom. 6 Like from like. Whatever is born from flesh is flesh; whatever is born from Spirit is spirit. 7 Don’t be shocked by My words, but I tell you the truth. Even you, an educated and respected man among your people, must be reborn by the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. 8 The wind blows all around us as if it has a will of its own; we feel and hear it, but we do not understand where it has come from or where it will end up. Life in the Spirit is as if it were the wind of God.
Nicodemus: 9 I still do not understand how this can be.
Jesus: 10 Your responsibility is to instruct Israel in matters of faith, but you do not comprehend the necessity of life in the Spirit? 11 I tell you the truth: we speak about the things we know, and we give evidence about the things we have seen, and you choose to reject the truth of our witness. 12 If you do not believe when I talk to you about ordinary, earthly realities, then heavenly realities will certainly elude you. 13 No one has ever journeyed to heaven above except the One who has come down from heaven—the Son of Man, who is of heaven. 14 Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. In the same way, the Son of Man must be lifted up; 15 then all those who believe in Him will experience everlasting life.
16 For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life. 17 Here’s the point. God didn’t send His Son into the world to judge it; instead, He is here to rescue a world headed toward certain destruction.
18 No one who believes in Him has to fear condemnation, yet condemnation is already the reality for everyone who refuses to believe because they reject the name of the only Son of God. 19 Why does God allow for judgment and condemnation? Because the Light, sent from God, pierced through the world’s darkness to expose ill motives, hatred, gossip, greed, violence, and the like. Still some people preferred the darkness over the light because their actions were dark. 20 Some of humankind hated the light. They scampered hurriedly back into the darkness where vices thrive and wickedness flourishes. 21 Those who abandon deceit and embrace what is true, they will enter into the light where it will be clear that all their deeds come from God.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

People have mixed emotions about Nicodemus. Some praise him for his coming to Me and inquiring about My message even though he risked everything in doing so. He held a position in the Sanhedrin as an honored Pharisee. He ruled on matters of the law and yet he came seeking answers from Me because of what he heard others saying about Me.

Others condemn Nicodemus because of his cowardess for coming to Me at night, not daring to approach Me in the daylight. Some see his motives as impure because of the line of questioning he raises and his lack of understanding. Some think he tries to trap Me in his own misunderstanding.

I see Nicodemus as I see all My children, confused by a veil of darkness until the light of My truth breaks through that darkness and touches your heart. But just a little faith in Me shatters the darkness. It doesn’t take much. Faith the size of a mustard seed, not much bigger than the head of a pin, burst through the veil that keeps truth from you. Once you let Me in, I will reveal My heart to you. I will help you see as I see. I will give you My Spirit to teach you and guide you.

Like Nicodemus, you will learn what being born again means. It isn’t just a few words. It’s not a catch phrase to throw around. It’s a total transformation. It’s dying to the old you and becoming someone you never thought you could be. In fact, it’s more than a transformation, it’s a metamorphosis. You can come to Me any time, anywhere. Just call My name and I’ll be there for you.

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

People are fickle (Matthew 11:1-19), Apr 24, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Matthew 11:1-19
Set – Psalms 109; Matthew 11
Go! – 1 Samuel 28-29; Psalms 109; Matthew 11

Matthew 11:1-19
1 With that, Jesus finished instructing His disciples, and He went on to preach and teach in the towns of Galilee. 2 John, meanwhile, was still in prison. But stories about the Anointed One’s teachings and healing reached him.

So John sent his followers 3 to question Jesus.

John’s Followers: Are You the One we have been expecting as Savior for so long? Are You the One Scripture promised would come? Or should we expect someone else?

Jesus: 4 Go back and tell John the things you have heard and the things you have seen. 5 Tell him you have seen the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers cured, the deaf hear, the dead raised, and the good news preached to the poor. 6 Blessed are those who understand what is afoot and stay on My narrow path.

7 John’s disciples left, and Jesus began to speak to a crowd about John.

Jesus: What did you go into the desert to see? Did you expect to see a reed blowing around in the wind? 8 No? Were you expecting to see a man dressed in the finest silks? No, of course not—you find silk in the sitting rooms of palaces and mansions, not in the middle of the wilderness. 9 So what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes. Yes, a prophet and more than a prophet. 10 When you saw John, you saw the one whom the prophet Malachi envisioned when he said,

I will send My messenger ahead of You,
and he will prepare the way for You.
11 This is the truth: no one who has ever been born to a woman is greater than John the Baptist. And yet the most insignificant person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12-13 All of the prophets of old, all of the law—that was all prophecy leading up to the coming of John. Now, that sort of prepares us for this very point, right here and now. When John the Baptist came, the kingdom of heaven began to break in upon us, and those in power are trying to clamp down on it—why do you think John is in jail? 14 If only you could see it—John is the Elijah, the prophet we were promised would come and prepare the way. 15 He who has ears for the truth, let him hear.

16 What is this generation like? You are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out, 17 “When we played the flute, you did not dance; and when we sang a dirge, you did not mourn.” 18 What I mean is this: When John came, he dressed in the clothes of a prophet, and he did not eat and drink like others but lived on honey and wild locusts. And people wondered if he was crazy, if he had been possessed by a demon. 19 Then the Son of Man appeared—He didn’t fast, as John had, but ate with sinners and drank wine. And the people said, “This man is a glutton! He’s a drunk! And He hangs around with tax collectors and sinners, to boot.” Well, Wisdom will be vindicated by her actions—not by your opinions.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I took the opportunity of John’s doubts and sending his disciples to question Me to point out how fickle people can be. I had no doubt John would understand the message I sent him and he would know I was the Messiah as he expected. Although he hoped I would rescue the Israelites from the political bondage of Rome and create a new independent nation again, that was not My mission. He wanted a military leader, as did most of the country. He wanted a new order of righteousness, as did most of the country. I didn’t come to do those things.

I came to establish My kingdom, but it would reside in the hearts of men and women who followed Me. Those who dared die to self and let Me reign in their lives regardless of the politics or religions around them. I wanted them to commit themselves to Me and nothing else. That was the price of entrance into My kingdom and that price hasn’t changed.

John shared the message. I shared the message. My disciples shared the message. Prophets in the past and even today share the message. But those then and today do the same thing the crowd around Me when John’s disciples asked about Me do. They show the fickle nature of people everywhere.

John was a prophet and wore clothes made of rough camel hair and ate honey and locust. He had just enough to survive and lived as all those in the wilderness. He looked the part of a desert nomad, rough, wild, able to live under the most rugged circumstances and enjoy it. The people who came to him complained his message was too strong. No one could live like him. He demanded too much.

I came and lived among the people in the cities. I spoke with prostitutes, tax collectors, the business people of the towns, even the Roman soldiers. The same people said I was a glutton and partied with the wrong people. They called Me a sinner because of the people I hung around with even though I kept all the law I gave to Moses on Mount Sinai hundreds of years earlier.

Why do people look for ways to find fault with the messenger? Because the truth of the message forces them to look inside themselves and they don’t like what they see. Truth will set them free from the bondage they feel, but they must first face that truth and it is often very ugly. It’s not easy to face the truth, but until you do, you can not find real repentance and so real forgiveness.

Do you find yourself falling into the trap of those in the crowd I spoke to that day John’s disciples questioned Me? It’s time to face the truth and find forgiveness. The message won’t change because I don’t change. My forgiveness doesn’t change either. Just come to Me in repentance and I will forgive. You’ll be glad you did. But it all starts with facing the real you, facing the truth.

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.