Tag Archives: words of Jesus

Are you ready to follow Him? (Matthew 9:9) February 15, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Genesis 24-27

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 9:9
Later Jesus was walking along and He saw a man named Matthew sitting in the tax collector’s office.
Jesus (to Matthew): Follow Me.
Matthew got up and followed Him.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Two simple words, but do we really pay attention to them? Follow Me. That’s all He asks of us, but they are hard words. We have failed to really understand what they mean today in our feel good religions and self-indulgent society. We want to follow Him as long as it benefits our pocket book. We want to follow Him as long as it pleases us. We want to follow Him as long as it doesn’t cost us to much or inconvenience us or mess with our plans.

But if you’ll notice, there are no qualifiers in Jesus’ command. He just says, “Follow Me.” Wherever He goes, He expects us to follow in His footsteps. He expects our shoes to step into the footprints of His. He says follow Him.

His path took Him into the street to meet the needs of the outcasts. His steps took Him to the hillsides to tell others about the love of God and His kingdom. His footprints are seen in the temple worshiping the living God and confounding the priests with His knowledge of the scriptures because He studied them often. His steps took Him to quiet places to pray both alone and with His disciples.

Jesus says, “Follow Me.” His footsteps placed Him in front of the highest authorities in the land and the most poverty stricken in the land. He met the richest and the poorest. He talked with the diseased ridden and the physicians who took care of them. He saw the tax collectors and those who paid those taxes. He didn’t care who you were, Jesus went where there were needs.

Do we follow Him today? I wonder if we are willing to make the sacrifice. I wonder if we are willing to give our all and really follow in His footsteps. I wonder if we will drop everything and do what He tells us to do if it really means going to the cross, giving up our luxuries, losing our position, enduring the ridicule. Will we really follow Him?

I think we like to read the stories of Jesus going through the countryside and calling Peter, James and John. Snatching Matthew from his tax collecting job and taking him along as a disciple. I think we like to read about the disciples and the excitement of walking with Jesus, but I don’t think we realize what those disciples went through. Too often, I don’t think we make the commitment they made. Remember, all but John died a martyr’s death and their death’s were not fast and painless. Peter was crucified. Some were sawn in two. Others were burned at the stake. Some were stoned. Death was slow and painful. But they endured it for Christ’s name. Are you ready to follow Him?

Really following Him also means living for Him, though. It means dying to self so He can live in you. It means stepping in His footsteps. It means walking the path He takes you, not the path you want to go. It means dying to your desires, dreams, aspirations and living Christ’s dreams for you. Will they be the same? Sometimes. Sometimes not. But when we die to ourselves, and truly live for Christ, those selfish desires and dreams won’t matter anymore. They become so much garbage as Paul describes them.

Are you ready to follow Him? It will cost you everything. But nothing is yours anyway. Paul describes your plight in Romans so well. Either you are part of Adam’s body and a slave to sin, or you are part of Christ’s body and a slave to righteousness. One leads to death and one leads to life. One body has Adam as its head leading us into sin whose wages are death, one body has Christ as its head leading us to His gift of grace and eternal life.

You can only belong to one body, though. And you choose which one. You can follow Christ, or you can stay in Adam’s race. You can choose to die to self, admit your broken state, and ask forgiveness from the One who can bring salvation, then follow Him. Or you can choose to remain trapped in sin, lead by the lies of Satan and this world, and continue in the state you are in. You choose. But Jesus calls, “Follow Me.”

Jesus offers His free give of grace. He provides salvation. He redeems us. He purchases our freedom from the body of sin in which we are born and gives us the opportunity for adoption into His body, free from the slavery of sin. In Adam, we are free from grace. In Christ we are free from sin. The two bodies are incompatible. From which do you want to be free, sin or grace, Adam or Christ? But to follow Christ means to really follow Him. It doesn’t mean playing church. It doesn’t mean saying the right words. It means obedience to His word. It means saying “yes” to His every command. Always.

Are you ready to follow Him? Just like Matthew, He gives you the invitation. It begins with the first step. Take 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.

Where are the miracles? (Matthew 9:2-6) February 14, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Romans 13-14

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 9:2-6
Jesus: Rest assured, My son; your sins are forgiven.
Now some scribes and teachers of the law had been watching this whole scene.
Scribes and Teachers (to themselves): This man is blaspheming!
Though they had only spoken in low whispers among themselves, Jesus knew their thoughts.
Jesus: Why do you hold such hardness and wickedness in your hearts? Look, is it easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or “Get up and walk”? To make clear that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins (turning to the paralytic man on the mat), Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus returns home and some men there had enough faith in Him to bring their paralytic friend to Him for healing. They believed Jesus could help their friend walk again. Comparing their faith to much of the faith I see today, that’s pretty astonishing. We don’t see that kind of faith much today. We don’t see the kind of healing evident in the New Testament church. Why is that? God hasn’t changed. His Spirit hasn’t changed. The maladies and malignancies of life haven’t changed. So what’s different?

I think we find it in the attitude of the scribes Jesus addresses that day. Note that Jesus’ first response wasn’t to heal the paralytic, but to take care of more important business. “Rest assured, My son; you sins are forgiven.” Jesus addressed the man’s sins and cleansed his heart. Forget the secondary physical frame the man dealt with every day, the important thing on Jesus’ mind was to remake his heart. To bring him into God’s kingdom. To adopt him into the Family. To give the paralytic the thing he needed most, forgiveness.

But the scribes and teachers of the law took offense at Jesus’ words. They didn’t believe He could forgive sins. They didn’t believe the testimony of others who felt the cleansing power of His touch and His words of forgiveness. They didn’t believe He was truly the Son of God. Neither did they believe Jesus could make the paralytic walk. They came for the show, they came to trap Him in His words, the came to find out what all the fuss was about. But they didn’t believe in this Jesus who people were saying was the Messiah.

Is that what’s wrong with us today? Is that why we’re not seeing miracles today? Do we really believe He is who He says He is? I wonder. If we as Christians really believe Jesus is God incarnate, the Son of God. If we truly believe the only way to heaven is through forgiveness of our sins and obeying His commands, then why don’t we obey Him? Why don’t we do what He asks? Why do we hold back? Why do we fail to love each other? Why do we fail to believe? Why do we fail to worship Him and honor Him? Why do we fail to visit Him each day and learn more about Him through the study of His word?

Do we really believe in Jesus, the Son of God? Maybe we don’t see the New Testament church miracles because we don’t want to see them. Maybe we really don’t want to let God come upon us the way He did then. There’s some danger involved in letting loose and letting God have full control of your church, you know. Remember Ananias and Sophira? They lied about their giving and God struck them dead! Remember Silas, the sorcerer? God blinded him for his attempts at playing Christian. Certainly the early church saw miracles happen in their midsts, but God executed His wrath on the unfaithful in powerful ways as well. Maybe we’re afraid to let God do His mighty works in us because we’re afraid to let Him in the door.

Maybe we’re afraid of what God will see in us if we let Him look inside. We shouldn’t be afraid of what He sees, though. He already knows. Maybe we’re really afraid of what we’ll see. We might find just how broken and desperate and needy and sinful we really are. Maybe we’ll find how far we are from Him and find we must fall on our face before Him in true repentance before He can do any work in us or through us.

Maybe our faith is too much like the scribes and the teachers of the law and not enough like the four men who struggles through those hillsides with their paralytic friend to find their way to Jesus. Maybe we need to find a quiet place to let God turn His searchlight on our hearts and let us see ourselves as He sees us.

Can miracles happen today the way they did when Jesus walk alongside us? He told His disciples they would do greater things than He did. And they did with the power of His Spirit resident in them. God hasn’t changed, Jesus hasn’t changed, His Spirit hasn’t changed. What’s changed? Maybe it’s our willingness to just let Him have His way in our life. Complete and total control. That’s what He wants. And when He has it, we’ll see miracles happen again. 

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

Maybe we need pig’s eyes (Matthew 8:32) February 13, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Matthew 17-19

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 8:32
Jesus: Very well then, go!

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

The storm ends, the little boat lands in the region of the Gadarenes, and two demon-possessed men who lived by the tombs come out and block the path to the village.

The demons worry that Jesus has come to torture them before the day of judgment and ask a request of the Son of God, “If you drive us out of these men, would you let us go into that herd of pigs over there?” Then we come to Jesus’ words.

So what can we make of it? Is Jesus granting requests from demons? Do they hold any sway over Him? How do we accept this encounter and the ensuing results and make any sense of it? What does all of it mean to us today?

The first important point is God’s word recognizes the spiritual warfare that goes on with demons. Just as we believe His Spirit can inhabit us, Satan’s minions can inhabit us, if we let them. These two men allowed demons to use their bodies as their dwelling place. Once there, they took up residence and weren’t about to let go of him. Some may think it’s just a story. Some may think demons don’t exist today. It’s just some kind of illness or disease process that Jesus healed.

I disagree. God’s words acknowledges demons throughout the scriptures. Those beings that work for Satan just as God’s angels work for Him. Are all the evil things that happen today cause by the demon possessed? Absolutely not. Is it easy to become demon-possessed? I don’t know and frankly, don’t care to find out. But I think it’s possible and easier that some might think. But I think it is a voluntary process just as coming to Christ and asking His Spirit to live in us is a voluntary process.

In whatever way it happened, these two men were demon-possessed and their actions became so disruptive to the community they were driven from their homes, from the village, and forced to live among the tombs by the seashore. The two men scrounged for what food they could find and lived off of what they could find or steal. Their demon-possession caused their behavior to banish them from society and they were more comfortable dwelling among the dead in the tombs than among the living.

So, we have that discussion out of the way, there were and are demons in the world.

Second, the demons had no problem recognizing who Jesus was. They had no blinders on their eyes. No false religions to tell them something was more important than God. They didn’t need to guess about the origin and authenticity of the One who stood before them. They called Jesus by His rightful title, Son of God. Satan and all his demons know Jesus is the Son of God, why do we have such a hard time believing.

Third, the demons didn’t question Jesus’ power. They knew they were doomed. Judgment day was coming and their torment was to begin. They were just a little surprised their judge came early. They knew Jesus would judge them as well as all of humanity. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. That doesn’t leave anyone or anything out. The title encompasses all of creation and that includes the demons. They knew it wouldn’t be a fair fight. In fact, they knew it wouldn’t be a fight at all. When He spoke, they would leave. And that was that. Done.

But the demons made one request, “Can we go into the herd of pigs?”

I sometimes wonder why they asked to do that. Maybe it’s because demons must have a host of some kind and they were afraid to try to find a host with Jesus close by. They knew He would only throw them out again and I expect the exercism involved some kind of pain for them as well as the host in their symbiotic relationship. So maybe they just decided an animal host was one Jesus would accept without trying to make them leave again.

Fourth, I think Jesus knew the outcome. Satan’s demons in those pigs meant disaster for the demons. We think animals are not smart and certainly humans are at the top of the pyramid for intelligent life on the planet. (at least I think we are most of the time, although at times I wonder) As soon as the demons flew into the pigs, the herd killed themselves running over a cliff into the sea. The pigs couldn’t handle the evil that suddenly took residence in their bodies. God made them and they were good, the evil tainted them so badly, they destroyed themselves. It was the only way the pigs knew to get rid of the evil inside them.

It’s interesting to me that the pigs couldn’t tolerate that evil for even a few minutes, but we can live with it for a lifetime. We convince ourselves so well that what we do against God is okay, that we live that evil brewing in us and just no longer see it. Maybe we need to get pig’s eyes for a little while so we can see what we are and realize just how much we need God’s cleansing in our lives. Maybe then, we would fall on our knees and beg His forgiveness and mercy for our sins. Maybe then, we would understand His willingness to make us clean and whole again. To rid us of the filth in our lives and make us new in Him. Maybe we need pig’s eyes for a while.

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

What are you so afraid of? (Matthew 8:26) February 12, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Isaiah 34-39

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 8:26
Jesus: Please! What are you so afraid of, you of little faith?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Fear, one of those deep-rooted emotions that keeps us alive at times, but also keeps us from accomplishing much if we don’t learn to control it. It’s interesting that the second most common fear in the world in the fear of death. The first is the fear of public speaking. Strange that we fear talking to a group of people more than we fear dying, but that’s what the literature tells us. And from those two phobias come a long list of things we fear.

Some of our fears just seem silly to most people, but if you suffer from them, they can be debilitating. You’ve probably heard stories, if you don’t know someone with the fear of the heights, or the fear flying, or the fear of roller coasters, or the fear of the dark. Those are just the tip of the iceberg, though. We fear almost everything as the human race. Someone, somewhere will be afraid of just about anything you can think of, so we can’t slap around the disciples too much since they were in the middle of a storm on the Sea of Galilee.

More than half of these guys were seasoned fishermen. They knew how to handle storms. They’d been caught out on the Sea of Galilee before when a storm came up. Storms weren’t anything new to them. But this one must have been a whopper. They were afraid. They didn’t know if they would make it to shore. And here was Jesus, the Son of God, just sleeping in the back of the boat. Maybe even snoring a little.

So they wake Him up. “Don’t you care that we’re going to die? How can you sleep when we’re risking our lives here? Can’t you help us keep this rickety boat afloat? Do something!”

I can imagine their angst in the middle of that stormy situation. Have you ever been there? Wondering what would happen next? Wondering how you would survive the next blows that came your way? If you live long enough, you’ll go through some of those times. No one is exempt from the troubles of the world. It doesn’t matter how rich or how poor you might be, everyone faces those times. Maybe it’s a financial crisis. Maybe the doctor just spoke the big “C” word. Maybe you don’t know where your next meal is coming from. Maybe your best friend and partner for life just passed away. We all face those storms in our life. Jesus promised we would. It’s part of the curse of Adam’s race. Sin entered the world and from the time we’re born this physical frame begins the process of dying in this physical realm.

And along that journey of life, we learn to fear. Some people fear more than others. But we all fear.

I find it fascinating, though, that every time God sends one of His messengers to earth to talk to one of His followers, and every time Jesus talks to someone in crisis, their first words are usually, “Don’t be afraid.” Fear can have a strangle hold on us and freeze us in place. It can paralyze us into inactivity so we are good for nothing. It can keep us from taking that necessary next step that leads to the release and freedom we so desperately seek. But we are afraid.

I love to watch little kids at playgrounds. They show us what’s it’s like not to fear. Watch them. They hang on the bars upside-down without a care. They race and climb and jump and sometimes they fall. It’s not until adults intervene and tell them something isn’t safe that they begin to curb their appetite for play. Little kids will do just about anything within their ability with no fear. They just do stuff. They exercise faith in their ability and their invincibility. We parents are the ones that instill that fear in them. We stop them cold and tell them they’ll get hurt. Don’t climb too high. Don’t swing too far. Don’t run too fast. Don’t … Don’t… Don’t… And so we build fear into them.

I’m told the only fear infants have is the fear of falling. Everything else we teach them with our constraints and dire warnings. Have you ever thought about had sad that is sometimes. So maybe we have taught out children, by our actions, to fear coming to Christ for salvation. Maybe our actions tell our children it’s not safe to give your all to the Master. Maybe we have demonstrated those dire warnings to our children that you better fear doing too much for Christ.

Can you trust Him with everything you have and everything you are? Can you get rid of the fear that keeps you from serving Him completely? Can you avoid the words His disciples heard in the boat, “What are you so afraid of, you of little faith”? Are you ready to act like a child and boldly step out and do the unthinkable when and where He leads you? I promise you, Jesus will never ask you to do something He and you cannot do together because He never fails. Never! So what are you so afraid of?

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.

Just do it! (Matthew 8:22) February 11, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Job 11-12

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 8:22
Jesus: Follow Me! And let the dead bury their own dead.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

As I’m writing this podcast, I’m also teaching a class on the book of Romans. I can’t help but tie the two together as Paul describes the incompatibility of the man following the path of sin and death and the man who has died to sin and received the gift of eternal life. The two bodies represented by those redeemed and those who fail to accept the redemption Christ paid. The gift we have for the taking, but we must reach out and take it.

A man comes up to Jesus after He has done so much, healed so many, performed so many miracles. He says to Jesus, “Jesus, before I do the things You’ve asked me to do, I must first bury my father.” This doesn’t seem like a bad thing to do. The man’s father just died or at least death was knocking at the door. This disciple wanted to do the right thing and give his father a decent burial. He wanted to pay his last respects to the man who raised him, trained him, gave him his value system, his thought process, his inheritance. He wanted to do something good.

We would all look at the man and say, “What a noble gesture. Sure go bury your father, then come back and join us.” We would applaud and tell him he was an honorable son for not coming along and instead spending those last moments making sure his father’s body was properly washed, wrapped, covered with spices and entombed. We would think the man a great disciple doing all the right things.

What does Jesus say? “Follow Me! And let the dead bury their own dead.”

How could He be so dispassionate? How could He care so little about the man’s feelings? How could He just brush off a funeral the way He did and tell this disciple to follow Him without regard for the normal grieving rituals that accompanied the death of a loved one? What was Jesus saying to this poor disciple and to us? Was Jesus saying to leave all our emotions aside and become hard-hearted against such things?

The answer to all of those questions is no. Look at Jesus’ life and you’ll see He cared deeply about the feelings people had for others. He wept at Lazarus’ tomb. He raised the widow’s son. He performed miracles at funerals because death was never supposed to enter the world in the first place and at times He changed its outcome when He walked in the flesh with us.

Jesus knew how to grieve. He was “the man of sorrow, acquainted with grief,” Isaiah tells us. So what was the intent of His words that day?

I think Jesus saw through the man and his relationship to Him. God must take first place. Period. If He is not first place in your life, He will not take any place at all in your life. It wasn’t that Jesus didn’t understand the grief of the man, but the man’s father and family was more important than following Jesus. I think the disciple would have come to Jesus and tried his faith later with, “My mother is sick and I need to tend to her.” Sound legitimate. But then it would be, “My sister is having a baby and I need to be around to help her.” Soon he would say, “Master, the goats need milked and no one can do it like I can, I’ll do what you ask as soon as I’ve milked the goats.”

I’m not sure what Jesus asked the man to do that day, but I can guarantee you that the man could have accomplished the task before it was time to bury his father. He just wanted to put it off. Just like we do. “Jesus, I’ll do what you ask, but let me finish getting my career in order first.” “Jesus, I’ll talk to you as soon as I finish watching this football game.” “Jesus, I’ll do what you ask after the kids are asleep.”

How often do we put off what Jesus asks us to do until it’s more convenient for us? How many times do we miss opportunities to share what He is doing in our lives, that’s called witnessing, by the way, to someone around us? How many times do we fail to show His love to someone near us that we can help in some small way because we’re just too busy with our own lives to think about those around us?

What if Jesus lived His life that way? What if God lived in such a way that He only took notice of the important things. How would we fit into that? Would we even register in the mix? I’m one of 7 billion people on one of eight planets (maybe nine again) circling one of billions of stars in one of billions of galaxies in a universe too large to measure that is expanding every second. How important does that make me that God would care?

The answer is important enough to die on a cross for my sins, that if I choose, I can follow Him and have eternal life. What is more important than that? How can I not drop everything else when He gives me a task to do? He knows your heart. Follow Him. Just do 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.

Are you ready to go with Him? (Matthew 8:20) February 10, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 15-17

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 8:20
Jesus: Foxes have dens in which to sleep, and the birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus’ comments to the scribe who decided to follow Him might seem a little out of place at first. Here was a man steeped in religious tradition who was ready to give it up and follow Jesus. So why these words? Why would Jesus give the scribe a comment that would discourage him from following him? Why would He not want the scribe on His side and joining His party of followers?

Although it may seem Jesus discourages the scribe, I don’t think He did. I think Jesus just stated the facts as they were and wanted the scribe to understand the journey that lay ahead of him if he became a follower of Jesus, the Son of God, the Christ. He would immediately become an outsider to the temple. The religious leaders he stood with on this day would quickly turn against him and, like Jesus, he would have no comfort in this world.

No one would house Him. No one would give Him bread. No one would share their home. Except for what they could get from Him. Every time Jesus lighted in a home, His presence became known quickly and the house filled with the broken, the injured, the ill. All wanted Jesus to touch them. To speak to the demons that filled them and drive those demons away. To grant their prayers as He did in so many towns and villages across the territory. Jesus could not be alone in the cities and towns. He had no place to rest.

To go with Jesus meant work, tending to the needs of others above His own. It also meant finding time to commune with the Father. It meant learning from His ancient instructions and finding His will for life. It meant going to the outcast and helping them reintegrate into their community. It meant turning the rules inside out and upside down to show the meaning of love that the scripture talks about but the nation forgot in their attempts to single themselves out as God’s chosen.

Jesus laid out for the scribe the facts of life with Him. Giving up everything that the world says is dear. Houses, lands, material things. The titles and prestige that might seem important here. It all disappears when you follow Jesus. It means nothing to God and they become just so many meaningless words to Jesus’ followers. To follow Him means to give everything up and allow Him to direct the next steps you take whether it’s across the lake, to stay where you are, or move to another country where everyone finds you distasteful.

Later Jesus will use a story to describe the cost of following Him, but here, He just lays out the facts. Follow Me and you’ll give up everything. Does that mean Jesus expects you to live in poverty? Not necessarily. He just wants control of everything you have. It’s really not yours anyway. He only allows you to use it. Think about it. What would it take for all your possessions to disappear? One disaster and everything is gone.

Oh, but you have insurance, you say. And how long do you think that will last if your whole city or your state is hit by the same disaster? What happens if ISIS decided to strike our financial infrastructure instead of the physical acts of terror they have used so far? How long could you operate without your bank account? Just stop and think about it.

I have about $40 cash in my pocket at the moment. Like most Americans, I use online banking, and debit cards for almost every financial transaction in my life. So what would happen if my bank suddenly lost all of its electronic records and backups at once? What if my paychecks no longer went into my account on a regular basis? What if suddenly all those assets just disappeared? How long could I live out of my pantry, refrigerator, and freezer?

How long before someone decides to foreclose on my house, assuming they have a record. How will I buy groceries, or gas, or pay electric bills? How long will life go on as usual if a virus or deliberate attack crippled our financial system. See, we are only temporary stewards of all that stuff anyway. It all belongs to God so why do we worry about it? Why do we hold on so tight? Why can’t we understand what Jesus was saying when He made His comments to the scribe that day 2000 years ago.

Jesus want us to know the cost of following Him, but in reality, it’s no cost at all except the one thing He wants. Me and you. Everything else is just temporary stuff that we really can’t control very well anyway. We think we do, but it’s a façade. It’s one of those lies of Satan, the father of lies. When we follow Jesus, we must know the cost, Jesus says, “Foxes have dens in which to sleep, and the birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” Are you ready to go with Him?

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

Get your ticket (Matthew 8:10-13) February 9, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Judges 1-6

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 8:10-13
Jesus was stunned by the depth of the officer’s faith.
Jesus (to His followers): This is the plain truth: I have not met a single person in Israel with as much faith as this officer. It will not be just the children of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob who celebrate at their heavenly banquet at the end of time. No, people will come from the East and the West—and those who recognize Me, regardless of their lineage, will sit with Me at that feast. But those who have feigned their faith will be cast out into outer darkness where people weep and grind their teeth.
Then Jesus turned to the Centurion.
Jesus: You may go home. For it is as you say it is; it is as you believe.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus’ words today give us a powerful promise. God came to Abraham and told him he would be the father of many nations. The Old Testament follows his patriarchal lines through Isaac, and Jacob on through the centuries to describe the history of the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people. But chosen for what? That’s what they forgot through those centuries. They were not chosen to become arrogant and self-serving. They were chosen to bless the other nations of the world.

How were they to bless the other nations of the world? They were the people God gave His message of salvation. God gave them the mission of spreading that message, but instead they kept it to themselves and built walls between them and everyone else. The racial, political, social, and religious divides they built were extreme and they would not allow any cracks in their walls.

So the story of the Centurion, the Roman military officer coming to Jesus for help, bruised the sensitivities of the devout Jews. How could He talk to a Gentile if He was really the Son of God? Would God talk to an outsider? Would God waste His time with someone who wasn’t part of His chosen nation? Of course, we know the answer. God created all people everywhere. Israel just forgot the task God gave them. They forgot who they were. They forgot that God was God and they were not.

Jesus reminded all who gathered around Him that He came for everyone. Salvation is universal for all who believe in Him. His words must have shocked the Israelites around Him. How dare He talk about Gentiles sharing in the resurrection feast with God? But that’s the promise He makes as this “heathen” demonstrates more faith than any of the religious leaders Jesus has seen in His journeys through the country.

His words remind me, though, that we can be just as guilty as those pious, hypocrites Jesus addressed that day. If you’re a Protestant, do you bash the Catholics? Did you forget that your tenets of faith originated within their church? If you’re Catholic, do you think all Protestants are heretics? If you’re Baptist, do you think every other denomination has it wrong? What if you’re Nazarene, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist? Do you look down on other denominations and wonder about their salvation?

If you want to know the truth, Jesus would probably tell us there are some Christians in each of those faiths, and a lot of people who call themselves Christians in each of those faiths. As He told those around Him that day, it isn’t your pedigree that gets you into heaven. Jesus doesn’t care what you call yourself. You could call yourself a “Gollywopper” and be a Christian if you’ve asked for His forgiveness and follow His commands. But if you don’t come to Him repentantly and follow Him, it just doesn’t matter what you call yourself. You won’t be at the feast.

However, the promise is for all who believe. That’s it. Believe enough to know He died for your sins and mine. Believe enough to follow His direction for your life. Believe enough to act as a witness to His grace each day when opportunities arise. Believe enough to let Him change you into His likeness, His image in your thoughts and actions toward others. Believe in Him enough to let Him teach you to love like He loves, even your enemies.

That’s all it takes. Faith. The Centurion exercised his faith in Jesus and his request came to fruition. Jesus sent the Centurion home with the assurance his servant returned to health. And he did. So don’t think your title will do anything for you. It won’t. Don’t think your heritage will help you. It won’t. The only thing that will get you a ticket to the feast is your faith in Christ. And He sais all you need is as much as a grain of mustard seed and you can move mountains. Exercise a little and get your ticket to the banquet with Him.

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.

I will come to you (Matthew 8:7) February 8, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Genesis 20-23

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 8:7
Jesus: I will come to your house, and I will heal him.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Another familiar story prompted by a military officer coming to Jesus and asking for help. His servant lay ill in his home in Capernaum. The officer makes a simple request. “Please heal my servant.” First, we need to think about the compassion of the military officer. We don’t consider Roman soldiers to have much compassion on anyone. And officers in the Roman army had less. They got their positions one of two ways. They either bought their position, so they cared little about the people that served them. To them their servants were just another piece of furniture, instruments to use as you would use a hammer or a plow.

The second way to become an officer in the Roman army was promotion through the ranks. That meant being a fierce warrior. Being more brutal than any of the men who served under you. Death, torture, brutality, were all part of their psyche. They were not known for their compassion. But this officer heard about Jesus and had pity on his servant. He went to the master and asked for his help. His compassion was remarkable for a man in his position.

Second, Romans didn’t ask favors of Jews. Occasionally they would demand Jews perform tasks for them, but they never asked for help. The Romans occupied Judea. They were the conquerors. They didn’t ask for anything. They took what they wanted and there were no questions asked. And this was an officer. He could have any demand he requested fulfilled by anyone he wanted within his area of military jurisdiction. That obviously included the ground where Jesus stood. But the officer humbled himself in the presence of Jesus and asked for help.

I love Jesus’ reply. Simple and to the point. “I will come to your house. And I will heal him.” That’s all he had to say. But listen again to those first words. I will come to your house. Imagine that! Jesus, a Jew, an itinerate, self-appointed rabbi for those who would listen to His words. He knew all the laws and traditions and He was talking to this Roman officer. One of those occupying His country. Not only that, He enthusiastically told him He would come to his house. Something a real, orthodox, died-in-the-wool, Jew would never think about doing.

But then look what He does for us. When we were still sinners, dirty, and filthy in our sins, rolling around in the mud and the filth of this world, He came to us. We didn’t deserve His love. We didn’t deserve His visit. We didn’t deserve His attention. We didn’t deserve His words of kindness. We didn’t deserve anything from Him except the outpouring of His wrath. But like the Roman officer, Jesus says enthusiastically, “I will come to you.” Invite Me and I’ll be there. I want to come. I want to show up and attend your party. I want to help you. I want to do more for you than you can ever imagine. Please invite Me. I’ll come.

The Roman was flabbergasted. He couldn’t believe it. He knew Jesus could heal and we’ll talk more about that tomorrow, but the Roman never thought Jesus would come to his house. Jews wouldn’t do that. After all, he wasn’t just a Gentile, he wasn’t even just a Roman soldier, he was an officer directing those soldiers to carry out all the atrocities against the Jews all across the city and countryside. Jesus said He would ome to his house and heal his servant.

The second part of Jesus’ answer is important to us, too. He will come to me and you, but He will also heal. What is your injury? Is it your finances? Listen to Him, give your finances to Him and let Him decide how to spend your money and He will fix them. Is it your relationships? Give them to Him. He might tell you to leave some of those “so called friends” that are pulling you into temptations, and He’ll help you make others and heal many as you do the things He tells you to do for others. Is it your health? Give it to Him. He made you and knows what you need to do to live the best life physically that you can. He can heal physically now, and will provide ultimate healing when He gives you a new body. He knows what you need and He can provide it.

The same words Jesus spoke to the Roman military officer that day, He shares with us. “I will come to your house, and I will heal him.” What a powerful message for him and for us. Think about His words and let them warm your heart today.

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

Don’t tell, just do! (Matthew 8:4) February 7, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Romans 11-12

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 8:4
Jesus: Don’t tell anyone what just happened. Rather, go to the priest, show yourself to him, and give a wave offering as Moses commanded. Your actions will tell the story of what happened here today.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

How many times do we use our words to explain what happens to us in our religious experiences instead of our actions? We declare to the world, “I’m a Christian.” We say the right words and attend the right churches. We tell others of our generosity and our faith. We talk about our prayer life and our study. We have a lot of words we share with others and sort of brag about our relationship. I think that’s what Jesus warns against as He shares this instruction with the leper after his miraculous cleansing that day.

The law required a specific action when a leper’s spots disappeared. The Levitical requirement said the person marched himself to the priest and the priest determined if the spots were indeed gone and he was healed. It was the priest’s training and experience to validate the healing. Then the healed person gave a wave offering of thanksgiving to God in recognition of His hand at work in the healing process. The law was clear and so Jesus tells the man to just carry out the law’s requirements.

Just do what you should be doing as a child of God. Follow His instructions. Read His manual and do what it says. That’s enough. You see, the man won’t have to tell anyone he’s been healed. When he goes to the priest to show himself as the law requires, the priest will make the declaration. The former leper won’t have to shout to the world that he’s clean, the priest will do it. He won’t have to make a sign that says, “I’m not a leper. I’m cleansed of my disease. I’m one of you.” The priest, the authority, the one who sees him will know he has been cleansed of his leprosy and make that judgment for him and make that declaration to the world.

All the leper needed to do was praise God for what happened in his life.

That’s exactly what Jesus wants us to do as we come to Him for our spiritual cleansing. I shouldn’t have to scream out to the world that I’m a Christian. In fact, my having to tell someone that I’m a follower of Christ negates my testimony in some sense. See, my life should reflect Him in such a way that others will make that declaration for me. I shouldn’t have to tell anyone. Others should see by my actions that I belong to Him. Just like the leper that went to the priest and by his actions others learned he was no longer diseased, others should see I am no longer spiritually diseased with sin because of my actions in the world. Others should see that I am so changed by the power of Christ that death no longer holds its reign over me and I live according to the hope of Jesus’ resurrection power in my life.

It shouldn’t take my words, my verbal testimony, to make others believe I am a Christian. If that’s the only method I have to convince people of my loyalty to Christ, then I’ve missed it. I’ll be like those who at the judgment cry, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we do miraculous things in your name?” But Jesus said, “Depart from me, I don’t know you.” It’s the quiet, gentle, unassuming, behavior, the fruit of godly, obedient service, that others will see and know we are followers of Jesus. It’s the love of God we share with His family and even with our enemies that will demonstrate we know and are driven by the dictates of our Savior.

But then, don’t forget the last thing Jesus told the cleansed leper to do. It’s one thing to let others see your good works and for them to give glory to your Father in heaven. But Jesus also told the healed man to give that wave offering of thanksgiving to God. That’s something we need to keep in mind always. Paul says to give thanks in everything. He says to rejoice always and to emphasize how important rejoicing is to the Christian he repeated his admonition in Philippians. Give thanks for what God has done for you.

When we come to Jesus and He forgives us of the sin in our hearts, when He cleanses us from all our unrighteousness, when He covers us with His blood and redeems us, how can we not thank Him? How can we not lift our voice in praise to Him and give Him glory and honor and praise? But do we? Do we start our day thanking Him for the honor of being one of His children? Do we open our eyes with the thought of what privilege we have to belong to the King of kings and Lord of lords? Do we take that first conscious breath of the morning thanking Him for the opportunity to live this day with His grace and mercy?

Live each day in a state of gratitude for what God has done for you. When you accept Jesus as Lord of your life, when you let Him cleanse you, and fill that God-sized hole in your life, how can you help but rejoice in everything? He will not forsake us. He will be with us always. In the toughest times, we know we are not alone. He is with us and in us. Let you actions declare for themselves who you belong to in this world. And give thanks for what God does for you each day.

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.

Of course, He wants to! (Matthew 8:3) February 6, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Matthew 14-16

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 8:3
Jesus (stretching out His hand): Of course I wish to. Be clean.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

You probably remember the setting from which these words were spoken. Jesus comes down from the mountainside where He had been teaching and as He walked along, a leper knelt in front of Him and asked to be healed of this dreadful disease. Leprosy couldn’t be cured in Jesus’ day. It meant isolation from the community, from family, from everyone except others plagued by the same disease. Life was miserable for them. They were completely without hope for any future. Unless some miracle took place, their life ended in the caves around the city as they scrounged food from the dumps to stay alive for what little hope they had in those miracles.

But this leper heard about this man called Jesus, Joshua, Savior. He heard stories that He healed by His touch and sometimes by just His spoken word. Only God could speak creative acts such as these, but this man… The stories were everywhere. The buzz about Jesus around every well and watering place overtook every other conversation. Who was this man that came on the scene out of that little hole in the wall, Nazareth, and made fools of the Pharisees when they tried to trap Him in their questions.

So this leper came in desparation. He broke all the rules. He was unclean. His sores ran and his skin bled. His fingers and toes no longer felt the pain we feel when we injure ourselves. His case could be called extreme. But this leper wanted something more than the sentence of prolonged agony ending in sure death. He broke through the crowded lane and fell at Jesus’ feet.

When people saw the leper, they probably ran out of his way. No one wanted to be close to this diseased individual. No one wanted to catch what he had. No one wanted to face the prospect of living out the rest of their days in agony and alone. The leper doesn’t impose on the Lord. “Lord, if you wish to, please heal me and make me clean.” I like that. How often to we come to the Lord in prayer demanding our way. God, you just have to do this for me. Lord you just have to do that for me. But the leper understood exactly who He addressed that day. Lord, if you wish. If it pleases you. If it fits into your plans. It my small request doesn’t take you away from your greater work. Would you mind taking just a little time away from your journey and heal me?

Is that how you approach God with your requests? I’ll admit, most of the time I don’t. He invites us to come boldly and most of the time I do. I think we’re probably all guilty of too often coming too boldly with our requests and forgetting the humility this leper demonstrates as he comes to Jesus with his personal need. Lord, if you will, please heal me and make clean.

And I love Jesus’ answer. “Of course I wish to. Be clean.” God never meant for death to enter the world. That was our doing. God never wanted disease to come to us. That was a consequence of our failure. God didn’t want us to find ourselves cast out and alone. That came about as a result of our disobedience. We let sin in and corrupted His creation. Does God want to fix it. Yes. But God is still holy and just. Sin cannot reside around Him. There must be a redeemer to buy us out from the slavery of sin and into His family.

The good news is He paid that price. He redeemed us with His shed blood. But we must accept that redemption. He doesn’t put shackles on our feet and drag us into His kingdom. He paid the price, but asks us to voluntarily follow Him. He lets us choose the path we take. Will He cleanse us and make us free from the dirt and filth of sin? Absolutely! But we must come to Him the way the leper came to Him. The leper knew his condition. He didn’t care what others thought about him coming forward to Jesus. He knew they would talk about his breaking the rules. He assumed some what talk about how terrible he was to expose others to his disease by coming along the road with people who didn’t have his disease. The leper knew he was an outcast and could not help himself. He knew his only hope was in the healing and cleansing Jesus could bring. He knew Jesus could make the difference in his life no one else could make and had confidence in Jesus’ ability to do so. He put all his faith in Jesus.

What do you need Jesus to do for you? How do you come to Him with your request? He tells us to come to Him boldly? But do we remember that He is Lord of creation? Do we understand just Who we address when we fall on our knees in front of Him? The leper understood. He came in humble adoration and made his plea. Jesus’ response – Of course, I wish to do it! He doesn’t withhold His good gifts from us. Just remember Who you’re asking in the process. He is God, you know.

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.