Tag Archives: work

You cannot go wherever you want (Leviticus 16:2), July 24, 2017

Today’s Podcast

Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
As much as we might think we can, we cannot go wherever we want. Moses learned that a long time ago.
Scripture
1. Leviticus 16:2
2. Go, talk to Aaron, and warn him that he cannot go whenever he wants…
Devotional
1. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m using another warfighter story today since I’m still deep into a training exercise for a medical command this week. I think it will illustrate my point pretty clearly, though.
2. We have the units operating on a linear battlefield at the moment. When combat units fight side by side in that fashion, they have what are called lines of coordination that determine exactly where their left and right boundaries are so they reduce the risk of firing into friendly forces. That boundary is usually an easily recognizeable feature like a road or river or some other terrain feature that won’t change despite the intensity of the battle. And one of the units, not both, will own the feature, the road, river, or whatever it might be.
3. So units don’t go into each others territory without prior coordination. One unit’s soldiers don’t cross the line without coordinating with their adjacent unit first. The reason is easily understood. If you cross the boundary without coordination, you might get shot by friendly force. Not a good thing for anyone. So units warn their soldiers where they cannot go. Don’t cross this road. Don’t cross this river. Don’t go over this hill. Stay out of the adjacent unit’s area. You can’t go wherever you want!
4. It’s true in our everyday life. We find barriers on the road. One way signs, road blocks, locked doors. Physical barriers that keep us out of places that unless we have the proper authority, we cannot enter those places. I can pretty much guarantee that most if not everyone who hears this has never personally seen the gold in sitting in Fort Knox. We cannot go there. We cannot go wherever we want. If we tried, we would be turned away. If we tried by using force, we would be met with equal or greater force and be turned away. I can assure you that you cannot get to the gold in Fort Knox. It is protected from intrusion and theft and you cannot go there. You cannot see it. You cannot go wherever you want.
5. There are some severe consequences for overstepping your bounds if you cross physical barriers that are there to restrict your movement. Another example are the barriers our law enforcement personnel put in place during flash floods. Some people are foolish enough to think the barriers don’t apply to them and find themselves caught in the torrent of water grasping on whatever they can when their car is washed off the road. The near death experience and $2500 fine helps remind them you cannot go wherever you want.
6. All of these examples talk about physical space, but what about our behavior? What about our spiritual lives? What about pushing past the fence that God puts in place to keep us from suffering the consequences of sinful behavior. His laws keep us in line. His laws are much like telling our kids not to put their hand in the flame. Don’t go there, you’ll get burned.
7. God tells us, don’t do these things. There are consequeces you don’t want to pay if you cross these boundaries. You cannot go wherever you want.
8. If we would just listen to Him. If we would just pay attention to the warning signs He puts in our path and then refuse to go around them, our journey of life would progress so much better. We would find ourselves with so much more joy and find our priorities ordered properly in the things we face every day.
9. We understand in our daily lives we cannot go wherever we want. It’s important we apply that same understanding to our behavior and our spiritual lives. Otherwise there are consequences we do not want to pay.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Bible Reading Plan – www.Bible-Reading.com

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.

It takes time and effort to be a follower of Christ (Colossians 1-2), July 10, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
It takes time and effort to perfect a skill. Should we expect anything different with our Christian walk? Then why do so many Christians think they can just get by with wearing His name?
Scripture – Bible Reading Plan – http://www.Bible-Reading.com (week 28)
1. Colossians 1:10; 22-23;2:6-8
2. May their lives be a credit to You, Lord; and what’s more, may they continue to delight You by doing every good work and growing in the true knowledge that comes from being close to You.
3. …but now He has reconciled you in His body—in His flesh through His death—so that He can present you to God holy, blameless, and totally free of imperfection 23 as long as you stay planted in the faith. So don’t venture away from what you have heard and taken to heart: the living hope of the good news that has been announced to all creation under heaven and has captured me, Paul, as its servant.
4. Now that you have welcomed the Anointed One, Jesus the Lord, into your lives, continue to journey with Him and allow Him to shape your lives. 7 Let your roots grow down deeply in Him, and let Him build you up on a firm foundation. Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught, and always spill over with thankfulness. 8 Make sure no predator makes you his prey through some misleading philosophy and empty deception based on traditions fabricated by mere mortals. These are sourced in the elementary principles originating in this world and not in the Anointed One (so don’t let their talks capture you).
Devotional
1. When I was a kid, pre-teen, as a matter of fact, I took piano lessons. It was the thing to do for a lot of kids and it was a good way to learn music and, quite frankly, music teaches kids to strive toward perfection. You see, it’s pretty easy to know when you aren’t playing something correctly when you hit a wrong note. Our ears are tuned to hear things in certain harmonies and when notes are played out of harmony with everyone else, we know it. We hear those off color notes in a piece of music or a band or an orchestra and no one has to tell us.
2. Well, I took lessons for two or three years and learned to play all those songs in those first half dozen or so beginner books, but that’s about as far as it goes. Needless to say, I didn’t learn to play well. I could read all the notes. I knew what all the marks on the score meant. I understood what the timing was supposed to be when played well, but my fingers never did what the composer intended when those black and white shapes were placed on those lines years earlier.
3. On the other hand, I have a cousin who studied piano for many years and became a very accomplished pianist. He majored in keyboard in school and could play just about anything you put in front of him. He could play any type of music and accompany other musicians as they performed instrumentally or vocally. He was very good. But you know what? He started out the same way I did. Those first two or three years were brutal for his parents. Lots of practice with missed notes, obvious disharmony in the notes he played, mistakes galore. It’s the way things work.
4. We cannot expect to be accomplished musicians without years of focused practice on the instrument we want to perfect. We cannot expect to just piddle around a few times with a piano or guitar or trumpet and expect to play like those we hear in some orchestra like the Philadelphia Harmonic Orchestra. No, we would be foolish to think we could do such a thing.
5. I’m not a golfer, but I know from those who play the game, that the same is true of that sport or any other. Granted, some people are certainly more athletic than others. Some have an aptitude for certain sports and are fitted to such things much more so than others, but still they require practice. For instance, we would not expect a person four feet two inches tall to make it into the National Basketball League no matter how well he might shoot from the foul line. He just couldn’t compete against the seven footers on the court. But neither can all seven-footers play basketball. Frankly, most of the very tall people I know are a just a little uncoordinated because they’ve had to deal with their size in a world not made to fit them.
6. So golf, baseball, basketball, pick a sport, pick a vocation, pick a hobby. To be good at it, takes time and effort and practice.
7. I think the verses today tell us that about being followers of Christ. Listen to what Paul tells us in his letter to the church in Colossi:
8. 1. May their lives be a credit to You, Lord; and what’s more, may they continue to delight You by doing every good work and growing in the true knowledge that comes from being close to You.
  2. …but now He has reconciled you in His body—in His flesh through His death—so that He can present you to God holy, blameless, and totally free of imperfection 23 as long as you stay planted in the faith. So don’t venture away from what you have heard and taken to heart: the living hope of the good news that has been announced to all creation under heaven and has captured me, Paul, as its servant.
  3. Now that you have welcomed the Anointed One, Jesus the Lord, into your lives, continue to journey with Him and allow Him to shape your lives. 7 Let your roots grow down deeply in Him, and let Him build you up on a firm foundation. Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught, and always spill over with thankfulness. 8 Make sure no predator makes you his prey through some misleading philosophy and empty deception based on traditions fabricated by mere mortals. These are sourced in the elementary principles originating in this world and not in the Anointed One (so don’t let their talks capture you).
9. Paul prays about doing every good work and growing in the knowledge that comes from being close to God. That takes time and effort and commitment. He says Jesus reconciled us to present us blameless … as long as we stay planted in the faith. In this present world with it pull on us every day toward the evil one, it means we need to stay in the fight, keep up our guard, draw closer to Him. Commit ourselves to Him continuously and consistently. We must work at growing in Him. Paul says in Chapter two, to Let our roots grow down deeply i Him and let Him build us up on a firm foundation. If you’ve ever tried growing something, you know it takes work to till the soil, the plants fertilized, watered and weeded, so that you get the harvest you expect. It takes work to make roots grow deeply.
10. And what about making sure no predator makes you his prey? Have you ever watched a prey try to escape its predator? A rabbit fleeing a fox? Or a mouse trying to outrun a hawk? Talk about work! This thing about following Christ means we must work hard at the task. We can’t expect to ask Him to forgive us and then expect everything to be over. To follow Him means we must work at doing so. We must grow in Him and that means picking up a hoe or a pick and shovel and getting through the tough ground so the right seeds can be sown in our life and a harvest reaped in our own soul.
11. So as a Christian, don’t listen to those who might tell you everything will be peaches and cream when you become a follower of Jesus. It won’t. Following Jesus means work. It means commitment. It means suffering with Him. It means taking up our cross. It means giving our all because He gave His all. But is it worth it? Just ask the many who have followed Him and you will discover the joy in their lives that can never be shaken because He lives within them. Don’t expect an easy life, but expect one filled with excitement, joy, and His presence.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

Complete the journey (Revelation 3:1-6), May 16, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
It’s true that every journey starts with the first step, but if that’s the only step you take, you never get to your destination. The journey will never be complete.
Scripture
1. Revelation 3:1-6
2. The One: Write down My words, and send them to the messenger of the church in Sardis. “These are the words of the One who has the seven Spirits of God, the Perfect Spirit, and the One who holds the seven stars:

“I know the things you do—you’ve claimed a reputation of life, but you are actually dead. Wake up from your death-sleep, and strengthen what remains of the life you have been given that is in danger of death. I have judged your deeds as far from complete in the sight of My God. Therefore, remember what you have received and heard; it’s time to keep these instructions and turn back from your ways. If you do not wake up from this sleep, I will come in judgment. I will creep up on you like a thief—you will have no way of knowing when I will come. But there are a few in Sardis who don’t have the stain of evil works on their clothes. They will walk alongside Me in white, spotless garments because they have been proven worthy.

“The one who conquers through faithfulness even unto death will be clothed in white garments, and I will certainly not erase that person’s name from the book of life. I will acknowledge this person’s name before My Father and before His heavenly messengers.

“Let the person who is able to hear, listen to and follow what the Spirit proclaims to all the churches.”

Devotional
1. For a few years I served as the senior medical observer/controller at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
  1. Fancy title. Responsible for helping train medical units prepare to do provide their medical support in regions of conflict
  2. Need to be able to perform their medical mission to care for sick and wounded soldiers
  3. Also needed to defend themselves against an enemy that didn’t care about the Geneva Conventions
  4. Discovered it’s difficult to do either one and extremely difficult to do both at the same time
2. Many units concentrated on one or the other
  1. Got overwhelmed with patients and forgot about their vulnerability against an armed force
  2. Protected against an enemy but forgot they needed to treat patients at the same time
  3. Most often defense is what went by the wayside as they executed their primary mission of patient care
3. Put up what might look like a defense to some
  1. Razor wire around the facility, but not enough
  2. Guards at various points, but not looking at the right places
  3. Checks of vehicles coming in, but not checking well when chaos broke loose with several patients coming in at once
  4. Their work started but wasn’t complete
  5. It didn’t make the grade
4. That’s what happened in Sardis
  1. They started
  2. They were excited at the beginning
  3. They set to work and looked good
  4. It got hard and they stopped before the work was done
  5. They let their defenses down
  6. The enemy broke in and stole their momentum, their enthusiasm, their life
5. Jesus says, stay faithful, walk beside Him, He’ll acknowledge you before the Father and clothe you in spotless garments of white
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

Do you know your nautical terms? (John 21:5-6), May 1, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
If you’re going to be around sailing men, you need to know a few nautical terms like bow and stern, port and starboard, and a few others just to get around. One today struck me for the first time in some of Jesus’ final words to His disciples.
Scripture
1. John 21:5-6
2. Jesus: My sons, you haven’t caught any fish, have you?

Disciples: No.

Jesus: Throw your net on the starboard side of the boat, and your net will find the fish.

Devotional
1. I’m not much of a naval guy. But having been on a few ships during my some of deployments,
  1. Meetings on a the USNS Comfort and Mercy
  2. Meetings on Flagships
  3. I needed to know a few nautical terms so as not to embarrass myself in front of my Navy brothers and sisters.
  4. Needed to know the difference between port and starboard, bow and stern. Important terms like galley, mess, and head.
2. Both brothers served in the Navy
  1. Also wanted to be able to converse with them
  2. One a submariner for twenty years
  3. One an engineer for six years
  4. All our languages are a little difference, but many commonalities
3. Never thought about what Jesus said until I read it again in The Voice
  1. “Throw your net on the starboard side of the boat…”
  2. The right side of the boat
  3. Not the wrong side
  4. How many times do we beat our heads against the wall because we are hard at work doing the wrong thing?
4. I’ve been guilty of working hard on the wrong thing
  1. Sometimes physical labor
    1. Digging the wrong hole in the ground
    2. Cutting the wrong board
    3. Building the wrong wall
    4. Tearing down the wrong structure
  2. Sometimes mental
    1. Taking the wrong classes
    2. Reading the wrong books
    3. Watching the wrong programs
    4. Listening to the wrong teachers
  3. Sometimes spiritual
    1. Following the wrong guide
    2. Listening to the wrong voice
5. How do we know what the right is?
  1. Get into God’s word
  2. Listen for His voice
  3. Know His voice better than any other
  4. Do what He says when He says it
  5. Do the right thing!
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

How useful is that money now? (Luke 12/14-21) November 15, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Ezra 1-5

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 12:14-21
Jesus: Since when am I your judge or arbitrator?
Then He used that opportunity to speak to the crowd.
Jesus: You’d better be on your guard against any type of greed, for a person’s life is not about having a lot of possessions.
(then, beginning another parable) A wealthy man owned some land that produced a huge harvest. He often thought to himself, “I have a problem here. I don’t have anywhere to store all my crops. What should I do? I know! I’ll tear down my small barns and build even bigger ones, and then I’ll have plenty of storage space for my grain and all my other goods. Then I’ll be able to say to myself, ‘I have it made! I can relax and take it easy for years! So I’ll just sit back, eat, drink, and have a good time!’”
Then God interrupted the man’s conversation with himself. “Excuse Me, Mr. Brilliant, but your time has come. Tonight you will die. Now who will enjoy everything you’ve earned and saved?”
This is how it will be for people who accumulate huge assets for themselves but have no assets in relation to God.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I hope you’ve never been part of those inheritance squabbles. I’ve seen a few in my lifetime. I think my family on both side through several links are smart enough and genteel enough not to get into those kinds of brutal arguments. But I’ve seen some of those battles. No one comes out well when a wealthy or even a not so wealthy family member dies and siblings or children and grandchildren start fighting over who should receive what portions of the estate. People come out of the woodwork demanding their part. Court battles erupt and there is anything but respect for the deceased’s last will and testament, especially if a large portion is given to a charity. It seems people just don’t want to work for their money anymore.

Jesus addressed the man who wanted arbitration about an inheritance, but that wasn’t the case for the wealthy person in Jesus’ parable. The subject of the parable was a man who earned his fortune through hard work, but then decided it was time to retire early. He built his estate and accumulated more than he could ever spend. He was ready to sit back and enjoy the good life.

That sounds just like the pitch all our financial planners give us, doesn’t it? Start saving your money at a young age. Set aside all you can as soon as you can. Then by the time you’re 55, you’ll have enough to retire and do what you want. You can quit working and travel the world. Put your money in the right stocks and watch them grow at enormous rates and then just sit back with your toes in the sand and do nothing but enjoy the fruits of your short life of labor. Doesn’t that sound good?

Only that’s not God’s plan for us. He never talks about retirement. God never gives us a date to quit working on His plans. He never tells us to sit back and do nothing. And there are some important reasons for that. I haven’t looked lately, but a few years ago, there were some interesting morbidity mortality rates concerning military retirees. Those were the only ones I was researching at the time because at the time I was looking at my own retirement. The research showed that the average life expectancy for someone retiring from military service was just under ten years.

That was a little scary to me. There were several reasons given. Many stopped their daily exercise routine the military sort of forces us into and so gained enormous amounts of weight in the first several months out of service that never came off. That contributes to lots of other problems like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, etc. Many stopped getting routine medical care because they weren’t required to as they were while on active duty so those underlying problems weren’t found soon enough to take care of them. But one of the astounding reasons given for many died so quickly after retirement was their lack of purpose for living. The just quit feeling useful to society and gave up on life. So if any disease popped up they didn’t fight it, they just died. The flu killed them. Pneumonia killed them. A heart attack killed them. Because they didn’t have the will to fight to live.

Solomon learned the hard way, and wrote in Ecclesiastes for us, life is meaningless unless lived for the right reasons. We can dabble in lots of stuff, earn lots of money, have our names in lights and be known around the world. None of that matters. Unless we are working out God’s purpose in our lives, life is truly meaningless. All the riches in the world don’t matter and don’t do anything for us. Besides, ask all those rich folks lying in those neatly mowed graves and polished mausoleum, how useful is all that wealth to them now?

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

The peace God gives (Matthew 20:1-16) May 7, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Luke 1-2

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 20:1-16
Jesus: The kingdom of heaven is like a wealthy landowner who got up early in the morning and went out, first thing, to hire workers to tend his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a day’s wage for the day’s work. The workers headed to the vineyard while the landowner headed home to deal with some paperwork. About three hours later, he went back to the marketplace. He saw some unemployed men standing around with nothing to do.
Landowner: Do you need some work? Go over to my vineyard and join the crew there. I’ll pay you well.
So off they went to join the crew at the vineyard. About three hours later, and then three hours after that, the landowner went back to the market and saw another crew of men and hired them, too, sending them off to his vineyard and promising to pay them well. Then finally late in the afternoon, at the cusp of night, the landowner walked again through the marketplace, and he saw other workers still standing around.
Landowner: Why have you been standing here all day, doing nothing?
Workers: Because no one has hired us.
Landowner: Well, you should go over to my vineyard and work.
And off the workers went. When quitting time arrived, the landowner called to his foreman.
Landowner: Pay the workers their day’s wages, beginning with the workers I hired most recently and ending with the workers who have been here all day.
So the workers who had been hired just a short while before came to the foreman, and he paid them each a day’s wage. Then other workers who had arrived during the day were paid, each of them a day’s wage. Finally, the workers who’d been toiling since early morning came thinking they’d be paid more, but the foreman paid each of them a day’s wage. As they received their pay, this last group of workers began to protest.
First Workers: We’ve been here since the crack of dawn! And you’re paying us the exact same wage you paid the crew that just showed up. We deserve more than they do. We’ve been slogging in the heat of the sun all day—these others haven’t worked nearly as long as we have!
The landowner heard these protests.
Landowner (to a worker): Friend, no one has been wronged here today. This isn’t about what you deserve. You agreed to work for a day’s wage, did you not? So take your money and go home. I can give my money to whomever I please, and it pleases me to pay everyone the same amount of money. Do you think I don’t have the right to dispose of my money as I wish? Or does my generosity somehow prick at you?
And that is your picture: The last will be first and the first will be last.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Some of you might get a little perturbed at Jesus’ story. He’s talking about heaven being like this landowner and those that get in at the last minute getting the same reward as those that worked for the kingdom all their lives. Does that sound fair? Is that right? Is that justice? Do you want to shake your fist at God and shout at Him for His injustice? That’s what some of those around Jesus wanted to do. But God does what God wants to do. It’s His plan.

I’ve given this a little thought since I read Jesus’ words and began to think about what to put into this devotional. And one of the things these workers didn’t think about and what we don’t think about when we first look at this story is the privilege of being in the kingdom, working for God for longer periods of time, the earlier we come to Him. Sometimes we forget that we enjoy a little taste of heaven here on earth as soon as we invite Him into our heart and give Him lordship over our life.

That’s one of the points of Jesus’ message as He share with people. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. It’s here. You can enjoy it now. Remember His promise that His legacy is peace? It’s not the absence of war between nations Jesus talks about, but the absence of war between God and us. Peace in our heart because He has forgiven our sins and we are right with Him. What is that kind of peace worth? Isn’t living with peace in our heart every day in this life worth something? Isn’t that a just reward for giving our heart to God earlier in life and not living under the guilt and pressure of sin every day of our life until we final say yes to His will?

To live that extra 10 or 20 or 50 years without the guilt of sin, certainly has its own reward. To have the privilege of working in God’s vineyard and feel the joy of watching one more person come to know Him as their Lord carries a priceless value. To be part of building God’s kingdom for the years He allows us to labor for Him cannot be viewed as hard labor in a field with no reward, it has tremendous value in its own right. We just need to stop and remember what God gives us during those extra years He allows us to engage in the work of building His kingdom.

He created us to care for His creation. When we don’t do that, somehow I get the feeling we we just will never be content. But when we work in His fields, building His kingdom, doing the work He plans for us, I think we enjoy that peace only He can give. The internal reward of a job well done. Don’t worry about what the other guy gets. The peace God gives on the journey with Him pays every single moment we live in His presence.

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 up and get at it (Matthew 25:14-30) November 26, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Matthew 25:14-30

Set – Matthew 24-25

Go! – Matthew 23-25

Matthew 25:14-30
Jesus: ¹⁴ This is how it will be. It will be like a landowner who is going on a trip. He instructed his slaves about caring for his property. ¹⁵ He gave five talents to one slave, two to the next, and then one talent to the last slave—each according to his ability. Then the man left.
¹⁶ Promptly the man who had been given five talents went out and bartered and sold and turned his five talents into ten. ¹⁷ And the one who had received two talents went to the market and turned his two into four. ¹⁸ And the slave who had received just one talent? He dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money there.
¹⁹ Eventually the master came back from his travels, found his slaves, and settled up with them. ²⁰ The slave who had been given five talents came forward and told his master how he’d turned five into ten; then he handed the whole lot over to his master.
Master: ²¹ Excellent. You’ve proved yourself not only clever but loyal. You’ve executed a rather small task masterfully, so now I am going to put you in charge of something larger. But before you go back to work, come join my great feast and celebration.
²² Then the slave who had been given two talents came forward and told his master how he’d turned two into four, and he handed all four talents to his master.
Master: ²³ Excellent. You’ve proved yourself not only clever but loyal. You’ve executed a rather small task masterfully, so now I am going to put you in charge of something larger. But before you go back to work, come join my great feast and celebration.
²⁴ Finally the man who had been given one talent came forward.
Servant: Master, I know you are a hard man, difficult in every way. You can make a healthy sum when others would fail. You profit when other people are doing the work. You grow rich on the backs of others. ²⁵ So I was afraid, dug a hole, and hid the talent in the ground. Here it is. You can have it.
²⁶ The master was furious.
Master: You are a pathetic excuse for a servant! You have disproved my trust in you and squandered my generosity. You know I always make a profit! ²⁷ You could have at least put this talent in the bank; then I could have earned a little interest on it! ²⁸ Take that one talent away, and give it to the servant who doubled my money from five to ten.
²⁹ You see, everything was taken away from the man who had nothing, but the man who had something got even more. ³⁰ And as for the slave who made no profit but buried his talent in the ground? His master ordered his slaves to tie him up and throw him outside into the utter darkness where there is miserable mourning and great fear.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

You can interpret the parable I gave that day many ways. Some will think the master cruel for the way he treated the one who did not multiply the talent he intrusted to him. Some will look at the parable as an encouragement toward capitalism and an indictment of socialism. Some will think the master unfair in giving the unused talent to the one who had ten and think it should go to the one with four so he could have a better chance of gain.

None of those interpretations are right. You see, the master cares about working within the servants’ capabilities. That’s all. He gave each of his servants talents within their specific capability to handle and multiply their means. He expected them to use what he gave them to do just that. Two of the three worked hard and did what he expected. The third, lazy servant, did nothing. He buried the talent and let it lay dormant in the ground.

And why did he give the extra talent to the one who already had ten? Because he knew it was easier for the one with ten to add a single talent to his portfolio and manage it than for the one who had four to add one to his. He knew the people who worked for him. He knew their skills and gave them what they could handle. Unfortunately, the one who could handle the single talent failed to do what he could and just sat by doing nothing.

I never expect you to just sit around and do nothing. I always have a task for you. Sometimes it requires some waiting for things to happen around you, but seldom does that mean you are idle in the process of waiting. Even in waiting, I expect you to be busy doing good for others. I never expect you to just sit by and watch the grass grow and the clouds drift by. My children never retire. I may change their tasks from time to time, but they never retire from My service.

So take a few lessons from the story. Don’t find yourself in the place of the servant with one talent. He wasn’t condemned for the fact that he had only one talent. He found himself condemned because he failed to use the one talent I had given him. Use what I give you for My glory. It will multiply. Never retire. Never quit. Never sit on the side lines. I have work for you to do. Get up and get at 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 has work for you to do (Matthew 21:23-32) November 25, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Matthew 21:23-32

Set – Matthew 21-22

Go! – Matthew 20-22

Matthew 21:23-32
²³ Jesus returned to the temple and began to teach. The chief priests and elders came to Him and wanted to know who had given Him permission to disturb the temple precincts and to teach His crazy notions in this most sacred of spots.
Chief Priests and Elders: Who gave You the authority to do these things?
Jesus: ²⁴ I will answer your question if first you answer one of Mine: ²⁵ You saw John ritually cleansing people through baptism for the redemption of their sins. Did John’s cleansing come from heaven, or was he simply washing people of his own whim?
The elders knew that this question was tricky; there was no simple answer. If they acknowledged that John’s ritual cleansing was from heaven, Jesus would ask why they had not accepted John’s authority. ²⁶ But if they said he had dipped people simply by his own accord, they would outrage the people who believed John was a prophet.
Chief Priests and Elders: ²⁷ We don’t know.
Jesus: Then neither will I tell you about the authority under which I am working. ²⁸ But I will tell you a story, and you can tell Me what you make of it: There was a man who had two sons. He said to his first son,
Father: Go and work in the vineyard today.
First Son: ²⁹ No, I will not.
But later the first son changed his mind and went. ³⁰ Then the father went to his second son.
Father: Go and work in the vineyard today.
Second Son: Of course, Father.
But then he did not go. ³¹ So which of the sons did what the father wanted?
Chief Priests and Elders (answering at once): The first.
Jesus: I tell you this: the tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³² John came to show you the straight path, the path to righteousness. You did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. Even as you saw the prostitutes and the tax collectors forgiven and washed clean, finding their footing on the straight path to righteousness, still you did not change your ways and believe.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Saying the right words doesn’t go very far with Me. A lot of people know the right words to say. They’ve practiced them a long time. They know how to fool those around them with their pious words and for a short time they act the part well. With their knowledge, they fool those around them into thinking they know Me, but they don’t. They are far from Me.

I attempted to point out the same problem with the story I told the chief priests and elders in the temple that day. Those leaders taught their disciples all the right words. They knew the rituals. They practiced the forms and recitations and could point out the smallest deviations when someone failed to perform them perfectly. It’s not the recitations that builds relationships with Me. It’s not the words you know or the rituals you practice. I want you to know Me.

Knowing Me only comes through letting Me live in you. That comes through faith. Believe in Me for salvation. Believe that I can teach you. Believe that I love you more that you can ever imagine. Then ask Me into your life. Then just talk with Me. I will talk with you through My word, through pastors and other believers, and through My Spirit speaking to you. You can know Me, not just about Me.

Then as in the story I told the chief priests and elders that day, do what I ask you to do. Don’t just say you will obey, but really obey. Don’t be like the second son who told his father he would work in the field but didn’t. Be the first son who obeyed his father and went into the field and worked. Your heavenly Father will bless you when you obey His call. He has work for you to 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.

Prepare the soil (Hosea 12), July 7, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Hosea 12

Set – Hosea 12; Psalms 73; Hebrews 4

Go! – Hosea 10–12; Psalms 73; Hebrews 4

Hosea 12
¹ Eternal One: Ephraim feeds on the wind.
He chases the hot east wind all day long.
He’s becoming more and more deceitful and violent.
They’ve abandoned their covenant to make an alliance with Assyria,
trading oil for favor from Egypt.
² The Eternal has charges to bring against Judah;
He’ll punish the nation of Jacob for the way he’s acting
and pay him back for the things he’s done.
³ Even from the womb, he fought with his brother by grabbing his heel;
when he grew to be an adult, he struggled against God.
^4-5 He wrestled with a heavenly messenger and won;
he wept and begged for his help.
It was the Eternal, the Commander of heavenly armies, who met him at Bethel;
the Eternal Himself spoke with him there; the Eternal One is His memorial name.
⁶ So you must return to your God, maintain loyalty and justice,
and wait patiently for your God.
⁷ Like Canaan, Israel is a merchant who uses dishonest scales—
he loves to cheat people!
⁸ Ephraim gloats, “I’ve gotten rich! I’ve made a fortune for myself!
And in all my dealings no one can charge me with iniquity and dishonesty.”
⁹ Eternal One: I’m the Eternal One; I’ve been your True God ever since you left Egypt.
I’m going to make you live in tents again,
As you do in remembrance during the Feast of Tabernacles.
¹⁰ Eternal One: I’ve spoken to the prophets; I’ve given them many visions,
and I’ve told you parables through them.
¹¹ Because Gilead is so wicked, it is worthless.
They sacrifice bulls at the cultic center of Gilgal,
But their altars will be heaps of stone next to a plowed field.
¹² Jacob fled to the fields of Aram;
Israel worked for Laban in exchange for a wife;
to pay the bride-price, he shepherded Laban’s flocks.
¹³ But the Eternal One led Israel out of Egypt by a prophet;
Moses, God’s own prophet, kept the people safe.
¹⁴ But now Ephraim has made his Lord furious, and this is His judgment:
God will punish him for the blood he’s shed
and pay him back for his defiance.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Farmers always expect a harvest. Can you imagine what it would be like to be a farmer but not expect a harvest from the work you put into the crops? You prepare the fields each winter and spring. You spend days and weeks fertilizing, plowing, checking the soiling and making sure it is ready for planting. Then you carefully plant seeds into freshly plowed ground to ensure the best crop possible for a good harvest when the fruit is ripe on the stalks.

You water, weed, fertilize during the season. You protect the crop from bugs, birds, and other animals that might destroy the crop before you can harvest it. Then the big day comes. The crop should be ripe. The harvest should be ready. But instead of a harvest, you have nothing. Can you imagine the heartbreak the farmer must feel? All year he has labored, but he has done so in vain. No farmer goes through that labor without expecting a harvest. He always expects to reap what he has sown.

Life is like that. You reap what you sow. If you sow good deads, in time you will reap a harvest of good. But if you sow evil deeds, in time you will reap evil. Your harvest will reflect the seeds you planted and labored so diligently to grow. So I have a few questions for you along the metaphor of the farmer and his crop.

Have you planted the right seeds? Have you planted good deeds and a righteous life or evil? Let’s assume you are planting good deeds, or trying to.

Are you working diligently on the preparation of the soil before you plant the seeds and after the seeds are planted? Too many think just planting the seed is sufficient to make a bountiful harvest grow. What they find instead is just planting a seed will often result in a scrawny plant.

Pay attention to the preparation of your own soil and in the place you plant the seeds of good deeds. Fertilize the soil of your life and the lives of others with prayer. Plow the field with My word, a sharp sword that can divide body and spirit. That dividing sword can be the plow that creates furrows in the mind and spirit and prepares the heart for the seed being planted.

Once seeds of good deeds are planted, care for them. Water them with My spirit. The evidence of My can be found in its fruit – unconditional love, joy, peace, patience, kindheartedness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Remove the weeds that come from the world’s interference.

Take care of the seeds of good deeds you plant in others and prepare the soil well. Then care for the field. When you do, you will see a bountiful harvest in yourself and in others.

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.

Here’s a four letter word for you – Work! (2 Thessalonians 3), May 19, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Thessalonians 3
Set – 2 Chronicles 2; 2 Thessalonians 3
Go! – 1 Kings 4-5; 2 Chronicles 2; Psalms 101; 2 Thessalonians 3

2 Thessalonians 3
¹ Brothers and sisters, having shared all this, let me ask you to pray for us. Pray that this message of the Lord will spread quickly and receive the praise and respect it deserves from others as it has with you. ² Pray also that we would all be rescued from the snares of harmful, wicked people—after all, not all people are believing. ³ Still, the Lord is true to His promises; He will hold you up and guard you against the evil one. ⁴ We do not doubt the Lord’s intentions for you; we are confident that you are carrying out, and will continue to carry out, the commands we are sending your way. ⁵ May the Lord guide your hearts into God’s pure love and keep you headed straight into the strong and sure grip of the Anointed One.

⁶ For the sake of the church, brothers and sisters, we insist in the name of our Lord Jesus the Anointed that you withdraw from any brother or sister who is out of order and unwilling to work, who is straying from the line of teaching we passed on to all of you. ⁷ You know how essential it is to imitate us in the way we live life. We were never undisciplined ⁸ nor did we take charity from anyone while we were with you. Instead, you saw how we worked very hard day and night so we wouldn’t be a burden to even one person in the community. ⁹ We had the right to depend on your help and hospitality, as you know; but we wanted to give you a model you could follow, to lay a path of footprints for you to walk in. ¹⁰ This is exactly why, while with you, we commanded you: “Anyone not willing to work shouldn’t get to eat!” ¹¹ You see, we are hearing that some folks in the community are out of step with our teaching; they are idle, not working, but really busy doing nothing—and yet still expect to be fed! ¹² If this is you or someone else in the community, we insist and urge you in the Lord Jesus the Anointed that you go to work quietly, earn your keep, put food on your own table, and supply your own necessities. ¹³ And to the rest of you, brothers and sisters, never grow tired of doing good.

¹⁴ If someone disregards the instructions of this letter, make a note of who it is and don’t have anything to do with that person so that this one may be shamed. ¹⁵ Don’t consider someone like this an enemy (he is an enemy only to himself) but warn him as if you were redirecting your own brother.

¹⁶ And now, dear friends, may the Lord of peace Himself grace you with peace always and in everything. May the Lord be present with all of you.

¹⁷ This final greeting is by me, Paul, written by my own hand. This is my signature, letting you know that this is a genuine letter from me, and so I write to you:

¹⁸ May the grace of our Lord Jesus the Anointed be with all of you.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Somewhere along the line, many get the idea that society owes them something. Paul put the words down correctly when he told the church body in Thessalonica, “Anyone not willing to work shouldn’t get to eat!” I want you to take care of those unable to work for themselves. I want you to help the feeble, the sick, those who cannot work. But those who can, you do them no favors by your unbridled charity. Give them something to do so they may understand their usefulness to society.

The Garden of Eden was not a place of continual rest and relaxation. People get that misconception sometimes. Heaven won’t be a place of rest, either. I gave Adam the requirement to care for creation before the fall. That’s a lot of work, but it gave meaning and purpose to his life. The curse on Adam and Eve’s banishment was not that they would start to work, but that the earth would fight against them in their toil.

You see, I have something for you to accomplish. You have skills and talents, spiritual gifts, I’ve given you that I expect you to use to assist others in finding Me or in building My church. I expect you to use those gifts in accomplishing things for My kingdom. Using those gifts will sometimes seem like work and sometimes seem like complete and utter joy. The two go hand in hand because I made you to work, not to sit around and do nothing. I made you to accomplish tasks…for Me.

There you have it. Paul wasn’t being cruel or dispassionate when he gave those words to the Thessalonians. He passed on My thoughts and My directions. I made you as productive members of society helping each other in ways only you can help. Find your place and accomplish your tasks. Everyone can do something. So get to it and get your jobs done with joy and gladness.

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.