Luke 9-10

October 31

Luke 9-10

The religious leaders did not like Jesus because He forced them to think outside the box in which they had placed their faith. An expert in the law attempted to test Jesus and asked what he had to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus put the question back on the teacher of the law. After all, he was supposed to be the expert in the law. The lawyer responded that we should love God and love people. Jesus told him he was correct and that if he did that he would have eternal life. But who can perfectly love God and people. So to clarify and to justify himself the lawyer asked; “who is my neighbor?” Jesus responded with the story of the Good Samaritan.

Jesus’ story made the enemy of the Jewish people the hero. His story challenged the listeners to love even those they hated. Jesus in effect said that to have eternal life we have to love God and love people, even those people we hate. What Jesus told the lawyer he had to do is impossible on our own. The Good News is that Jesus died and rose again and gives us His Spirit so that we do not have to love on our own, we can love through the power of God living in us.

Jesus allowed the lawyer to answer his own question, then told him to go and love. Jesus does not give easy answers. He makes us think. He challenges our way of thinking. He stretches our comfort zone. He forces us to see that God is bigger than any box in which we attempt to place Him. God wants to make us what He created us to be, but what we cannot be without His power shaping us into the image of Jesus.

 

 

Luke 7-8

October 30

Luke 7-8

The one person who amazed Jesus was a Roman centurion. This military leader had a servant who was sick and close to dying. He heard about Jesus and sent some Jewish elders to intercede for him and ask Jesus to come and heal his servant. But as the centurion thought about the situation more, he sent friends to intercept Jesus. He did not feel worthy to have Jesus come to his house, so he asked Jesus to just say the words and he knew his servant would be healed.

A military leader does not have to be present to accomplish the tasks he wants accomplished. He says the word and his soldiers do what he asks. The centurion understood that Jesus had power in the spiritual world. He understood that Jesus had power to command the illness to leave his servant, and it would be removed. His insight amazed Jesus.

Do we ever amaze Jesus? Do we ever say something that reveals our faith, our insight into the life and power of Jesus? After healing the centurion’s servant, Jesus happened upon a funeral which stopped when Jesus touched the young man and raised him to life. Jesus amazed many people with His power and ability to heal and bring life where there had been death and sorry. The centurion saw Jesus for who He is and amazed Jesus. Do we?

 

 

Luke 5-6

October 29

Luke 5-6

Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, is a chronic infection that leads to skin lesions and can affect the nervous system leading to the loss of extremities due to secondary infection. Though the physical attributes of leprosy are difficult, the social stigma would have been even worse. For the protection of the community, people with leprosy were quarantined outside of the city. They could not touch anyone and had to cry out; “unclean” when people approached them.

When this leper saw Jesus, he saw his only hope. He fell on his face before Jesus, showing great respect and humility before Him. He begged Jesus knowing that Jesus had the power to heal him if He was willing. Jesus reached out and touched the man. Perhaps it was the first time he had been touched in many years. Perhaps he wondered if he would ever be touched again. Jesus reached out and touched him and said; “I am willing.” Jesus said; “be clean” and the man was cured of his leprosy.

We may not be infected with leprosy, but we have all been infected with sin. There are a lot of prayers that we can pray and close with; “your will be done.” It is like saying; “if you are willing.” But there is one prayer that we can know God is willing to answer. When we pray; “Lord make me clean.” He will make us clean. If we confess, He will purify. If we turn from our sin and turn to God, He will hear from heaven and will cleanse us of our sin.

Sin is worse than leprosy. It destroys lives. It distorts our minds. It drives us away from those who have our best interest in mind. But if we will come to Jesus and humble ourselves, he is willing and will restore us in relationship with Him and with other people.

 

 

Luke 3-4

October 28

Luke 3-4

After Jesus was baptized, He was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit where He was tempted by the devil for forty days. Just because we are walking in obedience to God, does not mean we will have smooth road to travel. Often, when we begin to travel on the right road, when we walk in obedience to God, the tempter will turn up his intensity. When this happens, we can know that we are not alone. Jesus faced the temptations of the devil for forty days and did not eat during that entire period. We are usually most vulnerable when we are hungry or tired. I imagine Jesus was both.

Though Jesus was tempted for forty days, He did not succumb to the devils smooth promises. He promised food for Jesus’ physical needs, he promised power, and he promised notoriety. Many people would grab for these promises, but Jesus knew His mission, He knew His Father in heaven. Jesus knew that the Father would provide all of His needs and the promises of the devil were empty and counterfeit. Each time the devil tempted Jesus, Jesus responded with the Word of God. In response to each of the temptations, Jesus said, “it is written.”

If we know the Word of God, we are less likely to fall to the lies of the devil. If we know the Word of God, we know the answer before the questions of the tempter come. God gives us His Word as a weapon in our spiritual warfare. Jesus showed us how to use it; we just need to follow His example. To do battle, we must know the Word, and remember that God will never leave us for forsake us, but is available when we face times of temptation. He will strengthen us for the battle.

 

Luke 1-2

October 27

Luke 1-2

"The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:35, NIV)

 

This message to Mary from the angel informed her that the child she was going to carry was the Son of God. Mary became the carrier of God. A poor teenage virgin from a small town was chosen to be the carrier of God for nine months of pregnancy. No one else would ever have the same responsibility and privilege as Mary. As song writer Mark Lowry wrote in his song Mary did You Know; “Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new? This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you. Mary would deliver the child that would deliver mankind from sin and death.

 

Mary was unique in her calling as the mother of Jesus. But the Holy Spirit comes upon each of us as we receive Jesus and fills us with himself. We carry the Holy Spirit with us when we walk and talk and interact with our community. The same Spirit that conceived the baby Jesus in the womb of Mary brings new life in us when we enter into a relationship with Jesus. He is the one who comes to us and calls us into a relationship with Jesus. He is the one who affirms our salvation. The One who was involved in the human conception and birth of Jesus is involved in our rebirth.

 

As followers of Jesus, the power of the Most High will overshadow us and shape us into the people God created us to be. The Son of God was born of Mary so many children could come to the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit.

 

 

Mark 14-16

October 26

Mark 14-16

Peter was a man’s man. He worked the water for a living. His hands would have been tough and calloused. He had good intentions, but he often spoke before he thought which got him into trouble more than once. As Jesus prepares His disciples for His crucifixion and resurrection, Peter’s mind prepares him to stand his ground and to defend Jesus. When Jesus said that all the disciples would fall away, Peter was the first to proclaim his allegiance to Jesus and that He would never fall away. Jesus calmly informed Peter that before the night was over, he would deny Jesus three times.

Even Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends fell short. He wanted to defend Jesus. He wanted to fight to the death, but as Jesus told him when he could not even stay awake to pray with Jesus during his final hours; "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”" (Mark 14:38, NIV)

How often our spirits are willing but our bodies are weak? We want to do what is right, but we fall short. We say we will stand strong for Jesus no matter what the world may throw our way, but temptations and struggles knock us down. Like Peter, we have good intentions, but our follow through falls short.

Peter in fact did deny Jesus three times before the cock crowd. He failed his Lord. Peter wept and realized his own weakness in the face of trouble. But after the resurrection, Jesus restored Peter. Peter was the first to speak after the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples on Pentecost. He became the man he wanted to be when God filled him with the Holy Spirit and power. We also can achieve the goals God has for us if we will pray and allow the Holy Spirit to fill us and empower us for Kingdom work.

 

 

Mark 11-13

October 25

Mark 11-13

Jesus told his disciples to be ready at all times for His return. The disciples were admiring the grandeur of the temple when Jesus told them that a day was coming when all the glory of those buildings would be over. He told of persecution, deception, natural disasters, wars and rumors of wars as the world is in chaos until the day He returns.

The disciples and every generation since have wondered when this would all take place. When is Jesus coming back? We look at the signs, but many of the signs Jesus spoke of have been going on for generations. Jesus told the disciples; "" “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Mark 13:32, NIV)

Many have speculated, but no one knows. Many dates have been set by men, but God proved that only He knows the day and hour. But Jesus said that instead of worrying about when He will return, we should be focusing on the task He has given us to attend to while He is gone. He has given us each gifts to be used for the building of the Kingdom of God. He has given us each a calling with directions in the use of our talents and time.

The question we should be asking is; would I be ashamed of the way I use my time if Jesus came back today. Am I glorifying Him in all I do? No matter how menial the task may be, we can do it to God’s glory when we work as if working for the Lord instead of for people. We do not know when He is coming back, but we can know He is coming back and He expects to find us doing what He has called us to accomplish.

 

Mark 9-10

October 24

Mark 9-10

Can you imagine the pain the father of the boy whom the evil spirit that would throw him to the ground and cause him to convulse. He had tried to protect his son. Keeping away from fire or from bodies of water knowing his son could convulse at any time and it could cost him his life. He loved his son and wanted a “normal” life for his son, but there was little hope in finding a cure. He may have taken him to doctors who said there was nothing they could do. People dismissed it as an evil spirit whom they had no control over. Perhaps he had taken his son to the religious leaders, faith healers, or to snake oil salesmen who promised a cure. Only to come home and see his son have another seizure.

He began to hear about Jesus. Jesus had power where no one else had power. The blind could see, the lame could walk, the deaf could hear, the mute could talk. Perhaps Jesus could touch his son and remove the spirit that was in him. The father and son set out on a journey to find Jesus. They arrive in town only to find out that Jesus and three of his disciples had gone up on a mountain and had not come back down. Some of Jesus’ disciples had seen Jesus at work. Perhaps they had even cast out demons and healed people while traveling with Jesus. They offered to help, but each time they tried to boy went in to convulsions.

Someone may have looked off in the distance and recognized Jesus, Peter, James and John coming toward them. The crowd ran to greet Jesus. The father came to Jesus and told his story. Jesus had them bring Him the boy who went into convulsions as he came near Jesus. The father almost begging now, at the end of his options cries out to Jesus; “if you can do anything take pity on us and help us.” Jesus answers; “If you can. Everything is possible for him who believes.” The Father cried out; “I do believe; help me in my unbelief!”

When we cry out in prayer often we are like this father, we are at the end of our rope. The choices have slowly disappeared and the only option left is prayer. Perhaps we should have gone to Jesus sooner, but we didn’t. We weren’t sure about the power in prayer for our situation. We believe, but we need help in our unbelief. We know in part of our minds that God can do whatever we ask, but we still lack faith that He will.

Jesus commanded the spirit to come out and never go back and the boy was healed. God’s power and the man’s faith combined to bring healing and hope to a father and son.

 

Mark 7-8

October 23

Mark 7-8

"You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”" (Mark 7:8, NIV)

 

It is easy to point to the Pharisees and to see their faults. Over the years traditions had taken hold and shaped their thoughts and their culture. Certain traditions became more powerful than the law of God in their daily lives. They watched and waited and pounced on anyone who did not obey their tradition. There is nothing wrong with tradition. Tradition connects us with past generations. Traditions can point to something important beyond the tradition itself. The problem arises when tradition begins to become more important that the Word of God.

 

There are a lot of traditions in the church. Non-liturgical churches often claim not to be shaped by tradition like the liturgical churches, but tradition still shapes the structure of our services. There is nothing wrong with this. But does our tradition line up with scripture? There are many traditions that are not expressed in scripture, but there is nothing wrong with the tradition. There are others that may contradict scripture. Still others bring division within the body of Christ because of the differences in tradition. Traditions that contradict scripture or that bring division must be overcome with the Word of God. We must not let go of the commands of God in order to hang on to our traditions.

 

There is a lot of our theology that may be shaped by our tradition. A book we read or a book our great grandmother read influences our understanding of God more than our reading of the scripture. It is important for us to read and understand the bible so we are able to know what is true and what is passed to us from the traditions of man.

 

Mark 4-6

October 22

Mark 4-6

With all the activity, with all the demands, with all the miracles, Jesus did not forget where He got His power. These three chapters are filled with activities and confrontation and miracles, but after feeding the five thousand Jesus sent His disciples across the lake while he went up on a mountainside to pray. Jesus had faced the unbelief of his own family and the people in his home town. His cousin, John the Baptist, had been beheaded by Herod. He faced disappointment just as we face disappointment. So He got by himself and prayed.

If Jesus found it necessary to get alone and pray, how much more do we need to set aside time to pray. Through prayer we discover the will of God, we receive guidance and direction from the Holy Spirit, and we receive power to persevere in a world filled with busyness and disappointments.

As Jesus prayed He looked out on the lake and saw the disciples straining at the oars. They were struggling and I imagine Jesus interceding for them, just as He does for us while sitting at the right hand of the Father. These verses remind us that prayer is essential to our spiritual lives, but also remind us that Jesus intercedes for us. He cares about our struggles. Just as he walked out to the disciples across a terrain that seemed impassable, He comes to us in the midst of our struggles, even where there seems to be no hope.

Hear the words of Jesus; “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Mark 6:50, NIV) He walks with us on this journey of life and is waiting for us to lift our voices in prayer inviting Him to empower us to live the life God created us to live. A life shaped by our relationship with Him.

 

Mark 1-3

October 21

Mark 1-3

Four friends carried a paralyzed man so they could get Jesus to heal the man. His obvious ailment was his inability to walk. When they got to the house where Jesus was teaching and healing people, they could not get to Jesus because of the crowd. They climbed up on the roof of the house and dug a hole in the ceiling and lowered the man before Jesus.

Jesus did not respond as they had expected. When Jesus saw their faith, the faith of the friends, He looked and the paralyzed man and said; “son, your sins are forgiven.” There are a couple problems with this story. First the friends did not bring their friend to have his sins forgiven, or at least we assume that is not the case. Second, the paralytic did not ask for his sins to be forgiven and Jesus forgave him anyway.

This story reminds us that there is power in interceding for others. We may not be able to dig a hole in a roof and lower our friend before Jesus, but we can lift them up to Him in prayer. When we pray for people, we can know that God knows the root cause of their problem. He knows what they really need. This paralytic could not walk, but what he really needed, as we all need, was the forgiveness of sin.

The religious leaders were baffled that Jesus would declare the man’s sins forgiven. They knew only God could forgive sin. Jesus reminded the leaders that the invisible is often more difficult than the visible, but just to show that he could forgive sin, which they could not see, He healed the man in their presence. They watched as the man walked out the door.

Sometimes our prayers may not get answered as we expect. But we can be confident that as we lift our prayers, God hears. As we bring our friends to Jesus, He touches them. Jesus has all the power and authority in heaven and on earth, when we ask Him to touch and heal the people we love, we can be assured He is working in ways we may never know or understand.

 

 

Matthew 26-28

October 20

Matthew 26-28

Jesus was crucified because he said he was the Son of God. Then He described himself with images that were used to describe God. At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared Jesus worthy of death for blasphemy. Before Pilate, Jesus affirmed that He was the king of the Jews. Jesus’ only crime was that He spoke the truth about who He was.

The religious leaders incited the crowd. The crowds turned against Jesus. Pilate washed his hands, but turned Jesus over to be crucified. The soldiers mocked Him, spit on Him and whipped Him before hanging Him on the cross to die. Nature responded with darkness, the earth quaked, the temple curtain tore, Jesus, the Son of God died. Terror came over some of the soldiers and they proclaimed the words that convicted Jesus; “surely He was the Son of God.”

The empty tomb proved the soldiers were right in their assessment of the situation Even death could not hold Jesus. He rose from the dead in victory over sin and death and met with His disciples. He proclaimed to them His challenge for the church until His return. "Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”" (Matthew 28:18-20, NIV)

All authority in heaven and on earth is His. He is all powerful and He has a job for us. We are to go and make disciples. We are to go and call others to follow. We are to teach what He taught. As we follow Jesus, as we grow in our relationship with Him, we bring others along with us. We are not in a bubble; we are a part of the Body of Christ, the Church. We are to work together to bring transformation to our world.

 

 

Matthew 23-25

October 19

Matthew 23-25

Jesus is not concerned with outward appearance, He looks at our hearts. The Pharisees and teachers of the law liked people to see them as the epitome of righteousness. They watched as others went about the daily lives and picked apart their actions. But they did not “practice what they preached.” They wanted people to see their actions and to praise them, but their hearts were corrupted. They tithed down to the mint in the garden, but you cannot buy your way into heaven. While tithing, and making sure everyone knew it, they did not practice justice, mercy and faithfulness.

     Jesus accused the Pharisees and teachers of the law of being cups who were washed on the outside but the inside was filled with greed and self indulgence. He also said they were like whitewashed tombs who looked good on the outside but were filled with dead men’s bones. There are people who talk a good talk, they go through the religious actions. They act one way when church people are around but different when they are in a different environment. No one is fooling God. He knows our hearts. Jesus is not condemning the Pharisees and teachers of the law because He does not like them. He wants them to see the error of their ways and to turn to Him.

When we play games and are not sincere in our faith we shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. People turn away from God instead of toward God because of our example. When we are acting religious, when we live two lives, those who follow us do the same. Our faith becomes a farce which does not attract true followers of Jesus.

Even if we have been playing the religious game for many years, there is hope. Jesus wants a real relationship with us; He wants to change our hearts. We just have to humble ourselves and come to Him admitting our sin and asking Him to give us new life as we turn to Him. Jesus spooke over Jerusalem; "“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing." (Matthew 23:37, NIV) He longs to gather us to himself, if we are only willing to come to Him in humility.

 

 

 

Matthew 21-22

October 18

Matthew 21-22

"“It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’”" (Matthew 21:13, NIV)

 

Back in Isaiah, God said that his house “would be called a house of prayer for all nations.” The temple was not just for the Israelites, God was reaching out to Gentiles as well as Jews. The Jewish religious leaders created obstacles for the Gentiles, some purposely others as a result of other decisions they had made over the years. In the temple area that was designated for Gentiles to come and worship, merchants set up tables to buy and sell goods needed for worship. The noise of the animals and the bartering created an environment that was anything but prayerful. When Jesus came into Jerusalem, He went to the temple and turned over the tables of the merchants and proclaimed that the temple was to be a “house of prayer.”

 

The world we live in is busy and noisy. It is difficult to find a quiet place to spend time in prayer, but that is God’s desire for us. Sometimes the “noise” is inside of us. Our brains jump from subject to subject as we attempt to quiet before God. We think about what we need to do or where we need to go later in the day. Quiet is so hard to find, when we find that time, our brains begin to process all the inputs they have received since our last quiet time. But God wants us to come at a time when we can speak and listen to Him. We are each a house of prayer, we must defend against allowing the busyness of the world constantly attempting to encroach on that aspect of our lives.

 

 

 

 

Matthew 18-20

October 17

Matthew 18-20

The Kingdom of God is an upside down kingdom. Jesus said we must become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven, He calls for us to forgive those who sin against us, He says we have to forgive others in order to receive forgiveness, He says to avoid divorce. He reminds us that the Kingdom of God cannot be bought and that it is impossible to be saved apart from the work of God. Several times Jesus reminds us that in the Kingdom of God the first will be last and the last will be first. None of this would make much sense, except for the fact that Jesus lived out what he taught.

Jesus said; "whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”" (Matthew 20:26-28, NIV) Jesus came as the ultimate servant. The One who every knee will bow before on the day of His return allowed sinful man to strip him, whip him, spit on him and nail him to a cross. He lived his life and died his death in order to serve. His death empowered us to live.

 

The ground at the foot of the cross is level. None of us is any better than anyone else. We all need Jesus. None of us has any right to expect another to serve them; we are all to be servants. What a difference our world would be if we tried to be more like Jesus by trying to out serve one another instead of trying to outdo one another.

 

 

Matthew 15-17

October 16

Matthew 15-17

"“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”" (Matthew 16:15, NIV)

 

This question Jesus asked His disciples is the pivotal question in all of our lives. The way we answer this questions decides our eternal destiny. Our response to this question is beyond our ability to comprehend. Even if we answer as Peter answered; “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,”" (Matthew 16:16, NIV) we probably to not really understand all that that response means.  We can only begin to understand Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God when that is revealed to us by God. The Holy Spirit comes to us and reveals the truth of the gospel to our hearts and we are able to believe and receive Jesus as our Savior.

Too often we want Jesus to be the Savior we want Him to be instead of the Savior He is. Peter tried to tell Jesus that He could not die on the cross. Jesus heard the words of Peter as the words of Satan, the tempter, trying to thwart the plan of God. When Jesus likes and dislikes the same people we like and dislike, perhaps we have made Jesus into our image instead of allowing Him to shape us into His image. When we refuse to get out of our comfort zone for the good of the gospel, perhaps we need to examine ourselves and see if we are really following Jesus.

 

 

 

Matthew 13-14

October 15

Matthew 13-14

What is it worth to know we have eternal life with Jesus? What is it worth to be a part of the Kingdom of God? We often look at what we get out of the relationship with Jesus. Our self centeredness drives us to ask; “what’s in it for me.” What is the return on our investment? The benefit is living a life of contentment and peace no matter what circumstances we may face. The benefit is life in its fullness now, and eternal life with Jesus. But do we think about the cost?

Jesus tells two parables that tell us that the kingdom of God is worth everything. If you found a treasure worth a million dollars buried in a field and could go and buy the field for fifty thousand dollars, you would sell all you needed to sell in order to buy the field and thus the treasure. If you found a pearl for sale for ten thousand dollars and you knew it was a rare pearl worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, you would willingly and joyfully sell all you had to get enough to buy the pearl.

If we can even begin to fathom the worth of being a part of the Kingdom of God, we will be willing to give up everything we have held onto in order to enter the Kingdom. Jesus said that we must be willing to take up our cross and follow Him. We have to leave behind our unforgiveness, our greed, our self centeredness, our prejudices; we have to leave behind the junk of our lives, so God can fill us with blessings beyond measure. Jesus paid the price for our salvation; we just have to receive the gift. But if our hands are full of the junk of life, it is difficult to reach out and receive the gift He is offering. No matter what it may cost us to follow Jesus, it is a good return on our investment.

 

 

Matthew 11-12

October 14

Matthew 11-12

"“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit." (Matthew 12:33, NIV)

 

What kind of fruit are you producing? We can claim to be followers of Jesus, we can go to church on Sundays, we can be a part of a small group, we can look pretty good on the outside, but what kind of fruit are we producing. Before we have a relationship with Jesus, we all produce bad fruit. But Jesus said; “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good.” When we turn from our sin and turn to Jesus and enter into a relationship with Him, He transforms us from a bad tree to a good tree. If He transforms us, there should be evidence by the fruit we produce.

 

Jesus then said; "You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34, NIV) Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees who accused Jesus of healing by the power of the devil. But the challenge goes beyond the Pharisees to those who claim to be followers of Jesus. If we have been transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit lives in us, it will be evidenced by what comes out of our mouths. Who we are is revealed by the fruit we produce, what we do, and what comes out of our mouths, what we say. Our words and actions do not save us, but they reveal what is going on inside of us. They reveal who we really are and if we have transformed hearts.

 

October 13

Matthew 8-10

"Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:38-39, NIV)

 

Jesus does not sugarcoat the cost of following Him. The only way to find a full and fulfilled life is by following Jesus. But we cannot follow Him and continue to live the same way we have always lived. But if we commit our lives to Him, and allow Jesus to guide our lives, dying to ourselves and living for Him, we will live like we have never lived before. We will find a peace, a joy, a contentment that is available in no other way. This is what Paul was speaking of when he wrote; "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20, NIV)

The common thread in Jesus’ teaching is that He has come to bring a new covenant, a new way of life. He has come to give us new hearts and new minds. He has come to bring the Kingdom of God to earth, but in order to enter His Kingdom, we must turn from our old way of living, we must repent and turn to Him. When we turn to Him, when we are willing to put our old ways aside and to turn to Him, taking up the cross, dying to ourselves, we will find the life we have always looked for. We will find the contentment for which we have always strived.

 

 

 

Matthew 5-7

October 12

Matthew 5-7

When Jesus went up on the mountainside and began to preach, He turned the common understanding of life upside down. He called for those who live for the Kingdom of God to live different than the rest of the world. He called for them the turn that world upside down and to be salt, which preserves and flavors, and light, which reveals and guides, to the rest of the world. He clarified the commandments and challenged the people to live righteous lives regardless of the environment around them. He called for peace even when enemies attack first. He called for love of enemies. The teachings of Jesus are impossible except Jesus tells us how to make them possible in our lives; prayer.

The only way to be able to walk in obedience to Jesus is through prayer. God knows what we need before we pray, but we need to pray to strengthen us for our mission. And a portion of the prayer Jesus taught was; “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus taught what it would look like if the Kingdom of God, if God’s will were to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Then He said to pray that it would come to fruition. Prayer is the power behind living for the Kingdom.

The other thing needed for the Kingdom of God to be revealed on earth is forgiveness. God has forgiven us a great transgression against Him, and He expects us to forgive others. The only way we can live out the teachings of Jesus about the Kingdom of God is if we can forgive others. When we forgive our enemies, they are no longer our enemies. When we forgive those who have hurt us, healing takes place. Forgiveness and prayer empower the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven and in our hearts as we travel this read with Christ.

 

 

Matthew 1-4

October 11

Matthew 1-4

When you look at the genealogy of Jesus, you realize that some of the names you never heard of before. They were just ordinary people living ordinary lives. Some we know from bible stories. Some are heroes, others we would not expect to be in the lineage of Jesus the Son of God. You have Tamar who slept with her father in law, Rahab a prostitute, and Bathsheba identified only as Uriah’s wife, but we know she had an affair with David that cost her husband his life. But in spite of their ordinariness or their mistakes in life, God still used them. This assorted group of people is all a part of the family line of Jesus.

No matter where we are in life or what we have done in the past, God can still use us. Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, dressed in camel’s hair and ate locust and honey. He did not fit in with the crowd. He would be considered an outcast, but he preached calling the people to repent of their sin and many came. He prepared the people for the ministry of Jesus.

God has a plan for each one of us. He has created us each uniquely to live as His children. We are also born with a sin nature. We naturally turn away from God. But God continues to call us into a relationship with Him. If we turn from our sin and turn to Him, He will cleanse us and heal us and give us new hearts, hearts for Him.

When we look at the genealogy of Jesus, we are reminded that no one is too far gone. God will use anyone who is willing to turn to Him and allow Him to direct their lives.

 

 

 

 

Malachi 1-4

October 10

Malachi 1-4

In the days that Malachi was living, the people of Israel were going through the motions of worshiping God, but they were not worshiping with their heart. They looked for shortcuts and sought ways to lessen the cost of sacrifices. They did not honor God and wondered why they followed Him.

God called for the people to bring the best of their flock, a lamb without blemish. The people began to count the cost. They realized that this lamb brought for sacrifice was going to die anyway, why not bring a blind or cripple lamb for the sacrifice and keep the good lamb. This was a sign they did not really trust God. If they trusted God, they would realize He could bless them with more than they brought as a sacrifice. He could give them multiple, high quality lambs, but they brought their leftovers. God wants our best; our best time, our best effort, our best thoughts. God wants the best we have to offer and not just what we have left over at the end of the week.

Peter says we are all priests. We represent God to the people around us and represent the people to God when we lift them up in prayer. Priests should turn people toward God and should speak justice and truth. The priests of Malachi’s day caused people to stumble as they sought to benefit themselves instead of pointing people to God. Many people today will tell you they do not go to church because they have had negative experiences with Christians.

The men of Malachi’s day were leaving their wives in their old age. God refused to listen to their pleas because they were seeking self pleasure. They were breaking up their families and it affected their children. God created the two to become one and there are consequences for breaking the covenant of marriage. God hates divorce.

The people were also robbing God by not bringing a full tithe as an offering. God said He cursed them because of their actions. But He also invited them to test Him in their giving. He promised to bless them beyond what they could give. The average giving by Christians in the church today is 2-3%. What difference does it make? Our giving reveals our trust in God. We can say we trust Him, but when we are willing to open our checkbooks, we reveal whether or not we really trust Him.

Finally, some of the people questioned the advantages of serving God. They focused on the things of the world instead of the things of God. Their attitude was the effect of their faith. They did not really trust God or sacrifice to God. They lived as they wanted to live, with cursory worship of God as an add-on to their lives. God wants us to give ourselves to Him; to trust Him and to put ourselves aside. If we will give our best to Him and trust Him with all of our lives, we will see the advantages of serving Him as He pours out His blessings on us.  

Zechariah 12-14

October 9

Zechariah 12-14

Zechariah tells of a day when all the nations will come and worship Almighty God in Jerusalem. He tells of a day when idols will be cast aside because the people will turn to God and the idols will be meaningless. He tells of a remnant of whom God says; "I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”" (Zechariah 13:9, NIV)

What does it mean to be the people of God? Israel believed they were the people of God because of their heritage traced back to Abraham. Paul talks about the Gentiles who believe in Jesus being grafted in as people of God. Paul also spoke of the heritage of faith that comes from Abraham which is stronger than the heritage of birth.

God pours out His grace on all the nations. He calls them all to come and worship Him. Many people turn from God. Many reject His word and go their own way. Throughout the bible God warns people that to reject Him is to reject life, to turn to Him is to enter into fulfilled life. God desires to make us His people. He is holy and He provides the means to cleanse us of our sin and to make us holy. He gives us a choice, we can turn to Him and cry out; “the Lord is our God” or we can reject Him and perish. The choice is ours.

 

 

Zechariah 7-11

October 8

Zechariah 7-11

 How receptive are we when God speaks to our hearts? Do we see God like a genie in a bottle who we expect to respond to our every wish? Israel refused to listen to God’s words to them. They had their own agenda and they refused to turn to God. God pursued them, sent prophets to correct them, called them to himself, but they refused to listen. When they finally realized that God was bringing correction upon them, they cried out to God, but He refused to listen to their cries.

"“‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty." (Zechariah 7:13, NIV)

 Perhaps our prayers are bouncing off the ceiling because we are doing a lot of talking, but never listening to what God has to say to us. Perhaps God is calling us to turn our hearts and minds to Him, but we continue to walk in the way we want to walk, crying out to God to bless our decisions even if they go against His will or even His Word. God is not required to provide everything we ask Him to give us. He is not a genie in a bottle. He wants to build us and shape us into the image of Jesus. His goal is not to bless us with the things of this world. He has so much more for us.

 Perhaps we should begin our time of prayer by listening. Maybe read the bible, then just stop and allow God to apply His word to our lives. If we refuse to stop and listen to God, why do we think He should listen to us. As our days fly by, it is time to stop, listen, obey, then lift our prayers of intercession to Almighty God.

 

 

Zechariah 1-6

October 7

Zechariah 1-6

"So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty." (Zechariah 4:6, NIV)

 As we look around our world, people are constantly jockeying for a position of power. Whether it is at work, in sports, or between nations, everyone wants power to control their situation. In reality, none of us is in full control. Jerusalem had been the most powerful nation under David’s reign, but as the nation turned away from God, she lost power and ended up being a nation reduced to rubble and the people were scattered.

 God used other nations, He raised up other leaders to bring discipline upon Israel. The leaders of these nations thought they were special and became self-centered as their kingdom grew. Little did they realize that God was using them for His intended purpose. Now, after seventy years in exile God is once again calling Israel to turn back to Him. But their success does not hinge on building a powerful army, their success hinges on trusting in God.

 We cannot win the spiritual battle of our lives on our own. We too have rebelled against God. We too face discipline for our actions. But God desires for us to turn back to Him. But as hard as we try we continue to fall, we continue to rebel, we continue to sin. We need more than power and might. We need more than willpower. We need the Holy Spirit to come into our lives and to give us new hearts. Then we can serve the Lord with power and might, but it is not our power, but power that comes from God himself.

When our lives seem to lack power, perhaps we are trying to do too much on our own. God wants more for us. He has a plan for us. He will guide us and direct us. As God told Zechariah, He proclaims to us; "Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty." (Zechariah 1:3, NIV) And when He returns to us, through His Spirit, we receive power to live for Him and to accomplish His plans for our lives.

 

 

Haggai

October 6

Haggai

"“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”" (Haggai 1:4-6, NIV)

 

God brought the Israelites back from exile, but they continued to ignore God’s presence in their midst. They came back to Jerusalem and built their houses. They not only built their houses, they took time to do their interior designing and landscaping. Paneled houses were houses that had taken extra time to build and would have been ornate. God does not say there is a problem with building these houses, except they had ignored the temple. They always put off rebuilding the temple. It never got high enough on the priority list to actually begin the work.

Many people who do not go to church say; “I plan on going to church but right now I have other things going on in my life.” Some people say; “I know I should be following Jesus, but the time has not yet come, I have other things I want to do first.” We focus on building our career, our 401k, our families, and we ignore God. Our relationship with God, we know we should be giving attention to, but it never gets high enough on our priority list to actually begin the work.

God told the Israelites that their frustrations in life, low yields of crops, hunger, thirst, cold, poverty, and losses were a result of their ignoring the work on the temple. God wants to be present in our lives. He does not want to be put to the side only to be turned to when we are in a crisis. Perhaps some of the problems and frustrations we face are a result of our ignoring God. God told the Israelites that if they turned back to Him and built the temple, they could know that He was with them. On the day they laid the foundation of the temple He said; "Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. “‘From this day on I will bless you.’”" (Haggai 2:19, NIV)

Maybe it is time we stop focusing on building our own lives up, and focus on our spiritual foundation, our relationship with Jesus. Perhaps then, God will bless us and our labor will not be in vain.

 

 

Zephaniah

October 5

Zephaniah

"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”" (Zephaniah 3:17, NIV)

What great words of comfort. God is with us. That is what the word Immanuel means; “God with us.” No matter where we go, God is with us. No matter what we do, God is with us. Perhaps, if we remembered that God is with us, we would act a little different when we are in difficult situations or when we get frustrated. God is with us. He is mighty to save. God loves us so much that Jesus came to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin. He saves us from sin and death. He saves us from a meaningless life. He is mighty to save. He transforms lives through the cross.

 He will take great delight in you. God is a loving Father. He watches over us and delights in us when we walk in obedience with Him. Many people see God as a vengeful God. In the earlier chapters of Zephaniah, we see God’s wrath poured out on rebellious people. But God is a loving God. He wants to correct us and bring us into a loving relationship with Him, through Jesus. He delights in us so much that He will quiet you with His love. These words remind me of the way a loving mother can bring comfort to a crying child. She wraps the child in her arms, speaks soothing words and quiets the child with her love. That is the way God loves us. When the world bombards us with problems, God can quiet us with His love.

 He will rejoice over you with singing. Once again we can see the image of a loving mother watching over her child and singing. Do you ever think about God singing over you? He loves you and He wants to bring you comfort and peace. He takes great delight in you and wants to quiet you with His love. He is trustworthy and true. When the world wears us down, we have a Father in heaven who wants us to come to Him and find rest.

 

 

 

Habakkuk

October 4

Habakkuk

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights." (Habakkuk 3:17-19, NIV)

 When everything is going well it is easy to praise God for His blessings. But Habakkuk is not speaking of a time of prosperity. He is talking about a time of crop failure of missing livestock. The cupboards are bare and there is nothing in the fields. In the midst of the emptiness, Habakkuk rejoices in the Lord.

 Laura Story sings the song blessings whose chorus goes; “'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops; What if Your healing comes through tears; What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near; What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise.” The trials of life do not necessarily mean God has forsaken us. Often in the midst of the trials is when we see God the clearest.

 If we believe we only see God when everything seems to be going our way; when the harvest is plentiful and the barns are full; we miss understand God’s strength. Often His strength is revealed when we are at our weakest point. His grace is revealed when we are against the wall with no way out. When we think we cannot take another step, God enables us to go to new heights.

Trials in life can bring us to a point where we want to give up on life, but if we will open our eyes and look to the Lord we may see light where we thought there was only darkness. Joy is not dependent on our situation; joy comes from knowing God is in control and works for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28)  Do not get discouraged, rejoice in the Lord.

 

 

 

Nahum

October 3

Nahum

Nineveh was the capital of Assyria a powerful nation in the time of Nahum. Jonah had gone to Nineveh to warn of God’s wrath that was going to destroy the city, but the people repented and turned to God and God extended grace to them and spared the city. But in the time of Nahum, Nineveh is reminded that God extends grace, but He also brings judgment on those who rebel against Him.

"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into darkness." (Nahum 1:7-8, NIV)

 

Assyria may have been the most power nation at the time, but they were only powerful because God allowed them to gain power. As they became arrogant and abused their power, God showed that no matter how great the nation, God’s people should trust Him instead of nations and governments. Nations rise and nations fall, but God is the Rock that stands firm through the ages.

 

People in our day depend on the government, nationalities, armies, wealth, power, and numerous other entities, but all these things will crumble. If we do not lean on God our leaning post is not stable. "The Lord is slow to anger and great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet." (Nahum 1:3, NIV) We cannot fool God. His desire is for our sincere worship. If we trust in Him we can know that He will care for and protect us. If we turn from Him we will face His wrath.

 

 

Micah 5-7

October 2

Micah 5-7

God has not given up on His creation. He promises those who rebel against Him will face destruction, but He also promises to deliver His people from captivity and to give them peace. In fact, He promises a ruler from Bethlehem who will be our peace. Jesus came from the little town of Bethlehem to bring peace into a broken world. He faced rejection and ridicule, and he hung on the cross for our sin. But He also promised God’s deliverance for all who could come to Him.

God seeks a relationship and obedience from us. He is not seeking sacrifices; He does not want to have to bring discipline upon us, though He will. His desire is for us to walk with Him and to love the people around us. "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8, NIV)

On our own we are hopeless. We continue to rebel against God. We want to walk our way instead of God’s way. But if we seek His help; if we seek His direction, if we will come to Him with humility, He will restore us. "He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness." (Micah 7:9, NIV)  God loves us and wants more for us than we can begin to imagine. He is a God of grace who seeks to restore us to a right relationship with Him. He is compassionate and removes our sin through the shed blood of Jesus.

"You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." (Micah 7:19, NIV)

 

 

Micah 1-4

October 1

Micah 1-4

"If a liar and deceiver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ he would be just the prophet for this people!" (Micah 2:11, NIV)

 

Israel and Judah wanted God’s blessings, but they did not want to live the lives He called them to live. They listened to prophets who prophesied lies that sounded good instead of listening to prophets who called them to repentance and obedience. They did not really care what God said, they wanted to hear words that made them feel good. But Micah had a different word from God. "Then they will cry out to the Lord, but he will not answer them. At that time he will hide his face from them because of the evil they have done." (Micah 3:4, NIV)

God has grown weary with the games the people are playing. They cry out to the Lord, but they do not turn to Him. They want the benefits of a relationship with God, but they do not want the responsibility. They have fooled themselves into thinking that the Lord will support them even in their sin. But God is bringing discipline and disaster upon them.

But God does not leave them without hope. In the last days, He says; "Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." (Micah 4:2, NIV) Though the people have rebelled against God and ignored His word, He will bring a day of restoration, not just for Israel and Judah, but for all nations.

We live in the day when God teaches us His ways through the Holy Spirit, so we can walk in His paths. Like Israel and Judah, we have a choice. We can walk in obedience or we can rebel against God. We can listen to the truth of the Word of God or we can listen to the false teachers that promise prosperity and blessing no matter our relationship with Jesus. When we rebel against God, we will face consequences. We will face discipline from God. He brings His discipline to encourage us to turn to Him and to seek His presence in our lives. He speaks truth to us even if it hurts.