Category Archives: Bible

October 18

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Matthew 17:24-27, 18:6-35, 19:1-2, 8:18-22, 11:20-24; Mark 9:38-5-, 10:1; Luke 9:49-62, 10:1-20

Who likes paying taxes? Do any of you wish our taxes were higher? I just wrote a check for my property taxes and it took quite a chunk out of my savings. I can’t say I wrote the check joyfully.

And after our recent government shut-down circus… don’t get me started.

Jesus paid taxes. He even paid the temple tax which was money used for God’s work and he was… well… God.

The United States is still a great nation and I’m glad I live here. Jesus’ example teaches us that we have a responsibility to pay our taxes so the government can run effectively and to support our local churches financially so God’s work can be done. But I believe we also have a responsibility to hold our leaders accountable, whether national, state, local, or in our churches. We need to speak up, to get involved, to make changes that need to be made according to Scripture. 

Are you planning to vote in November? Christians – we need to. We need to know the issues and the people wanting to be elected at all levels of government. We need to research, ask questions, talk about it with those we trust. And we need to pray before we push that button or punch that card.

Jesus gave us an example of responsible citizenship. Let’s follow his lead.

October 17

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Mark 9:2-37; Matthew 17:1-23, 18:1-5; Luke 9:28-26, 37-48

As a person new to the world of blogging, I have enjoyed getting to know many people around the world through their written word. I have read heartfelt poetry, shared sorrows and joys, learned from some pretty incredible life experiences, and laughed out loud at some very funny blogs. I’ve been challenged and convicted, even angered at some of the things I’ve read. 

And I’ve been saddened.

I’ve stumbled upon the blogs of some pretty intellectual thinkers. Some look into God’s Word and research the history, dig deeper into the original text, and share their insights. And I’ve been stunned at the responses of some. Sometimes atheists or agnostics or people who have embraced other religions reply with their intellectual sounding arguments, demeaning faith, and speaking from a self-centered place of importance. To we who know the Truth, their rantings sound like foolishness, yet they wear a superior air that we understand is based on lies.

Earlier we read where Jesus expressed concern that some might be tripped up because of him. Here in the passage we read today he tells us that unless we become like children, we won’t enter his kingdom. 

Faith is not the absence of reason or intellect. God doesn’t ask us to quit thinking when we come to him. But he demands we humble ourselves, depend on him like a child – even an intelligent child – depends on his father. He asks us to trust him like a child trusts a parent. He asks us to recognize him as our Father, our Superior.

Jesus invites us to come to him, the only way to the Father. He asks us to leave ourselves at his feet, to believe he is who he says he is, and follow him according to his Word. He doesn’t ask us to leave our intellect behind. But he does demand we leave our egos.

May you not be so self-important, so intellectual, or so proud to go to Jesus on his terms. Like it or not you do not have all the answers. But he does. Don’t let the simplicity of his message trip you up.

October 16

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Mark 8:11-31-9:1; Matthew 16:1-28; Luke 9:18-27; John 6:60-71

Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?” Peter’s confession: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” is the foundation of the church. Peter, who not too long after that, was called Satan because he refused to even consider the possibility that Jesus was going to die. Did he still believe the Messiah was going to establish that earthly kingdom? 

Jesus is beginning to reveal his mission to the Twelve. He wants them to recognize that he is truly God’s Son and that in order for the kingdom of God to come in power, he will die and in three days rise again. It must have been pretty confusing for his followers to hear.

Who do you say Jesus is? Can you, with Peter, proclaim without a doubt that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, Messiah, God with us? Do you believe what we read about him is true? Is he Lord of your life, Savior of your soul? 

If you are reading these passages for the first time you have just met God Himself. Whether or not you believe it doesn’t change the fact. This Jesus is God. And he lived and died and rose again to give you life.

Dearest Jesus, Lord God, Savior, we bow before you today in awe and wonder. We recognize that you created the world we live in, you know and love each of us intimately, that you died in our place so that we can walk with you in this life and in eternity. May we, with Peter, proclaim you with confidence. And may you find us faithful to share your Truth with others today.

October 15

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Mark 7:1-8:10; Matthew 15:1-39

I have to say I’m a little disappointed in the disciples. Days after Jesus fed over five thousand people with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish, a crowd of 4,000 were hungry. Jesus expressed concern for the congregation and the disciples responded by whining that they were too far from the nearest McDonalds to feed them. The disciples even knew there were seven loaves of bread right there.

I find it interesting that none of the twelve jumped up with anticipation, remembering Jesus’ earlier miracle, and expecting a repeat.

But before I get to hard on the disciples I need to take a look inside me. Over the years God has proven to be faithful, to work things out according to his will and my good. He’s answered countless prayers and showered me with blessings beyond what I could have imagined.

So why do I get fearful of the future? Why do I question him when bad things happen? Why do I whine and complain when my situation looks hopeless?

Reading these passages today reminds me that God is able. God loves me. And God holds me in the palm of his hand. With each day God gives me, let me rise with anticipation and excitement, expecting God to do something wonderful. Why should today be any different?

October 14

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Mark 6:45-56; Matthew 14:22-36; John 6:16-24, 25-59

Do you remember the crazy man we read about a few days ago? He had been living for years in a cave, out of his mind. But when Jesus healed him the neighbors found him clothed and sane. If you remember, the man begged Jesus to take him with him. Jesus asked the man to stay and tell everyone what Jesus had done for him.

If I am right, I believe we are reading the rest of the story today.

I don’t know how long it was between visits, but when the people of Gennesaret saw Jesus get out of the boat, they recognized him. And they welcomed him. The last time Jesus was in the area they had asked him to leave.

What changed?

I believe it was the crazy man, living among them, talking to them about Jesus. Had Jesus allowed the man to leave with him instead of staying home to face the neighbors, I imagine we would be reading a different account here. 

Jesus asks us to be that kind of witness in the place he has brought us. He wants us to tell everyone what he has done for us. He wants us to be the vessel through which people can come to him.

May he find us as faithful as the man in this story.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the privilege we have of sharing you with our neighbors and friends. I pray that our lives, our testimonies, our demonstration of your love, will draw many to you. Thank you for the example of obedience we read today. May your children, may I, make the same kind of impact on our communities as we tell people what Jesus has done for each of us.

 

October 13

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Mark 6:14-29, 30-44; Matthew 14:1-12, 6:12-13, 14:13-21; Luke 9:7-9, 6, 10-17; John 6:1-15

I wonder what it was like to be one of the twelve the day 5,000 men plus women and children were fed with five loaves of bread and two fish. Could they see the broken pieces morph into more broken pieces? Imagine the rush of excitement they must have felt as they fed one person, then another, and another. If they wondered before if Jesus was God, I have to believe they got it after that day. Or at least they knew they were a part of something truly amazing.

But after Jesus fed the multitude he left. He got off by himself and hid for a while, knowing that had he stayed, the people would have made him king of their flesh and blood nation. That’s not why God was here in human form.

He knew that if he stayed, people would be following him for what he did and what they would receive from him in terms of health and wealth and freedom from bondage. They wouldn’t be following him because of WHO is was. They weren’t ready to accept a spiritual king of their hearts quite yet.

I am reminded that the same is true yet today. Some people still consider Jesus a heavenly Santa Claus who gives them the things on their wish list if they can conjure up the right kind of faith, if they say the magic words in a prayer. That’s not why Jesus came and that’s not why he wants us to come to him.

As we read on in the New Testament this year, I pray that we will see Jesus for Who he truly is, that we will love him because he first loved us, that we will serve him out of grateful hearts for his work on Calvary. And that we will make him Lord of our lives, King of our hearts.

October 12

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John 5:16-47; Mark 6:6b-11; Matthew 9:35-10:42; Luke 9:1-5

Judas was a believer, a follower of Christ. He was one of the twelve who was given power to heal the sick, drive out demons, and raise the dead. He, along with Peter, James and John, went into cities and shared the good news of Jesus.

I wonder what that trip was like for Judas. Is this where his heart began to change from wanting to follow Christ to wanting something else?

God is asking me today what it is that I want? Matthew 5:34-39 says following Jesus is serious business. His is not an easy road to travel. It certainly is not always peaceful.

And Jesus is very demanding. On one hand the Bible tells husbands to love their wives. But in 5:37 Jesus warns that if you love her more than you love God you aren’t worthy of him. If I put anything or anyone above my love for Jesus I am not worthy of him.

What does that even mean?

Jesus demands that he be our life’s focus. That all the things we do, the jobs we have, the people we love, are to come second to our relationship with The Lord. None of these things are wrong and we are to be busy doing what God intends for us to do, loving each other, serving each other.

But somewhere along the way Judas lost his focus. And we know how that story ends.

May we keep our eyes on Jesus. May we love him more today than we did yesterday. And may we serve him with joy.

October 11

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Mark 521-43, 6:1-6a; Matthew 9:18-26, 27-34, 13:53-58; Luke 8:40-56; John 5:1-15

Jesus made the woman who touched the hem of his garment identify herself. He asked the blind men if they believed Jesus was able to heal them. He asked a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years if he wanted to be healed. Why else would he be sitting by the healing pool? Jesus waited until the man admitted he had tried everthing on his own and that he needed help.

Jesus asks us to talk to him. Be specific. Come boldly. Confess him. Believe in him. Ours is not a blind faith. It is a faith based on a very real man and a very real God.

What is it you want God to do in your life? Tell him. Sure he knows and, yes, he can do anything he wants whether or not we say something. But there is a reason Jesus asked those questions we read this morning and why he asks the same of us today.

Do you believe him? Do you trust him? Yes or no?

Father, I admit there are some things I don’t bother to bring to you, whether I think they are not all that important or I think you’ll do what you want anyway. Forgive me for that. May I recognize your interest in me. And may I put into words the things that are on my heart. I’ll recognize answers to prayers if I do.

October 10

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Mark 4:30-34, 35-41, 5:1-20; Matthew 13:31-35, 24-30, 36-52, 8:23-27, 28-34; Luke 13:18-21, 8:22-25, 26-39

The man had lived for years in a cave like a rabid dog. He was out of his mind, wild and violent. No one could get near him. But when he met Jesus all that changed. Jesus healed the man and restored his sanity.

The townspeople saw the man clothed, sitting with Jesus and in his right mind. And they were afraid. This miracle was beyond anything they had ever seen. Their reaction? They asked Jesus to leave.

So Jesus left the area and the man begged to go with him. I certainly can understand that. He wanted to stay near to Jesus where he was safe and accepted. But Jesus told the man he wanted him to go back into his hometown and tell the people there how much God had done for him. The man obeyed.

I think the hardest people to witness to may be the people who know you the best. They know your secrets. They’ve seen you lose your temper. If you were saved as an adult, they know the lifestyle you led before Christ. This man knew the townspeople had seen him naked and violent and crazy. He was probably the butt of a lot of jokes and the stories about his antics were probably exaggerated. 

But Jesus told the man to go home, look those scoffers in the eye, and tell them how God changed his life. He wanted the man to live with those people and demonstrate the difference Jesus had made. 

He wants us to do that, too. A mission field isn’t always across the ocean. It’s in our living rooms, our neighborhoods, our work places. Every day there is someone we meet who needs to know how God has changed us. They need to see in us something better than what they have without Christ. Yes, we might have to accept the fact that they look at us with suspicion because they know we aren’t perfect. But that doesn’t release us from the responsibility, and the privilege we have to share the Savior with them.

I pray God will give you the opportunity to tell someone today how much he has done for you. Like the man we read about today, let’s be obedient. Is that too much to ask of us who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb? I don’t think so.

October 9

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Mark 3:31-35, 4:1-20, 21-29; Matthew 12:46-50, 13:1-23; Luke 8:19-21, 8:4-18

I’ve heard quite a few sermons on the parable of the seed. I’ve read these chapters many times myself. But I read something today that stood out as though for the first time.

You see, I’ve understood this parable to help us in our witnessing, to help us recognize that when we share the good news some people will reject it, some will accept it on the surface, and some will allow it to change them. It’s always challenged me to be a faithful sower regardless of how the message is received. And all that is true and a very integral part of what the parable is intended to convey.

But Jesus, when explaining the parable to his disciples said, “Therefore, consider carefully how you listen.” (Luke 8:18) He’s preaching to the choir and tells them they are to pay attention, too. It’s not just about people hearing the Gospel for the first time. The seeds in this parable referred to the disciples, too.

Today I’m asking myself, am I satisfied with the level of my knowledge and understanding of God’s Word? Or are there still some things God would want me to learn? As I read his Word each day, attend church or Bible study, do I do so with an open heart, ready to allow it to change me? Even after all these years I’ve walked with the Lord?

Every time I hear the Word I am a seed in Jesus’ parable. I want to be the seed that hears and retains it, and by persevering produces a crop. Jesus goes on to say in verse 8, “Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.” There’s a blessing and a curse.

If I, who have such a rich history of Bible believing pastors and teachers, who have had the privilege of reading the Word for myself for decades, listen with an open heart and mind, there is still so much for me to learn. What a blessing!

But if I take God’s Word for granted, if I close myself off because I think I have it all figured out or that I have just enough to get me into heaven, I run the chance of losing it. My heart can become as rocky and hard as the soil in the parable. And look what happened to the seed there.

Dear Jesus, Thank you for your Word. It is alive and active and able to change hearts today. Including mine who have walked with you for many years. I pray that you will find my heart fertile, that you would continue to teach me through your Word and through the faithfulness of your pastors and teachers. As I consider how I am listening, I pray you will find me eager and willing to hear from you. And may I use what you are teaching me to plant seed so that others can know you, too.