April 30 (Thursday) -- Jesus is Older Than Dirt

If you can’t correctly pronounce, “Shibboleth”, you’re dead: Judges 11:1-12:15

Jesus is literally older than dirt: John 1:1-28

Psalm 101:1-8

Proverbs 14:13-14


Book of John:
• Probably written at Ephesus at about 78 A.D. (some say 90-100 A.D.).
• Written after the other gospels.
• Written mainly for Christians.
• Almost two-thirds of the Book of John is devoted to the last 6 months of Jesus’ life.
• Almost one third devoted to the last week of His life.
• Some say that John wrote this book at the request of the ministers of several churches in Asia to counter the teachings of Corinthus and the Ebionites.
o Corinthus: a man who claimed to had revelations written by an apostle and revelations from an angel. He preached that Christianity was supposed to be a thousand years of a big marriage festival, with everyone eating, drinking, & marrying.
o Ebionites: a sect who believed that Christ was an ordinary man, born like an ordinary man, but who has superior values. Because the Christians considered them poor in spiritual knowledge, they were given the name “Ebionites”. “Ebionite” means “poor man”.

Who is John?
• Was a fisherman before becoming Jesus’ servant.
• The disciple “whom Jesus loved”.
• One of the 3 disciples who were part of Jesus’ inner circle, often witnessing really neat stuff the other disciples did not.
• According to tradition, during the persecution under Domitian, John was thrown into boiling oil but wasn’t hurt.
• He was sent to labor in the mines at the isle of Patmos, where he wrote Revelation.
• John was freed from Patmos when Nerva came to power.
• John is the only disciple who wasn’t killed for his faith (although there was an attempt on his life). He died a natural death.

• V. 1:
o Jesus = the Word
 The Word = God
 Jesus = God
 “Word” comes from the Greek word “logos”, which means logic, or reasoning.
 John the Baptist was the “voice”. Jesus is the “Word”. John the Baptist told about the Word, Jesus.
o Jesus is eternal.
 Jesus is literally older than dirt. 
• V.3:
o Jesus = the Creator
o Nothing exists that didn’t come from Jesus.
o The author and founder of the Christian religion (Jesus) is also the author and founder of the world.
• V. 4:
o The life is in Jesus.
o This life is the light of men.
o We can’t see where we’re going without Jesus’ life.
• V.5:
o “Has not understood” in NIV is “never overpowered it” in AMP.
o “Understood” in NIV comes from the Greek word “katalambano”, which means “to take eagerly”, or “seize”.
o The light of Jesus is stronger than the darkness of the world.
o The world can’t conquer Jesus’ light.
o When you’re with Jesus’ team, you’re with the team that wins in the end.
• The other gospels try to prove that Jesus is the Messiah by either stating some of the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled, or by describing His immaculate conception.
• The book of John doesn’t try to prove that Jesus is special. John just simply states that Jesus is God.

• V.6-9:
o John the Baptist understood that the world has a natural blinding keeping them from seeing Jesus.
o Why was John the Baptist testifying about the coming of Jesus?
 “That through Him all men might believe.”
 This is the ultimate goal – the furtherance of the Kingdom of God.
 This is for “all men” -- not just Jews, not just the rich, not just the poor, not just people of a certain color.
• V.10-13:
o John (the gospel writer) wants us to get the point that Jesus is the Creator. He repeats it in verse 10.
o I believe we need to absorb the teachings in the Bible that are repeated.
o Jesus came to dwell among His creation.
o Imagine a car designer willing to live for 30 years in a garage full of cars he created. 
o We are really beneath Jesus. We are the results of His creation.
o Yet, Jesus came to dwell among us.
o What kind of reception did He get?
 The world “did not recognize Him”.
 We, as human beings, think we’re the smartest species on the planet.
 Yet, even a pet recognizes his owner.
 Without the Holy Spirit, we don’t see the true order of things.
o “His own” in verse 11 sounds like it’s referring to everyone – all of Jesus’ creation. But most people believe it’s referring to the Jews.
o The Jews (for the most part) rejected Jesus. But many Gentiles accepted Jesus.
o Believing in Jesus:
 “Believed” in verse 12 literally means “cling to, trust in, rely on” (AMP).
 Context is important. Believing in Jesus, as John wrote about Him, means to believe that Jesus is as described at the beginning of the chapter: that Jesus is the Word, Jesus is God, Jesus is the Creator, Jesus is the Life, and Jesus is the Light.
 So we’ve got to have deep down-sure enough-belief that Jesus is the highest & the utmost. But if we do, we become the sons of God.
o Believers in Jesus basically fill in the gap of the Jews (“His own” in verse 11) and become part of the House of God.
o John lets us know that Christianity is not a club exclusive to Jews.
o Being a believer in Jesus has a tighter linkage to God than being a descendant of Abraham, who was a man.
o This is what God wants. What God wants has greater authority & relevance than what a man (i.e. husband in a family) wants.
o God wants, has planned out, and desires us to be part of His kingdom, His family, His protection, His representation, & His service. (All what it meant to be part of someone’s house/family.)

• Jesus not only came to dwell among us. He also became flesh (v. 14).
o Back to the car designer analogy – it’s like the designer not only living in the garage full of cars for 30 years, but choosing to be a car like his creations for 30 years.
o Jesus’ willingness to live like a much lower being for 30 years is too much of a sacrifice for us to comprehend.
o It’s beyond any possible move on Earth that we can have as man – more than a member of a wealthy royal family living in the lowliest of slums.
o The flesh is the lowliest part of us (in contrast to spirit and soul).
o It was by being flesh that Jesus allowed Himself to have our physical weaknesses.
o Jesus did all of this knowing that it would ultimately lead to mankind being able to crucify Him.
o This is how important it is to God/Jesus for us to get the point of eternal life through Him.
• V.15: John (the gospel writer) backs up Matthew’s writing (Matthew 3:11) of John the Baptist’s testimony contradicting himself to Christ. John the Baptist made sure everybody knew that he was not worth talking about. Jesus is the real deal.
• V. 16: This was done though there was no way we could deserve Jesus’ dwelling among us or His sacrifice.
o This was all done through grace.
• Until Jesus came, only God Himself has seen God.
• Now that God, as Jesus, had walked on the Earth, John and others had seen God, by seeing Jesus.


• By this time, there had been a handful of others who claimed to be the messiah.
o There were so many that there was even a standard procedure to go through.
o Anyone claiming to be the messiah would go to either the priests or the Pharisees and try to convince one of them that he was the messiah.
o If a “messiah” got backing from one of the priests or Pharisees, he would walk around in public and claim to be the messiah, with an esteemed spiritual leader vouching for him.
o So the Pharisees were used to being included in the recognition of the coming messiah.
o Yet, John the Baptist was running around teaching about the coming Messiah without trying to get glory for himself or bring glory to a sidekick Pharisee. 
o To be fair to those around Jesus, they had seen false messiahs so many times it was probably easy to dismiss Jesus with a “yeah, right, we’ve heard it before” attitude.
• V.26 – Again, even John the Baptist, as much as we respect him, was saying to instead respect Jesus.



Summary:
1. Jesus is God.
2. Jesus is the Light.
3. If we believe in Jesus, regardless of whether we’re Jew or Gentile, we become part of God’s family.
4. This was set up through the grace of God, to the point of Jesus coming to dwell in flesh among us.
5. We can’t earn it – it’s through grace.
6. Yet our faith has to be real enough to where we “cling to, trust in, rely on” Jesus.

April 29 (Wednesday) -- There's a Way That Seems Right to a Man

Please save us, Lord. We’ll be good. This time we mean it: Judges 9:22-10:18

Before there was Kitty Pryde, there was Jesus:Luke 24:13-53

Shout with joy to God: Psalm 100:1-5

There’s a way that seems right to a man: Proverbs 14:11-12


There are times I read this part of the Bible in Judges and think, “Were they really that dumb? How many times do they fall away from the Lord only to realize it’s a mistake and come back, before repeating the mistake later?”

And it’s true. It’s really dumb to fall away from God. Worshipping idols is an awful way to do it. Often throughout the Bible, He refers to it as cheating on him.

If I started cheating on my wife you’d all think I’d lost my mind. Yet, isn’t God worth so much more? Let’s not cheat on him by worshipping other things.

That means not worshipping money, not worshipping sex, not worshipping a celebrity, etc. In short, it means not putting anything else before God.

One of my all time favorite songs is at www.petrarocksmyworld.com/notofthisworld.html (scroll to the last song at the bottom). It’s a good thing that Proverbs 14 was the last thing in today’s Bible reading. Now that I’ve read one of the lines from that song (Proverbs 14:12), the song is in my head & I can’t read any further. :)

April 28, 2009 (Tuesday)

April 28

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Judges 8:18-9:21

Luke 23:44-24:12

Psalm 99:1-9

Proverbs 14:9-10

In these outstanding passages we read about the moments and days after Jesus' death.  We read that a centurion said, "Surely this was a righteous man."  This is utterly ironic, knowing that Jesus' own people, the Israelites were condemning him as deserving punishment, although he was the perfect, spotless lamb of God. Then we read about the resurrection... Yes I know that there are many of you who think, again?!?! we just talked about the resurrection a few weeks ago! Why are we reading about it again now. Yet, the Christian message is ALL about Jesus' resurrection.  That Jesus overcame sin and death for us is an amazing truth. We can stake our lives on this fact. We should come back to this again and again and again.  This proves the message of the Psalmist in our passage from there:

"Great is the Lord in Zion; 

he is exalted over all the nations."

Monday (April 27, 2009)

April 27

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Judges 7:1-8:17

Luke 23:13-43

Psalm 97:1-98:9

Proverbs 14:7-8

Today's passage deals with the crucifixion of the perfect lamb, Jesus Christ.

As we read, Pilate cannot find anything that Jesus has done wrong (because

it's impossible to), yet he gives into the shouts and cries of the crowd. Oftentimes

the group can be very wrong, as they are here. This mass of people have fallen

into the great mistake of believing Jesus to be worthy of death. Such are those

who Jesus died. Jesus says the amazing statement "Father, forgive them, for they

do not know what they are doing". Jesus cries out in forgiveness of those very

people who are putting him to death... Simply amazing.

Then there is the criminal who cries out to Jesus for salvation, 'remember when you

come into your kingdom", Jesus answers with the most beautiful words one could

possibly hear, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise". Jesus shows

his right and desire to give salvation to all who would call on his name. 

Saturday/Sunday (April 25-26)

April 25

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Judges 4:1-5:31

Luke 22:35-53

Psalm 94:1-23

Proverbs 14:3-4

April 26

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Judges 6:1-40

Luke 22:54-23:12

Psalm 95:1-96:13

Proverbs 14:5-6

In these passages we continue to read of very exciting and dynamic stories of the warrior judges of Israel. There is even a song in there about a pretty tough lady named Deborah who helped  "subdue" the Caananite king.  There's so many interesting stories in Judges.

In Luke we read about the prayer on the Mount of Olives.  Here Jesus prays to the Father that if there is any way to avoid the cross, let it happen. Yet, Jesus is more than ready to go to the cross to redeem us from our sins. He knows the pain and difficulty the cross will hold, yet he is obedience to his Father no matter what. This shows the great love Jesus had to die for the sins that we deserved the punishment for.  Then we read the beginning of Jesus' passion, his arrest and the betrayal of Peter. We then read about Jesus' trial, the only time a completely innocent man would go before a judge. Ironic huh? It is Jesus who should and will one day be the true and perfect judge of all people.

"I have a message from God for you" [April 24 (Friday)]

April 24

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Judges 2:10-3:31

Luke 22:14-34

Psalm 92:1-93:5

Proverbs 14:1-2

In today's passage we have one of the most exciting and funny stories in the Bible. The Israelites had been under King Eglon of the Moabites because of their rebellion for 18 years. But the Israelites cried out to God and he sent them Ehud. Ehud goes to pay tribute to the king, but has a knife strapped to his thigh. Ehud then tells Eglon "I have a message from God for you" and proceeds to take out his knife and stab him in the gut, yet Eglon is 'a very fat man', we read and the knife basically is swalloed up with fat, then Ehud gets away while Eglon's attendants think he is using the bathroom. Then there's 80 years of peace and a single verse about a man named Shamgar who killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad. An oxgoad?

The passage from the gospels is also very fascinating. Two things happen here. Jesus begins the practice of the Lord's Supper, transforming the passover meal into a meal that celebrates his own sacrifice. Yet, at the same time we get the indication that two of his disciples, Judas and Peter, will betray him.  Even though the disciples were the closest to Jesus, even these would not be perfectly loyal. This both makes me think about the gravity of my own lack of obedience, but also comforts me in knowing that even these great men messed up at times. But we must desire to be like Peter and not like Judas and come back to God pleading for forgiveness and not let our sin lead us to despair.

April 23 (Thursday) -- No! Not my big toe!

Thumb-less & Big Toe-less: Judges 1:1-2:9

Heaven & Earth Will Pass Away, But Jesus’ Words Will Never Pass Away: Luke 21:29-22:13

He Who Dwells in the Shelter of the Most High: Psalm 90:1-91:16

He Who Spares the Rod Hates His Son: Proverbs 13:24-25

The first part of this passage of Luke is really a continuation of yesterday’s passage. Jesus’ end time teachings go from Luke 21:8-36. That’s 29 verses. This must be worth talking about.

The end times & Jesus’ return are not things that’ll be regional events. They will come upon all of the earth (verse 35). We are to always be ready for Jesus’ return (verse 36).

We should live every day as though we expect Jesus to return on that day. If you knew without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus was returning today, how would you live?

April 22 (Wednesday) -- The Ultimate Prophet

Choose this day whom you will serve: Joshua 24:1-33

Signs of the end times: Luke 21:1-28

Even when things are bad, praise be to the Lord forever: Psalm 89:38-52

Misfortune pursues the sinner: Proverbs 13:20-23


Is Jesus the ultimate prophet or what? Let’s look at what He said concerning future events.

About 40 years after Jesus said the temple would be destroyed, guess what? It was destroyed. The Jews rebelled against the Romans, and the Romans crushed the rebellion, during which the temple was destroyed. It was destroyed so completely that today we’re not sure what exact spot it was at.

“Many will come in my name” (verse 8): About 100 years after Jesus there came a dude by the name of Bar Kokhba, who claimed to be the Messiah. He had some success in leading the Jews in a rebellion against the Romans, but he was soon crushed.

They happen in our lifetime too. Have you ever heard of David Koresh? If not, ask you parents what happened in Waco, Texas back in 1993. The bottom line: when someone claims to be the Messiah don’t believe it. When Jesus comes back it’ll happen so quickly there won’t be a chance to respond.

“But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you” (verse 12). Right after Jesus’ death the Christians were heavily persecuted. And in large part, entire regions & nations were transformed because of the persecuted Christians, like Jesus said would happen in verse 13. And it still happens today. The Christian church is growing by leaps and bounds in places where there’s heavy persecution of Christians – places like China & Iran. These Christians have a no-matter-what, no-matter-who kind of faith that’s transforming their nations.

April 21, 2009 (not 2929 :) ) -- Tuesday -- The Debate Is On

Be Picky with Who You Marry: Joshua 22:21-23:16

The God of Abraham is the God of the Living: Luke 20:27-47

Blessed Are Those Who Have Learned to Acclaim the Lord: Psalm 89:14-37

Ignoring Discipline Leads to Poverty and Shame: Proverbs 13:17-19


I’ve got to confess that I learned something from the Bible today. Most of the times the daily reading reminds me of what I already know. But I don’t remember noticing this until today, so I’m counting it as learning something new.

Did you catch Jesus’ debate with the Sadducees in today’s reading from Luke? I love to debate. I often easily get snared into one.

The Sadducees tried to debate Jesus over something that’s really a non-issue. Does it really matter if their hypothetical woman, who was widowed seven times, will be a wife to one of her earthly husbands when she goes to Heaven? You can debate that one all day long with no clear resolution. The world likes to try to trip us in little games like this, in an attempt to undermine our thinking in our core beliefs.

But how did Jesus handle it? Did he take the bait & debate with them over their pointless topic? No. He undermined their core belief (their belief that there is no resurrection) by proving that there is a resurrection.

The world will sometimes try to debate minutia of Christian beliefs in an attempt to undermine core Christian beliefs – like that God exists and that faith in Jesus is the only way to salvation. They’ll do things like:
1) Try to get you to defend the belief that the Earth was created in a week (which I don’t believe anyway).
2) Try to get you to defend the belief that Jesus never married. (Who cares?)
3) Try to get you to defend the belief that all species of animals in existence today had to have at least two fit onto Noah’s ark. (Who’s to say that some macroevolution hasn’t occurred since then, giving us more species today?)

I believe Jesus would redirect their meaningless points back to main points, like He did with the Sadducees. Often, when atheists try to undermine your faith in Christ it’s because they feel that their faith in random chance / natural selection is in a flawed philosophy. So try to steer the debate into things like:

1) That we were created by a Creator, not by natural selection. (Don’t believe me? Check out http://certainlyscience.blogspot.com or www.reasons.org .)

2) That the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. The atheists may wish the Origin of Species had no flaws, but, in truth, Darwin wrote how his theory could be tested. We’ve tested it & know it to now be highly flawed. Yet the Bible has gone though much more scrutiny and has come through with flying colors.

3) That Jesus is the foretold Messiah. Nobody else satisfies the Christ prophesies like Jesus.

And remember, we Christians need to stand up for our faith. I promise you – the world will continue to deluge you with their beliefs every change they get.

April 20, 2929 (Monday)

April 20

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Joshua 21:1-22:20

Luke 20:1-26

Psalm 89:1-13

Proverbs 13:15-16

We have some great readings from today's passages. In Joshua we see a glorious and blessed time in the life of Israel. There are moments throughout the Old Testament of blessing, obedience, but also of disobedience and cursing. Today's passage is one that displays the Lord blessing his people with the land promised to them. "So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there". 

In Luke there are some wonderful parables and stories that ultimately illustrate the great authority and power of Jesus. The authority and majesty he displays show himself to be divine. The things he does and says would not be possible unless he was God incarnate. Jesus is asked about his authority and he answers back with a question. He trips them up in a question they cannot answer. But I think what's behind this conversation is Jesus showing that it is not for the pharisees to question him, but for him to question them.  In the parable of the tenants there is a story of tenants who killed the king's servants and then the king's son, in hopes of taking the vineyard. This is an obvious reference to what the pharisees and people of Israel had done before. The people had killed God's prophets and now they will kill Jesus. This is a not so subtle attack on the pharisees actions. Then he says that the stone the builders reject will become the chief capstone. This means that though the people will reject Christ, Christ will overcome his enemies and form the basis of the new covenant community. A very fascinating story.  Finally, Jesus is able to say that it is fine to 'give to Caesar what is Caesar' in paying taxes (those of you who now have jobs know something about this). But once again this is showing that Jesus has the authority to make this statement. Caesar only has authority because he gave it to him.

April 19, 2009 (Sunday)

April 19

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Joshua 19:1-20:9

Luke 19:28-48

Psalm 88:1-18

Proverbs 13:12-14

Today's passage relays the story of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem... we celebrated this day several weeks ago with palm sunday.  The important thing to remember concerning the triumphal entry is that it is Jesus declaring himself to be the promised Messiah, but not in the way people were expecting.  Jesus is indeed the promised King, riding in triumphantly into the city of Jerusalem, on the way to his final victory over death. Yet, he is riding in on a donkey instead of a majestic horse. Jesus is showing that he will overcome evil and the powers of this world by becoming a servant.  Jesus will be exalted because he has humbled himself. And of course there is the spontaneous outburst of praise from the disciples. They are rebuked, and Jesus remarks that if they are silent even the rocks will cry out. Indeed, this is because the very creation is ready to praise the King and Lord over all that God has created. Our God is indeed majestic and great. 

Then there is the story of Jesus clearing the temple.  This story is wonderful since it shows the Lord's passion for the worship of the true God. Nothing may distract the purposes of the worship of God.  Jesus has the right and passion for the temple since he is divine. He has the right to clear the temple because he is himself God.

April 18. Saturday

April 18 -------------------- Joshua 16:1-18:28 Luke 19:1-27 Psalm 87:1-7 Proverbs 13:11

In luke, there are some interesting stories. In one of these stories, we are told of Zacceueus, a man who was fully aware of how much he needed Jesus. The pharisees counted him out as being too sinful to be eligible for God's love. They underestimated the power of grace. Zaccheus shows the greatness of the love Jesus showed for him in how much he changed his life towards others.

Next we read of the parable of the talents. Here are 3 men with differing views of who God is. The one who had a heart to serve the Lord was bold with his gifts and served the Lord with all he had... the third was negligent and used his fear as an excuse for his in-action... We must realize that all we have is from God, so we must use it for his kingdom.

April 17, 2009 (Friday)

April 17

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Joshua 15:1-63

Luke 18:18-43

Psalm 86:1-17

Proverbs 13:9-10

Today's passage from Luke shows how rich Jesus' teachings are. It would be worthwhile to just think upon some of these stories.  Keep them in your mind as you go throughout the day. Think about them as you drift off to sleep. Take a look at this story about the rich young ruler. There is so much to learn here. First there is of course the lesson that the rich man foolishly thought himself to have followed the law perfectly. Jesus picks out one issue and shows that the man is unable to fulfill the commandment. His riches (could be anything in our lives) weigh him down from doing great things. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, which basically means impossible... but the story doesnt end here! The disciples are struck by Jesus' words. They reflect that this makes it impossible for man to be saved. Jesus then comforts them with the fact that there is nothing impossible for God. God is able to heal us when we call out to him, because he is more powerful than our sin. He has defeated it. Finally Jesus gives a word of encouragement for those who forsake the things of this world, they will receive these things back more fully in this life and in the life to come. We grasp at the people and things in our lives, but it is God who provides for every need. What a rich passage!

The parable is followed by two more stories, one where Jesus predicts his death and the disciples don't understand. Also there is a wonderful telling of how  blind beggar pleaded and received his sight through faith.

Thursday: April 16

April 16

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Joshua 13:1-14:15

Luke 18:1-17

Psalm 85:1-13

Proverbs 13:7-8

I enjoyed so much today reading the section from Luke's gospel. Here is the story of the "parable of the persistent widow". This is a very clever story that Jesus uses to show the height and depth of how much we can trust God. God basically sets himself in contrast to judge who 'neither feared God nor cared about men'.  This judge denies justice to a widow until he basically gets tired of her complaining and gives in. You know the trick, not that i'm condoning it!, but you want to 'go to the bathroom' when you're at school or in a lesson at youth. I'm gonna go to the bathroom, you say over and over, no, not until we're done! Until after the tenth time, okay! you can go! That's basically what this story is about (excpet the widow is asking for something quite just)... But what God is saying is that he is so much more caring than the unjust judge. The judge would give in finally if pleaded to enough. God says he is EAGER to give us justice against our adversaries. He is not begrudging but gracious. Then there are two stories, one where the pharisees look down on those whom they think inferior, and a story about children and how 'the kingdom of God belongs to such as these'... these stories are all outlining how the kingdom of God works over against the kingdom of the world.

April 15 (Wednesday) -- Quicker Than Lightning

One…Two…Israel Conquered You: Joshua 11:1-12:24

Jesus Will Come Back Like a Flash of Lightning: Luke 17:11-37

The Lord God Is a Sun and Shield: Psalm 84:1-12

The righteous hate what is false: Proverbs 13:5-6


Yeah. I’m a slacker. I got a day behind on the Bible blog. :)

And Jesus’ teaching for Wednesday is pretty intense. The first part of today’s passage from Luke sounds really nice. You don’t have to be a Jew to love the Lord. Jesus, the Son of God, took note that it was the Samaritan who came back to thank Him for healing Him.

But the last part of this passage from Luke tells us it’s not all sweetness and light. There will come a day when Jesus returns. When He does, it’ll be too late to get ready. Usually, you read about it being a nice thing, where you read what happens to the believers – they get taken to Heaven. But this time Jesus tells about the not-so-nice part. This time, in the last verse, Jesus describes the dead body & the gathering of vultures. In short, it won’t be nice for the non-believers when Jesus returns.

April 14 (Tuesday) -- Fooled by moldy bread, plus tree slinging faith

Fooled by moldy bread: Joshua 9:3-10:43

Tree slinging faith: Luke 16:19-17:10

O God, do not keep silent: Psalm 83:1-18

Sluggards get nothing: Proverbs 13:4


Joshua 9:18 talks about what it really means to take God’s name in vain. It’s not about cussing with “God” in the cuss words, although we shouldn’t do that. It’s about swearing on an oath on the name of the Lord, then breaking the oath.

In Luke 17, Jesus taught about both humility and power. His followers wanted Him to increase their faith (verse 5). Jesus told them that even the tiniest bit of faith would do wonders. The He immediately talked about serving God with the attitude of a servant.

I believe the two topics are related. I think believing in Jesus more then you believe even physical laws will result in you serving Jesus faithfully. It’s got to be more than just coming to church because your parents bring you. It’s got to be LILYMI faith. (Live It Like Ya Mean It)

April 13, 2009 (monday)

April 13

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Joshua 7:16-9:2

Luke 16:1-18

Psalm 82:1-8

Proverbs 13:2-3

I'm really pumped about how well the sunrise service went this Easter. Thanks for all the youth who were involved in the planning/setting up/singing/anything. It was really great... 

Today's reading in Joshua describes the covenant renewal at Mount Ebal. This is one of those moments where the Israelites have a moment of realization concerning what it means to be God's people. It is a passage that is helpful in making us consider the gravity of spending a life and an eternity in relationship with the living Lord...

The passage in Luke is very interesting. We have the parable of the shrewd manager. This is a story about a rich man kicking out his manager for stealing from the rich man. The manager basically goes to all of those who owe the rich man money and tell them they can get off of the debt for just paying a small amount (sounds like some sort of ancient story that may involve Bernie Madoff, 'get out of debt quick' schemes and Dave Ramsey all at once, though i'm not exactly sure how exactly) to him directly. The manager takes the money for himself before leaving his job as manager. Then the master actually commends the manager for his shrewdness. he's quite impressed! an interesting story. But Jesus uses it to say that those in the world celebrate dishonesty, but in his eyes it's all evil. I think this applies to anything that you 'can get away with'. sometimes we think we're okay, so long as we don't get caught. Or maybe we think it's okay if we get away with saying some clever insult to someone else at school or church. The point is that there is a higher council than what the world provides. It doesn't matter what the worldly authorities or influential people think, it matters what God thinks.

April 12 (Easter Sunday) -- Can you say, "Ouch!"

I thought I’d post tomorrow’s Bible reading early so I can spend time with the family on Easter.

<---- a flint knife

A cutting experience: Joshua 5:1-7:15

God rejoices when someone joins His kingdom: Luke 15:1-32

If my people would but listen to me: Psalm 81:1-16

A wise son heeds his father’s instruction: Proverbs 13:1


It’s hard to read Joshua 5:1-8 without wincing. :) Isn’t it so good that we’re not bound by the Old Testament?

Jesus is so much better than a flint knife! In this passage of Luke, Jesus basically told the same thing over & over in different ways. Apparently, it’s a very important subject. God is always anxious for people to join His kingdom, including people who used to be part of it & wandered away (the parable of the lost son).

If you’re one of the lost, wouldn’t it be cool to have God bubbling with joy over your coming back to Him?

If you’re already part of the kingdom of God, think about the parable of the lost son for a minute. How would the father have felt about the older son if the older son had gone out and found his younger brother? Instead of feeling jealous over the lost when they come to Jesus, we should be helping them find Jesus & rejoicing with the Lord when they do.

April 11 (Saturday) -- We're the salt for the poop

Crossing a river without a bridge: Joshua 3:1-4:24

Salty poop: Luke 14:7-35

Return to us, O God Almighty: Psalm 80:1-19

In the way of righteousness there is life: Proverbs 12:27-28


The teaching from today that most catches my attention is the one in Luke that Jesus ended with, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke 14:35). That’s Jesus’ way of saying, “What I just said is really important stuff, you need to pay attention.”

At first it sounds evil. Some of you read verse 26 and thought to yourself, “Cool! I get to hate my brother or my sister!” :) But the word “hate” in these verses comes from the Greek word “miseo”, which has two meanings: 1) to detest, and 2) to love less. So what Jesus is saying is that you can’t be His disciple if you love someone else more than Him. And, by the way, this includes us loving Jesus more then ourselves (verse 26).

The rest of this teaching is quite profound. It’s about sticking to Jesus through the end. Before becoming His disciple you need to make sure you’re prepared to put Him first for the rest of your life. He then used a few analogies of natural life where wise decisions require us being sure we’re ready to take big steps before we actually take them. The bottom line is that if we don’t stay with Jesus the rest of our lives then it was a waste to get started. His last analogy of salt made this clear – salt that’s no longer good for the soil or the manure is thrown out. Jesus doesn’t want disciples that join Him for a while and then later put other things first.

If you’re His disciple for the rest of your life then you’re putting Him up as your master teacher for the rest of your life. Getting to Heaven is not based on if you were baptized as a baby. Getting to Heaven is not based on if you’re on fire for Jesus today. Getting to Heaven is based on believing in Jesus the rest of your life, believing so much that His teachings take root in your life for the rest of your life.

April 10 (Good Friday) -- Visiting a Hooker's House

Saved by a hooker: Deuteronomy 34:1 - Joshua 2:24

Away, you evil doers: Luke 13:22-14:6

May Your mercy come quickly to meet us: Psalm 79:1-13

A righteous man is a guide to his neighbor: Proverbs 12:26


Our reading from Joshua & and our reading from Luke together throw out common misconceptions of who’s in God’s kingdom & who’s not. How many people look at a prostitute and say, “there’s somebody who’s going to enter the kingdom of God”? Rahab knew which god was for real – the God of the Jews. She changed her life and eventually (warning – the following line is Bible geek information) became an ancestor of Jesus.

Then in Luke Jesus told us that some of the people we think are good servants of the Lord won’t get into the kingdom of God. What mankind often sees as good enough for God isn’t what God sees. He wants your heart. If you believe in Jesus in your heart, not only will you wind up Living It Like You Mean It, but you’ll be part of God’s kingdom.

One final note: Can you imagine the spies going home & telling their wives that they were saved by a hooker? :)

April 9 (Thursday) -- Repent or Be Thrown Out

Moses’ last blessings of Israel: Deuteronomy 33:1-29

Repent or perish: Luke 13:1-21

Then the Lord awoke as from sleep: Psalm 78:65-72

An anxious word: Proverbs 12:25


If any of you want to know how powerful blessings can be, read today’s passage from Deuteronomy in the Amplified version of the Bible at Deuteronomy 33:1-29 (AMP), and be sure to read the footnotes for each blessing.

In today’s passage of Luke Jesus is at it again, calling for repentance. This time the conversation got started because some people assumed that bad things happen only to people who live sinful lives. Jesus responded to them with two important principles:
1) We can’t assume that bad things happen to only bad people, or that bad events happen to only people of some lower religious stature.
2) The people talking like that need to repent. In fact, they need to repent or they’re thrown out. This is so important that Jesus said it three times in this one passage (verse 3, verse 5, and in the parable of the fig tree in verses 6-9).

To sum it up – Jesus calls us to live holy lives and not try to rank ourselves amongst our peers. Are we saved by grace? Of course! But we can’t throw out this often repeated teaching from Jesus about living right. Living It Like Ya Mean It is an integral part of believing in Jesus.

April 8 (Wednesday) -- Time to Be Ready

The song of a 120 year-old prophet before his death: Deuteronomy 32:28-52

Time to be ready: Luke 12:35-59

They put God to the test: Psalm 78:56-64

Laziness ends in slave labor: Proverbs 12:24


In today’s passage from Luke, Jesus tells us to be ready for His return. It can happen at any time & we don’t want to be caught misbehaving because we think we won’t get caught.

You think this applies only to the church leaders & not to everybody? Peter asked who this teaching applies to (Luke 12:41). Jesus replied with an analogy of a master returning home, finding his servants misbehaving, and beating all of them, including the ones not in charge.

We don’t know when Jesus will return. We don’t know if it’ll be daylight or dark. We don’t know if it’ll be today or 1,000 years from now. But we do know that He’ll come back expecting us to be full of LYLYMI – Living It Like Ya Mean It.

April 7 (Tuesday) -- Lips Are For Acknowledging

Just one little task, Joshua – be Moses’ successor: Deuteronomy 31:1-32:27

Acknowledge the Son of Man before men: Luke 12:8-34

They kept on sinning: Psalm 78:32-55

Lying lips: Proverbs 12:21-23

The first two verses from today’s portion of Luke are from Jesus and are plain and simple. If we brag on Jesus to the people we know, Jesus will brag on us to the angels of God. However, if we’re so afraid that Christianity isn’t the cool thing to do when we’re around our pals that we downplay Jesus, then Jesus will downplay us. That’s both way cool and horrible. Jesus didn’t say that He’ll kinda sorta vouch for us if we kinda sorta vouch for Him. I promise you, there’s nothing mediocre about my Jesus!

I met a family yesterday that’s home for a few months from missionary work. They’ve been setting up underground churches and making converts in a country that heavily persecutes Christians. Their lives would be in danger if they disclosed even the country that they work in. Not even their fellow church members know which country they work in. The government follows much of Muhammed’s laws, including the part about killing Christians. Yet, they’ve served in this country for years, always risking that the next person they try to convert to Christianity will report them to the authorities.

Just something to think about the next time the Holy Spirit moves you to tell a pal of yours about Jesus, but Satan tells you not to do that because it’s not cool and you might be made fun of.

April 5 (Sunday) -- Choose Either Door # 1 or Door # 2

Intense Blessings or Intense Curses: Deuteronomy 28:1-68

Butt Whippin’ a Demon: Luke 11:14-36

I Will Remember the Deeds of the Lord: Psalm 77:1-20

Reckless Words Pierce Like a Sword: Proverbs 12:18

Deuteronomy 28 seems pretty intense. There’s no middle ground. Either the Israelites will follow God’s laws and be really, really blessed, or they’ll disobey Him and be cursed so bad they’ll eat each other for food.

When I read it I always go, “Duh. Not a complicated choice here. Choose the Lord’s way and be blessed.” It does seem pretty simple.

Yet, the distinction between Heaven & Hell is much greater than even the distinction between the blessings and the curses of Old Testament times. Jesus is the obvious choice. Choosing Jesus is choosing Heaven instead of Hell.

Now the question is, who will choose wisely? I hope everybody in our youth group makes a wiser choice than the Israelites did.

April 4 -- Saturday -- Bug God

Curse & Amen: Deuteronomy 26:1-27:26

Fish Is Better than Snake: Luke 10:38-11:13

God Alone Is to Be Feared: Psalm 76:1-12

A Fool Shows His Annoyance: Proverbs 12:15-17


I feel really bad about letting the Bible blog get behind, especially with the April 4th teaching. It’s a favorite of mine.

Does Luke 11 sound familiar to anybody? The prayer is Jesus’ response to the disciples when they asked Him to teach them how to pray.

Observe:

1) Forgive us our sins, as we forgive everyone who sins against us. This is huge. Forgiveness from God goes hand-in-hand with forgiving others.
2) Ask, Seek Knock: The Greek words literally translate to “keep on asking”, “keep on seeking”, and “keep on knocking”. Plus, Jesus’ parable backs that up. Jesus basically told us to pray without care about how much we think it might bug God. :)
3) The Holy Spirit is ours for the asking. We don’t have to memorize some ancient chant or ritual. We don’t have to be born in a special family. We don’t have to find some sacred charm. We simply have to ask and we get the Holy Spirit. And it’s more certain than any of you youth getting fed when you ask your parents to feed you. That’s way cool! The Holy Spirit is key to both our faith in Jesus & in empowering us to bring others to Christ. If we want to get our church on fire for the Lord we need to be experts in forgiveness & prayer, especially in praying for the Holy Spirit.

April 6, 2009

April 6

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Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20

Luke 11:37-12:7

Psalm 78:1-31

Proverbs 12:19-20

In the passage from Matthew's gospel, Jesus is speaking primarily to what it's really all about.  He knew that the Pharisees were filled with loving the wrong kind of religion. They loved the type of religion that made them look good, that gave them power over others.  Jesus is urging them to consider their own motives.  Jesus knows that to truly obey God, one must be cleansed from the inside out and put the ways and teachings of God above all others.  In his teaching to the disciples he drives home the point.  Jesus is telling the disciples that God is completely in control of our lives.  Jesus is telling the disciples that it would be foolish to fear the opinion of other people when God is the one who has the power to give us life or give us eternal punishment. Therefore, he tells them, fear God and serve him only.  'The hairs of your head are numbered" We cannot underestimate the care, concern and power God has in our lives. Therefore humble yourselves before him.  Jesus is pointing to what truly matters in life. May the Holy Spirit apply these truths to our hearts... As the Psalmist says...

⁴ We will not hide them from their children; 
       we will tell the next generation 
       the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, 
       his power, and the wonders he has done.

April 3, 2009

April 3

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Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19

Luke 10:13-37

Psalm 75:1-10

Proverbs 12:12-14

May our prayer collectively call out to our Lord the words of the Psalmist:

"We give thanks to you, O God, 

we give thanks, for your Name is near;

men tell of your wonderful deeds"

And then in Luke, we can rejoice, knowing that because of Christ's victory, we can hear the words of Jesus with great joy:

"I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you,  but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

And I simply must continue... this is wonderful...

"At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes Father, for this was your good pleasure"

What an amazing God and amazing savior.  Then we read of the responsibility we have. Jesus tells the story of the hated Samaritan man who helped the Jewish man who had been robbed. he tells us to do this. Go and help the people who treat you poorly. Now that's definitely a challenge...

P.S.

And in Deuteronomy there is some laws for what to do if your husband is in a fight with another husband... I guess it would also apply for any of you with boyfriends...

"If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by the private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity."

So remember that! (question: which of the two 'him's is she 'seizing'?)

April 2 (Thusday) -- Shaved Headed Women -- Plus, Healing the Sick

Marrying a Shaved Headed Captive: Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30

Heal the Sick: Luke 9:51-10:12

It is You Who set all the boundaries of the Earth: Psalm 74:1-23

He who chases fantasies lacks judgment: Proverbs 12:11

In Luke, Jesus sent out 72 of His disciples to minister to the lost. They’re to preach the gospel (good news) and heal the sick.

Imagine if everyone in our church did that. We’d shake up Hueytown, Pleasant Grove, Oak Grove, & Sylvan Springs! We’d have cities full of Jesus freaks. If someone rejects us, we can just move on.

I’m so glad my friend years ago wasn’t too chicken to share the good news of Jesus with me!

April 1 (Wednesday) -- The Prophet

No Sacrificing Your Children Through the Fire: Deuteronomy 18:1-20:20

The Three Prophets – Jesus, Moses, & Elijah: Luke 9:28-50

Surely God Is Good: Psalm 73:1-28

Good Boys Care for Animals: Proverbs 12:10


Isn’t it cool that God made it so that He could walk among us? I don’t know the exact construct of the Trinity. But I do know that God the Father is simply too much for us to be around and live (Deuteronomy 18:16). So God sent the part of the Trinity that’s both all God and all man – Jesus. He even foretold it all the way back in Deuteronomy 18:15-16: The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, "Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die."

And just so there’s no confusing Jesus with Moses or Elijah (two cornerstone prophets of the Jewish faith), in Luke God sets Jesus above them. Peter wanted to treat Jesus equal to Moses & Elijah, but God said, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to Him.” In Deuteronomy, the prophet Moses also said, “listen to Him”, when talking about Jesus. I think the point is: Listen to Jesus. Jesus is the part of the Trinity that was able to interact with his fellow man. But that doesn’t mean he’s just man. He’s also God. We should listen to God, even the teachings He gave when He looked human.