My Summaries of Daily Bible Readings
October
Below you will find an audio version of my summaries of week 40 (10/1-10/7).
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October 1 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Day 274)
We read that Jesus healed the lame man by the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath Day. The Pharisees protested that this action broke the Law of Moses. They sought to kill Him because He claimed to be equal to God and to be greater than the Sabbath Day. His word cut deep into their hearts when He said that they search the Scriptures for eternal life, but reject the One to whom all the Scriptures point. They put more trust in their appearance of "keeping the Law" than in placing their faith in the Sacrificial One in whose essence the Law was and is satisfied. Other popular "messiahs" had tried to win victories over the Romans, but Jesus' popularity was stripped from Him when it became apparent that His goal was to triumph over something far more sinister and eternally consequential than a mere oppressive invader. His victory was over the evil of all time through His perfect obedience of the Law and to His Father's perfect will. The Pharisees maintained a constant harassment campaign against Jesus and His disciples by accusing Him of breaking the Sabbath and the traditions of their ancestors. Jesus retorted by exposing their hypocrisy, a revelation that they did not appreciate as much as the laity.
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October 2 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Day 275)
We read how the crowds followed Jesus so closely that He was in danger of being crushed. He chose twelve Apostles from among His disciples. In His well-known "Sermon on the Mount" He taught the "Beatitudes." These were practical lessons for successful living in the power of the Holy Spirit, which is the only way that the teaching could be effectively accomplished. He warned the rich and powerful people that heaven's standard is opposite the earth's, (and obviously, all souls will spend more time in eternity than on earth). Jesus taught that the spirit of the Law was just as weighty as the letter of the Law and used murder, adultery, vow making, and lawful revenge as object lessons to expose His listeners' guilt and subsequent need for repentance and forgiveness.
Jesus said that He came to accomplish the law's purpose. He taught that crimes are first committed in the heart so that the guilt of many seemingly well behaved people would be far greater than they could have imagined. He encouraged those who are willing, to deny themselves as the only way to act as children of the Most High God.
Finally, Jesus taught that God only gives heavenly rewards for good deeds done in secret.
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October 3 (Matthew, Luke, Day 276)
We read Jesus' teaching on prayer and fasting (and I'm confident that He is the most authoritative on the matter). He taught that it is more expedient and profitable to store up treasures in heaven than on earth. Jesus said that to the degree that we condemn or pardon others is the same measure that God will apply to our personal offenses (which are undoubtedly far more evil than we are willing to admit). He taught that we should never give up on praying because the answer will come in due time. The "Golden Rule," as we know it was one of His most influential statements that is widely quoted by moralists of many cultures. Jesus pointed out the fact that most people will choose the easy road (that seems right to them) and only a few will find the path to heaven. He explained that our true essence is heralded by our actions. Jesus said that only those who do the will of His Father will go to heaven. His "will" is that each individual will confess his or her utter sinful unworthiness and believe by faith in Christ's sacrifice and resurrection resulting in living a life of full yielding to His desires for the remaining number of breaths granted until death. Those who hear and reject His teaching absolutely WILL ALL be disappointed with the idea, object, good deed, or action in which he or she had put his or her hope for attaining eternal life.
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October 4 (Matthew, Luke, Day 277)
We read how Jesus, while greatly honoring the faith of a Roman officer, made a prophecy, that I and people like me (Gentiles) are preparing to fulfill when we sit down together with Messianic Jews to eat with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. This was a rebuke to the Jews who foolishly trusted in their racial genetics for salvation. Jesus healed the officer's slave and resurrected a widow's son.
Then John the Baptizer sent messengers to inquire if Jesus was the expected Messiah or not. John was seeking assurance that everything was going as planned. * Jesus took the opportunity to demonstrate the immense value of regeneration (a condition that saves the soul) to the work of a very good man (a condition that does not save the soul). Jesus prophesied that great distress would come to the unrepentant person. Jesus thanked God for revealing His salvation to the poor and lowly. A repentant prostitute anointed Jesus' feet, in front of a self-righteous and disdainful Pharisee. Jesus mocked the Pharisee's arrogant piety by forgiving her sins without all the pompous rituals in which the Pharisee trusted and praised her for her expression of loving gratitude.
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* Jesus had to deal often with people's common misunderstanding of His purpose for coming in human form. His parents questioned His choice to remain in the Temple. His mother Mary tried to rush His miracle working power at the wedding in Cana. His brothers accused Him of seeking stardom. The synagogue leaders in Nazareth thought (briefly) that He would make a great chazzan. His followers expected Him to start a catering business in the wilderness whenever He preached. The sick and distressed expected Him to become a circuit doctor. The Jews wanted Him to relieve them of Roman taxes. His disciples wanted Him to destroy resisting unbelievers with lightning, stop rival exorcisms, live in a temple built by Peter next to Moses and Elijah, and battle the Romans to reestablish the Israeli empire. Even John the Baptizer expected more results from Jesus by this point in His ministry.
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October 5 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Day 278)
We read that women helped to financially support Jesus and His disciples. The Pharisees attributed Jesus' miraculous power to Satan. Jesus warned that while blasphemy against Him was forgivable on the other side of a very fine line was the unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's ministry is to convict the human heart of sin and to draw people to salvation. Anyone who knows the truth and would still offend such a benevolent Holy Being, by attributing His work to Satan, has committed the greatest of sins because he or she openly declares a complete rejection of God's saving power. That soul will suffer eternal damnation.
In answering the Pharisees demand for a sign of divine authority Jesus affirmed the true account of Jonah's survival of a gastronomical saltwater saturated adventure to describe part of His redemptive plan. Jesus' family tried to cut in on the crowds, but Jesus pointed out that the truest of familial relationships is spiritually connected.
With the parable of the Sower of the Seed Jesus predicted that nominal Christians will fall away, but those whose hearts have been tilled by the Holy Spirit will not only remain faithful, but will evangelize and disciple others.
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October 6 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Day 279)
We read that the disciples needed Jesus to explain the parables that He taught. He told them that they were designed to reveal secrets and truth to only those who are tender to the Holy Spirit's wooing through conviction and whose heart's desire is to sincerely apply the lessons to his or her life. He prophesied that someday everything now concealed would be revealed to all.
He taught other parables that described the nature of heaven from the perspective of the working class people. The farmer's true wheat will be saved from the burning and his minuscule mustard seed will eventually develop into a thriving plant. The homemaker's lamp will reveal all things hidden in the shadows. The baker's Gospel "yeast" will permeate the saved man's or woman's life. The prospector's buried treasure of truth is worth more than all the possessions anyone can own. The merchant's pearl is worth more than all that he possessed. For the fisherman, death will extract all souls from life like a fishing net gathers all species of fish from the water, where the desirable ones will be picked out. Jesus demonstrated His Deity by canceling the storm's fury. As seasoned fishermen, they would understand better than anyone the severity of the storm and how close they came to drowning.
Finally, He challenged the disciples' small development of faith.
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October 7 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Day 280)
We read that Jesus delivered two men of demon possession. The community became so afraid that they begged Jesus to leave. Could it be that there were more demon-possessed people nearby and so they were afraid that they were about to lose the rest of their livestock? As a perfect gentleman would be expected to do, Jesus obliged them.
Jesus healed a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years and He resurrected a deceased girl that was twelve years old. I don't think that the fact that both of these entities involved "twelve years" is significant, but I cannot help wondering if twelve years earlier the woman and Jairus, the Synagogue leader had any contact with each other. The woman's constant bleeding would have made her permanently "unclean" and so unable to worship in the Synagogue. Jairus began a twelve year period of joy and hope while the woman began twelve years of depression and hopelessness. Then for both to converge together to receive a priceless gift from Jesus on the same day would have been a beautiful restoration of a severed relationship, (just one of my musing diversions).
I also wonder if the Jewish community considered Jesus "unclean" since a bleeding woman touched Him and He had also touched a dead body. *
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* The issue of Blood - see Leviticus 12:2, 5; 15:19
Touching a dead body - see Numbers 19:11, 13-16
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Below you will find an audio version of my summaries of week 41 (10/8-10/14).
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October 8 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Day 281)
We read that Jesus healed those that were blind and mute and the people were amazed because this had never been done by any of the prophets. He returned to His hometown of Nazareth, but since they knew his family so well, they were unable to accept that He was anything more than just "a kid that grew up down the street" (so-to-speak). He was unable to do many miracles there because of their unbelief.
Jesus sent out the twelve Apostles with power and a mandate. They were not to settle down anywhere, but to keep moving while telling the truth of the need for everyone to repent of their sins and yield their lives to God's perfect will.
Jesus dispelled the misunderstanding that He would unite all people. In fact, He stated that He would be the divider of families. Anyone who loved anyone else more than they loved Him could not be saved. He encouraged His followers to endure persecution because only God can reward or destroy what really matters most: the human soul. Finally, Anyone who accepts Jesus accepts God.
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October 9 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Day 282)
We read how and why King Herod had John the Baptizer beheaded. Many people thought that Jesus was actually John the Baptizer resurrected because of the amazing miracles He could perform. Others thought that Jesus was the prophet Elijah who was taken to heaven without dying. There was a lot of debate about Him going on in the community. Even Herod was curious to find out if the "miracle worker" was possibly the man he had beheaded.
Jesus fed the five thousand families that had followed Him into a remote location without food. The disciples traveled by boat while Jesus prayed by Himself. He caught up to them by walking on the water as the disciples struggled to avoid a watery grave in a fierce storm. Peter walked out to Jesus on the water, but then began to sink when he became afraid and doubted. Jesus saved him.
When they reached the other side the people were all trying to touch Jesus' clothes for healing. I wonder if they had heard about the woman that had suffered for twelve years and was healed by touching the hem of His robe.
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October 10 (Matthew, Mark, John, Day 283)
We read that Jesus was the real "bread" of life that the manna had formerly represented during the wilderness wanderings following the Exodus from Egypt. Jesus exposed the people's craving for temporal satisfaction. He exhorted them to instead eagerly seek the eternal life that He was able to give them. He knew that they missed the whole purpose of His miracles: to prove God's approval of His message and purpose. The people stumbled over His truth because they thought that they knew His essence, but He was so much more than what He appeared to be. Their lack of faith blinded them. Only "the pure in heart will see God" (Matthew 5:8). Because He spoke of spiritual things, the carnally minded people misunderstood and abandoned Him.
The Pharisees challenged Him on His not honoring the Jewish observances of tradition and being disappointed, walked away. However, His poignant rebuttals to the Pharisees made Him a champion of the oppressed laity at large.
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October 11 (Matthew, Mark, Day 284)
We read about the Gentile (non-Jewish) woman who begged Jesus to exorcise the demon that possessed her daughter. Jesus only granted her request after she demonstrated her impressive humility and faith in the God of the Jews. Jesus healed a deaf mute in a seemingly most unhygienic manner. He healed the lame, blind, crippled, and mute. The crowds were amazed to see such miracles and praised God. He also fed four thousand with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. The Pharisees demanded a sign from heaven and Jesus mocked their misconstrued interpretation of the Scriptures.
Finally, Jesus warned His disciples of the Pharisees' deceptive doctrines that included a deep-seeded pride in their spiritualized "visions of grandeur."
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October 12 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Day 285)
We read how Jesus healed a blind man by first spitting on his eyes, laying His hands on his eyes, then laying them on his eyes again before he could see clearly. I don't need to know, but I do wonder why. Jesus told him not to reenter the village on his way home. He apparently obeyed Jesus.
Jesus surveyed the people's assessment of His identity. Then He challenged the disciples to express their thoughts. Peter championed the best response and Jesus identified Peter's statement of faith as the kind upon which He will build His church. This is the first time that "church" is mentioned in Scripture. He warned the disciples not to tell people that He was the Messiah.
Jesus predicted His death and Peter allowed human reasoning to overcome him, but Jesus corrected his faulty theology. Then Jesus was transfigured on a high mountain. The disciples fell asleep then awoke to see Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Somehow Peter knew their identities and offered to build them temples. God silenced Peter and confirmed that Jesus was His Son. The event was so exhilarating that Jesus had to revive them from their resulting paralysis.
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October 13 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Day 286)
We read how Jesus healed a demoniac son. The boy's father asked Jesus for more faith. Then the disciples learned that the reason for their inability to get the job done earlier was because they also lacked an adequate amount of prayer and faith.
As His ministry was coming to its completion, Jesus wanted to spend more private time with the disciples. He was trying to assure them that although He would appear to suffer defeat, He would arise (triumphant over the formerly unconquerable power of death), but they were too preoccupied with inflating their own value rankings over the others to recognize that while they were tying to climb up, Jesus was climbing down. John tried to prevent others from sharing in the ministry, but Jesus rebuked him for his exclusivity. Jesus put great value on children and sternly warned against their harm.
Jesus established the rule of discipline in the church. It begins with correction at an intimate level. If the guilty person continually resists the confession that will lead to his or her restoration, then the number of witnesses is to be increased until, if necessary, the matter is to be brought before the whole assembly of believers for judgment. This portion of the reading includes a powerful promise. Jesus said, "I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, My Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among you." (NLT).
Jesus demonstrated our need to forgive as a response to the forgiveness of our sins. Authentic worshipers of Jesus will practice this, not as a tool of manipulation, but as a reflection of their humility and gratefulness for God's forgiveness of his or her innumerable sins.
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October 14 (Matthew, Luke, John, Day 287)
We read how Jesus' own physical brothers disrespectfully mocked Him and accused Him of seeking selfish fame. He did not retort in anger, rather He pointed out that His goal was not to be popular. That would be impossible anyway because the people of earth always hate anyone that exposes their faults. This was His gentle way of shedding light on their own sins again.
He began heading toward Jerusalem for the Passover celebration, as did many of the Jews. However, unlike the Jews who passed around Samaria, He chose rather to pass through it, and the Samaritans opposed Him for His Jewish ethnicity. In response, James and John wanted to call fire down from heaven to destroy them, but Jesus rebuked them for their lack of mercy. Jesus had several people who wanted to complete certain projects before they would accept His invitation, but He said that unless they were fully devoted to Him, they were not fit for the Kingdom of God.
The priests were trying to capture Jesus, but they could not find Him. Then He appeared in the Temple, teaching so well that the people marveled at His command of the subject. Some doubted that He could be the Messiah because they erroneously thought that He was a Galilean. The prophet Jonah would have taken offense. * At the festival He refused to condemn an adulterous woman that the Pharisees brought before Jesus. (Interestingly, since they questioned His authority, why would they seek His judgment, unless this was simply another one of their attempted entrapments.) **
Finally, Jesus claimed His Father as His witness of authenticity to "validate" His message, to answer their challenge of His right to lead the people. The Pharisees mocked and disrespected Him.
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* The Pharisees tried to bolster their opinion by arguing that no prophet ever came from Galilee. However, Jonah, the first Hebrew prophet to be sent to a foreign nation, (2 Kings 14:25; Jonah 1:1) was from there. Furthermore, They did not conduct a very thorough search of the facts about Jesus. Referencing the Scripture that stated that the Messiah would be a descendant of King David who would be born in Bethlehem, a requirement of which Jesus did satisfy, they thought that He was from Galilee, a fact that would disqualify Him as a Messiah (if it were true). The irony here is that the Pharisees insulted the common people by calling them ignorant fools for believing in Jesus (John 7:42) when we can clearly see how these highly educated religious leaders were, in fact, the most ignorant (and foolish) about what really mattered.
** No one knows what Jesus wrote in the sand. Could it have been the names of these leaders with the dates of when they had also slept with her? Whatever it was, they all left without making any further comments. Jesus' incarnation purpose was not to convict and condemn. He came foremost to save souls. The Holy Spirit convicts the unbelievers to show them their need for salvation. Jesus will be the judge that condemns those who refuse to accept His priceless and sacrificial gift when they are brought before Him at the Great White Throne in heaven.
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Below you will find an audio version of my summaries of week 42 (10/15-10/21).
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October 15 (Luke, John, Day 288)
We read Jesus' claim to be the exclusive Granter of salvation. To receive it the grantee must believe that He is who He claimed to be (The Eternal "I AM.") Jesus taught that we prove our true ancestry, not by our DNA, but by our actions; we are descendants of whom we imitate. Abraham was a man of faith (in God). We will truly share in his inheritance when we also have faith in God. Those people who reject Jesus, imitate the devil and thereby expose their true family ties.
Jesus sent out His disciples to heal the sick and to proclaim the Kingdom's eminent arrival. They returned jubilant of their authority over the demons, but He corrected their misdirected enthusiasm by reminding them of the greater joy they should have over their ownership of priceless eternal life.
Jesus thanked God for being the Champion of the downcast and helpless. Jesus told the story often titled, "The Good Samaritan" to reveal the spirit of the Law of (horizontal - human to human) relationships.
Martha learned that personal devotion is more valuable to God than adherence to cultural protocol.
Finally, Jesus taught a model prayer that humbly recognizes the sovereignty of God while petitioning Him for merciful favor, because the best Father will give the best (eternal) gifts of all.
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October 16 (Luke, Day 289)
We read that the Pharisees again disrespectfully attributed Jesus' power over the demons to evil. Jesus stated that since He was opposed to evil, it was illogical for them to claim that He was on the same side as the demons. They, however, opposed Him and so proved that they were, in fact, on the same side as the demons.
The Pharisees attacked Him again by demanding that He provide a sign of cosmic wonder, but Jesus offered them an even greater high heavenly wonder, when He foretold of how God would sacrificially die for rebellious sinners, then be resurrected to life in three days.
Jesus warned His listeners against using piety as a religious deception. Instead He promoted for them to own a personal and devoted relationship with God. "Yes a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth, but not have a rich relationship with God." (Luke 12:21 - NLT).
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October 17 (Luke, John, Day 290)
We read Jesus' warning for believers to be ready for His return. The spiritual leaders and anyone who is well versed in holiness will have more action required of him or her than those that are ignorant, but on the other hand, the faithful leaders will receive an even greater reward for his or her faithfulness in expediting the Master's will.
Jesus mocked those who accurately interpreted the signs of the coming weather conditions, but ignored the developing signs of an event of heavenly proportions, namely: The Great White Throne of judgment. Jesus warned that fruitlessness was a sign of a soul that is not saved.
When Jesus healed on the Sabbath, the laity (common people) cheered, but the Pharisees (clergy) became indignant. The man healed from a lifetime of blindness focused a glaring accusation to the biased Pharisaical judges. Jesus revealed the paradox that those who admitted their blindness would be healed while those that pretended to have sight (and thus unrepentant) would remain truly blind.
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October 18 (Luke, John, Day 291)
We read what a good Shepherd Jesus really is, as demonstrated by His laying down His life for His followers. He announced that we, who live in subsequent future of His formerly earthly existence, would share in His "new life" redemption.
Jesus was grieved with the people of Jerusalem's hard hearted condition. He taught that we should choose selflessness so that God can reward us and that the Holy Spirit's invitation to salvation must be redeemed immediately because there may not be any other opportunities later. "When the Master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late [to be saved]." (Luke 13:25 - NLT).
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October 19 (Luke, John, Day 292)
We read that Jesus said, "So you cannot become My disciple without giving up everything you own." (Luke 14:35 - NLT)
Jesus told the parable of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son. Then He taught that Christians should spend all their resources to win others for Christ, to enjoy being gladly welcomed into heaven. (Luke 16:9).
Jesus taught the reversal of fortunes. This is the truth that the "great" on earth may very well be the "poor" in eternity (depending on if their hearts are or are not rich toward God).
Jesus taught that parents should be careful not to lead their children away from God through their lifestyle example or with overtly humanistic teaching.
Finally, Jesus' close friend Lazarus died and Jesus traveled back to Bethany to resurrect him after he had been dead and entombed for four days.
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October 20 (Luke, John, Day 293)
We read that Jesus went to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead, even though earlier the people there had tried to stone Him to death. Following Jesus' demonstration of Divine authority by resurrecting Lazarus, the Jewish religious leaders (that were allied with the Roman powers) feared that the people would use Jesus as a champion to inspire an insurrection against the Roman domination. This threat would surely draw a military reaction that would destroy the benefits of their personal positions of authority. Evil High Priest Caiaphas proposed a diabolical plan to kill Jesus. He intended this for his personal gain, but God's use of the same plan was intended for the benefit of all souls that place their salvation faith in Jesus' sacrificial and vicarious death on the cross.
Jesus further offended Jewish nationalists by praising the gratitude of the formerly leprous Samaritan over the ungratefulness of the Jews that were also healed.
Jesus prophesied that His second coming would be as evident as the lightning that flashes across the sky.
Finally, Jesus encouraged believers to persist in prayer, in spite of (seemingly) God's slowness to respond. Jesus challenged, "...But when the Son of Man returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith?" (Luke 18:8b - NLT).
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October 21 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Day 294)
We read how Jesus went "against the grain" (so-to-speak) by respecting the humble in heart and deed over the exalted leaders that flaunted their position over the helpless poor. He crushed their attempted theological entrapment with truth that answered their question while also exposing their sinful hypocrisy.
The disciples acted like many church leaders that I have observed through the years that often discount the importance of serving the children in their ministry (hopefully not, but maybe, because the children's offerings would not cover the cost of their care). These leaders apparently did not realize that the children in their church will become the adults that they so eagerly try to reach within just a few years. Besides, children are the ones whose hearts are not yet calloused by having committed many sins and are still tender toward the truth of the Gospel. Jesus rebuked the disciples' misdirected objectives.
Believing the false paradigm that health and wealth is proof of a person being right with God, the rich man was unwilling to humble himself enough to share his stuff so that he could become rich toward God. Jesus promised a hundredfold return to believers that voluntarily leave behind anything for His sake.
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Below you will find an audio version of my summaries of week 43 (10/22-10/28).
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October 22 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Day 295)
We read how Jesus was trying to correct His listeners' wayward imaginations of the Kingdom of Heaven through the parable of The Vineyard Worker. One point that He made was that no matter how long or briefly a person labored for the Lord, all believers will receive the same (priceless) reward of eternal life.
James and John were trying to situate themselves into a key political position in what they mistakenly thought would be Jesus' earthly kingdom, but Jesus warned them that they did not realize for what they were asking. Jesus explained to them that in His kingdom, "going up" is "falling down," "being weak" is "being strong,"and being "conquered" is being "victorious," and that He would be the first to be destroyed, but that He would return. Their misguided perception prevented them from understanding what He was trying to tell them, but it all became clear to them after Jesus' resurrection.
Jesus taught that we are to work to produce a spiritual profit for the Master of the Kingdom. The lazy and rebellious one will lose what little he thought he had, but the diligent one will enjoy a generous and honorable promotion.
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October 23 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Day 296)
We read that Mary poured a lot of perfume all over Jesus' feet. Everyone else thought that this was an excessive waste. However, Jesus promised that she would receive great eternal fame and honor for her sacrifice. I can think of no other person that Jesus decreed should be tied to the telling of the Gospel account and here we are talking about her today.
Jesus rode a young donkey into Jerusalem as a king. (Donkeys were more prized than horses.) The people recognized the significance of this and the priests (who presently had no control over the people) told Jesus to stop them, but He was certainly worthy of the praise so He accepted it.
Jesus wept over the people's hard hearted condition in Jerusalem. There was a window of opportunity for them to accept salvation, but it was now being closed because of their corporate rejection of it. In His prayer Jesus revealed that He knew the way He would die and the purpose for His mission. God responded audibly to encourage His disciples. Before He temporarily disappeared, Jesus warned that the time of their personal opportunity to believe was coming to a close, when overwhelming darkness would overtake all the unbelievers.
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October 24 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Day 297)
We read how the relational conflicts between Jesus, unbelievers, and the envious religious leaders intensified. The religious teachers were supposed to be leading the people into the true and proper worship of God, but they were actually the greatest hindrance of such worship by redirecting all admiration toward themselves, just like their spiritual father, Lucifer did, and by abusing anyone who refused to venerate them.
Jesus cursed the barren fig tree, not out of anger, but to demonstrate the importance of believers to live a life of fruitfulness through faith in God. Jesus taught that a believer's dislike for any other human prevents positive results from his or her prayers. However, prayers by believers in Jesus, that hold no grudges against anyone, and trust in Jesus' teaching will be able to accomplish what is humanly impossible.
The religious leaders challenged Jesus' right to vandalize and disrupt the Temple market. Jesus claimed to have the same authority as John the Baptizer, but since they refused to reveal their assessment of John's calling, Jesus muted their opinion of Himself; thereby effectively shutting them up while exposing their own rejection of God and His messengers.
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October 25 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Day 298)
We read Jesus' parable of The Two Sons, where Jesus showed that obedience is shown in actions, not in promises or good intentions. The religious leaders put on the appearance of piety, but it was the broken hearted and marginalized people that had the proper attitude about their condition and so were able to accept forgiveness.
Jesus equated the evil religious leaders with sharecroppers who refused to give the landowner his due, and by killing his representative. Jesus explained the nature of the Kingdom of God with a story about a king who invited anyone that would be willing to come. Then a man was found in attendance that was not properly dressed. He was cast out because even though he was permitted into the king's presence (similar to dignified looking pretenders in church), he refused to allow the host's robe of righteousness to cover his sin.
The leaders tried to trap Jesus with something that they could use to tattle to the Romans, but He turned the challenge around to give proper respect to the Roman government while exposing their lack of devotion to God.
The Sadducees tried to trap Jesus with a hypothetical question, but He insulted their flawed theology and exposed their false doctrine. They turned away in utter shame.
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October 26 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Day 299)
We read Jesus' affirmation that the "Shema" (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) as the most profound commandment because it states concisely that God must be loved over everything else and that the second most important one commands a love for each other (Leviticus 19:18) which can only come from the sincere personal application of the Shema.
Jesus made a challenge of His own to reveal His Deity and the religious leaders' misunderstanding of the Messiah's essence. Jesus revealed that the Holy Spirit inspired David to write Psalm 110. Jesus instructed the believers to obey, but not to imitate the religious leaders' behavior because they did not practice what they preached. (I heard of a preacher who said, "Many will lead others to Jesus that will not go themselves." - How sad.) Jesus warned that since the religious leaders misrepresented the holiness of God to the people, God would deal more severely with them. He exposed their covert schemes and condemned their hypocrisy and violent intentions.
Jesus grieved over the coming horrific end to Jerusalem and her inhabitants, the ones that were closest to, yet rejected God's salvation.
Finally, Jesus taught that (in God's view) the value of an offering is based more on the giver's level of sacrifice to and trust in God than in the value of the currency.
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October 27 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Day 300)
We read Jesus' prophecies and warnings about the end times. In summary, true believers must and will maintain their faith in God to the very end, in spite of the horrific and disturbing events of war, persecution, and natural disasters. A few of the phrases presented in today's reading that often confuse some people are:
1. "...not a hair on your head will perish,"
2. "...this generation will not pass from the scene before all these things take place," and
3. "...but the one who endures to the end will be saved." *
Thanks be to God that the days of turmoil will be shortened for the sake of the believers, but even Jesus expressed concern over the small number of faithful believers present when He returns.
Those days could be upon us. The signs are growing. There is no unfulfilled prophecy left that would prevent His return.
In the days that Jesus described Christians will not have their Bibles or devotionals with them. If it were today, would you have enough knowledge of the Scripture INSIDE you to sustain your faith to the end? The laying up of Scriptural treasures is a slow and deliberate process. There is no "crash course" to help nominal Christians (that often fill up their minds with superficial junk like entertainment, pastime activities, and/or excessive relaxation and comfort) to catch up with those who have been diligent in daily Bible study, prayer, and service. Be bold. Be faithful. Keep on keeping on!
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* 1. Refers to the believer's entrance into heaven. He or She will enter full blessed and intact. Passing though the veiled filter of death, believers shed and leave behind every trace of sin, disease, and all forms of corruption and suffering, but sin, diseases, and all forms of corruption and suffering will cling to the resurrected bodies of the unbeliever for eternity.
2. "This generation" refers not to Jesus' contemporaries, but to those living during the times that He described.
3. True believers will NEVER deny their Lord because their faith in Him is greater than their fear of martyrdom. The believer's accomplishment of maintaining to the end does not save them, rather the saved will be proven by how they maintain to the end.
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October 28 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Day 301)
We read that Jesus' return will come suddenly while everyone is going about their normal routine. His advice for surviving the coming horrors and to being able to "stand" before Him in heaven was to: "Keep alert" and to "pray." It will be the strength that comes from the believer wearing Christ's robe of righteousness that will give him or her the power to maintain his or her composure before Him. The others will lose their physical strength to overwhelming fear and paralysis to the point that they will not even be able to speak.
By His teaching, everyday Jesus drew crowds to Himself in the Temple. No doubt the jealous priests thought in their hearts, "He is taking over our Temple!" When in fact, HE was the true owner of the Temple and worthy of all veneration.
Jesus taught the importance of remaining alert for His return by telling the story of the Ten Bridesmaids (five wise and five foolish) and the story of The Three Servants (two wise and one foolish). Both stories show the resulting actions of those who believed and those who did not believe that a day of judgment was coming soon.
Finally, Jesus described how true believers will be identified by the way they treated the marginalized people of society. Included in today's portion of Scripture is the believer's most anticipated greeting by Jesus as He welcomes them into the eternal Promised Land, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world." (Matthew 25:34 - NLT). *
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* Since it only took God six days to create everything we can see (and beyond), imagine, if you can, how much He has accomplished since then!
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Below you will find an audio version of my summaries of week 44 (10/29-11/4).
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October 29 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Day 302)
We read about Jesus' last moments with His disciples before His mock trial and subsequently unjust crucifixion. The leading priests knew that they could not arrest Jesus in public because the people would riot. Since rioting was the worst of crimes to commit the Roman military would come in with a fury to violently punish everyone indiscriminately and dispose the religious leaders of their posh positions for not maintaining control of the crowd. So Judas, to serve some unknown personal agenda, agreed to provide them with information on where to find Jesus alone. Only a disciple from Jesus' inner circle would be able to do that because Jesus moved around a lot and He was able to arrange meetings in hidden locations without even being there. Jesus sent Peter and John to find such a place for their Passover meal.
At the Passover meal Jesus demonstrated how the structure of the leadership in His kingdom would live to serve others (not the other way around). Jesus revealed that one of them would betray Him. The disciples were unable to discover who it was. Jesus spend His last precious moments with the disciples (including Judas). Jesus washed Judas' feet, shared bread and wine with Him, thereby demonstrating the greatest level of self-control and maybe He was also mercifully offering Judas one last chance to change his mind about betraying Jesus.
Finally, possessed by Satan, Judas left into the night to become the most despicable of all traitors in human history. Jesus yielded to His Father's will by not interfering with Satan's diabolical plan.
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October 30 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Day 303)
We read Jesus' words following Judas' (and Satan's) departure from them. Jesus explained that His obedience to His Father's will (allowing Himself to be captured and crucified) demonstrated His love and brought glory to Him. Likewise, the disciples will follow in the sufferings of Christ, enduring to the end without denying Him. Jesus promised to grant their every request when they would ask in His name. It is an insult to God for us to attempt to use this promise on temporal lusts that do not bring Him glory. The power of this promise is designed to be used to solidify the believer's resolve to NEVER deny Christ, no matter what.
In their carnal strength, the disciples claimed to have the stamina to remain true to Him, but Jesus assured them that they would all desert Him, even Peter (who, I am sure was at the top of everyone's list of the one "most likely to succeed").
Jesus promised that He would reveal Himself to them after the resurrection and when they receive the Holy Spirit they would remain in Him as the branch of a living vine because apart from His Divine power they could do nothing for God.
Finally, the eternal security of the believer's soul is confirmed in the fact that God chose him or her and God has never, nor will ever misplace anything.
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October 31 (John, Day 304)
We read how Jesus knew that the world system hated Him and would also hate His followers, but Jesus promised that He would send the Advocate (the Holy Spirit) to testify about Him and to convict the world of its sin. Jesus said that the sin that the world commits is, "...that it refuses to believe in Me." (John 15:9 -NLT).
The Holy Spirit will:
1. Guide us in all Truth,
2. Tell us only what He has heard from Jesus,
3. Tell us about the future (The Revelation), and
4. Bring glory to Jesus.
After Jesus ascended to the Father, the disciples will be required to ask the Father (in Jesus' name) for what they formerly used to ask Jesus in person.
Finally, Jesus' High Priestly Prayer is found in John chapter seventeen. In it Jesus said, "And this is the way to have eternal life - to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the One You sent to earth" and "Then Your love for Me will be in them, and I will be in them."
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