Today’s Readings: Deut 33:1‐29, Luke 13:1‐21, Ps 78:65‐72, Prov 12:25

Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,
but a good word makes him glad.

Observation: Anxiety weighs a man down.

Applications:

1.      Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

2.      A good word makes a man glad. When feeling anxious, I should seek good words from God and others. I want to give good words to those who are anxious.

How do you deal with anxiety in your life?

Today’s Readings: Deut 32:28‐52, Luke 12:35‐59, Ps 78:56‐64, Prov 12:24

Deuteronomy 33:46-47 (Moses”) said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. 47 For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

Observations:

• Other than the formal blessing of Israel in chapter 33, these are the last recorded words of Moses.
• We are to command his words to our children
• His words are not empty
• His words are our very life
• By his words we are to live long.

Apply: We must see God’s words as our life… to truly depend on them to lead us as we live.

How have you seen God’s words actually be life to you?

Today’s Readings: Deut 31:1‐32:27, Luke 12:8‐34, Ps 78:32‐55, Prov 12:21‐23

Deuteronomy 31:6 – Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Observation:  Moses says to Israel, and he will tell Joshua the same in the next two verses, to be strong and courageous.  They are to have “no fear or be in dread” of their enemies.  The given reason for courage is not because their enemy is week.  Neither is their courage based on their own strength.  Instead, their reason for courage is to be their confidence in the Lord’s strength.  This is a reoccurring theme throughout scripture.  Courage is a function of faith.  In other words, courage is fear that has said its prayers.

Apply: I have more on my plate than I am used to.  Tonight I must decide to live by faith and approach the next few days boldly in the strength that only God can give.

How do you remind yourself where your courage comes from?

Today’s Readings:  Deut 29:1‐30:20, Luke 11:37‐12:7, Ps 78:1‐31, Prov 12:19‐20

Luke 12:1-3 In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

Observations:

• Immediate context: Thousands of people have gathered and are trampling one other to get to Jesus and he turns, first, to tell his disciples this…
• Beware – be on guard against, look out for, your senses should be alert to this
• Of the leaven – affects everything around it
• Of the Pharisees – he defines it as hypocrisy – things that you cover up, hidden, have done in the dark or whispered.

Application:  We must live knowing that nothing in our lives will be kept secret.

Will you feel comfortable when your hidden life is revealed?

Today’s Readings: Deut 28:1‐68, Luke 11:14‐36, Ps 77:1‐20, Prov 12:18

Psalm 77:12 I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.

If obedience did not jump off the page in both Deuteronomy and Luke as you read today, then you were asleep.  However, because I have journald/blogged on obedience many times in the last few weeks, I want to note a few of the things God showed me in the Psalms.

David, the man after God’s own heart, took time to ponder all of God’s works and to meditate on his mighty deeds.  With the pace of my life, I rarely stop long enough to really think about what God has done.

Apply: Tonight I am going to spend time thinking about God’s works.  I want to truly meditate on what he has done throughout history and in my life.

What has God done in your life recently?

Today’s Readings: Deut 26:1‐27:26, Luke 10:38‐11:13,Ps 76 1‐12, Prov 12:15‐17

Luke 10:38-42 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Observations:

• Martha was distracted with much serving…

• “Martha, Martha (I love that Jesus says her name twice), you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.”

• “Mary has chosen the good portion” – sitting at the Lord’s feet and listening to his teaching.

• “… which will not be taken away from her.”

Apply: Every time I read this passage I am deeply convicted. I want to choose the good portion. Today I will make a point to sit at the feet of my God and listen to him.

How do we have a Mary heart in a Martha world? (This is a book title)

Today’s Readings: Deut 23:1‐25:19, Luke 10:13‐37, Ps 75:1‐10, Prov 12:12‐14

Psalms 75:7  But it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.

One of the statements I remember from our Jewish tour guide is: “The king is not really king.  The one who crowns the king is king.”  He was referring to God being the one who chose the kings of Israel and anointed Saul and David through Samuel.  God was the one who was in control of Israel.  Not Saul or David.

Apply:  I pray that I will recognize God’s control in my life.  I pray that he will be faithful to his Word and execute righteous judgment in the life of those around me.

How have you seen God lift up and put down the lives close to you?

Today’s Readings: Deut 21:1‐22:30, Luke 9:51‐10:12, Ps 74:1‐23, Prov 12:11

Luke 9:61-62 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Is it OK to say that there are parts of the Bible that are uncomfortable for me to read?  Sometimes it is because of conviction.  Sometimes it is because I am not seeing the author’s intended meaning of the passage.  Here it is a little of both.

The message of the passage is not that we must leave our family and never talk with them again if we follow Christ.  That would not be consistent with the rest of the teaching in Scripture.  The context of the verse shows us that the meaning is related to following Christ fully without hesitation.  Notice the “I will follow…but…first.”  When God say’s go, we do not pass go, we do not collect $200.  We go.

Apply: I must fully submit myself to God’s calling – no buts.

How do you avoid the “I will follow…but…first” response?

Today’s Readings: Deut 18:1‐20:20, Luke 9:28‐50, Ps 73:1‐28, Prov 12:10

(S) Luke 9:35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”

(O) During the transfiguration, God gives his disciples two statements of Christ’s identity and one command.  The command is to “listen to him!”  The Greek word listen is akouo in the present active imperative.  It is very similar to the word Sh’ma in Hebrew.  It is a responsive hearing or a heading.  I love that the next recorded statement from Christ to his disciples starts with “Let these words sink into your ears” (v44).

(A) I want to spend intentional time listening to God today.

(P) Lord, help me to listen actively.  I want your words to sink into my ears.

What helps you listen to God?

Today’s Readings: Mar 31 Deut 16:1‐17:20, Luke 9:7‐27, Ps 72:1‐20, Prov 12:8‐9

Deuteronomy 17:16-17 Only he (The King) must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ 17 And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

Megiddo was one of Solomon’s chariot cities.  When we were in Megiddo, we saw stalls that Solomon built to house 450 of his horses.

Observation #1: The verses that immediately follow (v18-19) state that every king in Israel “shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law” and “he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them.”  Clearly Solomon was familiar with God’s Words and disobeyed them.

Observation #2:  The motive listed in verses 16-18 is “for himself.”

Apply: What are my horses?  Today I want to look for ways that I am disobeying the Word of God.  What am I accumulating for myself?

What does this passage mean to you?