Category: Gospels
Honor and Worship!
Scripture reading for March 29th: Judges 13-16, Luke 20
Key Scriptures: Judges 13:17-20 “And Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?” And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?” So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to the Lord, to the One who works wonders, and Manoah and his wife were watching. And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar.”
God appeared to a childless couple and told them that they would have a son who would deliver Israel. He gave them instructions that this child be raised as a Nazarite from conception. This is a type of Jesus Christ, from Nazareth who was set apart to God from before the world began!
Luke 20:24-26 “”Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’;s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch Him in what He said,. . .”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your wisdom, “Wonderful” Name and works of wonder! We give you praise and honor! Amen!
Ready for The Son of Man!
Scripture reading for March 26th: Judges 2-4, Luke 17
Key Scriptures: Luke 17:24-27 “For as lighting flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in His day. But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.”
Jesus plainly taught His disciples about the time of His return to earth. It would be a time when many had fallen away and rejected the Son of Man. They lived naturally for the desires of their flesh, but were ripe for destruction as in the days of Noah. The book of Judges tells how God allowed free will and consequences, teaching them to live by faith in His Word.
Judges 2:11-13 “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, guide me in Your way today that I might be ready for Your sudden and glorious return. Amen.
Single-hearted serving!
Scripture reading for March 23rd: Joshua 22-24, Judges 1, Luke 16
Key Scriptures: Luke 16:10-13 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Jesus warned his disciples about the danger of compromise. To be faithful servants of God requires a single focus. You cannot serve God and place something else in His place, vying for your affection. It is impossible!
Joshua 24:14-15 “”Now therefore fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you well. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.””
Prayer: Lord, I choose again today to serve You Alone, to devote my life to You and love You. Amen.
Possess your inheritance!
Scripture reading for March 22nd: Joshua 18-21, Luke 15
Key Scriptures: Luke 15:11-14 “And He said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of my property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.”
Jesus told the story of a man with two sons. One son faithfully stayed with his father and worked. The younger demanded his inheritance and went and squandered it in reckless living. The younger son lost everything but decided to come humbly back to his father and was welcomed home. The older son was resentful and angry. The father wanted both his sons to possess their inheritance!
Joshua 18:3 “So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?”
Prayer: Lord, help me to recognize the great value of the inheritance You have given me and possess it by faith and obedience! Amen.
Killing selfish ‘giants’!
Scripture reading for March 21st: Joshua 15-18, Luke 14
Key Scriptures: Luke 14:25-27 “Now great crowds accompanied Him, and He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yeas, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”
Jesus attracted great crowds but He did not want anyone following Him that had not truly counted the cost. Following Jesus is a costly pursuit. It could cost all relationships, for God must be put over all others. It could even cost a person their life. The willingness to die was in the metaphor of carrying a cross while following. This idea would come into focus as Jesus carried His!
Joshua 15:13 “According to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, he gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh a portion among the people of Judah, Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak. And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak, . . “
Prayer: Lord, thank You for being the ultimate example for us to follow. May we bring You joy as we place You first above all else. Amen.
Inheriting the Kingdom!
Scripture reading for March 20th: Joshua 12-14, Luke 13
Key Scriptures: Luke 13:18-19 “He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made their nests in it.”
Jesus illustrated the nature of God’s kingdom to His disciples. He used the common mustard seed to illustrate how powerful something appearing so small in the natural really was. When this small seed was placed in the garden, it grew and became a great tree that could provide shelter and nesting for the birds. Caleb’s faith build his inheritance after 45 years of patience!
Joshua 14:10-12 “And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as He said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me, my strength is now what my strength was then. So now, give me that hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day. . .”
Prayer: Lord, thank You for these examples of men of faith that believed and stood on Your Word. May I be strong and courageous all my days. Amen.
Sensitive to God’s Signs!
Scripture reading for March 19th: Joshua 8-11, Luke 12
Key Scriptures: Luke 12:54-56 “He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat.’ and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but do you not know how to interpet the present time?””
Jesus used examples of normal weather occurrences that were preceded by certain signs that had some good predictability. The people were well-schooled concerning the weather, but were dull and unlearned about the signs of the present times. The natural can teach the humble about spiritual signs.
Joshua 10:12-13 “At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.”
Prayer: Lord, make me sensitive to the spiritual signs of this present time that I may be mighty for You and do exploits! Amen.
Keep Me from Temptation!
Scripture reading for March 16th: Joshua 5-7, Luke 11
Key Scriptures: Luke 11:1-4 “. . .one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And He (Jesus) said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be Your Name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”
Jesus was asked about effective prayer by His disciples. Jesus did not give them some formula or magical incantation, but a simple pattern. God was to be approached as our “Father” whose Name was holy. As children, they were to ask that Father’s kingdom would come. They then were to ask for daily needs and for forgiveness of sins. The condition was forgiveness as we had forgiven others. The conclusion was to ask for deliverance from temptation.
Joshua 7:20-21 “And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them.””
Prayer: Father God, thank You that you meet all our needs and answer prayers of Your children. Keep me from temptation to grab all that shines and glitters and help me to be content with my daily bread. Amen.
Strength and Courage!
Scripture reading for March 15th: Joshua 1-4, Luke 10
Key Scriptures: Luke 10: 1-3 “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where He Himself was about to go. And He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.”
Jesus gathered the larger group of His disciples and sent them out two by two. He prefaced His mission with a command for them to pray to “The Lord of the Harvest” for laborers. After they prayed, He commanded them to answer their prayer by going! Prayer has a way of motivating the prayer and opening them to Hear Jesus and obey.
Joshua 1:8-9 “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make you way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Prayer: Lord, thank You for your encouragement and strength. Help me to go forth today to walk with You and possess the land of promise. Amen.
The Plan Revealed!
Scripture reading for March 14th: Deuteronomy 32-34, Luke 9
Key Scriptures: Luke 9:20-22 “Then He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” And He strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man just suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.””
Jesus told His disciples on several occasions what would happen to Him in Jerusalem. He told them plainly of His suffering, sacrificial death and the resurrection that would follow three days later. He also told them to tell no one about this at that time. All things must be accomplished first in God’s plan.
Deuteronomy 32:39, 43 “‘See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god beside Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of My hand.'” . . . .”Rejoice with Him, O heavens, bow down to Him, all gods, for He avenges the blood of His children and takes vengeance on His adversaries. He repays those who hate Him and cleanses His people’s land.”‘
Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your willing sacrifice of Your Son to cleanse Your people and their land. May I walk in that truth today. Amen.