Category: Gospels
The garden of the heart!
Scripture reading for February 13th: Leviticus 20-23, Mark 4
Key Scriptures: Mark 4:14-20 “”The sower sows the Word. And these are the ones along the path, where the Word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the Word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the Word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while, . . .And others are the ones sown among the thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches. . . choke the Word. . .But those sown on good soil . . . .hear and bear fruit. . .””
Jesus explained the parable of the sower to His disciples, explaining that it was a key to understanding all parables. The Word of God is like seed sown on various kinds of soil. The soil is the ground of individual hearts. Hearing and allowing the seed to grow and produce fruit comes only with the ‘good’ soil of faith. Satan, the world and our sinful nature oppose the Word. Those set apart to God hear and do the Word.
Leviticus 20:26 “You shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.”
Prayer: Lord, thank You for separating me to Yourself by Your holy Word, Jesus Christ. I offer the ground of my heart as a garden of fruitfulness and good soil. Amen.
Jesus loved His neighbors!
Scripture reading for February 12th: Leviticus 16-19, Mark 3
Key Scriptures: Mark 3:1-5 “Again He entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. And He said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And He looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.”
Jesus came to forgive sins and heal the oppressed. Religious people watched Him closely, not to marvel at the miracles and learn from the Son of God the way of forgiveness and salvation. They wanted to catch Him in their rules and destroy Him. Jesus was grieved and angered at their hardness of heart. There was no love for Him or for their fellow brother.
Leviticus 19:18 “”You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.””
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your great compassion for the lost and hurting. Help me to never judge others by religious rules but to be Your hand extended in grace and love. Amen.
Jesus separated Himself!
Scripture reading for February 8th: Leviticus 9-11, Mark 1
Key Scriptures: Mark 1:35-38 “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed. And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him, and they found Him and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” And He said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out. And He went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.””
Jesus, Son of God, separated Himself from His followers and the crowds that sought Him for His ability to heal. He went to desolate places to pray and commune with the Father. He desired only to do His Father’s will and fulfill all the Father’s plans. He had no fear of man or desire for the crowd’s applause. Holiness is separation from the world (Egypt) and separation to our Holy God and His holy will.
Leviticus 11:44-45 “For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.” . . . “For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”
Great News!
Scripture reading for February 7th: Leviticus 5-8, Matthew 28
Key Scriptures: Matthew 28:1-5 “Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know you seek Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen. . .”
Matthew’s account of the resurrection of Jesus describes the two Mary’s going to Jesus’ tomb and after experiencing an earthquake, seeing an angel of the Lord sitting on the stone which had been rolled away from the tomb’s mouth. The guards were like dead men. The angel recognized the women and told them not to be afraid. Jesus was alive from the grave! What awesome news!
Exodus 8:34 “As has been done today, the Lord has commanded it to be done to make atonement for you.”
Prayer: Father, thank You for sending Your son Jesus to die in my place. May I walk in freedom from fear of death because of Your Son’s perfect obedience. Amen.
Grace through the torn curtain!
Scripture reading for February 6th: Leviticus 2-4, Matthew 27
Key Scriptures: Matthew 27:50-54 “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!””
Jesus, the Son of God, hung on a cross between heaven and earth, offering His own body and blood as the final sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the world. He cried out to His Father one more time and gave up His spirit. The earth shook, rocks were split, tombs were opened, saints were resurrected and the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom! The Gentile centurion and those with him declared the divinity of Jesus, Son of God!
Leviticus 4:15,20-21 “And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord, and the bull shall be killed before the Lord. . . .And the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, Son of God, thank You for Your complete obedience to fulfill the law as the final and complete sacrifice for our sins. May I always use the grace provided to approach Your throne through Your sacrifice. Amen.
Anointed to Serve!
Scripture reading for February 5th: Exodus 38-40, Leviticus 1, Matthew 26
Key Scriptures: Matthew 26:6-11 “Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to Him with a jar of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to Me.””
Jesus was preparing for His last few days on earth before offering Himself as the sacrifice for the sins of mankind. A woman came up to Him with a jar of expensive ointment and anointed his head. This was a special act of love that Jesus said would be remembered everywhere the Gospel was preached. With this anointing, Jesus was set apart for His mission as our High Priest and the final blood sacrifice. This is prefigured in the Old Testament in Exodus.
Exodus 40:12-13 “Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint Him and consecrate Him, that he may serve Me as priest.”
Prayer: Holy Father, thank You for anointing Your Son as my High Priest, set apart for Your service in giving His life blood for us. Anoint me afresh today with the Holy Spirit that I might serve You. Amen.
The Master’s Commendation!
Scripture reading for February 2nd: Exodus 35-37, Matthew 25
Key Scriptures: Matthew 25:20-21 “And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents, here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.”
Jesus told His disciples a story to illustrate their need to use what God had blessed them with to bless God’s kingdom. Those who were faithful to use their ‘talents’ were commended by the master and rewarded. The one who failed to respond or even invest in God’s work lost everything. God is looking for willing investors!
Exodus 35:21-22 “And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the Lord’s contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicated an offering of gold to the Lord.”
Prayer: Lord, I want to willingly invest my time, talents and ability to Your kingdom’s use! I desire you ultimate commendation, not condemnation. Amen.
Keep us from deception!
Scripture reading for February 1st: Exodus 31-34, Matthew 25
Key Scriptures: Matthew 24:3-5 “As He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in My Name, saying ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.””
Jesus answered the disciples questions concerning His earlier comments about the destruction of the Temple. He prefaced the answer with a warning about deception. Deception would mark the time prior to His return again for His people. This deception would even take in some of God’s people. We can look back in history to see that God’s people were deceived with a golden calf!
Exodus 32:7-8 “And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!””
Prayer: Lord, deliver me from deception and the lure of false ‘gods’. Thank you for your loving warnings in Your Word. Amen
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Don’t put on a show!
Scripture reading for January 31st: Exodus 28-30, Matthew 23
Key Scriptures: Matthew 23:1-5 “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but no the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their fingers. They do all their deeds to be seen by others.”
Jesus was preparing to return to heaven and was giving His final instructions. He warned the disciples about imitating the current religious leaders of the day. Their example was not one to follow in that they preached one thing and did another. They also performed religious works to be seen by others, not focusing on pleasing God. We must walk in obedience to please our Father!
Exodus 28:1-2 “Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve Me as priests–Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.”
Prayer: Lord, Help me to wear the holy garment of Your righteousness in all that I do. May I please you and not perform for men. Amen
Listening to Jesus
Scripture reading for January 30th: Exodus 24-27, Matthew 22
Key Scriptures: Matthew 22:35-40 “And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question to test Him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Jesus was being tested and the Pharisees desired to trap Him with a question concerning the greatest commandment in the Law of God. Jesus gave them His answer, in two parts: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus stated that these two commandments summed up all the law and the prophets.
Exodus 24:12-13 “The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandments, which I have written for their instruction.” So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God.”
Prayer: Lord, thank You for these great commandments. Your love is shown to me by the careful instructions you give and the blood of Jesus that covers my disobedience and ignorance. Let a river of Your love flow in my life towards You and my neighbors. Amen.