Category: Gospels
Thankful for the Bread of Life!
Scripture reading for October 26th: Luke 1-4
Key Scriptures: Luke 4:1-4 “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them He was hungry. The devil said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.'”
Jesus had been baptized by John and the Holy Spirit filled Him and led Him into the desert for forty days of testing. Jesus fasted during this time and at its end, became hungry. The devil came to Him suggesting that He could turn stones into bread. Jesus, filled with the Spirit, reminded the devil that obedience to God’s Word was more important to life than food! God’s Word was Spirit and life eternal!
Thankful for living bread: “Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 8:2-4)
Rejoicing in the Man at God’s Right Hand!
Scripture reading for October 25th: Mark 12-16
Key Scriptures: Mark 16:19-20 “After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and He sat a the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed His word by the signs that accompanied it.”
The Lord Jesus gave final instructions to His disciples about their mission and His presence with them to accomplish the assigned work. They were to go into all the world and preach the Gospel and signs would accompany them. All who believed would be saved and those who refused to believe would be condemned! It was as simple as that. After these instructions, Jesus Christ was taken up to heaven and seated at God’s right hand, the position of highest honor! The disciples would offer God’s enemies a chance to become children!
Rejoicing in Jesus Christ: “The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” The Lord will extend your might scepter from Zion; You will rule in the midst of your enemies.” (Psalm 110:1-2)
Joy in the House of Prayer!
Scripture reading for October 24th: Mark 8-11
Key Scriptures: Mark 11:15-17 “On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as He taught them, He said, “Is it not written: “‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.'”
As Jesus entered the temple for the final Passover week He would enjoy with His disciples, He found the temple defiled by the buying and selling of sacrifices and trading of temple merchandise. He overturned the tables and drove out those who were trading in God’s house. He quoted from both Jeremiah and Isaiah as He cleansed the temple and re-established prayer for all nations as God’s original purpose and desire!
Joy in the House of Prayer: “And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve Him, to love the Name of the Lord, and to worship Him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to My covenant–these I will bring to My holy mountain and give them joy in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 57:6-7)
Rejoice: Jesus plundered Satan!
Scripture reading for October 23rd: Mark 3-7
Key Scriptures: Mark 3:24-27 “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.”
Jesus was accused of being demon possessed and the Pharisees claimed that Jesus cast out demons by the prince of demons, Beelzebub. Jesus went on to explain that no house divided against itself will stand. If He were using Satan’s power to cast out demons, his house could not stand. But in truth, Jesus, the Strong Son of God, disarmed the strongman, Satan, and plundered his house. He bought back the lost children of God with His own blood!
Rejoicing in our Strong Son of God: “Can plunder be taken from warriors, or captives rescued from the fierce? But this is what the Lord says: “Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save. . . . Then all mankind will know that I the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” (Isaiah 49:24-25)
Thankful for Christ’s Total Authority!
Scripture reading for October 20th: Matthew 26-28, Mark 1-2
Key Scriptures: Matthew 28:18-20 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.”
Jesus concluded His teaching ministry with a final command before He was taken up to heaven. He stated that He had been given all authority in heaven and on earth. He directed those under His authority to fulfill His will: making disciples of all nations! God’s world- wide family would be gathered from the nations as His inheritance and the ends of earth would be His possession. No one will stop Christ’s total authority!
Thankful for Christ’s authority: “In my vision at night I looked and there before me was One like a Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will never pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)
Thankful for Prophetic Warning!
Scripture reading for October 19th: Matthew 21-25
Key Scriptures: Matthew 24:15-16 “”So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken through the prophet Daniel–letter the reader understand–then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” Matthew 24:30-31 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
Jesus responded to His disciples question concerning the when and what signs would mark the end of the age. He quoted from Daniel, Psalms, and His own knowledge of the Father’s plan. God always fulfills His holy word. Heaven and earth would pass away, but what God had spoken would be brought to pass. God would soon go public and the whole earth would see Him return–some mourning and others gathered in victory!
Thankful for Daniel’s writing: “He (the Antichrist) will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” (Daniel 9:27) “In My vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven.” (Daniel 7:13)
Thankful for a Powerful Savior!
Scripture reading for October 18th: Matthew 17-20
Key Scriptures: Matthew 17:18-21 “Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard see, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.””
Jesus was not happy that His disciples failed to drive out a demon. Jesus simply rebuked the demon, demonstrating the power of faith through speaking God’s word and the boy was healed. When they asked why they were unable, Jesus explained that all work in ministry is by faith. They lacked faith. Faith comes by hearing God’s word and Jesus was explaining truth to empower them to do the impossible through their trust in His word!
Thankful for our Powerful Savior: “Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You!” (Jeremiah 32:17) “Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for Me?”” (Jeremiah 32:26) (NO!!!)
Thankful for strong preachers!
Scripture reading for October 17th: Matthew 12-16
Key Scriptures: Matthew 12:39-41 “He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented a the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here.””
The Son of God, Jesus Christ used the prophet Jonah as an example of strong preaching and as a type of His own life, death and resurrection. The Ninevites repented in sack-cloth and ashes at Jonah’s preaching and were spared God’s imminent wrath . The people listening to the Son of God would be condemned for their lack of response by the people of Nineveh! Jesus would give them the ultimate miraculous sign, resurrection from the grave after three days!
Thankful for powerful preachers: “But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.” (Jonah 1:17) “Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. . . . .He proclaimed: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” The Ninevites believed God. they declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sack-cloth.” (Jonah 3:3-5)
Rejoicing in Rest!
Scripture reading for October 16th: Matthew 8-11
Key Scriptures: Matthew 11:28-30 “”Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
God had called out to His people through the prophets inviting them to find rest in Him. But the Jews rejected the invitation. Now Jesus called out to all those who were burdened by a load of guilt and sin as well as with the burden of religious rules and lack of knowledge of God. He invited all to come and learn from Him the way of grace and salvation. The desired rest was available and through the gentle and humble Jesus it would be provided to those who would receive!
Rejoicing to choose rest: Through Christ, we walk in the ancient path of obedience and find rest! “This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But you said, ‘We will not listen.'” (Jeremiah 6:16-17)
Rejoicing in Father’s Care!
Scripture reading for October 13th: Matthew 3-7
Key Scriptures: Matthew 6:25-27 “”Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?””
Jesus Christ taught the crowds that followed Him and His own disciples about the Father and His loving care for them. He pointed to the birds and how they are cared for. They don’t worry or fear for their next meal. God provides for the many creatures He has made. And man, made in God’s own image is much more valuable than the birds. We can depend on God’s care for our basic needs and obey His command to seek His kingdom and righteousness first of all.
Rejoicing in Father’s Care: “Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp. He covers the sky with clouds; He supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.” (Psalm 147:7-9)