The Daily Dose

Hear and keep

^{But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”  Luke 11:28}

Have you ever made the decision to stop a certain bad habit in your life? Maybe it was biting your nails or saying a certain phrase.  Maybe it was something more substantial like a drinking or drug habit?  Maybe it was something like eating less or exercising?  What happened?  Many times, people talk about quitting something, and are even successful for a day or so, but when they get back into the space of time that was used to put the activity in, they end up falling back into that bad habit again.  It can become very frustrating and sometimes the pit of the pattern becomes even deeper and harder to get out of.  It can seem hopeless and useless to try again.

In today’s reading, Jesus talked about an evil spirit leaving a person.  I’m not sure how to relate to an evil spirit leaving, so I am going to equate it to a bad or destructive habit that is definitely in place because of an evil influence.  Jesus said that when it leaves, it cannot find any place to rest so it comes back with even more evil with it.  This is one of the reasons we can see people that seem to be rehabilitated, but after a short time they end up worse than what they were before the rehabilitation.

So why bother trying to change or what is the secret to true deliverance?  The answer is in what Jesus told the crowd back then.  He said those who hear the Word of God and then do it.  The key to overcoming those evil setbacks and practices that seem to grip our lives and not let go is to replace that negative routine with God and His Word.  There must be a plan in place ahead of time of what you will do to replace the undesired tendency with a productive pursuit instead.  Of course, replacing it with time spent with God and His Word is the best replacement, but if you have several gaps in your day, you can replace that down time that sucks you into wasted and useless things with pastimes that will grow you as a person and propel you into a stronger Christian.  Begin to make plans to read, journal or draw/artwork.  Maybe you need to become more active, so you plan to do things like walk, take a hike or do some laps at the mall.  You can even make yourself a bucket list and begin to do things you have always wanted to do, but never took the time to learn or go after.  You do not have to do this alone either.  Get yourself into a small group with your church or a serve team that will help you establish your goals and keep you accountable to accomplish them.

Mostly, this time is for turning away from the destructive pitfalls and walking toward a new direction that God has planned for you.  A better way that will lead you into His blessings.  As Jesus said: those who hear and keep God’s Word are even more blessed than the one who brought Jesus into the world. 

Today I want to encourage you to take a close examination into your daily activities and pursuits.  Are you chasing after the heart of God through keeping His Word or are you letting the habits and routines of life dominate your days?  Decide today to walk in all the blessings that God has planned for you and fill up the dead spaces in your heart with His life giving Word.  Make a plan to pursue all that God has for you and ask Him to help you find your community to maintain your blessed place.

Today’s scripture reading: Luke 11:24-28

24 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 

25 And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. 

26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

27 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”

28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Divided

But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  Luke 11:17

In today’s reading, Jesus was being accused of working for the devil.  He told the people there with Him that day about binding the strong man before you plunder his house, but He start by saying a kingdom that is divided against itself cannot stand.

This statement is true on every level.  Whether it is Satan’s domain or an earthly kingdom.  Unless a country is united and in agreement in laws and spirit, it will not last through the divisions.

It is the same in God’s Kingdom and although we know in heaven, there is complete agreement and His Kingdom rules overall.  However, His kingdom in this world is a little shaky.  Yes, the church body widely sends missionaries around the world to get the message of salvation to all, and we all worship the one true God in heaven.  It gets a little unstable when we argue over doctrines and procedures.  Many denominations raise these issues above the more important issue of God’s love and His provision through Jesus for our salvation.

Jesus said on many occasions that He desired mercy/compassion over rules.  His focus was always hurting people and He always started with love for others wherever He was.  This is where our focus as a body of believers needs to be.  We do not need to watch and criticize how others love and worship God and we do not need to govern the actions of other denominations to gage their spirituality.  Yes, our actions are important, but what is the most essential point is that we are walking in the action of love toward all people.

Today I want to encourage you to walk in agreement.  Live your life in agreement with God’s Word and walk out your days in agreement with His love.  When all believers of Salvation in Christ Jesus come together, the enemy will not be able to bind the strong church and the gates of hell will not prevail with divisions of denominations.

Today’s scripture reading: Luke 11:14-23

14 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. 

15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

16 Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. 

17 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. 

18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. 

19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 

20 But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 

21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. 

22 But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. 

23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

How much more

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:13

This verse was part of yesterday’s scripture reading, but I don’t want to pass it up without talking about it.  Mostly because it compares God’s love for us to our love for our own children here in the world, but God’s loves is so much greater.  When you consider how much you love your own children, or if you do not have children yet, how much your parents love you, why would anyone think that God wants to harm or do anything other than show us how much He loves us.

It says that if we as fallen, imperfect people know how to do good for our own children, certainly God has so much more love for His children.  It actually says He gives good things when we ask for them.  Not just the good things that are in His heart to give. This message is reinforced throughout scripture.  Romans 8:32 says it this way: He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  He didn’t even hold back His greatest and best gift for us, His only Son.  Think about it, if He was going to keep something from us, wouldn’t it be the One thing that was most precious to Him?  Or look at it the other way.  He made provision for us in Christ Jesus, the greatest, perfect gift.  Is that gift lacking in anything that we need in this world?  Our salvation includes forgiveness, but it also includes His Spirit, His love, goodness, power, blessing, strength, peace and well being.  This is nothing lacking because He is our good Father that has given us all things that pertain to this life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3)

In another passage, Jesus goes a step further to say: so whatever good things you want people to do for you, do that for them.  I consider this in my own life.  Because I like to give, I am now asking myself are the gifts I give the things that I want or like or are they things I want to get rid of and am finished using.  Are they things that don’t cost a lot so I can give the appearance of being a giver, but I don’t want to give what I want for myself first?  This is a tough question and one that deserves thorough examination, especially when it comes to loving those who are not children of God, yet.  Am I willing to be a generous giver to show people what God, my Father, is really like?

Today I would encourage you to do two things:  First, become more aware of how much God, your heavenly Father loves you and wants to give you the good things you need and desire in your life.  He is not holding back, and He is not hiding them from you.  Ask today for the things you have need and even the things you want.  Then ask Him to show you the path to take to get in line with all the blessings He has stored up for your life.  Second, ask Him to strengthen and empower you to be a generous giver also.  Ask Him to show you when and what you can give when the opportunity is there.  Show the world around you the love and generosity of God by being a generous giver of all things like He is.

Today’s scripture reading: Luke 11:9-13

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 

10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 

11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 

12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 

13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Take hold of His promises

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Luke 11:9

So, I noticed something recently, and it’s something I’m sure I have noticed before.  However, it is a bit more obvious to me now after this recent revelation.  I had something very heavy on my heart, so I asked God for help with it, as I usually do.  It was about a meeting that was going to happen that day.  Every time I thought of it while I was at work, instead of worrying about it, I would thank God that He was working on it and it was going to all work out, and then it did!  Glory to God!  The next day, I had some stuff going on that I needed to do after work and I had hoped it would all work out, but I really wasn’t talking to or committing it to God or holding on to Him believing He was going to fit it all in.  Well, I didn’t get done working in time and it just didn’t work out.  As I was thinking about it later on I remembered that I was not so intent the second day, but how faithful God was when I was trusting Him with thankfulness and committing the day to Him in faith, instead of taking every opportunity to worry about the situation. Today’s verse is a promise from Jesus that if you ask, He will give.   It was in my believing this promise and then showing I believed it by thanking Him for it, that He worked it all out.  When I don’t keep up my faith and believe His promises, I am letting my hope slip and I have no anchor to attach my faith to.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;”   It says don’t worry about anything but pray then with thanksgiving you believe that God is taking care of it.  Don’t forget the thanksgiving part.  You can be thankful for what God has already done in your life, or you can be thankful for what He is doing right now.  You can even be thankful for what He is going to do going forward.  In my particular case, I had asked God in the morning to take care of a situation and then every time I thought of it again, I said, “Thank you, Father, that you are handling this and working out all the details.” I knew He was, because I had already asked Him. Then I would think about all the times He came through for me in the past and thanked Him for that, and all the things He has brought me through, most of them so much bigger than what I was asking Him for right now.

My point?  That is how I stayed in faith.  By knowing that He heard my prayer, trusting that He will keep the promises He made in His Word, showing I believe Him by thanking Him for what He’s about to do, and now He is working it all out.  I showed I believed it by thanking Him instead of asking Him over and over again or begging Him saying: “Please, please, please!” 

Today, I want to encourage you to hold on to God in faith for the things you are believing He is working on.  Instead of asking Him repeatedly, start thanking Him and believe He is working on it and bringing it all together.  Find a promise in His Word to speak every time you are tempted to worry about the situation.  As you begin to thank Him for all He is doing, you will notice the peace of God coming because you know He hears you when you pray.  Any doubt and worry will fade away because even though you don’t see the answer yet, you know He is on the job and will never let you down.

Today’s scripture reading:  Luke 11:5-13

5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 

6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 

7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 

8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 

10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 

11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 

12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 

13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Teach us to pray

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”  Luke 11:1

Have you ever felt like you didn’t quite know how to pray?  Maybe you spend time praying, but you are never sure if you are doing it right?  I do believe that God is listening any time we call out to Him regardless of how it is done, but in today’s scripture, Jesus gives a pretty detailed model of what our prayers should be like and consist of. A structure and order of how to have an effective prayer life.  When His disciples came to Him and specifically asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He broke it down into sections in verses 2-4.  I believe Jesus was showing them an example, not that they were to pray the exact words that He said. So He said to them, when you pray,

say:

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed Your name. Starting with praise, worship and acknowledging Who He is and Who you are talking/praying to.

Then:

Your kingdom come. Your will be done in the earth just as it is in heaven. Pray for God’s will to be done.

Next:

Give us today and the bread/provision we need today. Pray for God’s provision.

Now:

forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Receive and give forgiveness:

And:

do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil. Deliverance from the enemy.

It doesn’t say it in this passage, but in another gospel of the same account He ended the prayer with:

Yours is the kingdom and power and glory forever. End with thanksgiving:

Using this guide, our praying can look something like this: 

Precious Heavenly Father, Holy and Wonderful is Your name (Psalms 139:14.  Thank you for bringing Your kingdom to this world through having your will through my prayers today.  Thank you for providing all that we need today to live life abundantly as you have planned (John 10:10).  Thank you for your salvation and forgiveness in Christ Jesus our Savior. Empower me to extend that forgiveness to those who hurt or offend me (Eph. 4:32).  Keep me far from temptation and deliver me from any traps the enemy tries to catch me in.  Because it is by your power and glory that Your kingdom rules over everything (Psalms 103:19).  Thank You for having all the power and glory for all eternity!  Amen

Of course, your prayer will not be just like that, but you pray from your heart in the areas Jesus highlighted.  That doesn’t mean those are the only areas you pray about.  We bring all things to our Heavenly Father but following this pattern will help you to know you are praying in a way that honors God and that brings Him in close!

Today I want to encourage you to spend some time praying in your secret place.  Set aside special quiet time to talk to your loving Father.  Take time to listen to the soft words He whispers to your heart.  Then write down those things so you can be praying oven them in the coming days.  Make your time with God the most precious time of each day and He will see you in secret, but your reward will be open for everyone to see the goodness of God’s love working in your everyday life.

Today’s scripture reading: Luke 11:1-4

1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

4 And forgive us our sins,

For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.”

Only one thing matters

But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42 

Today’s reading is about Martha and her sister Mary.  It is a well known account about Jesus being welcomed into the home of Martha, who wanted to host Jesus and his followers.  When they came in and Jesus began to teach, Martha got a little stressed because she was busy serving everyone all by herself.  Even though she was the one that opened up her home, she expected that her sister would help her serve the group and I’m sure it was a large crowd.  When Mary didn’t meet her expectations, Martha interrupted Jesus’ teaching and told Him to tell her sister to help her.  This is not the only time siblings came to Jesus to settle a dispute between.  However, Jesus didn’t handle the situation quite like Martha thought He would or how He should.

Needless to say, Martha’s behavior has always perplexed me.  Not because she was serving, but because of her attitude.  The pressure she felt to serve the group forced out the true intent and thoughts in her heart.  Instead of serving joyfully, she was preoccupied with the fact that she was doing it all by herself. In reality, her focus was not on serving others, but on making herself look good. That is the reason for her stress! Stress and pressure always come when you are focused on what you can or cannot do.

Honestly, in this story, I can most related to Martha.  When hosting groups, I easily find myself busy with the work of serving others.  My problem is different than Martha’s though.  I busy myself to avoid visiting and chatting with others, or at least I used to.  It was very uncomfortable for me and I just didn’t enjoy it. When we began to host small groups in our home, my husband had to teach me that the thing that really mattered is that we connected with people, not serving the right menu or pushing through a curriculum.  So, I started forcing myself to reach out to people in the group and intentionally making relationships the top priority instead of the busy work.  Even though this was uncomfortable at first, I now find it to be the way I live my life.

Going back to the narrative of Martha and Mary, when Martha complained to Jesus about serving alone, He told her pretty much the same thing my husband told me.  Jesus told her that only one thing is needed and that is what Mary had chosen.  That was her relationship with Jesus and leaning in and spending time with Him.

So many things that can be learned from this portion of scripture, but I want to focus on what Jesus said is the one important thing.  Relationships!  First of all, Mary’s relationship with Him and then her relationship with the group.  Mary was totally connected into that group and was pressing in to learn all that she could from Him so that she could tell others about Him.  Mary had chosen the only thing that matters in life and that is loving God and loving others.

Today I want to encourage you to take a look deep into your heart.  Identify if you can relate to Martha and being distracted with busy work or Mary who had chosen to connect with Jesus and others?  If you identify with Martha, intentionally begin to change the habits of busyness to making time for what is really important, relationships.  Begin with your relationship with your Father in heaven.  Make Him the priority of your life and day, every day!  Press into Him before you do anything else each day.  Even if you only have a few minutes before you have to hurry into getting ready for your day, give that time to your Savior and get to know Him better.  Ask Him to help you to intentionally connect with other people and be ready to take a step closer in all your relationships whether they are new or existing.  He will guide you one step at a time so that you are not overwhelmed.  I will warn you that it will be uncomfortable at first, but when you choose what is important to God, you will be blessed, and that blessing will be how exhilarated you feel when you do reach out to others.  Admit to yourself today what is the only thing that matters in life and begin to follow His steps in that direction.

Today’s scripture reading: Luke 10:38-42

38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 

39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 

40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 

42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Who is my neighbor?

But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:29

In today’s reading, a lawyer trays to trap Jesus in the question of “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered the question by telling a story about a good Samaritan. It was a parable about a man that had been beaten and robbed almost to the point of death. He was left on the road and three different people walked by, but only one stopped to take care of the man. It was a Samaritan. a stranger in that land, not someone who lived close by. He helped the wounded man and then took him someplace and paid for his stay until he was well enough to get back to his life.

This question of how do I “love my neighbor as myself” has always been something hard for me to grasp.  Almost like a vapor, very cloudy, because I think I didn’t feel it was attainable or I just didn’t understand how.  Then God showed me a practical way to view my neighbor so I would know how to love them with the God kind of love.  When I see my neighbor, I see myself.  If I see my neighbor struggling with something, what would I do if it were myself or what would I want someone to do for me if I was the one struggling with the same thing?  If I see my neighbor rejoicing about something, how would I want others to rejoice with me if I were celebrating something?

Now that I looked at it from this angle, it seemed very simple to understand, but not so simple to follow through. The first thing to identify is, who is my neighbor?  Is it those who live next door to me or in my neighborhood?  What if I live in the country and don’t have anyone living close to me?  Secondly, how do I know what to do to “love” them? Jesus used the story of the Good Samaritan to illustrate loving your neighbor as yourself.  This parable, about strangers who passed by a man that was dying from being mugged, Jesus calls the man who showed mercy to him his neighbor.  The Samaritan didn’t even know the guy and he certainly didn’t live next door to him. I also want to make the point that this was not a fellow believer, this was a dirty, hurting, dying, helpless, and hopeless sinner. The point is that anyone you can do good to is your neighbor, even those who look like they do not deserve it.

The last thing I want to consider is why does God want me to love my neighbor as myself?  Is it only to make rules for me to keep me in line and to make life hard for me?  Is it to make me look like a good person?  No, the reason is to show others the very heart of God!  The only way others can know God loves them is if they see His heart in our actions.  The other part of that is, we can see God’s heart in action when we are showing it to others.  If you want to see a great act of God, then watch it play out in your love for your “neighbor”.

Today and every day I encourage you to be watching for people that God will send across your path to “love” as you love yourself and do good to them as you would do for yourself.  Let your actions toward others reflect the heart of God’s love for them. Begin to look for opportunities to do for someone else, what you want to do for yourself and soon you will be continually showing the world how much God loves them all.

Today’s scripture reading: Luke 10:25-37

25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”

27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”

29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 

31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 

32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 

34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 

35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 

36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”

37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Rejoicing in the Spirit

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. Luke 10:21

Have you ever rejoiced in the Lord or been so thankful that it bubbled out of you in a voice of praise and thanksgiving to your heavenly Father!  When you had an answer to prayer or when He worked something out in your life circumstances for so much good that you couldn’t help but bless His name?  When you stretched out your hands to heaven and said:  Thank you Father for your amazing grace and works!  For working out every detail of my concerns and worries.  I trust you with all that I am and all that I have!  You just couldn’t hold it back! 

Many times, when that happens, the rejoicing will produce a knowing in your spirit of something God revealed to you in that moment.   Whether it is peace or faith to take the next step in your walk with Him, something happened and now you are encouraged to step up to the next mission in your life.

Many places in the gospels, Jesus got away by Himself to spend time talking with His Father.  He often went off by Himself in the mornings to pray.  However, in today’s passage, Jesus rejoices in the Spirit, right in the middle of the activities of the day.  After the 70 disciples came back to report to Jesus about what happened on their mission trip, Jesus told them to rejoice that their names were written in heaven and then He begins to rejoice by talking/praising His Father in heaven.

So, now I know exactly what it means to rejoice in the Spirit because I have an example of what Jesus did.  He started thanking God in heaven, His Father for things that He knew about Him and the plans that He knew God was doing.  He isn’t guessing and wondering what God is like and what He might be working on.  On the surface, I saw this as Jesus is the Son of God and He knows all that God is up to.  But on looking closer, I realized that Jesus is just talking to and thanking God for what He already knows about Him from walking with Him and learning His Word throughout His lifetime.

He started out thanking God for hiding things from the wise and prudent, those who seem like they should be the ones to get all God’s attention.  Then He said that it seemed good to God to reveal His hidden secrets to babes or people who were hungry for God no matter what their education was.

After rejoicing about God revealing Himself to the disciples through their ministering, He takes the disciples aside privately and tells them what had been revealed to Him through rejoicing in the Spirit.  This was the knowing or the message that was dropped into Him because of His rejoicing in the Spirit.  He told the disciples they were the blessed ones and how the prophets and kings before them had desired to see what they were seeing and hearing as they walked with Jesus.  I’m sure they didn’t get it at the time, but those words of encouragement stuck with them as Jesus’ ministry progressed and they were able to realize how blessed they were to be chosen.

This is still happening today!  Each one of us are called by Jesus to “follow Him”.  When we accept the call and receive His salvation, we step into a place where we have every opportunity to rejoice in the Sprit!  To thank God for all He has done and all He is working and doing right now in our lives.  Sometimes in life it doesn’t seem so obvious that God is at work, but if you begin to rejoice even in the slightest of victories, that is when the peace for the future will come.  He will supernaturally drop that assurance into your spirit and you will know, God’s got this!  He will never let you down!

Today I want to encourage you to rejoice in the Spirit of God that lives inside you!  Thank Him for His wonders.  Even the things that He did way back in historical times.  Know that He is the same God today and He will work these wonders in your life as you surrender them all to Him.  Rejoice and worship Him until you receive that release of all anxiety.  Let His peace come flooding in and allow your rejoicing to open up the way to victory in your life today.

Today’s scripture reading: Luke 10:21-24

21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 

22 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

23 Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; 

24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”

He knows your name

Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:20

After Jesus sent 70 of His disciples out to minister in the surrounding cities, they were so stoked when they came back and reported to Jesus the results of their mission. The passage says they returned with joy and announced that even the demons were subject to them in the name of Jesus.  However, Jesus seemed unimpressed with this revelation and tells them what real power looks like.  He told them about the power of God casting Satan out of heaven when he rose up and tried to take over.  Then He went on to say:  What you should really be overjoyed about is that your name is written in heaven and that is where you will spend eternity, not about having authority over evil spirits.  If feels like Jesus doesn’t want them to give any credit to the demonic spirits of have any power that isn’t first given to them.  I love also how He turned their attention to the things of heaven and what is really important and worth focusing on.

Like many people, the disciples had gotten caught up in the hype of what would seem like supernatural phenomenon, but Jesus clearly points out that the supernatural work that the Father has done to give us a home with Him in heaven is what is most important and what they and all of us should be celebrating and rejoicing in.  Jesus told His disciples that day that the greatest supernatural work that is done is getting God’s created people back to Him.  Rescuing those who were separated from Him by sin have been brought close to Him today and have a home with Him for all eternity!

That is truly something to rejoice and get excited about.  It is the same thing for us today.  All our rejoicing and celebrating can and should be that our names are written in God’s book of life!!  My name is written in heaven and God knows me personally!  He knows you too if you have received His great gift of Salvation and adoption!

Today I want to encourage you, if you have never received God’s great gift of salvation through the sacrifice and blood of Jesus, do it now!  If you have, start rejoicing.  Don’t let the temporary setbacks and problems of this life bring you down.  Rejoice today and every day that your name is written in heaven.  You have a home for all eternity and not just any home, a home with the God and Farther Who created, loves and saved you from the destruction of this world.

Pray this prayer today to receive Jesus into your life and the Father will write your name in heaven too. He will come into your life and guide you through every obstacle and struggle you face in this life:

_{God in heaven, I know I’m a sinner and I need a Savior.  I want to turn away from my sinful life to the life You have planned for me.  Please forgive my sins, cleanse me from my past, and make me new today.  I know Your Son, Jesus died for me.  I believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead.  At this very moment, I accept, confess, and proclaim Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior . . . to be Lord of my life from this day forward.  I now have a right relationship with God my Father through this salvation in Jesus. I thank You for giving me Your Holy Spirit to guide me and to empower me to accomplish the things You have planned for my life in Jesus’ name, Amen}

Today’s Scripture Reading: Luke 10:13-20

13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 

14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 

15 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. 

16 He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”

17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 

19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 

20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Wipe it off

‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless, know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’  Luke 10:11

We have many opportunities in life to become offended and we often take them.  Maybe because of something that was said, or maybe it was something that wasn’t said.  Usually, we become offended because of some action that someone did that we didn’t feel was appropriate or the “right” way to handle something. Many times it happen just by what someone says.

Today’s scripture is the answer and solution when we are tempted to get offended.  Jesus told His disciples to go out into other cities and minister there.  He told them not to take any provisions with them and trust that the people being ministered to would take care of them.  Then He tells them that if their message was not received, don’t hold on to hurt feelings and disappointments, just shake it off and it was a testimony against them.

That is what we must do when offense or any hurt and bitter feelings try to take over our heart, shake them off.  Of course, this is easier said than done.  Many times I have found myself heading in the direction of offense and didn’t even realize it until days later.  So, the first step to staying out of offense is to recognize when the temptation is coming.  Although offense is very subtle, you can recognize its symptoms right from the beginning.  First peace will leave your heart and you begin thinking about the situation almost continuously.  Fear will settle in, and you begin to wonder why this happened and how could someone be that way?  Then you will begin to rally those closest to you around your hurt feeling by telling them the situation which ultimately results in complaining.  Most times when you are getting offended, you do not want to go right to God with the subject, you want to examine it from every angle first, over and over again.

After you have set these warning signs in place and use these feelings as an alarm to alert you when you are stepping toward the bait of offense, the first step is to go to God and get your peace back.  Then you will have the power to shake off the resentment and disappointment that was trying to trip you up. Even if you just start by saying to God: Lord, I don’t know why I am feeling this way, but I know it isn’t right. Show me how to shake these judgy and resenting feeling off and to step away from this trap of offense that is luring me in.

Today I want to encourage you to wipe off the dust under your feet as a testimony against whatever and whoever is bringing an offense toward you.  Set the boundaries and use the feelings that come in when you are turning toward offense as a warning to you to go to your heavenly Father instead.  Ask Him to forgive you and whoever has hurt you and then ask for the power to shake these feeling off and get your peace back.  Offense is a trap, and the good news is you can escape it and avoid it.  By talking to God first and staying there until you have a release, you can stay out of the enemy’s plan to snare you in those ugly and bitter feelings of being offended.

Today’s scripture reading: Luke 10:1-12

1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. 

2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 

3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. 

4 Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. 

5 But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 

6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. 

7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. 

8 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. 

9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 

10 But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 

11 ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ 

12 But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.