2012 Day 34 – Matthew 9

03 Friday Feb 2012

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In verses 37 and 38 Jesus is talking to His disciples and says, “Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”” My immediate interpretation is that Jesus is calling us to be willing to harvest. While this is very true, today I noticed the word “workers”, as in, this is hard work. If you’ve ever worked on a farm you know harvesting is hard work. The thing to remember is that it’s not just brainless work; it is well planned and well executed. I’m not trying to say we need to develop a plan and go execute, what I’m saying is that God’s plan is perfect. We need to go about understanding that He is the important equation in this plan and we need to be willing to go about following Him and be willing to do the hard work of executing it. Nothing that is worthwhile is ever easy. But in this case, there is nothing more rewarding!

2012 Day 33 – Mark 5

02 Thursday Feb 2012

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I always wondered why Jesus told the little girl’s parents not to say anything about the miracle of bringing her back from the dead. I always assumed and read in a few places that the reason was because Jesus wasn’t ready to begin heavy confrontations with the religious leaders. I’m sure this was part of it, but one of the notes in my Bible also suggested that Jesus also wanted to have the actions of His miracles speak for themselves. People were swarming all around Jesus and it was clear that He could heal the sick. He wanted people to come to Him freely, which is exactly how He wants us to come to Him now. He does not want us to be forced, but He wants us to make Him a part of our lives.

2012 Day 32 – Mark 4

01 Wednesday Feb 2012

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Verse 9, “Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”” This verse is repeated several times in the Gospels and the notes in my Bible explain it beautifully. We usually hear with our ears, but it requires a deeper kind of listening with our minds and heart in order to gain spiritual understanding of God. If someone is simply looking for knowledge, it may be difficult to understand who God is and why Jesus came to save us. But when someone comes to God honestly seeking to understanding Him and learn who He is, God will speak to their heart and open up their mind to a deeper understanding of who He is.

2012 Day 31 – Luke 8

31 Tuesday Jan 2012

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In the beginning of verse 24 it sounds a lot like me when I’m in trouble. “The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”” In the beginning of verse 25 I’m sure Jesus says the same thing to me that He says to the disciples, “Where is your faith?”. Then in the final part of verse 25 where the disciples seem surprised and say “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” It sounds a lot like me again where I seem surprised at His capabilities. I can be a real knucklehead sometimes (ok, often…). God may seem like he’s asleep a lot of times and that He really doesn’t care about what is going on in my life. The truth is God is very much an active participant; I just need to acknowledge His presence and be more expectant of Him.

2012 Day 30 – Matthew 13

30 Monday Jan 2012

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In this chapter Jesus spends a lot of time going through a bunch of parables. The one that stood out in my mind was the parable of the Four Soils. The part of that parable that caught my eye was in verse 13 where it says, “13 This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.” I find it amazing how much this verse applies to our current world. How many people choose to ignore God in our present age. When Jesus was talking to the people at that time, I’m sure He already had in mind that our current world would reject Him as well. I praise God that He has blessed me with the knowledge of His existence and the importance of who He is in my life. I don’t know what I would do without Him.

2012 Day 29 – Luke 12

29 Sunday Jan 2012

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In verses 33-36 it says, “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.” The example of light is very good at explaining our ability to not only see Christ, but also to reflect His light. It is important to remember that my relationship with Him has a direct correlation with my ability to see Him. When I am close to God and have the ability to see Him in the right perspective, I can then accept His leading more easily.

2012 Day 28 – Matthew 12:22-50

28 Saturday Jan 2012

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We are finishing up Chapter 12 of Matthew, which you will recall we started on January 19th. Today, when I read verses 43-45, it really convicted me of the contrast in time I spend clearing my life of evil versus the amount of time I spend building an authentic relationship with God. The passage says,  “43 When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.  45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” Jesus was addressing the religious leaders and saying it does them no good to live clean and pure lives without filling it with God. Likewise, the passage could easily be written directly to us. If we simply try to be good and follow all the rules and do not fill it with God in our lives, we are destined to fill it with something that is not of God. Instead, we must continuously seek to attain a fulfilling relationship with God.

2012 Day 27 – Matthew 11

27 Friday Jan 2012

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One of my favorite passages in the Bible comes straight from Jesus’ mouth in verses 28-30, “28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” The notes in my Bible are really good. They say that the “rest” that Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God. It doesn’t end work for us; we still need to work, but we can work with the peace and understanding that we are working for God’s glory and are a reflection and example of Him. A true relationship with God can turn meaningless and tiring work into a spiritual and productive purpose in this life. We need to accept this as an opportunity to bring glory to Him.

2012 Day 26 – Luke 7

26 Thursday Jan 2012

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Picture Jesus talking in verses 33-35, “33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” ’ 35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” As Jesus talks to the people He is describing how both He and John the Baptist are received and judged for how they act and who they hang out with. They reject John even though he is righteous and they reject Jesus because He hangs out with sinners, but the point Jesus makes in verse 35 where He says “wisdom is proved right by her children” is that they should be able to see who John and Jesus are by the changed lives in those who followed them. This is a powerful statement and challenge to me because people should know I am a Jesus follower because of the change in my life.

I am humbled by verses 44-47. I read it and put myself in Simon’s shoes because in this context Jesus is probably talking to me, “44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven–for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” This woman came and unashamedly loved and served Jesus in front of people who knew who she was and knew the sin in her life. It must have been humiliating for her to put herself out there, but she did it because of the love she had for Jesus. As I read this I am humbled because there are times when I am ashamed to worship and love Jesus in front of others and get self-conscious about worshipping Jesus even in front of others at church. I should be willing to do whatever it takes to give Him the glory He deserves every chance I get under any circumstance.

2012 Day 25 – Matthew 8

25 Wednesday Jan 2012

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There are many great stories in today’s reading, but  the one that always gets me is the story of the Centurion. The way he displays his faith to Jesus is a great example of how we should carry out our faith. In verse 8 it says “The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” There are many times when I ask Jesus for help, only to keep second guessing whether He has the will to help me. The faith of the Centurion shows his understanding of Jesus’ power and willingness to heal. Why can’t I be more like the Centurion who asks and knows that Jesus is more than capable? More importantly, why can’t I simply trust Him with the answer He gives me when it not the one I really wanted? His plan is perfect! I need to know He has a much better perspective than me!