Devotions from August 2024

Passage Read: Matthew 17-18 Meditation Verses: 17:17-20 Jesus calls out His own disciples, not just the crowd or the father or the child! If they had faith as small as a mustard seed, they could move mountains! Casting out that demon would have been a…

Passage Read: Matthew 19-20 Meditation Verses: 20:22-23 The cup Jesus is about to drink is that of His suffering and death, as payment for our sins. James and John would both drink of that cup, suffering for Jesus and His Gospel. James would be killed…

Passage Read: Matthew 21-22 Meditation Verses: 21:25-27 The chief priests and elders couldn't answer Jesus's question, not because they didn't have an answer but because they weren't willing to go on record with their honest answer. They hadn't believed John; they were offended by John…

Passage Read: Matthew 23-24 Meditation Verses: 24:48-51 Many say the Lord could return at any moment, but do they live in such a way as to be found doing His will when He arrives? Are they diligently seeking to know and understand the Lord's desires…

Passage Read: Matthew 25-26 Meditation Verses: 26:62-64 The chief priests and elders bring in many "witnesses" who accuse Jesus of different evils, but Jesus doesn't answer a single charge. This amazes the priests and elders, because they would naturally fight any false charges against themselves.

Passage Read: Matthew 27-28 Meditation Verses: 27:63-64 The chief priests and the Pharisees understood that Jesus had promised to rise on the third day. Jesus' own disciples didn't get the message; they didn't understand, though Jesus had repeated it multiple times. Yet these unbelievers had…

Passage Read: Mark 1-2 Meditation Verse: 2:15 Jesus calls Levi (Matthew) to follow Him, and Matthew throws a banquet for Him at his house. He invites his only other friends, other tax collectors. Apparently, they've all been interested in Jesus; they've all wanted to meet…

Passage Read: Mark 3-4 Meditation Verses: 4:37-40 How quick we are to question the Lord's love for us. Things go sideways, maybe even only a little, maybe we're not worried about how we'll survive, but some small thing goes awry, and we jump to, "Don't…

Passage Read: Mark 5-6 Meditation Verses: 6:4-6 Jesus came to His hometown and taught in the synagogue there, but because they thought they all knew Him, they were offended that He would presume to teach them, to claim to be the fulfillment of Scripture. They…

Passage Read: Mark 7-8 Meditation Verses: 8:31-33 The desire to preserve life is so strong, whether it be a friend's life, a loved one's life or our own. Peter is unwilling for Jesus to die, at minimum purely out of human compassion, probably also because…

Passage Read: Mark 9-10 Meditation Verses: 10:51-52 Bartimaeus cried out for mercy, and Jesus stopped and called him over. When Jesus asked what He could do for him, Bartimaeus asked for his sight. Jesus said, "Go, your faith has made you well." Bartimaeus immediately regained…

Passage Read: Mark 11-12 Meditation Verse: 11:25 Following on the heels of Jesus telling about believing in prayer in order to receive what we ask for, He says that whenever we pray, we should forgive anyone against whom we are holding something, so that our…

Passage Read: Mark 13-14 Meditation Verses: 14:37-38 Peter had spent more than three years with Jesus. He was convinced that Jesus was indeed the Christ, God's appointed king of Israel, and the Son of God. He was ready to die for Jesus, willing to fight…

Passage Read: Mark 15-16 Meditation Verse: 15:10 Not everyone who serves God actually knows or cares about what God desires. The chief priests, the Sanhedrin, the scribes, all of these should have known God best and understood all He was doing. But instead, when Jesus…

Passage Read: Luke 1-2 Meditation Verses: 2:34-35 Gabriel didn't mention anything about Jesus needing to suffer, only that He would be given the throne of His father David and reign over Israel forever. So this is the first recording of someone telling her that trouble…

Passage Read: Luke 3-4 Meditation Verses: 4:43-44 Luke makes it clear that Jesus at least began His ministry by preaching in the local synagogues. Of course the other Gospels mention Jesus doing things in a few synagogues, but this statement by Luke suggests it wasn't…

Passage Read: Luke 5-6 Meditation Verses: 6:32-36 Sinners, unbelievers, love those who love them back. Sinners, unbelievers, do good to those who do good to them. Sinners, unbelievers, lend to those who pay them back. Believers in Jesus are supposed to go beyond that, to…

Passage Read: Luke 7-8 Meditation Verse: 8:18 Jesus speaks sometimes in parables and sometimes in clear teaching. The parables obscure the meaning of His teachings, so that people have to meditate and pray and seek out God for an explanation. But the clear teachings shouldn't…

Passage Read: Luke 9-10 Meditation Verses: 10:10-16 We are only messengers. Perhaps the Lord would allow us to do miracles, but the most important thing is the message. If people or a town or village or city does not listen to and receive the message…

Passage Read: Luke 11-12 Meditation Verses: 12:32-34 The Father has chosen gladly to give us the kingdom! There is a kingdom that is on offer, that is promised to those who believe and obey the Son. Because of that promise, we can live generously on…

Passage Read: Luke 13-14 Meditation Verses: 13:23-27 There is a contrast between "strive" and "seek" in Jesus' description here. He tells us to strive, which is stronger than seek, to enter the narrow gate. Many will seek to enter and fail. We must strive to…

Passage Read: Luke 15-16 Meditation Verses: 15:2-5 The Pharisees have nothing but contempt for Jesus. They look at the "rabble" that He welcomes and they condemn Him. They are disgusted that sinful people are seeking Jesus and finding mercy. They are disgusted because they're not…

Passage Read: Luke 17-18 Meditation Verses: 18:22-25 Jesus asked what seems impossible and unreasonable of this man, to go from being rich to selling everything, leaving everything behind to follow Him. And the man decided he couldn't do it. Why did Jesus require so much…

Passage Read: Luke 19-20 Meditation Verses: 19:14,27 Jesus tells this parable to those who expect the kingdom of God to be established at this visit to Jerusalem. It will not be set up at this time, not as a physical kingdom. But everything Jesus is…

Passage Read: Luke 21-22 Meditation Verse: 21:36 Jesus says this about the hard times that are coming against believers, that we need to pray for strength to endure, to survive, to escape all that is coming on the earth. This is the same thing He…

Passage Read: Luke 23-24 Meditation Verse: 24:47 "Repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations:" this is the Gospel. Not simply believe in Jesus for forgiveness of sins, but repentance for forgiveness, forgiveness which is only possible because…

Passage Read: John 1-2 Meditation Verses: 2:23-25 A proverb says, "Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man, who can find?" Jesus knows what's in the hearts of men. They believe in Him because of the signs and miracles, but who…

Passage Read: John 3-4 Meditation Verses: 4:35-38 As the disciples once said, "Lord, increase our faith!" Jesus says that the fields are white unto harvest, but I can't see it. Open my eyes, Lord, let me see it. It seems the harvest is long past…

Passage Read: John 5-6 Meditation Verses: 6:63-65 The Spirit gives life, the flesh profits nothing. The Spirit alone calls and transforms men, so true salvation is indeed a miracle of God. There are many who admire Jesus or admire His teachings, and they are drawn…

Passage Read: John 7-8 Meditation Verse: 7:7 The world doesn't hate those who fit in with them, who follow in its ways. It hates those who call out its sins. The world didn't hate Jesus's brothers because they didn't point out the sins of those…

Passage Read: John 9-10 Meditation Verse: 10:10 The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came to bring life to His sheep. Yet not all will believe Him and receive life. Not all are His sheep. Earlier He said He came into…