The Read Your Bible Podcast: Recent Episodes
Drew Tankersley
A daily podcast dedicated to helping you understand and apply God's word. Join as we walk daily through the ONE Story Reading Plan.
If you’ve been in American church for very long, you’ve likely had to endure a church split. It’s an ugly reality in our American context. Conflict was handled radically different in the early church. Acts 15 provides us a terrific example to follow on how to handle disputes within the church as it relates to matters of church polity and doctrine. We would do well to pay attention to the principles outlined here. If we did, we might see more gospel advancement and less church splintering in our world today.
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One of the most disconcerting trends over the past few years has been to witness the rise and fall of so many celebrity pastors. These men are put on pedestals and elevated high above the common man and when their humanity inevitably bleeds through the well polished veneer of their public persona, their kingdoms fall like a house of cards and the masses who hang on their every word are crushed by their sin. Many of those same people are the very ones who cast the stones of accusation and judgment on their once idyllic prophet. In Acts 14, the same people who lauded Paul and Barnabas as gods at the beginning of the chapter, by the end are the same ones calling to stone these men. We could learn a lot from this story about the trust people place in our leaders and the humility with which these leaders should channel that devotion to the God who is worthy of all of our praise.
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A cursory reading of the book of Acts leaves no doubt that one of the unquestionable themes of the book is how the gospel goes. It never stays put. The entire book is a chronicle of the spread of the gospel witness. For the last two years we’ve been inundated with information about the spread of a flu-like pathogen that kept the world in its grips for months. The spread of the virus, regardless of how you feel about it, had global implications and will be remembered for it’s scope and spread. In many ways, almost like a pandemic, the book of Acts depicts the spread of the gospel to the known world, and it’s advancement is something of which we should pay attention.
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There are several identifiable marks of maturity in the life of a disciple. One of the most important of these marks of maturity is a vibrant prayer life. The book of James tells us that the prayer of a righteous man availeth much. A disciple who is learning the character of Jesus will be like Jesus in that He understands the value of a desperate dependence upon God’s Spirit in his life. Sadly for most of us, our prayer life is rather tepid and unfruitful rather than vivacious and productive. In Acts 12, we see just how incredibly powerful audacious prayer can be and the peace and deliverance that it affords to those who desperately seek the Lord’s rescue and provision through the miracle of prayer.
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Biologically, human life is dependent upon massive cell replication. Without it, our bodies would quickly die. It’s an ongoing process that never stops so long as we continue to live. Little wonder then that God likens the church to the body of Christ. As Christians, we should learn a thing or two about biology and we would understand how critical it is for us to replicate our DNA into the life of another believer so that they can do the same. It’s a truth demonstrated for us here in Acts chapter 11.
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Acts 10 clearly records for us what I call a divine encounter. A divine encounter is a moment of spiritual transformation whereby someone comes to faith in Jesus. But behind that encounter is a beautiful story of God’s preparation and the main characters obedience. We see God quite intentionally working in the hard of His apostle Peter while at the same time moving the heart of a Roman soldier named Cornelius. This event is an important scene set in the midst of the Acts narrative because it clearly opens the door of faith to Gentiles. God is quite literally directing the scenes of this divine drama and we would do well to consider the implications of this scene in our own story. There is much to learn so let’s dive in together.
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Faith always incites peculiar obedience. Just consider some of the radical examples of faith and outright bizarre obedience in light of that faith. Abraham and Sarah having a child, Noah building a boat, Moses commanding the sea to part, Joshua commanding the priest to walk into the Jordan or sound the trumpets expecting walls to fall. Consider Gideon’s conquest with three hundred men, a shepherd boy’s boldness against Goliath. Time and again, God asks us to obey in a peculiar way as a means of growing our faith. Acts 9 is no different. God asks a man named Ananias to go “join himself” to Saul, the official who had just arrived with authorization to persecute Christians, and yet God was telling Ananias to go speak with him. But where would we be in our storyline if Ananias had refused. Obedience is always risky, but also, always worth it.
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You can learn a lot about the heart of a Jesus follower by watching their treatment of outsiders. One of the most interesting things about Jesus is that people who looked nothing like Jesus actually enjoyed being with Him the most. Jesus liked those who looked nothing like Him. He was called a “friend” of sinners. Jesus wore what was meant as a pejorative term as a badge of honor. For this was why He came, to reach those who were farthest from Him. He would say that those who think themselves to be well have no need of a physician. Jesus had come to those who were deeply in need of Him. Even if they were radically different from Him. I once heard Louie Giglio say, “Of course Jesus ate with sinners, who else would He eat with.” The truth is Jesus came to us when we could not have been more different from He was and if we are to follow Him, we will do the same with those who around us.
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One of the most powerful events I’ve ever been a part of is a bible study called Secret Church. Gathering with thousands of believers across the globe to study the word of God together for an extended period of time is an incredible experience. The first time I attended this event, I was not prepared for how emotionally effected I would be knowing that I was part of a global event that included those in countries who at that very moment were risking their lives to study God’s word. As we prayed for the persecuted church that night, it was the first moment I had ever done that and it was a moving experience. What was so incredible was that these precious saints were not asking that we pray for their deliverance, but for their faithfulness to the gospel that put their lives at risk. I remember realizing just how deficient my faith was in light of theirs. I was so challenged by their attitude and their endurance. My life was forever changed that evening. As we’ll see today, that faithfulness is has been the legacy of martyrs for the faith since the very beginning.
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If you've been in church for very long, you’ve likely spotted mismanagement of a dispute within the church. Churches are notorious for either ignoring problems or not efficiently correcting them and as a result the church’s effectiveness and witness is often hindered. But how were disputes handled within the early church? Do we have any precedent for how these controversies were dealt with in a manner such that the work actually progresses and is not hindered? We have just such a case today in Acts chapter 6.
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The book of Acts outlines for us the story of an unstoppable church. Nothing could withstand the resolve and devotion of the followers of the Way. But what was it that was so powerful that it resulted in such exponential growth? In short, it was the power of the Spirit of God. The Lord pours out His Spirit on those who declare the gospel, and boldly depend on the Spirit. It was the source of their power and it will be the source of ours.
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Have you ever been around someone who had the undeniable power and presence of God in their life? You couldn’t put your finger on it, but there was just something different about their spirit? Well, it is evident when someone walks in the Spirit of God, touched by His power, filled with His boldness, and marked by His grace. It’s noticeably different. It was noticed in Acts 4 by even the apostles enemies, and it was unstoppable and undeniable.
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Has something unexpected ever happened at a church service and you weren’t expecting it? I’ll never forget hearing the story of a man who entered a church service walked in and picked up the offering sitting on the communion table and walked out the back door with all of the donations! When he was apprehended, he told the police that Jesus and John F. Kennedy told him to go get it. Needless to say the congregants were a bit stunned. It’s an emotion shared with the devoted Jewish followers who entered the Temple that day in Acts chapter 3. They were stunned at what was happening in their midst. But as we’ll see, this wasn’t just about a curious healing, but a powerful proclamation of the gospel.
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What are the marks of a healthy church? There are any number of measures whereby men evaluate the effectiveness and growth of a church. But strictly speaking from the book of Acts there are specific qualities that were present in the early church that contributed to its exponential growth and impact. We’ll explore those today from Acts 2.
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Motivational speaker and creator of the book series Chicken Soup for the Soul, once said, “You can't get the right answers if you’re asking the wrong questions.” As we open the curtain on the book of Acts, we find the disciples asking the wrong questions. But thankfully, Jesus sidesteps their foolish question and His response becomes the outline for the next chapter in the ONE Story of God’s purposes in the world. Before we dive in, let me encourage you to watch the video included in the ONE Story Reading Plan. I’ll link the video in the show notes for today’s episode.
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It's one of the most well-known passages in the Bible. It is Jesus’ final command to "go and make disciples of all nations," yet a new study shows a shocking number of American Christians have never heard of what is commonly known as "the Great Commission.” Christian researcher George Barna discovered that half of U.S. churchgoers, a staggering 51 percent, said they had never "heard of the Great Commission" term and among those who had, only 17 percent were familiar with the Biblical passage reference.
Shockingly only 1 in 10 millennials who go to church regularly are familiar with the term. This belies the alarming truth that if most believers can’t identify what it is, how many church-goers are actually doing it? No wonder our society is in shambles. The church must reverse this trend if it is to be a light in an ever darkening world.
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John 21 is one of the most beautiful and elaborately constructed moments in all the of John’s gospel. Every single detail in John 21 is intentionally developed to strike a chord with the disobedient disciple. The way in which Jesus lovingly and gently rebukes and restores Peter is sparklingly brilliant. Let’s consider it together today from John 21.
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Have you ever thought something was too good to be true? Somehow we believe that when something advantageous occurs in our lives, we struggle to believe it is true. This phenomenon is precisely what happened with the greatest news in all of history. The fact that Jesus was alive was as preposterous to these disciples as it was to those who had murdered Him just days earlier. Yet here He was, standing in their midst! They couldn’t believe their eyes, and maybe that’s the whole point as we’ll see. Genuine faith always predates sight and this nature of faith is the core tenant of our relationship with the Father through Jesus.
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What if you had the privilege of being in a modular class with none other than the Son of God? I would think that would be a pretty enthralling Bible class. Yet this is precisely what Jesus did for these disciples here in Luke 24 on the road to Emmaus. That had to have been a survey of the Old Testament that these disciples would never forget! Jesus was systematically showing them that every page of the Old Testament testified of His work for them. What a remarkable privilege to behold.
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Taking up serpents? Drinking poison? Are these really the distinguishing marks of a disciple? Well, if you read the end of Mark 16 they sure sound like it. What are we to make of these bizarre “signs?” Are there other distinguishing marks of disciples that are present in this text that are more in keeping with orthodox theology? We’ll talk about it all today on the podcast from Mark 16.
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In the Greek language, it’s the word "tetelestai." The word is translated, “It is finished” and it’s a word that is theologically loaded with import for the believer. On today’s podcast, we’ll consider what it means for us when Jesus hung on the cross and cried, “it is finished.”
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If you grew up in church like I did, you likely pretty familiar with the account of Christ’s death. Somehow close dozens of years of Good Friday and Easter Sunday services have seared these accounts into our brain and if we’re not careful, we can miss the marvel of just what happened for us at the death of Christ. I want to challenge you today not to gloss over this story but ask God to give you “fresh ears” to hear of all that God has done for us. It’s worthy of our meditation today.
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One of the most compelling aspects of Jesus’ trial and execution is the attitude in which Jesus carried Himself. Isaiah says that He would be “like a sheep before her shearers is dumb.” The prophet’s point was that Jesus would do little to defend Himself amid the injustice He suffered. Jesus entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly Peter would say. But just because Jesus’ words were few, the evidence speaks for itself. Pilate asks Jesus, “are you the King of the Jews?” The internal evidence and the body of prophetic utterances fulfilled in this chapter alone confirm that this Jesus is exactly who He said He was and He had come to die and that death would bring forgiveness for all who receive Him.
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Holocaust hero and survivor Corrie Ten Boom once wrote, “God has no problems, only plans.” One of the most comforting truths of the Christian walk is the knowledge that God is in control of each moment and is ordering His plans in our lives. It’s a truth that has given me much solace amid the twists and turns of my wife Georgia’s cancer journeys. However that comfort can be threatened when our lives are turned upside down by calamity and chaos. But as we’ll see today in Matthew 26, if God is ordering the darkest moments of history, then we can take heart knowing our days are directed as well.
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In his masterful work, The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer wrote, “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” The same sentiment is echoed by Jesus Himself in John 17 as He speaks about the relationship between unity and witness. They are perhaps some of the most important words the Jesus spoke.
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No one likes to suffer. We all run from difficulty, instead craving the comforts of this life. Somewhere along the way, we have been taught the fallacy that our salvation will not be without sacrifice. This teaching has derailed many would-be followers of Jesus when their experience does not meet their expectations. We need to understand that if we truly follow a crucified Lord and Master, we need to prepare ourselves for the inevitable. John 16 gives us a gospel theology of suffering. The word gospel means good news. So what could possibly be good about suffering? Well, Jesus tells us in this important chapter.
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Gospel rapper Lecrae Moore once said, “If you live for people’s approval, you will die from their rejection.” Regardless of what you think of Lecrae, he’s onto a truth here that we should consider as we come to John 15. In this chapter, Jesus gives us some of the most incredible insight into why we were created and what it is that will truly give us joy if we have the faith to receive it.
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Have you ever struggled to obey God’s word? Is it difficult at times to understand and apply? What we do in these moments is essential. Many times, we fail to understand God’s word because the we ignore the role of the Holy Spirit in our understanding. We need the Spirit’s help to understand these truths and sometimes our acknowledgement of that fact can be the first step to understanding. There is also the matter of obedience. Have you ever had someone try to explain a game to you and you not really understand until you actually begin playing the game. Sometimes this is how the Spirit works in our lives. These truths become more apparent to us as we begin to put them into practice, an obedience and dependence on the Spirit are often required to fully understand God’s word in its fullness.
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In the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast,the affable candlestick Lumiere makes a statement in the iconic tune, "Be Our Guest," that is as memorable as it is true. He says, "Life is so unnerving for a servant whose not serving? He's not whole without a soul to wait upon." As we'll see today in John 13, it's more than a catchy phrase. We find our purpose and joy in serving others not because they deserve it but because our Master does.
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The great hymn writer William Cowper wrote, “God’s purposes will ripen fist, unfolding every hour. The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.” In John chapter 11, Jesus allows the bitter taste of death to come to the home of His friends. Though He could have done something to remedy the situation, He quite insensitively allows it to happen. But as we will see today, God’s never wastes pain in our lives, it is always purposeful. That purpose is powerfully revealed for us today in one of the most famous of the Jesus stories.
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It’s prominent in every children’s bible ever made. “Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” It’s one of the most tender moments of Jesus’ ministry, but it underscores how we are to enter the kingdom of God. What did Jesus mean by this statement? Find out today as we look together at Luke, chapter 18.
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What are the signs of a growing faith? Well, there are several to be sure. But one characteristic that might not be immediately apparent is the presence of a robust gratitude for all that one has been given. It’s a principle outlined for us in Luke 17, and we’ll discover it together on today’s podcast.
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Does Jesus care how we spend our money? I mean obviously He desires that we give into His kingdom work, but does He care how we spend the rest of it? If we read Luke 16 carefully, I think He does. What He says in these verses should inform the way in which we spend the resources that we receive as a measure of faithful stewardship to God and it has greater repercussions than we at first may realize.
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Even if you aren't a religious person, you likely have heard of the prodigal son. It's a parable etched in the public conscience. But the real power of the story is not the prodigal son that left but the prodigal son that stayed. This older son is the audience to whom this set of stories is directed. It's a powerful conclusion to a mini-drama played out for the last three chapters. It holds an essential application for us to consider today.
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Is taking a vow of poverty required to follow Jesus? A cursory reading of the story of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19 might certainly give us pause to think so. But as we dive into the chapter, I think we’ll see Jesus is striking at a much more profound point than possessions. Jesus is challenging the man’s view of how we receive eternal life altogether and it is a core principle of the gospel that we need to understand if we are to genuinely follow Him.
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Jesus said some pretty bizarre things to the crowds that gathered to hear His teaching. Those difficult teachings often had a way of culling the crowds of people who flocked to Jesus but had no real interest in following Him. One such example of this is John chapter 6. What Jesus says in these verses are so graphic that many of these nominal onlookers turned away, but for those who remained, they were to them the words of eternal life.
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Who has the right to become a citizen of the kingdom of God? If that kingdom was ruled by an earthly king, he would surely only allow those with the highest degree of merit and integrity to be a part of his kingdom. He would likely select those with the sharpest intellect, the greatest ability, and the highest character to become a part of the kingdom of God. But that’s just it, this kingdom is upside down. Our King delights in humility of heart and brokenness of spirit. These are the traits that He desires in us. It is a willingness to acknowledge our own sinful inability to enter save through His marvelous grace. It’s a truth powerfully displayed for us in Luke 14.
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One of the most helpful observations that I discovered when studying the gospels is that the accounts are often not chronologically arranged. Often the gospel authors arrange their material to highlight certain truths. In John 3 and 4, we are given a powerful contrast f two characters, Nicodemus and the woman at the well. The circumstances of their lives, their interactions with Jesus and response to His message could not have been more different and John brilliantly lays these two accounts next to one another for our consideration.
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It’s perhaps the most recognizable verse in all of the Bible. It’s plastered on signs and placards, pasted on billboards, it’s even written in eyeblack on football players these days. But the context of the words of John 3:16 makes them even more poignant and they are worth considering today as we examine John 3.
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I once heard the acrostic BIBLE stands for “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth” While I’m not of oversimplifying and trivializing the Word of God, it’s not a wrong title. In fact in many ways, Luke 12 outlines for us precisely how we should live after Jesus leaves the earth. It’s a primer on the right perspective of the trivial things of the physical, and the lasting value of the eternal. These things are worth our consideration today from Luke 12.
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You can’t drive sheep, you have to lead them. These words were the sage advice the aged pastor gave me a few weeks ago as I sought his counsel over a number of things. He encouraged me to realize that ultimately, leadership is about humility and service not gifting and inspiration. Much more can be done to further the spiritual development of the flock through service than through compulsion. It’s a lesson I needed to learn and one beautifully modeled for us today in Mark chapter 10.
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How do you spot immaturity in the life of a disciple of Jesus? Jesus had a unique way of exposing the immaturity in those He had chosen to follow Him. Often Jesus would ask them a question that would reveal their childish nature. At times, Jesus would intentionally put them in a situation for which they had no answer reminding them of their desperate dependence upon Him and His Spirit to teach them the ways of the Master. Mark 9 reveals several unsightly traits of immature disciples. As we study them today, we should ask ourselves, how many of these are present in our lives?
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Who do the crowds say that I am? This was the question Jesus posed to His disciples in Luke chapter 9. Apparently there was some confusion on this point. But perhaps the most poignant question Jesus asked was the next one. Who do YOU say that I am? How you answer that question will be the determining factor in your ability to follow Him. It’s a truth powerfully displayed today in Luke, chapter 9.
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When I was in college, I traveled as part of a recruiting team. We would go all over the country singing and speaking in chapels and churches recruiting for the school that I attended. We had an athletic director that would go with us at times and speak. He was a favorite in so many of the places we frequented. I can still remember His message that called people to make a decision to follow Jesus. He would say, “in baseball, you’re either safe or out. There is no fence sitting. Jesus said, “he that is not with me is against me.” These were powerful words in my life and they bear repeating today. Jesus ministry always demanded a response.
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If you grew up in church like me, you’ve likely learned the song, “the wise man built his house upon the rock.” You’re probably thinking through the motions right now aren’t you. We’re scarred for life, aren’t we? While the song has a great message of wisdom, it leaves out perhaps the most important part of that whole passage. It represents the powerful conclusion of Jesus’ greatest message and it’s critically important that we understand it in its fullness today.
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Worry is an emotion that many of us battle each day. But have you ever considered how useless worry is? It’s an emotion that breeds anxiety in our hearts about things over which we have no control. So how do we tackle worry in our lives. Jesus gives us a masterful plan on how to attack it and the effects it has on us here in Matthew chapter 6. It’s a truth I needed today and I have a feeling you might as well.
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In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us a sneak peak of what life is like in the kingdom of God and its highly counterintuitive and countercultural. The way up is down in most cases. This upside down kingdom stands in stark contrast to the prevailing Jewish religion and it is a profound departure from the pious hypocrisy that often characterized Judaism. Instead, it incites a brokenness, a humility that results from a proper understanding of our sinful nature and our desperate need for God’s grace that transcends the law. This grace becomes the impetus for change in our lives and with every transformed life, the kingdom grows ever stronger.
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Most of us have heard the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. From a child, I’ve learned the way to beat temptation in our lives is through quoting the word of God. But as we’ll see on today’s podcast, these aren’t random verses pulled from the air to hurl at Satan amid his fiendish attacks. No these are specific Scriptures utilized for a unique purpose, a purpose we’ll discover together today in Matthew chapter 4.
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What is your favorite fruit? Is it an apple, an orange, a pineaple, or is it something more exotic like a kiwi, a pomegranate, or mango? What are the fruits of repentance? According to one article, there are around 2000 types of fruits around the world, but the west only eats around 10% of them? Many of the rest most of the western world have never even heard of. But when it comes to foreign fruits, John the Baptist introduces these Pharisees and Sadducees to some fruits that they had never encountered. As followers of Jesus, these fruits should abound in our lives and they are worth our consideration today.
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He’s one of the more enigmatic characters associated with Jesus. The wild-eyed preacher that lives in the wilderness, eating locusts and honey, covered in camel hair. Likely schooled under a zealot Essene sect of Judaism, John the Baptist must have been quite a peculiar fellow. But he was used mightily by God to announce the entrance of Jesus in the storyline of redemptive history. While his announcement about Jesus is the most important takeaway from his life, his humility can teach us volumes about the nature of true discipleship. It’s a truth we’ll discuss on today’s podcast.
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It’s called enochlophobia. It can cause blackouts, dilated pupils, dizziness, headache, heart palpitations, muscle tension, nausea, shaking, shortness of breath, sweating, tremors, and vomiting; and that’s just the physical reactions. No, I’m not talking about the side effects of a newly released drug, I’m talking about the fear of crowds. Some people strongly dislike crowds, but for others it can be a medically serious condition. After reading Mark chapter 1, I wonder if Jesus disliked crowds? I’m sure He wasn’t enochlophibic, but it seems as if Jesus tried to distance Himself from the sea of humanity that seemed to flock to Him from the very beginning. It’s a truth that certainly flies in the face of the church trend of getting as many people in a room as you can and calling it evangelism. It may be evangelistic but is it effective in making disciples? The way Jesus called people to follow Him may suggest it isn’t. Is it wrong to invite someone to church? Absolutely not. It is bad to have big crowds? No way. But if it wasn't Jesus' singular focus, it shouldn't be ours either?
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It's probably one of the most well-known aspects of the Nativity story. Even people who don't know Jesus know the wise men. But just what do we know about these men and the mysterious star they saw? From what we can derive from history, God aligned planets and people in a breathtaking display of foreknowledge, planning, and wisdom to bring these men to this baby, and heaven brought kings to their knees to worship the King of all Kings.
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Luke 2 is a well-known account of Jesus' birth. My mom or dad read me this story on Christmas morning from as early as I can remember. It is perhaps the most recognizable narrative of Jesus' advent. But what might not be recognizable is all the foreshadows of Jesus' purpose in coming. Sure we know about the Roman census, the shepherds, the Temple account of Jesus discussing the law with the Pharisees. But when you see all these events in sequence and consider Luke's purpose for writing, you have a new appreciation of what Luke is trying to convey. The Jews call it stringing together pearls. Each pearl placed next to another creates a rich necklace of truth for us to consider.
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How do you respond when God does something in your midst that is unexpected? Often times the plans of God seem unclear and quite unconventional in the moment. But it it’s always been that way. Ask Moses at the Red Sea, or Joshua at the walls of Jericho, or David facing a giant, or Daniel in a den of lions, or Hebrew children in a fire. God rarely follows human intuition in the working out of His will. How we respond in these moments says a lot about our trust or lack of trust in God. True humility and submission to that unconventional plan is the mark of genuine obedience. It’s an example powerfully demonstrated for us in the Incarnation in Luke chapter 1.
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“Why me, I'm just a simple man of trade
Why Him, with all the rulers in the world
Why here, inside this stable filled with hay
Why her, she's just an ordinary girl
Now, I'm not one to second guess what angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world”
These lyrics could not be more true when considering the mystery of the Incarnation in Matthew, chapter 1. There are so many unique and bizarre twists and turns hidden with the pages of this chapter. One thing is for sure, God orchestrated this entire entrance from the start and it commences with such grace that it is a beauty to behold. Come behold the wondrous mystery. See His grace found in one writer, two fathers, three sections and four outcasts. Only God could enact such a brilliant plan. A plan that to us may look strange, but upon further investigation, it is a story only God could construct.
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It’s one of the most recognizable passages in all the Bible. But John’s perspective of Jesus’ entrance into the ONE Story is unique and wholly unlike any of the other three gospels. There’s a distinct reason for this difference and as we begin the New Testament portion of the ONE Story Reading Plan, John takes us all the way back to the beginning to remind us of just who it is that is entering this story. It’s a journey worth taking as we consider how the Creator of all the world enters the creation He ordered to redeem that same creation from the sin that had desecrated it. As we begin reading the gospels, let me encourage you, once again to watch the introductory video to this section found in the ONE Story Reading Plan. I’ve attached the link to the show notes to today’s episode. But for now, let’s dive into John chapter 1.
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Have you ever looked around at all the evil in the world that seems to be prospering and thought to yourself, “what’s the point of serving Jesus if evil seems to be rewarded?” You’re not alone wondering this. In fact, it might surprise you to know that Asaph asked God this in Psalm 73 and Jeremiah asked the same question in Jeremiah 12. Faith is not the absence of doubt, it is the triumph over it. Sometimes that question is more easily answered than at other times. The same question arises here in Malachi 3 and 4, the problem was the people didn’t like the answer they received.
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If God were to send an angel to you right now and tell you exactly what He thought, how likely would you be to argue with him over His rebukes? Wouldn’t the fact that the angel actually came to you and talk you exactly what God thought be enough for you to repent on the spot and begin to change the way your living? Well presumably it was not enough for the people of Israel by the time we begin the book of Malachi because this is precisely what happens. Malachi means “my messenger” and God tells them exactly why He is upset, but rather than take that at face value, they actually have the audacity to argue with God over the validity of His assessment of their worship. It is a sobering reminder of the depth of the stubbornness lurking in the hearts of humanity. But before we dive in, let me encourage you if you have not already done so to watch the introductory video on the book in the ONE Story Reading plan. For your convenience, I’ve linked the video in the show notes for today’s episode.
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Critic and journalist Jean Baptiste Alphonse Karr achieved national acclaim in his native France. Known for his biting wit and sharp satire, Karr published a journal called the Wasps in 1839. It was in this journal that he coined the phrase, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” It’s a maxim undoubtedly true of the people of Judah in Nehemiah 13. The book ends on an undoubtedly sour note that highlights the real truth that lies behind the narrative. This was a nation that no matter how much resolve they mustered, the could not uphold the promises they made to God. The legacy of broken promises is a trait true of all humanity and it underscores the need for a Savior, a Messiah whose presence was now imminent.
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Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been singing in choirs. I sang in a children’s choir from the time I was in 6th grade and have been singing ever since. My high school choir competed nationally and won several accolades. My college choirs did full concerts to large crowds. I have sung a lot of songs and been in many choirs. Singing in a choir provides a unique analogy as being a part of a unified whole. The choir is only as good as it’s worst singer. It requires teamwork, hard work, and attention to detail. But when done properly, the results can absolutely be breathtaking. The choir analogy is helpful for us today as we consider the celebration found in Nehemiah chapter 12.
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Sometimes God calls us to do hard things. He asks us to make difficult decisions that often disrupt the comfort we so natively crave. There are times when pursuing the vision that God has given us will come at great personal cost, but that cost pales in comparison to the joy of submissive obedience and the blessing that will result from it. It’s a truth we find today hidden in pages of Nehemiah 11 and it’s worth our consideration.
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How do you read the Bible for all it’s worth? It seems simple enough, open the Bible read the words, shut the Bible. But how do we get the most out of our time in God’s word, how can we ensure that it intersects with our lives? Well as we study Nehemiah 10, we see the culmination of a process really. It is a process that I want to commend to you as you study God’s word. It’s not original with me, but I’ve found using this method of study to deepen my time in God’s word and maximize it’s impact in my life.
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Should we study history? How important is it that we know and understand the historical record? There are teachers today who discount the need to study history. This anthology of Jewish history encompasses most of the Old Testament. So is it important for us to study it? The answer has to be a resounding yes. It’s a truth these Levites felt compelled to recount for the people in today’s reading and with good reason. It’s a reason we’ll discuss on today’s podcast from Nehemiah chapter 9.
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How do you respond to the reading of God’s word? Too often we approach the word of God so haphazardly that we miss the tremendous privilege to open God’s word, to listen to it, and to have our lives ruled by it. It’s a privilege that was not lost on the people of Israel in Nehemiah chapter 8 and their response and attitude toward its reading has profound implications for us today.
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How important is it to preserve a heritage? Preserving a legacy is not often considered in our current context very often. But we should remember that we are stewards of this moment in time and history will evaluate the quality of that stewardship. In Nehemiah chapter 7, God’s man at this moment is calling his people to preserve the legacy with which they have been entrusted. Protecting a city is about infinitely more than keeping the enemy out, it’s about taking pride in what God has given you, about the miraculous things that He’s done in your midst.
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The skill of negotiation is a necessary practice when it comes to the business world. Entire cottage industries have devoted thousands of pages to “the art of the deal.” They spend millions each year studying and teaching how to negotiate and arbitrate in a way that best serves their interests. But when it comes to negotiating with the enemy of our souls, we must never come to the table of compromise, for doing so will lead to our own destruction. It’s a lesson we learn today amid the fierce dissension Nehemiah endures in Nehemiah chapter number 6.
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The topic of injustice today is often a hot-button issue within our society. We are a culture that demands our rights and we will not have those rights trampled by injustice in any form. In our world today, we will stop at nothing to blow the whistle on injustice and rightly stand up for what we think is right. But what happens when that injustice happens within the community of faith? How should the church respond? How should we handle such inequity? Well, we find a great example of how to do it in today’s reading from Nehemiah chapter 5.
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How do you handle criticism and adversity? What about ridicule? What about threats of violence? Nehemiah endured all of these and more in pursuit of God’s plans for him. How he responds to these things is as much instructive as it is inspiring. We’ll learn about it today from Nehemiah chapter 4.
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My friend Jamey Ragle once said, “A need seen is an assignment given.” That phrase has always stuck with me as a reminder that when it comes to the kingdom it’s not someone else’s job to do it, if you see a need, you need to help fill it. Each of us are gifted to do the work of the kingdom and one of the greatest problems in the church today is that we would rather pay someone else to do it than do it ourselves. But the Christian faith is ours to own, not to pawn off on someone else. Our faith must be our own and stewardship of God’s church must be owned as well. We must never be content to let someone else do it. It is antithetical to the model of Jesus. A model we see depicted for us beautifully in Nehemiah chapter 3.
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What compels a man to leave a cushy job for the king for the task of recruiting volunteers to rebuild a wall amid horrendous opposition? The story of Nehemiah’s leadership ability is pretty astounding, but before learning the how of leadership, we need to learn his why. Why would Nehemiah of all people undertake such a difficult objective? We’ll explore why today in Nehemiah, chapter 2.
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Have you ever watched the popular television show “Hoarding: Buried Alive?” All of us have seen those shows where an individual is so buried under the clutter and filth of the past that they are unable to survive amid the rubble. As with the show physically, often times in our lives spiritually we have to seek outside help to declutter the junk that clutters our lives and chokes the life out of us spiritually. In many ways, this is what the prophet Nehemiah had to do for the people of God and the rubble they had to overcome is more similar to the wreckage present in our own lives than we care to admit. Now before we dive into the story of Nehemiah, let me again encourage you to watch the overview video included in the ONE Story reading plan. I’ll link the video to the show notes of today’s episode for your convenience.
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Have you ever had to make a decision where it seemed like there were just no good options? I mean, no matter what you choose, you lose? There just isn’t a good solution? This is the predicament Ezra the scribe finds himself in when we get to Ezra chapter 10. But the mess teaches us something very important when it comes to sin and it’s worth considering today as we end our study on the book of Ezra together.
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How do you respond to sin? How we respond to not just our own sin, but the transgressions of those around us says a lot about where we are as a Christian. It also reflects on our attitude towards the word of God. For the two are mutually exclusive. As one preacher put it, “sin will keep you from God’s word, or God’s word will keep you sin.” It’s a truth we’ll see exposed today for us from Ezra chapter 9.
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Suppose you just graduated from law school and you were asked to go to a country that had been destroyed but was just now coming together again as a nation. Suppose you were asked to construct and devise the entire system of law for that new nation. How might you feel in that moment? It’s quite a heavy responsibility to be sure. Where might you start? If you said, I might do a lot of praying, you’d be correct. This is exactly where Ezra started when tasked with this exact circumstance. It’s a truth we’ll consider today from Ezra chapter 8.
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What is your reaction to disobedience? It’s been said that you can measure the importance of a law based upon the consequence of violating that law. The same is true in life, we can measure how important something is to us based upon how we react to its absence. For the writer of Psalm 119, disobedience to God’s law was not a category in his own life and so he mourned, even got angry when he saw it in others as well. It’s a lesson worth considering in today’s podcast from Psalm 119, verses 121-176.
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What does it mean for the Lord to be my portion? These are the first words we read today and it’s a tangent worth following. For embedded in the understanding of this concept is the very seed upon which the author plants his life and the life of the nation. It’s a truth we’ll consider today as we return again to Psalm 119.
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Why do you read the Bible? Is it because you want to learn more? Is it to check off a list? Is it to soothe a guilty conscience? Is it to accrue more knowledge? People read the Bible for a multiplicity of reasons, but as we’ll learn on today’s podcast, the secret to why you read the Bible just might be affect how consistently you will read the Bible. So what’s the secret? We’ll find out today as we dive into the longest chapter in all of God’s word, Psalm 119.
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hen it comes to drafting new players for the NFL, one of the most anticipated events is what is known as the NFL Combine. It actually begins today. It is a series of tests and drills that prospective players execute in front of NFL scouts and a delegation of coaches. Their hope is to examine for themselves the abilities of the players to successfully thrive in the National Football League. But many times these tests fall short of accurately displaying a players ability to succeed at the next level. For a player can check all the boxes and do all the drills, but when it comes down to execution, the player has to perform and that is a dynamic that is altogether different. In Ezra chapter 7, we see the king draft a leader to accomplish a task. He has all the right measurements, but what sets him apart is not merely his acumen, it is his drive, his determination about one specific habit, a habit that sets him head and shoulders above the rest.
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The story of Esther is one of drama, suspense, triumph, irony, and celebration. These 10 short chapters have left us with a lot to consider as we think about God’s ONE Story of history. As we consider how this story fits into God’s larger epic of redemption, we learn several things about human nature and the nature of our God. We’ll consider some of those today as we look at Esther, chapter 10.
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Merriam-Webster defines the word irony as “incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result.” In a book loaded with irony from front to back, the thrilling conclusion in Esther, ends ironically with rejoicing. While the brooding action and injustice in the book would lead us to believe that tragedy was in store for God’s people, it was instead the exact opposite. The book began with a drunken party that seemed to spell the destruction of God’s people throughout the book, it ends with a celebration of triumph of God’s people under a turn of events that only God could orchestrate.
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I once heard an evangelist friend of mine say, “the decisions you make today are the realities you live with tomorrow.” That statement struck a chord with me as I grew up and its truth still instructs the way I make decisions today. All of our choices have consequences, sometimes those repercussions involve blessing and prosperity, while others have a less fortunate outcome. Either way, it’s important for us to remember the power of the moment and that our decisions in that moment have consequence far beyond that moment. It’s a truth graphically depicted for us today in Esther chapter 7.
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In 1980, the General Accounting Office was asked by Congress to find out how many federal laws there were on the books. By 1984, they still had received no response. When they were asked why, the GAO stated that they were still counting. At that point they had counted about 3,000 but they were just scratching the surface. At the rate Congress was passing laws, by 2000 there would be over 20,000. The truth is we don’t really know how many laws there are. The answer lie somewhere between 15,000 and 50,000. Have you ever wondered if you could right a law? Pass one, maybe we should pass one that we don’t pass anymore for a while. Well, in Esther chapter 8, the king essentially handed the pen to the queen allowing her to write whatever law she wished. It’s a pretty momentous occasion.
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Have you ever wondered if God had a cloud DVR in heaven? If He does, there are definitely some moments I want to see. Esther chapter 6 is one of them. In what could only be described as ultimate and divine irony, we witness just how powerful God is to orchestrate circumstances to achieve His perfect ends. It’s a masterclass in dramatic storytelling. This is definitely a narrative where art imitates reality. I love the Bible, it has to be true, no one could make this kind of stuff up!
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The concept of waiting on God is an endeavor that few of us really ever master. It can be agonizing to live in the tension waiting for God to intervene in a situation hopelessly out of our control. But as we will see today, both the steps and the stops of a good man are ordered by the Lord. God has a way of providentially directing even the moments of acute anxiety that often plague our seasons of waiting. Though we are often unaware, God is doing something while we wait on Him. It’s a truth we see powerfully displayed for us in Esther chapter 5.
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“Everybody wants to be a hero, until it’s time to BE a hero.” These words were given to me from one of the guys in my discipleship group as he journaled this passage. It’s a motto uttered by Marines and it fits well with our reading today. This chapter reminds us that following Jesus often demands of us difficult obedience that will often require courage and faith.
All of us have had those moments in our lives where we become acutely aware that everything we have experienced, whether it be good or bad, has led us to this moment and the decision we make at this critical juncture will have repercussions for generations to come. Such was the case with Esther in chapter 4. This very familiar passage of Scripture reminds us of the power of obedience, the courage it takes to walk by faith, and the determination it takes to do the right thing.
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When is a feud more than a feud? The word feud comes from the English word “hatred” and the French word for war. These blood feuds often lasted generations. The Hatfield-McKoy tiff is perhaps the most iconic feud to date. But when is a feud more than a feud? Well, in Esther 3, we learn today the generational consequence of a feud eight generations in the making. But concealed behind the human vitriol, we can see the divine fingerprints of a God working to both admonish and eventually protect His people.
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I’m sure you’ve seen it in your kids. Have they ever acted like you were being so incredibly mean to them only to realize later that the advice you were giving them was actually in their best interest? Sometimes it’s frustrating they feel as if you are ruthlessly punishing them. It can take years for them to realize that you were actually trying to help them. This familiar theme of parenting is outlined for us in on a much grander scale through the book of Esther. God’s people felt as if God did not love them because of all that had transpired. But when you examine the events a bit closer, nothing could be further from the truth.
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It’s a story filled with intrigue, espionage, suspense, drama, and action. Though it does not mention God one single time, it teaches us volumes about how H e works in the world. It is a book filled with so many plots twists and irony at times it’s difficult to follow. I’m talking about the incredible story of the book of Esther. Before we dive into it’s first chapter, I want to encourage you as I have so often to take advantage of the overview video included in the ONE Story Reading Plan. It does a great job helping you make sense of this peculiar account. As always, I’ll link the video in the show notes for today’s episode.
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Romans chapter 15, verse 4 reads, “'For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.’ The concept there is that as we study God’s word, we will often find hope through God’s work in world history and more specifically His revelation through His people the Jews. That hope that is found through that study could not be more plainly demonstrated to us in the rebuilding of the Temple and the words we find today in Ezra 6.
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We are blessed to live in the most prosperous nation in the entire world. It is clear that living in the United States of America is a freedom for which all who live here should be grateful. We cut our teeth learning the “right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Living in “the land of the free and the home of the brave” is certainly a glorious privilege. But what if there is a curse to our treasured American Christianity. What if the abundance of the physical have unwittingly generated a dearth of spiritual vitality. It’s a truth we need to hear and we see it powerfully displayed for us in the pages of God’s word.
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What does it mean to mourn? Most of us don’t like to think about it? No one likes to grieve and be sad, we all want to be happy and cheerful. But what if there was more to biblical mourning than just being sad. What if it developed within us an attitude that God would honor? We’ll talk about it today from Zechariah chapter 12.
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Have you ever had a moment in your life where you came face to face with the fact that God’s plans were infinitely bigger than you at first imagined? Often times we like to think that we have a grasp on what God might be doing in a given situation. But when we look back at the course of history, we come to realize that the plans of God are often far more extensive than our ability to comprehend. With a God that exhibits so much forethought, and so much power to accomplish His plans that are infinitely larger than we can comprehend, we have to ask ourselves, why, then, do we struggle so much to trust Him? This is a question I had to ask myself this morning as I studied Zechariah chapter 2, lets dive in together.
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Have you ever wondered if God sees you? I mean you are trying to do the right thing, trying to be faithful amid difficult circumstances, but sometimes it’s difficult to believe that God is watching all that is transpiring in our lives. It can be frustrating and I have, at times, come to God and asked Him, “God, do you see what’s going on here?” We’re in good company if we feel this way because there are numerous examples of this sentiment in the lives of God’s people over the years. But it’s not as if God does not see us, and we are reminded of that very fact today in Zechariah chapter 1 and it should be an encouragement to us all. Now before we dive into these verses today, I want to strongly urge you to watch the video included in the ONE Story Reading Plan for Zechariah. It is very helpful in piecing together what you are reading and it can help you grasp the purpose of the book overall. Like always, I’ll post the video in the show notes for today’s episode.
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The Greek philosopher Pythagorus once said, “Be silent, until your words are worth more than the silence.” Our words often have more power than we realize. They convey ideas and those ideas have consequences, repercussions that often are infinitely greater than we could conceive. Such was the case with the prophet Haggai in today’s reading from Haggai chapter 2. He makes a promise to the people of God that was infinitely greater than their ability to receive it and it’s one well worth our consideration today.
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Can one person’s life really make a difference. We all want to believe that our testimony have impact far beyond our lives, but sometimes that requires a difficult message to hear amid difficult times. Such was the case with the prophet Haggai. But what God did through this man’s message singlehandedly course corrected a plan derailed by criticism and discouragement. It’s a story worth considering today from Haggai 1.
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No one particularly enjoys criticism. We don’t like being chided publicly or denigrated openly. But have you ever met someone that just seems to invite the ire of people around them? For some reason, their actions would seem to make them gluttons for such public derision? At times this is the nature of leadership, public decisions are often necessary that do not necessarily coincide with public opinion. Unpopular decision-making is often the unenviable task of a good leader. Just because a decision is right doesn’t mean it will be lauded publicly. In fact, there are moments where it will most certainly not be. In Ezra 4, Zerubbabel and the leaders of the Jewish nation are forced to make a difficult decision that will cause them trouble and discouragement in the days ahead. On today’s podcast, we’ll discover why they may have made that decision and what we can learn from it.
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After 70 years in a foreign land, you have been given the miraculous and divine decree to move back home and build the Temple. You have been given the opportunity to return, granted safe passage on the journey home, even been given the resources necessary to do what God has clearly given you to do. You have the hopes of the people, the grace of the king, and the favor of God on your shoulders as you return. When you get home, what is the first thing that you are going to do? If you say anything other than build an altar, you would be incorrect. Today we’ll learn why this was such a significant objective and how it might apply to our lives today.
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One of the most influential people on my spiritual journey was my Youth Pastor, a man named Mike Brandon. Pastor B was a retired police detective whose ability to connect real life with the word of God in a winsome compelling manner had a huge impact on my desire to walk with God in a very impressionable season of my life. Pastor B was filled with quips and one liners that had a way of lodging in my mind. Some of these truths have found taken root in my heart as I have found them to be true in my own life as well. One of those truths Pastor B was fond of reminding me of was “when God decides, God provides.” That truth is clearly revealed for us in the pages of God’s word in Ezra chapter 2. While this chapter may seem tedious at first, it points us to this truth in a unique fashion worthy of our consideration today.
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The game of chess requires that you learn to think ahead of your opponent. Being two or even three steps ahead prepares you well to make the moves necessary to accomplish your objective of capturing the king and winning the game. But when it comes to the game of life, sometimes the pieces move in our lives in a random and unexpected manner. It is in these moments that we often come to realize that we are not in charge of the chess board of our lives. But this disorienting reality can become the pathway to an even greater divine revelation. While we may not understand the moves played out on the chessboard of our lives, there is ONE who is thinking five, six, steps ahead of us and we can trust His divine decisions.
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“'“The king of the South will grow powerful, but one of his commanders will grow more powerful and will rule a kingdom greater than his. After some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to seal the agreement. She will not retain power, and his strength will not endure. She will be given up, together with her entourage, her father, and the one who supported her during those times. In the place of the king of the South, one from her family will rise up, come against the army, and enter the fortress of the king of the North. He will take action against them and triumph. ‘
The verses of Daniel 11 and 12 read more like Days of our Lives meets King Arthur than the Bible. What is going on? Who’s the king of the North? Who’s the king of the South? And what does all this mean?
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Our days are often filled with the physical tasks that crowd our to-do lists. We live in a physical world, with physical demands, physical objectives, and physical relationships. If we are not careful, we will be tempted to forget that over and above the physical world of the here and now is a supernatural realm filled with its own battles and initiatives often unseen and unheeded by a physical world oblivious to their presence. In Daniel 10, the veil is peeled back for us as we are given insight into the supernatural war raging through the kingdoms of men. We’ll consider them together in today’s podcast.
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It’s one of the most hotly debated texts among scholars in all of the Old Testament. It’s called the seventieth week of Daniel. Much confusion and argument has been had over the centuries regarding these verses from Daniel chapter 9. But what if whatever prophetic implications these verses took a back seat to underscoring the posture of prayer in the life of Daniel the prophet? In this chapter, we can learn volumes about how we should pray in times of uncertainty and how God’s insight usually follows our intercession.
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If you grew up like me, a goat was an animal that belonged on a farm and ate hay. In today’s economy, the term GOAT is less remembered as a barnyard animal and more for it’s acronym. The term GOAT stands for “the Greatest of All Time.” Taking it one step further in our culture today, when something is called a unicorn, it is revered as being unlike anything else. It is special, unique, and memorable. Well in Daniel 8, we learn about a unicorn GOAT that actually fits both the traditional and the urban descriptions of both the unicorn and the goat. He is the UNICORN GOAT and we’ll talk about him today in Daniel chapter 8.
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If you’re a trekky (a Star Trek fan) of which I am not, you’re likely famliar with the catchphrase of the Borg, “RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.” While that may be a matter of debate when it comes to the collision of world powers described in Daniel 7, no truer words could be spoken. Witness the coronation of the King and the destruction of every vestige of resistance to the world domination of the King of the world in our study of Daniel chapter 7.
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It’s one of the most famous stories in all of the Bible, the tale of Daniel and the lion’s den. But, the danger in a story like this one is that it is often so familiar that we tend to gloss over the truths outlined in this narrative. Several essential character traits are present here that we should employ in our own lives if we live with Daniel's character. We’ll see them as we dive into Daniel chapter 6 today.
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One of my favorite television shows to watch is the show Law and Order. It was probably the first courtroom drama I ever really enjoyed. The show did a masterful job of relaying the investigation portion of the crime in question, then the courtroom phase that ensued, ending with a sentence or judgment. It was at once realistic and riveting. We will see that same three-fold investigation, judgment, and sentencing performed today on the kingdom of Babylon as we witness her demise and the rise of the Persian empire.
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The nephew of Nero, Caligula was one of the most eccentric and bizarre leaders in all of history. He once had his army build a two-mile floating bridge just so he could ride along it. In another deranged episode he once commanded his soldiers to plunder the sea by gathering shells in their helmets. He banned the mention of goats in his presence and practiced facial expressions to terrify his enemies. He built a lavish home for his horse and tried to appoint the steed to the high office consul before he was eventually assassinated. Few leaders are more bizarre than Caligula, but no episode is more enigmatic than the events described for us in Daniel chapter 4. They teach us a valuable lesson about how pride makes us beasts and that humility embodies the proper perspective of greatness and power.
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It’s a story you’ve likely heard in Vacation Bible School as a child. It is a go-to for children’s teachers and students alike. But what we learn from the three Hebrew children’s example far exceeds adolescent education. It sets for us a powerful example of genuine faith and obedience amid the mounting societal pressure to worship the idols our culture upholds as divine. On today’s podcast from Daniel 3, we’ll look again at their story and remember that our obedience is as counter cultural today as it was revolutionary back then
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How different would you pray if your life depended on it? How much more intensity and focus might be given to your time in God’s presence if you knew your very existence depended on hearing from God in that moment. I wonder if sometimes our prayer life is largely ignored because we fail to see just how dependent our lives really are on it. It’s a truth powerfully revealed for us in Daniel 2 as this very thing happens to Daniel. See how He responded and how we should as well.
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How easy is it for us to justify violated some insignificant command in Scripture? Our secular morals of today often collide with the clear teaching of God’s word and we are often left with a choice to justify our compromise of the Bible in order to stay in step with a world drifting into destruction. But this choice is not new, it fact it’s been around for centuries. It’s a choice that Daniel is faced with early in His life and the outcome of that decision becomes the foundation on which the rest of His life and legacy is remembered. The same will be true with us. Let’s look together at Daniel chapter 1. Before we do, I want to encourage you to watch the overview video of the book of Daniel included in the ONE Story reading plan. For convenience, I’ll post the in the show notes for today’s episode as well.
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What can skeletons teach us about the purpose of God? Well the answer is quite al lot actually! In this familiar passage from Ezekiel 36, God reveals to His prophet His future plans for Israel, even as they lay in desolate ruin. It’s a powerful story that is still being written. Let’s dive in together.
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What does it mean for God to be holy? That word is a slippery little concept that many of us fail to truly grasp. Yet not fully understanding this truth could cause us to question God’s activity in the nation of Israel and in our own hearts. But when we truly behold God’s character through the lens of His holiness, it clarifies a great deal of God’s interactions both in Israel and in us.
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Movie critic Mark Zambrano writes, “The greatest movie villain of all time deserves the greatest of movie entrances. On paper, Darth Vader’s first appearance in the original Star Wars is probably the least impressive of the others on this list. A door opens, he struts in, looks around and walks out. Boom! However, add in the Imperial March, a haze of smoke, some ominous wheezing and a billowing black cape and you’ve got the recipe for a cultural phenomenon that still captivates audiences to this day.”
But no artist conception on a silver screen can hold a candle to the vision the prophet Ezekiel has of the God of creation entering the storyline to defend the holiness of His name. It should incite wonder and terror at the same time as we behold the Holy One of Israel in all of HIs glorious splendor from Ezekiel chapter 1.
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It’s known as acute stress disorder. It’s a condition that persistently occurs in the aftermath of a traumatic experience and often challenges the individuals ability to function and cope in the wake of what has occurred. It’s almost as if the person is unable to function emotionally. The brain subconsciously shields the individual from experiencing such overwhelming grief by shutting off those emotions altogether. Over time, the condition subsides and the person is left to deal with the fallout of such an experience. This could have been the explanation for the impersonal tone of 2 Kings 25 as the writer, devoid of emotional response, records the unthinkable travesties of the fall of Judah. But in the wake of such tragedy, there are sobering truths with which we need to come to grips learning from the catastrophic consequence of Judah’s despicable disobedience.
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There is a lot of talk these days about cancel culture. If society identifies a flaw in a historical figure, they choose to erase them from history rather than learn from their mistake through the science of critical thinking. Rather than understand the individual is not a two dimensional image but nuanced with positive and negative traits, they choose to just cancel them as if they did not exist altogether. This type of thinking forfeits the good while not constructively learning from the bad dooming themselves to repeat the tendencies of history. This is why history is worth the investment to learn it. Because if we properly understand history, both the good and the bad, we can derive from the past, the insights that can help us to achieve a better future. This is also why biblical history is important. A chapter like 2 Kings 24 is steeped in Jewish history, but we learn some things about God and about ourselves through the recounting of these events.
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“How the mighty have fallen!” We use it as an idiom today to describe the decline or failure of a person who was once very successful, powerful, or great. The phrase actually originates in the Bible as it was used by a shepherd boy turned fugitive named David. He used the phrase to lament the death of his arch-rival King Saul. But to a greater degree, it’s an apt description of the nation of Judah and today we witness the tragic end of a glorious reign of the people of God in the land given to them by Jehovah Himself.
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If someone was asked what defines who you are, what might they say? When asked to describe who you are in one word, what adjectives might they use. Funny, smart, wealthy, bitter, happy, irresponsible? There are all kinds of words we throw around to describe people, but RIGHTEOUS is not one that might immediately come to mind and yet it is to be the cornerstone on which we should build our lives. But not our own righteousness, but as followers of Jesus, HIS righteousness on our behalf. This should define who we are. It’s a truth displayed for us today from Jeremiah 33 and it deserves our attention and reflection.
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Location. Location. Location. Widely regarded as the three primary factors in property value, this mantra has become synonymous with understanding how real estate is valued. But in Jeremiah 32, we have probably the worst real estate deal in all of the Bible and yet it whispers to us of the gospel glory of redemption. As we study this chapter together, we’ll find some prime examples of what faith looks like amid the backdrop of adversity and learn together how the promises of God can inspire us to radical obedience despite ridiculous circumstance.
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The word “revelation” can mean many different things to many different people. One of the most important aspects of the concept of revelation to understand is that it is progressive. God unfolds His grand story of redemption in pieces across history and through time. The plan that was conceived in the mind of God before the world begin is executed in stages throughout the course of history. God reveals Himself through the law, through the covenants, and through His prophets. Throughout the prophetic ministry of God’s servants, there are often foreshadowings of God’s ultimate plan of redemption that is to come through the story’s Protagonist, Jesus Christ Himself. We witness a prime example of that through the new covenant explained for us here in Jeremiah 31.
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Jeremiah 29:11 is perhaps one of the most recognizable promises of all the Old Testament. You can’t walk through a store like Hobby Lobby and not find it plastered on something. But the context of the verse makes these words even more inspiring and they hold an invitation for us that is both inconvenient and incredible at the same time.
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Just how powerful is our God? Often we miss the awesome power of God because we are so preoccupied with the circumstances of our lives. I fear that sometimes a great deal of our worry and consternation is derived from our inability to sit still in the Lord’s presence and meditate on His power revealed in His word. We get a glimpse of that power today in Jeremiah 25 as we witness God’s ability to raise up kings and move nations to accomplish His purposes in the lives of His people. As we consider the world around us, perhaps a fresh view of this power at work in us could settle our hearts today as well.
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One of the things I wished for the most growing up was a big brother. I felt like that if I had someone who was developmentally one or two steps ahead of me, I could learn a lot about what was right and what was wrong and learn to make wiser decisions earlier. Well unfortunately for the children of Judah, that theory did not ring true. In fact, their refusal to heed the cautionary tale of their sister nation, Israel, engendered further scorn upon their rebellious and pretentious lifestyles. We’ll learn about it today in Jeremiah chapter 3.
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One of the running themes of the Old Testament is the connection between idolatry and intimacy. God used Hosea’s marriage to a prostitute to powerfully illustrate to Israel what they had done in forsaking the Lord their God. That imagery returns now with the rebukes of Jeremiah to the nation of Judah. As we will see, these two ideas have a strong connection that demands our consideration. We have to realize our idolatry looks like the worse kind of infidelity to a God who at great cost to Himself has been nothing but faithful from the very beginning. We’ll see it together as we jump into Jeremiah 2 today on the podcast.
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Sociologists point to FOMO as one of the foremost reasons for our alarming addiction to social media. FOMO stands for the Fear of Missing Out and it’s a real thing. We feverishly check our phones multiple times a day because something inside of us wants to make sure that we don’t miss out on what’s going on in other’s lives. But for the christian, there is another fear that we deal with it’s not the fear of missing out, but the fear of speaking out. We have been commissioned by God to share the gospel, but for us, it’s increasingly difficult to share that message in the world around us because of the fear within us. Some of that fear comes from our desire to control the outcome, we don’t want to be rejected. Some of it comes from a culture that is rapidly becoming more and more hostile to the concept of God and religion as a whole. On today’s podcast, we learn some pretty helpful things from the prophet Jeremiah when it comes to speaking up for our faith.
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When it comes to our leadership, one thing is for sure; there is no shortage of books and lessons on how to be a great leader. Go to Amazon and look up leadership books, and you'll find more information than you can read on the subject. But being a great leader isn't hard to do; even an eight-year-old can do it. It's not easy, but it is simple. It's as simple as tuning your heart to following God's law. We see that powerfully demonstrated by King Josiah in 2 Kings 23, and today on the podcast, we’ll consider what thoughtful, genuine repentance looks like in the life of this king and what it might look like in our lives as well.
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“God wrote a book. That reality blows me away every time I stop to think about it. Pages and pages of God; His thoughts, His words, His heart, right there, just a few inches away….But that’s not always what we see and feel when we open the Bible. Our weak, tired, distracted eyes look and all we see is a lifeless, boring portrait on the wall. But it’s not a portrait, it’s a window. It doesn’t hang lifeless in an old frame on the wall. It breaks through the wall, into another world, the real world, the lasting world, the better world. Through this window shines a divine light that changes everything around us.” These are the words of John Piper and they beautifully illustrate the power of this book and the light it reveals. That power and that light is is underscored for us in 2 Kings 22 and on today’s podcast, we’ll consider the power of this book for one king of Judah and for our lives today.
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What is it that stamps our legacy? History is filled with dates, names, snapshots in time that define the course of world events. Those moments have their place in refining and altering the storyline of historical record. But when it comes to a legacy and how one will be remembered by the ones they love, what matters more is not the momentary snapshot, but the daily pattern of someone’s life. We see that illustrated for us in the tale of two kings, a father and son who could not be more different. We are talking, of course, about Hezekiah and Manasseh. We consider the comparison and contrasts today on the podcast from 2 Kings 21.
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Sure to get the last laugh, British comedian Spike Milligan, had posted on his headstone when he died 2002, “I told you I was sick!” Sickness, death and dying however, is no laughing matter. At least not for King Hezekiah whose desperate prayer in 2 Kings 20 actually incited God’s healing of a terminal illness in the king. But as we will see, the judgment of God on sin is no laughing matter either. As we will see, it is the the king’s devotion that stays the hand of God’s punishment of Judah’s idolatry for at least 15 more years setting the stage for one of the most puzzling chapters in the good king’s life. We’ll consider it all as we dive into 2 Kings chapter 20 today.
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AC Dixon was one of the most influential Baptist Pastors of the early 1900’s. He once told a story that illustrates how God delights to defend His people. He said,
“Rising early one morning, I heard the baying of a score of deerhounds in pursuit of their quarry. Looking away to a broad, open field in front of me, I saw a young fawn making its way across, and giving signs, moreover, that its race was well-nigh run. Reaching the rails of the enclosure, it leaped over and crouched within ten feet from where I stood. A moment later two of the hounds came over, when the fawn ran in my direction and pushed its head between my legs. I lifted the little thing to my chest, and, swinging round and round, fought off the dogs. I felt, just then, that all the dogs in the West could not, and should not, capture that fawn after its weakness had appealed to my strength.”
That image of our weakness appealing to God’s strength could not more beautifully illustrate the events of 2 Kings 19 and they are filled with hope and confidence for those under the vicious pursuit of the enemy of our souls as well.
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One of the most important theologians of the Protestant Reformation was a French pastor named John Calvin. Calvin’s massive volumes have done more for the development of Christian thought that anyone since the early church father, Augustine. The magnum opus for which He is most remembered is the Institutes of the Christian Religion. Calvin knew the heart of man was desperately wicked, just as the Psalmist said. One adage from Calvin’s Institutes is helpful for our understanding of today’s reading. He said, “man’s heart is perpetual idol factory.” Keep that in mind as we come today to 2 Kings 18.
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One of the most helpful things I’ve ever done is read the Bible chronologically. It is particularly helpful in helping us see God’s word as ONE Unified story designed to point us to a King who will redeem all that our brokenness has corrupted. 2 Kings 17 begins for us a new section in our ONE Story Reading Plan. It resumes the storyline of the plight of God’s people following section 9. That section highlights the prophets who were sent to both Israel and Judah to warn them against the judgment that falls in 2 Kings 17. Despite repeated pleas, this chapter chronicles the fall of Israel and her capital city Samaria to the Assyrian empire, a sad and bitter end to a once glorious kingdom. Now before diving in, let me encourage you to watch the video that begins section 10 on the Exile. It does a great job expanding the idea of exile to the entire Biblical story as a helpful motif to help us understand the plot line as well as help us understand the emotional duress the people experienced under the hand of God’s judgment on their sin. I’ll post the video link in the show notes for today’s episode.
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I’m often asked why I journaling is such an important part of spiritual growth. It feels so tedious to write everything down. I mean do I really need to do all of that? Well not necessarily, but it is a discipline with profound effects on your growth. Journaling can be the monuments of God’s faithfulness in your life if you will take the time to record them. A great example of that in my own life happened this morning as I prepared for the today’s podcast on Micah 5.
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What can history teach us about faith? Well, the answer is quite a lot actually. Because the greatest predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Meaning when something happens consistently in the past, it has a better chance of happening in the future. It is this principle that we should apply to our understand of prophecy in God’s word. Some of it can seem down right absurd, but when we consider the faithfulness of God to His promises already fulfilled in our lives and throughout history, it can fortify our faith in the future promise of God. This truth is uniquely seen in Micah chapter 4, and on today’s podcast, we’ll see God’s realization of part of this prophecy as the evidence of its final fulfillment.
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“A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth.” These are the final words of the story of the boy who cried wolf. The story tells of a young boy who likes the attention that comes from him crying wolf. He did it so much, that eventually the people ignored his warnings believing that he was telling a lie. When the wolf actually did come, the sheep were destroyed. One wonders if this was the attitude of the people of Israel. They had become deaf to the cries of the prophets who repeatedly warned them of God’s judgment. The problem was these prophets were not crying wolf they were warning the people as a result of the long-suffering of God. But eventually, the hammer of God’s judgment would fall. Even in the shadow of such judgment, men like MIcah continue to plead with the people to repent. It’s a message we should consider as we study Micah chapter 1 on todays podcast.
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In the Sermon on the Mount, the paramount moment of Jesus’ teaching, our Savior commands us to, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you… Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” This is never easy is it. We struggle to do it. In her book, the Forgiveness Journal, author Lysa Terkeurst captures a right attitude of forgiveness. She writes, “God, I give this situation to You. I release my evidence of all the reasons they were so wrong, my need to see this person punished, my need for an apology, my need for this to feel fair, my need for You to declare me right and them wrong,Show me what I need to learn from all of this. And then give me Your peace in place of my pain.” A difficult prayer to be sure. It’s one our stubborn and reluctant prophet Jonah needed to learn as well. On today’s podcast, we’ll consider how God exposes Jonah’s character and consider how it might mirror our own.
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It is perhaps one of the greatest examples of national revival in all of the pages of God’s word. A corporate repentance so wide-spread that even the king leaves the throne to sit on the ground in sackcloth and ashes as a public display of contrition. It’s one of the greatest examples of repentance seen in the entire Bible, but it didn’t come from God’s people and it didn’t come because of a powerful preacher with a convicting sermon. It came at the hands of a five word message spoken by a reluctant prophet whose life spoke louder than his words did. Witness the revival of Nineveh in Jonah 3. We’ll discuss the unique event and it’s ramifications for our lives on today’s podcast.
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It was one of my dad’s favorite things he had me to recite as a child. Obedience is doing what you are told to do, when you are told to do it, with the right heart attitude. Jonah 2 demonstrates a prophet in process. At first, he wouldn’t do what he was told to do. He’s late coming to do it, and his attitude isn’t right in doing so. Nonetheless, he does seem repentance of his rebellion even if it is for the wrong reasons. Today on the podcast, we’ll consider is that even repentance at all or is it just posturing to escape pain.
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“The Old Testament Characters are not to be models for morality, they are mirrors for identity.” These are the words of Dr. Robert Smith in his introduction to Jonah. He says it’s a book with jagged edges. Like a hangnail, it should grate and snag on our hearts and expose our own sinfulness as we consider its message. We should see ourselves in this story filled with divine irony and satire as we study it together. Before we dive into the book, let me encourage you to watch the overview video linked in the show notes for today’s episode. It’s incredibly helpful in understanding the book and how it’s designed.
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It was my first semester in seminary in Theology proper that I first learned about what I call the dynamic tension of God’s attributes. It was very helpful for my understanding of the nature of God. I’ve mentioned it on the podcast before. It’s this idea that God’s character exists in dynamic tension. It is reckless to have a God who is all powerful and not all knowing and pointless to have a God that is all knowing and not all powerful. In Amos chapter 9, we see the dynamic interplay of this tension in brilliant detail and it should incite hope for us today. Our time in Amos is not at all comprehensive, so I want to encourage you to watch the overview video that is included in the ONE story reading plan. It will help you understand the book much better than the one chapter we are able to cover in today’s reading. I’ll link the video to the show notes for today’s episode.
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Revenge on injustice is a common theme in many action movies today. Something inside of us longs for a reckoning against injustice. As long as injustice abounds, we will live unsettled. But did you know that this longing reveals within us a yearning for the rule of a divine kingdom? Our sense of justice is inextricably linked to our understanding of law and what promotes human flourishing. That just and perfect reality will never be accomplished in this world so long as her leaders are flawed and fallible. But one day, that world will be a reality, when the divine King sits in judgment and rules the world from His holy city. This future vision is spoken of in Joel chapter 3 and on today’s podcasts we’ll investigate it together and consider some of the ramifications of it for us today.
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The early church father Augustine once said, “The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.” That insightful statement is one reason that seeing the full storyline of the Bible is so critically important. The revelation of God’s promise of salvation is not a strictly New Testament concept but it is powerfully foreshadowed in the pages of Old Testament writings. No chapter is clearer in that regard than Joel chapter 2. In this chapter we see the whole of the gospel uniquely declared against the backdrop of divine judgment. On today’s podcast we’ll dive into that revelation and behold it’s beautiful promise to us today.
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Have you ever met someone who just can’t admit when they are wrong? I mean no one really likes to do it, but at some point, you have to just own it repent of it and start over. Otherwise, you will just be heading down a dead end road that leads to destruction. That’s a bit like where the children of Israel as we begin our study into the ministry of Joel. It’s a people who are ravaged by the effects of their own rebellion, and as tough as it to admit, the best thing they can do is just own it, repent, and start over. We’ll see it all unfold together today on the podcast from Joel chapter 1.
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It’s usually about a quarter to a half inch square, but that tiny box represents a lifetime of memories. I’m talking about an engagement ring box. It’s so little, but it means so much! Beyond it’s size, it is the token of love from one individual to another. It represents commitment, it represents fidelity, it represents a desire to spend the rest of their lives together. It means the world. That’s how we should feel about these five short verses in Hosea chapter 3. They couldn’t mean more! They represent the whole of human history, God’s grand design, His desire for commitment, fidelity and eternity spent together and it reveals just how far He would go and how much He would pay to make it possible.
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All of us know what the wilderness feels like. It’s confusing, it’s disorienting, it’s frustrating, it’s just plain hard. No one likes it. It’s especially difficult to endure when the reason you are there is of your own foolish choices. On today’s podcast, we’ll find a surprising grace only found in the wilderness that testifies to a God who whispers tenderly to us amid the wilderness seasons.
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Today as we begin our study, we are diving into one of the most interesting books in all the Old Testament. It is perhaps one of the most shocking and powerful pictures in all of Israelite history. Yet it starkly illustrates the deteriorating relationship between Jehovah and His covenant people, Israel. What would you do if you were a preacher and God told you to go marry a prostitute? Excuse me? What did you say? It might arouse a fair amount of confusion in your heart as to the wisdom of such an instruction. Yet this appalling instruction is precisely what Hosea is ordered to do. He does this because it illustrates a potent reality signifying the state of affairs in which the prophet ministered. As you begin this chapter, let me once again commend the video introduction to the book included as part of the ONE STORY reading plan. It is a helpful analysis of the book as a whole and will give you an important perspective as you begin your study. I link the video to the show notes to today’s episode.
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One of the great dangers of our contemporary culture today is to paint God in broad, generous strokes of His grace and to minimize His holiness and His justice. In a world of sinners, the notion of a holy God who punishes and judges sin is a far less attractive picture than a God who coddles our proclivities and minimizes our deficiencies. The problem with that view of God is that it just doesn’t square with the Bible or with the gospel. Yet the gospel is THE good news, the greatest news of all. But a faithful proclamation of that gospel boasts of His grace without minimizing His holiness and judgment. Herein lies it’s beauty, God is, at once, holy and gracious, forgiving and just. Understanding the dynamic tension of His attributes in this way not only is important, it is the doorway to majestic beauty and reverent awe.
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It’s a classic gaslighting technique that was first utilized during the propaganda tactics of World War II by Nazi politician Joseph Goebbels. It’s also been used widely by several Marxist theorists including Lenin and Marx himself. It’s the technique of accusing your opponent of that which you are currently doing thereby causing confusion and speculation. It might surprise you to find it levied against God Himself in Isaiah 65 by none other than His own people. On today’s podcast, we’ll consider the lunacy of their argument. We’ll also look at the hope that remains for the remnant of those who remain faithful to God’s covenant promise.
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Webster defines the word portrait as, “a painting, drawing, or engraving of a person.” It is designed to, as closely as possible, resemble or “portray” the likeness of the person after whom the portrait is modeled. In Isaiah 53, we see the prophet’s most stunning attempt to portray the King who was to become the Servant. This Servant would be “successful” in redeeming the people of God both physically and spiritually. On today’s podcast we’ll consider the portrait of this Servant slain for our transgressions and what HIs coming means to the overall story of God’s redemption.
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Something about the human condition causes us to love a good redemption story. Whether it’s the Shawshank Redemption, the Count of Monte Cristo, It’s a Wonderful Life, or Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, all of us love the concept of comeback, of redemption. Have you ever wondered where that love originates? Every story whispers to us of a much grander epic. It’s what makes us love these tales of adventure and intrigue, and yes, redemption. In Isaiah 52, we see the prelude to the Rise of the Redeemer. The One who, on the grand stage of history, would descend to redeem His people.
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What would it take for you to really and genuinely trust God with your future? How might you ask God to demonstrate His capacity to rightly govern the days ahead in your life? Well, Isaiah 45 gives us some pretty compelling evidence that God has a pretty good handle on the future and what it might hold. He can not only direct it, He can predict it. Such a demonstration of power and wisdom should have been enough for these Israelites, and it should be enough for us as well.
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For every movie that graces the silver screen, there is a trailer that gives a preview of coming attractions. It’s meant to whet the appetite of the consumer and cause them to lean into the story. On today’s podcast we see a trailer for God’s sweeping story line in pretty specific detail. The truth found in this chapter is a sobering reminder of the efficacy of trusting God and the utter idiocy of following anyone else.
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Since humanity was banned from the garden after the presence of sin, society has tried in vain to return to the utopian promise that the garden represented. Various iterations of political, societal, and religious groups have failed to achieve the worldwide stability, harmony, peace, and prosperity that the garden outlined. But just because it hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean it won’t. In fact, the whole of redemptive history is aimed towards restoring creation that Edenic reality. It’s a promise outlined for us Isaiah 11 and on today’s podcast we’ll consider the implication of that promise for us today and how we might live in response to that coming existence.
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One of the great joys of studying the prophets is the confidence we gain in God’s accomplishment of every last promise He made regarding the Messiah. As we dive deeper and deeper into them, we learn something very important about the character of our God. His is just, He is righteous, He is gracious, He is trustworthy, and so much more! We’ll dive into these topics and more on today’s podcast from Isaiah 9.
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I have always been a fan of acoustic worship music. One of my favorite artists is two guys named Shane and Shane. I’ll never forget the first song on their album, “Pages.” The name of the song is Vision of You, and there was a line in it that I’ve never gotten over. The song is a really simple prayer asking God to give us a bigger understanding of who He is. The line that really got my attention said, “may the vision of you be the death of me.” I’ve never forgotten that line and every time I read this chapter, I am reminded of that song. Because on today’s podcast, we meet a prophet who thought the vision of God He encountered would indeed be the death of Him. Oh that we would catch a glimpse of such glory and splendor.
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The concept of perspective is a funny thing. The ability to see the vision with perspective or from a vantage point that others may not necessarily see is a gift that has served many a leader well as they seek to lead their organization to a preferred future. Perspective often requires a great deal of faith to achieve something that others may think is impossible. Such was the perspective of the prophet Elisha in 2 Kings chapter 6. His faith allowed him to see what others couldn’t and on today’s podcast we’ll consider what it might take for us to experience that in our own lives.
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Are you willing to do what it takes to be healed? It’s a question worth considering. Sometimes I wonder if we’d rather live in our pride and our malady, than humble ourselves and find healing. It’s not unlike the story of Naaman, the foreign dignitary with a skin disease who struggle to find healing because it required humbling himself in a way he was not accustomed to doing. The struggle to find healing always involved a humility that requires us to obey in ways we hand never considered.
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Have you ever heard of a copycat killer? It’s someone whose heinous acts are often patterned after the despicable acts of another criminal. Well, in 2 Kings chapter 4, we see, in many ways, a copycat prophet. These rather miraculous events chronicled for us in this chapter, in many ways mirrors the work of his predecessor, Elijah. But more than just mirror them, they often eclipse them. As we investigate the works of this prophet, we see more than shades of the past though, we see glimpses of a greater work by a greater Prophet on our behalf.
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Have you ever gone on a road trip and wondered if you would ever reach your destination? Perhaps it was through the night and it felt like you were stopping over and over again and falling further and further behind? I’ll never forget the first time our family went on a beach trip together. Our kids were little and so we decided it would be best to travel at night in the hopes that they would sleep. The only problem was, they were too excited to do so and so we ended up stopping over and over and over again for them. I felt like that was the longest night of my life and we’d never get to where we were going.
In 2 Kings 2, Elijah and Elisha are on a road trip of sorts and like our story, they stop at several places before reaching their destination. But what we learn from their road trip could speak volumes to us about what it means to truly follow Jesus.
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Have you ever had to tell someone the unvarnished, unpopular truth? A truth you knew they would not want to hear but you felt compelled because you loved them to tell them anyway. While all of us may have had to do that, none of us are really signing up for it right? It can be difficult to tell the unmitigated truth to someone who doesn’t want to hear it. Such was the case with the prophet of God in 1 Kings 22, but as we’ll see on today’s podcast, this is the responsibility of every faithful prophet of God, and it may have more import for us than we may realize at first.
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If you were famous for something, what would it be? Your smile, your looks, your ability to make people laugh, your work ethic, your abilities, your sincerity? There are lots of things to be remembered for, however, in 1 Kings, we see about the worst thing in the world to be known for and its a pretty telling indictment of King Ahab’s life. But the text also gives a clue as to why and it stands as a great reminder to us as well about how we live and who we run with.
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Have you ever got to the point where you had enough? I mean you tried to do everything you could to make that situation work out right. You did everything you could do, but somehow things just didn’t work out. You’re frustrated, you’re exhausted, you’re tired, you’ve had enough and you are on the edge of just throwing your hands up in despair and walking off? Have you ever been there? One of the things I love the most about the Bible is that the word never glosses over these emotions. We see them in the life of the greatest of men, men like Elijah. Few men have ever seen the heights of Elijah’s ministry. Conversely, few men have ever felt the depression and anguish that the prophet experienced either. In 1 Kings 19, we see these emotions displayed for us in the man of God and it’s worth our time to consider what God might be teaching this man in this moment and what He might be teaching us as well.
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It’s one of those moments in Old Testament history that I hope that God has on DVR for us to watch when we get to heaven. Just the machismo that it takes for the prophet of God before a king who’d spent the last three years trying to kill him, not to mention the 850 false prophets who’d spent the afternoon pleading and bleeding for their idol to hear, for Elijah to stand and call down fire from heaven. It had to have been one of those moments where it was utterly indescribable. How does fire even lap up water anyway? Yet there is so much for us to learn from 1 Kings 18 beyond a cool story, truths that show us the importance of worshipping God above everything else.
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One of the most influential voices in my spiritual journey as a high school student was my student pastor, Mike Brandon. A former police officer turned history teacher, he had a way of speaking into my life without ever even saying a word. The truths that he instilled in my life in that season were incredibly instrumental to my calling as a pastor and teacher in the years ahead. He had a way of coining pithy phrases that taught important truths. One of those truths that He inscribed on my teachable mind in that season was the phrase, “when God decides, God provides.” The axiom has stuck with me as I’ve found it to be true in my own life. It’s true, when we walk in obedience to God’s commands, He will providentially and sometimes miraculously provide what is needed most in that season. It’s a truth we see demonstrated today in 1 Kings 17 and on today’s podcast we’ll trace God’s hand of provision as it follows the prophet’s heart felt decisions.
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In his autobiography, Nelson Mandela once wrote, “Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way leads to defeat and death.” We’ve all been there where the melody of hope seems to fade amid the pounding drums of fear and doubt. But just how do we find hope amid the darkness of this life? Well, we’re given a clue here in the dark narrative of 1 Kings 16 and on today’s podcast we’ll consider a truth that should settle us as we ride the stormy tides of this life.
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I have an evangelist friend that once gave some really good advice. He said that “you can listen and learn or you can live and learn and listening is always easier than living.” In 1 Kings 12, we find a king who should have listened to the wisdom of the aged rather than going with his gut, a decision that eventually cost him the kingdom. We’ll also learn the greater value of seeing Jesus from this Old Testament story and what it can teach us about the message of grace.
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It is quintessential irony. How in God’s name could the wisest man on the planet think there was wisdom in marrying 700 women and having 300 more girlfriends? One has to question the veracity of the claim that Solomon was the wisest man on the planet given the track record with women. Many of Solomon’s marriages were arranged as contractual agreements that increased his power and ability to trade thereby enlarging his wealth. But the real problem was what these women did to his heart and the downfall these entanglements would incite in the richest and wisest of kings.
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When is it wrong to buy a horse? Well, believe it or not, for King Solomon, it might have been. On today’s podcast, we’ll consider how these things converge to spell the mighty King’s demise. We’ll also take a moment to consider how we might avoid the same temptations.
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It was the perhaps the high point of Jewish history as the wise and wealthy King Solomon stood on the mount and dedicated with power and glory, the Temple of Jehovah. It was to be the permanent residence (at least symbolically) of God’s presence with His people. But as we will learn, there was one caveat to that residence, a requirement that the people could not uphold. That requirement that they were unable to fulfill would lay the groundwork for the coming of the true King to His people in ways they would have never imagined. On today’s podcast, we’ll consider the ramifications of such an arrival and what it means for us today.
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It’s the stuff of baptist legend. Churches splitting over the most ridiculous of arguments like the color of the carpet, the size of the bathrooms, the lighting fixtures. Somehow Satan finds construction in churches a fertile ground to plant the seeds of dissension and disunity. But in 1 Kings 6, we see the wisest of kings, King Solomon in the midst of the most glorious of church building campaigns. As we’ll see in the chapters ahead, the results were fantastic, but as we’ll see the most important work is often in the places where no one sees and that truth is a potent reminder that most important of work done in any of us is often in the inner sanctum where God’s presence most fully dwells.
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I’ll never forget it. I just had started into full time ministry and my head was filled with dreams and plans that I was so sure were going to work. I had it all figured out and all I needed was a chance. Now almost 20 years into ministry, I’m far less enthralled with my own ideas. I’ve had lots of helping of humble pie over the years, and though my heart still dreams, I’m less inclined to be convinced my dreams will work and more drawn to seek God’s plans for His church rather than my own. Remarkably, the wisest man on the earth didn’t get there because He knew everything, but precisely because he didn’t, a truth we learn today from 1 Kings 3. On today’s podcast, we’ll learn the secret to learning is actually not knowing.
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King Solomon is revered historically as a man of incredible wealth, wisdom, and power. His reign represents the crest of the Jewish golden age of prosperity for God’s people. In 1 Kings 2, he is given some advice from his father, David, advice that spelled not only his success but ours as well. On today’s podcast, we’ll consider this advice and apply it to our own lives.
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Have you ever heard of the worship wars? People have some very entrenched beliefs about how we should or should not worship God in church these days. I’ve seen it split churches right down the middle and if we’re not careful, we can allow our preferences inhibit our worship and incite our division which actually ends up doing the opposite of what worship is designed to do. Corporate worship is designed to be the ascribing worth to our God together and we aren’t careful, the division will actually defame Christ name in our midst and this is always the ploy of the enemy. Thankfully, Psalm 148-150 give us some very instructive truths to help us understand how to worship God in harmony together with all of creation and on today’s podcast, we’ll consider those truths and how to apply them to our worship in our own context today.
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How important is it to read God’s word? Forget that a preacher is asking you that question for a moment. Perhaps a better question is “how important is it FOR YOU to read God’s word FOR YOURSELF?” Every day on this podcast I make the statement, “Nothing will grow your relationship with Jesus Christ more that studying the Bible for yourself.” It’s why we do this reading plan and this podcast, because God’s word isn’t just important for your Christian walk, it is critical. Psalm 19 gives us a multitude of reasons why and on today’s podcast we’ll dive into a few of them together.
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King David prayed in Psalm 51, “Restore to me the joy of my salvation.” But just how does that happen? When we have failed God and we feel dejected and discouraged, how does God restore our joy? Well I think a clue is found here in Psalm 103 and on today’s podcast, we’ll discover how David encouraged himself in the things of God and how it led him to worship amid the darkest season of His life.
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It’s one of the most persuasive speeches in all the Bible. As a teenager, I remember having to read this story for a speech and I was struck then with how artfully King David is confronted with his sin. On today’s podcast, we’ll experience first-hand the horror of David’s sin and the consequence of its disaster.
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Many times in our lives we fail to realize how close we are to disaster. As one evangelist friend put it, we are all one step from stupid. Often in our lives, we are so careless with our decisions that we fail to weigh the full consequences of those decisions and we end up in disaster. Such was the case with David in 2 Samuel 11 and in on today’s podcast, we’ll highlight the decisions that led to the king’s tragic downfall as we seek to avoid a similar catastrophe in our own lives.
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It’s the epitome of grace. A crippled man in hiding because of his kingly heritage being found by a rival king who had no reason to show him any mercy instead shows him kindness, restores his fortunes, and sets a place for him every night at the king’s table. It’s grace 101 but it’s also the response of a grateful king. We’ll talk about all of it on today’s podcast from 2 Samuel 9 and Psalm 18.
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Have you ever read a book or watched a movie and some small detail actually become the turning point in the entire story and had the whole plot turn on that small piece of information? Well, that’s exactly what happens in 2 Samuel 7 as David’s rightful intent to build God’s house actually lays the foundation for one of the most important prophetic announcements in all the Bible. We’ll talk about it today on today’s podcast from 2 Samuel 7.
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When you were a kid, did you ever get in trouble and it seemed as if the punishment didn’t fit the crime. I can remember my father telling me one time to make sure that I picked up my toy guns out of the yard. He had run over more than one on the mower. I had a really bad habit of leaving my toys wherever my imagination left them. Dad told me over and over and over again. One day dad told me to pick up the guns in the yard and every gun I didn’t pick up, we were going to throw away. So sure enough the next day, I ignored him and I had to throw away my favorite gun it was a black sawed off shotgun with and orange pump. I was so upset. It seemed as if the punishment didn’t fit the crime. Well in 2 Samuel 6, we see a punishment that feels way too harsh that the sin warranted and on today’s podcast we’ll discover why God was so upset and what we should learn from this harsh penalty for such a seemingly innocuous sin.
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Have you ever been so sure that the Lord was doing something one way only to find out that He threw you a curve ball. Just when we thought we have Him figured out, He flips the script on us! If you’ve ever experienced this, you’ve learned the valuable lesson of learning to trust God DAILY. This is the lesson that 2 Samuel 5 teaches us and on today’s podcast, we’ll discover how David learns this lesson and how we can as well.
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As a pastor, one of the excuses I hear why someone struggles to read the Bible. They don’t have the discipline, they don’t have the time, they don’t understand it. But the most ludicrous of all of them is that the Bible is boring. I want to look at them and say, “have you read the Bible?” In today’s story from 2 Samuel chapter 3 we see the political interworking of David’s struggle for power. Not only, is it enthralling, it is incredibly instructive for us in our lives and on today’s podcast, we’ll dive into all of it.
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Transition can be difficult for anyone. Change is hard for all of us at one point or another. But try transitioning from a fugitive to a king. Such was the plight of David, the anointed ruler, darling boy of Israel, turned fugitive from justice, turned ally to the Philistines and is now the heir apparent to the throne. But David’s conduct and posture during this season of transition is so instructive for us and we would do well to learn these lessons. On today’s podcast we’ll discover a few of them from 2 Samuel 1. Now before diving into this passage, let me encourage you to watch the video summary of 2 Samuel in the One Story Reading Plan. It does a great job of showing you how the story fits into the timeline of God’s word. It’s well worth your time, I’ll link it in the show notes for today’s episode.
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Too often most of us live our lives consumed with our own glory, our own story, our own lives, and our own legacy. But what if our lives had infinitely greater significance than just our lives. What if the choices we made reflected a much greater story, a much grander epic. We are all hard wired for story, it’s what captivates us about a novel or a movie, all of us want to know how our lives connect to a greater purpose. On today’s podcast, we’ll close the book on Saul, King of Israel and we will see how his tragic end had disastrous consequences for the larger story of Israel and her God.
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Since when does the king of Israel, God’s chosen people, those to whom the covenant belongs, since when does her king consult mediums to find a word from God? This people who had been under the direct authority and leadership of their God from the beginning have now tragically fallen to such a state as to her king who can no longer hear from the Lord is no summoning the spirits of dead prophets to hear words that that same king had long rejected from that same prophet. The tragic story unfolds in 1 Samuel 28 and on today’s podcast we’ll take a moment to try to trace how we got here and what we can learn from it all.
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In Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Prince Hal finds the cowardly Falstaff supposedly dead on the battlefield. When the prince leaves, Falstaff gets up and states, “The better part of valor is discretion.” From which we get the adage, discretion is the better part of valor. We take the phrase to mean that the best part of courage is caution. On today’s podcast, we learn of David’s discretion in approaching Saul and the lessons we learn from his actions are incredibly instructive for us.
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A chain reaction is a series of reactive events that occur because of an initial chemical reaction. When that reaction occurs, the changes in the chemical makeup sets off other reactive elements. What happens scientifically also has a way of showing up in life. All of us have witnessed one incident set off a chain of events that lead to devastating results. Such is the case in 1 Samuel 22 and on today’s podcast we’ll examine the chain reaction that began with a white lie and ended with a town’s genocide.
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Have you ever allowed fear in your life to lead to dumb decisions? All of us know how our judgment can be clouded by trepidation and anxiety over a set of given circumstances. Here in 1 Samuel 21, we see David making some reckless decisions following some faulty judgments motivated by fear and worry. On today’s podcast, we’ll consider them together.
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What does it take to be a good friend? Honesty, loyalty, protection, laughter, connection, the ability to listen? All these are valuable traits in a good friend. On today’s podcast from 1 Samuel 20 we will see friendship modeled in a beautiful way.
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Early reviews suggested that Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 would be one of the best smartphones of 2016. Unfortunately such claims were undermined by the tendency of its battery to catch fire on airplanes, prompting the company to launch a massive recall and replace programme. Worse still, the new certified-safe Note 7s proved to be anything but, burning up as before, prompting Samsung to ditch the phone entirely in October, at the cost of about $5bn.
As far as Public Relations nightmares go, this one comes in at number 5 according to a National Business review article, but it pales in comparison to the PR nightmare of a naked king rolling around talking nonsense in the streets. Yet that is exactly what we find happens on today’s podcast from 1 Samuel 19.
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Webster defines a pattern as, “a discernible coherent system based on the intended interrelationship of component parts.” Sometimes a pattern of behavior emerges in someone’s life that everyone except them can see will lead them to destruction. When an alcoholic begins to go by the store every day. When a drug addict begins to sell things to get money to buy drugs. Such was the case with Saul, there is a definable pattern of destruction in Saul’s life that led him down a path to his own demise. A pattern we’ll see today on the podcast from 1 Samuel 18.
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It is one of the most famous accounts in all the Biblical narratives. It’s the kind of bravado from which legends are made. Even unbelievers who are ignorant of the gospel message know the story of David and Goliath. It is used as the classic underdog story to inspire generation after generation about the nature of true courage in the face of indomitable odds. But on today’s podcast, we’ll seek to understand the story through a gospel context that positions us not as the Savior but those needing salvation.
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The phrase “you can’t judge a book by it’s cover” is actually first introduced in a 1944 African journal of American Speech. The initial iteration of the phrase was “you can’t judge a book by it’s binding.” It rose to popularity when it appeared in the 1946 murder mystery Murder in the Glass Room by Lester Fuller and Edwin Rolfe. But this adage applies to more than just literature. The children of Israel judged the newly crowned king by his cover and It cost him dearly. Conversely, the king after God’s heart was forgotten and overlooked initially. On today’s podcast we’ll consider the folly of looking on the outward appearance and remember that God sees the heart.
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Have you ever met someone that makes everything about themselves? When they are slighted, it’s a personal attack. When something goes right, it’s their contribution that made the difference. When a task they were involved in fails, they look to blame others. All of us know how tedious it is at times to endure this kind of behavior. In 1 Samuel 15, we see all of these factors converge in Saul’s arrogance and presumption. When he is confronted with hijacking God’s plans for his own purposes, he immediately begins to shift the blame. On today’s podcast, we’ll witness the consequences of his arrogance and pride and we’ll pause to reflect on our own lives to look for any hint of it in our own story.
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1 Samuel 13 and 14 give us a contrast in leadership that could not be more apparent. We have witnessed the debacle of Saul’s leadership in chapter 13 and we will see the courage of his son Jonathan’s leadership in chapter 14. The divergent results of their leadership styles provide us clues into our own leadership and how to be a leader that others want to follow. On today’s podcast, we’ll compare these two men and the resulting contrasts of their leadership.
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One of the things I love most about the Bible is how directly applicable it is to our lives. In 1 Samuel 13, there are so many applications to learn from Saul’s debacle at Gilgal. On today’s podcast, we’ll consider the mistakes that cost him the kingdom and consider how to avoid them in our own lives.
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How well do you deal with confrontation? No one likes to have a difficult conversation that requires tough truth to be exposed. None of us like to be told the unvarnished ugly truth about the deficiencies of our lives. This makes these types of conversations both difficult and necessary at the same time. On today’s podcast, we’ll learn how Samuel did this in a masterful way. We’ll take time to consider how he did this and how we might learn to emulate his example.
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What is it that you look for in a leader? Charisma? Integrity? Ability? If the first two kings of Israel are anything, they are a case study on how you can’t judge a book by it’s cover. On today’s podcast we’ll explore how doing so, can lead you to a heap of trouble. Along the way, we’ll try to identify some characteristics that need to be a part of every godly leader’s life.
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Have you ever been so convinced that you wanted something but it turned out to be everything you wanted but nothing you needed? Such was the case with the first king of Israel. Clamored for by thousands, these people insisted they needed a king like everyone else. The problem was, that’s exactly what they got. Careful what you wish for, you just might get it. Today on the podcast we’ll learn the value of not judging the book by it’s cover and how our judgments about the viability of a leader can be seriously flawed, and what we can do to identify the shepherd boys that God wants to make kings.
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Abraham Lincoln said, "the philosophy of the classroom in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next." In 1 Samuel 8 unveils for us a crack that would eventually deteriorate into a full blown fault line as it relates to discipleship. On today’s podcast, we see how small failures lead to national disasters. We will see in the course of events just how tragic those failures become over time. May we learn from their mistakes as we seek to live in a culture deteriorating just as quickly.
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What does it mean to really listen? The simple faith of a boy points us to the proper posture to what God has to say to us. On today’s podcast, we’ll discover what it means to really listen to the Lord and sadly the tragic results of not doing so.
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Holocaust survivor Corrie Ten Boom writes, "We never know how God will answer our prayers, but we can expect that He will get us involved in His plan for the answer. If we are true intercessors, we must be ready to take part in God’s work on behalf of the people for whom we pray.” When we read 1 Samuel 2 we learn just how beautifully purposed God was in answering Hannah’s prayer. In her song of praise, we are given truths we will discover over and over through this section of the story. Truths we can live by today.
On today’s podcast we’ll celebrate with Hannah over God’s goodness and along the way uncover these truths crucial to learn in their lives and ours as well.
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The book of 1 Samuel begins genuine heartache. It’s a pain all too familiar for too many women today. Yet in the throes of this tragedy we learn some instructive things about God’s plan and how to come to grips with it in our lives. The sorrow turns to joy as God uses one woman’s pain to move the story one step closer to the One who will reconcile all the tragedy of our experience. On today’s podcast, we’ll seek to understand her pain and rejoice in God’s grace to her.
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On June 25, 1967 BBC Television ran a TV special called “Our World.” For the finale of that show, the Beatles performed the very first rendition of their iconic song, “All you need is love.” Turns out they were wrong because according to a 2013 study done by a Canadian magazine it actually costs quite a lot to get married these days. In fact from the first flittering butterflies to crossing the threshold of your home together it now cost $43,842.08. This includes a year long courtship, & a year long engagement.
What you are willing to pay for something shows how much it is worth to you. It declares in monetary form the value you put on that item. On today’s podcast, we learn just how valuable Ruth was to her soon-to-be husband Boaz. In this story, we will learn the value of that relationship and how it illustrates the relationship between Christ and His church.
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If you read between these lines of Ruth chapter 3 in a 21st century mindset you might be tempting to think you were reading Nicholas Sparks not the Old Testament. A casual reading of the chapter will lead you to believe that Naomi is advocating some midnight maneuvers, some late night meetings under the cover of night. What’s this about uncovering his feet? Is that euphemistic for something else? Is this Moabite woman throwing herself at this man? On today’s podcast we’ll “uncover” the truth about this chapter and as we do, we’ll discover the true nature of salvation and how it beautifully illustrates how we are to come to Christ to find the grace that can change our life.
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The Bible is filled with stories of extravagant grace, but none more so beautifully articulated as the one demonstrated here in Ruth 2. It’s a glorious picture of salvation and the beauty of graces on full display here and on today’s podcast, we’ll revel in the glories of this grace shown by Boaz. It testifies to us of the Lover of our own souls and the grace shown to us in extravagance.
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It is one of, if not the most beautiful story in all of the Bible. Even today, it is studied as one of the most beautiful stories in all of ancient literature. It’s a brilliant love story with an even more beautiful message. Still, as the curtain opens on this love story, we are left staring at painful irony and agonizing tragedy square in the face. I’m so grateful that the Bible is not a book that doesn’t address the tragedy of life. I’m glad it doesn’t glaze over the pain of the characters in it. What we have before us today is raw and honest and paints a powerful lesson for us to uncover in bold colors.
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After an incredibly successful basketball career at the university of Maryland in 1986, Len Bias was poised to take the NBA by storm. He had been drafted number 2 overall by the Boston Celtics. The expectations were high for the young phenom, expectations that were never to be realized as news broke of Bias’ untimely death just two days following the NBA draft. Bias had overdosed on cocaine. It was a tragic case of wasted potential. When we speak of wasted potential, none seemed to be more “wasted” than that of Samson and on today’s podcast, we’ll examine this impossibly unusual man and how despite his truly fatal flaws, God used him mightily. We’ll also consider how that might apply to our lives as well.
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Have you ever watched two people dating who plan to be married and you think to yourself, “Well that will never work out?” Somehow we can intuitively judge the quality of a couple’s relationship and wonder about the viability of a lifetime of commitment and joy and tranquility together. When Samson’s father does this, he is rebuffed immediately as the stubborn and insolent judge has his mind made up. But even though his decisions would get him in trouble, we learn something about the purposes of God in this story that makes Samson’s foolish resolve resound to revenge and victory.
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Kids are full of the most random questions. When our kids were little there was no telling what type of questions we could field in the course of a drive to or from church. They are inquisitive creatures who desperately long to understand how things worked. Try as we may, there were some things that we found it inherently difficult to explain. How a motor worked, why the lights came on when we turned on a switch, and host of other questions that were intrinsically far beyond their understanding. In Judges 13, Samson’s father, Manoah, asked a question that the angel of the Lord basically refused to answer because he wouldn’t understand even if he told him.
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It was the prophet Isaiah who recorded “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”If you’ve been a Christian for more than a few days, you know the prophet was right. Often God shows up and shows out in the most unlikely circumstances. He does this to prove to us that only He can deliver us. This is precisely what God means to prove to Gideon and to Israel and we learn about it today on our podcast from Judges 7.
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It’s one of those stories you learn in VBS. The valiant and brave leader named Gideo leading 300 troops against the armies of the Midianites. We were taught to admire his courage and bravery, to emulate his faith in God, and follow his obedience. But the truth is Gideon didn’t start with 300 men, a horn, and a flashlight. In fact, Judges 6 reminds us that even great leaders start in a pits, riddled with fear. On today’s podcasts, we’ll uncover how Gideon moved from fear to faith as we study Judges 6 together.
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She was an improbable hero. A teenage girl leading an entire into the battle of Orleans in France; but when the battle was over Joan of Arc became one of the most iconic figures of the 15th century. But she wasn’t the first woman to lead troops into battle and on today’s podcast we’ll consider the spectacular story of Deborah and the incredible account of her heroism, bravery, and wisdom.
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Throughout the course of history, God had always been adept at testing our devotion to Him through unconventional means. He does this, not because He doesn’t know, but He wants to reveal the depth of that devotion to us. He does this in Judges chapter 3 in a very unique way. We learn that the battles, these Israelites were to face in the days ahead were left there on purpose to test Israel. How they did on that test should be instructive for us and on today’s podcast we’ll endeavor to see how they fared on this test and how we can do better than they did.
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There are different theories as to how history unfolds in the world. There are some who say that history is linear. That is, it occurs in one successive timeline and we should be careful not to impose one lesson from history upon another historical incident. There is some merit to that approach. Another perspective, is that in many respects, history is cyclical. The same patterns emerge. From this perspective, we learn the adage, “he who does not learn from history, is doomed to repeat it.” Whatever your opinion, the book of Judges is unquestionably a book filled with a definite pattern. A pattern we learn today in Judges chapter 2. On today’s podcast, we’ll dive into that pattern and consider it’s ramifications in our lives today.
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If I were to tell you that stones and bones talk, you might look at me pretty funny, but believe it or not in Joshua 23, stones and bones tell us volumes about God, His faithfulness, and His expectations of His people. It’s all found in Joshua 23, on today’s podcast we’ll bend our hear to hear what the stones and the bones have to say.
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The last words of an individual have a certain weight to them. They often reflect the priority of their lives and the depth of their conviction regarding certain things. But what if I told you that Moses, Joshua, and even Jesus had the same priorities and convictions at the end of their time here on earth. In that case, it would be hard for us to ignore the weight of those words. Words we should heed with focus and sincerity. They are words we here here in Joshua 23 and on today’s podcast, we’ll consider them together.
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Have you ever heard the phrase “your too big for your britches?” Have you ever wondered how that phrase came into public use? One of the non-fiction characters I learned about in history that caught my eye was Davy Crockett, you know, the king of the wild frontier. I can remember watching reruns of Fess Parker's portrayal of Davy Crockett, bedecked with coonskin cap and all. It's hard to decipher between fact and fiction when it comes to this folk hero. Crockett fought and died defending the Alamo. One thing we do know for sure is that he was a state delegate from the state of Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives. He's also credited with one of the most recognizable phrases of American tradition. It was first published in 1835 in An Account of Col. Crockett's Tour to the North and Down East.
Crockett said of the famous president, "I myself was one of the first to fire a gun under Andrew Jackson. I helped to give him all his glory. But I liked him well once: but when a man gets too big for his breeches, I say Good bye."
President Jackson wasn't the only one who has been too big for his breeches at times in their journey. In fact, that's precisely where the children of Israel found themselves in Joshua 8 and their cautionary tale should serve as a reminder to us all of the dangers of pride and presumption.
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When I was a little kid, I used to sit on the armrest of my mom and dad’s car. It probably wasn’t the safest idea but even then I just couldn’t stand to be divided from the middle of the conversation so I found my way to the armrest. My dad tells a story of a time I was given a pack of M&M’s and told not to open them until we returned home and I had eaten dinner. Then, and only then, could I partake of the sumptuous snack. Well, the temptation being too great for a little boy like me, after a time, I ripped into them and began to eat them, sitting right next to my father?! When he asked me how those M&M’s got in my mouth, I was literally caught red handed. I muttered some incoherent excuse about how they just appeared there. But I knew I was in trouble, the command had been given, the temptation succumbed to and all that’s left was the judgment to follow. On a much grander scale, we learn of a similar story in Joshua 7. On today’s podcast, we will learn of the tragic results of such disobedience and how to overcome it in our own lives.
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When I was little, I learned a song, probably in Vacation Bible School somewhere.
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho,
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho and the walls came a tumblin’ down.
You can talk about your men of Gideon, you can talk about your men of Saul
But there’s none like good ole’ Joshua and the battle of Jericho.
Joshua 5 and 6 recounts for us that epic victory. But I must confess it’s hard to read these narratives and not rush through them thinking we know how the story ends. But if we do this, we risk missing all the powerful lessons in a story like this one that they are meant to teach us. God has so many important lessons for us to consider here. These chapters are replete with essential truths for God’s people. So let me encourage you to slow down a little bit as we go through a few of them together on today’s podcast form Joshua 5 and 6.
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About halfway down my driveway in my front yard is a small pile of rocks stacked up next to a tree. If you were coming to my house, you’d drive right by them and never even notice they were there. But their significance could not mean more to our family. If you were to ask my kids what these stones mean, they would tell you they represent God’s faithfulness to our family. Several years ago, we found ourselves out of the ministry. We were broke, discouraged, and a little bit confused. We knew that God had called us, we just weren’t sure what our next steps should be and so we took a Sunday morning together as a family and reminded ourselves of God’s calling on our lives and committed ourselves again to following His directives for us. We wrote some verses and references on these rocks with a sharpie and stacked them together as a memorial for our family. Every time I drive by those rocks, I’m reminded of God’s faithfulness in my life. This is precisely what God has Joshua do as the Israelites enter the land of promise. On today’s podcast we’ll talk about this memorial and just what these stones mean for their generation and for ours.
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What is the most bizarre thing you’ve ever been asked to do in a new job? I’ll never forget the first job I ever had was as a manual labor on a construction site. I was handed a tool that pulled nails out of a floor and was asked to pull all the carpet staples out of hardwood floor being remodeled. I thought it was a pointless job but it wasn’t as confusing or difficult as the first job Joshua was tasked with in Joshua 3. What we learn from his attitude on today’s podcast from Joshua 3 is one we could all use.
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One of the things I love most about my mother is that she believes in me no matter what. It is a powerful shot of confidence in the life of a young son to have a mother that does this. I can’t tell you how many times I doubted myself growing up and it seemed like my mother believed in me more than I did. When an ally, a friend, or a family member believes in you it can be very encouraging, but in Joshua chapter 2, we learn that the enemy actually believed in the God of the Israelites perhaps more than they did. On today’s podcast, we’ll uncover this incredible truth and remind ourselves that sometimes, we are our own worst enemy. With God there is nothing to fear no matter how formidable the foe may be. Especially when the foe is afraid of the God you serve. The problem is not how big our enemy is but how small our God is.
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Have you ever said something to your kids over and over and they just never seemed to listen? I mean no matter how many times you repeatedly told them this truth, they just seemed deaf to it? And then someone else said the exact same thing to them and they acted as if it was the greatest truth that they had ever heard? This left you thinking really? I mean I’ve only told you that 100 times already. But for whatever reason, when someone else told them, it hit different. Well in Joshua chapter 1 God comes to this relatively inexperienced leader with some familiar truths, but somehow when God says them, they have a little bit more force behind them.
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In his book, Living Forward, Michael Hyatt takes the leader on a journey of self-discovery that involves you writing the eulogy for your life. It’s a sobering activity that has a way of refining what is most important to you and clarifying the priorities by which you should seek to live your life. In Deuteronomy 34, God writes Moses eulogy and it is a powerful exposition of a lifetime of leadership amid frustration and ecstasy. His was a life spent between the mountain with God and the valley with the people and it leaves us with some powerful truths to grapple ourselves, truths we’ll uncover on today’s podcast from Deuteronomy 34.
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Stiff-necked, fat, rebellious, bloated, and gorged; not exactly the adjectives I would have used in a song I would write to describe the people I had led for forty plus years, but then again, I wasn’t leading the children of Israel. Regrettably, this is a pretty apt description of this people and God uses Moses’ swan song to remind them of their legacy and to warn them against their idolatry. It is a song worthy of our consideration on today’s podcast from Deuteronomy 32.
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If you could give one piece of advice to your children about how to be successful, what would it be? Stay humble, work hard, empower people? These are all necessary qualities for success in today’s world. But in Deuteronomy 31, Moses is given the opportunity to do this to the children of Israel. What he gives them is an unmistakable call that is equally critical in our lives today and on today’s podcast we’ll uncover the secret to legitimate success and it rings just as true today as it did 3500 years ago.
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Prior to pastoring, I served as a worship leader for fifteen years. The concept of music in church has the capacity to be inherently divisive. It is a bit like politics these days, everyone has an opinion and the worship leader has the thankless job of prayerfully selecting worship that is befitting a worship service. But have you ever stopped to consider why we sing songs in the first place? In Deuteronomy 30 and 31, Moses composes a song with a very specific intent. We learn about this song and it’s purpose on today’s podcast. It can teach us the power of a song, but more than that a potent lesson on the faithfulness of God.
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One of my favorite singers growing up was a man named Michael English. The power and quality of his voice was always very appealing to me. One of my favorite songs that he ever sang was a song entitled, “In Christ Alone.” As I read today’s verses, I could not get the lyric out of my head. “In every victory, let it be said of me, my source of strength, my source of hope is Christ alone.” The sentiment relayed in that lyric is the same sentiment Moses uses in Deuteronomy 9, and on today’s podcast we learn of Moses’ warning to the people against the deceptive lure of self-righteousness as they made their final preparations to enter the land.
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One of the most grueling parts of joining the army is basic training. It is without a doubt, a true test of discipline. It tests the recruits resolve to the calling on his life. This is done through particularly arduous tasks designed to break down the toughest of soldiers. This is done in an effort to prepare these individuals for the difficulty of battle. This basic training, though inherently strenuous, forges the level of discipline necessary to achieve the objectives of warfare. It is preparation for a victorious struggle. In Deuteronomy 8, we learn the difficulties of the wilderness wanderings had the same effect on the children of Israel. It taught them a discipline and a dependence that would both be necessary to achieve their destiny. On today's podcast we'll discover how God did this.
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The concept of compromise is a tactic we often utilize to our advantage to get along with people in a given setting. But we have to be careful in this negotiation tactic that we do not forfeit what is essential in such negotiation. In Deuteronomy 7, we see God commanding the Israelites to completely annihilate their enemy. He warns them not to compromise AT ALL but to utterly destroy them. Why would God insist on such a standard? We learn the reasons behind such a demand on today’s podcast from Deuteronomy chapter 7 and it teaches us a thing or two about the dangers of negotiating with the enemy in our own life.
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Have you ever told your children something to do only to watch them completely ignore what you asked them to do. When you challenge them they contest that they listened, but the real test of actually listening is obeying what is said. The word, “Hear” is the Hebrew word “shema” it means to listen with the intent to obey what is said. On today’s podcast we’ll consider what this meant for Israel and what it means for us today.
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A friend of mine once spoke of his long distance relationship with his wife prior to their marriage. He said most of their interaction came through letters sent back and forth across the country. When he received the letter he would devour it, reading it over and over. How bizarre would it be to have someone else read that letter to him rather than read it himself? The sad truth is that somehow this is what Christians often do when it comes to reading God’s word. Rather than hear from God ourselves, we’d rather have someone else tell us what He says than actually read it ourselves. Somewhat surprisingly, we aren’t the first ones to do this. On today’s podcast, we’ll discover the tragic consequence of not listening to God’s voice for ourselves.
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When I was a kid, my Dad made me memorize a definition of obedience. That definition has stuck with me. Obedience is doing what you are told to do, when you are told to do it, with the right heart attitude. That idea of obedience is a challenge for us all isn’t it. On today’s podcast, we’ll continue to learn from Moses recounting of the people’s disobedience and their disastrous consequences. As we learn from their failure, may it promote a godly obedience in us that leads us not to judgment, but to the land of promise.
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Have your kids ever persistently asked you to do something so much that you finally caved and gave them what they asked for? In Deuteronomy 3, Moses tried this technique with God and it didn’t end so well. God basically says, “asked and answered.” On the surface it can seem a bit harsh the way God deals with Moses here, especially after he’s endured so much. But on today’s podcast, we’ll learn that there was more at stake here than meets they eye. It’s not about Moses’ request but about God’s character and today we’ll learn why.
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I only ever got in one fist fight during my school days. It ended as quickly as it began, with one punch thrown. I connected on a left hook that send my sparring partner to the school nurse. The truth is I was more shook up over it than he was. He was my best friend, he just wouldn’t leave me alone. Sad to say, I regret it to this day. Sometimes, leaving people well enough alone can keep us from battles not worth fighting. This is what we encounter today in Deuteronomy 2. This chapter might be aptly titled, when to pick a fight and when not to. In this chapter, we see God strategically telling the Israelites to pass through some regions and to fight in others. The difference in the two is pretty significant and it teaches us some truths to remember. On today’s well discuss them as we look at Deuteronomy 2.
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The last words of a dying man carry a certain weight to them. Wisdom is not always found with age, but by in large, life has a way of clarifying what is important. As we begin the book of Deuteronomy, let me encourage you to watch the video intro to the book. If you’re following along on the app, it’s right there in line with the readings. If not, I’ll post the link in the show notes for today’s episode. The book of Deuteronomy is just that, it is Moses’ final words of wisdom prior to entering the land. As we hear these words, it will do us well to heed the life lessons these Israelites learned in the desert seasons. On today’s podcast, we’ll consider a few of them.
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It sounds like a movie plot. A accidental murder, a runaway vehicle, a revenge-filled brother chasing him to exact revenge, a hideout where an entire city harbors the fugitive from justice. Is this a movie or is it the Bible and what can it teach us about Jesus, the answer is quite a lot. There’s lots to learn on today’s podcast from Numbers 35.
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Have you ever heard the adage, the devil is in the details? I think the point of that phrase highlights that though we may have the best intentions in mind to our grandiose plans, the true test of the viability of plan is found in the details of that plans execution. While with us the devil may be in the details, the truth is when it comes to plans of God, it is His glory that shines through that detail. Sometimes, when we read a book like this one that is so specific and so meticulous, it can cause us to come out cross eyed with our minds glazed over at all of this particularity. I mean the name of the book is NUMBERS after all. Who gets excited about that? But on today’s podcast we’ll see, once again, the stunning detail of God’s master plan for His people and we’ll learn how it reveals to us a treasured truth about God’s character in the process.
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When we first moved into our house, there was a dispute over where the property lines were to our property. As we searched further into the records, there was no document that proved where one property stopped and the other started on the one border of our land. This was because the house was a foreclosure and the neighbor (who was his father) never actually deeded the property to his son, the builder of the house. This caused quite the confusion as we purchased the foreclosure and we had to have a surveyor come out and draw the property lines to properly distinguished where our neighbors land ended and ours began.
In Numbers 27, we see another land dispute over deeded property but this one reveals more than just confusion, it actually displays faith. On today’s podcast we’ll see how these daughters had to fight for the land they would receive and the faith that was displayed in that objection. It tells a story of the folly of one generation and the faith of the next.
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It’s one of the most recognizable stories in all of Numbers. Picture if you will the land infested with snakes, fatally inflicting wounds on the people of God in the midst of the desert. This is the kind of story that forces us to imagine just how abhorrent this story must have been. But Jesus references this story in his conversation with Nicodemus and unpacks for us the true spiritual meaning of this truly attrocious story.
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Have you ever been punished in a way that didn’t seem to fit the crime? Like when both you and your brother or sister got in trouble when THEY were the ones causing trouble. On today’s podcast we’ll learn from Moses tragic misstep at Meribah and the tragic consequences of his one lapse in character. On some levels, his punishment doesn’t seem to fit the crime, but as we’ll discover, this is about a LOT more than this one instance. It represents something far more important. To access today’s reading, please click here. To download a transcript of today’s podcast, please click here.
When I was a kid, I could turn a stick into anything. My imagination could turn a stick into a bat, a gun, a sword, a staff; pretty much anything I wanted. (Leave me alone, as an only child, I HAD to have a good imagination.) Well on today’s podcast, we see what God can do with a staff, Aaron’s staff to be precise. What God does with this staff will have implications generations into the future of God’s people. To access today’s reading, please click here. To download a transcript of today’s podcast, please click here.
Have you ever witnessed something so evil that you feared the ground was going to open up and swallow the perpetrator? Well that’s exactly what happened in Numbers 16. This harrowing tale chronicles the lives and tragic deaths of the rebellious insurgents who questioned Moses authority as leader of God’s people. The story is a one of tragic destruction on one hand and glorious vindication on the other. But beyond all of it is a glorious picture of the gospel who makes atonement for such sinners and invites us into relationship with a holy God.
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Doubt is a universal emotion from which all of humanity suffers. It’s quite natural to doubt, to be skeptical, to wonder if this is the best course of action given the circumstances. But what about when those circumstances are orchestrated by God Himself to prove something about His character. Such was the case in Numbers 14 and on today’s podcast, we’ll see how God had definite purposes in mind for the children of Israel entering the promised land under the circumstances which they encountered and we’ll see the tragic consequences of succumbing to the whispers of doubt that followed.
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There are certain milestones in your life that serve as defining moments in your personal history. The time you met your spouse, the day you learned you were pregnant, the time you gave your life to Christ. All these moments serve as dots along your journey that help define the course of it. In Numbers 13, the children of Israel have one of those defining moments, and as we’ll see on today’s podcast, it ended up shaping the course of their history in more ways than one.
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Have you ever endured the pain of being attacked personally? It is a pain unlike any other. Growing up in a pastor’s home, I know all too well how people can attack your family and how deeply it hurts. On today’s podcast from Numbers 12, Moses is enduring such attacks and how he handles it is critically important for us to investigate.
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Have your kids ever just gotten on your last nerve? I mean, it wasn’t intentional, but they pushed you to the brink of snapping and completely losing it? Numbers 11 is one example of an exasperating people and how Moses handles such frustration is very telling for us. On today’s podcast, we’ll uncover how Moses dealt with this people and how we can deal with people who frustrate us as well.
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Making promises and keeping them are two different things. We make promises all the time and some of them we are better at keeping than others. But when God makes a promise, we can take it to the bank that He will keep His promise. His character is unchanging and as we’ll discover on today’s podcast from Leviticus 26, that is very much a two way street. God’s faithfulness can work in our favor or against us depending on our obedience.
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Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day; these are all moments of celebration where we stop to remember certain things as a culture. But did you know that the Jewish people had certain holidays to remember certain points in their history as well. In Leviticus 23, we see God’s divine calendar laid out for the Jewish people and on today’s podcast we’ll consider how each of these points us to definite applications for us and to a Savior who is the fulfillment of them all.
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What is a goat demon? Leviticus 17 talks about how the Israelites prostituted themselves with goat demons. On today’s podcast, we’ll talk about it and how we can avoid the goat demons in our own lives. Join us as we dive in together.
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One of the most important days of the year for the Jew is the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur. It’s origins trace all the way back to this chapter in Leviticus 16 and in it we find some of the most beautiful imagery for Christianity and redemption. As we dive into today’s podcast, I want us to see how every detail of this day points to the Christian life and how it is to be lived.
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It’s one thing to shed the blood of a sacrifice, it’s another thing to put in on your ear, your thumb, and your toe! What is God doing here and what does it mean for us. On today’s podcast, we’ll learn what God has in mind for this bizarre ritual in Leviticus 8.
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I once asked a new believer how they liked reading through Leviticus and they told me that they actually renamed the book Pet Cemetary. In Leviticus 7 we learn about three of the many differing sacrifices expected by God’s covenant people. On today’s podcast we’ll consider their importance, what they represented, and what it means for us today.
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Can you be right with God and wrong with your brother? There are differing opinions on this answer, but Leviticus 6 has some very explicit instructions on the relationship with God and the relationship with our neighbor. On today’s podcast we’ll dive into the ramifications of one of these levitical laws and consider what it means for us today.
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When we think of the word “holy” we might be tempted to think about some some sanctimonious “holier than thou” Christian that gets their kicks from judging every one else rather than acknowledging their own sin. But on today’s podcast, we discover that God has a much different approach to generating holiness in someone and it starts from the inside out.
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If you grew up in church, you likely have heard at least one sermon on the importance of tithing or giving to the church. But why should we give into the Lord’s work? Well as we will see on today’s podcast, from the very beginning God’s people have invested monetarily into God’s house. We’ll discover how they did that today from Exodus 35.
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We’ve all heard of the Ten Commandments, but in Exodus 34, God gives Moses a second set of principles that really underscore what it means to be a godly leader. These are the ten commandments of leadership if you will, and on today’s podcast we’ll discover them together and how we can learn to leverage our influence with integrity and grace.
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Where do you go to rest? Finding rest in Jesus from the cares of this life is absolutely essential for our spiritual well-being long term. But how and where do you find this rest? How important is it and what can we do to find it? Exodus 33 gives us lots of clues on how find the rest we need in Christ from the pace of this life. On today’s podcast we’ll learn the secret to true rest in the midst of the difficulty of the desert and how we can start today, finding the peace and rest necessary for a healthy Christian life.
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How patient are you? Impatience seems to be inbred it most of us. But it can lead us to some pretty dangerous places, especially when it comes to spiritual things. No one likes to wait on God, but as we’ll learn in the podcast today, impatience can lead us down a path of ruin if we aren’t careful. Today we’ll witness how the children of Israel’s impatience lead them first to ignorance and then to full on idolatry. We’ll also take time to consider how this might happen in our lives and built steps to avoid their disastrous results.
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Are you a workaholic? Many Americans’ lives are constantly consumed with the pressures of work and career. But even in the work of God, the Lord prescribes for us a Sabbath rhythm designed to teach us very specific truths about our lives and our work. In today’s podcast we consider the Sabbath day and what God means for us to understand about holiness during that Sabbath rest. We’ll uncover the truth behind the Sabbath and what it means for us and our spiritual walk.
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Do you like to travel? Most of the time, I like to go somewhere, but I’m not fond of the journey. Some people I know seem to enjoy the time it takes to get somewhere as they do the destination itself. They say things like, “It’s about the journey, not the destination.” On today’s podcast, we learn more about the furnishings of the Tabernacle. But it’s not just about where we’re going but how we get there that is important when it comes to the furniture. For they represent specific points on our salvation journey that cannot only give us a deeper understanding of their purpose, but of the Tabernacle and our role as Priests in it.
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Have you ever stopped to think about how gruesome animal sacrifices are? We often equate such cruelty and with occult and cult religions, but animal sacrifice isn’t just present in world religions, it’s present in Old Testament Judaism. Why would God require such brutality and grotesque practices? Find out today on the podcast as we explore God’s design behind animal sacrifice and what it teaches us about ourselves and how God views our sin.
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Since the time of ancient Egypt, leaders have made fashion choices that are designed to make statements about power and prestige. Much is made in this media obsessed world regarding these fashion choices of leaders and why they made this color choice over that one. But as we’ll discover on today’s podcast, one of the most important leaders in the Jewish nation was the high priest. His uniform of service, hand designed by God Himself was intended with a specific purpose to remind him constantly of his critical role in the life of his nation. We learn all about it today in Exodus 28.
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If you were to ask an interior decorator why they chose certain furnishings in a house, they would likely tell you how the furniture itself speaks of the character of the individuals and the home they live in. In some ways, it could be said that these appointments are an extension of the character of both the home and it’s owner. The same is true in God’s house, the Tabernacle. On today’s podcast, we’ll learn from Exodus 27 about two of the pieces mentioned inside the tabernacle and how they each point us to Jesus.
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The date was June 12th, 1987. The speech given in Berlin by then President Ronald Reagan pressured the leader of the Communist Party in Russia to “tear down the wall” that had divided the city of Berlin since the end of World War 2. The speech and the subsequent action were iconic moments of the Cold War era and went a long way to forging the path of liberty in the European bloc. Walls are meant to divide things, to separate 2 very different parties. On today’s podcast, we’ll look at the specially crafted walls or partitions that God arranged in His tabernacle and the reason for their existence. It’s outlined for us here in Exodus 26.
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How much is the presence of God worth to you? If you had to value it in gold, how much would the manifest presence of God cost you. Well, on today’s podcast we’ll consider how much it cost the Israelites and as we’ll see, what God requires of you in exchange for HIs presence and why its’ worth every penny.
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The French scientist, mathematician, and theologian Blaise Pascal once said, “all the evils of mankind come from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room.” I have to agree with the scientist here. No one likes to wait. We live in a microwave culture that demands that we have everything now. I wonder when it comes to spiritual things if we miss what God wants to say to us simply because we can’t stand to sit still long enough for Him to speak. Waiting on God is one of the hardest components of the Christian life but it is also one of the most formative. We learn things about God in the silence of our waiting we would never learn otherwise.
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Most of us grew up with the Ten Commandments. They were rudimentary essentials in our spiritual development. They were taught to us as the guardrails to our character. But what if there was more to them than a list of do-this and don’t do that’s? What if they were designed to teach us as much about God’s character as it was about our behavior. On today’s podcast we’ll dive into the Ten Commandments and what they can teach us about God and His character.
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I’ve always been captivated by the power of lightning. Just the sheer beauty and power is breathtaking to behold. But on today’s podcast, the children of Israel are witness to the most incredible display imaginable. Though they had witnessed some of the most incredible events of human history, what happens on this mountain is an even more potent reminder of the power of this God. It is a vision worth considering in our lives today.
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Have you ever had to face criticism? No one likes to be criticized whether it is constructive or not. But as we’ll learn in today’s podcast, when a leader calmly analyzes that criticism, dividing it from his own insecurities, it can both prolong and enhance his leadership for years to come.
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Have you ever been so angry at God that you were ready to come to blows? Life had made you so upset that you felt like God was picking on you, and you were prepared to fight? On today's podcast, the tension between the Israelites and their Deliverer comes to blows...literally, and the result is actually pretty surprising.
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Have you ever witnessed a mini miracle? We often think of miracles in terms of incredible once-in-a-lifetime moments designed to inspire. But what if there were miracles everyday all around us we just didn’t see them. On today’s podcast we’ll talk about the most inspiring little mini-miracle that happened every day for 40 years and we’ll learn the wondrous significance of this oft forgotten wilderness wonder.
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Have you ever drank anything that you expected to be sweet but was instead very bitter? I can make you gag if your not careful. I’ll never forget drinking Beverly soda at club cool down in Epcot and what I expected and what I experienced were incredibly different. On today’s podcast, the children of Israel are on the brink of dehydration and just when they think their lives are spared by the clear waters of Marah, they instead find them bitterly toxic. On today’s podcast, we’ll look closely at the remedy of this dilemma and what it teaches us about the gospel.
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Have you ever had a setback that became a setup? I mean your convinced that this is the worst thing that could possibly happen only to find out it turned out better than you could have ever imagined. On today’s podcast, we’ll explore how God turned misery to majesty in the deliverance of God’s people through the Red Sea. What might be learned regarding our own setbacks from this setup? Stay tuned as we find out together.
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Are you a multi-tasker? God blessed some of you with the ability to do a multiplicity of things at the same time, while others of us are left with the tedious distinction one simple task at a time until we complete everything on our to-do list. On today’s podcast, we learn that God wrote the book on multi-tasking doing any number of things in one act. We’ll take time to appreciate that ability and apply these things to what God might be doing in our lives at this given moment.
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Have you ever experienced a moment that you knew would be historic? Maybe it was a wedding or some public event that you knew this moment would be remembered forever. That’s what God had in mind with the Passover. On today’s podcast, we’ll see how this event foreshadowed THE most important part of the ONE story. Along the way we’ll learn some lessons in learning how to appreciate a moment like this properly.
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Have you ever met anyone who thought they were invincible? They lived as if they were untouchable and acted as if they were impervious to difficulty? Well on today’s podcast we see the full culmination of God’s judgment on the people of Egypt and most especially the direct judgment of God on the most powerful man on the planet at the time. God’s hand is never to short to punish sin or deliver from bondage.
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Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket? Have you ever been frustrated by it when everyone else seems to have been going the same speed? Why would you get busted for something that everyone else is doing? Inequity when it comes to punishment can be frustrating, but on today’s podcast we learn when there is no respecting of persons when it comes to the judgment of God. We are all guilty and we all will face the wrath of a holy God, be it in the cross or at the end. To access today’s reading, please click here. To download a transcript of today’s podcast, please click here.
What do you worship? While all of us would like to say we worship God. Does our watch reflect that? Or is our time spent elsewhere. Does our wallet reflect that? Or do we spend our money on other things. As Jesus said, “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” A sure fire way to find out what we worship is to identify what it is we put our trust in. If we are wise, our trust will only be in Jesus. On today’s podcast we watch as God systematically deconstructs the trust of the Egyptians in more of their gods. Its an instructive reminder for us and where we put our trust.
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Having a hard-heart is a spiritual malady with deadly consequences. Pharaoh learned the grievous consequences of shaking your fist in the face of God. On today’s podcast we’ll learn how each of the plagues directly defeated an Egyptian god and consider the ramifications to Pharaoh’s resistance and what it means for our lives today.
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Do you like school? My answers have gone back and forth over the years in response to this question. There were times I liked it, others…not so much. If you ask my kids right now if they like school, there is no doubt to their answer. They are both REALLY ready for summer. In Exodus chapter 7, school commences for the Pharaoh and as we’ll see on today’s podcast God is about to take this ruler on an educational ride he will never forget.
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Did you know you can be so down that you are deaf? Life is hard sometimes. There are spaces in our lives where our misery drowns out the Lord’s majesty. But we can get so far down that we aren’t even in a place to receive the message of deliverance. That’s what happened to the children of Israel and on today’s podcast we’ll see how tragic that deafness really was. Along the way we’ll offer some ways to improve our hearing when it comes to these things.
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Have you ever been accused of being stubborn? Stubbornness abounds in the Exodus narrative of God’s people. First Moses was stubborn, then the Pharaoh was stubborn, even the Israelites were stubborn. On today’s podcast, we will how God breaks through this stubbornness and reveals His character to first Moses, then the people, then the Pharaoh, and then the world.
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Have you ever read a portion of the Bible that puzzled you? You want to read and understand God’s word, but sometimes there are parts of the story that just don’t seem to fit the narrative at all. Have you ever asked yourself, “why did he do that? Or what did they mean by that?”
When it comes to application (which is the point of hearing the word of God), it can get even more confusing. Really God? How am I supposed to apply that? On today’s podcast we read one of those unusual accounts that don’t seem to fit but as we will discover, there’s always more to the story than we may at first realize.
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Have you ever been so discouraged that you felt like you were too far away for God to find you? Have you ever doubted God’s ability to use you for His glory? As we will discover in today’s podcast, you might be in the very place God wants you to be. Not convinced? Well hold on because you might be headed for a burning bush moment.
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The whole purpose of the ONE Story reading plan is to see how each individual subplot connects to the grand storyline of the Bible and God's cosmic directive in the divine drama of history. On today’s podcast, we will learn how the birth story of God’s chosen deliverer is in itself a foreshadowing of faith in an even more perfect Deliverer that is to come.
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The early church father Tertullian once said, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” The history of God’s covenant people is one steeped in persecution and yet it continues to thrive despite affliction. On today’s podcast we see that God’s covenant people have always been out of step with society, but the legacy of God’s people is one of deliverance and victory.
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Has there ever been a time where you were so convinced that you had made the biggest mistake of your life only to find out it actually turned out for your good? Life has a way of rectifying the broken places on our journey. On today’s podcast, we see how Joseph had come to understand this truth, that what his brothers meant for evil, God meant for good. This is a reality that is true in our lives today.
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Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him. How I proved Him o'er and o'er
Jesus, Jesus precious Jesus, oh for grace to trust Him more.
How well do you trust Jesus amid the twists and turns of this unpredictable life? As we end the book of Genesis, once again the theme of God's sovereign plan arises in the reading of Jacob's blessing in Genesis 49. On today's podcast, we will marvel at the wisdom and greatness of a God who not only knows the future, He foretells it, and He accomplishes it in His own time. Why would we not trust a God like that?
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What does it mean for God to be sovereign? It’s a word we hear a lot in Christian circles. But just what does it mean? Well on today’s podcast, we discover the blessing of Jacob on Joseph’s sons. In blessing them, Jacob does something that illustrates more than just a coincidence it actually underscores the truth the whole book of Genesis teaches us, that God is indeed sovereign. As we explore this truth, what does it mean for our lives today? Find out as we dive into Genesis 48 together.
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Do you have a green thumb? There’s quite a bit more to growing plants than just throwing seed in the ground. Recently I was helping my wife plant some flowers in the flower bed in front of our house. It is quite the process. You have to prepare the soil, set the plant, make sure there is fertilizer there to help the roots grow. You have to water that plant and tend to it to make it grow. When a cold snap hits you have to cover the plant and make sure that it doesn’t freeze and die. Genesis 47 records Joseph’s incredible plan to grow crops in the days following the famine. On today’s podcast, we learn that there is more here than just the farmer’s almanac, we find some strong application for our own lives and how we live them from this chapter.
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Have you ever made a big decision that turned out to be a big mistake? It’s not fun is it. Everything seemed like it pointed in one direction, but as it turned out all the signs that you were so sure of led you straight to a dead end. As we come to Genesis 46, Jacob sure has had his share of dead ends hasn’t he? On today’s podcast we learn how the final move in a life filled with knee jerk reactions was far more calculated than it may first seem. Along the way, we will learn some really instructive principles as we make decisions in our own lives.
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Often times we read the Bible and unintentionally make it about us. It’s not as if we do this on purpose, but our desire to see ourselves in the storyline of the Bible can, at times, lead us astray. While the Bible is written for us, it is not primarily about us. The unique thing about God’s story is that every story is linked back to God’s larger story of redemption. That’s the point of the ONE Story reading plan. The Bible isn’t just a collection of great stories, it is inextricably linked together in one big story, a story of God’s redemptive work in humanity. On today’s podcast we see how Joseph’s story uniquely mirror’s God’s bigger story. With breathtaking clarity, God artfully crafts a beautiful story of grace and forgiveness, one designed to point us to the greatest story of all time. Let’s dive in together.
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Have you ever made the same mistake twice? It's painful isn't it. Many of us have struggled with the same besetting sin. But as we'll see on today's podcast, the nature of true repentance informs how we view the temptation before us the next time and it should help us build the guardrails in our life to keep us from plunging to our destruction again.
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Have you ever been forced to make the right decision? Though it did not seem like it at the time, God used a famine to bring Jacob to a place where he finally had to do the one thing that he didn't want to do. But even in his grief and anxiety God was working out His perfect plan amid their worry and fear. On today's podcast we see this borne out in Jacob's life, but it is also seen in our lives as well in the spiritual famine of our souls. Genesis 43 gives us a beautiful picture of the gospel.
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Have you ever felt like you just couldn't get a break? Amid the difficulty of our lives, it can feel sometimes like we just need one thing to fall our way. As we've followed the life of Joseph over the last few weeks, we have seen the difficulty that he experienced. He's been through a whole lot more than we have ever been through. Sold into slavery in a foreign land, unjustly accused, unfairly imprisoned, hopelessly forgotten, and yet in one fell swoop God redeemed all of the pain in this moment in Genesis 42. On the podcast today, we learn how God's unique sense of timing brought about all these circumstances to converge at just the right moment for Joseph. It is a reminder to us to be faithful to a God who can do the same for us.
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The life of Joseph is one of perilous ups and downs. Like a boat navigating the waves of circumstances, it is Joseph's character that stabilizes him in the midst of the storm. On today's podcast we take a snapshot of Joseph's character and learn the truths that can keep us steady in the midst of the storms of our lives as well.
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No one likes to wait. We live in a world where waiting is less and less a virtue. Our patience wears thin so quickly at times. On today's podcast we learn how to wait well with Joseph in prison. We'll learn from his life how waiting on God's timing can grow our faith in God and what He might do if we were to trust Him.
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How would you define the word integrity? It's been said that integrity is who you are when no one is watching. No one but God, that is. On today's podcast we witness the silent integrity of a man whose pristine integrity is revealed in the darkness of slavery in a foreign land. No one would have blamed Joseph for succumbing to the temptation of his life. But this man of integrity shined in the darkness and it is an example to all of us who we should be.
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Growing up did your parents play favorites? On today's podcast we learn about the deep generational dysfunction present in the life of Joseph and how it led to tragic consequences for he and his family. Thankfully, we also learn how God can use even this brokenness to accomplish His perfect plans.
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Have you ever had to take a detour? Detours are tedious and confusing. They take us the long way around only to land us back to the very place where the hazard started. But sometimes there are detours on the road of life as well. Sometimes taking years to go around only to land us back to the very place of hazard in our lives where we started. On today's podcast, we witness the detour in Jacob's life and and how God weaves the circumstances of Jacob's life back to the place where God wanted him in the first place. But this time everything has changed. There is so much to apply from this incredible story in Genesis 35.
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Have you ever tried to break a bad habit? Maybe it's biting your nails, or snacking at night, or breaking some other addiction. Old habits die hard don't they. Even after you've made the necessary steps to break those habits, they don't change overnight. On today's podcast we see the bad habits of Jacob coming back to haunt him yet again. After everything that happened in Jacob's life in chapter 32, you would think that he would be a changed man, but as we will see on today's episode, that's not as easy as it seems. As we look to apply these truths, we come to find the power that we need to really break the bad habits in our lives comes not from us but from a closer walk with Jesus.
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Have you ever felt like you were wrestling with God? Fighting with God is futile because it's not really a fair fight. But somehow that doesn't stop our stubbornness from taking over and causing us to tussle with the Creator. This is what happened on today's podcast as we witness the cage match between Jacob and God. And God started the fight! What could be behind God's picking a fight with Jacob, the answer is far more incredible than we know.
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Have you ever doubted what God's will was for you in a certain circumstance? It can be difficult to determine what God's plans are at times and often we wonder if we are making the right decision. Wouldn't it be nice if God would just make it really clear? On today's podcast we learn some really instructive truths on how to know God's will for yourself from the life of Jacob. I hope it is a blessing to you today.
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Have you ever looked back at your childhood and wondered how you survived the dysfunction in your home. Most psychologists will tell you that the problems present in our lives today can be traced back to a deficiency in how we grew up. Today on the podcast, we learn just how truly dysfunctional Jacob's family truly was. We'll learn how God weaved His incredible story through their brokenness and find hope for our dysfunction as well. To access today’s reading, please click here. To download a transcript of today’s podcast, please click here.
The universal principle of sowing and reaping can be seen in any number of arenas. Today on the podcast, we explore this principle in the life of Jacob whose deception finally has come home to roost in his life. Jacob's example shows us how our own sinful consequences can derail our progress and send us down detours in the path of life.
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Has someone ever made you a promise and not kept it? It's tough when you were expecting someone to do something for you and they let you down. Ironically, in our story for today, Jacob and God both make some promises. Promises that Jacob will break and God will keep. Today on the podcast, we'll explore how God is a promise-keeping God even when we fall short of the misguided promises that we make in our devotion to Him.
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Have you ever asked the question, why is God blessing THAT person? Shouldn't God be blessing those who follow Him and cursing those who don't? As much as we would love for God's logic to align with our sense of justice, sometimes it just doesn't work that way. What can we learn from these instances. Today on the podcast we explore God's blessing of Jacob over against the injustice of Esau. It can give us some real clues as to how to respond in these situations in our lives as well.
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Sometimes our lives can feel a bit like a roller coaster. Filled with exhilarating ups and downs and gut-wrenching twists and turns. Sometimes, it's hard to see God's plans for blessings amid the non-stop thrills of this coaster we call life. But the highs and lows of our lives that feel so random to us are working perfectly the plans and purposes of God. Today on the podcast, we explore this phenomenon in the life of Isaac. Though the chapter is filled with ups and downs, amid all of the frenzy is a God whose faithfulness can be traced back to the fulfillment of His own covenant promises. The same is true in our lives today.
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Have you ever made a dumb decision that you regret? All of us have had to ask ourselves at some point, why did I do that? We all fear the consequences of those decisions and yet over and above those dumb decisions there is a God who is working out His plans in spite of our indiscretions. Today on the podcast, we see how God used even the foolishness of man to accomplish HIs divine objectives in the lives of these twin boys.
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Everyone loves a good love story. Millions of dollars are spent each year creating one love story after another. But in God's word, we are given the greatest love story ever written. It is beautifully told for us in the pages of God's word. One particularly striking example of this is the story in Genesis 24. On today's podcast we will explore the beauty of this story and how it applies to our lives today.
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Genesis 22 gives us a breathtaking snapshot of the whole of the gospel story. In this chapter, God asks Abraham to do the unthinkable and then stops him from doing it, only to generations later to do what He would not ask Abraham to do. In today's podcast, we explore this glorious picture in detail.
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In Genesis 21, the covenant promises first given to Abraham in chapter 12 finally come to fruition. There are many things to consider about what we can learn from the distance between God's promise and God's fulfillment in our lives. As we begin this new section, today on the podcast we will take a few minutes to consider some of the lessons that this waiting has taught us from the life of Abraham
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Have you ever tried to quit a bad habit? It's not as easy as it sounds. More often than not, a bad habit or action comes from wrong or faulty thinking. In the life of Abraham, his bad habit led to get him in trouble more often than not. Like ours, his bad habit stemmed from incorrect thought patterns. In today's podcasts, we will see God's surprisingly gracious response to Abraham's lack of faith and learn a powerful lesson of the necessity of repentance.
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How do we respond to a culture that is drifting farther and farther away from the tenants of Christian principles? What should we do when the pervading thought of our day collides with clear scriptural truth? We are faced with a choice. It's not unlike the choice before Lot in our story from Genesis 19. On today's podcast, we will discover the tragic consequences of compromise in living for God in a world that is increasingly antagonistic to the ways of God.
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Have you ever been tempted to doubt the promises of God? Some of them can seem far-fetched in our minds. In today's podcast an old woman comes face to face with some improbable promises. Learn from her response on how to have faith when it seems preposterous. On today's episode of the Read Your Bible podcast. To access today's reading, please click here. To download a transcript of today's episode, please click here.
If you've read the Old Testament much, you know how big a deal circumcision is. But why? What is the deal with this medical procedure and how does it apply to the storyline of the Bible? More specifically, what, if any, relevance does it have in our lives today? These are all questions we will consider today on the Read Your Bible podcast.
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Cancel culture is a phenomenon to be reckoned with in our society today. How are we to treat the inequities of our past and what can we learn form them? In today's episode, we will learn how God's beautiful response to mankind's horrendous injustice in the life of one slave girl. It's a beautifully, instructive narrative that we need to understand and consider as we interpret the injustices of our society today.
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Have you ever struggled to wait on God? Waiting on God to fulfill His promises is one of the most difficult part of the spiritual journey. Spiritual Impatience is nothing new. In Genesis 15, Abraham struggled to wait on God's promises like so many of us. But what we learn from this chapter can go a long way toward helping us see things from God's perspective and can teach us to wait on Him more.
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Have you ever been church hurt? If you've been in church for any length of time, you've probably had your feelings hurt at some point. It happens to all of us. But what happens when we hold those grudges in our lives? From the story of Abraham today we learn some powerful truths about the noble character of Abraham and how he learned to bury the hatchet. The application could not be more appropriate for us today.
To access today's reading from Genesis 14, please click here.
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Sometimes Christians are guilty of fighting for position in God's church. This often comes from our insecurity in knowing who and who's we are. Learn the secret to such security today on the Read Your Bible Podcast from Genesis 13.
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In Genesis 12, we have the first reference to God entering the storyline to redeem what was broken by sin. On today's podcast, we'll learn how the even the tragic consequences of sin set the stage for the glorious entrance of the King of the story.
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What is it about humanity that makes us crave the comforts of sameness? In Genesis 11, we see the dangers of that consistency when it stands in the face of God's clear commands.
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For more information on the ONE Story Reading Plan and how to use it, please click here.
Have you ever come across a list of names in the Bible and rolled your eyes as to why you were reading it? There's actually more to learn from this unending list of names than you might think. To access the reading for today from Genesis 10, please click here. To download a transcript of today's episode, please click here. For more information about the ONE story reading plan and how to use it, please click here.
Racial Injustice is a topic that is often discussed these days, but have you ever wondered where slavery began? What can be learned from the first recorded mention of slavery in the Bible? Today, on the podcast we will talk about the origins of slavery and what we can learn from it.
To access today's reading from Genesis chapter 9, please click here.
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342 days. Could you stay on an ark for 342 days? Learn the secret of Noah's patience and endurance today as we dive into Genesis 8 together.
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It's one of the most famous stories in all the Bible, but what can Noah and the flood teach us about the gospel? Well the answer is quite a bit actually. We'll talk about it today in episode 10 of the Read Your Bible Podcast.
To access todays reading from Genesis 7, please click here.
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It's a question that any student of Genesis has wondered. Who were the Nephilim? We'll talk about it today on the podcast.
To access today's reading from Genesis 6, please click here.
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On the podcast today, we consider what it really means to walk with God and for God to walk with us from Genesis chapter 5.
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Most of us are familiar with the story of Cain and Abel, but why did God accept Abel's sacrifice and not Cain's? Or was the problem deeper than that? In today's podcast, Pastor Drew walks us through the real problem in this passage and how it applies to our worship today.
To access today's reading from Genesis 4, please click here.
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For more information on the ONE Story Reading Plan, please click here.
In today's episode, Pastor Drew walks us through the nature of temptation and commends to us the most important way to fortify yourself against it.
To access today's reading from Genesis 3, please click here.
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In today's episode, we will investigate the importance of rest and it's connection to trusting God.
To access todays reading from Genesis chapter 2, please click here.
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In todays episode, Pastor Drew shows us the true response to when God does something in our lives that we don't understand.
For today's reading from Job 40, please click here.
For today's reading from Job 41, please click here.
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In this episode, we continue our study on the character and creative power of God and that we can trust God even when we can't understand Him.
To read the text of Job 38 for yourself, please click here.
To read the text of Job 39, please click here.
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In this episode, pastor Drew tells us what it means for God to be enthroned above the circle of the earth. Psalm 139 and Isaiah 40 give us a breathtaking snapshot of the providence and power of our God.
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In today's episode, Pastor Drew breaks down Genesis chapter 1 and what it means for us to be made in the image of God.
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Why would I want to do a podcast? In this episode, we talk about why we are doing the podcast, it's purpose and what to expect in the process.
Listen I get it you’ve tried.
You know its important, you know you should do it, you even know it will change your life, but sometimes reading the Bible can be difficult.
Whether it’s the complexity of understanding it, the struggle to apply it, or just the discipline to do it, reading and applying God’s word consistently can be a battle.
That’s why we’ve created “Read Your Bible,”the daily podcast designed to help you understand and apply the Scriptures.Nothing will grow your faith more than learning and applying the word of God.
So join me every weekday as together we help you learn to READ YOUR BIBLE