Fri.’s Devo -Live by the Bread of Life

Read: Deuteronomy 16:1-17:20; Luke 9:7-27; Psalm 72:1-20; Proverbs 12:8-9 They were told to honor he Lord by celebrating the Passover every year. The were to celebrate it with the feast of Unleavened Bread and First Fruits. Fifty days later they were to celebrate the Festival of Harvest or Pentecost. At the end of the year, at harvest they were to celebrate the Festival of Shelters for seven days. These feasts marked the three times a year when all the male would come to the place that God chose to be worshiped. *** They were to appoint judges that would judge fairly and not take bribes. They were to make sure any person who worshiped other gods was stoned. There must be two witnesses to try a person and the hard cases were to be given to the priests and Levites. *** After they lived in the land, if they decided they wanted a king, there were certain laws the king must follow. They must let God choose the man to rule. He must be an Israelite. He must not accumulate horses, wives, silver or gold to himself. He should write a copy of the law in a book that is kept by the priests and he must read it every day for as long as he lives. This must be the statutes that he lives by. Then he will live a long life and his children will follow after him in righteousness. *** In Luke, everyone was trying to decide who they thought Jesus was. Herod was one of them. He had been tricked into killing John the Baptist and now one doing greater things than John was making waves. *** Jesus had sent out the 70 to go and preach the Kingdom of God and heal the sick and cast out demons and they had just returned. They brought a lot of people with them to hear Jesus. At the end of the day, the disciples tried to get Jesus to send them home to eat, but Jesus told them to feed them. They explained that they only had five loaves and two fishes. Jesus had them sit the people down and divided them into sections of fifty a piece. Then Jesus took the food they had and looking up to heaven he blessed the food and gave it to the disciples. Everyone was fed and they filled twelve baskets with the leftovers. *** Jesus asked his disciples who the people thought he was. Then He asked them who they thought he was. Peter answered, the Christ of God. Jesus told them not to reveal this truth yet. He would have to suffer and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes. They would have him killed but he would rise on the third day. All of his disciples must take up their own cross and follow him. To follow Christ is to lose yourself, your reputation and your life for Christ’s. It will be worth it. *** The disciples had just come back from casting out demons out of people and getting them to repent and be healed. Now Jesus was showing them that they needed to fill that emptiness with the bread and meat of the Word of God. *** Lord, thank you for the hope of the resurrection and life. We are grateful to follow you and lay down our lives for you. We know the best is yet to come! May we be filled with your bread to sustain us in this life.

Thurs.’s Devo - Your Kingdom Come

Read: Deuteronomy 13:1-15:23; Luke 8:40-9:6; Psalm 7:1-24; Proverbs 12:5-7 The Israelites would be tested to see if they would be faithful to the Lord. They would be enticed to follow other gods, but God warned them not to succumb. The guilty ones should be stoned to death. ***When they took over heathen towns, they were not to keep the instruments of pagan worship they had but destroy them in the fire. *** They were not to make incisions on their heads as a sign of hopeless sorrow when mourning for the dead. The Israelites were not to look at death as hopeless sorrow but a promise of resurrection. *** Everything they did in regards to their worship of God was to be a picture telling a much greater picture. They were not to eat animals that didn’t have both split hooves and chewed the cud. What they ate represented what they brought into their bodies. We are to eat the Word of God the living bread. It is rightly divide and meditated upon day and night. ***They were not to eat fish that didn’t have both fins and scales. We are to be balanced in our walk and covered by the blood of Jesus. ***Insects with wings but that walked were not to be eaten. This represented spiritual things that chose to stay earthly. That would be like a man that gained the whole earth and lost his soul. ***At the end of the third year, they were to bring that year’s harvest to the Levites as well as the foreigners and the fatherless and the widow. *** At the end of the seventh year all debts of everyone who owes you money was to be cancelled for the Israelites. No Israelite should be poor! Israel was to lend to other nations but never be under another nation. They were to be generous to their fellow Israelites and lend to them freely. *** If they had fellow Israelites working for them, they were to be set free in the seventh year unless the man wanted to stay on. Then they were to take than man and pierce his ear to the door of the house. After that, he would be your servant for life. *** First-born animals were to be saved for sacrifices to the Lord. *** In Luke, I can’t help but see three “12’s”. The woman had been bleeding for 12 years. The little girl who died and Jesus resurrected was 12 and Jesus sent his 12 out to cast our demons and heal all diseases. *** Twelve is the number of government. A new government was definitely coming. It was God’s kingdom. Signs and miracles and deliverances are a picture of this kingdom coming. We are seeing this right now in our nation among our youth who are desperate to have a future. *** Lord, may everything that is hidden be made manifest and may your kingdom come with power.

Wed.’s Devo - Teach Your Children Well

Read: Deutero no hy 11:1-12:32; Luke 8:22-39; Psalm 70:1-5; Proverbs 12:4 Moses gave the parents a stern talk about their children. It was up to them to tell them all the things God had done for them at the Red Sea and how he disciplined them when they disobeyed. *** The land they were coming to was not like Egypt where they had to make irrigation ditches in the sand. This land was watered by heaven and had lush green grass and trees that bore fruit. God would bless their harvests with rain and plenty as long as they continued to obey and worship him alone. *** God would drive out enemies much greater than them and die them the land he had mapped out. They would have the choice of blessings or curses. If they followed the Lord, they would have blessings If they didn’t, they would have curses. When they drove out their enemies, they were to destroy their pagan images and places of worship and completely erase the name of their gods. *** God will show them the place where he was to be worshipped. When they came into their land, they would be able to eat all meat, even unclean meat as long as they drained the blood first. *** Moses ended with, “Be careful to obey all the commands I give you, You must not add anything to them or subtract anything from them” ***In Luke, Jesus and his disciples left Galilee to go across to Genesenes. There was a storm that night that had the disciples fighting for their lives. Jesus was asleep in the bottom of the boat. When they woke him up he went above and rebuked the storm and it stopped immediately. He asked the disciples, “Where is your faith?” *** The storm was Satan’s warning not to come to his land. He had a principality living in a man who lived in the hells. Satan did not want to lose this man, but God had other plans He met Jesus when they landed and recognized who he was. Jesus cast the devils out of him and they begged Jesus not to torture them or send them to the bottomless pit. Jesus sent them into swine who jumped off the cliff and drown in the water below. *** The people of the town heard what was going on and came to see the crazy man sitting with his sanity and clothes. This scared them so much they drove Jesus out of town. The man wanted to go with Jesus, but Jesus told him to stay and tell everyone what God had done for him. He did and the next time Jesus came, they were all waiting for him and welcomed him with opened arms. *** Lord, may we learn from this last story that when people reject us because of Christ it is just because they don’t understand. When they get understanding they will welcome us and hear what we have to say. I believe that day is coming soon. May we be loving and humble in our response to them. May we not remember their judgments but seize the opportunities that are now set before us. May we teach our children and our grandchildren well.

Tues.’s Devo - Don't Be Stubborn

Read: Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22; Luke 8:4-21; Psalm 69:19-36; Proverb s 12:2-3 God made it perfectly clear that he was not giving them the land because they deserved it by their goodness, but because the people who lived there were so wicked. God was fulfilling his promise to Abraham, but the Israelites were a stubborn people. *** Then God gave them all the times when they rebelled against him and were stubborn. When Moses went up on Mt. Sinai to receive the Commandments they stayed below and made a golden calf to worship. When they had no food at Taberah and complained, God sent manna. When they had no water and complained at Massah, God gave them water from the rock. When they lusted for meat at Kibbroth-hattaavah, God sent quail. When they listened to the bad report of the ten spies at Kadesh-barnea instead of the good reports of Joshua and Caleb, they got sentenced them to 40 years in the wilderness. Every time they sinned, it was Moses who begged God not to destroy them. God did destroy that generation and gave the land to their children. *** It was this new generation that Moses was standing before. He told them what the Lord required of them. They were to fear the Lord and live in a way that pleased him and to love and serve him with all their hearts. He had given them the way to do that in his laws. He explained to them that their god was the God above all other, the creator of the earth, he begged them to change their hearts and to stop being stubborn. *** In Luke, Jesus told the parable that all scripture is held. It is the parable the seed and the sower. Jesus later explained the meaning to his disciples. The seed was the truth, the Word of God, his message of salvation. The sower was the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The seed was given to many hearts everywhere. It only took hold in hearts that were playable and ready to receive it. *** Jesus’ family came to see him and Jesus made a statement that anyone who hears his word and obeys it has the same access and relationship with him as them. Lord, Thank you for giving us hearts to understand and receive your word. Please work on the areas of our stubbornnesses and make us playable and teachable. We love you and your Word.

Mon.’s Devo - Deliverance

Read: Deuteronomy 7:1-8:20; Luke 7:36-8:3: Psalm 69:1-18;Proverbs 12:1 God told the Israelites that He would clear away the seven nations of the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. God told them to completely destroy them or they would lead their children away from God to worship other gods. Then the Lord would have to destroy them. *** They were to destroy all their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. God did not choose them because they were so great but because he made a covenant with Abraham, and God keeps his word. If they followed his commandments then He would bless every area of their lives - their health, wealth, families, and nation. *** They were not to be afraid of their enemies no matter how much stronger, more numerous, or their history. God would be with them to prosper them in everything and help them defeat all their enemies. They were to show no mercy but totally destroy them or they would lead them to follow their gods. *** God warned them that when they had defeated their enemies and settled in their land and had all that they needed, not to forget God and stop worshipping him. They must remember all the things he did to get them there. *** What a word to us. We will not always be here in history. We are defeating our enemies as we speak. One day very soon we will be walking in more prosperity and freedom we have ever imagined. It is hard to believe right now because the giants in our land look very big but they are nothing to the Lord. *** In Mark, Jesus had been invited to Simon ’s house. Other gospels tell us that Simon was the one who had been a leper and Jesus healed him. How hypocritical for him to then turn and condemn the prostitute. Simon’s mind had not been renewed. *** Jesus patiently gave Simon a parable to help him see the error of his judgments. The punch line was that the man who was forgiven the most would love the most. The woman who was pouring perfume on Jesus feet and wiping it with her hair was this woman who had been forgiven much. *** Simon, who had been healed but didn’t think he was a sinner had not shown Jesus love close to this. He had not greeted Jesus with a kiss which was customary for a close friend. He hadn’t washed his feet, which was a sign of hospitality. Simon hadn’t done any of these things. *** Jesus forgave her sins and told her to go in peace. Simon’s friends could only judge how Jesus could say this and forgive sins. *** Jesus left and took his disciples and the women who were devoted to Jesus and went on a tour of preaching to the nearby towns and villages. *** Lord, help us to have soft hearts and not judge what we do not understand. May we always remain humble and remember what you have done for us in delivering us from our oppressors.

Sun.’s Devo - God’s Promises

Read: Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25; Luke 7:11-35; Psalm 68:19-35; Prover s 11:29-31 Moses reminded the new generation of Israelites that God had made a covenant with them and spoke to them out of the heart of the fire on Mt. Sinai. He gave his commandments proclaiming that He was the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage and HE was to be their only God. He was a jealous God and would visit the iniquity of the father’s upon the children unto the third and fourth generation but shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love him and keep his commandments. The first three commandments had to do with their worship of him and the last seven had to do with how they treated one another. When Jesus said that the greatest commandments were to love the Lord with all you heart and your neighbor as yourself and by doing this you will have fulfilled all the commandments, he was right. It was a simple as that. *** The people had not enjoyed that great show of God’s power at Mt. Sinai. It scared them and they asked that God not do that again. Moses summed it up with: If they walked in the ways that God had commanded them to live, then it would go well with them and they would live long on the earth. *** They were to love and fear the Lord and keep all his commandments and teach them to their children and talk of them in their everyday life. They were to be their statutes that they lived by. In return, God would fill their houses with good things and give then wells that they didn’t have to dig, vineyards and olive trees they didn’t plant and they would have plenty to eat. They were to cast out their enemies before them. If they obeyed his commands, God would count it as righteousness to them. *** In Luke, Jesus saw a widow who was burying her only son. He was so filled with compassion that he went over and raised the boy back to life. I can’t help but think that Jesus was seeing the pain of his own mother who was about to lose her first born son. Jesus was also probably thinking of Israel, God’s first born that was dead and needed rising from the dead. *** The disciples of John the Baptist sent word to Jesus asking him if he was indeed the Messiah. No doubt he was wondering why Jesus hadn’t delivered him from prison since he came to “set the captives free” and John was definitely captured. Jesus told his disciples to tell John all the things he had done and then added, “And blessed are they who are not offended in me.” He was telling John not to be offended of what he didn’t do but instead to look at all he had done. This is a great reminder to us when God seems like he is not answering our prayers the way we want him to or think he should. Instead of complaining about the one thing he is not doing, we need to look around and see what he is doing and has done for us and be grateful. *** Jesus had great respect for John and praised him to the crowd. He said that John was more than a prophet - he was the one who prepared the way for him. He was the one who was prophesied many years ago and none was greater than him. *** Jesus rebuked their generation for not ever being satisfied with God’s ways or plans. They were too busy judging everything and every body - they even judged God’s goodness. Lord, may we not be guilty of the same sin. May we not judge how you move in our lives but accept your wisdom as the best for us.

Sat.’s Devo -Obey the Lord

Read: Deuteronomy 4:1-49; Luke 6:39-7:10; Psalm 68:1-18; Proverbs 11:28 Moses told Israel to be sure to obey the law of God exactly how he gave it to them. They were not to add or subtract any thing from it. (That was what the religious leaders of Jesus’ day had done.) *** No other nation had a God like there’s that was near to them and heard them when they called on him. They were never to forget what God had done for them. They were to tell it to their children so they would pass it on to the next generation. From Mt. Sinai God had given them his laws and instructions and they were to obey them. *** They had not seen the Lord, so they were not to try to make an image of what they thought he would be. They were not to worship any created thing on the earth, under the earth or in the sky. *** If they did go into idolatry and they turned back to the Lord with all their heart and soul, they would find him again. Moses reminded them that they had heard the voice of the Lord, and no other nation had heard their god’s voices. Their God was alive and interactive with them. He is merciful and kind. God showed them his mighty power through signs, miracles and wonders. He delivered them with his power and drove out nations much more powerful than them to give them His land. *** Moses set up three cities east of the Jordan to serve as cities of refuge - Bezer for Reuben, Ramoth for Gad, and Golan for Manasseh. *** In Luke, Jesus was still in his sermon teaching them not to judge anyone without first judging themselves. *** Trees are used throughout scripture to represent people. (Psalm 1). Jesus said that a good tree was identified by its fruit. Good fruit comes from a good heart and bad fruit comes from an evil heart. A person who builds his life on the foundation of God and Christ will not collapse in times of storms. *** When Jesus had finished he went to Capernaum. A Roman officer had a highly prized slave who was dying. He sent for Jesus to come and heal him. The messengers told Jesus how humble and kind this officer was. He had built a synagogue or them. While Jesus was on his way, the officer sent Jesus another message saying that he was not worthy for Jesus to come to his house, but he understood authority. All Jesus had to do was to speak the word from there and his servant would be healed. Jesus marveled at his understanding of spiritual matters. The slave was healed from that time. Lord, may you marvel at our faith in these days. May we trust in you and not forget all the things you have done for us.

Fri.’s Devo - The Nations are the Lord’s

Read: Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29; Luke 6:12-38; Psalm 67:1-7; Proverbs 11:27 Moses continued retelling their story. He was telling the children their past and the past of their parents so they would always remember what God had done for them. *** God gave them examples of other nations he had displaced to give their land to others. For example, he had helped the Moabites who were the descendants of Lot the land of Ar which had been occupied bye the giants called the Emites. The Emmites had been strong and numerous and their name meant “terror”. God had helped the Moabites drive them out and take their land. He told them this so they would not be afraid of the giants in their land and they would know that God would help them also. *** Reading all the changes in the kingdoms of the would helps us to see that God really does rule the nations. God told them in advance that he was going to turn over to them the land of the Amorites. They were to attack them and this conquest would make all the other nations fear them. When they got to the land of the Amorites, they went to King Sihon of Heshbon and offered to pay him to let them cross through their land. He refused, giving them a reason to attack them. God gave them the victory and they took their land and occupied it. They did the same to King Og of Bashan. They destroyed them and killed all of them. Their land became the inheritance of Reuben and Gad and half of Manasseh. *** Joshua was put in charge and God allowed Moses to go up on Pisgah Peak and look over the land God had given them. He would not be going over the Jordan with them because he disobeyed the Lord. Joshua would lead the people across the Jordan and give them all the land God had promised. *** In Luke, Jesus spent the night on the mountain praying. When he came down, he gave the names of his disciples: Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Phillip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Simon, Judas, and Judas Iscariot. *** A multitude of people came to Jesus on the mountain to hear him preach and be touched by him. He blessed them because they were teachable and knew they needed a savior. They would be rewarded in heaven. But those that depended on the riches of this world would not be rewarded with blessings. They would be hungry later and their reward would be sorrow. *** Jesus taught them to pray for their enemies and not to treat them as they were being treated but as they would want to be treated. Instead, they were to pray for their enemies and love them. The measure of good they gave would determine the amount of blessings that would return to them. It works in the negative also. *** Lord, in our Psalm we read that when the nations praise you, you richly bless them. we pray that the whole world would sing for joy because you govern them with justice and guide them. May you bring justice to us now and guide us to serve you.

Thurs.’s Devo - The New Wine

Read: Deuteronomy 1:46; Luke 5:29-6:11; Psalm 66:1-20; Provers 11:24-26 The leaders of the clan of Manaseh came to Moses with a petition. Since Moses had given the daughters of Zelophehad their father’s inheritance of land, if they married outside their tribe the land would move to that tribe. Moses went to the Lord and he said to tell the daughters that they must marry within their tribe to keep that from happening. So they all married their cousins on their father’s side and everyone was satisfied. *** It was only an eleven day journey from Mt. Sinai to the promised land but because of their rebellion, it took the Israelites 40 years. As they stood ready to cross over, Moses stood before the new generation of Israelites and told them their history and why their fathers could not cross and go into the land. *** It was important that they hear their history of who they were over and over. Moses had written everything down so that they would have an accurate account of their journey. *** How we go forward has to do with how much of our past we understand. We live in the past of what God has done to move into what God has in the future. Our past forms our faith. *** Yesterday, we read how Jesus called Levi to follow him. Levi was a rich tax collector. He had a banquet and invited all his rich tax collecting friends so they could meet Jesus. This really upset the Pharisees. When they questioned Jesus’ crowd he told them that it wasn’t the ones who thought they were righteous, but the ones who knew they were sinners and needed to repent that he was called. *** The Pharisees questioned why Jesus’ disciples didn’t fast. Jesus said it was because they had the bridegroom with them. When his disciples ate a little grain from the field, the Pharisees accused them of harvesting crops on the Sabbath. Jesus reminded them of what David did when he was hungry. He ate the food only the priests were to eat and gave some to his men. Jesus summed it up with, “The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath. *** Jesus healed the man’s withered hand on the Sabbath saying that the Sabbath was a day for doing good and saving life rather than destroying it. Jesus was trying to demonstrate what the Sabbath was suppose to look like but it didn’t fit their picture. *** Jesus explained that you don’t put a new patch on an old garment and you don’t put new wine into old wineskins. The Pharisees were the old garment and the old wineskin. Jesus was bringing a new fabric and new wine so the person who could receive it had to be new. They had to have a new mind and a new heart - they had to be born again. Lord, may we have renewed minds and hearts to receive the new thing that you are doing on the earth. We welcome your new garments and your new wine.

Wed.’s Devo -Cities of Refuge -

Read: Numbers 33:40-35:34; Luke 5:12-28; Psalm 65:1-13; Proverbs 11:23 The children of Israel were told that when they came to the land God had promised them they were to drive out all the people living there. They must destroy all their carved and molten images and demolish all their pagan shrines. If they didn’t the people would be like splinters in their eyes and thorns in their sides. They would harass them and God would do to them what he had planned to do to their enemies. *** Joshua and Eleazar along with a leader from each tribe were to divide the land and apportion it out to each tribe according to the size of the tribes. *** Six cities of refuge were given to the Levites to live in. Three of them on the east of the Jordan and three on the west. If any one accidentally killed another person, they could escape to one of the cities where their case would be heard by the priests. If they investigated and learned that they unintentionally killed the person, then they could stay there safely until the death of the high priest. Then they would be free to return to their home and be safe. *** Murderers must be put to death to purify the land. If a person was murdered, the closest relative must avenge his blood by tracking down the murderer and slaying him. *** The avenger of death represents God who avenges death. We are the murderer who have sinned and realized we didn’t mean to and repented. We are given refuge in Jesus who is our city of refuge. He died as our high priest so we could go free. *** In Luke, Jesus healed a man who had an advanced case of leprosy. He told the man not to tell anyone and take the things required by the law to the priest and have them perform the ceremony of leprosy. Instead, he told everyone. *** Jesus then healed a paralytic man telling him that his sins were forgiven. This really made the Pharisees mad. Jesus called Levi from his job as a tax collector to follow him. This really made Satan mad. Jesus didn’t come to flow with the status quo, he came to upset the status quo and bring change. Lord, may we realize the we are not here to draw people to ourselves and make people comfortable but to upset the status quo and allow God to bring change. Help us not to conform to this world but to be transformed by your Spirit and your Word.

Tues.’s Devo - The New Season

Read: Numbers 32:1-33:39; Luke 4:31-5:11; Psalm 64:1-10; Proverbs 11:22 The tribes of Rueben and Gad were farmers so when they defeated the Moabites whose land was in front of the Jordan River, they saw how fertile it was and perfect for farming. They asked if they could have that land for their inheritance instead of land on the other side of the Jordan in Canaan. *** Moses was most upset with them until he learned that they intended to fight for the other tribes until all of them had received their inheritance. Then Moses agreed to let them take over the towns that were already established and make pens for their animals and places for their women and children to stay. They changed some of the names to not be named after their gods. *** A detailed list of all the names of all their stops in the wilderness. Some of these names are names that mean “fear” or “evil is the standard” or “thorns, clay and mire” which indicated times of testing and sin. Others meant “sweetness”, “fertile” and “palm trees” which were times of refreshing and joy. Sounds like our lives. There will always be testing and trials in life but there will also be times of refreshing and joy. *** Aaron climbed Mt. Hor and died there at the age of 123. The name of Hor means “progenitor” which means to be a forefather and to pass to the next generation what you had. That is all of our prayers - to be progenitors. *** In Luke, I see a bigger picture than just the details of the stories. As Jesus did more and more miracles the Kingdom of God was advancing. Satan’s kingdom was very aware of it and began proclaiming it more than anyone. In two of our stories today the demons spoke and identified Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus had to quiet them so they wouldn’t steal the attention. *** Jesus wanted the attention to be on advancing God’s kingdom, not the fall of Satan’s. He preached from a boat in the sea, then demonstrated his power by showing them the catching of great numbers of fish. That was where he wanted to put the emphasis. He wanted them to prepare them for what was coming which was a great harvest of souls. The sea of humanity was about to surrender to the Word of the Lord and come out of the Kingdom of the world and into his Kingdom. Lord, may we recognize our roles in fishing for men and following You. Prepare our hearts for this new season we are in. May we be progenitors.

Mon.’s Dev- Rejected By His Own

Read: Numbers 30:1-31:54; Luke 4:1-30; Psalm 63:1-11; Prover s 11;20-21 Moses gave them God’s laws about making vows. Once a vow was made, there was a grace period of one day from the time the husband, or father learned of it, to nullify it. If he didn’t, then the vow stood. We can thank God for this statute. God is our Father and Jesus is our Husband. When we make vain promises and vows or even curses, they can nullify them for us. How many foolish vows have come out of our mouth that the devil would love to take them as binding and yet, Jesus in his mercy nullifies them for us. That doesn’t excuse us for talking vainly without thinking. There may come a time when our foolish vows stand to teach us a lesson. *** God told Moses to take revenge out on the Midianites for leading the Israelites into idolatry. They were to attack and kill all. One thousand warriors from each tribe were sent to fight the Midianites. The Levites carried the Ark into the battle and blew the trumpets of war. They won and brought back much plunder. Moses was most upset when he saw that they brought back the women who were the ones who drew their men into idolatry. He had them kill all women who were not virgins. They dispersed the plunder giving the Levites their share. The Israelites did not lose one person in the battle. *** They cleansed all the instruments of war with fire and water. and them men stayed outside the camp for seven days to purify themselves from touching death. *** The generals brought the plunder of gold to the Lord as a gift. *** In John, Jesus left his baptism and went straight to the wilderness led by the Spirit. There he fasted for forty days and was tempted by the devil. When he became hungry, Satan tried to tempt him to turn the stones to bread. Jesus answered him with the scripture, “Man does not live by bread alone.” *** When that didn’t work, Satan took Jesus up and revealed all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. He promised to give them all to him if her would worship him instead of God. Jesus answered, “The Scripture say You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.” *** Next, Satan quoted scripture to him. He took him to the highest point of the Temple and challenged him that if he was the Son of God to jump off. The Scriptures say that God’s angels would catch him and not allow him to be hurt.” This was Satan’s tricky way of getting Jesus to tempt God. Jesus didn’t fall for it he answered, “You must no tempt the Lord your God.” Satan left until another opportunity came. *** Jesus returned to Galilee full of the Holy Spirit and power. He taught in the synagogues and his fame spread. When he came home to his own home town he had a message he needed to proclaim. He went to the synagogue as usual and stood up to read the scripture for the day. He took the scroll of Isaiah and found the place where it said what he came to proclaim. He read his mission, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” *** Then he sat down and when everyone looked at him he added, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your ears.” When they questioned how someone they had known all their lives could say something like that. He answered that a prophet was never recognized in his own country. He then told how there were many widows who were suffering in the famine during the days of Elijah but God sent Elijah to the city of Sidon to bless a widow there. And there were many lepers in Israel, yet God sent Elisha to heal Naaman the Syrian. This really upset them because the point he was making was that God healed Gentile people instead of Jews. They threw Jesus out of the city. They planned to throw him over a cliff but he walked right through them and left the city. Jesus was foretelling how the gospel would be rejected by the Jews and accepted by the Gentiles. Lord, may we not miss our visitation from you because you come in a way that is not how we are looking for you to come. Thank you for the revival that is here. May we nurture it and let it spread.

Sun.’s Devo -The Offerings of the Feasts

Read: Numbers 28:16-29:40; Luke 3:23-38; Psalm 62:1-12; Proverbs 11:18-19 The feasts were set times when God wanted them to offer exact offerings as rehearsals for his appearing and fulfillments. Jesus fulfilled Passover when he became the lamb that took away the sins of the world. He was buried on Unleavened Bread and rose on First Fruits. Fifty days later, he gave his Holy Spirit on Pentecost. *** The fall feasts have yet to be fulfilled. On Feast of Tabernacles, God will call his Church home in what we call the Rapture. The Day of Atonement will be the day when the gates of heaven will be opened and the Great Tribulation will begin. The Bible refers to it as the Days of Awe. Many will come to know the Lord during all the tribulations. *** Jesus will return with his Church on the Feast of Tabernacles and set up his kingdom on earth. The eight day of that feast is an additional feast called Simbat Torah where the Jews celebrate the law. They begin again reading through the Jewish law, the Torah, beginning with Genesis. It celebrates a new heaven and a new earth. *** The sacrifices during all of these festivals are the same until you get to the Feast of Tabernacles and then it begins a countdown. Day one begins with 13 bulls, 14 lambs and 2 rams then every day after that subtracts a bull until it gets to the seventh day. On the seventh day of the festival it is down to 7 bulls meaning “completion”. On the eighth day, Simbat Torah they are to proclaim another holy day where there is not work. Only one bull, one ram and seven lambs are offered signifying that the earth is reborn and they are starting over. This is exactly what will happen on that day. *** In Luke we re given the lineage of either Joseph or Mary’s. The commentators argue both points. What is obvious is that Matthew’s genealogy and Luke’s are different. Matthew begins with Abraham where Lukes goes all the way back to Adam, the son of God. We do know that Adam was a type of Jesus the Son of God. One of these lines is the kingly line (Matthew) and one is the priestly line (Luke). Jesus was both priest and king. Lord, we trust that your Word is true and right even when we do not understand it. You give us the end from the beginning.

Sun.’s Devo -The Offerings of the Feasts

Read: Numbers 28:16-29:40; Luke 3:23-38; Psalm 62:1-12; Proverbs 11:18-19 The feasts were set times when God wanted them to offer exact offerings as rehearsals for his appearing and fulfillments. Jesus fulfilled Passover when he became the lamb that took away the sins of the world. He was buried on Unleavened Bread and rose on First Fruits. Fifty days later, he gave his Holy Spirit on Pentecost. *** The fall feasts have yet to be fulfilled. On Feast of Tabernacles, God will call his Church home in what we call the Rapture. The Day of Atonement will be the day when the gates of heaven will be opened and the Great Tribulation will begin. The Bible refers to it as the Days of Awe. Many will come to know the Lord during all the tribulations. *** Jesus will return with his Church on the Feast of Tabernacles and set up his kingdom on earth. The eight day of that feast is an additional feast called Simbat Torah where the Jews celebrate the law. They begin again reading through the Jewish law, the Torah, beginning with Genesis. It celebrates a new heaven and a new earth. *** The sacrifices during all of these festivals are the same until you get to the Feast of Tabernacles and then it begins a countdown. Day one begins with 13 bulls, 14 lambs and 2 rams then every day after that subtracts a bull until it gets to the seventh day. On the seventh day of the festival it is down to 7 bulls meaning “completion”. On the eighth day, Simbat Torah they are to proclaim another holy day where there is not work. Only one bull, one ram and seven lambs are offered signifying that the earth is reborn and they are starting over. This is exactly what will happen on that day. *** In Luke we re given the lineage of either Joseph or Mary’s. The commentators argue both points. What is obvious is that Matthew’s genealogy and Luke’s are different. Matthew begins with Abraham where Lukes goes all the way back to Adam, the son of God. We do know that Adam was a type of Jesus the Son of God. One of these lines is the kingly line (Matthew) and one is the priestly line (Luke). Jesus was both priest and king. Lord, we trust that your Word is true and right even when we do not understand it. You give us the end from the beginning.

Fri.’s Devo - Counting the Warriors -

Read: Numbers 26:1-51; Luke 2:36-52; Psalm 60:1-12; Proverbs 11:15 Twenty-four thousand people died in the plague caused by their rebellion. They were about to enter the promised land where they would have to fight for their land so God called a census of all the men of fighting age. If you compare it to the list in Numbers 2 you can see the tribes that lost people in the times of their rebellions and the ones that grew. *** The ones that lost in number were the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, Gad, Ephraim, and Naphtali. Interestingly, Reuben, Simeon and Gad all marched together and camped together. The tribes that grew in number were Judah, Isssachar, Zebulun, Manasseh, Dan and Asher. The total number of warriors when they began their journey was 603,550. Now it was 601,730. *** God had said that all of the original people would have to die except Joshua and Caleb. This was the new generation. *** A new thing was happening in Luke also. A prophetess named Anna heard what Simeon said to Mary and Joseph and was so excited because she too had been waiting for God to rescue Israel. She told all her friends who had been waiting also. *** Mary and Joseph returned to Nazareth to raise Jesus in wisdom and in God’s favor. *** Every year, they traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. When Jesus turned 12 it was his bar mitzvah where he would return to work in his father’s business. Jesus knew who his father was so he stayed in the Temple confounding the teachers of the law with his insight and knowledge. *** When the Passover celebration came to an end, Mary and Joseph returned home thinking Jesus was with their relatives and friends. After the third day, they realized they had not seen him and no one else had either. They went back to Jerusalem and finally found him in the Temple. When they acted surprised to find him there, he said, “didn’t you know I would be about my Father’s business.” They were amazed but brought him home and he became a mason along with Joseph. *** It says again that Jesus grew in wisdom snd in stature and in favor with God and all the people. Lord, may we be about your business today. May we be counted among your warriors.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Saviour is Born!

Read: Numbers 24:1-25:18; Luke 2:1-35; Psalm 59:1-17; Proverbs 11:14 Balaam realized that mixing his divination with sacrificing to the Lord did not give him power over God. He could say only what God wanted him to say. So this last time, Balaam didn’t resort to his usual divination rituals, he just looked into the spirit and said what he saw. He blessed Israel with growth and prosperity. Their kings would be greater than the kings of the Amelekites which were the most powerful of all the desert tribes. He ended his speech with “Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel, and cursed is everyone who curses you.” By this he was cursing Balak. *** Needless to say, Barak was super angry. He told Balaam he would not give him a reward because he had totally failed. Balaam defended himself by saying he had told him from the start the he would only be able to say what God told him to say. Then he continued and prophesied of David and the Messiah that would crush Moab, Edom, the Amelekites, the Kenites and the Assyrians. *** But, we learn from Revelation that Balaam had an ace up his sleeve. He realized the only way to bring Israel down was to infiltrate their ranks and teach them to worship idols. This would weaken them and lead to their destruction. *** This is what Revelation said about Balaam “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.” Revelation 2:14,15. *** Chapter 25 gives us the account. The Moabite women were sent, probably by Balaam, into their camp to entice them to worship their god, Chemosh. The worship of Chemosh required all sorts of sexual perversion and idolatry. *** When Moses found out about it, he met with the elders and told them to execute all in their authority who had done this. One man was so blatant in his sin that he brought a Midianite woman into his tent right before the eyes of Moses and all the people that were weeping at the entrance of the Tabernacle. Eleazar, the high priest ran into the tent and speared both of them. A plague had broken out and killed 24,000 before he could stop it. With Eleazar’s act, he stopped the plague and all the guilty were executed. *** Then the Lord ordered them to attack the Midianties and destroy them because of what they had done. *** John the Baptist was the son of one of he priests, but Jesus was the son of a descendant of King David. Because of this, Joseph had to take his family to Bethlehem which was David’s ancient town. He traveled there to pay his taxes but God used that to get him there so Jesus could fulfill the prophecies. Joseph took his very pregnant wife, Mary and she went into labor in Bethlehem. *** God revealed his great message to the shepherds nearby. The sky was filled with all the army of heaven. In Hebrews 1:6 it says that when God brought his firstborn into the world he said, “Let ALL the angels of God worship him.” They sang, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” The angel told them where they could find the baby so when they left, the shepherds decided to go find the baby and see what all heaven was announcing. Imagine their conversations of why the king of heaven would be born in a manger to an unknown man and his wife. *** They did find Joseph and Mary and told them all they had seen. Eight days later, they brought Jesus to the Temple to dedicate him to the Lord. There was an elderly man who had been praying to see the Messiah before he died. When they brought Jesus in, he took him in his hands and praised God. He knew that he could now die because he had seen the Messiah. He warned Mary that many would oppose him but through him the hearts of people would be exposed. Her heart would be pierced. How true these words were. *** Lord, expose our hearts and may we purge out everything that does not bring you glory. Thank you for sending your son in such a humble way and yet such a glorious way. Truly your ways are not our ways. Teach us your ways.

Wed.’s Devo - The Curse Reversed

Read: Numbers 22:21-23:30; Luke 1:57-80; Psalm 58:1-11; Proverbs 11:12-13 Balaam had persuaded the Lord to let him go with Balak’s army, but God was not happy about it. He wanted Balaam to know he could not speak a single curse against Israel so he sent his angel to put some fear of God in him. *** Balaam’s donkey saw the angel standing in front of him with a drawn sword and bolted off into a field. Balaam couldn’t see the angel because his eyes hadn’t been opened so he beat his donkey and got him back on the road. The angel stood in front of him again. The donkey saw him and tried to go around him pressing Balaam’s foot against the wall. Balaam, oblivious to the angel, beat his donkey again. The third time the angel stood in front of him the passage was so narrow, the donkey had no where to go so he sat down. Balaam flew off in rage and beat his poor donkey again. God gave the donkey the ability to speak and the donkey asked him what he had done that deserved being beat these three times. They argued back and forth and the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes to see what his donkey had seen. Balaam then fell on his face to the ground. He repented for beating his donkey who had saved his life. *** Balaam told the Lord he would only say what God allowed him to say. After that rebuke from the Lord, he had to face Balak’s rebuke when he met him. Balaam had to explain to him that he could only speak what God let him say. *** Balak took Balaam to Bamoth-baal which was a high place to worship Baal. He had Barak prepare seven burnt offerings. God’s message to Barak was that God would not allow a curse to be given on his people that he had not cursed. Instead he blessed them to multiply and be righteous. *** King Balak was very upset and took him to another place where he would see a different tribe of Israel. He offered seven more burnt offerings. God told Barak that he was not a god that lied or changed his mind. God’s blessing could not be reversed. He was not planning any misfortune for Israel because He was their king. None of their magic powers could stand against Israel. *** Balak was so mad. He told him if you can’t curse them then don’t bless them. But Balaam told him, “I told you I could only say what the Lord tells me.” *** Balak was used to getting his way and took Balaam to a third place to see another group of Israel. Balaam had him prepare seven more burnt offerings. Barak was only hurting himself and helping Israel. Every word Balaam said just made the prophecies have more power. *** In Luke, Elizabeth had her baby and all her neighbors and relatives rejoiced with them. When she took him to be circumcised the priests wanted to name him Zechariah after the baby’s father. but Elizabeth said his name was to be John. Zechariah confirmed it by writing on a tablet that his name was to be called John. When he did, God loosed his tongue and he could speak. All the people could see that there was something very special about this baby boy. John prophesied that he would be called the prophet of the Most High. He would prepare the way for the Lord and his people to receive salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. Heaven’s light was about to break out upon his people and guide them to peace. *** Lord, thank you for the story of Balaam. We can see that no one can put a curse on us or our nation that you have blessed. You have blessed us as your people and our nation as your nation. We pray for people of other nations who are calling out to you to save them. It is time for you to act and save us all. Thank you for your promise of blessings and salvation.

Tues.’s Devo - The Kingdom is Coming

Read: Numbers 21:1-22:20; Luke 1:26-56; Psalm 57:1-11; Proverbs 11:9-11 One of the Canaanite king was told by his spies that Israel was coming their way so they attacked and took some of them prisoner. Israel promised God that if he would give them victory over the Canaanites, they would destroy their cities. God agreed and gave them the victory. *** As the people were going around the land of Edom the long way, many got impatient with the journey. They complained about the manna and spoke against God and Moses. God responded and sent poisonous snakes to kill them. They repented and begged Moses to ask God to take the snakes away, so God told them to make a replica of the snake in bronze and put it on a pole. Whoever looked at the snake would be healed. This was a picture of death being dealt with on the cross. The snake was the curse of sin just as Jesus became the curse for us. *** They continued until they came to the land of the Amorites. Their king also refused to let them pass through his land and his army attacked the Israelites. But the Israelites won and occupied their land up to the land of the Ammonites. They settled in their land and conquered the other towns along their way to the land of King Og’s of Bashan. His army came to attack the Israelites but God told them not to be afraid of them. He would give them their land. They won and occupied their land also. *** They were approaching the land of Barak of Moab and he didn’t want to be defeated like the others. He saw that no one would be able to defeat the Israelite army so he decided he had to fight them spiritually. He hired a soothsayer named Balaam to curse Israel. *** Balaam understood the hierarchy of the spirit realm. God is above Satan. He would not be able to do anything God didn’t allow him to say anything God didn’t allow him to say. God told Balaam not to go with Barak and curse Israel because he had blessed them. Balaam sent this message back to Barak. *** Barak then sent more distinguished men with promise of riches if he would just come and curse these people for him. Balaam told them to give him a night to think about it. He went back to God and God relented and let him go with the promise that he would only say what he told him to say. Balaam agreed. *** Meanwhile in Luke, Zechariah and Elizabeth were expecting the child God had promised and Elizabeth was in her sixth month. God sent his messenger, Gabriel to a virgin named Mary in Nazareth. Mary was Elizabeth’s niece. The angel told Mary that she was favored by God and would conceive and give birth to a son whose name would be Jesus. He would be very great and called the Son of the Most High. The Lord would give him the throne of David and he would reign over Israel forever. His kingdom would never end. *** Days later, Mary went to see Elizabeth and when she entered the house and voiced her greeting to Elizabeth, the child within Elizabeth leapt and was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth prophesied that Mary was the mother of her Lord. Mary praised the Lord for his mercy and salvation. She stayed with Elizabeth until her time to deliver came, then went home. Lord, you do all your great things in secret first. You are doing great things that few can see, but we can see. We see revival coming. We see the Kingdom of God coming to earth. We see the enemy being defeated even though it is not evident to everyone. Thank you for eyes to see. May your Kingdom come!

Mon.’s Devo- Obedence

Read: Numbers 19:1-20:29; Luke 1:1-25; Psalm 56:1-13; Proverbs 11:8 It seems that every time the children of Israel sinned against authority, another requirement for sin was given. This time the offering of a red heifer was invoked. The red heifer had to be perfect with no defects and one that he’d never been yoked to a plow. Its blood had to be sprinkled on the front of the Tabernacle seven times. The rest of it was to be burned on the altar along with some hyssop, and a scarlet yarn. Any of the priests who helped in the sacrifice were to wash and be unclean until the next morning. The ashes were to be gathered and put outside the camp to be used in the purification ceremony. *** Anyone who touched a dead human body was unclean for a week. They had to purify themselves with the water of purification on the third and seventh day of their week. All of the ceremonies for the removal of sin pointed to the cross. The hyssop was offered to Jesus at the cross. The scarlet thread was the weaving of blood all through the Bible culminating with Jesus shedding his blood once and for all. *** First John tells us that we have all sinned meaning that we have touched a dead human - ourselves. When we realize that we can come to the cross and be forgiven our sins and walk in holiness. This would represent our third day. The seventh day represents the end of our lives when we stand before the Lord and he wipes away all sin. *** It had been forty years since they left Egypt and it was now time to enter the promised land, again. The people had run out of water and complained to Moses. God told Moses to gather the people and speak to the rock that had followed them through their journeys. This rock was Christ. He struck the rock twice instead of speaking to it. Jesus was struck once for our sins and that was all that was needed. Moses had struck the rock years ago so all that ws needed was his faith to speak to it. When Moses did this he was messing up God’s picture. God did not take that lightly and it cost Moses his life. He was never to step foot in the land he had given his life to reach. *** There was one piece of land they had to cross to reach Canaan. It belonged to the king of Edom. Moses sent him message requesting permission to pass through his land. He promised that they would not take any produce or harm his land in any way but the king refused to let them pass. He mobilized his army to stand guard in car they came into his land. This forced them to turn around and go the long way. The Edomites would pay for this later. *** God told Moses that it was time to transfer Aaron’s authority to his son Eleazar so they went up on a mountain for all to watch and took the robe off of Aaron and put it on Eleazar. Aaron never came down from the mountain but died on the mountain. The people mourned him thirty days. *** Luke was written expressly for the Greeks to show that Jesus was the Son of Man. He addressed it to Theophilus who was a chief magistrate of some city in Greece or Asia Minor. Theophilus means “friend of God”. *** Luke begins his account of Jesus with John the Baptists’ birth to the Jewish priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. Zechariah had been chosen by lot to offer incense into the Holy of Holies on the day of Atonement. While he was in the presence of the Lord, an angel appeared to him and told him that Elizabeth would have a son and they were to name him John. He would be great in the eyes of the Lord and would be a Nazarine and filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. He would turn many Israelites to the Lord and would be a man filled with the spirit and power of Elijah. He would prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. *** Zechariah could only see the limitations of how this was impossible. Because of his lack of faith, He would be silent and dumb until the child was born. *** Zechariah was in the Holy of Holies for so long, the people stood outside waiting in anticipation. When he appeared he couldn’t speak. He wildly gestured so that they knew something had happened and figured he must have seen a vision. *** When his week was finished he returned home and Elizabeth became pregnant. Lord, help us not to doubt what you say. You have promised to send revival and we see it springing up everywhere. Thank you for your faithfulness. May we be faithful and obey even when it doesn’t make sense to us.

Sun.’s Devo - The Responsiblity of the Priests.

Read: Numbers 16:41-18:32; Mark 16:1-20; Psalm 55:1-23; Proverbs 11:7 Yesterday we read where God judged the Levite families of Korah, Dothan and Abihu and his 250 followers. This stirred up the whole community to complain against Moses and Aaron and blame them for killing all the people. A plague broke out and killed 14,700 people. *** God’s presence was manifested at the Tabernacle so all went to see what God would say. God wanted to kill all the people except Moses and Aaron but Moses and Aaron interceded for the people. Instead, God told Moses to tell all the tribal leaders to make a staff and carve their name on the staff. God would chose the tribe he wanted to minister to him. *** All the leaders brought their staff and Moses placed them in the Tabernacle in front of the Ark. God would cause the one he chose to sprout with buds. The next morning Moses went to bring out the staffs and Aaron’s had sprouted, budded, blossomed and produced ripe almonds. All the leaders claimed their staffs and the people stopped questioning the authority of the Levites. *** God gave the Levites the responsibility of for any offenses related to the sanctuary. Aaron and his sons would be responsible for any offenses connected to the priesthood. *** The Levites were not to go near the sacred objects in the tabernacle, only the sons of Aaron. The Levites were only allowed to help with maintenance. The Levites could assist the sons of Aaron in their duties but the sons of Aaron were the only ones who could perform the rituals associated with the altar and anything that went on behind the curtain. The sons of Aaron were allotted portions of the offerings given to the Lord but what they were given had to be treated as holy. They could have the best of the olive oil, new wine, and grain. All the first crops of the land that the people brought to the Lord belonged to Aaron and his family. *** Every first born of human or animal that was offered to the Lord was given to Aaron and his family, but their own first born had to be redeemed for five pieces of silver. *** Aaron and his sons and the Levites were not allowed to own property but would receive the tithe from the entire land of Israel. They were to give a tithe of all they received from the people to the Lord as their offering to God. They were always to honor the gifts of the people as special or they would die. *** In Mark, Mary Magdalene and James’ mother and Salome had waited to anoint Jesus’ body until the Sabbath was over. They went first thing the next morning to the tomb with spices. They wondered who would roll the stone away for them, but when they arrived, the stone had already been moved. A young man in a white robe was sitting inside. It was an angel who told them not to be afraid, that Jesus wasn’t there but risen from the dead. They were to go and tell the disciples, including Peter, that Jesus had gone ahead of them to Galilee. They would find him there. *** They ran back to tell the disciples who were all eating together. They didn’t believe until Jesus appeared to them. Jesus told them to go to the ends of the earth and preach the Good News of salvation. Jesus was then taken to heaven in a cloud to heaven. Lord, you have anointed us as your chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people that we would show forth the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. May your light shine through us today. May your churches be filled with your glory and holiness today.

Sat.’s Devo - The Cruscifixion

Read: Numbers 15:17-16:40; Mark 15:1-47; Psalm 54:1-7; Proverbs 11:5-6 God instructed Moses that when they arrived at the promised land and reaped their harvests, they were to bring the Lord the first fruits of their labor. They were to make a cake from the wheat they reaped and present it to the Lord. This day would be fulfilled when Jesus rose from the dead as God’s first fruit. *** God gave them a way to atone for sins they unintentionally committed. If the whole community failed to carry out the Lord’s laws because they were unaware, then when they became aware, they could offer these sacrifices and be clean. They could offer a burnt offering, a grain offering, and a sin offering and be forgiven. *** If an individual unintentionally sinned and then realized their sin, they could atone also by offering the same offerings for themselves. But, if they brazenly sinned, they blasphemed the Lord and they should be cut off from the community and suffer the punishment for their guilt. *** The opportunity came for them to see this in action. A man was caught gathering wood on the Sabbath. He was brought before Moses, Aaron, and the community and God said he must die. He was taken outside the camp and stoned. *** God told the people to make tassels and to attach them to the hem of their garments with blue thread. This was to remind them to obey the commands of the Lord instead of their own desires. *** Korah, who was a Levite conspired with Dathan and Abiram to rebel against Moses and challenge his leadership. They had convinced 250 others in the camp to follow them. *** Moses told them to meet him with incense burners and God would choose which were holy. They were challenging the fact that only sons of Aaron could go into the Holy of Holies with incense. *** They met the next morning and God showed up. Moses declared what would happen to them and it did. The ground opened up and swallowed them alive - Korah, Dothan, Abiram and all their families. The 250 followers of theirs were killed by fire from the Lord. Their incense burners were pulled from the fire and beaten into thin sheets of bronze and overplayed on the altar as a reminder of what happened. It was to warn anyone who was not a descendant t of Aaron that they should never enter the Lord’s presence to burn incense. *** In Mark, early the next morning, Jesus was taken to Pilate, the Roman governor. Pilate asked him if he was the king of the Jews and he replied, “You have said it.” Pilate listened to all the priests accusations against Jesus. Pilate asked Jesus if he was going to defend himself but Jesus said nothing. *** Every year, the governor would pardon a prisoner during the Passover celebration. He took Barabbas who was a murderer and an insurrectionist and placed him next to Jesus. He asked the crowd to choose which one would die and which would go free. The crowd was incited to vote to crucify Jesus. (This was the picture of the scapegoat ceremony.) Pilate knew Jesus was innocent but he caved to the crowd and released Barabbas and sentenced Jesus to die. *** Jesus was flogged and dressed in a purple robe. They put a crown of thorns on his head and mocked him as a king. Then they dressed him in his own clothes and sent him to be crucified. *** Simon from Cyrene was forced to carry Jesus’ cross to Golgotha which means “place of the Skull. There they nailed him to the cross and threw dice for his clothes. It was nine o’clock in the morning, the time when the high priest would have bound the Pascal lamb to the altar to be the lamb to die for the nation. *** A sign was placed above his head that read, “The king of the Jews. Two sinners were hung on either side of Jesus. *** At noon the sky went dark for three hours until three o’clock. This would be the exact time they would crucify the Pascal lamb and the priest would proclaim, “It is finished.” This was Jesus last cry also and he died. The Roman officers attending the crucifixion exclaimed that this man truly was the Son of God. *** The women who followed Jesus watched everything from afar. Since this happened on the day before the Sabbath, things had to be done quickly so they could be home by 6 to prepare for the Sabbath. *** Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and begged him for Jesus’ body. He took Jesus and laid him in his own hewn tomb. He wrapped his body in linen cloth and rolled a stone over the entrance. Mary Magdalene and Jesus’ mother, Mary saw where Jesus was laid. Lord, may we worship you with honest and pure hearts. Thank you for dying for our sins and taking our place. May we be directed by honesty and humility and bring glory to your name.

Fri.’s Devo - Have Faith!

Read: Numbers 14:1-15:16; Mark 14:53-72; Psalm 53:1-6; Proverbs 11:4 The people chose to believe the fearful report of the ten and refused to hear Caleb’s cry that the Lord was with them - He would help them take the land. *** God was so upset with their lack of faith that he wanted to kill them all right then and begin a new family through Moses, Joshua and Caleb, but Moses talked him out of it. He reminded God of all the heathen people who had been watching them and saw what God did to the Egyptians. For God’s name’s sake, he needed to let the people live. *** God finally said that he would not kill them, but they would never step foot in the land that he had promised - only Joshua and Caleb since they had a different spirit than the rest. They believed God. *** Moses told the people God’s decision. This generation would drop dead in the wilderness, but their children would enter the land. Because of their sin, they would be sentenced to forty years of wandering in the wilderness. The forty years would stand for the forty days they walked through the land. The ten men who had gone as spies and brought back evil reports fell dead of a plague. *** A group of the men were so grieved they decided to repent and go anyway. They were chased back by the Amealekites and Canaanites because God did not go with them. *** God gave them a liquid offering of wine to give along with the other offerings when they finally did get to their land. *** In Mark, Jesus had been taken to the house of the high priest and given a mock trial. It was a set up. They were looking for anything they could legally use to give him the death sentence. When all the witnesses contradicted each other they asked Jesus if he was the Messiah. He told him, “I AM, and you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” *** This was what they had been waiting to hear. They accused him of blasphemy and proclaimed him “guilty”. Their hatred moved them to spit on him, and beat and mock him. *** Meanwhile, out in the courtyard where Peter was waiting, he denied Jesus three times just like Jesus had said he would. When the rouser crowed, he realized his sin and wept bitterly. *** Lord, I never tire of reading your story and what you did for us. May we not lose faith like the children of Israel or miss your visitation like the people of Jesus’ day. May we be awake and aware of the times we are living in and have faith.

Thur.’s Devo - The Invisible Plan

Read: Numbers 11:24-13:33; Mark 14:22-52; Psalm 52:1-9; Proverbs 11:1-3 *** Moses called 70 men he could trust to come to the Tabernacle. All but two came. God came down and put his Spirit upon them and they prophesied. Even the two who did not appear before the Lord prophesied. Joshua found out and told Moses to have the two stop since they didn’t come but Moses was not jealous that God would chose to anoint them anyway. That was God’s business, not his. I wonder what they prophesied because the next day, God sent the quail. They were huge like ducks and flew a few feet from the ground so they were easy to catch. The ones that had stirred up the lust for meat ate like gluttons and God sent a plague to kill them. They named the place Kibroth-hattaavah which means “graves of gluttony”. *** At their next camp, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite woman. God immediately called Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to the Tabernacle to speak to them. God explained that he spoke to prophets in dreams and visions, but to Moses he trusted to speak face to face. There was no man as humble as Moses or that God trusted, so why were they not afraid to criticize him. When God left he was angry and Miriam found she was covered in leprosy. Aaron cried out to Moses to help her. The Lord said to keep her outside the camp for seven days then she would be clean. Then they left for the wilderness of Haran. God told Moses to send a leader from each tribe to go and scout out the land he had promised them. They were to go north and find out what kind of people lived there, what the land was like and if the towns had walls. They were to see if the soil was fertile and if there were many trees. They were to bring back samples of the fruits of the land. They left and went to Hebron and in the valley they cut down a huge cluster of grapes. It was so big that two of them had to carry it on their shoulders. *** After exploring our 40 days, they come back to the camp to report. The land was bountiful with rich soil and flowing with milk and honey. But, the people were much bigger and stronger than them and there were even giants in the land that made them look like grasshoppers. Caleb tried to quiet the people and shouted that they could take them. He was ready to go and fight. The bad reports spread through the camp and discouraged the people. *** In Mark, Jesus finished eating his last supper with his disciples. He told them that the next time he ate with them it would be in the Kingdom of God. They sang a song and left for the Mount of Olives. Jesus told them on the way that the Shepherd was about to be struck and the sheep would scatter. When he rose from the dead, he would meet them in Galilee. Peter, said, he would never desert the Lord. Jesus told Peter that before the rooster crowed he would have denied him three times. Jesus took them to the olive grove called Gethsemane. He told them to pray and took Peter, James, and John further with him. Then he went away from them and sat to talk to God. Jesus prayed that this cup would be taken from him, but he was willing to do his Father’s will. When Jesus returned to his disciples he found them asleep. This happened twice. *** Finally, Judas arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. He greeted Jesus with a kiss and betrayed Jesus to them. Peter pulled a sword and cut off the ear of one of the soldiers. Other gospels tell us that Jesus healed his ear and that he was the servant of the high priest. When they took Jesus, the disciples scattered just as Jesus had said they would. There was a young man clothed only in a long linen shirt. When the mob tried to grab him he escaped without his shirt. I think he was a watcher from heaven that is seen in other scripture through out the Bible. *** In both stories, things were not playing out the way they though they would. The children of Israel thought they were going to a great land that God was going to give them. They didn’t know they would have to wrestle it from giants. The disciples thought that Jesus was their Messiah and would take the Roman Empire. They didn’t understand that he didn’t come to establish that kingdom but a spiritual kingdom. He would come another time to take the worldly kingdom. *** Thank you Lord, that the land you are leading us to is a land full of milk and honey. Let us not be afraid of the giants, because greater is He in us, than he that is in the world. Help us not to let our expectations keep us from believing when things don’t turn out the way we thought they would. We choose to trust in your plan.

Wed.s Devo - Arise, O Lord!

Read: Numbers 10:1-11:23; Mark 14:1-21; Psalm 51:1-19; Proverbs 10:31-32 God told Moses to make two silver trumpets to call the community to assemble and to tell them when to march. If the signal for meeting was sounded on one trumpet only then just the leaders were to meet but if both trumpets sounded they all met. Different signals were given for their annual feasts and sacrifices. When they marched, a trumpet was sounded and they marched with the tribes that camped on the east side first: Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. Then the priests and Levites would march carrying the Tabernacle and its furnishings. By the time all the tribes arrived at their next camp, they would already have the Tabernacle set up. After the Levites, the tribes that camped on the South, then West then North would march. Whenever the Ark would set out to march, Moses would shout, “Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered! Let them flee before you!” And whenever they set down to camp, he would say, “return O Lords, to the countless thousands of Israel.” The people began to complain about the hardships of their lives so God sent a fire to devour some of them. The foreigners from Egypt began to lust for the delicacies of Egypt. They stirred up others to remember what they had left. They complained that all they had to eat now was manna. The manna was food from heaven but they didn’t recognize that. They wanted something different. Moses was exasperated with the people and their complaining. He went to the Lord and presented his complaints about the people. God had a solution. He told Moses to pick 70 men he could trust and tell them to meet with him. God would put his spirit upon them and they would help him rule and judge the people. They would help carry the burden of the people. He told the people that they were to purify themselves because tomorrow He was bringing them meat. It would be for a whole month. They would have so much they wold be sick of it. When Moses questioned how God was going to bring meat for 600,000 men, God asked Moses, “Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!” In Mark, it was two days before the Passover and Jesus was staying at Simon’s house. A woman came in with an expensive bottle of perfume and began anointing Jesus with it. This act upset the religious people. Jesus explained that she was anointing his body for burial and that she would be remembered for this.They thought that the perfume should have been sold and the money go to help so many people who needed help. Judas Iscariot saw it and was so upset, he left to betray Jesus… for money. Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead of them to Jerusalem to set up the place where they would eat the Passover. I don’t know if he spoke it all into being or he just saw into the future of what God had set up, but either way, it happened just as he said it would. When Jesus arrived, everything was ready. Jesus announced that there was a betrayer among them and that it would be far better for that man if he had never been born. Lord, thank you that your arm has not lost its power. Save us and our nation. Arise and let your enemies be scattered

Tues.’s Devo - The Second Coming of Christ

Read: Mark 13:14-37; Psalm 50:1-23; Proverbs 10:29-30 Moses was commanded to light the menorah in the tabernacle where the light shined forward illuminating the room. The Menorah is the seven spirits of God which give us instruction, wisdom, counsel, and understanding of God. The Levites were to be set apart from the rest of the people of Israel. They stood for the redeemed. They were dedicated to the Lord for his service. They went through a ceremony of cleansing which required them to wash their clothes and offer up an offering to the Lord. The Levites began serving in the Tabernacle at the age of 25 and retired at the age of 50. On the fourteenth day of the first month, they were to celebrate the Passover. A few of the Levites were unclean because they had touched a dead body. They went to Moses to ask if they could participate in the Passover. Moses went to the Lord and he said they could participate in the Passover in the next month on the same day. God never turns away a heart that is devoted to him. The people moved when the cloud moved and camped when it stopped. The whole of Israel was led by the priests. They were the government of the people in civil and religious things. This is the way God set it up. There is not separation of church and state in heaven. In Mark, Jesus was answering the question the disciples asked him. Jesus had told them that the walls of Jerusalem would be destroyed. Jesus went into a long description of the end of the days. He continues that discussion today. He describes a time when the Antichrist will bring a sacrilegious object into the sanctuary. This happened in the time when Antiochus Epiphenes ruled. He slaughtered a pig on the altar as a type of the end days. When this happens again it will be time to get out of Jerusalem and flee to the hills. Everyone will be looking for the Messiah only he has already come. Everything will be shaken. Then, Jesus will return in the clouds in his glory. The angels will reap the earth for it is the last harvest of souls. Only the Father knows the day he will send his son back. This will be the Second Coming of Christ. Lord, thank you for revealing yourself to us as our Messiah and Lord. Thank you for being our light and our salvation.

Mon.’s Devo - The Nazarite Vow

Read: Numbers 6:1-7:89;Mark 12:38-13:13; Psalm 49:2-30; Proverbs 10:27-28 The vow of a Nazarite was a voluntary vow a person could choose to make to set himself apart to the Lord for a time. During this time he was to give up drinking or eating anything made from the vine. His hair was to not be cut doing this time and he must not go near a dead body. At the end of their vow they were to offer a sin, burnt, peace, guilt, liquid, and grain offering. He must shave his head at the entrance of the Tabernacle and take the hair and dedicate it by placing it on the fire under the peace offering. The priest would take his offering and set it in the hands of the man. The man must lift this offering before the Lord. Then he would be allowed to drink wine again. Jesus made the Nazarite offering when he offered himself as all the offerings. He offered himself as the offering of the priest and told his disciples, But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. (Matthew 26:29) John the Baptist lived his whole life under a Nazarite vow. On the day that Moses set up the Tabernacle and anointed it and set it apart as holy the leaders of the tribes all brought the same gift. They brought serving platters, incense containers and basins for their tribe. They also brought animals that would be used in sacrifices. In Mark, Jesus told his disciples to be aware of the teachers of the religious law who looked important and holy on the outside but inside were evil and scoundrels. He sat next to the offering box and discerned everyone’s gifts as they gave them. He observed a widow giving two mites and told his disciples that she had given more than all the others because she gave all she had, but they gave out of their abundance. The disciples commented on the magnificent buildings in Jerusalem. Jesus told him the day would come when they would all be demolished. Later, Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him privately and asked when all this would happen. Jesus said many things must happen first: people would say they were the Messiah, there would be rumors of wars, earthquakes, and famines but these are only birth pains. The Church will fall under persecution, and the Good News of the Kingdom would be preached to all nations. Families will betray their own members and cause them to be killed an everyone will hate His followers. But, the one who endures to the end will be saved. Lord, we are living in birth pain. Let us not fear but put our trust in you. Thank you for becoming our offering for sin.

Sun.’s Devo- Revealing the Truth

Read: Numbers 4:1-5:31; Mark 12:18-37; Psalm 48:1-14; Proverbs 10:26 The Levites were divided into three groups. The Kohathites were in charge of the most sacred objects. Aaron and his sons would dismantle the Holy of Holies and cover the ark with blue cloth, then fine goatskin leather. They were to carry the Ark with poles. They were to cover the table where the shewbread was with blue cloth then place the bowls and utensils and cover that with scarlet cloth. On top of that they were to put the same leather goatskin. The lampstand and the incense altar was to be covered with blue cloth, then leather. The incense altar was to be carried with poles. They were to remove the ashes from the brazen altar then it was to be covered with purple cloth. All its utensils were put over the cloth and the whole thing covered with goatskin leather. It was carried with poles also. The Kohathites would carry all these things once covered. Eleazar, the high priest would carry the oil, incense, and grain offering. The Gershonites responsible for carrying all the things pertaining to the Tabernacle itself like the curtains and ropes. The Merarite division was responsible for carrying the frames and everything that had to do with structure. The blue cloth signified that this was a replica of what was in heaven. The goatskin kept the general people from seeing the sacred things of God. The brazen altar was covered with a purple cloth which is a mixture of red and blue. The red represented the blood and the blue represented heaven. Jesus’ blood cleansed the altar in heaven and on earth. God have them instructions how to make restitution when anyone wronged another person. They were to confess their sin and make all restitution adding an additional 20%. We call that ‘pain and suffering’. God gave them a test if a husband suspected his wife of unfaithfulness. The priest was to take holy water and dust from the tabernacle floor and put it in a clay jar. The accused wife was to stand with her hair unbound (totally exposing her) and drink the bitter water. If she was guilty then her womb would shrink and her belly would swell. When she drank it there would be and immediate response of suffering and infertility if she was guilty. This was a warning to Israel of what would happen if they were unfaithful to the Lord. They would have to drink the bitter waters of oppression to test them. If they were guilty then they would appear to be fruitful when they had no fruit. The woman appeared pregnant all the while her womb was shriveled, never to bear fruit again. In Mark, Jesus was asked a masked question by the Sadducees about resurrection. Jesus cut all their pretense and went straight to the point. There was a resurrection. God was not the God of the dead, but the living. One of the teachers thought his answer was so good, he had a question, himself. He asked which of the commandments was the most important. Jesus answerd to love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind; the second most important was to love your neighbor as yourself. The man agreed with his answer and said these things were more important than burnt offerings and sacrifices required by the law. Jesus recognized that this man ‘got it’ and wasn’t far from the Kingdom of God. Jesus also pointed out another teaching they misinterpreted. The Messiah was not the son of David. The Messiah was David’s Lord. Lord, thank you for revealing yourself to us as or Messiah. May we be representatives of your kingdom.

Sat.’s Devo - Camping and Marching

Read: Numbers 2:1-3:51; Mark 11:27-12:17; Psalm 47:1-9; Proverbs 10:24-25 The tribes of Israel camped and marched under their tribe’s banner in a certain order. They were divided into four groups. Judah was the leader of the first group with Issachar and Zebulun after them. They camped east of the tabernacle. Reuben led the second group which camped to the south of the tabernacle. Simeon and Gad were in this group. Ephraim led his group third and they camped west of the tabernacle. They included Manasseh and Benjamin. The last group was led by Dan and they camped north of the tabernacle. They included Asher and Naphtali. From heaven’s view, they made the form of the cross. Judah’s group had the most so they were the bottom of the cross. Ephraim’s group had the lest and they made the top of the cross and the other two on the north and south end had close to the same amount, making the sides of the cross. The Levites marched in the middle carrying the Ark and the tabernacle. The fighting men of the tribes were all counted and recorded but God counted the Levites from the age of one month old. The Levites were divided into three division also: the Gershonites, Kohathites and Merarites. They had different jobs pertaining to the Tabernacle. The Levites now were to take the place of the first born of Israel. There were not enough so they paid five pieces of silver for each as redemption price. The Levites stood for the remnant that would make up the Body of Christ - the redeemed ones that were bought with a price. The rest of the people stood for the masses of people in the field waiting to be redeemed by the blood of Jesus. In John, the teachers of religious law and elders came to him and asked him whose authority was he doing such things. In other words, who was his leader. Jesus knew they were trying to trick him so he turned it back on them. He asked them if John’s authority came from heaven or humans. Now, they were caught. They chose not to answer so he chose not to answer their question. Instead, Jesus gave them a parable with the answer in it. They were the wicked tennant farmers that God had given charge over his law. They had killed all of God’s messengers in the past and now they were planning to kill the master’s son. He told them what God would do in response to this. He would come and kill all of them and lease his vineyard to others. This shut them up and they left. Later, other leaders on Herod’s payroll came up and tried to trick Jesus. They asked him about paying taxes to Caesar. Jesus saw right through their deception and told them to give to Caesar what was owed to Caesar and to God what was owed to God. This shut them up also. Lord, thank you that you have an answer to every situation. You are never caught off-guard or confused. Help us to have that same discernment that we would know how to answer hard questions. Thank you for wisdom.

Fri.s Devo - Warriors for Christ

ReadLeviticus 27:14 - Numbers 1:54, Mark 1:11-26, Psalm 46:11, Proverbs 10:23 If someone wanted to dedicate their house to the Lord, but if he wanted to redeem it he would have to pay an extra 20%. The same goes for land. All property and land would return to the original owner at the Day of jubilee. If a person chooses not to redeem his property in the jubilee then it can not be redeemed later. The first born clean animals are already the Lords, but they could redeem firstborn unclean animals. What I get from all of this is that Jesus redeemed us with a cost. Numbers begins with numbering the people on the first day of the second month. This is meaningful in that it is the month after Passover. People are saved at Passover and numbered the next month. It is interesting that they only numbered the men who could go to war. After we are saved, we are enlisted into Gods army and are sent to spiritual warfare school. Fifty days after the Passover was Pentecost where God gave the Holy Spirit as a gift to help us in or warfare. The tribe of Judah had the most warriors and the tribe of Dan had the second most. Judah is the holy line that Jesus came from and Dan is the unholy line like Judas Iscariot of the disciples. The Levites were not included in the counting because they would carry the presence of the Lord into battle. They represent the warriors of Christ. Each tribe camped at a certain place under their banner. The Levites camped around the Tabernacle to protect the community of Israel from the Lords anger. That is what the Church does. They are the line of defense for our families and others who are chosen but not yet saved. We are their defenders from Satan. Lord, help us to raise your banner high over your people. May we fight the good fight of faith.

Thurs.s Devo - The Way of the Kingdom

Read Leviticus 25:47-27:13; Mark 10:32-52; Psalm 45:1-17 Proverbs 10 22 God gave the people a way to be bought back from slavery. If a person ended up destitute he could sell himself to a wealthy foreigner or a wealthy Israel, but always had the option of being bought back. Anyone from his extended family could buy him back. The price would be negotiated based on the number of years till the net year of bile. The foreigner was not to be allowed to treat them harshly. If the people don’t set up idols and keep the Sabbath and obey Gods commands then the land would yield bountiful harvests. They would live in peace with no fear of war. Their women wold be fertile and multiply. God would walk among them and be their God and they would be his people. If they refused to obey his commands, they would experience terror, disease, blight and defeat. If they continued in sin they would be punished seven times over for their sins. God would withhold the rain which would kill their crops. Wild animals would attack and kill them. Armies would attack and take them as hostages. Plages would destroy them and their food supply. They would eat their own children and their cities would become desolate and the land would lie in ruins. Survivors would be demoralized and live in terror. They would die in the land of their captors. At last, the people would repent and turn back to the Lord. God would remember his covenant with them and redeem them. Chapter 2 tells us the cost of a person to be dedicated to the Lord. They were valued according to their age and gender. A vow which involved an animal’s valet according to its condition and whether it was clean or not clean ames and John secretly asked Jesus if they cold have placed of honor ext to him when he sits on the throne. Jesus told them they had no idea what the cost of gaining those positions. The other disciples caught wind of what they had asked and were indignant. esus told them that the way to earn those positions was by serving and laying down his life. On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus healed a blind man named Bartimeus who then followed Jesus. Lord, may we learn the ways of you kingdom. May we lay down or lives and serve one another because that was what you did.

Wed.’s Devo - The Sabbath Rest

Read: Leviticus 24:1-25:46; Mark 10:13-31; Psalm 44:9-26; Proverbs 10:20-21 The menorah in the Holy Place was to be kept burning continually with pure virgin oil brought by the people. It was the priest’s job to keep the menorah lit and keep bread on the table of shew bread. There were to be 12 baked flat loaves, one for each tribe stacked 6 to a stack. The priests were to eat these loaves in honor of the Lord. They represented God’s ongoing expression of the eternal covenant God made with the Israelites. *** One day, a man whose mother was an Israelite but whose father was an Egyptian got into a fight with an Israelite. He blasphemed God and was brought before Moses to receive judgment. God said to take him outside the camp and the ones who heard the curse were to lay their hands on his head and then the entire community were to stone him to death. *** When they put their hands on his head, they were transferring his curse back to him so it wouldn’t affect them. By doing this they were ridding the camp of sin. *** Then a list was given of the consequence of taking another’s life or the life of an animal. *** Chapter 25 is the other instructions Moses was given on Mt. Sinai pertaining to the Sabbath rest for the land, the year of Jubilee and the law of ownership of land. The Sabbath rest for the land happened every seventh year. The land would be planted and harvested for six years then the seventh it would rest and no planting would be done. This gave the earth a chance to rebuild its natural minerals. During this rest, the people could harvest what grew on its own. *** Every seven Sabbath years - 49 years would be counted and the next year (50th) would be a year of Jubilee. It would begin on the Day of Atonement that year with the blast of a ram’s horn. It was a year of freedom. Everyone was to return to the land that belonged to their ancestors and claim their land. All land transactions were made based on this principle. *** This is a picture of the millennia that Christ will reign. We will return to earth and claim our inheritance. *** In Mark, the parents brought their children to the disciples for Jesus to bless but they turned them away saying Jesus didn’t have time for children. Jesus rebuked the disciples and told them to let the children com to him. He explained that the Kingdom of God belongs to people who are like them. He embraced the children and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them. *** A man came to Jesus calling him Good Master and wanting to know what he could do to inherit eternal life. Jesus gave him some ‘good’ things he should do. When the man said he had done all of them, Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor and then he would have treasure in heaven; then, take up the cross and follow him. The man was very grieved because he had great possessions. *** This man was looking for a ‘work’ that would get him to heaven and not a way. Jesus gave him a way and that was through dying to himself. He wanted a ‘do’ but Jesus gave him a ‘be’. Jesus explained that with God all things are possible. It was not impossible for a rich man to enter heaven they just had to do it God’s way. Then Jesus gave all the riches that this man could have had in the world to come - the Sabbath rest. Lord, help us to lay down our lives for the gospel and pick up our cross and follow you.