Sun.’s Devo - Prepare the Way

Read: Judges 11:1-12:15; John 1:1-28; Psalm 101:1-8; Proverbs 14:13-14 Israel was threatened by the coming attack of the Ammonites. They wanted their land back that Israel had been given by God when they came to Canaan with Moses. The leaders of Gilead promised that whoever would lead the attack would be made the ruler over Gilead. The problem was that they had no strong warrior to lead then. *** Previously, there had been a man that would have been perfect for the part. He had been the son of a concubine who had been driven away by the sons and fled to Tob where he had a formed a band of rebels. His name was Jephthah. ***They came to Jephthah to ask him to lead their attack and promised to make him their ruler. When he realized they were serious he agreed to do it. They made him their ruler and he sent a message to the king of Ammon asking him why they were attacking them. The king explained how they stole their land 300 years ago and they wanted it back. Jephthah replied that they didn’t steal their land, God gave them their land because they wouldn’t let them pass through peacefully. They needed to take up their matter with their god Chemesh, who didn’t defend them then. *** The king of Ammon didn’t ’t pay any attention to his explanation so Jephthah went throughout the land of Gilead and Manasseh gatherng an army to fight the Ammonites. Jephthah foolishly vowed that if the Lord gave him victory, he would sacrifice the first thing that came out of his house when he returned. God did give him a great victory and when he returned home, his only daughter was the one who came out of his house first. He was distressed but she told him he had to keep his vow. She asked for two months to go into the mountains and mourn her virginity. He allowed her to do so then offered her up as a sacrifice to the Lord. *** Once again, the men of Ephraim got upset because no one had invited them to the war. Jephthah said he did and they refused to come. The conflict ended in a battle against Ephraim and Jephthah won. They set up a station so that when an Ephraimite wanted to cross the Jordan into their land they could stop him. They would ask them to say the word Shibboleth. The Ephraimites had a speech impediment that kept them from being able to pronounce it right, so they ended up killing 42,000 Ephraimites trying to cross into their land. *** Jephthah ruled only 6 years and died. Ibzan judged Israel next. He caused his family to grow by making his 30 sons and 30 daughters marry outside their clan bringing more people into his family. He ruled for 7 years. *** The next judge, Elon judged for 10 years, then Hillel ruled. He had 40 sons and 30 grandsons who all rode on donkeys. Riding on donkeys was a sign of kingship. Jesus rode in the womb on a donkey and then again into Jerusalem as our coming king. *** John is the Genesis of the New Testament. It goes back to the very beginning and explains that Jesus was there with God creating the world with God. He was the light that God declared “Let there be.” John the Baptist was sent to prepare men’s hearts to receive the light that had come to earth and would soon stand before them as a testimony of all God had said in his Word. *** When John the Baptist came on the scene talking about the coming Messiah, the priests and leaders of the Temple sent ambassadors to ask John who he was. He told them that he was not the Messiah or Elijah, but just a voice proclaiming to clear the way for the Lord’s coming. They asked him how he had the authority to baptize and he told them he was only baptizing with water but one would come whose sandals he was not worthy to unloose. *** Lord, thank you for brave warriors of the faith that have risen throughout history to lead the people into war. Thank you for our spiritual leaders today who are not afraid to stand against the evil of our day. May we support them with prayer and any other way you lead us. Thank you for victory.

Sat.s Devo - Turning Points

Read: Judges 9:22-10:18; Luke 24:13-53; Psalm 100: 1-5; Proverbs 14:11-12 Abimelech had killed all his 70 brothers and ruled Shechem for three years. God was not pleased with what he had done, so he sent a spirit of dissension into the city. Gaal and his brothers moved to Shechem and stirred up the people to rebel against Abimelech and his deputy, Zebul. *** When Zebul heard Gaal had raised up an army, he found Abimelech in Arumah and told him to come by night with an army, hide out in the fields and attack in the morning. The leading citizens of Shechem battled against Abimelech. Abimelech’s army won and chased Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem. Then the city rose up to fight Abimelech. Eventually, Abimelech captured the city and leveled it, scattering salt all over the ground. The survivors ran into the Temple of Baal-berith. Abimelech set it on fire killing around 1,000 people. *** Abimelech went to the town of Thebez and captured it. The entire population of the town ran into the tower outside the town for safety. As Abimelech was preparing wood to set the tower on fire, a woman dropped a millstone and it landed on Abimelech’s head crushing his skull. He told his armor bearer to drive his sword through him so they would not say he was killed by a woman, so he did. This is how God punished Abimelech for killing Gideon’s sons. *** Tola was the next judge to rescue Israel. He was from the tribe of Issachar and lived in the town of Shamir. He ruled for 23 years. Jair was next to rule and did so for 22 years. His 30 sons ruled 30 towns of Jair. When he died, Israel went back into idolatry and worshipped Baal and Ashroreth. God turned them over to the Philistines and the Amorites. Israel finally cried out to the Lord for help and repented for leaving their God. God reminded the of all the nations he had rescued then from and told them he would no longer rescue them. *** In the meantime, Israel was about to be attacked by the Ammonites at Gilead. The leaders of Gilead said that whoever attacked the Ammonites first would rule over all the people of Gilead. We will find out tomorrow what happened. *** In Luke, it had been three days since Jesus was crucified and all the people who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover were returning home. Two men from Emmaus were walking home discussing all that had happened to Jesus. Jesus suddenly appeared and began walking with them. They didn’t recognize him. He asked them what they were talking about and they were amazed he hadn’t heard. They told he how they had hoped this man, Jesus was the Messiah, but he was turned over by the priests and crucified. But, the women who followed Jesus had found his tomb empty and angels had told them that Jesus was alive. *** Jesus then took them through the scriptures showing them all the things Moses had said and written and all the things the prophets had foretold about the Messiah. He explained to them exactly what had happened according to the scriptures. They were amazed and when they sat to eat and Jesus broke the bread, their eyes were opened and they recognized them. He disappeared. *** They went back to Jerusalem and found the eleven disciples and told them what had happened to them and testified that Jesus was alive. As they were talking, Jesus showed up in the room and told them not to be afraid. He showed them his hands and feet where the nails had been. He asked them for something to eat and they watched in wonder as he ate. He taught the the same thing he had taught the two men on the road. He promised to send them the Holy Spirit. They were to stay in the city until it came and filled them with power. *** Jesus led them to Bethany where he blessed them and ascended up to heaven as they watched. They returned to Jerusalem filled with joy and praise. *** Amazing how fast things can turn around when Jesus enters the situation. He is always there but not always visible to us. When we see and understand his plan, things take on a whole new perspective. *** Lord, may we see you in the midst of our situation today. You turn our heart to joy and praise.

Fri.’s Devo - The New Covenant

Read: Judges 8:18-9:21; Luke 23:44-24:12; Psalm 99:1-9; Proverbs 14:9-10 Zebah and Zalmunna where finally captured by Gideon and he asked them about the men they killed at Tabor. They told them they all looked like him. Gideon realized that they had killed his family and told his oldest son, Jether to kill them. Jether was only a kid and couldn’t do it so Gideon did it himself. *** The people of Israel wanted to make Gideon their king and Gideon refused, but he did ask for everyone to give him a gold earring from their spoils. (Reminds me of the same request Aaron asked for to make the golden calf.) Gideon made an ephod and the people and Gideon worshipped it. It ended up leading them into idolatry. When Gideon died they called it Baal-Berith meaning “lord of the covenant.” *** Gideon had had 70 sons with his many wives, and one son, Abimelech with a concubine from Shechem. When Gideon died, Israel forgot all Gideon had done for them and showed no respect for his family. Abimelech rose up and went to the elders of Shechem and proposed that they make him their ruler instead of Gideon’s 70 sons. They gave him 70 silver coins to raise up an army to kill the 70 sons of Gideon. They killed them all except Jotham, the youngest, who escaped and hid. *** The leading citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo met under an oak beside the pillar at Shechem. This was the place of many covenants from Abraham to Joshua. This is also the place that Jesus met the woman at the well and showed her the new covenant. This day, it was a place of warning. They made Abimelech their king and Jotham stood on Mt. Gerizim and shouted to them. He told them of all the “trees” who had been asked to be king and all refused until they asked a thornbush, who stood for Abimelech. Jotham told them that if they had acted honorably toward Gideon and his descendants then may they find joy in their decision, but if they hadn’t then may fire come out from the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo and devour Abimelech. Jotham then escaped to Beer. *** In Luke, Jesus was on the cross and the sky went dark for three hours. The curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple torn apart exposing the Ark, the presence of God. Now, all were welcomed into the presence of the Lord. Jesus entrusted his spirit into God’s hands and breathed his last breath on earth. *** When the Roman officers saw how Jesus died they said, “surely this is an innocent man.” They went home in deep sorrow. *** Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the Sanhedrin and he had not agreed with what they did to Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. He took it down and wrapped it in linen and laid it in his tomb that was hewn out of a rock. He had to hurry before the Sabbath began. The women who loved Jesus watched from afar. They went home and prepared spices to bring back. *** They returned on the morning after the Sabbath and found the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. They went in but the body was not there. Two men appeared in dazzling white and told them that He wasn’t there, he had risen! They remembered that Jesus had told them he would rise from the dead. They had not understood it then. They ran to tell the disciples and Peter came to see for himself. *** This was the culmination of all the Old Testament and New Testament prophecies. This was the beginning of the new covenant of love and life. It was no longer about sacrifice and blood but inner sacrifice and the power of blood already spilled. Sin was defeated and taken away and the way was made to God. *** Lord, let us experience the miracle of this day anew in our hearts. Thank you for sending your beloved son to be the sacrifice for our sins. Thank you for taking our sin away and giving us hope and life. May we live in life and power not shame and sin.

Thurs.’s Devo - God’s Perspective

Read: Judges 7:1-8:17; Luke 23:13-43; Psalm 97:1-98:9; Proverbs 14:7-8 Today we see them call Gideon: Jerub-baal which means “Baal will be contended with”. In other words, the people recognized that Gideon had challenged Baal and won. God ad defended Gideon against any attack or revenge of Baal’s. *** So many warriors responded to Gideon’s call to war that God told Gideon he had too many men. They would think they won because of their own power and God wanted them to know it was He who would cause them to win. He told the ones who were afraid to go home and 22,000 went home. God said it was still too many, so he told Gideon to bring them down to the spring and choose the ones who lapped putting their hands to their mouth. Their were 300. God would use these to deliver Midian. Gideon sent the rest to their tents. *** God wanted to strengthen Gideon for the battle so he told him that if he was afraid, he should take Purah down to the enemy camp and listen. He did and when they got there they heard two Midianites talking. One of them had dreamed of a barley cake falling down into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent and flattened it. The other man interpreted his dream as being Gideon and his army getting victory over them. Gideon heard this and worshipped and thanked God. *** Gideon went back to camp and woke up his 300 men and told them that God had given them victory over the Midianite horde. He divided them into three groups of 100 and gave each man a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch in it. *** He told them to follow his lead. When they got to the enemies’ camp his group was to blow their horns and shout “For the Lord and for Gideon!” Then the other groups would blow their horns, shout and break their jars to expose their torches. *** This threw the Midianite camp into such a state of confession, they attacked each other with their swords. Those who lived fled with Gideon’ army chasing them. Gideon sent for the armies of Naphtali, Asher, Manasseh and Ephraim asking then to cut them off at the Jordan River. *** The men of Ephraim captured the two commanders Oreb and Zeeb and brought their heads to Gideon. The men of Ephraim were mad at Gideon for not asking them to join them at the beginning, but Gideon diffused their anger by telling them that they did the best thing by killing the officers. *** By the time Gideon’s army of 300 reached the Jordan they were exhausted and hungry. They asked the town of Succoth to feed them as they were chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the Midianite kings. The people of Succoth said they would only feed them after they had captured the men. Gideon told him that when he returned he would tear their flesh with thorns and briers. The men of Peniel told him that same and he told them when he returned, he would tear down their tower. *** Gideon did capture the kings and returned to whip the 77 officers of Succoth and he tore down the tower of Peniel just like he promised. *** In Luke, Pilate and Herod found Jesus innocent of any crime. Pilate had him flogged and planned to release him, but the crowd rose up with vengeance. They cried out as one saying “Crucify him!” When asked about Barabbas, they cried, “Release him!” So Pilate turned Jesus over to them to do as they wished. *** The Roman offers grabbed Simon from Cyrene to carry Jesus’ cross for him. Many weeping women followed. Jesus turned to them and told them not to weep for him but for their children yet to be born. *** They led Jesus out to the place called “The Skull” and nailed him to the cross between two criminals. The soldiers gambled for his clothes. The leaders and the Roman soldiers mocked him as well as one of the criminals hanging beside him. The other criminal humbly asked Jesus to remember him when he came to his kingdom. Jesus assured him that he would be with him in paradise. *** It is amazing that those the furthest from Jesus understood and feared God the most. Those too emotionally involved were blinded to the truth. This is a great lesson to us that sometimes it is good to step back and look at our situations from a distance rather than so close up. *** Lord, may we gain your perspective in what we are going through in our lives today. May we step back and see the big picture rather than our narrow view that is full of emotions and opinions. Let your will be done.

Wed.’s Clothed in Power - Devo

Read: Judges 6:1-40; Luke 22:54-23:12; Psalm 95:1-96:13; Prover s 14:5-6 The people of Israel fell back into idolatry so God handed them over to the cruel Midianites for 7 years. They were so oppressive that the Israelites had to hide in strongholds in the caves and in the mountains. Every time their crops would be ready for harvesting, the raiders from Midian, Amelek and the people of the east would come and raid their harvest. *** Israel cried out to the Lord and he sent an angel to Gideon. He found Gideon threshing wheat in the bottom of a winepress. He was hiding, hoping to harvest his wheat so that the raiders couldn’t see him. The angel addressed him as a mighty man of valor. Gideon didn’t feel close to being a mighty man of valor. The angel told him what he saw in him because God was going to make him that. God sees us the same way. He sees what we are destined to become and calls us that. It is our choice to let God become that in us. *** Gideon knew the wonderful things God had done for his people in the past and questioned why all this had happened to them. The angel didn’t address their sin but told Gideon that he was chosen to deliver the people and God would be with him. *** The angel of the Lord told Gideon that it would be like he was only fighting one man. Gideon asks for a sign and the angel was happy to give him one. (It would be like asking to see a lawman’s badge just to know that they were legit.) Gideon prepared a sacrifice and the Lord consumed it with fire from heaven. Gideon knew then that this was from God and was overwhelmed with the fear of the Lord. He was so convicted, he built an altar to the Lord and offered a bull that was his father’s. This bull was seven years old - as old as their rebellion had been. He cut down the altar to Baal and the Ashterah pole of his father’s. “Gideon” means “cutter downer”. *** The next morning when the people saw that the altar to Baal had been replaced by an altar to the Lord, they were not happy. They demanded that Gideon’s father give his son over to them to punish him. He told them to let Baal defend himself if he was a god. *** The three enemies formed an alliance against Israel and crossed to Jordan together. The Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with power. (What a statement!) He blew the ram’s horn to call the tribes to war and sent messengers to the tribes of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali which were the ones the closest in proximity. *** Gideon still needed confirmation so he asked for two more signs with the fleece and the dew and God answered both of them. God is not upset when we need confirmation. He is the God of signs and wonders. That is his language. *** In Luke, Peter denied Jesus three times while Pilate could find no reason to condemn him. The haters mocked and abused Jesus. The only thing that Jesus said was “You say that I am.” He agreed with what was true but only if they said it. *** Pilate feared God enough to not want to be the one to condemn him. He sent him to Herod Antipas who only wanted to see Jesus do a miracle. Jesus had nothing to say to him so he sent him back to Pilate. *** How different Gideon and Pilate was. Gideon’s heart was sincere, so God gave him sign after sign. Pilate wanted to be entertained by Jesus and received nothing. *** Lord, we ask for your Holy Spirit to clothe us with his power and be obvious in our lives. May we know the signs that you give us everyday and interpret the rightly. Thank you for your Word which is a light to our path.

Tues.’s Devo - Dark and Light

Read: Judges 4:1-5:31; Luke 22:P3553; Psalm 94:1-21; Proverbs 14:3-4 After Ehud died, Israel went back to idolatry and God urned them over to King Jabin of Hazor. He was a Canaanite whose army commander was Sisera. Sisera ruthlessly oppressed Israel for twenty years. *** Deborah judged Israel at the time from under the tree between Ramah and Bethel in Ephraim. She sent for Barak from the land of Naphtali and told him the Lord was calling him to lead his army of 10,000 against Sisera. God would give him victory. *** Barak said that the only way he would go was if Deborah went with him. She agreed but said that if she went, he would not get the honor of the victory. It would go to a woman. *** Barak led his men in a battle with Sisera’s army and chased Sisera’s army all the way to where Sisera came from. Sisera had escaped on foot and ended up at the tent of Jael who was a Kenite. Jael thought she was on his side and went into her tent where she gave him some milk and he fell fast asleep. She killed him with a tent peg she drove into his temple with a hammer. Jabin defeated the army but Jael got the honor because she killed the commander. Deborah wrote a song explaining the whole battle giving honor to Jael. Israel had peace in their land for 40 years. *** Jesus reminded his disciples how he sent them out with nothing but the clothes on their back and they needed nothing else. Things were now changing and he was about to be arrested. They would now need a sword and money and provisions. They found two swords and Jesus said it was enough. He then left to pray on the Mount of Olives. He told them to pray with him. He went away from the group and an angel came and strengthened him for what was coming. Every time he came to check on his disciples, he found them asleep. *** Judas and a crowd approached them. Judas greeted Jesus with a kiss. Jesus asked him if this was how he was going to betray him… with a kiss. The disciples wanted to use their swords and Peter did. He struck at the high priest’s slave cutting off his ear. Jesus touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus asked them why they had to arrest him in the darkness when he was openly preaching in the light. He was making the point to them that what they were doing was wrong, They should know by the way they were having to do it. Evil is done in darkness. *** Lord, help us to walk in the light where you are. May our light shine today for all to see and for you to receive glory.

Mon.’s Devo - God’s Faithful Love

Read: Judges 2:10-3:31; Luke 22:14-34; Psalm 92:1-93:5; Proverbs 14:1-2 Todays reading is the saddest story. It could read “America” in the place of Israel. *** That generation died and the next did not serve the Lord. They did not remember the things God had done for them as a nation and a people that God had called his own. They chose to serve Baal and Ashtoraeth. This caused God to turn them over to their enemies and they were no longer able to resist them. God fought against them. *** When they got desperate, they would cry out to God and he would send a judge who would lead them in victory. But when that judge died, they would return to idolatry and evil. God had left nations in their land to test them to see if they would follow God and teach them to fight. They were the Philistines, Canaanites, Sidonians, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and the Hivites. *** The first judge God raised up was Othniel which means “the seasonal speaking of God”. He was Caleb’s nephew. He went up against the king of Aram and won. Israel had 40 years of peace. When he died, Israel went back to their idolatry and God raised up the king of Moab against them. They served the king of Moab, Eglon for 18 years bringing him tribute every year. *** The people cried out to the Lord and God raised up Ehud to defeat the king Eglon. He went in with a two-edged sword and stabbed him. Because he was so fat, the knife was lost in his layers of skin. Ehud escaped to Seirah, in Ephraim and sounded a call to arms. They attacked and killed about 10,000 of Moab’s strongest warriors and there was peace for 80 years. Later, Ehud killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad. *** In Luke, Jesus sat down to eat his last supper with his disciples. He told them he would not eat this meal again until its meaning was fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. In other words, he would not eat the Passover meal with his followers until the meaning of Passover was understood. The Passover was the picture of his crucifixion which was given to God’s people to practice year after year, so that when it happened they would remember what they did and understand what it meant. *** Jesus was the lamb that they slaughtered every year and everything that they did to that lamb, was done to Jesus. Jesus explained to them that night that the wine they drank represented his blood which would be poured out to cover and take away the sin of the world The bread was his body which would be broken for them. Jesus took the cup that was to be drunk after the supper and said that it was the new testament, the new covenant he was making with them. *** Jesus said that the very one who would deliver him up to the enemy was sitting with them at the table and much grief would be his for doing this great betrayal. The disciples argued about who would betray him and who would be the greatest. Jesus tried to show them the way to the top was to stay at the bottom and serve. *** Jesus turned to Simon and assured him that he had prayed for him that Satan’s will would not win in his life. Jesus knew that he would face great temptation and failure. He told him that before the cock crowed he would deny him three times. *** I think Jesus told this to Simon to say that he knew he would fall but he loved him so much he had prayed that his failure wouldn’t ruin him. This is the faithful love of our Great Shepherd. *** Lord, may we not be devastated by our failures but rise to fight again. This life is our test. This is the pre-life to prepare us for our heavenly life. May we stay faithful till the end.

Sun.’s Devo - Successes and Failures

Read: Judges 1:1-2:9; Luke 21:29-22:13; Pslm 90:1-91:16; Proverbs 13:24-25 Joshua had died and the tribe of Judah was ready to take possession of their land. They asked Simeon to help them since Simeon’s land was in the middle of theirs. They promised to help Simeon get their land in return. They were successful. They defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites but let Kibng Adoni-bezek live. They cut off his thumbs and big toes as he had done to his enemies. They conquered their part of Jerusalem, burning it down. *** Caleb promised his daughter in marriage for anyone who led the battle against Kiriath-sepher. Othniel did and became his son-in-law. Acsah urged Othniel to ask for the springs of water in the Negev she already had. He gave her the upper and lower springs. (I find it interesting that it is the women who were never satisfied with their land and were the ones to ask for more.) *** Next, we have a long list of the tribes who failed to drive out the enemies in their land. Judah, Simeon, Benjamin, Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali and Dan all failed to drive out the enemies in their land. The angel of the Lord rebuked them because they had made covenants with the people they swore they wouldn’t, and they didn’t destroy their altars. He told them that he would no longer go before them and drive out their enemies. Their enemies would be thorns in their sides and a constant temptation to them. *** The people were very sad. They served the Lord as long as they had a living testimony of what God had done. Once all the leaders who had witnessed God’s hand had died, the people fell into idolatry. *** Jesus had just finished giving them the list of things that would happen in the end. He said that when these things all happen they could know that the Kingdom of God is near. He warned them not to be distracted with coping mechanisms like partying or worrying, but to stay alert. Pray to stay strong so you can escape these coming horrors. *** Their day of temptation was coming. Satan entered Judas and he went to talk about how to betray Jesus to the religious leaders. *** Meanwhile, Jesus sent some of his disciples ahead of him to find the place God had prepared for them to have their last supper together. It was all prepared for them. Lord, our lives are full of successes and failures. May we learn from our mistakes and draw near to you and discern the days we are living in.

Sat.’s Devo - The Beginning and the End

Read: Joshua 24:1-33; Luke 21:1-28; Psalm 89:38-52; Proverbs 13:20-23 Joshua had all the leaders in the community of the tribes come to Shechem to meet with him. He told them the story of their conception as a nation. God had taken Abraham from beyond the Euphrates where his family worshipped other gods. God led Abraham to leave and come to Canaan where he walked the land. He gave him a son, Isaac. He gave Issac two sons: Jacob and Esau. He gave Esau the mountains of Seir but sent Jacob and his descendants to Egypt. *** God sent Moses and Aaron to bring them out of Egypt with a strong hand and signs and wonders. He gave them victory over the “ites” in the land and gave them the land they had not worked, towns they didn’t build and vineyards and olive groves they did not plant. He told them to put away the gods that their ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Joshua proclaimed that he and his house would serve the Lord. *** The people responded that they would also serve the Lord. Joshua warned them that if they didn’t serve God, he would become an adversary to them. The people promised that they would serve the Lord so Joshua made a covenant with them and God and rolled a huge stone beside the Tabernacle to be a witness of their decision. Then he sent them home. *** Joshua died at 110 and was buried in his town of Timnath-serah in the country of Ephraim. The people had served the Lord during his lifetime. *** Joseph’s bones were buried in Shechem which became a city of refuge. Eleazar died and was buried in the same place Joshua was buried. *** In Luke, Jesus pointed out the gift of a poor widow who only gave two mites while others were pouring great offerings into the coffers. He said, her gift was greater because she gave all she had. *** The disciples commented on the great structure of the temple and all the decorations on the walls. Jesus said that one day it would be completely demolished with not one stone left on top of the other. *** They wanted to know when this would happen and he told them all the signs to look for before he comes back. There would be wars, earthquakes, famines and plagues. Before this there would be great persecution for his followers. But they didn’t need to be afraid, because in standing firm, they would win their souls. *** Jerusalem would be trampled by Gentiles until their time was through. There would be strange signs in the sun, moon and stars. Everything on earth and in the heavens would be shaken. Then, everyone would see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. *** Lord, help us to endure till the end being faithful and giving all that we have. Thank you that you gave us all that you are. You have truly blessed our souls with hope and joy.

Fri.’s Devo - A Witness

Read: Joshua 22:21-23:16; Luke 20:P27-47; Psalm 89:14-37; Proverbs 13:17-19 The people of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh had been accused of setting up a pagan altar to worship other gods. They finally got to explain that it was not an altar to offer sacrifices but a memorial to remind them and the other tribes that they were part of Israel and worshiped the same god they did. Once Eleazar the priest heard their explanation he was satisfied as well as Joshua and the other tribal leaders. They named the memorial “Witness” because it was a witness between the tribes on the west side of the Jordan and the tribes on the east side of the Jordan that the Lord is their God too. *** Joshua became old and knew he was soon going to die so he called all the elders, leaders, judges and officers to him to have one last meeting. He reminded them of all God had done for them and why. He warned them to obey all the things Moses wrote in the Book of Instruction and not to deviate one iota. He told them not to even mention the names of their gods, much less swear by them and serve them or worship them. He reminded them how the Lord drove out the enemies before them and would continue to do so. All the promises that God gave them had come true. But also, everything he promised for the bad would also happen if they turned away. *** Jesus was approached by the Sadducees who didn’t believe in the resurrection. They asked him an off-handed question to trick him. He saw straight through it and proved to them that there was a resurrection, gaining the respect of the Pharisees who believed in the resurrection. Then he proved that the Messiah was not the son of David but the Lord of David. He was constantly schooling the professors of the day which made them so mad. *** He confronted them openly with their hypocrisy. Today he pointed out how they loved to look important and pious when they were really cheating widows out of their property while covering it up with long prayers in public to look good. He wanted them to know that they didn’t look good in heaven and they wouldn’t get away with it in the resurrection. *** Lord, help us to remember all the promises you have fulfilled in our lifetime. Thank you for all the witnesses we have in our lives to remind us of your faithfulness and goodness.

Thurs.’s Devo - Good Answers

Read: Joshua 21:1-22:20; Luke 20:1-26: Psalm 89:1-13; Provers 13:15-16 The Levites met with Eleazar the priests, Joshua, and the leaders of the tribes about their land. Moses had commanded that each of the tries give them towns and pasturelands out of their grants of land. It was decided that the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin should give 10 towns for the Kohathite clan. The tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh allowed 12 towns to the Gershonites. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun allotted 12 towns to the Merari clan. So the Levites moved into their towns. Some of the towns were set aside as cities of refuge. *** When it was all said and done, everyone had their land and could settle into their towns. Not one of the good promises the Lord had given them was left unfulfilled. Everything God had said had come true. *** Joshua told the tribes that had settled on the east side (Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh) that they could return home. They had fulfilled their promise to fight to get the land for the other tribes. On their way home, they stopped at Geliloth near the Jordan River and they built a large imposing altar. When the other tribes heard about it, they were appalled and sent delegates to rebuke them. They reminded them of time they built altars to other gods and God was so angry he struck the entire community with a plague. They asked them why they would do such an abominable thing. Tomorrow we will read their answer. *** The Pharisees challenged Jesus demanding him to tell them who gave him the authority to do what he did. Jesus answered them with a question. He asked them whose authority did John the Baptist operate under - God’s or man’s? They were between a rock and a hard place. Whatever they answered it would nail them. They couldn’t answer, so Jesus told them he wouldn’t answer their question either. I love how Jesus handled the “media” of his day. *** Then Jesus told them a parable about the owner of a vineyard who leased his vineyard to tenants. When he sent delegates to collect the proceeds, they would beat them. He finally sent his only son thinking they would respect him, They killed him instead. He asked them what they thought the owner would do. He would come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others. The religious leaders realized he was speaking to them. They were the wicked farmers. This made them so mad but because they were afraid of what the people would do if they arrested Jesus, they plotted instead. They sent spies to try to trick Jesus into answering something in a way they could accused him. One of theses spies asked Jesus if they should pay taxes to Caesar or not. He saw right through that one and asked for a coin. He asked them whose face was on the coin. They answered that if was Caesar’s. Jesus told them to give to Caesar what was due him and give to God what was due him. The spies and the people were amazed. *** Lord, thank you for your Holy Spirit who gives us answers to the trickery of man. You are wiser and higher than anything on earth. We are so glad to be a part of your kingdom. Thank you that you do not let one good promise go unfulfilled.

Wed.’s Devo - God’s Justice

Read: Joshua 19:1-20:9; Luke 19:28-48; Psalm 88:1-28; Proverbs 13:12-14 If you were to look at a map of the tribes of Israel you would see that Simeon’s land is right in the middle of Judah because Judah’s land was too large for them. Their territory is south of Jerusalem. *** The next allotments went to Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and Dan. They were all north of Jerusalem. Joshua chose to live in Temnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. *** Once they had their territories mapped out they were told to set up cities of refuge where the innocent without alibi’s could go and receive divine justice. Justice is a foundational stone of God’s kingdom. Six of the cities were set up strategically where they were accessible to everyone. The cities were Hebron, Kedesh, Bezer, Ramoth, Shechem and Golan. *** God prepared the way for Jesus all the way to the cross. The donkey was just where Jesus told them it would be and once they told the one in charge of it why they wanted it, they weren’t stopped. The people who praised Jesus were on their way to Jerusalem also for the Passover. Jesus began his journey on the donkey the same time the Passover lamb was making its way to Jerusalem. There would be one lamb that was called the Pascal lamb that would be sacrificed last on Passover. He would die for the whole nation. He would be strapped to the altar at the same time Jesus would be nailed to the cross. He would lay on the altar while all the other lambs were being sacrificed. At the end of the day, he would be sacrificed and then the priest would say, “It is finished,” and Passover would be over. This was the exact time Jesus would say those same three words on the cross and die for the whole world. *** The praises that they gave to Jesus as they lay their palm branches before him were the Hallel that they would sing on the way to Jerusalem. It is found in Psalm 113-118. *** Jesus went first to the Temple to cleanse it once again of the money changers and the people selling animals for sacrifice. He declared that God’s temple was to be a house of prayer, not a den of theives. Then Jesus taught the people the law of God. The people hung on every word but the teachers of the religious law met to plan how to kill him. *** Lord, thank you that you always have the last word. You always bring justice. You did for Jesus and you will for us. Help us to see that your kingdom is perfect and if we live in it, we will be justified. Your justice declares us righteous because of the blood of Jesus.

Tues.’s Devo - Allotments

Read Joshua 16:1-18:28; Luke 19:1-27; Psalm 87:1-7: Proverbs 13:11 Joseph’s descendants included Ephraim and Manasseh. Jacob, Joseph’s father had adopted Joseph’s sons as his own so they each got an inheritance in the promised land. Ephraim was the oldest, but God had said that Manasseh would be a greater nation than Ephraim. (Gen. 48;19) Manasseh’s land was much bigger than Ephraim’s. *** Ephraim was given their land and they were not able to drive out the Canaanites out of Gezer so they made them their slaves. *** Manasseh had half of their land on the eastern side of the Jordan and half on the western side. One of their families was the family of Zelophehad. He only had daughters so they went to Moses to ask if they could have an inheritance in their father’s name, and he granted them their own land. The descendants of Mansaseh were also unable to drive out the Canaanites and they had to make them their slaves also. *** The Israelites gained control of the land and set up the Tabernacle in Shiloh. There remained seven tribes who had not received their allotted land. Joshua told them to send out three men from each tribe to go scout out the rest of the land and bring him a written report of what the land was like. From their report, Joshua would divide out the rest of the land among the seven tribes. From Shiloh, Joshua cast sacred lots in God’s presence to determine which tribe would have each section. Benjamin got the first lot. *** In Luke, Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector of the town and had a great desire to see Jesus. He was one of the rich that Jesus had said that with God all things are possible. He had such a transformation, he wanted to return the money he had swindled from people. He was truly repentant and changed. Right after this great transformation in Zacchaeus happened, Jesus told the parable about the three people that God gave money to. The one he gave 10 talents which he made 10 times that much for his master. The one who he gave 5 gained 5 times as much but the one who he gave one talent, buried his in the dirt. He lost his to the one who had made 10 times as much because he understood how to use what you had been given. *** Zacchaeus understood how to make money and when he became a new creature, he took all his talents and invested them into the kingdom. God would bless him with more. *** Lord, may everything we do be an investment into your Kingdom.

Mon.’s Devo - Have Mercy

Read: Joshua 15:1-63; Luke 18:18-43; Psalm 86:1-17; Proverbs 13:9-10 Today we read the boundaries for the tribe of Judah. If you look on a map of the tribes in the back of your Bible you will see that the land given to the tribe of Judah was one of the largest land masses of the tribes other than Manasseh. Judah’s land is the southern most lot. and shared Jerusalem with Benjamin. It is interesting to see that Jerusalem has always been a well-contested city. The last thing we read is that the tribe of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites, who lived in the city of Jerusalem and they live among the people of Judah to this day. I would have to say that that statement is still true. The true Jews were replaced by the Zionists back in 1917 by the Boulfour Declaration signed by Walter Rothschild. It looked like a good thing for the Jews to establish a land for them but it was a two-edged sword. The true Jews were pushed out in favor of “Zionists” which were Kazarians who identified as “Jews”. The spiritual battle for God’s chosen people and their land is deeper than it looks and the war is still being waged in heaven and on the earth for God’s people and their land. *** In Luke, a religious leader came to Jesus to be justified. He asked Jesus what he could DO to inherit eternal life. The religious leaders were all about works. He wanted a law he could obey or an act that would merit his right to his inheritance. It doesn’t work that way in the Kingdom of God but Jesus knew exactly what he was asking so he gave him something he could DO. When he realized he couldn’t do it he went away sad. Jesus turned to his disciples and said that it was hard for the rich - those who thought they were rich - to enter the Kingdom of God but what was impossible with man was possible with God. To enter the Kingdom of God you have to give up everything to gain everything. *** Jesus told the disciples why they had to keep going to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was where they killed the prophets and he would die where the prophets prophesied he would. *** On his way, he met a blind beggar who cried out for Jesus to have mercy on him. Jesus did have mercy on him and healed him. *** Lord, may we seek your Kingdom and live by faith. Have mercy on our land and your children.

Sun.’s Devo - Taking the Land

Read: Joshua 13:1-14:15; Luke 18:1-17; Psalm 85:1-13; Proverbs 13:7-8 Joshua was growing old and there was still land to conquer and dole out. They had not conquered the land of the Philistines which was in the land that ended up being Judah’s. This would be where David would spend much of his life running from Saul. God told them that He would drive out the people before them. All Joshua had to do was to assign it to a tribe. Their job would be moving into the land courageously and trusting God to go before them. *** The land of the half tribe of Manasseh, Reuben and Gad had already been given out on the eastern side of the Jordan. Joshua described their boundaries so they would have it written down for the future generations. *** Caleb went to Joshua and reminded him of what Moses had promised him when they spied out the land the first time. Caleb had asked for the land that they spied out where Jericho and Hebron was. Caleb told the miracle of his own strength and how he was as strong now as he was 40 years ago. What a promise to claim! Joshua gave Caleb his request. *** In Luke, Jesus told them a story of an unjust judge who didn’t fear God or love people. A woman came to him over and over seeking justice over a dispute with her enemy. He finally gave her what she wanted to get rid of her. Jesus said that God was a just judge who loves us so how much more will he give us justice when we come to him. *** Jesus told another story comparing a self-righteous Pharisee and a humble yet despised tax collector. The Pharisee was proud where the tax collector was humble and feared God. Jesus explained that God heard the prayer of the tax collector over the one of the Pharisee. Those who choose to humble themselves will be exalted and those how choose to be proud will be humbled. *** Jesus told us that the way to receive the Kingdom of God is how the children came up to Jesus. They were not afraid of him or bashful. They came innocently with pure hearts. *** Lord, may we be like the children. But, may we know our territory and march boldly into our land and take it for the Lord’s sake. Bless our nation.

Sat.’s Devo - Victory!

Read: Joshua 11:1-12:24; Luke 17:11-37; Psalm 84:1-12; Proverbs 13:5-6 Joshua took the Lord’s command to be strong and courageous to heart and attacked the combined forces of four kings. God had told them that they would face enemies bigger and more powerful than them but He would be with them. They would win. When it was over, Joshua and his army had defeated 31 kings and taken the land. Joshua obeyed the Lord and killed and destroyed everything. They defeated the giants of the land. This is what we can do to our enemies when God is on our side. *** In Luke, Jesus was making his way to Jerusalem for the last time. He came upon 10 lepers who cried out for mercy. Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priests. This was their act of faith. They went and as they went they were healed. One of them came back to praise him and thank him. This man was a Samaritan. He wouldn’t have been able to get in to see a priest. He came back to the future high priest of heaven to show himself. He told this mom to send up and go because his faith had healed him. *** One of the Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. Jesus told him it was here. One day, they would long for the Son of Man to return but they wouldn’t see it. He would see the Son of Man suffer and be rejected by this generation. When he comes back it will be like the days of Noah. Everyone will party till the storm takes them by surprise. *** Lot had to leave Sodom first and then destruction happened immediately. The Church will have to leave first, then destruction will come. It will be too late to do any preparation. The warning is to stay ready for Christ’s return. *** Lord, your perfect love casts out all fear. We do not fear the future or what our destiny entails. Help us to be strong and courageous as we take the land or your name’s sake.

Fri.’s Devo - Spiritual Warfare

Read: Joshua 9:3-10:43; Luke 16:19-17:10; Psalm 83:1-18; Proverbs 13:4 The people of Gibeon realized they were no match for Israel and their army so they resorted to deception. They knew that God had given them all the land including their land but their land had boundaries. They wanted Israel to think they lived outside the boundary so they put on old ragged clothes and packed old bags with moldy bread and old wineskins. They approached them and told them they were from a land far away and begged them to make a treaty with them. Joshua assessed the situation and made his decision based on what he saw with his eyes. He did not ask God about it. After he had sworn to be their allies and protect them in war, they found out they lived three days away. They confronted them but there was nothing they could do but make them servants. They made them carry their wood and water. *** The king of Jerusalem, Adoni-zedek found out what Gibeon had done so he got four more kings to join him in attacking Gibeon. Since Israel had made a covenant with them they had to help them. God sent a hail storm to kill many of the enemy. Joshua prayed that God would keep the sun shining so they could finish the battle in the light. God did and the sun stood still until Joshua had won. *** The five kings had hid in a cave but Joshua found where they were and had the entrance sealed during the battle. Once they had won, they brought out the kings and had his commanders put their feet on their necks as a prophetic sign of what they would do to all God’s enemies. Then he had he kings impaled on poles until the evening. Their bodies were put back into the cave and the entrance sealed. The battles in the Old Testament are pictures of how spiritual warfare is fought. They had to bind their kings first. Mark 3:27 says, “No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong map and then he will spoil his house.” *** Jesus gave a very powerful story to show how things flip in God’s kingdom and the last will be first. He also make the point that everyone is responsible for the truth. *** Jesus said that we will always be tempted with sin, but we need to not be the tempter. Instead, we need to be the one who forgives sin. Jesus told them that it doesn’t take much faith to cause a response. First we learn to be the servant. *** Lord, may we take authority over our enemies and not let them have a foot hold in our lives. We pray healing, health, blessings and provision. Increase our faith as we exercise what you have given us.

Thurs.’s Devo - God Requires Obedience

Read: Joshua 7:16-9:2; Luke 16:1-18; Psalm 82:1-8; Procerbs 13:2-3 The next morning, God continued paring down to Achan. When Joshua asked for his confession, he said he had taken a robe from Babylon, 200 silver coins and a bar of gold. He told Joshua where he had it hidden and they found them and laid them on the ground. Joshua told him that he had brought trouble on them and now they would bring trouble on him. They stoned him and his family and burned everything he owned. *** Now, they could take Ai. God gave them the strategy to set up an ambush to drive the men out of the town then attack from behind and sandwich the men of Ai in between. They wiped out the entire population of Ai and were allowed to keep the plunder from this town. Jericho had been their tithe to the Lord. If only Achan had given to the Lord what was his. *** Joshua impaled the king of Ai on a pole and his body was taken down at sunset and put in front of the town gate. They piled a heap of stones over his body. Joshua built an altar to the Lord on Mt. Ebal. He offered burnt and peace offerings and copied the instructions of Moses onto the stones. He divided the people into two groups and half stood on Ebal and half on Gerizim. the Ark was in the middle. Joshua read the blessings and the curses to them again. *** All the kings of Canaan heard of what had happened so they combined their forces to fight against Joshua and the Israelites. *** Jesus told a story of a man who had been caught mishandling his bosses money. He knew he would be fired so he went to all his bosses creditors and had them lessen their loan so he would have friends when he was fired. The boss had to admire his shrewdness. Jesus said the moral to the story was that the people of the world are more shrewd than the children of God. We should use the same strategy when it came to spiritual matters. If we use our worldly possessions to benefit others we will make friends that will welcome us when we enter into heaven. Jesus concluded that you can’t serve God and money also. *** Jesus came and fulfilled the law and everything the prophets had promised but it didn’t mean that the law was now of no effect. A man who puts his wife away without a writ of divorcement (in other words, the legal requirements) causes her to commit adultery if she was to remarry. The law and its consequences are still in effect in our lives. We are blessed by following God’s laws. Lord, help us to understand what it means to follow the law without stumbling over the letter of the law. The Law is spiritual for us which is much more powerful. Give us discernment to understand.

Wed.’s Devo - Lost and Found

Read: Joshua 5:1-7:15; Luke 15:1-32; Psalm 81:1-16; Provers 13:1 It was time to enter the land but first this new generation needed to be circumcized. All the people who had left Egypt had died except Joshua and Caleb. God called the place Gilgal which means ‘rolled away’ since God had rolled away the reproach of Egypt from them. They celebrated the Passover on the fourteenth of that month and ate the fruit of the land, From that time on, there was no more manna. *** The kings of the Amorites and the kings of Canaan had heard of what God did at the Jordan River so they were very afraid of Israel. As Joshua was scoping out Jericho he met an angel of the Lord. He gave Joshua the strategy for taking Jericho. They were to lead with the Ark and the priests and encompass the city once each day. On the seventh day they were to circle it seven times then the priests were to blow their rams horns and everyone was to shout. They obeyed and on the seventh day when they shouted, the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. They were to kill everyone and take all the spoils and give them to the Lord. Rahab and her family were to be saved. *** Achan coveted some of the spoils and secretly hid them in his tent. When they went to take the next town of Ai, which should have been a cinch, they fled in defeat. God told them that it was because someone had brought something cursed into the camp. Joshua brought every tribe before the Lord and the tribe of Judah was chosen. Joshua told them that whoever was chosen whatever had been stolen and all that they had must be burned with fire because he had transgressed the covenant of the Lord and brought trouble upon Israel. *** In Luke, Jesus gave two examples of how God feels about his lost sheep. One was a sheep which the men could relate to and the other was a lost coin, which the women could relate to . Then he told the story of the prodigal son which shows us the heart of God as our loving Father. The youngest son was foolish, impulsive, entitling and ungrateful. He didn’t know how to handle his finances and chose not to live the way he had been brought up. He wasted his inheritance and yet his father never gave up on him coming home. *** The oldest son was faithful, patient, and obedient and yet he is the one who was reprimanded in the end. Yet was he? His father said, “Son, you are always with me and all that I have is yours. It was the right thing to do to rejoice and be glad, because your brother was dead, and is alive again, he was lost and is found.” I paraphrased that a lot, but that was the jest of it. The father was putting his faithful son on the level of a friend and honoring him even though the son wasn’t seeing things right. He was trying to teach him that mercy always triumphs over judgment. *** I think that this story is going to be a theme we will see as this new generation of converts come in. We have always had the Lord, but the revival will bring in people who are so different from us who will be so new to Christianity. When God pours out his favor and love on them, we are going to need to remember the right response. We join in the party and rejoice with them. *** Lord, may we rememberer what it is like to be lost, then found. May we have the right response when we see you pour out your love on the prodigals. May we rejoice with the angels in heaven.

Tues.’s Devo - Count the Cost

Read: Joshua 3:1-4:24; Luke 14:7-35; Psalm 80:1-19; Proverbs 12:27-28 Joshua gave the people instructions to wait until they saw the priests leave, then they were to follow in their tribes a half mile behind them. Until that time, they were to purify themselves. *** Joshua told the priests that when they came to the Jordan, they were to take a few steps into the water and stop. As soon as their feet touched the water, the flow would be cut off upstream and the river would stand up like a wall. It happened just as he said it would and the people ended up crossing right next to Jericho. The priest stood in the middle of the river bed holding the Ark while all the people crossed over the Jordan. *** Then God told Joshua to select a man from each tribe to go back into the Jordan and pick up a stone in the middle and bring it on the shore as a memorial. Joshua set up twelve more stones in the middle of the Jordan where the priests had stood as a memorial. *** As soon as the priests’ feet touched the ground on the other side, the waters came back and overflowed their banks like before. They crossed over the 10th day of the first month making it the very day Jesus would enter into Jerusalem to be crucified. *** In Luke, Jesus tried to teach his disciples about humility. He explained that they should take the lowest seat and maybe they would be invited to come up to a higher position. He was telling them to let others exalt them, not to do it themselves. *** Jesus also talked to them about inviting neighbors that could invite them back like the poor, crippled, lame and blind. They would be rewarded at the resurrection. One of the men sitting at the table exclaimed that what a blessing it would be to attend a banquet in heaven. This launched Jesus into a story. He told about a rich man who sent out invitations to his feast. People had all sorts of excuses why they couldn’t come. So the man went to the poor, cripples, blind and lame and gave them invitations. When his banquet hall still wasn’t full he sent out invitations to the people in the country and anywhere they could find people. *** Jesus was giving them a picture of God’s invitation that first went to the Jews and when they rejected it, he sent out invitations to all the peoples of the world. *** Then Jesus told them the cost of following him. They would lose their families, friends and their own lives. They needed to count the cost because they would have to carry their own cross to follow Jesus. They would have to be salt to the world. *** Lord, may we count the cost and be willing to give up everything for you and your kingdom.

Mon.’s Devo - Joshua Takes Over

Read: Deuteronomy 34:1-Joshua 2:24; Luke 13:22-14:6; Psalm 79:1-13; Proverbs 12:26 God took Moses on top of Mt. Nebo and showed him all the land that the children of Israel would inherit. Moses died at the age of 120. His eyesight was clear and he was as strong as ever. The Lord buried him in the valley near Beth-poor. The people mourned for him thirty days. *** Joshua became the leader who was filled with God’s wisdom. God told him to be strong and courageous and promised to go with him. He would give him all the land his feet walked upon. *** Joshua told all the leaders of the tribes to get their people ready to cross the Jordan. He met with the leaders of Gad and Reuben and the half tribe of Manasseh and reminded them of their promise to fight for the land of the other tribes. They were ready and willing. *** This time Joshua didn’t send out 12 spies. He sent out 2. Last time only 2 of them had anything good to say, so he sent 2. They went over into the land and ended up staying at a prostitute’s house named Rahab. She hid them that night and when the officers of the king came to ask her to turn them over, she lied and told them they had left. She had really hid them on her roof. They stayed there till night and promised that when they came back, they would save her and her household only if she left a scarlet rope handing from her window. She promised she would and they left. *** In Luke, a man asked Jesus if there would be a long season or a short season where people could be saved. Jesus didn’t answer his question but explained that there would come a time when the gate would be shut and no one would be able to enter, so now was the time of salvation. Then they would see that those who seemed unimportant on earth, would be the greatest then, and some that are the most important in this world would then be the least. *** Then a Pharisee came to him and told him that he better leave because Herod would kill him. Jesus told him to tell Herod that he casts out demons and heals the sick and he will be perfected on the third day. But today, he would keep going to Jerusalem because that is where they kill the prophets. They would never see him again until they say, “Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” *** On the Sabbath, Jesus went to eat at one of the leaders of the Pharisees. A man was there whose arms and legs were swollen. Jesus asked if it was permitted by the law to heal on the Sabbath. They refused to answer, so he healed the man. Then Jesus asked them, “Which one of you wouldn’t pull his cow from a pit if her fell in to it on the Sabbath?” They kept silent. Anything they would have said would have revealed their hard hearts so they had nothing to say. Lord, help us to see clearly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with you. Show us your promise land for us and may we fearlessly take our land.

Sun.’s Devo - The Tribal Blessings

Read: Deuteronomy 33:1-29; Luke 13:1-21; Psalm 78:65-2; Proverbs 12:25 Moses gave a metaphor about the sun representing God who appeared in divine light on sinai. He scattered his beams on all the region that Israel would march to Canaan. He mentions mountains of Seir on the east and Paron to the west. *** Then Moses gave a blessing to each of the tribes. Reuben had lost the status of the first born but Moses prayed that they would not die out. They ended up going from a large tribe to a small nomadic tribe with few members. The last part of that verse is thought to be for Simeon which says, “though they are few in numbers.” Judah was blessed with strength to defend against their enemy. Judah was the first to march in military expeditions. Moses applauded the Levites in their fight against sin even when they had to go against their own family with the golden calf. Favor was given to Benjamin by putting Jerusalem in their territory. The tribe of Joseph would have land that would produce olives, grapes, and figs as well as grain and herbs. They were blessed with glory and strength. Zebulun would be blessed with commercial enterprises and trade since they were by the sea. Issachar would be blessed in their tents because they also lived by the sea. Both Zebulun and Issachar would trade with the Phoenicians in gold, silver, pearl, coral, shells, dyes and in glass which was manufactured in the sand. Gad had more than they would have had if they had settled west of the Jordan. They were blessed to have Moses settle with them. They had faithfully helped the other tribes capture their lands. Dan was so large it needed more land and lept as a lion from the hills of Bashan to conquer more land for themselves. Naphtali was blessed with favor and riches. Asher was blessed with all the earth could give, especially olive oil that is pressed by the feet. He also talked about Asher haven shoes of iron and brass because their terrain was rocky. *** As long as God was their king he would protect them and be their refuge. He would drive out their enemies before then and they would lie in safety and security. *** In Luke, Jesus learned about the people Pilate murdered as they came to worship at the Temple. Jesus wanted to right a wrong teaching they had. They were taught that bad things happen to bad people and if disaster hit then you deserved it. Jesus explained that they were no more evil than they were. Disaster happens because Satan is alive and well on planet earth. We are born for God’s purpose which is to produce fruit for him. He is very patient with us, wanting us to die with rewards not empty.-handed. *** One day a woman came to the Temple who had been crippled for 18 years. Jesus didn’t condemn her for some sin that caused her to be crippled. He blessed her with healing., The scribes and Pharisees were indignant that he did this on the Sabbath. Jesus shamed them comparing her to their own donkey who they would stop and pull out of the mud on the Sabbath. Jesus explained that she had been held bondage by Satan all these years and it was time for her release. They should be happy for her. *** Jesus then went into several parables about the Kingdom of God. He compared it to a mustard seed and yeast. Both started out small and grew and grew. No one would be able to stop what God was going to do. *** Lord, may we be a part of the spread of your Kingdom. May it be on earth as it is in heaven.

Sat.’s Devo - True Peace

Read: Deuteronomy 32:28-52; Luke 12:35-59; Psalm 78:56-64; Proverbs 12:24 Moses finished God’s song for the people. When they see that their enemies are overpowering them and it doesn’t make sense, then they can know that God has sold them to the seed of Satan. But, one day, their enemies will fall and God will take revenge on them. He will justify his people and then they will worship the Lord. *** Moses finished the song and told the people to take it seriously because it was their life. He then climbed Mt. Nebo to look across to the land God had promised them and there he died. *** In Luke, Jesus warned them with stories to be prepared for his return. Notice that he says that the master is returning from the wedding feast which means the wedding has happened and the raptured have been taken. This is a warning to those left behind. They are to keep their light burning and ready for Jesus to return. *** Jesus first coming brought division which was his purpose. He did not come to bring peace but to stir things up. Remind you of today? The only true peace comes from inside between you and God. He warned us to try to get along with people and settle out of court, but realize that we are not always going to agree. *** Lord, help us to live at peace as long as it doesn’t compromise our walk with you. May we have peace with you.

Fri.’s Devo - Seek the Kingdom First

Read: Deuteronomy 31:1-32:27; Luke 12:8-34; Psalm 78:32-55; Prover s 12:21-23 Moses told all the people that he was about to die and would not be crossing over the Jordan with them. He told them to be strong and courageous and not panic because God was going ahead of them. He would not fail them or abandon them. Then Moses called out Joshua and told him the same thing. He would be the one to lead the people into the land and divide it. *** Moses had written everything God had told him in a book and had it put in the Ark. It was to be taken out every Feast of Tabernacles and read to the people. God abandoned them and caused them to be jealous of the Gentiles. God brought disasters upon them of every kind. He would have wiped them out completely but then the enemies of God would think they did it by their power. *** The song continues tomorrow. *** Moses had to feel the defeat of his ministry. He had done what God told him to do but this was definitely not the result he would have chosen. We can not make other people make the right choices and we can’t take the blame for their decisions. I’m sure that God met Moses with, “Well done, my faithful servant.” *** In Luke, Jesus explains to them how to live a successful life on earth. Acknowledge God in all you do and honor the Holy Spirit. Don’t worry about your defense, God will speak for you by the Holy Spirit. He told us to guard against greed because our treasure needs to be in heaven. If we seek the kingdom first then we will store up treasures that cannot be taken from us. We are not like the world who needs to worry about anything. We have a heavenly father who has more than sufficient for our needs and the needs of the whole earth. *** Lord, may our treasure be who can not be taken from us. Thank you for your provision and your great love for us.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Blessings or the Curses

Read: Deuteronomy 291-30:20; Luke 11:37-12:7; Psalm 78:1-31; Proverbs 12:19-20 Moses stood before the people and reminded them of all they had seen God do for them and all the things he had done that they hadn’t even noticed. He had brought them through the wilderness for 40 years and their sandals and their clothes hadn’t worn out. God provided them food and caused them to defeat the King of Sihon and The King of Og. Despite all that, they did not have eyes to see, ears to hear or a heart to understand the things of God. *** God was giving them a covenant, including the curses and it would be for them and their generations to come. They and their future generations would be held accountable for everything God had revealed to them. *** When the day comes that they find themselves living in the curses because of their disobedience and idolatry, then they can turn to the Lord and obey him. God will forgive them and restore their fortunes to them. He will have mercy and bring them back to their land and make them more prosperous than their past generations. Then the Lord will put their curses on their enemies. *** That day, God was giving them the choice of the curses or the blessings, whether they chose to worship Him with all their hearts or if they were going to worship other gods of other nations. The key to life was choosing to love and obey the Lord. ***In Luke, Jesus was invited to eat at the house of one of the Pharisees. They noticed he didn’t go through the ritual hand-washing that they had devised. When asked about it he commented that they cared so much about the outer man but neglected cleaning up the heart. Their whole lives were hypocritical. The crushed the people with their laws which they couldn’t even keep. They made monuments of the prophets their ancestors killed. Their generation would be responsible for the death of every prophet that was killed from Abel to Zechariah because they rejected everything the prophets came to prepare them for which was Him. *** Jesus ended up with saying that everything they did in secret was one day be known to all. Then he turned to his friends and said that God wouldn’t forget one of them. They were so valuable to him that He had their hairs numbered. (I wonder if Jesus got invited back.) *** Lord, thank you for calling us friends. May we realize the importance of our lives to the next generations and live faithfully. We choose to live in your blessings.

Wed.’s Devo- Light

Read: Deuteronomy 28:1-68; Luke 11:14-36; Psalm 77:1-20; Proverbs 12:18 Deuteronomy 28 is the list of the blessings and the curses. When you read them you wonder how anyone would choose to turn away from such a loving God who only wants good things for us. When I read it, it is a litmus test to where our nation has ended up because of the way we have gone. A nation will be judged by its leadership but we will all be judged individually by our own choices. God gives a nation the leaders they need to lead them to him. If the leadership is bad which America’s has been mostly bad, then the people will spiral down the same hole. God’s people will eventually rise like they are doing now and pray and get involved. God is trying to get our attention so that we would cry out to him so change can happen. *** I believe that is what is happening now and we are seeing change coming. We have a long way to go because so much needs fixing, but God can do things very quickly when he decides to. *** In Luke, Jesus cast out a demon from a man who couldn’t speak. Some in the crowd said it was beause Jesus was working for Satan. Jesus answered them that Satan wouldn’t fight against himself. If he did, then his kingdom wouldn’t survive. But if He is casting out demons by the power of God, then God’s kingdom has arrived and it is more powerful than Satan’s. *** Then he explained that when an evil spirit leaves someone it will return with seven other spirits more evil than itself and enter the man. Then his state is worse off than before. That is not very encouraging. Jesus said that the demon will find that demon’s home in the person swept and in order. That means empty. The key to keeping your deliverance is to fill your house with scripture, worship of God and the Holy Spirit. If it came back and found the house filled with God’s spirit, it would not be welcomed to return. *** The religious leaders kept asking Jesus for a sign that he was the Messiah. He had given them so many signs it was impossible to miss. But, since they did miss them, Jesus said the only sign they would get was the sign of Jonah. When Jonah resurrected on that shore, he was a sign to all of Nineveh the God had come to them. *** Jesus explained that they all had a spiritual eye and when that eye was filled with light, they could see plainly. He warned them to make sure the light they thought they had was not really darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant and your whole life filled with light. *** Lord, may we choose the blessings of obeying you and your Word. May we be a light set on a hill, giving light to the whole city.

Tues.’s Devo - The First Fruits

Read: Deuteronomy 26:1-27:26; Luke 10:38-121:13; Psalm 76:1-12; Proverbs 12:15-17 When they came into the land God had promised for them they were to acknowledge it to the Lord by bringing their first fruits of their harvest to the Lord. They were to bring it in a basket and proclaim to the priest with this gift they acknowledge that they had entered into the land God had promised their ancestors. The priest would then take it from their hand and place it before the altar of the Lord. Then the person must proclaim the story of Abraham and how God gave them the land. Then they were free to go and celebrate all God had given them. ***Every third year, they were to bring an additional gift that would go to the Levites, foreigners, orphans and widows, so that they would have enough. The person had to proclaim over that gift that it was clean and that nothing had happened to make it unclean. Then they could ask the Lord to bless all Israel. *** Moses told them that when they crossed the Jordan they were to carry stones and put them in a heap. Then they were to coat them with plaster and write all the words of this law on them. Also, they were to build an altar with uncut stones and offer burnt offerings and peace offerings on it. There they were to celebrate all God had done or them. *** The tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin were to climb Mt. Gerizim and proclaim a blessing over the people. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali were to stand on Mt. Ebal and pronounce a curse. Then the Levites would shout to all the people of Israel the curses (vs. 15-26). *** In Luke, we read the story of Mary and Martha that we have heard over and over in many sermons. Everyone can relate to Martha. She is just doing what has to be done. She is keeping the ship afloat. But Jesus said that there was only one thing that was worth being concerned about and Mary had discovered it. It would not be taken from her. The spiritual is eternal but the natural is temporal. *** Jesus explained that further in his prayer he taught them. He acknowledged the Lord as his Father and the only one who is holy and then prayed for his Kingdom to come to earth like it was in heaven. He prayed for today’s needs, their hearts to be pure with one another and with God. It was as simple as that. *** Jesus gave them an illustration to show how to pray for others. He needed more for his friends who had come to visit. He kept asking until he got what he asked for. That is how we pray for others. We pray till we get the answer. For ourselves, we pray for what we need right then and give it to the Lord. He is our loving Father who loves to give good gifts to his children. How much more will he give us the Holy Spirit if we ask. *** Lord, help us to be concerned about the one thing that is worthy to be concerned about and that is you and your kingdom. May we not be so busy with our worries to forget yours. Holy Spirit, thank you for being present in our lives to lead and guide us and fill us with power.

Mon.’s Devo - God’s Laws are Good

Read: Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19; Luke 10:13-37; Psalm 75:1-10; Proverbs 12:12-14 Part of worshiping false gods had to do with castration so God wouldn’t allow anyone who had done this to themselves or had it done by their parents into his presence. If a person was illegitimate which means he had a Jewish father and a heathen mother, he was not allowed into the assembly for ten generations. The Ammonite or Moabite was not allowed into God’s presence for ten generations because they didn’t welcome Israel with food and water when they came out of Egypt and because they hired Balaam to curse them. Because of this, they were never to promote the welfare or prosperity of the Ammonites and the Moabites. *** The Edomites were not to be detested because they were relatives. They were to be allowed into God’s presence in their third generation. *** All unclean emissions must be taken outside the camp. They were to take in refugees that escaped their masters. *** Fellow Israelites must be treated kindly and fairly. They were not to charge one another interest on loans. Once you make a vow, you must keep it. *** Divorce was allowed if a man wrote a writ of divorcement and made it legal. She was free to marry again. If she was divorced the second time she could not go back with the first man. *** Kidnappers who trafficked people must die. The poor must be treated with respect and honor. They were not to be taken advantage of but given justice and charity. They were to be paid daily for their work. The farmer was not to glean his field twice but leave the ungleaned for the poor. *** If two brothers lived together on the same property and one brother died without an heir, the living brother was to take his widow and have a child with her, who would bear the name of the dead husband. If he refused to do this then the widow would take him to court. She would take his sandal off and spit in his face and declare before the elders that this is what happens to a man who refused to provide his brother with children. Then he would be known for that. *** They were to be honest in all their business dealings. They were never to forget what the Amelekites did to them when they came out of Egypt. They attacked Israel when they were exhausted and weary. They had no fear of God so their name would be erased from the earth. *** In Luke, Jesus said the same of the people living in Korazin and Bethsaida. Jesus had done many miracles there and yet they had hard hearts. Their names would also be erased at the judgment. *** Jesus told his disciples that anyone who accepted them, accepted him and anyone who rejected his disciples rejected him. (That is a good reminder for us.) *** The seventy-two Jesus had sent out came back so excited that the demons obeyed them. Jesus told them that they should rejoice more that their names were registered in heaven. Jesus was so filled with joy hearing their reports. He realized the wisdom of God to put his power inside these people who the world didn’t esteem highly. *** Jesus told his disciples that they were blessed because God had given them eyes to see and ears to hear. *** One of the experts in religious law came to test Jesus. He asked him what he should do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked him what the scriptures said. He replied to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus agreed. The man pushed further and asked him who his neighbor was. Jesus told him the story of the good Samaritan. Then Jesus asked him which one was his neighbor. The manned replied, “The one how showed him mercy.” Jesus told him to go and do the same. *** I would have loved to see this man’s face while he was listening to his story. Who knows his heart, but he got an answer he would have to contemplate for a while. Lord, help us to think out of our religious boxes and see the Kingdom you were trying to introduce. May we learn to love what you love and hate what you hate.

Sun.’s Devo - Come Near

Read: Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30; Luke 9:51-10:12; Psalm 74:1-23; Proverbs 12:11 When a murder has been committed and there is no suspect, then the elder of the closest town must make an atonement for that man’s death to take the guilt of the murder away from Israel. *** There were many marriage laws. If you look closely, they all protect the woman. If a woman is brought as spoils of war and someone wants to marry her, she must first clean her past away, mourn her family a month and then marry. If she does not please the man who married her then she must be set free. *** If a woman shares the same husband with another woman and he loves the other woman more. If her son is the first born then he still gets a double portion of the inheritance - the right of the first born. *** If a couple has a rebellious son who is a glutton and a drunkard, they must bring him before the elders and they must try him. If they agree with the parents, then the men of the town must stone him. *** If a person is executed by hanging then he must not be left hanging over night. Any one who is hung is curses and the curse would spread to the land. *** You were to take responsibility for things you see like your neighbor’s runaway ox. *** Women were not to dress like men and vise versa!!! We need to put that on a plague at Hobby Lobby. Anyone who does that is detestable! I hope you realize that that doesn’t mean women can’t wear slacks… it is talking about men dressing in drag and trying to act like they are women. It has to do with the intention of your heart. *** There are many other laws about mixing two things together that are not meant to go together. It is because they mean something else. Linen and wool are opposites. Linen is worn by priests who are set apart and not to sweat with work but work for the Lord. Wool makes you sweat and is worn by sheep. It is unkempt and not holy. This is just saying you can’t mix holy with the profane. *** Then we go back to laws protecting the innocent women from being put out with no place to go. If they are innocent, their husbands can never divorce them. They will always have a home and provision. *** In Luke, Jesus is at the final stages of his earthly ministry. He is being rejected by the Samaritan town because he is on his way to Jerusalem. It was not time to curse them. *** Many along the way say they want to follow him but have excuses why they can’t. Jesus finally choses 72 of his followers and sends them out ahead of him to prepare the towns for his coming. If they received them, then they could stay at their house and preach from there. If they didn’t receive them then they were to wipe the dust off their feet to show that they were abandoned to their own fate. But they were to be warned that the Kingdom of God came near and they rejected it. Even Sodom would be better off than them. *** Lord, thank you for coming near to us. I pray that you come near to the churches that worship you in spirit and in truth and to every one who earnestly seeks you.

Sat.’s Devo-God’s Kingdom Rules

Read: Deuteronomy 18:1-20:20; Luke 9:28-50; Psalm 73:1-28; Proverbs 12:10 God designated what part of the first fruits given to the Lord would be given to the priests and Levites. The tribe of Levi was not given any land in the promised land because the Lord himself was their special possession. *** They were warned not to imitate any of the detestable customs of the nations living there like sacrificing their sons or daughters as burnt offerings. They were not to practice fortune-telling, sorcery, interpreting omens or casting spells, or functioning as mediums or psychics or calling forth the spirits of the dead. These are the things that the previous dwellers all did and it was abominable to the Lord. *** God would raise up a prophet like Moses to put his words in his mouth. He will tell the people what God says. Any prophet that speaks by another god must die. If a prophet’s prophecy comes true, he is a real prophet. They were told to set up three cities of refuge for the person who accidentally kills someone and didn’t have witnesses. As they conquered more land and grew, they would set up more cities of refuge. *** Murder must be dealt with. Israel was to be purged of all who murdered innocent people; then all would go well with them. *** The accuser and the accused were to come before the priests and the judges and present their case. The judges would investigate the case thoroughly and if they found that the accuser lied, then what he had intended for the one he accused would be his punishment. The law of the land was life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. *** When they went to war and found that their enemies way out numbered them, they were not to be afraid. The Lord was with them. The priests were to meet with the troops to encourage them in the Lord and tell them that the Lord was with them and He would bring them victory. Then, their officer would ask them if anyone had any unfinished things they needed to attend to at home. They were free to go. Next, he would ask if there was anyone who was afraid, he was free to leave so he wouldn’t affect the others with his fear. *** The army would approach their enemies and first offer terms of peace. If they accepted it, they would be Israel’s slaves. If not, then they must attack the town and kill all but the women and children. If they were cities of the seven people God told them to utterly destroy, then they were to kill all. *** If the war extended for a long time, they were not to cut down fruit trees for battering rams or siege work. They were only to cut down trees that didn’t bear fruit. (Remember trees represented people.) Jesus said that every tree was known by his own fruit. (Luke 6:43-44) In John, he said that every branch in him that didn’t bear fruit was to be taken away and purged so that it will bear fruit. (John 15:2). *** Eight days after Jesus had told his disciples the plan of his death, he took Peter, John and James up to see a picture of his resurrection. They saw Jesus transfigured into his glorious body along with Moses and Elijah. Peter blurted out that they should make memorials for them when a voice from heaven said, “this is my Son, my Chosen one, Listen to him.” When it had stopped, there was just Jesus. *** The next day, the man came to Jesus with his son who the disciples couldn’t deliver. Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and healed the boy. The people were amazed. But, Jesus saw something different. He told his disciples that he would be betrayed into the hands of enemies. Instead of asking further, the disciples argued about who would be the greatest in Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus brought a child before them and told them that anyone who welcomed a little child like this on his behalf welcomes him. Whoever welcomes him welcomes his father and whoever wants to the greatest must be the least. This shut them up for the time. Lord, thank you for reminding us over and over that your kingdom is not like the world’s. Your kingdom is about giving, dying to self, loving, living in joy and manifesting your kingdom in heaven.