Wed.’s Devo - The Light Has Come

Read: Judges 11:1-12:15; John 1:1-28; Psalm 101:1-8; Proverbs 14:13-14 The armies of Ammon were gathered to fight Israel. They camped in Gilead and the people of Israel were camped in Mizpah. The children of Israel had just renewed their covenant with the Lord and proclaimed that whoever attacked the Ammonites would become their leader. The problem was they didn’t have a strong leader. *** They knew of a man who could lead them, but they had driven him out of their town because he was the son of a prostitute. His name was Jephthah. He had his own army of rebels who followed him. The people of Gilead sent for Jephthah and asked him to lead them with the promise of being their leader afterwards. He finally agreed to come. *** Jephthah corresponded with the king of Ammon asking him why they were attacking Israel. Ammon wanted their land back and accused Israel of stealing it from them. Jephthah made it clear that they didn’t steal it from them but God gave it to them. He told them they could keep the land their gods gave them and Israel would keep the land their God gave them. He reminded them of Balak who had the same dispute. He ended up leaving without fighting because God showed him through Balaam that God had given them the land. That was 300 years ago, why now had they come to take back the land? *** Ammon didn’t answer Jephthah’s message and the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah and he gathered men until he had an army. Before he went to war he made a vow to the Lord that whatever came out of his house first, when he returned in victory, he would sacrifice as a burnt offering. He surely thought a goat or an animal would come out first. *** He led his army against the Ammonites and God gave them the victory. When he came home, it was his only off-spring, his daughter, that came out of the house to welcome him. He was distraught with sadness, but she told him that he had to fulfill his vow. She asked for two months to go into the hills and mourn the fact that she would never get married and have children. Then she came home and he offered her as a burnt offering to the Lord. *** How disturbing. This is the thing about the time of the judges - they did what was right in their own eyes. Jephthah made a very foolish vow and paid for it. *** That wasn’t the end of Jephthah’s troubles, now the tribe of Ephraim was upset and threatened to burn his house down because he hadn’t included them in the battle against Ammon. Jephthah reminded that he had asked for them to help earlier and they refused to come. They didn’t like that answer and it ended up in a battle. Jephthah and his men defeated the men from Ephraim and captured the shallow crossing of the Jordan River. *** Whoever came there to cross over into their land would have to first pronounce the word “Shibboleth”. The people from Ephraim had a speech impediment and couldn’t pronounce it right so they would know they were from Ephraim and kill them. They killed 42,000. *** Jephthah judged Israel for 6 years and when he died, Ibzan from Bethlehem judged Israel. Ibzan was Israel’s tenth judge. He had 30 sons and 30 daughters. To build up his influence, he sent his daughters to marry outside his clan and brought in women from other clans to marry his sons. *** When Ibzan died, Elon from Zebulun judged Israel for 10 years. He had 40 sons and 30 grandsons who all rode on donkeys. (Why this is important is a mystery to me, but it is mentioned.) He judged for 8 years, then Abdon judged next. *** In the New Testament we begin the book of John that was written specifically to the Church. It begins just like the Old Testament book of Genesis, “In the beginning.” It tells us all about Jesus as “The Word”. He was with God in the garden and everything God created in the garden was created through Jesus. Jesus gave life to all God created. This life brought light that can never be put out. *** God sent John to proclaim his coming. John was to tell everyone about the light that was coming. Jesus chose to come back into the world that he created as a human, but the world did not recognize him so, they rejected him. There were those who did accept him and they were given the right to become his children. *** John introduced Jesus to the world as the one who existed long before him even though John was 6 months older than Jesus. When the Jewish leaders came and asked John who he was and what made him think he could baptize people, he told them he was not the Messiah, Elijah, or “the prophet” but, he was a voice clearing the way for the Lord to come. He told them that there was someone among the crowd whose ministry would follow his. This man would be much more powerful than him. *** Lord, thank you that the light, the power and the glory of your son is inside each of us. May we walk in that understanding and authority. May we be broken to let your light shine.

Tues.’s Devo - On the Road to Emmaus

Read: Judges 9:22-10:18; LUke 24:13-53; Psalm 100:1-5; Proverbs 14:11-12 God punished Abimelech for killing the 70 sons of Gideon. He sent a spirit of division among the leading citizens of Shechem. They plotted to set an ambush to kill Abimelech of which he was warned. *** Gaal moved to Shechem and grew popular among the leading men there. During their annual festival to their god, he began cursing Abimelech and challenged the people to revolt. When Abimelech’s man, Zebul heard about it, he informed Abimelech. He suggested that Abimelech and his men come at night and attack the city early in the morning. *** Abimelech’s men divided into four groups and attacked from all sides. The first two groups drew the men of Shechem out of the city while the other two entered the town and drove Gaal and his brothers out. *** The next day, the men of Shechem went out to the fields to fight Abimilech. This time, Abimelech divided his men into three groups and attacked and captured the city. He leveled the city and scattered salt over the ground so nothing would grow. *** The leading men of the city who didn’t go out to war, went and hid in the temple of Baal-berith. Abimelech set the temple on fire burning 1,000 of them. Abimelech then went to the town of Thebes to capture it. The people went to hide in a tower. They climbed up on the roof to watch for Abimelech. He decided he would set it on fire also, but a woman from the roof dropped a millstone on his head. Abimelech knew he was going to die, so he ordered his servant to kill him so no-one could say he died at the hands of a woman. The servant killed him with his sword and the army dispersed. So God avenged the blood of Gideon and his sons. *** Tola judged Israel the next 23 years and when he died, Jair judged for another 22 years. After he died, Israel completely abandoned the Lord to worship Baal, Ashtoreth and other gods of their enemies. God turned them over to the Philistines and the Ammonites for 18 years. When the Amorites crossed over the Jordan and began oppressing the land of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim, the Israelites finally cried out to the Lord and repented for abandoning him. God told them he would not rescue them, they needed to get help from the gods they had chosen to worship. The Israelites begged the Lord and put away their gods and served the Lord. *** The armies of Ammon gathered at Gilead to fight Israel. The leaders of Gilead made a pact that whoever attacked the Ammonites first would rule over them. *** In Luke, the people were returning to their homes after the historic Passover where Jesus was crucified. Two disciples of Jesus were walking the seven miles back to Emmaus. They were discussing all that happened when Jesus appeared and began walking with them. He questioned them about what they were talking about. They were amazed he hadn’t heard. They told him about Jesus’ death. They described Jesus as a prophet, a might teacher and their hopes that he was the Messiah. They had heard from the women that angels had told them that he was alive. All they knew was that his body was missing. *** Jesus was upset at their lack of faith. He explained from the time of Moses what the prophets had written in scripture all about who Jesus was and what he would do. When they came to their town, they begged Jesus to come in and have a meal with them. As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. When he broke it and gave it to them, their eyes were opened and they recognized him. He disappeared before their eyes. *** They were so excited they went back to Jerusalem and found the eleven disciples and other followers. They told the two that Jesus had risen because Peter had seen him. The two told their experience and while they were telling it, Jesus appeared and greeted them with peace. He showed them his hands and feet. While they were reorienting themselves, he asked for something to eat. He explained to them the gift of salvation which is for everyone who repents and believes. Then he told them that he was sending the Holy Spirit to them. He led them to Bethany where he blessed them and was taken up to heaven. They went back to Jerusalem filled with joy and praise. *** Lord, we know that you are prophet, priest and king. We exalt you as all three and thank you for giving us hope through your salvation. May we walk with your Spirit inside us doing your work on the earth.

Mon.’s Devo - The Resurrection

Read: Judges 8:18-9:21; Luke 23:44-24:12; Psalm 99:1-9; Proverbs 14:9-10 Gideon asked the two kings he had captured, Zebah and Zalmunna to describe the men they had killed at Tabor. He described his family so Gideon killed them. *** The Israelites asked Gideon, then his son, then his grandson to be their king but he refused and told them that the Lord was their king, then he did something very foolish. He asked for a gold earring from each of them and made a sacred ephod out of it which ended up being worshipped and a snare to all of them. *** Gideon had 70 sons and many wives. One of his concubines had a son named Abimelech. When Gideon died the people went back to worshipping Baal, the very thing Gideon delivered them from. *** Abimelech went to Shechem and asked his uncle to speak on his behalf and ask the people if they would rather be ruled by all of Gideon’s 70 sons or by him who was from Shechem and was closely related to them. They chose Abimelech. They gave him 70 silver coins which he used to hire mercenaries to fight for him. They went with him to Ophrah and killed all 70 of Gideon’s sons except for the youngest who escaped. His name was Jotham. They then made Abimelech their king. *** Jothan climbed up to the top of Mt. Gerizim (where the blessings were read many years before) and shouted to them a parable. It was about trees that represented Gideon, his son and his grandson who were asked to rule over them and refused. Then the last tree was a thornbush which represented Abimelech. Jotham reminded them of all his father had done to deliver them from the Midianites and confronted them with what they were doing now. He cursed Abimelech and the town with fire, then escaped to Beer. *** In Luke, Jesus was on the cross and it grew dark from noon till three. You can read a detailed account of what happened during that three hours in 2 Samuel 22 and in Psalm 18. The curtain in the Temple was torn from the top, down. This was an invitation that all can come into his holy presence. Jesus gave his spirit into God’s hands and died. *** When the Roman soldiers saw all this, they were convinced Jesus was an innocent man. Everyone there went home sorrowful. His followers watched from afar. *** Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the Jewish high council and had not been in favor of killing Christ. He went to Pilate and was granted Jesus’ body. He took it down and wrapped it in linen and laid it in a new tomb. He had to hurry before the Sabbath began. *** The day after the Sabbath, early in the morning the women went to the tomb with spices for his body. The stone had been rolled away and they went in and saw two angels in dazzling white. They asked them why they were looking for the living one here in a grave. They reminded them of Jesus words that he would rise from the dead on the third day. *** They remembered and ran to tell the disciples what they had found. The men didn’t believe them but Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb and found it empty. *** Remember that in the Old Testament, Joseph told them not to leave his bones in Egypt but to take them to the promised land. That Joseph had to empty his tomb to get to his promised land and “sleep with his fathers” (Kings 2:10 KJV), just as this Joseph’s tomb was emptied so Jesus could go to his father’s house where he rests. *** Lord, thank you for the resurrection! Because you lived, we live. May we shout your praises and live daily in resurrection power.

Sun.’s Devo - The Spotless Lamb

Read: Judges 7:1-17; Luke 23:13-43; Psalm 97:1-98:9; Proverbs 14:7-8 Gideon’s name given by the people was Jerub-babel which means “Baal will be contended with”. Gideon was sent by God to contend with the worship of Baal. The Moabites worshiped Baal and had oppressed Israel for 7 years. They now camped in the valley of Moreh and Gideon had gathered 31,000 men to fight them. God told Gideon he had too many because when He gave them the victory, they would think they had done it in their own strength. Gideon told all the men who were afraid of fighting to go home and 22,000 took him up on it. That left 10,000 which was still too many. So, Gideon took them to the stream to drink water and only chose the 300 who stayed on their knees and brought the water to their mouths. These men knew the importance of being able to get up quickly to fight and not be caught lying down lapping like a dog. *** Gideon took these men to camp close to the valley they were going to fight in. That night, God told Gideon if he had any fear about the next day, he should go down to their camp and listen. He took his servant Purah with him. They saw the hoard of enemies spread out like locusts. *** When they got close, they heard a man telling his friends his dream. He had dreamed that a loaf of barley that tumbled down into their camp and knocked it flat. His friend interpreted his dream to mean that Gideon would have victory over them the next day. That was all Gideon needed. *** He went back and divided his men into three groups. He gave them a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch in it. He gave them instructions. Just after midnight they surrounded the enemy camp. His group sounded their horns and broke their jars, then the other groups did the same. Then they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” Then they just stood and watched. It woke the enemy up out a dead sleep, scared them to death then shone light on them. Scared and confused, fought each other. The ones who tried to escape were chased down. *** Gideon sent news to the tribes these warriors were running towards and they got their army to cut them off. The men of Ephraim captured Oreb and Zeeb who were the Midianites two commanders. Their names meant “a wolf” and “a raven”. They brought their heads to Gideon. *** Gideon and his 300 warriors took off after the two kings of Midian who were Zebah and Zalmunah. Gideon’s army was getting very hungry and stopped at Succoth to ask for some food, but they said they would only give them food after they had captured the two kings. Gideon promised to whip them with thorns when he returned. *** Gideon then went to Peniel asking for food and got the same answer. He promised he would return and tear down their tower. *** Gideon and his army continued and captured the two kings and all their warriors. Then he came back to Succoth and Peniel and did what he promised. He beat the 77 officials in the town of Succoth and tore down the tower and killed all the men in Peniel. *** By following the Lord and not leaning to their own understanding - because clearly God’s way did not make sense to the natural mind, Gideon was able to kill 120,000 not counting the ones who killed themselves. God got the victory! *** Pilate met with the Jewish leaders and explained that neither he nor Pilate found any fault in Jesus. Jesus was the spotless lamb. Pilate planned to flog him and release him. The crowd roared that they wanted Barabbas released instead. He was probably the most notorious prisoner in his care. Pilate asked what he should do with Jesus and they cried, “Crucify him!” *** Three times, Pilate tried to set Jesus free because he knew he was innocent. But they mob got louder and louder. For fear of a riot, Pilate released Jesus to them to do their evil deed. *** As they led Jesus away, they grabbed Simon, an innocent man who was coming to town from the country and made him carry Jesus’ cross. Women followed Jesus crying loudly. Jesus told them not to weep for him, but for their posterity because if they would do this to him, what will they do to his followers when he is gone. *** Two other criminals were marched out with Jesus to be buried on each side. Jesus prayed that God would forgive his murderers because they didn’t understand what they were doing. The soldiers gambled for his clothes just like Psalm 22 foretold. The crowd and the man mocked him and hung a sign that said, “This is the King of the Jews.” Even one of the criminals hanging with him mocked him, but the other one rebuked him saying they were dying for their sin but Jesus didn’t deserved to die because he was innocent. He asked Jesus to remember him when he came to his kingdom. This man clearly got the message Jesus came to give. Jesus assured him that he would be with him in his kingdom. What a picture of redemption! *** Lord, thank you for dying for the sins of all the world. May many eyes wake up to your salvation and may we be carriers of the Good News.

Sat.’s Devo - Gideon’s Call

Read: Judges 6:1-40; Luke 22:54-23:12; Psalm 95:1-96:13; Proverbs 14:5-6 The Israelites “did evil” which means they began worshipping false gods, so the Lord turned them over to the Midianites who oppressed the for 7 years. The motto of the Midianites was to steal, kill, and destroy. They would wait until it was almost harvest time then attack and destroy all their crops thus starving the Israelites. 
 *** Israel cried out to the Lord, and he sent them a prophet who reminded them of how God had brought them out of Egypt and given them the land but they had broken their covenant with him and had worshipped other gods. *** The angel of the Lord came and sat under a tree on the land of Gideon. He watched as Gideon was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress. To thresh wheat you need to be on a hill where the wind could blow the chaff away instead of in a pit, but he was so afraid of the Midianites stealing their food, he had to hide to thresh his wheat. The angel addressed Gideon as a mighty hero which was what God needed him to be. He told Gideon that God was with him. Gideon was not so sure about that since they were starving. He wondered where the miracles were that they had heard of. The angel told him that he was to go and rescue Israel from the Midianites and God would be with him. *** Gideon gave him the excuses everyone gives the Lord - his tribe was too small, too weak, too _____. (Fill in the blank.) God’s answer was still the same - “I will go with you.” What can we not do when God is on our side? *** Gideon asked for a sign and when he brought the angel food, the angel touched it with the tip of his staff and fire consumed it. That was when Gideon realized just who he was talking to and fell down in worship. God promised he would’t kill him so Gideon named the place Yahweh-Shalom which means “the Lord is peace.” *** That night, God told Gideon to take his father’s seven year old bull and use it to tear down his father’s altar to Baal and then build an altar with the wood and sacrifice the bull on the altar. (Keep in mind, they were starving and this bull was meat.) *** The next morning the people did an investigation to find out who had taken down their altar and built a new one. Gideon was discovered and they wanted to kill him, but Joash, Gideon’s father told the mob to let Baal defend himself. The crowd was pleased with this and left. God defended Gideon against the people and against Baal. *** It wasn’t bad enough that the Midianites were against them; they formed an alliance with the Amalekites and the people of the east to fight against Israel. They crossed the Jordan and camped in the valley of Jezreel, the same place that years from then Saul and Jonathan would be killed. Gideon blew a trumpet and sent out messengers throughout the tribes of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali to gather their troops and join him. *** Then Gideon asked for two confirmations that God was going to use him to defeat their enemies and God answered both of them. *** In Luke, Peter denied Jesus three times then realized what he had done and left bitterly crying. Jesus was beat and mocked and in the morning, the religious leaders came and began their questioning. They wanted him to say he was the Messiah but Jesus would only say that they said he was. He wound’t be tricked by them. When Jesus said that from now on the Son of Man would be seated in the place of power at God’s right hand, they had had enough. They took him to Pilate. They told him that Jesus told the people not to pay taxes to Rome and that he claimed to be the Messiah. *** Pilate didn’t even ask him about the taxes, he went straight to the question about if he was the king of the Jews. Pilate cared more about power than the money. If you have the power, you have the money; but you can have money and not power. *** Jesus gave him the same answer, “you have said it.” Pilate found him “not guilty.” The religious leaders argued with Pilate and when Pilate found out Jesus was from Galilee, he sent him to Herod Antipas who was over Galilee. *** Herod was glad to finally meet Jesus who he had heard so much about. He wanted to see one of his miracles. Jesus refused to answer any of his questions. The religious leaders, the soldiers and Herod were all mocking and ridiculing Jesus. They put a robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. *** Lord, we are touched deeply by the suffering and humiliation you had to go through on our behalf. Words are not sufficient to express our gratitude. May we always remember what you did for us. You carried our shame to the cross so that we might live in freedom and joy. Thank you.

Fri.’s Devo - God’s Will Be Done

Read: Judges 4:1-5:31; Luke 22:35-53; Psalm 94:1-23; Proverbs 14:3-4 Once Ehud died, the people went back into idolatry and sin. The Lord turned them over to King Jabin of Hazor who ruthlessly oppressed them for 20 years. The commander of his army was Sisera who had 900 iron chariots. *** Israel was being judged by Deborah who sat under a palm tree between Ramah and Bethel. She sent for Barak who lived in Naphtali and told him to call out an army from his tribe and Zebulun and come to Mt. Tabor. She would tell Jabin’s army to meet them at the Kishon River where there was quicksand. There, God would give them victory. *** Jabin said the only way he would go to battle was if Deborah came with him. Deborah told him she would go, but the honor of the victory would go to a woman. *** When the armies met, God indeed gave Israel victory and everyone of Sisera’s men were killed. He escaped to the tent of Jael, who Sisera thought was an ally. She pretended to be, and gave him some milk and told him to rest. While he was resting, she took a tent peg and nailed it through his temple. When Jabin got there, she showed him the dead Sisera. *** Debora and Barak sang the song of victory together which told the story of their battle and the honor went to Jael just as Deborah had predicted. The song even tells of how Sisera’s mother waited and when he didn’t come home, she imagined what he was doing - choosing the women he wanted and picking out the most colorful embroideried robes for her. She had a surprise coming to her! A nail had been driven through his temple and God’s Temple got the victory. *** In Luke, Jesus was in the upper room eating the Passover seder with his disciples. He told them that things were going to change after this night. They would need a sword to protect themselves from now on and their own money (Judas would not be handling the money matters anymore and people would not be so welcoming out of fear of persecution.) *** Then Jesus took them to the Mount of Olives where he usually went to pray. He told them to pray that they would not enter into temptation. He went off by himself and prayed that God would take away the suffering he was about to go through. But, he wanted whatever the Lord wanted. He prayed with such passion that blood came out of his pores. An angel came and encouraged him and strengthened him for what was coming. *** Jesus found his disciples sleeping and woke them. Judas approached with a crowd and walked up to greet him with a kiss. Jesus called him out on it. The disciples asked Jesus if they should defend him with their swords. Peter even slashed off the right ear of the high priest’s servant. Jesus said this was not the time. He touched the man’s ear and healed it. *** Jesus turned to the leading priests and asked if he was some dangerous criminal that they would come with a crowd with swords and clubs. They could have done this peacefully in the middle of the day in Jerusalem. He added, “but this is the time when the power of darkness reigns.” *** Satan always does his work in the night under the cover of darkness. Children of the light do their good deeds in the light under the brightness of God’s glory. We have nothing to hide. *** May we walk as your children of light. May our good deeds show your glory. Thank you that your light is exposing all the deeds Satan is doing in the dark. Their evil deeds are all coming to the light so they can be judged. May your glorious justice shine forth!

Thurs.’s Devo - The Judges

Read: Judges 2:10-3:31;Luke 22:14-34; Psalm 92:1-93:5; Proverbs 14:1-2 Once the generation who had personal experience with the Lord all died, the people turned from God to worship Baal and Ashroreth. The Lord handed them over to their enemies who raided them and stole from them. They were no longer able to defeat their enemies because the Lord fought against them. *** God raised up judges to rescue them and they would have peace until that judge died, then they would lapse back into idolatry and God would send another judge to deliver them. *** The “ites” that they had not conquered and had allowed to stay in the land now became the thorns in their sides. One of the Kings who reigned over them was Aram-naharaim which means “of double wickedness”. He oppressed them for eight years until finally, the people cried out to the Lord. God sent them Othniel, Caleb’s nephew who married his daughter because he led the attack against Acsah in Judges 1:11-13. God gave them the victory and they had peace for 40 years until they went back into idolatry. *** God turned them over to Eglon, king of the Moabites. He united with the Ammonites and Amelekites and defeated Israel and took Jericho, Israel’s first place of victory. Israel was made to serve under Eglon for 18 years. When they cried out to the Lord, he sent Ehud from the tribe of Benjamin. He went to Eglon to give him the tribute money, then returned to give him a secret message from God. When everyone had left the room except him and Eglon, Ehud thrust a two-edged sword into the fat of Eglon and his bowels emptied and he fell dead. When the servants came to check on him they could smell of Eglon’s poop and thought he was in the privy releaving himself. When he delayed a long time, they finally got the key to check on him and found him dead. Ehud had long escaped and came back with his army. They attacked and God have them a victory over the Moabites. After that they had peace for 80 years. *** The next judge was Shamgar who killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad. *** In Luke, Jesus sat eating the Passover meal with his disciples. He told them that he wouldn’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. The meaning was that his blood was the blood that sealed the new covenant. His blood was going to save humanity from sin. When everyone who is ever going to be saved is saved, he would eat this meal again with us. His body was the bread that would be the sacrifice on our behalf granting us salvation. *** Jesus told them that one of them would betray him which would bring that person much sorrow. *** The disciples began to ask who would ever do such a thing but ended up arguing about who would be the greatest among them. *** Jesus told them that the one who was the greatest was himself, and yet he was serving them, so if they wanted to be great they needed to learn to serve. *** Jesus singled out Simon Peter and told him that he was praying for him because Satan was targeting him. Peter told him he was ready to die for Jesus, but Jesus told him he would deny him three times tomorrow before the rooster woke up. He was letting Peter know that he was not as strong as he thought he was and His prayers would sustain him till he returned. Then his Spirit would give him the power to be bold as a lion. *** Lord, may we not realize our weaknesses but also the power of your prayers for us. We are so thankful for your blood and your body that you sacrificed for us. Thank you for your Holy Spirit that empowers us to be your witnesses. May we build our houses on you as our foundation.

Wed.’s Devo- Create Life!

Read: Judges 1:1-2:9; Luke 21:20-22:13; Psalm 90:1-91:16; Proverbs 13:24-25 The Lord said the tribe of Judah was to fight first for their land. They invited the tribe of Simeon to help them and promised they would help them also. The land of Simeon was inside the land of Judah. *** They fought the Canaanites and had great victory over the Canaanites and Perizzites. They captured King Adoni-bezek from the city of Bezek. Adoni-bezek means “lord of lightning”. They cut off his thumbs and big toes like he had done to seventy kings himself. *** As the tribes begin to conquer their land, it is sad to read that all of them failed to drive out the “ites” in their land. Sometimes they made them their slaves, but they still controlled the land. *** The angel of the Lord came from Gilgal to Bochim to rebuke the people for not obeying the Lord. They were instructed to destroy the altars of their enemies and not to make any covenants with them, but they did. The angel of the Lord said that he would no longer drive the people out for them but their enemies would be great and constant temptations to them. The people wept so loudly, they defined Bochim with weeping. *** The people went back to their land and followed the Lord until the last witness of what God had done had died. Joshua died at the age of 110 and was buried in his land in Ephraim. Timnath-serah means “abundant portion”. *** In Luke, Jesus had given them the future of Jerusalem’s demise. They would all live to see it and they did. *** Judas went to the priests and offered to help them betray Jesus. They were delighted to have an insider and offered him money. *** It was the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread which included the Passover. Jesus sent Peter and John ahead of them to prepare the meal. He told them exactly what was going to happen and when they got to the town, it happened just as Jesus said it would. *** When we speak things out, it creates what we say. This is why we declare the Word over our circumstances and see it work. This is why we pray. *** Lord, may we be careful with our words knowing that we create with them and we can create life or death. May our words bring life, healing, purpose and salvation.

Tues.’s Devo - Choose This Day

Read: Joshua 24:1-33; Luke 21:1-28; Psalm 89:38-52; Proverbs 13:20-23 Joshua retold the story of their nation to the elders, leaders, judges and officers. God called Abraham out of idolatry and led him to the land of Canaan. God blessed him and gave him many sons through Isaac. Isaac had two sons: Esau and Jacob. He gave Esau and his 12 sons the mountains of Seir, while Jacob and his 12 sons were sent to Egypt. *** God sent Moses and Aaron to deliver Jacob’s descendants out of Egypt with plagues and great signs. He led them across the Red Sea while he drowned the Egyptians with their horses and chariots. *** After 40 years, he brought the people into the land of the Amorites where God gave them victory over them and they possessed their land. Then the met Balak who hired Balaam to curse them. Balaam couldn’t curse them because God would only let him bless them. God gave them land they had not cultivated and houses they had not built. God had done all this for them, so the warning was to fear the Lord and serve him alone. *** Joshua gave them a choice whether they wanted to serve the gods of their enemies who could not save them, or God who did all these wonderful mighty things for them. Joshua proclaimed that he and his house were going to serve the Lord. The people made that choice also. *** Joshua warned them that they were not able to serve God because he was holy and jealous and if they turned away from him, he would become their enemy and fight against them. The people were convinced that they could serve the Lord. So, Joshua told them to destroy their idols and make a covenant with the Lord. Joshua reminded them of all that was written in the law, then he took a stone and rolled it beneath a tree beside the Tabernacle to stand as a testimony of the covenant they had made. *** The people served the Lord until all the people who had personally experienced what God did for them had died. Joseph’s bones were buried in Shechem and Eleazar died and was buried in Gibeah. *** In Luke, Jesus commented on the two mites that a widow put in the collection box. Everyone else’s gifts paled in comparison to hers because she gave all she had. *** The disciples commented on the great stones of the Temple and all the decorations on the walls but Jesus saw ahead to the time when they would all be torn down and Jerusalem taken by their enemies. This happened in 70 A.D. and Jesus described it to a tee. God’s people would be scattered and not control Israel until the time of the Gentiles was over. Jerusalem is still being controlled by Gentiles today. The Jews who rule in Israel claim to be Jews, they even changed their names to sound more Jewish, but they are really European and not of Jewish blood. They claim to be Jews but are not, just like the scriptures say. The earth is being shaken. We can look up, for our salvation is near. It just might not look like we have been told. *** The sun of man has been seen in the stars in astronomy, so the kingdom of God is coming to earth now. *** Thank you, Lord that we are living in the most wonderful times ever seen on the earth. May we be awake, aware, seeking you with all our hearts and not fret. You planned the end from the beginning and we trust your plan.

Mon.’s Devo - Lies Exposed and Truth Revealed

Read: Joshua 22:21-23:16; Luke 20:27-47; Psalm 89:14-37; Proverbs 13:17-19 The tribes in the promised land came as a delegation to confront the tribes on the east side of the Jordan. These are the tribes that had just fought with them to help them possess their land from their enemies. Now, they had built this imposing altar. *** Rueben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh explained that they had built this altar not to sacrifice on or make offerings to the Lord, but as a memorial of the original altar. This would prove, in years to come, to everyone that they on the east of the Jordan worshipped the same God as those on the west of the Jordan. *** When Phinehas, the priest and the other tribal leaders heard their explanation they were satisfied and went home in peace. *** Years passed and Joshua was very old. He called all the leaders and judges of the tribes together to remind them of all God had done for them and what God required of them. He reminded them not to deviate from God’s laws or follow other gods. The Lord had driven out enemies more powerful than them and none them could defeat them. God’s people would put thousands to flight because the Lord is with them if they were careful to love the Lord. *** But, if they turn away from the Lord and take up the customs of the few foreigners living among them, God would stop helping them drive out their enemies and their enemies would become a snare to them and be like thorns in their eyes. *** Joshua was about to die. He reminded them that deep in their hearts they knew that every promise of the Lord was true and He had not failed in any of his promises. But, surely as he has given them everything, he can also take it away and destroy them if they break their covenant with him. *** In Luke, the Sadducees who didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead, asked Jesus a question to trick him. It had to do with a woman who had legally had seven husbands all in the same family. Their question was: In the resurrection, who would be her husband? *** Jesus saw right through their ruse but used it as a teaching moment. He explained that marriage is for us in this age. In the age to come, those who are worthy would not marry, nor can they die because they would be equal to the angels and be sons of the resurrection. *** Jesus showed them in the scriptures how Moses proved that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had been resurrected. All who are resurrected, live to God. This answer shut the Sadducees up. *** Jesus asked the the question how could the Messiah be the Son of David when David called the Messiah his Lord? If the Messiah is David’s Lord, how can he be David’s son? This gave them something to think about. *** Jesus warned the people about the scribes who dressed to look like they were someone important while on the inside they were evil and oppressed the widows. They would be severely punished in the end. *** Lord, thank you for all you have done for us. May we remember all you have done and give you praise and honor. May we not be deceived by the enemy who wants to sow lies and deception. May we have discerning hearts and love what is true.

Sun.’s Devo - God Keeps His Promises

Read: Joshua 21:1-22:20; Luke 20:1-26; Psalm 89:1-13; Proverbs 13:15-16 The tribe of Levi came to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua and asked for their inheritance. They were to live in towns within the different tribes. The tribe of Levi was divided into three clans: the Kohathites, the Gershonites and the Merarites. The Kohathites were given 13 towns in Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin and 10 towns in the land of Ephraim, Dan and the half tribe of Manasseh. The Gershonites were given 13 towns in Issachar, Asher Naphtali and the other half of Manasseh. The clan of Merari was given 12 towns in Reuben, Gad and Zebulun. *** Hebron, Shechem, Golan, Kedesh and Ramoth were all designated cities of refuge for anyone who accidentally killed someone. *** All the land had been given out and God had done everything he had promised them he would do. Joshua released the warriors from Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh to go home and enjoy their families and their land. They lived on the eastern side of the Jordan. They went home laden with great spoils from their battles. *** Before they crossed the Jordan, they stopped at Geliloth and built a large altar. When the people of Israel heard of what they had done, they gathered at Shiloh and prepared to go to war against them. They sent delegates from all of the tribes to discuss the matter with the ones who built it. They reminded them of the sins of those who built an altar at Peor and how God killed them all. *** Tomorrow we will hear their answer. *** In Luke, Jesus was teaching in the Temple when the leaders of the Temple came to him and asked him by what authority he was doing all these things. He turned and asked them whose authority did John the Baptist do the things he did. When they couldn’t answer them for fear of the people, Jesus told them he wouldn’t answer them either. *** Jesus then turned to the people and told them a parable. It was about a man who planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers and moved to another country. When it came time to harvest the grapes he sent a servant to collect his share of the crop. Instead, the farmers attacked the servant and sent him back with nothing. The owner sent two more servants and they were all treated the same. Not knowing what to do, he sent his son thinking they would respect him, but they killed him so the vineyard would be theirs. Jesus asked the crowd what they thought the owner would do to these farmers. Jesus answered that he would come and kill the farmers and lease the vineyard to others. *** Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” He explained that when people stumble over that stone will be broken to pieces and crushed if it fell on them. *** The religious leaders knew Jesus was speaking that parable against them but were afraid of what the people would do if they did anything to Jesus. Instead, they sent men to infiltrate the crowd and ask questions to trap Jesus into saying something they could use against him. *** One of these men came up with a plan and asked Jesus if they should pay taxes. Jesus asked for a Roman coin and asked whose face was on it. Caesar’s was, so he told them to give to Caesar what was his and to God what was his. This shut them up and amazed the crowds. You can’t trick truth! *** Lord, thank you that we can trust you will give us the right answer at the right time. Thank you that you have the Words of life and not a singe one of your good promises will be left unfulfilled.

Sat.’s Devo - Cities of Refuge -

Read: Joshua 19:1-20:9; Luke 19:28-48; Psalm 88:1-18; Proverbs 13:12-14 The tribes of Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan received their land and their towns. Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim and was promised by the Lord that he could have any town he wanted. He chose Timnath-serah which means “abundant portion”. *** The Lord told Joshua to designate six cities as cities of refuge. If anyone accidentally killed someone, they could run to one of these cities and plead their case to the elders at the gate. The slayer must be allowed to live safely there and receive a fair trial. When the avenger of the one who was murdered comes to kill him, they must not release the man to them since he did not kill with intent. The slayer must stay in that city until his trial has been decided. Then he must continue to live there until the death of the high priest. Then he can go safely back to his home. *** This is a picture of salvation. We are all guilty of murder. It was our sin that killed Christ. We murder with our tongues and our judgements. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. Jesus is our city of refuge. The law is the avenger of blood that says we all must die for our sins. We are set free when we go to Jesus for our refuge and let his death set us free. *** Here is a list of the cities of refuge and what they mean: Kedesh in Galilee- “an enclosed sanctuary”; Shechem in Ephraim - “shoulder for their abundance”; Hebron in Judah - “communion in praise”; Bezer in Reuben - “the first born of God are weapons”; Ramoth in Gilead in Gad- “an army of eternal witnesses”; Golan in Bashan in Manasseh “their rejoicing because their shame has been forgotten”. All of these describe the redeemed. *** In Luke, Jesus was getting closer and closer to Jerusalem. At the towns of Bethphage and Bethany he sent his disciples to get a donkey for him to ride into the city. Kings would ride on a donkey into the town they will reign. Zechariah prophesied, 9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. *** The people sang and praised Jesus as their king, but the Pharisees rebuked Jesus for receiving their praise. Jesus told the Pharisees that if they didn’t praise him, the rocks would. *** Jesus saw Jerusalem from afar and lamented how he wished they had understood that he was the way to peace. But, because they did not receive him and the peace he was bringing, Jerusalem would be destroyed. *** Jesus entered the Temple and began driving out the people selling animals, again. He told them that they had turned God’s house of prayer into a den of thieves. Jesus then taught the people much, to the dismay of the priests and teachers of the law. The people loved his teaching, but the leaders wanted to kill him. *** Lord, thank you that you have given us a refuge in Jesus. Thank you for saving us, redeeming us and giving us your peace. May we be spreaders of your peace and salvation.

Fri.’s Devo -Being Responsible

Read: Joshua 16:1-18:28; Luke 19:1-27; Psalm 87:1-7; Proverbs 13:11 The sons of Joseph received their allotment which went to Ephraim and the other half of the tribe of Manasseh. The tribe of Ephraim could not drive out all the Canaanites out of Gezer so they made them their slaves. *** The tribe of Manasseh had a descendant who had only daughters who came to Joshua to remind him that Moses had already ruled that they should have their own land and so Joshua gave them their own land. The men of Manasseh were not able to drive the Canaanites out of five of the towns they were given. The tribes of Joseph complained that they were too large and needed more land. Joshua gave them more land but told them that they were to drive out the Canaanites from those towns even though they were strong and had iron chariots. Joseph wasn’t taking their excuses. They ended up later making them slaves. *** Joshua met with the rest of the people at the Tabernacle in Shiloh. He rebuked them for not taking possession of the rest of the land and receiving their inheritance. He told them to send out spies and divide the rest of the land in portions so they could pick lots to assign the land to the remaining tribes. They did, and the first allotment went to Benjamin. *** In Luke, there was a man named Zacchaeus who lived in the town of Jericho. He had become very rich being a tax collector. He was also very short in statue. Jesus was coming through their city and Zacchaeus wanted to see him. Because of the crowd and his height, he had to climb a sycamore tree to be able to see. Jesus saw him and told him he was coming to his house to eat that day. Zacchaeus was elated but the people were offended that he would choose to eat with a notorious sinner like Zacchaeus. *** Zacchaeus was overwhelmed with Jesus, he began repenting and confessing his sins. He told Jesus he would give his wealth to the poor and repay four times what he had stolen from the people. By Jesus choosing to eat with Zacchaeus, the whole city was blessed. He couldn’t have chosen a better person to eat with. Jesus exclaimed that salvation had come to this house. This was a perfect picture of salvation. Jesus had come to do just this - save the lost. *** Jesus gave the people a parable showing the progression of the kingdom. A certain nobleman was called away to be crowned king in a distant empire and then he would return. He divided ten pounds of silver among ten of his servants. When he had gone his people sent a delegation to find him and tell him they didn’t want him to be their king. *** He continued to the far kingdom and received his crown then came back to see what his servants had done with his money. The first had used it to make ten more. He was commended and since he could be trusted with money, he was given to rule over ten cities. The next servant had invested and made five times that amount. He was given five cities. But the third brought back the king’s money and gave it to him. He told him he was hard and took what wasn’t his, so he was giving him only what was his. Then he gave him his one pound of silver. The master called this man wicked and took his one pound and gave it to the man who had made ten because he was a better steward of his money. How we deal with money is a good test to show how responsible we are with other things. There is no better investment than investing in the Kingdom of God. *** Lord, may we remember that all we do in the natural has spiritual rewards or spiritual consequences. May we live with the wisdom and fear of the Lord.

Thurs.’s Devo - Judah’s Territory

Read: Joshua 15:1-63; Luke 18:18-43; Psalm 861-17; Proverbs 13:9-10 Judah was given the most southern territory in the promised land. The southern boundary was the Dead Sea. The eastern boundary went along the Dead Sea to the mouth of the Jordan. The Northern boundary was full of mountains, valleys, and springs ending at the Mediterranean Sea. The western boundary was the shoreline of the Mediterranean Sea. *** God told Joshua to give to Caleb the land that He had promised Caleb. Joshua obeyed and Caleb drove out of Hebron the three groups of giants who were descendants of Anak. Other descendants of Anak were living in Kiriath-sepher. Caleb offered his daughter Othniel to whoever attacked the town and captured it. Kenaz won and got Othniel for his reward. She asked her father for the land with the upper and lower springs of water for her marriage gift and Caleb gave it to her. *** Judah ended up with 68 towns in his territory. *** In Luke, a religious leader came to Jesus asking what he had to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to obey the commandments which the man said he did. Since the man was looking for something he could do to merit eternal life, Jesus gave him something he knew he couldn’t do. He told him to sell everything he had and give it to the poor. The man couldn’t do it. Jesus knew what his response would be. Jesus the said it was hard for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God. What he was saying was, a person who depended on his riches to sustain him doesn’t have a need for God. Having or not having doesn’t determine your eternal salvation. Giving your heart and surrendering all you have to God does. Jesus later says that with him all things are possible, even rich people can be saved. He also assures us that whatever we give up for the Kingdom will be repaid with interest in the world to come. *** Jesus told his disciples again that he was going to be mocked and persecuted and finally killed, but on the third day he would rise again. They didn’t understand anything he said because the meaning of his words was hidden from them. *** As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was told Jesus was passing so he shouted out for mercy. The people tried to get him to stop but he shouted louder. Jesus healed him! *** How interesting, the disciples were blinded because of their lack of understanding, and this blind man was made to see because of his spiritual sight. *** Lord, may we have eyes to see and a heart to understand. Open our ears to hear. May we not miss our visitation from you.

Wed.’s Devo - Possessing the Land

Read: Joshua 13:1-14:15; Luke 18:1-17; Psalm 85:1-13; Proverbs 13:7-8 When Joshua had become an old man, God reminded him that there was still territory far south where the Philistines and the Geshurites lived that needed to be conquered. And, there was still land in the far north that belonged to the Sidionites and the Gebalites that needed to be conquered. God said he would drive these people out himself and give this to them as a special possession. They were to include this land in the land they divided among the tribes. *** The half tribe of Manasseh, Reuben and Gad had already received their grants of land on the east side of the Jordan. They were unable to drive out the people of Geshur and Maacah. *** The Levites were not to receive their own land but would be scattered throughout the land since they would be the teachers of the law and would man and run the cities of refuge. *** The rest of the tribes received their lands by lots. Caleb reminded Joshua of the promise that Moses had given him that he would receive the land they spied out the land forty years ago. He had seen the giants from the Anak and was not afraid of them then and was not afraid of them now. Caleb was presently 85 years old and as strong as he had been then. Joshua blessed Caleb with that land, which was called Hebron. It had previously been named Kiriath-arba after one of the great giant warriors, but Caleb had changed it to Hebron which means “one who has crossed”. He had crossed over the Jordan and the Red Sea supernaturally to get to this place. The town of Hebron became one of the first cities of refuge. Hebron was also the place where the patriarchs were buried. David lived here the first 7 years of his kingship. *** At last, the land had rest from war. *** In Luke, Jesus tells a story about a widow who needed justice from her enemy. She went to a judge for justice, even though he was unjust. Because she wore him down coming to him, he gave her what she wanted which was justice. This is how we pray for justice. We keep praying until we get it. The good news is that we are not going to an unjust judge, but a very just and righteous judge. *** Then, Jesus told a story about a man who was very sure he was righteous. When he went to the Temple he compared himself to everyone around him. He stood in the temple beside a man who was very humble and repentant. When they left the Temple, the humble man left forgiven, but the proud man did not leave justified before God. *** Parents brought their children for Jesus to bless them. The disciples tried to shield Jesus from being bothered by them. Jesus stopped the disciples and told them that the Kingdom of God belonged to them also. Everyone must come to God like a child to be received and allowed in. *** Lord, we acknowledge that you are our Father and we desire your blessing and your acceptance into your Kingdom. Thank you for making a way for us through Jesus.

Tues.’s Devo - We Inherit the Earth!

Read: Joshua 11:1-12:24; Luke 17:11-37; Psalm 84:1-12; Proverbs 13:5-6 After Joshua’ victory over the southern kings, the kings in the north heard about what had happened and King Jabin organized all the kings north to be one great army against Joshua and his men. *** God told Joshua not to be afraid of them, that He would hand them over to him tomorrow as dead men. God told Joshua to cripple their horses and burn their chariots. They all met at the water near Merom and suddenly attacked them. They chased them into the valley of Mizpah until they were all killed. Joshua obeyed and crippled the horses and burned all the chariots. *** Joshua captured the city of Hazor which had been the capital of all these kingdoms at one time. They spared no survivors and burned the city. He slaughtered all the kings and took all the plunder and livestock for themselves. Joshua carefully carried out everything the Lord had told him to do. *** The whole region was conquered. He killed all the giants who were the descendants of Anak except for a few that escaped to the land of the Philistines. We will see some of them reappear in the story of David. *** Joshua divided the land and gave it to the tribes. Joshua and the Israelites conquered 31 kings as well as the two east of the Jordan which totals to 33. *** In Luke, Jesus was still on his journey to Jerusalem. He met 10 lepers on his way. They cried out to him for mercy. He told them to go and show themselves to the priests. As they went, they were healed. One came back and praised God falling at Jesus’ feet. He thanked him for what he had done for him. Jesus asked where the other men were and he told this man that his faith had made him whole. This man was a Samaritan so he wouldn’t have been able to enter into the Temple. He came back to the Temple of God in Jesus. We don’t know if the others went to the Temple to show themselves or not. *** The people asked Jesus when the kingdom would come, but he kept telling them how it was going to happen. It wouldn’t come with signs - the kingdom was already here, among them. He was the kingdom of God. He would suffer and be rejected by this generation but when he comes back, it would be like the days of Noah. They partied right up to the very end when Noah stepped into the boat and the sky rained down water. The wicked died and the righteous lived. It was like that in the days of Lot also. They partied right up to the day the sky rained own fire and sulfur. The wicked died and the righteous lived. It will be that same way when the Son of Man is revealed. The wicked won’t have time to pack. They will be taken in their beds. Death will be everywhere. The wicked will die but, the righteous will inherit the earth! *** Lord, help us to see the truths in your Word. You have so many good things planned for your people. Thank you for saving, healing, and delivering us, and giving us a wonderful future.

Mon.’s Devo - Israel’s Treaty with Gibeon

Read: Joshua 9:3-10:43; Luke 16:19-17:10; Psalm 83:1-18; Proverbs 13:4 Gibeon means “little hill”. That would mean that Gibeon was a city that was important but not a royal city. A royal city would be considered a “mountain.” Gibeon was larger than Ai so it had over 22,000 people. It was next on the list of towns Israel would come to, so they knew their fate. Instead of fighting Israel and being defeated, they decided they would deceitfully make a peace treaty with them. They sent messengers to Joshua in ragged clothes and old shoes. They carried molded bread to deceive Joshua into thinking they were from a town outside of their boundaries. *** Joshua had gotten a little cocky in his war campaign and didn’t even ask God what he should do. He made a peace covenant with them and three days later, they learned that these men lived nearby. The names of the towns they had made a treaty with were Gibeon, Kiphirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. They went and met with them but they couldn’t attack them because of the treaty they had made. Instead they made them their slaves to carry their water and cut their wood. The people of the towns were just glad to serve them and stay alive. The king of Jerusalem, Adoni-zedeck heard that Joshua had captured and destroyed Ai and Jericho and found out about the treaty they had made with the Gibeonites so they were afraid. Adoni-zedeck allied with four more kings listed in verse 3 from Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon to help them destroy the Gibeonites because they had made a treaty with Israel. The men of Gibeon sent for help from Joshua. The Gibeonites were known as great warriors. This time Joshua went with the Lord’s blessing. *** Joshua’s men traveled all night and took the Amorites by surprise. They fought with the sword and heaven’s army fought from heaven with hail. The hail killed more of them than the sword. Joshua prayed that the sun would stand still so they could continue fighting and it stayed noon for hours. They cornered five of the kings in a cave in Makkedah and put rocks over the entrance so they couldn’t escape. They finished killing all the soldiers. When they defeated them, time began to move again. *** They brought the kings out of the cave, made them lie down and ordered his commanders to put their feet on the necks of the king. Joshua told them to never be afraid because that was what God was going to do to all their enemies. Then he had them impaled on poles where they hung until evening. They took their bodies down before evening and had them put in the caves they hid in. Then they sealed the caves with a stone. *** This is exactly what Satan did to Jesus probably as his way of getting back at Israel for what they did to his kings. It was a set up, though, because Jesus’ death was God’s victory and ours too! *** Joshua and his men then went to the towns the kings ruled and destroy them, leaving no survivors. *** In Luke, Jesus tells a parable about a rich man who had everything and a poor man who sat at his gate. He was able to gaze at the luxury the rich man enjoyed but not allowed to eat even a scrap from his table. When the poor man died, he was taken by angels to heaven and sat beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet table. When he rich man died, he went to the place of the dead where he was in torment. He could see the poor man sitting beside Abraham a great distance away with a great chasm separating them. He called out to Abraham and asked him to send someone to his father’s house and warn them about the place he was in. Abraham said, they had prophets to warn him. The man begged God to send someone from the dead, probably him, to warn them to repent and turn to God. Abraham said, they wouldn’t listen to the prophets so they wouldn’t listen to someone who had risen from the dead. *** This was a parable about the people of that day. The prophets had come to warn Israel for years and years and they hadn’t listened. Yet, Jesus, sent from heaven was going to die and come back to life and they would still not believe. *** Jesus warned them of the danger of trying to persuade a young believer to sin and turn back from serving God. They were to discipline believers who sinned and if they repented, they were to forgive. This might mean forgiving them over and over. *** The disciples asked Jesus how they could increase their faith. Jesus told them it just takes a small about of faith to do great things. However, obedience is what God expects us to do as his servants. *** Lord, may we walk humbly with you. Thank you for saving us and revealing to us who you are and your kingdom. May we walk worthy of your name. Show us today, what we can do for you.

Sun.’s Devo - Seek the Kingdom First

Read: Joshua 5:1-7:15; Luke 15:1-32; Psalm 81:1-16; Proverbs 13:1 All the tribes were brought before the Lord and Achan from the tribe of Judah was singled out as the one who disobeyed the Lord. He confessed to taking a robe, 200 silver coins and a bar of gold. He had hidden them in the ground under his tent. *** Achan and what he had stolen, his family and all he owned was taken to the valley of Achor. Achan means “troubler” and Achor means “to trouble”. Joshua said “Why have you brought trouble on us? The Lord will now bring trouble on you.”All of Israel stoned them and burned their bodies. They piled a heap of stones on top of their ashes and God’s anger was appeased. *** Now, God sent them back to Ai and they destroyed them and were told they could keep the plunder. If only Achan had given to the Lord first, then he would have been able to receive his portion. *** If we learn how to have a spirit of generosity first, we can break out of a poverty spirit and enjoy God’s blessings. *** The strategy for taking this town was totally different than the plan for taking Jericho. They were to ambush this city, take the spoil and burn it to the ground. Then, they attacked the people they had drawn out of the town. They attacked from both sides and destroyed 12,000 in one day. The king was impaled on a pole and then buried in front of the town gate. *** Joshua built an altar to the Lord on Mount Ebal where they had read aloud the curses of not following the Lord. On the stones of the altar, Joshua wrote the instructions of the Lord. *** Half of the people stood on Mt. Ebal and half on Mt. Gerizim like the day when Moses had read to them the blessings and the curses. The Ark and the priests stood in the valley between them. Joshua read to them again the blessings of following the Lord and the curses of disobeying the Lord. *** When kings of the land they heard of how they took Jericho and Ai, they now joined together as one to fight Joshua. *** In, Luke, Jesus tells the story of a wealth manager who was wasting his master’s money. His employer found out and called him in to get his affairs in order because he was fired. The manager quickly went out and changed the amount of the receipts of what people owed his boss so that when he was fired he would have their favor. *** The rich man had to admire him for being so shrewd. He was only concerned about his life on earth. Where this man acquired friends shrewdly, we are to acquire friends the right way - by being generous with God’s money. Then, when we die, we will be welcomed into God’s house. We live our lives for eternity. *** If we learn how to give when we have a little, we will give when we have a lot. Jesus spoke this to the Pharisees and they scoffed at his teaching because they loved money. He told them they were hypocrites who loved to look righteous but had deceitful hearts. God sees this and it is detestable to him. *** Jesus explained that even though he had brought in a new kingdom, the law was still in effect. He gave the example of how they put their wives away without going through the requirements in the law. Because they were not giving their wife a writ of divorcement, they were causing her and them to commit adultery if either remarried. Every dot and tittle of the law must be fulfilled. *** The Psalm for today is a word to the fallen angels. Pretty interesting since we just read about a town called AI. *** Lord, may our hearts be upright in all we do and think. May we be generous and give all we have for your Kingdom. Thank you that when we seek you first and your Kingdom, all these things will be added.

Sat.’s Devo -Taking Jericho

Read: Joshua 5:1-7:15; Luke 15:1-32; Psalm 81:1-16; Proverbs 13:1 The Israelites have crossed over the Jordan on dry land and the people in the land are paralyzed with fear. That was a blessing because Joshua was told to circumcise all the male, leaving them no defense. *** The Lord called the place Gilgal which means “their shame of slavery is rolled away.” There, they celebrated the Passover. The next day, they ate unleavened bread to begin the Feast of Unleavened Bread and made the bread from the grain in the land. Manna never appeared from that day forward. *** As they neared Jericho, Joshua saw a man with a sword and went to ask him if he was with them or against them. He told them he was neither. He was the commander of the Lord’s army. That was a true statement. Sometimes the Lord was on their side and sometimes he wasn’t. He doesn’t necessarily fight for Israel as much as he fights for those who obey him and worship only him. The Lord had come to give Joshua strategy. *** He told Joshua to march around Jericho with the Ark, priests blowing horns and armed men in front and behind the Ark. The only sound would be the horns. They were to do this for six days. On the seventh day, they were to surround the town seven times and when Joshua gave the command, they were to shout. The walls came crashing down. These walls were 11 feet high and 14 feet wide. What would have taken weeks or months to take a city, took a week. *** They were to completely destroy everything in the city as an offering to the Lord. It was their first fruit and tithe. The rest of the towns they conquered were all theirs. They were allowed to keep the plunder from them, but not Jericho. They saved Rahab and her family like they promised. *** Joshua put a curse on whoever tried to rebuild Jericho. It would cost him his first born son to lay the foundation and his youngest son when he set up the gates. Joshua's curse was literally fulfilled years later during the reign of King Ahab. We read in 1 Kings 16:34, "In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.” *** Jericho was rebuilt, but at a huge cost to Hiel and his sons. *** Achan broke God’s command and kept some of the things he should have given to the Lord but hid them away. When they went to attack the small city of Ai, they were soundly defeated. The first thing they did was to blame God. He put the blame back on them. They had sinned and someone had taken what belonged to the Lord. He wasn’t going to let them go forward until they settled that matter. God told them to bring the tribes before Joshua and God would show them who the guilty person was. *** In Luke, the Pharisees were fine with Jesus eating with them, but criticized him when he ate with common people. They were trying to make Jesus one of them so they could control him, but he would have none of that. *** When the Pharisees complained that Jesus was associating with sinners, he told them three stories. The first one had to do with a lost sheep, which the common person would be able to relate to. The next was a lost coin, which the religious leaders would relate with since they were lovers of money. The last was heaven’s perspective. It showed how God loves his own. *** The sinners that Jesus was eating with represented the prodigal son. The elder son represented the Pharisees. They had been rich with access to the law and the Temple, but they took it for granted and became entitled. They hadn’t even taken the opportunity to get to know the Father or his commandments. The prodigal son, like the common people in Jesus’ day was humbled by his sin, repented and received the Father’s forgiveness and love. *** Lord, may we guard our hearts against arrogance and pride. May we see what you are doing and be amazed - not afraid. Give us strategy in taking down the Jericho’s that we face.

Fri.’s Devo -Stay Salty

Read: Joshua 3:1-4:24; Luke 14:7-35; Psalm 80:1-19; Proverbs 12:27-28 Joshua led the people to the Jordan and they camped there for three days. The officers spread the news that when they saw the Levites carrying the Ark they were to follow, at a distance, in their positions. *** Joshua told the people to purify themselves because God was going to do something great and wonderful. God told Joshua that on that day, God was going to make him a great leader in the eyes of the people and they would know that the Lord was with him. *** Joshua told the people that today they would know that the living God was with them. He was the one who would drive out their enemies before them. They were to choose one man to represent their tribe. As soon as the feet of the priest touched the water, the water that was flowing downstream stood up like a wall. It began backing up at a town called Adam. On the other side, the water flowed down to the Dead Sea making a dry river bed in the middle. The priests stood in the middle of the riverbed and waited until all the people had crossed. *** In Adam, all man died; in the Dead Sea all die. They had to cross over and defeat, the fear of death to reach their promised land. We are delivered from the fear of death through Christ (Hebrews 2:15). The Ark represented Jesus, who stands in the middle of our fears holding back death and the fear of death so we can safely cross through. The priests represent us, the church who stand with Jesus to help others cross over death to be saved. *** The twelve men who had been pre-chosen were then told to take 12 stones from the place where the priests were standing and pile them up at the place where they would camp that night. They would set them up to remember what God did for them. Joshua set up another pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan. *** The first to cross over were the armed warriors from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. They were fearless. The people followed and last of all, the priests crossed over to join the people. *** They crossed over on the 10th of Nissan the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem to be crucified and the day they would select their lamb for Passover. Joshua put his stones in Gilgal where they camped. *** In Luke, Jesus was invited to a dinner at the home of a leader of the Pharisees. He noticed how everyone was trying to sit in the seats of honor. He told them that they should instead, begin sitting at the lowest place and wait to be exalted to a higher position. He told the host, that the next time he put on a banquet he shouldn’t invite the people he knew, loved and wanted to impress, but to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. At the resurrection, God would reward him. *** One of the men sitting with Jesus heard this and loved it. (I wonder what the host thought about it.) *** Jesus then told the story of the man who did exactly what he had just described. He sent out invitations. The ones he first invited had excuses why they couldn’t come so he sent invitations out to the poor and desperate. He swore that the ones he first invited would not get even a taste of his banquet. *** Jesus told them that if they wanted to be his disciple, they must give up everything to follow him. He warned them to count the cost of following him because it would cost everything. *** We are to be the salt of the earth, so we have to be willing to do what it takes to stay salty. *** Lord, may we choose to give up our lives daily. May we do the things that uplift your Spirit inside us and keep us salty. May we daily put our “yes” on the table and walk through death to inherit life.

Thurs.’s Devo - Moses to Joshua

Read: Deuteronomy 34:1-Joshua 2:24; Luke 13:22-14:6; Psalm 79:1-13; Proverbs 12:26 Mount Nebo means “his prophecy” and Pisgah means “survey”. Moses was given a prophecy that God would take them to their own land. Moses was now being allowed to survey the fulfillment of that prophecy, though he would not actually get to enter in. Moses died there and the Lord buried him. Jude 9 tells us that the devil disputed with Michael about the body of Moses. Moses was 120 when he died and his eyesight had not failed nor his strength. He was mourned thirty days. No prophet had been like Moses because he knew the Lord face to face. *** The anointing of Moses was passed to Joshua to lead the people into the land. God encouraged Joshua to be strong and courageous. *** Joshua called together the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh and reminded them of their promise to help the other tribes cross the Jordan and possess their land. They agreed. *** Joshua only sent out two spies, probably because last time only two came back with a good report. They were to spy out the land and especially the land around Jericho. They stayed at the house of Rahab, the harlot. *** When the king of Jericho found out they had been there, they went to Rahab’s house to search for them. Rahab had hidden them but told the men searching for them that they had left the city. When they had gone she went to talk to Joshua’s men. *** She told them that she knew the Lord had given them this land. Her people had heard of how God opened the Red Sea for them to walk across and had given them victory over Sihon and Og, the Amorite kings. Everyone in Jericho was afraid of them and the supreme God of the heavens and the earth. *** She made them swear that when they came to attack the city that they would spare her and her family. The men swore to save them if she held up her end of the bargain and helped them escape. She agreed and sent let them down from her window by a rope since her house was built on the wall. They told her to leave the rope hanging from her window and they would save all who was in her house. *** They were able to escape to the hills and told Joshua how the whole land was afraid of them. *** In Luke, someone asked Jesus if only a few would be saved. He told them the fate of those who did not come through the narrow door. He was the narrow door. Those who refused to enter while there was still time would greatly be disappointed when they found the door shut. But others would come from all over the world to take their place in the Kingdom of God. There will be a complete flip of who is esteemed and who is not. *** The Pharisees warned Jesus that Herod Antipas wanted to kill him. Jesus told them to tell that fox that he would continue casting out demons and healing until the third day when he is perfected. Then Jesus predicted that he, like all the other prophets would die in Jerusalem. *** One Sabbath, Jesus went to eat at the home of a leader of the Pharisees. A man was there whose arms and legs were swollen with dropsy. The people watched to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. He asked them if their animal fell into a pit on that Sabbath if they would help it out. The answer was “yes”. So how was that different from Jesus healing one of his own on the Sabbath. *** Lord, help us to not stumble over silly laws we have set up in our mind and miss the bigger picture. May we help all who we are able to help and do the works you have ordained for us to do in this time.

Wed.’s Devo - The Mercy of God

Read: Deuteronomy 33:1-29; Luke 13:1-21; Psalm 78:65-72; Proverbs 12:25 Moses had a blessing for all the tribes which he gave before he died. He described the Lord as the sun in his majesty whose divine light appeared at Sinai and scattered its beams on all the region directing Israel's march to Canaan. *** He blessed Reuben with long life since they were the largest tribe at the time. Reuben had lost his place as the first born and ended up almost dying out. The second part of verse 6 is believed to be the blessing for Simeon: “though they are few in number.” Simeon began with 59,300 in Numbers 1:23 which were just the fighting men and ended up with 22,200 total people in Numbers 26:14. They were given territory within the land of Judah to preserve them. *** Judah was the first to go out in battle so Moses prayed for strength to defend their cause. *** The Levites were commended for being zealous in obeying God’s word. They chose God even above their own families. *** Benjamin was blessed with the love of the Lord and his constant watch and care for them. *** Joseph which means “double fruit” was blessed with abundance and the best earth had to offer. He would conquer many nations. *** He prayed the same blessing that would fall on Joseph’s sons - Ephraim and Manasseh. *** Zebulun and Issachar were also give the same blessing, they would just be in different locations. Zebulun would travel and be nomadic and Issachar would stay put. *** Gad was blessed with enlarging their territory. They had chosen the best land east of the Jordan and served as a buffer to the other tribes from outside intruders. They were commended for keeping their promise to help the other tribes get their land. *** Dan is describing as leaping like a lion from Bashan. They had received their land in the south but it was too small so they “leapt” to the north and took some territory there also. Bashan means “shame” so it could be that they left from shame to the heights. Sadly, Dan which means to “judge” ended up being judged by God for all their idol worship. *** Naphtali was blessed with favor and growth. *** Asher was blessed with honor from the other tribes. He would be safe and secure. *** Moses reminded them that the Lord was their refuge; he held them in his arms. They would be safe and prosperous and blessed in the Lord. He would protect them with sword and they would defeat their enemies. *** In Luke, Jesus put everyone into one of two baskets: saved or not saved. It is not death that we should fear, but eternal death. Everyone eventually dies. *** Jesus told the story of a tree that year after year didn’t produce figs. The owner of the garden finally told his gardener to cut it down because it was taking up space. But the gardener plead with the master to let him have one more year with the tree. He would give it special attention and then, if it didn’t produce fruit, he would take it out. Jesus was trying to tell them that these people who died these deaths had been given that extra attention before they died. God doesn’t just take a person out of this life without first giving them every opportunity to repent. *** One Sabbath as Jesus was teaching in the synagogue he saw a woman bent over by an evil spirit. He healed her and she could stand upright for the first time in 18 years! The leader of the synagogue told Jesus he had 6 days to heal people, he shouldn’t have done it on the Sabbath. (Such stupidity!) Jesus told him that he even unleashed his ox and led it to water on the Sabbath, isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath. He was relating her to his ox. She had been under a load of Satan and now she got a drink from the living water of healing. Jesus shamed this man with his answer. *** Jesus then gave two examples of the Kingdom of God. It starts small and then grows and grows. The Kingdom started with him and it would grow and grow after his death and resurrection. *** Lord, thank you for your great mercy and kindness. Thank you for defeating our enemies and putting them under our feet. May we boldly proclaim your goodness.

Tues.’s Devo - The Revenge of God

Read: Deuteronomy 32:28-52; Luke 12:35-59; Psalm 78:56-64; Proverbs 12:24 The song of Moses continues today. Israel would forsake her God and just like the curses state: “one person would chase a thousand and two people would put ten thousand of them to flight.” The only way those odds would make sense would be that God had forsaken them and sold them to the enemy. *** Their enemy’s rock was Satan and its roots were in Sodom and Gomorrah. Their wine was the venom of serpents and deadly poison of cobras. Isn’t that exactly what Jesus said about the Pharisees who had usurped the Jews in Matthew 12:34. ”O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” God says that he is storing up his wrath until the right time and then he will take revenge on them. He is doing that right now in our day. *** God will ask them where their gods are who they have relied on to save them. There is no one like the Lord. He is the one to kills and gives life. They will find this out. *** When Moses had finished teaching the people the song the Lord had given him, he went up on Mt. Nebo and was able to look out over the promised land before he died. Both he and Aaron had betrayed the Lord at Meribah. Their fate was to be a warning to the people. In Luke, Jesus told them that it was imperative that they understood the times they were living in. They had to be ready and awake all the time. No one knew when the enemy was coming to destroy. Those who are awake will be able to prevail against him but those who are distracted will be taken by surprise. Jesus would come back also and those who are not looking and waiting for him will be taken by surprise. It may not be a good surprise. *** The answer is to stay close to the Lord doing what he calls us to do every day. Then, there is nothing to be afraid of. The future is wonderful for those obeying the Lord and walking with him. *** Lord, may we stay awake and aware of who you are and what you require of us. May we enjoy your presence and be filled with your Holy Spirit. May we see the revival and salvation of many souls.

Mon.’s Devo - Moses’ Song

Read: Deuteronomy 31:1-32:27; Luke 12:8-34; Psalm 78:32-55; Proverbs 12:21-23 When Moses had finished explaining all God required of them and all he would do for them, he said he would not be the one leading them - Joshua would. God would go before them and destroy the nations living in the land. He would give the people into their hands. He told them to be strong and courageous. He would not fail them or abandon them. *** Moses wrote down everything the Lord had told him and put it in a book for them to read when they met together. They must learn to fear the Lord and obey all his commands. *** God said that when they got to the land and experienced prosperity they would turn away from him and worship other gods. They would break God’s covenant and he would bring all the disasters upon them written in the book. *** Moses taught the people the words of the song and gave it to the Levites to be placed beside the Ark of the Covenant so it would be a witness to the people of what God said. *** God knew the people were rebellious and that they would become utterly corrupt and turn from him, so Moses taught them the song in verses 32:1-43. We only read 27 of the verses today. *** In the song, the people are reminded of how just and holy the Lord is and how rebellious and perverse they are. The song told of how the Lord found them in a desert land and took care of them as their Father. He gave them the best of the land but they became fat and happy and abandoned the Lord. They worshiped foreign gods who had done nothing for them. *** In response, the Lord would bring disasters upon them and whittle down their numbers. Their enemies would declare that they did this to Israel and not the Lord. *** In Luke, God tells us that what we do on earth reflects what will happen in heaven. If we profess the Lord on earth, we will be acknowledged in heaven. If we speak against the Son of Man (Jesus on earth), we can be forgiven. If we blaspheme the Holy Spirit (Jesus’ Spirit given to us after the resurrection), we will not be forgiven. *** When believers are brought to trial because of their faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit will give them what to say. *** A man came to Jesus asking him to make his brother divide their father’s estate with him. Jesus told him he was not a judge over such matters and instead told the man to guard his heart against greed. Life was meant for higher things. Jesus told a story of a rich man who ran out of room to store all his wealth for himself so he planned to build bigger barns to store it. The Lord called this man a fool and he died that night. God asked the man, “now, who will get everything you worked for?” *** The point that God was making is that the wealth we are given is not for ourselves only, but to share with others and better the world around us. Besides, God has stored up in his barn everything we will ever need. The best place for us to store up our treasures is in heaven. No one can steal them there. We do this by giving what we have to the Lord and his Kingdom. *** Giving is a heart matter. Lord, may our hearts be full of gratefulness and generosity. May we be a funnel for your blessings to flow through. May they not get stopped up by greed or fear of lack.

Sun.’s Devo - Choose Life!

Read: Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20; Luke 11:37-12:7; Psalm 78:1-31; Proverbs 12:19-20 While they were still in the land of Moab, Moses called all the people together and told them what the Lord was adding to the covenant he had made with them on Mt. Sinai. He began by saying that the Lord had not given them eyes to see and ears to hear, nor a mind to understand. He had led them for 40 years through the wilderness and yet their shoes nor their clothes had not worn out. Had they even noticed this? God had provided all their food and water. He had given them victory over their enemies and given them their land. *** If they wanted to prosper in the land he was giving them they must obey his commands. The covenant he was presenting to them was full of blessings but also curses for disobeying it. This covenant would also stand to their descendants after them. *** They were not to adopt any of the evil purposes of the nations they had passed through or that they would find in the land or its bitterness would produce a root in them. This root of evil would bring forth poisonous fruit. *** Those who refused to obey God’s laws and chose instead to follow their own hearts would receive the curses written in the book. Their names would be erased from under heaven. They would be separated from the other tribes and destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah with nothing but salt and sulfur remaining. They would become a mockery of other nations. *** They were not being made accountable for what they did not understand about God, but of what he had made very clear to them. After experiencing both the blessings and the curses, if they choose to return to the Lord, the Lord will hear their prayer and restore their fortunes. He will gather them from where they had been scattered and bring them back to their land again and they will live in their land and be fruitful and multiply. It would be the same thing God told Adam and Eve - “Be fruitful and multiply.” *** God made it clear to them that what he was requiring of them was attainable. It was as close as to what they proclaimed with their mouth and what they put in their hearts. It was their choice and it is our choice. If they chose to turn away from God and worship other gods, they would be destroyed. If they chose to follow the Lord, it would be life and blessing for them. *** In Luke, the Pharisees were offended that Jesus didn’t do their hand-washing ritual. Knowing this, Jesus told them that they were so careful to make themselves look good on the outside with all their rituals, but their hearts were full of greed and wickedness. If they would do something self-less like to care for the poor, it would help them to get rid of their greed. *** Jesus explained that giving justice was even more important than giving God gifts. They were going to get a rude awakening when died. They loved the honor of respect on earth, but they would get none of it after they died. *** One of the religious experts told Jesus he was offended by what he said, probably hoping Jesus would tell the he wasn’t talking to them. But, Jesus told them that they were just as wicked. They imposed their laws that were so burdensome, they were just as guilty as the hypocrites. They even killed the prophets and then built monuments to honor them. Talk about hypocrisy! They would be held responsible for the murders of all God’s prophets from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah because all of them spoke of him. Now he was here, and they were going to do the same to him. *** They would not enter into God’s Kingdom and they were doing all they could to keep others from entering also. Jesus warned them that all they did in secret would one day be revealed for all to see. *** Jesus turned to his followers and called them friends. He told them not to be afraid of the religious order. They could only kill their body, but not their soul. He told them to fear God, He would not forget a single one of them from the least to the greatest. He alone has the power to throw them into hell or promote them to heaven. *** Lord, thank you that you are the only wise God and you are our Father. We choose life. We choose Jesus Christ as our Saviour and we choose to follow your Word.

Sat.’s Devo - Choose the Blessings

Read: Deuteronomy 28:1-68; Luke 11:14-36; Psalm 77:1-20; Proverbs 12:18 Today we read the blessings and the curses which are the exact opposite of the blessings. The only requirement of walking in the blessings was to follow the Lord and obey his laws. That sound easy, but it was not for them. I have to remind myself that they were a new nation and didn’t have the Holy Spirit like we do which seals us. *** The blessings were simple: everything about their lives would be blessed. Their nation would be above all the other nations Their finances, family, occupations, and harvests would all be blessed. *** The curses are explicit and excruciating to read. God describes them in detail. Everything about them would be cursed. They would be pursued and taken over by them. These results would serve as a sign and a warning for future generations. *** We as a nation have been living in the curses which is plain to see if we open our eyes and look around. DOGE is pointing out so many ways they have stolen our money and put in their own pockets. We see that we have been slaves to an evil agenda bent on taking our lives, not blessing them. But… God is turning this ship around. We are starting to see the curses lifting and the blessing beginning to flow. It has already started and it will soon become a tsunami. Those who have been faithful are going to see the results of their obedience. *** It gives the Lord great pleasure in blessing and prospering us, may we never find ourselves in this place of chaos again. *** In Luke, Jesus cast a demon out of man who could not speak and he was able to talk. One in the crowd said it was because Jesus was the prince of demons. This man was trying to get Jesus so mad he would prove his power by giving them some great sign from heaven. Jesus didn’t fall for it. He explained that any institution that is divided among itself is destined to fall. If Satan’s kingdom is divided against itself, it will fall. But if he is casting out demons in the power of God then the Kingdom of God has arrived and it will overthrow Satan’s kingdom. *** Jesus explained that demons that are cast out of a person look for another person to enter. If it can’t find an open door, it will come back to the first person to see if they have filled their house with good things and closed their door to them. If they haven’t, then they will reenter and bring more demons with it. Then the person will be in worse shape than before. *** When they kept asking for a sign from heaven, Jesus told them the only sign he would give them would be the sign of Jonah. His resurrection out of the mouth of the fish was a sign to the people of Nineveh that God had sent him. Jesus’ resurrection would be a sign to these people also. Even his disciples didn’t believe until he came back and appeared to him. *** Lord, may our eyes be filled with your light that they can see who you are and what you are doing on the earth. Thank you for all the wonderful things you are doing to save us and our nation. May we pass the test of abundance and be generous and faithful.

Fri.’s Devo - May We Be

Read: Deuteronomy 26:1-27:26; Luke 10:38-11:13; Psalm 76:1-12; Proverbs 12:15-17 Once they got settled in their land and experienced their first harvest, they were to bring a basket of their produce to the place of worship and proclaim that they were wandering Arameans who lived in Egypt as a foreigner. There they grew into a large nation. When they became oppressed by the Egyptians and made to be their slaves, they cried out to the Lord. He heard their cries and brought them out with his power - with signs and wonders. He brought them to this wonderful land and now they are offering a gift of thanksgiving to the Lord. *** Every third year they were to bring a special tithe of their crops for the foreigners, Levites, orphans and widows so they would have food to eat. With this gift they were to proclaim that they had followed all of God’s laws and that their gift was ceremonially clean. They were to ask God to bless them and the land. *** When they crossed over the Jordan they were to set up stones at Mount Ebal and coat them with plaster and write the curses on them. They were to also build an altar there using uncut stone and offer a burnt offering to the Lord. These stones are still in existence in Palestine. *** The tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin were to stand on Mount Gerizim to proclaim a blessing over the people that would be theirs if they obeyed the commandments of God. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali were to stand on Mount Ebal and proclaim the curses. These mountains were right across from each other. Mount Gerizim is believed to be Mount Moriah where the Samaritans went to celebrate the feasts. The woman at the well in John 4:20 referred to this mountain as being the Mountain they worshipped on. It was the mountain that they believed God had chosen to place his name. *** Today, we read the curses. Tomorrow we will read the blessings. The curses sound a lot like the Ten Commandments. *** In Luke, we have the story of Mary and Martha which is such a reminder to us of what is really important. We get so distracted by what is going on around us, it is easy to forget that stopping and sitting with Jesus is much more productive that running around doing all the stuff we think is important. The lesson is: we have to first “be” before we “do”. When we are in the presence of the Lord, we get strategy, power, energy, and blessing to then go out and do the things God has called us to do. We know we are being the “Martha” when we feel stressed and out of sorts. Mary is content and at peace. Martha is in a tizzy and judgmental. *** Jesus was asked how they should pray. Jesus gave them a prayer that we have all memorized and heard many sermons about. He started out praising God and proclaiming who he is and praying his Kingdom to come to earth. He prayed for their daily needs then asked for forgiveness for their sins. He prayed strength to stand against temptation. This is how we pray for ourselves. *** Then Jesus told them how to pray for others. The essence is you pray until you see the results. Then he explained that you have to learn how to receive and believe that God gives good gifts to his children. *** Lord, teach us to live in your presence and choose to enjoy your peace. May we seek you first in all we do. It is your will that we desire above all.

Thurs.’s Devo - Our Responsibilities

Read: Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19; Luke 10:13-37; Psalm 75:1-10; Proverbs 12:12-14 If a man is made a eunuch, then he is unable to bear children. Spiritually, this would be a person who is unable to bear the fruit of the Spirit. We would call this person a psychopath today or the seed of Satan. Not every eunuch fell into this category - I’m just pointing out a picture. I wonder if the second verse we read today has to do with trans-gendering a child at birth or manipulating its DNA. The word for “illegitimate” in the Hebrew means “mixed seed.”This is serious business to the Lord. This is what happened in Genesis 6. *** The Ammonites and Moabites heard of all the things the Lord had done to the Egyptians and yet they didn’t fear God enough to help the Israelites with food and water when they left Egypt. They hired Balaam to curse Israel instead. Their descendants would not be able to enter into the assembly of the Lord for ten generations. “Ten” is the number of testing. So they would not be able to participate in worshiping the Lord until God had tested their hearts over a period of time to see if they were repentant. *** The third generation of Edomites and the Egyptians could enter the assembly of the Lord. “Three” is the number meaning “conform”. So it means that the Edomites and Egyptians would have to conform to the laws of God before they could be allowed to worship with them. *** Most of God’s laws are self-explanatory. God is holy and requires us to be holy also. We are to treat others fairly and with compassion. We must never forget that we were once slaves to sin until we met Christ who set us free. We must have the same patience and compassion for others as we needed and still need. *** We are not to take advantage of another person’s hospitality but only honor their possessions. To divorce a woman, a writ of divorcement must be signed and the divorce be made legal, then both are free to remarry. If this is not done, then to remarry would be to commit adultery since the person was not legally divorced. Jesus addressed the Jews about this because they were not legally divorcing their wives. *** The poor man who had to make a loan has the right to choose what he gives as a promise of repayment. The person loaning the money must not come into his house to get it or he might choose something else to take that that man doesn’t want to give. This reminds me of the story that Nathan gave David about the little lamb (talking about Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 12). The bottom line is that God wanted them to honor the poor and be kind to them. Justice must be given to the foreigner, the orphan and the widow; all of them have no protector. They were to remember that they were once in their shoes. *** Two brothers living on the same property are covenanted together so if one of them dies without an heir, it is the responsibility of the living brother to give this sister-in-law a son so that his brother’s name would not die. This is about family inheritance. The man who doesn’t help his brother receive his inheritance is to be shamed. We are going to be held responsible for upholding and praying for our family. We must do our part to preserve our family name because we bear the name of Christ. *** The bottom line of God’s laws were to fear the Lord and remember what he did for us. *** God reminded them that when they got rest from all their fighting and possessing they were to destroy the Amelekites and erase their memory from under heaven. They were never to forget this! *** In Luke, Jesus reminded Karazin and Bethsaida of all the miracles he did in their cities. They would be held responsible for this encounter they received. They received all the miracles and yet didn’t receive the one who did them. *** Jesus saw Satan fall from his throne and told his disciples so they would know he now has no power. He gave us the same authority he had over all the power of the enemy. We can now walk on the devil and not be hurt. We can do this because our names are written in heaven in his book. *** Jesus was filled with joy as he saw how God had skipped over the religious hierarchy and given his treasures to the lowly of the earth. He told his disciples how blessed they were to be able to see and hear spiritually what the prophets had wanted to see and hear. *** Lord, help us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Just like the despised Samaritan had compassion on the stranger on the side of the road, help us to have your compassion for those we see who is in need physically or spiritually. Help us to see beyond our physical eyes and hear beyond our physical ears. Thank you, for all we have comes from you.