Sun.’s Devo - Salvation Through the Sea -

Read: Exodus 13:17-15:18; Matthew 21:23-46; Psalm 26:1-12; Proverbs 6:16-19 God did not let Moses take the children of Israel through the land of the Philistines which was the shortest way. He was afraid that they would turn back if they faced war so soon, even though they were equipped for war. Instead, he led them with a pillar of cloud in the daytime which changed to a pillar of fire during the nighttime. It led them to the Red Sea. They carried the bones of Joseph with them. *** God had the Israelites camp in front of Baal-zephon which was the Lord of the North - the last Egyptian gods they would defy. God told Moses that the Egyptians were coming to pursue them, so he could do one more act to show Egypt that He was the Lord. *** Egypt came with six hundred chariots, plus and they overtook them in front of Baal-zephon. When the Israelites saw them coming they were greatly afraid and took it out on Moses. Moses told them to stop being afraid because they were about to see the salvation of the Lord. These Egyptians they see today, they would never see again. The Lord would fight for them, and they didn’t need to say a thing. *** God told Moses to start moving the people toward the sea and lift his staff over the sea to divide it. Then, he was to march the people through the sea on dry ground on the other side. God would send the Egyptians after them into the sea and he would defeat them to his glory. *** The angel of God who was in front of them went to the rear and the pillar of cloud went with him. It made it dark on the Egyptian side and light on the Israelite side so they could cross the sea all night. The waters were a wall on both sides of them, but God had sent a wind to dry the seabed so they could walk on it. When the Egyptians pursued, their chariot wheels were so heavy that they sunk into the ground. *** God told Moses to stretch his hand over the sea and it came back throwing the Egyptians into the midst of the sea and drowning them. But the way was still dry for the Israelites and they got safely across. Israel saw this great miracle and feared the Lord and believed in Moses. Moses taught the people a song of triumph and praise to the Lord. *** No other story is referred to as much as this story. It is the picture of salvation. We all live in Egypt, in bondage to sin until we come to the knowledge of Christ. Then we cross the Red Sea that washes us of our sins and sets our feet on a new path, a new destiny. Our lives are a walk through trials of the wilderness to get us to our promised land. He goes before us and behinds us and is our light. We are sheltered under the shadow or cloud of his presence. *** In Matthew, Jesus entered the temple and the chief priests and elders came to him and asked him who gave him the authority to preach like he knew he was right. Jesus told him he would answer their question if they would answer his. He asked them if John’s baptism was from heaven or from man. They discussed it amongst themselves. They were caught because they didn’t want to have to admit John was from God, because they had not accepted him, so they said they didn’t know. So, Jesus told them that he didn’t have to answer their question either. *** Then, Jesus told a parable about a man who had two sons. He explained that John was the son who went and did the will of his Father. They were the ones who said they would do God’s will, but didn’t. *** He gave them another parable about a master who built a vineyard and leased it to tenants and then went to another country. He sent servants to get its fruit, but the tenants kept killing them. Finally, he sent his son, thinking they would respect him. But, they killed him to get his inheritance for themselves. Jesus asked the teachers the law what they thought the master would do to the tenants. They said he would put those wretches to a miserable death and give his vineyards to more responsible tenants who would give him his fruit. *** Jesus explained that he was the stone that they had rejected that God made the cornerstone. *** The religious leaders were the unrighteousness tenants that had killed all the prophets and were now going to kill the son. They perceived that Jesus was talking about him and though they wanted to arrest him, they were afraid of the crowds who honored him to be a prophet. *** Nothing has changed since then. We still have the keepers of religion who hate the Spirit of Christ. We as the Body of Christ hold all the power to stand against them. They are more afraid of us becoming one and realizing our power. We never need to be afraid of what they will do to us because we are on God’s side and he will win. *** Lord, may we walk in your will and never be afraid of the weak enemy who stands against us. If God is for us, who can stand against us. Give us boldness to be bold as lions and harmless as doves.

Sat.’s Devo - Jesus Enters Jerusalem -

Read: Exodus 12:14-13:16; Matthew 20:29-21:22; Psalm 25:16-22; Proverbs 6:12-15 This Passover day was to be a memorial that was to be kept as a feast to the Lord forever. On the first day of the feast they were to remove all the leaven from their house and keep it out till the seventh day. Anyone who ate leaven would be cut off from Israel. On the first and the seventh day they were to hold a holy assembly and no work was to be done on that day. This week would be called the Feast of Unleavened Bread because on this day, God brought them out of the land of Egypt. This was to be celebrated on the 14th to the 21st of Nissan (Abib). *** They were to select a spotless lamb as the Passover lamb - kill it, and smear its blood on the two doorposts and the lintel at the top. Then they were to enter the house and not come out till morning. That night the Lord would pass through Egypt and strike the first born of every household that didn’t have the blood applied to their doorposts. *** They were to observe this ceremony when they came into the land that the Lord was giving them to remember when the Lord struck the people in Egypt and spared their houses. *** The people of Israel obeyed the Lord and the death angel passed over at midnight and killed the firstborn of Egypt and there was great wailing heard in Egypt. There was not a household that wasn’t affected by the death. Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and told them to go serve the Lord and take anything they wanted, and bless him also. The Egyptians were anxious to get rid of the Israelites and told them to hurry and get out of their land. They left with such hurry, their dough hadn’t even had time to rise. They had asked for gold and silver and clothing from the Egyptians and left with the wealth of Egypt. About 600,000 men along with their wives and children left with their livestock and herds. *** They had lived in Egypt 430 years to the day. *** The rules of the Passover were that no foreigner could participate. Slaves who were bought could participate only if they were circumcised. The lamb had to be completely consumed in the house. A stranger who was traveling with them they may participate if they are circumcised. No uncircumcised person could eat it. (Since this represented Jesus, all must be saved to share in his salvation.) *** The Lord told Moses to consecrate all their firstborn because they were his. He had saved them in the Passover. They were to represent the remnant, the set apart, redeemed from death. They were to celebrate this feast of Unleavened Bread and the Passover when they came to the promised land so they could tell the story to their children of what God did for them. *** All the firstborn of their sons and animals were to be set apart as the Lord’s. If they had a firstborn donkey and they choose not to redeem it, they must break its neck. The donkey stood for the stubborn, like Pharaoh who refused to follow the Lord. *** Jesus fulfilled the Passover by becoming our Passover lamb and dying for our sins. We participate in Unleavened Bread when we consecrate our lives to him and allow him to remove the leaven from our lives. This takes a life-time thus the seven days. Our lifetime is expressed as our “week”on the earth. It lasts as long as God has ordained. *** In Matthew, Jesus came out of Jericho to meet two blind men. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem where he would die. The blind men cried out for him to have mercy on him. Jesus touched their eyes and immediately they recovered. This was a picture of why Jesus came to earth. He came to open man’s spiritual eyes to see God. These men immediately began to follow Christ. *** Jesus came to Bethphage and sent two of his disciples to go into the village and find a donkey with her colt. He was to bring them both to him. Jesus somehow sat on both the donkey and its colt and rode into Jerusalem on them. The people spread their own cloaks for them to step on them. They were singing the Hallel, the Songs of Ascent (Psalms 120-134), as they traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover. When they saw Jesus, they sang them over him. *** Once again, Jesus drove out the money-changers and said that his Father’s house was to be a house of prayer, not a den of robbers. *** Jesus began healing the blind and the lame. The chief priests and scribes saw all the miracles that Jesus was doing and heard the children singing praises to him and they were indignant. Jesus reminded them of Psalm 8:2 which talks about how the praises of babies stops the enemy and the avenger. *** Jesus spent the night in Bethany and early the next morning he was hungry. He saw a fig tree, but found it had no fruit. He cursed it to never bear fruit again. The vine immediately withered. The disciples saw this and asked him how it happened and he told them that they could do the same if they had faith. *** The fig tree represented Israel and the spiritual decline it was in. Jesus cursed its fruit and said that that root would never be allowed to prosper again. That vine was not the true vine but one steeped in religion and man-made laws meant to crush the people, not give them life. We have the same power to crush the religious spirit of death in our country. *** Lord, may we understand the fullness of what you have done for us on the cross. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the cross. May we have the faith to curse darkness and see it crumble.

Fri.’s Devo - The Passover

Read: Exodus 10:1-12:13; Matthew 20:1-28; Psalm 25:1-15; Proverbs 6:6-11 God sent Moses back to Pharaoh once again to tell him to let God’s people go and worship the Lord. If he didn’t, Egypt would experience the greatest locust plague they had ever seen. It would destroy everything that was left after the hail. Even Pharaoh’s servants begged the Pharaoh to listen to Moses. *** Pharaoh asked Moses who he would be taking to worship the Lord and when he told him everyone, Pharaoh drove him out of his presence. He told him he would never let their children leave Egypt. *** Moses stretched his staff over Egypt and a wind from the east blew all day and that night that brought in the locusts. They covered the face of the whole land and ate all the plants throughout Egypt. *** Pharaoh called in Moses and Aaron and begged them to remove the plague. Moses prayed and God sent a west wind to swept the locust into the Red Sea. When they were all gone, Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let them go. *** God told Moses to stretch his rod toward heaven and there would be darkness on the land of Egypt that could be felt. It stayed for three days, but the people in Goshen had light. Pharaoh finally told Moses he could go and take his little ones with him, but they had to leave their flocks and herds. Moses told him that they must go with them. Pharaoh threw him out of his presence and told him he wouldn’t see his face again. Moses agreed with him on that. *** God told Moses he had one last plague and then Pharaoh would drive him out of his country. Moses told the people to go to their neighbors and ask for silver and gold jewelry. God had given the Israelites so much favor that they gave them their jewelry. Moses was greatly esteemed in Egypt even by Pharaoh’s servants . *** God told Moses that at midnight he would go into Egypt and kill the firstborn of the land of every house - even the first-born of their cattle. It will cause an outcry in Egypt, but in Goshen it would be quiet and peaceful. *** God instructed that this month would be the beginning of months for them even though it was the seventh month on their calendar. On the tenth day of this month each family was to take a perfect lamb and keep it till the 14th. At twilight on the 14th, they were to kill their lambs and take some of its blood and sprinkle it on the two doorposts and the lintel of their houses. They were to roast the meat and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. It must be completely consumed leaving none till the morning. They were to eat it quickly, dressed for travel. This was the Lord’s Passover. He would pass through Egypt killing the first-born and pass over the Israelites who had the blood applied to their door. *** This was a picture of Jesus death on the cross. When we apply his blood and what he did for us on Calvary to the doorpost of our hearts, we are saved from eternal damnation. Jesus fulfilled this feast when he died on Passover for the sins of the world. *** Jesus gave a parable about the kingdom of heaven. The meaning of the parable was that many will make it to heaven. Some will have spent their whole lives in service to the Lord and others will come to him in the last days of their lives, but they will all receive the same privilege of eternal life. He tells them over and over that the first will the last and the last will be first. *** Jesus explained this again when Zebedee’s mother came and asked that her two sons sit on thrones to his left and his right in his kingdom. Jesus had just told them that he was to suffer and be crucified and raised on the third day. Obviously, this did not register with this mother. Jesus told her that those spots were already designated by God, but they were not to want to be the rulers, but the servants. Jesus came to serve not be served and to give his life away. *** Lord, may we have that attitude, to want to serve others and give our lives away for you. Thank you for giving your life that we might live eternally with you.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Plagues

Read: Exodus 7:25-9:35; Matthew 19:13-30; Psalm 24:1-10; Proverbs 6:1-5 Now begins the countdown of the plagues God sent to devastate Egypt and to humiliate their gods. Seven days after the Nile had turned to blood, God sent Moses back to Pharaoh to threaten him with a plague of frogs. His magicians could do the same with their dark arts, only they couldn’t take them away. Pharaoh called Moses and begged him to take the frogs away and promised he would let them go. But, when he was free of the frogs, he changed his mind. *** Next came the plague where the dust became gnats. Pharaoh’s magicians could not do this and they proclaimed it was done by the finger of God. Pharaoh’s heart was once again hardened. *** With the fourth plague, God made a distinction between the land of Egypt and the land of Goshen. God’s people would have no flies. Swarms of flies filled Egypt. Pharaoh promised again to let them go, but told them they had to stay in the land of Egypt. Moses refused saying they would stone them when they saw them sacrificing animals. He insisted they be allowed to go three days into the wilderness. Pharaoh agreed as long as it was not too far. God took the flies away, but Pharaoh didn’t let them go. *** God sent Moses to threaten Pharaoh with a plague on their animals. Only the animals in Egypt died. Pharaoh still refused to let them go. The sixth plague was boiled on the men and beast of the earth. The cattle had already died so the beast were something different. They were the behemoth - the very large quadrupeds that were on the earth. *** Next, the Lord would strike the people with a hail storm. They were to bring what was left of their livestock into barns to protect them. Those who didn’t would lose them to the hail. Hail, rain and fire fell from heaven and struck down all their plants and trees. There was no hail in Goshen. Pharaoh called Moses in and actually admitted they were wrong. He begged Moses to pray that God would take away the thunder and the hail. All their wheat was destroyed. When it was gone, Pharaoh hardened his heart again. *** In Matthew, the children were brought to him to be blessed. When the disciples rebuked the people, Jesus told them not to hinder the children because the kingdom of heaven would look like them. *** A man came to him who was looking for a way he could work himself to heaven by his good deeds. Jesus tested him by telling him to keep the commandments. He told him he already did all that, so Jesus gave him something he couldn’t do, which was to sell all he had and give it to the poor. Then his treasure would be in heaven where no one could see it. He couldn’t do that. *** The Pharisees taught that the way God showed his favor and approval was by blessing them with material wealth. This man was very rich. To give it up would show those he wanted to impress that he had lost the favor of God. This man’s pride and wrong doctrine would keep him from the kingdom of God. *** Jesus commented on how hard it was for a rich person to enter the kingdom, but added that with God, it was possible. *** Peter commented that they had given up everything to follow Jesus and Jesus assured them that they would be rewarded with thrones and they would judge the tribes of Israel. Everyone who gives up everything for the sake of the kingdom will be rewarded and receive eternal life. Those who are last on earth will be first in God’s kingdom and vice versa. *** Lord, may we labor for what lasts and seek your kingdom first.

Wed.’s Devo - Following God’s Plan -

Read: Exodus 5:22-7:24; Matthew 18:23-19:12; Psalm 23:1-6; Proverbs 5:22-23 When God told Moses he was sending him to deliver the children of Israel, Moses saw it happening a little differently than it was playing out. Moses had now made himself an enemy to everyone and especially the ones he came to help. He told the Lord just how he felt about it. *** To God, it was only a set up. Now, Moses was going to see what He would do to Pharaoh. God would make it so tough on Pharaoh that he would drive them out of his land. God had given Abraham, Isaac and Jacob the land of Canaan and had made a covenant with them, but he had not shown them who he was. Moses would get to see God as the Lord - more powerful than any king or god on the earth. He would perform great acts of judgment on the evil people, but he would take the Israelites to be his people and be their God. They will know that he is the one who brought them out from slavery and into the land he promised their forefathers. *** The people were so under the weight of their slavery and their spirits so broken that they couldn’t hear the good news Moses was trying to give them. If they wouldn’t listen to Moses, he wondered why the Pharaoh would listen. But, the Lord wouldn’t listen to his complaints, he charged Moses and Aaron to bring the people of Israel out of Egypt. *** Moses and Aaron were from the tribe of Levi, the third son of Leah’s. *** God sent Moses back to Pharaoh telling him he would be like God to Pharaoh and Aaron would be his prophet. He was to tell him to let the people of Israel go out of his land. God would harden Pharaoh’s heart then perform many signs and wonders in the land. Then God would bring them out of the land. Moses was 80 years old at that time and Aaron was 83. *** God said that it was now time to use the signs he had given him. When he cast down his staff to become a serpent, Pharaoh called for his sorcerers and they did the same with their dark arts. But, Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. Pharaoh was not moved. *** God sent Moses back the next morning and told him to take the same staff and tell him if he didn’t let them go he would strike the water in the Nile and it would turn to blood. All the fish would die and they would have no drinking water. Even the water in the canals, ponds, and stored vessels - all the water in Egypt would turn to blood. The sorcerers of Pharaoh showed that they could do the same thing, so Pharaoh was still not moved The Egyptians had to dig around the Nile for water to drink. *** In Matthew, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a king who wanted to settle up his accounts. He went to a man who owed him 10,000 talents. (This would take him 10,000 years to pay back if he gave all his salary.) He was going to put him in prison till he could pay, but the man fell on his knees and cried out for mercy. The man forgave the man his debt and released him. *** That same man went out and had no mercy on a man who owed him only 100 denari, which was the equivalent to 100 days of wages. He seized him and threw him into prison. Word got back to the king of how he had treated this man and the king called the servant in. He rebuked him for not having mercy on this man when he had received such mercy. *** God is the king who has forgiven us of all our sins and offenses. There is no way we could every pay him back for all he has done for us. He expects us to extend the same mercy to those who sin against us and offend us. If we do not forgive our brother from our heart, we will be delivered over to the jailers. Many people live in bondage and in their own prisons because they refuse to forgive. *** The Pharisees came to him asking if it was lawful to divorce one’s wife for any reason. Jesus took them back to the original reason for marriage. It was for two people to become one flesh. They were not to separate that. *** So the Pharisees then asked why Moses gave them a way to get a divorce by writing a writ of divorcement. Jesus replied, because their hearts were hard (he had just given them the story of forgiveness.) Then Jesus told them that when they divorced, who were not getting writs of divorcement but were just divorcing their wives at their whim; they were committing adultery to marry another, unless it was became of sexual immorality. The writ of divorcement made it legal, but they were not legally divorcing so they were still married to the first woman. To take another was to commit adultery against the first wife. *** Jesus disciples said that if this was the case then it would be better not to marry. Jesus explained that there are some who would never marry because of either birth defects, or their calling (John the Baptist), brutality of man (Daniel), or by their own choice (Paul). *** Lord, may we be thankful for the debt you have forgiven us of and may we be more merciful to those who owe us a debt. This story helps us to see how petty we can be with our feelings and offenses. May we learn to forgive from the heart so we do not live in prisons of depression and bitterness. When we are tempted to question your ways, may we remember how you worked in the lives of Moses and the Pharaoh. God’s plan is a slow process that takes patience and endurance. Lead us beside your still waters and restore our soul.

Tues.’s Devo - God’s Signs -

Read: Exodus 4:1-5:21; Matthew 18:1-22; Psalm 22:19-31; Proverbs 5:15-21 God has already supplied us with what we need to do his work. When Moses argued with the Lord that the people would not listen to him or believe him, the Lord asked what was in his hand. It so happened to be a staff, but it wouldn’t have mattered what he had in his hand, God would have used it. When Moses threw it down, it became a symbol the Egyptians knew well - a serpent. The Egyptians both worshiped and feared the serpent. Then he told Moses to catch it by the tail - something no person would do unless he wanted to be bit. Moses obeyed, and the snake became a staff again. By this act, Moses would show that he was not afraid of the gods of Egypt, which he knew well. Moses knew that his God had power over them. God was sending Moses to take down the gods of Egypt. *** Then God told Moses to put his hand inside his coat and when he brought it out it was covered in leprosy. He told him to put it back in and pull it out. This time, his hand was totally healed. This act showed that God was the healer of man’s sins. Only God can make our flesh whole. *** Then God gave Moses a third sign if they didn’t believe the first two. He told him to take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground and it would become blood. If they didn’t believe the first two signs - they would get the plague. *** Moses showed such bravery with God in taking the serpent by the tail and not freaking out when his arm was full of leprosy, but he greatly feared his own insecurities and he feared people. He felt he was not an eloquent speaker and couldn’t trust God to use him because of his weaknesses. After arguing with God, God told him he was sending him Aaron who would be his speaker and he would do the signs. *** Moses told Jethro, his father-in-law that he wanted to go back to see if his brothers were still alive in Egypt. Jethro blessed him and sent him. Moses took Zepporah and his son, Gershom. *** God spoke to Moses again and told him to tell Pharaoh that if he didn’t let the people go, God would kill his first-born son. Then the Lord reached out to kill Moses’ first-born son. Zipporah quickly circumcised him which saved the child’s life. I don’t know if God had told them to circumcise him and Zipporah had been the one to not let him or what, but God knew that if Moses was going to go against the first-born of Egypt, then his first-born had to be covered by the blood. *** God told Aaron to go and meet Moses, he would be coming from Mt. Sinai. Moses met him and Moses shared with him everything God had told him. They met with the elders of Israel and told them what God had said and showed them the signs he had given them. The people believed that he had been sent by God and worshiped the Lord. *** Then Moses and Aaron went to meet with Pharaoh. When they told him that the Lord had told them to hold a feast for him in the wilderness and he had to let them go to do this, he wanted to know who this God was that he should obey him. Pharaoh’s believed themselves to be gods. They told Pharaoh that the God of the Hebrews met with them an told them to meet him in the wilderness to sacrifice to him. It would take them three days to get there. *** The Pharaoh wasn’t about to let his labor force leave for 7 days. He was so outraged, he told the taskmasters and foremen to tell the Israelites they would now have to gather their own straw for bricks but they still had to produce the same amount of work. The foremen were fellow Israelites. They cursed Moses and Aaron because now they had to work their brothers harder than before. *** Following God does not always make you popular, even with fellow Christians. Popularity is not the goal; obedience is. *** In Matthew, the disciples wanted to know who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus showed them a child and told them that they had to become like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven. They must become innocent as a child, but woe to those who teach them to sin. He told them not to despise those who are innocent because their angels always see the face of God. It is not God’s will that one of his children to lose their way. *** God wants his children to get along. If a brother sins against us, we are to confront him and tray to settle things one on one. If they’re is still a problem then we need to take one or two others with us to reconcile. If he still doesn’t listen, then he is to be treated as a non-believer and a sinner. If you allow him to stay and continue with his sins, it will be allowed in heaven. If you bind the sin, it will be bound in heaven. *** Peter asked the Lord how many times we are to forgive our brother who sins against us. and he told him seventy times seven. This means we forgive them completely and perfectly, whether they deserve it or even ask for it. This will keep us in right standing with God. Jesus forgave those who crucified him; should we not forgive those who misunderstand and persecute us? *** Lord, help us to completely forgive all who have hurt us emotionally, physically, or spiritually. May our hearts be pure before you. Help us to see that what we need, you have already provided.

Mon.’s Devo - Moses’ Calling

Read: Exodus 2:11-3:22; Matthew 17:10-27; Psalm 22:1-18; Proverbs 5:7-14 Moses never forgot he was a Hebrew growing up in an Egyptian palace. He went out one day to see how his own people were doing. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and looked to see if anyone was looking and killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. The Hebrew who he rescued must have told everyone because the next day when he was back he ran into two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one who started it why had had struck his companion. The Hebrew asked him who made him prince and judge over them and then asked him if he was going to kill him like he did the Egyptian. Moses knew immediately that if the word was out on the street what he had done, it would surely reach the ears of the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh did hear and Moses fled for his life. *** Moses came to the land of Midian. Midian was the area around the Sinai mountain and was ruled by a nomadic Arabic tribe. Moses stopped at a well and the seven daughters of the priest of Midian came to the well to water their father’s flocks. When other shepherds came and tried to drive them away, Moses stood up for them and watered their sheep. When the woman got home their father questioned why they came so soon and they told him about what Moses did for them. He told them to go and invite him to stay with them. *** Moses ended up living with them and marrying his daughter Zipporah. She had a son named Gershom which means “a stranger in a foreign land.” That was how Moses felt. *** Meanwhile, back in Egypt, the Pharaoh died and the people of Israel cried out to the Lord because their slavery was so brutal. *** God called Moses as he was watching a bush that burned but was not consumed. He told him to take off his sandals because the land he was standing on was holy. He was standing on Mt. Sinai. He told him who he was - the father and God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God had seen the affliction of his people in Egypt and was had come to deliver them out of Egypt and bring them to a land that was good, wide and flowing with milk and honor. It was now owned by the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hives, and the Jebusite. He was sending Moses to the Pharaoh to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. God promised to be with Moses and help him. He would come back and worship him on this mountain. *** Mose told the Lord that the Pharaoh would want to know which god had called him so God told him to say that I Am had sent him.He was to tell the children of Israel that he was the God of their ancestors. Moses was to meet with the elders of Israel and tell them that the God their fathers had appeared to him and he was ready to deliver them from their suffering and bring them out of Egypt and give them the good land now inhabited by all the “ites”. *** The elders would listen to him and go with him to ask the Pharaoh to let them go three day’s journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord, their God. The Pharaoh will not let you go unless he is made to so God will strike Egypt with many wonders, then he will let them go. When they leave, they will leave with the wealth of Egypt. *** In Matthew, the disciples asked him why the scribes said that Elijah must come first. Jesus explained that Elijah will restore things first, but he had already come and they didn’t recognize him. They will also not recognize the Messiah and he will suffer in their hands, also. The disciples understood he was speaking of John the Baptist. *** A crowd appeared and a man came up to Jesus praying that Jesus would have mercy on his epileptic son who falls often and harms himself. He had brought him to Jesus’ disciples but they couldn’t help. Jesus called them a faithless and twisted generation and told the man to bring the boy to him. Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out and the boy was healed. When the disciples asked why they couldn’t cast it out he answered because of their faith. All they needed was a little faith to do great things. *** Why did Jesus call the generation faithless and twisted. They had allowed the devil to rule them, afflict their children and possess them. They had forgot who their God was and who they were called to be as his children. *** At a meeting in Galilee, Jesus told them that he was going to suffer the hands of men who would kill him but he would rise from the dead on the third day. This distressed the people. *** Peter was met by the tax-collectors in Capernaum. They wanted to know if Jesus paid his taxes. They answered “Yes”. When Peter met Jesus, he asked Peter who kings collect taxes from? From their sons or from others? He said “From others” and Jesus told him that the sons were free, but not to offend the tax collectors, he told Peter to go to the sea and cast out a hook and take the first fish that comes up and open his mouth. The shekel needed to pay the tax will be there. He was to take that and pay their tax. *** What can we gain from that? We are being taxed on everything over and over, so we are definitely not a son of the world. But, being sons of God, we can pray that God will supernaturally help us to pay our taxes to where it won’t hurt us and that soon justice will come and we won’t be taxed. *** Lord, may we not be a faithless and twisted generation, but may we take authority over this world and take back what has been stolen from us.

Sun.’s Devo - The Keys to the Kingdom

Read: Genesis 50:1-Exodus 2:10; Matthew 16:13-17:9; Psalm 21:1-13; Proverbs 5:1-6 Jacob died and Joseph mourned him for seventy days. He had his body embalmed and got permission from the Pharaoh to bury his father in the cave at Machpelah, their family burying plot. *** All of Joseph’s brothers and their wives traveled to bury Jacob. After he was buried, Joseph’s brothers were afraid Joseph might now take revenge on them for what they did to him in his youth. Joseph assured them that what they had meant for evil back then, God meant for good so that he could preserve their future. He promised to provide for them and their families and spoke words of comfort to them. *** They remained in Egypt and Joseph lived to see the third generation of Ephraim’s children. When Joseph was about to die, he made his family swear to carry his bones with them when they left Egypt and went back to Canaan. *** Israel’s family multiplied in Goshen to be a host of people. A new king came to power in Egypt who didn’t honor who Joseph was or what he had done for them. He saw how numerous the Israelites had become and was afraid that they might turn on them in battle. So he made the Isrealites slaves and worked them mercilessly. *** The new Pharaoh told the midwives to kill all the Hebrew baby boys when they were being born, but the midwives feared God over the evil law of the land. They allowed the boy babies to live and when they were called in and asked about it, they lied and told the Pharaoh that the Hebrew wives had their babies before they could get there. God blessed the midwives for doing this. It is never right to obey man’s laws over God’s. Period. God rewarded them with families themselves. *** Next, the Pharaoh commanded his army to go and get every Hebrew boy baby and throw them into the Nile. One of the Levite’s wife had a son at that time and she was able to hide him for 3 months. It became obvious, she couldn’t keep it a secret any longer so she made a little boat for him out of straw and coated it with tar. She put the baby in it and covered it with a lid. She sent her daughter with the baby to to set it in the Nile and see what God would do. *** The Pharaoh’s daughter came to the Nile to bathe and saw the basket. When she opened it, the baby began to cry and she was smitten. The baby’s sister asked her if she needed someone to nurse the child and brought her mother. Pharaoh’s daughter named him Moses which means “to draw” because she drew him out of the Nile. Moses’ mother got to nurse and love her own son and know that he would live. When he was weaned, she took him to the palace where he would grow up. *** In Matthew, Jesus took his disciples to Caesarea Philippi to the very place they called “The Gates of Hell.” It was a place where they worshiped many gods and mainly Pan. Jesus asked them who people said that he was. People thought he was a prophet. Then he asked them who they said that he was. Peter spoke up and told him that he was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus told him he was blessed for knowing this and upon those words he would build his church and the gates of hell could not prevail against it. He gave them the keys to the kingdom of heaven and told them that whatever they bound on earth would be bound in heaven and whatever they allowed on earth would be allowed in heaven. He told them not to tell anyone he was the Christ. *** He showed his disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem and suffer under the religious leaders. He would be killed and rise on the third day. Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked him for saying these things. Jesus rebuked Peter and told Satan to get behind him. He told Peter that he was not setting his mind on the things of God but on the things of man. Jesus had just modeled binding and loosing. Peter wanted to bind the will of God in Jesus life and allow what he wanted. Jesus bound what Peter said, and loosed the will of God. *** Then Jesus told them that everyone who follows him must take up his cross and follow him. There will be rewards for those who are willing to suffer for the truth now. *** Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James and John with him to a high mountain. He transfigured before them into his glorious body. They saw Moses and Elijah talking with him. Peter wanted to make a tent for each of them but while he was saying this, a bright cloud overshadowed them and they heard a voice from heaven say, “this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” The disciples fell on their faces in fear. Jesus came and touched them and told them to rise and not be afraid. When they looked up everything was back to normal and just Jesus was standing there. Jesus told them not to share this encounter with anyone until he was raised from the dead. *** Lord, may we watch what we say and not allow what we don’t want released. May we learn how to use the keys of the kingdom to bind Satan’s will and bring God’s will on earth.

Sat.’s Devo - The Future of the Tribes

Read: Genesis 48:1-49:33; Matthew 15:29-16:12; Psalm 20:1-9; Proverbs 4:20-27 Jacob was old and ill so Joseph took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim to him to bless before he died. Jacob told Joseph what the Lord had told him, that He would make him fruitful and give him and his descendants the land of Canaan. Jacob explained that Joseph’s two sons would be counted as his sons - he was adopting them. The rest of Joseph’s children would be Joseph’s. *** When Joseph brought his two sons to Jacob, he positioned them so that Jacob would put his right hand on Manasseh’s head and his left hand on Ephraim’s head since Manasseh was the first-born. But, Jacob crossed his hands and put his right hand on Ephraim’s head. When Joseph tried to correct him, Jacob said that Ephraim would be greater than Manasseh and Epraim’s offspring would become a multitude of nations. *** Jacob gave Joseph an additional piece of land - a mountain slope that he took from the Amorites in a battle. This was Shechem (Genesis 33:18) where Jacob bought it from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for 100 pieces of money. Later, the enemy tried to take it back and Jacob had to go to battle to reclaim it. *** Jacob called in all his sons and told them what would happen to their tribes in the future. He rebuked Reuben for sleeping with his concubine. He lost his position and dignity with that act. Simeon and Levi were the ones who killed the whole town of Shechem because the son, Shechem defiled their sister, Tamar. Jacob wanted nothing to do with what they did. He cursed their anger and said they would be scattered and divided in Israel. The Levites were scattered all over Israel and Simeon was given a small piece of land in the middle of Judah’s land. They were definitely separated from one another. ** Judah would be praised. He would be victorious over his enemies and everyone in Israel would bow to his off-spring. This was true because kings came from his line and Jesus was from Judah. He would be like a young lion waiting to be awakened. He would always rule. Jesus is the king forever who was covered in blood which washes us whiter than milk. *** Zebulun dwelled by the sea and bordered Sidon. They would be a seaport and spiritually a dwelling for God’s people. Zebulun means “dwelling.” *** Issachar’s allotment included the plain of Esdraelon, known as Jezreel, which was and still is the richest portion of Palestine. *** Dan means “judge” so some of the judges came from his tribe. Samson was the most notorious. He was subtle and strategic just like Jacob’s word said. *** Gad was one of the tribes who chose to live on the east side of the Jordan and was a buffer for the other tribes. The enemy had to go through them first to get to the land. They were excellent archers and saw their enemies flee from them, thus “raiding their heels.” *** Asher means “happy and blessed.” Its allotment was the seacoast between Tyre and Carmel, a district fertile in producing the finest corn and oil in all Palestine. *** Naphtali would be located in a territory so fertile and peaceable, that, feeding on the richest pasture, he would spread out, like a deer’s branching antlers. *** Joseph was attacked by his own brothers, lusted after by Potipher’s wife, unjustly imprisoned and lied about, only to prosper wherever he landed. He became the Shepherd of his family who cared for them and kept them from being annihilated. *** Benjamin was almost extinguished by his brothers because of his violent ways, only to live to divide the spoil in the end. *** After handing out his blessings on his sons, he instructed them to bury him in the burying plot Abraham had bought where all the patriarchs before him had been buried. Then Jacob died. *** In Matthew, Jesus walked the Sea of Galilee healing all manner of diseases and maladies. The mute spoke, the cripple walked and the blind saw. The people glorified God. *** Then Jesus fed over four thousand followers with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. He left and went in the boat to Magadan. The Pharisses and Sadducees came and asked him for a sign from heaven. Jesus told them they knew how look at the sky and determine the weather, but failed to read the signs all around them. They had no idea how to read God’s signs. Jesus called them evil and told them that the only sign they would be able to read was the sign of Jonah. Jonah rebelled and only saw the truth and repented when he died in the fish. They would learn the truth in death, not in life because they refused to see what was right in front of them. Jesus warned his disciples to beware of the wrong teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. *** Lord, may we discern the days we are living in and not miss what is right in front of us. May we live to bless our children, and may we and our off-spring be a blessing to God and to the earth.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Great Reveal -

Read: Genesis 44:1-45:28; Matthew 14:13-36; Psalm 18:37-50; Proverbs 4:11-13 Joseph had his steward fill the men’s sacks with grain and hide his silver cup in Benjamin’s sack. When they had gotten out of the city, Joseph sent his steward to pursue them and accuse them of stealing Joseph’s silver cup that he used for divining. *** The steward searched each sack and found the cup in Benjamin’s sack. They tore their clothes in distress and returned to the city with the steward. *** Judah spoke for the group and confessed that God was judging their guilt. Joseph told them that only the one whose sack the cup was found in would be judged and they could all return home. Judah then pled Benjamin’s cause. He explained how precious Benjamin was to his father and how Benjamin had one brother who was no longer with them. Judah offered to take Benjamin’s place just as he had promised his father he would do. *** Joseph then knew that they had changed and couldn’t wait another minute. He told all his Egyptian servants to leave and he revealed himself to his brothers as their long lost brother, Joseph. He explained how God had sent him ahead of them to preserve them and many others in the world. The famine had only lasted 2 years so far and had 5 more to go. He suggested they move their families to Goshen where he could take care of them with Egypt’s best. 
 *** They had a tearful reunion. When the Pharaoh found out these men were Joseph’s brothers, he welcomed them with open arms and sent them back with great wagons of provisions. *** They returned to Canaan and told Jacob what had happened. He believed when he saw all the wagons sent from Egypt. He agreed to go to Egypt to see Joseph. *** The story of Joseph is a parallel of the story of Jesus. He suffered and died of us and has gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us. In his house are many mansions. *** In Matthew, Jesus heard the news that Herod had beheaded John the Baptist. I’m sure Jesus wondered why God had to end John’s life that way. He desired to go off by himself and talk to his father about it, but was met with a great crowd and had compassion on them. He stayed and healed them and met their needs. *** They were in a desolate place and it was getting late so the disciples told Jesus to send them away so they could find food. They only had five loaves and two fish. 
 *** Jesus asked them to bring him the food and he ordered the crowd to sit. He took the food and blessed it and gave it to the disciples to hand out. The food multiplied and it fed over 5,000 people. They took up 12 baskets of left-overs. *** As soon as everyone had eaten, Jesus made the disciples get into their boat and go to the other side. He dismissed the crowd and went to the mountain alone to spend time with his father. *** In the middle of the night a storm rose up in the sea and while the disciples were fighting the waves, they looked up and saw Jesus walking on the water. They thought it was a ghost at first but when he spoke to them he told them not to be afraid. Peter wanted to do what Jesus was doing so Jesus invited him to. He did fine till he took his eyes off Jesus and began to look at the waves. Then he began to sink and Jesus had to rescue him. As soon as Jesus stepped into the boat it became peaceful on the sea. The disciples were amazed and said, “Truly you are the Son of God.” *** They came to the land at Genneserat, which was the same place Jesus had cast the demons out of the man. It had scared the people in the town so much that they had cast Jesus out. Now, they welcomed him and came from all around to hear him. The demoniac’s testimony had changed their minds about Jesus, so now they were ready to receive what he had. *** Seeing is believing. Miracles can be scary if you’ve never seen one, but once you see the result of them, you want more. The demoniac had wanted to come with Jesus but Jesus had told him to stay there and let the people see the fruit of his changed lives. He became Jesus’ evangelist to save his territory. *** Lord may we keep our eyes on you in the midst of our storms. May we invite you into our boat and let you bathe us in your peace. You are the answer to all our fears and the rewarder of those who diligently seek you.

Wed.’s Devo - Guilt - the Peace Robber

Read: Genesis 42:18-43:34; Matthew 13:47-14:12; Psalm 18:16-36; Proverbs 4:7-10 After three days in prison, Jacob came and let all of them out, except Simeon. He listened as they argued over what they did to him years ago. Reuben rebuked them because he had told them not to sin against Joseph. They spoke freely because they didn’t know that Joseph could understand Hebrew. *** Joseph kept Simeon as collateral so they would bring Benjamin when they came back. My guess of why he chose Simeon is because Reuben was first-born, but he had planned to rescue Joseph out of the pit. Simeon was second-born and the oldest of the rest of them. He should have stepped up and stopped them, but he participated with them instead. *** He sent the rest home with their money in their sacks and provisions for their travel. When they discovered their money was in their sack, instead of rejoicing, they were afraid. Guilt paints everything with fear and distrust. Confessed sin sets you free. They had a secret that clouded everything that happened in their lives. Instead of seeing the blessing of provisions, they were suspicious. *** After a while, they ran out of grain again, and had no option but to take Benjamin with them. Finally, Jacob agreed and let them. Judah vouched for his safety. *** As soon as Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he had his servants bring them to his house and instructed the servants to kill a fatted calf because they were having lunch with him. All the brothers could think of was their guilt. They immediately explained to Joseph how their money was found in their sack and they had brought it back as well as enough to buy more grain. Joseph told them to be at peace, because your God and father put that treasure in your sacks for you. He said that he received their money. (I wonder what they thought about that response!) *** Joseph then brought Simeon out to them and they were given water. They were able to wash their feet, feed their donkeys and prepared the gift they had brought for Joseph. They had been told they were to eat with Joseph at noon. *** When Joseph arrived, they bowed to the ground and he asked about their father and if this was Benjamin. Joseph had to leave the room, he got so emotional about seeing Benjamin. The brothers were seated according to their birthright which amazed them. This was probably how they had eaten as children. They ate the food from Joseph’s table although he was at a separate table and Benjamin was given five times as much as the others. They all drank and had a good time. *** In Matthew, Jesus gave another parable about the evil being judged and thrown into the fire at the end of the age. The good were put into containers to be saved. *** Jesus asked them if they understood what he was saying and when they did, he added that every scribe who had been trained for the kingdom of heaven has treasure that is both old and new. He was referring to a person who knows how to draw the treasure from the old covenant and the new. *** Jesus went to his hometown and taught in their synagogue. The people marveled at his wisdom because they knew him as Mary and Joseph’s son. They were offended at what he said to them. Jesus answered that “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” He couldn’t do many miracles there because of their skepticism. *** Herod heard about Jesus’ reputation and was afraid that John the Baptist had come back to life after he had had him beheaded. *** Lord, may we confess our sins and not live in guilt. If we have confessed our sins and still live in fear may we see that as condemnation from the devil and refuse to listen to his lies. May we live free and sinless because of the blood of Christ which has washed us and made us new creatures.

Tues.’s Devo - Dreams Come True

Read: Genesis 41:17-42:17; Matthew 13:24-46; Psalm 18:1-15; Proverbs 4:1-6 Pharaoh began telling Joseph his dream. Seven fat cows came out of the Nile followed by seven thin cows. The thin cows ate the fat cows, but were still thin. He woke, then went straight into another dream. In the second dream he saw seven healthy stalks of wheat and then seven blighted stalks which devoured the seven good stalks. When he woke from that dream he asked his magicians to tell him the meaning and they couldn’t. *** Joseph told the Pharaoh that God alone interprets dreams. In his dreams God was showing the Pharaoh what he was about to do on the earth. The seven healthy cows and stalks represented seven good years of prosperity and growth. The seven thin cows and blighted stalks represented seven years of famine which would use up all the produce of the good years. Since he had two dreams that meant the same thing, it was sure to happen. *** Joseph told the Pharaoh exactly what he needed to do to survive the seven bad years. He should appoint overseers to collect one -fifth of the proceed during the first seven years and store them for the last seven years. *** Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph’s interpretation and advise that he appointed him to be the overseer over the land of Egypt. He gave him his signet ring and clothed him in fine royal garments. Then he put a gold chain about his neck and made him ride in his second chariot. He made all Egypt bow before him. He also gave him a new name Zaphenath-paneah which means “treasury of the glorious rest” and gave him a wife named Asenath which means “she has stored up.” *** Joseph was thirty which means since he was 17 he had been a slave or in prison. Now, he was second in command of the most powerful nation and had the authority of the Pharaoh. *** In the years of plenty, Joseph gathered abundant food for the cities to use in the years of famine. He also had two sons and name them Manasseh and Ephraim. Manasseh means “God has caused me to forget all his hardship and all his father’s house. Ephraim means “fruitful” which represented his life now. *** When the famine came, it was everywhere. The only place in the earth you could get bread was Egypt. Jacob learned there was grain in Egypt and sent his sons, except for Benjamin, to Egypt to buy grain. *** The brothers came to Joseph and bowed down just like Joseph had dreamed. He recognized them but they did not recognize him. Joseph remembered his dreams. He accused them of being spies and they began telling him their story and who they were. When they mentioned that they had a brother at home, Joseph devised a plan to see if they had changed. They told them that they would stay in his prison and he would send one of them home to get their other brother. When he returned with his brother, he would know they were telling the truth and release the others. He kept them all in jail for three days. *** Three days in jail was nothing compared to the years Joseph stayed in jail for something he didn’t do. We are told that we will fellowship with Jesus in his sufferings. Trials are not a punishment, they are a test to make us stronger and better. Joseph put the brothers together so they could talk about their lives and do some deep contemplation. *** In Matthew, Jesus gave the crowd a few more parables to think about. He compared the kingdom of heaven to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While he was asleep, the enemy sowed weeds among his wheat. The owner of the field knew an enemy had done this, but he told his servants to not do anything until the harvest, least they pluck up some wheat with the weeds. In the harvest, they would take the weeds first and burn them. Then they would gather the wheat into the barn. Notice the weeds get taken out first. It has been prophesied that we will see a great dying away of the wicked. This is what Jesus showed them also. He gave them another parable about the kingdom of heaven being like a grain of mustard seed. It became a great tree with branches that spread out and became home to many birds and animals. The kingdom of heaven is also like yeast that makes the flour grow three times greater. *** When the disciples had Jesus alone, they asked him the meaning of the new parables. Jesus explained that He was the sower and the field was the world. The good seed were the sons of the kingdom. We have been spread throughout the earth to spread the good news. The devil has planted his workers among us: in our churches, in our places of work, in our lives. At the end of the AGE he will send his angels to harvest the evil ones and they will be judged. The righteous will then shine like the sun. *** The end of an age is different than the end of the world. An age lasts a little over 2,000 years. We are at the end of an age and are leaving the Age of Pieces and entering into the Age of Aquarius. The Age of Pieces had to do with fish and being fishers of men. The Age of Aquarius represents a man with a watering can pouring out water. It has to do with God pouring out his Spirit without measure on the righteous who are left, after the ungodly are gone. *** Jesus then went into the parable about the treasure hidden in the field which has to do with his chosen people which are scattered all over the world - hidden. He purchased the whole world with the blood of his son to purchase them. This parable is referring to the Jews who will be saved in a day. *** Then the told about a merchant who was in search of fine pearls. The Gentiles are the pearls. God purchased us with the blood of Jesus also. *** Lord, thank you that we are living in this day where we are witnessing the changing of the Age. May we have eyes to see and ears to hear and not be afraid, but excited as we see your kingdom come to earth as it is in heaven.

Mon.’s Devo - Joseph’s Favor

Read: Genesis 39:1-41:16; Matthew 12:46-13:23; Psalm 17:1-15; Proverbs 3:33-35 Joseph lived in Potiphar’s house and proved himself to be so good at administration that Potiphar put him in charge over everything about his household. God caused everything Joseph did to prosper. *** Potiphar’s wife lusted after Joseph and was constantly after him to lie with her. Joseph refused, but she was relentless. One day, Joseph had to leave his garment and flee to get away from her. She kept his garment and when her husband came home, she accused of Joseph of trying to rape her. Potiphar threw Joseph in the Pharaoh’s prison. *** In prison, God gave Joseph favor with the chief guard. The chief guard put Joseph in charge of his section of the prison and once again God caused him to prosper where he was. *** One day, the Pharaoh’s cup-bearer and baker were put in Joseph’s part of the prison. Apparently a plot to poison the Pharaoh had been found out. The two people who could have been a part of it were put in prison till they could investigate which was guilty. *** The cup-bearer and the baker both had a dream the same night. Jospeh noticed they were troubled the next day and found out it was because of their dreams. Joseph told them that interpretations belong to the Lord and asked them to share their dreams. *** The cupbearer told his first. He had dreamed about three branches of vines that budded, blossomed and produced grapes. In his dream, he pressed the grapes into the Pharaoh’s mouth. Joseph interpreted his dream. He told him that in three days, the Pharaoh would restore him to his job and he would go back to serving his wine. Joseph asked him to please plead his cause when he got out because he was in prison for a bogus cause. He had done nothing wrong. *** When the baker heard his interpretation, he decided to tell his dream. He had dreamed that he had three cake baskets on his head and the birds were eating out of the top basket. Joseph told him that in three days he would be brought to the Pharaoh and hung on a tree. The birds would eat his flesh. *** Three days later was the Pharaoh’s birthday and the two servants were brought from prison and their fate was decided exactly like their dreams had foretold. But, the cup-bearer forgot about Joseph until two years later. *** The Pharaoh had a dream that disturbed him, then the cup-bearer remembered Joseph and told the Pharaoh about him. Joseph was called for. He shaved, changed his clothes, and came before the Pharaoh. When the Pharaoh asked him if he could interpret his dream, Joseph told him that He couldn’t, but God would give him a favorable answer. *** A few things stick out to me about Joseph. We know he was a type of Christ and he was wrongfully put in the pit, then in prison, yet he never took the stance of a victim. He always continued to use his gifts to prosper where he was. He blessed his enemies and treated them like his own family. When he came out of prison, he wanted to honor the Pharaoh and his country so he shaved his head. This was an abomination in his culture to shave their head. He also changed out of his Hebrew clothes and wore the clothes of the Egyptians. Sometimes we are too religious and can’t change with society in ways that can be more effective for God’s cause. Joseph was willing to do this - all for the glory of God. *** In Matthew, Jesus was in the throes of ministry when his mother and brothers came to him. Maybe Joseph had just died and they wanted him as the first-born to come and run the family business, who knows. Jesus, like Joseph, made it clear that his followers were his family now. His family were those who did the will of God. *** Jesus told his followers about the parable of the seed and the sower. Later, his disciples were alone with him and they asked him why he taught in parables, Jesus explained that they didn’t have eyes to see and ears to hear and the mysteries of the kingdom were not for them. He told his disciples that they were blessed because they did have eyes to see and ears to hear. Then he explained the parable to them. *** In the parable the sower scattered seed which fell on four different places - the path, on rocky ground, among thorns and on good soil. The seed could not survive in the first three places because the soil was not conducive for survival. But the good soil was ready and prepared to receive the seed. The seed was the Word of God that Jesus, the sower was throwing out to them. Only those who had prepared their hearts could receive it. They would bear fruit and it would multiply in them. *** Lord, may the soil of our hearts be open to receive your Word. May we produce fruit that remains and may we learn, like Joseph to prosper even when things aren’t going the way we planned. May we have favor with you and with man.

Sun.’s Devo - Joseph

Read: Genesis 37:1-38:30; Matthew 12:22-45; Psalm 16:1-11; Proverbs 3:27-32 When Joseph was 17 years old, he brought back bad reports of what some of his brothers were doing. These brothers were Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, the sons of the concubines. To further ostracize these four, Jacob had a coat of many colors made for Joseph. This coat signified that his father favored him above the rest of them. *** Joseph began having dreams from the Lord. The first one had to do with his sheaf of wheat rising up and theirs bowing down to his. His brothers knew what it meant and taunted and hated him because of them. Joseph had another dream and in this one the sun, moon, and stars bowed down to him. His father even wondered if it meant that he and his mother would bow to him. *** His brothers told their father’s flock to pasture near Shechem. After a while, Jacob sent Joseph to see how they were. He found them at Dothan, but as he was approaching them, they talked of getting rid of him and his dreams. *** Reuben heard their talk and told them they could throw him in a pit, but not kill him. So they took his coat from him and threw him in a dry pit. *** Then they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites on their way to Egypt and decided to sell Joseph to them. They sold him for 20 shekels of silver. Reuben had not been with them and came to the pit to rescue Joseph. He was very upset not to find him. They took his coat and smeared it with the blood of a goat they slaughtered and took it to their father. *** They let Jacob come to the conclusion that Jacob had been attacked by some wild animal and killed. Jacob was distraught and could not be comforted. *** Meanwhile, the Ishmaelites sold Joseph to Potiphar when they reached Egypt. Potiphar was an officer of Pharaoh's and the captain of the guard. *** Judah left his father’s house and moved to Adullam which was a royal city of Canaan. He became friends with a man named Hiram. Judah married a Canaanite woman named Shua and conceived three sons: Er, Onan and Shelah. *** Judah found a wife for Er named Tamar but Er was so wicked, God killed him. Judah told Onan to go in to Tamar and have children with her for Er. Onan made sure not to pass his seed to Tamar because he didn’t want to raise up children in Er’s name. God saw his wickedness and killed him also. Judah told Tamar that when Shelah was old enough, he would give him to Tamar, but he was lying. Judah was afraid that if he gave her his last son, he would die also. *** Years later, Judah’s wife, Shua died. Tamar waited till he was over the death and found out where Judah was going to be. She went ahead of him and set up a prostitute’s booth. When Judah passed she solicited him. He wanted to have her but had no way to pay, so she suggested he leave his staff, his cord and his signet as collateral for the young goat he had promised. Judah agreed and they spent the night together. *** Judah sent someone with the goat and no one knew of the prostitute so the messenger went back with the goat. *** Three months later, Judah learned that Tamar was pregnant and Judah wanted her burned for her sin. She sent the staff, the cord and the signet to him with the message that the owner of these things was the father. Judah was not going to kill his seed, so he realized she had been more righteous than him. He had not given her Shelah as he promised. He let her live and never slept with her again. *** Tamar was pregnant with twins. When she went into labor, one of the babies stuck out his hand and the midwife put a scarlet thread on it, but the other baby came out first. This was a breach so they named him Perez. Then the second boy came out and they named him Zerah. *** In Matthew, Jesus healed a man who was possessed by demons which made him blind and mute. The Pharisees had a litmus test they taught everyone of what the real Messiah would do when he came. 1) He would heal a Jewish leper. 2) He would heal a man born blind. 3) He would deliver a man who was blind and mute. This was number three, so when Jesus did this, the people looked at the Pharisees to see if they would pronounce him as the Messiah since he had jumped through all their hoops. The Pharisees had to come up with an answer, so they said he did this by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons. *** Jesus then said that a kingdom that was divided against itself would never last. If he was the prince of demons casting out demons, how would his kingdom stand. But if he was casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then God’s kingdom was here and he was now plundering the house of Satan. He was telling them they had to choose a side. They would not be able to lie to the Holy Spirit and live. If they had a good heart, they would produce good fruit, but if they had an evil heart they would be condemned. *** Some of the scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign from him. Jesus rebuked them and told them the only sign they would see would be the sign of Jonah. He reminded them of the three nights Jonah spent in the belly of the fish and compared it to the three nights he would spend in Sheol. The sign would be the resurrection. Jonah’s resurrection was not comparable to what his was going to be like. The queen of Sheba was smart enough to know that Solomon was wise and sent from God and she would stand in judgment against them for not recognizing who Jesus was. *** Then Jesus went back to explaining about how demons work. When they are cast out, they roam around looking for a body to inhabit that is empty of God. If they can’t find one, they will go back to where they were and find out if it is still empty. If it has not been filled with God, then they bring in seven other spirits more evil than the ones before and they take up residence there. Then that person is worse off than before. *** Lord, may we learn and understand the way of the spiritual world. We are sent to plunder the kingdom of Satan and help set up God’s. May we stand up for You and fight till we see your kingdom come in our family, our cities and the nations.

Sat.’s Devo - Back to Bethel

Read: Genesis 35:1-36:43; Matthew 12:1-21; Psalm 15:1-5; Proverbs 3:21-26 God told Jacob to go to Bethel where he first began his journey and had had the dream of angels descending and ascending on a ladder. Jacob had set up a pillar there and told God that if God provided for him and brought him safely back to this place he would worship the Lord here and give God a tenth of everything the Lord gives him (Genesis 28:18-22). *** Jacob’s mother’s nurse, Deborah, had died and was buried under an oak below Bethel. Jacob called this place the “oak of weeping.” *** God changed his name from Jacob to Israel and told him to be fruitful and multiply because nations and kings would come from him. He gave him the land He had given to Abraham and Isaac. Jacob set up a pillar to mark where God had spoken to him. He poured a drink offering on it and then left that place and traveled toward Ephrath. Rachel went into labor and died giving birth to Benjamin. Jacob buried her there and set up a pillar over her tomb. *** Reuben went in and lay with Bilhad his father’s concubine and Dan and Naptali’s mother. This act lost him the blessing of the first-born. *** Jacob finally reconnected with his father Isaac at Mamre also called Kiriath-arba and Hebron. Isaac had lived 180 years and died and his two sons Jacob and Esau buried him. *** Esau had married two Canaanite women and Ishmael’s daughter. Their descendants multiplied on the earth and became kings and chiefs of nations. *** In Matthew, Jesus’ disciples were rebuked by the Pharisees for plucking heads of grain and eating it on the Sabbath. Jesus reminded them of what David did when he was hungry - he ate the bread of the Presence that only the priest were allowed to eat. The priests also worked on the Sabbath, but were counted guiltless. Jesus was trying to say that sometimes the situation calls for breaking the law. At that time, the Lord of the Sabbath was walking with them and he was allowing them to harvest on the Sabbath. *** Then Jesus demonstrated what he was teaching. He went in to their synagogue where there was a man with a withered hand. He asked the Pharisees if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath. Then he asked them if they would help one of their own sheep if it fell into a pit on the Sabbath. (Of course, they would.) *** Jesus reasoned with them if they would help their sheep on the Sabbath, couldn’t he? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep; therefore, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. He then healed the man’s hand. This ticked the Pharisees off so much they conspired how to kill him. Jesus knew they were dong this, so he left that place and many followed him. Jesus quoted Isaiah 42:1-4 about himself. He was sent to proclaim justice to the Gentiles and bring them hope. Every year I ask for a word for the next year. Last year’s word was “Beyond” and the Lord told me he would go beyond anything I could ask or imagine. To look back, I would have to say he has done that. I have seen evil exposed and brought to the light and God move to bring hope and goodness back to our land. I have watched as God has brought healing to our family. Our biggest “beyond” is that we are going to have another grand daughter which was not in anyone’s plan or imagination. We are so excited and blessed. *** This year the word is “dividing line.” God is making a line in the sand and there are no more gray areas. Everyone will have to take a side. Justice is coming and it will be swift and right. We have seen all the evil exposed, now we long for justice and we are surely going to see it in 2026. It will be a hard year for the ungodly, but a wonderful year for the godly. We are going to be blessed beyond what we had ever dreamed in so many ways. But, we have much work to do also. Blessing comes with responsibility and we have been in training all our lives for this time in history. We are still in the midst of the war against evil, but we are going to see beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are winning. It will become much more obvious. We cannot get tired and give up hope. More than ever, we need to arise and let our light shine. *** Lord, may we rise up and see the glory of the Lord come to earth. May we not grow weary in well-doing but continue to fight the good fight of faith. May we not give up when we don’t see the expected response but learn to wait on you to act. This is your story and we are just characters in the narrative. Help us to play our part according to your script.

Fri.’s Devo - Israel -

Read: Genesis 32:13-34:31; Matthew 11:7-30; Psalm 14:1-7; Proverbs 3:19-20 Jacob divided his flocks and servants into two groups and put his family in the third group. He instructed the first group to tell Esau that they were a gift from Jacob. The second group was to tell Esau the same. *** That night an angel from the Lord came and wrestled with Jacob all night. When it became light and the angel had not won, so he touched Jacob’s hip socket and put it out of joint. Jacob would still not let go of the angel until he blessed him. The angle gave him a new name. Instead of Jacob, his name would be Israel, because he had wrestled with God and with men and had won. Jacob named the place Peniel which means “the face of God” because he had seen the face of God and was still alive. *** Jacob limped from that day on and the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh in honor of him. *** Jacob saw Esau coming and sent his first gift ahead of him. Then his children were behind him. He bowed seven times before his brother, but Esau came running to meet him. He embraced him and they both cried for joy. Jacob introduced his family to Esau and insisted that Esau take the first gift he sent ahead to him. Esau finally agreed and offered to escort Jacob and his family. Jacob didn’t want to slow him down so he told him to go on without them. Jacob came to Shechem and bought his first piece of land in the Promised Land for 100 pieces of silver. He erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel which means “God, the God of Israel. He had promised God he would make God his God and give a tenth of all he owned when he came to the land. *** Jacob’s daughter, Dinah caught the eye of the prince of Shechem who the city was named after. He defiled her then wanted to marry her. Jacob’s sons were very upset and planned a way to get back at the prince and his family. They promised them that if all the men in Shechem got circumcised, then they would intermarry and become one people. The men of Shechem agreed, but three days after their surgery, Levi and Simeon (Dinah’s blood brothers) attacked with their men and killed Shechem and all the men of the town. *** When Jacob found out, he was upset they had harmed his reputation and threatened his safety in the land. Simeon and Levi felt justified because what Shechem had done to Dinah. *** In Matthew, Jesus asked the people why they went out to see John. He answered it. They went out to see a prophet. John was the one the prophets had predicted would prepare the way for the Messiah. *** They criticized John because he wouldn’t drink wine and ate locusts and wild honey and they criticized Jesus because he did drink wine and ate regular food. Jesus made the point that they were never satisfied. *** Jesus denounced the cities where he had done the most miracles and yet the people found fault in him because he wasn’t what they were expecting of the Messiah. *** Jesus called all to him who were tired and had labored long. He told them to take his yoke on them and learn of him because then they would find rest for their souls. *** Lord, when we feel overwhelmed with life, may we remember that we do not have to feel this way. We can stop and meditate on who you are and how light your yoke is, and breathe. May we learn of you, that you are love and comfort and so willing to help.

Thurs.’s Devo - Jacob’s Escape

Read: Genesis 31:17-32:12; Matthew 10:26-11:6; Psalm 13:1-6; Procures 3:16-18 Jacob fled Paddan-aram while Laban had gone to shear his sheep. Rachel stole Laban’s household gods and hid them. Jacob took all he owned and traveled toward Canaan. *** Laban was told three days later and set out to pursue Jacob. He found him after seven days. The night before he confronted him, God spoke to Laban and warned him not to speak evil or good to Jacob. *** Laban demanded to know why Jacob had left without telling him and why he had taken his household gods with him. Jacob explained that he left secretly because he was afraid Laban would not let his daughters go with him. He was irate that Laban accused him of stealing his household gods and pronounced a curse of death over who had taken them. He let Laban’s men search everything of Jacob’s and they did not find the gods. Rachel had hidden them in her camel’s saddle and was sitting on it. *** Jacob became angry at Laban and told him off for how he had mistreated Jacob all these years and changed his wages 10 times. It was only because God was watching over him that he left with anything but the shirt on his back. *** Laban had been warned by God not to harm Jacob so he had no other recourse than to make a covenant with him so he wouldn’t come one day and harm to him in revenge. Laban called the place by its Aramic name but Jacob called it by its Hebrew name: Galeed and Mizpah. Laban left the next morning after kissing his family good-bye. *** When Jacob left, the angels of God came to meet him. There were so many of them he called it God’s camp - Mahanaim. *** Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to Esau with the news that he had oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. He was telling him this to earn his favor. *** The messengers told Esau and he gathered 400 men with him to come and meet Jacob. This news made Jacob greatly afraid so he divided his people and flocks into two camps. He reasoned that if Esau attacked the first group, the other could escape. *** Jacob reminded the Lord that he had told him to go back home. He was aware of his unworthiness of all God had given him, but he prayed that God would deliver him from Esau’s hand. When he thought of what Esau might do to his family he reminded God that he had promised to make him a great nation. *** In Matthew, Jesus could have been talking straight to Jacob. He told us not to be afraid of our enemies because all their sins will be revealed. And, do not be afraid of what our enemies can do to our natural bodies, because they can not touch our soul. Instead, fear God who can destroy the body and the soul. If God takes great care of sparrows, he will take greater care of us. *** Jesus didn’t come to bring peace, but division. He came to divide truth from fiction and life from death. To live, we must take up our cross and be willing to die to ourselves and take on Christ. *** John the Baptist was in prison and heard all the deeds Christ was doing. He must have felt forgotten because he asked if he was the one to come or if they should look for another. Jesus reminded him of all the scripture that he had fulfilled then he told him that those who were not offended in him would be blessed. (I think John was offended that he had not come and set the prisoner, him, free. *** There are so many take-aways from todays reading. From Jacob we learned to put faith over our fears and that when we are afraid, we can remember God’s promises to us and remind him. We saw that even the greatest prophet, John the Baptist, had doubts and felt disappointed at times. When we get discouraged that God is not moving in our time table, we can remember what he told John - to not be offended in him. *** Lord, may we lay down our time table and rely on your timing which is perfect and right. Thank you for your steadfast love that never ceases and your mercies that are endless.

Wed.’s Devo - Jacob’s Heritage -

Read: Genesis 30:1-31:16; Matthew 10:1-25; Psalm 122:1-8; Proverbs 3:13-15 Rachel was envious of Leah for having children when she couldn’t conceive. She gave Jacob her servant Bilhah who had Dan and Naphtali. Leah had stopped having children, so she gave her servant to Jacob and she had Gad and Asher. *** Leah’s son, Reuben found some mandrakes for Leah, which are aphrodisiacs. Rachel bought them from Jacob for a night with Jacob. Leah slept with Jacob that night and became pregnant with Issachar. She had a sixth son and named him Zebulun. Then Leah had a daughter named Dinah. *** God opened Rachel’s womb and she had Joseph. His name means “may he add” meaning may he add another son. God heard her prayer. *** As soon as Rachel bore Joseph, Jacob went to Laban and asked for his share of the flock for his wages. He wanted to take his family back to his home. Laban knew that he was blessed because of Jacob and didn’t want him to leave. When he asked Jacob what he wanted as his wages, Jacob told him he wanted the speckled, spotted and black sheep for his wages. Laban agreed, then went that day and removed all the ones Jacob wanted and gave them to his sons. *** Jacob was left with the solid colored cattle of Laban’s, so he did something very crafty. He stripped wood making it looked streaked and spotted and put it in front of where the cattle would mate and they produced what they beheld. They produced speckled and spotted and streaked cattle. In this way Jacob manufactured his share. *** This made Laban very mad and Jacob realized he was going to have to flee Laban’s presence. When he took his plan to his wives they agreed with Jacob. Laban had spent their inheritance and was not fair to them either. They were glad to leave him and go with Jacob. *** In Matthew, Jesus called his disciples to him and gave them authority over unclean spirits and to heal every disease and affliction. Jesus named his twelve disciples and sent them out to the Jews only. They were to proclaim the kingdom of heaven was at hand. They were to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the peers and cast out demons. They were to do all this for free. Those who took them in and blessed them would be blessed. Those who didn’t receive them would be judged in the end. *** He told them to be wise among the wolves they would meet. Some would turn them over to be sentenced but they were not to worry because God would give them what to say in defense. *** He reminded them that they called him a demon, so they will also do that to them. *** They were to do the things they saw Jesus do, but they would also suffer the things they saw Jesus suffer. *** Lord, may we meditate on the lives of those who have gone before us. Their lives were not all wonderful and full of happiness, but were also hard and full of trials. Your life was the same. May we accept the fact that life is full of trials, but we can count them as joy as we see that the result is the kingdom of heaven we are building. We are a small part of a huge structure and it is all for your glory. The great news is that you are with us and in us and you move through us to accomplish your plan.

Tues.’s Devo - New Wine

Read: Genesis 28:1-29:35; Matthew 9:18-38; Psalm 11:1-7; Proverbs 3:11-12 Isaac called Jacob to him and told him to go to Paddan-aram to his mother’s house and marry one of her brother’s wives. Isaac blessed Jacob again with many descendants and the land that he was now living in, because God had given it to Abraham. *** Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram to stay with Laban who was Rebekah’s brother. *** When Esau saw this and realized how much his father and mother didn’t like his Canaanite wives, he went to his uncle Ishmael’s house and married one of his daughters. *** Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran He spent the night with his head on a stone and dreamed of a stairway to heaven. Angels were coming down and going up on the stairway. At the top stood Lord. God told Jacob who he was and that the ground he was lying on belonged to him and his descendants. They would be as numerous as the dust of the earth. They would spread out all over the earth. People on the earth would be blessed by them and God would protect Jacob and one day bring him back to this land. God would be with Jacob and surely do what he said. *** When Jacob awoke he knew that the Lord was there and this place must be the house of God - the very gateway to heaven. *** He took the stone he had used as a pillow and poured oil over it. He set it up as a memorial pillar and named the place Bethel which means “house of God.” *** Jacob vowed that if God brought him back to this place then he would be his God and he would give to God a tenth of everything he had. *** Jacob arrived at a well in Haran where shepherds with their flocks were standing around a well. It was covered with a heavy stone. He asked where they were from and if they knew Laban. They did and said that his daughter Rachel was walking up right then. She was also a shepherd and had Laban’s flocks with her. *** Jacob removed the stone and watered all her flocks for her. Then he kissed Rachel and wept out loud for joy. He told her he was her cousin on her father’s side and the son of Rebekah. Rachael ran to tell Laban. *** Laban brought Jacob home and he began to work for Laban. After a while, Laban offered Jacob wages for his work, Jacob said he would work for 7 years to marry Rachel. Laban agreed to do that. Rachel was the youngest of his two daughters. The oldest was Leah. Jacob loved Rachel so much that the years went by quickly for him. *** When the wedding was over and Laban gave Jacob Leah instead. It was dark so Jacob didn’t find out till the next morning. He was furious with Laban, but Laban explained that it wasn’t customary to give the younger daughter away first. He promised to give him Rachel and then he would work another 7 years for Leah. Jacob agreed. *** Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, so God enabled Leah to have children, but Rachel was barren. Leah had her first son and named him Reuben. Reuben means “see a son”. She hoped that when Jacob saw his son, he would love her. She had a second son and named him Simon which means “hearkening.” She thought that God had hearkened to her prayer that she was unloved and blessed her with a son. She had a third son and named him Levi which means “joined”. Leah believed that this son might bond her and Jacob. *** When Leah had her fourth son, she named him Judah which means “praise”. She finally learned to praise the Lord instead of complaining about her husband. *** In Matthew, Jesus had just explained about putting new wine into new wineskins. A leader of the synagogue came and knelt before him. He told Jesus that his daughter had just died and he knew that Jesus could bring her back to life again. As Jesus was going to his house, a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years touched the hem of his garment. Jesus felt the healing power leave him and turned and looked for who had taken it. When he learned it was the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years, he told her her faith had made her well. *** Jesus arrived at the house of the daughter who had died and kicked the funeral mourners out, telling them that she wasn’t dead, but sleeping. They laughed at him until he went brought her out alive. *** Jesus was modeling what new wine in new wineskins looked like. It looked like healing impossible situations and bringing life where there was death. *** Jesus continued to model it when he healed the two blind men and then a demon-possessed man who couldn’t speak. *** The Pharisees were losing popularity quickly and had to fight back. They said that Jesus could cast out demons because he was empowered by the prince of demons. *** Jesus didn’t let the Pharisees stop him. He continued to preach, heal and deliver the people, He told his disciples that the harvest was great, but the workers were few. He told them to pray that the Lord would send more workers into his fields. *** Lord, may we be your workers in the fields of society. May we become influencers of where we are and bring in the harvest. May our faith grow to believe the impossible.

Mon.’s Devo - Trust and Obey, For There’s No Other Way

Read: Genesis 26:17-27:46; Matthew 9:1-17; Psalm 10:16-18; Proverbs 3:9-10 Isaac moved away from the Gerar Valley and reopened Abraham’s wells that the Philistines had covered in dirt. The Philistines came and argued over the rights to two of them. Isaac called one of them Esek, meaning “argument” and the other Sitnah meaning “hostility.” The third well was not contended over, so he named it Rohoboth which means “open space.” Finally God had made space for them to prosper in the land. *** Isaac moved from there to Beersheba where the God had appeared to him before. God appeared to him again the night he arrived. He told him that he would bless him, and his descendants would multiply to become a great nation. Isaac built an altar and worshiped the Lord. His servants dug another well. *** Abimelech came with his army commander and wanted to enter into a covenant of peace with him. They both swore that they would not harm each other or cause contention. Isaac celebrated it with a feast and they took the oath of peace. Isaac sent Abimelech home in peace. *** Isaac’s men came to him and reported they had found water and named the well Shibah which means “oath.” *** Esau married two women when he became 40 years old. Both were Hittites and they caused Isaac and Rebekah much grief. *** Isaac was becoming blind in his old age. He called for Esau so he could bless him before he died. He told Esau to go and kill some wild game and fix his favorite dish, then he would bless him. Esau went to hunt while Rebekah stayed home and schemed so Jacob could get Esau’s blessing. *** She had Esau get some goats from the flock and she cooked it the way Isaac liked it. Then she put skins on Jacob’s arms and neck. She dressed Jacob in Esau’s clothes so he would smell like Esau. *** Jacob had to lie three times to his father to get him to believe he was Esau. He got the blessing of abundant harvests and master over his brothers. Those who blessed him would be blessed and those who cursed him would be cursed. *** As soon as Jacob had left Isaac’s side, Esau returned with his meal. When he found out Jacob had deceived him, he was wrought with dispair. Esau had lost his birthright and now, the blessing. He begged Isaac for a blessing and finally Isaac told him he would live away from the richness of the earth and would live by his sword. One day he would break free and shed Isaac’s yoke from his neck. *** Esau hated Jacob for taking his blessing and began to sceme to kill Jacob. Rebekah found out about it and told Jacob to flee to her brother Laban’s house and marry one of his daughters. When Esau calmed down, she would send for Jacob and he could come home. *** Then Rebekah started working on Isaac to agree that Issac should go to Haran. She told him that they surely did not want Isaac to marry one of the local Hittite women. Rebekah gets the Great Manipulator Award! *** In Matthew, Jesus left the Gaderene and went back across the lake to his own home town. There, he came to a paralyzed man and forgave his sins. The Pharisees were not to happy about him forgiving the man and called it blasphemy. Jesus questioned them about their evil thoughts and then proved that the Son of Man had the authority on earth to forgive sins. He told the paralyzed man to get up and take his mat and to home. The man immediately stood up and walked. The crowd was amazed. The Pharisees couldn’t see the forest for the trees. *** Jesus continued on his way and saw Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth and called him to follow him. Matthew immediately got up and followed him. Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his house for dinner. He also invited all his friends who were also tax collectors and disreputable sinners. The Pharisees saw this and were critical. Jesus told them that healthy people don’t need a doctor, sick people do. Then he told them to contemplate this: The scriptures (Hosea 6:6) say that God wants us to show mercy, not sacrifices. Then he added that he came to call those who knew they are sinners, not those who thought they are righteous. *** One day the disciples of John came to Jesus and asked him why they fasted when Jesus’ disciples didn’t. Jesus asked them if wedding guests mourn at a wedding. And the answer was, “of course not.” Jesus added that one day the groom would be taken from them and they would fast then. *** Jesus then gave them something to ponder. You don’t patch old clothing with new cloth because the new patch would shrink and rip away leaving an even bigger hole. Also, you don’t put new wine in old wineskins for they would burst from the pressure of the new. New wine must be stored in new wineskins so both are preserved. He was referring to the old covenant, and the new covenant that he was bringing. Both need to be preserved but to receive the new covenant you must be born again and become a new wineskin. *** Lord, may our wineskins be filled with your Spirit of truth, grace and life. May we not be guilty of manipulating but trusting your plan.

Sun.’s Devo - Rebuking the Storm

Read: Genesis 24:52-26:16; Matthew 8:18-34; Psalm 10:1-15; Proverbs 3:7-8 The servant got his okay from Laban and Nahor for Rebekah to marry Isaac and gave them the expensive gifts Abraham had sent with him. Then he asked if they could leave the next morning. Reluctantly, they let Rebekah leave with him. They blessed her to become the mother of many millions and her descendants be strong and conquer the cities of their enemies. *** Rebekah and the servant went to the Negev. Isaac had revisited the place where Hagar went when she was running from Sarah (Genesis 16:13). That place was Beer-lahai-roi. God spoke to her and she called him the God who sees me. Isaac was meditating in the field when he saw the camels coming. I wonder if he was praying that God would see him and bring him a bride, or if he was thinking Beer-lahai-roi would be a great place to set up house. He listened to the story of how the servant chose Rebekah and welcomed Rebekah home. He loved her deeply and she was a great comfort to him after Sarah’s death. *** Abraham remarried a woman named Keturah and she had six sons. But, all that Abraham had went to Isaac. Before he died, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them eastward, away from Isaac. *** Abraham died after living 175 years. Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah were Sarah was buried. Isaac took Rebekah to Beer-lahai-roi and they settled there. *** Next, we are given the account of Ishmael and his descendants. He had twelve sons who founded twelve tribes. Ishmael lived 137 years and died. His descendants had occupied land east of Egypt where they lived in open hostility toward all their relatives. *** Next, Isaac’s descendants were given. He was forty when he married Rebekah. Rebekah was barren, so Isaac prayed that she would have children. God heard his prayer and she had twins. Esau came out hairy and red. Jacob came out grasping Esau’s heel. They had fought in her womb when she carried them and God told her that she was carrying two nations that would be rivals. The older son would serve the younger. *** Esau grew up to be a hunter who became his father’s favorite because of his venison. Jacob was a home-body and was Rebekah’s favorite. *** One day, Jacob was cooking stew when his brother Esau came in from hunting, famished. Jacob told him he would give him some of his stew if he bought it for his birthright. Esau flippantly agreed, showing contempt for his firstborn rights. *** A terrible famine hit the land so Isaac moved his family to Gerar where Abimelech, king of the Philistines lived. The Lord appeared to Isaac and told him not to go to Egypt but to live in Gerar and God would be with him and bless him and his descendants. His descendants would become as numerous as the stars in the sky. So Isaac stayed in Gerar. *** Isaac did the same thing his father had done when he went to Egypt. He told Rebekah to tell everyone she was his sister because she was so beautiful. She did, but Abimelech saw Isaac caressing her and called Isaac to come see him. He confronted Isaac about his lie and chastised him for it. Abimelech issued a proclamation that if anyone touched Isaac or Rebekah they would be put to death. *** Isaac planted a crop and yielded 100 percent return. He became very rich and acquired so many sheep and goats that the servants of the Philistines became jealous of him. They conspired against him and filled up all the wells Isaac had dug. Abimelech finally kicked Isaac out of his country because he had become too powerful. *** In Matthew, Jesus observed the crowd and told his disciples to cross the lake to the other side. *** One of the teachers wanted to follow Jesus where ever he went, but Jesus told him that he didn’t have a permanent home. Another wanted to follow Jesus but he wanted to return home to first bury his father. Jesus told him to let the spiritually dead bury their own dead. *** These sound like mean answers, but Jesus was answering them according to their hearts. Jesus was not of this world and he hadn’t come to make them comfortable. He had come to change their status quo. *** Jesus got into the boat with his disciples and went to sleep. There arose a great storm so the disciples went to wake Jesus up because they thought they would drown. Jesus asked them why they were so afraid. He rebuked the wind and the waves and they became calm. Jesus did this to show them they could rebuke the elements. The storm had come to keep them from their destiny which was to cast out the demons from the demoniacs. *** Two demon-possessed men were waiting for him on the other side and the demons in them were very upset that they had made it through the storm. Jesus rebuked them and sent them into a herd of pigs where they ran over the steep cliff and drowned in the water. (That was what the demons had planned for them - to drown in the sea during the storm.) The herdsmen of the pigs ran back and told the whole town what had happened. The entire town came to beg Jesus to leave them alone. *** These same people would welcome Jesus the next time he came. The two demoniacs who had been released from bondage would testify that Jesus was who he said he was and they would see for themselves the power of God. *** Lord, may we walk in the power and authority that you gave us so that we may change atmospheres and bring your kingdom to earth.

Sat.’s Devo - A Wife for Isaac

Read: Genesis 23:1-24:51; Matthew 8:1-17; Psalm 9:13-20; Proverbs 3:1-6 Sarah died at the age of 27 which means that Isaac was 28. He died in Keriath-arba, later called Hebron - a city of refuge. Abraham bought a cave there from the Hittites of 400 pieces of silver. All the patriarchs were buried there or places that became cities of refuge. *** Abraham needed to find a wife for Isaac and wanted him to marry one of his kin so he sent his servant to his homeland to find a wife for Isaac. He made the servant swear to go there and find a relative of his for Isaac. He was released from the oath if the woman wouldn’t’t agree to come. *** The servant went and prayed that God would give him favor. He stood beside a well and waited for the women of the town to come to draw water for their camels. He prayed that the one God wanted would be the one he asked for water. The sign would be that s he would not only give him water, but water all his camels also. *** Rebekah who was the daughter of Bethuel, Abraham’s niece walked up just at that time. She was the one and watered all his camels. The servant gave her a nose ring and two bracelets. He asked if her family might be able to put him up for the nights. Rebekah ran home to tell her family. Her brother, Laban saw the bracelets and ran out to meet the man. He invited the servant to stay at their house. The servant and his camels were fed and given a place to stay for the night. *** The servant met with Rebekah’s family. He told them all about Abraham and what had happened with them. Then he told them about his mission to find a wife for Isaac from his father’s relatives. He told about how the Lord helped him meet Rebekah. Laban and Bethuel both agreed that he could take Rebekah with him. *** In Matthew, Jesus no longer traveled alone or just with his disciples. He now had large crowds following him. He healed a man with leprosy and told him to go show himself to the priest and take the offering required in the law for those who had been healed of leprosy. *** When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and begged him to come and heal his daughter who was paralyzed and in pain. Jesus began to follow him home when the Roman officer told him that he could just send healing to her and she would be healed. Jesus was amazed at his faith. He told the Roman officer to go home because his daughter was healed. When he went home he found she had gotten better at the same time Jesus told him she was healed. *** Jesus went home with Peter and stayed. Peter’s mother-in-law was very sick in bed. Jesus healed her and she immediately got up and began preparing the meal for Jesus. Many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus and he healed them. Lord, may our faith grow to where we can send it out to those who need healing and the will be healed. Thank you for healing, salvation, truth, and your blessings.