Fri.’s Devo - God’s Promises For His People

Read: Deuteronomy 7:1-8:20; Luke 7:36-8:3; Psalm 69:1-18; Proverbs 12:1 There were seven nations in the promised land that they were to defeat. I call them the “ites”. God told them to completely destroy them and have no mercy. They were not to make any covenant of peace with these “ites”, because if they allowed them to live, they would turn them away from serving him and lead them into idolatry. They were also to destroy everything that had to do with the worship of their gods. *** The Israelites were God’s people and were to be holy and set apart from the people in the world. God chose them out of all the people in the earth to set his name on and to love and care for. His covenant with those who love him would last for a thousand generations, but he promised to repay those who hate him. *** God’s promise to his faithful was to love, bless and multiply them. He would bless their womb and their possessions. He would keep them well and help them conquer nations much more numerous and more physically stronger than them. They would not need to fear their enemy because they Lord was with them. He would clear the nations before them by throwing them into confusion until they were destroyed. Their kings would be brought down and destroyed. They were to burn all their pagan possessions in the fire and not covet the gold and silver in them. If they bring any of their idols into their house, their house will be devoted to destruction. (Remember Rachel who stole her father’s idols. She died soon after that.) *** God had tested them and tried them in the wilderness to prepare them for this moment. He had fed them, given them water, kept them safe and clothed. God had given them laws teaching them how to love him and love one another so that they would prosper in all they did. *** When they did prosper and had more than they need, they were to remember where it came from and who allowed them to have it. It is the Lord who gives a person power to get wealth. They were to always remember the Lord and serve him only. *** In Luke, Jesus was invited to the Simon’s to eat. Simon was a Pharisee. A woman who was a sinner, entered the house and knelt at Jesus feet as he was reclining to eat. She wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. She kissed his feet then anointed them with the ointment. *** Simon thought that if Jesus was a prophet he would know what kind of woman this was and not let her continue. Jesus perceived his thoughts and gave Simon a parable. *** In his parable there was a money lender who had two clients. One owed him 500 denarii and the other 50. The money lender decided to forgive them both their debt. He asked Simon which would love the money lender the most. Simon replied the one who owed him the most. Jesus explained that this woman, because of her sins owed God the most and is more appreciative of God’s forgiveness than Simon who was “righteous”. This was her way of showing her appreciation. *** Jesus then told the woman that her sins were forgiven and her faith had saved her. He released her to go in peace. The other Pharisees had a big problem with Jesus forgiving her sins. 
 *** Their opinion did not stop Jesus from continuing to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God. The women who followed Jesus provided for his ministry out of their means. One of them, Chuza, was married to the manager of Herod’s household. *** Lord, we know that a great wealth transfer is coming to the earth and the wealth of the wicked has been stored up for us. May we remember what we read today and use it to glorify you and grow your kingdom. May we be like the women who supported your work on the earth.

Thur.’s Devo - Love the Lord

Read: Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25; Luke 7:11-35; Psalm 68:19-35; Proverbs 11:29-31 God had made a covenant with the children of Israel at Horeb. He emphasized that he made it with them and not their children. He gave them the ten commandments which sum up all the other commandments. God himself wrote them and did it amidst fire, the cloud and thick darkness. All of them had drawn near and had seen the glory of God and heard his voice. The people agreed to obey the Lord and he heard their promise. God lamented that he wished they would always have a heart to hear him and obey him so that it would always go well for them. *** God commanded them to continue to love him with all their heart, soul and might and to teach their children to do the same. When they enter the land he promised them and live in prosperity and wealth, they are not to forget the Lord who did all this for them. They are not to be tempted to worship the gods of the inhabitants of the land. *** When asked by their children, why they follow the laws of the Lord, they are to tell them how he delivered them from the bondage of the Egyptians with great signs and wonders and brought them to this land. He commanded them to keep his laws so that he could preserve them and keep them safe. *** In Luke, Jesus went to Nain with his disciples and the crowd that were now following him. They came to the gate of the city where a man was being brought out who had died. The man was his mother’s only son. Jesus had compassion on the mother and told her not to weep. He touched the bier that the man was in and told the man to arise. He woke up from his death and was returned to his mother. The people saw this and feared and worshiped the Lord. They believed Jesus to be a great prophet and his fame spread. *** The disciples of John reported to John what Jesus was doing. John sent them to Jesus to ask him if he was indeed the Messiah or should they keep looking for him to come. Jesus told them to tell John all he was doing - the blind were seeing, the lame walking, the lepers were cleansed, the deaf were hearing and the dead were raised. Then he added blessed are those who are not offended in me. I wonder if he didn’t add this last statement because John was offended that he was still in prison when the scriptures say that the Messiah would open the prison doors and set the prisoner free. Jesus wanted him to rejoice in what God was doing, and not in what he was not doing. This is a great word for us. When we don’t see what we are praying for answered, we should rejoice at all the prayers God has answered. We don’t understand God’s total plan and neither did John. *** Jesus then spoke to the people about John praising him as being the greatest prophet of all time. His calling was to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord and he had done just that. The same people that had a hard time accepting John because he wasn’t what they had expected, were the same ones who were having a hard time accepting Jesus because he wasn’t what they had expected. *** Lord, may we give you all our expectations of how you are supposed to be working right now. May we accept your ways and thank you for the things we do see and help us have faith to keep believing in you when we don’t understand.

Wed.’s Devo - Moses’ Last Words

Read: Deuteronomy 4:1-49; Luke 6:39-7:10; Psalm 68:1-18; Proverbs 11:28 We are reading the last advice from Moses before he is going to leave the earth. He commanded them to keep every law and commandment God had given them and not add or take away from them. He reminded them what happened with the people who began to worship Baal at Baal Peor. *** God’s laws would give them wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the people of other nations. They would envy them for having a God who is so near and hears them when they cry out to him. *** Moses warned them to guard their soul and not forget what they had seen the Lord do for them. They were to pass down these stories to their children and their grandchildren so they would fear the Lord also. They were to recount how they stood at the bottom of the mountain at Sinai and heard the voice of the Lord out of the midst of the fire. They were to recount to them how the Lord himself wrote their laws on tablets of stone. *** When God spoke to them, they didn’t see him so they were not to try to make any image to represent him that resembles any creature on earth. Nor were they to worship the elements in the sky like they did in Egypt. God brought them out of that nation to be his own possession. *** If they did begin to worship other gods, they would not live long in their land. God would scatter them among the nations of the earth where they would worship false gods that were not real. Then, if they began to seek Him with all their hearts and soul, they would find him. In the latter days, when they are in tribulation, they will return to the Lord and obey him. God, who is merciful, will forgive them and he will remember his covenant he made with them and save them. *** What God did for Israel, he had never done before. Never had he birthed a nation with such signs and wonders. He did this so they would not forget him and his covenant with them. It would go well with them as long as they obeyed his commandments. *** Moses set apart three cities of refuge in the land they now possessed which was now the land of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh. Theses cities were Bezer in the land of Reuben, Ramoth in Gad and Golan in Manasseh. *** In Luke, Jesus gave a parable explaining that everything we do comes from our heart. If our heart is bad then we cannot do good, but if our heart is good, then we will do good. The things we complain about in others are the blind spots in our own eyes. *** Those that followed Jesus and actually did what he preached were building firm foundations to stand on during the storms of life. Those who just listened and didn’t let it affect their lives would not stand in the storms. *** Jesus then went into the town of Capernaum. One of the centurions sent his elders to ask Jesus to come and heal his servant who was very valuable to him. They spoke highly of the centurion telling Jesus how he had built their synagogues for them. Jesus followed them and when he was near the house, the centurion sent servants to Jesus. The centurion didn’t think he was worthy to have Jesus come to his house, but if Jesus would pronounce his servant healed, it would be enough. Jesus marveled that this man understood the power of confession and prayer. He commented that he had not found such faith in Israel. When the servants returned home, they found the servant healed. *** Lord, may we have the faith to believe in things we cannot see. Thank you that you hear our every prayer and you answer when we cry for help. We honor and praise your name.

Tues.’s Devo - God Reigns Over All

Read: Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29; Luke 6:12-38; Psalm 67:1-7; Proverbs 11:27 The children of Israel had been traveling around the mountain country of Mt. Seir until the Lord told them to turn north. They would pass through the land of Esau who would be afraid of them. They were to be considerate of them and their land because the Lord had given their land to them. They were to pay for food and water with all the Lord had blessed them. The land Esau lived in had been given them as a possession just like the land God was giving them in Canaan. *** Then they would go through the wilderness of the Moabites. They were to treat them the same as they treated Esau’s people. God had given the Moabites their land and they were just to pass through. The Lord had helped the Moabites take their land from the Anakim and the Horites who were giants. *** Next, they were to pass through the land the Lord had given to the people of Ammon. The Moabites and the Ammonites were both descendants of Lot. They had both dispossessed the giants that lived in their land by the help of the Lord. *** God was showing the children of Israel that He was the one who owned the land, and he could give it to whoever he wanted. The people of Esau, the Amonites and the Moabites had all encountered land possessed by giants and had prevailed. This should encourage them that they could also possess their land full of giants. *** Once they had passed through their relative’s land they would come to the land of Sihon the Amorite. They were to war with him and take his land. God would cause the whole earth to fear them because God was with them. *** First, they sent word ahead to Sihon the king of the Amorites asking if they could pass peacefully through their land. They offered to pay for their food and water. God hardened Sihon’s heart so he wouldn’t give them permission to pass through their land. Now, they had a reason to war with Sihon. Sihon came out against them to fight and God gave the Israelites the victory. They took their cities and their land leaving no survivors. They kept the livestock and the possessions. *** Then they traveled to Bashan and met king Og. He met them to battle and the Lord gave them over to him as he did king Sihon. Their land was given to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh. They settled their children and wives in the land, then their warriors went with the rest of Israel into possess the land God had given them. *** Moses was allowed to go up on Mt. Pisgah and see the land he had spent his life leading the people to possess. He came down and charged Joshua to be strong and courageous and take possession of the land because God had given it to them. *** In Luke, Jesus and his disciples were together with a huge crowd of followers. Jesus began to teach them and bless them. He blessed them with the kingdom, satisfaction, laughter, and joy in the midst of persecution. Then he cursed their persecutors - those who were now rich, full, laughing and revered, because they wouldn’t end up that way. *** To those who had ears to hear, he told to love their enemies, bless the ones who cursed them and pray for their abusers. He told them to return good for bad and do to their enemies like they want to be treated. *** We are to do the hard thing that is not natural because God is love and he loves the sinner. We are to be merciful like God is. We are not to judge or condemn because that is God’s job. We are to forgive and be kind because that is what will come back on us if we do. *** Lord, may we store up treasures in heaven with our attitude, our actions and our love. May we remember how you have forgiven us, and give that same forgiveness to others. May we remember that it is You who own the whole earth. You decide who rules and who owns the land. May we trust you to bring us into our possession.

Mon.’s Devo - The New Wine

Read: Numbers 36:1-Deuteronomy 1:46; Luke 5:29-6:11; Psalm 66:1-20; Proverbs 11:24-26 The heads of the clan of Gilead from the tribe of Manasseh came to Moses and explained that if the daughters of Zelophehad received their inheritance from their father then married a man outside their tribe, their land would eventually end up belonging to that tribe. So, Moses got the Lord’s counsel and told the daughters of Zelophehad that they must marry within their tribe so this wouldn’t happen, so they did. Moses made a command for all the tribes that they must marry within their tribe to maintain the integrity of the land given to each tribe. *** It had now been 39 years and 11 months since they had been told they would have to wander in the wilderness for 40 years because of their unbelief. They had defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites and Og the king of Bashan. God told them that it was time to go in and possess their land in Canaan. They had multiplied into a great nation and they would continue to grow. When they became too many for Moses to manage, he had told them to appoint wise, understanding and experienced men as their heads throughout their tribes, and they had. These men judged the people within their tribes. *** When they had come to the land the first time, they asked to send out spies to spy out the land first. Each tribe had sent one man. They brought back word that the land was good, but they were too afraid of the giants in the land to go in and possess it. The only ones who brought back a good report were Caleb and Joshua. *** God was angry with the people. They had forgotten all God had done for them and how he led them with his glory. God told them that they would not enter the land, but their children would. They were sent to the wilderness to die. Some sinned and decided to go possess the land without the Lord. They were humiliated and driven back. *** In Luke, Jesus had just called Levi (Matthew), the tax collector to follow him. Levi was so excited he had a great feast in his home and invited all his fellow tax-collectors to come. The Pharisees and scribe showed up and criticized Jesus for eating with such sinners. Jesus told them that it wasn’t those who are well who needed a doctor, but it was those who were sick. He had come to call the sinners, not the righteous to repentance. *** Then the Pharisees and scribes complained that John the Baptist’s followers fasted, but his disciples didn’t. Jesus explained that you don’t fast when you have the bridegroom with you. The day would come when the bridegroom will be taken away and then they would fast. *** He told them two parables. One was about sewing a new piece of fabric on an old garment. It wouldn’t work because it would shrink when it got wet and tear away from the garment. The next parable was about putting new wine in old wineskins which would break them. *** Jesus was the new material and the new wine. They would have to change their mindsets if they wanted to receive his new fabric and new wine. *** Jesus then demonstrated this in the next things he did. He allowed his disciples to do things their law did not allow because they were hungry. Then he healed on the Sabbath. All of these things upset the religious status quo. They were living in old mindsets - old wineskins and old garments. Jesus was there to do a new thing. *** Lord, may we put on the new man in Christ who is the new wine and the new garment. May we walk in truth and light. May you make our paths straight.

Sun.’s Devo - When You Come Into the Land…

Read: Numbers 33:40-35:34; Luke 5:12-28; Psalm 65:1-13; Proverbs 11:23 In the middle of their travel log we have the statement that the people who lived in Canaan knew they were coming to Canaan. Todays, travel takes us from where Aaron died on Mt. Hor to the Jordan River in the plains of Moab across from Jericho. *** The Lord told Moses to tell the people they were to drive out all the inhabitants of the land and destroy all their images and places of their worship. They were to possess the land because God was giving the land to them. If they failed to drive them out, they would become thorns in their sides and a stumbling block for them. *** God gave them all the borders of their land. The nine and a half tribes yet to receive their land would receive it by lot. Their lot would be sized according to the number of people they had. Every tribe was lead by the chief the Lord appointed. *** Each tribe was to give some of their cities to the Levites for them to live in. These cities should have pasturelands for the Levites livestock and beasts that extend outside their city a thousand cubits on all sides. Six of these cities were to be cities of refuge where a person could run to if he accidentally killed a person. There, he could present his case and be allowed to stay until the death of the high priest, then he would be allowed to go home safely. If a person murdered a person with intent then he must be put to death. *** How interesting that we are talking about cities in the Old Testament and our New Testament scripture opens with: “While Jesus was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy.” This is a great picture of what would happen in a city of refuge. The person would come to the priest at the gate of the city and present his case just like this guy did. The man at the gate would decide if his story was plausible enough to investigate. He would determine if the guy could enter the city of refuge. This man in Luke told Jesus that if he wanted to he could make him clean. Jesus was the priest who would decide. He touched him and the leprosy left him. He told him to go and present himself to the priest as proof of his miracle. Other books tell us that he didn’t do this. *** One day, while Jesus was preaching, a paralyzed man was brought to him on his bed. The crowd was so thick, the man was lowered through the roof in front of Jesus. Jesus saw the faith of this man’s friends and told the man that his sins were forgiven. The scribes and Pharisees heard this and thought he was blaspheming God for thinking he could forgive sins. Jesus told them that to prove he had the power to forgive sins, he told the man to get up and walk and he did. *** Then, Jesus went out and demonstrated his point even greater by choosing the tax collector, the chief of sinners in the eyes of the religious, to be his follower. He chose Matthew. *** When we are saved, we have entered into our land and we have to drive out all the past inhabitants of our land like fear, hate, envy, lust, religion, etc. *** Lord, thank you that you forgive our sins and chose us to walk with you. Thank you that you are our city of refuge where we can run and receive forgiveness of every sin we can imagine.

Sat.’s Devo - Possessing the Land

Read: Numbers 32:1-33:39; Luke 4:31-5:11; Psaom 64:1-10; Proverbs 11:22 The children of Israel had just fought and conquered the Midianites. Their land was fertile pastureland and since the people of Reuben and Gad were shepherds, they went to Moses to ask to possess their land instead of land on the other side of the Jordan. *** Moses was not for it at first, until he learned their plan. They promised to set up cities for their families, then send their men of fighting age over the Jordan to help all the tribes conquer their land. They would not come home till every tribe possessed their land. When Moses and Eleazar and Joshua and the other leaders of the tribes heard this, they agreed. Half of the tribe of Manasseh also joined Gad and Reuben. *** Chapter 33 is a summary of the travels of the children of Israel from when they left Egypt the night of the first Passover to the day Aaron climbed Mt. Hor and died. *** In Luke, Jesus went to Capernaum, a city of Galilee and taught on the Sabbath. An unclean demon manifested in a man who was there. He began crying out that Jesus was the Holy One of God. Jesus rebuked the demon and told him to come out of the man. The demon threw him down to the ground and then left him. The people were amazed at the authority Jesus had in his preaching and over evil spirits. Word spread about Jesus. *** Jesus was staying at the house of Simon Peter whose mother-in-law was ill with a fever. He rebuked the fever and she got up immediately and began to serve them. *** Many brought their sick and diseased to him for him to lay his hands on them. Jesus healed them all and would not allow the demons to speak because they knew who he was. *** One day, when Jesus was by the lake of Gennesaret he saw some fishermen in their boats washing them nets. One of the boat belonged to Simon. He asked them to let him preach from their boat. They put him on the boat and pushed their boat away from the shore so he could speak to the crowd. When he was finished preaching, he rewarded them by telling them to cast their nets. Simon complained that they had fished all night and it was useless but he obeyed and let down his net. Their net instantly filled with so many fish they had to get the other boat to help them. They filled both boats full with fish until they were both about to sink. Simon Peter saw the miracle and fell on his knees before Jesus. Jesus told him not to be afraid because from now on he would be catching men, not fish. From that moment on, Peter, James, John and Andrew left fishing and followed Jesus. *** Lord, may we be like those disciples who quickly responded to Jesus’ word. Thank you that you have revealed to us who you are. Everything in heaven and on earth is under your control. You are our Creator and Sustainer.