Read the Bible in a Year (29OCT31)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, October 29’s Bible reading is Luke 12-13.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, October 30’s Bible reading is Luke 14-16. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

LUKE MOMENT – (29OCT19) “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three” (Luke 12:49-52). The Jews had been looking for a deliverer to rescue them from Roman control, but God had sent the Savior to rescue them and all of mankind from the bondage of sin. Therefore, Jesus had not come to establish peace on earth during that time, but to bring about a consciousness in man for their need of salvation. This fire that Jesus was speaking of was the fire of the Holy Spirit whom He embodied and would continue the work that Jesus had begun once His mission on earth was complete. The Bible says: “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:2).

Jesus wished that the Holy Spirit’s fire was already ignited on the earth, but He knew that His mission of being baptized into death had to take place first for the Comforter to come and continue His ministry. Jesus said: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Jesus bore the burden of having to face death for the sins of the world, but He also came so that the world would be reconnected with the Father through the work that the Holy Spirit would do on the face of the earth once He ascended back to Heaven.

Some people believe that there will be world peace prior to Jesus’ return, but they are indeed wrong. Jesus had not come to bring peace but allow for the fulfillment of prophecy to be established. When Jesus came, every Word that the prophets foretold of His coming was fulfilled in their entirety. Therefore, the same will take place again, and all Bible prophecy must be fulfilled including what is written in the book of Revelation. We are not going to see peace in the Middle East, unity in government, or an end to violence no matter how much we pray and desire it. Jesus said that these things must be, but even in the midst of chaos, the Holy Spirit will still be doing a work across the earth until such time He withdraws from the earth. The Bible says: “Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years” (Genesis 6:3). When we see or experience division in families, murder in our streets, political discord, civil unrest, war, famine, natural disasters, and of course the soon great falling away, we know that the Bible is being fulfilled. We cannot pray prophecies away, but every believer can pray for the blood of Jesus to cover their homes, for the lost to be saved, and for Jesus’ soon return. Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (29OCT19) “You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” (Luke 12:56). Jesus was rebuking the religious leaders because of their lack of awareness as to the fulfillment of prophecy being in their midst. They did not understand that all the prophecies that they were expecting were already taking place right in front of their eyes. They were seeing Jesus perform great signs and wonders, but they rejected His authority and did not recognize Him as the Son of God. Therefore, their blindness hindered them from receiving salvation and truly knowing the Father because of their rejection of the Son. They indeed had religion, but they had no relationship.

Similarly, the signs are all around us that Jesus’ return is soon. Yet many, even in the Christian community, fail to understand this and get their houses in order. We are seeing everything that Jesus prophesied in Matthews 24 take place, but the world is going on as if there will never be an accounting for how they lived on earth. The world rejects Him, and the Church ignores Him. Nevertheless, the signs are getting more vivid where those who have buried their heads in the sand will not be able to do so for much longer. Jesus told us to WATCH and be ready for we do not know when He will return. Are you watching? Are you ready? Are you praying for others to be ready? The Bible says: “For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober” (Thessalonians 5:2-6). Everyone will be without excuse when the Day of the Lord comes. I want to be ready. How about you? Something to ponder….

 

LUKE MOMENT – (29OCT19) “Then the Lord answered him, ‘You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?’” (Luke 13:15-16). There was a woman who had been crippled by a demonic spirit for eighteen long years. She was at the synagogue on the Sabbath when Jesus arrived. She had been unable to stand up straight and had to walk bent over for years, but Jesus called her over to Him. Jesus placed His hands on her and she was immediately healed. The synagogue leader did not like the idea of Jesus healing the woman on the Sabbath, so he told the other people that they could be healed the other six days of the weak but not on the Sabbath. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders because they would take time to care for their animals’ basic needs on the Sabbath day but deny the sick the opportunity to become well due to their religious traditions. They cared more for their animals than for the welfare of human beings, and Jesus did not hesitate to call out their hypocrisy.

Believers must be careful to show compassion, love, and mercy over being legalistic. This does not mean that we should fail to adhere to the laws of God, but it means that in so doing, we are to remember that all laws are summed up in love. Sometimes, Christians can be so caught up in following the doctrines of man that they may forget that God expects believers to care for one another. The Bible says: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). People can call themselves Christians but if they do not know how to love one another, their religion is in vain. The religious leaders failed to see that the Lord is a personal God and He cares for the welfare of man both spiritually and physically. When Jesus came, He met the peoples’ spiritual, physical, and psychological needs so that the people could know that the Father was concerned about every aspect of their being. Jesus said: “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Luke 12:7). If God knows something as minimal as the hairs on our heads, then He knows and cares about all other details that concerns us in life. Something to ponder….

LUKE MOMENT ***BONUS*** – (29OCT19) “At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ And he said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course’” (Luke 13:31-32).  Jesus was not shy of calling people out or using certain terms to show His disgust. In the above text, we see that some of the Pharisees warned Jesus that King Herod wanted to kill Him, and it would be best for Him to leave their town. One may ask, “Weren’t they some of the very ones who were also plotting to kill Him?” Of course, they were. Nevertheless, they knew that Jesus was aware of Herod having beheaded John the Baptist, so they possibly figured that they could get rid of Jesus and circumvent their Roman enemy as well. Jesus, however, was not moved by what the Pharisees said because He knew their true intentions and was also aware of Herod’s actions. Jesus was not going to stop administering His ministry duties until His time was done. Nevertheless, Jesus never stayed where He was unwelcomed, and His time was drawing close for Him to die in Jerusalem.

Jesus did not run in fear when He was presented with the threat of death. He continued with His work and was determined to fulfill what the Father had sent Him to earth to do. Likewise, we too must not cower with the threats of persecution, loss of jobs, relationships, material possessions, or death when it comes our way. We must stand strong and fight the good fight of faith until the Lord takes us home. Jesus said: “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear” (Luke 12:4-5).  Many of us in the western nations have never had to face death or persecution because of our faith, but the day may come where we too may have to make the ultimate choice between our temporary earthly lives, or the one which Jesus has promised to all His faithful followers in glory. Which will you choose? Something to ponder….