Previously in the Daily Read, Jesus is brought to the cross, crucified and then resurrected. He comes back, and in this book, not only visits the women and his disciples, but he appears in the flesh to Cleopas and a friend. But, the verse that stuck out for me this read was:

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34a

Here was a guy who was being tortured, beaten and pinned to a cross and he is asking for the forgiveness of those that are doing this to him! And we think that we have bad days? Everybody has been at the bad end of somebody else’s actions, but we must use this verse to remember to forgive those that may do wrong against us. If Jesus can do it under these circumstances, then we most certainly can in our everyday lives. Perhaps I should make little stickers for our rear view mirrors for the daily commute.

Read on…

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I got home tonight and I was pooped from working another evening gig, but I checked in on Eddie and had posted again about the site, which really fired me up. I think he is excited to be taking part and I didn’t want to let another day go by without a post. In fact, he has started another blog, A Kingdom Walk. I really like how he is putting his applications of the Word into it. Great work my brother from across the pond!

Also, just to let Eddie know if he hasn’t seen it here already, I keep the dates of the readings consistent even when I am behind in case somebody sees this and wants to be on track. I am going to try and read another tonight, but the weekend looks pretty open (finally!) and I am going to be caught up this weekend. So stay tuned for a slew of posts.

Previously in the Daily Read, Jesus prepares the disciples for his departure and resurrection. Before He goes, he leaves some great teachings (many that have been covered in the previous two books of the New Testament) including a new favorite:

“By standing firm you will gain life.” Luke 21:19

While there is so much about the signs of the kingdom of God coming leading up to this verse, it pretty much sums things up. When we are faced with adversity or fear, we can use this verse as a mantra to be strong and know that nothing can harm us because of the love of God. For instance, I have a big meeting this week and in the past, I would probably be pretty nervous about it. But I am so calm because of my studying, I can’t wait to get in there and find out what He has in store for me. No matter what the outcome, when it is through it will still be all good! I will stand firm and it will be just another experience in my journey.
Read on…

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Previously in the Daily Read, Jesus hung out with the ‘sinners’ and found redemption. As I have mentioned before, I love the fact that Jesus was a rebel, doing what needed to be done when it went against the norm. In this example, Jesus met Zacchaeus the Tax Collector and when he went to his house, all the people were aghast that he was going with the ‘sinner’. But, when he arrived at his house, Zacchaeus declared that he would give half of his possessions to the poor and four times the amount to anybody that he had cheated.

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Luke 19:9-10

I have come to love church planters because they get this. The pastors that have started churches in movie theaters and high school gyms know that they have to go out into the community and find those that need Him. They challenge their congregations to do the same and bring them to church with them.
So don’t ever worry about who you are seen with or where you are seen, but worry about what you do when you are there. Share His Word and help somebody out and you will be doing the work of Jesus. Read on…

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First of all, thanks to Randal for checking in on me today. We have been encouraging each other in our read and I have not been keeping up my end of the bargain. But, in the last day or so, I have been really pushing myself and I believe God thought I needed the rest because I have just been wiped out during my regular reading time. I fell asleep during the Suns game (American basketball for Eddie) last night! The good news is that I am rested and pumped tonight. I will get caught up as quickly as I can as I have in the past. (I believe that I have been more backed up than this!?!)
Speaking of Eddie, wouldn’t you know that I would go on a reading sabbatical when he leaves a post recommending the site. Sorry about that. I didn’t know or else I would have been a blogging maniac! Who knew we could have fellowship a continent away when I started posting. I am telling you, God loves the Internet!

Anyway, back to the task at hand: Previously in the Daily Read…

Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:20-21

Wow! Isn’t that awesome? But most people would probably be confused by this. “How is the kingdom of God inside me?” It’s how you live! If you give your life to Him and see through His eyes, you are living in the kingdom of God. But, if you live for yourself, you will only see the things that you want to see and it will usually be how awful everything else is making you. But, when you are living for God, you can see His masterful work in this world, the miracles that he brings each day and the beauty in your neighbor, regardless of how bad they may be! It’s pretty cool when you look at it that way, isn’t it. Have a great day and read on…

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Let me paint a mental picture for you. I have just done my read and I was wondering what to focus on in my next post. My head and nose are killing me from sinus pressure and I was just going to pack in for the night when I logged in and took a look at the back end of the site.

Now understand, when you are in the dashboard of myBibleJournal.com, you can see what posts you have made and what comments have been made. I looked down and beside Randy’s comments was one from Eddie. I don’t know an Eddie, so I clicked on his link. Turns out Eddie lives in Scotland by way of the United Kingdom and was moved to comment on the last post. He is another regular guy posting his feelings about the Word of God. WOW! It was my dream that this site might find it’s way around the Internet to find fellow believers and those that have not yet found Him that might like what I have wrote. Well, a fellow believer has checked in from half way around the globe and I am thrilled. Thanks Eddie.

In tribute to what Eddie has been through, I spotlight:

“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. He cannot be serve both God and Money.” Luke 16:13

While we may give our lives to Lord and serve him daily, we must all have money to do that. It is the tool for how we serve and give back to our church. But in this case, the word “Money” is misleading. We must remember that it is the tool for serving God and not other masters such as toys, technology, addictions or other affairs. It’s not so much the money, but what it can get you that will get you.

Thanks again Eddie. Read on…

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Previously in the Daily Read, some interesting points come that are very relevant to our everyday living. We complain about it all the time, as it is probably the biggest issues that we feel we face everyday. Money and stress. If we are having an issue with these, we should look to this passage in Luke as a road map.
The first issue to tackle is money. We do need it to survive in the world in which we live, but for some, they are living for their possessions instead of using them for their work for God. Jesus spoke of this in the parable of the rich fool. When this farmer has an overabundance of crops, he decides to tear down his barns and store the grains that he has harvested for a long time. He would be rich with harvest and just eat, drink and be merry for the rest of his days. But this did not go over well:

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be for anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:20-21

I personally have been through this recently for a friend and colleague that I had done work for. He had been really good at storing up his goods, but his life was demanded from God and the aftermath was not pretty, including a large sum to myself. God definitely puts you to the test with this, but I know that I must not worry about it and keep serving the Lord. Let me just say, it is not easy, but totally worthwhile.

Which leads me to the next topic, worrying. How easy is that to do. It just comes naturally. It really takes work to not worry and change your focus. But the verse to remind yourself of this is:

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” Luke 12:25-26

We all have stress in our lives. I know that I do. But, by worrying about it and not do anything about it only makes it worse. God will provide and we have to remember this. Like I said, it is hard to do, but this passage shows that we can only learn from our challenges and God will be there for us. Have you ever said or written anything to somebody, but it is really for yourself? For me, this is one of those times.

Read on…

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Before I recap tonight, a couple of notes. First, I want to thank my friend Randy for stopping by tonight, reading along with me and commenting on the posts. You see, Randy was the catalyst for this blog as he and I discussed the problem with our Bible study. It was his comments that led me to this and thank him continuously for it. Thanks again. Secondly, I happened to be in the back end of the blog tonight to discover that this post will be number 101 since I started. I have been doing this for a quarter of a year! It seems like only yesterday that I started. It has been great and I am so excited to keep going. Now, back to the task at hand…

Previously in the Daily Read, we find out out about the unsung heroes of the New Testament and Jesus dispenses great tips for reaching the Kingdom of God. First the seventy-two. I never knew about them! Jesus commissioned seventy-two more disciples to help him do his work. There are powers in numbers and he sent them out before him to help heal and let the people know of his teachings. Think about how that number has multiplied today with the number of churches! But, the mission remains the same as it did then:

He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out harvest workers into his field.” Luke 10:2

Thanks to those original 84 and all those church leaders our there that are doing the work today. They are inspiring us to do our part and increase the numbers as well. Without them, we would not be able to be a part of what Jesus told the disciples:

Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” Luke 10:23-24

Next, Jesus ran into a man who asked how he might inherit eternal life. Jesus asked what is written in the Law:

He answered: “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and all of your soul and with all of your strength and all of your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’.” Luke 10:27

Jesus told the man that he had answered correctly, but the man wanted to clarify ‘neighbor’. Jesus told the parable of a man who was mugged and laid on the ground half dead. People passed until a Samaritan came by and helped him. Jesus asked who he thought that man’s neighbor was. Of course it was the Samaritan. The answer here is that everybody is our neighbor, especially those in need. That doesn’t mean that you have to quit your job and join the Peace Corps. NO, just be nice and think of others and not just yourself. There are some that go to church to make themselves feel better, when they should be going to help others feel better. Be nice and help others. For some, easy in theory, but hard in execution.

Finally, there is a small passage about sisters Mary and Martha, but it is very powerful. Jesus visits their home and Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus learning his teachings while Martha is busy with the work of the house. When Martha complains that her sister is not helping and that Jesus should tell her to help, he responds:

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her.” Luke 10:41-42

Don’t we all get that way? Too busy for our time with God? Which brings me back to the beginning of this post. I have found the time with this website and I believe that is what is better. I think that if Mary had the Internet, she might have her Bible Journal too! Read on…

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Previously in the Daily Read:

“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand , so that those who come in can see the light.” Luke 8:16

“Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.” Luke 8:18

While this is the chapter with the parable of the sower, which Jesus explained for the disciples, and it is one of my favorites, this parable challenged me a bit more. This is one that Jesus does not explain and you have to read about three times and think about before you even begin to get it.

I see that it is the Word of God and taking it into our hearts. And while so many of us think that we need to put it undercover with others, we must put it out there. Now, it’s easy to get enthusiastic and try to tell everybody we encounter the good news. I don’t believe we should. This is about living a Christ-like life and living the Great Commandment. If you carry yourself like this, you won’t have to sell people on the Good News, they will seek it out to find out how you do it. Be patient and let your living do the talking for you. Put it out on the stand and they will see the light. Jesus said so. Read on…

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Alright, it’s official, I have hit the wall. But, I wanted to post the day’s reading and get that up. When I am posting, I want to bring my A-game to the Lord and right now I am at about C level. So it’s off to bed. But one goal that I decided during this read is that I want to memorize the name of the 12 Apostles. I haven’t heard many people that can do this and I thought it would be fun. So to get started:

Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who is called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. Luke 6:14-16

It is so important, it commanded 3 verses! This will be fun to know. More recap later. Now, it’s time for bed. Dream on…

[About 22 hours later] Alright, I am back at it. I could have started about an hour ago, but I was watching this awesome service from Granger Community Church in Indiana. You can check it out by clicking here. I think this will be what Palm Valley is like in a few years. Check it out, it will blow your mind.

Previously in the Daily Read, we got Luke’s take on many of the stories that we have read. Recently, I have been doing an awful lot more time writing than I have been reading, so I am going to condense the posts (this one excluded) and hit some key passages that I found. Make sure to check out Randy’s comments as well because he will probably hit some that I don’t. First is love for enemies. This is a hard one to grasp, but we have got to do it. We don’t have to like them, but to be more like Christ, we have to forgive them and pray for them:

“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good for those that hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Luke 6:27-28

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:31

So easy to say, but so hard to do. It takes some work, but it must be done. And sometimes, we can lose ourselves and not do this, but the key is to reflect on it if you have done it and go back and make it right when you can.

Finally, I love to mention that Jesus was a rebel of his time. He pushed the boundaries and as Pastor Greg says, he made the people ‘uncomfortable’. As Randy mentioned in his comment of the October 21 post, things are not what they seem. We do need to be on the lookout for the ‘oddballs’ and the people that are a bit out there. It may not be what it seems. If you encounter this, take a second or third look, because there might be more to it than you think. Read on…

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I have to say that I was going to get ready hit the sack, but then I saw how close I was to catching up on my reading and I decided to, as Larry the Cable Guy would say, git-r-done. So I most likely will be making another post after this.

Previously in the Daily Read, we hear again about Jesus’ temptation by Satan, driving out evil spirits, healing many including those with leprosy, finding his disciples, healing the paralytic and questioned about fasting.

One passage that was new was his teaching in his hometown and being rejected because he spoke the truth and the folks in the Temple did not want to hear it. I have to be honest with you, I am not quite sure what he was saying other than he could not just stay in Nazareth to do his work. These people were offended by this and tossed him out. This was all precipitated by the writing of the prophet Isaiah:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, + because he has anointed me + to preach good news to the poor. + He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners + and recovery of sight for the blind, + to release the oppressed, + to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19

It’s interesting how this coincides with things that are going on at our church. Just yesterday we discussed going out on missions to do good work. Some are in town, there are a couple that include trips to Mexico and the South. I am looking forward to taking part in one of these. While we are unable to roam the countryside and do good works all of the time like Jesus did, we can be Christ-like and go on these types of missions when we can, as short or close as they might be.

Finally, I enjoyed reading Luke’s take on the recruiting of the disciples. In the first two books of New Testament, it is said that Jesus tells them to put down their nets and come with him. But in Luke, he tells the story of Jesus getting on the boat and telling Simon Peter to put down the nets. Peter tells him that there have been no fish, but he will do it for him. He does and the nets start to break and all of the fisherman catch more than they can carry. Peter feels unworthy of this and tells Jesus to step away, but then it is written:

Then Jesus says to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. Luke 5:10b-11

I had heard this story, but never read it for myself and it is cool! Read on…

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