Title: A Good Question / Topic: Authority

Today’s Reading: Ezra 7; Ezra 8; Luke 20

Scripture: Luke 20:1-2
1 One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. 2 "Tell us by what authority you are doing these things," they said. "Who gave you this authority?"

Observation: This really is a good question that the Jewish leaders asked. If somebody is doing something without the proper authority, there's a problem. They wanted to know where Jesus' authority came from. Unfortunately, they were not really interested in the answer to this question. They only wanted to get rid of Him and were looking for any cause to do it. That's why Jesus challenges them and ultimately refuses to answer. But it is still a good question.

Application: The authority that God gave Jesus to bring His ministry is the same authority that Jesus has given to us. “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you,” Jesus said. Understanding and operating in that authority can give me a greater confidence than just acting on my own, even with the best of intentions. I need to be more mindful that I have been sent and commissioned by Jesus to be an ambassador from heaven to earth. And not just me, but everyone who is truly saved by God.

Prayer: Lord, help me to walk with confidence as Jesus did, knowing that You sent Him. May I be ever mindful of your commissioning and empowering as I encounter those You bring across my path. Thank You that I am not on my own, but that You are with me always. May I live boldly and confidently as Your ambassador.
This I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

Title: Unredeemable? / Topic: The Heart Of God

Today’s Reading: Esther 9; Esther 10; Luke 19

Scripture: Luke 19:1-9
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.'"
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."
9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

Observation: Zacchaeus was one unpopular person. His fellow Jews regarded him as a traitor and collaborator with the Romans as he had accepted the job to collect taxes for them. (The tax collectors were also notoriously corrupt with bribery and extortion very common.) People hated Zacchaeus. They had written him off. There was nothing good about him and there never could be. But Jesus looked at Zacchaeus and thought differently. He reached out to him and Zacchaeus responded. The people were actually mad at Jesus and began to complain. But Zacchaeus heard and responded with true signs of a changed life. He put his money where his mouth was.

Application: While we might be tempted to look at certain people and write them off as unredeemable, Jesus never does. He sees into the heart and knows that even people with a checkered history have a need for a touch from God. We need to gain this understanding from God and to look at everyone through His eyes. Stop looking only on the outward stuff, and ask God to show you the person's heart. Offer love to people and see who opens up to God.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You never give up on people. Thank You for not passing Zacchaeus by when everyone thought You should. And thank You for not passing me by. Help me to see people through Your eyes and to reach out to them with Your grace and compassion that many will be saved.
This I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

Title: Old Yeller / Topic: Intensity

Today’s Reading: Esther 3; Esther 4; Esther 5; Esther 6; Esther 7; Esther 8; Luke 18

Scripture: Luke 18
35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."
38 He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"...

Observation: People told the blind man to be quiet. They didn't like the shouting -- it was embarrassing to be around a person who was causing a scene. But the blind man didn't listen -- he shouted even more. He was an old yeller. :) And because he yelled and shouted, Jesus came to him and he received his sight.

Application: Most people don't care about others getting a healing, or deliverance, or miracle. They want quiet. They want not to be bothered -- especially by religious fanatics who make too much noise about "what should be kept a private matter." But like the blind man, I need to not be dissuaded by the crowd. If I want something from God, then I have to be willing to be intense and radical to get it. Crowd pleasing does not result in miracles.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be a God pleaser and not a crowd pleaser. I want to not care about public opinion but to be as intense as necessary to get Your attention and move heaven on my behalf. Help me to be bolder as I get older.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Title: Do The Impossible / Topic: Divine Empowerment

Today’s Reading: Esther 1; Esther 2; Psalm 150; Luke 17

Scripture: Luke 17:3 ..."If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."
5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"

Observation: Anyone who truly understands what Jesus is asking of him must have this response: "Increase my faith!" In other words, Jesus demands are so far beyond my ability that if God doesn't help me, it's just not going to happen.

In the verses above, Jesus is instructing them on forgiveness. He tells them that the person who repeatedly and intentionally sins against them -- doing something offensive, unkind, mean, or hurtful over and over again -- is to be given forgiveness over and over again if he says "I repent" each time he comes back. Well once or twice is one thing, but Jesus gives them the challenge to do it seven times in one day! Clearly, this is beyond my natural abilities. I have to have God's help.

Application: The message of the Gospel is good news -- God has made a way for me to know Him. But the demands of the life of the disciple are impossible without divine empowerment. Any attempt to do it with sheer human effort, even "enlightened" human effort, is doomed to failure. So why try it on my own? I must give it up to God and let Him empower me to do His will.

Prayer: Lord, I cannot do anything of true eternal significance or lasting value without Your help. Empower me -- fill me and use me. And when I am filled up with You, I can do the impossible. Make it so, Lord.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Title: A Descendant Of Who? Topic: Legacy

Today’s Reading: Ezra 5; Ezra 6; Psalm 138; Luke 16

Scripture: Ezra 6:4 So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo...

Observation: I notice that here (and in 5:1) Zechariah is identified as "a descendant of Iddo". I don't know who Iddo was -- I never heard of him before. But he must have been a person who made an impact because Zechariah is claiming him as one of his ancestors. Maybe Iddo was his grandfather or great grandfather or great great grandfather -- we aren't told. As far as I know, Iddo doesn't have any prominence in the famous Bible stories. (I don't know about you but I sure don't remember Iddo in the lion's den or Iddo and Goliath!) But even so, Iddo made an impact with his life which still mattered in Zechariah's day. I don't know if Iddo felt significant or insignificant. I do know that his life left an imprint for generations that followed. They wanted it to be known that they were "a descendant of Iddo."

Application: Every life has the potential to make a lasting impact. Whether renown or unknown, I can make an impact for those who follow me -- maybe for all eternity.

A small example of this: When my daughter and sons were in Jr. High and High School, they used to get a certain extra attention at camps and conferences when people found out that they were my kids. "You're Mike Stipech's kid?" When they said "yes" they got a little extra preference because of the people that loved me. They thought it was cool to be "Mike Stipech's kid."

Well I want to live all of my life with such earnestness and godliness that those who follow will want to claim me as a part of their lineage. I want to make all the difference I can here and now, so that whether it's widely recognized, or seen by just a few, those whose lives I touch to carry a lasting residue of blessing that they are happy to claim.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for including Iddo's name to remind us that not all of us will be a Zechariah, or a Daniel, or a David. But we can all be an Iddo. Help us to take whatever it is You have called us to do and do it with an eye to the eternal impact. Give us Your vision and Your power to make it happen.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Title: Pigsty Mentality / Topic: Sin's Folly

Today’s Reading: Zechariah 13; Zechariah 14; Psalm 147; Luke 15

Scripture: Luke 15:13-17
13 "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!"

Observation: It is always amazing to me what people will put themselves through in their quest to escape God. Or maybe it would be better to say I marvel that people can consider it preferable to eat pigs' food rather than humble pie by turning back to God. Here was this son of a rich man who took his inheritance and blew it on high times and fast living. When the money ran out he ended up on the street. He took a job feeding pigs and became so desperate that the pigs' food actually started looking mighty tasty! Yum! Eventually, he "came to his senses" and said, "What am I doing here?!?" But how long did he let himself exist in this pigsty mentality before he woke up? Why did he let himself get there at all?

Application: Pride, the root of our sin nature, is so destructive. It can push us out of the beautiful place of blessing and into a filthy pigsty and make us think "Hey, this isn't so bad!" Anyone with half a brain can see IT IS SO VERY BAD! But our sin nature holds so much sway over our minds and our thought processes that it can deceive us if we don't see it for what it is and kill it.

Bottom line: Better to put pride and self-will to death daily and submit to a good and loving God than to wake up with a mouthful of pig slop.

Prayer: Lord, keep my mind fixed on You. Give me insight and brothers and sisters with insight to help me see with truth. Keep me from self-deception and thinking based on sin and lies. You have nothing but good things in store for me. Keep me from accepting anything less than Your best.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Title: Three Quick Points / Topic: No Compromise

Today’s Reading: Zechariah 10; Zechariah 11; Zechariah 12; Psalm 126; Luke 14

I am sharing three quick points out of three passages from Luke 14.

#1 Title: Looking Wrongly At Jesus
Scripture: Luke 14:1, 26-27, 35-35
Luke 14:1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.

Observation/Application: Here Jesus is carefully watched, but for all of the wrong reasons. Rather than observing Jesus to learn and be transformed or healed or blessed, they have evil judgments in mind and are looking to find some picky sabbath violation that they can use to get rid of Him. What a shame that these people's self-imposed blindness prevents them from seeing even what they are carefully watching: this is their Savior, their only hope for salvation, and they can't see it. It's truly a pity.

Prayer: Lord, help my brokenness to not get in the way of seeing You for what You really are and being open to receive all that You have for me. This I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

#2 Title: More Love For Him
Scripture: Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

Observation/Application: This scripture always convicts me. There is a demand that Jesus makes clear: we are not to be too attached to our life here. In comparison to our life with Him, we are to hate everything else! I need to love Him more and everything else less.

Prayer: Lord, help!

#3 Title: Mmmm -- Spicy!
Scripture: Luke 14:34 "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
"He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Observation/Application: Jesus doesn't want bland followers. He wants us to be salty -- spicy! When we try to blend in, we become bland in whatever it is we're in. Don't go there! The unsalty salt doesn't even rate being in the manure pile. (Yikes! How low can you go?)

Prayer: Lord, keep me salty for You. Help me to bring Your amazing flavor to every environment I come into.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.