A Different Kind of Savings Plan
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, As I will say in the verses below, what I am talking to you about today is a matter of urgency: I’m not just talking theory. There is urgency in all this. I am calling you to live by a different economy from those in the world around you! You need to live with kingdom urgency and invest your life in what truly matters. Now some of you are not sure what I mean when I use the term kingdom. Ultimately, the kingdom will come fully when I return and bring those who are Mine home to the Father. But, I want to remind you that I taught you to pray these words: Your prayers, rather, should be simple, like this: Our Father in heaven, let Your name remain holy. Bring about Your kingdom. Manifest Your will here on earth, as it is manifest in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10) When I taught you to pray this way, I wasn’t talking about just the ultimate coming of the kingdom when I return for you. I was also talking about bringing the way of life that reflects Our (Father, Son, and Spirit’s) nature into your world. When you pray this way, you are saying that you want Our righteous character and gracious compassion to enter the world right now through you. You are making a commitment to that kind of prayer that you will treat others, especially the weak and vulnerable, the way that I treated them when I was on earth. That means that your approach to money, investing, friendship, work, forgiveness, accountability, sexual ethics, gender relations, purity, along with a host of other things, will demonstrate what I taught and lived when I was on earth. To bring the kingdom to your time, you have to live counter-culturally to the world around you. You must live for something other than what the people around you pursue. There is an urgency about this. Your younger and emerging adults have great skepticism about My followers and their churches because they have not seen this kingdom urgency in you. So much of their skepticism can be blamed on some disingenuous leaders and greedy imposters claiming to be My shepherds. These charlatans have crowded the media stage, begging for money and pronouncing a morality that they personally do not live. While the vast majority of the leaders in My church are good and decent people, the few who have made headlines have played right into the devil’s hands so he could make Me and those who follow Me look bad. Another problem is that so few of My followers actually live with kingdom urgency. Listen to My words of warning in the verses below about being “apathetic” and “complacent”. Seek My kingdom first — seek the righteousness and compassion that I demonstrated in My ministry. The Father longs to give you the kingdom, yet you must be seeking it, longing for it, and living it if you are going to see My kingdom come! Verses to Live As you read these words from Luke, please know this: if you live for My kingdom and My righteousness, you will be investing in what can’t be stolen, won’t decay, and will never depreciate. Your heart will pursue what I pursued. And the Father? Well, the Father will be overjoyed to give you what your heart has pursued! Jesus to His disciples: My little flock, don’t be afraid. God is your Father, and your Father’s great joy is to give you His kingdom. That means you can sell your possessions and give generously to the poor. You can have a different kind of savings plan: one that never depreciates, one that never defaults, one that can’t be plundered by crooks or destroyed by natural calamities. Your treasure will be stored in the heavens, and since your treasure is there, your heart will be lodged there as well. I’m not just talking theory. There is urgency in all this. If you’re apathetic and complacent, then you’ll miss the moment of opportunity. You should be wide awake and on your toes like servants who are waiting for their master to return from a big wedding reception. They’ll have their shoes on and their lamps lit so they can open the door for him as soon as he arrives home. How fortunate those servants will be when the master knocks and they open the door immediately! You know what the master will do? He’ll put on an apron, sit them down at the kitchen table, and he’ll serve them a midnight snack. The later he comes home — whether it’s at midnight or even later, just before dawn — the more fortunate the alert servants will be. In contrast, imagine a complacent, apathetic household manager whose house gets robbed. If he had been aware that thieves were waiting in the bushes and what hour they were coming, he would have watched and he never would have left the house! I’m trying to tell you that these are times for alertness, times requiring a sense of urgency and intensity, because like the master in the first story or the thief in the second, the Son of Man shows up by surprise. Peter: Lord, I’m not sure if this parable is intended only for us disciples or if this is for everyone else too. Jesus: Imagine the stories of two household managers, and decide for yourself which one is faithful and smart. Each household manager is told by his master to take good care of all his possessions and to oversee the other employees — the butlers, cooks, gardeners, and so on. One servant immediately busies himself in doing just what he was told. His master eventually comes to check on him and rewards him with a major promotion and with more responsibility and trust. The other household manager thinks, “Look, my boss is going to be gone for a long time. I can be complacent; there’s
09 Jan 2025
As we get older, may we keep trusting God. When things don’t go as expected, let us still trust Him. When we don’t get what we want, may we be reassured that He still loves us. Jeremiah 17:7-8.
Daily Prayer for January 9
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:57-58, NIV Lord our God, we thank you that we are allowed to live in your love. We thank you for your promise that all the suffering on earth shall come to an end. Hear us when we turn to you with all we have on our hearts. We are weak, but you are strong. May we hope and trust in your strength. May our life, with all its practical concerns, remain in your hands until the day when you will act in might and the whole world will know the forgiveness of sins and will praise and thank you evermore. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Life Is Eternal Eberhard Arnold When we know that our souls live forever, everything we experience is understandable; when we see ourselves as mortal, it all becomes dark and futile. Read now The Green Paint Incident Toby Payne There’s no room for irony in a second-grade classroom. Read now The Glory of God Is a Human Being Fully Alive Elizabeth Wainwright In Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times, Elizabeth Oldfield uses the seven deadly sins to point towards the seven heavenly virtues. Read now Christians Should Be Successful Justin Hawkins The self-abasing person needs a virtue that complements humility and prevents it from devolving into the mediocrity and smallness of soul. Read now Two Ways to Look to Eternity Matthew P. Schneider, LC Life is short, and there’s so much good work to do. Does knowing Jesus has saved you change that? Read now
Today’s Verse – Lamentations 3:25
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. —Lamentations 3:25 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Out of the ashes of Jerusalem’s destruction and the disaster that befell God’s people because of their repeated disobedience comes this reminder of truth. Those who wait patiently, hope fervently, and seek the LORD will find their soul’s deepest needs met. So, we can wait quietly, not complaining but anticipating our salvation coming from the LORD! My Prayer… Give me patience and faith, please, O God, to wait quietly on your deliverance when life is hard and everything seems to be against me. I believe that you are good to those who persevere, waiting patiently in hope for your mighty deliverance. Dear Father, please give me the strength I desperately need to wait quietly in faith, trusting that I will receive your salvation and your blessing as I live to honor you. In the name of your Son, Jesus, I confidently pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Getting Past Your Worries
Note from Jesus Dear Precious One, Yesterday, I spoke to you about fear. Today I want to talk to you about worry and sins that lie behind so many of your worries: greed and insufficient faith! Listen carefully as I remind you of three key principles you will see in the verses below. I gave these principles to My disciples to help them defeat the power of worry in their lives. Please know that Luke wrote about these three principles to help you defeat worry, too! Principle 1: You’d better be on your guard against any type of greed, for a person’s life is not about having a lot of possessions. Greed is insidious and destructive — in fact, it is a form of idolatry (Colossians 3:5). Greed means the things you have are never enough. Greed opens the door for you to trample all over people to get things. Greed makes you think you deserve and own the things that you have, rather than seeing them as blessings from Us — Father, Son, and Spirit — to be used to bring the influence of Our kingdom into your fallen world. Principle 2: Don’t reduce your life to the pursuit of food and drink; don’t let your mind be filled with anxiety. People of the world who don’t know God pursue these things, but you have a Father caring for you, a Father Who knows all your needs. When I spoke to you yesterday about fear, I reminded you that you are precious to Us. Please remember and believe that truth. Why would the Father send Me to be sacrificed for you if you were not precious? Why would I pour out the Holy Spirit upon you, to live within you, if you are not precious to us? With so many less important things in your world that receive Our gracious provision, why would We ever abandon you when you are so precious to Us? Principle 3: Since you don’t need to worry — about security and safety, about food and clothing — then pursue God’s kingdom first and foremost, and these other things will come to you as well. My little flock, don’t be afraid. God is your Father, and your Father’s great joy is to give you His kingdom. Worry is often the byproduct of having your focus on the wrong things and not having sufficient faith in Us and Our promises. If your consuming passion is to follow Me and to bring the gracious benefits of My kingdom to your broken world, then you are not going to have time to focus on temporary stuff that doesn’t ultimately matter. Honor the Father with all of your heart. Love people as I have loved you. You must believe that when you focus on these two important things, all the other things in your life will fall into their proper place. Verses to Live Here are My words about worry. Remember My three principles; they are not simply suggestions to you, but they are given to help you find life. Person in the Crowd: Teacher, intervene and tell my brother to share the family inheritance with me. Jesus: Since when am I your judge or arbitrator? Then He used that opportunity to speak to the crowd. Jesus: You’d better be on your guard against any type of greed, for a person’s life is not about having a lot of possessions. (then, beginning another parable) A wealthy man owned some land that produced a huge harvest. He often thought to himself, “I have a problem here. I don’t have anywhere to store all my crops. What should I do? I know! I’ll tear down my small barns and build even bigger ones, and then I’ll have plenty of storage space for my grain and all my other goods. Then I’ll be able to say to myself, ‘I have it made! I can relax and take it easy for years! So I’ll just sit back, eat, drink, and have a good time!’” Then God interrupted the man’s conversation with himself. “Excuse Me, Mr. Brilliant, but your time has come. Tonight you will die. Now who will enjoy everything you’ve earned and saved?” This is how it will be for people who accumulate huge assets for themselves but have no assets in relation to God. (then, to His disciples) This is why I keep telling you not to worry about anything in life — about what you’ll eat, about how you’ll clothe your body. Life is more than food, and the body is more than fancy clothes. Think about those crows flying over there: do they plant and harvest crops? Do they own silos or barns? Look at them fly. It looks like God is taking pretty good care of them, doesn’t it? Remember that you are more precious to God than birds! Which one of you can add a single hour to your life or 18 inches to your height by worrying really hard? If worry can’t change anything, why do you do it so much? Think about those beautiful wild lilies growing over there. They don’t work up a sweat toiling for needs or wants — they don’t worry about clothing. Yet the great King Solomon never had an outfit that was half as glorious as theirs! Look at the grass growing over there. One day it’s thriving in the fields. The next day it’s being used as fuel. If God takes such good care of such transient things, how much more you can depend on God to care for you, weak in faith as you are. Don’t reduce your life to the pursuit of food and drink; don’t let your mind be filled with anxiety. People of the world who don’t know God pursue these things, but you have a Father caring for you, a Father Who knows all your needs. Since you don’t need to worry — about security and safety, about food and clothing — then
08 Jan 2025
As we purpose to love the Lord with all our hearts, may He be pleased and have mercy on us. May His presence be felt. May we be recipients of His joy and power as well. Romans 15:13.
Today’s Verse – Lamentations 3:22-23
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. —Lamentations 3:22-23 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… What sustained you through the night? What will get you through today? What will enable you to achieve, even thrive, in the days ahead? The LORD’s great love! His incredible resources for love, compassion, and faithfulness never really run dry! Each new day brings a fresh supply of them from his mercy and grace. God is faithful in making sure we have them each and every day. Praise be to God for making our world new and inviting us to walk with him and find his love, compassion, and faithfulness always near! My Prayer… Thank you, holy God and loving Father, for sustaining me through the night and promising me endless days at the end of my life’s journey. May you, my heavenly Father, find my love for and praise offered to you and always on my lips and in my heart. In Jesus’ name, I thank and praise you for being the one true, loving, compassionate, and faithful God. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Don’t Let Fear Intimidate You!
Note from Jesus Dear Faithful Follower, People are afraid of many different kinds of things. That’s why one of the most frequent commands in the Scriptures is not to be afraid. It is also a command that I gave several times to My disciples. Fear is a real issue for people in your fallen world. The Father sent Me to deal with fear and to defeat the power behind your fears — to defeat the devil who uses sin and death to keep mortals enslaved to fear. The writer of Hebrews describes My role in defeating the devil and his power to use death to enslave you to fear: Since we, the children, are all creatures of flesh and blood, Jesus took on flesh and blood, so that by dying He could destroy the one who held power over death — the devil — and destroy the fear of death that has always held people captive. (Hebrews 2:14-15) You are journeying with Me to Jerusalem as you read from the Gospels in these devotionals. When My journey to Jerusalem is complete, I will die for your sins, I will be buried, and I will be raised from death to life to conquer hell, giving you glorious life beyond your death. The apostle Paul says it this way: I am absolutely miserable! Is there anyone who can free me from this body where sin and death reign so supremely? I am thankful to God for the freedom that comes through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. (Romans 7:24-25) Sin came into this world, and death’s sting followed. Then sin took aim at the law and gained power over those who follow the law. Thank God, then, for our Lord Jesus, the Anointed, the Liberating King, Who brought us victory over the grave. (1 Corinthians 15:56-57) The Father is the only One Who should truly be feared, but only if you are not His child. If you are My disciple, you are the Father’s child. Then you don’t need to fear Him. You are more precious to Us — Father, Son and Spirit — than you can imagine. The Father sent Me to save you at great cost. I went to the cross to redeem you and destroy the devil’s hold on you through fear. The Holy Spirit lives inside you to lead you, comfort you, empower you, and transform you. Don’t fear what might happen; remember what I accomplished for you. Remind yourself how much the Father loves you and delights in you. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His presence to you to calm your heart and strengthen your faith. Then when people ignore, mistreat, ridicule, threaten, or even hurt you, you don’t have to be afraid. Remember the promise I make to you as I discuss all of these issues in the verses below: If you identify unashamedly with Me before others, I, the Son of Man, will affirm you before God and all the heavenly messengers. Verses to Live What do you fear? Will you let Me help you with that fear? Will you let the Holy Spirit empower you and lead you out of your fear? Will you let the Father remind you how precious you are to him? Listen to My words of promise that Luke gives you to help you overcome your fear in the face of hardship! The crowds at this time were packed in so tightly that thousands of people were stepping on each other. Jesus spoke to His disciples, knowing that the crowds could overhear. Jesus: Guard yourselves from the yeast that puffs up the Pharisees — hypocrisy, false appearance, trying to look better than you really are. Nothing is covered up that won’t be discovered; nothing is hidden that won’t be exposed. Whatever a person says in the dark will be published in the light of day, and whatever a person whispers in private rooms will be broadcast from the housetops. Listen, My friends, if people are trying to kill you, why be afraid? After you’re dead, what more can they do? Here’s Whose opinion you should be concerned about: the One Who can take your life and then throw you into hell! He’s the only One you should fear! But don’t misunderstand: you don’t really need to be afraid of God, because God cares for every little sparrow. How much is a sparrow worth — don’t five of them sell for a few cents? Since you are so much more precious to God than a thousand flocks of sparrows, and since God knows you in every detail — down to the number of hairs on your head at this moment — you can be secure and unafraid of any person, and you have nothing to fear from God either. That’s why I keep telling you not to be intimidated. If you identify unashamedly with Me before others, I, the Son of Man, will affirm you before God and all the heavenly messengers. But if you deny Me before others, you will be denied before God and all the heavenly messengers. People can speak a word against Me, the Son of Man, and the sin is forgivable. But they can go too far, slandering the testimony of the Holy Spirit by rejecting His message about Me, and they won’t be forgiven for that. So you can anticipate that you will be put on trial before the synagogues and religious officials. Don’t worry how you’ll respond, and don’t worry what you should say. The Holy Spirit will give you the words to say at the moment when you need them. (Luke 12:1-12) Response in Prayer O Father, the Almighty and my Abba, there are times when I find it so easy to be afraid. I am not usually a “Woe is me!” kind of person, but there are people I love who have things I cannot fix or change and I fear for their future. I am uncertain about my own
07 Jan 2025
As the Lord blesses us, may we not forget Him and turn to focus on other gods. If we turn away, there will be consequences. Loving Him fully involves seeking to know His will consistently and following His lead. It takes practice and being intentional, but the benefits are worth it. Deuteronomy 11:16-17.
Daily Prayer for January 7
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Isaiah 60:1–3, NIV Dear Father in heaven, accept us as your children, whose lives are under your protection and who turn to you for strength. In the midst of all the struggles and temptations in this world keep us certain of your love and goodness. Grant that we may help your name to be honored on earth and your salvation to spread over all the world. May we help that the hope you have given us brings light and strength for our own lives and for all whom you love in Jesus Christ. Amen. Recent articles on Plough The Green Paint Incident Toby Payne There’s no room for irony in a second-grade classroom. Read now The Glory of God Is a Human Being Fully Alive Elizabeth Wainwright In Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times, Elizabeth Oldfield uses the seven deadly sins to point towards the seven heavenly virtues. Read now Christians Should Be Successful Justin Hawkins The self-abasing person needs a virtue that complements humility and prevents it from devolving into the mediocrity and smallness of soul. Read now Two Ways to Look to Eternity Matthew P. Schneider, LC Life is short, and there’s so much good work to do. Does knowing Jesus has saved you change that? Read now The Hundred-Dollar Pen Pal Dan Grote Where does a convicted bank robber find a friend in the free world? Read now