datethewordtest

Tag: Luke

  • Verse to DATE the Word on June 27 (6/27) is Luke 6:27

    “But I (Jesus) say to you who hear: Love your enemies, 
    do good to those who hate you,” – Luke 6:27
    A VERY DIFFERENT RESPONSE

    As Jesus teaches about relationships, He gives one of the most “on the contrary” responses we will learn.  Instead of returning hatred toward those who hate you – hate even to the point of being an enemy – we are called to show love, showing love with tangible actions.  This is a very different response as we don’t look to do good to those who do bad things to us.  Those who hurt us should be hurt back.  Our thinking is we don’t get mad we get even.  But as a believer seeking to follow and obey the teachings of Christ our response to those who hurt us and hate us is to go through the filter of Luke 6:27 and we now respond to hate with love and meanness with kindness.  
    At this point, you might be ready to say, “You have to be kidding.”  You might even go so far as to say this is totally ridiculous.  You are probably replying inwardly that “If someone hurts me, I am going to hurt them back.  If they hate me, I am going to hate them back.”  Yet as we listen and learn from Jesus we learn He wants us to treat our enemies very DIFFERENTLY than they are treating us.  

    As believers, the EXPECTED RESPONSE is DOING GOOD to those who are DOING EVIL to us.

    Going a little deeper, the Apostle Paul would later write in Romans 12:21 “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with GOOD (doing them good).”  Verse 21 is the conclusion to his teaching which is definitely a very different response to those doing us harm.  Romans 12:17 says, “Repay no one evil for evil but give thought to DO what is honorable in the sight of all.”  Romans 12:20 says, “To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink;”  

    As believers, the EXPECTED RESPONSE is DOING GOOD to those who are DOING EVIL to us.

    So, our verse for 6/27 from Luke 6:27 which says, “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,” calls us to RESPOND VERY DIFFERENTLY.

    Challenging? You better believe it! But then, living differently always is.

    Verse to DATE the Word on June 27 (6/27) is Luke 6:27. Luke 6:27 says, “But I (Jesus) say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,”

    Please remember that the time a person needs love the most is when they deserve it the least. 

    Continue Strong putting into practice the teachings of Christ,
    And remember to DATE the Word
  • Verse to DATE the Word on May 27 (5/27) is Luke 5:27

    Verse to DATE the Word on May 27 (5/27) is Luke 5:27

    After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting
    at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” – Luke 5:27
    The Shocking Request that Changed His Life

    On the surface, we have a pretty straightforward verse here in Luke 5:27 as Jesus sees a man named Levi (Matthew) and calls him to FOLLOW Him. Yet this is a very profound verse as we read of Jesus calling what many would call the most unqualified and even more so undesirable person to be a disciple. Levi is, after all, a tax collector.  The title of tax collector speaks of CORRUPTION! It speaks of one who TAKES ADVANTAGE of their own people!  It speaks of one with NO INTEGRITY!!

    Yet Jesus calls this man, this type of man, to join Him. After all, Jesus did come to SEEK and to SAVE those who were lost, to save SINNERS. (Luke 19:10)

    We should pay attention to the call, to the invitation, for Jesus did say, “Follow ME.”  That two-word invitation to Levi the tax collector was an invitation to LEAVE what he was doing and walk in a new way and learn new things and yes, become a new man.   He would no longer be a tax collector but a follower of Jesus!

    BTW – How much of a change took place in the life of Levi (Matthew) the former tax collector? If you open your NT to the first page, you will see the name Matthew (Levi).  How about that?!!  He becomes one of the gospel writers.  And when we read His gospel, we get more than a story of one named Jesus Christ. We read proof after proof that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah. Over and over Matthew will use the word FULFILLED to demonstrate that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies.  This means he had to learn and know the Old Testament really well!

    So, why do we get to read the gospel of Matthew with multiple proofs that Jesus is the Messiah?   Because one day Jesus saw more than a tax collector.  He saw more than a vile, wicked, corrupt sinner and extended him an opportunity to be different and to make a difference! 

    Here is something to think about from Luke 5:27.  There just might be in your path today a vile, wicked, corrupt sinner that needs to hear an invitation from you to follow Jesus.  If Matthew could go from being a tax collector to a disciple and writer of a gospel book the person in your path can be changed by Jesus as well.  Don’t look at where they presently are and what they are known for or to be.  Look at what they can become if they know and follow Jesus!!

    Verse to DATE on May 27 (5/27) is Luke 5:27.  It says, “After these things Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi (Matthew), sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, “Follow Me.” 

    Let us be inviting sinners to meet the Savior and become saints!! 

    Continue Strong letting sinners know about our great SAVIOR,
    And remember to DATE The Word
  • Verse to DATE the Word on May 5 (5/5) is Luke 5:5

    Verse to DATE the Word on May 5 (5/5) is Luke 5:5

    “But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”” – Luke 5:5
    Choosing to TRUST and OBEY What He Says

    Various stories in the Bible help us to see the real-life struggles of trusting and obeying the Lord. The story of Jesus telling Simon Peter (a professional fisherman) to launch out into the deep and drop his nets for a catch is one of those stories.  To get the full understanding of the struggles and then the surrender notice Luke 5:1-4.  It says, “So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the Word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

    Simon Peter, the professional fisherman has just heard an order from a carpenter that goes against what Peter knows about fishing.  Peter responds with a REASON that what Jesus just said will not work.  They had already been fishing and had come up empty.  And coming up empty as a fisherman is embarrassing.  This order to go fishing in the wrong place at the wrong time looked to Peter that he was going to be embarrassed again. So he tells Jesus, his master,  “Master, we have toiled (labored, wore ourselves out) all night and caught nothing.”

    I see myself and maybe you see yourself sounding like Peter as Jesus tells us what He wants us to do.   I KNOW what works and what does not work.  I KNOW what looks absurd and ridiculous and yes what is impossible.  I am thinking you have been there with God.  Maybe you are there at this very moment.

    What do YOU do when God tells you to do what appears to be absurd, ridiculous, and impossible? 

    I think this story is so helpful as we struggle with what God wants us to do.  We can learn from Simon Peter how he made the decision to TRUST and OBEY what seems absurd – ridiculous – crazy – impossible.  His decision starts with one word and that word is NEVERTHELESS.  “Nevertheless” reveals a change, a change of thinking.   Peter is going to TRUST that Jesus knows best. 

    Make no mistake Luke 5:5 is a major moment in the development of Simon Peter’s faith. With the word “NEVERTHELESS,” he moved to the level of TRUSTING AND OBEYING.  

    If we are going to OBEY Jesus there will be a crucial moment where we have to TRUST Him.  We will have to decide to stop believing that we know what is best and decide that HE KNOWS BEST.  It is not easy. The struggle is real.  That is why you will have to say NEVERTHELESS!

    Verse to DATE the Word on May 5 (5/5) is Luke 5:5.  It says, “But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word, I will let down the net.”

    Are you facing a NEVERTHELESS moment right now?  Let Peter’s story of struggling with doing what Jesus said encourage you, encourage you to TRUST AND OBEY.  

    Oh BTW, don’t miss the results of trusting and obeying.  Luke 5:6 “And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.”  What Jesus said would happen did happen.

    Continue Strong TRUSTING AND OBEYING JESUS
    And remember to DATE THE WORD
  • Verse to DATE the Word on February 25 (2/25) is Luke 2:25

    Verse to DATE the Word on February 25 (2/25) is Luke 2:25

    Our verse to DATE the Word on February 25 (2/25) is Luke 2:25. Luke 2:25 says, “And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just (righteous) and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.”

    LIVING IN EXPECTATIONS OF HIS COMING (AGAIN)

    In what we would call the CHARACTERS of the first CHRISTMAS it is easy to overlook a few as they have what might be viewed as a small role.  Every Christmas play about the first Christmas always has Mary and Joseph.  It has angels and shepherds.  It has three Kings or wise men with three gifts. Some plays have Caesar Augustus (I played him once) and some have evil King Herod.  But I cannot remember a single Christmas play that had Simeon.  

    Simeon is a major player in the Christmas story!  Our verse to DATE brings a little bit of him into focus!  When you read Luke 2:25 and the following verses about this man of God you find a great example. Right off the start, Luke describes him as a man of high character.  He was just or righteous in how he lived, and he was DEVOUT.  

    We don’t seem to use the word DEVOUT too much these days. It is a really good word that we should want to be known for.  It means to handle something entrusted to you with GREAT CARE. The person is very cautious and conscientious with the assignments given to them. They handle things with reverence, with what is called a godly fear. Because of their diligence to handle things entrusted to them with such care, they are often very highly respected.   Someone who is DEVOUT is viewed as someone who is trustworthy.  Many times, the word is used to speak of one’s relationship with God.  

    Simeon was doing what was right and was very reverent, and careful with his assignments.  

    Luke then describes him as WAITING.  He was WAITING for the Consolation of Israel. He was WAITING for the COMING of the MESSIAH.   

    The WAITING of Simeon is another great example from his life that we need to be following.  While we are not WAITING for the first coming we are to be WAITING for the second coming.  Are you WAITING for the second coming of Christ?  

    Whenever I am speaking about WAITING for the Second Coming I am reminded that I should remind myself and others what waiting means.  WAITING does not mean one goes to a high mountain and sits down, WAITING until He comes.   I learned what waiting meant before I was a teenager.  One day my mom told me I needed to WAIT until my dad got home to help him unload a load of fertilizer at the shed.  With her words, I stopped what I was doing and started going to the shed to WAIT. (I was going to go to the shed and sit down and WAIT.)   Mom saw this and said, “Keep working on what you are working on with a watchful eye and when you see him coming up the driveway then you make your way to the shed.”   

    HMMMM.  WAITING did not mean sitting down and doing nothing.  It meant being watchful while working! 

    As believers, we are to be WAITING for the Lord’s return.   There should be an expectation and anticipation that at any moment He will rapture us home.  I have lived by a principle I learned from Dr. Billy Graham in which he said he started every day with the thought PERHAPS TODAY.  I challenge you to be living with PERHAPS TODAY!  

    I also learned a principle from Dr. Jerry Falwell to go with Dr. Graham’s principle.  He taught us to live like this just might be our last day, our last hour, our last minute but WORK as though we were going to live another 100 years.   

    Simeon was WAITING but while WAITING he was WATCHING AND WORKING!  Let the Lord’s return find us at work for Him, watching for Him, WAITING with anticipation.

    Verse to DATE the Word on February 25 (2/25) is Luke 2:25. It says, “And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just (righteous) and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.”

    Occupy till He comes!  

    Continue Strong,
    And remember to DATE THE WORD

  • Verse to DATE the Word on February 19 (2/19) is Luke 2:19

    Verse to DATE the Word on February 19 (2/19) is Luke 2:19

    Our verse to DATE the Word on February 19 (2/19) is Luke 2:19
    Luke 2:19 says, “But Mary treasured up all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”
    Pausing to Ponder on God’s Working

    Mary has had quite a journey over the past nine months.  That might be an understatement. She heard from the angel Gabriel in Luke 1 that she had been selected by God to have a very special child. To know just how special read Luke 1:31-33.  She will agree to God’s call by making one of the most beautiful statements we read in Scripture as she says, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”  

    In Luke 2 that special child is born in Bethlehem.  His name is Jesus.  Soon afterward shepherds arrive with an amazing story of an angel appearing and announcing a message of good tidings of great joy which would be to all people.  And then Mary hears these words: “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  (Luke 2:11)   What she had been told was going to happen has happened!   

    Shortly the shepherds would leave and now Luke records another action by Mary.  Luke 2:19 says “But Mary treasured up all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”  

    She TREASURED UP all these things.  It is as if she gathered up every action of the last 9 months to put in a “BABY BOOK.”  It is like she takes inventory of her journey with and for God.  She KEEPS tightly the various amazing moments.  She rehearses in her mind everything she has heard and everything that happens. She puts together a mental “BABY BOOK.” One Bible scholar wondered if she “showed” her “Baby Book” to Luke.  I, for one, believed she did because how else would Luke have known such details of the birth of Christ?

    She not only treasured the moments she PONDERED on them.  She sought to compare and put together the things she heard and the things she experienced and the things she saw with the purpose of making spiritual sense of it.  She pondered.  She thought deeply about these things. More than just keeping a mental journal she sought to understand how God was working and what it meant. She was evaluating what God was doing in her life and how His actions impacted her.  She was evaluating what God was doing to save the world through her newborn Son!

    May I ask, are you just racing through life or are you running the race that is set before you, and as you run you have times to recap what has been happening as well as PONDER the meaning of what was happening?  Do you periodically list your experiences of God working and then evaluate your experiences to see how God was working? 

    A great example of this along with Mary is David.  He realized a lot more was happening when he killed a bear and he killed a lion.  As he evaluated those experiences he realized that God was working to protect him and strengthen him.  Having evaluated those experiences he knew that he could kill an ungodly giant because God would deliver Him.  

    So, how are you doing?  How goes the race you are running?  What are you learning about God, LATELY?  How have you changed, LATELY?  What prayers have been prayed?  What prayers have been answered?  What victories have you experienced?   Let’s cut to the chase: Are the actions of Luke 2:19 by Mary happening periodically with you?  I encourage you to put her actions into action.

    Verse to DATE the Word on February 19 (2/19) is Luke 2:19. It says, “But Mary treasured up all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”

    What was the last thing you put in your “spiritual journal” about your spiritual journey?  When is the last time you paused to ponder what God has been doing in you, around you, for you, and through you?

    Continue Strong journaling and pondering about the Journey He has you on,
    And remember to DATE THE WORD
  • Verses to DATE the Word on February 11 (2/11) are Luke 2:11 and Matthew 2:11

    Verses to DATE the Word on February 11 (2/11) are Luke 2:11 and Matthew 2:11

    Our verses to DATE the Word on February 11 (2/11) are Luke 2:11 and Matthew 2:11
    Luke 2:11 says, “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” 
    Matthew 2:11 says, “And when they (the wise men) had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” 
    Responding to the Savior

    February 11 is not normally associated with Christmas unless you are looking at verses that connect to a date.  Even though we are in February, just days from Valentine’s day,  I could not resist using Luke 2:11 and Matthew 2:11 for February 11 (2/11).   I do recall from the movie A Christmas Carol that Scrooge said, “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. Thus we seek to learn and live out lessons from Christmas all year!

    Our two verses combine to tell of the MOST AMAZING ANNOUNCEMENT the human race could hear and the MOST INCREDIBLE RESPONSE to the SAVIOR.  The amazing announcement brings to us the answer to our greatest problem.  The response challenges us, and inspires us, on how to respond to the Savior. 

    Let us first consider the amazing announcement.   While each word has significance the word SAVIOR stands out above the rest.  Jesus came to SAVE.  Matthew 1:21 says, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” John 1:29 says, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  In Matthew 18:11 “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. In Luke 19:10 we read, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

    His purpose was to be our SAVIOR!  What makes this such an amazing announcement may be best shown by the words of Roy Lessin who wrote: If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.

    How do we respond?  From Matthew 2:11 we read of how Wise men came to Him and they fell down and worshipped Him.  What these wise men did was a preview of what is happening in heaven.  Revelation tells several times of those in heaven falling down, bowing down, laying prostrate before the Lamb, THE SAVIOR, and worshipping Him.   

    When is the last time you fell down, knelt down, bowed down, and laid prostrate before the Lamb?  When was the last time you poured yourself out in worship?  Worship comes from a word meaning to COUNT WORTHY.  Our worship is considering the Lamb WORTHY thus from your heart comes WORTHY IS THE LAMB!  

    Their response continues with GENEROSITY.  They gave, they PRESENTED gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”  So much can be learned here about the gifts, but for now please let the word PRESENTED hold your attention.  The Apostle Paul calls us in Romans 12:1 to PRESENT ourselves to God as a holy vessel, a living sacrifice.  As the wise men presented from their treasures, we present ourselves, our lives to Him.  Just as the Corinthians gave themselves to the Lord we GIVE ourselves to the Lord.  (2 Cor. 8:5)

    Yes, let us keep Christmas in our hearts all year long.   Hear the amazing announcement that the Savior has been born and let us now be the ANNOUNCERS as His ambassadors.  Let us daily kneel before Him and offer worship and present ourselves as His holy vessels to be used as He sees fit!

    Verses to DATE the Word on February 11 (2/11) are Luke 2:11 and Matthew 2:11. Luke 2:11 says, “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  Matthew 2:11 says, “And when they (the wise men) had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” 

    Continue Strong with adoration of your Savior,
    And remember to DATE THE WORD
  • Verse to DATE the Word on January 30 (1/30) is Luke 1:30

    Verse to DATE the Word on January 30 (1/30) is Luke 1:30

    Our verse to DATE the Word on January 30 (1/30) is Luke 1:30
    Luke 1:30 says, “Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
    As the angel Gabriel makes his announcement of God’s assignment to Mary that she is going to be the mother of our Lord, he tells her NOT TO BE FEARFUL.  The reason that he could tell her to not be fearful was she has something that is going to make all the difference for fulfilling the assignment.  What was the “something” she had?  She had found FAVOR with God.  Gabriel says to Mary to not be afraid because she has found FAVOR with God!

    As we look to do God’s assignments God’s FAVOR is to be GREATLY desired.  In Numbers 6:26 we find part of the priestly prayer for the people, and it says, “may the LORD look with favor on you.” The idea of favor is to have God’s APPROVAL.

    For Mary to hear that she has found favor would mean she was APPROVED.  This approval would have come from being tested though she most likely did not even know she was being tested.  In her private life, she was making wise decisions that would now open doors for God to use her.  To have found favor with God also would convey that she would have upon her an ANOINTING, that God’s good hand would be upon her. While the assignment would be difficult and greatly misunderstood by many, she could rest assured that God would be with her.

    Mary had nothing to fear as she had His favor!

    Verse to DATE the Word on January 30 (1/30) is Luke 1:30. It says, “Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

    One of my personal prayer requests is for God’s favor based on Malachi 1:9. It says, “And now ask for God’s favor.” I do not want to do life and ministry without it!! And neither should you!

    Continue Strong knowing there is nothing to fear when you have God’s favor!!!!!
    And remember to DATE THE WORD

  • Verse to DATE the Word on January 6 (1/6) is Luke 1:6

    Our verse to DATE the Word on January 6 (1/6) is Luke 1:6
    Luke 1:6 says. And they (Zacharias and Elizabeth) were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
    A Tremendous EXAMPLE

    Luke has begun to unpack the story of Jesus and starts with the introduction of the parents of John the Baptist, Zacharias and Elizabeth.  Verse 5 tells us the time period and the occupation of Zacharias and the lineage of Elizabeth.  Luke 1:5 says, “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.”  Verse 6 now tells of their CHARACTER with verse 7 telling of their CHALLENGE.  Verse 7 says, “But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.”  That would change as God would answer their prayers and to them would be born the forerunner to the Messiah, John the Baptist.

    Our verse to DATE challenges us and hopefully inspires us in the area of CHARACTER.  Notice first that both Zacharias and Elizabeth are described as RIGHTEOUS before God.  This speaks of both internal and external.  Inwardly they could only be righteous because like Abraham they had to believe God for salvation.  Their own righteousness was as filthy rags but for this to be said of them they would have had to place their FAITH in God.  Externally they lived doing what was RIGHT in God’s sight.  Proverbs 20:7 says the righteous walk/live with integrity.  

    Not only was this godly couple righteous before God they walked in all of God’s commandments and ordinances.  In other words, they lived OBEDIENT LIVES.   They OBEYED God.  While involved in the work of a priest offering sacrifices, I surmise that they both understood what Samuel said to Saul in 1 Samuel 15:12 saying, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.”  Zacharias and Elizabeth were far more than “religious people.”  Their love and devotion to God brought about a heart of obedience to God.   The apostle John would write later in 2 John 1:6 “This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.”   

    Because of living righteous and obedient lives, Luke described them as BLAMELESS.  Not perfect, but BLAMELESS.  To be BLAMELESS is to be above reproach or questioning.  Noah,  who may have been an example for Zacharias and Elizabeth, was known as blameless.  From Genesis 6:9 we read “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.  Job was known for being blameless.  Notice Job 1:1 and his character description; Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.”  Daniel was known for being blameless and from the lion’s den he told the king that God had protected him because he was blameless.  See Daniel 6:22. One who serves as a deacon in a church is to be examined to see if they are BLAMELESS.  “And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.” (1 Timothy 3:10) Psalms119:1 tells us that “Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!”

    So, a person, who could be a friend or family member, a co-worker, or maybe a pastor, picks up a pen to write some words about you as Luke did about Zacharias and Elizabeth.  What do they write?  How do they describe your CHARACTER?

    As a reminder from this godly couple, your character is constantly under construction and constantly on display.  Remember that daily you sow a thought and reap an act.  You sow an act, and you reap a habit. You sow a habit and you reap a CHARACTER.  You sow a CHARACTER, and you reap a destiny.   

    What are you sowing – doing today to develop a godly CHARACTER?  Would your character be an example to others?

    verse to DATE the Word on January 6 (1/6) is Luke 1:6. It says. And they (Zacharias and Elizabeth) were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

    Continue Strong living right before God, obeying God and walking blamelessly before God and man!
    And remember to DATE THE WORD

  • Verse to DATE the Word on December 31 (12/31) is Luke 12:31

    Our verse to DATE the Word on December 31 (12/31) is Luke 12:31
    Luke 12:31 says, “But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. 
    HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE!!!!  

    What are you SEEKING?

    Portions of what we call the Sermon on the Mount that is found in Matthew 5, 6, and 7 are found in Luke 12.  Luke places the teaching on worrying and being consumed with concerns about the present after Jesus has addressed people about being covetous.  Being consumed with the cares and concerns of life chokes out our life.  (See Luke 8:14) Our lives are so much more than food and drink and clothing.  And our lives are not about GETTING and HAVING THE MOST and BEST of everything.  We draw from Luke 12:15 that the best things in life are not things. 

    If life is not about getting things and not even about making sure we survive by focusing all our attention on getting the basics for living, what then is life about?  Luke 12:31 says, “But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.”  Matthew 6:33 reads, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

    Luke 12:31 reminds us of what our top priority should be.   I am not sure what you are SEEKING but based on Scripture seeking and doing the will of God should be the preeminent priority of the Christian’s life.   
     
    Consider a few other verses to help solidify that seeking and doing God’s will is to be your top priority;

    Joshua 24:14 “Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

    Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

    Psalm 27:8 You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”

    Finally, notice a comparison of Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain, and Philippians 2:21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.
    Will you be a 1:21 person or a 2:21 person in the new year?

    Our verse to DATE the Word on December 31 (12/31) is Luke 12:31. It says, “But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

    Continue Strong with Jesus always being FIRST!!
    And remember to DATE THE WORD

  • Verse to DATE the Word on December 20 (12/20) is Luke 12:20

    Our verse to DATE the Word on December 20 (12/20) is Luke 12:20
    Luke 12:20 says, “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
    Don’t be a FOOL with your SOUL!

    Life comes with an unexpected deadline and when it ends it really is just beginning as we have a soul that will continue to live for all eternity.  The location of our soul is determined by a decision we make here on earth while living.  Hebrews 9:27 says, “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”  This judgment is not the final judgment but is the first judgment that has you either in heaven or hell at the very moment of your death.  If you have made the decision to accept Christ, to believe in Christ, to confess Christ, to receive Christ, to be born again you immediately go into heaven.  2 Corinthians 5:8b says, “to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”  But if you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior, not believed and confessed that He died and rose again, have not trusted in Him by faith and faith alone for salvation you will perish and be in hell.  

    With the uncertainty of a certain ending of life here on earth Scripture appeals over and over to accept Jesus now. For instance,  2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”   While there is uncertainty about when your life will end, let there be no uncertainty about your eternal future being in heaven.

    Even knowing how certain death is we still find so many putting off this decision as they have different priorities for their lives. Here is Luke 12 Jesus addresses having the wrong priorities.  Having been asked to be a judge in an inheritance battle between two brothers, He gives one of the greatest life lessons we can learn as He says in Luke 12:15 to “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”  This incredible life lesson is then followed with a parable about a rich man who as he enjoyed financial success found himself wanting more and more, becoming so busy he had no time to think about his soul.  Instead of me telling the parable let’s read what Jesus said.
    Luke 12:16  Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17  “And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18  “So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19  ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’

    This parable could be spoken of so many people here in the 21st century, especially here in America where we have the American Dream, a dream of working to be wealthy so we can play! 
    And maybe as you read this you are seeing yourself or seeing a family member or a friend who has made their life’s priority of getting rich in order to live a life of ease, eating and drinking, and partying all the time.  

    It is to this wrong priority Jesus gives the SOBERING statement about there being more to this life! Jesus speaks into this man’s life and into our lives with three words BUT GOD SAID.  And what did God say to this man and to us?   “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?“

    While preparing for and pursuing earthly pleasure he was unprepared for eternal pleasure and now will face eternal punishment.  

    And then Jesus adds a statement of reality with the question, “then whose will those things be which you have provided.”  (I can’t help but think that Jesus is taking a little jab at two brothers who are fighting over the inheritance.)  While the issue of the moment is a person’s soul there comes this reality that a person made it a priority to get and get more and get even more yet when that person dies who is going to get it?   There will be no u-hauls hooked up to their (your) hearse.

    Are you being a fool with your soul?  Matthew 16:26 says, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

    What are your priorities?  Is FAITH #1?  

    Are you prepared to meet God face to face?  Life after death is real.  There is a heaven and there is a hell.  Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people.  Are you prepared to meet God face to face as you are appointed once to die and then the judgment?

    Verse to DATE the Word on December 20 (12/20) is Luke 12:20. It says, “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

    Don’t be a fool with your soul!

    Continue Strong by having prepared your soul for eternity!
    And remember to DATE THE WORD!