VERSE OF THE DAY:
MATTHEW 13:44
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.
THE GREATEST TREASURE
Matthew 13:44 contains some of the most impactful imagery in all Scripture..
Just imagine for a moment: You are walking across a field and stumble upon an ancient treasure, forgotten by the whole world. You realize the plot of land is for sale. What would you do? How quickly would you sell everything your have to buy the field with the treasure? Fast? Of course! You've found something of great value, worth so much more than anything you had before!
Jesus uses this imagery to illustrate the Kingdom of heaven. When you discover the true value of something like that, you give all you have to grab hold of it, to be part of it, to have it for yourself.
And what is the Kingdom of heaven?
The Kingdom of heaven is God's will on earth. It's the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news that we can be set free from sin and walk in His mercy and grace. The Kingdom of heaven is right now, and it's an invitation to you.
Have you discovered it? The joy, energy, excitement of finding priceless treasure in a field is what it feels like to realize that you are invited to be part of the Kingdom of God. Take a moment to take that in. You are invited. Have you said "yes"? Will you?
Because when you say "yes", the value of anything else simply does not match the value of the Kingdom. The scripture doesn't say that the man went to sell all that he had to buy the field in sorrow, uncertainty or fear. It says he went in joy.
He went in joy because the treasure he found was so incredible-And he go to be a part of it. You do, too.
SHARE YOUR FAITH
You;ve been given access to the greatest treasure-an invitation to the Kingdom of God. Now, you can pass along this priceless invitation.
God, what a gift that I can be part of Your Kingdom. Your Kingdom is a treasure! Thank You for Your grace and mercy. Thank You for Jesus, who made a way for me to be with you. Nothing matters more than knowing You and being part of Your Kingdom. I am so grateful to walk with You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
What an honor that we can pray to God, who knows how many grains of sand lie on the beach, who tells the waves where to stop, and the sun when to set.
You are His prize creation! Let Him meet you in this moment.
1 JOHN 5:14
And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.
God is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. He invites you to approach Him in prayer and desires to guide your life according to His will, helping you to walk in obedience to Him.
JAMES 1:5
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
Talk to God about what you need. Then, consider adding those things to your Prayer List.
DAILY BIBLE READING:
NUMBERS 9-11
MARK 5:1-20
THE SECOND PASSOVER
THE FIERY CLOUD
THE SILVER TRUMPETS
THE ISRAELITES LEAVE SINAI
As they moved on each day, the cloud of the Lord hovered over them. 35And whenever the Ark set out, Moses would shout, “Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered! Let them flee before you!” 36And when the Ark was set down, he would say, “Return, O Lord, to the countless thousands of Israel!”
THE PEOPLE COMPLAIN TO MOSES
MOSES CHOOSES SEVENTY LEADERS
I will come down and talk to you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone.
the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Then he gave the seventy elders the same Spirit that was upon Moses. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But this never happened again.
26Two men, Eldad and Medad, had stayed behind in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but they had not gone out to the Tabernacle. Yet the Spirit rested upon them as well, so they prophesied there in the camp.
THE LORD SENDS QUAIL
JESUS HEALS A DEMON-POSSESSED MAN
When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.” People rushed out to see what had happened. 15A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. 19But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.
ISAIAH 53:1-6
2My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.
3He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
4Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
5But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
6All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.
INSIGHT
When Christ taught in the temple during the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles, some asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?” He answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me” (John 7:15-16). He warned them to “stop judging by mere appearances” (v. 24). A similar episode happened in His hometown of Nazareth. The people asked, “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? . . . Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon?” (Mark 6:2-3). They missed the fact that Jesus stood among them and later willingly died for humanity’s sin (Isaiah 53:2-4). He offered His life for us and will help us to love others made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27).
By: Alyson Kieda
MISSING THE DIVINE
Most people avoided George Chase. He lived in a twelve-foot square shack in the woods where New England’s Pawcatuck River meets Little Narragansett Bay. To the locals, it was obvious George didn’t have a bathtub. They could smell the evidence.
One day a hurricane brought the Atlantic Ocean rushing over the seacoast, washing away the beachfront with its attractive homes. Survivors pulled themselves from the bay and began searching for refuge. Eleven of them, soaked and shivering, found it in George’s cabin. He gave them everything he had: water, milk, ginger tea, and shelter. After the hurricane of 1938, the townsfolk had a far different opinion of George Chase.
It’s sad when we make superficial judgments about others, yet it’s our nature to do so. We do that with Jesus too. We might picture Him as He’s portrayed in old paintings, serenely handsome. But the prophet Isaiah said of the Messiah, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him . . . . like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem” (Isaiah 53:2-3). Yet this man gave us everything He had. “He took up our pain and bore our suffering” (v. 4). He offered His life for ours.
It’s tragic when we miss the humanity of our fellow human beings. How much more tragic to miss the divinity of the One we despised!
By: Tim Gustafson
REFLECT AND PRAY
How might you look past outward appearances to see the humanity of others? When you think of Jesus, how do you picture Him?
Dear Jesus, please help me to see others as beautiful beings created in Your image, in Jesus' name, Amen.
WHOSOEVER SHALL CONFESS
“Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.” 1 John 4:15 KJV
Whosover shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God — God dwells in him. Notice in 1 John 4:15 KJV, the Bible begins with the word, “Whosoever”. Which means anyone and everyone who confesses Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior has access to God the Father.
The Gospel is simple: Adam sinned. Mankind was born into sin. Jesus Christ, God in the Flesh, lived a sinless life and died for the sins of the world. Mankind was reconciled back to God through the shed Blood of Jesus Christ.
When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He died for the “Whosoever”. He died for whosever believes in Him — He died for the sins of the whole world. Christ died for you.
When Jesus Christ was crucified, His flesh was ripped and torn just for you — His flesh was the veil. Christ was the veil. He was the propitiation for our sin. He was the full, satisfactory payment for the sins of the world. His Blood completely paid for our sin.
Nothing else could serve as a substitute. No one else, except Jesus Christ, could serve as a satisfactory payment for sin. No other god, no other idol, no other lamb, no other bull, no other ram, no other goat, no other sacrifice could satisfy the payment for sin.
Through the shed Blood of Jesus Christ, He reconciled man back to God through His Blood. The payment was paid in full. The Blood Covenant of Jesus Christ completely covers and washes away our sin, guilt and shame. Simply confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior with your mouth. Let His Blood cover you. Let His Blood wash you. Turn to Him. Simply surrender your heart to Him.
1 John 4:15 AMPC declares, “Anyone who confesses (acknowledges, owns) that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (lives, makes His home) in him and he [abides, lives, makes his home] in God.” Choose to confess Christ as your Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ is the only way to God the Father.
When you confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, you’re declaring that He is God, and that He is Lord over your life. Choose to confess Christ. Choose to surrender to Him. “All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.” 1 John 4:15 NLT
If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior simply pray this prayer:
Father God, in the Name of Jesus, I thank You for Your Son Jesus Christ. I thank You that Jesus Christ died for my sin. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Father, I repent of my sin and accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Lord, I surrender to You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
1 JOHN 4:15
'All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. '
