Deuteronomy 31:1-32:27 ~ Luke 12:8-34 ~ Psalm 78:32-55 ~ Proverbs 12:21-23
Today is April 7th. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s good to be here with you at the end of another work week as we move toward the weekend and here we are in the mountains of North Georgia. The More Gathering has begun. Everyone has arrived. Things are well, and we’ll talk about that in a bit. We’re reading from the New International Version this week. Today, Deuteronomy chapter 31, verse 1 through 32, verse 27.
Commentary
Jesus is speaking and someone yells out of the crowd about an inheritance and Jesus is basically ‘you can’t interrupt what is going on here.’ He’s like, ‘I’m not the arbiter here about your inheritance,’ but it turns his attention to a small teaching that he gives that is profound and he is basically saying this: There are two ways you can live your life, one that is more self-absorbed and focused where you are trying to store up everything you can and accumulate your possessions unto yourself for yourself or you can seek first the kingdom of God. You can do either one but think about it. Think about how you got here in the first place. Where did that breath of life that is within you come from? Is it not your Heavenly Father? Did you not get here intentionally? And think about what is around you. The flowers, how did they grow? They don’t labor and spin and accumulate possessions and try to build a fortune for themselves. Yet, even King Solomon wasn’t beautiful like they are. And if God can care for the grass of the field which is here today and gone tomorrow, then he can certainly give you clothes. You of little faith, don’t put your heart on food, what you’re going to eat and what you’re going to drink. Don’t worry about it. That’s not what is going on here. Your Father knows what you need.
So he is saying there are two ways you can do this, the self-absorbed way or the seeking the kingdom first way, but if you’ll seek his kingdom first, then all those things you’re trying to do will be given to you as well. So you can do your own thing and not have the kingdom or you can immerse yourself in the kingdom and have everything. I love these words that Jesus uses to sum this up: Don’t be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
Prayer
Father, we take that counsel because once again that really mimics the shape of our lives in many ways and it certainly imitates the shape of this culture that we find ourselves in where we are encouraged to chase after everything possible. So Holy Spirit, come. We each have our own life story and life circumstances. We each have a history. We each have a future and although they may be similar, they are very unique because you have made us individuals. Show us what it looks like for us to seek first your kingdom. But for each of us, no matter our story, that begins with our intimacy with you. And it begins with us fearing you. This is the beginning of wisdom and we see that we are going to need it. And we do need it. So come Holy Spirit, apply this to our lives. Overlay this over our hearts and even as we say this prayer, you are bringing things up within us, the things that we have been turning to that have been making us crazy, that have been stealing all the margin in our lives, things that probably we need to begin to extricate ourselves out of. Show us the things that need to remain and the things that we need to begin or to immediately let go of, things that are keeping us from seeking your kingdom, from creating space in our lives for a relationship with you because we get so busy that everything may be about you, but nothing is with you at all. Come Holy Spirit, we pray. In Jesus’ name we ask, amen.
Announcements
Www.DailyAudioBible.com is the website. It’s home base. It is where you find out what is happening and the More Gathering for Women is underway. Today is the first full day and we’ll have all day tomorrow and part of Sunday. Today is, I guess in my mind, has always been sort of the day of heavy lifting. It is a day when there is some space to explore some things. And just like we were praying, we all have our own stories, so we’re not here to unpack everybody’s everything. We’re here to create and set the table for the Holy Spirit to come. So we ask for your prayer over the hearts of the women as we move into this day. Pray for them as they kind of acclimate to a little bit of a different pace than maybe life normally looks like, a pace where there is some margin, where there is lots of margin, where there is plenty of space to consider, but also to fellowship, become intimate with a sisterhood, and just grow. So thank you for your prayers.
The other announcement that we have right now is for the pilgrimage that we’ll be taking to the land of the Bible and that will be in early 2018, February 19 through March 4. You can find out all the information about that at www.DailyAudioBible.com. Just look for Israel 2018 or go to www.DailyAudioBibleIsrael.com. That will get you there as well.
If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at www.DailyAudioBible.com. There is a link on the home page. Thank you for clicking that link. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible App, you can press the More button in the lower right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.
And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, (877) 942-4253 is the number to call.
And that’s it for today. I’m Brian. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports
Good morning. This is Steve from New Hampshire and I first of all wanted to just pray for the Daily Audio Bible family the prayer from Ephesians chapter 3. And Lord, I just pray that each member of the Daily Audio Bible family would just know your strength according to the riches of your glory, Lord God, that you would strengthen us by your spirit in our inner being so that Christ would dwell in our hearts through faith, that we would be rooted and grounded in love, Lord, that we would be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and depth and height and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, Lord, that we would be filled with all the fullness of God. We just thank you, Lord, that you are the one who is able to do far more abundantly and above all that we can ask or think according to your power that is at work within us. We just thank you, Lord, that your glory would just be so manifested in your people. In the name of Jesus, amen. A couple of prayer requests I wanted to pass along. My son Benjamin, he has had some issues, depression, I guess, kind of thing. He’s had a couple of episodes recently where he has literally for, one time it was four days, he would sit on the couch and rock with a blanket over his head and just would not talk, head down. We actually got some intervention last night to try to get some answers, but still as of this call he is still sitting on the couch and rocking. Anyway, I just ask you to pray that we would have just answers and wisdom and that he would be set free from that dark cloud. One other thing is I would just ask for prayer for our financial situation. It has been a strain for a while. That we would have God’s wisdom and that he would bring some new streams or increased streams of income. Thank you very much. Appreciate you, everybody. God bless. Bye.
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowances for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the spirit, binding yourselves together with peace, for there is one body and one spirit. Just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future, there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all, in all and living through all. Ephesians 4:1-6. Hi Daily Audio Bible family. I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve called. It’s Kayla in California. I haven’t even called yet this year, in 2017. I just wanted to share that as I was remembering what I wrote in my husband’s wedding band. So I was just rememorizing it recently and the Lord just put it on my heart to call it in and remind you that it is not only for marriages, but it is for the whole body of Christ, that we would be united and humble with each other and gentle and patient and that we would ignore our faults because of our love for each other and for the Lord. I hope you guys are having a fantastic day and thank you guys so much for continuing to pray for all the prayer requests and please know we are praying for you as well. Bye.
Hi DAB family. It’s me, __________, from Texas. I wanted to say thank you for all of your prayers. Thank you so much. If you can please pray for this request that I received last night for the… It’s called Darkhorse. It’s the third battalion, the fifth Marines in Afghanistan. They lost nine Marines in the last four days. These are all the nine that have laid down their lives for us this week. I will lift their names and their age. If you will please lift them up, their families up for their loss. It’s Justin Allen, 23 years old. Brett Linley, 39 years old. Matthew Weikert, 29. Justus Bartett, 27. Dave Santos, 21. Chase Stanley, 21. Jesse Reed, 27. Matthew Johnson, 21. Zachary Fisher, 24. Brandon King, 23. Christopher Goeke, 23. Sheldon Tate, 27. This is such a tragic loss for all of these families. Please don’t forget to lift up the people that are serving our country and that are sacrificing their lives, whether it be here physically or they are sacrificing their family and their time and everything that they are sacrificing for us. Please let us not ever take it for granted, the blessing that it is that they choose to serve for us.
Hi everybody. This is Kathleen in Mount Zion, IL and I just really feel like I absolutely have to call in when there is something that I see that is just outrageous to me. I just saw that in Syria where somebody dropped a chemical bomb once again on these people. I mean, this is just a horrible, horrible death. Chemical weapons, there is no place for this. I just pray. I just want you to pray with me, people, that whoever did this as they did before and should have been caught and they should have been tried for this, I just pray that whoever, whatever government that is doing this, whatever group, whatever person is behind it, that they will be caught this time and taken to justice. Please pray with me throughout the world, all of you, for the sake of the people who had to suffer under this chemical attack. This is just ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. Anyway, thank you. I love you guys. Annette in Oklahoma, I love you, sister, and I am praying for you and your son. I love my son so much and I am praying for you and yours. I just want you to know that. I love you. Bye.
Good evening DAB family. This is Sherry calling from British Columbia, Canada. Candace in Oregon, this song is for you. This is written by Sherry Youngwood and it is based off of Psalm 61:1-4. [singing] Hear my cry, O God. Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to you. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in your tabernacle forever. Oh, I will trust in the shelter of your wings. In the shelter, in the shelter, in the shelter of your wings. I will trust in the shelter of your wings. In the shelter, in the shelter, in the shelter of your wings. I will trust in the shelter of your wings. [end of singing] God bless you, Candace. May his comfort surround you at this time. In Jesus’ name.
Hello Daily Audio Bible community. This is David in Kansas. It’s been quite a while since I’ve called in. Those of you who have been around for a while may know that about a year ago I called in. I was in really bad shape. As the year progressed I got in better shape and was even praying for those who needed prayer. And I did really well. I lost 33 pounds and I got past a lot of the health issues that were nagging me and then when the winter hit, for whatever reason, I just kind of gave up and I put 20 pounds back on. I began to feel the pressure and I kind of took a step back from everything and now it is April and I’m pretty much back where I was a year ago. I’m about to go to the doctor because I’m in really bad pain again. I’m terrified that they are going to find something, that I might have to have surgery again or something, but I’m even more terrified that they are not going to find anything like last year. They didn’t find anything. I was just in tremendous pain and I just had to, I don’t know… I just need prayer. I’m feeling really down __________ alone. I’m feeling like everything I did last year was for nothing because I’m right back to square one and it’s really disheartening, so I’m asking for prayer. After I go to the doctor today, after I find out anything, I’ll call back in and give you all an update. Thank you for praying for me, as always. I love you. Goodbye.