Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29, Luke 6:12-38, Psalm 67:1-7, Proverbs 11:27
Today is the 24th day of March, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian, it’s great to be here with you today around the Global Campfire as we continue the journey, the journey through the Bible and the journey through the year together. Yesterday, we transitioned from the Book of Numbers into the book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. We talked about that, Deuteronomy being the last book of the Torah, etc. but probably the main thing to remember here is, as we’re right at the beginning of Deuteronomy still, is that these are the three conversations or discourses, talks, that Moses had as he gathered the people together for well, for his last words. In so many ways, that’s what Deuteronomy is, the last things Moses wants to say to the people that he has led before he becomes a part of their history and they move forward. And so, we’re reading from the God’s Word Translation this week, Deuteronomy chapters 2 and 3.
Commentary:
Okay so, in the Gospel of Luke today, we encounter the territory of the Sermon on the Mount, very, very famous in Jesus ministry, a much abbreviated version in the gospel of Luke as compared to the gospel of Matthew, which is significantly more comprehensive. But we’re passing through this territory in the fullness of the message is there and actually can be quite encapsulated into a bite-size morsel that we can remember and really work to get it into our hearts because a posture is being laid out here, that is very contrary to the world that Jesus was living in and is very contrary to the world we’re living in. So, what Jesus is saying can be encapsulated this way and I quote “the standards you use for others will be applied to you.” So, we can look at what’s being laid out here as a posture of heart. In fact, let’s look out, let’s look at what’s being laid out as a posture of heart because Jesus is in effect saying ‘look if you do something good to somebody who does something good to you, who doesn’t do that, if you love somebody who loves you back, everybody does that.’ And then Jesus says, rather, love your enemies, help them, lend to them without expecting to get anything back, then you will have a great reward. You will be the children of the most-high God. Stop judging and you will never be judged, stop condemning and you will never be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive, press down, shaken together, running over. And then He says, the standards you use for others will be applied to you. So, we can look at these commands and go, love my enemy, what are you talking about, I can’t do that? I tried that, I fail at that. And we don’t get any of these things and go this is too difficult for me. You’re laying bondage on me, you’re laying a new law, more rules on me. I thought I was free from all of this stuff. What Jesus is actually doing is showing us the path to become free and it just blossoms and becomes this massive awareness. When we understand that we are setting the gauge for our own judgment, based on how we judge others, right. Repeating Jesus again, stop judging and you will never be judged, stop condemning and you will never be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. This is the pathway and it is absolutely backward to the world that Jesus lived in, and the world that we live in. But it is the way we were designed to live. God didn’t create Adam and Eve and then say be fruitful and multiply upon the earth, so that you can destroy one another constantly, hold grudges, be bitter, have mental illness, have complete physical breakdowns. That was never the plan for it to be a mess. It was supposed to be perfect and even move in that direction means we have to get good at letting go of the things that are weighing us down, that have captured us, that have imprisoned us, that is not freedom. So yeah, it’s hard to stop judging, it’s hard to stop condemning, it’s hard to forgive. It’s just a matter of whether or not we want to be free; we get to choose how we navigate but this is the path, this is the way to freedom, interior freedom, heart freedom. Freedom that wells up from within and spills out into our lives and it is not easy, but we do have an example in Jesus and it is the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead that lives within us, according to the Scriptures. So, it’s a lot more about us surrendering those offenses, it’s about surrendering those rights and those wrongs and think about unforgiveness or think about bitterness and resentment or envy or any of the things we carry around inside of ourselves, like they’re best friends to us. In what way, if any of those things, enriched your life and led you on the narrow path that leads to life and into freedom. It doesn’t work. So, here’s the path, may we walk in.
Prayer:
And Holy Spirit come, because we will not walk more than two steps on this path without getting off into the ditch without Your guidance. We forget, we have triggers, we react to almost anything and by the time we’ve reacted, we’ve made a mess. So often, that we can get back out of, it’s hard to unsay what you’ve said. So, help us, Holy Spirit, we want to be free and here’s the path but we will not be able to navigate it on our own. We need You more than ever. Come, we open ourselves to You, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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And that’s it for today, I’m Brian, I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Prayer and Encouragements:
Hi DAB family, this is Thankful and Still. And I’m calling in response to James the Teacher. I heard you on this past week’s prayer and encouragement and I just want to pray for you as you are in a crossroads in your career. As a teacher, I know that the love of students in seeing them grow, and like you said you were out on an event that was at a higher level and it was really exciting and yet you have this other opportunity coming or that you’re gonna meet about. So, Heavenly Father, I thank You and I praise You for the honor of serving You wherever we are Lord and whatever career we’re in. I pray that along the way that You would guide each step, step-by-step and that trust would be refined, trust in You Lord that knows all and see’s all and has this amazing plan that’s beyond us right, and sometimes You only allow us to see a tiny bit that’s in front of us and not much else. So, I pray that You would ease any anxieties, maybe even frustrations or just this not knowing that it would be okay not to know, because you know, God. And so, I pray for James, just put him at ease, guide his steps in knowing that as long as he’s with You it’s gonna be amazing and that exhilaration, that that would be such a good, like a roller coaster ride right, it’s just so exciting and fun but kind of scary and that He would just walk with you. I thank You and I praise You for the outcome but I thank You and I praise You that You hold our hand all along the way. In Jesus name. Amen.
Stubborn, articulate and sure of myself
Hard working, loyal and excellent health
Resolute or pushy, opinionated, strong
Full of myself but often quite wrong
But I came to now Jesus in a personal way
And I gave him my life vow to always to stay
Serving and faithfully day after day
Vowing even to death His will to obey
I had a conception from things I heard
and I was quite happy to finally meet Him
The real, living word
The promised Messiah, the anointed, the Christ.
I will never ever leave you, regardless of price
And things went quite smoothly, at least for a while
I had the strength of a bull but I lacked the faith of a child
This is an accurate description of an egotist like me
But I’m talking about Peter the one who walked on the sea
He was obeying the Master but he had his eyes on the storm
And I’ve done the same thing too, in fact it’s my norm
And I too have cried out in terror to Jesus my Lord
Just like Peter, please save me, help me get back on board
I’ve failed You, denied You and bitterly wept
Take me back and restore me, though Your words have not kept
Cause You do know I love You, let me sit at Your feet
Cause when I’m in Your presence Lord, my joy is complete
There’s nothing in this life Lord, that I’d much rather do
Then just feed Your sheep and bring glory to You
For You are the Master and Your will I’ll obey
Your also my strength and in all things, I pray
That You won’t leave or forsake me or cast me away
Please renew my strength Lord, and take all reproach away
You know all things Lord, their end and their start
And You know I’m complete now because you know my heart
And just like Peter, I’ll serve You complete to the end
I did learn my lesson Lord, please take me back again
blindtony1016@gmail.com. Once again Brian.
Hey, this one goes out to Val from Vegas. This is Micah in Awe in Kansas City. It’s so great to hear you calling in and worship God and I talk about how your life is getting better from that, I don’t know if it was COVID or double pneumonia or what that was but great to hear that you’re thriving. We love you out here, we heard the emotion in your voice when you said how much we mean to you as DABers. And you mean the same to us and you’re a living witness right now. Like, anybody who is really listening to DAB in hearing these prayer request, will see the struggle of Val. She went into a struggle, she came out, she worshiped God. She went into another struggle, she came out, she worshiped God. That represents the way that Christianity is, that Christians are supposed to live. We go through the struggle, we come out worshiping God and we worship through the struggle too. So, thank you for who you are and what you do. And we love you out here.
Hey guys, life has been a lot right now. I started a new job last summer and I’m trying my best at it but I feel like I am constantly not good enough to be doing it. And things aren’t getting better and I’m in a really tough situation with a four-year relationship and trying to navigate when to fight for things and when to understand that God has a plan for me and to just let whatever is supposed to happen, happen. And I’ve been spending a lot of time really doing things on my own and trying to figure out what the right thing to do is and the best action and the next step and just plowing forward on my own and I’ve been crashing and burning for months and months and I feel like I’m at my breaking point. And I don’t know where else to turn. So, I’m trying this, I’m trying prayer and I’m trying God and I’m learning to not only just hear, hear about wisdom and acknowledge it mentally but also to incorporate into my life. And to understand that God’s plan and God’s decisions are so much greater than mine. And I just really need.
Hi DAB family this Clary Bell, I’m listening from United Arab Emirates. I just listened to March the 19th, today is March 21st. And I just want to thank Pamela, Refined by the Fire from Pennsylvania for sharing your testimony, for sharing your praise report. I am now going through what you went through in your marriage and some of the side hills the professionals attributed to your husband are, they are the case with mine. And my marriage is still very young but I can’t see it surviving. I couldn’t at least until I listened to your testimony. And I just believe that if it worked for you or if it is finally working for you then it can work for me too. And I don’t want to give up before finally breaking through, like you are right now. I don’t know how to penetrate my husband, I just don’t know how to do it. I don’t know, it’s, we’re from two different backgrounds; he’s white, I’m African but I don’t think that’s the problem, it’s something else. He’s more than twice my age but I don’t think that’s the problem, it’s something else. And please pray for me that I don’t give up cause I’m so tired.