A Walk Through The Word

March 27, 2020

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday March 27, 2020 (NIV)

Deuteronomy 7-8

The Privilege of Holiness

7 “When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are about to enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These seven nations are greater and more numerous than you. ²When the Lord your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy^[a] them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. ³You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, ⁴for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you. ⁵This is what you must do. You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols. ⁶For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.

⁷“The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! ⁸Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the Lord rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. ⁹Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. ¹⁰But he does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject him. ¹¹Therefore, you must obey all these commands, decrees, and regulations I am giving you today.

¹²“If you listen to these regulations and faithfully obey them, the Lord your God will keep his covenant of unfailing love with you, as he promised with an oath to your ancestors. ¹³He will love you and bless you, and he will give you many children. He will give fertility to your land and your animals. When you arrive in the land he swore to give your ancestors, you will have large harvests of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and great herds of cattle, sheep, and goats. ¹⁴You will be blessed above all the nations of the earth. None of your men or women will be childless, and all your livestock will bear young. ¹⁵And the Lord will protect you from all sickness. He will not let you suffer from the terrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all your enemies!

¹⁶“You must destroy all the nations the Lord your God hands over to you. Show them no mercy, and do not worship their gods, or they will trap you. ¹⁷Perhaps you will think to yourselves, ‘How can we ever conquer these nations that are so much more powerful than we are?’ ¹⁸But don’t be afraid of them! Just remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all the land of Egypt. ¹⁹Remember the great terrors the Lord your God sent against them. You saw it all with your own eyes! And remember the miraculous signs and wonders, and the strong hand and powerful arm with which he brought you out of Egypt. The Lord your God will use this same power against all the people you fear. ²⁰And then the Lord your God will send terror^[b] to drive out the few survivors still hiding from you!

²¹“No, do not be afraid of those nations, for the Lord your God is among you, and he is a great and awesome God. ²²The Lord your God will drive those nations out ahead of you little by little. You will not clear them away all at once, otherwise the wild animals would multiply too quickly for you. ²³But the Lord your God will hand them over to you. He will throw them into complete confusion until they are destroyed. ²⁴He will put their kings in your power, and you will erase their names from the face of the earth. No one will be able to stand against you, and you will destroy them all.

²⁵“You must burn their idols in fire, and you must not covet the silver or gold that covers them. You must not take it or it will become a trap to you, for it is detestable to the Lord your God. ²⁶Do not bring any detestable objects into your home, for then you will be destroyed, just like them. You must utterly detest such things, for they are set apart for destruction.

A Call to Remember and Obey

8 “Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and occupy the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors. ²Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. ³Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. ⁴For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell. ⁵Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.

⁶“So obey the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and fearing him. ⁷For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills. ⁸It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey. ⁹It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills. ¹⁰When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

¹¹“But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. ¹²For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, ¹³and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! ¹⁴Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. ¹⁵Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! ¹⁶He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. ¹⁷He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ ¹⁸Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.

¹⁹“But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed. ²⁰Just as the Lord has destroyed other nations in your path, you also will be destroyed if you refuse to obey the Lord your God.

Footnotes:

7:2 The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; also in 7:26.
7:20 Often rendered the hornet. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Luke 7:36-8:3

Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

³⁶One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat.^[a] ³⁷When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. ³⁸Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.

³⁹When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”

⁴⁰Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”

“Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.

⁴¹Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver^[b] to one and 50 pieces to the other. ⁴²But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?”

⁴³Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.”

“That’s right,” Jesus said. ⁴⁴Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.

⁴⁷“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” ⁴⁸Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?”

⁵⁰And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Women Who Followed Jesus

8 Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, ²along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; ³Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples.

Footnotes:

7:36 Or and reclined.
7:41 Greek 500 denarii. A denarius was equivalent to a laborer’s full day’s wage.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Psalm 69:1-18

Psalm 69

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Lilies.”

¹Save me, O God,
for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
²Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire;
I can’t find a foothold.
I am in deep water,
and the floods overwhelm me.
³I am exhausted from crying for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes are swollen with weeping,
waiting for my God to help me.
⁴Those who hate me without cause
outnumber the hairs on my head.
Many enemies try to destroy me with lies,
demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.

⁵O God, you know how foolish I am;
my sins cannot be hidden from you.
⁶Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me,
O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated,
O God of Israel.
⁷For I endure insults for your sake;
humiliation is written all over my face.
⁸Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me;
they treat me like a stranger.

⁹Passion for your house has consumed me,
and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
¹⁰When I weep and fast,
they scoff at me.
¹¹When I dress in burlap to show sorrow,
they make fun of me.
¹²I am the favorite topic of town gossip,
and all the drunks sing about me.

¹³But I keep praying to you, Lord,
hoping this time you will show me favor.
In your unfailing love, O God,
answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
¹⁴Rescue me from the mud;
don’t let me sink any deeper!
Save me from those who hate me,
and pull me from these deep waters.
¹⁵Don’t let the floods overwhelm me,
or the deep waters swallow me,
or the pit of death devour me.

¹⁶Answer my prayers, O Lord,
for your unfailing love is wonderful.
Take care of me,
for your mercy is so plentiful.
¹⁷Don’t hide from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
¹⁸Come and redeem me;
free me from my enemies.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Proverbs 12:1

12 To learn, you must love discipline;
it is stupid to hate correction.

New Living Translation (NLT)

March 27, 2020

03/26/2020 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25, Luke 7:11-35, Psalms 68:19-35, Proverbs 11:29-31

Today is the 26^th day of March, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is great to be here with you moving…moving rapidly toward the end of another month, but I’m super excited that we can spend today and everyday step-by-step one day at a time. One step forward each and every day leads us on this journey and what a journey it has been so far. And man, what a journey it’s going to be. There’s so much out in front of us to see. So, I’m excited that we can be here together around the Global Campfire taking the next step forward. We’re reading from the New Living Translation this week. Deuteronomy 5 and 6 today. And as I’ve mentioned a couple times, Deuteronomy’s three discourses, the final words of Moses and we read the first one, we concluded it and began the second talk today. And, so, that’s where we’re picking up. Deuteronomy 5 and 6.

Commentary:

Okay. Let’s look at what Jesus was talking about today in the gospel of Luke but let’s start at the end of what He was saying and just kind of work our way backwards and look at this. The final thing that Jesus spoke in our reading today is this, “but wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.” And we’ve spent time on our journey this year talking about wisdom, wisdom from the book of Proverbs, this voice, the feminine voice that tells us that she’s a companion of God and was there from the…from the very beginning of creation and was delighted at all God had made. And we’ve also explored Jesus and some of the different ways that He was known. Like, He’s our Savior, like we look at him a certain way because we have an understanding of Him, but as He was just coming into His ministry and moving around the countryside, how did people look at Him? They looked at Him as a prophet, which we saw in our reading today, like a major prophet as well as John. Like, God was speaking to them again. But He was also known as a wisdom teacher. And we talked about that and it’s borne out in the way that He uses parables to sort of get around the façade of things, like to strip away the mask of a thing so that what’s really happening can be revealed. So, what’s happening today is Jesus is talking specifically about wisdom. “Wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.” In other words, if you’re gonna walk the path of wisdom then that’s gonna be borne out in your life. You’re gonna become wise, which would change the way you do things. Why did Jesus make that statement though? Working backwards, He was commenting on the generation that was around Him. “How do I describe this generation? How do I describe the state of the world that I am in? They’re like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends. We played wedding songs you didn’t dance, we played funeral songs you didn’t weep. John comes and he doesn’t eat bread or drink wine and then you’d call him demon possessed. I come and I feast, and I drink, and you say I’m a glutton and a drunkard and a friend of tax collectors and sinners. But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.” Jesus is in effect making the commentary on the generation saying, “you are never satisfied.” John comes looking like a prophet of old. He’s the right clothes. Like the whole nine. He looks the part. You think he might be a prophet but then you’re not happy with that because he’s crazy and you call him demon possessed. So, then I come looking much more normal and you kinda…you’re not happy either with that. God’s coming to you and you’re missing it because you’re never happy with what you have. That’s kinda Jesus commentary on the generation of His time, but…but how different, how different is this time? Like we have an incredible amount of technology and knowledge and awareness and the ability to move about the earth and transport our…like we can do things that they…they wouldn’t have been able to get their minds around. But is it any different? We’re never satisfied. But why was He saying all that? Working backwards, it was because John’s disciples came to Him, sent by John asking Jesus if He’s the one or not. That’s why He comments on the generation and that’s why He speaks of wisdom because He’s basically like what kind of a question are you asking me? Am I the one or should you be looking for someone else? “Don’t you…like are you unclear about what’s happening here? The blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured. The deaf hear, the dead are raised to life and the good news is being preached to the poor.” So, basically, it’s like, what else do you need to know? This is exactly what the prophets said would happen. This is exactly what’s being fulfilled. What kind of question is it? Are you the one or should we be looking for someone else? They wanted somebody to come along and defeat the Roman empire by a mighty act of God. Instead, God came and said there’s a way to be in this world no matter what is going on, no matter how oppressed you might feel. There is a whole world within you. It’s called the kingdom of God. That’s where it is and when it’s within you. It can’t help but spill out of you, but you’re never satisfied. You got it backwards. Your hearing the wedding song but you’re not dancing. You’re questioning everything, even though it’s right in front of your face, but wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those follow it.

Prayer:

So, Jesus we invite You into that. It…it's…it’s at times when You can see it, You can see that the heart of man is kind of an unchanging thing and that we’re just wearing different clothes now, but our dissatisfaction and our unrest is the same. And, so, You may say of the generation that we are living in now the same things that You would…that You spoke of the generation when You were ministering here. One of the things that You continually…continually reveal in the Gospels is that it’s all right here if You have eyes to see. Like, it’s all here. What we need to move about the world and navigate in collaboration and confident with You, we have it. We just keep thinking that we don’t, but we do, and wisdom shows that path to us. And we acknowledge once again that she’s at every crossroads. And so often we are just blowing through every choice just dissatisfied in everything, that we’re missing that You are indeed at work in us. It is a slow process. It’s called sanctification. It’s a process and the process isn’t really gonna build up anything without a solid foundation. And so often we’re trying to put the roof on without the foundation of our lives. So, come Holy Spirit. We hear Your words as if they were spoken to John, like “look at what I’m doing in the world. Look at what You are seeing. If you’ll have eyes to see you can see that this is going on and it has always been going on. So, come Holy Spirit and give us eyes to see and ears to hear. And I don’t know how many times we’ve asked for that. And I don’t how many times we will ask that. We’ll keep asking, we’ll keep knocking, we’ll keep seeking. Give us eyes to see this kingdom within and among us we pray in Your mighty and holy name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, it is indeed where you find out what’s going on around here.

And it's…I mean what’s going on around here in the world can be scary but what’s going on around here around the Global Campfire, this is exciting because for the next little…little over a week there’s an additional program along with the Daily Audio Bible. So, the Daily Audio Bible is here nonstop every day, seven days a week, but as a gift from my…my publisher NAV Press, as a gift from myself, as a gift from the Daily Audio Bible from which all of this sprang we are releasing the book Sneezing Jesus free, the audio edition of the book free one chapter a day as we go through this time because there is plenty of overwhelming scary news. This is the good news. It’s an exploration of Jesus life and the awareness that this kingdom, the good news that…that we take for granted, it…it spread like a virus. It spreads from person to person. So, it’s poignant for these times. So, we started yesterday and kinda went through the prologue, the premise of everything and the chapter called Advent, this beginning story of why Jesus came and how Jesus came. Today we’re releasing a chapter called Backward, which in many ways uses the Sermon on the Mount as a backdrop for what Jesus was sharing, like this…this idea of eyes to see and ears to hear that we’ve been talking about all year because Jesus says it all of the time is ultimately an invitation to open your eyes and realize that your living almost backward to how you are created. Like the whole world is almost backward to the way it was intended to be. So, that is available, right along with your feed, right where you get the Daily Audio Bible, right in the Daily Audio Bible app. It’s there for your encouragement. And I…I have found encouragement. I mean, it’s been a while since I wrote that book, so it’s been a while since I read the book but when you write a book you read that book like 150 times. So, it’s been, you know, some time has passed since then. And, so, to reacquaint myself with these themes and these messages, especially now, as even encouraged…I’ve encouraged myself…not because of the way I wrote things, but because of what was said. And we’re making it available, giving it to you that you might find encouragement in this time. So, take advantage of that. And my prayers are that God would ignite the…I mean this book was published…we talked about it like the sneeze heard around the world. And man is that appropriate for now? So, check that out.

If you want partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There’s a link on the homepage and it just lives there. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement you can hit a Hotline button in the app, which is the little red button at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that is it for today. I’m Brian and I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

This message is for Travis. Travis my name is Qu Annie Cotton. I’m actually calling into our DAB family in regards to your son Brady. I understand that Brady is dealing with some seizures. I want to let you know that as a mom of a son that is now nine but from the years of 1 to 4 our son had been dealing with several different stages or different types of seizures and no one could pinpoint or tell us why our son was dealing with those seizures. Our son was in and out of the hospital weeks at a time to the point where the hospital knew us and who we were, but they took very good care of my son when he was in the hospital. Travis, I want to let you know that God is a healer. Our son has been seizure free for the past five years. He has not been on medication. He has not had any signs of any seizures in any of those seizures that he’s dealt with and it’s only by the grace of God. So, Travis I just want to let you know that God is able, God can heal, God is amazing. God is so amazing for the things that He can do. If you hear in the background, that’s my son. He’s on his game. But I just want to tell you right now to trust God. Continue to keep praying, continue to keep trusting God. And when the doctors want to continue to keep medicating Brady or putting him on different medications, ask questions, even get a second opinion because that’s what we did as well. So, Travis I want to let you know that my family will be praying and continuously praying for your family as well as Brady’s family…as for well as Brady, that God would heal him, that God would definitely touch his body, and that God will deliver him, set free of this this…this…this disease. We’re praying for you. We love you. God bless.

I’m calling in response to Asia who called in on the March 22^nd Sunday edition. Asia, I love you sister. I feel so bad hearing you talk about feeling scared or upset about people looking at you because your Asian during this coronavirus. I don’t understand the racism going around right now. I don’t see Asian people as being the reason for this virus. I think that’s just ignorant. We were in McDonald’s a week ago and there was one lady up at the counter as I was passing by getting my husband drunk and she was Asian decent of some kind and she was talking on her phone and she wasn’t talking English but you know I just wanted to give her a big hug and I was afraid to do so because, one she was already on the phone, and two I thought I’d scare her. But I just inside my heart I just wanted to give her a big hug because I know that there is bad things going around right now with everybody and this virus. And I had already seen online that there are many young Asian men who’ve been beat up over this. And I just feel for everybody who is Asian regardless whether Chinese or Vietnamese or Taiwanese or Japanese, whatever. There’s no need for this. So, please hang in there and know that we have your back. We love you sister and I hope first off that this virus is soon gone. We all need to pray. All of us Christians need to stand together. And my time is almost up, and I just wanted to call and let you know I love you. This is Kiki in Arizona otherwise known as Lola Marie. Bye.

Hello this is Duncan from Fredericksburg Texas and I just feel like praying. Abba Father right now there is a lot of blame going around. I hear the major media blaming the president. I hear people blaming others because they’re…they are Asian – Chinese, Korean, whatever. I hear others blaming the virus on this and that. And yet blaming does not solve anything Jesus, it only creates more anger and panic. And then I hear the news and I get sick of all of that negative news and I have decided I am not going to hear but one maybe newscast a day until there is hope on the horizon and a breakthrough. And that’s what we’re praying for the Lord, a breakthrough. And am praying for Lord that people will quiet down and stop blaming and start trusting in You. Lord Jesus I am totally of blind, I’m a widower right now and I deal with being in my own apartment, but I thank You for a church family Father. And yet I pray also Lord that this…that there will come when we can handshake and a hug again because this healing power in the hug and a handshake. Lord Jesus I thank You for online church, I thank You Lord for people who give …get groceries for us. And Lord but there’s also the impact that is…that all of this has had his work. I’m a musician. I’m a pianist and I play at various local places and their closed and nursing homes won’t let me in and they’re…they’re off limits. Father, we need work. And Father I just come to You. Yes, You meet our needs and I thank You for that, but Lord I am praying Lord for this scourge to be lifted only so that people can have their lives back again. And for others to come to trust You Jesus. I come to You now. Thank You, Lord. In Your precious name. And we kneel in it heavily Jesus.

DAB family this is Linda from Ontario Canada. I am a first-time caller, but my husband Andrew and I have been listening since 2006 after being introduced by a good friend’s. Shout out to Rob and Kiersten. All your voices old and new are precious. Brian, thank you. No one reads the Bible like you do and your commentaries and insights are ever so helpful. Family my sweet love Andrew went home on September 30^th. It’s been almost 6 months now that my heart has been morning. And I must say dear Jesus is victorious over death. My family friends and community have been covering me with prayer and support and it’s been incredibly overwhelming how our father’s hand has been holding me up. He is so faithful. Family, you too have been instrumental in his love. You’ve supported me without even knowing I’m here. I listen every day multiple times some days as I fall asleep or can’t sleep or wake up through the early hours. My family is always there with encouragement and hope. Thank you, Jesus. I’ve been hiding in the sidelines but there is a mission ahead. I’m not a widow of a warrior. And warriors are on the frontline. Dabbers Jesus has already one, but we need to join collectively as warriors must. We need to fight for the things that touch each of us individually but most importantly now we need to come together and fight for our nonbelieving family members, friends, neighbors, countries, nations, governments the entire world. Let’s join together this worldwide community and pray for all eyes to see and hearts it will turn to Jesus. Second Chronicles 7:14 if my people who are called by My name would humble themselves, pray and seek My face, turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven will forgive their sins and heal their land. Thank You, Jesus. My DABber family I love you. Brenda from Ontario Canada.

Hey, DABbers this is Gavin from __ Canada. Today is Saturday, March the 21^st I want you guys to pray for my brother especially and the rest of our family. My sister-in-law passed away this morning very unexpectedly. We have no idea what happened. She was only 27 years old. My brother…I’m a firm believer ion praying for others my name. My brother Derik is now left the single father of three. He has a six-year-old named Elvis who is really going to need prayer with this. He has a two-year-old named Clarissa and a one-year-old named Elvis…I’m sorry one-year-old named Zekia. It is a very hard time for them. My brother feels very empty right now and he’s told our pastor that he feels hopeless and feels like he’s just doing lip service to his son. He’s afraid that that’s gonna trickle down. And he really is afraid that it’s not going away. So, praying that the Lord will give the family comfort and he…my brother will speak these words that he knows to be true with conviction and just not feel they are lip service. Thank you very much DABbers. Your support is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Blessed are You oh Lord our God King of the universe who forms light and creates darkness who makes peace and creates all things. Father You are sovereign, and we praise You and we bless You and we thank You for the blessings that You give us Lord. We thank You that Your sovereignty also includes Your grace, Your mercy, Your love, Your peace, Your hope Lord God. Father these are just interesting times to say the least. Lord I just want to lift up all of our shepherds that You have given us. Lord may You continue to bless them as they lead us, as they…as they protect us Lord, as a shepherd does as they protect us from the wolves oh Lord our God by giving us Your word. Father we thank You for Your teachers. We thank You for those You have set in government, for no man is in government that You haven’t put their Lord and we just pray that You give them supernatural wisdom during this time oh Lord my God. Father, I lift up of those who are suffering in this time. I think of a caller who said that she was Asian Lord. Forgive us for the behaviors that we exhibit to our fellow man. Father I just lift up all those who are struggling with mental illness at this time. Father give us clarity and remind us that fear in You is the beginning of all wisdom Lord. And remind…thank You for reminding us that fearing You is knowing and resting that You are loving, kind, and merciful. Father, we just….

March 26, 2020

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday March 26, 2020 (NIV)

Deuteronomy 5-6

Ten Commandments for the Covenant Community

5 Moses called all the people of Israel together and said, “Listen carefully, Israel. Hear the decrees and regulations I am giving you today, so you may learn them and obey them!

²“The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Mount Sinai.^[a] ³The Lord did not make this covenant with our ancestors, but with all of us who are alive today. ⁴At the mountain the Lord spoke to you face to face from the heart of the fire. ⁵I stood as an intermediary between you and the Lord, for you were afraid of the fire and did not want to approach the mountain. He spoke to me, and I passed his words on to you. This is what he said:

⁶“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.

⁷“You must not have any other god but me.

⁸“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind, or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. ⁹You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. ¹⁰But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those^[b] who love me and obey my commands.

¹¹“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

¹²“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. ¹³You have six days each week for your ordinary work, ¹⁴but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do. ¹⁵Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.

¹⁶“Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

¹⁷“You must not murder.

¹⁸“You must not commit adultery.

¹⁹“You must not steal.

²⁰“You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.

²¹“You must not covet your neighbor’s wife. You must not covet your neighbor’s house or land, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.

²²“The Lord spoke these words to all of you assembled there at the foot of the mountain. He spoke with a loud voice from the heart of the fire, surrounded by clouds and deep darkness. This was all he said at that time, and he wrote his words on two stone tablets and gave them to me.

²³“But when you heard the voice from the heart of the darkness, while the mountain was blazing with fire, all your tribal leaders and elders came to me. ²⁴They said, ‘Look, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice from the heart of the fire. Today we have seen that God can speak to us humans, and yet we live! ²⁵But now, why should we risk death again? If the Lord our God speaks to us again, we will certainly die and be consumed by this awesome fire. ²⁶Can any living thing hear the voice of the living God from the heart of the fire as we did and yet survive? ²⁷Go yourself and listen to what the Lord our God says. Then come and tell us everything he tells you, and we will listen and obey.’

²⁸“The Lord heard the request you made to me. And he said, ‘I have heard what the people said to you, and they are right. ²⁹Oh, that they would always have hearts like this, that they might fear me and obey all my commands! If they did, they and their descendants would prosper forever. ³⁰Go and tell them, “Return to your tents.” ³¹But you stand here with me so I can give you all my commands, decrees, and regulations. You must teach them to the people so they can obey them in the land I am giving them as their possession.’”

³²So Moses told the people, “You must be careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God, following his instructions in every detail. ³³Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy.

A Call for Wholehearted Commitment

6 “These are the commands, decrees, and regulations that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you. You must obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy, ²and you and your children and grandchildren must fear the Lord your God as long as you live. If you obey all his decrees and commands, you will enjoy a long life. ³Listen closely, Israel, and be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

⁴“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.^[c] ⁵And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. ⁶And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. ⁷Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. ⁸Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ⁹Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

¹⁰“The Lord your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. ¹¹The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land, ¹²be careful not to forget the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. ¹³You must fear the Lord your God and serve him. When you take an oath, you must use only his name.

¹⁴“You must not worship any of the gods of neighboring nations, ¹⁵for the Lord your God, who lives among you, is a jealous God. His anger will flare up against you, and he will wipe you from the face of the earth. ¹⁶You must not test the Lord your God as you did when you complained at Massah. ¹⁷You must diligently obey the commands of the Lord your God—all the laws and decrees he has given you. ¹⁸Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so all will go well with you. Then you will enter and occupy the good land that the Lord swore to give your ancestors. ¹⁹You will drive out all the enemies living in the land, just as the Lord said you would.

²⁰“In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the Lord our God has commanded us to obey?’

²¹“Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand. ²²The Lord did miraculous signs and wonders before our eyes, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people. ²³He brought us out of Egypt so he could give us this land he had sworn to give our ancestors. ²⁴And the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day. ²⁵For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us.’

Footnotes:

5:2 Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai.
5:10 Hebrew for thousands of those.
6:4 Or The Lord our God is one Lord; or The Lord our God, the Lord is one; or The Lord is our God, the Lord is one.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Luke 7:11-35

Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son

¹¹Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed him. ¹²A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. ¹³When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. ¹⁴Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” ¹⁵Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

¹⁶Great fear swept the crowd, and they praised God, saying, “A mighty prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited his people today.” ¹⁷And the news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding countryside.

Jesus and John the Baptist

¹⁸The disciples of John the Baptist told John about everything Jesus was doing. So John called for two of his disciples, ¹⁹and he sent them to the Lord to ask him, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting,^[a] or should we keep looking for someone else?”

²⁰John’s two disciples found Jesus and said to him, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’”

²¹At that very time, Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he restored sight to many who were blind. ²²Then he told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” ²³And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.^[b]”

²⁴After John’s disciples left, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? ²⁵Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people who wear beautiful clothes and live in luxury are found in palaces. ²⁶Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. ²⁷John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say,

‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
and he will prepare your way before you.’^[c]

²⁸I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is!”

²⁹When they heard this, all the people—even the tax collectors—agreed that God’s way was right,^[d] for they had been baptized by John. ³⁰But the Pharisees and experts in religious law rejected God’s plan for them, for they had refused John’s baptism.

³¹“To what can I compare the people of this generation?” Jesus asked. “How can I describe them? ³²They are like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends,

‘We played wedding songs,
and you didn’t dance,
so we played funeral songs,
and you didn’t weep.’

³³For John the Baptist didn’t spend his time eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ ³⁴The Son of Man,^[e] on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ ³⁵But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.^[f]”

Footnotes:

7:19 Greek Are you the one who is coming? Also in 7:20.
7:23 Or who are not offended by me.
7:27 Mal 3:1.
7:29 Or praised God for his justice.
7:34 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
7:35 Or But wisdom is justified by all her children.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Psalm 68:19-35

¹⁹Praise the Lord; praise God our savior!
For each day he carries us in his arms. Interlude
²⁰Our God is a God who saves!
The Sovereign Lord rescues us from death.

²¹But God will smash the heads of his enemies,
crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways.
²²The Lord says, “I will bring my enemies down from Bashan;
I will bring them up from the depths of the sea.
²³You, my people, will wash^[a] your feet in their blood,
and even your dogs will get their share!”

²⁴Your procession has come into view, O God—
the procession of my God and King as he goes into the sanctuary.
²⁵Singers are in front, musicians behind;
between them are young women playing tambourines.
²⁶Praise God, all you people of Israel;
praise the Lord, the source of Israel’s life.
²⁷Look, the little tribe of Benjamin leads the way.
Then comes a great throng of rulers from Judah
and all the rulers of Zebulun and Naphtali.

²⁸Summon your might, O God.^[b]
Display your power, O God, as you have in the past.
²⁹The kings of the earth are bringing tribute
to your Temple in Jerusalem.
³⁰Rebuke these enemy nations—
these wild animals lurking in the reeds,
this herd of bulls among the weaker calves.
Make them bring bars of silver in humble tribute.
Scatter the nations that delight in war.
³¹Let Egypt come with gifts of precious metals^[c];
let Ethiopia^[d] bring tribute to God.
³²Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth.
Sing praises to the Lord. Interlude
³³Sing to the one who rides across the ancient heavens,
his mighty voice thundering from the sky.
³⁴Tell everyone about God’s power.
His majesty shines down on Israel;
his strength is mighty in the heavens.
³⁵God is awesome in his sanctuary.
The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

Praise be to God!

Footnotes:

68:23 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads shatter.
68:28 As in some Hebrew manuscripts and Greek and Syriac versions; most Hebrew manuscripts read Your God has commanded your strength.
68:31a Or of rich cloth.
68:31b Hebrew Cush.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Proverbs 11:29-31

²⁹Those who bring trouble on their families inherit the wind.
The fool will be a servant to the wise.

³⁰The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life;
a wise person wins friends.^[a]

³¹If the righteous are rewarded here on earth,
what will happen to wicked sinners?^[b]

Footnotes:

11:30 Or and those who win souls are wise.
11:31 Greek version reads If the righteous are barely saved, / what will happen to godless sinners? Compare 1 Pet 4:18.

New Living Translation (NLT)

March 25, 2020

03/25/2020 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 4:1-49, Luke 6:39-7:10, Psalms 68:1-18, Proverbs 11:28

Today is the 25^th day of March, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today on hump day as we move through the center of the week. And I can’t think of a better place to be than around the Global Campfire letting God’s word speak into our day in the remaining days of this week. So, we’re reading from the New Living Translation this week and we’ve begun our final book of the Pentateuch, the book of Deuteronomy which is the final discourses of Moses before he…he turns the reins over to the next generation and he receives and becomes a part of history. So, today Deuteronomy chapter 4.

Commentary:

Okay. Couple things to point out today. One from the book…well…a couple things from the book of Deuteronomy. First, we concluded today the first discourse of Moses and then we began his second discourse, and there are three of them in this book. So, this first discourse that we’ve been on the last couple of days is Moses retelling the story of who the…who the Hebrew people are, who they are and where they came from and where they’ve been. So, he’s recounting the story of the last generation. Now we’re kind of turning the corner and he’s reminding them of the laws, and we’ll get into that as the days come ahead. But one thing Moses says as he’s concluding this today is, “the Lord your God is a devouring fire. He is a jealous God.” And this is one of first places we see this stated so explicitly. So, what does that mean, “he is jealous God?” What is it in your life that would make you jealous? The typical scenario for jealousy in the human experience, although it can come in a number…a number of ways, the typical way is that we are in a committed relationship with somebody and we’re moving along in the confidence of that relationship only to kinda get this nagging sense that all is not…is not well, that maybe they’ve got something going on on the side in some sort of way so there’s this nagging feeling that as time goes by it blossoms and blooms into this tree that overshadows everything. And, so, from that a lot of different emotions can materialize like anger and rage or insecurity or hopelessness or whatever. It flows out of that sense that the one we were committed to, the one we were perhaps even in covenant with is flirting around the edges of another lover. That’s what Moses is talking about when he’s talking about God. He’s telling the people, “when you get to where you’re going, you’re going to be tempted in all kinds of ways to turn to false gods and worship them. Don’t forget what that will do to the Lord your God, the most-high God. There is no other.” So, often we interpret God’s jealousy a like He’s vengeful, that He’s just erratic and vengeful. He’s jealous for you when you flirt around the edges of another lover that would take you from His heart. I actually find a lot of comfort in that. I used to think of God as just jealous and angry and vengeful, but I find a lot of comfort that He would be jealous for me. And, so, what is the response then? What? How do we respond? We…we stay faithful. That’s what you do in a covenantal relationship. And, so, let’s think on that today. Where are we turning for life that isn’t God, and are we giving our hearts in worship to that person or thing?

We flip over into the gospel of Luke and Jesus is continuing to work through this Sermon on the Mount and He says some pretty explicit things today about what it looks like to follow the path that He is…that He is laying out for humanity. We were talking a little bit about forgiveness yesterday and Jesus is kind of like moving into judgment and the way that we judge one another. And, so, that’s when He’s like, “why are you so worried about that little speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log of your own eye? That you seem to…you’re so blind you don’t even know you’ve got a log in your eye. So, how can you possibly think about getting the speck out of your brother’s eye, your friend’s eye until you get the log out of your own? You’re just being a hypocrite.” This is when we nitpick at everybody else and we don’t pay attention to the huge issues that we have. And to just simplify it down to the essential core here, Jesus is saying, “that won’t work”. That like…and we should know that. We should know that. We…we’ve tried…like it doesn’t work. And Jesus is just saying, “it never will. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit. A bad tree can’t produce good fruit. Figs don’t come from thorn bushes grapes don’t come from bramble bushes. If you want to be a fruitful person, if you want good fruit in your life, not only for yourself but for a harvest for those all around you, a good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart. And the opposite is true. An evil person produces evil from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” So, Jesus is like, “it is what it is. It’s not what you pretend it to be. Curate all you want. You’re whitewashing a tomb if that’s what you’re doing. Good produces good out of the treasury of good.” And He gives it a barometer because He’s like, “what you say is what’s coming up out of your heart.” So, let’s listen to what we say today because Jesus is basically said, “if you’ll like listen to what you’re saying you’ll know where your heart is.” So, we don’t really have an excuse to like…I don’t know how good or bad, I don’t know where I am on the continuum. All we gotta do is listen to ourselves to figure out where things are. But as Jesus points out we’re too busy listening to everybody else. We’re too busy being judge-y against everybody else and ignoring the issues in our own lives. But there is a treasury within our heart, and we can fill that treasury with whatever we treasure, but if we want to produce good things then we have to fill our hearts with good. And then He takes it further. “Like all of this that we’re talking about, the good, the fruitfulness, this comes because of a good solid foundation.” So, Jesus is like, “let me show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching and then follows it”, right? So, somebody who gets it, who has eyes to see. Not somebody who just heard the words but somebody who understood the words and it quickened their heart and they began to walk this way, to obey the way of Jesus. Jesus says, “that person is like a person who digs deep foundation and lays it on the solid rock” so that when the stuff of life comes and it will, “when the floodwaters rise and break against that house”, and we all experience that in our lives, “that house stands firm because it was well built. So, we can consider that God is jealous for us, that He loves deeply and it’s heartbreaking that we chase after other lovers. That is foolishness. But we can take the way of Jesus and understand this is foundational. And maybe I’ve got a lot of walls up and my foundation is built on sand and I need to go back now and I need to lay a solid foundation over time building this faith into something that cannot be shaken instead of continually judging everybody around me for what they’re doing wrong while ignoring all of my own issues and being so mad at God every time the floodwaters come and wash away my life. Maybe it’s not God’s. Maybe we built on sand. And this is exactly what happens over and over and over when we keep doing that. Maybe it’s time for a new foundation.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit we invite You into that, all of the things that we have been exploring in the Scriptures today. There’s a number of things for us to think about, Your jealous love for us and that we can break Your heart as the Scriptures will completely show us as we continue the journey, that You love us enough to be vulnerable in the relationship that when we cheat, as it were, when we chase false promises for life and give our hearts in worship to it, that is heartbreaking, makes You jealous and that makes us understand a lot. Forgive us as we contemplate this today. But also, we need to contemplate our foundations because if our faith is not built on the solid rock, like if we’re just built on sand, no wonder things keep bowling us over, no wonder we keep getting washed away. And we have to apologize again and repent for blaming You for this. It’s time to methodically, slowly, with love and care and the leading of Your Holy Spirit build a solid foundation. Come Holy Spirit and show us where to start. And we ask this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, and its home base, and its where you find out what’s going on around here.

Special announcement today because somethings going on around here, because something’s going on all over the world. And I thinks it’s safe to say we’ve kinda reached this point where we’re like, “okay how long is this going to be going on all over the world? like what are the implications here?” And ever since…ever since I noticed, kind of this was actually a thing, this is actually picking up steam and this is a thing and…and that what we’ve watched over last couple weeks it kinda become a thing that’s really, really changed a lot of the ways that we think and move about and how do we navigate all this. And I’ve just thought a lot about the book Sneezing Jesus, a book that I wrote a few years ago because…because the premise is that the kingdom of God began and spread like a virus, person-to-person to person-to-person to person to families, to communities, and it continues until this day to work that way. And, so earlier this week I contacted my book publisher and just asked, “listen is there any way that we could give this away like for a little while, like while all this is going on and while we’re refilling our time with all kinds of activities but things are different right now? Is there a way that we could use this to be kind of an ongoing gift of encouragement as we move through the next little bit?” And they agreed with that because we need all the encouragement we can get right now. So, what we’re gonna do here for the next about week and half, I think…have to add them…but I think there’s 10 chapters in Sneezing Jesus. We’re gonna release one chapter per day and it’s just gonna show up in the Daily Audio Bible as an additional program. So, the Daily Audio Bible’s never…I mean…the Daily Audio Bible is the Daily Audio Bible and as long as there is breath the word will be spoken, but in an attempt to serve this community and in an attempt to very specifically offer words of encouragement that are actionable, like they can actually be used. Sneezing Jesus is…I wrote that book to be a portrait of Jesus, like the Jesus that I have fallen in love, to use the Gospels and go into those stories and explore the fact Jesus was one of us, was a human being because we focus on the divinity of Jesus, which we should almost exclusively, but a lot of the times we ignore the fact that He was a human being walking around and His humanity was not purposeless. His humanity shows us how we’re supposed to live and be in this world. So, it’s a beautiful portrait of Jesus, but it’s a beautiful explanation of why the gospel is good news, concluding with the fact that it spread like a virus all over the world and we are all sneezing something. And what if we were Sneezing Jesus? What if that was the contagion that was going around and infecting everyone? So, the first installment, we’re gonna kind of release this as a serial, a chapter a day for the next week and a half, just something more, something else for us to immerse ourselves in that is good news. In fact, it’s the good news. So, you’ll see like the first installment showing up today and the next installment will show up tomorrow. This is a gift, a gift of hope, a gift that can be given, a gift that can be received, a gift that is free and I won’t be able to keep this on the feed indefinitely forever and ever and ever. Amen. But for now, this is the gift of the good news and the first installment is available now. And my prayer is that it will meet you where you are and compel you forward. So, of course. Check that out and may it bring you faith, hope and love.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at the website, dailyaudiobible.com or in the app by pressing the Give button in the upper right-hand corner of the app screen or, if you prefer to mail, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can just hit a Hotline button, the little red button at the top in the app. I love it. I love it at times like this like there’s this button that we can push and we’re not alone or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi this is Rachel from Pennsylvania. Hi this is Ben from Pennsylvania too. And we wanted to pray and thank God for everything. Dear God, thank you for this day. Thank you for the whole world, the whole world and the sunshine and the rain and what else Ben? The animals, trees, the tress, breath…and the trees. Thank you for the trampoline to jump on and the tickles (laughing) and the giggles (laughing) and our whole family and all of our friends. And we pray that God will put a hedge of protection over all of our friends and family and our DAB community. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Amen.

Hey, my beautiful DAB family this is Kingdom Seeker Daniel from Chicago. To my dear precious sister Val from Vegas. Oh my dear, I am so sorry that you are in this very difficult place. My heart breaks for you and I…I couldn’t help but think about a portion of Psalm 23 where David said, “he maketh me to lie down in green pastures.” And suddenly I know it doesn’t probably look like or feel like you’re in a green pasture right now, but you know Val, sometimes God has to make us lie down in places that only He knows where He’ll be able to reach us and get our attention to say what He’s trying to say. And one of the things I do believe, I was just kind of sensing that listening to you the Lord is trying to say to you Val, He is trying to tell you how madly, passionately, and completely He is in love with you. He loves you with an everlasting love. His love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out and He’ll never stop loving you. Don’t you dare think for one second that God is angry with you. He is not angry at you. That’s a lie from the pit of hell. And, so, I pray that you would rest in the Father’s love, lean back in Him and let Him love you from a place of wholeness. I’m praying for your healing.

[singing starts] Oh the day the Lord you have given me alight with your Majesty and grace. Oh, this day I wait to hear your voice to calm all the noise in me. Joy of my heart my Prince of peace you build my confidence, courage and strength. I hide beneath your wings our secret place where I feel safe and my soul rests. Oh, this day Lord please light up my heart with the flame of your word to warm the world so cold and dark. Emotions like stormy waves Jesus my Savior makes us settle like sheep. Wherever He guides I’ll follow His voice burning bright with the confidence of His love and tell the story of His grace in my life bringing others to sit beside the Global Campfire [singing stops]. Gracious heavenly Father Lord Jesus I just praise and thank You for the opportunity to hear Your word every day to stand beside each…each of the beautiful people Father God You’ve called and chosen to listen to Your words and…and to be encouraged and feel the love. And I just praise You and thank You God for that. Bless the DAB Father God and bless the Hardin family in Jesus’ name. Treasured Possession.

Father I thank you for all that you’ve done
for your sweet Holy Spirit and the gift of your son
who gave up his life and died on a tree
so that those who were estranged could come back to thee
and know that you hear them each time that they pray
and know you’re attentive to all that they say
I was one of those people and I feel so ashamed
that for me your son was erroneously blamed
and though I do love you Jesus you first loved me
you’re the Holy Spirit and the father all three
surrounding me, anointing me and lifting me up
cleansing my insides while filling my cup
I just want to thank you for all that you’ve done
your sweet Holy Spirit and the gift of your son

blindtony1016@gmail.com. I’d like to give a shout out to His Little Cherry and also like to give a shout out to Slave of Jesus and Mark Crede. Know you all are daily on my prayer list and I pray God’s blessings continuously fall upon you. And once again Brian and the Hardin family, thank you for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit flow. Keep it flowing y’all. All right. Bye-bye.

Alright, hey guys my name is Nick. If you could pray for me and my family and a bunch of people, I’m around that would be great. I’m a city bus driver so I’m right in the thick of it. I’m having a really hard time keeping my cool. I get mad at people and frustrated at people like gettion’ all close and coughing all over without covering her mouth and I’m struggling…I’m having a real hard time not loving them as I should. So, if you guys could pray for me and those around me that would be great. I love you guys. I’m praying for you all and talk to you later.

Hello, my name is Jane I’m ringing from the UK and about three or four weeks ago I asked…requested prayer for my son who I haven’t heard from for over two years. And today it’s Sunday the 22^nd of March which in England is Mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day. I can’t believe it, that he has just phoned to wish me a happy Mother’s Day as if nothing was wrong at all. Just want to praise God and thank You Lord for this connection again with my son Tom. I love him dearly and I’ve prayed constantly, and I thank You that You are a God who answers prayers. I thank You for everything that You do for us and I pray Lord that in this time of great need You will provide comfort and peace for all those who worried about the virus going about. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord with all my heart and all my soul and all my mind. And God bless you all.

March 25, 2020

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday March 25, 2020 (NIV)

Deuteronomy 4

Moses Urges Israel to Obey

4 “And now, Israel, listen carefully to these decrees and regulations that I am about to teach you. Obey them so that you may live, so you may enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. ²Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you. Just obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you.

³“You saw for yourself what the Lord did to you at Baal-peor. There the Lord your God destroyed everyone who had worshiped Baal, the god of Peor. ⁴But all of you who were faithful to the Lord your God are still alive today—every one of you.

⁵“Look, I now teach you these decrees and regulations just as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy. ⁶Obey them completely, and you will display your wisdom and intelligence among the surrounding nations. When they hear all these decrees, they will exclaim, ‘How wise and prudent are the people of this great nation!’ ⁷For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him? ⁸And what great nation has decrees and regulations as righteous and fair as this body of instructions that I am giving you today?

⁹“But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. ¹⁰Never forget the day when you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Sinai,^[a] where he told me, ‘Summon the people before me, and I will personally instruct them. Then they will learn to fear me as long as they live, and they will teach their children to fear me also.’

¹¹“You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while flames from the mountain shot into the sky. The mountain was shrouded in black clouds and deep darkness. ¹²And the Lord spoke to you from the heart of the fire. You heard the sound of his words but didn’t see his form; there was only a voice. ¹³He proclaimed his covenant—the Ten Commandments^[b]—which he commanded you to keep, and which he wrote on two stone tablets. ¹⁴It was at that time that the Lord commanded me to teach you his decrees and regulations so you would obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy.

A Warning against Idolatry

¹⁵“But be very careful! You did not see the Lord’s form on the day he spoke to you from the heart of the fire at Mount Sinai. ¹⁶So do not corrupt yourselves by making an idol in any form—whether of a man or a woman, ¹⁷an animal on the ground, a bird in the sky, ¹⁸a small animal that scurries along the ground, or a fish in the deepest sea. ¹⁹And when you look up into the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the forces of heaven—don’t be seduced into worshiping them. The Lord your God gave them to all the peoples of the earth. ²⁰Remember that the Lord rescued you from the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt in order to make you his very own people and his special possession, which is what you are today.

²¹“But the Lord was angry with me because of you. He vowed that I would not cross the Jordan River into the good land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession. ²²You will cross the Jordan to occupy the land, but I will not. Instead, I will die here on the east side of the river. ²³So be careful not to break the covenant the Lord your God has made with you. Do not make idols of any shape or form, for the Lord your God has forbidden this. ²⁴The Lord your God is a devouring fire; he is a jealous God.

²⁵“In the future, when you have children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time, do not corrupt yourselves by making idols of any kind. This is evil in the sight of the Lord your God and will arouse his anger.

²⁶“Today I call on heaven and earth as witnesses against you. If you break my covenant, you will quickly disappear from the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. You will live there only a short time; then you will be utterly destroyed. ²⁷For the Lord will scatter you among the nations, where only a few of you will survive. ²⁸There, in a foreign land, you will worship idols made from wood and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. ²⁹But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.

³⁰“In the distant future, when you are suffering all these things, you will finally return to the Lord your God and listen to what he tells you. ³¹For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors.

There Is Only One God

³²“Now search all of history, from the time God created people on the earth until now, and search from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything as great as this ever been seen or heard before? ³³Has any nation ever heard the voice of God^[c] speaking from fire—as you did—and survived? ³⁴Has any other god dared to take a nation for himself out of another nation by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, right before your eyes.

³⁵“He showed you these things so you would know that the Lord is God and there is no other. ³⁶He let you hear his voice from heaven so he could instruct you. He let you see his great fire here on earth so he could speak to you from it. ³⁷Because he loved your ancestors, he chose to bless their descendants, and he personally brought you out of Egypt with a great display of power. ³⁸He drove out nations far greater than you, so he could bring you in and give you their land as your special possession, as it is today.

³⁹“So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The Lord is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other. ⁴⁰If you obey all the decrees and commands I am giving you today, all will be well with you and your children. I am giving you these instructions so you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”

Eastern Cities of Refuge

⁴¹Then Moses set apart three cities of refuge east of the Jordan River. ⁴²Anyone who killed another person unintentionally, without previous hostility, could flee there to live in safety. ⁴³These were the cities: Bezer on the wilderness plateau for the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead for the tribe of Gad; Golan in Bashan for the tribe of Manasseh.

Introduction to Moses’ Second Address

⁴⁴This is the body of instruction that Moses presented to the Israelites. ⁴⁵These are the laws, decrees, and regulations that Moses gave to the people of Israel when they left Egypt, ⁴⁶and as they camped in the valley near Beth-peor east of the Jordan River. (This land was formerly occupied by the Amorites under King Sihon, who ruled from Heshbon. But Moses and the Israelites destroyed him and his people when they came up from Egypt. ⁴⁷Israel took possession of his land and that of King Og of Bashan—the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan. ⁴⁸So Israel conquered the entire area from Aroer at the edge of the Arnon Gorge all the way to Mount Sirion,^[d] also called Mount Hermon. ⁴⁹And they conquered the eastern bank of the Jordan River as far south as the Dead Sea,^[e] below the slopes of Pisgah.)

Footnotes:

4:10 Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai; also in 4:15.
4:13 Hebrew the ten words.
4:33 Or voice of a god.
4:48 As in Syriac version (see also 3:9); Hebrew reads Mount Sion.
4:49 Hebrew took the Arabah on the east side of the Jordan as far as the sea of the Arabah.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Luke 6:39-7:10

³⁹Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? ⁴⁰Students^[a] are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.

⁴¹“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye^[b] when you have a log in your own? ⁴²How can you think of saying, ‘Friend,^[c] let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

The Tree and Its Fruit

⁴³“A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. ⁴⁴A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. ⁴⁵A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.

Building on a Solid Foundation

⁴⁶“So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? ⁴⁷I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. ⁴⁸It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. ⁴⁹But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”

The Faith of a Roman Officer

7 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people, he returned to Capernaum. ²At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer^[d] was sick and near death. ³When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. ⁴So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, ⁵“for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.”

⁶So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. ⁷I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. ⁸I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”

⁹When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” ¹⁰And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.

Footnotes:

6:40 Or Disciples.
6:41 Greek your brother’s eye; also in 6:42.
6:42 Greek Brother.
7:2 Greek a centurion; similarly in 7:6.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Psalm 68:1-18

Psalm 68

For the choir director: A song. A psalm of David.

¹Rise up, O God, and scatter your enemies.
Let those who hate God run for their lives.
²Blow them away like smoke.
Melt them like wax in a fire.
Let the wicked perish in the presence of God.
³But let the godly rejoice.
Let them be glad in God’s presence.
Let them be filled with joy.
⁴Sing praises to God and to his name!
Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.^[a]
His name is the Lord—
rejoice in his presence!

⁵Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—
this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
⁶God places the lonely in families;
he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.
But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

⁷O God, when you led your people out from Egypt,
when you marched through the dry wasteland, Interlude
⁸the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain
before you, the God of Sinai,
before God, the God of Israel.
⁹You sent abundant rain, O God,
to refresh the weary land.
¹⁰There your people finally settled,
and with a bountiful harvest, O God,
you provided for your needy people.

¹¹The Lord gives the word,
and a great army^[b] brings the good news.
¹²Enemy kings and their armies flee,
while the women of Israel divide the plunder.
¹³Even those who lived among the sheepfolds found treasures—
doves with wings of silver
and feathers of gold.
¹⁴The Almighty scattered the enemy kings
like a blowing snowstorm on Mount Zalmon.

¹⁵The mountains of Bashan are majestic,
with many peaks stretching high into the sky.
¹⁶Why do you look with envy, O rugged mountains,
at Mount Zion, where God has chosen to live,
where the Lord himself will live forever?

¹⁷Surrounded by unnumbered thousands of chariots,
the Lord came from Mount Sinai into his sanctuary.
¹⁸When you ascended to the heights,
you led a crowd of captives.
You received gifts from the people,
even from those who rebelled against you.
Now the Lord God will live among us there.

Footnotes:

68:4 Or rides through the deserts.
68:11 Or a host of women.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Proverbs 11:28

²⁸Trust in your money and down you go!
But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.

New Living Translation (NLT)

March 24, 2020

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday March 24, 2020 (NIV)

Deuteronomy 2-3

Remembering Israel’s Wanderings

2 “Then we turned around and headed back across the wilderness toward the Red Sea,^[a] just as the Lord had instructed me, and we wandered around in the region of Mount Seir for a long time.

²“Then at last the Lord said to me, ³‘You have been wandering around in this hill country long enough; turn to the north. ⁴Give these orders to the people: “You will pass through the country belonging to your relatives the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. The Edomites will feel threatened, so be careful. ⁵Do not bother them, for I have given them all the hill country around Mount Seir as their property, and I will not give you even one square foot of their land. ⁶If you need food to eat or water to drink, pay them for it. ⁷For the Lord your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He has watched your every step through this great wilderness. During these forty years, the Lord your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing.”’

⁸“So we bypassed the territory of our relatives, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We avoided the road through the Arabah Valley that comes up from Elath and Ezion-geber.

“Then as we turned north along the desert route through Moab, ⁹the Lord warned us, ‘Do not bother the Moabites, the descendants of Lot, or start a war with them. I have given them Ar as their property, and I will not give you any of their land.’”

¹⁰(A race of giants called the Emites had once lived in the area of Ar. They were as strong and numerous and tall as the Anakites, another race of giants. ¹¹Both the Emites and the Anakites are also known as the Rephaites, though the Moabites call them Emites. ¹²In earlier times the Horites had lived in Seir, but they were driven out and displaced by the descendants of Esau, just as Israel drove out the people of Canaan when the Lord gave Israel their land.)

¹³Moses continued, “Then the Lord said to us, ‘Get moving. Cross the Zered Brook.’ So we crossed the brook.

¹⁴“Thirty-eight years passed from the time we first left Kadesh-barnea until we finally crossed the Zered Brook! By then, all the men old enough to fight in battle had died in the wilderness, as the Lord had vowed would happen. ¹⁵The Lord struck them down until they had all been eliminated from the community.

¹⁶“When all the men of fighting age had died, ¹⁷the Lord said to me, ¹⁸‘Today you will cross the border of Moab at Ar ¹⁹and enter the land of the Ammonites, the descendants of Lot. But do not bother them or start a war with them. I have given the land of Ammon to them as their property, and I will not give you any of their land.’”

²⁰(That area was once considered the land of the Rephaites, who had lived there, though the Ammonites call them Zamzummites. ²¹They were also as strong and numerous and tall as the Anakites. But the Lord destroyed them so the Ammonites could occupy their land. ²²He had done the same for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir, for he destroyed the Horites so they could settle there in their place. The descendants of Esau live there to this day. ²³A similar thing happened when the Caphtorites from Crete^[b] invaded and destroyed the Avvites, who had lived in villages in the area of Gaza.)

²⁴Moses continued, “Then the Lord said, ‘Now get moving! Cross the Arnon Gorge. Look, I will hand over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and I will give you his land. Attack him and begin to occupy the land. ²⁵Beginning today I will make people throughout the earth terrified because of you. When they hear reports about you, they will tremble with dread and fear.’”

Victory over Sihon of Heshbon

²⁶Moses continued, “From the wilderness of Kedemoth I sent ambassadors to King Sihon of Heshbon with this proposal of peace:

²⁷‘Let us travel through your land. We will stay on the main road and won’t turn off into the fields on either side. ²⁸Sell us food to eat and water to drink, and we will pay for it. All we want is permission to pass through your land. ²⁹The descendants of Esau who live in Seir allowed us to go through their country, and so did the Moabites, who live in Ar. Let us pass through until we cross the Jordan into the land the Lord our God is giving us.’

³⁰“But King Sihon of Heshbon refused to allow us to pass through, because the Lord your God made Sihon stubborn and defiant so he could help you defeat him, as he has now done.

³¹“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Look, I have begun to hand King Sihon and his land over to you. Begin now to conquer and occupy his land.’

³²“Then King Sihon declared war on us and mobilized his forces at Jahaz. ³³But the Lord our God handed him over to us, and we crushed him, his sons, and all his people. ³⁴We conquered all his towns and completely destroyed^[c] everyone—men, women, and children. Not a single person was spared. ³⁵We took all the livestock as plunder for ourselves, along with anything of value from the towns we ransacked.

³⁶“The Lord our God also helped us conquer Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Gorge, and the town in the gorge, and the whole area as far as Gilead. No town had walls too strong for us. ³⁷However, we avoided the land of the Ammonites all along the Jabbok River and the towns in the hill country—all the places the Lord our God had commanded us to leave alone.

Victory over Og of Bashan

3 “Next we turned and headed for the land of Bashan, where King Og and his entire army attacked us at Edrei. ²But the Lord told me, ‘Do not be afraid of him, for I have given you victory over Og and his entire army, and I will give you all his land. Treat him just as you treated King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.’

³“So the Lord our God handed King Og and all his people over to us, and we killed them all. Not a single person survived. ⁴We conquered all sixty of his towns—the entire Argob region in his kingdom of Bashan. Not a single town escaped our conquest. ⁵These towns were all fortified with high walls and barred gates. We also took many unwalled villages at the same time. ⁶We completely destroyed^[d] the kingdom of Bashan, just as we had destroyed King Sihon of Heshbon. We destroyed all the people in every town we conquered—men, women, and children alike. ⁷But we kept all the livestock for ourselves and took plunder from all the towns.

⁸“So we took the land of the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River—all the way from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon. ⁹(Mount Hermon is called Sirion by the Sidonians, and the Amorites call it Senir.) ¹⁰We had now conquered all the cities on the plateau and all Gilead and Bashan, as far as the towns of Salecah and Edrei, which were part of Og’s kingdom in Bashan. ¹¹(King Og of Bashan was the last survivor of the giant Rephaites. His bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide.^[e] It can still be seen in the Ammonite city of Rabbah.)

Land Division East of the Jordan

¹²“When we took possession of this land, I gave to the tribes of Reuben and Gad the territory beyond Aroer along the Arnon Gorge, plus half of the hill country of Gilead with its towns. ¹³Then I gave the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan—Og’s former kingdom—to the half-tribe of Manasseh. (This entire Argob region of Bashan used to be known as the land of the Rephaites. ¹⁴Jair, a leader from the tribe of Manasseh, conquered the whole Argob region in Bashan, all the way to the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites. Jair renamed this region after himself, calling it the Towns of Jair,^[f] as it is still known today.) ¹⁵I gave Gilead to the clan of Makir. ¹⁶But I also gave part of Gilead to the tribes of Reuben and Gad. The area I gave them extended from the middle of the Arnon Gorge in the south to the Jabbok River on the Ammonite frontier. ¹⁷They also received the Jordan Valley, all the way from the Sea of Galilee down to the Dead Sea,^[g] with the Jordan River serving as the western boundary. To the east were the slopes of Pisgah.

¹⁸“At that time I gave this command to the tribes that would live east of the Jordan: ‘Although the Lord your God has given you this land as your property, all your fighting men must cross the Jordan ahead of your Israelite relatives, armed and ready to assist them. ¹⁹Your wives, children, and numerous livestock, however, may stay behind in the towns I have given you. ²⁰When the Lord has given security to the rest of the Israelites, as he has to you, and when they occupy the land the Lord your God is giving them across the Jordan River, then you may all return here to the land I have given you.’

Moses Forbidden to Enter the Land

²¹“At that time I gave Joshua this charge: ‘You have seen for yourself everything the Lord your God has done to these two kings. He will do the same to all the kingdoms on the west side of the Jordan. ²²Do not be afraid of the nations there, for the Lord your God will fight for you.’

²³“At that time I pleaded with the Lord and said, ²⁴‘O Sovereign Lord, you have only begun to show your greatness and the strength of your hand to me, your servant. Is there any god in heaven or on earth who can perform such great and mighty deeds as you do? ²⁵Please let me cross the Jordan to see the wonderful land on the other side, the beautiful hill country and the Lebanon mountains.’

²⁶“But the Lord was angry with me because of you, and he would not listen to me. ‘That’s enough!’ he declared. ‘Speak of it no more. ²⁷But go up to Pisgah Peak, and look over the land in every direction. Take a good look, but you may not cross the Jordan River. ²⁸Instead, commission Joshua and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead the people across the Jordan. He will give them all the land you now see before you as their possession.’ ²⁹So we stayed in the valley near Beth-peor.

Footnotes:

2:1 Hebrew sea of reeds.
2:23 Hebrew from Caphtor.
2:34 The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
3:6 The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; also in 3:6b.
3:11 Hebrew 9 cubits [4.1 meters] long and 4 cubits [1.8 meters] wide.
3:14 Hebrew Havvoth-jair.
3:17 Hebrew from Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Luke 6:12-38

Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles

¹²One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. ¹³At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names:

¹⁴Simon (whom he named Peter),
Andrew (Peter’s brother),
James,
John,
Philip,
Bartholomew,
¹⁵Matthew,
Thomas,
James (son of Alphaeus),
Simon (who was called the zealot),
¹⁶Judas (son of James),
Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

Crowds Follow Jesus

¹⁷When they came down from the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a large, level area, surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds. There were people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and from as far north as the seacoasts of Tyre and Sidon. ¹⁸They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those troubled by evil^[a] spirits were healed. ¹⁹Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out from him, and he healed everyone.

The Beatitudes

²⁰Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said,

“God blesses you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
²¹God blesses you who are hungry now,
for you will be satisfied.
God blesses you who weep now,
for in due time you will laugh.

²²What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. ²³When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.

Sorrows Foretold

²⁴“What sorrow awaits you who are rich,
for you have your only happiness now.
²⁵What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now,
for a time of awful hunger awaits you.
What sorrow awaits you who laugh now,
for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.
²⁶What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds,
for their ancestors also praised false prophets.

Love for Enemies

²⁷“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. ²⁸Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. ²⁹If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. ³⁰Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. ³¹Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

³²“If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! ³³And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! ³⁴And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.

³⁵“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. ³⁶You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

Do Not Judge Others

³⁷“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.^[b]”

Footnotes:

6:18 Greek unclean.
6:38 Or The measure you give will be the measure you get back.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Psalm 67

For the choir director: A song. A psalm, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.

¹May God be merciful and bless us.
May his face smile with favor on us. Interlude

²May your ways be known throughout the earth,
your saving power among people everywhere.
³May the nations praise you, O God.
Yes, may all the nations praise you.
⁴Let the whole world sing for joy,
because you govern the nations with justice
and guide the people of the whole world. Interlude

⁵May the nations praise you, O God.
Yes, may all the nations praise you.
⁶Then the earth will yield its harvests,
and God, our God, will richly bless us.
⁷Yes, God will bless us,
and people all over the world will fear him.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Proverbs 11:27

²⁷If you search for good, you will find favor;
but if you search for evil, it will find you!

New Living Translation (NLT)

March 24, 2020

03/24/2020 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29, Luke 6:12-38, Psalms 67:1-7, Proverbs 11:27

Today is the 24^th day of March, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is a joy to be here with you around the Global Campfire where it’s always nice and cozy and where God’s word is allowed to speak into our lives. It is a joy to be here with you today. So, yesterday we started the final book of the Torah or the Pentateuch, which is the book of Deuteronomy. And, so, that’s where we’ll camping out for a little while. And as we mentioned about Deuteronomy, these are the final discourses, the final things Moses has to say to the children of Israel before he becomes a part of their history. And they move on forward without him. These are the things that he wanted to say. And, so, some of this is a review but it’s being said to a new generation on the precipice of crossing into the Promise Land. And, so, we’re reading from the New Living Translation this week. Deuteronomy chapter 2 and 3.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in the Gospel of Luke today we…we revisited what’s known as the Sermon on the Mount and we went to that at length when we went through in the Gospel of Matthew. The gospel of Luke has a retelling of this, a little shorter one. But again, when it…when we listened to Jesus words at the Sermon on the Mount it’s like He is describing something that ignites something in our hearts, but it seems that He’s describing a way of being in this world that’s really almost the opposite of the way that it seems that the world works, which is somewhat His point. “God blesses you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.” And like, we’re not trying to be poor, usually in our life. “God blesses you who are hungry now, you will be satisfied. We’re not usually going for that. “God blesses you who are weak now. In due time you’ll laugh.” We don’t usually go for that…like that’s not we’re waking up in the morning with the agenda to do, like how…how much can I weep today? Conversely, He says, “what sorrow awaits you who are rich”, which is the objective, is to accumulate. Like, that’s the way of the world, and it keeps providing us products and services to buy to make us feel like we’re getting somewhere. And Jesus says, “you have your only happiness now if you do that. What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now. A time of awful hunger awaits you. What sorrow awaits you who laugh now”, right, so on and so forth. Essentially, Jesus is kind of describing the wheel of humanity, like the way that things keep repeating themselves. So, on the one hand, Jesus is talking to the people who are at the bottom, the poor, the hungry, those who weep, those who are like at the bottom of the Ferris wheel, as it were. They are in a good position because they can get off the wheel. Their entanglements have been stripped away. They can have eyes to see. They can see there’s a completely different way of being here, you don’t have to play all those games. But those who have, right, those who have things that they need to hoard and protect, those who have arranged for a life that now they’ve gotta try to figure out a way to keep it and not let it slip through their hands. it’s not gonna…it’s not gonna bring the satisfaction that we were looking for. It’ll just keep spinning. Those who are at the top now, some day will be at the bottom. It just keeps spinning and spinning and spinning. Jesus is modeling a way of being here that is true to how we were created to be and it’s almost opposite of the way that we…we live, the way that we think things are. So, if we did live into this, what would our lives then look like? I mean, what can we expect? Because we often have like a quid pro quo kind of mentality. “If I sacrifice. If I do this. If I am faithful, then God is bound to be nice to me. He’s bound to give me what I want.” What can we actually expect though? And Jesus says, “what blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. When that happens be happy. Leap for joy. A great reward awaits you in heaven. And if you are willing to listen, I say love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who hurt you, someone slaps you on the cheek, offer the other cheek, if someone demands your coat offer your shirt. Give to anyone who asks. When things are taken away from you don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you. Love your enemies, do good to them, lend them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great and you will truly be acting as children of the most-high for He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate just as your father is compassionate. Do not judge others and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others. It’ll all come back against you. Forgive others and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full. This is such a different way of living, of being in this world because it’s one that isn’t tethered to this world. If all of your investment of all of your life is to accumulate things you can experience for the short period of time that you have health and stamina to build it up, that’s all there is. What Jesus is saying is there’s kind of a currency that flows through the kingdom of God that reveals no one is lacking in anything, there’s nothing to hoard. And if you want to operate in God’s kingdom, then you’ll have to be sort of like an open water source. We talked about the Dead Sea, I don’t remember, like month ago or whatever about how there’s no outflow and how it is dead. But how the Sea of Galilee, billions of gallons of water running through their and it hasn’t run dry. That’s how the kingdom of God works, at least as described by Jesus. And we can see that the things, the treasures that we’re laying up for ourselves, they can be earthly but that’s all there is. But if we’re storing up treasures in heaven…if we’re living from the inside out with the objective of not how much we can get while we’re here, but how much we can give…and I’m just talking about money…I’m not talking about money, I’m talking about our hearts, our lives, the weight of who we are in this world. The fact that we are here as a child of the most-high. What are we doing with that? The odd thing about the kingdom of God according Jesus is that when you are wide open like that, when you’ll give anything, you’ll lack nothing. So, once again we have some things to think about as we go into our day about how it is that we are participating, how it is that we are in God’s kingdom, like how that is actually lived out in our lives, in our postures, in our motives, in our heart

Prayer:

Jesus, we invite you into all of that. We wouldn’t be here if this wasn’t the desire, if it wasn’t a desire to know and understand your will and your ways in our lives and to be nourished from within by the word of God. And, so, we want to be actively participating in your kingdom on this earth and revealing it. And we’re gonna have to have eyes to see so we get glimpses. And we want to be fully awake. And this is our prayer. Wake us up to see what’s really going on here. We are so tethered to our physical senses that so often it feels like whatever is happening to us in our bodies around us in circumstance, this is all there is. And you’re simply telling us if that’s how you’re going to look at it, then you are exactly right, that’s all there is, but if you open your eyes there’s so much more. Open our eyes God. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In Jesus name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website and its home base and its where you find out what’s going on around here. And a lot of things that are going on around here are going on everywhere. And what’s going on everywhere is pulling us into further and further isolation. And this is a place where we don’t need to do that.

So, like at dailyaudiobible.com in the Community section is the Prayer Wall and that’s always happening. And this is a fantastic time to turn outward and pray for one another. And, so, be sure to check that out and in the Community section or the other kind of social media channels that we…we are on. So, there’s no…no reason to get completely isolated. Let’s stay connected in this time. It’s warm, it’s safe here around the Global Campfire.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that dailyaudiobible.com as well and I thank you profoundly, humbly for your partnership, especially as we go through all of this. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the little red button at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

March 23, 2020

03/23/2020 DAB Transcript

Numbers 36:1 - Deuteronomy 1:46, Luke 5:29-6:11, Psalms 66:1-20, Proverbs 11:24-26

Today is the 23^rd day of March, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is awesome to be here with you today as we kinda dive into our work week. Today we’re going to conclude the book of Numbers in the Old Testament and move our way into the next book, which is the final book of the Pentateuch, Deuteronomy. So, let’s dive in and cover that ground. We’ll talk about Deuteronomy when we get there, but let’s conclude the book of Numbers. Numbers chapter 36.

Introduction to the book of Deuteronomy:

Okay. So, that concludes the book of Numbers which brings us to the final book of the Torah or the Pentateuch, Deuteronomy. As we get into this book over the coming days, we may get a sense, “like didn’t we read this? Haven’t we already covered this territory?” And the answer would be, “yes, we actually have.” But there’s a reason that we’re revisiting this territory and we understand the reason that has gravity and actually allows us to pay more deeper attention. The book of Deuteronomy is basically three final discourses, three final announcements to the children of Israel from Moses and these are his final words. And, so, we’ve been with Moses for a long time now. These are the final words of Moses. This is the last thing that he wants to be set before he becomes a part of history. So, Moses is older now and as we…we know he won’t be crossing over the Jordan into the Promise Land with the children of Israel. Joshua has been appointed to take that mantle and lead them forward. So, these are Moses’s last words. And, so, he’s gathered the people together to say these final…like to leave nothing unsaid that he needed to say because this isn’t just a long goodbye. And we’ll see what he’s saying is intended to remind these people of who they are and how they got here, like where they came from and to remind them where they’re going and to warn them about the pitfalls that they’ll face when they get there. So, if we take that approach to the book of Deuteronomy we’ll be in the proper context. If we know that we’ve traveled…like if…we’ve been a part of this story. We’ve been with the children of Israel in the wilderness and all of the trials that they faced. Now they’re poised and ready. A new generation has emerged and this prophet Moses, the one who came and delivered them out of Egypt with the mighty hand of God behind them, he’s about to leave them. This is what he has to say.

Commentary:

So, in the gospel of Luke today we see a series of interactions that Jesus had along the path of His ministry and now He…He has the religious leaders following Him around and kind of asking Him about everything, but not in a good way, like they’re critiquing everything that He does because He’s in so many ways flying in the face of tradition. And, so, in each of these interactions today He’s explaining things about the kingdom of God for those who have eyes to see. So, our first interaction is Jesus is at the home of a tax collector. He’s a guest and His disciples are talking to the religious leaders who are asking, “why do you eat and drink with such scum?” Jesus answers, “healthy people don’t need a doctor. Sick people need a doctor. I didn’t come to those who think they’re righteous. I came to those who know they’re not. They know they’re sinners and need to repent”, right? The juxtaposition is apparent there. The people in charge of caring for the souls of God’s people, feel superior and look down on anyone that’s not with them. And Jesus is like, “I’m not even interested in that. I’m interested in the people who know deeply, desperately their need for God.” The funny thing is that the religious leaders, they think they’re doing all that they’re doing on behalf of God. So, we see…we see the contrast here so clearly and it can still be seen in the world today. And then some people come and ask about John the Baptist and the Pharisees, like the disciples that follow them around and they…they…they live this very austere life, they’re fasting all the time crying out to God for change. And, so, they’re asking Jesus, “why don't…why don’t you…like why don’t you guys do this?” And Jesus is like, “yeah, when you go to a wedding feast you don’t fast, you celebrate. And what’s happening here is celebration, the kingdom of God is at hand. They’ll have time to fast because of what’s going to come.” The next thing we see is Jesus giving an illustration of…of the times. “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old one because then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn’t even match the old one. Nobody puts new wine into old wineskins. The new wine would burst the wineskins spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be stored in new wineskins.” So, what is He saying here? “I’m not here to patch up the old way. A new thing is being done. The rituals will not save you, the Spirit underneath them will.” And He concludes that example by saying, “no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. The old is just fine they say.” So, the message underneath it all, from Jesus to the Pharisees seems to be, “God couldn’t do a new thing among you even if you wanted to. You won’t let Him.” And in other interactions He says that explicitly. He tells them, “you’ve locked the kingdom…you locked the door to the kingdom of heaven and you won’t go in and you won’t let anybody else in either.” And then we have a couple of Sabbath day interactions. They’re walking through a field. They grab some heads of grain. They rub them together and they eat them. And the pharisees are complaining, “why are you breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?” In this case Jesus simply goes back to the Scriptures that they know and shows them other occurrences in the Bible where this happened. And His point is that they’re missing the point. Like, this letter of the law, this ritualistic tradition without the Spirit underneath it that created these laws, without God below it is nothing, empty ritual. And He declares Himself Lord over the Sabbath. Then there’s another Sabbath day and a man has a deformed hand and everybody’s watching to see if Jesus is going to make a move on the Sabbath. Like, that’s literally what they’re waiting to see, is this guy gonna heal somebody on the Sabbath? Not like, “is this guy gonna heal somebody? Like, is the power of God going to descend upon us and grace us here?” No, they’re watching to see whether He’s gonna break the rules. And, so, again, He exposes the whole thing. “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it? Honestly, we can read these things and go like, “dahhh! Like He’s just…He’s just speaking it clearly. How are they not seeing it?” But they’re not. The people are seeing it clearly. The religious people, the religious leaders are not. These kinds of interactions happen so often in Jesus ministry that we realize that part of what Jesus is doing in His ministry is exposing the falseness of what had become of their faith. So, He asked the question, “is it a good thing or a bad thing to do good, to bring life on the Sabbath?” And then the Scriptures say He looked around at them one by one. So, He looked everybody in the eye after asking that question. And then He healed the man. And the last verse of our reading, which kinda concludes this series of interactions, “at this the enemies of Jesus were wild with rage and began to discuss what to do with him.” That is their reaction to what Jesus ministry is doing. The light came into the darkness and the darkness didn’t comprehend it. The fundamental issue going on in all of these interactions is Jesus is trying to announce that the kingdom of heaven is here and among and within, it’s happening, it’s going on. A new thing is being done in the world and the religious leaders in this case are doing everything possible to oppose it. We can see that in the Scriptures. We can believe that. We can enter into that story and go, “Jesus is a master at this. He always knows what’s going on. He always knows what to say.” And, so, we can read that and go, “I’m glad I’m following Jesus” until we personalize, until we bring these stories close to home and then they have questions for ourselves because we are often asking God to do a new thing. We are often collectively worshiping and asking God to pour out new wine, to restore us, to make us new again, to make all things new again. But what if He does. Do we take that new thing and try to pour it back into old wineskins that will burst because of it? Do we see God doing this new thing in our hearts and we see it and we get a pair of scissors and we cut off a square of it so that we can use that new thing as a patch for the old? Are we buried in our traditions? Are we cemented in our doctrine? Like, are we trapped so that God couldn’t do a new thing in us even if He desired to because we’re closed off even while asking Him to do a new thing? And those are some things to consider from what we’re seen come out of the gospel of Luke today.

Prayer:

Jesus, we invite You into that. There is no doubt that each and every one of us want You to do a new thing, not only on the earth but in our hearts but so often when You begin to move and it wasn’t as prescribed, it wasn’t how we intended it, it wasn’t how we wanted it, You’re moving us in a different way somehow inside, then we start to question whether or not it could be You. We go back and try to filter it back through everything that was old. Make us aware. We’re asking for the eyes to see. We’re asking for the ears to hear. We’re not asking that we might be deceived into something. We’re asking that we might see what You’re doing in the world and get on board with it whatever it is, wherever it is, whatever we see, wherever You lead, to know and have this confident relationship, this deep intimacy, this conversation that never ends with You, so that where You lead we follow no matter what gets said. But the only path we want to walk is the narrow path that leads to life. And we love You. We have given our hearts to You and we’re sorry. We are sorry for the ways that we take it back. We are sorry for the areas that we have not surrendered yet. This is a process and Your Holy Spirit is leading us. All we want is to walk into the truth into complete freedom. And, so come Holy Spirit You promised You would lead us into all truth. This is our desire. Lead us into all truth no matter what we think about…no matter what we judge it, how we judge it. Whatever You are doing that is where we want to be. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, it is home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here.

And lots of interesting things are going on around here as we face this…this new week and some…some changes. This is a real…a great time to stay connected even as we get more and more disconnected physically from each other. This has always been a safe place to stay connected around the Global Campfire. And, so, be sure to do that.

At dailyaudiobible.com there’s a Community section and in the Community section are a number of links to where we are on social media. And it’s a great…it’s a great time to get and stay connected. The Prayer Wall lives there as well, which is an ongoing, all the time, never closed space to come and just not carry things all by ourselves anymore. And, so, be sure to visit the Prayer Wall and maybe you…you have some things you need prayer for, but maybe also you want to give of yourself, you want to intercede over these things. This…these are the things that keep us connected in Spirit and no virus can take that away. So, let’s stay connected even as we get more and more disconnected.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that dailyaudiobible.com as well. There is a link on the homepage. I thank you profoundly. The…the Global Campfire that we share that’s been burning for all these years is here because we each take turns and throw logs on and we keep it burning and for such a time as this, my goodness, what a joy that we have this safe space to go and allow God’s word to speak to us. So, thank you for your partnership. There’s a link on the homepage. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, the mailing address, if you prefer, is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, the little red button at the top and so nice that we have this, so nice that we have a hotline that we can press and reach out and know that we’re not alone. So, you can reach out there or you can dial 877-942-4253. That’s the number if you are in the Americas. If you are in Europe or the UK 44-20-3608-8078. And if you are in Australia or the lands down under 61-3-8820-5459 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi Daily Audio Bible this is Sierra from Orlando Florida. I called on March 4^th and I kind of just discovered your app and I was praying for my upcoming missions trip. Due to the coronavirus outbreak and panic and all that stuff my…my missionary school got postponed at least a month. And also, my grandpa who not only isn’t a believer but hates God and hates that part of me who I’ve been living with just kicked me out of his house because…because of all my coming and going to help people or help my church and serve at the soup kitchen and things outside of the house. He was paranoid that I was going to bring the virus into the house. And, so, right now I’m living with a church member for a few weeks until April 7^th, but the earliest my mission’s thing will start will be May 4^th. So, I have like a whole month where I have to try figure out where in the live. So, I’m trying to walk in the Lord and I’m incredibly grateful and He’s been providing for me in terms of finding this house for a few weeks but I feel kind of hurt like just in general because my grandpa and I really want to listen to and obey the Lord’s calling in my life. So, if you guys could just pray for me for guidance and peace in this time, but just in general to show me the way forward whether I should be doing the missions trip in a month or if there’s another opportunity God wants to show me. Thank you so much.

Father God thank You so much for the Daily Audio Bible. Thank You, Lord that it is an online community. Thank You, Lord that we can still meet together as we have always done online through the podcast, through our phone calls, through Facebook, and over social media and however else. Thank You, Lord that this hasn’t changed. Father God, as our routines have changed where now…we’re probably having to work from home or work differently than we did before or we’re actually having to care and school our children throughout the day, whatever it is. Just life has changed drastically. Help us to find You in all of this Lord. Help us to put You at the center. Help us to fix our eyes on You and find You in everything of our lives. Father God give us wisdom and give us courage and patience as we deal with these new measures that are in place to protect ourselves and to protect each other. Please Lord, be giving wisdom to our leaders. Please Lord be giving strength and energy and resources to our healthcare staff and our medical staff and all of those people in front-line jobs because we can’t just stop Lord and there’s jobs that still need to happen. And us Lord that You’d be at work and You be our provider throughout all this. And I thank You Lord that we can rest in You, we can trust in You and we can cast all our anxieties about the situation on You. Give us hope Lord. Thank You for the hope that You give us. In Jesus holy and precious name. Amen. All right guys is Michaela from Gloucester. I hope you have a blessed day wherever you are. Bye.

Good morning friends this is Jen in SoCal a.k.a. Prayer Warrior Princess. Father with suffering you bring fellowship with Christ, You bring wisdom and maturity, You bring cleansing and holiness peace and quiet. With suffering You bring contentment and stillness. With suffering You bring freedom. You give us empathy for others when we suffer. You bring us comfort. You awaken us. You bring revival. After the suffering You bring joy and laughter in the morning. With suffering You bring us perspective, eyes to see and ears to hear. You bring us strength and stamina and perseverance and holiness. Father, have thine own way Lord. Have thine own way. Mold us and make us. Have thine own way in Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Speak for You from Columbus Ohio a 12-year listener and a first-time collar. I’d like to first thank Brian for being obedient to God’s calling in making a digital community all those years ago and a __ community that’s built on His word. As we deal with this coronavirus and many of us now are turning to the digital world to do church, Brian has led the way that God was preparing us as Brian was obedient. And, so, now I would ask that you would pray for pastors, pray for pastors as we try to lead our people in this digital world, in a world where we’re not permitted to come together as community in the physical buildings and in physical space. Pray for us as we figure out what to do with Easter. How do we celebrate in a way that’s different than we’ve ever celebrated before? And I would ask that you would give a…pray for wisdom as we lead our people to love our neighbors and as we care for our people boldly. I would also ask that you would join me as I begin to fast and pray on Good Friday and that maybe the Christian church, the whole church of Jesus would come together on that day to fast and pray and ask God for restoration, for forgiveness, mercy and for healing and that this virus could be eliminated because of the power of God and He could get the glory. And finally, I want to thank Blind Tony. Thank you for your poetry. Thank you for how it lifts us up and finally thank you DAB family.

Hey this is Jared calling from Duluth Minnesota. I’d like to ask prayer specifically about the coronavirus but more particularly to pray for those who are suffering with mental health issues as the stress and anxiety of this is pretty overwhelming. As I’ve shared before I am bipolar, and I have two kids that are bipolar and a week ago we got a call in the middle of the night at…my daughter said she had a gun and that she’s going to commit suicide and had written a note. We called 911 and the police got there before we did, and she was arrested for public intoxication and is holding us responsible for calling 911 or calling the police on her. And, so, the situation has kinda been strained. And my son is…we haven’t spoke to him in the last four months or so because he has believed a lie that we’ve rejected him some way and somehow house. And, so, the mental health issues are really, really difficult for those who struggle with anxiety and depression and bipolar disorder. Pray that they would have peace during this time of unusual stress. Thank you so much. God bless. Bye.

Hi everyone, its Lisa the Encourager I have been calling in lately and trying to pray for all of our children, all the Daily Audio Bible children and I want to continue to do that tonight; however, I want to focus on praying for Yolanda’s son Al today and I want to focus on him because the Lord really laid something on my heart. I’m a little bit behind in listening and the passage that Brian read tonight really stood out to me. And that was the part about Jesus being blindfolded and then struck by the soldiers. And they were mocking Him and saying, “now tell us who struck you. Tell us who struck you.”. And I…you know…so many things happened to Jesus when He was crucified…before He was crucified on the cross and I never really thought about this exact moment and how Jesus’ heart must’ve been just tearing up inside. So, and it was a form of bullying of course. And, so, I just wanted to encourage you Yolanda in knowing that Al is in such incredible company with Jesus and that he, when he’s a little bit dismayed about his friends and people perhaps not being friendly to him, if somehow you can encourage him know in what wonderful company he’s in with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And just maybe that would help warm his heart in knowing that Jesus was put in the same position. And I’m gonna pray for sweet Al. Dear Lord, thank You so much for giving me this on my heart…laying this on my heart to share with everyone, this horrific thing that You had to go through prior to being crucified and how that must’ve just broke Your heart Lord. It broke my heart. And I’m just praying for Al Lord, that he’s encouraged through this and no that he…and You love him so much God and that You are there for him through everything …

Hey Daily Audio Bible family this is Asia from Chicago. I’m calling to ask for prayer. I’m in a pretty…I’m pretty down right now. This whole coronavirus has been really impacting me for more than just the social distancing and watching people suffering and afraid. But as you all know my is Asia and I am Chinese. My dad is Caucasian, and my mom is an immigrant from Taiwan. And I’m Chinese and my heart is just very heavy right now at the racism that I’ve watched that I’ve encountered firsthand, violence, fear, hatred. I’m sitting outside just in the darkness by myself looking at the trees and feeling the wind and I feel the comfort of God, but I also feel the weight of darkness. And I’m very proud to be Chinese. I know that God is going to use this, but please pray for me. Pray for my other brothers and sisters that are Asian. We are under one of BS right now honestly, a lot of crap simply because of how we look and where were from. And I fear…I fear…and I’m trying not to fear. I’m trying to have faith but please pray for me. Pray for us. This is Asia from Chicago. I love you all. Thank you.

March 23, 2020

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday March 23, 2020 (NIV)

Numbers 36 - Deuteronomy 1

Women Who Inherit Property

36 Then the heads of the clans of Gilead—descendants of Makir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph—came to Moses and the family leaders of Israel with a petition. ²They said, “Sir, the Lord instructed you to divide the land by sacred lot among the people of Israel. You were told by the Lord to give the grant of land owned by our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. ³But if they marry men from another tribe, their grants of land will go with them to the tribe into which they marry. In this way, the total area of our tribal land will be reduced. ⁴Then when the Year of Jubilee comes, their portion of land will be added to that of the new tribe, causing it to be lost forever to our ancestral tribe.”

⁵So Moses gave the Israelites this command from the Lord: “The claim of the men of the tribe of Joseph is legitimate. ⁶This is what the Lord commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: Let them marry anyone they like, as long as it is within their own ancestral tribe. ⁷None of the territorial land may pass from tribe to tribe, for all the land given to each tribe must remain within the tribe to which it was first allotted. ⁸The daughters throughout the tribes of Israel who are in line to inherit property must marry within their tribe, so that all the Israelites will keep their ancestral property. ⁹No grant of land may pass from one tribe to another; each tribe of Israel must keep its allotted portion of land.”

¹⁰The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses. ¹¹Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah all married cousins on their father’s side. ¹²They married into the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. Thus, their inheritance of land remained within their ancestral tribe.

¹³These are the commands and regulations that the Lord gave to the people of Israel through Moses while they were camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.

Introduction to Moses’ First Address

1 These are the words that Moses spoke to all the people of Israel while they were in the wilderness east of the Jordan River. They were camped in the Jordan Valley^[a] near Suph, between Paran on one side and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab on the other.

²Normally it takes only eleven days to travel from Mount Sinai^[b] to Kadesh-barnea, going by way of Mount Seir. ³But forty years after the Israelites left Egypt, on the first day of the eleventh month,^[c] Moses addressed the people of Israel, telling them everything the Lord had commanded him to say. ⁴This took place after he had defeated King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and at Edrei had defeated King Og of Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth.

⁵While the Israelites were in the land of Moab east of the Jordan River, Moses carefully explained the Lord’s instructions as follows.

The Command to Leave Sinai

⁶“When we were at Mount Sinai, the Lord our God said to us, ‘You have stayed at this mountain long enough. ⁷It is time to break camp and move on. Go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the neighboring regions—the Jordan Valley, the hill country, the western foothills,^[d] the Negev, and the coastal plain. Go to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, and all the way to the great Euphrates River. ⁸Look, I am giving all this land to you! Go in and occupy it, for it is the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to all their descendants.’”

Moses Appoints Leaders from Each Tribe

⁹Moses continued, “At that time I told you, ‘You are too great a burden for me to carry all by myself. ¹⁰The Lord your God has increased your population, making you as numerous as the stars! ¹¹And may the Lord, the God of your ancestors, multiply you a thousand times more and bless you as he promised! ¹²But you are such a heavy load to carry! How can I deal with all your problems and bickering? ¹³Choose some well-respected men from each tribe who are known for their wisdom and understanding, and I will appoint them as your leaders.’

¹⁴“Then you responded, ‘Your plan is a good one.’ ¹⁵So I took the wise and respected men you had selected from your tribes and appointed them to serve as judges and officials over you. Some were responsible for a thousand people, some for a hundred, some for fifty, and some for ten.

¹⁶“At that time I instructed the judges, ‘You must hear the cases of your fellow Israelites and the foreigners living among you. Be perfectly fair in your decisions ¹⁷and impartial in your judgments. Hear the cases of those who are poor as well as those who are rich. Don’t be afraid of anyone’s anger, for the decision you make is God’s decision. Bring me any cases that are too difficult for you, and I will handle them.’

¹⁸“At that time I gave you instructions about everything you were to do.

Scouts Explore the Land

¹⁹“Then, just as the Lord our God commanded us, we left Mount Sinai and traveled through the great and terrifying wilderness, as you yourselves remember, and headed toward the hill country of the Amorites. When we arrived at Kadesh-barnea, ²⁰I said to you, ‘You have now reached the hill country of the Amorites that the Lord our God is giving us. ²¹Look! He has placed the land in front of you. Go and occupy it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Don’t be afraid! Don’t be discouraged!’

²²“But you all came to me and said, ‘First, let’s send out scouts to explore the land for us. They will advise us on the best route to take and which towns we should enter.’

²³“This seemed like a good idea to me, so I chose twelve scouts, one from each of your tribes. ²⁴They headed for the hill country and came to the valley of Eshcol and explored it. ²⁵They picked some of its fruit and brought it back to us. And they reported, ‘The land the Lord our God has given us is indeed a good land.’

Israel’s Rebellion against the Lord

²⁶“But you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God and refused to go in. ²⁷You complained in your tents and said, ‘The Lord must hate us. That’s why he has brought us here from Egypt—to hand us over to the Amorites to be slaughtered. ²⁸Where can we go? Our brothers have demoralized us with their report. They tell us, “The people of the land are taller and more powerful than we are, and their towns are large, with walls rising high into the sky! We even saw giants there—the descendants of Anak!”’

²⁹“But I said to you, ‘Don’t be shocked or afraid of them! ³⁰The Lord your God is going ahead of you. He will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt. ³¹And you saw how the Lord your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.’

³²“But even after all he did, you refused to trust the Lord your God, ³³who goes before you looking for the best places to camp, guiding you with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day.

³⁴“When the Lord heard your complaining, he became very angry. So he solemnly swore, ³⁵‘Not one of you from this wicked generation will live to see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, ³⁶except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see this land because he has followed the Lord completely. I will give to him and his descendants some of the very land he explored during his scouting mission.’

³⁷“And the Lord was also angry with me because of you. He said to me, ‘Moses, not even you will enter the Promised Land! ³⁸Instead, your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will lead the people into the land. Encourage him, for he will lead Israel as they take possession of it. ³⁹I will give the land to your little ones—your innocent children. You were afraid they would be captured, but they will be the ones who occupy it. ⁴⁰As for you, turn around now and go on back through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.^[e]’

⁴¹“Then you confessed, ‘We have sinned against the Lord! We will go into the land and fight for it, as the Lord our God has commanded us.’ So your men strapped on their weapons, thinking it would be easy to attack the hill country.

⁴²“But the Lord told me to tell you, ‘Do not attack, for I am not with you. If you go ahead on your own, you will be crushed by your enemies.’

⁴³“This is what I told you, but you would not listen. Instead, you again rebelled against the Lord’s command and arrogantly went into the hill country to fight. ⁴⁴But the Amorites who lived there came out against you like a swarm of bees. They chased and battered you all the way from Seir to Hormah. ⁴⁵Then you returned and wept before the Lord, but he refused to listen. ⁴⁶So you stayed there at Kadesh for a long time.

Footnotes:

1:1 Hebrew the Arabah; also in 1:7.
1:2 Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai; also in 1:6, 19.
1:3 Hebrew In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month. This day in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in January or February.
1:7 Hebrew the Shephelah.
1:40 Hebrew sea of reeds.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Luke 5:29-6:11

²⁹Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. ³⁰But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?^[a]”

³¹Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. ³²I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

A Discussion about Fasting

³³One day some people said to Jesus, “John the Baptist’s disciples fast and pray regularly, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Why are your disciples always eating and drinking?”

³⁴Jesus responded, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. ³⁵But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

³⁶Then Jesus gave them this illustration: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn’t even match the old garment.

³⁷“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. ³⁸New wine must be stored in new wineskins. ³⁹But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.”

A Discussion about the Sabbath

6 One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples broke off heads of grain, rubbed off the husks in their hands, and ate the grain. ²But some Pharisees said, “Why are you breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”

³Jesus replied, “Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴He went into the house of God and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests can eat. He also gave some to his companions.” ⁵And Jesus added, “The Son of Man^[b] is Lord, even over the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

⁶On another Sabbath day, a man with a deformed right hand was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching. ⁷The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.

⁸But Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” So the man came forward. ⁹Then Jesus said to his critics, “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?”

¹⁰He looked around at them one by one and then said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! ¹¹At this, the enemies of Jesus were wild with rage and began to discuss what to do with him.

Footnotes:

5:30 Greek with tax collectors and sinners?
6:5 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Psalm 66

For the choir director: A song. A psalm.

¹Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!
²Sing about the glory of his name!
Tell the world how glorious he is.
³Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
Your enemies cringe before your mighty power.
⁴Everything on earth will worship you;
they will sing your praises,
shouting your name in glorious songs.” Interlude

⁵Come and see what our God has done,
what awesome miracles he performs for people!
⁶He made a dry path through the Red Sea,^[a]
and his people went across on foot.
There we rejoiced in him.
⁷For by his great power he rules forever.
He watches every movement of the nations;
let no rebel rise in defiance. Interlude

⁸Let the whole world bless our God
and loudly sing his praises.
⁹Our lives are in his hands,
and he keeps our feet from stumbling.
¹⁰You have tested us, O God;
you have purified us like silver.
¹¹You captured us in your net
and laid the burden of slavery on our backs.
¹²Then you put a leader over us.^[b]
We went through fire and flood,
but you brought us to a place of great abundance.

¹³Now I come to your Temple with burnt offerings
to fulfill the vows I made to you—
¹⁴yes, the sacred vows that I made
when I was in deep trouble.
¹⁵That is why I am sacrificing burnt offerings to you—
the best of my rams as a pleasing aroma,
and a sacrifice of bulls and male goats. Interlude

¹⁶Come and listen, all you who fear God,
and I will tell you what he did for me.
¹⁷For I cried out to him for help,
praising him as I spoke.
¹⁸If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
¹⁹But God did listen!
He paid attention to my prayer.
²⁰Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer
or withdraw his unfailing love from me.

Footnotes:

66:6 Hebrew the sea.
66:12 Or You made people ride over our heads.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Proverbs 11:24-26

²⁴Give freely and become more wealthy;
be stingy and lose everything.

²⁵The generous will prosper;
those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

²⁶People curse those who hoard their grain,
but they bless the one who sells in time of need.

New Living Translation (NLT)

March 23, 2020

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday March 23, 2020 (NIV)

Numbers 36 - Deuteronomy 1

Women Who Inherit Property

¹³These are the commands and regulations that the Lord gave to the people of Israel through Moses while they were camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.

Introduction to Moses’ First Address

⁵While the Israelites were in the land of Moab east of the Jordan River, Moses carefully explained the Lord’s instructions as follows.

The Command to Leave Sinai

Moses Appoints Leaders from Each Tribe

¹⁸“At that time I gave you instructions about everything you were to do.

Scouts Explore the Land

²²“But you all came to me and said, ‘First, let’s send out scouts to explore the land for us. They will advise us on the best route to take and which towns we should enter.’

Israel’s Rebellion against the Lord

⁴²“But the Lord told me to tell you, ‘Do not attack, for I am not with you. If you go ahead on your own, you will be crushed by your enemies.’

Footnotes:

1:1 Hebrew the Arabah; also in 1:7.
1:2 Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai; also in 1:6, 19.
1:3 Hebrew In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month. This day in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in January or February.
1:7 Hebrew the Shephelah.
1:40 Hebrew sea of reeds.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Luke 5:29-6:11

A Discussion about Fasting

³³One day some people said to Jesus, “John the Baptist’s disciples fast and pray regularly, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Why are your disciples always eating and drinking?”

³⁴Jesus responded, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. ³⁵But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

A Discussion about the Sabbath

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

Footnotes:

5:30 Greek with tax collectors and sinners?
6:5 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Psalm 66

For the choir director: A song. A psalm.

Footnotes:

66:6 Hebrew the sea.
66:12 Or You made people ride over our heads.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Proverbs 11:24-26

²⁴Give freely and become more wealthy;
be stingy and lose everything.

²⁵The generous will prosper;
those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

²⁶People curse those who hoard their grain,
but they bless the one who sells in time of need.

New Living Translation (NLT)