A Walk Through The Word

Genesis 46:1-47:31, Matthew 15:1-28, Psalms 19:1-14, Proverbs 4:14-19

Today is the 23^rd day of January, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and it’s great to be here with you today as we continue the journey through our week and continue the journey through the Scriptures. So, let’s dive in. We’ve been reading from the English Standard Version this week, which is of course what we’ll continue to do. And in the Old Testament we are working our way through the book of Genesis and we’ve settled into this story about a man named Joseph and we’ve talked quite a bit about Joseph so we don’t need to do a recap, we know where we are, but we’re continuing the story today with Joseph reaching out to his family and…and…and Jacob, his father being able to lay eyes on a son that he thought had been long, long dead. So, we pick up the story with Genesis chapter 46 and we’ll read 46 and 47 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, Jesus has plenty…plenty to say in the Gospel of Matthew today, plenty that we really, really, deeply need to pay attention to. So, there’s several things here. Let’s kind of work in reverse order, because some of these are things we really, really need to pay attention to and then one of these things is for context. So, Jesus is moving around the region doing ministry as we know, and He went to the district of Tyre and Sidon and…and a non-Hebrew woman, a Canaanite woman comes to Jesus and asked for mercy, that her daughter is oppressed by a demon and…and she needs help. So, obviously Jesus could perform miracles, or that miracles, that the miraculous of the supernatural was happening around Jesus was spreading all over the place. And Jesus didn’t answer her. And she kept asking and she kept begging until the disciples…like she kept asking the disciples to go to Jesus. And, so, they finally come to Jesus and say, “hey, can you send her away. Like, she’s bugging us now.” And then Jesus says, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” And she’s like, “please help me, please help me.” And He’s like, “it’s not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” And she’s like, “but…but even the dogs get to eat the crumbs when they fall off the table.” And that changes everything and Jesus is like, “wow” basically. “Great is your faith. Be it done for you as you desire.” And the daughter was healed. And we can look at this and go, “well, why didn’t He just do that in the first place? Doesn’t Jesus love everybody? I mean, like, why is He being so exclusive here and excluding people? Like, what’s going on?”

We’re not too far into the story so we can remember. If we go back to the book of Genesis, we remember the fall of Adam and Eve, we remember that that separated them from God. We’ve talk about all of this. We watched the world use…you know…we watched humanity use their knowledge of good and evil to try to make themselves a God and we watched things fall apart and disintegrate to the point that the world was destroyed by a flood. We’ve watched what the knowledge of good and evil has done to humanity. We’ve also talked about the spiritual realms and God’s divine family and…and how that pops its head up in different stories from time to time. We also see in the Scriptures that there are times where God essentially releases people to go to their own destruction, to go to the way that they’re demanding to go. And then we saw this story of the Tower of Babel and everybody trying to unite themselves to essentially deify themselves and try to become unstoppable. And God comes down and confuses the language and sends people all throughout the earth. Many biblical scholars view this as like exactly Lord we’re talking about, God sending them off on their own way to go the way that they wanna go and disinheriting them because they have chosen to worship false gods. Immediately after that story is when we meet this man named Abram and the story turns from there because the world, humanity has essentially rejected God and now they’re being allowed to go their own way and follow whatever their own path is going to be, which will lead them to destruction. But then we meet Abram, this one man. And God appears to this one man and says go into a land that I will show you. And we’ve been following his family since. So, it’s as if at ancient times, people went their own way, but God would not stop trying. And He goes to Abram and says I will be your God and will create a people out of you that will be my people and I will be there God. So, in the midst of the chaos and anarchy of the world God chose one person to create a people out of that would be His people on the earth because all the other people had given themselves to other gods. So, he would use Abram and this people that would be formed to show the light to the rest of the world, to bless all the nations through Abraham. Well, that story has a lot of fits and starts. It’s the story of the Bible. So, we’re gonna read that story but if we zoom forward into the book of Matthew now and we come back alongside Jesus, we have to first understand that it’s still the same story, we have just zoomed forward significantly. Jesus has come to earth among those people, the Hebrew people. He was born as one of the people that God had predicted, had chosen through Abram so long ago. But by the time that Jesus arrived on the scene all that the Hebrew people understood of God, their God and their chosen-ness, their exclusivity, their holiness, their set-apart-ness to God had become nothing more than a religious ritual and…and…and power. We’ll get to that in the second. And Jesus is talking to this Canaanite woman…and we know that Jesus talked to other women. Like, there’s gonna be this story of the woman at the well, right, where Jesus talks to her and she’s a Samaritan, but in this particular exchange Jesus is saying what His mission is, that He’s come to this group of people that had been set apart among all the other peoples, not because they were special, like not because they deserved anything, but because everyone else had given themselves to other gods. And, so, God created a people for Himself upon this earth to reclaim things. So, Jesus is stating His mission. This is who I’ve come to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And we’re reading this. Israel is Jacob. Jacob’s children are the children of Israel, the house of Israel. There are reasons that this matters to us now. A couple that I can think of right off the top of my head, the first is, Jesus came to earth as a Hebrew in a Hebrew context and taught as a Hebrew rabbi from the Hebrew Scriptures. So, it becomes difficult to understand Jesus without understanding the Hebrew story because this is the context that He is ministering in and these are the people that He’s ministering to. And they understand Him, which doesn’t mean that they accept everything that he’s saying. Some do, some don’t. But they understand Him because He’s in the context of their worldview, they understand what’s happening even though they mostly miss who He is. This is gonna start mattering more and more as we continue our journey forward, especially when we get into…into books like the book of Acts and we get into the church era, because Jesus Jewishness, right, His Hebrew ethnicity and His understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures, this is the context that He’s ministering into and it will matter later to the early church when all of a sudden non-Hebrew people known as Gentiles begin flooding in to the kingdom. Then they have a problem to figure out because this is an exclusive people with an exclusive religion and there are steps that need to be taken if you want to become Jewish and it causes some tremendous unrest that eventually causes the very first church council, which we will read about when we get into the book of Acts.

Okay so there’s our context peace. Now let’s look at what Jesus was saying today. We began Matthew 15 and it says, “the Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem.” Let’s just pause for a second. Jesus was on the map at this point if Pharisees and scribes are walking 90 miles up into the Galilee to hear Jesus. So, we notice that there’s momentum, energy building around the message that Jesus is sharing as He moves around the region. So, people come all the way from Jerusalem to check Him out and there like, “so, you know, why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?” Now, the elders here would be the Sanhedrin, they would be the leaders at the time, those who interpreted the Hebrew Scriptures and wrestled through how to interpret them so that they could pass those rules and traditions onto the people so that they could honor God. So, what Jesus is being asked here is essentially, “hey, you seem to be a rabbi, you seem to have a following, people seem to be listening to what you’re saying and you have disciples that are your inner circle and everybody’s watching all of this. Why are your disciples breaking the traditions of the elders because they’re not washing their hands before they eat?” Jesus just, in this instance, just flat out peels back the layers and exposes what is going on among this chosen people. And we can go back and read Matthew 15 and we don’t need to re-quote Jesus. We’ve already read it. He’s basically saying, “you have made tradition the thing. You have made yourself the keeper of the tradition and you have lost the plot of the story.” To quote Jesus now, “for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said, “the people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”” That is hard core right there, friends. And we can go, like, “well…yeah, He was he was calling out those religious leaders because they were hypocrites and they were against Him and who would want to be against nice, sweet, healing loving Jesus” and “yeah…they’re the bad guys.” But yeah, like we don’t have to look so far today before we can find this same thing going on. Who gets to make the rules? Who gets to be the keepers of the rules? Who gets to pass judgment on those who don’t keep their traditions or rules? Though it’s bit of an ongoing problem and in our own lives in our own hearts posture, we need openness not closed fistedness. We need openness to the Spirit of God, not a closed heart that says, “I have the rules and regulations. I’m gonna try my very, very best to obey these rules.” We need an openness. Jesus told the Pharisees that for the sake of keeping the traditions they made the word of God void. Let’s make sure we’re not the same thing. And then Jesus actually takes the time to flesh out what He’s saying, because those people, those leaders from Jerusalem had come to Jesus asking why they weren’t obeying the traditions of the elders, not…not why are you disobeying the Scriptures. Why are you becoming a heretic and disobeying God? No, they’re asking why He’s not obeying the traditions of the elders. And He shows them, “like, you’ve made traditions that break God’s rules. You’ve lost the plot. Even when it comes to washing hands, you’ve lost the plot. It’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person it’s what comes out of a person’s heart that defiles them. And yet you’re trying to ritually wrought wash your hands, thinking that somehow that’s gonna wash your insides. You’ve lost the plot. It’s not outside in. That is a complete backward way of living. It’s inside out. That is how you were made.”

Prayer:

And, so, Jesus…there's…there’s plenty…I mean, we can…we can hang on Your words for the rest of our lives, and we will. So, we’ve we spent some time just exploring today. And now that we’ve done that exploring, we invite You, we open ourselves to Your Holy Spirit. Where have we lost the plot? How are we living completely backward to the way that we were made and to the ways of Your kingdom? How will we ever see Your kingdom if we are backward to it? So, come Holy Spirit. We thank You for context. We thank You for challenge. We thank You for disrupting us and we invite You to lead us into all truth. And we have no doubt that You would do that if we will listen. And, so, we invite ourselves to pay attention. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, its where you find out what’s going on around here. So, be sure stay…stay tuned.

The Prayer Wall lives there and that is a great resource to receive and to offer prayer for your brothers and sisters around the world.

The Daily Audio Bible Shop is there with resources for the journey that we are on.

There are bunch of links at the website to the different places to interact on social media. So, check it out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if the mission that…that we share in common the bring God’s spoken word read fresh every day and offered freely to anyone who will listen to it anywhere on this planet any time of day or night and to build community around that rhythm so that we know that this isn’t a solitary endeavor, we’re sharing history with our brothers and sisters, we’re going through the same kinds of things all over the world, which is something that the Bible tells us. We’re in this together and it makes all the difference. If that brings life and light and good news and hope and healing and…and the good…the goodness of God into your world then thank you for your partnership. There’s a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the 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, you can hit the Hotline button, the little red button in the app, it lives up at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

I want to say thank you to Daily Audio Bible. I was 38 years old about three years ago when I had a stroke, a massive stroke that left my left side weak and it really difficult for me to read the Bible. So, without the Daily Audio Bible I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the word of God. Again, thank you for what you do. I play…I pray blessings upon the people at Daily Audio Bible. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family this is His Beloved I’m calling in to pray for, I don’t believe you left your name sweet brother who called in for his mother Diana who has stage IV brain cancer. We heard you, we’re praying with you brother. God bless your heart. He just really touched my heart. And, so, we hold your mother up. We asked her to desire of these foods and fruits and vegetables that you wish to help your mother nourish her with. Father God we ask You to heal his mother from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet Father God, that anything that is not of You would be bound and cast out of her Father God, that You would heal her Father God and bless her family and her son with peace and endurance during this time they would keep their eyes on You. In Jesus’ name we pray. I’m also calling for Broken Hearted and that Your husband left, and this breaks my heart, of course. So, I pray Father God that You would give her hope and joy and love and peace. Holy Spirit restore her and fill her with anything that is not of You, that she would…we would right now I hold this situation her marriage up Lord and I put it at the altar Father God, that You would bless or if it’s abusive as she kind of said Father God that You would take it from her and You would give her so much more Father God, that she’s a daughter of the most-high King, that she should be adored and loved and worshiped Father God. I ask during this time that You would bring peace that passes all understanding Father. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Diana Davis, your doctors may have done all that they can, but our ultimate healer is God. Now that you have prepared for the care of your children should you die, let’s prepare for the possibility that God will heal you. So, in Isaiah 1…Isaiah 40, I want to read that for you. ah…I just lost it…here it is…okay. “That those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” And I also want to give you Romans 15 verse 13. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” So, Lord I lift up Diana to You because You are our healer. We ask for the healing of Diana’s Spirit, mind, body and soul and Lord please strengthen her faith and her body. Give her a hope and a future and fill her life with love and joy no matter how long or short her life is. Show her how to use her bounty of food that You give us to heal her body. Show her how to avoid foods that beat cancer and foods that…and herbs that starve cancer. Restore her to life Lord so she can continue to mentor her children on Your ways. We thank You Lord. In Your name we pray. Amen.

My name is Heather and I’m in the Atlanta. I…I am consumed with fear, even making this call. Five years ago, I was embarking on a journey in ministry and Satan unleashed a wrath on my life that I can…I cannot handle anymore. I am asking for prayer, for God to please reveal Himself to me. Help me. I have never been so low in my life. My family has been destroyed. I’m so tired. I’m so tired. I just ask for prayers for endurance to be able to be strong, to be where my kids need me to be, when everybody has left us. Thank you.

Hey Daily Audio Bible is Dr. Kinai from London I pray that everyone is well and it’s the 16^th of January and I just wanted to raise a prayer point for the lady who called in who said that she’s separated from her husband of seven years and it’s likely to end in divorce. And I just…I just had the Lord saying to me that she needs to be reminded that she is seen, and she is known by me. God sees you. God knows you, and there’s nothing in life that takes Him by surprise, and He’s journeyed with you through this. And I just pray that your identity in Him will be restored. I pray that you will know that you are loved, you are cherished, and you are wanted. And while the situation looks dark and bleak, I pray that you would turn to Jesus, our Hope, the One that brings light into dark situations. And I pray for your husband as well, that he will come to the knowledge of God and God’s perfect will will be done in Jesus’ name. And…and just allow praise to be on your lips. You know, there’s this wonderful psalm that says, I vow to praise you through the good and the bad, I vow to praise you whether happy or sad. I pray that you will offer of the Lord a sacrifice of praise. You may not feel like praising but you do it and it ushers you into His presence. You may not feel like worshiping but it’s a sacrifice because it cost you something. And I encourage you to press in through worship. Surrender your thoughts, surrender your heart, the pain in worship and trust that God will indeed restore you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hello everybody God’s Smile here from England. I am just a bit tearful, actually. You know how just when we listen, and we’re blessed with the words from Brian as he reads God’s word. And it just really…I couldn’t help but cry and thank God because you are my church. I’m not able to get to church and there’s no…there’s not many around my area. And I remember how I just loved sitting on by Nana’s knee. She wasn’t a proper Nana, but she was like it and adopted Nana and she used to read. And my mom didn’t read to me and I would just soak up the close comfort that I never had as a child with my parents through this lady. And she would read and I…I…I so enjoyed those moments. And it just hit me…though I’ve not sat on Brian’s knee…I felt like I was sat on God’s knee and He’s just reading His word to me and is just wonderful, isn’t it? And these are tears of joy. And yes, I’m still smiling. It just…it just really broke me. I’m so thankful that He cares about such tiny details, which are not that tiny. But you know how He just speaks to you your hearts and you’re just so thankful. Anyway, I’m gonna go and blow my nose. Bye-bye everybody. I love you all and I love this community. I love my church. Bye-bye.

Hi this is Mary and Colorado and I’m calling for I believe you said your name was Kimberly and that you’re struggling with PTSD over childhood sexual abuse. And I just want to reach out and tell you that I know exactly how you feel and that I experienced the same thing from a member of our church when I was a child and I often feel very triggered when I go to church. And I just want to pray for you. Father God would You give her Your piece and Your strength. Help her to know that You have not given her a spirit of fear but of love and of adoption and that she is Your child and that You care for her. Kimberly, I would just encourage you to reach out to those in your church and just talk to them about how you are feeling. It may be scary, but it really has helped me to have someone who knows, just even how I respond when I am feeling triggered and that they can sit there and hold my hand and tell me that everything’s okay. So, I just want to encourage you. Love you sister and God bless you too and I hope that you’re doing okay.

Genesis 44:1-45:28, Matthew 14:13-36, Psalms 18:37-50, Proverbs 4:11-13

Today is the 22^nd day of January, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it’s great to be here with you today. Wow! 22 days into this year already. Land is like a faint…faint little line on the horizon behind us and we are…we are sailing toward the end of our first month together, and it’s exciting to be on this journey. So, let's…let’s go ahead and take that next step. We’ve been reading from the English Standard Version this week, which is what we’ll continue to do and we have been working in the Old Testament through the story of Joseph and…and his brothers who…who had sold him into slavery when he was younger. Genesis chapter 44 and 45 today.

Commentary:

Okay, so we are rounding the corner on this story that we’ve been tracking with for several days now, the story of Joseph and his adventure to Egypt, an adventure that he wasn’t planning on taking but is family, his brothers have sold him into slavery and we’ve kind of recapped all of that. Today, Joseph reveals who he is to his brothers who are speechless and dumbfounded. A similar reaction happens in…in Jacob’s life when he finds out that his son Joseph is still alive. He’s dumbfounded. And interesting thing is Joseph’s posture through all of this, he was shrewd and cunning, in other words, he wasn’t stupid about this. He observed once he knew that his family was before him, observed to discern their hearts before revealing himself and once he does, it’s just a breathtaking scene. It’s just such a beautiful reunion. And the words of Joseph are beautiful man. I mean God didn’t make Joseph’s brothers sell him into slavery. That was an act of evil that they chose to do. But Joseph recognized and we hear from his own lips, “God was in it from the beginning. He brought me here to save you. He brought me here to save many.” And certainly, Joseph could have that perspective after he had been restored from his ordeal but as we read the story of Joseph it seems as if he has this perspective, this unwavering trust in God in all things throughout the story. And, so, Joseph’s story is one in which he was able to face surprisingly difficult circumstances, but was not unmoored in his faith, was not estranged from God because of it. Rather, he clung to God as the only hope there was. And one of the things that we see in this story is that difficulties are part of it, right? Challenges are part of the experience of being a human being among other human beings and our brokenness is on full display as much as we try to hide it. What we need to settle into is an awareness or the understanding that these difficulties, these challenges, they are not purposeless, they are leading somewhere and they’re part of it. And one of the things obstacles and challenge and difficulty does for us is to truly expose our hearts, even if just for ourselves because we can immediately see when we head into a difficult where our heart is positioned toward God. Are we angry? Are we let down? Are we frustrated? Or are we clinging as if there is no other hope? Because there is no other hope.

And we get into the book of Matthew and we have this story today of Peter walking on the water, right? And we see more examples of Jesus withdrawing, right? Trying to find solitary quiet serenity. We see this a lot in Jesus life, and we look at it and we know it and He’s the son of God and all that but we don’t look at it as an example for our own lives usually. You know, we’re just living in a world at warp speed and sort the idea of actually setting aside some time to do nothing but be quiet, still before God feels like a waste of time. And yet, we’re looking at Jesus the model, the Savior repeatedly, regularly doing exactly this. So, he’s having some quiet time and He sends His friends across the lake in a boat. And, of course, they’re experienced fishermen and this storm comes up. And, so, He goes walking out to them on the water. Here’s the interesting thing. Everybody is freaked out because they think they’re seeing a ghost. And I raise my hand and say, “hey. If I’m out on the Sea of Galilee in the dark and the wind is blowing and some figure is out on the waves, probably I’m gonna do the same thing, probably I’m going to as the Bible says, cry out in fear.” Jesus is like, “hold up, hold up, it’s me, it’s me. Don’t be afraid. Take heart. Everything’s gonna be okay.” So, Peter’s like, “Lord if its You then command me to come out to you on the water.” And, so, Jesus is like, “alright. Come…come on.” Peter got out of the boat. This is a super famous story and it’s been looked at from so many perspectives I don’t know that I can bring anything new to the story other than that Peter got out of the boat, walked on the water and came to Jesus. And so, he’s walking on the water coming to Jesus and then he looks around and sees the wind and all this stuff and he starts to sink and he’s like, “Lord save me.” And, so, we know, like all the parallels that we can make into that story. But Jesus reaches for him and it’s so interesting. I’ve always been told the story, “oh you of little faith, why did you doubt”, which condemns me for all of my doubt but it’s almost as if Jesus is saying, like, “you did it. You were doing it. Why did you doubt. You could have kept doing it.” And, so, this…as the story goes, they get to Gennesaret and many people come to be healed by Jesus and all they do is touch His clothes in order to be healed. So, we have to wonder about this miracle worker, Jesus. Is the miraculous something Jesus is doing to people or is the miraculous a result of the faith of a human collaborating with the power and presence of God? I mean, what sort of power does cotton conduct? What kind of superpower was Jesus clothes hooked up to that when they just touched them this healing power transmitted through the fabric and into their bodies and lives? Well, at least according to the Bible, that agent is faith and Jesus keeps saying to people, “go in peace, your faith has made you well.” Faith is an irreplaceable, absolutely, completely irreplaceable component in our spiritual journey. It was Joseph’s faith in God that got him through the…the ordeal. It was Peter’s faith that had him walking on water. It was people’s faith that had them touching Jesus clothes and becoming healed. So, pay attention to that fact. Watch what we’re pointing at. Like watch this as we continue the journey listening to Jesus and following Matthew after Him in His ministry

Prayer:

Jesus, we thank You. We thank You for the Scriptures, we thank You for the stories that share of Your ministry upon this earth. And it brings You so near and we are so grateful to have these words and to be able to allow them inside of us, into our lives, transforming us. And we invite Your Holy Spirit to continually disrupt if that’s what’s necessary, comfort if that’s what’s necessary, but lead us into the truth, that we might have eyes to see and ears to hear. We pray this in Your name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. So, be sure to stay tuned and stay connected in any way that you can.

Reminding you of the Daily Audio Bible Shop and the resources that are available there for this journey, including the God of Your Story, which is a great way to double…double dip as far as just kind of immersing into the territory that we’re going through each day. Obviously, we read it every day and we talk about it every day. But the God of Your Story is a written form of exploring the Scriptures that we read every day. And, so, what gets said here is probably going to be different than what was written down, so it allows for depth.

Also, a resource called Promise Land, which is a film resource. It’s actually about 70 short films, none of them are really over five minutes, just a couple of minutes long, but they’re…they’re like a drop in into so many of the biblical…biblical locations that we’ll encounter this year. It’s like over the course of several seasons in Israel we…we filmed these from the ground and from…from the air. And, so, it’s a real comprehensive but quick look at the important locations in the Bible. Works as a great companion, especially when we’re reading through, you know, through stories, a battle or of victory or, you know, a city, or what…whatever’s happening to know that that’s a real place and you can go look at…at the ruins of the place, what’s going on there and…and see it, draws it…draws it near. So, that’s a resource that’s available in the Shop as well. So, check it out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage, and I thank you with all of my heart for your partnership. 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 a comment you can hit the Hotline button in the app, the little red button at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Good afternoon Harold in St. Louis I just heard your call and I want you to know that hearing your voice and you calling in warms my heart and it put a smile on my face. Welcome to the DAB. You’re now part of the family. Okay Harold, God bless you and thank you for calling in. You made my day. Bye-bye.

Hello Brian and all of the listeners here on this podcast my name is Cassie and I live in northeast Ohio and I am a newbie to this group. I saw a friend post about it on Facebook at the beginning of the year and I thought, what a better way to start my year than this daily podcast. I drive an hour to work one way every day. So, it’s perfect for me and I just really can’t say enough great things about this whole podcast and the commentary and the prayers and the encouragement. Brian, you have an amazing way of reading and telling these stories. I’m 33 years old but I find myself like a little kid wanting to read ahead and find out what happens next. Some of these stories I’ve never really maybe paid attention to or known the full story and I’m just really captivated by the way you read, and it’s really been awesome. Anyway, I just wanted to thank everybody and it’s been really neat to hear everyone calling in and people all over the world and different accents and I was just really encouraged by the gentleman that called in that said he was not a believer but he was listening to this and it was encouraging him. And I just want to say if you’re listening to this, I’m praying for you and I think that that’s awesome that you’re listening to this podcast. So, hope everyone has a great day. Love you guys.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family this is Esther calling from Nashville Tennessee. I haven’t called in a long time. I…I just wanted to call and ask prayers for my heart. I’ve been just feeling very anxious the last few mornings. And I’ll wake up and just feel this sort of stabbing pain in my chest and just going through the entire day just very anxious and I know that the Bible says be not anxious for anything but in everything with thanksgiving and supplication let your requests be known unto God. And I think my heart knows that, but my mind sometimes needs reminding. So, if you could pray for me that God would give me the mind of Christ and I would be strong and praise in him at my workplace and just in my day-to-day life and as I prepare for med school and all of that and I would be very grateful. Thank you.

Hello, good morning, just doing a quick call for Harold from St. Louis. Just wanted to say as I was listening to you call in and share your…your story about training for a marathon and trying to find something to calm you or, you know, to make you feel peaceful and happening upon the Daily Audio Bible and not being a believer and how it’s blessed you even though you may not at this point in your life, you know, maybe know God directly. I just smiled kind of merrily because it’s a blessing you and that it’s bringing upon you peace and probably energy when you run and…and it’s just kind of making you feel at rest, which, you know, what I personally know all comes from God. But it’s amazing how…how the word of God as a way to…has a way of reaching out and creating emotions in everyone who hears it. So, I just love this testimony and…and I love that you’ve kind of given me an idea of…of ways to calm maybe people…folks who aren’t necessarily particularly looking at it for…to memorize Scripture or, oh…I gotta get through the Bible this year” but mostly to just kinda have something to inspire them or make them feel good or uplift them or give them energy. So, thank you for that and, you know, Harold I am praying for you and definitely wishing you great luck in your marathon and have a wonderful day.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible this is Kim in recovery. I just wanted to pray for Michael. I heard you Michael and I just want to say that Lord, I just want to thank You for Michael’s heart for his mom as Diana is going through this struggle of her life Lord that she has this brain tumor and Michael I just heard Your love and Your caring for Your mother and Lord I just want to encourage Michael to just continue to be with his mother and show her that love that he feels in his heart, that we know that we can depend on You Lord to comfort us when we most not know what to do. And Lord, pray that You’ll give him the strength to be that strong guiding light for his mom Lord and that we know that she’s safe in Your arms Lord. And we pray that You’ll…You’ll be with the doctors and be with the nurses and be with the people that are surrounding Diana and her…her family and especially Michael Lord, that sometimes You feel helpless in these situations, but Lord we know that he is strong. Michael, thank You for Your strength, thank You for Your love for Your mother. This will help her get through the toughest part of her life. And we pray for complete healing Lord and we know You can do miracles Lord. Bless this family and we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Father God, I’m heartbroken right now of all the situations that are going on. I heard yesterday of someone who gave up the fight and has left her friends and her family behind. And Lord, I lift up to You all of those who are in that deep darkness where they can’t see a way out, all those who have a mountain before them that they can’t see past. Lord, please be shining Your light and Your love into their lives. Please be surrounding them with people who can help them. I think this person who knew You and who had those people, that she didn’t ask for help or she couldn’t ask for help. And I pray Lord that You would help us to ask for help, to reach out, soften our hearts Lord so that we are ready to reach a hand towards You, to reach a hand towards those around us who are waiting and so, so willing to help us through. Thank You, Lord that You love us. Thank You that You are sovereign, and we can trust You to provide. Thank You for this day. And thank You for the manner that You’ve provided for us for this day. Lord we want to be ready for tomorrow and to store things up but that’s not how You work. You’ll provide stuff for us tomorrow as well. And we have so many burdens that were carrying. Please Lord, help us to give all of those burdens to You and entrust them to You so that we may take up Your burden for its easy light. Thank You that we can trust You. Thank You that You love us. Thank You that Your sovereign. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hi this is Shirley and southeastern Washington I was listening to Daily Audio Bible this is January 16^th and I want to say thank you to Brian and Joe for this ministry. I was listening to the prayer requests and I was just praying for Diana Davis who had called, who needs healing, she has brain cancer and just as I was doing that her son Michael called. And, so, Michael I just want to let you know it’s Shirley in southeastern Washington has been praying since I heard your mom’s prayer request and praying for you and your brother. And I’m joining you in prayer for your prayer request, that God gives her more time and that she’ll be completely healed. There is nothing impossible with God. So, I’m joining you Michael in this prayer. God’s will be done. And I pray that you guys will keep us posted as to what is going on and just thank you. Just know that I’m praying with you. God bless you all. Thank you DAB family for being here and praying for…for one another. I have a prayer request also, that you pray for healing in my body also in my husband’s. Nothing is impossible with God. Thank you. God bless. Bye.

Genesis 42:18-43:34, Matthew 13:47-14:12, Psalms 18:16-36, Proverbs 4:7-10

Today is the 21^st day of January, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it’s great to be here with you today as we continue our journey forward through the Scriptures. In the book of Genesis we’re following the story of Joseph right now who is the great grandson of Abraham, and who has been sold or trafficked into slavery by his brothers, only to become the second in command of all of Egypt because he interpreted a dream that foretold of a coming famine and that has all come true. So, these very brothers who had sold their own brother into slavery are now before that brother not knowing who he is because…because they need food. But Joseph has accused them of being spies and has kept them under arrest for several days. He has not revealed who he is. He’s observing them. He’s seeing where their hearts are and that’s where we pick up the story. Genesis chapter 42 verse 18 to 43 verse 34 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we’ve been moving along pretty quickly and really tracking the stories of Genesis as well as following in the footsteps of Jesus in the book of Matthew as well as the Psalms and Proverbs. And, so, we’ve covered a lot of ground in a pretty short amount of time so far this year and we’ve focused on the teachings of Jesus a lot. So, let’s just look at what we’re reading in Genesis right now with the story of Joseph because the story systematically shows us all kinds of valid and legitimate reasons to…to fall off the cliff into depression and bitterness and anxiety and then by the time we get to where we are in the story…every…everybody’s being exposed here. So, Joseph was this young man and it does appear that in his youth he had some of the arrogance of youth, some of the fearlessness of youth, and the mouth of a young boy in his teens. He had been a favored son. So, he was raised up as a beloved son. So, it’s like he has a charmed childhood, but his older brothers are jealous, and we know this from the Scriptures. And, so, we know how the story goes. Joseph has dreams. He shares his dreams. That further causes his brothers to hate him and even causes some problems with his dad. And then Joseph goes to check on his brothers and this is when his brothers decide to go to kill him and just be done with it and, not have to hear this…this kids dreams and his arrogance and all…just all of the favoritism…just all of the stuff they’ve been enduring, they’re done with it. What happens is that Joseph is thrown into a pit and then subsequently sold into slavery. We like…we…we can gloss over it, right? Because it’s a story from the flannel board when we were in Sunday school. And, so, Joseph, being sold into slavery just happens so quick and then the next thing you know he’s in Egypt. But this is a boy, a young man in his teens, and from the confession that we heard in today’s reading from his brothers, he was terrified. He was begging. Like he was looking at the only people he knew, and they were his blood relatives and they were sending him off. They just sold him for money and now he’s bound up on a wagon being hauled away further into the desert toward Egypt and he’s looking back at his brothers, terrified. So, this is a boy who is grown-up, protected and nurtured and his life as he knew it came to a sudden and abrupt, end. Even though he was still alive, like the life that he knew and people that he knew and the surroundings and everything that was normal for him was over. And it’s a long journey down to Egypt. And, so, there were weeks for Joseph to contemplate his situation. And he gets to Egypt and he’s sold again. If anybody has a right to fall into depression, right, if anybody has a right to cry injustice, if anybody has a right to say they are being oppressed or that their life has become supremely unfair it would be Joseph because it’s true. Like he has every right to these things. He’s not just being self-absorbed and selfish and feeling sorry for himself. This stuff is really happening and it’s awful. He just…that’s the thing that’s missing from this story though. That’s the weird thing about it. That bitterness and that depression that he has a right to is missing from the story other than his deep longing to get out of the predicament that he’s in. He trusts God as he goes to work for Potiphar. He honors God as he runs away from Potiphar’s wife. And the Bible says Joseph is a good-looking guy. Like his countenance…like he’s handsome and he’s well-built. So, Potiphar’s wife wants a little of that action. And Joseph’s a young man. So, like normally in that kind of a scenario, the young man’s like a pretty willing accomplice. Joseph’s not. He understands…like he was able with wisdom to look at the whole situation and realize, “she may be a woman and she may be throwing yourself at me a and she may be attractive, but she’s not available. I am in command of this house and the only thing off-limits is her.” And, so, he…he…he doesn’t betray his master, which throws him into the dungeon falsely accused of a crime that he wouldn’t participate in. So, if anybody again has the right to these kinds of deep anguishing feelings, it’s Joseph. It’s just missing from the story. And, so, Joseph sets about doing everything that he can in the situation that he’s in to do his best and after the same fashion he becomes in charge of the prison. So, Joseph has become a leader everywhere he’s been when he has every right to just sit and languish in his depression at the injustice. Like, he could spend his life rightfully crying injustice, but instead he becomes a leader everywhere he goes, because according to the Scriptures he trusted in God. And, so, we know the story leads him out of the dungeon because he interprets a dream for Pharaoh. We know that…I mean in the space of 24 hours it seems that Joseph goes from a desperate person who may be a leader, but he’s leader of the dungeon and he is a resident of the dungeon. He goes from that place, kind of in the dark, underground, hidden completely, forgotten, utterly hopeless, he goes from that to being second command in Egypt in like the space of a day. And we can see in Joseph because he was just a young man when all this began, he was in his teens when this began. But we see that over the course of the years of him growing up without…I mean without anyone to guide him that he becomes very observant and very wise. And, so, when his brothers show up, he doesn’t take revenge and he doesn’t just expose who he is and have a family reunion either. He observes. Because now Joseph has learned about the heart of a person. And, so, before he makes a judgment about his brothers and his family he watches to see where their hearts are. Of course, we’re not done with the story. Joseph is able to see his…his full blood brother Benjamin and we’re seeing that Joseph is have…having a pretty hard time holding it together. Seeing them again is just rocking his world in a lot of ways. And that’s where we are in this story. We’re not done with this story. There’s much more to the story but that’s where we are. And the first part of this story really gives us an opportunity to look at the things that, you know, that that we’re depressed about or the things that we’re in anguish about or that we’re facing anxiety over and then just contrast that with Joseph’s story. Not to compare. Like Joseph’s story is a pretty tough story. Not too many people could top a story like that. It’s not a story to make you feel small because you have lesser problems, but they seem to be taking you out. So, just look at Joseph and how strong he is. That’s really not the point. The point is that through it all somehow Joseph navigated without becoming bitter toward God through all of it. And the things that were happening to Joseph are the things that would for sure estrange us from God were they to happen, which is funny because we read the story and God didn’t do any of this. And it helps us to look at what we’re blaming God for in our own lives that He had nothing to do with, He’s just getting the blame. It also gives us a chance to look at where we’ve sat down…like what are we wallowing in right now? Where are we wallowing? Because it’s fine, we can wallow there as long as we like, but that’s all we will ever be doing is wallowing there. Joseph’s story would be a completely different story if that were his story if he just…like he made it to the dungeon and he was like, “what the heck? This woman threw herself at me. She’s taking off her clothes. I’m trying to get out of there. I have to leave some of my clothes. I didn’t do anything wrong. I shouldn’t be in this dungeon.” He could’ve wallowed there for the rest of his life. Somehow Joseph was able to have the long view and it would do us some real good inside if we would begin to get the long view. What we are wallowing in right now is temporary. Everything is temporary. Everything is changing. It’s a constant. We’re being pulled forward, but we can fight to stay where we are and defend why we’re so depressed and anxious and all of the things that go on. We can fight to protect that, which only reveals to us that our wounds and our hurts, we’re using them to create an identity, one that’s gonna keep us from moving forward, one that’s gonna keep us stuck. That’s the ingredient that’s missing from this Joseph story and it changes the story dramatically as we’ll see as we continue forward.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for another day in Your word and we thank You for all that You are revealing to us through Your word and all of the insight You are giving us into our own souls, into our own lives and the motives and the why’s of how we do what we do. We thank You. And, so, we take heed what the proverb told us today, that the beginning of wisdom is to want it, to get it, to go after it. And whatever we get, we are to get insight. And, so, Holy Spirit we’re not really capable of spotting all the insights along way. All of the wisdom that’s flowing throughout the earth, we’re not able in our own strength to be successful. We need Your guidance. And, so, Holy Spirit, well up within us we pray. Come into all of these issues we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, where you find out what’s going on around here. So, be sure to stay tuned and stay connected. I

I have mentioned on a number of occasions the Daily Audio Bible Shop. I mention it because there are resources that…that…that really become friends for the journey as we make the journey through the Scriptures in a year. And, so, check that out.

While you’re at it, you can visit the Prayer Wall. That is in the Community section.

All these things can be gotten or accessed through the Daily Audio Bible app as well. That is a great place.

You know, one of the things we were just talking about, sliding off into the world of depression and anxiety and injustice and all of this and just kind of contrasting that with Joseph’s story. Joseph obviously kept busy at something. He didn’t just show up in the dungeon and become the leader. He didn’t just show up in Potiphar’s house and become the leader. He obviously lived into that, which means that he didn’t just sit down and quit and…and…and basically just get swallowed by the darkness. He had to turn his focus outward in order to do this. And one of the ways that we do this, and it’s unbelievable in the way that it can help us with what overwhelms us, is to turn our focus away from ourselves and to our brothers and sisters understanding that we are all in this together. We are all going through stuff. We can hide it all we want. I don’t understand. I mean like…the whole world is hiding and pretending to be like more perfect than we are. We are all going through all of these things. If we begin to realize we’re not alone and we focus our attention on others, it’s profound what that does inside of us. And we’re a community of prayer. And the Prayer Wall is a place to go for that as well as all the calls that come in. If you are low, there’s somebody to pray for who is lower and it’s remarkable what that does inside of us. So, check that out. The Prayer Wall lives in the Community section or just press the little Drawer icon in the app in the upper left-hand corner and that’ll get you there.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well. There’s a link on the homepage and I thank you profoundly for your partnership.

And if you have a prayer request or comment, you can dial 877-942-4253 or just press the little Hotline button, the little red button at the top of app and you can start…start sharing from there.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

This message is for Harold in St. Louis. Brother, thank you for calling in. I’ve been a member of Daily Audio Bible for about 11 years and I’ve never called in until this moment and it’s because of you. Just hearing your story and hearing how you found Daily Audio Bible. Don’t think its happenstance that you called in and that you’re actually embarking on training for a marathon. This is what this is all about. This is what this whole Christian walk is and walk of believers is taking it step-by-step. And God has His interesting ways of whispering that you’re in the right direction. And brother you are. you’re in the right direction, you’re in flow, you’re in step. So, as you’re training for the marathon, see this whole year of listening to the Daily Audio Bible the same way and just know that already you’ve had an impact on this community, you’ve had an impact on me. You got me to call and share that because it’s important. And, you know, I just want to say congratulations brother and you’ve really found the greatest treasure by finding the DAB. You know, looked up Harold and I know it’s not…I know you spell HAROLD, I’m sure but I almost…it made me think of Hark the Herald and just know that the definition of Harold is a person or thing viewed as a sign that something is about to happen. So, know that something great is about to happen for you this year and you’re already a blessing. So, all right marathon Harold. God bless. Bye.

This is Bonnie from Maryland and this call is for Diana Davis. I heard your call on January 14^th that there’s nothing more they can do for your cancer and I am so very sorry. I have been praying for you since I heard your story a couple of months ago and I want to pray again now. Dear Father God in heaven I ask that You be with Diana and with Michael and Elijah. I ask that You give them the peace that surpasses all understanding that only You can give. I pray for Diana, that the doctors will be able to keep her comfortable and as pain-free as possible at this time. And I pray for her children, Michael and Elijah. I pray most of all that they would be able to stay together and never be separated. I ask that You give Michael the resources and the wisdom and the strength needed to keep Elijah and take care of him. And that family and friends would come and help them and surround them with love, surround them with emotional support, physical support, financial support. Whatever their needs are, that they would help and guide them. And I pray that they will feel Your love and Your peace and Your presence enveloping them and that they continue to grow in their relationship with You. Just be with them all Lord at this time that is so difficult in Jesus’ precious and holy name we pray. Amen.

Hi, it’s His Welsh girl again, 15^th of January. Brian, just thank you so much for your…your commentary today. It was so enlightening, and it helped me to understand the passage in Matthew where Jesus is saying about, He’s not come to bring us peace. And I’ve never really understood it, but you really helped me today. So, thank you. And I wanted to say hello to Harold doing the Chicago marathon training. It just made my heart glad to hear you phoning in. And, yeah, I just want you to know that that difference in your life, you know, that you feel happier and more at peace, that is God’s peace and He wants you and He loves you and I just, yeah, brilliant that you rang in. Diana, I heard your message yesterday and I felt so heartbroken and I’ve been praying that God will give you His peace about Elijah and Michael and reassurance about them, that something miraculous will happen so that you feel reassured that God is so close to you. And I pray for your courage and strength for you to. And I just wanted to say hi to Blind Tony. I just found a poem that I wrote out a few years ago of yours and it starts, “I immerse myself within myself and find myself in you.” It’s just such a great…it’s brilliant. It took me ages to write it out…but I just read it again and it’s brilliant. So, thank you Blind Tony. Okay, lots of love to you all. Bye.

Hi DAB brothers and sisters this is Byron out in Florida. I just want to give a shout out to a couple people I heard on the podcast today. To Harold you called in and had discovered the podcast as an alternative to a couple of other more mainstream items and are training for a marathon and talking about how the Bible is just totally changing you. I think that’s pretty awesome. I’ve been listening to the DAB for, I don’t know, eight or nine years now and your story’s probably one of the coolest that I’ve heard. And, so, keep on with it. Keep letting the Bible speak for itself and you’ll see how it will change you inside out. But I just wanted to welcome you to the community and hope that we get to hear more from you. Right after you called, Janet in SoCal you called and you just __ little things that happened to you in the morning. And I just want to thank you for sharing that. It’s so often in Christian-dom, even in our community where were focused heavily on the struggle and pains of life because life is a struggle and life is painful but that’s not all it is, it’s also fun, it’s also funny. And you quoted a proverb which I always thought was funny about greeting your neighbor with a cheery voice but there’s also another proverb that says laughter does good like a medicine. I just wanted to thank you for filling my prescription today. And love you all. Talk to you later. Bye.

Hello DAB family this is Shante calling from Metro Detroit and I just heard Harold’s call. Harold who is an unbeliever from St. Louis is training for the Chicago marathon. I just wanted to say, Harold thank you so much for listening and thank you so much for calling in. I’m just…I don’t know…I’m just really encouraged by your call and just grateful that you gave the Daily Audio Bible a chance and…and that you’re experiencing the benefits of feeling peace, the peace of God’s word. And, yeah, you know, I listen to a lot of podcast myself and…and yeah, that is definitely one of one of the wonderful qualities of the Daily Audio Bible, it’s just a great way to start your day. And…and also if you stay listening with us, and I pray you will, later on in the year we’ll get to Hebrews and it will talk about running with perseverance the race marked out for you or it’ll say for us. And, so, that’s just a little, you know, runner’s analogy. But, you know, I’m praying that your training goes well for the Chicago marathon. That’s a fantastic goal to have. And, yeah, we’ll be praying for you. So, all right everyone that’s all I have for today. Talk to you all later. Bye-bye.

Hi this is Marsha from Monument Colorado and I’m calling in today for three people that have called in in the last few days with prayer request and comments. The first person is Harold in St. Louis. I just want to say thank you so much for your call today. You have no idea how much your call encouraged me, and no doubt thousands of people that heard your call. So, thank you for calling in and I want to let you know that I am praying for you. I’m praying for your upcoming marathon and just praying for you in general and I’m hoping that you will call back and keep us posted on how the Daily Audio Bible podcast is affecting your life. I’m really anxious to hear. The next person is Kathleen in Mount Zion Illinois. You called in about her daughter who lives in Dubai with brain lesions and how much you want to be with her at this time and I just want you to know that I am praying for that. Yeah. And then the next person is Diana Davis. Diana I’ve been praying for you for a long time. I’ve heard probably most of your calls and I’m continuing to pray for your total healing and that your request that Elijah and Michael will be able to stay together. You have such a beautiful heart as a mother and I just know that the Father’s heart is so tender. He’s heard your prayers and I just want you Diana to be encouraged today and thank you for your call. And then lastly, I just want to say one more time, I’m always saying how thankful I am for the Daily Audio Bible and how much it’s changed…

Hi, DABbers it’s Carla Jean from Las Vegas calling because the last six months has pretty much been hell. I lost my job, I’m homeless, my kids are all kind of freaking out. My oldest daughters not speaking to me or her father since our divorce last January. And my son Noah is in the middle of a mental health crisis and I’m driving to lose it with him. I’m fearful for my own safety because he doesn’t sound very safe. So, I’m asking for prayers for that. My youngest daughter and her husband came to visit us at Christmas, and they stole from us. And I have a 14-year-old who is wonderful. But I’m just…I’m losing my faith guys. How has God not shown up yet? Please pray for me and pray for my kids, especially please pray for Noah, that whatever it is that’s going on he can get the help that he needs or maybe me just being there is going to be a help. I don’t know. I need you guys. Love you.

Genesis 41:17-42:17, Matthew 13:24-46, Psalms 18:1-15, Proverbs 4:1-6

Today is January 20^th welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it is a wonderful honor to be here with you today as we, you know, reach out our foot, and take another step that leads us forward, forward in life, and forward through the year, and forward through the Scriptures. And when it comes to the Scriptures, every step that we take forward also leads us a step deeper. So, it’s a joy to be here taking the next step forward, which will lead us back into the book of Genesis. And we have begun to camp out in this story that is…is certainly an intriguing narrative, but this story is also revealing our hearts to ourselves and there are poignant things for us to learn from this character that we’re reading about named Joseph, who has been human trafficked by his own family. He was purchased as a slave and then falsely accused. So, he’s been thrown into a dungeon where he stayed for years. And then the next thing you know he’s standing before the Pharaoh of Egypt in an attempt to interpret a dream. You can only imagine that kind of culture shock for Joseph. I think about him in a dungeon for years and then the next thing you know there’s guards going like, “take a bath, get a shave you’re going in front of Pharaoh.” And he’s humble before Pharaoh. Pharaoh wants the dream interpreted and he’s like, “I can’t. Only God can do that.” And that’s where we pick up the story. We’re reading from the English Standard version this week. Genesis chapter 41 verse 17 through 42 verse 17.

Commentary:

Okay. Let’s go into the book of Matthew for a second. So, Jesus has told a number of stories in our readings today, stories that are called parables. They’re wisdom teachings. But in today’s teachings, the stories Jesus is talking about is intended to reveal something in particular, the kingdom of heaven. And what Jesus is doing is revealing to his hearers that something that they are looking for, this kingdom in particular, is something that already exists. It’s not something that they are waiting to come onto the horizon. It’s something that is already happening. They just don’t have eyes to see it because there spirituality has become about obeying a set of rules and ethics, and regulations. And, so, Jesus tells common but disruptive stories that you’re not exactly sure what He’s getting at, which is why the people and the disciples ask Him. So, let’s just kind of look here, the kingdom of heaven…we should be actually interested in this because we’re basically…we’re longing for the same thing, this fullness, this wholeness, this kingdom, that all things would be made new and that all things would be as they are supposed to be. So, Jesus words about the kingdom of heaven should set our hearts on fire too because this is what we’re longing for. So, He says the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but when his men were sleeping, there was an enemy that came and sowed weeds in with his good seed. And, so, when this crop started to come up, it became apparent that the seed that had been sown was good but there are all of these weeds sown in among this…this good crop. And, so, the servants are asking, “what we do? How did this happen? What are we supposed to…do we pull the weeds? Like what are we supposed to do?” And the master says, “let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I’ll tell the reapers together the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned and then gather the wheat into my barn.” That story is an illustration from Jesus the Savior to illustrate the kingdom of heaven. And, so, if we look at the story what do we would do we glean if we’re gonna stick with this metaphor? What do we get out of this story that gives us something we can understand about God’s kingdom? What we can begin to understand is that it is a growing and that it is happening and it’s all mixed in. There’s all of this other stuff that’s not the kingdom growing up around it, even to try to choke it, but it remains in and among everything. It’s here in and among all of the bad. So, one of our words for this year was vision, which is an obvious word for 2020. But it’s specific. What if we looked for this kingdom? Like, if Jesus is telling us the truth. If He’s not telling us the truth then we should close the book, right? Close the book and use this time for other things. But if He’s telling us the truth and I am convinced that He is, then this kingdom isn’t something we’re supposed to be waiting for, it’s something that’s happening right now, and we should be looking for the evidence of that everywhere. We live in a world that is highly crafted and designed to reveal to us what we are lacking and then to attempt to provide the answer to that problem at a purchasable price. Like, this is the world we live in. The entire system is to show us what’s wrong and how we can buy what’s right. If that is where and how we live our entire lives, then we do not have eyes to see a kingdom that is here and happening right now. But what if we did have eyes to see and ears to hear? And have we ever intentionally tried to cultivate that? Eyes to see and ears to hear of…of this kingdom that Jesus is revealing. He went on and told another story. The Kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It’s the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows it’s larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches. It’s a small thing that keeps growing and growing and growing where it is so that at some point it sustains life. Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up and then in his joy sold everything he had to buy that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls who, on finding one, one pearl of great value, went and sold everything he had to buy that pearl. So, what are we getting here? We’re getting that there is a kingdom for those with eyes to see it. It’s here. It’s happening in and among everything else if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. And when we find it it is worth selling everything we have in order to have it. I mean, I can just look at my own life. I’ve looked at my own life over the years and I realized that I live as if this kingdom exists, but most of the time I live as if it’s something yet to come. It’s what I’m striving for, it’s what I’m enduring for. I’m waiting for this point at which I can have this experience, right? I think…I think that’s the condition of the modern church. Like that’s kinda how we normally live. Jesus words should be just as disruptive to us as they were to His hearers because the same kinds of things were going on. They believed that something would happen but hadn’t. And, so, they were hoping for this Messiah, for this restoration to come when Jesus comes and says, “this is already underway. This is already going on. You’ve just been blinded to it. But if you have eyes to see and ears to hear you might hear the whisper on the wind.” Jesus wasn’t just trying to talk of just new things that…that were happening, he was talking of things that had been happening all along. And according to the Scriptures this is one of the reasons he used parables. I’m just reading from Matthew. “This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet. I will open my mouth in parables. I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.” So, what Jesus is revealing is something ancient and hidden since the foundation of the world. And what Jesus is revealing is the kingdom of heaven. In other words, we may be waiting for something that’s already happening. We may not have eyes to see. So, at least for me, for me, trying to live into vision this specific kind of vision where I…where I see the kingdom in action instead of the evil like a tidal wave swarming over us. I wanna see the pushback. I wanna see God at work at all times in all places and in all things. And I know I’m not alone. I know you long for that too. What we may be missing is that it’s not a future thing, it’s a now thing, a now thing that will stretch into the future forever and ever. I want to find my heart, my mind, my life, my soul in alignment with that flow, the unstoppable march forward of the kingdom of heaven. And if what it takes is eyes to see, then I want them.

Prayer:

Father, Jesus, we’re asking for eyes to see and ears to hear Your kingdom because now we’ve come far enough into our journey and heard enough of Your words to understand that You are describing this same world that we live in viewed from a completely different perspective and if we can find ourselves seeing from that perspective, becoming aware of Your vision, the way You see things, then the world and our circumstances and the date and time that it is, and how we’re feeling, and what we’re wearing, those things won’t change, but our eyes will have been opened and we will see. And we pray that we won’t be able to un-see, that once we’ve seen we can’t stop seeing Your kingdom’s advancement in this world and our place in it, that we might find great courage to be Your hands and feet in this world. Come Holy Spirit into all of that we pray on the authority and by the name of Jesus we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, where you find out what’s going on around here. So, be sure to stay tuned and stay connected in any way that you can, and in any way that you want to.

The Daily Audio Bible Shop is available with resources for this journey. The Prayer Wall is there. So, check it out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if what we’re doing here just bringing God’s word read fresh every day in the we get to kinda gather around this Global Campfire and allow it to wash into our lives, if that’s a life-giving thing to you, then…then thank you for your partnership. We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t in this together. So, thank you. So, there’s a link on the homepage. If you’re using the Daily Audio 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 comment, just hit the Hotline button in the app, the little red button at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello Daily Audio Bible this is Dacia from Austin Texas and I don’t normally call in to pray. This one just kind of kicked me in the gut and I just want to pray for Diana Davis who has cancer, who has the two boys with autism. I have two boys with autism, and this is just…wrenched my soul. Lord I just pray that You would be with Diana and that You would calm her and soothe her like You did Hagar, that You’re going to take care of her sons. Lord I pray that You would enable Elijah and Michael to stay together and that they know that You care for them and that You will protect them Lord and I pray that You place angels around them and her Lord. Calm her and give her peace. And Lord, You know, You can do the unthinkable and You can do hard things. And, so, we pray that if it’s You’re will that You would heal Elijah and Michael and that they would be able to take care of themselves and have a good life and know You the way You want them to know You. And I thank You that You hear our prayers. And thank You for loving us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hi this is Verlyn from Alberta and it’s January 14^th I’ve just heard the lady call in that has cancer has two autistic boys and got really bad news and I just want to pray for you today. God I just thank You for this podcast and I thank You for this community. And Lord You said that if we have great faith as small as a grain of a mustard seed that You will move mountains. And God my faith is growing. I just want to lift her up and her boys up, her to autistic boys and I want to just ask You to answer her prayer that You keep her boys together. And God I ask for healing for her, a miracle healing would be awesome. I know You could do it. However, if You’re going to call her home, if You’re gonna heal her by calling her home to see You God I just pray that You will give her peace, that You know about her two boys, You know her two boys and You will take care of them. That’s what You do for Your kids. And, so, I just pray that You will just fill her with Your spirit of peace and not of confusion and let her know that You got this. Thank You, Jesus. In Jesus name. Amen.

Good evening DABbers my name is Mike I’m in Texas long-time listener I’ve been listening for about 12 years now. I have not called in before. I didn’t feel I had a need. Today we just got word that my daughter of 33 years has breast cancer. I’m asking for prayer for my family that I’ve prayed for and listen to that all this time. Thank you very much. I’ll keep you posted as much as I can. Bye.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family I’m just calling in to welcome the gentleman that called today, January 15^th into our family, the one that is training for the Chicago Marathon I think he said. I’m not gonna rewind and get his name. I’m just so thankful that he called in and bore his soul and heart with us. And I don’t know if he’s heard before the saying that we say around here, give it a year and you will look in the mirror and the December 31, 2020 and you won’t see the same person. I am so excited to hear what he has to say December 31^st. So, welcome, welcome, welcome to our family. Thank you. Thank you. Bye now.

Hi Daily Audio family this is Karen from Hemet and I got so excited, this is January 15^th when I heard Harold call in. Harold is training for the marathon and I just got so excited to hear that he has included Daily Audio Bible in his training and right away I thought of first Corinthians 10. Let me find it. Okay, no, it’s 9, first Corinthians 9:24. Harold this is just for you. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the game goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly. I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and I make it my slave so that after I have preached to others I myself will not be disqualified for the praise…for the prize. You know Harold, you are running two races. Having the discipline of Daily Audio Bible every day in your life, opening your heart to the truth of God, that is the greatest race you’re ever gonna run. And you’re going to get the wall many times where you’re gonna wonder what does this have to do about my life? I say key, keep running both races. Harold we’re gonna be on the sidelines cheering for you.

This is Lori in Texas I’m calling in response to a prayer request from Diana Davis and she has learned that her cancer has spread to her brain. She’s seeking prayer on behalf of her two autistic boys, Elijah and Michael, that…that they could stay together. And Diana, you really touched me, and I am lifting you up in prayer. Father, holy heavenly good and merciful Father I pray that You would give my sister Diana peace of mind, that You would give her Your incredible comfort, that You would assure her, that You will direct the paths of these boys, and that You will keep them together, that they can be a help and a comfort to one another and I pray father that You would walk through this valley with her to keep her under the shelter of Your wing, that You would give her heart and mind the peace that passes all understanding. Father we know You hear our prayers and we know there are so many others that are joining and to pray for this thing. Father with You nothing is impossible, and You are…You are Jehovah Jira, You are a great provider and I’m just believing what You’re going to make happen for Elijah and Michael and Diana. I ask for Your blessings over this and I ask it in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Good morning friends this is Jen in SoCal, a.k.a. Prayer Warrior Princess. It’s Wednesday, January 15

^th

. Harold in St. Louis, my brother I was so excited to hear your call this morning. I am a fellow marathoner and something you said struck my…my heart so much because my first marathon many years ago, I’m five foot four and at that time I was 183 pounds and I was so scared I was going to starve to death running all those miles I packed so much. I looked like a kangaroo. I had a bunch of pouches and pockets. I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in one of my pockets. And as I ran that marathon I started throwing things off left and right to the point where I threw…I pulled everything out of the pockets and then I pulled off the jacket and all the layers just getting every piece of weight off of me that was encumbering me and since that race, Hebrews 12:1 has been a life first for me. It says let us throw off every weight that hinders us. And when you are talking about the other podcasts that weighed you down, I smiled with so much joy thinking of how that is happening in your life in a similar way. So, I looked up your marathon is Sunday, October 11. I am totally praying for you Harold and I wish you the best. And I pray today that though you be afflicted you shall not be crushed. Any lactic acid filled muscles sweat stained brows desperate for oxygen on hills and speed work days, through all of this suffering toward your noble goal, Harold I pray that your body would reveal the heart of God for you the love and joy that he takes in you and He’s so proud of you. We’re glad you’re here Harold. Let us know how it’s going. Bye.

Genesis 39:1-41:16, Matthew 12:46-13:23, Psalms 17:1-15, Proverbs 3:33-35

Today is the 19^th day of January, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it’s great to be here with you as we begin a new week. And this is the third beginning of a new week already in this new year. And, so, we…we…we’re definitely moving along at a good clip, and it’s always nice at the beginning of a new week to realize that it’s a new beginning. It’s a fresh start. All the days that are out in front of us that will make up this week, we haven’t lived into those yet so, we can decide in advance even though there are plenty of unknown things that we will face in the coming week, we can decide in advance what the posture of our heart will be. And one of the ways that we do that is to just invite the Scriptures to speak into our lives, which is the purpose of us meeting here every day around this Global Campfire. So, we’ve got a brand-new week. This week we’ll read from the English Standard Version and we’ll be picking up where we left off yesterday. So, in the Old Testament we’ve got this story and we’re gonna settle into it. It’s essentially the story of Abraham’s great grandson Joseph who is the son of Jacob, whose name has become Israel. So, Joseph is one of Israel’s children. And he’s young man. He’s got older brothers. He’s a little on the arrogant side it appears. He has dreams. He’s definitely a dreamer, but he’s definitely a young man, right? So, he doesn’t exactly have all of his manners and…and wisdom in communication. So, he has dreams and these dreams seem to indicate that his family will one day be bowing down before him, which certainly doesn’t go well with his older brothers and it really doesn’t go that well with his father. Joseph’s kind of the favored one because he was born to his wife, Rachel, and he loved her, and he was a child that she longed for. And, so, he’s a favored child and his mom is passed away. And, so, I mean all of that kinda comes together and his brothers just don’t like him. And in the end, they take him and we…we see the first clear depiction of human trafficking in the Bible. Joseph was sold into slavery, trafficked by his own family, by his own brothers. And, so, he ends up in Egypt and that’s where we pick up the story. Genesis chapter 39 verse 1 through 41 verse 16.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for another day, another day in the rhythm that goes back many, many years and…and with your grace and mercy will continue on many days into the future, even years and years into the future nut we thank you for bringing us to this moment of time, where we cross the threshold into another week and we invite your Holy Spirit fully into everything about this week, everything about us. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear as we continue to open ourselves to you. Come Jesus we pray. In your mighty name, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, its where you find out what’s going on around here. So, be sure to stay up with what’s happening and check out the resources that are available in the Daily Audio Bible Shop, as well as I visit the Prayer Wall in the community section and pray for your brothers and sisters.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com there is a link on the homepage and I thank you, I thank you with all my heart for your partnership. 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, you can hit the Hotline button, the little red button in the app or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that is that’s it for today. Welcome to a new week. It’s going to be a great one. I am Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.