Deuteronomy 16:1-17:20, Luke 9:7-27, Psalms 72:1-20, Proverbs 12:8-9
Today is the 31st day of March welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is great to be here with you. If it’s the 31st day of March then it’s the last day of March and that’s what it is, the last day of the third month of the year. So, the last day of March, the last day of the first quarter of the year. Whew! Can you believe it? It’s just so weird, time. It’s just so elastic. It just…because I’m gonna be we saying the same thing to you in six months or whatever and it’s gonna be October and it will be like wasn’t it just…wasn’t it just March? But here we are. This is how it works. We just keep showing up. This is how it works. Show up, take the next step forward, show up, take the next step forward and we move all the way through the year together in community and through the Bible. And what a year it’s been so far. So, anyway last day of the year. Congratulations for making it this far. If you have made it this far there is…you can do this. Like, it’s not a matter of whether you could or couldn’t anymore. You can. You’ve made it a quarter of the year. We’ve got this. And, so, let’s dive in. We are in the book of Deuteronomy as we reach the conclusion of our first quarter of the year. Moses is speaking. Moses is the speaker in all of Deuteronomy. These are the things that he needs to say before he is no longer the leader of this people before the transition of power or authority is bestowed upon Joshua and Moses becomes a part of history. And, so, Moses has everyone’s attention. He has led them every step of the way and he’s reviewing a lot of things and we’re reviewing a lot of the key aspects of the law at this point. Deuteronomy chapters 16 and 17.
Commentary:
Okay. So, we’ve already talked about how this is the last day the month, it’s the last day of the quarter. And, yeah, we’ll flip the page and tomorrow will be a new month and a new quarter and then the day after tomorrow will be good Friday. And, so, we’re in the middle of holy week and we’re coming to the end of the Lenten season for those who have kind of engaged in it to some degree. And we…we’re moving toward Easter. And we very, very often just move past all of the holy week stuff, the contemplation of…of the sacrifice and just move into Easter and we’ve talked about that before too, about not doing that. And, so, this is kind of one of those times because we’re seeing this story where Jesus goes to Caesarea Philippi. And we talked about this story already but the question that comes out of the story - “who do you say that I am?” - there’s not is not a more important question than that, maybe in life. But right now, as we are moving forward, moving forward into new seasons, and embracing where we are as…as we observe Good Friday and think of Jesus crucifixion and His death. And on Saturday just sitting with the loss, basically, because Jesus died and was laid in a tomb and laid in the tomb dead. Like all is lost and then all things are made new. And yet this question, “Who do you say that I am?” sort of burns its way through all of that and continues to come front and center because the answer to that question really truly dictates the trajectory of our entire life. And, so, it’s fitting that we would cross this territory as we prepare to leave this quarter behind and move into a new month and move directly into Easter, that this question would sit there like the bookend at the end of a quarter, almost like everything that we have read and learned and thought about and contemplated in the Scriptures up to this point, almost like everything has been leading us to this question.
Prayer:
Jesus, we embrace that fully. We could answer like Peter, You are the Messiah, You are the son of the living God, and that is true, that is our declaration. And yet, how would we…where would we even start if we needed to say all that You are because You are more than we can say and You are more than enough. And yet even declaring that to You in a statement of worship it’s also a convicting thing because we can say You are more than enough and then look at the way we live as if that’s anything but true. And, so, this question “who do what You say that I am?” really does dictate where we’re going. We want to embrace that today and over the next several days as we move into and through the Easter celebration. What is our lives saying? Who do we say that You are? Come Holy Spirit into that question. Lead us down the pathways of our own hearts we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Announcements:
dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it’s the website, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. Of course, as I’ve mentioned many times if you are using the Daily Audio Bible app you can access these things from there as well by using the Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner.
So, yeah, check out the Community section. This is where the Prayer Wall is. This is where we get connected.
Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. This is where there are resources in many different categories that we’ve developed over the years for the journey. This particular one, the one that we’re on, the one that is a voyage through a year and across the entire Bible, so that…well…by the time we’re done we’ve read every word, every sentence, every paragraph, every verse. And it’s a big book. And, so, taking a journey through a year and investing a year of life together in community to take this journey, there are many resources for that journey in the Daily Audio Bible Shop. So, check that out.
If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if this mission that we share to bring the spoken word of God read fresh every day and given 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 we’re not alone on this journey, we’re together and we’re going through the same kinds of stuff our brothers and sisters are going through all around the world. And just have that solidarity as we take this journey is so important and so meaningful. And if that’s been true for you, it’s important and meaningful than thank you for your partnership. There is 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 the mailing address, if that’s your preference, 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 up 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.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Hello this is Mountain Girl from New Mexico I just want to thank Brian and Jill and everyone that’s involved in the Daily Audio Bible. I’ve been listening for 12 years and it has become a major part of my life. I would like to pray for Phil. Father I ask that You’d bless his son Andrew who is having open heart surgery. I pray for guidance and wisdom for the doctors, and I pray for healing for Andrew, and I pray that You’d lead and guide Phil. Kingdom Seeker Daniel, I pray for his son Daniel and his mental illness and I just pray for healing for his mind Father. You are a great healer and I ask You to heal his mind. I pray for the lady that called in and sang tis so sweet to trust in Jesus. That was absolutely beautiful. Thank you. Miley from Canada who’s retiring from being a family doctor and persecuted for her faith. I just pray for guidance for you and for wisdom and the Lord would lead you to exactly what He wants you to do. Marla from Kentucky whose friend Steve had a stroke. I pray for healing. I pray Lord that You would help him and help him to recover, and I just pray that everyone involved would become closer to You through this trial. C with postpartum and the kids and her husband, Lord I just pray for emotional healing for emotional support. I pray Lord that You would help them and that You would heal her and guide her. For redeemed Rachel whose pastors leaving in a cross-country move. I pray Lord that so many changes but that you would be her constant through all this and that You would be her rock. Jaws of Life in New Hampshire, I pray for you marriage and I pray that God would heal your marriage. I pray that He would be the steady force in your life that would heal. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Heidi DAB Family this is Laura in South Florida. Today is the 28th day of March and this morning I heard a prayer request from someone who did not give their name, but it was a girl who is dealing with a sexual sin. And I just want to tell you dear sister whenever you ask God for to forgive you, He forgives. God is always honest and always truthful. Whatever He says is true and He says if you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive your sin and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. My sweet sister you are forgiven. I love that word, forgiven. Believe me, I have…I have asked God to forgive me many times and I…I am so grateful for his forgiveness. And I just pray sister that you would just…just every time you feel an urge to sin that you would just say God, I can’t do this without You. Please God Holy Spirit give me Your strength to do this and thank You Jesus.
Good morning Daily Audio Bible family my name is Julie I’ve been listening for many years, but this is the first time this introvert has called in and I just wanted to call because as we’re reading through Deuteronomy and listening to Moses his words for the people I can’t help but think, you know, see what a compassionate person he is. Here he is not going into the promised land because of them yet he still loves them dearly and is still trying to teach them so that they can be successful. It’s just…it is so wonderful, and I feel that this community is Moses too. I feel that we’re a compassionate people, the body of God helping each other, praying for each other. And I just wanted to call and say thank you to all of you are there for this community and keep…keep calling in with your praise reports, keep calling in with your prayers and, who knows, I might call in yet again. It only took four months this year before I made the commitment that I was. So maybe…maybe it won’t take another four months for me to call in again but love you all. Thank you.
Hi DAB family this is your sister Julie from North Idaho. I just wanted to call and encourage my little sister that called and didn’t leave her name on the podcast that was on March 28th. Sweetheart, thank you so much for making yourself vulnerable to the rest of us and you are in a safe place. And you called and asked the right people to help you out. We’re your brothers and sisters in Christ and we support you and we absolutely encourage you and want to thank you for asking for forgiveness. Honey, you’re forgiven, first through the eyes of Jesus and then through your brothers and sisters in Christ in this DAB family. And we also want you to know that while you have been forgiven you need to forgive yourself sweetheart. And sometimes that’s so much harder than asking for forgiveness from others. You need to know that you are washed and cleansed by the blood of Jesus, that He no longer counts your sin against you, and that just the fact that you are emotionally and spiritually asking for forgiveness and to be healed and restored, honey, know that it’s already been done as soon as you asked Him. Lord we ask that you heal and restore our little sister. You know who…what her name is Lord and we just pray for deliverance and we pray for emotional healing, spiritual healing, and physical healing. To you be all glory honesty and honor Lord Jesus. We love you and honor you and thank you for hearing our prayer and putting your protection at our you’re covering over our little sister. May she live in freedom praising you and thanking you for being her Lord and savior. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen. I love you my brothers and sisters in Christ. Have a wonderful day and happy Easter. He is risen!
This is Candace from Oregon I’m gonna be asking prayers for Karen in Florida but before I do that I just want to say that in my own life, I’m 64 years old now, but I had children starting as a very, very young person first one born when I was 21 and my husband was a really, really great husband a really good provider, did not have as much of a vision as a parent. He didn’t ever, you know, get up in the middle of the night with a baby or change a diaper. He didn't…that just wasn’t his desire or his thing. He didn’t go, you know, throw a ball with his boy or anything like that. So, I raised these three kids alone…also because he was working 70- or 80-hour weeks or off and he was in Asia or traveling somewhere far away. So, I raised them alone although we had materially what we needed. And, so, it was a great relief to me when I turned…we both turned 58 and he retired early. And at the time our oldest child was living here with us with her 3-year-old son and they lived here with us for three years that it was just really wonderful to parent this little boy together rather than me just alone. And, you know, it was really three of us parenting this little boy which was delightful. So, Lord I pray for Karen in Florida, a single grandma raising a 13-year-old in a high…she’s in a highly demanding job. The 13-year-old is homeschooling, she’s raising a 3-bedroom household by herself. So, Lord lift her up, be her husband, make this go incredibly smoothly. Let her feel Your support around her at all times and Your guidance and Your provision and we ask this in Jesus’ name.