Day 300

I fell very blessed to be a Christian in the United States. Here we are not persecuted for what we believe, but accepted, and in certain areas, encouraged. But there are others who are being persecuted for the Lord. I can't imagine the pressure when witnessing to say the right things.

But Jesus gives some advice on this. Luke 21 verses 14 through 15 says, "Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict."

Jesus is saying, when we are witnessing for the Lord, do not worry about what you will say! The Holy Spirit will handle that! Just have faith and trust the Lord to speak of Him and witness!

I have a difficult time with this. I do not feel confident enough in my faith to talk about it with others. But with this, I know that the Lord will put the right words in my mouth and the Holy Spirit will take it from there! I just have to have the nerve to speak!

Day 299

In Luke 21, Jesus and His disciples are watching the tithe being collected. There are several rich men putting large amounts in the collection. But then, a poor widow comes and places just pennies in the offering basket.

In response to this, Jesus says in Luke 21 verses 3 and 4, "Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

Jesus is saying that the window contributed more because she had nothing. She was not comfortable with her current situation, but she still gave to the Lord as a gesture of faith.

The Lord recognizes gestures of faith to Him and I am so thankful for that! I continue to work on my trust in the Lord. I give everything to Him to show how much I love and trust Him!

Day 298

Through this reading, I am also trying to deepen my faith and understanding so I can speak confidently of the word.

Right now, I believe I miss opportunities to speak of the Lord and all He has done because I am not confident enough to speak on behalf of the Bible. I know that when situations arise, the Holy Spirit is with me and He will speak through me and for me. However, I need the confidence to speak.

Jesus, when He spoke, spoke with confidence and with knowledge. As a result, He was able to fend off all traps and attacks on Himself (Luke 20 verse 40).

This reading is helping to strengthen my confidence and give me what I need to speak up when talking about my Lord. I will do what I can to speak up and not back down when confronted about my Lord!

Day 297

My son has a book about Whistler the Dog. It is a story based on Mark 11 verse 24. It is a children's book, but it has time and again been exactly what I needed to hear.

Again Jesus talks about faith. Mark 11 verses 22 through 24 says, "And Jesus answered them, 'Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.'"

To me, this is so profound! What power prayer has! The only difficult part is not doubting in your heart. We as humans on this Earth are influenced by the world around us, and therefore, are introduced to doubt. But if we rid ourselves of doubt, we can move mountains!

I need to focus on removing all doubt, because with the Lord, there is no reason to doubt.

Day 296

What an all powerful, mighty, gracious, loving, deserving God we serve.

As Jesus was riding the donkey into Jerusalem, some Pharisees came to Jesus and told Him to quiet His disciples. Jesus replied in Luke 19 verse 40, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."

I believe this! Our Lord is so worthy of praise, if we don't do our part to praise the Lord, then the stones and the very Earth will break forth!

Our Lord is so wonderful, He deserves constant praise! May we, along with all creation, give the Lord the praise He deserves!

Day 295

Again and again I see Jesus speaking to and healing those who believe.

Mark chapter 10 verses46 to 52 tell of Bartimaeus who was blind. He was a beggar outside the city. When he heard that Jesus was walking by, he shouted for Him to heal him.

Jesus heard his cry and asked him what he wanted Jesus to do. When the man asked to restore his sight, Jesus responds in verse 52, "Go your way, your faith has made you well."

Time and time again Jesus proves He is all powerful and can do far more than I could ever imagine. However, it is all by faith! Each time it is by faith. I continue to strive to obtain the faith that moves mountains and to be able to fully trust Him for everything.

Day 294

I consider myself to be a rich person. Not necessarily in monetary possessions, but rather in the family that I have, the friends that I have, and other similar things.

So I found it interesting in Matthew 19 verse 24 says, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."

This concerns me a little bit! Does that mean that all that I have to consider myself rich must be taken away in order to enter the kingdom of heaven?

Thankfully, the Lord answers my question a few verses later. Verse 26 says, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Whew! There is a chance! However, I do believe that this does not come easy! I must devote my entire self to the Lord and trust Him completely. I trust Him to pull this camel through the eye of a needle because I know only He can do it.

Day 293

Before every reading, I pray. I pray about everything, mainly about what is on my mind at the time, and also I pray of the things I have learned so far and I pray that the Lord would reveal to me what He is speaking in the readings for that day.

In the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus prays twice. Once when He hears of Lazarus, and once at the tomb.

The second time Jesus prays, He says this in John 11 verse 41 and 42, "Father, I thank You that You have heard me. I knew that You always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that You sent me."

Jesus said the second prayer to increase the faith of those at the tomb. However, Jesus knew that His first prayer was answered. He knew that the Lord hears every prayer.

I have to remember that the Lord hears every prayer. When I pray, I am talking directly to the Lord! I have to take that seriously. What a privilege and a blessing it is to be able to talk to the Lord my God!

Day 292

Luke chapter 16 gives the parable of the dishonest manager. In this story, a man entrusted with the wealth of another did not manage the money honorably. However, after being confronted, he turned from his ways.

Luke chapter 16 verse 10 says, "One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest with much."

My wife and I, along with my son, live in a great house! It is not that big, but good for us. We have 2 modest cars and just enough money to get by for now. However, I feel that this is our test. I feel that the Lord is testing us with this amount. He is saying that if we manage what we currently have well, then He will continue to bless us.

I believe He does this with more than just possessions, but also responsibility and other things too. I thank the Lord for what He has already blessed me with and I pray I am trustworthy in His eyes to receive more.

I thank the Lord for the blessings He has given me, and the ones yet to come!

Day 291

I like the way Jesus explains the benefits of being humble in Luke 14 verses 7 through 11. He describes how it brings honor when one is humble and lifted up, but brings shame when one is proud and brought down.

Jesus also said in Luke 13 verse 30 says, "And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."

One of the many lessons Jesus teaches is to be humble in all circumstances. It will only bring honor to your name. I will strive to be humble and put others before me.

Day 290

I found it interesting today the story of the blind man. Jesus restored his sight, but He did it on the Sabbath. The Pharisees questioned the man about Jesus to figure out who He really is.

The Pharisees brought in the man's parents and all who would help validate the man's story and determine who Jesus was. The man told them the story of how he was blind, and now he sees, but still they did not believe.

After the man realized the Pharisees still did not believe, he said to them in John 9 verse 30, "Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where He comes from, and yet He opened my eyes..."

I like this man's way of thinking. He's basically telling the Pharisees that they may not believe who He is, but look at what He has done!

I think the same goes for us. We may have doubts or even sometimes not believe, but look at what He has done! Not only in the Bible, which is the spoken word of God and the true account of what has been, but also in our lives as well! Whenever we doubt, think about these things!

Day 289

In today's reading, Jesus says in Luke 11 verse 28, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

I need a reminder like this one that says it is not only good enough to read, but what I am reading must be kept and followed through with.

These readings are a two step process. The first is obviously reading it, but the second is retention. This can be done by thinking about what was read several times that day and it can also be done by memorization and other ways.

I believe this is important to keep the intent of the passage fresh in my mind and live it throughout the day.

Day 288

After reading the Lord's prayer in Luke 11, verses 2 through 4, I have more of an appreciation for what Jesus is saying.

Earlier, Jesus had charged His disciples to go and spread the gospel. However, they were not to take any supplies; no food, no extra clothing, nothing.

So when the disciples ask Jesus how they should pray, when the Lord says in Luke 11 verse 3, "Give us each day our daily bread." Jesus is literally saying, pray to the Lord and trust Him to provide your daily needs. I am sure that meant a whole lot more to them than it would for us.

However, Jesus emphasized praying this prayer to have their daily bread, rather than just expecting it. Ask and it shall be given to you. We have to pray and we have to ask.

I believe Jesus is saying to pray often and ask Him to meet our needs. We then must trust Him to do so. This is how we should pray.

Day 287

In this reading, Jesus was put to the test by the Pharisees. A woman who, by local law, deserved to be stoned by the people was brought to Jesus. They wanted to test Him to see if Jesus would throw stones at her as per the law.

Jesus responds to their test by saying in John 8 verse 7, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her."

Jesus is saying that only the one who is sinless has the right to judge. The only person that is sinless is the Lord. Therefore, do not judge others.

I have to remember to be pure with my comments. I have to talk positively about others, and build others up. Also, it is not my place to judge others. This is the Lord's responsibility, not ours.

Even in our minds we must refrain from judging others. I will work on being pure with my comments and not judging others when I have no right to do so.

Day 286

In the reading for today, the disciples try to cast out a demon from a boy, but are unable.

The disciples approached Jesus later and asked Him why they could not cast out the demon. Jesus replied in Matthew 17 verse 20, "Because of your little faith. For truly I say to you. If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

I long for a faith like this where I pray wholly confident that the Lord can do all that I ask and more. I am getting there, but still traces of doubt creep in. I believe that is what is holding me back.

I continue to strive for this kind of faith, and as the father of the boy with the spirit said in Mark 9:24, "I believe; help my unbelief!"

Day 285

In today's reading, Jesus shows us how to identify Satan and how to respond.

When Jesus foretells His death and resurrection, Peter takes Him aside and rebukes Him. But Jesus sees the devil working through him and says in Matthew 16 verse 23, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."

Jesus saw that what He was being told was not of the will of the Lord and it did not fall into the Lord's plan. When He saw this, He rebuked Peter and did not listen.

I need to keep on the lookout for Satan working in my life, and also through others to try and sway me from my purpose and part in the Lord's plan. I need to see that when someone says something, or a thought enters my mind that is not of the Lord, I need to acknowledge that and focus again on the Lord.

I pray that the Lord will help me identify when things are not of Him and give me the strength to overcome them and continue to focus on Him.

Day 284

In today's reading, Jesus feeds 4,000 men. The thing about this story is the lack of faith by the disciples.

Jesus had compassion on the people and told His disciples that they need to feed the people before they go home, otherwise they will not make it.

Mark 8 verse 4 says, "And His disciples answered Him, 'How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?'"

Are you kidding me? A few chapters ago, Jesus fed 5,000 men with nothing but scraps! Why would they even ask this question when they know what Jesus can do?

But at the same time, I look at myself. I do the same thing! I have seen what Jesus can do, but I still question Him! I still ask Him how. Jesus can do all things. Why then do I question Him? Why then do I doubt?

Day 283

Quite often I wonder if I am a good Christian. I wonder if I am following in His ways and doing His works.

This is clarified in John chapter 6 verses 28 and 29, It says, "Then they said to Him, 'What must we do, to be doing the works of God?' Jesus answered them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.'"

The main thing, to sum it all up, that we have to do to be accomplishing the works of God is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. We simply have to believe!

Day 282

I am all too often like Peter. I see something miraculous like Jesus walking on the water, or have my faith strengthened in some way and I take a step of faith too. I get out of the boat to walk on water to Jesus.

Unfortunately, all too often, I am like Peter. I get a little ways out, and I see all that is around me, the storm that I am in and I loose sight of Jesus. I start to sink. I then, always, hear the Lord say to me as He said to Peter in Matthew 14 verse 31, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

I am faced with that question a lot. Why did I doubt? I know the Lord can do all things and I know He will take care of me. There is no reason to doubt. I will strive to have faith and not doubt.

Day 281

What an ultimate act of faith by the disciples. Luke 9 verses 1 through 6 describe how Jesus sent out the disciples to spread His teachings to Israel. However, Jesus had some requirements. Luke 9 verse 3 says, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money, and do not have two tunics."

To me that is the ultimate act of faith, to devote your entire life to spreading the Gospel but not taking any supplies. They are to trust completely for their everyday needs.

I can learn a lot from Jesus's charge and the disciples's faith. The disciples left knowing they would be taken care of, even when they had nothing. It is a tough lesson for me, but I too am learning to trust. I know that it is through Christ that I am taken care of. I thank Him and continue to hand over everything to Him.

Day 280

I am consistently amazed at the faith of others. A woman suffering from a disease for the past 12 years could not be healed by any doctors or anyone else. But she had the faith to just touch the cloak of Jesus and she knew that she would be healed.

When Jesus confronted her about touching His cloak, she responded with why she touched Him and also let Him know that she was immediately healed!

Then Jesus responds in Luke 8 verse 48, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace."

That is interesting. Her faith has made her well. This implies that if she had touched Jesus's cloak and not believed, she would not have been healed.

I wonder how many opportunities are missed by us when we do not believe. I wonder how many blessings are available to us that we do not receive because we do not have faith.

It is only by faith that we live in Christ.

Day 279

I love the story of how Jesus calms the storm. Jesus and the disciples are in a boat and a storm arises. The waves get bigger, the wind gets stronger and the boat is starting to take on water. The disciples awake a sleeping Jesus and confront about the storm.

Matthew 8 verses 26 and 27 say, "And He said to them, 'Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?' Then He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, 'What sort of a man is this, that even winds and sea obey Him?'"

I know quite often I run to Jesus, concerned or frightened about one thing or another. And each time Jesus comes back and says, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?"

Why am I afraid? Why do I worry? Is my faith that small? I am finding out that it is all about faith and trust. I need to work on having both.

Day 278

I feel that I can relate to the parable of the sower. Mark 4 verses 18 and 19 say, "And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desire for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful."

I have a strong base in the word. I have been raised as a Christian all my life. But I continue to falter in my faith as the cares and concerns of this world choke my faith. I worry about finances and safety and many other things that deter me from true faith.

However, I am working on ridding myself of these things that choke my faith. It is not an easy process, but it is a rewarding one. I desire to have the kind of faith that never can be swayed and I am getting there.

Don't be afraid or unwilling to take on the process of removing the cares and concerns of life that choke one's faith. It is far more rewarding and worth while.

Day 277

I think it is sometimes difficult to fully understand the power of the Lord. However, the centurion knew the power of Christ in Luke 7.

The centurion's servant was very ill, and when he heard that Jesus was near, he sent messengers to Him requesting that He heal his servant. Luke 7 verses 6 through 7 say, "And Jesus went with them. When He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, 'Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed.'"

Luke 7 verse 9 says, "When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed Him, said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."

This centurion understood not only was Jesus all powerful, he also understood that Jesus was worthy of honor and respect and he knew that he was not worthy to have Jesus step into his house.

Do we go to the Lord in this kind of humbleness? Do we look at the Lord in this kind of light? I have to keep in mind that the Lord is worthy of all honor and praise and I am not worthy of even having Him speak to me. However, it is by His grace and mercy that He is mindful of us and loves us! What an amazing Lord!

Day 276

Again, God speaks to me and tells me exactly what I need to hear. He tells me He is in control.

As I stated before, I worry. I worry about many things. But this passage hits home. Matthew 6 verses 25 through 34 says, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life...Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?...Therefore, do not be anxious saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'...for your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself."

This is a long excerpt but it says so much! Jesus is saying do not worry! The birds are not near as important as you, but the Lord takes care of them. Why do we think the Lord will not take care of us just the same? Also, why worry about material things? The Lord knows that we need them all!

And here's the key: Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Seek after the Lord and He will take care of you.

I have to have faith that the Lord will take care of all of my needs. I just have to have faith and seek after Him!

Day 275

Jesus is good at hitting on the points I need the most. Today, Jesus is talking about lending money in Luke 6 verses 34 through 35. He says, "And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great..."

Lend to others and do not expect anything in return! Whoa! That is a new concept for me. But I think Jesus is saying to give your money away. If you do, your reward will be great.

This is tough for me because once again, I am bound by what I understand. The way I look at this is if I give money away, that means I have less than before. How then can my reward be great? But Jesus is the giver of all blessings and He can do anything. He is the one that blesses me and He works outside the scope of what I understand.

I need to give often and happily knowing that the Lord will take care of me in all ways and in all things.

Day 274

I have to laugh at the Pharisees. In Matthew 12, they were so focused on the Law and so focused on their religion, they completely missed what was happening right in front of them!

In Matthew 12 verses 9 through 14, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand. However, Jesus did this on a Sunday. The Pharisees criticized Jesus for this because Jesus wasn't following the Law doing work on a Sunday. They completely overlooked the fact that Jesus healed a man's withered hand right in front of them! They were so concerned about the Law and their religion, they didn't see the miracle that took place.

I wonder how often we do the same thing. I wonder how often we get too tied up in the routine of our church services or too tied up in the everyday, that we completely miss the work of Jesus. I find the best place to see the work of the Lord is in church where His children come together to give Him glory. I also see His glory every day in the colorful trees in autumn, or in the wind that is invisible, but its effects are seen everywhere.

I need to work on looking for and seeing the Lord in all places and in all things, because I know He is absolutely everywhere and in all things. I cannot get distracted by routines and everyday occurrences, but I have to look. Then I will see the glory of the Lord!

Day 273

In today's reading, Jesus heals a leper. In this story, I admire the faith that this leper has. I think he could not have asked Jesus to heal him in a more perfect way.

Luke 5 verse 12 says, "While Jesus was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, 'Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.'"

This man knew that Jesus could heal him. There was no doubt in his mind! He knew that it was up to Jesus to determine if he would heal the leper or not. Therefore, the leper asked if Jesus would heal him, not if Jesus could.

Quite often, we come to the Lord asking if He can do something. This is wrong. We must go to the Lord knowing he can do anything, but also knowing it is up to the Lord to do it or not.

When I pray, I must pray with the confidence of knowing that He can do all that I ask and more, and pray that the Lord will, not that the Lord can.

Day 272

In today's reading, Jesus calls his first disciples. Mark 1 verses 16 through 18 say, "Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, 'Follow Me and I will make you become fishers of men.' And immediately they left their nets and followed Him."

Two things I find interesting about this passage. The first is that Jesus was just passing by. It sounds to me like Simon and Andrew did not know Jesus very well, but still they followed Him when He called.

The second thing I find interesting is the last line. It says, "immediately they left their nets and followed Him." Immediately, without delay. They didn't even think about it, they just did it.

I quite often wonder if I have that kind of faith, where if I hear the Lord call, will I immediately drop everything and follow Him? I have to make sure that I listen for Him and immediately follow where He leads me.

Day 271

I found it interesting that both Jesus' disciples and John's disciples were baptizing people in the same area. More people were going to be baptized by Jesus' disciples and John's disciples were jealous. They were also concerned that Jesus was not qualified to be baptizing people.

John responded in John 3 verse 30 saying, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

In other words, that is okay! That is the way it should be! John realized that his purpose was to glorify the Lord. His purpose was to lift Jesus up, while lessening himself.

I want to make sure that I do this as much as possible to. Do I lift the Lord up and give Him the glory and the credit while I lessen myself? Or do I take the credit when the credit belongs to the Lord?

I have to be aware that the Lord is the one who deserves the glory. He is the one who blessed me with the gifts that I have. All that I do is because He equipped me to do it. He must increase, but I must decrease.

Day 270

I always wondered how Jesus knew so much of the Bible and of all that He was supposed to do. But here in Mark 1 it may be explained for me.

After Jesus was baptized, He was led to the wilderness to be tempted. He was out there 40 days. Mark 1 verse 13 says, "And He was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to Him."

I find it interesting that even Jesus needed to be ministered to and taught.

Sometimes I am closed minded to being ministered to or to being taught of the word. However, it is humbling to hear that even Jesus needed to be ministered to and taught.

I will try to openly accept new teachings of the word when it deepens my relationship with the Lord.

Day 269

There are so many things being bombarded at us in these scripture readings, it is difficult to pinpoint one thing.

However, once again, one thing that struck me was Joseph. They just had Jesus about 2 years ago, enough time to get settled into a place, and he then has a dream. Matthew 2 verse 13 says, "...An angel of the lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you...'"

Whoa! That would be so difficult for him. He had to pack up his life and his family and move to Egypt; a different country! I can't imagine what he told Mary!

What faith he must have had to follow where the Lord led him! It reminds me that I am not here on this Earth to do what I want to do or follow my own whims. But instead I am here to accomplish all that the Lord has set for me to do. I am here to follow Him and to glorify Him. Period!