Day 300: Luke 12:1 - 13:35

The concept of perspective is one that although so incredibly simple, can be such a difficult one for we as Christians to truly grasp. In the early part of chapter 12, we read about Jesus talking to His Disciples and others about the importance of taking everything into perspective and understanding that just because we feel like something is important right now, in comparison to the things that God truly considers important, it's nothing at all. So many Christians spend their entire lives chasing after pointless, fleeting goals such as money and comfort, but God wants us to always remember that He is our main focus and if we will keep our eyes on Him, He will add everything else to our lives and allow us to live in true blessings that only He can offer. We must remember that everything that we work hard for in the natural will be burned up and completely disappear, but those spiritual treasures that we build up in His name will never go away.

- Father, help me to store up treasures in Heaven and not simply riches here on earth. I know that it's Your will to bless me, but those windows of Heaven won't be opened until I'm ready to surrender everything I have to focus on You and seek Your face rather than Your hands. -

Day 299: Luke 10:18 - 11:54

The story of Mary and Martha is an important one for Christians to understand. As Christians, it's so easy to forget why we're here and get focussed on "our ministry" rather than God. It's a difficult place to be because, honestly, the ministries that we are involved in are very important to God and to our walk with Him. The danger comes when we get so involved in our ministry that we ignore the very One Who we are ministering for. Ministry is a gift from God, but just as we learned yesterday, The Giver is always more important than the gift itself. God wants us to be diligent and work hard, but more than that, He wants His children to sit at His feet and allow Him to minister His peace and love into their hearts. And I promise you that if we will be faithful to keep our eyes and our hearts fixed on Him, He will help make it possible for us to take care of the responsibilities that He has given us so we can bless others with the blessings that He has given us.

- Lord, help me to be more like Mary than Martha. Give me the heart and the desire to sit at Your feet and not allow the distractions of this world to keep me from getting in Your Word and finding out what You are saying to me. -

Day 298: Luke 9:1 - 10:17

I've always thought that the story of the "Mount of Transfiguration" was always somewhat of a comically sad story. In some aspects it just seems funny because I can't help but imagine how goofy Peter, James, and John must have looked experiencing all of that amazing power, but it also has a sad connotation to it because we realize that despite the fact that these guys spend alot of time with Jesus and was with Him all of the time, they still didn't have a clue about what was going on. There are so many Christians out there today who get so caught up in the "circumstances" and the excitement of God moving that they completely ignore the fact that they are in His presence. Rather than getting all caught up in making some sort of monument by which to remember this exciting event, they should have directed all of their focus on their Creator and the only reason that they were even able to enjoy the experience in the first place. When our focus becomes God's hands and not His face, we will find ourselves in a place where neither is available.

- Lord, help me to seek Your face rather than You hands. You are an awesome God and although Your works are incredible, they would mean nothing if You weren't the working force behind them. -

Day 297: Luke 7:16 - 8:56

I love the encounter at the beginning of this passage that Jesus had with John's disciples. The disciples of John came to Jesus asking Him who He was, but rather than sitting there and telling them everything, He simply did what the Father told Him to and let the people judge for themselves. I believe as Christians, we often-times find ourselves in those situations where people are looking at us wondering who we really are. And it seems that all too often, good Christians decide to try to talk themselves up and somehow try to convince those around them that they really are something special. So many Christians waste their time doing those things when all they really need to do is shut up and let God do the work through them. God's Word is like a roaring lion and it's not our job to defend it, it's simply our job to let it loose and watch it do it's own thing.

- Lord, when I feel the urge to stand up and try to convince people of how special I am and all of the great things I will do, remind me that my job is simply to do Your work. And I know that if I will just keep my eyes on that, You will take care of the rest. -

Day 296: Luke 5:19 - 7:15

These days it's a very common theme that people should always talk about God's Word and keep their confessions positive and upbeat, but Jesus takes it one step farther than simply knowing and having a basic understanding of what the Bible tells us. Jesus encourages us to not only know what the Bible says, but to also know what to do to apply it to our own personal lives. As important as it is to know what the Bible says, we must LIVE what the Bible says in order for it to truly produce fruit in our lives. You know, if you think about it, the devil knows what the Bible says. In fact, the devil probably knows more about what the Bible says than most Christians do. The key is not so much about knowledge as it is about revelation. When we read God's Word, we need to ask Him to show us exactly what He wants us to see and in doing so we will not only learn the Words that He said, but the spirit of His Words will be burned deep into our hearts.

- Father, give me true revelation of Your Word so that I won't only know it in my head, I will have Your Word dee down in my heart where it will produce fruit and take me to the place where You have called me to be! -

Day 295: Luke 3:16 - 5:18

I love this story in Luke 4 about Jesus being tempted by the Devil in the wilderness. One of the best examples we could ask for about being prepared is right here in this passage. There are so many Christians out there today who aren't even close to being prepared for the attacks of the Devil, but we see in this passage the way that we should all respond when he comes to us to tempt us. The devil loves to catch us off guard and it seems to me that the best time to catch anyone off guard is in the middle of a 40 day fast. Not only was Jesus out in the desert, he was starving and, no doubt, barely hanging on physically. And yet despite all of His physical disadvantages, He was still prepared spiritually to the point where when the devil came to Him with all these temptations and tests, Jesus was able to stand firm and throw the Scripture right in his face. Just as Jesus had the strength to do that, We also can fill our spirits with God's Word so when the devil does come and try to knock us down, we can stand firm in what God has promised us.

- Lord, help me to always be prepared for any attack that the devil may throw my way. Help me to hide Your Word deep inside my heart so that no matter what happens, I will always have what it takes to block the attacks of the devil and send him packing! -

Day 294: Luke 1:63 - 3:15

The story of Jesus' parents finding Him at the temple "attending to His Father's business" is one of the coolest stories in the Bible. Interestingly enough, it seems there are many Christians today who seem to find themselves in the exact opposite situation. Our business should always be to attend to our Father's business first and foremost and yet there are alot of Christians who tend to put that on the back burner. When our Father comes looking for us, He should be able to find us in His presence attending to the things that He has called us to do rather than finding us minding our own business and trying to make our own little thing happen. And just like Jesus parent's seemed to surprised to find Jesus in the temple, others should never be shocked to find us putting our focus on God. In order to truly live a blessed life, we must all learn to put God first and attend to our Father's business before any other.

- Lord, I want people to find me in Your presence every time they come looking for me. Help me to keep Your business in the front of my mind and not let anyone or anything ever distract me from that. -

Day 293: Mark 15:47 - Luke 1:62

Mark 15:15 - 20 is such a powerful passage because it is another version of the Great Commission from the end of Matthew. It's sad to think about how many people spend their entire "Christian" lives accomplishing and living for anything and everything except what is outlined in this group of verses. There are so many people, even in the ministry, who would view this charge as something that some Christians should do if they get a chance, but not necessarily something that we should all do. That idea is both ridiculous and blasphemous because Jesus never put a disclaimer or some sort of condition on the command that He gave us. He simply said ,"Go." Our job is not to sit around and try our best to help those who come to us, out job is to go out and preach the living Gospel to everyone we meet. And preaching the Gospel doesn't mean keeping your mouth shut and hoping that they see how "great" your life is. Preaching the Gospel means stepping out and vocalizing what God has done in you and what He will do in those around you if they will accept Him.

- Lord, help me to be obedient to Your Word and go into all the world and preach to all those I come in contact with. Help me to not shy away from what You have told me to do, but rather go after it with all my strength. You have given me a job to do and I will do it! -

Day 292: Mark 14:31 - 15:47

In the beginning of this passage, we read about a subject that seems to be often-times overlooked because of the enormous story of the crucifixion. As Jesus was alone in the garden praying, he says some very interesting things to God. Initially, He tells the Father that dying on the cross was something that He really did not want to do. I think alot of times, people think that Jesus was some sort of crazy super-human that could handle anything without so much as flinching, but we're reminded in this passage that although He was 100% God, He was also 100% human. Jesus was tempted by the same things that we are and He definitely felt the same desires and emotions that we feel every day. The second important detail from this story is the fact that He told the Father, "Not My will, but Yours be done." Even in the face of certain death, Jesus had the level of faith to stand firm and tell the Father that He was willing to die if that is what He was called to. Sadly I know alot of Christians who aren't even willing to lay down one habit or make one small change in their lives for The call that God has on their lives. The Bible tells us that anything Jesus did, we can also do because we have the Spirit of the Most High God living within us. So instead of following our own will, God has given us the power we need to stand firm and have the faith to follow Him no matter what.

- Lord, help me to have the level of faith to honestly desire Your will over mine in any situation no matter what. I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me and I know that Your faith working through me will produce all that You want it to produce. -

Day 291: Mark 12:27 - 14:30

It's difficult to read this passage without getting a very strong sense of urgency and that the end is coming very quickly. Of course, "quickly" seems to be an incredibly relative term seeing as how God doesn't even operate according to the same time-tables as we do, but nonetheless, every second that ticks away brings us just a little closer to the Lord's return. Whether His return will be in 10 seconds, 10 days or 10 centuries, we still must live our lives as if we are coming close to the end. God wants us to live our lives in such a way that we are ready for anything that comes our way. If we go throughout life believing that we have plenty of time left and always putting off things until tomorrow, we will never achieve what God has called us to do. We don't serve a god of yesterday or tomorrow. We serve the Great I Am; not the "I Was" or "I Will Be." We serve a God who lives in the present and the only way to live in the present is to live like today is the last today you will ever have.

- Lord, help me to not look back to yesterday and not put things off until tomorrow. For all I know, there may not be a tomorrow which means that it's my responsibility to be faithful to do what You are calling me to today. You are a God of the present and I chose to walk in the present with You. -

Day 290: Mark 10:26 - 12:26

The story of Blind Bartimaeus is one of the more popular stories of healing in the Bible and it's also one of the more powerful stories. Many times when we read stories like this, we only focus on what God did and the power that He exhibited, but we never really take the time to focus on the faith of the people who received the healing. How sad would it have been if Bartimaeus did exactly what the disciples told him to do and just shut his mouth? Unfortunately, there are plenty of "believers" out there today saying the same things and crushing the faith of others in the exact same way. People say things like, "well, God just doesn't work like that," or "God only helps those who help themselves," and rather than bringing life and blessing, they bring doubt and curses on everyone around them. Rather than taking their example, we need to follow the example of Bartimaeus. Whether or not he felt like it, he ignored the comments of those around him and yelled even louder, and in doing so, he not only God Jesus' attention, but He got the blessing that he had been believing for!

- Lord, help me to take the example of "Blind Bartimaeus" and not allow the religious people around me to shut me up. When they do try to make me be quiet, give me the strength to cry even louder so that I can exercise my faith and get the blessing that You have promised me from the very beginning! -

Day 289: Mark 8:26 - 10:25

It's interesting that there are two separate references in this passage to children and Jesus' command for us to try to follow their examples. It seems like there are alot of Christians out there who seem to have a more "mature" view of Christianity and to be honest, they're going completely against what God has commanded. Of course, there are plenty of places where God tells us to mature and grow in His Word, but growing and maturing seems to oftentimes be confused with becoming calloused and cynical. All too often, believers allow the "logic" of the world to come in and drown out the faith in their hearts because they begin to learn how things "really are." Rather than letting our true faith in God be contaminated by the thinking of the world, we need to allow God to keep our hearts soft and continue to have the faith of a little child. God wants us to simply believe in Him without all of the pretense and conditions that this world seems to require. True child-like faith means putting everything else aside and simply trusting in Him.

- Father, give me the strength to have faith like a child. It's so easy in this day and age to get the ridiculous idea that we are supposed to have a more "mature" and realistic kind of faith, but Your Word tells us that we have only one responsibility and that is to have complete and total child-like faith in You. -

Day 288: Mark 6:31 - 8:25

Towards the last of this passage, we see a story that seems to be very characteristic of our generation. Twice just in this passage we read about Jesus performing a miracle that my brain cannot seem to even begin to understand. Once with a group of 5000+ and another time with 4000+ He took a miniscule quantity of food and multiplied it into more than enough food to feed the entire crowds. Jesus did these two miracles nearly back-to-back right in the presence of His disciples and yet we read that not long after He performed these miracles, His disciples were hanging out in the back of the boat worrying about the fact that they didn't have any food. We seem to live in a generation guilty of the exact same thing. God has and continues to offer such huge and incredible blessings to each and every one of us, and yet it seems that regardless of how deeply God has blessed us, if one little thing starts to go wrong, we fall into a panic and wonder if there's any way out. We must always remember that God is faithful and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If He's provided for us once, He'll do it again. All we have to do is have faith.

- Lord, keep me in remembrance of all of the blessings that You've given me. Help me to not get caught up in my own petty little problems, but rather get caught up in Your glory and Your blessings. You are my Provider and all I have to do is believe that You are who You said You are and let You do what You said You would do. -

Day 287: Mark 4:29 - 6:30

For this passage, I want to focus on a very small but powerful point from the story of the Gaderene Demoniac. It's so incredibly intriguing to me that amidst this powerful, excited story, we read towards the and that the people got mad and asked Jesus to leave. After the Son of God came to their area, delivered a man from satan's power, and showed the amazing strength of His Father in heaven, all the people could think about was their own shallow desires and possessions. We as Christians must remember that we can never make everybody happy. Regardless of how obedient we are to God's Word, there will inevitably be someone nearby who disagrees with our decision and is somehow disappointed with it. We have to understand that instead of living our lives to make people happy, the only One that we need to bend over backwards to please is our Heavenly Father. As long as God is happy with us, the entire world can be at our throats and it won't mean a thing.

- Father, help me to remember that You are the only one that we need to please. The world will always be able to find something to get upset about, but give me the strength to not let their opinions have even the slightest effect on how I respond to Your calling. -

Day 286: Mark 2:1 - 4:28

I think it's very important to pay close attention to the relationships that Jesus had with the "sinners" of the day. There seem to be two primary schools of thought when it comes to relationships with unsaved people, and neither is at all correct. The first is that people read stories such as the one towards the beginning of Mark 2 and think that their job is to spend all of their time out in the world hanging out with sinful people in sinful places in order to be a "light" by simply having a good time with other people. The other is that we as believers are supposed to stay as far away from sinful people so as to not get contaminated with their disgusting sin. It's interesting because both of these concepts have a little bit of truth and a little bit of a lie. Just like everything else in this life, we must learn the very important lesson of moderation. The best example I could possibly give is the example that Jesus Himself gave us. Consider a doctor. How effective would a doctor be if he never even came near a sick person? Sure he could learn alot about conditions and come up with some really wonderful ideas, but without making contact with the people who have those specific conditions, he will never truly be able to help them. On the other hand, how effective would a doctor be if all he did was provide company for the sick people who came into his office? If all he did was "Be an example" to those sick people, not only would the sick never recover, but he would undoubtedly become infected by their own sickness eventually. We must understand that it is our job as representatives of The Most High to bring the solution to those with the problem, but we must also spend time with other believers so that we can learn and develop and grow in an environment that encourages that type of growth. Yes, spending time with sinners is imperative in order to share the Gospel with them, but spending time with believers is just as important for our spiritual man.

- Lord, help me to remember that oh-so important concept of moderation in everything I do. Give me faith to go out into the darkness and shine Your light, but also give me the wisdom to come back into Your light in order to re-charge and get ready to go back out for You! -

Day 285: Matt 27:50 - Mark 1:45

I have to say that of all of the books of the Bible, I've probably read the book of Mark more than any other. I primarily love the book of Mark because I tend to think that it was written by someone who thought more like myself. The book of Mark isn't about thoughts or concepts or ideas, it's about action. Many people refer to this book of the Bible as the "action Gospel" and for good reason. I think that when we are spreading God's Word, there is definitely a place for discussing the deeper ideas and concepts of the Bible, but oftentimes, people get so caught up in the little details that they fail to present the point of the entire Bible - Jesus and His resurrection. I think we could all take a cue from Mark and remember that we must always keep the main thing the main thing. Rather than spending time trying to convince people of details that don't matter, we need to stand firm and present to them the real, powerful, living Word of God.

- Father, help me to be more like Mark in the way I present the Gospel to others. Rather than letting them know my opinions about irrelevant subjects, give me the wisdom to present Your Word in such a way that it becomes real and alive to all those who hear it. -

Day 284: Matt 26:39 - 27:49

You know, the crucifixion story is a very difficult one to provide any sort of commentary. It's sad to think that so many people have trivialized and "churched-up" this story. They've made it into a very common fairy tale of a story. To be honest, I'm not even sure that our human minds can fully comprehend the scope of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. I light of what God was willing to sacrifice for us, it really seems to reason that there may be alot more that we should be willing to sacrifice for Him. We complain if we endure one small trial or tribulation yet Jesus was able to say to the Father, "Not my will, but Yours be done." I think everyone when reading the story of the crucifixion should pray and ask God to give them a true revelation of what this story truly means. This is not simply another interesting story within a book. This is the very subject that defines the previous 77% of the book and makes possible the remaining 23%. The story of the crucifixion is more than just a part of the story, it's the point of the story.

- Lord, help me to understand deeper what it meant for Your Son to die on the cross for my sins. Although I may have somewhat of an understanding of what that means, give me a true revelation so that it will be real in my heart and alive enough for me to share it with everyone around me. -

Day 283: Matt 25:1 - 26:38

The second story in chapter 25 is one of my favorite in the Gospels because it deals with something that the average person wouldn't consider to be a topic that Jesus would cover. There are alot of people out there who seem to think that although Jesus is concerned with the big situations in our lives - eternity, witnessing, life-lone relationships - He doesn't care anything about the smaller more detailed parts of our lives such as money management. So many people go their entire lives trying to manage their money all by themselves and therefore they never seem to get their money in order because they don't hand it over to God. God wants us to understand that He is concerned about every single detail of our lives and He is willing to show us what to do no matter how small the task may seem. In reality, everything in our lives is made up of smaller details and a God who loves His children desires nothing more than to be included in every single detail.

- Father, help me to keep my trust in You regardless of how big or how small a decision may be. Let me remember that You love me which means that You care about every decision I make no matter how big or how small. Let me hear Your voice about the small things so that I'll be sure to recognize it when the big things come up. -