luke 6:9-11

There will always be those who out of jealousy and fear of the loss of their control will look for evil instead of seeing the good that is being done before their eyes. Lord help us all!


Jesus chose to do good. The plots of the Pharisees represented doing evil and destroying. That was truly breaking the Sabbath.

Luke 6:9-11

And he arose and stood. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” 10 And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. 11 But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

1 Corinthians 2:13-16

There are spiritual truths that wisdom cannot teach nor can the conscious mind of man perceive. They can only be known by the heart of God, the tender loving mercies of the Father, revealed to us by the Holy Spirit when we accept the free gift of salvation in Christ Jesus.


Paul emphasized that the intellectuals of this world could not teach the knowledge he was giving to the Corinthian believers. Note that the Spirit did not simply dictate words to Paul and the other apostles; He taught them. In other words, the phrase teaches that the spiritual truths of God are combined with the spiritual vocabulary of the apostles.

1 Corinthians 2:13-16

13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Max Lucado

  Week 2: Share the Joy

Day 9: A Celebration of Giving

"These are the feasts of the Lord,

holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed time."

Leviticus 23:4

Situation in Leviticus 23:1--25:55

In the Old Testament, God established several holidays that symbolized the Israelites' special relationship with him. 

Observation

Special holidays remind us of the past and give us joy in the present. Feasts help renew our commitment to God. In the New Testament, the celebration of the Lord's Supper reminds us of Christ's sacrificial death on the cross for our sins and calls us to renewed commitment.

Inspiration

The idea of a holiday that emphasizes giving (and giving back) is not new to Christmas. Ancient Israel was commanded to celebrate the year of Jubilee. Beginning on the Day of Atonement, all the fields were allowed to rest. No farming permitted. The fallow land could then recover from forty-nine years of planting and harvesting.

In addition, all the slaves were freed. Anyone who had been sold into slavery or who had sold himself into slavery to pay off debt was released. Bondage ended.

And as if the soil sabbatical and slave emancipation weren't enough, all property was returned to its original owners. In an agricultural society, land was capital. Families could lose their land through calamity, sickness, or even laziness. The Jubilee provision guaranteed that every family, at least twice a century, would have the opportunity to get back on its feet.

Consider the impact of this Jubilee decree. A drought destroys a farmer's crop and leaves the family impoverished. In order to survive, the farmer decides to sell his property and hire out as a day laborer. A sharp investor swoops into the region and buys the farm and also a neighbor's. Within short order the developer has a monopoly, and the farmer has nothing but a prayer.

But then comes the year of Jubilee. . . . God shakes the social Etch A Sketch, and everyone is given a clean slate. This injunction was intended to prevent a permanent underclass of poverty and slavery. People could still be rich, very rich, but they could not build their wealth on the backs of the very poor.

So far as we know, the people of Israel never regularly practiced the year of Jubilee. Still, Jesus alluded to it in his inaugural address. What does this say about God's heart? At least this: he values a level playing field. In his society the Have-a-Lots and the Have-a-Littles are never to be so far apart that they can't see each other.

We don't live in ancient Israel, and we don't celebrate the Year of Jubilee. But who says we can't incorporate some of their festivities into our holiday? Who do you know that has fewer resources than you? How might you be able to give them a little jubilation this Christmas through your generosity? You don't even have to tell them it came from you. Hey, 'tis the season--blame it on Santa.

(Adapted from Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado)

Philippians 1:9-11

Love alone carries from this life into the next. Filled with the fruit of the Spirit in love, peace and mercy we live our lives praising God for His mercy and the peace he has given in Christ Jesus. Giving that love and the knowledge of Christ back into the families and communities where we live fulfills the command of Jesus to love God and everyone else as much as we love ourselves. We may be the only hands of the compassion or the voice of God that a person experiences.


The love that Paul sought for the believers is the highest form of Christian love, based on a lasting, unconditional commitment, not on an unstable emotion. The purpose of increasing in love, controlled by knowledge, is to be able to evaluate people and situations correctly. The goal ahead for the believer is the day of Christ in which the believer will stand for evaluation before the Savior, who is the faithful and true witness. Christ died to free the church from every blemish.

Philippians 1:9-11

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Happy Thanksgiving

What is gratitude?
Gratitude is a choice – a choice to see things differently.  
When choosing to be grateful, you are focusing on all the
 things that are good or right in your life, as opposed to
 the things that are not.

Luke 10:25-28

Salvation is the ultimate gift of a loving Father. Man can sometimes make it seem so hard to obtain and only for a chosen few but the scriptures say different. Seek and you will find, ask and it will be given, knock and the door will be opened to you. For God loves you so much and He wants you to accept His gift of redemption in Jesus Christ. Whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life. Remember God sent His Son to save us not to condemn us. Love God above anything and everyone and love others and that includes yourself!


To inherit something is to receive it. In other words, the man was asking, “What must I do to share in the reward at the resurrection of the righteous at the end?” Jesus countered the lawyer’s test by having him answer his own question.

Luke 10:25-28

25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”

27 So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”

28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”

Acts 14:8-13

There is a very real danger in making gods of men. All glory and honor is God’s alone and when we confuse the good that man does with godliness we are deeply in trouble. We must appreciate the good that others do to God’s glory but when we elevate others they are doomed to fail because it is man’s nature to tear down what he builds up. Men will always be men and God alone God.


The Roman poet Ovid told of an ancient legend in which Zeus and Hermes came to the Phrygian hill country disguised as mortals seeking lodging. After being turned away from a thousand homes, they found refuge in the humble cottage of an elderly couple. In appreciation for the couple’s hospitality, the gods transformed the cottage into a temple with a golden roof and marble columns. All the houses of the inhospitable people were then destroyed. This ancient legend may be the reason that the people treated Paul and Barnabas as gods. After witnessing the healing of the cripple, they did not want to make the same mistake as their ancestors.

Acts 14:8-13

8 And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. 9 This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 10 said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked. 11 Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” 12 And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.

Acts 15:12-17

Just as the Father looked down and breathed life into Abraham making him a father of many nations He always had plans for the remainder of His creation through the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. All churches and its people who call on the holy name of Jesus are equal inheritors of the blessings of eternal life. Church doctrines may vary and disagreements may exist among God’s believers but the truth of salvation is available to ALL who believe.



Barnabas and Paul reported what God was doing in changing the lives of Gentiles with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Their testimony at this council was critical. The council listened to James because he was the first of the three pillars of the church. While the testimony of Peter, Barnabas, and Paul was important for the council in making their decision, something more than the experience of the Gentiles had to be taken into consideration. The council needed to know what the Word of God said. James pointed out that what was happening among the Gentiles was in full agreement with the OT.


Strong’s #5485: The Greek word for grace is probably equivalent to the Hebrew word chesed meaning “lovingkindness,” a word frequently used by the psalmists to describe God’s character. In the NT, the word charis usually means divine favor or goodwill, but it also means “that which gives joy” and “that which is a free gift.”

Acts 15:12-17

12 Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. 13 And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me: 14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:

16 ‘After this I will return

And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;

I will rebuild its ruins,

And I will set it up;

17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,


Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name,

Says the Lord who does all these things.’

Luke 9:51-56

God loves every person created so much that He gave His own body and blood for our ransom. He wants no one to perish but all to have everlasting life with Him. If we are His hands and feet in this dying world, for the love of God, let’s get the word out to as many as will listen of this abounding, unconditional love of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the mind, body and heart of God made manifest to man.

The journey to Jerusalem proceeded only according to God’s design and in His timing. Jesus was nearing the destiny of His mission—that is, His death. Luke’s Gospel uniquely emphasizes this journey to Jerusalem. Luke records much of Jesus’ teaching and parables on this journey as Jesus contrasted His way of suffering with the way of the Jewish religious leaders.

Though there was deep hostility between Jews and Samaritans, Jesus ministered to both groups. James and John, the “sons of thunder,” wanted Jesus to bring judgment upon the Samaritan villages that refused to respond to His message. Their demand for judgment was antithetical to Jesus’ loving response.


Luke 9:51-56

51 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 52 and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53 But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”

55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56 For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.

Jeremiah 5:26-31

Any nation cannot sit by and watch the struggles of their own poor and needy and remain in God’s will. We need to wake up and trust God to bring restoration  He alone can accomplish what man cannot. If we defend the rights of the unborn to life then we must provide a safety net where they and their caretakers can have housing, medical care and food. If any nation believes they are a Christian nation then it is their obligation to care for those who are unable to care for themselves, the elderly, the disabled and those who cannot find a job. White collar criminals, elected government officials or any other organization who steal from the people to reward themselves should be treated as the criminals that they are.



Those responsible for the welfare of the whole populace had abused their positions by exploiting the lesser elements of Israelite society. The picture presented is one of birds, or the poor, being ensnared by great men who were building wealth at the expense of orphans and the needy.

Jeremiah describes the moral depravity of Judah’s leaders as an astonishing and horrible thing. The deterioration of the leadership of the land reached to the prophets and priests, the very people who were to be the mainstays of righteousness among the people. Both offices had succumbed to the temptation of abusing their power, rejecting their responsible roles as messengers and servants of God.

Jeremiah 5:26-31

26 ‘For among My people are found wicked men;


They lie in wait as one who sets snares;

They set a trap;

They catch men.

27 As a cage is full of birds,

So their houses are full of deceit.

Therefore they have become great and grown rich.

28 They have grown fat, they are sleek;


Yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked;


They do not plead the cause,


The cause of the fatherless;


Yet they prosper,


And the right of the needy they do not defend.

29 Shall I not punish them for these things?’ says the Lord.

‘Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?’

Hebrews 8:10-12

What we could not do God did by His own blood in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We no longer have a wall between man and God and anyone who seeks Him will find Him and anyone who knocks at His door He will open it and anyone who asks will be given the truth.


There are four provisions of the new covenant: (1) God’s law will be written on believers’ minds and hearts. This is in contrast to the Mosaic Law which was written on tablets of stone. (2) Believers will have a relationship with God fulfilling the promise of Lev. 26:12. (3) All will know God. No longer will Pharisees and scribes have to teach the intricacies of the Law to the people. (4) God will forgive the sins of believers and remember them no more.

Hebrews 8:10-12

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Ephesians 4:25-32

Be honest with tact, it is OK to be angry BUT let it go forgiving others so that you can be forgiven; get a job and work hard so that you can help others who couldn’t find a job or who are unable to work; if you are going to say something let it be decent, without hatred or prejudice letting it lift up others in the process; be nice and in a world that sometimes only cares about itself love others and yourself!


The Proverbs identify a lying tongue as one of the six things God abhors. Christians may respond in controlled anger to injustice and sin, but they should never be consumed by this anger. Instead they should seek opportunities to express Christ’s love to everyone. Instead of taking what belongs to someone else, a Christian should earn enough to share some of his or her own earnings with the needy. This is a call to be generous, to have a true change of attitude.

If we would remember that the One who lives in us is God’s own Spirit, we would be much more selective about what we think, read, watch, say, and do. Note that Paul acknowledges that evil thoughts and actions are temptations even for those who are sealed by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:25-32

25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

1 Corinthians 15:50-58

Jesus in His death and resurrection conquered sin and death. He gives eternal life to those who believe in Him. The final transformation will come at the end of this age and the unrighteous will be clothed in the righteousness of God. The very thing that man is incapable of doing God will do Himself and there will be peace and joy in His kingdom. We only need to hang onto our faith through all the trials and tribulations of life knowing that the end is eternal life with God.



Satan’s apparent victories in the Garden of Eden and at the Cross were reversed by Jesus’ death and resurrection. From the vantage point of Jesus’ victorious return, Death and Hades (the grave) have no power over Christians, because Jesus has already conquered both. We participate in His victory. All the work that we do for Christ will be rewarded

1 Corinthians 15:50-58


50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O Death, where is your sting?

O Hades, where is your victory?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 2:9-12

God has prepared a place for those who love Him that is beyond anything that we have hoped for or dreamed of. A place where no tears will be shed nor hate will ever enter that He has given to those who believe in Christ Jesus and revealed to us by His Holy Spirit.


We could never have discovered the mysteries of God or the benefits of Christ’s death by ourselves. But we can know them by experience because they have been freely given to us by God.

1 Corinthians 2:9-12

9 But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,


Nor have entered into the heart of man


The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

2 Peter 3:10-13

Heaven and earth as we know it will pass away but our concentration should be on spreading the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ and in anticipation of the righteousness to come.


At the end of this age in the day of the Lord’s judgment, the heavens will pass away with a great noise and the elements will melt, presumably by fire. The primary purpose of prophetic teaching is not to satisfy our curiosity but to motivate us to change our lives. Rather than working for things that will ultimately be destroyed, we should work for things that are eternal.

2 Peter 3:10-13

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will the dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Mark 8:31-33

Sometimes life comes with suffering. I prayed in the dark hours of the morning for all sickness and suffering to be kept from me, my family and the world but we don’t always know God’s plan for us or man. It is best to pray for His will to be done in our life and the lives of man for without the suffering of Christ we would be without hope!


This is the first of several clear predictions Jesus makes about His coming death and resurrection. He began to teach this new disclosure of His death, burial, and resurrection to His apostles. The elders and chief priests, former high priests, and scribes made up the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin. These men would condemn Jesus to death for the fulfillment of Jesus’ prediction. Peter understood clearly Jesus’ prediction of death and could not accept or understand it, and so he began to rebuke Him. Peter’s thoughts, born of fear and concern, were probably well-intended, but they did not take in God’s eternal purposes and plan. If Peter had his way, Jesus’ mission would not have been accomplished.


Mark 8:31-33

31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

John 7:37-39

In a troubled world filled with moral confusion know that even in times like these He is in control. Nothing happens in heaven or on earth that is not known and decided by God. Believe in Jesus, the only begotten Son, sent by the Father and His gift of the very heart of God, the Holy Spirit. He will never leave you nor turn His back on you and He will guide you home!


On each day of the feast, the people came with palm branches and marched around the great altar. A priest took a golden pitcher filled with water from the Pool of Siloam, carried it to the temple, and poured it on the altar as an offering to God. This dramatic ceremony was a memorial of the water that flowed from the rock when the Israelites traveled through the wilderness. On the last day of the feast, the people marched seven times around the altar in memory of the seven circuits around the walls of Jericho. Perhaps at the very moment that the priest was pouring water on the altar, Jesus’ voice rang out: If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.

John explains that Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit who would satisfy personal thirst and produce a perennial fountain for the satisfaction of others. The Holy Spirit would come after Jesus’ crucifixion and ascension. In contrast to the small amount of water poured out each day during the feast, there will be a river of water coming out of those who believe in Christ.

John 7:37-39

37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Nahum 1:12-15

Christ reigns triumphant over evil. God will bring an end to the misery caused by the curse of darkness on earth. No matter how bad our past if we give it to Him He will make us free, clean us up and protect us from evil.

Here is an oracle of deliverance from God to His people. The present sense of safety and power that the enemy felt would not last; the past judgments of God on His nation would not continue. The Lord promised to break off the yoke that the enemy had placed on His people. Here God spoke to His people’s enemy—the nation of Assyria typified by its capital city Nineveh. In destroying the nation’s name, God would remove its power. Further, the Lord swore to destroy their false religious system, with its pagan temples, idols, and disgusting practices. This prophecy came true literally—the city was destroyed so completely that its very existence was questioned until its discovery by archaeologists in the nineteenth century.

With the promise of future deliverance from oppression, the prophet called for the people to live in righteousness and expectation. There is nothing better for the people of God in any age than to live in obedience to Him and in anticipation of His coming deliverance.

Nahum 1:12-15

12 Thus says the Lord:

“Though they are safe, and likewise many,

Yet in this manner they will be cut down

When he passes through.

Though I have afflicted you,


I will afflict you no more;


13 For now I will break off his yoke from you,


And burst your bonds apart.”


14 The Lord has given a command concerning you:

“Your name shall be perpetuated no longer.

Out of the house of your gods

I will cut off the carved image and the molded image.

I will dig your grave,

For you are vile.”

15 Behold, on the mountains


The feet of him who brings good tidings,


Who proclaims peace!


O Judah, keep your appointed feasts,

Perform your vows.

For the wicked one shall no more pass through you;


He is utterly cut off.