Matthew 13:32 KJV
Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Slow, but Sure
I ran into an old friend who told me what he’d been up to, but I confess it seemed too good to be true. Within a few months of that conversation, however, his band was everywhere—from charting top singles on the radio to having a hit song pulsing under TV ads. His rise to fame was meteoric.
We can be obsessed with significance and success—the big and the dramatic, the quick and the meteoric. But the parables of the mustard seed and yeast compare the way of the kingdom (God’s reign on earth) to small, hidden, and seemingly insignificant things whose work is slow and gradual.
The kingdom is like its King. Christ’s mission culminated in His life, like a seed, being buried in the ground; like yeast, being hidden in the dough. Yet He rose. Like a tree breaking through the dirt, like bread when the heat is turned up. Jesus rose.
We’re invited to live according to His way, the way that’s persisting and permeating. To resist the temptation to take matters into our own hands, to grasp for power and to justify our dealings in the world by the outcomes they may produce. The outcome—“a tree . . . that the birds come and perch in its branches” (v. 32) and the bread that provides a feast—will be Christ’s doing, not ours.
Reflect & Pray
What small and seemingly insignificant things could you do to encourage or bless the people in your life? Where do you need to turn away from comparison with others or from a false picture of significance and success?
Dear Jesus, thank You for often working in small, hidden, and seemingly insignificant ways. Help me to trust You’re at work even when I can’t see You. Grant me the grace to remain faithful.
Insight
Matthew’s use of Old Testament prophecy is often intriguing, and that’s certainly the case in Matthew 13:35. After Jesus had told several parables, Matthew asserts that this type of teaching fulfills prophecy. The statement he cites, however, doesn’t come from one of the acknowledged prophets of Israel but from one of their psalmists—Asaph, the worship leader in Psalm 78:2. This might have surprised Jewish readers in the first century, but it shouldn’t be a surprise to us. In a sense, all of the Old Testament points to Jesus in one way or another. When walking with two disciples on the Emmaus Road on resurrection day, Jesus explained to them, beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, “what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (Luke 24:27).
Psalm 95:1 KJV O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
A Singer’s Heart The praise song drifted downstairs . . . at 6:33 on a Saturday morning. I didn’t think anyone else was awake, but my youngest daughter’s scratchy voice proved me wrong. She was barely conscious, but there was already a song on her lips.
My youngest is a singer. In fact, she can’t not sing. She sings when she wakes up. When she goes to school. When she goes to bed. She was born with a song in her heart—and most of the time, her songs focus on Jesus. She’ll praise God anytime, anywhere.
I love the simplicity, devotion, and earnestness of my daughter’s voice. Her spontaneous and joyful songs echo invitations to praise God found throughout Scripture. In Psalm 95, we read, “Come let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation” (v. 1). Reading further, we learn that this praise flows from an understanding of who He is (“For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods,” v. 3)—and whose we are (“For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture,” v. 7).
For my daughter, those truths are her first thought in the morning. By God’s grace, this little worshiper offers us a profound reminder of the joy of singing to Him.
Reflect & Pray
What prompts you to praise God for His faithfulness to you? What songs help you to remember and focus on His character and goodness?God, thank You for who You are and for what You’ve done for me—and for all Your people—by inviting us to be sheep in Your pasture. Let today be filled with my songs of praise for Your goodness.
Insight
Psalm 95 belongs to a group of psalms called “enthronement psalms” or “royal psalms” because they use the royal image of a king celebrating and declaring God’s sovereign reign over all creation and over all history. Other examples of enthronement psalms are Psalms 47, 93, 96–99. The royal psalms include such statements as “the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth” (47:2); His “throne was established long ago . . . from all eternity” (93:2); “the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods” (95:3).
Psalm 95 is easily outlined into two parts: a call to worship God as King (vv. 1–7a) and a warning not to reject Him as King (vv. 7b–11). In his warning, the psalmist draws from the Israelites’ history of rebellion against and lack of faith in God at Meribah and Massah (v. 8; see Exodus 17:1–7). The writer of Hebrews had Psalm 95 in view when he wrote Hebrews 3:7–11.
Isaiah 55:6 KJV
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Listening Beyond the Stars
Imagine life without mobile phones, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth devices, or microwave ovens. That’s the way it is in the little town of Green Bank, West Virginia, known as “the quietest town in America.” It’s also the location of the Green Bank Observatory, the world’s largest steerable radio telescope. The telescope needs “quiet” to “listen” to naturally occurring radio waves emitted by the movement of pulsars and galaxies in deep space. It has a surface area larger than a football field and stands in the center of the National Radio Quiet Zone, a 13,000-square-mile area established to prevent electronic interference to the telescope’s extreme sensitivity.
This intentional quiet enables scientists to hear “the music of the spheres.” It also reminds me of our need to quiet ourselves enough to listen to the One who created the universe. God communicated to a wayward and distracted people through the prophet Isaiah, “Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you” (Isaiah 55:3). God promises His faithful love to all who will seek Him and turn to Him for forgiveness.
We listen intentionally to God by turning from our distractions to meet Him in Scripture and in prayer. God isn’t distant. He longs for us to make time for Him so He can be the priority of our daily lives and then for eternity.
Reflect & Pray
Why is listening to God so vital in your life? In what ways do you plan to take time for Him?
Help me to be quiet before You today, loving God, even if it’s only for a moment! Nothing matters more than being with You!
Insight
Having one’s thirst quenched and being satisfied with fine food are metaphors for the blessings that will flow from God’s covenant with David. We share in these blessings through Jesus Christ, the Son of David, who fulfilled God’s promise to David of an eternal dynasty through his descendant (2 Samuel 7:12–16). Through David and his descendant—Jesus—God would give an endless “witness” to the world that Yahweh is “the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 55:4–5). The church is later described as such a witness (Acts 1:8).
Luke 23:34 KJV
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Stronger than Hate
Within twenty-four hours of his mother Sharonda’s tragic death, Chris found himself uttering these powerful, grace-filled words: “Love is stronger than hate.” His mother, along with eight others, had been killed at a Wednesday night Bible study in Charleston, South Carolina. What was it that had so shaped this teenager’s life that these words could flow from his lips and his heart? Chris is a believer in Jesus whose mother had “loved everybody with all her heart.”
In Luke 23:26–49 we get a front row seat to an execution scene that included two criminals and the innocent Jesus (v. 32). All three were crucified (v. 33). Amid the gasps and sighs and the likely groans from those hanging on the crosses, the following words of Jesus could be heard: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (v. 34). The hate-filled initiative of the religious leaders had resulted in the crucifixion of the very One who championed love. Though in agony, Jesus’ love continued to triumph.
How have you or someone you love been the target of hate, ill-will, bitterness, or ugliness? May your pain prompt your prayers, and may the example of Jesus and people like Chris encourage you by the power of the Spirit to choose love over hate.
Reflect & Pray
When have you found it hard to love someone? Is there someone you find it hard to forgive now? What steps might you take?
Father, forgive me when I find it hard to forgive others. Help me to demonstrate that love is stronger than hate.
Insight
In Luke 23:34, Jesus asked God to forgive those who mocked Him and hung Him on the cross. The people and rulers scoffed, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One” (v. 35). What they didn’t understand was that Jesus was saving others—and them—by freely giving Himself. One simply needs to accept this gift of salvation.
Psalm 22 resonates through Luke’s words. The words of Psalm 22:8—“Let [the Lord] deliver him, since he delights in him”—are reflected in Luke 23:35. That Jesus was mocked is a fulfillment of Psalm 22:6–18, which describes “villains” surrounding Him, piercing His hands and feet, and casting lots for His clothes. The mockers likely didn’t realize their actions were fulfilling Old Testament prophecy and therefore proving Christ was the Messiah.
2 Corinthians 11:30 KJV
If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.
Golden Scars
In the Netherlands, a group of fashion designers offer a “Golden Joinery” workshop. Inspired by the Japanese technique Kintsugi, where broken porcelain is visibly repaired with gold, participants collaborate in mending clothes in ways that highlight the mending work rather than trying to mask it. Those who are invited bring “a dear but broken garment and mend it with gold.” As they remake their clothes, the repair becomes ornamental, a “golden scar.”
Articles of clothing are transformed in ways that highlight the places where they were torn or frayed. Perhaps this is something like what Paul meant when he said that he would “boast” in the things that showed his weakness. Although he’d experienced “surpassingly great revelations,” he doesn’t brag about them (2 Corinthians 12:6). He is kept from getting proud and overconfident, he says, by a “thorn” in his flesh (v. 7). No one knows exactly what he was referring to—perhaps depression, a form of malaria, persecution from enemies, or something else. Whatever it was, he begged God to take it away. But God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (v. 9).
Just as the rips and tears in old clothes can become sights of beauty as they’re remade by designers, the broken and weak places in our lives can become places where God’s power and glory may shine. He holds us together, transforms us, and makes our weaknesses beautiful.
Reflect & Pray
What are some weaknesses you try to keep hidden from the world? How has God revealed His power through your weakness?
God, may all my scars become golden as You heal and repair me in ways that bring glory to Your name.
Insight
Responding to false teachers who said he wasn’t a genuine apostle because he didn’t have ecstatic spiritual experiences, Paul deliberately boasted about the many visions and surpassingly great revelations he’d received (2 Corinthians 12:1–7). Converted and commissioned to be an apostle through a vision of the resurrected Christ (Acts 9:1–19; 22:17–21), Paul brought the gospel into Europe led by a vision of “a man of Macedonia” (16:6–10). And Paul, “caught up to paradise,” saw what heaven was like (2 Corinthians 12:1–4). Such boasting is uncharacteristic of Paul, for he wouldn’t “boast about [himself], except about [his] weaknesses” (v. 5; see also 11:30; Galatians 6:14).
1 Timothy 1:15 KJV
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
What’s Wrong with the World?
There is an oft-heard story that The London Times posed a question to readers at the turn of the twentieth century. What’s wrong with the world?
That’s quite the question, isn’t it? Someone might quickly respond, “Well, how much time do you have for me to tell you?” And that would be fair, as there seems to be so much that’s wrong with our world. As the story goes, The Times received a number of responses, but one in particular has endured in its brief brilliance. The English writer, poet, and philosopher G. K. Chesterton penned this four-word response, a refreshing surprise to the usual passing-of-the-buck: “Dear Sirs, I am.”
Whether the story is factual or not is up for debate. But that response? It’s nothing but true. Long before Chesterton came along, there was an apostle named Paul. Far from a lifelong model citizen, Paul confessed his past shortcomings: “I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man” (v. 13). After naming who Jesus came to save (“sinners”), he goes on to make a very Chesterton-like qualification: “of whom I am the worst” (v. 15). Paul knew exactly what was and is wrong with the world. And he further knew the only hope of making things right—“the grace of our Lord” (v. 14). What an amazing reality! This enduring truth lifts our eyes to the light of Christ’s saving love.
Reflect & Pray
What is wrong with the world? Can you own the answer Paul and Chesterton gave? What is one way you can accept that without sliding into self-hatred?
God, thank You for Your immense patience with me, a sinner. To You be honor and glory forever and ever.
Insight
In 1 Timothy 1:13, Paul recalled how some thirty years earlier he had mercilessly persecuted believers in Jesus, and yet Jesus had mercifully saved him on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:1–19; 22:3–21; 26:9–18). He considered himself the least qualified and the most undeserving recipient of God’s mercy and grace (1 Timothy 1:13–14). Yet God told Ananias that Paul was to be His “chosen instrument” to take the gospel to the gentiles (Acts 9:15). Paul saw another reason God chose to save him: he was “a prime example of [God’s] great patience with even the worst sinners.” Because God saved Paul, “others [would] realize that they, too, can believe in [God] and receive eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:16 nlt). God had us in mind when He saved Paul—an amazing thought! Paul makes it clear that if Jesus could save and use him, the worst of sinners, then no one is beyond God’s mercy and saving grace.
Matthew 28:19 KJV
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Laundry Day
Driving through a low-income area near his church, Colorado pastor Chad Graham started praying for his “neighbors.” When he noticed a small laundromat, he stopped to take a look inside and found it filled with customers. One asked Graham for a spare coin to operate the clothes dryer. That small request inspired a weekly “Laundry Day” sponsored by Graham’s church. Members donate coins and soap to the laundromat, pray with customers, and support the owner of the laundry facility.
Their neighborhood outreach, which dares to include a laundromat, reflects Jesus’ Great Commission to His disciples. As He said, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:18–19 gnt).
His Holy Spirit’s powerful presence enables “everywhere” outreach, including even a laundromat. Indeed, we don’t go alone. As Jesus promised, “I will be with you always, to the end of the age” (v. 20 gnt).
Pastor Chad experienced that truth after praying at the laundromat for a customer named Jeff who is battling cancer. As Chad reported, “When we opened our eyes, every customer in the room was praying with us, hands stretched out toward Jeff. It was one of the most sacred moments I have experienced as a pastor.”
The lesson? Let’s go everywhere to proclaim Christ.
Reflect & Pray
Where can you go in your neighborhood today to proclaim Christ? How could His powerful presence enable you?
Jesus, enable me to proclaim Your good news today—everywhere.
Insight
Jesus’ command to His disciples to go and make more disciples (Matthew 28:19) is commonly known as the Great Commission. But tucked in the middle of this scene is a phrase that generally gets little attention. When the disciples met Jesus on the mountain, they responded in worship. Then the text says, “but some doubted” (v. 17). Some commentators suggest there were others in attendance further away, and they were the “some” who doubted. But what did they doubt?
The word translated “doubted” is the Greek word edistasan. Matthew is the only New Testament writer to use this word (it’s also found in 14:31, where it’s translated “doubt”). This word can mean to waver, doubt, or hesitate. It may be that “hesitate” is a better translation. Perhaps the response of those further away from where Jesus was teaching (those on the outskirts who’d perhaps not yet seen the risen Christ) was hesitant and not an immediate response of worship.
Psalm 136:10 KJV
To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Nice Shot?
When Walt Disney’s Bambi was re-released, moms and dads relived childhood memories with their sons and daughters. A young mother, whose husband was an avid outdoorsman with an impressive trophy room, was one of those parents. With her little ones at her side, she experienced with them the gasp and groan of the moment when Bambi lost his mother to a hunter. To this day she’s reminded at family gatherings of her embarrassment when, in all innocence, her little boy shouted out in the theater, “Nice shot!”
In time, we laugh at the embarrassing things our children say. But what are we to say when the people of Psalm 136 do something similar? Israel, God’s chosen and rescued people, celebrate a love that endures for all creation and for themselves—but not for their enemies. The psalm sings the praises of “him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt” (v. 10; see also Exodus 12:29–30).
Doesn’t that sound a bit like a shout of “nice shot” at the expense of someone else’s mother, sister, father, brother?
That’s why we need the rest of the story. Only when the lights come up in the resurrection of Jesus can the whole world be invited into the joy of one family’s stories, tears, and laughter. Only when we receive Jesus as our Savior and are made alive in Him can we share the wonder of a God who loves everyone—at His own expense.
Reflect & Pray
What reason is given twenty-six times for this song? What lyrics show that the heart of God reaches beyond those who sing the words?
Unseen Father, thank You for giving me reasons to believe that Your vision and love for all are better and wider than my love for myself and my own.
Insight
Psalms 135 and 136 share several similarities. Both praise God for His amazing creation (135:6–7; 136:4–9). Both outline God’s role in preserving His people when the Israelites escaped slavery in Egypt (135:8–9; 136:10–15). And both recall Israel entering the Promised Land and God’s hand in eradicating the pagan kings who opposed the Hebrews (135:10–12; 136:17–22). The overarching theme of these psalms is that God alone is the one true God (135:5, 13; 136:1–3, 26), and He alone merits our praise.
Psalm 136 is antiphonal; that is, part of the congregation was to sing the first line while the other half responded with “His love endures forever.” The pattern repeats itself in every verse of the psalm. Singing of God’s goodness to us—especially with other believers—reminds us of His character and inclines our emotions to reflect our gratitude to Him.
7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
Surviving Drought
In April 2019, a suburban neighborhood in Victorville, California, became buried in tumbleweeds. High winds pushed the rolling thistles into the development from the adjacent Mojave Desert where the plant grows. At maturity, the pesky weed can grow to up to six feet in height—a formidable size when it releases itself from its roots to “tumble” with the wind to scatter its seeds.
Tumbleweeds are what I picture when I read Jeremiah’s description of a person “whose heart turns away from the Lord” (Jeremiah 17:5). He says that those who draw their strength from “mere flesh” will be like “a bush in the wastelands” and be unable to “see prosperity when it comes” (vv. 5–6). In sharp contrast are those who put their trust in God instead of people. Like trees, their strong, deep roots draw strength from Him, enabling them to remain full of life, even in the midst of drought-like circumstances.
Tumbleweeds and trees both have roots. Tumbleweeds, however, don’t stay connected to their life-source, causing them to dry out and die. Trees, on the other hand, remain connected to their roots, enabling them to flourish and thrive, anchored to that which will sustain them in times of difficulty. When we hold fast to God, drawing strength and encouragement from the wisdom found in the Bible and talking to Him in prayer, we too can experience the life-giving, life-sustaining nourishment He provides.
Reflect & Pray
How has God sustained you in times of drought? What can you do today to drive your roots more deeply into relationship with Him?
Life-giving God, You’re my sustainer. Thank You for giving me what I need to navigate my struggles and hardships.
Insight
The word cursed in Jeremiah 17:5 is a translation of the Hebrew verb 'arar, which means to abhor, detest. The first time we see this word in Scripture is in Genesis 3:14. “So the Lord God said to the serpent, . . . ‘Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.’ ” In Genesis 3:17 the ground is said to be cursed. Another significant usage of the word is in Genesis 12:3 where the Lord told Abram, “whoever curses you I will curse.” Whatever the “cursed” entity may be, it’s devoid of (outside of) favor and the visible and invisible things that accompany it. In Jeremiah 17:5–6, the ambiguity of what it means to be “cursed” fades in view of what is vividly pictured. It’s like being in a waterless, uninhabited place that can’t sustain life.
Joshua 1:5 KJV
There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Strong and Courageous
Each night, as young Caleb closed his eyes, he felt the darkness envelop him. The silence of his room was regularly suspended by the creaking of the wooden house in Costa Rica. Then the bats in the attic became more active. His mother had put a nightlight in his room, but the young boy still feared the dark. One night Caleb’s dad posted a Bible verse on the footboard of his bed. It read: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; . . . for the Lord your God will be with you” (Joshua 1:9). Caleb began to read those words each night—and he left that promise from God on his footboard until he went away to college.
In Joshua 1, we read of the transition of leadership to Joshua after Moses died. The command to “be strong and courageous” was repeated several times to Joshua and the Israelites to emphasize its importance (vv. 6–7, 9). Surely, they felt trepidation as they faced an uncertain future, but God reassuringly said, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” (v. 5).
It’s natural to have fears, but it’s detrimental to our physical and spiritual health to live in a state of constant fear. Just as God encouraged His servants of old, we too can be strong and courageous because of the One who promises to always be with us.
Reflect & Pray
What are your deepest and most persistent fears? How can meditating on God’s promises help you overcome your fear and anxiety?
Faithful Father, thank You that You’re always with me. Help me to remember Your promises and to trust in You when I’m afraid.
Insight
Joshua, a leader from the tribe of Ephraim, was one of the twelve spies Moses sent to survey the land of Canaan. Moses changed his name from Hoshea, meaning “salvation,” to Joshua, meaning “Jehovah is salvation” (Numbers 13:8, 16). He had been Moses’ aide since his youth (Exodus 24:13; 33:11; Numbers 11:28; Joshua 1:1). God commended him as one who followed Him wholeheartedly (Numbers 32:11–12). Joshua and Caleb were the only two persons who were twenty years old or more when they left Egypt who were permitted to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 32:11–12). Even Moses wasn’t allowed to enter (Deuteronomy 3:23–29).
