March 30

Deuteronomy 13:1-15:23, Luke 8:40-9:6, Psalm 71:1-24, Proverbs 12:5-7



Pray: The readings today open up with a strong word from God. “Put to death” those who “try to lead you astray.” If you try to pray with your phone in your pocket, It’ll probably buzz. If you try to read the Bible with the television on, you’ll most likely get distracted. Should we throw those things in the trash? Well, maybe, but on a practical level, shut them off or go to a room/place where they’re not present. In your prayer time, ask the Lord to help reveal to you the things or the people who are leading you astray. Then, seek the Lord’s help in following only Him.

Read: What are your expectations when you pray? How about when you read Scripture, worship, give, serve, etc.? Do you even have expectations? I’m not talking about an entitlement kind of expectation, such as, “Since I serve, God must ___. I tithe, so the Lord will give me _____.” I’m talking about the kind of expectation that the people had in Luke 8:40 where they “welcomed Jesus, because they had been waiting for Him.” When Jesus showed up, they welcomed Him. You can see them, can’t you? They’re on the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee looking across the waters for His boat. Some have gone up onto the hill for a better view of the sea. They expect He will come! So, they watch and wait. Then, when He does show up, He’s not an uninvited, obtrusive guest. He’s welcomed. What are your expectations? Do you expect Jesus to show up in your life, your meetings, your family time, your devotional hour? Are you watching and waiting? If not, you may miss Him when He crosses the water to your side of the lake. If you are expecting Him, you won’t be surprised, and He will be welcomed.

Edify: “Then feast there in the presence of the Lord your God and celebrate with your household” (Deuteronomy 14:26b). A feast? A celebration? It sounds like a party, a fun and exciting event, doesn’t it? What is the Lord referencing here? He’s talking about the requirement to “Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship” (Deuteronomy 14:23). Tithing as a celebration? Yes! Often in our time of worship, the offering is laborious, tedious, frustrating, and perfunctory. God forgive us for this! There’s something to be said of the worship in Ghana (and many other countries). When the offering time comes, the music gets loud, the dancing begins, and that’s when the celebrating happens. I think we could stand to learn some things from our Ghanian brothers and sisters. The Lord reminds us that tithing should be celebratory and should include the whole household. Do you celebrate the Lord giving you 100% of everything you have as you give Him 10% back?

Practice: “Don’t take financial advice from broke people.” Dave Ramsey is known for several key phrases, and this is one. It’s fairly good advice, I’d say. You want to get financial advice and guidance from someone who has been successful at managing the resources God has given them. You also shouldn’t take relationship advice from someone who always seems to have the answers, but can never sustain their own relationship. Those without children give the best parenting advice, don’t they? It seems that today, everyone is an expert…at least in his/her own mind. Proverbs 12:5b tells us “the advice of the wicked is treacherous.” To be sure, not all people are wicked, even those who give bad advice (though we are all sinful!). The point is simply to just be extremely cautious and careful about the voices we allow to speak into our lives. We shouldn’t get our theology from a movie, whether a “Christian” movie (whatever that is) or not. We shouldn’t mimic our behaviors to those in a sitcom, especially when it glorifies sin and promiscuity. Verse 7 reminds us “The wicked [advice-givers] die and disappear, but the family of the godly stands firm.” What voices are speaking into your life? Are they drawing you closer to God?