The Last Call Devotions Network
"Legacy"
Legacy Posts will be presented in Weekly Formats
Begining in May and starting ASAP posts as part of our "Legacy Series" will be posted on Monday AM for the Week. Some of the Classics will post a Sun-Sat; others will be Mon-Fri. This "note" or one similar to it will proceed all Last Call posts for the remainder of this year; 2011. The benefit to the reader is to have a "weeks" worth of Devotions to Read.
As a "free ministry" the Network has exapnded globally and this is a adjustment to grow with that need. The "Current" Series of Devotions will begin to follow the same format. It is likely that many in the "Current" series will be on a One week delay. Any comments or questions please write:
lastcalldevotionalnetwork@gmail.com
This Weeks
One Year Bible Readings
March 27th-29th
#The Earliest is on Bottom Scroll down/Read up
March 27th One Year Bible ReadingsDeuteronomy 7:1-8:20 ~ Luke 7:36-8:3 ~ Psalm 69:1-18 ~ Proverbs 12:1 Old Testament - Today in Deuteronomy chapter 7, the New Living Translation has the chapter titled "The Privilege of Holiness." Keep in mind that these chapter headings - or headings within sections of chapters - are not Biblical text. They are not from the original manuscripts, but are basically brief summaries from the viewpoint of modern-day translators. Generally speaking though, you can trust what they are telling you - but just remember, they're not Biblical text. All this to say, I was intrigued by this chapter's title in today's readings. Israel was indeed privileged and called to holiness. I think an important for us to keep in mind is that in the Old Testament, Israel was God's chosen people. So, yes, we do read in this chapter and future OT chapters God favoring Israel over all other nations. However, keep three things in mind. One, Israel is the people of God's covenant going to back to Abraham and God is just forming Israel as a nation. Two, the other nations at that time were immersed in sin and idolatry to other gods. Three, through Jesus' ministry, God indeed shows love toward all nations today and wants all nations to be in relationship with him. But, prior to Jesus, we see clearly in this chapter that Israel is, per verse 6: "a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure."  Today in Deuteronomy chapter 8 verse 10 we read: “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.” What a great verse! Many say that it is because of this verse that we traditionally say grace at meal time. Interesting that this verse indicates that the Israelites were to praise God after eating – which, actually, is sometimes how I say grace today now too – when I forget to say grace before eating! :) I think the other thing this verse above gets at is that we humans have a tendency to “forget” God in the good times. In the bad times, maybe we do a decent job of praying to God and trying to stay close to Him. But in the good times, I know that sometimes I can forget Who really blessed me with the good times. I think it is so important for us to remember each and every day this one thing – God has given us everything. Every single good thing we have in our life comes from God. Our family. Our friends. Our physical abilities. Even the very air we breathe. It ALL comes from God. And, while I think it is pleasing to God for us to praise him for these good things – I also think it is ultimately healthy for us to praise God for the good things he has given us. Because, when we truly thank God each and every day for even very simple things – our eyesight, our 12 year old car that still runs fine, etc. etc. – we realize how very blessed we really are, and then I think we have less of a chance of feeling sorry for ourselves. We are blessed! How are you doing on praising God for the good things he has given you in your life? Now that we are in this Easter & Spring season, will you make a conscious effort to really praise and thank God each and every day? Think this might be pleasing to God? Think this might be healthy for you?  New Testament - In Luke chapter 7 today we read about the "immoral" woman who kissed and put perfume on Jesus' feet. Verse 39 is a powerful testament to Jesus' character - "When the Pharisee who was the host saw what was happening and who the woman was, he said to himself, "This proves that Jesus is no prophet. If God had really sent him, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She's a sinner!"" How ironic... this Pharisee thought that Jesus was not sent from God because he let a sinner touch him - when indeed it is this very act that proves that Jesus was sent from God! Jesus loved everyone - and still loves everyone today - and wants to be in relationship with all of us. No matter what this woman's sins were. No matter what our sins were or are. Jesus loves us and wants to be in relationship with us. Like the woman in this story, will we humble ourselves and come before the feet of Jesus? And will we ignore those who might suggest we're not "good enough" to be in relationship with God or Jesus? Remember, Jesus came to call the sinners, the sick - and not the righteous. Let's not act righteous before Jesus, but come to his feet as we really are and worship Him for who he truly is!  Luke chapter 8 readings today are important for us to pay attention to. Oftentimes I think we sometimes think that it was just Jesus and the twelve male disciples cruising around the Holy Land during Jesus' ministry. Today's verses are a great reminder of the involvement of women in Jesus' ministry both by traveling with him and by contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and the twelve! Verses 1 through 3 tell us today - "Not long afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby cities and villages to announce the Good News concerning the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, along with some women he had healed and from whom he had cast out evil spirits. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples." Below is the Italian painter Bernardino Luini's "The Conversion of Magdalene", circa 1525. Luini's painting shows Martha, Mary's sister, on the left pointing toward heaven; Mary, to the right, repeats the gesture to indicate that she too will follow Jesus.  Bible.org's commentary on Luke chapter 7's readings today, titled "Wordless Worship of an Unnamed Woman" is at this link. Commentary on Luke chapter 8's readings today, titled "Ministry, Money and Women" is at this link. Psalms - Psalm 69 verse 16 today is such a true statement that maybe we need to be reminded of today - "Answer my prayers, O LORD, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Turn and take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful." God does answer our prayers - perhaps not in the way we "want" Him to, but always in the way that is ultimately best for us and the Kingdom. His unfailing love is wonderful. His mercy is so plentiful. But, yet, somehow I think I sometimes forget all of this. Why? I think I forget about God's love & mercy when I am not praying to him. How about you? Are you needing a reminder today about God's unfailing love and his mercy? Are you praying to God for these very things? Will you allow God to demonstrate both his love and mercy to you today? Will you offer up prayers and allow God to answer in his perfect way?  Proverbs - Wow... Proverbs chapter 12 verse 1 is so to the point and so true. Please meditate on this one - "To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction." Do you love discipline? Do you want to learn? Do you hate correction? What holy discipline might God be bringing to you in your life today? Will you accept God's healing and holy discipline in your life?  Worship God: Today's Proverb 12:1 reminds me of the fantastic song by Shaun Groves called "Welcome Home:" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3lv1hsiRUo
Have you welcomed Jesus into your Home? Click here and welcome Him! Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid." Proverbs 12:1 NIV Prayer Point: Pray that you will always love God's discipline in your life. Pray that you will never hate God's correction. Pray for wisdom and knowledge in your life that will come from God's blessed correction of you. Comments from You & Questions of the Day: Based on Deuteronomy chapter 8 verse 10 above, do you say grace or offer up some sort of prayer of thanksgiving to God at each meal? Why or why not? Do you think it is pleasing to God when we do say a prayer at mealtime? Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below! God bless, March 26th One Year Bible ReadingsDeuteronomy 5:1-6:25 ~ Luke 7:11-35 ~ Psalm 68:19-35 ~ Proverbs 11:29-31 Old Testament - Today we get a nice recap of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy chapter 5! We originally read these in Exodus chapter 20 and then again in Exodus chapter 34. There are some differences in the wordings of the Ten Commandments in each of these chapters, but not enough to worry about. :) Check out a quick overview of some of the differences between these 3 chapters' presentation of the Ten Commandments at this link. Bible.org has a great overview of the Ten Commandments, based on Exodus chapter 20, at this link.  I love Deuteronomy chapter 6 verses 4 through 9 in our readings today! These verses are known as theShema - which was named after the first word in this verse and means "Hear." The Shema became the Jewish confession of faith, which was recited by pious Jews every morning and evening and it is still recited in synagogue services today. They are the last words a Jew says prior to death. More very interesting information about The Shema from a Jewish website is at this link. ""Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."  Bible.org's commentary on Deuteronomy chapter 6 titled "Responsibilities of Fatherhood" is at this link.  New Testament - Wow.... Verse 35 in Luke chapter 7 is such a profound teaching of Jesus' for each of us to consider: "But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it." Take a few moments to really meditate on this verse and what it means. For me this verse is a reminder that sometimes in life we have to move forward in faith on something "wise" we've heard, but maybe not experienced - and then later see that the wisdom is true. I'm not sure if I'm going to explain myself well here... but my thought is that as followers of Jesus, I think we can get lazy in our faith at times. As just one example - maybe we don't think we really need to give financially to our church. We know the wisdom of Malachi 3:10, but maybe we haven't really experienced the wisdom of giving. So, maybe we need to follow the wisdom first - and then we will later know the full truth and beauty of the wisdom. Hope this makes sense? I'd just say that if there is a struggle in your life that God is calling you to leave behind or move forward on - go for it! If you know you should be doing or not doing something - go with that wisdom you know and then it will "shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it." Please follow Wisdom! Please follow Jesus!  A nice image of John the Baptist sending two of his disciples to meet Jesus is below, from verses 18 & 19 - "The disciples of John the Baptist told John about everything Jesus was doing. So John called for two of his disciples, and he sent them to the Lord to ask him, "Are you the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?"  Bible.org's commentary on Luke chapter 7's readings today, titled "John's Problem with Jesus" is at this link. Psalms - Today in Psalm 68 verse 20 we read – “Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.” Do you believe God is a God who saves us? How did / does God do this saving? Do you believe that escape from death comes from God and his Son? I’ve been reflecting on this “death” aspect of our fallen world a bit lately, which has been sad to reflect upon. I had an experience with a few friends very recently where I was reminded of how self-destructive we can be in our lives. I think that without Jesus we can oftentimes not know where to turn for an escape from death – we do not know where to turn from an escape from our own self destructive behaviors. My friends need Jesus. I need Jesus. The world needs Jesus. Our God is a God who saves. From God and Jesus comes escape from death. May this season of Easter bring us, our friends, and families closer to the God who saves!  Proverbs - I love the imagery in Proverbs chapter 11 verse 30 today - "The godly are like trees that bear life-giving fruit, and those who save lives are wise." That is a powerful last half of the verse. Those who save lives are wise... Are you saving lives? How? How might you be able to save lives? My one quick thought on this is to get involved in ministries that are serving the poorest of the poor. I honestly believe $1 a day can save a life, if not many lives. Sponsoring a child through World Vision orCompassion or another worthy organization is an amazing way to save a life. $1 a day. Will you invest in a child who needs you today? Would this be wise?  Worship God: Psalm 68:20 reminded me of the Chris Tomlin song "Let God Arise" with the lyric: "Our God is a God who Saves!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaLckqfvZHQ
Are you adding to the Beauty? Click here for Beauty! Please join us in memorizing and meditating on three verses of Scripture today: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts." Deuteronomy 6:4-6 NIV Prayer Point: Pray that you will love God with all of your heart, soul and strength. Pray that God's commandments are written upon your heart today and forevermore. Comments from You & Questions of the Day: What are some of your favorite charities that serve the poorest of the poor worldwide? And in your own hometown? Do you think we should care that 1.2 billion people in our world today live on less than $1 a day? Do you think we should get involved in this issue? Do you think we should serve those living in poverty both internationally and in our own hometown? Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below! God bless, March 25th One Year Bible ReadingsDeuteronomy 4:1-49 ~ Luke 6:39-7:10 ~ Psalm 68:1-18 ~ Proverbs 11:28 Old Testament - Today in Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 29 we read: “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” How does this verse speak to you today? Do you believe it is true? Have you sought God with all of your heart and with all of your soul? This verse also reminds me of Jesus’ teaching of one of the two great commands – which he quoted from Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 5 – “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” So – if you have sought after God and found him, do you now today love God with all your heart and with all of your soul and with all your strength? What does this look like in your life? How do you love God in your life today?  New Testament - The passages on the faith of the centurion today are powerful - especially his words in verse 7 - "Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed." Can we learn something from the faith of the centurion in our lives today?  Bible.org's commentary on Luke chapter 6 readings today titled "Tough Love" is at this link. And commentary on Luke chapter 7's readings titled "Jesus the Healer" is at this link. Psalms - I always like the idea and reminder to sing to God! Do you sing to God at places other than church? Maybe in your car? Maybe at home with the headphones on? Do you "sing" to God with the way you live your life? Here's verse 4 in Psalm 68 today which I love - "Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the LORD-- rejoice in his presence!" How do you sing your praises to the Lord each day? Is it done as passionately as this fella below? :)  Proverbs - Proverbs 11:28 today teaches us: "Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring." Great proverb! It tells us that trusting in money is not godly and "down" we will go. Why? Because if we are trusting in money then we are not trusting in God. And who can ultimately hold us "up" - now and for eternity? God or money? How very interesting is it that the back of U.S. money says "In God We Trust"? :)  Worship God: Today's readings i Deuteronomy chapter 4 and Psalm 68 remind me of the Mikeschair song "Let the Waters Rise:"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIkQ7YVys_A
Are the waters rising on you? Click here for Rescue! Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: ""Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" Luke 6:46 NIV Prayer Point: Pray that you will call upon Jesus as your Lord, each and every day. Pray that you will be obedient to Jesus' Word, each and every day. Pray that you will be a doer of Jesus' Word, and not just a hearer. Comments from You & Questions of the Day: Back to our Psalm today - how many folks out there belt out worship tunes while driving in your car?? :) Feel free to fess up in the Comments below. I will confess here and now that I do belt out tunes from various worship CD's - Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin, Passion CD's, David Crowder lately. However, what's interesting is sometimes I feel a bit guilty spending so much time listening to music and singing along. I have one great friend who almost never listens to music - he thinks it's a waste of time and he wants to listen to news / preaching in the car instead. To try to learn something he says. And I can appreciate this... but I think it's still quite allright to sing our praises to the Lord on a frequent basis in the car! What say you? Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below! God bless, | ||
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