NIV Bible For Women Sample Text

8/20/2019 NIV Bible For Women Sample Text

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G E N E R A L E D I T O R

A N G E L A S C H E F F


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Welcome to the NIV Bible for Women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix Preface to the NIV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

The Old Testament

Genesis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Exodus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Leviticus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Deuteronomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Joshua. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293Judges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326

Ruth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

1 Samuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367

2 Samuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415

1 Kings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453

2 Kings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495

1 Chronicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5382 Chronicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583

Ezra. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 629

Nehemiah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 641Esther . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 662

Job. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675

Psalms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 723Proverbs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 862

Ecclesiastes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 905Song of Songs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 922

Isaiah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 935

Jeremiah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1030

Lamentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1112

Ezekiel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1122Daniel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1184Hosea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1207

Joel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1221

Amos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1227

Obadiah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1237

Jonah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1239

Micah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1243

Nahum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1253Habakkuk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1258

Zephaniah. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1263Haggai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1271

Zechariah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1275

Malachi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1288

The New Testament

Matthew. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1297

Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1346

Luke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1381

John. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1439 Acts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1488

Romans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1536

1 Corinthians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1560

2 Corinthians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1584

Galatians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1601

Ephesians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1608Philippians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1615

Colossians. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1623

1 Thessalonians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1631

2 Thessalonians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1637

1 Timothy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1639

2 Timothy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1645

Titus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1652

Philemon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1655Hebrews. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1656

James . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16761 Peter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1682

2 Peter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1690

1 John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1695

2 John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1701

3 John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1704

Jude. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1705Revelation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1709

Table of Weights and Measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1737 Acknowledgments Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1739

Contributor Biographies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1745

Topical Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1757


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MATTHEW

The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah

1This is the genealogya of Jesus the Mes-siah b the son of Da vid, the son of Abra-

ham:

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his

brothers, 3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah,

whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose

mother was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whosemother was Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King Da vid.

Da vid was the father of Solomon, whosemother had been Uriah’s wife,

7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abi jah, Abi jah the father of Asa,

8

Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, 9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah c

and his brothers at the time of theexile to Bab ylon.

12 After the exile to Bab ylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Elihud, 15 Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the

husband of Mary, and Mary wasthe mother of Jesus who is calledthe Messiah.

17Thus there were fourteen generationsin all from Abraham to Da vid, fourteen fromDa vid to the exile to Bab ylon, and fourteenfrom the exile to the Messiah.

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son18This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah

came aboutd : His mother Mary was pledgedto be married to Joseph, but before theycame together, she was found to be pregnantthrough the Holy Spirit. 19Because Josephher husband was faithful to the law, and yete did not want to expose her to public disgrace,

he had in mind to di vorce her quietly.20But after he had considered this, an an-gel of the Lord appeared to him in a dreamand said, “Joseph son of Da vid, do not beafraid to take Mary home as your wife, be-cause what is conceived in her is from theHoly Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, f becausehe will save his people from their sins.”

22 All th is took place to fu lfill what the

Lord had said through the prophet: 23“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son,and they will call him Immanuel” g (whichmeans “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the

a 1 Or is an account of the origin b 1 Or Jesus Christ. Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) both mean Anointed One ; also in verse 18. c 11 That is, Jehoiachin; also in verse 12 d 18 Or The origin of Jesusthe Messiah was like this e 19 Or was a righteous man and f 21 Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the LORD saves. g 23 Isaia h 7:14


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you, for Herod is going to search for the childto kill him.”

14So he got up, took the child and hismother during the night and left for Egypt,15 where he stayed until the death of Herod.

And so was fulfilled what the Lord had saidthrough t he prophet: “Out of Egypt I calledmy son.”c

16 When Herod realized that he had beenout witted by the Magi, he was furious, andhe gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethle-hem and its vicinity who were two years oldand under, in accordance with the time hehad learned from the Magi. 17Then what wassaid through the prophet Jeremiah was ful-

filled: 18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”d

The Return to Nazareth19 Af ter Herod died, an angel of the Lord

appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt20and said, “Get up, take the child and hismother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were tr ying to take the child’s life aredead.”

21So he got up, took the child and hismother and went to the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus was reign-ing in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warnedin a dream, he withdrew to the district ofGalilee, 23and he went and lived in a towncalled Nazareth. So was fulfilled what wassaid through the prophets, that he would becalled a Nazarene.

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

3In those days John the Baptist came,preaching in the wilderness of Judea

2and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of

heaven has come near.”3

This is he who wasspoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”e

4John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair,and he had a leather belt around his waist.

angel of the Lord had commanded him andtook Mary home as his wife. 25But he did notconsummate their marriage until she gavebirth to a son. And he gave him the nameJesus.

The Magi Visit the Messiah

2 Af ter Jesus was born in Bethlehem inJudea, during the time of King Herod,

Magia from the east came to Jerusalem 2andasked, “W here is the one who has been bornking of the Jews? We saw his star when it roseand have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was dis-turbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When

he had called together all the people’s chiefpriests and teachers of the law, he askedthem where the Messiah was to be born. 5“InBethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land ofJudah,

are by no means least among the rulersof Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’b ”

7Then Herod called the Magi secretly andfound out from them the exact time the starhad appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehemand said, “Go and search carefully for thechild. As soon as you find him, report to me,so that I too may go and worship him.”

9 After they had heard the king, they wenton their way, and the star they had seen

when it rose went ahead of them until itstopped over the place where the child was.10 When they saw the star, they were over-

joyed. 11On coming to the house, they sawthe child with his mother Mary, and theybowed down and worshiped him. Then theyopened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.12 And having been warned in a dream notto go back to Herod, they returned to their

country by another route.

The Escape to Egypt13 When they had gone, an angel of the

Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Getup,” he said, “take the child and his moth-er and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell

a 1 Traditionally wise men b 6 Micah 5:2,4 c 15 Hosea 11:1 d 18 Jer. 31:15 e 3 Isaiah 40:3


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12991299 MATTHEW 4:19MATTHEW 3:5

not live on bread alone, but on every wordthat comes from the mouth of God.’c ”

5Then the devil took him to the holy cityand had him stand on the highest point ofthe temple. 6“If you are the Son of God,” he

said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels

concerning you, and they will lif t you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot

against a stone.’d ”

7Jesus answered him, “It is also written:‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’e ”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high

mountain and showed him all the kingdomsof the world and their splendor. 9“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow downand worship me.”

10Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan!For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God,and serve him only.’ f ”

11Then the devil left him, and angelscame and attended him.

Jesus Begins to Preach12 When Jesus heard that John had been

put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee.13Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Ca-pernaum, which was by the lake in the areaof Zebulun and Naphtali — 14to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles —16 the people living in darkness

have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow

of death a light has dawned.” g

17From that time on Jesus began topreach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heavenhas come near.”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of

Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon calledPeter and his brother Andrew. They werecasting a net into the lake, for they were fish-ermen. 19“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and

His food was locusts and wild honey. 5Peo-ple went out to him from Jerusalem and allJudea and the whole region of the Jordan.6Confessing their sins, they were baptizedby him in the Jordan River.

7

But when he saw many of the Phariseesand Sadducees coming to where he was bap-tizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrat h? 8Produce fruit in keeping with re-pentance. 9 And do not think you can sayto yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our fa-ther.’ I tell you that out of these stones Godcan raise up children for Abraham. 10The axis already at the root of the trees, and every

tree that does not produce good fruit will becut down and thrown into the fire.

11“I baptize you with a water for repen-tance. But after me comes one who is morepowerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you witha the Holy Spirit and fire. 12His winnow-ing fork is in his hand, and he will clear histhreshing floor, gathering his wheat intothe barn and burning up the chaff with un-

quenchable fire.”

The Baptism of Jesus13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jor-

dan to be baptized by John. 14But John triedto deter him, saying, “I need to be baptizedby you, and do you come to me?”

15Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it isproper for us to do this to fulfill all righ-teousness.” Then John consented.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he wentup out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of Goddescending like a dove and alighting onhim. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “Thisis my Son, whom I love; with him I am wellpleased.”

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness

4Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wi lderness to be temptedb by the devil.

2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him andsaid, “If you are the Son of God, tell thesestones to become bread.”

4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall

a 11 Or in b 1 The Greek for tempted can also mean tested . c 4 Deut. 8:3 d 6 Psalm 91:11,12e 7 Deut. 6:16 f 10 Deut. 6:13 g 16 Isaia h 9:1,2


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- 1300 -

DEVO 186

Because You’re Worth It

Though I typically eschew most anything related to the domestic arts —

cooking, cleaning, and so on — I do nest . Before my daughter was born,

I painted furniture in jazzy yellows and pale blues for her nursery. When

her younger brother arrived, I redecorated a laundry room to welcome him into

our lives. And while waiting to adopt our third child from India, a son, I stitched

together a colorful patchwork blanket in which I’d one day embrace him.

Nesting, in other words, is really just the gentle way of saying ordering one’s

living space before unbridled chaos breaks loose.So the summer my husband left our home, I nested.

In the wake of his absence

I redecorated the large bedroom

and office space we’d shared,

painting a second-hand armoire,

upholstering an old ottoman and

gleaning two beautiful bedside

paper lanterns. And the pièce de

résistance, which I could see in mymind’s eye before I ever located its

components at a retail craft store,

were tall white wooden letters

spelling out a single word on the

pale blue wall above my new bed:

Beloved.

That I would be so brazen

to mount the seven letters like a

common theater marquee when

evidence seemed to prove I was

otherwise was no mistake. Rather,

as one who’s been joined with Jesus in baptism, I’ve come to believe it’s the formative

story — about him, about me and about you — that is deeply and irrevocably true.

When Jesus exploded up from the waters of the Jordan after his baptism, a voice

from heaven announced that this wet one was God’s beloved. And though the gravity

of the Hallmark sentiment is mostly lost to the modern ear, to a first-century Jew the

ringing endorsement was unmistakable. “This is my Son,” echoed the words God hadspoken over specially chosen King David. “Beloved” resonated with the endearment

God had used for Solomon and Benjamin. And in the affirmation that God was

well pleased , listeners would have heard strains from Isaiah’s prophecy of the One

who was to come. This announcement of Jesus’ chosenness, as Messiah, and also his

belovedness was seared in Jesus’ heart as the fundamentally true story of his identity.

MAT THE W 3:13 –17

Margot Starbuck

This announcement of

Jesus’ chosenness, as

Messiah, and also his

belovedness was seared

in Jesus’ heart as the

fundamentally true story

of his identity.


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For the next devotion, go to page 1304. For the next myth, go to page 1326.

Subsequently, the words of that announcement would have echoed in Jesus’ heart

when his experience shouted otherwise. Facing the deceiver in the wilderness, Jesus

chose for the truth of his belovedness. The divine endorsement buoyed him when

his parents’ friends kvetched, “He isn’t God’s son! He’s just Mary and Joe’s boy.”

That he belonged to his Father sustained him in his final, excruciating days. Jesus’

belovedness identified him to the core of his being.

Me too.

Though I’m pretty clear that I’m not “Messiah,” Jesus told his disciples the loveGod had for him was the same love he had for them. Same stuff. In his book The

Inner Voice of Love spiritual guide Henri Nouwen remindes us that living into the

truth of our identity, claiming our belovedness, requires a real choice. “The root

choice is to trust at all times that God is with you and will give you what you most

need . . . God says to you, ‘I love you, I am with you . . .’ This is the voice to listen to.”

Predictably, the enemy capitalizes off our human experience of sin and

brokenness to plant lies in our hearts. When my birthparents relinquished me

for adoption as an infant, a quiet voice hissed into my deep places, “You’re not

worth showing up for.” When my father left our home when I was six, and whenmy stepdad left when I was fifteen, the sinister voice whispered, “You’re not worth

sticking around for.” The evidence-based story was an easy one to believe! And in

my darkest days, I did.

But surrounded by the truth-telling body of Christ, recognizing the lying hiss of

the deceiver, I tipped my ear toward the voice that is true. This is the voice that says,

“I am with you. I am for you. You’re worth loving. You are my beloved.”

Today, in the wake of absence, the choice is mine to listen to the voice that is

true. It’s yours as well.

• How has your experience seemed to offer the false evidence that you are not,

in fact, beloved?

• That you will reject any lies suggesting you are not worth loving• That you will continue to choose for the reality of your inherent belovedness

• That you will share with others the good news of their belovedness according

to God himself


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11“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kindsof evil against you because of me. 12Re joiceand be glad, because great is your re ward inheaven, for in the same way they persecuted

the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light13“You are the salt of the earth. But if the

salt loses its saltiness, how can it be madesalty again? It is no longer good for anything,except to be thrown out and trampled un-derfoot.

14“You are the light of the world. A townbuilt on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do

people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.Instead they put it on its stand, and it giveslight to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, thatthey may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

The Fulfillment of the Law17“Do not think that I have come to abolish

the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to

abolish them but to fulfill them.18

For trulyI tell you, until heaven and earth disappear,not the smallest letter, not the least strokeof a pen, will by any means disappear fromthe Law until everything is accomplished.19Therefore anyone who sets aside one ofthe least of these commands and teachesothers accordingly will be called least in thekingdom of heaven, but whoever practicesand teaches these commands will be called

great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpass-es that of the Pharisees and the teachers ofthe law, you will certainly not enter the king-dom of heaven.

Murder21“You have heard that it was said to the

people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,b andanyone who murders will be sub ject to judg-

ment.’ 22But I tell you that anyone who is an-gry with a brother or sisterc , d will be sub jectto judgment. Again, anyone who says to abrother or sister, ‘Raca,’e is answerable to thecourt. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ willbe in danger of the fire of hell.

I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 Atonce they left their nets and followed him.

21Going on from there, he saw two oth-er brothers, James son of Zebedee and hisbrother John. They were in a boat with their

father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesuscalled them, 22and immediately they left theboat and their father and followed him.

Jesus Heals the Sick23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching

in their synagogues, proclaiming the goodnews of the kingdom, and healing every dis-ease and sickness among the people. 24Newsabout him spread all over Syria, and people

brought to him all who were ill with variousdiseases, those suffering se vere pain, the de-mon-possessed, those having seizures, andthe paralyzed; and he healed them. 25Largecrowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,a Jerusa-lem, Judea and the region across the Jordanfollowed him.

Introduction to the Sermon on theMount

5Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat

down. His disciples came to him, 2and hebegan to teach them.

The Beatitudes

He said:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst

for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted

because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

a 25 That is, the Ten Cities b 21 Exodus 20:13 c 22 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos)refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or woman; also in verse 23. d 22 Some manuscriptsbrother or sister without cause e 22 An Aramaic term of contempt


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Eye for Eye38“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for

eye, and tooth for tooth.’d 39But I tell you, donot resist an evil person. If anyone slaps youon the right cheek, turn to them the other

cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue youand take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42Give to the one whoasks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Love for Enemies43“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love

your neighbore and hate your enemy.’ 44But

I tell you, love your enemies and pray forthose who persecute you, 45 that you may bechildren of your Father in heaven. He causeshis sun to rise on the evil and the good, andsends rain on the righteous and the unrigh-teous. 46 If you love those who love you, whatre ward will you get? Are not even the tax col-lectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing morethan others? Do not even pagans do that?48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Fa-ther is perfect.

Giving to the Needy

6“Be careful not to practice your righ-teousness in front of others to be seen

by them. If you do, you will have no re wardfrom your Father in heaven.

2“So when you give to the needy, do not

an nounce it with trumpets, as the hyp-ocrites do in the synagogues and on thestreets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their re ward in full.3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand isdoing, 4so that your giving may be in secret.Then your Father, who sees what is done insecret, will re ward you.

Prayer5“And when you pray, do not be like thehypocrites, for they love to pray standing inthe synagogues and on the street corners tobe seen by others. Truly I tell you, they havereceived their re ward in full. 6But when youpray, go into your room, close the door and

23“Therefore, if you are offering your giftat the altar and there remember that yourbrother or sister has something against you,24 leave your gift there in front of the altar.First go and be reconciled to them; then

come and offer your gift.25“Settle matters quickly with your ad ver-sary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your ad- versary may hand you over to the judge, andthe judge may hand you over to the officer,and you may be thrown into prison. 26TrulyI tell you, you will not get out until you havepaid the last penny.

Adultery27“You have heard that it was said, ‘You

shall not commit adultery.’a 28But I tell youthat anyone who looks at a woman lustful-ly has already committed adultery with herin his heart. 29If your right eye causes you tostumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It isbetter for you to lose one part of your bodythan for your whole body to be thrown intohell. 30 And if your r ight hand causes you to

stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is bet-ter for you to lose one part of your body thanfor your whole body to go into hell.

Divorce31“It has been said, ‘Anyone who di vorc-

es his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ b 32But I tell you that anyone whodi vorces his wife, except for sexual immo-rality, makes her the victim of adultery, andanyone who marries a di vorced womancommits adultery.

Oaths33“Again, you have heard that it was said

to the people long ago, ‘Do not break youroath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you havemade.’ 34But I tell you, do not swear an oathat all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne;35

or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or byJerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.36 And do not swear by your head, for youcannot make even one hair white or black.37 Al l you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’;anything be yond this comes from the evilone.c

a 27 Exodus 20:14 b 31 Deut. 24:1 c 37 Or from evil d 38 Exodus 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21e 43 Lev. 19:18


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DEVO 187

Bravery in the Face of Loss

In 2006 my life intersected with a woman named Maya. She was a stranger, but

I met her in an incredibly vulnerable moment, which tends to connect people in

a way that is transcendent.

My husband, Steve, is a Navy SEAL, and in wartime, SEALs are called on to do

anything and everything. But he never expected this assignment. Steve was sent by

the Navy to be with Maya right after she was notified that her husband, Marc, had

been killed in Ramadie. He was the first SEAL killed in Iraq. I see now that part of

the shock of this loss then and even still today is because these men — the men in hisplatoon and troop — were believed to be indestructible. Hero-gods. Then Marc was

lost. Then others.

Steve escorted Maya back to

San Diego and sat beside her at

Marc’s funeral and memorial

service. I sat a few rows back at

both services, trying to breathe.

Feeling like there weren’t enough

words in the world to assuage onesecond of this loss. Huge pictures

of this gorgeous young man were

everywhere. Uniforms. Bagpipes.

A 25-year-old widow.

Since we first met Maya, we’ve

seen her occasionally. We saw her

recently at a building dedication

at the SEAL complex where a

huge facility has been named in

Marc’s honor. She was radiant and

gracious, as always. And every year

on the anniversary of Marc’s death

or on Memorial Day or when I hear about another wartime widow, I think of Maya.

I think of the extraordinary courage required to face the grief she has endured.

Loss is not nameless and faceless. Loss is the most personal and intimate of

human experiences. If you’ve watched someone mourn or if you have mourned a

grief this primal, then you know.The Scriptures say that those who mourn are blessed because they will be

comforted. The act of letting go and letting down delivers gifts of comfort that

coping and sucking it up never will.

I have a dear friend, Rickelle, who lost her unborn son when she was 25 weeks

pregnant, her first baby. He was there, and then he was gone. In her grief, she would

MATTHE W 5:4

Leeana Tankersley

I just believe that when

we choose to participate

in acknowledging the

losses, we open up

some space for comfort

to arrive in all shapes

and sizes.


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go out to her garage in a hoodie and sand old furniture with a power sander while

she listened to reggae. That was how she put one foot in front of the other.

I don’t think there’s any instruction manual for grieving. I just believe that when

we choose to participate in acknowledging the losses, we open up some space for

comfort to arrive in all shapes and sizes. We allow a meal to be delivered. We allow a

friend to sit quietly next to us. We allow God to touch us.

My heroes are those who have walked the worn path of grief. I am in awe of

Maya and Rickelle — women who let themselves come apart, let themselves feel theawful mess, let themselves mourn. I believe they have been comforted in some of the

most unexpected and beautiful ways. And I know they have, in turn, been a great

comfort to others going through similar loss.

I’m the kind of person who would rather “be strong” in the face of pain. I’d

rather be “doing fine, thanks” than falling apart. But I’ve seen that the comfort does

not come to those intent on coping. The comfort arrives for those who are willing to

spill open.

God, be near the heroes among us today, those who are bravely grieving. Meet

them on the road of sadness and suffering and offer them your gifts of presence andpeace. Amen.

• Do you need to grieve a loss in your life instead of denying it?

• That you will believe God will faithfully comfort you as you grieve

• That you will feel surrounded even as you walk through your loss

• That you will know you are doing holy work


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then the light within you is darkness, howgreat is that darkness!

24“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you wi ll be de voted to the one and despise

the other. You cannot serve both God andmoney.

Do Not Worry25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about

your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you wil l wea r. Is not li femore than food, and the body more thanclothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; theydo not sow or reap or store away in barns,

and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?27Can any one of you by worry ing add a sin-gle hour to your lifee ?

28“And why do you worry about clothes?See how the flowers of the field grow. Theydo not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tel l you thatnot even Solomon in all his splendor wasdressed like one of these. 30If that is how Godclothes the grass of the field, which is here

today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you — you oflittle faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘Whatshall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans runafter all these things, and your heavenly Fa-ther knows that you need them. 33But seekfirst his kingdom and his righteousness, andall these things will be given to you as well.34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,

for tomorrow will worry about itself. Eachday has enough trouble of its own.

Judging Others

7“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.2For in the same way you judge others,

you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust

in your brother’s eye and pay no attentionto the plank in your own eye? 4How can yousay to your brother, ‘Let me take the speckout of your eye,’ when all the time there is aplank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, firsttake the plank out of your own eye, and then

pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will re ward you. 7 And when you pray, do notkeep on babbling like pagans, for they thinkthey will be heard because of their many

words.8

Do not be like them, for your Fatherknows what you need before you ask him.9“This, then, is how you should pray:

“ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your wil l be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation,a

but deliver us from the evil one.b ’

14For if you forgive other people when theysin against you, your heavenly Father willalso forgive you. 15But if you do not forgiveothers their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Fasting16“When you fast, do not look somber as

the hypocrites do, for they disfigure theirfaces to show others they are fasting. TrulyI tell you, they have received their re wardin full. 17But when you fast, put oil on yourhead and wash your face, 18so that it will notbe ob vious to others that you are fasting, butonly to your Father, who is unseen; and yourFather, who sees what is done in secret, will

re ward you.

Treasures in Heaven19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures

on earth, where moths and vermin destroy,and where thieves break in and steal. 20Butstore up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy,and where thieves do not break in and steal.21

For where your treasure is, there yourheart will be also.22“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your

eyes are healthy,c your whole body will beful l of light. 23But if your eyes are unhealthy,d your whole body wi ll be full of darkness. If

a 13 The Greek for temptation can also mean testing . b 13 Or from evil ; some late manuscripts one, / for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. c 22 The Greek for healthy here implies generous. d 23 The Greek for unhealthy here implies stingy . e 27 Or single cubit to your height


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mons and in your name perform many mira-cles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I neverknew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

The Wise and Foolish Builders24

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practiceis like a wise man who built his house on therock. 25The rain came down, the streamsrose, and the winds blew and beat againstthat house; yet it did not fall, because it hadits foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesnot put them into practice is like a foolishman who built his house on sand. 27The rain

came down, the streams rose, and the windsblew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

28 When Jesus had finished saying thesethings, the crowds were amazed at his teach-ing, 29because he taught as one who had au-thority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy

8 When Jesus came down from the moun-tainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A

man with leprosy a came and knelt beforehim and said, “Lord, if you are willing, youcan make me clean.”

3Jesus reached out his hand and touchedthe man. “I am will ing,” he said. “Be clean!”Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.4Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’ttell anyone. But go, show yourself to thepriest and offer the gift Moses commanded,as a testimony to them.”

The Faith of the Centurion5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum,

a centurion came to him, asking for help.6“Lord,” he said, “my ser vant lies at homeparalyzed, suffering terribly.”

7Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and healhim?”

8

The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not de-serve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my ser vant wi ll behealed. 9For I myself am a man under au-thority, with soldiers under me. I tell thisone, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’and he comes. I say to my ser vant, ‘Do this,’and he does it.”

you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

6“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do notthrow your pearls to pigs. If you do, they maytrample them under their feet, and turn and

tear you to pieces.

Ask, Seek, Knock7“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and

you wil l find; knock and the door will beopened to you. 8For everyone who asks re-ceives; the one who seeks finds; and to theone who knocks, the door will be opened.

9“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a

fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then,though you are evil, know how to give goodgifts to your children, how much more will you r Father in heaven give good gifts tothose who ask him! 12So in everything, do toothers what you would have them do to you,for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

The Narrow and Wide Gates13“Enter through the narrow gate. For

wide is the gate and broad is the roadthat leads to destruction, and many enterthrough it. 14But small is the gate and nar-row the road that leads to life, and only a fewfind it.

True and False Prophets15“Watch out for false prophets. They

come to you in sheep’s clothing, but in ward-ly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you wil l recognize them. Do people pickgrapes from thornbushes, or figs from this-tles? 17Like wise, every good tree bears goodfruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A goodtree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad treecannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree thatdoes not bear good fruit is cut down andthrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

True and False Disciples21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord,

Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, butonly the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me onthat day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out de-

a 2 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting t he skin.


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DEVO 188

Have You Cultivated a Sense of Enough?

Something extraordinary happened to me today.

I found out a dear friend is pregnant. That’s not the extraordinary part.

Everyone I know is pregnant. You think I’m exaggerating, but I have 17

pregnant friends and 9 friends with babies born since September. Not just Facebook

friends or acquaintances, either — real see-them-at-church, go-to-their-showers,

send-them-baby-blankets friends.

It’s an epidemic, and I sometimes think I might be at the center of it — like if

you’re my friend, you’re 883,584 times more likely to get pregnant than if you’re not.I’m like an incredibly successful fertility drug. Trying to conceive? I’m your ticket. It

works for you . . . but it doesn’t seem to be working for me.

My son, Henry, will be five this year, and since his first birthday, we’ve been

trying to have another baby:

seeing doctors, praying, longing.

I’ve miscarried twice. After

miscarrying twins last February,

I was feeling so tender and raw

about it that at a dinner with myfamily, I announced, “If any of

you are pregnant, I just need you

to tell me now.” I said this to my

almost 60-year-old parents and my

single brother. They stared at me

with confusion, but at that point,

nothing would have surprised me.

In essence, I became the person

that people don’t want to tell if

they’re pregnant. A friend told me her happy, fantastic news, and just a second later

she burst out crying, afraid for how this would make me feel. I hate that. I work

really hard to arrange my face in such a way that approximates uncomplicated glee.

And I am happy for them, of course. But sometimes just after the happiness is the

desperation. Some days are easier than others.

At one point I told my husband that if I found out I wasn’t pregnant that month,

I’d break something glass, just to feel it shatter. I was counting the days all the time,

recounting, hoping.And then I found out that I wasn’t pregnant. Again. I didn’t break anything, but

it seems that something broke inside me. Something cracked, and all the energy

and fear and roiling anger drained out. I felt calm and empty. I felt sad but not

devastated. I began to think about it in terms of a year, about wanting to have a baby

this year, and less about this month, this month!

MAT T HE W 6:25– 34

Shauna Niequist

I want to cultivate a deep

sense of gratitude, of

groundedness, of enough,

even while I’m longing for

something more.


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I was exhausted and couldn’t carry it anymore. It had reached fever pitch —

consuming, obsessive, frantic. Unsustainable. It was like an addiction and that

moment was like getting sober: raw, silent, clear-eyed, the absolute stillness after a

storm.

This morning, when I heard the news about my friend, I felt what I’ve wanted

to feel all along but couldn’t locate: uncomplicated and deep happiness. I felt happy

for her. Very, very happy. And I feel so thankful for that feeling, for being able to be

uncomplicatedly happy for the people I love.It could all change again next month — I know that. I’ve been around this

block for years now: easier and harder, more complicated and less. I’m all serene

and happy right now, but I could be back to throwing glassware next month. This

morning, though, I’ll take what I can get.

The word that came to my mind this morning was enough.

Enough: I don’t want to live like that anymore. And enough: I have enough. I have

more than I need, more than I could ask for. I have a son who delights me every

single day. A husband I adore. A family that walks with me well, and friends that

make the world feel rich. I do work I care about — no small thing.It’s not wrong to want another baby, but there’s a fine line in there, and I feel I’ve

crossed it a few times this year, and crossed over into that terrible territory where

you can’t be happy unless you have just that thing you want, no matter what else you

have. That’s not how I want to live. That’s not who I want to be.

I want to cultivate a deep sense of gratitude, of groundedness, of enough, even

while I’m longing for something more. The longing and the gratitude, both. I’m

practicing believing that God knows more than I know, that he sees what I can’t,

that he’s weaving a future I can’t even imagine from where I sit this morning.

Extraordinary, indeed. More than enough.

• How can you cultivate a sense of enough in your own life?

• That you learn to trust God’s perfect plan• That you develop a sense of gratitude for what you do have

• That you will release your worry


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the winds and the waves, and it was com-pletely calm.

27 The men were amazed and asked,“What kind of man is this? Even the windsand the waves obey him!”

Jesus Restores Two Demon-PossessedMen

28 When he arrived at the other side in theregion of the Gadarenes,b two demon-pos-sessed men coming from the tombs met him.They were so violent that no one could passthat way. 29“What do you want with us, Sonof God?” they shouted. “Have you come hereto torture us before the appointed time?”

30Some distance from them a large herdof pigs was feeding. 31The demons beggedJesus, “If you drive us out, send us into theherd of pigs.”

32He said to them, “Go!” So they came outand went into the pigs, and the whole herdrushed down the steep bank into the lakeand died in the water. 33Those tending thepigs ran off, went into the town and reportedall this, including what had happened to the

demon-possessed men. 34Then the wholetown went out to meet Jesus. And when theysaw him, they pleaded with him to leavetheir region.

Jesus Forgives and Healsa Paralyzed Man

9Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed overand came to his own town. 2Some men

brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on amat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said tothe man, “Take heart, son; your sins are for-given.”

3 At this, some of the teachers of the lawsaid to themselves, “This fellow is blas-pheming!”

4Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said,“Why do you entertain evil thoughts in yourhearts? 5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins

are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?6But I want you to know that the Son of Manhas authority on earth to forgive sins.” So hesaid to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take yourmat and go home.” 7Then the man got upand went home. 8 When the crowd saw this,they were filled with awe; and they praisedGod, who had given such authority to man.

10 When Jesus heard t his, he was amazedand said to those following him, “Truly Itell you, I have not found anyone in Isra-el with such great faith. 11I say to you thatmany will come from the east and the west,

and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdomof heaven. 12But the sub jects of the kingdom will be throw n outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashingof teeth.”

13Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go!Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his ser vant was healed at that moment.

Jesus Heals Many14 When Jesus came into Peter’s house, hesaw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed witha fe ver. 15He touched her hand and the fe verleft her, and she got up and began to wait onhim.

16 When evening came, many who weredemon-possessed were brought to him,and he drove out the spirits with a word andhealed all the sick. 17This was to fulfill what

was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

“He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.”a

The Cost of Following Jesus18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him,

he gave orders to cross to the other side of thelake. 19Then a teacher of the law came to himand said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherev-er you go.”

20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens andbirds have nests, but the Son of Man has noplace to lay his head.”

21 Another disciple said to him, “Lord, firstlet me go and bury my father.”

22But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and letthe dead bury their own dead.”

Jesus Calms the Storm23

Then he got into the boat and his dis-ciples followed him. 24Suddenly a furiousstorm came up on the lake, so that the wavesswept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.25The disciples went and woke him, saying,“Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

26He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked

a 17 Isaia h 53:4 (see Septuag int) b 28 Some manuscripts Gergesenes; other manuscripts Gerasenes


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23 When Jesus entered the synagogueleader’s house and saw the noisy crowd andpeople playing pipes, 24he said, “Go away.The girl is not dead but asleep.” But theylaughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been

put outside, he went in and took the girl bythe hand, and she got up. 26News of thisspread through all that region.

Jesus Heals the Blind and the Mute27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind

men followed him, calling out, “Have mercyon us, Son of Da vid!”

28 When he had gone indoors, the blindmen came to him, and he asked them, “Do

you believe that I am able to do this?”“Yes, Lord,” they replied.29Then he touched their eyes and said,

“According to your faith let it be done to you”;30and their sight was restored. Jesus warnedthem sternly, “See that no one knows aboutthis.” 31But they went out and spread thenews about him all over that region.

32 While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk

was brought to Jesus.33

And when the de-mon was driven out, the man who had beenmute spoke. The crowd was amazed andsaid, “Nothing like this has ever been seenin Israel.”

34 But the Pharisees said, “It is by theprince of demons that he drives out demons.”

The Workers Are Few35 Jesus went through all the towns and

villages, teaching in their synagogues, pro-claiming the good news of the kingdom andhealing every disease and sickness. 36 Whenhe saw the crowds, he had compassion onthem, because they were harassed and help-less, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Thenhe said to his disciples, “The har vest is plen-tiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lordof the har vest, therefore, to send out workersinto his har vest field.”

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

10Jesus called his twelve disciples tohim and gave them authority to drive

out impure spirits and to heal every diseaseand sickness.

2These are the names of the twelve apos-tles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and

The Calling of Matthew9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a

man named Matthew sitting at the tax col-lector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, andMatthew got up and followed him.

10

While Jesus was having dinner at Mat-thew’s house, many tax collectors and sin-ners came and ate with him and his disci-ples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, theyasked his disciples, “Why does your teachereat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is notthe healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.13But go and learn what this means: ‘I desiremercy, not sacrifice.’a For I have not come to

call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus Questioned About Fasting14Then John’s disciples came and asked

him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fastoften, but your disciples do not fast?”

15Jesus answered, “How can the guestsof the bridegroom mourn while he is withthem? The time will come when the bride-groom will be taken from them; then they

will fast.16“No one sews a patch of unshrunk clothon an old garment, for the patch will pullaway from the garment, making the tear worse. 17Neither do people pour new wineinto old wineskins. If they do, the skins willburst; the wine will run out and the wine-skins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are pre-served.”

Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Healsa Sick Woman

18 While he was saying this, a synagogueleader came and knelt before him and said,“My daughter has just died. But come andput your hand on her, and she will live.”19Jesus got up and went with him, and so didhis disciples.

20 Just then a woman who had been sub-

ject to bleeding for twelve years came up be-hind him and touched the edge of his cloak.21She said to herself, “If I only touch hiscloak, I will be healed.”

22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart,daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that mo-ment.

a 13 Hosea 6:6


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nor a ser vant above his master. 25It is enoughfor students to be like their teachers, and ser- vants like their masters. If the head of thehouse has been called Beelzebul, how muchmore the members of his household!

26

“So do not be afraid of them, for thereis nothing concealed that will not be dis-closed, or hidden that will not be madeknown. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speakin the daylight; what is whispered in yourear, proclaim from the roofs. 28Do not beafraid of those who kill the body but can-not kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet

not one of them will fall to the ground out-side your Father’s care.b 30 And even the veryhairs of your head are all numbered. 31Sodon’t be afraid; you are worth more thanmany sparrows.

32“Whoever acknowledges me before oth-ers, I will also acknowledge before my Fa-ther in heaven. 33But whoever disowns mebefore others, I wil l disown before my Fatherin heaven.

34“Do not suppose that I have come tobring peace to the earth. I did not come tobring peace, but a sword. 35For I have cometo turn

“ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-

in-law —36 a man’s enemies will be the members

of his ow n household.’c

37“Anyone who loves their father or moth-er more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more thanme is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does nottake up their cross and follow me is not wor-thy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will loseit, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

40

“Anyone who welcomes you welcomesme, and anyone who welcomes me wel-comes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever wel-comes a prophet as a prophet will receive aprophet’s re ward, and whoever welcomes arighteous person as a righteous person willreceive a righteous person’s re ward. 42 And if

his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee,and his brother John; 3Philip and Bartholo-mew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collec-tor; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;4Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who

betrayed him.5These twelve Jesus sent out with the fol-lowing instructions: “Do not go among theGentiles or enter any town of the Samar-itans. 6Go rather to the lost sheep of Isra-el. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘Thekingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8Healthe sick, raise the dead, cleanse those whohave leprosy,a drive out demons. Freely youhave received; freely give.

9

“Do not get any gold or sil ver or copper totake with you in your belts — 10no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff,for the worker is worth his keep. 11 Whatev-er town or village you enter, search there forsome worthy person and stay at their houseuntil you leave. 12 As you enter the home, giveit your greeting. 13If the home is deserving,let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let yourpeace return to you. 14If anyone will not wel-

come you or listen to your words, leave thathome or town and shake the dust off yourfeet. 15Truly I tell you, it will be more bear-able for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

16“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakesand as innocent as doves. 17Be on yourguard; you will be handed over to the localcouncils and be flogged in the synagogues.18

On my account you will be brought beforegovernors and kings as witnesses to themand to the Gentiles. 19But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how tosay it. At that time you will be given what tosay, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but theSpirit of your Father speaking through you.

21“Brother will betray brother to death,and a father his child; children will rebelagainst their parents and have them put to

death. 22 You w ill be hated by everyone be-cause of me, but the one who stands firm tothe end will be saved. 23 When you are per-secuted in one place, flee to another. Truly Itell you, you will not finish going through thetowns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

24“The student is not above the teacher,

a 8 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting t he skin.b 29 Or will ; or knowledge c 36 Micah 7:6


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we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’

18For John came neither eating nor drink-ing, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19TheSon of Man came eating and drinking, and

they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, afriend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wis-dom is proved right by her deeds.”

Woe on Unrepentant Towns20 Then Jesus began to denounce the

towns in which most of his miracles hadbeen performed, because they did not re-pent. 21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you,Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were per-

formed in you had been performed in Tyreand Sidon, they would have repented longago in sackcloth and ashes. 22But I tell you,it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidonon the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to theheavens? No, you will go down to Hades. e For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it wouldhave remained to this day. 24But I tell you

that it will be more bearable for Sodom onthe day of judgment than for you.”

The Father Revealed in the Son25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you,

Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wiseand learned, and re vealed them to little chil-dren. 26 Yes, Father, for this is what you werepleased to do.

27

“All things have been committed to meby my Father. No one knows the Son exceptthe Father, and no one knows the Fatherexcept the Son and those to whom the Sonchooses to re veal him.

28“Come to me, all you who are weary andburdened, and I will give you rest. 29Takemy yoke upon you and learn from me, for Iam gentle and humble in heart, and you willfind rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy

and my burden is light.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

12 At that time Jesus went through thegrainfields on the Sabbath. His dis-

ciples were hungry and began to pick someheads of grain and eat them. 2 When the

anyone gives even a cup of cold water to oneof these little ones who is my disciple, trulyI tell you, that person will certainly not losetheir re ward.”

Jesus and John the Baptist

11 Af ter Jesus had finished instructinghis twelve disciples, he went on from

there to teach and preach in the towns ofGalilee.a

2 When John, who was in prison, heardabout the deeds of the Messiah, he sent hisdisciples 3to ask him, “Are you the one who isto come, or should we expect someone else?”

4Jesus replied, “Go back and report to

John what you hear and see:

5

The blind re-ceive sight, the lame walk, those who haveleprosy b are cleansed, the deaf hear, thedead are raised, and the good news is pro-claimed to the poor. 6Blessed is anyone whodoes not stumble on account of me.”

7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesusbegan to speak to the crowd about John:“What did you go out into the wildernessto see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8If not,

what did you go out to see? A man dressed infine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothesare in kings’ palaces. 9Then what did you goout to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, andmore than a prophet. 10This is the one about whom it is written:

“ ‘I will send my messenger aheadof you,

who will prepare your waybefore you.’c

11Truly I tell you, among those born of wom-en there has not risen anyone greater thanJohn the Baptist; yet whoever is least inthe kingdom of heaven is greater than he.12From the days of John the Baptist untilnow, the kingdom of heaven has been sub- jected to violence,d and violent people havebeen raiding it. 13For all the Prophets and theLaw prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Eli jah who wasto come. 15 Whoever has ears, let them hear.

16“To what can I compare this generation?They are like children sitting in the market-places and calling out to others:

17 “ ‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance;

a 1 Greek in their towns b 5 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseasesaffecting the skin. c 10 Mal. 3:1 d 12 Or been forcefully advancing e 23 That is, the realm of the dead


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- 1314 -

DEVO 189

No Appointment Needed

Come straight from your bed with your morning breath and your

sweatpants. Come with your crazy hair and your unwashed face and last

night’s dishes still sitting out on the counter.

Come as soon as the alarm goes off, or after three or four smacks at the snooze

button.

Or maybe morning’s not your thing, but you keep trying to muster yourself up

to it because once someone told you this was the best way. That morning is the best

time, that you need to start your day right, with God.(I want to tell you that there is no best time. There is you, your particular,

individual heart — and there is God, his love like a deep-flowing river. And it

doesn’t matter when you step into the river, love. All that matters is that you come.)

Come with your mind skittering a thousand different directions. Come with

your insurmountable to-do list, and don’t feel a bit guilty when you keep drifting

back to the day’s demands. Just

notice it, and then make your way

back to the quiet.

There will be so many tripsback and forth while you’re here . . .

from worry to planning to prayer

and then back around again. That’s

just part of it.

But maybe you don’t know that.

Maybe you’ve heard a hundred

sermons about that night in the

Garden of Gethsemane, when

Jesus prayed deep and long and his

disciples fell asleep. You know that

verse by heart, where he says, “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?”

(Matthew 26:40) and the very next one that says, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh

is weak.”

(Here’s what I think about all that: this was never meant as a call to do better,

to be better, to come perfect and focused and spiritually “strong.” I think Jesus was

simply telling us the truth about ourselves, here in the midnight garden — that thing

that we who can handle it all never truly believe: You are weak. You are weary. It’sokay. I am enough.)

Maybe all this time you’ve been trying to come perfect; you’ve been trying to

come wide awake when you’re exhausted. Maybe you’ve been trying to work up the

faith when your heart is sunk deep in doubt. You don’t have to hustle for approval

here. Come weary. Come beloved.

MATT HEW 11:28

Addie Zierman

Start with Jesus, who

welcomes the

overwhelmed. The

under-awed. The hopeful.

The hopeless.


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Come reluctantly or expectantly. Come half asleep or half alive or broken into

ten thousand pieces.

Stare blankly into your fluorescent sunlamp in the cold, dark morning and say

nothing. Or say everything. Rant and rave and whine and cry and bare it all — your

whole fearful, jealous, angry heart. Both of these things are a kind of prayer, and

neither is better or more honest than the other.

Say the truth you need to say even if the words sound unholy. God can handle

your impoliteness, your wildness, your temper tantrums, your tears.

Come with a heart stone-cold in its silence. Come bitter. Come distant.

Read the Bible, or don’t. Write it out in a lined journal, or don’t. Read a bit of

liturgy and feel yourself connected to a thousand other broken pieces of humanity,

all trying to figure it out.

(Or don’t. There is no right way to come. There is only the honesty of showing up

entirely yourself in the place you are now.)

Maybe you won’t feel anything. Just the winter dark pressing in and the cold

seeping in under the patio door and a weary dread for the mundane tasks of another

day. Another week. Another year.Come anyway.

Come even if you’re not one bit sure about this God business at all. Start here,

with these open arms, the ones that are welcoming the weary. Start with a God who

invites the imperfect: The mad-at-their-kids. The ticked-at-their-bosses. The one

who sits in traff ic, feeling a rage she cannot understand. The one who can’t stop

crying. The one who’s full to the brim with happiness.

Start with Jesus, who welcomes the overwhelmed. The under-awed. The hopeful.

The hopeless.

He is looking at you who don’t have one scrap of it together, and there’s not ahow-to or a best-practices — just him. Just you. Just the river.

Just one word: Come.

The first step. Really, the only step. The one you keep taking every weary, heavy-

laden, joyous, hopeful, normal, average, dish-filled, noisy day of your life.

• When do you come to Jesus?

• That you will make time on a regular basis to talk to Jesus

• That you will experience his grace, peace and comfort


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till he has brought justice through to victory.

21 In his name the nations will puttheir hope.”b

Jesus and Beelzebul22Then they brought him a demon-pos-

sessed man who was blind and mute, andJesus healed him, so that he could both talkand see. 23 All the people were astonishedand said, “Could this be the Son of Da vid?”

24But when the Pharisees heard this, theysaid, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince ofdemons, that this fellow drives out demons.”

25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to

them, “Every kingdom di vided against itself will be ruined, and every city or householddi vided against itself will not stand. 26 If Sa-tan drives out Satan, he is di vided againsthimself. How then can his kingdom stand?27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul,by whom do your people drive them out?So then, they will be your judges. 28 But ifit is by the Spirit of God that I drive out de-mons, then the kingdom of God has comeupon you.

29 “Or again, how can anyone enter astrong man’s house and carry off his posses-sions unless he first ties up the strong man?Then he can plunder his house.

30“Whoever is not with me is against me,and whoever does not gather with me scat-ters. 31 And so I tel l you, every kind of sinand slander can be forgiven, but blasphe-my against the Spirit will not be forgiven.32 Anyone who speaks a word against theSon of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spir it will notbe forgiven, either in this age or in the ageto come.

33“Make a tree good and its fruit will begood, or make a tree bad and its fruit will bebad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 Youbrood of vipers, how can you who are evil

say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35 A good man bringsgood things out of the good stored up in him,and an evil man brings evil things out of theevil stored up in him. 36But I tell you thateveryone will have to give account on theday of judgment for every empty word theyhave spoken. 37For by your words you will

Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful onthe Sabbath.”

3He answered, “Haven’t you read whatDa vid did when he and his companions were

hungry?4

He entered the house of God, andhe and his companions ate the consecratedbread — which was not lawful for them to do,but only for the priests. 5Or haven’t you readin the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty inthe temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet areinnocent? 6I tell you that something greaterthan the temple is here. 7If you had known

what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, notsacrifice,’a you would not have condemned

the innocent.8

For the Son of Man is Lord ofthe Sabbath.”

9Going on from that place, he went intotheir synagogue, 10and a man with a shriv-eled hand was there. Looking for a reason tobring charges against Jesus, they asked him,“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

11He said to them, “If any of you has asheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, wil l you not take hold of it and li ft it out?

12How much more valuable is a person thana sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good onthe Sabbath.”

13Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it wascompletely restored, just as sound as theother. 14But the Pharisees went out and plot-ted how they might kill Jesus.

God’s Chosen Servant

15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from thatplace. A large crowd followed him, and hehealed all who were ill. 16He warned themnot to tell others about him. 17This was tofulfill what was spoken through the proph-et Isaiah:

18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him,

and he will proclaim justice to thenations. 19 He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the

streets. 20 A bruised reed he wil l not break, and a smoldering wick he will not

snuff out,

a 7 Hosea 6:6 b 21 Isaiah 42:1-4


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large crowds gathered around him that hegot into a boat and sat in it, while all the peo-ple stood on the shore. 3Then he told themmany things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scatter-

ing the seed, some fell along the path, andthe birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell onrocky places, where it did not have muchsoil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was sha llow. 6But when the sun came up,the plants were scorched, and they witheredbecause they had no root. 7Other seed fellamong thorns, which grew up and chokedthe plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop — a hundred, six-

ty or thirty times what was sown.9

Whoeverhas ears, let them hear.”

10The disciples came to him and asked,“Why do you speak to the people in para-bles?”

11He replied, “Because the knowledge ofthe secrets of the kingdom of heaven hasbeen given to you, but not to them. 12 Who-ever has will be given more, and they willhave an abundance. Whoever does not have,

even what they have will be taken fromthem. 13This is why I speak to them in par-ables:

“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or

understand.

14In them is fulfil led the prophecy of Isaiah:

“ ‘You will be ever hearing but never

understanding; you will be ever seeing but neverperceiving.

15 For this people’s heart has becomecalloused;

they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts

and turn, and I would heal them.’a

16But blessed are your eyes because they see,and your ears because they hear. 17For trulyI tell you, many prophets and righteous peo-ple longed to see what you see but did notsee it, and to hear what you hear but did nothear it.

be acquitted, and by your words you will becondemned.”

The Sign of Jonah38Then some of the Pharisees and teach-

ers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we wantto see a sign from you.”

39He answered, “A wicked and adulter-ous generation asks for a sign! But none willbe given it except the sign of the prophet Jo-nah. 40For as Jonah was three days and threenights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Sonof Man will be three days and three nights inthe heart of the earth. 41The men of Nine veh will stand up at the judgment with this gen-

eration and condemn it; for they repented atthe preaching of Jonah, and now somethinggreater than Jonah is here. 42The Queen ofthe South will rise at the judgment with thisgeneration and condemn it; for she camefrom the ends of the earth to listen to Solo-mon’s wisdom, and now something greaterthan Solomon is here.

43“When an impure spirit comes out of aperson, it goes through arid places seekingrest and does not find it. 44Then it says, ‘I willreturn to the house I left.’ When it arrives,it finds the house unoccupied, swept cleanand put in order. 45Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked thanitself, and they go in and live there. And thefinal condition of that person is worse thanthe first. That is how it will be with this wick-ed generation.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers46 Whi le Jesus was st il l ta lking to the

crowd, his mother and brothers stood out-side, wanting to speak to him. 47Someonetold him, “Your mother and brothers arestanding outside, wanting to speak to you.”

48He replied to him, “Who is my mother,and who are my brothers?” 49Pointing to hisdisciples, he said, “Here are my mother and

my brothers. 50For whoever does the will ofmy Father in heaven is my brother and sisterand mother.”

The Parable of the Sower

13That same day Jesus went out of thehouse and sat by the lake. 2Such

a 15 Isaia h 6:9,10 (see Septuag int)


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33He told them stil l another parable: “Thekingdom of heaven is like yeast that a womantook and mixed into about sixty poundsa offlour until it worked all through the dough.”

34Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd

in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I wil l open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the

creation of the world.”b

The Parable of the Weeds Explained36Then he left the crowd and went into the

house. His disciples came to him and said,

“Explain to us the parable of the weeds in thefield.”

37He answered, “The one who sowed thegood seed is the Son of Man. 38The field isthe world, and the good seed stands for thepeople of the kingdom. The weeds are thepeople of the evil one, 39and the enemy whosows them is the devil. The har vest is the endof the age, and the har vesters are angels.

40“As the weeds are pulled up and burnedin the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.41The Son of Man will send out his angels,and they will weed out of his kingdom ev-erything that causes sin and all who do evil.42They will throw them into the blazingfurnace, where there will be weeping andgnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous willshine like the sun in the kingdom of their Fa-ther. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

The Parables of the Hidden Treasureand the Pearl

44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasurehidden in a field. When a man found it, hehid it again, and then in his joy went and soldall he had and bought that field.

45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like amerchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When hefound one of great value, he went away and

sold everything he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net47“Once again, the kingdom of heaven

is like a net that was let down into the lakeand caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it wasfull, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore.Then they sat down and collected the good

18“Listen then to what the parable ofthe sower means: 19 When anyone hearsthe message about the kingdom and doesnot understand it, the evil one comes andsnatches away what was sown in their heart.

This is the seed sown along the path.20

Theseed falling on rocky ground refers to some-one who hears the word and at once receivesit with joy.21But since they have no root, theylast only a short t ime. When trouble or per-secution comes because of the word, theyquickly fall away. 22The seed falling amongthe thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the de-ceitfulness of wealth choke the word, mak-

ing it unfruitful.23

But the seed falling ongood soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one whoproduces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty orthirty times what was sown.”

The Parable of the Weeds24 Jesus told them another parable: “The

kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowedgood seed in his field. 25But while everyone

was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.26 When the wheat sprouted and formedheads, then the weeds also appeared.

27“The owner’s ser vants came to him andsaid, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in yourfield? Where then did the weeds come from?’

28“ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.“The ser vants asked him, ‘Do you want us

to go and pull them up?’29“ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you

are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat wit h them. 30Let both grow togetheruntil the har vest. At t hat time I will tell t hehar vesters: First collect the weeds and tiethem in bundles to be burned; then gatherthe wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”

The Parables of the Mustard Seedand the Yeast

31He told them another parable: “Thekingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.32Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet

when it grows, it is the largest of gardenplants and becomes a tree, so that the birdscome and perch in its branches.”

a 33 Or about 27 kilograms b 35 Psalm 78:2


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of his oaths and his dinner guests, he or-dered that her request be granted 10and hadJohn beheaded in the prison. 11His head wasbrought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12John’s disci-

ples came and took his body and buried it.Then they went and told Jesus.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand13 When Jesus heard what had happened,

he withdrew by boat pri vately to a solitaryplace. Hearing of this, the crowds followedhim on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesuslanded and saw a large crowd, he had com-passion on them and healed their sick.

15

As evening approached, the disciplescame to him and said, “This is a remoteplace, and it’s already getting late. Send thecrowds away, so they can go to the villagesand buy themselves some food.”

16Jesus replied, “They do not need to goaway. You give them something to eat.”

17“We have here only five loaves of breadand two fish,” they answered.

18“Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And

he directed the people to sit down on thegrass. Taking the five loaves and the two fishand looking up to heaven, he gave thanksand broke t

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