March 24 - 30

Here are the scriptures for this week's podcast:

March 24 - Isaiah 61: 1-3

March 25 - Luke 4: 13-21

March 26 - 2 Kings 4: 1-7

March 27 - Psalm 126: 1-6

March 28 - Psalm 119: 169-176

March 29 - Luke 15: 3-10

March 30 - Psalm 150: 1-6

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:19

Welcome to Flip Devotional the Podcast, where each week Martha Shannon, the author of Flip Devotional the Book, and Steve Shannon discuss the readings from the week. Hopefully, you've gotten a copy of Flip Devotional The Book or the ebook, which is available, and you're reading the companion verses, which are offered on the Facebook page of Flip Devotional. So this week I want to do a shout-out to Ashburn, Virginia. So I Googled them. They have the fourth most downloads for our podcast. So we have Lexington is first, which is where we live, makes sense. Louisville is second, which is very close to Lexington. And I guess we know some people there. I know we know some.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

And then Ashburn, Virginia.

SPEAKER_01 1:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Go figure. So if you didn't know, and I didn't, it's located 30 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. It is known as the Data Center Alley. With 70% of the world's internet traffic passing through it.

SPEAKER_02 1:38

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 1:39

I know, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:41

It's remarkable.

SPEAKER_00 1:43

I yeah. So it's a major hub for internet traffic. Um the area is characterized by its data centers, high-tech businesses, and a mix of residential communities with a highly educated population. Therefore, they're listening to our podcast.

SPEAKER_02 2:05

That's right. That's the secret.

SPEAKER_00 2:08

So yeah, pretty cool.

SPEAKER_02 2:11

I and did they become highly educated before or after the podcast?

SPEAKER_00 2:17

That the Google doesn't say. But I thought you were going to say before after they became the data center alley. Data center alley. 70%.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Whew. I yeah, that's so out of my brain knowing what's going on. Okay. So we are doing March 24th through March 30th.

SPEAKER_01 2:49

Correct.

SPEAKER_00 2:50

Um, March 24th and March 25th kind of go hand in hand. Um, I'm going to give you the scripture references and um then I don't know. I may let Steve jump in and and share some stuff. So March 24th is from Isaiah, Isaiah chapter 61, verses 1 through 3. And the reason we are combining these is March 25th is Luke 4, verses 13 through 21. And in that passage, um Jesus reads in the synagogue.

SPEAKER_02 3:36

Correct. And the scroll was handed to him.

SPEAKER_00 3:39

What he reads is the Isaiah passage from March 24th.

SPEAKER_02 3:46

Yeah. So he got the scroll, the the scroll to read. He stood up and read the scroll of the prophet Isaiah that was handed to him, right?

SPEAKER_01 3:55

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 3:56

And he, you know, it was really Isaiah 61, one to one through three. I don't know if that's how it's characterized then, but it clearly this talks about one, proclaim good news to the poor, mind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for captives, release from darkness for prisoners, proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, the day of vengeance of our God, comfort those who mourn, right? They'll also be called the oaks of righteousness. Have the mighty oak. This is the oak of righteousness. And that's what the scripture from Isaiah calls us to do. The poor, the brokenhearted, captive, prisoners, uh, those who mourn, right? And bestow a crown of beauty instead of ashes, oil of joy, joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of spirit of despair. So that's the change. And then Jesus, and this is Luke 4, so it's the fourth chapter of Luke, right? So early. Early, exactly. Early on. And this is his first kind of public thing in the synagogue, right?

SPEAKER_00 5:16

Um In fact, the first sentence of this passage, verse 13, says, When the devil had finished all his tempting, so this is after Jesus went into the wilderness, the desert for the 10.

SPEAKER_02 5:33

40 days. And the tempted him with, Are you hungry? Here's turn the stones into bread, jump off the building, you'll be able to say, I'll give you all of this if you bought. So those are three things.

SPEAKER_00 5:45

And I like it says when he'd finished all his tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

SPEAKER_02 5:52

Yeah, that's the devil left Jesus until an opportune time.

SPEAKER_00 5:56

Which the devil does the same with us for us. He will wait, and and he's described as a lion. Um shoot, I can't think of the wording. Uh but going around kind of a prowling.

SPEAKER_02 6:17

Yes. And ready to pounce.

SPEAKER_00 6:19

Yes. So when something happens and you feel like, oh my gosh, stuff just kind of keeps being piled on top of me. Um, it's could be because Satan is coming in and he's saying, ooh, this is an opportune time for me to attack, for me to do something, because their their defenses are down, they're um, you know, kind of frustrated.

SPEAKER_02 6:53

They they things aren't working out as they had hoped. Yeah. They thought life would be good.

SPEAKER_00 6:57

Or sometimes for me, it's I'm tired. Um, so I'm weak physically, and then you know, one thing can happen, and I'm just like, oh my gosh, everything is terrible. And then something else happens, like, oh my gosh. Yeah. So boy, if you go back to last week's, where we talked about having the armor on, uh-huh, being ready to stand. Yeah, you you have to be in that mode all the time.

SPEAKER_02 7:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:33

You need to be in that mode all the time.

SPEAKER_02 7:35

Yeah. And even last week, the armor, there's no reference. Oh, then you can take the armor off.

SPEAKER_00 7:41

Uh-huh. Yeah. Put it on so when stuff happens, you can stand and stand firm. And yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:52

On military bases, some, I don't know if all, but some, they back their cars in.

SPEAKER_00 7:59

So they're ready to go. Ready to go. Jump in and go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:02

So there's no time wasted.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

Yeah. So so that just happened. And and yes, so Jesus has gone in and he's going to read from the scroll, he reads from Isaiah, and he says, Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.

SPEAKER_02 8:21

Yeah. And he reads, The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, and to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. But all those things, which is referenced right here, right? In Isaiah. Yeah. You know. So, I mean, again, it's it's clearly was foretold, right?

SPEAKER_00 8:56

Yes, yes. And then the uh on the Isaiah page, um, up at the top, I put God is so for us. And I think sometimes people don't feel that or don't believe that. They think God's against me, he's just trying to get to make me do this or that, or like, no, no, and and just this one passage, and again, we've had so many passages similar where it's look at all that God is doing, yeah. A crown of beauty, oil of joy, a garment of praise. He wants to take all the bad stuff. Yes, he he really does. Um, but it's just us coming to him, submitting to him, um, following him, and and then being ready and having our armor on and standing firm.

SPEAKER_02 10:08

Yeah. And I just Googled it. Um Isaiah, known as the evangelical prophet, lived over 700 years before Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 10:18

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:20

I mean, it's you know, put in perspective, uh it's 2026, it's 1326. Someone wrote about what's happening now. You know, it's it's it's just the idea, and then what Jesus he says, today the scripture is fulfilled. I'm here. This happened, you know, as was written by Isaiah 700 years ago.

SPEAKER_00 10:50

So it would be before Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492.

SPEAKER_02 10:56

Right. Before that, even it would have been someone-six years before that.

SPEAKER_00 11:06

That anything was gonna happen that i is here now.

SPEAKER_02 11:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:17

So and Jesus, you know, today the scripture is fulfilled. So obviously he'd read this before, but you know he went to the synagogue. I don't know if they he knew that day this was a reading, but and that's why we did March 24th and 25th together.

SPEAKER_00 11:42

Yes. Yeah. Very good. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 11:49

And today we still have people who are poor, people who are prisoners, people who are rhymed, people who are pressed.

SPEAKER_00 11:54

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 11:55

I mean, the need for those things haven't changed.

SPEAKER_00 12:00

Really. Have not. Okay, so that brings us to March 26th.

SPEAKER_02 12:08

Correct.

SPEAKER_00 12:09

Um the this passage is 2 Kings 4, 1 through 7. Um I I I love this story. Um, this is Elisha.

SPEAKER_02 12:25

Elisha, who followed Elijah. So this is, you know, always confusing, but it's I remember it alphabetically.

SPEAKER_00 12:36

Ah, before S, yeah. Yes. Yeah. Um. So Elisha was with Elijah when he was being a prophet, and he did he did so many miracles. And when Elijah was taken up, because he didn't die.

SPEAKER_02 13:01

He did not die, no.

SPEAKER_00 13:02

Um, the chariots came and took him. Um before he went, Elisha said to Elijah, I want twice what you have. He was like, Whoo, that's asking a lot. Um, and and he said, if you see me, if you're there when I go, then it'll be granted. And um he was.

SPEAKER_02 13:29

He was there, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

And so Elisha does a lot of miracles. Um, and he does a lot that are very similar to what Elisha did, uh-huh, which I always think is kind of cool. So um this is uh says it's a wife of a man from the company of the prophets, cries out to Elisha and says her husband is dead. Um, and now the creditors are coming and they're gonna take her two boys as slaves. And Elisha has compassion on her, I feel like, just like God has on us. Yeah, he's how can I help you? And I this is this is the part that I love. He says, What do you have? What do you have in your house?

SPEAKER_01 14:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:29

And and she's like, I I have nothing except a small jar of olive oil. Like, that's it. Got nothing else. And Elisha just goes with that.

SPEAKER_02 14:45

Yeah, to use what you have.

SPEAKER_00 14:47

And that's how God is. God does not expect us to have a bunch of stuff, and you know, then he says, Okay, now that you have gotten all this or you've totally gotten your life together, okay. Now I'm gonna use you.

SPEAKER_01 15:10

No.

SPEAKER_00 15:11

Now, God does the same. He's like, What well, what do you already have?

SPEAKER_01 15:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:15

What do you have? So she says she has a little bit of olive oil.

SPEAKER_01 15:19

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 15:19

And Elisha says, Well, go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few.

SPEAKER_02 15:27

Ask for a lot. But again, ask for empty jars. Yes. It's probably something they have that they may not need right now. So you can get a lot, right?

SPEAKER_00 15:40

And then he says, and then go inside and shut the door and pour oil into all the jars. And as each is filled, put it to one side. Now remember, all she has is this little jar of olive oil.

SPEAKER_02 15:57

Yep, except a small jar of olive oil.

SPEAKER_00 16:00

So she brings in all these other jars and starts pouring oil in, and they fill up, and then she says, Um, bring me another one. And they said, There's no more left. And then the oil stopped flowing.

SPEAKER_02 16:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:18

It wasn't gonna stop till they had more jars. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:22

They had more jars.

SPEAKER_00 16:25

So then she went, and and and I love this too. You know, it's like, okay, now I have all these jars of olive oil. Now what? So she goes to Elisha and says, Okay, got it. He said, Okay, go sell it and pay your debts, and you get you can live off the rest. Like, aw.

SPEAKER_02 16:46

Yeah. So one, as I read this, he listens to her, wants to help, but she's a participant in the help. What do you have? I have a small jar of oh, all right, let's use that. You know, what's what skills? What do you have? I have that. And her job really is to go get empty jars. And then she just kept pouring and pouring and pouring. Kind of like the fish in the loaves, the same situation. More, there's still plenty of bread, there's still plenty of fish. I think Elisha visits a widow as well.

SPEAKER_00 17:27

Elisha.

SPEAKER_02 17:28

Yeah, Elisha visits one.

SPEAKER_00 17:31

No, this is Sha.

SPEAKER_02 17:32

Oh, Ja, Ja. Elijah. Yeah. Elijah goes visits one, and they she has, I guess, flour and oil, and never runs out. Ongoing supply, right? But but then, you know, what do I do? I got all this oil. I'm sure she's thinking to herself, great, I got oil.

SPEAKER_00 17:53

Yeah, actually, this that story I was double checking is the companion verse for this one. And it's 1 Kings chapter 17, um, verses 17 through 24. And yes, this is Elijah with a J. And um yeah, she has flour, and says the jar of flour will not be used up, and the jug of oil will not run dry until the Lord sends rain on the land. So there was a famine at the time, and and people were starving. Um and um Elijah meets her and asks her to make him a loaf of bread. And she's like, I don't even have enough for us. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:56

We're gonna starve, right?

SPEAKER_00 18:58

So I I I can't. And that's when he said, go make a loaf for me. So kind of give God your first, uh-huh, and and then you will have plenty. So instead of having multiple jars of flour and oil, it's just one that fills up, yeah. That never never runs dry. Yeah, so I I love that because we know that Elisha was with Elijah, and so he probably solved that. He's like, Oh, hey, wait, I think God can do this because he did it before.

SPEAKER_02 19:33

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And even at the end, sell your oil, pay your debts, you have enough to live on. So he solved the immediate problem and long-term problem.

SPEAKER_00 19:45

And I love that you brought out um all she did was get the empty jars and and fill it up. She's not doing the miracle. No, God is doing the miracle. She's just following directions.

SPEAKER_02 20:06

Yeah, yeah. I had she was obedient, and she used what she had. All right. So if we are obedient and use our gifts from God, it looks like we'll be okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:28

Yep. All right, um, March twenty-seventh is Psalm 126, verses one through six. The first line says, When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths will were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. And then it says, the Lord has done great things for them. So similar to last week, um, telling what God has done, sharing that with others. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:22

Um and just to clarify, it's Psalm 126, 1 through 6, but that's the whole Psalm 126.

SPEAKER_01 21:31

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:32

I mean, I mean, just you know, so someone listening, you know, so it's the whole, there's it's the whole Psalm, and it's probably true for most of the Psalms, because they vary in length.

SPEAKER_00 21:41

So um, the companion verse for this is Luke 12, 31 and 32. And 31 says, but seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you, which is very Very similar, uh, I think it's Matthew 6:33 is the one we probably know better. Um, seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added. Yes. So this very similar, seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. But verse 32, I might like even more. So, do not be afraid, little flock, for your father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. To give you the kingdom. I again, God is for us. He wants good things for us. He wants good things for us, he wants to all work. Um, he has forever and and keeps trying to to give and to help, and we're the ones who turn away.

SPEAKER_02 23:05

Right. And he wants good things for us. It doesn't mean he wants what we want and what we think are good things. Right. But his right. So it's not like we ask and he's yes, you're right, you do need a new car every four years. But it's he wants good things for us.

SPEAKER_00 23:27

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 23:28

And it goes back to he wants us to be partners with him.

SPEAKER_00 23:35

Yes. All right, March 28th is a psalm. Psalm 119. What do we know about Psalm 119?

SPEAKER_02 23:48

It's long, it's the longest chapter in the Bible, and it's 169 to 176. And 176 is the end.

SPEAKER_00 23:57

Aha. So this is the the very end of the longest chapter in the whole Bible.

SPEAKER_01 24:06

Is it really?

SPEAKER_00 24:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:11

Yeah. Yeah, because the Psalm 119 is a chapter. I get it. Yeah, my Bible starts at 1147 and finishes on 1157.

SPEAKER_00 24:22

One chapter.

SPEAKER_02 24:24

One chapter.

SPEAKER_00 24:24

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 24:25

Um, some books are shorter than that in the New Testament.

SPEAKER_00 24:29

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Um, but the the thing up at the top said, God always hears us when we cry out, and He is always ready to help us. Says, May my cry come before you, Lord. And and it does. And then may your hand be ready to help me. And and it is.

SPEAKER_02 25:01

Yeah. And deliver me. Teach me your decrees. Uh all your commands are righteous. May the hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts. You know, your laws give me delight. May your laws sustain me, right? I have strayed like a sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands, but seek your servant. Sometimes we stray, right? And the writer of this psalm must have understood that. And God seeks us, but this is a reminder, right? Seek us when we have strayed.

SPEAKER_00 25:54

Yeah. And I don't know if David in particular wrote this psalm. Um, he wrote a lot of them, but we know he strayed.

SPEAKER_02 26:05

Yes, we do.

SPEAKER_00 26:07

And you're right, we we all do, and God knows we're going to. And that's why God gives us all this. He gives us all these scriptures. He um wants us to know, yes, this is going to happen, but you just need to come back. And the next day goes really kind of connected with this.

SPEAKER_02 26:39

And I just Googled Psalm 119. Unknown Arthur. Some sources suggest it's King David or Ezra, right? So we don't know.

SPEAKER_00 26:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:50

But it is possibly Dave. Or Daniel, even, but it could be King David.

SPEAKER_00 26:56

Um, so March 29th is Luke 15, 3 through 10. And I think last week I alluded to this story. Um, these are the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin. And again, God is always going to seek you out. God is always going to be there. Um, and he's always going to want you.

SPEAKER_02 27:28

And he's going to rejoice.

unknown 27:31

Right.

SPEAKER_00 27:31

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_02 27:33

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 27:34

And um the you know, both of these are you know, the sheep is there's 99 sheep. I've got 99 sheep, and one is lost. And it says the shepherd leaves all the 99. Now he knows they're safe, he knows they're okay, but he leaves them to go find the one that's lost, and then brings that sheep back, and they they rejoice.

SPEAKER_01 28:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:12

The the lost coin woman has ten silver coins and loses one. And she searches and searches and searches till she finds it. And then tells her neighbors, I found it, I found my lost coin, and they rejoice together, they celebrate together.

SPEAKER_02 28:35

Yeah. Yeah. But again, it's one of a hundred sheep, one of ten coins, right? But if you look at our own lives, you know, you search for the missing sock. You don't search for ones you have. But that's what, and and and and this is a parable, which is a short, simple, allegorical story designed to teach a lesson. That's the definition. I didn't have it memorized. Good to know.

unknown 29:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:08

But but the takeaway is that's how God is. Right? He's the shepherd, he's the woman, right? That's what it is, right? That's that's to teach a lesson. He's gonna go and look.

SPEAKER_00 29:22

And sometimes we may feel like we aren't that important, right? And you know, well, God has all these others, and God has all these great preachers and these great theologians and these great people who are doing so much more than I could ever do. So why do I really matter?

SPEAKER_02 29:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:48

But that's just it. Each individual really matters to God.

SPEAKER_02 29:56

And similar to that, corollary, yeah, what correlation of it is is we may feel lost, but not think our loss is as important or as significant as other people's loss. You know, Bob has it worse than I do. Let's be honest, you know. Let's pray for Bob. You know, God really wants to, you know, seek out Bob. But I think that's why it's a hundred and one. Because yeah, you had a hundred sheep, you lose one. Right. But it's the fact you lost one, right? He's the good, he's a shepherd, right? Um, you got ten silver coins. Lose one. You still search for it. It's one of ten, you know, and there's a third story that comes up next, which I guess is some other reading, right? Right. Uh, the prodigal son, and it's two sons, you know. So there's significance to me in the math of one of a hundred, one of ten, one of two. Of it's to God, those things are the same. One of two is the same as one of ten, and it's the same as one of a hundred. You know, and what's more important? I I I don't know what a sheep costs. Could you buy a sheep for a silver coin? Maybe, I don't know. Right?

SPEAKER_00 31:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:16

I don't know. But but and we know the third story with two sons, a son's more important than either the silver coin or a sheep, but it's the same message.

SPEAKER_00 31:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:26

God celebrates, wants us. Right? So he wants us to be to love him, to be saved. And when we wander away from that, he's coming to look for us. We just need to go, right? And and be prepared to be found.

SPEAKER_00 31:49

I like that. Yeah. Yeah. We really do have such a loving, compassionate God. March thirtieth is a psalm. It's probably the entire psalm, Psalm 150, verses one through six.

SPEAKER_01 32:19

Go ahead, keep it.

SPEAKER_00 32:20

Steve's gonna check for us. Um up at the top it says, Praise.

SPEAKER_02 32:27

Even bigger than that.

SPEAKER_00 32:29

What?

SPEAKER_02 32:29

It is the last psalm.

SPEAKER_00 32:31

Oh, nice.

SPEAKER_02 32:33

Perhaps the best for last.

SPEAKER_00 32:37

So Psalm 150, the whole um psalm, um, and the last one.

SPEAKER_01 32:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:45

Uh says, Praise God all day for all things. Praise the Lord, praise God in his sanctuary, praise him in his mighty heavens, praise him for his acts of power, praise him for his surpassing greatness, and then praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, the harp, the lyre, timbrel, dancing, strings, pipe, clash of cymbals, but everything that has breath, praise the Lord.

SPEAKER_02 33:24

Everything.

SPEAKER_00 33:26

Everything that has breath.

SPEAKER_02 33:29

That has breath. So it rules out trees. But they kind of, you know, rocks.

SPEAKER_00 33:37

Although there's a passage that said, if I don't praise, yeah, the rocks and the trees will.

SPEAKER_02 33:44

Will, yeah, yeah, yeah. But everything that has breath. So our two dogs are pretty gallow, they should be praising, right?

SPEAKER_00 33:55

And sometimes we need to put our focus on what God has done, is doing, and not on stuff that we might consider bad stuff going on. Sometimes I think we let the negative drive us. Yeah, and overshadow all the good. I mean, we came to the library today to do the podcast. Um, so much good has already happened today, and it's just a little after noon-ish. And we had breakfast with our daughter and her husband and our neighbor. We um have nice weather, we got here safely, we got our laundry done. Um, so many good things have happened. I'm sure we could also look back and and see some, you know, like I didn't sleep great, and you know, I don't know what else. I'm not gonna ponder. I'm not gonna give it focus because I'm gonna keep my focus on all that God has done.

SPEAKER_02 35:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:34

And he is worthy of all the praise.

SPEAKER_02 35:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:39

So maybe at the end of this podcast, um maybe the listener could just take a little bit to just go through and and praise God for who he is, what he's done.

SPEAKER_02 35:59

Yeah, I agree. Yeah, yeah. And it's praise every breath shall praise the Lord, right? So even when, you know, we're frustrated, it's not working out, you know, something's happening, it sounds hard to do, I think. It's hard for me to at that point stop and praise God. You know, next time you get in your car and it doesn't start, you're supposed to praise God. Seems hard, right?

SPEAKER_00 36:34

Yes. All right, that that does it for us for this week. Um that's it.

SPEAKER_02 36:46

I think that's it. It was good.

SPEAKER_00 36:49

So thank you for listening to this week's Flip Devotional of the Podcast. Don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, download, share, um those things that that you can do to get other people to listen to. Um Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:09

Maybe someone from Australia.

SPEAKER_00 37:11

Oh, that would be so very cool. Yeah. So enjoy. Um, have a great week, and we will see you next week.