The Living Word: A Daily Devotional with Jeff & Dale from The Jenkins Institute
The Living Word is a daily devotional featuring Scripture and encouragement from Jeff and Dale of The Jenkins Institute. Each episode offers a thoughtful reading to coincide with the daily devotional guides from our annual devotional books. They are designed to help listeners begin or end their day grounded in God’s Word.
The Living Word: A Daily Devotional with Jeff & Dale from The Jenkins Institute
Week 17 Tuesday: Delay
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Weddings are important occasions! They typically involve multiple
traditions, and each culture relies on its own sentimental customs. This
parable from Jesus contains some customs that may sound strange to our
Western ears. However, aspects like bridesmaids waiting on the groom,
his arrival in the middle of the night, and the announcement of his
coming are drawn from real Ancient Near Eastern practices.
Welcome to the Living Word, a daily devotional from the Jenkins Institute.
SPEAKER_01Week thirteen, Friday. Lesson title. Today's scripture, Matthew chapter thirteen, verses forty-five through forty-six. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew chapter thirteen, verses forty-five through forty-six ESV. English Standard Version. But all my friends are Christians. Didn't James warn about friendship with the world? And didn't Paul tell us about how evil companions corrupt? James chapter four, verse four, first Corinthians chapter fifteen, verse thirty-three. True. But we must remember God left us here to be ambassadors for Jesus. Second Corinthians chapter five verse twenty. That Jesus commanded us to go into all the world. Matthew chapter twenty eight verses eighteen through twenty, and to be salt and light in a world that needs the light. Matthew chapter five verses thirteen through sixteen. So our mission, while here, is to spend our time influencing others in the direction of Jesus. We are not to be a closed community. There is a danger to so isolate our children and ourselves in a pure desire to dampen the influence of sin in our lives that we destroy what is perhaps the prime reason we are still in this world. With Christian schools, homeschooling, Christian colleges and universities, Christian communities, Christian sports leagues, etc. etc. etc. We end up never learning to interact with the world. We can end up so isolated that we never spot one of those lovely pearls. And in the process, we only see the ugly that is sin in others, and not the beauty God put in each of us. Today I will get out there with my family and be light, salt and an ambassador, an influencer, and an imitator of Jesus. I will remember that we live in a dark world, but that is where we can be children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation among whom you shine as lights in the world. Philippians chapter two verse fifteen. I will be a merchant searching for pearls.
SPEAKER_00Thank you for joining us for the Living Word. For more encouragement and ministry resources, visit the Jenius Institute.com and may God's richest blessings be yours. It's our prayer for you.