Dan Gould

Category: Bible Challenge

  • Luke 22:1-13

    “Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, 4 and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. 5 They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. 6 So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t around.” v.3-6

    What does it mean that Satan entered into Judas?  Great question!  It simply means that Judas was driven by a different voice.  Instead of listening to the voice of Christ, the voice he had heard for the last two-three years, he listened to a different voice.  It was the voice of deception and this voice would cause him to sell out Jesus for some money, leaving him in misery and shame, and causing him to hang himself.

    When we listen to the wrong voice we too will make wrong choices selling out Jesus for something else.  We have to be careful who and what we listen to.  The enemy is deceptive and knows how to spin things to cause us to question or justify our actions.  Instead, we have to learn to resist that voice and that temptation so we can continue to live and enjoy the life Jesus died to give us.

    Don’t be a sell out!  Listen to His voice and Live for Him Boldly!

  • Matthew 25:31-46

    “But when the Son of Man[a] comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations[b] will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.” v. 31-33

    God will separate his obedient followers from pretenders and unbelievers.  The real evidence of our belief is the way we act.  To treat all persons we encounter as if they were Jesus is no easy task.  What we do for others demonstrates what we really think about Jesus’ words to us: Feed the hungry, give to homeless a place to stay, look after the sick.  How well do your actions separate you from pretenders and unbelievers? ~ NLT Life Application Study Bible notes

  • Matthew 25:1-30

    “He gave five bags of silver[a] to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.” v.15

    When you look at this verse alone it may not make sense as to why it is important, especially when this passage is a reference to the coming back of Jesus.  But verse 15 is right where you and I are.  We are like these servants that were given bags of silver, however, we have been given different talents, gifts, and resources.  God has given these things to us trusting that we would use them by investing in others.  But the neat thing is . . . He hasn’t given us more than we can handle.  That may sound weird when we think of it in these terms but when you begin to ask the question, how am I handling the things God has given me.  This one question opens up our lives to see just how faithful we are with the things we have been given.

    The NLT Life Application notes today are so challenging,

    The master divided the money among his servants according to thier abilities.  No one recieved more or less than he could handle.  If he failed in his assignment, his excuse could not be that he was overwhelmed.  Failure would indicate only laxiness or hatred toward the master.  The bags of silver represent resources we are given.  God gives us time, gifts, and other resources according to our abilities, and he expects us to invest them wisely until he returns.  We are responsible to use well what God has given us.  The issue is not how much we have but how well we use what we have.

    How will i use today, tomorrow, next week and next year the things God has given me?  It’s not about resource inventory, its about the condition of my heart.  Father, I want to maximize the things you have given me to bring much return for your Kingdom so one day you can say,

    “‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together![a]’” v. 21

  • Luke 21:25-38

    “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, 35 like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. 36Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.” v. 34-36

    People get ready, Jesus is Coming!  When I was in college I was able to be a part of a mission team teaching and sharing Christ with the people of Jamaica.  It was an awesome experience and something I was able to be a part of for three years.  One year we used the song “People Get Ready, Jesus is Coming” by Chrystal Lewis as our theme for the year.  It is a very powerful song and when I read this passage it makes me think of this song

    The NLT Life Application notes had this to say about these verses,

    Jesus told the disciples to keep constant watch for His return.  Although nearly 2,000 years have passed since he spoke those words, their truth remains.  Christ is coming again, and we need to watch and be spiritually fit.  This means working faithfully at the tasks God has given us.  Don’t let your mind and spirit be dulled by careless living, drinking, of foolishly pursuing pleasure.  Don’t let the cares of this life weigh you down.  Be ready to move at God’s command.

    I needed these word this morning!  Thank you Jesus!

  • Luke 21:1-24

    “‘Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’[b] and saying, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them. 9 And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place first, but the end won’t follow immediately.’ 10 Then he added, ‘Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven.’” v. 8-11

    I remember as a kid thinking the world was going to end soon.  War was happening, and people were claiming to be able to tell when the world would end. (in the 80’s this was big news not so much today) But it is a reality.  Jesus says He is coming back but hasn’t told us when.  He has said that there will be signs of His Return, but no-one knows the exact time except for God.

    It’s easy to think maybe even the things that have happened in the last couple of years with our weather and wars could be a sign and now with the world trade and financial disaster this could be heightened.  But Jesus says one thing in verse 13,

    “But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.”[c]

    In these moments, Jesus will use us to tell others about Him.  It doesn’t mean we have to know when it will happen, it simply means we have to be prepared ourselves to be used by Him.  In this moment, He will give us the strength and words we need.  So, instead of worrying when, where, how, it could happen, (it could be persecution, opportunities, or Jesus return) simply be prepared at any minute for it to happen.

  • Matthew 23

    “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ‘The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses.[a] 3 So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. 4 They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. 5 “Everything they do is for show.’” v. 1-5

    The Pharisees had become more worried about what they said and how they appeared in public than they did about pleasing God.  They knew their stuff but they didn’t seem to apply it to their personal lives (they did their public life) and added man made rules to Gods laws that made it very burdensome for other people.  Jesus says listen to their teaching but don’t follow their example.

    It’s easy to want to be recognized.  But we have to be real.  When we put on a mask, or begin to look good on the outside but are dieing on the inside we are in trouble of doing some of the things Jesus called the Pharisees out on.

    In this passage Jesus accused the Pharisees of these 7 things

    • Not letting others enter the Kingdom of Heaven and not entering yourselves v. 13
    • Converting people away from God to be like yourself v. 15
    • Blindly leading God’s people to follow man-made traditions instead of God’s Word v. 16-22
    • Involving yourself in every last detail and ignoring what is really important: justice, mercy, and faith v. 23-24
    • Keeping up appearances while your private world is corrupt v. 25-26
    • Acting Spiritual to cover up sin v. 27-28
    • Pretending to have learned from past history, but your present behavior shows you have learned nothing v. 29-36

    Pretty convicting list.  If we are, better yet, If I am not careful, I can easily get caught up in one of these areas.

    Jesus, as I read yesterday help me love you with All that I am and help me to stay focused on you and not try to be something I am not.

  • Mark 12:28-37

    “Jesus replied, ‘The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’[a] 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] No other commandment is greater than these.‘” v. 29-31

    What does it look like to love God with ALL of your heart, ALL of your soul, and ALL of your strength?  This is a strong statement that Jesus is making.  It easy for me to love God, or is it?  That word ALL means with every aspect of my life. Ouch! I fall short in several areas.

    I will never be more like Jesus than when I evaluate the details of my life to align them with what He says here in these three verses.  This is a heart piece.  Jesus doesn’t want us to change our actions, He wants to change our heart.  When we allow HIm to change us from the inside out, we will be in the process of becoming more like Him and have a desire to do more things out of love for the Father.

    Jesus, I want this, my soul longs for this, help me to love you in all the areas of my life, help me to love others the way I love myself, help me to not just change habits or to do more things that are spiritual, but to allow you to change my heart so that it impacts my life and habits everyday.

  • Matthew 21:28-46

    “I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit. 44 Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.[a]” v.43-44

    Jesus calls out the Pharisees with this parable linking them to the tenant farmers.  God has in trusted us with so much.  It’s easy to want to do our own thing and forget what He has given us and called us to do.  The pharisees followed all the law and more, but they were leading people astray because it had become more about them than God.  Each day is a new day in-which we can allow God to use us to advance His Kingdom.  Lets not get so caught up in the temporal that we miss the eternal and lets work hard to bring Him Glory!

  • Mark 11:20-25

    “Then Jesus said to the disciples, ‘Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. 25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.[a]‘” v. 22-25

    I have learned so much about prayer this year.  It ironic that this is what I read today.  Just last week I was talking about how all this stuff with Jackson has grown and stretched my faith.  I know that God has big plans for Jackson and believe he will advance the Kingdom in a mighty way.  I believe that for Josiah also, but he has just been a much different kid and experience.  God is still teaching me through him also.  But here is the learning.  Jesus is not teaching a name it claim it theology.  He is saying that when we pray in faith God hears those prayers.  But there are some things that we have to own also.  I loved what the notes say today for verses 22-23,

    The kind of prayer that moves mountains is prayer for the fruitfulness of God’s Kingdom.  God will answer your prayers but not as a result of your positive mental attitude.  Other conditions must be met:

    1.)  You must be a believer.

    2.) You must not hold a grudge against another person.

    3.) You must not pray with selfish motives

    4.) Your request must be for the good of God’s Kingdom.

    To pray effectively, you need faith in God, not faith in the object of your request.  If you focus only on your request, you will be left with nothing if your request is refused.

    I have a lot of room to grow in my prayers.  But I am praying now, more than ever.

  • Devo with a 4 year old

    Tonight Josiah and I started reading a little devotional that his teacher puts together and give the kids when they leave for the weekend.  Tonight the title was, “He’s always Watching”. The lead verse was Psalm 32:8,

    “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will guide you with My eye.” Psalm 32:8 (nkjv)

    After we read Josiah prayed.  He thanked God for his mom and dad.  And then prayed for our house to sell and that I would be a better leader in our services.  Kids are so awesome!