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Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:  Zechariah 10–12; Psalm 126; Luke 14 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 1st. A brand-new month is here, and we begin again, right where we are. Our readings today are Zechariah 10–12, Psalm 126, and Luke 14. Zechariah speaks of restoration. God gathers his scattered people and brings them home. Psalm 126 remembers another homecoming: "When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream!" Mouths that had been filled with sorrow are filled with laughter. Those who planted in tears are harvesting with shouts of joy. And then Jesus brings us to a table. In Luke 14, Jesus tells a story about a great banquet. Invitations have gone out, but those who were originally invited are too preoccupied to come. They have property to inspect. Oxen to examine. Relationships and responsibilities demanding their attention. They have lives to manage. So the host does something surprising. He sends his servant into the streets and alleys and tells him to bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. "Come. The banquet is ready." And there is still room. Maybe that's the good news for us today. There is still room. The kingdom of God isn't a prize for those who have managed to make something impressive of themselves. It's a banquet. And the invitation is gift. Come. Take your place. Receive the life God has given you in Christ. There is a place for you at the table. TODAY'S DEVOTION There's a Place for You at the Table There's a party going on. And everybody is invited. Jesus tells us about a man who prepares a great feast and sends out many invitations. Everything is ready. The table has been set. The food has been prepared. The invitation has gone out. "Come, the banquet is ready." But then the excuses begin. One person has purchased a field and needs to go inspect it. Another has bought some oxen and wants to try them out. Another has just gotten married. None of those things are bad. That's worth noticing. Fields aren't bad. Oxen aren't bad. Marriage certainly isn't bad. The problem isn't that these people are doing terrible things. The problem is that their lives have become so filled with their own interests that they cannot receive the invitation. They have things to manage. Things to protect. Things to accomplish. Things that feel more urgent than the banquet. And so they miss it. Then the host does something extraordinary. He says: Go out into the streets and alleys. Bring in the poor. The crippled. The blind. The lame. Bring them in. And they come. Why? Maybe because they don't have much to protect. They don't have impressive résumés to present. They don't have fields that need inspecting or investments that need managing. They simply hear the invitation. And they receive it. There's something beautiful about that. Because grace can only be received. You can't achieve an invitation. You can't earn a gift. You can only open your hands. And maybe that's why Jesus turns immediately afterward to the crowds following him and says some very difficult things. He tells them that following him means letting go. He even uses that shocking language about hating father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, even our own lives. I don't think Jesus is teaching us to despise ourselves or the people we love. That would contradict the very love he embodies and teaches. I think Jesus is exposing the things we cling to as sources of identity and security. He's saying: You can't receive the kingdom while insisting on possessing your life on your own terms. You can't follow me while demanding that everything remain under your control. You have to let go. And then Jesus says: "You cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own." Maybe there's another way of hearing that. Give up everything you own, and you might discover freedom from everything that owns you. Because there is so much that can own us. Our need to be recognized. Our success. Our failures. Our past. Our shame. Our money. Our reputation. Our religious identity. Our need to be right. Our need to prove ourselves. Even our image of who we think we're supposed to be. These things can own us. But Jesus is setting us free. He invites us to the table. Come as you are. Come empty-handed. Come hungry. Come knowing that you need grace. Come knowing that life is gift. Psalm 126 says that when God's people came home from exile, it felt like a dream. They laughed again. They sang again. Those who had planted with tears harvested with joy. That's what grace feels like. Homecoming. And maybe that's what the banquet is too. It's coming home. It's discovering that the seat at the table wasn't something you had to earn. It was prepared for you. It's discovering that your identity isn't something you have to manufacture. Your life is hidden with Christ in God. It's discovering that the things you thought would save you never could. But Jesus can. So bring your empty hands. Bring your hunger. Bring the parts of your life that have been owned by fear, shame, ambition, or regret. Bring them to the table. There's a place for you. The feast is ready. The invitation has gone out. Come. And maybe as we sit at that table, we will discover that the things that once owned us don't have the same power anymore. Because we know where we belong. We belong with him. That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May we release what owns us. May we receive the invitation with gratitude. And may we discover who we truly are in Christ, seated at the table of grace. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Zechariah 7–9; Luke 13 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 30th, and our readings are Zechariah 7–9 and Luke 13. Zechariah speaks to people trying to rebuild their lives after exile. They have questions about religion, fasting, and what faithfulness should look like now. And God's response is remarkably practical: Judge fairly. Show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. Don't scheme against one another. And then Zechariah gives us a beautiful vision of restoration. Old men and women will once again sit in the streets of Jerusalem. Children will play there. God's people will come home. And their king will come to them, righteous and victorious, yet humble, riding on a donkey. Then in Luke 13, Jesus confronts some of the hardest realities of life. People have been murdered by Pilate. A tower has collapsed and killed eighteen people. A woman has lived bent over for eighteen years. The world is falling down. But Jesus refuses to let tragedy tell us what God is like. Instead, he shows us the kingdom. A gardener tends patiently to a tree. A woman who has been bent over is lifted up. A mustard seed grows. Yeast quietly works through the dough. Something is happening. The kingdom of God is rising up. TODAY'S DEVOTION When the World Is Falling Down The world is falling down. Those are the headlines. They were the headlines in Jesus' day too. Violence. Tragedy. Disaster. Death. People come to Jesus with news that Pilate has killed some Galileans while they were offering sacrifices. It's horrifying. And behind their report seems to be a question. Why? Why did this happen to them? Did they somehow deserve it? Was God judging them? Were they worse than everyone else? Jesus says no. Then he brings up another tragedy. A tower in Siloam collapsed and killed eighteen people. Were they worse sinners than everyone else in Jerusalem? Again, Jesus says no. I think that's important. Because human beings have a long history of trying to make sense of suffering by assigning blame. Something terrible happens, and we want to know whose fault it was. Sometimes religious people take it even further. They tell us that tragedy is God's punishment. That suffering tells us something about the moral worth of the person who suffers. Jesus refuses that explanation. Towers fall. Violence happens. Bodies break. People die. We live in a world that groans. And Jesus doesn't give us an easy explanation for all of it. Instead, he gives us himself. And he announces something new. The kingdom of God is rising up. Look at what happens next. Jesus encounters a woman who has been bent over for eighteen years. Eighteen years. Imagine seeing the world that way for eighteen years. Unable to stand straight. Unable to lift your face. And Jesus sees her. That's important. He sees her. He calls her over. And he says: "Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!" Then he touches her. And immediately she stands up straight. The world has been pushing her down for eighteen years. Jesus raises her up. That's the kingdom. And when the religious leader objects because Jesus has healed her on the Sabbath, Jesus calls her a daughter of Abraham. He restores more than her body. He restores her place. Her dignity. Her belonging. The world bends people down. The kingdom raises them up. The world says some people don't matter. Jesus sees them. The world creates categories of insiders and outsiders. Jesus calls her daughter. The world is falling down. The kingdom is rising up. And Jesus says the kingdom is like a mustard seed. Tiny. Easy to overlook. But alive. Growing. Becoming a place where birds can find shelter. The kingdom is like yeast hidden in flour. You can't always see it working. But slowly, quietly, it changes everything. I need that word. Because sometimes I look at the world and I see everything that's falling down. War. Violence. Fear. Division. Loneliness. Grief. People bent beneath burdens they've carried for years. And it can seem overwhelming. Maybe you feel that too. But Jesus invites us to look again. Look for the mustard seed. Look for the yeast. Look for the woman standing up straight. Look for mercy. Look for healing. Look for forgiveness. Look for people crossing boundaries to love one another. Look for the quiet work of the Spirit. The kingdom is rising. And Zechariah gives us the same hope. He sees a king coming. But this king doesn't arrive on a war horse. He comes humbly. Riding on a donkey. And Zechariah says this king will bring an end to war. That's the king Jesus chooses to be. He doesn't save the world by becoming more violent than the violent. He doesn't conquer the world by becoming a greater version of Caesar. He comes in humility. He comes in peace. He comes in self-giving love. He comes to raise up those who have been bent down. And ultimately, he enters into the world's death and rises from it. That's our hope. The world is falling down. But death doesn't get the last word. Violence doesn't get the last word. Fear doesn't get the last word. The kingdom of God is rising up. And Jesus invites us to participate in it. To show mercy. To pursue justice. To lift up those who have been bent down. To make room for those who have been pushed aside. To become little mustard seeds of hope. To let the life and love of Christ work through us like yeast in the dough. So don't lose heart. The headlines aren't the whole story. There is another story unfolding. The kingdom is rising. Christ is making all things new. That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May we see the kingdom rising in the midst of a world that seems to be falling down. And may we join Jesus in his work of healing, mercy, justice, peace, and love. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Zechariah 4–6; Luke 12 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 29th, and our readings are Zechariah 4–6 and Luke 12. Zechariah continues his strange and beautiful visions. God's people have returned from exile. The temple lies unfinished. The task before Zerubbabel must have seemed enormous. And into that uncertainty comes one of Scripture's great words: "It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies." Not by might. Not by power. But by my Spirit. Then we come to Luke 12, where Jesus warns us about another kind of power. The power of possessions. The illusion of control. The anxiety that tells us we must accumulate enough, protect enough, and plan enough to make ourselves secure. Jesus tells the story of a rich man who has so much that he decides to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. But Jesus reminds us that life cannot be secured in a barn. And then he turns toward his disciples and says: "Don't be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom." Maybe that's the word for us today. Not by might. Not by power. Not by bigger barns. Not by controlling everything around us. But by the Spirit. And by trusting the heart of the Father who delights in giving us the kingdom. TODAY'S DEVOTION Not by Might, Not by Power We like big barns. Maybe we don't call them barns anymore. But we like them. We like bank accounts. Retirement accounts. Houses. Careers. Platforms. Reputations. Plans. We like whatever gives us the feeling that we've finally managed to secure our lives. And to be clear, there's nothing wrong with planning. There's nothing wrong with saving. There's nothing wrong with being responsible. But Jesus knows how easily these good things can become something else. They can become the place where we look for life. Jesus tells a story about a man whose land produces an enormous harvest. The man looks at everything he has and says: What am I going to do? I don't have room for all this. And then he comes up with a plan. "I know! I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones." Bigger barns. More storage. More security. More control. And then he says something revealing. He tells himself that once he has enough stored away, he can finally relax. Now I'll be safe. Now I'll be secure. Now I can live. But Jesus says: That's an illusion. Because your life isn't stored in your barns. Your life isn't stored in your bank account. Your life isn't stored in your reputation. Your life isn't stored in how much control you can exercise over the future. Your life is in God. And that brings me back to Zechariah. Zerubbabel has been given an enormous task. The temple must be rebuilt. The mountain in front of him looks overwhelming. And God's word to him is: "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit." I need to hear that. Because I can spend a lot of energy trying to make things happen. Trying to manage outcomes. Trying to get everything lined up just right. Trying to build a big enough barn so that nothing unexpected can hurt me. Maybe you know that feeling too. If I can just get enough money. If I can just get the right job. If I can just get everyone to understand me. If I can just fix this relationship. If I can just get my health under control. If I can just make sure my children are okay. If I can just figure out what's coming next. Then I can breathe. Then I'll be safe. Then I'll have peace. But Jesus doesn't point us toward bigger barns. He points us toward the Father. And then he says something so tender: "Don't be afraid, little flock." I love that. Don't be afraid, little flock. Why? Because you've figured everything out? No. Because you've accumulated enough? No. Because you've protected yourself from every possible loss? No. "Because it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom." There it is. Gift. The kingdom is gift. Life is gift. Grace is gift. God himself is gift. And the Spirit is at work in us and around us in ways we cannot manufacture or control. Not by might. Not by power. But by my Spirit. Maybe that's the invitation today. Open your hands. Release your grip. Let go of the illusion that everything depends on you. You don't have to build a barn big enough to hold your future. You don't have to possess enough to become secure. You don't have to control everyone and everything around you. You have a Father who delights to give you the kingdom. And maybe the Spirit is whispering to us today: You can breathe. You can trust. You can let go. You are held. Jesus tells us to look at the ravens. Look at the lilies. Look at creation itself. God is present. God is giving. God is sustaining. And you are worth far more to him than birds and flowers. So maybe today we can stop measuring our lives by what we've managed to accumulate, achieve, or control. Maybe we can open our hands. Not by might. Not by power. Not by bigger barns. But by the Spirit. And maybe we'll discover that the life we've been trying so hard to secure has been gift all along. That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May we loosen our grip. May we trust the Spirit. May we hear Jesus say again, "Don't be afraid, little flock." And may we discover the joy of receiving the kingdom as gift. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Zechariah 1–3; Luke 11 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 28th, and our readings are Zechariah 1–3 and Luke 11. Zechariah brings us into a series of strange and beautiful visions given to a people who have returned from exile. Jerusalem has been devastated. The temple is being rebuilt. God's people are trying to imagine what restoration might look like. And into that uncertainty comes a word of hope. God has not abandoned them. God is returning. God is restoring. God is removing shame. God is bringing his people into something new. Then in Luke 11, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray. He tells them to ask, seek, and knock. He confronts religious systems that have become preoccupied with appearances while neglecting justice and the love of God. And then Jesus says something that deserves our attention: "Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness." That's a sobering invitation. Because not everything we call light is light. Religion can call something light that produces fear. Tradition can call something light that keeps people in bondage. Self-righteousness can feel like light while preventing us from seeing ourselves or our neighbor clearly. Jesus invites us to turn our eyes toward the true light. The light of God's love. And when that light fills us, Jesus says our whole lives can become radiant. So today, let's step out of the shadows. Bring on the floodlights. TODAY'S DEVOTION Bring on the Floodlights If all the world's a stage, then I want better lighting. I remember hearing an actor say something like that once. And I understand it. When you're on a stage, you learn pretty quickly to find your light. You can have the best lines. You can give the best performance. But if you're standing in the shadows, nobody can see what's happening. So you find the light. And maybe that's a good image for the spiritual life too. Find the light. Or perhaps more importantly, make sure the light you've found is actually light. Because Jesus says something rather startling in Luke 11: "Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness." That's worth sitting with. Because apparently it's possible to become accustomed to darkness and call it light. It's possible for religious traditions to become so familiar that we stop asking whether they actually look like Jesus. It's possible to confuse certainty with light. It's possible to confuse being right with light. It's possible to confuse fear with light. It's possible to imagine that a theology that leaves us frightened of God is somehow illuminating God. And Jesus says: Check the light. Look again. Because Jesus himself is the light by which everything else is seen. He is the one who shows us what God is like. And when we look at Jesus, what do we see? We see him moving toward people. We see him touching those others avoid. We see him eating with those religion has excluded. We see him forgiving. Healing. Restoring. Setting people free. We see him telling us to love our enemies. We see him laying down his life rather than taking the lives of his enemies. We see self-giving love. This is the light. And Jesus is confronting religious leaders in Luke 11 who have become very good at managing appearances. Everything looks clean on the outside. But Jesus says the inside tells another story. They carefully tithe even the herbs from their gardens, but they ignore justice and the love of God. That's darkness masquerading as light. And I don't think Jesus confronts them because he hates them. I think he confronts them because he loves them. He wants them to see. He wants them to wake up. He wants the light to break through. Zechariah gives us another beautiful picture today. Joshua the high priest stands before God in filthy clothes. And the Accuser is there. Ready to accuse. Ready to condemn. Ready to define Joshua by what he is wearing. But God rebukes the Accuser. And then God says: "Take off his filthy clothes." And Joshua is given new clothes. A new identity. A new beginning. That's light. The Accuser says, "Look at him." God says, "I have taken away your sins." The Accuser points toward shame. God moves toward restoration. And Jesus shows us that this is the heart of God. Maybe there are some dark corners in us today. Fear. Shame. Resentment. Religious ideas that have taught us to hide from God instead of running toward him. Maybe we've mistaken some of those things for light. Jesus invites us to open the curtains. Bring on the floodlights. Let the light of Christ shine into every corner. Let him show us what God is really like. Let him expose the false lights that have kept us afraid. And let his love illuminate our lives. Jesus says that when we're filled with light, our whole life becomes radiant, as though a floodlight were filling us with light. I love that. God isn't inviting us to spend our lives hiding in the shadows. He's drawing us into the light. Into freedom. Into grace. Into love. And as our eyes become filled with the light of Christ, maybe we begin to reflect that light into the world around us. So turn your face toward Jesus today. Look at him. Keep looking. Let him show you the Father. Let his love expose every false light. Let his grace illuminate every shadow. His light has come into our darkness. And the darkness cannot overcome it. Bring on the floodlights. That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May our eyes be filled with the light of Christ. And may our whole lives become radiant with the love of God. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Haggai 1–2; Psalm 129; Luke 10 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 27th, and our readings are Haggai 1–2, Psalm 129, and Luke 10. Haggai speaks to a people who have returned from exile but have lost their way. They are busy building their own lives while the temple remains in ruins. So Haggai calls them back to their center. Consider how things are going for you. Pay attention. Remember what matters. And God tells them something they desperately need to hear: "I am with you." Psalm 129 is the prayer of people who have suffered and yet remain standing. Then in Luke 10, Jesus sends out seventy-two disciples with a message of peace and healing. He rejoices that God's kingdom is being revealed, not simply to the powerful and learned, but to those who receive it like children. And then a religious expert asks Jesus a question: "Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?" That conversation leads Jesus into one of his most familiar stories, the story we call the Good Samaritan. But perhaps we've been standing in the wrong place in the story. Before asking whether we're being good enough neighbors, maybe we need to recognize the Neighbor who has already come looking for us. Jesus meets us in the ditch. He sees us. He comes near. He binds our wounds. He carries us. He brings us home. He is the neighbor we've all been waiting for. TODAY'S DEVOTION The Neighbor We've All Been Waiting For Who is the hero of the story? That's an important question. Because when we read the story of the Good Samaritan, I think most of us immediately put ourselves in the role of the Samaritan. Be a good neighbor. Help people who are hurting. Show mercy. Cross the road toward the person in need. And, of course, Jesus does invite us to become people of mercy. He ends the story by saying, "Now go and do the same." But before we rush too quickly to make ourselves the hero of the story, maybe we need to see something else. Maybe we're the one in the ditch. Maybe that's where the gospel begins. Jesus says a man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when robbers attacked him. They stripped him. Beat him. And left him half dead beside the road. A priest comes by. He passes him. A Levite comes by. He passes him too. Religion sees him lying there, but religion doesn't save him. And then someone unexpected comes along. A Samaritan. Jesus says that when he sees the wounded man, he has compassion. He moves toward him. He kneels down. He tends his wounds with oil and wine. He lifts him onto his own animal. He takes him somewhere safe. He pays the cost. And he promises to return. Who does that sound like? Jesus. Jesus is the neighbor we've all been waiting for. He's the one who finds us lying in the ditch. He's the one who sees us. He's the one who has compassion. He's the one who comes near. He's the one who binds up our wounds. He's the one who carries us when we cannot carry ourselves. He's the one who pays the cost. He's the one who brings us home. And that changes the way we hear this story. Because the gospel isn't first about our ability to become the hero. It's about discovering that we have been rescued. It's about receiving mercy before we try to give it. It's about being loved before we try to love. It's about allowing Jesus to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. And maybe that's why the story of Mary and Martha follows immediately afterward. Martha is busy. She's working. She's serving. She's doing all the things that need to be done. But Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet. Listening. Receiving. And Jesus says Mary has chosen what is better. That doesn't mean serving doesn't matter. Of course it matters. But we can become so busy trying to do something for Jesus that we forget what Jesus has come to do for us. We need to sit at his feet. We need to receive. We need to let ourselves be loved. We need to let him bind our wounds. We need to remember that he is the Savior. Not us. Haggai speaks to people who have been busy building their own lives. And God calls them back to the center. "Consider your ways." Maybe that's a good word for us today. Consider your ways. What are you building? What are you striving to prove? What are you trying to accomplish so that you can finally feel secure, loved, or whole? Maybe Jesus is inviting us back to the center. Back to his feet. Back to the ditch where we first discovered mercy. Back to the realization that before we ever became the neighbor to someone else, Christ became the neighbor to us. He saw us. He came near. He had compassion. And he loved us back to life. And once we know that kind of mercy, something begins to happen in us. We become merciful. We cross the road. We notice the wounded. We stop. We listen. We bind wounds. We make room. Not because we're trying to become the hero. But because we've encountered the One who is. We love because we have been loved. We show mercy because mercy found us. We become neighbors because Jesus first became our neighbor. He's the neighbor we've all been waiting for. That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May we see ourselves clearly. May we see Jesus clearly. And having received his limitless mercy and love, may that same mercy begin to flow through us toward the world. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezra 4; Psalms 113 & 127; Luke 9 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 26th, and our readings are Ezra 4, Psalms 113 and 127, and Luke 9. Ezra tells us that the work of rebuilding has run into opposition. God's people have returned from exile and begun rebuilding the temple, but now resistance comes. The work becomes difficult, and eventually it comes to a halt. Psalm 113 reminds us that God lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. Then Psalm 127 gives us an important word about all our building: "Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted." And then we come to Luke 9. Jesus sends the twelve out with very little to rely upon except God. He feeds a hungry multitude. Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is transfigured before his disciples. But running through it all is a surprising description of what it means to follow him. "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me." Jesus is showing us another kind of life. The world tells us to acquire, achieve, protect, and succeed. Jesus says there is another way. We find our lives by giving them away. TODAY'S DEVOTION Losing to Gain: The Way of the Cross If you hang on to your life, making it about you, insisting on your own way, Jesus says you will eventually lose the very thing you're trying so hard to save. That's a strange word for us. Because the world tells us almost exactly the opposite. Hold on. Build more. Achieve more. Become more important. Protect what you've accumulated. Win. Success becomes one of the great siren songs of our world. And if we're not careful, it can become the siren song of the church too. Big bank accounts. Big churches. Big platforms. Big egos. We can baptize all of it and call it blessing. But Jesus points in another direction. He says: "What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?" You can gain everything and somehow lose yourself. Then Jesus says that if we want to follow him, we must take up our cross daily. That's not exactly a winning strategy by the world's standards. People carrying crosses aren't climbing ladders. They're dying. And yet Jesus tells us that this is somehow the road to life. That's the great paradox of the kingdom. We find our lives by giving them away. Jesus said elsewhere that unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But when it dies, something happens. Life emerges. A harvest comes. The life released in death becomes resurrection life. And resurrection life is different from the power of the flesh. The flesh has to protect itself. Prove itself. Advance itself. Resurrection life is free. Free to love. Free to serve. Free to give. Free to lose without being lost. Because our life is already hidden with Christ in God. Psalm 127 says: "Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted." That's a good word for me. Because we can spend our whole lives building. Building careers. Building ministries. Building reputations. Building security. Building an image of ourselves that we desperately hope everyone else will believe. And Jesus asks: What if you gained all of it? What if you actually succeeded at everything the world told you mattered? Would you have found life? Jesus doesn't come merely to make us more successful at the world's game. He comes to set us free from the game. He comes to awaken us to the life that is already ours in him. That's resurrection. That's freedom. That's abundance. So maybe today we need to turn down the siren song of this world. Turn down the voices telling us that our lives are measured by what we accumulate, accomplish, or prove. And turn up the music of heaven. Listen again to Jesus. "Follow me." Follow me into the way of love. Follow me into generosity. Follow me into forgiveness. Follow me into self-giving. Follow me through the cross and into resurrection. Because the life you're trying so hard to secure is already waiting for you in him. Lose your life in his. And discover that you haven't lost at all. You've finally begun to live. That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May we turn away from the siren songs of this world and hear instead the song of our Lord and Christ: "Follow me, and you will truly live." May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezra 2–3; Luke 8 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 25th, and our readings are Ezra 2–3 and Luke 8. Ezra brings us into the story of a people coming home. After years of exile, families return to Jerusalem. They rebuild the altar and begin laying the foundation of the temple. And when that foundation is laid, something remarkable happens. Some people shout for joy. Others weep. The sounds mingle together until no one can distinguish the shouting from the weeping. Maybe that's an honest picture of life. Joy and sorrow often occupy the same space. Hope and grief can live together. Then Luke 8 brings us several stories of people encountering Jesus in places of fear and desperation. A storm threatens to overwhelm the disciples. A man tormented and isolated among the tombs is restored. A woman who has suffered for twelve years reaches through a crowd just to touch Jesus. And Jairus comes pleading for the life of his daughter. Then, while Jesus is still on the way, the news arrives: "Your daughter is dead. There's no use troubling the Teacher now." But Jesus has another word. "Don't be afraid. Just have faith." Today we are reminded that fear, despair, suffering, and even death do not get to speak the final word. Jesus does. TODAY'S DEVOTION Fear Will Not Have the Last Word "Why trouble the teacher?" That's essentially what Jairus is told. "Your daughter is dead. There's no use troubling the Teacher now." Those are words of despair. Words of hopelessness. Words that say the story is over. Jairus had reached out in faith. He had come looking for Jesus because his little girl was dying. He believed Jesus could help. And Jesus was coming. But then there was a delay. Another person needed Jesus. A woman who had been suffering for twelve years reached out through the crowd and touched him. Jesus stopped. He saw her. He spoke with her. And all the while, Jairus was waiting. I wonder what that waiting felt like. Every second mattered. And then the message arrived. Too late. Your daughter is dead. Don't bother Jesus anymore. Fear and despair always want to have the last word. They tell us: It's over. There's no hope. Don't bother praying. Don't bother hoping. Don't bother reaching for Jesus. Nothing can change now. But Jesus hears the message too. And he turns toward Jairus and says: "Don't be afraid. Just have faith." Jesus does not deny what has happened. He doesn't pretend death isn't real. He simply refuses to let death have the final word. And then something beautiful happens. Jesus enters the house. But he doesn't turn this family's grief into a public spectacle. He brings Peter, James, and John with him, along with the girl's father and mother. And there, in that quiet and deeply personal place of grief, Jesus comes close. I love that. Because some pain is very private. There are valleys in our lives that very few people ever see. There are fears we carry quietly. Losses we don't know how to explain. Places where we wonder whether hope is even possible anymore. And Jesus enters those places. He comes near. He takes the little girl by the hand. And he says: "My child, get up!" Life speaks into death. Hope speaks into despair. Jesus has the final word. Maybe that's what you need to remember today. Your circumstances do not get the final word. Your fear does not get the final word. Your loss does not get the final word. Your diagnosis does not get the final word. Your failure does not get the final word. Even death does not get the final word. Jesus does. Ezra gives us a picture of people standing among ruins and laying a new foundation. Some are shouting. Some are weeping. And somehow both responses belong. Maybe that's where you are today. You can grieve what has been lost and still believe that something new can rise. You can weep and hope at the same time. You can stand among the ruins and listen for the voice of Jesus. "Don't be afraid." "Just have faith." "My child, get up." The hope we have is not that we will avoid every valley. The hope is that Jesus meets us there. He takes us by the hand. And the One who is Resurrection and Life will have the final word. That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May we meet Jesus in the valley. May we trust him when fear and despair surround us. And may we receive from him the hope of resurrection. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezra 1; Psalms 84–85; Luke 7 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 24th, and our readings are Ezra 1, Psalms 84 and 85, and Luke 7. Ezra begins with an unexpected announcement. God's people have lived in exile, far from home, but now Cyrus, king of Persia, announces that they may return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. After years of displacement, the journey home begins. Psalm 84 gives voice to that longing: "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven's Armies." The psalmist longs to be home in the presence of God. Then Psalm 85 gives us another beautiful picture of restoration. Unfailing love and truth meet together. Righteousness and peace kiss. And then we come to Luke 7. Jesus encounters a Roman officer whose faith amazes him. He meets a grieving widow and restores her son to life. He reassures John the Baptist that God's kingdom really is breaking into the world. And finally, Jesus sits at a table where an unexpected guest arrives. A woman known in the community as a sinner kneels at his feet. She weeps. She washes his feet with her tears. She dries them with her hair. And she pours perfume over them. Everyone in the room seems to know who this woman is. But Jesus sees her differently. He sees love. He sees faith. He sees a daughter who has been forgiven. And he tells her: "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." That's where today's readings seem to bring us. Out of exile. Toward home. Out of shame. Into peace. God is singing a new song over his people. And we are invited to sing along. TODAY'S DEVOTION Go in Peace Everybody knew who she was. At least they thought they did. Luke tells us that a woman from the city heard that Jesus was eating at the home of Simon the Pharisee. And Luke tells us that she was a sinful woman. That's her introduction. That's her label. That's apparently what everybody knows about her. She enters the house carrying a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. And then she kneels behind Jesus at his feet. She begins to weep. Her tears fall on his feet. She wipes them with her hair. She kisses his feet. And she pours perfume over them. It's an extraordinary scene. And Simon watches all of this. But Simon doesn't really see her. He sees her label. He thinks to himself that if Jesus were really a prophet, he would know what kind of woman was touching him. But Jesus does know. He knows exactly who is touching him. And he sees something Simon cannot see. He sees her. Not merely her past. Not merely her failures. Not merely the story the town has told about her. He sees her. And I think that's beautiful. Because shame has a way of convincing us that the worst thing about us is the truest thing about us. Shame says: That's who you are. Your failure is who you are. Your mistake is who you are. Your addiction is who you are. Your divorce is who you are. Your past is who you are. Whatever people have whispered about you, that's who you are. But Jesus doesn't see us that way. He sees deeper. He sees a beloved child. He sees the image of God. He sees someone worth receiving. Someone worth defending. Someone worth restoring. And then Jesus says something remarkable. He turns toward the woman and speaks to Simon. "Do you see this woman?" That's the question. Do you see her? Simon sees a category. Jesus sees a person. Simon sees contamination. Jesus sees love. Simon sees someone who doesn't belong at the table. Jesus sees someone who has already found her way home. And perhaps that's what forgiveness really is. It's coming home. Ezra begins today with exiles being told that they can go home. The long exile is ending. And Luke ends with another exile ending. A woman who has been living beneath the weight of shame hears Jesus say: "Your sins are forgiven." And then: "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." Go in peace. Not go in shame. Not go and spend the rest of your life trying to make up for everything you've done. Not go and prove that you're worthy. Go in peace. Because forgiveness isn't something she has managed to extract from a reluctant God. Forgiveness is the heart she discovers when she encounters Jesus. And maybe some of us need to hear that today. Maybe you've been carrying a name that Jesus never gave you. Failure. Unworthy. Unclean. Rejected. Too much. Not enough. Maybe you've spent years imagining that God looks at you the way Simon looked at this woman. But Jesus shows us the Father's face. And Jesus looks at her with love. He receives her. He defends her. He restores her. And he sends her away in peace. That's the new song. The exile is ending. You're being called home. You are forgiven. You are loved. You belong. Go in peace. That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May we hear the voice of Jesus calling us out of shame and into the freedom of his love. And may we go in peace. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Daniel 11–12; Luke 6 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 23rd, and today is a special day for me and for this community. Thirteen years ago today, the Daily Radio Bible began. What started with a microphone and a simple desire to read through the Scriptures together has become a daily gathering of people around the world. And through all these years, the invitation has remained remarkably simple: Come to the Scriptures. Listen for the voice of Jesus. Allow the Spirit to reveal the love of God. And then go live that love in the world. So thank you. Thank you to everyone who has walked this road with me, whether you've been here for thirteen years or this is your first day. Today our readings are Daniel 11–12 and Luke 6. Daniel sees kingdoms rising and falling, conflict and upheaval, and things that are difficult to understand. Yet beneath all the turmoil is the promise that God remains faithful and that death itself will not have the final word. Then Jesus brings us down to bedrock. Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Give without expecting anything in return. Forgive. Do not condemn. Treat others the way you want to be treated. These aren't merely beautiful ideas. Jesus says they are a foundation upon which we can actually build a life. And after thirteen years of gathering around these Scriptures together, perhaps the invitation is still exactly the same: Dig deep. Find the Rock. Build your life there. TODAY'S DEVOTION Dig Deep Go deep. That's the invitation Jesus offers us today. And after thirteen years of doing this together, I think it's still the invitation. Go deep. Jesus tells a story about two people building houses. One person builds on the surface. The other digs. And digs. And digs. Until finally he reaches bedrock. Then he builds his house there. And when the storms come and the floodwaters rise, that house stands. Not because the storm wasn't powerful. Not because the person living in the house had everything figured out. The house stands because of what is underneath it. Jesus says this is what it looks like to hear his words and put them into practice. And notice the words Jesus has just spoken. Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. Give. Forgive. Be merciful. Don't condemn. Treat others the way you want to be treated. That's the bedrock. And sometimes I think we want something more complicated. We want the right theology. The right answers. The right religious system. The right arguments. And those things can have their place. But Jesus keeps taking us deeper. Down beneath the words. Down beneath appearances. Down beneath religion. Until we encounter him. The Rock. Paul says our life is hidden with Christ in God. That's deep. Deeper than our fear. Deeper than our failure. Deeper than our shame. Deeper than the labels people have placed upon us. Deeper even than the stories we sometimes tell ourselves about who we are. There is Christ. And our life is hidden in him. Jesus looks at the poor, the hungry, the sorrowful, and the rejected, and he calls them blessed. Why? Because there is something deeper than their circumstances. There is Someone underneath it all. Christ. Present. Faithful. Steadfast. Love himself. And thirteen years into this journey, that's what I keep discovering. The point isn't simply to get through the Bible. The point is to let the Bible bring us to Jesus. To hear his voice. To discover our life in him. To allow his love to become the bedrock underneath everything else. Because storms do come. Floodwaters rise. Things we thought were secure sometimes shake. But there is a foundation beneath us that cannot be shaken. The deep, deep love of God revealed in Jesus Christ. So today, on this anniversary, I want to say thank you. Thank you for digging with me. Thank you for showing up day after day. Thank you for being part of this community. And let's keep going. Let's keep digging. Past the easy answers. Past fear. Past shame. Past religion that tells us we have to earn what God has already freely given. Let's dig until we find the Rock. And then let's build our lives there. In his love. In his mercy. In his forgiveness. In his life. Because Christ himself is our foundation. And he is enough to hold us. That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May we go deep. And may we discover again that underneath it all, holding us, surrounding us, and sustaining us, is the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Daniel 9–11; Psalm 123; Luke 5 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 22nd, day 265 of our journey through the Scriptures, and there are just 100 days left in the year. Our readings today are Daniel 9–11, Psalm 123, and Luke 5. Daniel is carrying a tremendous weight. He looks back upon the ruins of his people and forward into visions of things he can barely comprehend. At one point, the sheer weight of it all leaves him without strength. And then God meets him. Daniel receives another touch. "Don't be afraid," he is told. "You are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!" And Daniel says that as these words are spoken, his strength returns. Psalm 123 gives us another picture of dependence. The psalmist lifts his eyes toward God, looking for mercy. Then in Luke 5, people come to Jesus carrying their own burdens. There are exhausted fishermen with empty nets. There is a man covered with leprosy. There is a paralyzed man whose friends carry him through a roof. There is Levi, the tax collector, sitting at his booth. Again and again, Jesus meets people where they are and gives them something they cannot manufacture for themselves. Healing. Forgiveness. Calling. Belonging. Strength. Maybe that's the invitation for us today. We don't have to manufacture what we don't have. We can open our hands and receive another touch. TODAY'S DEVOTION: He Gives Us a Second Touch Daniel was overwhelmed by what he saw. The vision God had given him. The enormity of what was behind him. The uncertainty of what was ahead. The ruins of the past. The challenges of the present. All of it left Daniel saying: "My strength is gone. I can hardly breathe." Have you ever felt that way? You look ahead at something that seems impossible. Or maybe you look behind you at something painful, something broken, something you wish had gone differently. And you feel paralyzed. Frightened. Unable to move. Maybe you can hardly catch your breath. If you've ever been there, you're not alone. Daniel was there too. But then something beautiful happens. Daniel says: "Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning." He touched me again. A second touch. And then Daniel hears these words: "Don't be afraid. You are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!" And as Daniel listens, his strength returns. I love that. Daniel doesn't find the strength somewhere inside himself. He doesn't grit his teeth and try harder. He doesn't give himself a motivational speech. Strength comes to him. It is received. God meets him in his weakness. And maybe that's what some of us need today. Another touch. Maybe you've been walking with God for years. Maybe you've experienced grace before. Maybe you know what it is to be carried by love. But today you're tired again. That's okay. Sometimes we need another touch. Sometimes we need to hear again what we've heard before. Don't be afraid. You are precious to God. Peace. Be encouraged. Be strong. And when I turn to Luke 5, I see Jesus doing this everywhere he goes. He meets Peter after a night of empty nets. He touches the man with leprosy. He speaks forgiveness to the paralyzed man. He looks at Levi sitting at the tax collector's booth and says, "Follow me." Jesus keeps moving toward people. Touching. Healing. Forgiving. Calling. Restoring. Giving people what they cannot give themselves. Maybe you need that today. Maybe the road ahead looks daunting. Maybe the road behind carries shame or regret. Maybe you're simply tired. Open your hands. You don't have to manufacture strength. You can receive it. Let Jesus meet you where you are. Let him touch the place that is tired. Let him speak again: Don't be afraid. You are precious to God. Peace. Be encouraged. Be strong. And maybe your prayer today can be very simple: "Yes, Lord. Thank you. I receive your love. I receive your peace. I receive your strength." Sometimes we need a second touch. And sometimes a third. And a fourth. Grace keeps coming. That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Daniel 7–8; Psalm 137; Luke 4 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 21st, and our readings are Daniel 7–8, Psalm 137, and Luke 4. Daniel sees strange and unsettling visions of kingdoms, beasts, violence, and earthly powers rising and falling. Yet in the middle of these visions, Daniel sees another figure, one "like a son of man," coming with the clouds of heaven. To him is given an everlasting kingdom, one that will never be destroyed. Psalm 137 gives voice to the anguish of people living in exile. They sit beside the rivers of Babylon and weep as they remember Jerusalem. Their grief is raw, and so is their anger. Then Luke takes us into the wilderness. Jesus has just heard the Father declare, "You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy." Now that beloved Son is tempted. The temptation is about far more than bread. Jesus is offered power, spectacle, and control. He is offered the kingdoms of the world if only he will bow to another way. But Jesus refuses. He will not build his kingdom through domination. He emerges from the wilderness and returns to Nazareth, where he tells us exactly what his kingdom will look like: Good news for the poor. Freedom for captives. Sight for the blind. Freedom for the oppressed. The time of the Lord's favor has come. Daniel saw kingdoms rise and fall. Jesus announces the kingdom that will remain. And he shows us what that kingdom looks like. TODAY'S DEVOTION: Another Kind of Kingdom Jesus is offered the kingdoms of the world. That caught my attention today. The devil takes Jesus up and shows him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And then comes the offer: "I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them." Just bow down. Just play the game. Use power the way power has always been used. Dominate. Control. Take the throne. Make people comply. And Jesus says no. That's important. Because Daniel has just given us these strange visions of kingdoms that look like beasts. They devour. They crush. They destroy. That's what kingdoms can become. And then Jesus walks into the wilderness. The true Son of Man has come. And he is offered the opportunity to become another beast. He refuses. Jesus will have a kingdom. But it will not look like the kingdoms of this world. And Luke doesn't leave us wondering what Jesus' kingdom will look like. Jesus walks into the synagogue, opens the scroll of Isaiah, and tells us: Good news for the poor. Freedom for the captives. Sight for the blind. Freedom for the oppressed. The Lord's favor. That's his kingdom. Jesus doesn't conquer by becoming a bigger beast. He conquers by remaining human. Fully human. The true human. The Son who lives in communion with the Father and refuses to turn power into domination. And I think that's good news for us because we are constantly being invited to play the old game. Win. Control. Prove yourself. Get the upper hand. Protect what's yours. Make sure you're the one on top. But Jesus shows us another way. The way of the kingdom is not domination. It is love. It is liberation. It is healing. It is mercy. It is good news for people who have spent their lives receiving bad news. And notice where all of this begins. Before the wilderness. Before the temptation. Before the ministry. Before Jesus does anything. The Father has already said: "You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy." Jesus enters the wilderness from belovedness. He doesn't have to prove who he is. He doesn't need the kingdoms of the world to validate him. He already knows whose he is. Maybe that's part of the invitation for us today. The powers of this world will always offer us identities. Successful. Important. Powerful. Right. Victorious. But Jesus invites us into something deeper. Beloved. And when we know that we are beloved, we don't have to turn ourselves into beasts to survive. We can follow Jesus. We can choose love over domination. Mercy over vengeance. Service over control. We can live as citizens of another kingdom. A kingdom that Daniel says will never be destroyed. A kingdom embodied in Jesus. So when the kingdoms around you roar, remember who you are. And remember whose kingdom you belong to. You are beloved. Follow the Son. That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Daniel 5–6; Psalm 130; Luke 3 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: TODAY'S DEVOTION: TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 47–48; Luke 2 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 19th, and our readings are Ezekiel 47–48 and Luke 2. Ezekiel gives us a beautiful vision of a river flowing from the temple. Everywhere the river goes, life appears. Trees grow along its banks, fruit comes month after month, and even the waters of the Dead Sea become fresh. It is a picture of the life of God flowing outward, bringing healing and restoration wherever it goes. Then Luke brings us to Bethlehem. Jesus is born. Angels announce good news of great joy. Shepherds hurry to see the child and then tell everyone what they have seen and heard. And amid all this activity, Luke tells us something quietly beautiful about Mary. She treasured these things and pondered them in her heart. Mary doesn't understand everything that is happening to her. She cannot possibly know where this story will lead. Yet she makes room within herself for mystery. She stores these things in her heart. Today we are invited to do the same. There are things in our lives we cannot yet understand. There are hopes still unfulfilled, questions still unanswered, wounds still healing, and stories whose endings we cannot yet see. We don't have to solve them all today. We can hold them before God. We can treasure what we have been given. And we can trust that the God who sees us, knows us, and loves us is still at work in our story. TODAY'S DEVOTION: She Stored These Things in Her Heart She stored it in her heart. That's what Luke tells us Mary did in the midst of miracle, mystery, and uncertainty. There was the promise. There was the fear. There was the joy. And there were things that simply didn't make sense. Mary didn't explain them away. She didn't deny them. She didn't pretend to understand what she couldn't understand. She held them. She treasured them. She stored them in her heart. And I think there is something here for us. God doesn't always give us explanations. There are things in life that simply don't make sense. Things that cause us to wonder. Things that cause us to worry. Things that hurt. There are prayers that seem unanswered. Dreams that haven't come to pass. Losses we don't understand. Relationships that haven't turned out the way we hoped. Questions about our future. Questions about ourselves. Questions about God. And maybe faith isn't always about finding an explanation. Maybe sometimes faith looks like Mary. We simply hold these things before God. We store them in our hearts. Mary did that when shepherds showed up with stories about angels declaring that her child was the Messiah. She stored it away. She did it again when Simeon spoke over Jesus in the temple and then told Mary that a sword would pierce her own soul. She held that too. And years later, when twelve-year-old Jesus remained behind in his Father's house, Luke tells us that Mary didn't understand what Jesus meant. But again, she stored these things in her heart. There was a willingness in Mary to let the story unfold. She didn't have to know everything. She didn't have to control everything. She didn't have to understand everything. She trusted that God was present. She trusted that she was seen. She trusted that she was known. She trusted that she was loved. And she trusted that somehow God's purpose was still unfolding. Maybe that's where you are today. What are you storing in your heart? An unfulfilled hope? A disappointment? A loss? A question? Something beautiful that you don't yet understand? Something painful that you wish you could understand? You don't have to solve it today. You can hold it. You can bring it before God. You can allow your heart to become a vessel for mystery, hope, pain, memory, promise, and faith. And you can remember this: You are seen. You are known. You are loved. Paul says that we are God's workmanship. The Greek word is poiēma. We are God's workmanship, God's handiwork, God's poem. Your story isn't finished. God is still at work. So perhaps today we can learn something from Mary. Be willing. Be available. Hold the mystery. Store these things in your heart. And trust that the One who loves you is still writing the story. That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May we, like Mary, store these things in our hearts, trusting that in God's time and through God's love, the story will be revealed. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 45–46; Luke 1 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 18th, and our readings are Ezekiel 45–46 and Luke 1. In Ezekiel, we continue through the prophet's vision of restoration. Land is divided, honest measurements are commanded, offerings are described, and provision is made for worship among God's people. Running through these detailed instructions is a concern for justice, faithfulness, and a people being restored. Then we turn the page to Luke, and suddenly we find ourselves standing at the dawn of something new. An angel appears to Zechariah with news that Elizabeth will have a son. His name will be John, and he will prepare the way for the Lord. Then Gabriel visits a young woman named Mary with an even more astonishing announcement. She will bear a son named Jesus, and his kingdom will never end. Both Zechariah and Mary eventually find themselves singing. Mary sings of the God who notices the lowly, fills the hungry, and remembers his mercy. Zechariah sings of the tender mercy of God, through which the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us. That is our invitation today. Whatever darkness we may find ourselves sitting in, the morning light is coming. God has not forgotten us. His mercy is new. His light is breaking through. And we are invited to join the song. TODAY'S DEVOTION: God's New Morning Light Because of God's tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us. I love that image. Every morning, the light breaks through the darkness of night. And maybe every new morning is a kind of rehearsal. A reminder of that great morning when the light of God's Son breaks fully upon us. Zechariah sings: "Because of God's tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us." And what will this light do? It will give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. And it will guide us to the path of peace. Zechariah has a song. And it is a song worth singing. But Mary has a song too. She says, "How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl." God took notice of her. This young woman. This lowly servant girl. Someone the powerful people of the world might easily overlook. But God sees her. God's light shines upon the lowly. His light breaks upon the humble. It shines upon those willing to let God be God in them. Those willing to believe that what God says he will do, he will do. And something happens when our humble faith meets God's merciful morning light. A song begins to rise. That's what happened to Zechariah. That's what happened to Mary. And I think it can happen to us too. Maybe you're feeling lowly today. Maybe you're hungry. Maybe you're carrying shame. Maybe you're sitting in a darkness that seems reluctant to give way. Maybe you feel unseen. But the morning light from heaven is breaking upon us. God sees you. God has not forgotten you. And when we begin to encounter this God of love, this God who sees us and meets us in our lowliness, a song can begin to rise within us. Not because everything has suddenly become easy. Not because all our questions have been answered. But because the light has come. Because God is with us. Because his mercy is tender. Because darkness does not get the final word. So join Zechariah. Join Mary. Join all those who have dared to believe that God is good enough to take notice of the lowly and big enough to do what he has promised. Let faith rise. Let the morning light break through. And let your song rise with it. That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 42–44; Revelation 22 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 17th, and our readings are Ezekiel 42–44 and Revelation 22. Today we come to the final chapter of Revelation and one of the most beautiful images in all of Scripture. Ezekiel continues his vision of the restored temple. He sees the glory of God returning, filling the temple with God's presence. The prophet falls facedown before the glory of the Lord. Then Revelation 22 carries us beyond the temple into John's final vision of the new creation. John sees a river. It is the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. The tree of life grows beside it, bearing fruit, and its leaves are for the healing of the nations. The curse is gone. Night is gone. And then comes perhaps the most astonishing promise of all: "They will see his face." The story that began in Genesis with humanity hiding from the face of God ends with humanity looking upon God's face without fear. Today's devotion invites us to begin living into that reality now. As we look toward Jesus, the veils that distort our understanding of God and ourselves begin to fall away. We see God more clearly. And in seeing him, we begin to discover who we truly are. TODAY'S DEVOTION: With Unveiled Face John sees a river called life. It is crystal clear, radiant and transparent, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. And I love this image. Because there is nothing murky here. Nothing obscured. Nothing hidden. John invites us to look into those crystal waters and see something marvelous. The glory of God. And perhaps, reflected there, we begin to see something else too. Ourselves. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians that as we behold the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are being transformed into his image, from glory to glory. I think that's part of what John is showing us here. For so much of our lives, there are veils. Things that obscure our vision of God. Fear can be a veil. Shame can be a veil. Religion can become a veil. Our wounds can become a veil. Even distorted ideas about God can become veils that keep us from seeing clearly. And when our vision of God becomes distorted, our vision of ourselves becomes distorted too. We imagine God as distant, angry, disappointed, or reluctant to receive us. And then we begin to imagine ourselves as unwanted, unacceptable, or unworthy of love. But John says a day is coming when all the veils are gone. "They will see his face." Think about that. The Bible begins with humanity hiding from the face of God. And it ends with humanity looking into the face of God. No hiding. No shame. No fear. Just communion. And when we finally see him clearly, I think we will discover something we have spent our whole lives learning to believe. We belong. We bear the family resemblance. We are his. But this isn't only a promise for some distant future. Even now, the veil can begin to lift. Every time we look toward Jesus, we see the Father more clearly. Every time we sit with the Scriptures and allow Christ to open them to us, the water becomes a little clearer. Every time we receive his love instead of hiding in our shame, we begin to see ourselves differently. And slowly, sometimes almost imperceptibly, we are changed. From glory to glory. That's the beautiful mystery of transformation. We don't become like Jesus primarily by staring harder at ourselves and trying to repair everything we think is wrong. We become like him by beholding him. By seeing the face of Jesus. By discovering again and again that the face looking back at us is the face of love. So come to the river. Look into those crystal waters. Let the veils fall. See him. And as you see him, may you also begin to see yourself as you truly are. Loved. Cherished. A child of God. Bearing the family resemblance. That's the prayer I have for my own soul. May I see with unveiled face. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May we come to the river and see, and know, and reflect the glory of the Lord. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL