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1109 Matthew 11:1 Matthew 12:2 any one gives even a cup of cold wa ter to one of these lit tle ones who is my dis ci ple, tru ly I tell you, that per son will cer tain ly not lose their re ward.” Jesus and John the Baptist 11 Af ter Jesus had fin ished in struct ing his twelve dis ci ples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Gal i lee. a 2 When John, who was in pris on, heard about the deeds of the Mes si ah, he sent his dis ci ples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we ex pect some one else?” 4 Jesus re plied, “Go back and re port to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have lep ro sy b are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is any one who does not stum ble on ac count of me.” 7 As John’s dis ci ples were leav ing, Jesus be gan to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wil der ness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ pal ac es. 9 Then what did you go out to see? A proph et? Yes, I tell you, and more than a proph et. 10 This is the one about whom it is writ ten: “ ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ c 11 Tru ly I tell you, among those born of women there has not ris en any one great er than John the Bap tist; yet who ev er is least in the king dom of heav en is great er than he. 12 From the days of John the Bap tist un til now, the king dom of heav en has been subject ed to vi o lence, d and vi o lent peo ple have been raid ing it. 13 For all the Proph ets and the Law proph e sied un til John. 14 And if you are will ing to ac cept it, he is the Eli jah who was to come. 15 Who ev er has ears, let them hear. 16 “To what can I com pare this gen er a tion? They are like chil dren sit ting in the mar ketplac es and call ing out to oth ers: 17 “ ‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ 1109 18 For John came nei ther eat ing nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a de mon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eat ing and drink ing, and they say, ‘Here is a glut ton and a drunk ard, a friend of tax col lec tors and sin ners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.” Woe on Unrepentant Towns 20 Then Jesus be gan to de nounce the towns in which most of his mir a cles had been per formed, be cause they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Cho ra zin! Woe to you, Beth sa i da! For if the mir a cles that were performed in you had been per formed in Tyre and Si don, they would have re pent ed long ago in sack cloth and ash es. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bear able for Tyre and Si don on the day of judg ment than for you. 23 And you, Ca per na um, will you be lift ed to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. e For if the mir a cles that were per formed in you had been per formed in Sod om, it would have re mained to this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more bear able for Sod om on the day of judg ment than for you.” The Father Revealed in the Son 25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Fa ther, Lord of heav en and earth, be cause you have hid den these things from the wise and learned, and re vealed them to lit tle children. 26 Yes, Fa ther, for this is what you were pleased to do. 27 “All things have been com mit ted to me by my Fa ther. No one knows the Son ex cept the Fa ther, and no one knows the Fa ther ex cept the Son and those to whom the Son choos es to re veal him. 28 “Come to me, all you who are wea ry and bur dened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gen tle and hum ble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my bur den is light.” Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath At that time Jesus went through the 12 grain fields on the Sab bath. His disci ples were hun gry and be gan to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the a 1 Greek in their towns b 5 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin. c 10 Mal. 3:1 d 12 Or been forcefully advancing e 23 That is, the realm of the dead
day231 more than cookies “and if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly i tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” Matthew 10:42 More Verses to explore: Matthew 25:37 – 40 Acts 10:4 Romans 12:13 1110 by Zoe eLMore When our youngest son was in high school, his band practiced in our basement every week for three years. I spent those afternoons baking cookies and pouring gallons of milk for hungry teens. Our home became the gathering place, and I took the opportunity to give cookies, love and the spiritual food of God’s Word. As I served up snacks, the teens would often pour out their hurting hearts. The Lord provided opportunities to pray with them, and we saw him do amazing things in their lives. One afternoon my son mentioned that the newest member of the band would be arriving for rehearsal. When the doorbell rang, I peeked out and saw tattoos and body piercings. The young man politely introduced himself, shook my hand and thanked me for hosting them. After rehearsal, the new band member made an interesting request: “Mrs. Elmore, could I have a hug before I leave today?” “Of course,” I answered and granted his request. “That was wonderful,” he said. He breathed deeply and then quietly whispered, “My mom abandoned us several years ago, and I haven’t been hugged by a mom in such a long time.” From that day forward I was available for hugs, and my husband, Tom, and I became a safe place for this young man to share his heart. We had opportunities to pray with him and share the gospel. While we never heard him profess a personal relationship with Christ, we fed more than his physical hunger as we prayed with him and offered him spiritual food from God’s Word. Are there young people in your life who need a “mom”? Making cookies and pouring milk is an easy way to start a conversation. Turn To page 1112 for your nexT devoTion.
Page 1 and 2: eal•life niv Bible devotional for
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Alphabetical Orde
Page 5 and 6: 1096 Matthew 1:25 Matthew 3:4 1096
Page 11 and 12: 1102 Matthew 6:7 Matthew 7:5 1102 p
Page 13 and 14: day229 building faith “ask and it
Page 15 and 16: day230 first let me. . . another di
Page 17: 1108 Matthew 10:3 Matthew 10:42 110
Page 21 and 22: day232 role reversal “Whoever is
Page 29 and 30: day234 mean mom, kind mom Then Jesu
Page 31 and 32: day235 just a little heart cleaning
Page 33 and 34: day236 i don’t love my husband an
Page 35 and 36: day237 praying for the impossible W
Page 47 and 48: day240 at a distance Those who had
Page 51: 1142 Matthew 28:1 Matthew 28:20 114

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