Dad’sBIBLE

• D E V O T I O N A L •

NIV

Notes b\ Robert Wolgemuth

NIV Dad’s Devotional Bible Copyright © 2014 by Zondervan All rights reserved

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IntroductionNIV Dad’s Devotional Bible

I have no idea what you just read,” my friend reported, a blank stare on his face. “It made absolutely no sense to me.”

“Whew,” I responded with a sigh, “I don’t have any idea what it means, either!”We both laughed, although in retrospect, it really wasn’t that funny.It was 1995 and my friend and I were enjoying an early morning coffee at our favor-

ite place. He was the father of two teenage sons, and I was the father of two daughters in their twenties. As we had done for many years, we were having our morning quiet time together. I had just finished reading from a devotional book, and we were go-ing to discuss what I had just read. But instead of discussing how the reading had inspired or challenged us, we were joking over the convoluted obscurity of the words I had just read. “Why,” I said after I had gone back for a refill, “can’t a devotional be written in plain English so we don’t have to get our Ph.Ds to figure it out?”

One year later, my twenty-two-year-old daughter and I were standing in the hall-way at Zondervan Publishing House in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Tom Mockabee, the then-publisher for the Bible Division, and I were discussing a number of issues when he asked me, “Do you know of anyone who would be willing to help us write a dad’s Bible?”

Julie glanced at me with that winsome grin I have loved since she was in a high chair. “Dad,” she whispered, “why don’t you do it?”

Another year later, the notes were complete. And what has happened to me as a result of having composed this manuscript has been absolutely incredible.

In my imagination, I have returned to that coffee shop two hundred and sixty times. I have opened my Bible, read a few verses to my friend, then he and I have had imaginary discussions as to what these verses might mean to us.

This edition of the NIV Dad’s Devotional Bible has been refreshed, since the origi-nal was published in 1999. So much has happened since then, and I wanted to have a chance to bring it up to date. With a brand-new updated NIV translation and my notes polished to a contemporary sheen, this Dad’s Bible is spanking new.

It’s been an unspeakable honor to have had a chance to spend many hours soaking in God’s Word and asking Him how this might make a difference in my life and in the lives of you and your children.

If you have a few minutes every morning, my friend and I would love to have you join us for coffee. We think it will be a great adventure.

HERE’S WHAT THE NIV DAD’S DEVOTIONAL BIBLE INCLUDES:

The New International Version of the BibleThis book contains the entire text of the Bible in the New International Version

(NIV). Acclaimed by many of the world’s leading Bible scholars and millions of satis-fied Bible readers, the NIV is now the most widely read modern-English translation in the world.

“

x IntroductIon

Daily InsightsThese two hundred and sixty daily readings are each linked to a particular Bible

text, and they have been written with one purpose: to bring God’s Word to life for you. In my years as an advertising copywriter, my greatest challenge was to answer the “so what” question. The Daily Insights are meant to help you understand what the truths of God’s Word really mean in the day-to-day challenges of being a man, a husband and a dad. They’re meant to help you understand the “so what.”

The Daily Insights can be read in sequence, Monday through Friday. At the bot-tom of each Insight, you will be directed to the next one.

Building Your ChildrenSeven special articles are placed throughout the text of this Bible to help you in

your role as a father. These articles reflect the main points of my book She Calls Me Daddy. In these articles I outline seven key things that a dad needs to exhibit and foster to build his child’s character: Protection, Conversation, Affection, Discipline, Laughter, Faith and Conduct. These subjects are discussed from a Biblical perspec-tive, and are linked to specific Bible texts. You can locate them by looking at this Bi-ble’s table of contents on page vi.

The Bible for DadsStarting on page 1411 you’ll find a helpful tool that will give you, as a dad, a bird’s-

eye view of every single one of the books of the Bible. The Bible for Dads drills down to the essence of how each Bible book speaks to your life as a dad. As you read through God’s Word, let these brief summaries guide your study. Then read the books them-selves — you’ll be changed forever.

Questions Kids AskAs a dad, you know that kids ask questions all the time, and the Questions Kids Ask

feature that starts on page 1429 will help you answer some of the more common and perhaps more complex questions that your kids will ask about their faith walk. The feature starts with a three-page topical index of questions your kids may ask about God, the Bible, Love, Sin and the like, then follows with a Genesis-to-Revelation, verse-tagged listing of these questions and their answers.

Fruit of the Spirit IndexStarting on page 1469 you’ll find an index that will help you locate and use the fea-

tures of this Bible. The Fruit of the Spirit Topical Index links each of the Daily Insights to one of the fruit of the Spirit, listed in the book of Galatians (5:22).

Welcome to the NIV Dad’s Devotional Bible. It is my sincere prayer that you will find inspiration, encouragement, challenge and even some laughter within its pages. May God’s remarkable grace be yours to enjoy.

Robert Wolgemuth Orlando, Florida

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[Joseph] kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him. Genesis 45:15

The most precious connection between human beings is the bridge of conversation. This is especially true between you and your children.

If you have small children, communication can be difficult. After all, you live in a world that’s foreign to your son or daughter. You’ve got pressure at work and are struggling to make ends meet. She’s got a dolly who scraped her knee. He’s got a truck that lost a wheel. So you’ll have to find some things to discuss and places to discuss them.

No problem. A good friend taught me a fathering lesson very early. “On the weekends, never go anywhere alone,” he told me. This simple advice had wonderful consequences. I took his advice, and when I ran errands on the weekends, I almost always took one or both of my kids along.

And as we would drive along, I’d ask them questions. “Look over there in that field. Have you ever seen so many cows? I wonder how many there are?” They’d look and start counting. Or we’d play games. “Between here and the store,” I’d say, “let’s count how many trucks we pass.” Or I’d try to make them imagine, “If you were an animal in the zoo, what animal would you like to be?” Early in our lives together, we built conversation bridges, a connection of words that inextricably bound us together.

Of course, this discussion assumes that neither you nor your children have electronic devices distracting you from these critical opportunities to com-municate. Question: when you’re with your kids, do you have specific times of the day when electronics need to be put away or turned off? Yes, I’m talking about yours as well. Dinnertime? An hour or two before bed? Please establish these times so that you can teach your children how to have a conversation.

Because our lives are so information intense, and because distraction and short attention spans rule the day, perhaps some basic conversational remind-ers are in order. In describing good conversation, Dr. James Dobson uses the helpful illustration of playing catch with a tennis ball. When you want to speak to your son, you throw him a question. When he answers, he’s throwing a response back. Once you’ve caught the response, you toss him another ques-tion. This is a good model to use as you teach your child how to carry on a conversation. Use role play and practice regularly. Teach your child to listen so he or she can ask a question that follows what you’ve just said.

Or try this strategy. Little children are famous for indecipherable draw-ings. When you see one, don’t cut off conversation with a quick, “That’s nice,

Conversation: just keep talkingB

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sweetie,” or “What is it?” Rather, extend this conversation by saying, “Tell me about your picture, Jennifer.” Jennifer will describe what she sees — which, of course, is all that matters. As she talks, listen carefully so you can say, “That’s so interesting that you colored that pony orange. Can you tell me why you chose that color?”

Can you hear that tennis ball bouncing back and forth? Your child is learning to speak, to accurately express her thoughts. And you’re learning to listen so you can catch a glimpse of who this little person really is. Keep it up. When your daughter comes home from high school after a ver-bal bout with one of her classmates, she will likely never talk to you about it unless, when she was small and the stakes were not quite as high, you taught her how.

Finally, make mealtime a priority. When I was a kid, holidays were filled with great dinner-table conversation. In looking back on those great feasts, I recall that my mother always did her best to add onto our primary dining room table. “Since we’re a family,” she’d say, “we’re going to all eat together at the big table. No ‘kids table’ in the other room.”

She was right. As children, my three brothers, two sisters and I learned the importance of conversation. We learned that the dinner table wasn’t a conveyor belt covered with food. We were taught that sitting down to a meal was an impor-tant time of conversation and listening.

Teach your kids to talk to you. Open conversation will be the lifeline that will keep your kids from emotionally hiding from you and your wife. It will allow you to learn who your children really are and will give you a vehicle to tell them about yourself. Teaching your children the art of conversation is especially critical now. Social networking and smartphones have supplanted the skills of good old-fash-ioned conversation. Commit that you will make your children stand out because they can actually speak. If you do, you will introduce them to a world of other adults who will honor them because of their ability to talk and listen. These skills will help them win friends, impress adults and even earn good jobs way ahead of their peers.

Teach your kids to talk to you. Open conversation

will be the lifeline that will keep your kids from emotionally hiding from

you and your wife.

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EN Protection: love stands guard

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Psalm 32:8

As a dad, you protect your children from dangers that come in many forms. When they’re very small, you may protect them from sharp knives or hot things in the kitchen. As they grow older, you may need

to protect them from the neighbor’s snarling dog. But when they become teenagers, the scenario changes a bit.

Coming home from work one evening, I noticed a shiny European coupe parked in front of our house. “Nice,” I remember whispering. “Very nice.”

Steven was a senior in high school. I had already suspected that he was interested in our daughter Julie because of his recent visits to our church. Julie was only a week short of her 16th birthday, and Steven knew the rules that Julie and I had agreed to: (1) No “single” dating until Julie turned 16, and (2) boys must be “interviewed” by me.

Steven was tall and handsome, a varsity basketball player with a physique to match. He followed me into my study where I invited him to sit in the chair across from my desk.

I asked Steven about the car out front. He told me that he had bought it last summer and had spent a lot of time fixing it up with his dad.

“Sounds like a special car,” I said. “Now, Steven, what would you have said if I had come to your house last night, knocked on the door, and asked you if I could borrow your car for the evening?”

Steven took no time to respond. “I’d have said, ‘No way.’ ”“Why?” I replied, acting as though his answer fascinated me.“Well, because I don’t know you. I don’t know how you drive. I don’t know

how you’d treat my car. I’m not sure I can trust you. That car’s important to me.” Steven’s narrowed eyes let me know he was very serious.

I leaned forward on my elbows, taking just a moment to make sure he was listening carefully. “That’s interesting, Steven,” I finally said. “I know exactly what you’re saying. Tonight you’ve come to my house and asked to take our daughter out for the evening. And before I let you do that, I want to find out who you are.” He understood.

We talked about what was important to him: his sports, his family, his favor-ite subjects in school, his plans for next year, and his faith. I told him a little about our family and assured him that he would always be welcome in our home. I told him that our daughter’s friends were our friends. He seemed

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appreciative. When we finished our conversation, we both stood up and shook hands.

“You know, Mr. Wolgemuth, if I have a 16-year-old daughter of my own someday, I’ll do what you did today.”

The story of my interviewing Steven is an example of fairly thorough emotional protection. I was exercising my right to keep Julie from being hurt by this older boy. I wasn’t angry; I didn’t threaten him. But I did, without a doubt, put him on notice: “Be careful with this girl. She belongs to a family who really loves her.”

“What if I have a son?” you might be asking. Good question. Although we didn’t have a son, I have made the following sug-gestion to friends of mine who have boys. It has been met with rave reviews. Suggest that your son volunteer for an interview with his date’s dad. He can lead the discussion as the suitor. The point is that once he is connected with the girl’s family, he will be more apt to consider himself accountable to that family. This will protect both your son and his date.

Protecting your children is your right and your privilege, but there’s no need to be overbearing about it. In fact, you can actually have fun with it. It’s going to take some of your time, but that’s okay. Your kids are worth it.

I did, without a doubt, put him on notice: “Be

careful with this girl. She belongs to a family who

really loves her.”

Matthew

The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah

1 This is the ge ne al o gy a of Jesus the Mes­si ah b the son of Da vid, the son of Abra­

ham:

2 Abra ham was the fa ther of Isaac, Isaac the fa ther of Ja cob, Ja cob the fa ther of Ju dah and his

broth ers, 3 Ju dah the fa ther of Pe rez and Ze rah,

whose moth er was Ta mar, Pe rez the fa ther of Hez ron, Hez ron the fa ther of Ram, 4 Ram the fa ther of Am min a dab, Am min a dab the fa ther of Nah shon, Nah shon the fa ther of Sal mon, 5 Sal mon the fa ther of Boaz, whose

moth er was Ra hab, Boaz the fa ther of Obed, whose

moth er was Ruth, Obed the fa ther of Jes se, 6 and Jes se the fa ther of King Da vid.

Da vid was the fa ther of Sol o mon, whose moth er had been Uri ah’s wife,

7 Sol o mon the fa ther of Re ho bo am, Re ho bo am the fa ther of Abi jah, Abi jah the fa ther of Asa, 8 Asa the fa ther of Je hosh a phat, Je hosh a phat the fa ther of Je ho ram, Je ho ram the fa ther of Uz zi ah, 9 Uz zi ah the fa ther of Jo tham, Jo tham the fa ther of Ahaz, Ahaz the fa ther of Hez e ki ah, 10 Hez e ki ah the fa ther of Ma nas seh, Ma nas seh the fa ther of Amon, Amon the fa ther of Jo si ah, 11 and Jo si ah the fa ther of Jec o ni ah c

and his broth ers at the time of the ex ile to Bab ylon.

12 Af ter the ex ile to Bab ylon: Jec o ni ah was the fa ther of She al ti el, She al ti el the fa ther of Ze rub ba bel,

13 Ze rub ba bel the fa ther of Abi hud, Abi hud the fa ther of Eli a kim, Eli a kim the fa ther of Azor, 14 Azor the fa ther of Za dok, Za dok the fa ther of Akim, Akim the fa ther of Eli hud, 15 Eli hud the fa ther of El e a zar, El e a zar the fa ther of Mat than, Mat than the fa ther of Ja cob, 16 and Ja cob the fa ther of Jo seph, the

hus band of Mary, and Mary was the moth er of Jesus who is called the Mes si ah.

17 Thus there were four teen gen er a tions in all from Abra ham to Da vid, four teen from Da vid to the ex ile to Bab ylon, and four teen from the ex ile to the Mes si ah.

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Mes si ah

came about d: His moth er Mary was pledged to be mar ried to Jo seph, but be fore they came to geth er, she was found to be preg nant through the Holy Spir it. 19 Be cause Jo seph her hus band was faith ful to the law, and yet e did not want to ex pose her to pub lic dis grace, he had in mind to di vorce her qui et ly.

20 But af ter he had con sid ered this, an an­gel of the Lord ap peared to him in a dream and said, “Jo seph son of Da vid, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, be­cause what is con ceived in her is from the Holy Spir it. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, f be cause he will save his peo ple from their sins.”

22 All this took place to ful fill what the Lord had said through the proph et: 23 “The vir gin will con ceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Im man u el” g (which means “God with us”).

24 When Jo seph woke up, he did what the

a 1 Or is an account of the origin b 1 Or Jesus Christ. Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) both mean Anointed One; also in verse 18. c 11 That is, Jehoiachin; also in verse 12 d 18 Or The origin of Jesus the Messiah was like this e 19 Or was a righteous man and f 21 Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the Lord saves. g 23 Isaiah 7:14

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M O N D A Y

PassagefortheDay VersefortheDay MATTHEW 1:1,2,16 – 17 MATTHEW 1:1

Are you in here?

No one wants to be called a “late bloomer.” But in high school, that was me. Given my smaller stat-ure compared to other boys, these four years were a lot of work. Thankfully, there was something in my hereditary constitution that did not allow me to simply give up. I tried out for several sports,

and even though my name never made the final list posted on the coach’s door, I kept trying. It seemed to me that I could make up for my small stature and inexperience by hustling just a little more than the other boys.

Although I never made a varsity squad in high school, I did finish my pre-college career with some of my dignity intact. I had made many wonderful friends, was involved performing in the school’s talent show and participating in several other enjoyable clubs and organizations. At least, I remember thinking, I’ll have a good list of activities next to my name in my senior yearbook.

The day we received our yearbooks was a day I’ll never forget. I had just been handed my copy of the 1965 Whea-ton Community High School Ilium, and I quickly scanned the senior pages. And there, right between the pictures of Dennis Wiss and Ann Woodward, where I had found myself lined up in every study hall for four years was . . . nothing. I looked again, quickly turning the adjacent pages to see if, perhaps, I had been listed out of sequence. Again I found nothing. My heart stopped.

Filled with terror, I turned to find someone to tell. Standing five feet from me was Meredith Poe, my friend and our yearbook editor. “I’m not in here,” I said to Meredith. “You completely missed me.” Quickly thumbing through her own, she confirmed my assertion. “I’m so sorry,” she finally said to me, her face turning ashen, “Oh, no . . . uh . . . I’m so . . . so sorry,” she repeated, turned and walked away.

The genealogies in Matthew are about as stem-winding as reading the names of students in a yearbook; unless you’re looking for your own name. Then it’s an adventure to search and a victory to find. Unless, of course, your name is inadvertently missed. Then it’s a heartbreak.

Matthew’s list of the Messiah’s ancestors starts with Abraham and stops with Jesus’ name, “the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham” (verse 1). What you may not know is that from the birth of Jesus, this list actually continues. Of course, this extended genealogy is not found in the Bible. It is, however, listed in what the apostle John calls, “The Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 13:8). This “yearbook” we hear about in the book of Revelation does not have anything to do with ancestral lineage or bloodline.

The names recorded in the Lamb’s book, the most important yearbook in the history of eternity, are there because of a different kind of “bloodline”: the sacrificial blood of Jesus. Those who show up in this book are not there by birth: they are all adopted into God’s family. That list of grandfathers and grandchildren will also end with Jesus Christ.

Matthew and the other gospel writers tell the story of how to get on this list. If you miss this one, it won’t be Meredith Poe’s fault.

The day we received our yearbooks was a day

I’ll never forget.

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T U E S D A Y

PassagefortheDay VersefortheDay MATTHEW 1:18 – 25 MATTHEW 1:24

Redford, Joseph and God’s Son

I’ll never forget Redford, partly because his was such an unusual first name, but mostly because of his story.

One of Redford’s closest friends in the small North Dakota town where he grew up fell in love with the cutest girl in school. Emily was everything a red-blooded teenage boy could have hoped for: happy, energetic, talkative, beautiful . . . and willing. Late one night, Redford’s friend called him. “She’s pregnant,” he said, his voice bursting through the phone lines. “What am I going to do?”

“What does Emily want to do?” Redford asked.“Go away, have the baby, put it up for adoption and then come back,” Redford’s friend replied. “She’s not

putting any pressure on me to marry her, so I think this is a good plan.” Redford just listened.Emily quietly disappeared. Life in rural North Dakota returned to normal, quite unimpeded by the predict-

able questions and soft whispers.Redford graduated from the local high school, then attended the county’s junior college, just a few miles

east on Interstate 94. After receiving his associate’s degree, Redford took a job with a local merchant.Two years later, an afternoon Greyhound bus brought Emily home. The locals were shocked to see her back,

especially with three children in tow. In one hand she held the hand of a five-year-old boy with familiar blond hair and blue eyes, recognizable gifts from his well-known daddy. In the other hand was the hand of a striking, dark-skinned girl. She looked to be about three. And strapped to Emily’s chest in one of those canvas slings was a newborn. The town’s cheerleader-turned-woman-of-the-world had come home. And everyone knew that each of these children was hers.

When Redford heard the news, he immediately looked for Emily. Her parents had mercifully invited her to live with them, and their living room is where he found her, feeding her baby. Kneeling on the floor beside Emily, Redford tenderly put his arms around his old friend. “I’m so glad to see you,” he said, his arms embracing both the girl and her tiny baby. “Welcome home.”

In the weeks that followed, Redford renewed the friendship with his high-school best-friend’s girl. He visited Emily and her children regularly, offering to help however he could. In what seemed like no time at all, he was hopelessly in love. In six months they were married and today, Redford, Emily and their little eclectic family live in a frame house, just inside the city limits of the same North Dakota town.

Joseph was faced with the dilemma of a lifetime. Mary, his precious fiancée, was pregnant. Incredibly, she claimed to still be a virgin. A virgin? he must have muttered to himself, I wasn’t born yesterday. But in a dream, God told Joseph to take Mary as his wife. “This child is from the Holy Spirit,” God told him, “and this baby’s going to save his people from their sins.” So in a quiet ceremony, Joseph married Mary, tenderly taking her into his home.

Two thousand years later, Jesus Christ, Joseph and Mary’s boy, would be faced with a dilemma. You and I, his wayward and unfaithful boys, need a home. God’s loving embrace is the best news we could ever receive.

Thanks, Redford, for your mercy. Thanks, Joseph, for your faithfulness. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for your grace.

1030 1030Matthew 3:4 Matthew 1:25

you, for Her od is go ing to search for the child to kill him.”

14 So he got up, took the child and his moth er dur ing the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed un til the death of Her od. And so was ful filled what the Lord had said through the proph et: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” c

16 When Her od re al ized that he had been out wit ted by the Magi, he was fu ri ous, and he gave or ders to kill all the boys in Beth le­hem and its vi cin i ty who were two years old and un der, in ac cor dance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the proph et Jer e mi ah was ful­filled:

18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” d

The Return to Nazareth19 Af ter Her od died, an an gel of the Lord

ap peared in a dream to Jo seph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his moth er and go to the land of Is ra el, for those who were try ing to take the child’s life are dead.”

21 So he got up, took the child and his moth er and went to the land of Is ra el. 22 But when he heard that Ar che la us was reign­ing in Ju dea in place of his fa ther Her od, he was afraid to go there. Hav ing been warned in a dream, he with drew to the dis trict of Gal i lee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Naz a reth. So was ful filled what was said through the proph ets, that he would be called a Naz a rene.

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

3 In those days John the Bap tist came, preach ing in the wil der ness of Ju dea

2 and say ing, “Re pent, for the king dom of heav en has come near.” 3 This is he who was spo ken of through the proph et Isa iah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ” e

4 John’s clothes were made of cam el’s hair, and he had a leath er belt around his waist.

an gel of the Lord had com mand ed him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not con sum mate their mar riage un til she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

The Magi Visit the Messiah

2 Af ter Jesus was born in Beth le hem in Ju dea, dur ing the time of King Her od,

Magi a from the east came to Je ru sa lem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to wor ship him.”

3 When King Her od heard this he was dis­turbed, and all Je ru sa lem with him. 4 When he had called to geth er all the peo ple’s chief priests and teach ers of the law, he asked them where the Mes si ah was to be born. 5 “In Beth le hem in Ju dea,” they re plied, “for this is what the proph et has writ ten:

6 “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ b ”

7 Then Her od called the Magi se cret ly and found out from them the ex act time the star had ap peared. 8 He sent them to Beth le hem and said, “Go and search care ful ly for the child. As soon as you find him, re port to me, so that I too may go and wor ship him.”

9 Af ter they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them un til it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were over­joyed. 11 On com ing to the house, they saw the child with his moth er Mary, and they bowed down and wor shiped him. Then they opened their trea sures and pre sent ed him with gifts of gold, frank in cense and myrrh. 12 And hav ing been warned in a dream not to go back to Her od, they re turned to their coun try by an oth er route.

The Escape to Egypt13 When they had gone, an an gel of the

Lord ap peared to Jo seph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his moth­er and es cape to Egypt. Stay there un til I tell

a 1 Traditionally wise men b 6 Micah 5:2,4 c 15 Hosea 11:1 d 18 Jer. 31:15 e 3 Isaiah 40:3

10311031 Matthew 4:19 Matthew 3:5

not live on bread alone, but on ev ery word that comes from the mouth of God.’ c ”

5 Then the dev il took him to the holy city and had him stand on the high est point of the tem ple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw your self down. For it is writ ten:

“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,

and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot

against a stone.’ d ”

7 Jesus an swered him, “It is also writ ten: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ e ”

8 Again, the dev il took him to a very high moun tain and showed him all the king doms of the world and their splen dor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and wor ship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Sa tan! For it is writ ten: ‘Wor ship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ f ”

11 Then the dev il left him, and an gels came and at tend ed him.

Jesus Begins to Preach12 When Jesus heard that John had been

put in pris on, he with drew to Gal i lee. 13 Leav ing Naz a reth, he went and lived in Ca­per na um, which was by the lake in the area of Zeb u lun and Naph ta li — 14 to ful fill what was said through the proph et Isa iah:

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — 16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow

of death a light has dawned.” g

17 From that time on Jesus be gan to preach, “Re pent, for the king dom of heav en has come near.”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples18 As Jesus was walk ing be side the Sea of

Gal i lee, he saw two broth ers, Si mon called Pe ter and his broth er An drew. They were cast ing a net into the lake, for they were fish­er men. 19 “Come, fol low me,” Jesus said, “and

His food was lo custs and wild hon ey. 5 Peo­ple went out to him from Je ru sa lem and all Ju dea and the whole re gion of the Jor dan. 6 Con fess ing their sins, they were bap tized by him in the Jor dan Riv er.

7 But when he saw many of the Phar i sees and Sad du cees com ing to where he was bap­tiz ing, he said to them: “You brood of vi pers! Who warned you to flee from the com ing wrath? 8 Pro duce fruit in keep ing with re­pen tance. 9 And do not think you can say to your selves, ‘We have Abra ham as our fa­ther.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up chil dren for Abra ham. 10 The ax is al ready at the root of the trees, and ev ery tree that does not pro duce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 “I bap tize you with a wa ter for re pen­tance. But af ter me comes one who is more pow er ful than I, whose san dals I am not wor thy to car ry. He will bap tize you with a the Holy Spir it and fire. 12 His win now­ing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his thresh ing f loor, gath er ing his wheat into the barn and burn ing up the chaff with un­quench able fire.”

The Baptism of Jesus13 Then Jesus came from Gal i lee to the Jor­

dan to be bap tized by John. 14 But John tried to de ter him, say ing, “I need to be bap tized by you, and do you come to me?”

15 Jesus re plied, “Let it be so now; it is prop er for us to do this to ful fill all righ­teous ness.” Then John con sent ed.

16 As soon as Jesus was bap tized, he went up out of the wa ter. At that mo ment heav en was opened, and he saw the Spir it of God de scend ing like a dove and alight ing on him. 17 And a voice from heav en said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness

4 Then Jesus was led by the Spir it into the wil der ness to be tempt ed b by the dev il.

2 Af ter fast ing for ty days and for ty nights, he was hun gry. 3 The tempt er came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to be come bread.”

4 Jesus an swered, “It is writ ten: ‘Man shall

a 11 Or in b 1 The Greek for tempted can also mean tested. c 4 Deut. 8:3 d 6 Psalm 91:11,12 e 7 Deut. 6:16 f 10 Deut. 6:13 g 16 Isaiah 9:1,2

1032 1032Matthew 5:22 Matthew 4:20

11 “Blessed are you when peo ple in sult you, per se cute you and false ly say all kinds of evil against you be cause of me. 12 Re joice and be glad, be cause great is your re ward in heav en, for in the same way they per se cut ed the proph ets who were be fore you.

Salt and Light13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the

salt los es its salt i ness, how can it be made salty again? It is no lon ger good for any thing, ex cept to be thrown out and tram pled un­der foot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill can not be hid den. 15 Nei ther do peo ple light a lamp and put it un der a bowl. In stead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to ev ery one in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine be fore oth ers, that they may see your good deeds and glo ri fy your Fa ther in heav en.

The Fulfillment of the Law17 “Do not think that I have come to abol ish

the Law or the Proph ets; I have not come to abol ish them but to ful fill them. 18 For tru ly I tell you, un til heav en and earth dis ap pear, not the small est let ter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means dis ap pear from the Law un til ev ery thing is ac com plished. 19 There fore any one who sets aside one of the least of these com mands and teach es oth ers ac cord ing ly will be called least in the king dom of heav en, but who ev er prac tic es and teach es these com mands will be called great in the king dom of heav en. 20 For I tell you that un less your righ teous ness sur pass­es that of the Phar i sees and the teach ers of the law, you will cer tain ly not en ter the king­dom of heav en.

Murder21 “You have heard that it was said to the

peo ple long ago, ‘You shall not mur der, b and any one who mur ders will be sub ject to judg­ment.’ 22 But I tell you that any one who is an­gry with a broth er or sis ter c , d will be sub ject to judg ment. Again, any one who says to a broth er or sis ter, ‘Raca,’ e is an swer able to the court. And any one who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in dan ger of the fire of hell.

I will send you out to fish for peo ple.” 20 At once they left their nets and fol lowed him.

21 Go ing on from there, he saw two oth­er broth ers, James son of Zeb e dee and his broth er John. They were in a boat with their fa ther Zeb e dee, pre par ing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and im me di ate ly they left the boat and their fa ther and fol lowed him.

Jesus Heals the Sick23 Jesus went through out Gal i lee, teach ing

in their syn a gogues, pro claim ing the good news of the king dom, and heal ing ev ery dis­ease and sick ness among the peo ple. 24 News about him spread all over Syr ia, and peo ple brought to him all who were ill with var i ous dis eas es, those suf fer ing se vere pain, the de­mon­pos sessed, those hav ing sei zures, and the par a lyzed; and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Gal i lee, the De cap o lis, a Je ru sa­lem, Ju dea and the re gion across the Jor dan fol lowed him.

Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount

5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a moun tain side and sat

down. His dis ci ples came to him, 2 and he be gan to teach them.

The BeatitudesHe said:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst

for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted

because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

a 25 That is, the Ten Cities b 21 Exodus 20:13 c 22 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or woman; also in verse 23. d 22 Some manuscripts brother or sister without cause e 22 An Aramaic term of contempt

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W E D N E S D A Y

PassagefortheDay VersefortheDay MATTHEW 5:21 – 25,33 – 37 MATTHEW 5:37

Ready, aim, speak

Taylor University, my college alma mater, had a dinnertime custom for many years. Folklore had it that, over the years, many women had transferred to other schools because of this tradition.

Every weekday, at exactly 6:00 p.m., the doors of the dining hall would open, but only for the women. The ladies would stream in, filling every other seat at the round, eight-person tables. They made this processional to the strains of an ancient upright piano in the corner, played, of course, by a music major.

Once the dining hall was exactly half-filled, the men were released, set free to prowl the tables, looking for somewhere to sit. In selecting the chair they wanted, they were also choosing where they didn’t want to spend their dinner hour. Now you know why the women hated this practice!

Women students waited on tables, which were served family style. I’m sure a homey atmosphere with pleasant conversation is what the well-intentioned founders of the tradition had wanted to create. And most of the time, the family thing worked pretty well. Most of the time.

One dinner in the spring of my freshman year, I was sitting with seven of my classmates — three other men and four women. We were engaged in the usual college chatter when someone mentioned the breakup of one of Taylor’s “fixture” couples. He was a sophomore; she was a freshman — one of our own.

All the side conversations at the table stopped immediately. Everyone wanted to hear about the big breakup. We weren’t being hateful, mind you, just “fully informed.” One of the women gave the report that it was Paula’s decision to break off the relationship. “Irreconcilable differences,” she said. “Paula loved Michael, but there was just no future in it.”

“That’s not what I heard,” I announced, holding a virtual court, my voice raised to an unnecessary level. “I heard that Michael really let her have it. He really hadn’t liked her all that much and just told her so. He broke her heart, but . . . oh, well, these things happen.” I was a veritable fountain of gossip that evening, and everyone was listening.

When I finished my thorough report, I took a breath and looked up into the faces of my classmates. They were ashen, gazing at me in disbelief. The men in particular looked sick. As I looked more closely, I discovered that they weren’t actually looking at me. They were looking at — you guessed it, our waitress.

I jerked around in my chair to see who had captured their attention. It was Paula. I will remember that moment for the rest of my life — what it felt like to be sitting there, trapped in the crossfire of my friend’s pain and the disbelieving stares of my tablemates. I don’t recall ever, before or since, feeling such embarrass-ment, such shame.

Words have unbelievable power. Clustered together well, they can restore and renew your family. They can lift your children’s hearts and heal their spirits. Words can refresh a child’s self-confidence, but words can also cause incredible pain. And once spoken, they can never be unsaid.

Jesus was reminding his followers of the remarkable strength of spoken words. He was telling them that mouths are like loaded guns, and words are like the deadly bullets that fly from them.

Protect your children from sniper fire — from each other and from you. The life you save may be your own.

1034 1034Matthew 6:6 Matthew 5:23

Eye for Eye38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for

eye, and tooth for tooth.’ d 39 But I tell you, do not re sist an evil per son. If any one slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the oth er cheek also. 40 And if any one wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If any one forc es you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to bor row from you.

Love for Enemies43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love

your neigh bor e and hate your en e my.’ 44 But I tell you, love your en e mies and pray for those who per se cute you, 45 that you may be chil dren of your Fa ther in heav en. He caus es his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righ teous and the un righ­teous. 46 If you love those who love you, what re ward will you get? Are not even the tax col­lec tors do ing that? 47 And if you greet only your own peo ple, what are you do ing more than oth ers? Do not even pa gans do that? 48 Be per fect, there fore, as your heav en ly Fa­ther is per fect.

Giving to the Needy

6 “Be care ful not to prac tice your righ­teous ness in front of oth ers to be seen

by them. If you do, you will have no re ward from your Fa ther in heav en.

2 “So when you give to the needy, do not an nounce it with trum pets, as the hyp­o crites do in the syn a gogues and on the streets, to be hon ored by oth ers. Tru ly I tell you, they have re ceived their re ward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is do ing, 4 so that your giv ing may be in se cret. Then your Fa ther, who sees what is done in se cret, will re ward you.

Prayer5 “And when you pray, do not be like the

hyp o crites, for they love to pray stand ing in the syn a gogues and on the street cor ners to be seen by oth ers. Tru ly I tell you, they have re ceived their re ward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and

23 “There fore, if you are of fer ing your gift at the al tar and there re mem ber that your broth er or sis ter has some thing against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the al tar. First go and be rec on ciled to them; then come and of fer your gift.

25 “Set tle mat ters quick ly with your ad ver­sary who is tak ing you to court. Do it while you are still to geth er on the way, or your ad­ver sary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the of fi cer, and you may be thrown into pris on. 26 Tru ly I tell you, you will not get out un til you have paid the last pen ny.

Adultery27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You

shall not com mit adul tery.’ a 28 But I tell you that any one who looks at a wom an lust ful­ly has al ready com mit ted adul tery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye caus es you to stum ble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is bet ter for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand caus es you to stum ble, cut it off and throw it away. It is bet­ter for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Divorce31 “It has been said, ‘Any one who di vorc­

es his wife must give her a cer tif i cate of di­vorce.’ b 32 But I tell you that any one who di vorc es his wife, ex cept for sex u al im mo­ral i ty, makes her the vic tim of adul tery, and any one who mar ries a di vorced wom an com mits adul tery.

Oaths33 “Again, you have heard that it was said

to the peo ple long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but ful fill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: ei ther by heav en, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his foot stool; or by Je ru sa lem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you can not make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is sim ply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; any thing be yond this comes from the evil one. c

a 27 Exodus 20:14 b 31 Deut. 24:1 c 37 Or from evil d 38 Exodus 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21 e43 Lev. 19:18

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T H U R S D A Y

PassagefortheDay VersesfortheDay MATTHEW 6:5 – 13 MATTHEW 6:7 – 8

Show us how to pray

Several years ago, our older daughter was teaching fifth grade at a Christian school in North Carolina. Classes would begin each day with an open prayer time. Missy asked each student for requests, and then she would invite anyone to be a part of the experience — to pray out loud.

One morning, a boy began praying for his dog. “Dear God,” he began, “please bless Rascal today.” Missy held her breath. “Please help him to be obedient to my mom while I’m here at school. And please help him not to run out into the busy street in front of our house.” Fortunately, the boy didn’t give God his home address. Unfortunately, he wasn’t quite finished. “And Lord, please help Rascal to get rid of his nasty ringworm.”

Missy silently gasped . . . but none of the children laughed. No one even made a sound. Of course, the chil-dren were silently saying, praying for Rascal’s ringworm seems perfectly reasonable to us.

When Missy told me this story I remember thinking how good it is that children are so comfortable with God that they can bring their most important concerns boldly into His holy throne room.

When it comes to prayer — either on their own or with their children — many dads are stymied. “I am comfortable asking God to bless our food,” they tell me. “But beyond that, I’m kind of lost.”

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus gave us a wonderful pat-tern to follow when we pray, either alone or kneeling with our kids before bedtime.

Praise and thank you’s. When you pray, always begin by thanking God for his goodness. If your child is young when you start this, you’re going to hear your Heavenly Father get thanked for a whole lot of interesting things: birds, bicycles, Grandma, a new box of Cap’n Crunch cereal. That’s okay, let it roll. You’re helping your children to remember that everything they have — including life itself — is a precious gift from God’s hand.

Please forgive me’s. You probably won’t have too much difficulty with this, since most children have a great deal of sensitivity about their own shortcomings. But it’s still important that you help them identify specific “forgive me’s.” “Forgive me for not sharing my toys with Jennifer,” when she’s three will translate to seeking God’s grace when life gets a lot more complex and dangerous.

Requests. Like their lists of “thank you’s,” this might be a long one: “Bless Uncle Fred and Aunt Blanche, bless my trucks (or my dolls), bless my mom and my dad (‘Amen’ to that), please help us have a sunny day for the picnic tomorrow.” Again, it’s okay. Let this happen. Your child is learning that the Sovereign Lord of the universe is a God of blessing — of good and perfect gifts.

And finally . . . close the prayer with one more statement of “thank you” — one more expression of gratitude.There you have it — a bird’s-eye view of the Lord’s Prayer. Take the opportunity to actually teach this. If it

means having your child repeat phrases after you, that’s fine. In no time, you and your child will get the hang of it.Think of it. You are ushering your family into the presence of a holy God. You’re teaching them how to speak

to Him, knowing He’s eager to listen. This is a very good thing.

You’re going to hear your Heavenly Father get

thanked for a whole lot of interesting things.

1036 1036Matthew 7:5 Matthew 6:7

then the light with in you is dark ness, how great is that dark ness!

24 “No one can serve two mas ters. Ei ther you will hate the one and love the oth er, or you will be de vot ed to the one and de spise the oth er. You can not serve both God and mon ey.

Do Not Worry25 “There fore I tell you, do not wor ry about

your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heav en ly Fa ther feeds them. Are you not much more valu able than they? 27 Can any one of you by wor ry ing add a sin­gle hour to your life e ?

28 “And why do you wor ry about clothes? See how the flow ers of the field grow. They do not la bor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Sol o mon in all his splen dor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here to day and to mor row is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you — you of lit tle faith? 31 So do not wor ry, say ing, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pa gans run af ter all these things, and your heav en ly Fa­ther knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his king dom and his righ teous ness, and all these things will be giv en to you as well. 34 There fore do not wor ry about to mor row, for to mor row will wor ry about it self. Each day has enough trou ble of its own.

Judging Others

7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge oth ers,

you will be judged, and with the mea sure you use, it will be mea sured to you.

3 “Why do you look at the speck of saw dust in your broth er’s eye and pay no at ten tion to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your broth er, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hyp o crite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then

pray to your Fa ther, who is un seen. Then your Fa ther, who sees what is done in se cret, will re ward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on bab bling like pa gans, for they think they will be heard be cause of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Fa ther knows what you need be fore you ask him.

9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, a

but deliver us from the evil one. b ’

14 For if you for give oth er peo ple when they sin against you, your heav en ly Fa ther will also for give you. 15 But if you do not for give oth ers their sins, your Fa ther will not for give your sins.

Fasting16 “When you fast, do not look som ber as

the hyp o crites do, for they dis fig ure their fac es to show oth ers they are fast ing. Tru ly I tell you, they have re ceived their re ward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be ob vi ous to oth ers that you are fast ing, but only to your Fa ther, who is un seen; and your Fa ther, who sees what is done in se cret, will re ward you.

Treasures in Heaven19 “Do not store up for your selves trea sures

on earth, where moths and ver min de stroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for your selves trea sures in heav en, where moths and ver min do not de stroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your trea sure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, c your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are un healthy, d your whole body will be full of dark ness. If

a 13 The Greek for temptation can also mean testing. b 13 Or from evil ; some late manuscripts one, / for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. c 22 The Greek for healthy here implies generous. d 23 The Greek for unhealthy here implies stingy. e 27 Or single cubit to your height

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F R I D A Y

PassagefortheDay VersefortheDay MATTHEW 6:25 – 33 MATTHEW 6:33

We invest in our children

Under normal circumstances, panel discussions are about as spellbinding to me as watching my bran flakes soak up skim milk. But this one was an exception.

Bobbie and I were attending a Christian conference sponsored by one of our favorite minis-tries. The experts at the dais were advising us about how to invest our capital in such a way as to allow for tax-sheltered security, provide for retirement, and create ways for funds to be available for charitable work when we’re gone.

One of the men on the panel had lived his whole life in Eastern Europe under communist domination. I was actually feeling like he was out of place in this session. I had figured that Peter and his family had never been challenged with questions about 401k’s and IRAs. He sat silently at his microphone for the first 30 minutes of the discussion.

Then the moderator asked the inevitable question to this silent participant, “So, Peter, what do you think about all of this?”

Peter cleared his throat, nervously sat up straight, and slid the microphone closer. He stared at the audience for just a moment, creating serious uncertainty for everyone. “Well,” he finally said in his deep English-is-my-second-language accent, “we don’t have retirement plans where I come from.” He paused. We were frozen in our seats — no one even blinked. Peter slid the microphone even closer.

“We don’t have investment plans,” Peter continued. “We have families.”Although the session continued for another half hour, I didn’t hear any more. I cannot tell you anything that

anyone said from that moment on. I made no additional notes on my yellow legal pad.Long before there were stockbrokers and no-load mutual funds, centuries prior to retirement plans and

investment counselors, men and women had children. They raised these children with lavish love and unwav-ering discipline. The children grew up and their parents grew old. When dad and mom got so feeble that they could no longer support themselves, the family took over. So much mutual respect had been poured into this setting that no one even noticed that taking care of these elderly parents was hard work. “After all,” the children would say, “they cared for us when we couldn’t care for ourselves.”

“I wonder what it would do to families everywhere,” I said to my wife later that day, “if parents knew that in their old age they would be completely dependent on their children. How differently would we treat our responsibility in raising them if we knew that they’d use these learned skills to care for us when we were unable to care for ourselves?”

I came home from the conference a bit of a different dad. Of course, I didn’t fire my financial advisor or cash in my portfolio, but I did look in a new way at the investment I was making in my children. What if, I remember thinking, my personal long-term security was only a dividend of my investment in my family now? What if I had no other collateral than this?

I still have no idea why the conference planner put Peter on the stand that day — unless God did it to seri-ously interrupt my life. Yes, maybe that was the reason.

1038 1038Matthew 8:9Matthew 7:6

mons and in your name per form many mir a­cles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plain ly, ‘I nev er knew you. Away from me, you evil do ers!’

The Wise and Foolish Builders24 “There fore ev ery one who hears these

words of mine and puts them into prac tice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, be cause it had its foun da tion on the rock. 26 But ev ery one who hears these words of mine and does not put them into prac tice is like a fool ish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

28 When Jesus had fin ished say ing these things, the crowds were amazed at his teach­ing, 29 be cause he taught as one who had au­thor i ty, and not as their teach ers of the law.

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy

8 When Jesus came down from the moun­tain side, large crowds fol lowed him. 2 A

man with lep ro sy a came and knelt be fore him and said, “Lord, if you are will ing, you can make me clean.”

3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am will ing,” he said. “Be clean!” Im me di ate ly he was cleansed of his lep ro sy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell any one. But go, show your self to the priest and of fer the gift Mo ses com mand ed, as a tes ti mo ny to them.”

The Faith of the Centurion5 When Jesus had en tered Ca per na um,

a cen tu ri on came to him, ask ing for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my ser vant lies at home par a lyzed, suf fer ing ter ri bly.”

7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

8 The cen tu ri on re plied, “Lord, I do not de­serve to have you come un der my roof. But just say the word, and my ser vant will be healed. 9 For I my self am a man un der au­thor i ty, with sol diers un der me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my ser vant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

you will see clear ly to re move the speck from your broth er’s eye.

6 “Do not give dogs what is sa cred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may tram ple them un der their feet, and turn and tear you to piec es.

Ask, Seek, Knock7 “Ask and it will be giv en to you; seek and

you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For ev ery one who asks re­ceives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your chil dren, how much more will your Fa ther in heav en give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in ev ery thing, do to oth ers what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Proph ets.

The Narrow and Wide Gates13 “En ter through the nar row gate. For

wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to de struc tion, and many en ter through it. 14 But small is the gate and nar­row the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

True and False Prophets15 “Watch out for false proph ets. They

come to you in sheep’s cloth ing, but in ward­ly they are fe ro cious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will rec og nize them. Do peo ple pick grapes from thorn bush es, or figs from this­tles? 17 Like wise, ev ery good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree can not bear bad fruit, and a bad tree can not bear good fruit. 19 Ev ery tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will rec og nize them.

True and False Disciples21 “Not ev ery one who says to me, ‘Lord,

Lord,’ will en ter the king dom of heav en, but only the one who does the will of my Fa ther who is in heav en. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not proph e sy in your name and in your name drive out de­

a 2 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.

The Bible for DadsWelcome to the Bible for Dads. These book introductions are designed to bring you straight to what matters most in each Bible book. As you read these brief introductions, please be on the lookout for books that apply specifically to your situation . . . and then go and read that book. Many of them take only a few minutes to read, and some will be a few hours, but they’re all worth the investment of your time.

God Himself is a Father who has a lot to say to you today. He wants to speak to your head and to your heart. And be encouraged: you’re not alone.

THE OLD TESTAMENT

GenesisWelcome to the world of the patriarchs — men whose names are indelibly chiseled on the marbled walls of history: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. Two things can be said about these men: First, they were ordinary. Read on; you’ll see. Sec-ond, they had no idea that people would be talking about them three millennia after their deaths.

These common men did what dads have been doing since time began. They found work to do, got married and had children. And although this may be hard to compre-hend, you are a patriarch, too. Many years from now, your name will be familiar to a long line of offspring. They’ll remember your gifts and your f laws, your successes and your failures. This is amazing . . . and it’s true. Genesis provides some clues about how to prepare for this kind of legacy.

ExodusMoses tried to convince Pharaoh to release the millions of Jews being held captive in his country. But Pharaoh was no fool. Why would he knowingly give up the cheap labor these slaves provided for his booming econ-omy? So Pharaoh refused. Unfortunately for the Egyptians, letting the Israelites go wasn’t just Moses’ idea; it was also God’s idea.

The book of Exodus is about discovering what it means to hear and to obey your heav-enly Father. Listening to God often has a lot to do with moving in faith away from famil-iar surroundings and into strange new terri-tory. This is what Moses did with his people. Or it may mean being faithful right where you are. In either case, the stories in Exodus ought to make one lesson clear to you and to dads everywhere: When it comes time to make a decision, a man can either obey God or plan on paying a handsome penalty.

LeviticusWe don’t know very much about how the Israelites worshiped God during their cap-tivity in Egypt, but it’s safe to say that after living in a foreign land for generations, they had probably slipped into some bad spiritual habits. The book of Leviticus describes how God, through Moses, got these people back on track in their relationship with Him. And, although some of the particulars listed here may seem strange, the message of this book ought to be clear: God takes our relationship with Him very seriously. He’s not pleased when we saunter through church every couple of weeks and casually tip our hats to Him. He’s the Sovereign Lord of the Uni-verse, and He deserves our humble worship.

Moving out of Egypt was no excuse for the Israelites to get sloppy with their spiritual discipline. For the Jews, there was no post-ponement of regular religious rituals. There are really no excuses for us either.

Numbers“Follow the Leader” may be the name of a child’s game, but for the Israelites, it was se-rious business. These people — a couple of million of them — were stuck between cap-tivity in Egypt and new life in the promised land. For 40 years they lived from day to day, not knowing where they were going. They felt lost, they acted lost, they grumbled and complained as if they were lost . . . but they weren’t lost.

God knew exactly where the Jews were.

1412 The BiBle for DaDs

He knew why they were there, how long they were going to be there, and where they were going. God even provided a huge cloud for them to follow during the day and a fireball to follow for late-night trips.

Following God every day in spite of feel-ing completely lost is the story of the book of Numbers. It was also what Jesus, God’s precious Son, told His disciples — and us as well — to do. “Follow me,” Jesus said. And since many dads would rather not take time to stop and ask for directions anyway, this is good news.

DeuteronomyLife would be so much easier without rules. We could drive as fast as we wanted, we could eat chocolate for breakfast every day, we could be as promiscuous as we wanted, and you and I could tell our families that they could do whatever they wanted be-cause that’s what we were going to do.

Of course, this doesn’t sound like a good time at all, does it? Societies and families need rules to survive. Without them, chaos and unhappiness take over.

The book of Deuteronomy was intended to be a guidebook for God’s family, the Jews. Sure, sometimes it may read like the tax code from the Internal Revenue Service, but ev-ery word is there for a good reason. Families who live together — like the Israelites’ and like yours — need rules. Of course, our kids may squirm a little; you and I may not be ap-plauded every time we enforce the rules, but guidelines make your family feel happy and safe. Just ask a couple of million people who wandered around in the desert for 40 years.

JoshuaThere may be no more thrilling words for a father to hear than, “Daddy’s home!” Wheth-er it’s been a full day away at work or a week-long business trip, there really is no place like home. The Israelites had been on a fairly significant journey . . . having been away for a few hundred years! But now they were back in Canaan, the land of their forefathers, the land God had promised them they would resettle.

Can you imagine the celebration when Joshua stood in front of the Israelites and shouted, “Welcome home!” These people,

who had for generations only heard about this wonderful place, were now going to be able to settle down. They would have their own land, their own possessions, a place that they and their families could now call “home.” Can you imagine the joy? The book of Joshua contains the celebration of this precious place — home, a place of protection and security for the children of Israel . . . and for your children.

JudgesWhen kids challenge their dads to a game of “who’s the boss around here,” they should lose . . . every time. Your authority in your home is something God established a long time ago with His own children. When they obeyed, they were rewarded. When they disobeyed, they were punished. The book of Judges clearly establishes this model as God deals swiftly and fairly with the Israel-ites. However, what you’ll notice as you read this book is that God usually chose to issue His authority by way of His appointed asso-ciates: His judges. When Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah or Samson spoke, they spoke on behalf of their heavenly Father — and with His complete sanction.

What a privilege it must have been for these people to be God’s representatives! Actually, this is exactly like the privilege we have of being dads. You and I are God’s am-bassador to our families.

RuthFamily relationships can be a real challenge. Yours is no exception. Not only are there daily hazards of living in a confined space with people who are very, very different from each other, but there are also the challenges of coping with extended family — your par-ents and siblings and their families, and your wife’s parents and siblings and their families. Then, as time goes by, each of your children will grow up, marry some lucky person, and suddenly, you will become an in-law! And if for some reason you’re part of a blended family, that’s when the complexity really sets in.

It’s no small challenge to keep all of these connections intact. Happily, tucked away in the book of Ruth is the tender account of a family who successfully negotiated the

Questions Kids Ask IndexThis index lists, in alphabetical order according to key word, each of the 100 “Questions Kids Ask” features found in the next few pages of the NIV Dad’s Devotional Bible.

Angels: Do I have a guardian angel? Psalm 91:11 – 12 (p. 1445)

Apostle: What is an apostle? Is it the same thing as a disciple? Mark 3:14 – 15 (p. 1454)

Ark: Where’s Noah’s ark now? Genesis 6 – 8 (p. 1434)

Baptism: Who invented baptism? Numbers 19:18 – 19 (p. 1436)

Bible: Does the Bible say we have to change our underwear? Leviticus 6:10 – 11 (p. 1435)

Bible: How did the people who wrote the Bible know what to write? 2 Peter 1:20 – 21 (p. 1466)

Bible: How did the wise men know Bethlehem’s star meant Jesus had been born? Matthew 2:1 – 2 (p. 1453)

Bible: How did we get the Bible if it was written so long ago? Exodus 24:3 – 4 (p. 1435)

Bible: How did we get the New Testament? John 1:1 (p. 1457)

Bible: How does the Bible really help us? 2 Timothy 3:14 – 17 (p. 1463)

Bible: In the parable of the Good Samaritan, why didn’t the priest or Levite help the wounded man? Luke 10:25 – 37 (p. 1456)

Bible: Who were the bravest people in the Bible? 1 Chronicles 11:10 – 21 (p. 1442)

Bible: Why are there four gospels? Don’t they all say the same thing? John 21:25 (p. 1457)

Bible: Why could men in the Old Testament have more than one wife? 1 Kings 11:3 – 4 (p. 1441)

Bible: Why did Elisha make bears attack those boys? 2 Kings 2:23 – 24 (p. 1441)

Bible: Why do we have to read the Old Testament? Isn’t that outdated now? Nehemiah 8:14, 16 – 17 (p. 1443)

Bible: Why is the Dead Sea dead? Joshua 18:19 (p. 1438)

Bible: Why was Samson’s hair so strong? Judges 16:13 – 14 (p. 1439)

Bible: Why was there so much fighting in the Old Testament? 1 Chronicles 16:18 (p. 1442)

Christianity: If Jesus taught peace, why did the Romans hate Christians and kill them? Acts 11:19 – 21 (p. 1458)

Christianity: If someone hurts me, why can’t I hurt that person back? Romans 12:17 – 21 (p. 1459)

Christianity: What is the fish symbol on the back of that car? 1 Peter 4:12 – 17 (p. 1465)

Christianity: Why are all other religions wrong? Colossians 2:13 – 15, 23 (p. 1462)

Christianity: Why aren’t we supposed to complain? It doesn’t really hurt anyone. Philippians 2:14 – 15 (p. 1462)

Christianity: Why aren’t we supposed to judge others? Esther 2:20 (p. 1443)

Church: Why is church on Sunday? Revelation 1:10 (p. 1467)

Creation: Can scientists prove that creation isn’t true? Genesis 1 (p. 1433)

Creation: Why did God rest on the seventh day? Genesis 2:2 – 3 (p. 1433)

Disciples: Did the disciples get into trouble for following Jesus? Acts 5:27 – 42 (p. 1458)

Discipline: If God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, why did God punish him for not letting the Israelites go? Exodus 10:27 (p. 1434)

Discipline: Why does God have to punish us? Jeremiah 29:10 – 13 (p. 1449)

Discipline: Why was God so harsh with Moses when Moses struck the rock? Numbers 20:12 (p. 1437)

Ethics: Can something be right at some times and wrong at other times? James 1:5 (p. 1464)

Questions Kids AskKids ask questions. You know this, because you’re a father. And sometimes the questions kids ask of their parents are puzzling, especially as those questions concern matters of God, the Bible and their growing faith.

This index is designed to give you a framework for answering some of the questions that your kids may ask you. We hope that you’ll find it informative, and invite you to use it as you respond to these questions and direct your children toward a deeper faith in God.

This index is organized in canonical order, from Genesis to Revelation, based on the verses referenced in the answers. There is a helpful topical reference chart for these ques-tions as well on page 1429.

Creation: Can scientists prove that creation isn’t true?TEXT: Genesis 1Science doesn’t prove evolution or creation; it simply points out evidence for one theory or the other. Many schools teach evolution as if it were scientific fact. But the scientific method is based on observation, and since no human alive today witnessed the beginnings of the world, that method won’t work for this discussion.

What we know from Genesis is that God created the heavens and the earth. And scientists have discovered that fossils favor the idea of special creation rather than evolution. How do fossils point toward creation? The answer is simple but very significant. Scientists have never found “in-between life forms.”

In order for the fossil evidence to support the theory of evolution, fossils should show life forms in the process of changing. Charles Darwin, the man who popularized the theory of evolution, actually said that fossils were “perhaps the most obvious and serious objection” to his theory (Parker, 60).

Much has been written about creation and evolution. And while we don’t have room to discuss all the evidence here, this question provides you with a wonderful opportunity to investigate the issue with your son or daughter — and uncover the facts yourself.

Parker, G. Dry Bones and Other Fossils. (1979). El Cajon, CA: Creation Life Publishers.

Creation: Why did God rest on the seventh day?TEXT: Genesis 2:2 – 3God didn’t have to rest on the seventh day, but he rested to set an example for us. He knew that we would need rest for many reasons. God doesn’t need to rest to stay healthy, but we do. If we work all the time and never rest, our bodies will get sick. We also need rest so we can spend time with our family and friends.

The Jews in the Bible observed this day with great care. They called it the Sabbath, and they had very specific rules regarding how much activity could be done on this day. One such rule regulated how far they could walk on the Sabbath. A “Sabbath day’s journey” was about a thousand yards. This regulation kept the people from moving too far away from the center of the city, so the community stayed closely knit. And, in a symbolic sense, the rule kept them close to God because they couldn’t move far from the temple, their place of wor-ship. (You can read more about this command in Exodus 31:14 – 17.)

God sent us a message on the seventh day of creation: “Work hard, then rest. Take a break. Spend time with your family. Worship me, and give me your full attention. Enjoy the bless-ings I’ve given you. Rest is one of them.”