The Living Word: A Daily Devotional with Jeff & Dale from The Jenkins Institute

Week 23: Monday Sowing Seed

Jesus loved to tell stories. Those stories called parables were moments where Jesus took something His hearers were familiar with and used it to teach a powerful spiritual lesson. In our Scripture reading today, Jesus used a parable unique to the Gospel of Mark to teach us the importance of the Word of God in growing the Kingdom.

Week 22: Friday, Hope in a New Plant

We despair the most when hope is lost. In his parable, Ezekiel effectively declares the end of the Davidic dynasty. It seemed at the time as though all hope was lost. The prophecy is problematic since God swears that David will always have a descendant on the throne of Judah (2 Samuel 7). Zedekiah’s removal and the Babylonian destruction of David’s throne called God’s truth into question.

Week 22: Thursday, Consequences for Betraying God

The trait of patience is graphically described in biblical Hebrew. To be “long-suffering” is literally translated “long of nose” (’erek ’apayim). The apparent image is that heat (a symbol of anger) takes longer to fill large cavities; thus, people with large noses are calmer. Of course, the metaphor does not match emotional reality, but that is not the point. God does not anger easily, but once the he

Week 22: Wednesday, Consequences of Losing Your Identity

In his Maxims, the French aristocrat François de La Rochefoucauld wrote, “We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves.” The nation of Judah suffered from an identity crisis. God redeemed them from Egypt (Leviticus 26:45) and protected them from Assyrian conquest (2 Kings 19:5–37). Yet, they were ungrateful and sought an international reputation. They gradually sacrificed their God-given identity to meet the expectations of the world. As a result, they were destined for destruction (2 Kings 21:10–15).

Week 22: Tuesday, Desire for Something Different

The French author Montesquieu once quipped, “The best is the mortal enemy of the good.” We often miss the blessing of the good because we are searching for something better. People who constantly change jobs, homes, or vehicles are expressing a deep-seated desire for something different, hoping to find “the best.” Maybe God is calling us to embrace the good. Though the vine (Judah) had been planted by the first eagle (Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon),