http://www.dts.edu/podcasts/ en-ushttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rssThis work is copyright 2004 by Dallas Theological Seminary and the individual speakers.Sat, 7 Nov 2009 12:00:00 CSTwebmaster@dts.edu (Dallas Theological Seminary)Religionhttp://www.dts.eduhttp://www.dts.edu Dallas Theological Seminary noDallas Theological Seminarywebmaster@dts.edu (Dallas Theological Seminary)This work is copyright 2004 by Dallas Theological Seminary and the individual speakers.Religion & Spirituality/Christianityhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DtsDevotional/~3/k9MseoKcJ2Y/The great 18th century preacher, Jonathan Edwards was only 19 when he drafted seventy resolutions, committing himself to a God-honoring life. He wrote, “Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat Him by His grace to enable me to keep these resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to His will, for Christ’s sake.” 1Cor. 7:37 – “But the man who is firm in his commitment, and is under no necessity but has control over his will, and has decided in his own mind to keep his own virgin, does well.” Resolve to follow Christ today.Reg GrantSat, 7 Nov 2009 12:00:00 CSTReligion6ff6317b-a045-4972-8eaa-19671e23e345Reg GrantThe great 18th century preacher, Jonathan Edwards was only 19 when he drafted seventy resolutions, committing himself to a God-honoring life. He wrote, “Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat Him by His grace to enable me to keep these resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to His will, for Christ’s sake.” 1Cor. 7:37 – “But the man who is firm in his commitment, and is under no necessity but has control over his will, and has decided in his own mind to keep his own virgin, does well.” Resolve to follow Christ today.00:01:00noReligionhttp://www.dts.edu/media/play/?MediaItemID=6ff6317b-a045-4972-8eaa-19671e23e345&audio=truehttp://www.dts.edu/download/media/11-07_rss.mp3http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DtsDevotional/~3/xqv0N8cnzGE/When my kids were small they would ask for whatever appealed to them at the moment. I said no a lot, but I looked for excuses to say yes. God feels the same way. Jesus reminds us in Luke 11:11-13, “What father among you, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Ask the Lord for wisdom to know when to say yes. Then look for an excuse to say it. Reg GrantFri, 6 Nov 2009 12:00:00 CSTReligiond73dbd91-5ba8-4531-a327-fdecfae439ddReg GrantWhen my kids were small they would ask for whatever appealed to them at the moment. I said no a lot, but I looked for excuses to say yes. God feels the same way. Jesus reminds us in Luke 11:11-13, “What father among you, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Ask the Lord for wisdom to know when to say yes. Then look for an excuse to say it.00:01:00noReligionhttp://www.dts.edu/media/play/?MediaItemID=d73dbd91-5ba8-4531-a327-fdecfae439dd&audio=truehttp://www.dts.edu/download/media/11-06_rss.mp3http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DtsDevotional/~3/KaYAAoXXO40/Do you have a fiery temper? So did the apostle John, a real “son of thunder,” ready to destroy others for their inhospitality to Jesus and his followers. And yet, years later, at the cross, his heart had changed. “So when Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, look, here is your son!’ He then said to his disciple, ‘Look, here is your mother!’ From that very time the disciple took her into his own home.” (John 19:26, 27) Jesus can turn a son of thunder into a compassionate disciple. All it takes is a willing heart.Reg GrantThu, 5 Nov 2009 12:00:00 CSTReligion8d958068-17db-4a51-ac65-ecf04b97bd33Reg GrantDo you have a fiery temper? So did the apostle John, a real “son of thunder,” ready to destroy others for their inhospitality to Jesus and his followers. And yet, years later, at the cross, his heart had changed. “So when Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, look, here is your son!’ He then said to his disciple, ‘Look, here is your mother!’ From that very time the disciple took her into his own home.” (John 19:26, 27) Jesus can turn a son of thunder into a compassionate disciple. All it takes is a willing heart.00:01:00noReligionhttp://www.dts.edu/media/play/?MediaItemID=8d958068-17db-4a51-ac65-ecf04b97bd33&audio=truehttp://www.dts.edu/download/media/11-05_rss.mp3http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DtsDevotional/~3/kBrDCdydOqY/Don’t you hate it when people pre-judge you because of your sex or race? Jesus saw people as they were – and for who they could become in Him. In Matthew 16:16-18a, when Simon the fisherman confessed that Jesus was indeed the Christ, Jesus encouraged him, saying, “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven! And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church…” Today, look for the best in one person–for what he or she can become in Christ. Then find a way to encourage that person.Reg GrantWed, 4 Nov 2009 12:00:00 CSTReligion1c577bcd-3cd9-4305-ad06-85a711bdb6c0Reg GrantDon’t you hate it when people pre-judge you because of your sex or race? Jesus saw people as they were – and for who they could become in Him. In Matthew 16:16-18a, when Simon the fisherman confessed that Jesus was indeed the Christ, Jesus encouraged him, saying, “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven! And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church…” Today, look for the best in one person–for what he or she can become in Christ. Then find a way to encourage that person.00:01:00noReligionhttp://www.dts.edu/media/play/?MediaItemID=1c577bcd-3cd9-4305-ad06-85a711bdb6c0&audio=truehttp://www.dts.edu/download/media/11-04_rss.mp3http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DtsDevotional/~3/-15VD4q0KlE/The Essenes lived in the Judean wilderness where they awaited the coming of Messiah. While they were occupied with ritual cleansings and feasting on locusts and wild honey, John, who may have been an Essene himself, found the Messiah they were all looking for. “On the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one about whom I said, “After me comes a man who is greater than I am, because he existed before me.”’” (John 1:29-30) What are you waiting for? Tell someone about Jesus today.Reg GrantTue, 3 Nov 2009 12:00:00 CSTReligiondc6ca9fa-ac7c-474f-9c93-8a41edd45c00Reg GrantThe Essenes lived in the Judean wilderness where they awaited the coming of Messiah. While they were occupied with ritual cleansings and feasting on locusts and wild honey, John, who may have been an Essene himself, found the Messiah they were all looking for. “On the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one about whom I said, “After me comes a man who is greater than I am, because he existed before me.”’” (John 1:29-30) What are you waiting for? Tell someone about Jesus today.00:01:00noReligionhttp://www.dts.edu/media/play/?MediaItemID=dc6ca9fa-ac7c-474f-9c93-8a41edd45c00&audio=truehttp://www.dts.edu/download/media/11-03_rss.mp3http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DtsDevotional/~3/eLZPBXW58mY/Your family giving you grief about being a Christian? Jesus himself had to contend with a family that thought he was crazy. “Now Jesus went home, and a crowd gathered so that they were not able to eat. When his family heard this they went out to restrain him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’” (Mark 3:20-21) If Mary the mother of Jesus failed to understand who he really was, and he was perfect, how much more should we imperfect Christians expect misunderstandings in our own families? Your folks think you’re crazy for following Jesus? You’re in good company. Stand fast!Reg GrantMon, 2 Nov 2009 12:00:00 CSTReligion0706107c-602b-4c0f-a92e-f85ce9a2911dReg GrantYour family giving you grief about being a Christian? Jesus himself had to contend with a family that thought he was crazy. “Now Jesus went home, and a crowd gathered so that they were not able to eat. When his family heard this they went out to restrain him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’” (Mark 3:20-21) If Mary the mother of Jesus failed to understand who he really was, and he was perfect, how much more should we imperfect Christians expect misunderstandings in our own families? Your folks think you’re crazy for following Jesus? You’re in good company. Stand fast!00:01:00noReligionhttp://www.dts.edu/media/play/?MediaItemID=0706107c-602b-4c0f-a92e-f85ce9a2911d&audio=truehttp://www.dts.edu/download/media/11-02_rss.mp3http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DtsDevotional/~3/ZlG0zv6aFsk/When I was nine, I dreamed of playing baseball. But nobody wanted me – not even to play right field. Then Dad drove into town. When he came back, he handed me a carefully folded little league uniform. Dad had had a talk with Coach Robins. I was no longer a stranger. I was a batboy for the Lions. “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, [for], just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.’” (Matt. 25:35,40) Look around. Some kid has a dream. Maybe you can help.Reg GrantSun, 1 Nov 2009 12:00:00 CSTReligion9655a15a-b5ce-4094-abb1-c43d21073eb6Reg GrantWhen I was nine, I dreamed of playing baseball. But nobody wanted me – not even to play right field. Then Dad drove into town. When he came back, he handed me a carefully folded little league uniform. Dad had had a talk with Coach Robins. I was no longer a stranger. I was a batboy for the Lions. “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, [for], just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.’” (Matt. 25:35,40) Look around. Some kid has a dream. Maybe you can help.00:01:00noReligionhttp://www.dts.edu/media/play/?MediaItemID=9655a15a-b5ce-4094-abb1-c43d21073eb6&audio=truehttp://www.dts.edu/download/media/11-01_rss.mp3http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DtsDevotional/~3/hBMFytgirFg/Feeling busy? Jesus was on the last leg of his earthly. Everything, including our eternal destiny, depended on Him getting to Jerusalem. But there was a blind beggar who needed him on the road outside Jericho. “So Jesus stopped and ordered the beggar to be brought to him. When the man came near, Jesus asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ He replied, ‘Lord, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.’” Forget the odometer. Whom can you help along the way? (Luke 18:40-42) Stop for a minute. Is someone calling for help?Reg GrantSat, 31 Oct 2009 12:00:00 CSTReligion955b2d94-52c9-495d-bd11-dfe1705bc3f2Reg GrantFeeling busy? Jesus was on the last leg of his earthly. Everything, including our eternal destiny, depended on Him getting to Jerusalem. But there was a blind beggar who needed him on the road outside Jericho. “So Jesus stopped and ordered the beggar to be brought to him. When the man came near, Jesus asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ He replied, ‘Lord, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.’” Forget the odometer. Whom can you help along the way? (Luke 18:40-42) Stop for a minute. Is someone calling for help?00:01:00noReligionhttp://www.dts.edu/media/play/?MediaItemID=955b2d94-52c9-495d-bd11-dfe1705bc3f2&audio=truehttp://www.dts.edu/download/media/10-31_rss.mp3http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DtsDevotional/~3/4nZPEu7h4cg/You feel trapped in a bad location? Consider Jerusalem: One reliable spring, its only natural resource was stone, and surrounded by higher mountains, so it wasn’t a great defense location. And yet the psalmist considered her to be blessed above all the cities of the earth. “[Jerusalem] is lofty and pleasing to look at, a source of joy to the whole earth. Mount Zion resembles the peaks of Zaphon; it is the city of the great king.” (Ps. 48:2) What made Jerusalem great was her King, not her location. It isn’t where you are that counts. It’s who you worship wherever you are.Reg GrantFri, 30 Oct 2009 12:00:00 CSTReligion0bd7d257-a7ff-49ef-9713-ab91a932172fReg GrantYou feel trapped in a bad location? Consider Jerusalem: One reliable spring, its only natural resource was stone, and surrounded by higher mountains, so it wasn’t a great defense location. And yet the psalmist considered her to be blessed above all the cities of the earth. “[Jerusalem] is lofty and pleasing to look at, a source of joy to the whole earth. Mount Zion resembles the peaks of Zaphon; it is the city of the great king.” (Ps. 48:2) What made Jerusalem great was her King, not her location. It isn’t where you are that counts. It’s who you worship wherever you are.00:01:00noReligionhttp://www.dts.edu/media/play/?MediaItemID=0bd7d257-a7ff-49ef-9713-ab91a932172f&audio=truehttp://www.dts.edu/download/media/10-30_rss.mp3http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DtsDevotional/~3/ZmOL1jQzU-Q/Ever feel like the world is strangling you? Like you are drinking from the Dead Sea? It’s the saltiest body of water on earth. Nothing can live in it. The sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed along its banks under the fiery judgment of God almost four millennia ago. Still, the Lord graciously removed righteous Lot and his family before judging the city. “A crushed reed he will not break, a dim wick he will not extinguish; he will faithfully make just decrees.” (Is. 42:3) No matter how low your culture has sunk, you stay true to the Lord. And pray for His deliverance.Reg GrantThu, 29 Oct 2009 12:00:00 CSTReligion65970d0e-4a53-4f91-9900-c85e3cfced1aReg GrantEver feel like the world is strangling you? Like you are drinking from the Dead Sea? It’s the saltiest body of water on earth. Nothing can live in it. The sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed along its banks under the fiery judgment of God almost four millennia ago. Still, the Lord graciously removed righteous Lot and his family before judging the city. “A crushed reed he will not break, a dim wick he will not extinguish; he will faithfully make just decrees.” (Is. 42:3) No matter how low your culture has sunk, you stay true to the Lord. And pray for His deliverance.00:01:00noReligionhttp://www.dts.edu/media/play/?MediaItemID=65970d0e-4a53-4f91-9900-c85e3cfced1a&audio=truehttp://www.dts.edu/download/media/10-29_rss.mp3http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DtsDevotional/~3/Z22G1TC6d3U/When I was a boy growing up on a south Texas ranch, my dad and I often had to dig postholes for fences. I don’t remember digging one hole in cool weather. August seemed to be national posthole digging month in Texas – at least for me. It was slow, hot work, with heavy iron tools. One of my favorite memories is of my mom making huge pitchers of ice tea for lunch. No drink has ever tasted that good. “Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to those who send him, for he refreshes the heart of his masters.” (Prov. 25:13) Think…how can you refresh someone today?Reg GrantWed, 28 Oct 2009 12:00:00 CSTReligion636b967c-10d0-49dc-9475-bd88d1691599Reg GrantWhen I was a boy growing up on a south Texas ranch, my dad and I often had to dig postholes for fences. I don’t remember digging one hole in cool weather. August seemed to be national posthole digging month in Texas – at least for me. It was slow, hot work, with heavy iron tools. One of my favorite memories is of my mom making huge pitchers of ice tea for lunch. No drink has ever tasted that good. “Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to those who send him, for he refreshes the heart of his masters.” (Prov. 25:13) Think…how can you refresh someone today?00:01:00noReligionhttp://www.dts.edu/media/play/?MediaItemID=636b967c-10d0-49dc-9475-bd88d1691599&audio=truehttp://www.dts.edu/download/media/10-28_rss.mp3http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DtsDevotional/~3/RHQUgry4ol0/The two great commercial highways of the ancient Middle East met in Damascus. The Great Trunk road ran from Egypt through Palestine and on into Syria, while the King’s Highway followed the mountain range on the eastern side of the Jordan River to the Gulf of Aqaba. The world’s riches flowed freely along these two routes. But there was a far greater treasure that lay along a narrow way in Palestine. “Jesus replied, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6) Jesus himself is not only the way to the treasure. He is the treasure. Reg GrantTue, 27 Oct 2009 12:00:00 CSTReligion444d1c26-c2a1-4bbd-99ca-ed06c4ede018Reg GrantThe two great commercial highways of the ancient Middle East met in Damascus. The Great Trunk road ran from Egypt through Palestine and on into Syria, while the King’s Highway followed the mountain range on the eastern side of the Jordan River to the Gulf of Aqaba. The world’s riches flowed freely along these two routes. But there was a far greater treasure that lay along a narrow way in Palestine. “Jesus replied, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6) Jesus himself is not only the way to the treasure. He is the treasure.00:01:00noReligionhttp://www.dts.edu/media/play/?MediaItemID=444d1c26-c2a1-4bbd-99ca-ed06c4ede018&audio=truehttp://www.dts.edu/download/media/10-27_rss.mp3http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DtsDevotional/~3/9vP22xGYJ1Q/People who lived near the sea in Jesus day also lived in fear of the monsters that lived in its depths. But Jesus was Lord of the sea, and all that was in it. “Now a great windstorm developed and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped. But he was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?’ So he got up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Be quiet! Calm down!’ Then the wind stopped, and it was dead calm.” (Mark 4:37-39) You have nothing to fear if you trust in Jesus.Reg GrantMon, 26 Oct 2009 12:00:00 CSTReligion61dcdd88-850b-4700-bd6d-42b8febc57aaReg GrantPeople who lived near the sea in Jesus day also lived in fear of the monsters that lived in its depths. But Jesus was Lord of the sea, and all that was in it. “Now a great windstorm developed and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped. But he was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?’ So he got up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Be quiet! Calm down!’ Then the wind stopped, and it was dead calm.” (Mark 4:37-39) You have nothing to fear if you trust in Jesus.00:01:00noReligionhttp://www.dts.edu/media/play/?MediaItemID=61dcdd88-850b-4700-bd6d-42b8febc57aa&audio=truehttp://www.dts.edu/download/media/10-26_rss.mp3http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DtsDevotional/~3/pkbk8DeBB-c/People in Jesus’ day thought the earth was a flat circle of land floating on water. Jesus, being all knowing, could have corrected their faulty science. “[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him—all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers—all things were created through him and for him.” (Col. 1:15, 16) As then, so now, it’s more important to know the One who made the earth, than to know how the earth was made.Reg GrantSun, 25 Oct 2009 12:00:00 CSTReligion558c4e10-e69a-4dd5-b03e-916707b3fcfbReg GrantPeople in Jesus’ day thought the earth was a flat circle of land floating on water. Jesus, being all knowing, could have corrected their faulty science. “[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him—all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers—all things were created through him and for him.” (Col. 1:15, 16) As then, so now, it’s more important to know the One who made the earth, than to know how the earth was made.00:01:00noReligionhttp://www.dts.edu/media/play/?MediaItemID=558c4e10-e69a-4dd5-b03e-916707b3fcfb&audio=truehttp://www.dts.edu/download/media/10-25_rss.mp3http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DtsDevotional/~3/2HQ5Y38ui-c/In the days of Dr. Luke, books were recorded on papyrus scrolls which could be no more than thirty-three feet long. He used every inch of available space to record his gospel account of Jesus Christ. Still, the apostle John knew that there wasn’t a scroll long enough to record all the works of Jesus. “There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” (John 21:25) The deeper our knowledge of Christ, the greater our awareness that we have only glimpsed His shadow. Reg GrantSat, 24 Oct 2009 12:00:00 CSTReligion7a010368-fc3d-4dd0-8131-2981cba291d5Reg GrantIn the days of Dr. Luke, books were recorded on papyrus scrolls which could be no more than thirty-three feet long. He used every inch of available space to record his gospel account of Jesus Christ. Still, the apostle John knew that there wasn’t a scroll long enough to record all the works of Jesus. “There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” (John 21:25) The deeper our knowledge of Christ, the greater our awareness that we have only glimpsed His shadow.00:01:00noReligionhttp://www.dts.edu/media/play/?MediaItemID=7a010368-fc3d-4dd0-8131-2981cba291d5&audio=truehttp://www.dts.edu/download/media/10-24_rss.mp3Dallas Theological Seminarynonadult