Flipped Devotional
review weekly readings from Flipped Devotional the Book with the author and her husband
Flipped Devotional
September 15 - 21
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Here are the scriptures for this week:
September 15 - Luke 18: 9 - 14
September 16 - Matthew 21: 28 - 32
September 17 - Luke 13: 22 - 30
September 18 - Luke 12: 13 - 21
September 19 - John 5: 19 - 30
September 20 - Mark 7: 31 - 37
September 21 - Matthew 17: 14 - 21
Welcome to Flip Devotional The Podcast, where each week Martha Shannon, the author of Flip Devotional The Book, and Steve Shannon discuss the readings from the week. If you haven't gotten Flip Devotional the Book, it's available on Amazon. Barnes and Noble is available as an ebook on Barnes and Noble. So welcome to this week's podcast. We are doing September 15th through September 21st. We would like to welcome Hong Kong.
SPEAKER_01Nice. Very good. Hong Kong. Excellent.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Some of the the Asian countries are like really showing up, which is exciting. And I think it was last week we added New Jersey and New Mexico. We have not added any more states.
SPEAKER_01So in a well Anyway, don't have Canada yet.
SPEAKER_04I was going to say, yeah. In addition to that, and I know it's not a state, I know it's a country. And Steve's family is from Canada.
SPEAKER_01Correct.
SPEAKER_04His parents were both born there, and his sister and brother.
SPEAKER_01Older sister and brother, yes.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. So uh deep roots in Canada. Um so I don't I don't know. We're gonna have to figure out a way to reach out.
SPEAKER_01And they have wonderful chicken. With gravy, a little sauce you dip it in.
SPEAKER_04Yep.
SPEAKER_01It's pretty good.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah. Um you went to St.
SPEAKER_01Sever area every summer, right? Every summer, little village about 40 miles from Montreal, and now it's a commuter town. But we would go every summer. We usually get there around July 4th and stay through Labor Day because the schools we went through late June started after Labor Day. And my mom and brother and sisters, we spend the summer there with my grandmother's house that had a name was called Tabay. T-A-B-A-E, named by my grandfather who was from England. And Tab A means there's always be an England. So that was ingrained at a young age, but yes. And you spent up some time there.
SPEAKER_04Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01Wonderful beds.
SPEAKER_04It it was. I was having difficulty sleeping at the time, having back problems, and we went up there to visit um cousin's cousin still lived in the house.
SPEAKER_01He owned it. I think he rented it in winters. He may have lived there, but he also lived in Texas.
SPEAKER_04But he was living there when we got there. And we stayed in the house, and I had the best night's sleep ever. I was like, where did this mattress come from? I need to get one. And they're like, uh, it's the original mattress.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. From maybe the early 50s.
SPEAKER_04I was like, oh my gosh. Then I don't know. Can I sneak at home?
SPEAKER_01Big stone house.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01With a red metal roof. Help with snow melting off.
SPEAKER_04Ah.
SPEAKER_01Supposedly. And the big pitch is a little steep.
SPEAKER_04And your grandfather was instrumental in the church. Right across the street.
SPEAKER_01Yep. They've uh St. Francis. Uh and it was right across the street. And he actually, there's stained glass windows. One of them is Dinsdale, which was his name and mother's maiden name. So I think he's actually buried it in the basement.
SPEAKER_04Oh wow. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yep.
SPEAKER_04So so Canada.
SPEAKER_01Canada.
SPEAKER_04Come on.
SPEAKER_01Oh Canada.
SPEAKER_04Oh Canada. And for for those who may not know, um the the only way we know if people are listening in a certain area is if you download the podcast at least once. Like I don't think you have to do it every time. And I know you can just listen to the podcast without downloading it. But if if that's you, if you're listening and you've never downloaded, downloading doesn't cost anything. Um it just and I don't think it even is gonna take up that much room on your device or whatever.
SPEAKER_01And you can probably delete it afterwards.
SPEAKER_04Probably. Um, yeah, I mean, that these are things that I really don't know about. All I know is I get um information on downloads of the podcast. That's it. And uh if you download it, then I know. And it's exciting to see different areas that are listening to it. Um and just to know that it's kind of getting out there. So it's you know, it's just fun. It's kind of my my side hobby is to look up. It's like, oh, did we get any new downloads this week? And is are there any new places? And um, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04So this week um we're in the middle of September, and September's theme was parables and healings. And this week is just a little half and half. We got a couple of parables, and then we go into um healings. So shall we?
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_04September 15th is from Luke 18, verses 9 through 14, and this is the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. So um the the beginning of this says to some who were confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else, whoa.
SPEAKER_01That can't be good.
SPEAKER_04So right there is like bum bum bum, yeah, red flag, red flag. Jesus told this parable. So he's kind of given them a chance. Look, guys. He said, two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. Now, just to remind yours, a parable is not a true story.
SPEAKER_01Not a true story designed to teach uh a deep spiritual or moral truth.
SPEAKER_04So Jesus is saying this to them, not because necessarily one was a Pharisee, one was a tax collector, you know, this didn't necessarily happen to be.
SPEAKER_01And he clearly said this is a parable.
SPEAKER_04Yes. And this it's told to really make it easy for after you hear it to go, well, duh, this is the right answer. It's like, right, and hello, you need to learn from this.
SPEAKER_01And the expectation when you started hearing it, two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and one a tax collector. The Pharisee was going to be the good guy. Because that was the community expectation, the Pharisee, a religious leader, and the tax collector who was collecting taxes for Romans, because that's who the taxes went to. And obviously very unpopular, right? So the expectation, and this is, I think, is another thing that Jesus does, he defines different things, but he he defies the expectation that people thought this story is going to show a lesson that we should be like a Pharisee and not a tax collector.
SPEAKER_04Nice. Yeah. So the Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, God, I thank you that I'm not like other people. Robbers, evildoers, adulterers. Okay. Yeah. We don't want to be like them.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_04Or even like this tax collector. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And then he kind of brags. I fast twice a week. I give a tenth of all I get. You know, oh my, you know. So I'm not like these really bad people who you all identify as bad people, but look at the good things I do, right? And then it goes on to, you know, that's the prayer of the Pharisee. Then there's a prayer of the tax collector, right?
SPEAKER_04Who stood at a distance.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And would not even look to heaven. He beat his breast, you know. Oh my gosh. God have mercy on me, a sinner. Right? Mm-hmm. And clearly identifies himself as such, asking for God's mercy. He's not doing anything else. Please, God, please God, right? And Jesus says, tell you that this man, the tax collector, went home justified before God. Right? So he, so G that's, and when it said, no one expected that to be the answer. And then again, very typical of a lot of Jesus' teaching, uh, for those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Not really, again, the expectation. You know, maybe if you exalt yourself, you might be humbled. But if you humble yourself, you'll never be exalted necessarily. But the message is clearly Jesus uses again parable that to humble yourself, right? And focus on God, right? And ask God's forgiveness, right? And the Pharisee, God, I thank you that I'm not like the other, like other people, robbers, evildoers, adulterers, all that. Thank you. But he he doesn't say, he doesn't say anything about himself, right? Well, except he exalts himself and says, I I do I fast twice a week, I give a tenth, where the tax collector, I'm a sinner. You know, and we're all sinners, yes, is part of the message as well. We're all sinners. Uh we just need to acknowledge that uh before God, right? Again, short, concise message, that's pretty powerful.
SPEAKER_04Yep. Very good. All right, September 16th is Matthew 21, 28 through 32. This is the parable of the two sons. And um, you know, not the two sons in the like the prodigal son parable. Correct. Um, but two sons, and I think parents who have children. Um, you may have seen this actually play out, um, even though it's a parable. It's something that this could really happen. Um there was a man who had two sons, and he went to the first and said, Son, go and work today in the vineyard. And he's like, I will not. But later he went. Then the other son, he told him the same thing, and he said, I will, but he didn't go.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_04So Jesus asked, which of the two did what his father wanted? I mean, it's one of those clearly.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04The first one who actually went and worked in the vineyard, even though at first he said, No, I'm I'm not gonna do this.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Um, so kind of the lesson Jesus pulls from it is uh that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Because John came.
SPEAKER_01Obviously, the public image of the tax collector was really, really negative.
SPEAKER_04Yes. Really negative.
SPEAKER_01And he used that, right? A common occurrence then, but used that as, you know, and just I truly I tell you, and it's always truly I tell you. That's very you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. Not in addition, right? But ahead of you. Mean, right? They're gonna, you know, there's they're getting their first. Yeah. And and even today, maybe tax collectors, we we don't have the same sense of them, right? But we don't have a positive image of prostitutes, right? Right, right. But they're getting in before us.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. So is it, you know, I don't know, homeless and prostitutes, or yeah, could be, yeah. Um but a a question I have is how does Matthew feel about all these parables? Matthew was a tax collector.
SPEAKER_01But remember, when he was saved, he said, I'll give half of what I have away, and if I cheated someone, I'll pay him back five times.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01I mean, it doesn't make it right, is it?
SPEAKER_04But it It's just every time he hears, you know, something like this, it's like, oh, and tax collectors, you know, it's such a negative connotation. Does it does it make him I don't know? Uh I would just feel a little hurt that, yeah, that was me, and I was thought of so negatively. I don't know.
SPEAKER_01Well, I think he might stand in the back and say, yeah. Right. What he said about tax collector is true. You know, it's kind of like when you go to celebrate recovery, people who are in recovery now acknowledge the awful things they did when they before they were in recovery. You know, it's like, yeah, all that's true. All that is true. Things I did, right? You know, including, you know, when I went to prison, yeah, I should have been in prison for what I did. So all that makes sense. So maybe Matthew had that perspective. Yeah. He's he's telling the truth about tax collectors.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. And I guess, I mean, it's negative, but it's also positive because the tax collectors are entering the kingdom first.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Um, and in God's eyes, they are it's it's positive.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And what's I think the positive part is they've repented and they've, you know, turn over to Jesus. You know. So, and I think that's another part of the story. It doesn't matter what you've done, who you've been.
SPEAKER_04In the past, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Right, right. God sees you as you are, he knows all the things about you, but as long as you focus on him, those things don't matter, right? You know, and John came to show you the way of righteousness. This is John the Baptist, right? And he did not believe him. You did not believe him, but the tax collection and prostitutes did. Even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. So they saw the other sinners and they didn't do it, right? And I guess part of the message for me is uh everyone has to repent. It doesn't matter, much like the Pharisee in the previous parable, what you think you are worthy of.
SPEAKER_04All right, September 17th is Luke chapter 13, 22 through 30. Um I don't know, is it's a not really a parable, but kind of Yeah. I mean, is it's more a metaphor or a simile? Does it have like or as?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Why do we need to have two words for that?
SPEAKER_04Because one has like or as and one doesn't.
SPEAKER_01Well, I think they figured out we had these two words, how do we justify them?
SPEAKER_04Um but it it says that someone came up and asked, are only a few people gonna be saved? And Jesus says, make every effort to enter through the narrow door.
SPEAKER_01Um the uh Yeah, and then he tells his story to explain the narrow door, right? And it was the owner of the house.
SPEAKER_04Yes, okay, thank you.
SPEAKER_01And and who is the owner of the house?
SPEAKER_04God.
SPEAKER_01God, right? So he gets up, he closes the door, right? We had another story similar to this where the guy needed bread, right? Um, and and you will stand outside knocking and pleading, open the door. And his answer is, I don't know you. I don't know you. So that's the standard, and then he calls them evildoers, right? And maybe they're evildoers because God doesn't know them. And once God knows you, regardless of what you've done, he's not gonna call you an evildoer. Right? So But they said, you will say, we ate and drank with you. You taught us in our streets. So that's the that sounds like people who hear the message, but don't acknowledge Jesus as the savior, right? You could say comparable is you attend church regularly, right? And you heard the message, but you never took that action. God didn't know you. So again, make sure God knows you.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. This one kind of has uh a combination of other parables that we've read. Like the feast. Yeah, they will take their place at the feast. Yeah. We've had that. Um, the last will be first, yeah. First will be last, we've had that. Um, you know, again, talking about the afterlife, you know, what happens when you die, and and some people don't believe that there's something, but here it's is pretty clear. Heaven, there's gonna be a feast.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Um, and hell, there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and that's the Bible standard for awful things.
SPEAKER_04It's the very worst. Yes, yes. Um, yeah, we we've said multiple times, especially recently, because the scriptures we've been reading are about that is you know, are you gonna gamble if you don't know what's gonna happen when you die? And and not that that is the sole reason to believe in God and to follow him. I personally feel like even if there wasn't something afterwards, um, just having God in my life all these years has been so, so good. I like I just not really sure how I would have made it through some things um if I hadn't had God to lean on and to know that He was there.
SPEAKER_01Um And once you know that, it doesn't mean bad things won't happen.
SPEAKER_04Oh, no, no, no. Bad things happen, but you've got God right there with you. Hello, it that doesn't get any better.
SPEAKER_01And again, we have to remind ourselves of that as the bad thing is happening.
SPEAKER_04Yes, yeah.
SPEAKER_01You know, because you know, we are human, we're all just regular shmos, and we forget that God is there, right? And you've heard people say, I don't know why God would let this happen. I think that's who God is. That's why we have the choice, right? To make ourselves known to Him. We have that choice.
SPEAKER_04Mm-hmm. So and sometimes we get um a little too comfortable with where we are, and we start forgetting that God is there.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And it's when that bad thing happens. Happens that it kind of wakes us up and we go, Oh, oh, I need God. Oh, God, where are you? It's like, hello. Been here the whole time. Right, right. You just forgot I was here.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you haven't looked. Right.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. I mean, I guess it's kind of like when everything is working right at your house. You know, the plumbing is is working just right. The toilet's flushing just beautifully. And you you forget that it has all these little pieces that help it do that. But then when it quits or you know, something happens. It's like, oh my gosh, why does this happen? It's like, well, because this little piece broke, and now you need to pay attention to it.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_04So all right. September 18th, Luke chapter 12, um, 13 through 21. Pretty much all of these scriptures um for a a bit are in the the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
SPEAKER_01Well, a lot of them are Jesus' teaching. They would be in the gospels.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_04So that's why we're kind of these for a while.
SPEAKER_01Because Jesus used them, they must be valuable.
SPEAKER_04And sometimes it's interesting to look at which ones were repeated in the different gospels and which ones are only in like one.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And I you know didn't sit down to do that, but I I wonder like, are the tax collector ones, did Matthew purposely put those in his? And did the others put it in or not?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah. And if not, maybe he wanted his tax collector friends to realize this is for you as well. Because you know, there's another story where he goes to who's the guy, the little guy in the tree.
SPEAKER_04Um, Zacchaeus.
SPEAKER_01Zacchaeus. He goes to his house, who was a tax collector.
SPEAKER_04He was a wee little man.
SPEAKER_01Wee little man, yes. That's his wee little man was he.
SPEAKER_04Perhaps from Ireland.
SPEAKER_01And they but at their house there was other tax collectors and there were prostitutes that and Jesus went and ate with them, right? Which also always reminds me again, no matter how bad your sin is, and how bad you realize, it's nothing comp it's nothing that Jesus hasn't seen before. It's nothing new to him, right?
SPEAKER_04Yeah. And the Zacchaeus story was a real story, it wasn't a parable. So like it really happened.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. But more tax collector stuff.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01We all hate the IRS.
SPEAKER_04Truly. Not the people.
SPEAKER_01Not the people. Oh no, the people are wonderful.
SPEAKER_04Just in case someone out there is working for them. Yeah. You're just doing your job.
SPEAKER_01We understand. It's important. We don't have to look.
SPEAKER_04All right. Um, so this one is is another parable. Um it says, someone, and like this one, it's often prompted by a question or a statement that someone says to Jesus. And Jesus just is like, all right, you asked. Here's my answer. Um, so it said, someone in the crowd said to him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. Jesus' like, Me? Who appointed me a judge?
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Or an arbiter between you. And then he said, Now watch out, be on your guard against all kinds of greed.
SPEAKER_01All kinds of greed. There's not, I mean, I would say there's greed.
SPEAKER_04Right.
SPEAKER_01But there's all kinds of greed. It could be house, it could be food, it could be money, it could be clothes, I guess, right?
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Yeah. It says life does not consist in an abundance of possessions. And he told them this parable.
SPEAKER_01That would be a good t-shirt.
SPEAKER_04Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Well, I have a Winnie the Pooh t-shirt that says the best things in life are not things.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_04Which is kind of the same message.
SPEAKER_01Right. And Winnie was very good.
SPEAKER_04He's the best.
SPEAKER_01He and Jesus are tight.
SPEAKER_04Um so this parable is about a rich man who had an abundant harvest. And he's just like, oh, I have so much. What am I gonna do? And he decides to tear down his like barn. Um I did air quotes for that because whatever.
SPEAKER_01Tear down my barns. My barns.
SPEAKER_04Oh, it does say barns, okay.
SPEAKER_01Barns, plural.
SPEAKER_04And build bigger ones so that he can store it up. And then I'll have plenty for many years.
SPEAKER_01What does this sound like?
SPEAKER_04Uh what?
SPEAKER_01Getting a storage unit.
SPEAKER_04Let's not step on toes. But why do people have storage units? Now, the one reason I can think of is if you are one of those people who puts up an abundance of like Christmas decorations.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_04And you just have nowhere in your your house to keep those from January till December.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you don't have a basement full of crap.
SPEAKER_04Right. I mean, we are blessed. We live in an old house that has a basement. It's not finished, but it has a concrete floor, and most of the time doesn't leak. And it's as big as our house. And our washer and dryer are down there, and we have a lot of stuff stored down there.
SPEAKER_01Like we we have a lot of some of which is ours.
SPEAKER_04Yes. Then we also have an attic that has a pool table that we haven't played for a bit. Um, so it's a living space, but it also is a place where things can be stored.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_04So we we are blessed, and I realize that.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01Um but I yeah, if I had to and a lot of houses now with the basement, they're finished basements.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and they don't have attics. So no one has attics like ours, really. No new houses.
SPEAKER_01No.
SPEAKER_04Um and and yeah, you you don't have enough space to store a bunch of stuff. But anyway, build bigger barns. And um God said, You fool, this very night your life will be demanded from you, and you who will get what you have prepared for yourself. It's like, why? Why store all this stuff up?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. It also is a message think about your will.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Now it doesn't, I think, it doesn't necessarily say storing up for yourself is wrong.
SPEAKER_01No, it does not.
SPEAKER_04Like we we have some money stored up, so if something happens, we have money to pull from.
SPEAKER_01Like if I need a new driver for my golf game.
SPEAKER_04No, no, no, no. That will never happen. Um, but yeah, so that's not wrong. Um it's the last sentence says this is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves, but is not rich towards God.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_04So you can have things for yourselves, but you also should be giving to God.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. There's no sense that God is unhappy with people who have a lot of things and stuff, right? But you still need to focus on God, right? But is not rich towards God. And that can be, you know, we talk about tithing, you know, 10%. You know, that's what tithe means, right? Uh I always like, you know, you hear people say, well, I tithe 3%. Well, that's not, but that's okay. We're happy for you. But that's the message. But that's part of, you know, that's God's expectation. If and you know, and many people don't. You know, saying, you know, we work really hard to do that and make sure that happens. Um, and since we've been doing that, we've really been blessed.
SPEAKER_04And the scriptures say, and we've, you know, we've read those in the past, clearly say. Um, I mean, one of them was like, test me, try me, give me, give me, and and see what I do for you. You know, God's like, I have an abundance of everything.
SPEAKER_01So Yeah, you can't have more than me.
SPEAKER_04You do this, yeah, and I will give back to you.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04He's like, I promise, this this is what's gonna happen.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_04And yeah, I mean, I remember when we did that, we were like, why wouldn't you try?
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04I mean, God is saying, do it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah. Find out for yourself. Yeah. Yeah. Good stuff. And the message is again, he didn't prepare. He didn't give himself to God. Therefore, what's gonna happen, right? Relied on himself. And he had a great grin. Good, you know.
SPEAKER_04All right, September 19th. Um yeah, this is this is kind of a transition from parables to miracles. Um this is John chapter five, uh, verses 19 through 30.
SPEAKER_01And my impression John is kind of a a deeper gospel, a more pensive, thoughtful, you know. And this is kind of lays the foundation for what happens next, right?
SPEAKER_04Mm-hmm. Yeah. Um, yeah, go with that for a minute.
SPEAKER_01Go with something up. Um but again, it I guess one, we have very truly I tell you, right? But he says the son, who is Jesus, can do nothing by himself. He can only only what he sees the father doing, which is true for children and parents today, right? It's the same message, right? So whatever the father does, the son does. So what Jesus is doing, the he has seen the father do, right?
SPEAKER_04So what I wanted to look up real quick is because the our scriptures starts with Jesus gave them this answer.
SPEAKER_01So, what was the question?
SPEAKER_04So kind of the question was what's happening is uh says this is back to verse 16. Um, so because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. And it says, in his defense, Jesus said to them, My father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working. Um said for this reason they tried to kill him even more. And so Jesus says, I do what my father, I see my father doing. My father's working all the time. He doesn't take the Sabbath off.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_04I'm gonna work all the time. If someone needs to be healed on the Sabbath, I'm gonna heal on the Sabbath. I'm gonna heal them on the Sabbath because that's what my father would do.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So that's that's other places he says, if you lose something on the Sabbath, do you go look for it? Yes. Right. So and that this whole thing is I do what I've seen the father do, right?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah. And one um one sentence I like, it says, uh, and he will show him even greater works than these so that you will be amazed. So the father is gonna show the son even greater works so that we will be amazed.
SPEAKER_01For me, this kind of it's early enough in John, right? We've probably gone through, you know, the beginning, the light, you know, those that this kind of is Jesus' preamble for his ministry. You know, this is why I am here, and this is the authority I have, because I've seen I don't do anything the father hasn't done. So I've seen it happen. Later on, he says, um, all judgment. The father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the son. So Jesus, right? Right, but God isn't judging us then, right? That's Jesus', but he delegated and trusted him to do that. So this kind of is, I think, Jesus' way of saying, I am the son, I have the authority, I can do these things. And we read about healings, I can do those things, because I've seen the father do it, right? So and still he talks about the father, right?
SPEAKER_04Mm-hmm. And the the last paragraph of this um says, For a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out. Those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing. I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
SPEAKER_01And isn't that a good message for our life? That I seek not to please Steve, but Jesus or God. Right. In this case, it's God, but yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yes. You know, yeah.
SPEAKER_01And if that's the driver, right? If that's the motivation, um you may very well get the well done, my good and faithful servant. You know.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Yeah. I love that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I mean it's we had a friend who passed away, went to his visitation a week ago. I think that's how Larry Clevinger lived.
SPEAKER_04Yes, yep.
SPEAKER_01You know.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. That's that's a great thing to yeah. Live to please God.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And you've you've said many times that um because I I would be like, you know, I don't know whether I should say this, whether it hurts someone's feelings or something like that, and you're like, you can't control how someone is going to take what you say. You you you have no control over that. That's kind of theirs, right?
SPEAKER_01Right, right. But if the motivation you have to tell that thing is to help them, right?
SPEAKER_04Or you feel like you know God is leading you to that, then yeah. All right. September 20th is Mark 7, 31 through 37. Now we begin the healings. Um, which as we go through these, and it really becomes evident when you do, when you read a bunch of them together, is none of the healings happen the same. There's always a little difference, and um I I personally think uh that's such a good thing. Because if they are all done the same way, then we would be like, oh, then I I have to say this, and I have to do that, and then the healing will happen. Um but there's clearly no like it's not in what you do or exactly what you say. It all has to do with faith and and God. That's that's how it happens.
SPEAKER_02Yep. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04So September 20th is um the healing of a deaf person who could hardly talk. Um doesn't say if he was deaf from birth or not.
SPEAKER_01Correct.
SPEAKER_04Um, so so we don't know.
SPEAKER_01Um He did take him away from the crowd.
SPEAKER_04Mm-hmm. Yeah, and he does often do that. Do that. He doesn't necessarily uh do healings in front of a big group.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Um, because it's not a show. Yes. This person needs this attention.
SPEAKER_01It's it's yeah, it's almost relational whether they have that beforehand, you know, I'm taking you aside, I'm gonna do this because, you know, it matters to you, and the other folks don't have to know, right?
SPEAKER_04Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01And he touches people.
SPEAKER_04Yes.
SPEAKER_01He's not reluctant to touch people.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah. Even lepers, yeah. He reaches out and touches them. Yeah, so this one he puts his fingers in the man's ears, spit and touch the man's tongue, um, and said, be opened, and he could hear.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And he could talk plainly.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Um, and and Jesus often does this. He told him not to tell anyone.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Which never happened. Well, first of all, how would you not tell someone?
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01It's like we've had the story about how are you hearing me now?
SPEAKER_04You know, can you hear me?
SPEAKER_01Now can walk.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I don't know. I woke up, I was good.
SPEAKER_04It's it's hard to hide.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. And you know, when you get a gift, that's what this is. It's you're receiving a gift, huge gift, that you want to tell people.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah. Gifts are a good way. I haven't really thought of gift. And these are gifts that the person did nothing to earn. Right? You know, it's it it wasn't an exchange. You know, you did your homework every night, didn't watch TV.
SPEAKER_04You didn't earn it.
SPEAKER_01You didn't earn it. So we're we're gonna go to a movie to celebrate. No. This is someone, and really um, you know, and and it's it's not even like well, and and this was some people brought him a man who is deaf, right? He didn't go on his own.
SPEAKER_04Right. Well, he's deaf. He probably has not heard right, yeah.
SPEAKER_01About Jesus. He doesn't know you know, it's it's it's his other people took action, right? It's kind of like the guys who lowered his friend through the the roof. You know. So so it it does matter how you interact with other people. And and you could be that person who brings them to Jesus, right?
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Yeah. All right. September 21st, the last day for this week is Matthew chapter 17, 14 through 21. Boy, this one really kind of um hits me because uh it talks about how little faith the disciples had.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And they were there with him.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And this is chapter 17 of Matthew, so this is kind of they've been with him for a bit.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's not chapter four.
SPEAKER_04And they've seen him do things, they've been a part of miracles and healings and all his teachings, and they're following him every day.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And they didn't have enough faith.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. There's 28 chapters in Matthew.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01So it's about two-thirds of the way through.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Yeah. And the last probably six chapters are the crucifixion and you know, all of that. So yeah, and the mustard seed comes up. Remember a coup week or two ago we had the mustard seed? If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, yeah. So Jesus says, um, because they said, why couldn't we do it? It was driving out of a demon and said, Why couldn't we do it? Said, because you have so little faith. Like, oh my gosh, that hurts. And he says, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, like, guys, you all didn't have faith as big as a mustard seed. Yours was smaller than that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And I'm just thinking mine is has to be way less because I, you know, I believe miracles and healings still happen. But I have not been apart or present to very many miracles and healings, whereas I just feel like the disciples were there for so many.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So some way they have an advantage over us.
SPEAKER_04Yes. Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_01You know.
SPEAKER_04Definitely. But who that one's kind of like, mm, I don't know. May need to step it up.
SPEAKER_01I need to go find a mustard seed.
SPEAKER_04I I used to have one. You've had one before. Well, you should have, because we got them at church before. You probably didn't take it.
SPEAKER_01Probably not. There's a mustard seed. That's small. What am I gonna do with it?
SPEAKER_04Lose it. Yeah. Oh. All right. Well, thanks for listening to this week's Flip Devotional the Podcast. Um, don't forget to download, uh, share with friends, family. Um, help us reach out to some of those missing states and countries and uh get those on board. And we will talk at you next week.
