Welcome to our new project, the Daily Bible Devotional. The goal is to help you understand and apply

scripture as you go through a New Testament Bible read five days a week, Monday through Friday,

as we move from Matthew straight through to Revelation. In under four minutes each morning, we will recap the chapter,

make some application, present thought questions for the day, and offer a prayer together.

I'm excited about exploring God's Word with you, so let's get started.

Hey, welcome back. This is our second day to try to record one time the video for Facebook and

YouTube as well as the audio for the podcast at the same time. I'm working on different microphones,

so hopefully it's an improvement over yesterday. Thank you for your patience. Let's jump right in

with Jesus and the Pharisees in Luke, Chapter 14. Jesus dines with a leading Pharisee and sees a lame man there.

Jesus heals him on the Sabbath, instructing the Pharisees to be humble and merciful.

To help them, Jesus tells the story of a man who takes the best seat at a wedding feast and is

asked to move down. Yet the one at the foot of the table is moved

up. Humility will be exalted. Jesus tells his host he should be inviting the poor and the

lame to his table. Such will be repaid in the resurrection. Jesus tells another story about people making

excuses not to come to dinner, prompting the master to

reject them. Christ's kingdom demands selflessness, service, love, and extreme cost. Jesus challenges

them to calculate that cost lest they fall short of his kingdom. Here are some things that apply directly to you and me.

The Pharisees were watching Jesus closely in hopes of finding fault in him.

They failed to see his love and compassion for the hurting.

They failed to see the value of taking the lower seat and serving others.

Therefore, they did not invite the poor and lame to their tables.

They and others made endless excuses and asked for endless signs

...