The 260 Journey
Trying to Declaw the Lion
Day 76
Today’s Reading: John 8
In Christian Letters to a Post-Christian World, renowned English writer, Dorothy Sayers, aimed some powerful words at religious people who have watered down the Son of God and made Jesus accommodating:
The people who hanged Christ never accused Him of being a bore; on the contrary, they thought Him too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround Him with the atmosphere of tedium. We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified Hi...
Now You Know the Rest of the Story
Day 75
Today’s Reading: John 7
Not many young people would know the radio show or his iconic voice, but some years ago, 21 million Americans would tune in on their radios to hear from the most listened-to voice in America. They would hold their breath in suspense as the storyteller recounted a true story with a surprise ending. It was called The Rest of the Story, a real-life mystery Paul Harvey would share. After he revealed the shocking ending, he would say, “Now you know . . .” pause . . . “the rest of the story.” And then close with his signature...
You Should Have Stopped at the Fish
Day 74
Today’s Reading: John 6
The Christian life is a journey, not an arrival. As part of that journey, we all have to do hard but noble stuff at some point:
• tell someone about Jesus • say no to something we used to say yes to • end a toxic relationship • decide to tithe
As Oswald Chambers said, “If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all noble things are difficult. The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but the difficulty of it does not make us faint and ca...
You Don’t Need Bubbles Anymore
Day 73
Today’s Reading: John 5
Today we land on John 5, an up-close view to a phenomenon of miracle healing waters called the waters of Bethesda. When the waters moved, the first in the pool got healed. Here’s the first part of the story:
After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and with...
Two Truths for Freedom
Day 72
Today's Reading: John 4
The average American is exposed to between four thousand and ten thousand commercial messages every day. But it’s truth that is a rarity. We have opinions but not truth.
One of my friends put it this way: “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not everyone is entitled to their own truth.”
Truth is universal. It isn’t limited to individuals, geography, or ethnicity.
We see this in today’s reading of John 4, in which Jesus has such an important one-on-one conversation with a Samarita...
Don’t Make It Harder Than It Is
Day 71
Today’s Reading: John 3
There are a few chapters in our 260 Journey where you just pause, exhale, and know you are seeing beauty and majesty. John 3 is one of those chapters.
Plato said, “Whoever tells the stories shapes society.” Do we have a story to tell or what? We have the story—the gospel story. God’s story.
John 3:16 is God’s story stuffed into one verse. And Jesus tells it in twenty-five words—because that’s all He needed.
If we could choose one verse of the 31,102 verses of the Bi...
Bad Stuff Is Always Trying to Make Its Way Back in My Life
Day 70
Today’s Reading: John 2
Today our 260 Journey takes us to John 2. If we are not paying attention, we may feel as if we are at the end of the Gospel of John and not at the beginning. Let me explain why this can be confusing by reading something Jesus did in this chapter:
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And He made a...
The First 10:00 A.M. Service
Day 69
Today’s Reading: John 1
I am excited that today on our 260 Journey we begin a journey through the Gospel of John. This is the most unique gospel because it doesn’t start out like the other three gospels. It takes us to the beginning . . . the real beginning. Listen to its opening verse: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
That sounds very much like Genesis 1:1 at creation: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Here’s what’s even cr...
A Fire Seven Miles Outside of Jerusalem
Day 68
Today’s Reading: Luke 24
It’s resurrection morning for Jesus. All of the Gospels highlight Jesus’ post-resurrection conversations with His disciples and followers, but only Luke highlights a conversation that happened seven miles outside of Jerusalem. To put it another way, a fire started seven miles outside of Jerusalem.
No building burst into flames.
No property was damaged.
No one was trapped.
No life was lost.
But two hearts caught on fire in a conversation with the resurrected Jesus. As someone once said, “Get on fire...
Just Breathe
Day 67
Today’s Reading: Luke 23
Today we come to the last solemn minutes of Jesus’ life on the cross. It is His final comment from the cross that catches my attention. It is a prayer but goes further than up. That prayer goes wide.
Let’s read Jesus’ final words before He breathed His last breath:
Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last. The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a r...
Plotting Satan and Praying Christ
Day 66
Today’s Reading: Luke 22
In today’s reading we are entering into Luke’s telling of the Passion Week. While Jesus is with His disciples in the garden of Gethsemane, He speaks some remarkable words to Peter, which will be important to all of us, because it is what Jesus does right now for every one of His children.
At the Last Supper, right after Jesus says that one of the Twelve will betray Him, He then says these words to Peter:
Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you...
No Noise Offerings
Day 65
Today’s Reading: Luke 21
When I begin to think about what Jesus can see, I am amazed. Consider these:
• Jesus sees the past. In John 1, He tells Nathaniel the day he was under a fig tree. • Jesus sees the future. He prophesies in John 21 about Peter’s death. • Jesus sees into the heavenly realm and the spiritual battle that goes on when sickness is being conquered. He says in Luke 10 that He saw Satan falling like lightning as the disciples were doing their calling. • Jesus sees into the minds of people. In Mark 2 when...
Taking a Page From Jesus’ Method in Hostile Environments
Day 64
Today’s Reading: Luke 20
Not everyone who asks you a question wants an answer or wants the truth. Listen to one of the most profound questions ever asked. It was a question someone asked of Jesus, and the one who asked it never stopped to hear the answer: “Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’ And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews . . .” (John 18:38).
Pilate asked the question and did not even give the One who is called “the truth” a moment to answer. I don’t know if he was r...
Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures
Day 63
Today’s Reading: Luke 19
Today’s reading contains the story of a crazy conversion of a rich man. But in order to get its full picture, we have to read something from the previous chapter about a crazy miracle healing of a blind man.
Luke 18:35 says, “As Jesus was approaching Jericho . . .” (Remember Jericho, because we’ll come back to that.) “As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging.” The blind man’s name is Bartimaeus. Everyone tells him not to ask Jesus to do anything for him, but he does...
It Should Be Easy to Pick Out Who God Likes Best . . . or Maybe Not
Day 62
Today’s Reading: Luke 18
In today’s reading, Jesus tells a story on prayer. But I think through the story, He wants us to pick the guy we think God likes best so He can teach us a lesson. Sometimes we assume that God likes who we like and what we like. It should be easy to pick out who God likes best:
He told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: “Two men went up to...
Getting More Than You Asked For
Day 61
Today's Reading: Luke 17
My goal today is to put you in a special category, which not many are in. My goal is to move you to the 10 percent category, because if I can get you there, I can get you some extra help on what God has already done for you.
How many want more miracles happening in their lives?
They can have that. And it is as simple as saying, “Thank You, God.”
Our 260 Journey leads us to Luke 17, where we read about an amazing miracle and then...
Hell Is a Real Place
Day 60
Today’s Reading: Luke 16
What if you could hear from someone who had died, and they could tell you what’s on the other side? That’s what a story in today’s reading is. It’s a story that will stop you in your tracks. It’s the story of eternity. It’s the story of what’s beyond. More specifically, it’s a story about hell, realized too late.
There was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And a poor man named L...
The Father Is More Prodigal Than the Son
Day 59
Today’s Reading: Luke 15
Today’s reading contains one of the most incredible stories ever told. We call it the story of the prodigal son. Let’s read it together:
[Jesus] said, “A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. Now...
Excuses! Excuses! Excuses!
Day 58
Today’s Reading: Luke 14
You’ve been invited to a big party. Not just a party but God’s party. And it lasts a really long time . . . for eternity. In order to understand how this party works, Jesus told a parable. And what makes this parable amazing is when and where He told it.
I come from a family in which dinner table talk was the norm. Dinner would last a long time not because eating took long but because the conversation did. And here in Luke 14, this dinner conversation started in verse...
How to Face Tragic Death
Day 57
Today’s Reading: Luke 13
There are more than 7 billion people on earth. Nearly sixty million of them will die this year. That is approximately 153,000 people dying every day, 6,400 people dying every hour, 107 people dying every minute, two people dying every second. Not a great thought to start your day.
Death is unavoidable and undeniable, and you will one day become one of these statistics. Statistics tell us that one out of one will die. I know that is hard to believe, but it is true.
We try to sanitize the to...
My, My, My, My
Day 56
Today’s Reading: Luke 12
A. W. Tozer, the famous Christian writer, said that there are seven ways to really know ourselves and know what our character is like. He called them rules for self discovery. They are:
1. What we want most
2. What we think about most
3. What we laugh at
4. What we do with our leisure time
5. The company we enjoy
6. Who and what we admire
7. How we use our money
How we use our money . . . Number 7 is a...
I Am Not Going to Have Another Unused Gift
Day 55
Today’s Reading: Luke 11
When it comes to giving a gift today, one of the most popular gifts, which doesn’t require much thought or effort, is a gift card.
According to the National Retail Federation, about 59 percent of shoppers will purchase a gift card for friends and family. According to estimates, the typical American home has an average of $300 in unused or “unredeemed” gift cards in their house right now. These cards are often misplaced, accidentally thrown out, or only partially redeemed. Over a period of seven years in America, $41 billion in gift...
Helping People I Hate
Day 54
Today’s Reading: Luke 10
A politician finds their opponent on the side of the road with their car broken down, do they stop and help her? If a die-hard Yankees fan sees a Boston Red Sox fan at a check-out at a local store and he is short money, does the Yankees fan help him?
More serious: if a racial justice advocate sees an adversary standing at a stop light with a legitimate sign that says that person needs food or assistance, do they keep on driving?
This is not cr...
“Jesus, You Promised and Now I Can’t—I Don’t Understand”
Day 53
Today’s Reading: Luke 9
Can we have a promise from Jesus that doesn’t work for us? Can Jesus tell us what we are to do and then we can’t do it?
That’s the situation we find in today’s reading. In Luke 9, we are filled with faith and expectation from the very first verses and then just forty verses later, we are overcome with failure in what we were told to do.
“Jesus, You promised, and now I can’t. I don’t understand.” Let’s read so we see how both co...
Living a High-Def Life
Day 52
Today's Reading: Luke 8
A friend of mine said, “You’re only as sick as your secrets.” Christianity is not something that works well with secrets.
In fact, in today’s reading we come to an amazing chapter packed with teaching, healing, and miracles. Tucked away in this long chapter is one thing that Jesus taught that particularly stands out to me:
Nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. (Luke 8:17)
Or as The Message paraphrase puts it:
<...What Do I Do With All These Tears?
Day 51
Today's Reading: Luke 7
Today we land on Luke 7. In the last story of the chapter (verses 36-50), Jesus is in a house with a number of religious people and a prostitute comes in and washes His feet with her hair. This is how pastor and author Chuck Swindoll explains it in a chapter titled “Jesus at His Best:”
While families gather for dinner and close their door for the night, her workday begins. With saffron scarves and lavender veils, dangling earrings and a dab of perfume, she dresses herself for show. . . . [she] surv...
A Christian’s Retaliation Response
Day 50
Today's Reading: Luke 6
I know there is a lot of folklore that goes with the masterpiece of the Lord’s Supper painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. Whether this is true or not, I love this story I read recently about the painting.
When Leonardo Da Vinci was working on this famous Last Supper painting, he became angry with one of his assistants, berating the man without mercy. After banishing his assistant from his studio, he went back to work. As an act of revenge, he used the person’s face who had offe...
I Want My Own Fish Story
Day 49
Today's Reading: Luke 5
I have a prayer I pray that a pastor friend from Alabama taught me. It goes like this: “Lord, the answer is yes even before You ask.”
I want to be able to say yes to the Lord at all times. I want you to be able to do that too, so let me talk to you about fishing and your yes, Lord agreement.
I don’t really fish. I have been fishing but I am by no means a fisherman nor do I enjoy it.
You...
Satan Quotes the Bible
Day 48
Today's Reading: Luke 4
In today’s reading we actually get to read one of the most amazing chapters of a different book—Psalm 91. Psalm 91 starts off with these familiar words:
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!” (Verses 1-2)
And then Psalm 91 ends with these powerful words from God:
He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be...
John the Baptist’s Water Baptism Instructional Class
Day 47
Today's Reading: Luke 3
Today I want to take you to a water baptism class. I believe that water baptism displays the difference between the casual Christian and a serious follower of Jesus, because it is clear in the Bible that it is a next step after being born again. As Max Lucado says, “Baptism separates the tire kickers from the car buyers.”
Water Baptism does not mark an arrival but a beginning. Let me tell you four things that are important about water baptism:
1. It’s Scriptural
Water baptis...
Losing Jesus
Day 46
Today’s Reading: Luke 2
One of my favorite quotes about moms comes from the old 1960s’ comedian Milton Berle: “If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?”
With all a mother has to do, it is no surprise when a child gets accidentally left behind in the rush and frenzy of trying to get someplace. Have you ever done that? My wife and I have . . . or should I say, I have. I think each of my children have called me while I was driving in my car to tell me I lef...
You Never Know What Could Happen if You just Show Up
Day 45
Today’s Reading: Luke 1
Change is hard for those who have been doing the same thing for a long time. We see that truth in today’s reading about an older couple who are about to have their world turned upside down—all because they prayed something when they were young and it didn’t get answered until they were old.
It’s the story of Elizabeth and Zacharias, cast members in God’s story. They were about to discover their why in life. Let’s read this passage from Luke 1:5-7:
In the da...
The Big Rock Story Sounds like a Big Bang Story
Day 44
Today’s Reading: Mark 16
Today’s reading brings us to Mark’s account of resurrection morning. Mark’s description of resurrection morning is priceless. My favorite moment is in verses 3-4:
They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.
They were saying to each other, “Who will roll away the stone?” And verse 4 gives us insight to the why of their question: “Looking up, they s...
Can You Imagine if Your Dad Carried Jesus’ Cross?
Day 43
Today’s Reading: Mark 15
Today we come to the darkest day in human history: the crucifixion of Jesus.
Calvary shows how far people will go in sin—and how far God will go for our salvation (God always goes a step further, loving us). Every step that Jesus took to the cross said, I love you to every person in history.
As we study the crucifixion, we need to look at something that happened on the way to the cross, which has huge significance:
After they had mocked Him...
What Were You Thinking at #1?
Day 42
Today’s Reading: Mark 14
A man who felt convicted for lying on his last tax return wrote this letter to the IRS:
Dear IRS: Enclosed you will find a check for $150. I cheated on my income tax return last year and have not been able to sleep ever since. If I still have trouble sleeping, I will send you the rest.
His problem: he is waiting for more sleepless nights to bring closure. He is not fixing it on the first go around. That first sleepless night should have been a s...
When the Renters Think They Are the Owners
Day 40
Today’s Reading: Mark 12
Today’s reading starts with a parable, a little story with a big meaning. Jesus tells it in nine verses but the actual story covers almost three thousand years. It is God telling His story from the beginning to ending with His Son coming to earth.
As we read this passage together, remember that Mark 11:27 says Jesus is in the Jerusalem temple telling this story to chief priests, scribes, and elders.
[Jesus] began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and put a wall...
The Best Way to Study End Times
Day 41
Today’s Reading: Mark 13
It seems that in Jesus’ ministry, when something significant was going to happen, He took with Him the same three guys: Peter, James, and John. It is as if their names roll off your tongue. Those names just sound right together.
Those three men saw and heard things the other nine close disciples missed out on. When Jesus went to the Mount of Transfiguration, for instance, He took with Him Peter, James, and John. When He went into a room to raise a little girl from the dead, He w...
What Stops Mountains from Ending Up in the Ocean?
Day 39
Today’s Reading: Mark 11
Sometime ago, Dave Hagler, who works as an umpire in a recreational baseball league, was pulled over for driving too fast in the snow in Boulder, Colorado. He tried to talk the officer out of giving him a ticket by telling him how worried he was about insurance and how he’s normally a very safe driver, and so on. The officer said that if he didn’t like receiving the ticket, he could take the matter to court.
At the first game in the next baseball season, Dave w...
Jesus Gets a Test
Day 38
Today’s Reading: Mark 10
Today’s reading is a tough one. Jesus gets a test . . . a test about marriage and divorce.
Before we dive into this chapter, listen to these poignant words from Augustine, which apply to what we’re studying today: “If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.”
Now let’s read about Jesus’ test: “Some Pharisees came up to Jesus, testing Him, and began to question Him whether it was lawful for a man t...
Seized Statements
Day 37
Today’s Reading: Mark 9
If there was anything you ever wanted to tell people, it would be what happened to three disciples on a mountain in Mark 9:2-7. The conversation might go like this . . .
“Guess who I saw today? Moses. Oh yeah, and Elijah. And guess whose voice I heard? Audible voice? God’s! Yep, God Himself. I know what He sounds like now.”
These are the ultimate bragging rights. Seeing two celebrity Old Testament guys and hearing God’s audible voice? It doesn’t get better than that.
And Jesus...
