Daily Bible Plan

Bible. Pray. One Another

At City Lights, we believe that renewal starts from within and expands into every area of our lives. The three daily habits of BIBLE, PRAYER and ONE ANOTHER are vital to establishing a close, connected and organic relationship with God. Our daily devotion is designed to help, by including a short passage from the Bible, a framework for prayer and an invitation to “one another” someone. We also add short videos to help you learn how to understand, interpret and apply the Bible. Don't forget to grab a free prayer journal on Sunday too!

Day 176 2024

BIBLE 

Matthew 22 (NIV) Read or listen.
Watch the video above to help you understand the background and context of the reading and how it fits into the bigger story of the Bible.

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
 
4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
 
5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
 
8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
 
11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.
 
13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
 
14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
 
Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar
15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
 
18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
 
21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.
 
Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
 
22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
 
Marriage at the Resurrection
23 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 24 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. 27 Finally, the woman died. 28 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”
 
29 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 31 But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”
 
33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.
 
The Greatest Commandment
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
 
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[c] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
 
Whose Son Is the Messiah?
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”
 
“The son of David,” they replied.
 
43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,
 
44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
    under your feet.”’
 
45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 46 No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.

 

Based on today's reading, what is one thing that God is saying to you? 

PRAY

Take a few moments to pray with focus, passion and purpose using P.R.A.Y:

  • Praise and Thanksgiving
  • Repent and Receive
  • Ask
  • Yes

Todays Prayer: God, help me love what you love and want what you want

ONE ANOTHER

Be hospitable to one another (1 Pe 4:9)
Who is one person or family who you can invite over to your house for a meal (or out for a meal). Organise to have them over.

Previous days

Day 175 2024

BIBLE 

Today can be used to reflect on or memorise this key verse from this week’s readings. The day can also be used to catch-up if you missed a day in the readings. 

Matthew 19:14-15 (NIV) Read or listen.

14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

Based on today's reading, what is one thing that God is saying to you? 

PRAY

Take a few moments to pray with focus, passion and purpose using P.R.A.Y:

  • Praise and Thanksgiving
  • Repent and Receive
  • Ask
  • Yes

Todays Prayer: God, help me love what you love and want what you want

ONE ANOTHER 

Pray for one another (Jas 5:16)
Who can you pray for today? Write their name down and pray for them. Send them a message saying that you are praying for them.

Day 174 2024

BIBLE 

Matthew 21 (NIV) Read or listen.
Watch the video above to help you understand the background and context of the reading and how it fits into the bigger story of the Bible.

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
 
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
 
5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
    ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
 
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
 
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
 
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
 
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
 
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
 
11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
 
Jesus at the Temple
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”
 
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
 
16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
 
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
 
“‘From the lips of children and infants
    you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”
 
17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
 
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree
18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
 
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
 
21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
 
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”
 
24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
 
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”
 
27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
 
Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
 
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
 
29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
 
30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
 
31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
 
“The first,” they answered.
 
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
 
The Parable of the Tenants
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
 
35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
 
38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
 
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
 
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
 
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
 
“‘The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
 
43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
 
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

 

Based on today's reading, what is one thing that God is saying to you? 

PRAY

Take a few moments to pray with focus, passion and purpose using P.R.A.Y:

  • Praise and Thanksgiving
  • Repent and Receive
  • Ask
  • Yes

Todays Prayer: God, help me love what you love and want what you want

ONE ANOTHER

Pray for one another (Jas 5:16)
Who can you pray for today? Write their name down and pray for them. Send them a message saying that you are praying for them.

Day 173 2024

BIBLE 

Matthew 20 (NIV) Read or listen.
Watch the video above to help you understand the background and context of the reading and how it fits into the bigger story of the Bible.

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
1“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
 
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.
 
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
 
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
 
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
 
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
 
9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
 
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
 
16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
 
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time
17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”
 
A Mother’s Request
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.
 
21 “What is it you want?” he asked.
 
She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”
 
22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”
 
“We can,” they answered.
 
23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”
 
24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
 
Two Blind Men Receive Sight
29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
 
31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
 
32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
 
33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”
 
34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

 

Based on today's reading, what is one thing that God is saying to you? 

PRAY

Take a few moments to pray with focus, passion and purpose using P.R.A.Y:

  • Praise and Thanksgiving
  • Repent and Receive
  • Ask
  • Yes

Todays Prayer: God, help me love what you love and want what you want

ONE ANOTHER

Encourage and build up one another (1 Th 5:11)
Who do you know that needs encouragement? Send an encouraging message to today.

Day 172 2024

BIBLE 

Matthew 19 (NIV) Read or listen.
Watch the video above to help you understand the background and context of the reading and how it fits into the bigger story of the Bible.

Divorce
1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
 
3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
 
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
 
7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
 
8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
 
10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”
 
11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
 
The Little Children and Jesus
13 Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.
 
14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
 
The Rich and the Kingdom of God
16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
 
17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
 
18 “Which ones?” he inquired.
 
Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
 
20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
 
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
 
22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
 
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
 
25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
 
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
 
27 Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
 

28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

Based on today's reading, what is one thing that God is saying to you? 

PRAY

Take a few moments to pray with focus, passion and purpose using P.R.A.Y:

  • Praise and Thanksgiving
  • Repent and Receive
  • Ask
  • Yes

Todays Prayer: God, help me love what you love and want what you want

ONE ANOTHER

Comfort one another concerning the resurrection (1 Th 4:18)
Remember we are to spend eternity with Jesus, is there someone in your life who needs that encouragement today? Send them a message or give them a call.

Day 171 2024

BIBLE 

Matthew 18 (NIV) Read or listen.
Watch the video above to help you understand the background and context of the reading and how it fits into the bigger story of the Bible.

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
 
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
 
Causing to Stumble
6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
 
The Parable of the Wandering Sheep
10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. 
 
12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
 
Dealing With Sin in the Church
15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
 
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
 
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
 
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
 
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
 
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
 
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
 
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
 
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
 
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
 
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
 

35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Based on today's reading, what is one thing that God is saying to you? 

PRAY

Take a few moments to pray with focus, passion and purpose using P.R.A.Y:

  • Praise and Thanksgiving
  • Repent and Receive
  • Ask
  • Yes

Todays Prayer: God, help me love what you love and want what you want

ONE ANOTHER

Don’t lie to one another (Co 3:9)
Think about your words and thoughts, do you need to be more honest with others and yourself?

Day 170 2024

BIBLE 

Matthew 17 (NIV) Read or listen.
Watch the video above to help you understand the background and context of the reading and how it fits into the bigger story of the Bible.

The Transfiguration
1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
 
4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
 
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
 
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
 
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
 
10 The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”
 
11 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
 
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy
14 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”
 
17 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.
 
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
 
20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” 
 
Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time
22 When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.
 
The Temple Tax
24 After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”
 
25 “Yes, he does,” he replied.
 
When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?”
 
26 “From others,” Peter answered.
 

“Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. 27 “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”

Based on today's reading, what is one thing that God is saying to you? 

PRAY

Take a few moments to pray with focus, passion and purpose using P.R.A.Y:

  • Praise and Thanksgiving
  • Repent and Receive
  • Ask
  • Yes

Todays Prayer: God, help me love what you love and want what you want

ONE ANOTHER

Speak truth to one another (Ep 4:25)
Do you need to be more honest in your relationships? Think about how you can do this with one person and organise to talk to them.

Day 169 2024

BIBLE 

Matthew 16 (NIV) Read or listen.
Watch the video above to help you understand the background and context of the reading and how it fits into the bigger story of the Bible.

The Demand for a Sign
1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.
 
2 He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ 3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.
 
The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5 When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6 “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
 
7 They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”
 
8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9 Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11 How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
 
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
 
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
 
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
 
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
 
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
 
Jesus Predicts His Death
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
 
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
 
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
 
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
 

28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Based on today's reading, what is one thing that God is saying to you? 

PRAY

Take a few moments to pray with focus, passion and purpose using P.R.A.Y:

  • Praise and Thanksgiving
  • Repent and Receive
  • Ask
  • Yes

Todays Prayer: God, help me love what you love and want what you want

ONE ANOTHER

Bear one another’s burdens (Ga 6:2)
Who in your life would benefit from more support today? Send them a message.

Day 168 2024

BIBLE 

Today can be used to reflect on or memorise this key verse from this week’s readings. The day can also be used to catch-up if you missed a day in the readings. 

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) Read or listen.

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Based on today's reading, what is one thing that God is saying to you? 

PRAY

Take a few moments to pray with focus, passion and purpose using P.R.A.Y:

  • Praise and Thanksgiving
  • Repent and Receive
  • Ask
  • Yes

Todays Prayer: God, help me love what you love and want what you want

ONE ANOTHER 

Husbands and wives: don’t deprive one another of physical intimacy (1 Co 7:5)
Today, go out of your way to show your love and appreciation for your spouse.

Day 167 2024

BIBLE 

Matthew 15 (NIV) Read or listen.
Watch the video above to help you understand the background and context of the reading and how it fits into the bigger story of the Bible.

That Which Defiles
1 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
 
3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
 
8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.’”
 
10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
 
12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
 
13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
 
15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”
 
16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
 
The Faith of a Canaanite Woman
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
 
23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
 
24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
 
25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
 
26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
 
27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
 
28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
 
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
29 Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30 Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 31 The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.
 
32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”
 
33 His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”
 
34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.
 
“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”
 

35 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37 They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38 The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

Based on today's reading, what is one thing that God is saying to you? 

PRAY

Take a few moments to pray with focus, passion and purpose using P.R.A.Y:

  • Praise and Thanksgiving
  • Repent and Receive
  • Ask
  • Yes

Todays Prayer: God, help me love what you love and want what you want

ONE ANOTHER

Do not judge one another, and don’t put a stumbling block in a brother’s way (Ro 14:13)
Think about your words and thoughts, how can you be more gracious towards others? Put this into practice today.