For Herod had earlier arrested John for confronting him for taking the wife of his brother Philip. He had John thrown in prison and placed in chains because John had repeatedly said to him, “It’s not legal or proper for you to be married to Herodias, your sister-in-law!” So Herod wanted John dead, but he was afraid of the crowds who flocked to John because they considered him to be a prophet. During Herod’s birthday celebration, the daughter of Herodias danced before Herod and all his distinguished guests, which greatly pleased the king. So he said to her in front of them all, “I give you my oath, ask of me anything you wish and it will be yours!” Because she had been instructed by her mother, she said, “I want the head of John the Baptizer here on a platter!” This grieved the king, but because of his oath in front of all of his guests, he had John beheaded in prison. They brought in his head and displayed it to her on a platter, and she then had it shown to her mother. John’s disciples went into the prison and carried his body away and buried it. Then they left to find Jesus and tell him what had happened.
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5 Days
Life is uncertain, but it’s not a complete mystery. God has allowed us to know who he is, what he thinks of us, and what he will do for us. Begin to discover this in just five minutes a day—and as you do, we pray your faith, hope, and love for him will grow.
Scripture frequently calls us to hold couplets of seemingly opposing truths in tension. For example, plan for tomorrow AND don't worry about it, enjoy restful “self-care” AND embrace self-sacrifice, desire good things AND be content. Join me as we explore five pieces of “double-sided wisdom,” mining seemingly minor nuances for major truths to apply to our work today!
6 Days
Matthew writes to God’s people and walks them on a journey that will take them from where they are to be Disciple Makers. This is 15 of 27 devotional plans walking us through the book of Matthew. Jesus finishes the section on the parables—lots of key Kingdom truths. Then we see Jesus' response to being misunderstood and to having spiritual strength in such times.
He lived in the wild, wore weird clothes, had an appetite for bugs, and an aptitude for berating people. But, despite John the Baptist’s eccentric appearance and lifestyle, Jesus claimed “there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist” (Matt. 11:11). Who was John the Baptist? What made him so great? Perhaps, most importantly, what can we learn from him about true greatness in God’s kingdom?
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