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You're listening to the My Morning Devotional podcast, episode 1498. Today's Devo is called Jesus Teaches in the Temple. Hey there. We're the Alessi's, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy and to do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time.
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That's why we've partnered with our friend Allison to produce a five minute daily dose of heaven. This is the My Morning Devotional Podcast. Happy Wednesday everybody, and I am very excited to continue in our holy week together. I think that this is so special what we're doing with you all and what we're doing as a devo, because this week it goes by so fast and usually it's people's spring break, but it's wonderful to sit back and remember all that happened in this week during this week with Jesus our Savior and to remember what he did for us. So I'm going to dive into my devo today, which is Matthew 21:23 through chapter 24:51. I'm not going to read all of that because It'll be a 20 minute devo, because that is three chapters.
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However, I would encourage you to take the time today to read it all.
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I'm reading it out of the NIV version and it is just powerful.
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This is where Jesus packs a punch in his teachings this week, so take the time to read it. I'm going to start with chapter 22, verse 34 through 40 in the NIV version, which says, hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law.
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Jesus replied, love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
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This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself.
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All the law and prophets hang on these two commandments. Amen. You know, Wednesday was one of Jesus most intense teaching days. He taught parables, he answered traps from religious leaders. That's why it says that he silenced the sad Sadducees. He warned about hypocrisy and he spoke about the future and about basically the end of the world. So please go read it. It is so interesting. And this is when Jesus taught powerful truths, like the greatest commandment, the parable of the talents and the signs of the coming kingdom.
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Many people listened. However, the religious leaders were becoming more determined to silence Him.
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And this is what this section allows us to reflect on. Jesus didn't just want followers who admired him. He wanted people who listened and obeyed. You know what I love the most about being a Christian? And I was talking to my sister Gabby about this a week ago. It paves the road for us to walk out an incredible life. Of course it comes with its challenges. It comes with its hang ups. Bad things will happen. But what I love about partnering with God in life and partnering with His Word and following his principles is that it guarantees a life of peace.
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It guarantees a life of joy even in the midst of the hard times. Because I truly believe, guys, that Jesus, he wants you to live a good life. And a good life comes from good choices. And good choices come from obedience. We do not have to live angry at our neighbors. We don't have to live bitter. We don't have to live poor. God gives us the principles to steward our finances so that we can enjoy our life. He doesn't want us to live heavy from unforgiveness or anxiety or in disarray with our schedules. I really, really believe, and I'm really grateful for the fact that Christians can live a good, free, wholesome and, and happy life, you know, even in the struggles. And that comes by being obedient to His Word. Because hearing truth is one thing, but living it out is a whole other thing.
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If we follow what the Word says, then we can live that free and wholesome and happy life. May your yes be yes and your no be no. Count the cost and then build your house so you don't run out of money and stress out. Love your neighbor as yourself. Forgive others as God has forgiven us, so we don't have to live with that weight in our hearts. Do not lean on your own understanding, but lean on God. Lean on his peace and you won't have anxiety.
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You won't have that worry. Let the joy of the Lord be your strength so that you can live a joyous and happy life.
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And this is the portion of this week that shows us Jesus just wants us to be in obedience to him so that we can live a good life. And thank you, Jesus, for the fact that we have a God that wants us to live a good life. So here's our activity for this week.
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We would love for you to get with your family, to get with your friends over dinner tonight and have every single member around the table share their favorite Bible story or parable.
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And don't just share it, but also share what does this teach us about how to live and then close by praying that your family and friends would live what Jesus taught. Talk about those parables, talk about your favorite story of Moses or Noah or Jesus, and then share how it inspires you. Share how it inspires you to live and let everybody share it so that during this Holy Week, you can take a moment to remember the beautiful life that God allows us to walk in. All right, let's pray.
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God, we thank you so much that you give us the principles, you give us the path to walk into freedom, to walk into joy, to walk into true happiness. God, you never want to stop us from freedom.
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And anything that causes us to believe that you are punishing us, that you are hindering us, that you are holding us back. We rebuke that right now in the name of Jesus. Your ways are to keep us in joy, your ways are to keep us in peace.
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Even in the midst of the battle. You give us the grace that we need to get through it. And we thank you for that, Jesus. So allow us today to remember your holiness during this Holy Week. And in Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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So there you have it, your 5 minute daily dose of heaven. Thank you so much for tuning in today. We pray these devotionals empower you to take on your day. If you found value in this devotional, share it with a friend. Leave a comment or review for us on the app you're using right now. Until tomorrow. We pray that your latte is strong, but your love for Jesus is stronger.
