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Audible TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible...
Key Takeaways
- In Ezra 1, God's people are invited to return home from exile and rebuild the temple, demonstrating that restoration and new beginnings are always possible with God.
- Psalms 84 and 85 express a deep longing for God's dwelling place while celebrating themes of restoration, forgiveness, and peace.
- In Luke 7, Jesus displays extraordinary compassion by healing the centurion's servant, raising a grieving widow's son, and welcoming a woman marked by sin.
- The story of the sinful woman in Luke 7 illustrates how true forgiveness inspires extravagant love and gratitude rather than functioning as something to be earned.
- Embracing forgiveness and freedom in Luke 7 allows believers to stop singing the old song of shame and instead live in the peace of being deeply loved by God.
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One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus’ kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.
TODAY'S EPISODE:
Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 12th, and together we continue our journey through the Scriptures with Ezra 1, Psalms 84 and 85, and Luke 7.
Today’s readings are filled with the possibility of restoration.
Ezra opens with God's people being invited home after years of exile. Cyrus, king of Persia, announces that the people can return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. What seemed lost is being restored. A new chapter is beginning.
The Psalms give voice to that longing for home. “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” And Psalm 85 speaks of restoration, forgiveness, peace, and the hope that God's glory will once again fill the land.
Then in Luke 7, we encounter Jesus moving toward people with extraordinary compassion. He heals the servant of a Roman centurion. He meets a grieving widow and raises her son. And finally, while eating in the home of a Pharisee, Jesus receives the extravagant love of a woman whose life has been marked by sin and shame.
Again and again, Jesus moves toward those others might overlook or keep at a distance.
The sick are welcomed.
The grieving are seen.
The outsider is honored.
And the sinner hears the words, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Today we are invited to hear those words for ourselves and to discover the freedom that comes when forgiveness becomes more than an idea and we actually begin to live as people who know that we are loved.
TODAY'S DEVOTION:
TODAY'S PRAYERS:
Singing a New Song
There is this extraordinary moment at the end of Luke 7.
Jesus is eating at the home of Simon the Pharisee when a woman enters the room.
Everyone seems to know who she is.
And everyone seems to know what she has done.
She comes to Jesus weeping. Her tears fall on his feet. She wipes them with her hair, kisses his feet, and pours perfume over them.
Simon watches all of this and thinks to himself, “If this man were really a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him.”
But Jesus does know.
He knows her story.
He knows her pain.
He knows her sin.
And he doesn't move away.
That's important.
Because Simon sees a category.
Jesus sees a person.
Simon sees her past.
Jesus sees her.
And then Jesus tells Simon a story about two people whose debts have been forgiven. One owes a little. The other owes an enormous amount.
Neither can pay.
So the creditor forgives them both.
“Who do you suppose loved him more?” Jesus asks.
Simon knows the answer.
The one who had been forgiven much.
And suddenly we understand what is happening in this room.
This woman's tears aren't an attempt to earn forgiveness.
They're the response of someone who has encountered mercy.
She is singing a new song with her whole life.
The old song said, “You are what you've done.”
The old song said, “You are your shame.”
The old song said, “People like you don't belong here.”
But Jesus gives her another song.
“You are forgiven.”
“Your faith has saved you.”
“Go in peace.”
Maybe some of us need to hear that song today.
Because shame has a way of keeping us in exile long after God has opened the door and told us we can come home.
Ezra tells us it's time to come home.
The Psalms tell us that God's dwelling place is beautiful and that righteousness and peace have kissed.
And Jesus shows us what that homecoming looks like.
The outsider is welcomed.
The grieving are comforted.
The sick are healed.
And the sinner is forgiven.
So maybe today it's time to stop singing the old song.
The song of shame.
The song of fear.
The song that says you have to somehow earn your way back.
Listen instead to the voice of Jesus.
You are forgiven.
You are loved.
Go in peace.
And let that become the new song of your life.
That's the prayer I have for my own soul.
That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.
And that's the prayer I have for you.
May it be so.
Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.
Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen
And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What Bible passages are covered in this episode of Encounter Christ in Scripture?
This episode covers Ezra 1, Psalms 84 and 85, and Luke 7, focusing on themes of homecoming, restoration, and forgiveness.
What is the significance of the woman anointing Jesus' feet in Luke 7?
Her actions demonstrate the profound response of someone who has received immense mercy, showing that her love is the result of forgiveness rather than a way to earn it.
How does forgiveness and freedom in Luke 7 impact daily life?
Experiencing forgiveness frees believers from the heavy burden of past shame and fear, enabling them to live out a new song of grace, peace, and identity as deeply loved children of God.
Who hosts the Encounter Christ in Scripture podcast?
The podcast is hosted by Hunter and Heather Barnes as part of the Daily Radio Bible, guiding listeners through the Bible in one year.
