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Who ever believes in The Son has eternal life, but who ever rejects The Son will not see life. John 3:36

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Stolen Vineyard

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Matthew 21:33–46

When Jesus told the parable of the vineyard in Matthew 21, His hearers were no doubt reminded of Naboth’s vineyard in 1 Kings 21. Evil King Ahab coveted the abundant vineyard and offered to buy it, but Naboth refused. His queen, Jezebel, then lied to have Naboth murdered, so Ahab could seize the property. The prophet Elijah condemned their unjust actions.

In Jesus’ story, a man planted a vineyard (vv. 33–39). The references to a winepress and a watchtower show that he had prepared it carefully before renting it out to tenants for a share of the harvest. When the time came, however, instead of paying the rent they murdered the owner’s three messengers and finally his son. No doubt audience outrage was growing as the story unfolded. Jesus the Master Teacher asked them to predict what would happen next (vv. 40–41). They naturally answered that the owner would deal out justice to those wicked tenants and find more honest ones.

Jesus then provocatively interpreted the story as symbolizing God, Israel, and Himself (vv. 42–46). The owner of the vineyard is God. The original tenants are the “chief priests and the Pharisees.” The messengers were the prophets. Jesus Himself is the owner’s Son, the rejected Cornerstone, the Messiah. The religious leaders knew that Jesus’ story condemned them and from that point on they wanted to arrest Him. Though this was an opportunity to repent, they missed it completely and instead acted exactly as the story described.

The next chapter in God’s kingdom plan would include both Jews and Gentiles (see Rom. 11:17–24), a plan the Jews hadn’t expected. Those who reject the Cornerstone will see the kingdom taken away from them and given to those who will “produce its fruit” (see Matt. 21:43). May we be among those who produce fruit for the kingdom!

Compare and contrast those two vineyard stories. Why are people still rejecting Jesus today?

Pray with Us
We are grieved to know there are people who reject You, Jesus. Thank You for showing grace and mercy to us over and over. May we never miss the opportunity to seek Your face. by @josiee55

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Searching for Peace?

Saturday October 17, 2026

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee ...

- ISAIAH 26:3

Are you searching for peace? Are you longing for it? You thought you would find it if you made a lot of money, but you didn’t find it.

You thought you would find it in getting and accumulating a lot of knowledge, so you got all the degrees you could, but you didn’t find it, this peace.

You’ve searched the religions of the world, but you haven’t found it. There are a thousand ways you’ve turned, trying to find peace, but you haven’t found it.

When you come to Christ by an act of faith, He gives you the Holy Spirit who produces the fruit of the Spirit and gives you the peace that passeth all understanding.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Your presence fills my mind with peace, Lord, bringing into perspective all that I need—You, my heavenly Father. by @josiee55

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Full Barns

Friday, October 16, 2026

Luke 12:13–21

If you’re anything like me, you’ve resonated with the song “If I Were a Rich Man” from Fiddler on the Roof. In this musical, the father Tevye dreams of being wealthy. Not only would his family be comfortable, he’d have more time to study in the synagogue. He asks God, “Would it spoil some vast eternal plan? If I were a wealthy man?”

God did not grant Tevye’s wish (or mine) to be wealthy, and in light of today’s parable that’s a blessing. Riches can be a formidable temptation (1 Tim. 6:10). In Luke 12, a man asked Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance with him (vv. 13–15). He was likely a younger brother, and his older brother would receive double.

Jesus refused, then warned His audience against greed (covetousness) and materialism. The principle is simple: Life is not merely about possessions. To illustrate further, Jesus told a story about a farmer who reaped a huge harvest, so big that he didn’t have enough space to store it all.

His solution was to build larger barns (vv. 16–19). The man was selfish. He didn’t even consider giving some of it away. He put his trust in his wealth and pridefully found his security there. As a result of this harvest, he congratulated himself and decided he could “take life easy” from now on.

God evaluated this attitude as damned (literally) foolishness (vv. 20–21). That very night the farmer would die. He’d provided for his grain but not for his soul! Death reveals the quality of that in which we’ve put our faith.

The barns were full, but the man couldn’t take any of it with him. As Ecclesiastes says, all such things are meaningless. This is how it will be for everyone who “stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

Finish this sentence: None of us know when we will die, therefore... Christ has already conquered death, so we can contemplate the matter without fear.

Pray with Us
Lord, everything we have comes from You. Help us not be distracted by the appeal of money and possessions. Thank You that You “give us each day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3).🙏🏻🤗❤️ by @josiee55

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Loneliness

Friday October 16th, 2026

My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

- PSALM 84:2

Loneliness is one of the greatest problems people face today. It is a leading cause of suicide-that is now the third greatest killer of students in the United States. People feel various kinds of loneliness.

One of the most common is the loneliness of solitude. Or there is the loneliness of suffering. Many people experience loneliness in society, or there is the loneliness of sorrow, guilt, and judgment.

All of us feel at times a loneliness for God. Someone has called it cosmic loneliness. We don’t know what it is. It makes us restless. You see, man was made for God; and without God, he is lonely. But Jesus is knocking at the door of our heart, saying, “I want to come in.

Let me in.” He doesn’t push His way through that door. We have to open it and invite Him in; when we do, He comes in to live forever and we are never lonely again.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Lord Jesus, I remember the agony of my days without You. Lead me to the lonely people who need to experience the joy of Your companionship, too. by @josiee55

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Parable of the Soils

Thursday, October 15, 2026

Matthew 13:1–23

If you visit Moody Bible Institute’s Chicago campus, be sure to check out the entrance lobby in Crowell Hall. There you will find a beautiful stained-glass window called “The Sower.” It pictures the farmer in Matthew 13. With a bag slung over his shoulder, the sower strides through a field, one hand scattering seeds.

We read this parable in two parts. First, the story itself (vv. 1–9). The scattered seeds come to four ends: (1) The birds eat the seeds that fell on the hard surface of the path. (2) Seeds that landed in rocky places sprang up quickly but then withered because they had no root. (3) Seeds that landed among thorns were choked. (4) Finally, seeds that landed in good soil yielded an incredibly fruitful crop.

The second part is Jesus’ explanation, requested by His disciples (vv. 18–23). The seeds represent the message of the kingdom, that is, the gospel. In the reception of this message, there are four results seen in the story: (1) Some people don’t understand, and Satan snatches it away. (2) Some receive it with joy, but they fall away when trouble or persecution comes. (3) Some hear it, but “the worries of this life and the deceitfulness [or ‘seductiveness’] of wealth” choke or suffocate the response. Luke’s version adds “pleasures.” (4) Others hear, understand, and respond in faith and obedience, as seen in their fruitfulness. Only this fourth type is truly saved.

The sower or farmer is not directly identified but is ultimately God, because the gospel of redemption is His plan. He uses angels and human beings in that plan, so it’s not inaccurate to picture pastors, missionaries, and indeed all followers of Christ as scattering the seeds. We’re responsible to sow but reaping or outcomes are up to the Lord.

Are we being obedient about scattering the seeds? What does that look like in your life? Why is it so important to trust God with the results?

ray with Us
Jesus, who do You want us to be scattering seeds to? Please give us courage, patience, and discernment to share Your truth well. Thank You for letting us be part of Your plan! by @josiee55

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