Pawprints & Prayers: Devotions for Dog Lovers

Living With a Strong-Willed Child

See God’s Peace: 3 Days of Visio Divina

Dog Dad Devotions on Leadership, Loyalty and Love

The Journey of Yes

When God Says No!

Acts Reading Plan

A Brighter Future: A 5-Day Devotional

The Last Half Hour: When Waiting Becomes Glory

God Gives Good Gifts to Everyone

New International Version

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 <div class="p">1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2and he said to his attendants, &#8220;This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip&#8217;s wife, 4for John had been saying to him: &#8220;It is not lawful for you to have her.&#8221; 5Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.</div><div class="p"> 6On Herod&#8217;s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much 7that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8Prompted by her mother, she said, &#8220;Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.&#8221; 9The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10and had John beheaded in the prison. 11His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12John&#8217;s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand</div><div class="p"> 13When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.</div><div class="p"> 15As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, &#8220;This is a remote place, and it&#8217;s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16Jesus replied, &#8220;They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17&#8220;We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,&#8221; they answered.</div><div class="p"> 18 &#8220;Bring them here to me,&#8221; he said. 19And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Walks on the Water</div><div class="p"> 22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.</div><div class="p"> 25Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. &#8220;It&#8217;s a ghost,&#8221; they said, and cried out in fear.</div><div class="p"> 27But Jesus immediately said to them: &#8220;Take courage! It is I. Don&#8217;t be afraid.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28&#8220;Lord, if it&#8217;s you,&#8221; Peter replied, &#8220;tell me to come to you on the water.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 29 &#8220;Come,&#8221; he said.</div><div class="p">Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, &#8220;Lord, save me!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. &#8220;You of little faith,&#8221; he said, &#8220;why did you doubt?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, &#8220;Truly you are the Son of God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 34When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.</div>
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 <div class="p">1Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2&#8220;Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don&#8217;t wash their hands before they eat!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3Jesus replied, &#8220;And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4For God said, &#8216;Honor your father and mother&#8217;#15:4 Exodus 20:12; Deut. 5:16 and &#8216;Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.&#8217;#15:4 Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9 5But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is &#8216;devoted to God,&#8217; 6they are not to &#8216;honor their father or mother&#8217; with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:</div><div class="q1"> 8 &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;These people honor me with their lips,</div><div class="q2"> but their hearts are far from me.</div><div class="q1"> 9 They worship me in vain;</div><div class="q2"> their teachings are merely human rules.&#8217; # 15:9 
 Isaiah 29:13
 &#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10Jesus called the crowd to him and said, &#8220;Listen and understand. 11What goes into someone&#8217;s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12Then the disciples came to him and asked, &#8220;Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13He replied, &#8220;Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14Leave them; they are blind guides.#15:14 Some manuscripts blind guides of the blind If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Peter said, &#8220;Explain the parable to us.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16 &#8220;Are you still so dull?&#8221; Jesus asked them. 17&#8220;Don&#8217;t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18But the things that come out of a person&#8217;s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts&#8212;murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Faith of a Canaanite Woman</div><div class="p"> 21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, &#8220;Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, &#8220;Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24He answered, &#8220;I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25The woman came and knelt before him. &#8220;Lord, help me!&#8221; she said.</div><div class="p"> 26He replied, &#8220;It is not right to take the children&#8217;s bread and toss it to the dogs.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27&#8220;Yes it is, Lord,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master&#8217;s table.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28Then Jesus said to her, &#8220;Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.&#8221; And her daughter was healed at that moment.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand</div><div class="p"> 29Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30Great 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. 31The 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.</div><div class="p"> 32Jesus called his disciples to him and said, &#8220;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.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 33His disciples answered, &#8220;Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 34 &#8220;How many loaves do you have?&#8221; Jesus asked.</div><div class="p">&#8220;Seven,&#8221; they replied, &#8220;and a few small fish.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 35He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36Then 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. 37They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. 39After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.</div>
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The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

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 <div class="label">16</div><div class="s1">The Demand for a Sign</div><div class="p"> 1The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.</div><div class="p"> 2He replied, &#8220;When evening comes, you say, &#8216;It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,&#8217; 3and in the morning, &#8216;Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.&#8217; You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.#16:2,3 Some early manuscripts do not have When evening comes&#8230; of the times. 4A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.&#8221; Jesus then left them and went away.</div><div class="s1">The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees</div><div class="p"> 5When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6&#8220;Be careful,&#8221; Jesus said to them. &#8220;Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7They discussed this among themselves and said, &#8220;It is because we didn&#8217;t bring any bread.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, &#8220;You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9Do you still not understand? Don&#8217;t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11How is it you don&#8217;t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.&#8221; 12Then 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.</div><div class="s1">Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah</div><div class="p"> 13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, &#8220;Who do people say the Son of Man is?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14They replied, &#8220;Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15 &#8220;But what about you?&#8221; he asked. &#8220;Who do you say I am?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16Simon Peter answered, &#8220;You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17Jesus replied, &#8220;Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter,#16:18 The Greek word for Peter means rock. and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades#16:18 That is, the realm of the dead will not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be#16:19 Or will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be#16:19 Or will have been loosed in heaven.&#8221; 20Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Predicts His Death</div><div class="p"> 21From 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.</div><div class="p"> 22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. &#8220;Never, Lord!&#8221; he said. &#8220;This shall never happen to you!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23Jesus turned and said to Peter, &#8220;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.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24Then Jesus said to his disciples, &#8220;Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save their life#16:25 The Greek word means either life or soul; also in verse 26. will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26What 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? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father&#8217;s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.</div><div class="p"> 28 &#8220;Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.&#8221;</div>
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