Listener's Audio Bible Devotional Podcast

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story--those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind,

Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. \'Where did this man get these things?\' they asked. \'What\'s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn\'t this the carpenter? Isn\'t this Mary\'s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren\'t his sisters here with us?\' And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, \'A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.\' He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.

Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. \'Where did this man get these things?\' they asked. \'What\'s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn\'t this the carpenter? Isn\'t this Mary\'s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren\'t his sisters here with us?\' And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, \'A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.\' He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.

He went in and said to them, \'Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.\' But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child\'s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, \'Talitha koum!\' (which means \'Little girl, I say to you, get up!\'). Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

He went in and said to them, \'Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.\' But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child\'s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, \'Talitha koum!\' (which means \'Little girl, I say to you, get up!\'). Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, \'If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.\' Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, \'Who touched my clothes?\' \'You see the people crowding against you,\' his disciples answered, \'and yet you can ask, Who touched me?\' \' But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, \'Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.\'

Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, you his servants, the descendants of Abraham, his chosen ones, the children of Jacob. He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations,

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, \'Teacher, don\'t you care if we drown?\' He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, \'Quiet! Be still!\' Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, \'Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?\' They were terrified and asked each other, \'Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!\'

He also said, \'This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain--first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.\' Again he said, \'What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.\'

Then Jesus said, \'Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.\' When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, \'The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, \'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!\'\' Then Jesus said to them, \'Don\'t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.\' He said to them, \'Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don\'t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.\'

A psalm. For giving grateful praise. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

A psalm. For giving grateful praise. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.\'

Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.\'

Then Jesus\' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, \'Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.\' \'Who are my mother and my brothers?\' he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, \'Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God\'s will is my brother and sister and mother.\'