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Daily Bible with Hunter and Heather

Hunter Barnes

Discover the Bible Anew with "Daily Bible with Hunter & Heather"—Your Daily Companion for Spiritual Growth Embark on a transformative year-long journey through the Bible with Hunter and Heather Barnes, the passionate hosts of "Daily Bible with Hunter & Heather." This daily podcast is designed to inspire, uplift, and guide you as you read the entire Bible in just 365 days. Whether you're deepening your faith, exploring scripture for the first time, or seeking a moment of peace, DBHH is the perfect companion for your spiritual walk. Why Listen to Daily Bible with Hunter & Heather? Daily, Bite-Sized Episodes: Make scripture part of your routine—perfect for busy mornings, commutes, or quiet evenings. Global Community: Join thousands of listeners from around the world as we reflect and grow together in faith. Comprehensive Bible Coverage: From Genesis to Revelation, experience every chapter with fresh insights. Heartfelt Hosting: Hunter and Heather's thoughtful reflections bring scripture to life, offering relatable and meaningful takeaways. What You'll Gain: A deeper understanding of the Bible's timeless wisdom. Daily encouragement and spiritual nourishment. Connection with a supportive community of believers. Start your journey today with "Daily Bible with Hunter & Heather" and transform your Bible reading into a daily source of inspiration and renewal. Subscribe now on your favorite podcast platform and let the adventure begin—one day, one chapter at a time.

7058 - September 29th, 26: Zechariah 4–6; Luke 12: Not by Might, Not by Power
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  • 7058 - September 29th, 26: Zechariah 4–6; Luke 12: Not by Might, Not by Power
    Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Zechariah 4–6; Luke 12 Click HERE to give!

    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 29th, and our readings are Zechariah 4–6 and Luke 12.

    Zechariah continues his strange and beautiful visions.

    God's people have returned from exile. The temple lies unfinished. The task before Zerubbabel must have seemed enormous.

    And into that uncertainty comes one of Scripture's great words:

    "It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies."

    Not by might.

    Not by power.

    But by my Spirit.

    Then we come to Luke 12, where Jesus warns us about another kind of power.

    The power of possessions.

    The illusion of control.

    The anxiety that tells us we must accumulate enough, protect enough, and plan enough to make ourselves secure.

    Jesus tells the story of a rich man who has so much that he decides to tear down his barns and build bigger ones.

    But Jesus reminds us that life cannot be secured in a barn.

    And then he turns toward his disciples and says:

    "Don't be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom."

    Maybe that's the word for us today.

    Not by might.

    Not by power.

    Not by bigger barns.

    Not by controlling everything around us.

    But by the Spirit.

    And by trusting the heart of the Father who delights in giving us the kingdom.

    TODAY'S DEVOTION Not by Might, Not by Power

    We like big barns.

    Maybe we don't call them barns anymore.

    But we like them.

    We like bank accounts.

    Retirement accounts.

    Houses.

    Careers.

    Platforms.

    Reputations.

    Plans.

    We like whatever gives us the feeling that we've finally managed to secure our lives.

    And to be clear, there's nothing wrong with planning.

    There's nothing wrong with saving.

    There's nothing wrong with being responsible.

    But Jesus knows how easily these good things can become something else.

    They can become the place where we look for life.

    Jesus tells a story about a man whose land produces an enormous harvest.

    The man looks at everything he has and says:

    What am I going to do?

    I don't have room for all this.

    And then he comes up with a plan.

    "I know! I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones."

    Bigger barns.

    More storage.

    More security.

    More control.

    And then he says something revealing.

    He tells himself that once he has enough stored away, he can finally relax.

    Now I'll be safe.

    Now I'll be secure.

    Now I can live.

    But Jesus says:

    That's an illusion.

    Because your life isn't stored in your barns.

    Your life isn't stored in your bank account.

    Your life isn't stored in your reputation.

    Your life isn't stored in how much control you can exercise over the future.

    Your life is in God.

    And that brings me back to Zechariah.

    Zerubbabel has been given an enormous task.

    The temple must be rebuilt.

    The mountain in front of him looks overwhelming.

    And God's word to him is:

    "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit."

    I need to hear that.

    Because I can spend a lot of energy trying to make things happen.

    Trying to manage outcomes.

    Trying to get everything lined up just right.

    Trying to build a big enough barn so that nothing unexpected can hurt me.

    Maybe you know that feeling too.

    If I can just get enough money.

    If I can just get the right job.

    If I can just get everyone to understand me.

    If I can just fix this relationship.

    If I can just get my health under control.

    If I can just make sure my children are okay.

    If I can just figure out what's coming next.

    Then I can breathe.

    Then I'll be safe.

    Then I'll have peace.

    But Jesus doesn't point us toward bigger barns.

    He points us toward the Father.

    And then he says something so tender:

    "Don't be afraid, little flock."

    I love that.

    Don't be afraid, little flock.

    Why?

    Because you've figured everything out?

    No.

    Because you've accumulated enough?

    No.

    Because you've protected yourself from every possible loss?

    No.

    "Because it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom."

    There it is.

    Gift.

    The kingdom is gift.

    Life is gift.

    Grace is gift.

    God himself is gift.

    And the Spirit is at work in us and around us in ways we cannot manufacture or control.

    Not by might.

    Not by power.

    But by my Spirit.

    Maybe that's the invitation today.

    Open your hands.

    Release your grip.

    Let go of the illusion that everything depends on you.

    You don't have to build a barn big enough to hold your future.

    You don't have to possess enough to become secure.

    You don't have to control everyone and everything around you.

    You have a Father who delights to give you the kingdom.

    And maybe the Spirit is whispering to us today:

    You can breathe.

    You can trust.

    You can let go.

    You are held.

    Jesus tells us to look at the ravens.

    Look at the lilies.

    Look at creation itself.

    God is present.

    God is giving.

    God is sustaining.

    And you are worth far more to him than birds and flowers.

    So maybe today we can stop measuring our lives by what we've managed to accumulate, achieve, or control.

    Maybe we can open our hands.

    Not by might.

    Not by power.

    Not by bigger barns.

    But by the Spirit.

    And maybe we'll discover that the life we've been trying so hard to secure has been gift all along.

    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 we loosen our grip.

    May we trust the Spirit.

    May we hear Jesus say again, "Don't be afraid, little flock."

    And may we discover the joy of receiving the kingdom as gift.

    May it be so.

    TODAY'S PRAYERS:

    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.

    OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

    We are reading through the New Living Translation.

    Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

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    DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

    Tue, 29 Sep 2026 - 24min
  • 7057 - September 28th, 26: Zechariah 1–3; Luke 11: Bring on the Floodlights: Finding the True Light
    Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Zechariah 1–3; Luke 11 Click HERE to give!

    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 28th, and our readings are Zechariah 1–3 and Luke 11.

    Zechariah brings us into a series of strange and beautiful visions given to a people who have returned from exile.

    Jerusalem has been devastated. The temple is being rebuilt. God's people are trying to imagine what restoration might look like.

    And into that uncertainty comes a word of hope.

    God has not abandoned them.

    God is returning.

    God is restoring.

    God is removing shame.

    God is bringing his people into something new.

    Then in Luke 11, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray.

    He tells them to ask, seek, and knock.

    He confronts religious systems that have become preoccupied with appearances while neglecting justice and the love of God.

    And then Jesus says something that deserves our attention:

    "Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness."

    That's a sobering invitation.

    Because not everything we call light is light.

    Religion can call something light that produces fear.

    Tradition can call something light that keeps people in bondage.

    Self-righteousness can feel like light while preventing us from seeing ourselves or our neighbor clearly.

    Jesus invites us to turn our eyes toward the true light.

    The light of God's love.

    And when that light fills us, Jesus says our whole lives can become radiant.

    So today, let's step out of the shadows.

    Bring on the floodlights.

    TODAY'S DEVOTION Bring on the Floodlights

    If all the world's a stage, then I want better lighting.

    I remember hearing an actor say something like that once.

    And I understand it.

    When you're on a stage, you learn pretty quickly to find your light.

    You can have the best lines.

    You can give the best performance.

    But if you're standing in the shadows, nobody can see what's happening.

    So you find the light.

    And maybe that's a good image for the spiritual life too.

    Find the light.

    Or perhaps more importantly, make sure the light you've found is actually light.

    Because Jesus says something rather startling in Luke 11:

    "Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness."

    That's worth sitting with.

    Because apparently it's possible to become accustomed to darkness and call it light.

    It's possible for religious traditions to become so familiar that we stop asking whether they actually look like Jesus.

    It's possible to confuse certainty with light.

    It's possible to confuse being right with light.

    It's possible to confuse fear with light.

    It's possible to imagine that a theology that leaves us frightened of God is somehow illuminating God.

    And Jesus says:

    Check the light.

    Look again.

    Because Jesus himself is the light by which everything else is seen.

    He is the one who shows us what God is like.

    And when we look at Jesus, what do we see?

    We see him moving toward people.

    We see him touching those others avoid.

    We see him eating with those religion has excluded.

    We see him forgiving.

    Healing.

    Restoring.

    Setting people free.

    We see him telling us to love our enemies.

    We see him laying down his life rather than taking the lives of his enemies.

    We see self-giving love.

    This is the light.

    And Jesus is confronting religious leaders in Luke 11 who have become very good at managing appearances.

    Everything looks clean on the outside.

    But Jesus says the inside tells another story.

    They carefully tithe even the herbs from their gardens, but they ignore justice and the love of God.

    That's darkness masquerading as light.

    And I don't think Jesus confronts them because he hates them.

    I think he confronts them because he loves them.

    He wants them to see.

    He wants them to wake up.

    He wants the light to break through.

    Zechariah gives us another beautiful picture today.

    Joshua the high priest stands before God in filthy clothes.

    And the Accuser is there.

    Ready to accuse.

    Ready to condemn.

    Ready to define Joshua by what he is wearing.

    But God rebukes the Accuser.

    And then God says:

    "Take off his filthy clothes."

    And Joshua is given new clothes.

    A new identity.

    A new beginning.

    That's light.

    The Accuser says, "Look at him."

    God says, "I have taken away your sins."

    The Accuser points toward shame.

    God moves toward restoration.

    And Jesus shows us that this is the heart of God.

    Maybe there are some dark corners in us today.

    Fear.

    Shame.

    Resentment.

    Religious ideas that have taught us to hide from God instead of running toward him.

    Maybe we've mistaken some of those things for light.

    Jesus invites us to open the curtains.

    Bring on the floodlights.

    Let the light of Christ shine into every corner.

    Let him show us what God is really like.

    Let him expose the false lights that have kept us afraid.

    And let his love illuminate our lives.

    Jesus says that when we're filled with light, our whole life becomes radiant, as though a floodlight were filling us with light.

    I love that.

    God isn't inviting us to spend our lives hiding in the shadows.

    He's drawing us into the light.

    Into freedom.

    Into grace.

    Into love.

    And as our eyes become filled with the light of Christ, maybe we begin to reflect that light into the world around us.

    So turn your face toward Jesus today.

    Look at him.

    Keep looking.

    Let him show you the Father.

    Let his love expose every false light.

    Let his grace illuminate every shadow.

    His light has come into our darkness.

    And the darkness cannot overcome it.

    Bring on the floodlights.

    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 our eyes be filled with the light of Christ.

    And may our whole lives become radiant with the love of God.

    May it be so.

    TODAY'S PRAYERS:

    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.

    OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

    We are reading through the New Living Translation.

    Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

    Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

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    DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

    Mon, 28 Sep 2026 - 27min
  • 7056 - September 27th, 26: Haggai 1–2; Psalm 129; Luke 10: The Neighbor We've All Been Waiting For
    Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Haggai 1–2; Psalm 129; Luke 10 Click HERE to give!

    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 27th, and our readings are Haggai 1–2, Psalm 129, and Luke 10.

    Haggai speaks to a people who have returned from exile but have lost their way. They are busy building their own lives while the temple remains in ruins.

    So Haggai calls them back to their center.

    Consider how things are going for you.

    Pay attention.

    Remember what matters.

    And God tells them something they desperately need to hear:

    "I am with you."

    Psalm 129 is the prayer of people who have suffered and yet remain standing.

    Then in Luke 10, Jesus sends out seventy-two disciples with a message of peace and healing. He rejoices that God's kingdom is being revealed, not simply to the powerful and learned, but to those who receive it like children.

    And then a religious expert asks Jesus a question:

    "Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?"

    That conversation leads Jesus into one of his most familiar stories, the story we call the Good Samaritan.

    But perhaps we've been standing in the wrong place in the story.

    Before asking whether we're being good enough neighbors, maybe we need to recognize the Neighbor who has already come looking for us.

    Jesus meets us in the ditch.

    He sees us.

    He comes near.

    He binds our wounds.

    He carries us.

    He brings us home.

    He is the neighbor we've all been waiting for.

    TODAY'S DEVOTION The Neighbor We've All Been Waiting For

    Who is the hero of the story?

    That's an important question.

    Because when we read the story of the Good Samaritan, I think most of us immediately put ourselves in the role of the Samaritan.

    Be a good neighbor.

    Help people who are hurting.

    Show mercy.

    Cross the road toward the person in need.

    And, of course, Jesus does invite us to become people of mercy.

    He ends the story by saying, "Now go and do the same."

    But before we rush too quickly to make ourselves the hero of the story, maybe we need to see something else.

    Maybe we're the one in the ditch.

    Maybe that's where the gospel begins.

    Jesus says a man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when robbers attacked him.

    They stripped him.

    Beat him.

    And left him half dead beside the road.

    A priest comes by.

    He passes him.

    A Levite comes by.

    He passes him too.

    Religion sees him lying there, but religion doesn't save him.

    And then someone unexpected comes along.

    A Samaritan.

    Jesus says that when he sees the wounded man, he has compassion.

    He moves toward him.

    He kneels down.

    He tends his wounds with oil and wine.

    He lifts him onto his own animal.

    He takes him somewhere safe.

    He pays the cost.

    And he promises to return.

    Who does that sound like?

    Jesus.

    Jesus is the neighbor we've all been waiting for.

    He's the one who finds us lying in the ditch.

    He's the one who sees us.

    He's the one who has compassion.

    He's the one who comes near.

    He's the one who binds up our wounds.

    He's the one who carries us when we cannot carry ourselves.

    He's the one who pays the cost.

    He's the one who brings us home.

    And that changes the way we hear this story.

    Because the gospel isn't first about our ability to become the hero.

    It's about discovering that we have been rescued.

    It's about receiving mercy before we try to give it.

    It's about being loved before we try to love.

    It's about allowing Jesus to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

    And maybe that's why the story of Mary and Martha follows immediately afterward.

    Martha is busy.

    She's working.

    She's serving.

    She's doing all the things that need to be done.

    But Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet.

    Listening.

    Receiving.

    And Jesus says Mary has chosen what is better.

    That doesn't mean serving doesn't matter.

    Of course it matters.

    But we can become so busy trying to do something for Jesus that we forget what Jesus has come to do for us.

    We need to sit at his feet.

    We need to receive.

    We need to let ourselves be loved.

    We need to let him bind our wounds.

    We need to remember that he is the Savior.

    Not us.

    Haggai speaks to people who have been busy building their own lives.

    And God calls them back to the center.

    "Consider your ways."

    Maybe that's a good word for us today.

    Consider your ways.

    What are you building?

    What are you striving to prove?

    What are you trying to accomplish so that you can finally feel secure, loved, or whole?

    Maybe Jesus is inviting us back to the center.

    Back to his feet.

    Back to the ditch where we first discovered mercy.

    Back to the realization that before we ever became the neighbor to someone else, Christ became the neighbor to us.

    He saw us.

    He came near.

    He had compassion.

    And he loved us back to life.

    And once we know that kind of mercy, something begins to happen in us.

    We become merciful.

    We cross the road.

    We notice the wounded.

    We stop.

    We listen.

    We bind wounds.

    We make room.

    Not because we're trying to become the hero.

    But because we've encountered the One who is.

    We love because we have been loved.

    We show mercy because mercy found us.

    We become neighbors because Jesus first became our neighbor.

    He's the neighbor we've all been waiting for.

    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 we see ourselves clearly.

    May we see Jesus clearly.

    And having received his limitless mercy and love, may that same mercy begin to flow through us toward the world.

    May it be so.

    TODAY'S PRAYERS:

    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.

    OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

    We are reading through the New Living Translation.

    Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

    Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

    OTHER PODCASTS:

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    DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

    Sun, 27 Sep 2026 - 25min
  • 7055 - September 26th, 26: Ezra 4; Psalms 113 & 127; Luke 9: Losing to Gain: The Way of the Cross
    Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezra 4; Psalms 113 & 127; Luke 9 Click HERE to give!

    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 26th, and our readings are Ezra 4, Psalms 113 and 127, and Luke 9.

    Ezra tells us that the work of rebuilding has run into opposition. God's people have returned from exile and begun rebuilding the temple, but now resistance comes. The work becomes difficult, and eventually it comes to a halt.

    Psalm 113 reminds us that God lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump.

    Then Psalm 127 gives us an important word about all our building:

    "Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted."

    And then we come to Luke 9.

    Jesus sends the twelve out with very little to rely upon except God. He feeds a hungry multitude. Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is transfigured before his disciples.

    But running through it all is a surprising description of what it means to follow him.

    "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me."

    Jesus is showing us another kind of life.

    The world tells us to acquire, achieve, protect, and succeed.

    Jesus says there is another way.

    We find our lives by giving them away.

    TODAY'S DEVOTION Losing to Gain: The Way of the Cross

    If you hang on to your life, making it about you, insisting on your own way, Jesus says you will eventually lose the very thing you're trying so hard to save.

    That's a strange word for us.

    Because the world tells us almost exactly the opposite.

    Hold on.

    Build more.

    Achieve more.

    Become more important.

    Protect what you've accumulated.

    Win.

    Success becomes one of the great siren songs of our world.

    And if we're not careful, it can become the siren song of the church too.

    Big bank accounts.

    Big churches.

    Big platforms.

    Big egos.

    We can baptize all of it and call it blessing.

    But Jesus points in another direction.

    He says:

    "What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?"

    You can gain everything and somehow lose yourself.

    Then Jesus says that if we want to follow him, we must take up our cross daily.

    That's not exactly a winning strategy by the world's standards.

    People carrying crosses aren't climbing ladders.

    They're dying.

    And yet Jesus tells us that this is somehow the road to life.

    That's the great paradox of the kingdom.

    We find our lives by giving them away.

    Jesus said elsewhere that unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone.

    But when it dies, something happens.

    Life emerges.

    A harvest comes.

    The life released in death becomes resurrection life.

    And resurrection life is different from the power of the flesh.

    The flesh has to protect itself.

    Prove itself.

    Advance itself.

    Resurrection life is free.

    Free to love.

    Free to serve.

    Free to give.

    Free to lose without being lost.

    Because our life is already hidden with Christ in God.

    Psalm 127 says:

    "Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted."

    That's a good word for me.

    Because we can spend our whole lives building.

    Building careers.

    Building ministries.

    Building reputations.

    Building security.

    Building an image of ourselves that we desperately hope everyone else will believe.

    And Jesus asks:

    What if you gained all of it?

    What if you actually succeeded at everything the world told you mattered?

    Would you have found life?

    Jesus doesn't come merely to make us more successful at the world's game.

    He comes to set us free from the game.

    He comes to awaken us to the life that is already ours in him.

    That's resurrection.

    That's freedom.

    That's abundance.

    So maybe today we need to turn down the siren song of this world.

    Turn down the voices telling us that our lives are measured by what we accumulate, accomplish, or prove.

    And turn up the music of heaven.

    Listen again to Jesus.

    "Follow me."

    Follow me into the way of love.

    Follow me into generosity.

    Follow me into forgiveness.

    Follow me into self-giving.

    Follow me through the cross and into resurrection.

    Because the life you're trying so hard to secure is already waiting for you in him.

    Lose your life in his.

    And discover that you haven't lost at all.

    You've finally begun to live.

    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 we turn away from the siren songs of this world and hear instead the song of our Lord and Christ:

    "Follow me, and you will truly live."

    May it be so.

    TODAY'S PRAYERS:

    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.

    OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

    We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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    DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

    Sat, 26 Sep 2026 - 24min
  • 7054 - September 25th, 26: Ezra 2–3; Luke 8: Fear Will Not Have the Last Word
    Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezra 2–3; Luke 8 Click HERE to give!

    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 25th, and our readings are Ezra 2–3 and Luke 8.

    Ezra brings us into the story of a people coming home.

    After years of exile, families return to Jerusalem. They rebuild the altar and begin laying the foundation of the temple.

    And when that foundation is laid, something remarkable happens.

    Some people shout for joy.

    Others weep.

    The sounds mingle together until no one can distinguish the shouting from the weeping.

    Maybe that's an honest picture of life.

    Joy and sorrow often occupy the same space.

    Hope and grief can live together.

    Then Luke 8 brings us several stories of people encountering Jesus in places of fear and desperation.

    A storm threatens to overwhelm the disciples.

    A man tormented and isolated among the tombs is restored.

    A woman who has suffered for twelve years reaches through a crowd just to touch Jesus.

    And Jairus comes pleading for the life of his daughter.

    Then, while Jesus is still on the way, the news arrives:

    "Your daughter is dead. There's no use troubling the Teacher now."

    But Jesus has another word.

    "Don't be afraid. Just have faith."

    Today we are reminded that fear, despair, suffering, and even death do not get to speak the final word.

    Jesus does.

    TODAY'S DEVOTION Fear Will Not Have the Last Word

    "Why trouble the teacher?"

    That's essentially what Jairus is told.

    "Your daughter is dead. There's no use troubling the Teacher now."

    Those are words of despair.

    Words of hopelessness.

    Words that say the story is over.

    Jairus had reached out in faith.

    He had come looking for Jesus because his little girl was dying.

    He believed Jesus could help.

    And Jesus was coming.

    But then there was a delay.

    Another person needed Jesus.

    A woman who had been suffering for twelve years reached out through the crowd and touched him.

    Jesus stopped.

    He saw her.

    He spoke with her.

    And all the while, Jairus was waiting.

    I wonder what that waiting felt like.

    Every second mattered.

    And then the message arrived.

    Too late.

    Your daughter is dead.

    Don't bother Jesus anymore.

    Fear and despair always want to have the last word.

    They tell us:

    It's over.

    There's no hope.

    Don't bother praying.

    Don't bother hoping.

    Don't bother reaching for Jesus.

    Nothing can change now.

    But Jesus hears the message too.

    And he turns toward Jairus and says:

    "Don't be afraid. Just have faith."

    Jesus does not deny what has happened.

    He doesn't pretend death isn't real.

    He simply refuses to let death have the final word.

    And then something beautiful happens.

    Jesus enters the house.

    But he doesn't turn this family's grief into a public spectacle.

    He brings Peter, James, and John with him, along with the girl's father and mother.

    And there, in that quiet and deeply personal place of grief, Jesus comes close.

    I love that.

    Because some pain is very private.

    There are valleys in our lives that very few people ever see.

    There are fears we carry quietly.

    Losses we don't know how to explain.

    Places where we wonder whether hope is even possible anymore.

    And Jesus enters those places.

    He comes near.

    He takes the little girl by the hand.

    And he says:

    "My child, get up!"

    Life speaks into death.

    Hope speaks into despair.

    Jesus has the final word.

    Maybe that's what you need to remember today.

    Your circumstances do not get the final word.

    Your fear does not get the final word.

    Your loss does not get the final word.

    Your diagnosis does not get the final word.

    Your failure does not get the final word.

    Even death does not get the final word.

    Jesus does.

    Ezra gives us a picture of people standing among ruins and laying a new foundation.

    Some are shouting.

    Some are weeping.

    And somehow both responses belong.

    Maybe that's where you are today.

    You can grieve what has been lost and still believe that something new can rise.

    You can weep and hope at the same time.

    You can stand among the ruins and listen for the voice of Jesus.

    "Don't be afraid."

    "Just have faith."

    "My child, get up."

    The hope we have is not that we will avoid every valley.

    The hope is that Jesus meets us there.

    He takes us by the hand.

    And the One who is Resurrection and Life will have the final word.

    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 we meet Jesus in the valley.

    May we trust him when fear and despair surround us.

    And may we receive from him the hope of resurrection.

    May it be so.

    TODAY'S PRAYERS:

    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.

    OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

    We are reading through the New Living Translation.

    Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

    Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

    OTHER PODCASTS:

    Listen with Apple Podcast

    DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

    Fri, 25 Sep 2026 - 29min
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