Read the Bible: The New Testament in a Year

Luke 18. Day 145 - The New Testament in a Year

Episode Notes:

Today's Scripture: Luke 18 (CSB)
Podcast Homepage: The New Testament in a Year
Bible Reading Plan: Navigators Bible Reading Plan
Contact Sean: (seanbailey1985@gmail.com)
Follow NTIY on Facebook: facebook.com/newtestamentinayear

In Today's Episode
Persistent Prayer. Humble Faith. Following Jesus Without Reservation.

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." — Luke 18:14

Luke 18 paints a beautiful picture of the kind of heart God desires in those who follow Him. Jesus begins with the parable of the persistent widow, encouraging His disciples to pray continually without losing heart. God is not like the unjust judge who must be worn down before acting. Instead, He is a loving Father who hears His children and will always do what is right in His perfect timing. Jesus then contrasts the proud Pharisee with the humble tax collector, showing that God is not impressed by religious performance but by a heart that recognizes its need for mercy. The one who cries, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner," is the one who leaves justified before God.

As the chapter continues, Jesus welcomes little children, reminding His followers that the Kingdom belongs to those who come with childlike dependence and trust. He then encounters the rich ruler, a man who sincerely desired eternal life but was unwilling to surrender the one thing that held his heart. Jesus exposes that discipleship is not about adding Him to an already comfortable life—it is about yielding every part of life to His Lordship. Salvation is impossible through human effort, but Jesus offers hope with one of Scripture's most encouraging promises: "What is impossible with man is possible with God." Even the hardest heart can be transformed by God's grace.

The chapter concludes as Jesus predicts His death and resurrection for a third time before giving sight to a blind beggar outside Jericho. While many around Jesus still failed to understand who He truly was, the blind man saw with eyes of faith. He refused to be silenced, cried out for mercy, and immediately followed Jesus after receiving his sight. Luke 18 calls us to approach Christ with humility, persistence, dependence, and wholehearted surrender. Whether we come empty-handed like the tax collector, trusting like a child, or desperate like the blind man, Jesus faithfully receives those who place their faith in Him and invites them to follow Him without reservation.

Luke 17. Day 144 - The New Testament in a Year

Episode Notes:

Today's Scripture: Luke 17 (CSB)
Podcast Homepage: The New Testament in a Year
Bible Reading Plan: Navigators Bible Reading Plan
Contact Sean: (seanbailey1985@gmail.com)
Follow NTIY on Facebook: facebook.com/newtestamentinayear

In Today's Episode
Forgiveness Without Limits. Faithful Obedience. The Coming Kingdom of God.

"The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable... For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst." — Luke 17:20-21

Luke 17 continues Jesus' teaching on what it means to live as citizens of God's Kingdom. He begins by warning His disciples about the seriousness of causing others to stumble and then calls them to practice continual forgiveness. Even if someone sins repeatedly and genuinely repents, Jesus commands His followers to forgive. The disciples immediately realize how impossible that sounds and ask for greater faith. Jesus reminds them that the issue is not the size of their faith but the object of their faith. Even faith as small as a mustard seed is powerful when it is placed in a great God. Obedience flows from trusting Him, not from relying on ourselves.

The chapter then records the healing of ten men with leprosy. All ten are cleansed, but only one returns to thank Jesus—and he is a Samaritan. His gratitude reveals a heart that not only received God's gift but recognized the Giver. Luke highlights the difference between experiencing God's blessings and responding with genuine worship. Gratitude is one of the clearest evidences of a heart that understands grace. The more deeply we understand what Christ has done for us, the more naturally thanksgiving becomes a way of life.

Jesus closes the chapter by teaching about the coming of the Kingdom of God and His future return. While the Kingdom was already present through the ministry of Christ, its fullness was still to come. Jesus warns His disciples not to become distracted by the pursuits of this world like the people in the days of Noah and Lot, who carried on with everyday life while ignoring God's warnings. His return will be sudden, certain, and impossible to miss. Luke 17 challenges us to live with faithful obedience, grateful hearts, and eternal perspective. This chapter reminds us that disciples of Jesus forgive generously, serve humbly, give thanks readily, and stay watchful because the King who came once in humility will one day return in glory.

Luke 16. Day 143 - The New Testament in a Year

Episode Notes:

Today's Scripture: Luke 16 (CSB)
Podcast Homepage: The New Testament in a Year
Bible Reading Plan: Navigators Bible Reading Plan
Contact Sean: (seanbailey1985@gmail.com)
Follow NTIY on Facebook: facebook.com/newtestamentinayear

In Today's Episode
Faithful Stewardship. The Danger of Loving Money. Eternal Priorities.

"No servant can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." — Luke 16:13

Luke 16 challenges us to examine what we value most and how faithfully we are managing what God has entrusted to us. Jesus begins with the Parable of the Unjust Steward, a passage that can seem difficult at first glance. Jesus is not commending the steward's dishonesty but his foresight. The steward recognized that his present actions would affect his future, and Jesus calls His followers to show the same wisdom by using earthly resources for eternal purposes. Everything we possess ultimately belongs to God, and our money, possessions, opportunities, and influence are all tools to advance His Kingdom. Faithfulness in the small things reveals whether we can be trusted with greater responsibilities.

Jesus then addresses the Pharisees, who loved money and measured success by outward appearances. He exposes the danger of trying to serve both God and wealth, reminding us that our hearts will always follow what we treasure most. The issue is not whether we have possessions, but whether our possessions have us. God's standard is not external success or religious appearance but humble obedience and wholehearted devotion. The Kingdom of God calls us to place eternal values above temporary gain.

The chapter concludes with the sobering account of the rich man and Lazarus. Jesus contrasts a man who lived comfortably without regard for God with a poor man who trusted in the Lord despite his suffering. After death, their circumstances are completely reversed, emphasizing the reality of eternal judgment and the permanence of our response to God in this life. Jesus also makes it clear that God's Word is sufficient to lead people to repentance. Luke 16 calls us to live with eternity in view, to steward God's blessings faithfully, and to guard our hearts against anything that competes with our devotion to Christ. This chapter reminds us that the choices we make today have eternal significance, and there is no greater investment than living faithfully for the Kingdom of God.

Luke 15. Day 142 - The New Testament in a Year

Episode Notes:

Today's Scripture: Luke 15 (CSB)
Podcast Homepage: The New Testament in a Year
Bible Reading Plan: Navigators Bible Reading Plan
Contact Sean: seanbailey1985@gmail.com
Follow NTIY on Facebook: facebook.com/newtestamentinayear

In Today's Episode
The Heart of the Father. Heaven Rejoices Over Repentance. Lost and Found.

"There will be joy in heaven over one sinner who repents more than over ninety-nine righteous people who don't need repentance." — Luke 15:7

Luke 15 gives us one of the clearest pictures in all of Scripture of God's heart for lost people. As tax collectors and sinners gather around Jesus, the Pharisees criticize Him for welcoming those they believed were beyond God's grace. In response, Jesus tells three parables—the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. While each story is unique, they all point to the same truth: God actively seeks the lost, rejoices when sinners repent, and delights in restoring those who come home to Him.

The parable of the prodigal son stands at the center of the chapter and reveals not only the rebellion of the younger son but also the self-righteousness of the older brother. One son wandered far from home in open sin, while the other remained physically close but spiritually distant. Yet the father loved them both. He ran to embrace the repentant son with grace and pleaded with the resentful son to come into the celebration. Jesus exposes two very different paths that can keep a person from enjoying fellowship with God—rebellion and religious pride.

Luke 15 invites each of us to ask where we see ourselves in these stories. Have we wandered from the Father? Are we trusting in our own goodness instead of His grace? Or have we forgotten to rejoice when God changes someone's life? This chapter reminds us that the gospel is ultimately about a loving Father who pursues sinners, welcomes repentant hearts, and celebrates redemption. No one is beyond His reach, and there is no greater joy than coming home to the grace of God.

Luke 14. Day 141 - The New Testament in a Year

Episode Notes:

Today's Scripture: Luke 14 (CSB)
Podcast Homepage: The New Testament in a Year
Bible Reading Plan: Navigators Bible Reading Plan
Contact Sean:
Follow NTIY on Facebook: facebook.com/newtestamentinayear

In Today's Episode
Humility Before God. The Great Banquet. Counting the Cost of Discipleship.

"In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple." — Luke 14:33

Luke 14 confronts our natural desire for comfort, recognition, and control. While attending a meal at the home of a Pharisee, Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath and once again exposes the difference between empty religion and the heart of God. He then notices how the guests compete for the places of honor and teaches that greatness in God's Kingdom begins with humility. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. The Kingdom of God operates very differently from the kingdoms of this world.

Jesus then tells the Parable of the Great Banquet, revealing God's gracious invitation to His Kingdom. Those who were first invited make excuse after excuse, choosing their possessions, careers, and personal priorities over the invitation of the King. In response, the invitation is extended to the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the outcasts. The message is clear: God's grace is freely offered, but it must be received. The greatest tragedy is not that some are unworthy of the invitation, but that many who are invited simply refuse to come.

The chapter closes with one of Jesus' strongest teachings on discipleship. Large crowds were following Him, but Jesus makes it clear that following Him is more than admiration or casual belief. A disciple must love Christ above every earthly relationship, count the cost before following Him, and surrender everything to His lordship. Jesus uses the illustrations of a builder and a king preparing for battle to emphasize that discipleship requires thoughtful commitment and wholehearted devotion. Luke 14 challenges us to examine whether we are simply interested in Jesus or truly surrendered to Him. The call of Christ is costly, but there is no greater joy than giving Him everything, because He is worth far more than anything we could ever leave behind.