Episode 760
Redefining Family and Spiritual Abundance Through Jesus' Teachings | Ep. 760
Show Notes for "To Be Encouraged" - Episode 01 Main Mic:
Host: Rev. Dr. Brad Miller
Welcome to the inaugural episode of "Daily Bible Refresh," where our host, Rev. Dr. Brad Miller, delves deep into the Scriptures to offer fresh perspectives and actionable insights. Today's episode features a thoughtful reading and reflection on a passage from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 8, verses 16-21, using the Message translation of the Bible. Here are the three key takeaways from this enlightening episode:
1. Radical Transparency in Spiritual Wisdom
In this episode, Dr. Brad Miller discusses Jesus' teaching on not hiding the light under a washtub or bed but setting it up on a lampstand for all to see. This call for radical transparency challenges the notion of spiritual wisdom being exclusive or secretive. Authentic faith, as Jesus illustrates, does not gatekeep or control access to divine wisdom. Instead, spirituality should be inclusive and liberating, breaking down any barriers that impede others from accessing spiritual truths. This emphasis resonates deeply within progressive Christianity, which advocates for spirituality being accessible to all people regardless of their background or status.
2. The Economics of Grace
Dr. Brad Miller explores the intriguing phrase "misers of what you hear" and its implications for a spiritual economy based on abundance rather than scarcity. Jesus warns against hoarding spiritual insights and encourages sharing them generously. Dr. Brad highlights that God’s love and grace are unlimited, and the more we share our spiritual experiences and resources, the more they multiply. This concept reinforces the idea that the practice of giving enriches both the giver and the receiver, fostering a community grounded in love and generosity.
3. Redefining Family and Community
This episode also touches on Jesus’ redefinition of family, extending it beyond biological connections to include those who actively engage with God’s word and live it out. Dr. Brad emphasizes that spiritual kinship is formed through shared purpose and active commitment to God’s teachings, thereby creating a faith community where everyone is welcomed. This notion of chosen family encourages listeners to build inclusive relationships based on love and shared spiritual engagement, overcoming traditional notions of family that may be too restrictive.
Action Step:
Dr. Brad encourages listeners to identify a spiritual insight or understanding that has been meaningful to them and share it with someone outside their usual circle. This act of sharing spiritual wisdom helps practice the “economics of grace,” enriching both the sharer and the recipient.
Prayer for the Episode:
Dr. Brad concludes the episode with a heartfelt prayer, asking God to help us be bearers of light, to share openly, to love generously, and to build inclusive communities that reflect God’s boundless grace.
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Thank you for joining us on this spiritual journey. Be sure to visit voiceofgoddaily.com for additional resources, including the ABC 123 Bible study guide. Tune in tomorrow for another refreshing perspective, and remember, God’s love never runs out and is renewed every morning.The "Daily Bible Refresh" is presented each day by Rev. Dr. Brad Miller who has a goal of speaking a bit of the bible into two million ears (one million people) in three years (2025-2028).
He is the author of "The A, B, C-1,2,3 Bible Study Guide" Free to you by clicking HERE.
Brad served as a local church pastor for forty years and has a background in radio and podcasting. Moreover, he is a life-long student of The Bible.
He believes in the words of Jesus that “scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21)
The "Daily Bible Refresh" is available seven days a week by 6:00 am ET. The episodes are no longer than ten minutes long and are...
- Understandable: A reading from the New Testament (usually the Gospel) selected from the Revised Common Lectionary using "The Message" translation.
- Relatable: You will have a couple of "points to ponder" from the text which will relate to your life
- Applicable: Every episode includes a way you can take action based on the reading
- A recommended resource to help you go deeper in biblical study and spiritual direction.
- A prayer for your day.
A companion resource to the Voice of God Daily Podcast is the “ABC Bible Study Guide” available by clicking HERE.
The "Daily Bible Refresh" is available every day at VoiceofGodDaily.com on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all major podcast directories.
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Please make listening to the "Daily Bible Refresh" a part of your daily life.
Remember… “All scripture is God-breathed and useful”(2 Timothy 3:16)
Transcript
Hello, good people, and welcome to Daily
Speaker:Bible Refresh. My name is doctor Brad Miller.
Speaker:Daily Bible Refresh is brought to you by voice of
Speaker:god daily dot com. This is the place where we
Speaker:offer a daily reading of the scriptures using
Speaker:the revised common lectionary year c.
Speaker:And right now we're in the Christmas tide season. We read the
Speaker:verse of scripture so particularly for this
Speaker:day, and we do so in a way that is understandable.
Speaker:So we read it from the new testament only and from the message
Speaker:translation of the bible. We make it also, relatable. We
Speaker:have a couple of points to ponder to give you something to think about
Speaker:regarding the scripture. And we also make it applicable as we have
Speaker:a point of application for you to apply for your life. We have a prayer.
Speaker:We do all that in under 10 minutes. Today's
Speaker:reading from year c in the Christmas tide
Speaker:season is from the gospel of Luke chapter 8
Speaker:verses 16 through 21.
Speaker:No one this is called the misers of what you
Speaker:hear. No one lights a lamp and then covers
Speaker:up with a washtub or shoves it under a bed. No.
Speaker:You set it up on a lamp stand so those who enter the room can
Speaker:see their way. We're not keeping secrets. We're telling
Speaker:them. We're not hiding things. We're bringing them out in the
Speaker:open. So be careful that you don't become misers of
Speaker:what you hear. Generosity
Speaker:begets generosity. Stinginess
Speaker:impoverishes. His mother and brothers
Speaker:showed showed up but couldn't get through to him because of the
Speaker:crowd. He was given he was given the message. Your
Speaker:mother and brothers are standing outside waiting to see
Speaker:you. And he replied, my mother and brothers are the ones who
Speaker:hear and do God's word. Obedience
Speaker:is thicker than blood. Wow. Very
Speaker:intriguing passage of scripture. And so let's have a little
Speaker:reflection on it because we're to talk a little bit about Jesus'
Speaker:family, you know, his his mother and brothers and how he's
Speaker:basically, in a very real sense, using the,
Speaker:example of his nuclear family to kind of
Speaker:redefine the nature of a family.
Speaker:So some things to think about, some points to ponder. One is,
Speaker:is radical transparency. I believe
Speaker:here Jesus is challenging the notion of
Speaker:somehow spiritual wisdom is somehow a secret, a wisdom, or something
Speaker:I've gotten you don't have, or something along like that along
Speaker:those lines. In in progressive Christianity, we understand
Speaker:that spirituality is available to all people. So
Speaker:it's there to break down barriers that keep people
Speaker:from accessing spiritual truth. And
Speaker:this passage here just reminds us that authentic faith is
Speaker:not about gatekeeping or controlling access to
Speaker:any wisdom or any relationship with God.
Speaker:There's also a point about the economics of grace.
Speaker:Jesus tells us here to warns us to get against
Speaker:becoming what he calls what the Bible passage here calls
Speaker:misers of what you hear. Interesting turn of a phrase, isn't
Speaker:it? He is it's talking here about a spiritual economy
Speaker:based on abundance rather than
Speaker:scarcity. And, this really resonates with,
Speaker:with the understanding of God that is unlimited,
Speaker:that God's love is unlimited. That's what grace is.
Speaker:Grace is God's unlimited love for you. And the
Speaker:more we we share spiritual insights and experiences
Speaker:resources, you know what? They multiply.
Speaker:We also have the point here about family, about how
Speaker:family is an inclusive community. And Jesus is
Speaker:really radically redefining a family beyond beyond the
Speaker:biological, connections,
Speaker:suggesting that spiritual kinship is
Speaker:formed through an active engagement with
Speaker:God's word and God's people and living it out. And this
Speaker:really speaks to, an understanding that many people have
Speaker:of choosing family, of choosing people we have,
Speaker:intimate relationships with, and the importance of creating a
Speaker:faith that is inclusive so that all are welcome.
Speaker:Some great points to think about here, I believe. Here's your action step.
Speaker:I really went to this week to identify one spiritual
Speaker:insight or understanding that's been meaningful to you,
Speaker:either out of the scripture reading today or perhaps some of our other readings
Speaker:we've done here at Daily Bible Refresh, and
Speaker:share it with an unexpected person in your life
Speaker:or maybe someone outside your circle. And just kind of
Speaker:practice the economics of sharing, the
Speaker:economics of grace that is whereby giving something your
Speaker:way, you receive even greater. We're gonna
Speaker:pray in just a moment here. I did want to just share with you that
Speaker:we do have a resource that you may wanna take advantage of. It's called
Speaker:the ABC 123 Bible
Speaker:study guide, And it's really about making studying the Bible
Speaker:as easy as a, b, c, and 123. So you can check it out
Speaker:at our show notes at voice of god daily.com.
Speaker:Let's pray. Loving God, help us to be bearers of light in a world
Speaker:that often feels dark. Give us the courage to share openly,
Speaker:to love generously, and to build inclusive communities
Speaker:that reflect your boundless grace. Remind us that we
Speaker:are all connected in your divine family, not by blood, but by love and shared
Speaker:purpose, and guide us to live out your word in
Speaker:ways that bring hope and healing to our world. May
Speaker:we be generous with the wisdom and understanding you've given us,
Speaker:knowing that by sharing, we all become richer.
Speaker:Amen. Hey. It's been great to be with you. My name is doctor
Speaker:Brad Miller, and you've been with us here on the daily
Speaker:Bible refresh. This is the place where we
Speaker:offer a fresh perspective on reading the scriptures.
Speaker:Just remember, they'll be with you tomorrow morning. So if you'll join me
Speaker:then, and remember that until then that God's love
Speaker:doesn't run out. His merciful love doesn't dry
Speaker:up. It's created new every morning.
