Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:Genesis 44-46;Luke 18 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to The Daily Radio Bible with your host, Hunter. Today is January 18th, 2025, and we have a spiritually enriching episode lined up for you. Hunter, our devoted Bible reading coach and brother, will guide us through the insightful passages of Genesis chapters 44 through 46 and Luke chapter 18. As we journey through Genesis, we'll witness the dramatic reunion of Joseph and his brothers, a tale of forgiveness and divine providence that unfolds amidst a severe famine. Joseph's profound revelation and his invitation for his family to join him in Egypt mark pivotal moments in the biblical narrative of salvation and faith. In the book of Luke, Jesus shares powerful parables and teachings, emphasizing persistent prayer, humility, and the true cost of discipleship. These timeless messages challenge us to reflect on our own faith journeys and the things we hold onto or need to let go. Hunter will offer his reflections on the readings, drawing connections between ancient promises and our modern lives. He reminds us that, like Jacob, we must keep praying and never give up, trusting that God is faithfully working out His promises even when we cannot see the full picture. Join us as we dive deep into these sacred texts, pray together, and find strength in God's word. Let's embrace this path of spiritual growth and renewal, anchored by the assurance that we are deeply loved by our Creator. Tune in, read along, and let’s engage with Scripture together. Welcome to today's episode! TODAY'S DEVOTION: Never give up. That's a popular sentiment these days. It's used in sports and business. It's found on t-shirts and bumper stickers. Giving up is easy. I've done it way too much in my life. I've given up on goals, hopes, and even relationships. I'm sad to say that I've given up on way too much that I needed to hold on to in this life. And I've also held on to things I should have given up on long ago: resentments, anger, my need to be right, my need for approval. I've held on to these things way too long. Maybe you can relate. The key, it seems, is to give up on the wrong things and never give up on the right things. In Luke 18, Jesus says that we should keep praying and never give up. Prayer appears to be closely connected to our ability to hold on to the right things. Prayer is a two-way conversation. It's relational. We share our hearts, our fears, our failures, and our lives with Him, and He shares His life, His word, His heart, His hopes for us. It's a two-way thing. God is speaking to us in prayer, and we are listening to His voice, His leading. We hear from Him, respond, and worship Him. Without this relationship, giving up is inevitable. It's just way too easy. But when we do pray, we are given the strength to hold on, to endure, to never give up. In today's reading, Jacob listens to God speak to him late at night. He hears a voice from heaven while in Beersheba. The last time God spoke to Jacob in Beersheba was many years before, when he was preparing to leave home and head to the land of Haran, fleeing from his brother. As he was leaving, he laid his head on a rock and fell asleep. While sleeping, he saw a stairway to heaven. At the top of the stairway, he saw the Lord, who told him, "I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I'm giving it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth. They will spread out in all directions—to the west and east, to the north and south. And all the families of the Earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. What's more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised." Jacob wakes up and says, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn't even aware of it." He adds, "What an awesome place this is. It's none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven." That awesome place, that gateway to heaven, is where we see Jacob sleeping right now in our passage today. It’s years later, and God comes to him again. Once again, Jacob must leave this land that God had promised him. God is speaking to him, essentially telling him to keep praying and never give up. Jacob's journey didn’t look anything like the fulfillment of what God had promised him in Beersheba years ago. God had promised to make Jacob a great nation, that Canaan would be his inheritance, and that his descendants would be a blessing to all the nations of the world. Yet, it looked like God's promise was far from being fulfilled. Jacob was heading in the opposite direction. Jacob would die in a different land altogether without seeing this promise fulfilled. However, far beyond Jacob's sight, God was working to fulfill all He had promised. Jacob needed to keep praying and never give up. He was told that Joseph, his son, would be with him to the very end, that Joseph would close his eyes. God encourages us similarly. He tells us to keep praying and never give up. Although it might seem like we are heading in the opposite direction from what God promised, beyond our sight, God is fulfilling His promises. Someone far better than Joseph is with us—not Jacob's son, but God's Son—who will be with us to the very end. Hebrews 11:13 says, "All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth." So keep praying and never give up. God is faithful; He will fulfill all His promises. By living a life of faith, prayer, and relationship with Him, we gain the strength to persevere. We are the recipients of God's promise to Jacob. Through Christ, we have been included in that blessing. So let’s keep praying and never give up. God’s Son, Jesus, is with us, and He will be with us to the very end. He will close our eyes, and He will wake us up. Hallelujah. 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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