April 29th, 25:Seeing Through God's Eyes: Avoiding the Dangerous Trap of Self-Perspective

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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 another episode of the Daily Radio Bible, hosted by Hunter! On this April 29th, 2025 episode, we journey through day 120 of our Bible reading plan, diving into passages from 2 Samuel 4–5, Psalm 139, and Matthew 16. Hunter encourages us with the importance of simply showing up, reminding us that tending to our souls impacts not just ourselves, but those we love and our wider community.

Today’s readings explore the dramatic times of David as he becomes king over Israel, David’s deep reflections in Psalm 139 about God’s intimate knowledge of each of us, and Jesus’ challenging words to his disciples in Matthew 16 about seeing life from God’s perspective—rather than just our own. Hunter calls listeners to consider what it means to live in the light of the cross and to allow God’s love and purpose to shape our lives.

The episode concludes with heartfelt prayers for guidance, peace, and a reminder that love “showed up” for us all. So join in, take a walk if you can, and be encouraged to keep showing up for yourself and those around you—because you are loved, no doubt about it.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

It's a dangerous trap. That's what Jesus calls it—to see things only from your own point of view, from your own perspective. It's a dangerous trap. And Jesus rebukes Peter and says, “Get away from me, Satan. You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's.” It's dangerous to hold on to your life and your agenda apart from God.

Later on in this passage, Jesus says, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you'll save it.” If you demand to hold on to your own way, to make this life a project all about you—your ego, your comfort, your ambition, position, reputation, or pleasure—then you've fallen into a trap, and you will ultimately lose your life. “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” asks Jesus.

But Jesus gives us a way out. Jesus himself frees us from this trap. He tells us that we must live in light of the cross. We must live in the reality of what has become of us through the cross. You have been restored. You have been forgiven. You have been made new there on the cross with Christ. The way to be free from this dangerous trap is through the victory of the cross. The cross declares what God has done. The cross proclaims what you've become. Wonderful.

It is here in Christ that your soul is made new. To pursue your life apart from Christ is to forfeit your soul. It's a failure to see what God has done and what you have now become. You are a child of God, my friend. May God help you to see it so that you can begin to live it, to discover your true self, to discover him. On the cross, we see what it is to love, to give of oneself, to radically forgive others, and to suffer alongside others. When we do that, we become fully alive.

So don't fall into the trap. Don't live only from your point of view. Live from the perspective of the cross. That's a prayer that I have for my own soul. That's the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, my son. And that's a prayer that I have for you. 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 pur