Welcome to Bible Bytes, where we work to inspire faith one byte at a time.
In Matthew 17: 24-27, Jesus demonstrates His sovereignty and provision in an extraordinary way when confronted with the requirement to pay the temple tax. This account not only highlights Jesus’ divinity but also His humility and care for earthly obligations. Through this miraculous event, we learn about trusting God to provide for our needs, even in unexpected ways. This lesson invites us to reflect on God’s power to meet our physical and spiritual needs as we navigate life’s responsibilities.Today's Scripture Selection:
Now when they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?” He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?” When Peter said, “From strangers,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are exempt. However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a stater. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.” Matthew 17: 24-27 (NASB)
Key Takeaways:
- The Demonstration of God's Sovereignty
- The Humility of Christ
- Faith in Action
- God's Provision of both Physical and Spiritual Needs
Value 4 Value:
This podcast operates under the Value 4 Value model. We hope that we are providing value through the work we are doing, and that you would then, in turn, provide value back to us. This can come in three forms: time, talent, or treasure.
To learn more about the Value 4 Value model and how we apply it to this show, head over to our website and read up on it at https://bible-bytes.com/v4v.
Prayer Requests:
Head to our website (https://bible-bytes.com/contact) and fill out the contact form to make a prayer request or send it to us in a boost in a modern podcast app.
[00:00:07]
Unknown:
We gather here today with open hearts and minds to grow in faith and truth in every word we find. The pages of the word alive and full of grace, inspiring faith within as we seek his face. Bible bites. Bible bites. A starving faith one bite at a time. With every first, we find our way to live our lives in his light and shine.
[00:00:53] Randy Black:
Welcome to Bible Bites, where we work to inspire faith one bite at a time. I'm your host, Randy Black. In the gospel of Matthew chapter 17 verses 24 through 27, Jesus demonstrates his sovereignty and provision in an extraordinary way when confronted with the requirement to pay the temple tax. This account not only highlights Jesus' divinity, but also his humility and care for earthly obligations. Through this miraculous event, we learn about trusting God to provide for our needs even in unexpected ways. This scripture invites us to reflect on God's power to meet our physical and spiritual needs as we navigate life's responsibilities.
As we do each and every episode before we dive into the scripture and our study of it, let's open up with a word of prayer. Heavenly father, we thank you for your word that teaches us to trust in your provision. As we study this passage of scripture today, open our hearts to understand your sovereignty and the depths of your care for us. Help us to rely on you, knowing that you provide for all our needs in perfect timing. May we be strengthened in faith and encouraged to walk in obedience to your will. In the name of your son, Jesus, we pray. Amen.
[00:02:35] Randy Black:
Matthew chapter 17 verses 24 through 27. Now when they came to Capernaum, those who collected the 2 drachma tax came to Peter and said, does your teacher not pay the 2 drachma tax? He said, yes. And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first saying, what do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll tax from their sons or from strangers? When Peter said, from strangers, Jesus said to him, then the sons are exempt. However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. And when you open its mouth, you will find a stater. Take that and give it to them for you and me.
[00:03:19] Randy Black:
The account of the temple tax begins with collectors approaching Peter in Capernaum, questioning whether Jesus pays the tax. The temple tax was an annual obligation for Jewish men to support the upkeep of the temple. Peter, likely eager to defend Jesus, responds affirmatively, but the situation opens a teaching moment. When Peter enters the house, Jesus with divine knowledge addresses the matter before Peter even speaks. Through a rhetorical question, Jesus highlights that kings do not collect taxes from their sons, but from strangers, subtly affirming his identity as the Son of God and exempt from such earthly obligations.
Yet, rather than asserting his right, Jesus chooses to pay the tax to avoid offense, demonstrating his humility and his concern for harmony. Jesus' instruction to Peter is both extraordinary and practical. He tells Peter to go to the sea, cast a line, and take the first fish he catches which will have a stator in its mouth, which will be enough to cover the tax for both of them. This miraculous provision highlights Jesus' authority over creation and his ability to meet needs in ways beyond human understanding. It also emphasizes his involvement in the practicalities of life, showing that spiritual matters and earthly responsibilities are not separate, but are intertwined.
By fulfilling the tax obligation in such a miraculous way, Jesus not only addresses the immediate need, but also affirms his divine nature. Peter's role in this event required faith and obedience. Fishing for a coin might have seemed illogical, but Peter trusted Jesus' word and acted accordingly. This trust in Jesus' instruction illustrates the importance of faith in action, even when God's direction appears unconventional or surprising. He invites us to participate in his plans just as Peter did. Through Peter's obedience, the provision came to pass, teaching us that God often works through our willingness to follow his lead.
This account also reflects God's care for both physical and spiritual needs. By providing for the temple tax in such a miraculous way, Jesus shows that God is not only aware of our practical practical concerns, but also actively involved in meeting them. At the same time, this event underscores deeper spiritual truths about Jesus' identity and mission. It is a reminder that God's provision is always sufficient even when delivered through the most unexpected means. Through this interaction, Jesus models how to navigate earthly systems without compromising spiritual integrity.
By choosing to pay the tax, he demonstrates respect for societal norms, while affirming his greater purpose. This balance between heavenly authority and earthly responsibility serves as a guide for believers today. We have a few key takeaways from this scripture today. One key take away from this passage is the demonstration of God's sovereignty. Jesus shows his divine authority by knowing about Peter's conversation with the tax collectors and providing the exact amount needed for the tax in a miraculous way. This event reminds us that nothing is outside of God's control.
Whether through nature or extraordinary means, he is able to provide for our needs and accomplish his purpose, reassuring us of his power and care in our lives. Another important lesson is the humility of Christ. Though Jesus as the son of God was exempt from the temple tax, he chose to pay it to avoid unnecessary conflict and to demonstrate respect for earthly systems. This act of humility teaches us to prioritize peace and the good of others over asserting our own rights. It encourages us to follow his example by choosing humility in situations where our actions can promote harmony and understanding.
Faith in action is another central theme of this passage. Peter's willingness to follow Jesus' unusual instruction to catch a fish demonstrates the importance of trusting God's word and acting in obedience even when the outcome is uncertain or seems illogical. This teaches us that faith often requires stepping out in trust, knowing that God's ways are higher than ours. Obedience to God's direction even in the smallest tasks can lead to extraordinary outcomes. Finally, this passage of scripture highlights God's provision for both physical and spiritual needs. Jesus meets the immediate practical need of paying the tax, while also revealing a deeper truth about his identity as the son of God.
This dual focus reminds us that God cares about all aspects of our lives. By trusting him, we can be assured that he will provide for our daily needs while also guiding us towards spiritual growth and fulfillment. Trusting in God's timing and methods is a central theme of this passage of scripture. Reflecting on our own lives, we may recall moments when God's provision came in unexpected or even miraculous ways. These experiences often deepen our faith and remind us that God's plans are not always immediately clear to us. Like Peter, we are called to act in obedience, trusting that God will meet our needs in his perfect timing even when the path forward seems uncertain or unconventional.
This passage also challenges us to consider how we balance faith and responsibility. Jesus, though not obligated to pay the temple tax, chose to fulfill the requirement to avoid offending others. His actions remind us that our faith does not exempt us from participating in earthly responsibilities. Instead, we are called to live as examples of integrity and humility, balancing our heavenly citizenship with our earthly obligation in ways that reflect God's love and God's wisdom. The miracle of provision in this scripture encourages us to remain attentive to God's work in the ordinary moments of life.
Peter's act of fishing, a task he was extremely familiar with, became a means for experiencing God's extraordinary provision. This teaches us that God often uses the familiar and the routine as avenues for his miracles. By staying open to his guidance and obedient to his instructions, we can witness his hand at work in our own lives daily. Furthermore, Jesus' humility in choosing to pay the tax despite being the son of God invites us to reflect on areas in our lives where we can prioritize humility over asserting our own rights.
His his actions remind us that humility can build bridges, can foster peace, even in situations where we may feel justified in taking a stand. Choosing humility for the sake of others demonstrates a Christ like attitude that honors God and promotes unity. Lastly, this passage of scripture calls us to trust God as a faithful provider who is fully aware of our needs. This precision of his provision for the temple tax reminds us that God knows every detail of our circumstances and is able to meet our needs perfectly. This trust in his care allows us to approach life's challenges with confidence, knowing that we are never beyond the reach of his provision and grace.
As we do each week, let's close out our study of the scripture with a prayer. Gracious heavenly father, thank you for reminding us of your sovereignty and provision through this passage of scripture. Help us to trust you more fully and to act in obedience even when we do not see the outcome. Teach us to walk humbly as Jesus did, balancing our responsibilities with faith in your perfect plan. May we be instruments of your peace and provision to others. Strengthen our hearts to rely on you in all things. In the name of your son, Jesus, we pray. Amen.
[00:13:02] Randy Black:
This podcast supports podcasting 2.0, so feel free to send us a boost if you are listening on a new podcast app. Find your new app now at podcasting2.org /apps. That's podcasting2.org/apps.
[00:13:19] Randy Black:
This podcast operates under what's known as the value for value model. We hope that with the work we do each week in in preparing these episodes, that we are providing value to you, our audience. And the hope would then be that you would provide value back to us. And in the value for value model, we have that in 3 distinct areas. We call that the three t's, time, talent, and treasure. Time is as simple as taking the time out of your week to listen to the episode each week when we release it, at your own convenience, of course. It could also be taking the time to share that episode with someone else. Feel like something in this episode touched you and you think it will touch them in some way, share that with them. That is another way of of sharing value in the form of time for this podcast.
Talent would be offering to help us with the show in some way. It could be creating cover art, because we have a different cover art image for every episode. It could be coming up with scriptures for us to look at and examine to potentially build episodes off of. It could even be, taking the time to script out a lesson or prepare a lesson to to use on the show. And it could even be something as simple as coming up with a general idea of of a of a topic that you think might be good to cover and throwing that our way. And the last way would be to simply step up and say, I wanna be a part of that. I wanna help you share this message, share the word of God, and record with us, and be a part of the show. Treasure would be something that is, by its name, treasure, of value, of of financial value. If you're listening in a modern podcast app, you can stream, well, currently, Satoshis, those are 100 millionth of a Bitcoin.
You can stream those directly to the show as you listen, and you set that value. It's up to you how much you wanna stream. If you wanna stream 5 sats per minute, that's fine. If you wanna stream 500, that's fine. That's up to you. That's your choice to make. Whatever value we provide to you, provide that back to us. You can also send in boostograms or a boost. A boost is simply send sending a one time payment through the one of these modern podcast apps in an amount that you determine is the value you've received. A boostogram would be the same thing, but with a message attached to note for us. You can also use that, a boostogram, to send us prayer requests into the show.
And we also have ways built onto our website where you can go there to provide support to us on the show. So if you wanna, provide us support through PayPal, there's a a widget embedded on the page there to do that. If you would like to use Albie, which is a get Albie, I have a get Albie link there where you can send Satoshis that way rather than through the modern podcast app. You can also send, support through Striki. If you have a Striki account, they that is a that is an acceptable way to do it. And You can also even go as far as to purchase one time credits on the service we use to process our audio called Auphonic.
You can purchase those so that we can use those in production of the show. If you wanna learn more about the value for value model and how it is that we use it and apply it with what we're doing on the show, head over to our website, read up on it. You can find that at bible dash bytes.com/v4v. That's bible dashbytes.com/theletterv, the number 4, and the letter v. If you have a prayer request, please reach out to the show. We have contact forms on our website, for prayer requests. You can send that in or through a modern podcast app with a boostogram. Because we would like to to help lift up those prayers to the Lord, and share them, and and use our audience as a as a tool, as a conduit to the Lord about those requests.
We have some requests this week, ones that we've had going for a while. Again, my father, as he's got started his cancer treatments this week, he's been a little tired, a little, you know, trying to adjust to this, to the radiation they're using and things, and just the whole process in general. And we're we're hoping, you know, he's he's 4 treatments in. He's got 22 or so to go before they do their evaluation and decide if he needs to keep going further. So we're going to, you know, continue to pray for that. Continue to pray for my mother, as she's helping him through this process and helping to build you know, to to boost him up and give him the assistance he needs and the support he needs in going through this, but also the stress associated with it so that she can handle that as best she can.
Friend of the family, Greg, he talked I had text back and forth with Greg this week and found out that they did they did find markers for cancer in in a biopsy he had done and that they are working to address that, but they're not doing anything aggressive at this time. He has an appointment coming up to look at it and talk about it further. But as of right now, it looks like things are in in a pretty good spot, and we wanna definitely thank the Lord for that, but also ask Lord to continue to to help Greg and and work with him as he goes through this process. Remember again, Tim Kolekka, gentleman I requested prayer for starting 2 weeks ago. He's still going through the illness and things he has, and lift him up that the Lord may touch him. Again, he's a a good Christian man. He owns a business here locally in the area, and does a fantastic, job being an example for people who are close to him and in the community with him.
We wanna include individuals who were affected by winter storm Blair this past week. Week. I know we were affected here. We had 6 to 8 plus inches of snow, also had about a quarter inch of ice that hit us here in in Milton, West Virginia where I live. And then today, we ended up having, you know, 3 to 4 more inches of snow that came down overnight. So still people who are dealing with that and handling that. We also wanna lift up those people who are being affected by the wildfires currently in California and Los Angeles and, seeing these homes that are just gone, completely destroyed, neighborhoods completely gone and destroyed.
So we're gonna lift those up and make sure that we ask the Lord to be with those people and to comfort them and to help them. And most of all, if they don't know his son, they don't know Jesus as their savior, that they might make that move, they might be able to get that calling and that feeling to come to the lord. As we do each week before we close out and talk about our next episode, let's lift up these requests to the lord in prayer. Heavenly father, we thank you again for this chance that we get each week to share your word with those in our audience.
We wanna lift up these requests today, lord, the people affected by the fires in Los Angeles and California, the people affected by winter storm Blair across the Midwest and the Mid Atlantic and the South and these states. Remember my dad, my mom, Greg, Tim. Let's include Tim's wife, Kim, as she works through this situation with him as well and and tries to keep him on track and and and help him with the situation they have at hand. We also wanna remember those unspoken requests that members of our audience may have and haven't shared with everyone.
You know what the needs are in all these situations, and we trust your wisdom to meet those requests with an answer that fits in your will. We work each week striving to share your word with the with the world through this podcast with the ultimate goal and hope that someone hears it who does not know your son, Jesus, as their savior, and they accept him so that they can then spend eternity in heaven with you, your son, and all the saved. It's in the name of your son, Jesus, that we pray. Amen. The next episode, we're gonna be on miracle number 29 in our series, and that is when Jesus, heals a mute demonic. So a gentleman who's also blind, a blind mute demonic is healed by Jesus. You can find that by going into the book of Matthew chapter 12. So we're going back in the book a little bit there, verses 22 and 23, but the bigger part of it in the story is in Luke chapter 11 verses 14 through 23.
So join us on our next episode of Bible Bites where we work to inspire faith 1 bite at a time.
[00:22:10] Unknown:
Bible bites. Bible bites. Shine. Inspiring
[00:22:52] Unknown:
This podcast was produced at Johns Creek Studios in Milton, West Virginia. To learn more, head over to johnscreekstudios.com. Johns Creek Studios, where podcast dreams come to life.
We gather here today with open hearts and minds to grow in faith and truth in every word we find. The pages of the word alive and full of grace, inspiring faith within as we seek his face. Bible bites. Bible bites. A starving faith one bite at a time. With every first, we find our way to live our lives in his light and shine.
[00:00:53] Randy Black:
Welcome to Bible Bites, where we work to inspire faith one bite at a time. I'm your host, Randy Black. In the gospel of Matthew chapter 17 verses 24 through 27, Jesus demonstrates his sovereignty and provision in an extraordinary way when confronted with the requirement to pay the temple tax. This account not only highlights Jesus' divinity, but also his humility and care for earthly obligations. Through this miraculous event, we learn about trusting God to provide for our needs even in unexpected ways. This scripture invites us to reflect on God's power to meet our physical and spiritual needs as we navigate life's responsibilities.
As we do each and every episode before we dive into the scripture and our study of it, let's open up with a word of prayer. Heavenly father, we thank you for your word that teaches us to trust in your provision. As we study this passage of scripture today, open our hearts to understand your sovereignty and the depths of your care for us. Help us to rely on you, knowing that you provide for all our needs in perfect timing. May we be strengthened in faith and encouraged to walk in obedience to your will. In the name of your son, Jesus, we pray. Amen.
[00:02:35] Randy Black:
Matthew chapter 17 verses 24 through 27. Now when they came to Capernaum, those who collected the 2 drachma tax came to Peter and said, does your teacher not pay the 2 drachma tax? He said, yes. And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first saying, what do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll tax from their sons or from strangers? When Peter said, from strangers, Jesus said to him, then the sons are exempt. However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. And when you open its mouth, you will find a stater. Take that and give it to them for you and me.
[00:03:19] Randy Black:
The account of the temple tax begins with collectors approaching Peter in Capernaum, questioning whether Jesus pays the tax. The temple tax was an annual obligation for Jewish men to support the upkeep of the temple. Peter, likely eager to defend Jesus, responds affirmatively, but the situation opens a teaching moment. When Peter enters the house, Jesus with divine knowledge addresses the matter before Peter even speaks. Through a rhetorical question, Jesus highlights that kings do not collect taxes from their sons, but from strangers, subtly affirming his identity as the Son of God and exempt from such earthly obligations.
Yet, rather than asserting his right, Jesus chooses to pay the tax to avoid offense, demonstrating his humility and his concern for harmony. Jesus' instruction to Peter is both extraordinary and practical. He tells Peter to go to the sea, cast a line, and take the first fish he catches which will have a stator in its mouth, which will be enough to cover the tax for both of them. This miraculous provision highlights Jesus' authority over creation and his ability to meet needs in ways beyond human understanding. It also emphasizes his involvement in the practicalities of life, showing that spiritual matters and earthly responsibilities are not separate, but are intertwined.
By fulfilling the tax obligation in such a miraculous way, Jesus not only addresses the immediate need, but also affirms his divine nature. Peter's role in this event required faith and obedience. Fishing for a coin might have seemed illogical, but Peter trusted Jesus' word and acted accordingly. This trust in Jesus' instruction illustrates the importance of faith in action, even when God's direction appears unconventional or surprising. He invites us to participate in his plans just as Peter did. Through Peter's obedience, the provision came to pass, teaching us that God often works through our willingness to follow his lead.
This account also reflects God's care for both physical and spiritual needs. By providing for the temple tax in such a miraculous way, Jesus shows that God is not only aware of our practical practical concerns, but also actively involved in meeting them. At the same time, this event underscores deeper spiritual truths about Jesus' identity and mission. It is a reminder that God's provision is always sufficient even when delivered through the most unexpected means. Through this interaction, Jesus models how to navigate earthly systems without compromising spiritual integrity.
By choosing to pay the tax, he demonstrates respect for societal norms, while affirming his greater purpose. This balance between heavenly authority and earthly responsibility serves as a guide for believers today. We have a few key takeaways from this scripture today. One key take away from this passage is the demonstration of God's sovereignty. Jesus shows his divine authority by knowing about Peter's conversation with the tax collectors and providing the exact amount needed for the tax in a miraculous way. This event reminds us that nothing is outside of God's control.
Whether through nature or extraordinary means, he is able to provide for our needs and accomplish his purpose, reassuring us of his power and care in our lives. Another important lesson is the humility of Christ. Though Jesus as the son of God was exempt from the temple tax, he chose to pay it to avoid unnecessary conflict and to demonstrate respect for earthly systems. This act of humility teaches us to prioritize peace and the good of others over asserting our own rights. It encourages us to follow his example by choosing humility in situations where our actions can promote harmony and understanding.
Faith in action is another central theme of this passage. Peter's willingness to follow Jesus' unusual instruction to catch a fish demonstrates the importance of trusting God's word and acting in obedience even when the outcome is uncertain or seems illogical. This teaches us that faith often requires stepping out in trust, knowing that God's ways are higher than ours. Obedience to God's direction even in the smallest tasks can lead to extraordinary outcomes. Finally, this passage of scripture highlights God's provision for both physical and spiritual needs. Jesus meets the immediate practical need of paying the tax, while also revealing a deeper truth about his identity as the son of God.
This dual focus reminds us that God cares about all aspects of our lives. By trusting him, we can be assured that he will provide for our daily needs while also guiding us towards spiritual growth and fulfillment. Trusting in God's timing and methods is a central theme of this passage of scripture. Reflecting on our own lives, we may recall moments when God's provision came in unexpected or even miraculous ways. These experiences often deepen our faith and remind us that God's plans are not always immediately clear to us. Like Peter, we are called to act in obedience, trusting that God will meet our needs in his perfect timing even when the path forward seems uncertain or unconventional.
This passage also challenges us to consider how we balance faith and responsibility. Jesus, though not obligated to pay the temple tax, chose to fulfill the requirement to avoid offending others. His actions remind us that our faith does not exempt us from participating in earthly responsibilities. Instead, we are called to live as examples of integrity and humility, balancing our heavenly citizenship with our earthly obligation in ways that reflect God's love and God's wisdom. The miracle of provision in this scripture encourages us to remain attentive to God's work in the ordinary moments of life.
Peter's act of fishing, a task he was extremely familiar with, became a means for experiencing God's extraordinary provision. This teaches us that God often uses the familiar and the routine as avenues for his miracles. By staying open to his guidance and obedient to his instructions, we can witness his hand at work in our own lives daily. Furthermore, Jesus' humility in choosing to pay the tax despite being the son of God invites us to reflect on areas in our lives where we can prioritize humility over asserting our own rights.
His his actions remind us that humility can build bridges, can foster peace, even in situations where we may feel justified in taking a stand. Choosing humility for the sake of others demonstrates a Christ like attitude that honors God and promotes unity. Lastly, this passage of scripture calls us to trust God as a faithful provider who is fully aware of our needs. This precision of his provision for the temple tax reminds us that God knows every detail of our circumstances and is able to meet our needs perfectly. This trust in his care allows us to approach life's challenges with confidence, knowing that we are never beyond the reach of his provision and grace.
As we do each week, let's close out our study of the scripture with a prayer. Gracious heavenly father, thank you for reminding us of your sovereignty and provision through this passage of scripture. Help us to trust you more fully and to act in obedience even when we do not see the outcome. Teach us to walk humbly as Jesus did, balancing our responsibilities with faith in your perfect plan. May we be instruments of your peace and provision to others. Strengthen our hearts to rely on you in all things. In the name of your son, Jesus, we pray. Amen.
[00:13:02] Randy Black:
This podcast supports podcasting 2.0, so feel free to send us a boost if you are listening on a new podcast app. Find your new app now at podcasting2.org /apps. That's podcasting2.org/apps.
[00:13:19] Randy Black:
This podcast operates under what's known as the value for value model. We hope that with the work we do each week in in preparing these episodes, that we are providing value to you, our audience. And the hope would then be that you would provide value back to us. And in the value for value model, we have that in 3 distinct areas. We call that the three t's, time, talent, and treasure. Time is as simple as taking the time out of your week to listen to the episode each week when we release it, at your own convenience, of course. It could also be taking the time to share that episode with someone else. Feel like something in this episode touched you and you think it will touch them in some way, share that with them. That is another way of of sharing value in the form of time for this podcast.
Talent would be offering to help us with the show in some way. It could be creating cover art, because we have a different cover art image for every episode. It could be coming up with scriptures for us to look at and examine to potentially build episodes off of. It could even be, taking the time to script out a lesson or prepare a lesson to to use on the show. And it could even be something as simple as coming up with a general idea of of a of a topic that you think might be good to cover and throwing that our way. And the last way would be to simply step up and say, I wanna be a part of that. I wanna help you share this message, share the word of God, and record with us, and be a part of the show. Treasure would be something that is, by its name, treasure, of value, of of financial value. If you're listening in a modern podcast app, you can stream, well, currently, Satoshis, those are 100 millionth of a Bitcoin.
You can stream those directly to the show as you listen, and you set that value. It's up to you how much you wanna stream. If you wanna stream 5 sats per minute, that's fine. If you wanna stream 500, that's fine. That's up to you. That's your choice to make. Whatever value we provide to you, provide that back to us. You can also send in boostograms or a boost. A boost is simply send sending a one time payment through the one of these modern podcast apps in an amount that you determine is the value you've received. A boostogram would be the same thing, but with a message attached to note for us. You can also use that, a boostogram, to send us prayer requests into the show.
And we also have ways built onto our website where you can go there to provide support to us on the show. So if you wanna, provide us support through PayPal, there's a a widget embedded on the page there to do that. If you would like to use Albie, which is a get Albie, I have a get Albie link there where you can send Satoshis that way rather than through the modern podcast app. You can also send, support through Striki. If you have a Striki account, they that is a that is an acceptable way to do it. And You can also even go as far as to purchase one time credits on the service we use to process our audio called Auphonic.
You can purchase those so that we can use those in production of the show. If you wanna learn more about the value for value model and how it is that we use it and apply it with what we're doing on the show, head over to our website, read up on it. You can find that at bible dash bytes.com/v4v. That's bible dashbytes.com/theletterv, the number 4, and the letter v. If you have a prayer request, please reach out to the show. We have contact forms on our website, for prayer requests. You can send that in or through a modern podcast app with a boostogram. Because we would like to to help lift up those prayers to the Lord, and share them, and and use our audience as a as a tool, as a conduit to the Lord about those requests.
We have some requests this week, ones that we've had going for a while. Again, my father, as he's got started his cancer treatments this week, he's been a little tired, a little, you know, trying to adjust to this, to the radiation they're using and things, and just the whole process in general. And we're we're hoping, you know, he's he's 4 treatments in. He's got 22 or so to go before they do their evaluation and decide if he needs to keep going further. So we're going to, you know, continue to pray for that. Continue to pray for my mother, as she's helping him through this process and helping to build you know, to to boost him up and give him the assistance he needs and the support he needs in going through this, but also the stress associated with it so that she can handle that as best she can.
Friend of the family, Greg, he talked I had text back and forth with Greg this week and found out that they did they did find markers for cancer in in a biopsy he had done and that they are working to address that, but they're not doing anything aggressive at this time. He has an appointment coming up to look at it and talk about it further. But as of right now, it looks like things are in in a pretty good spot, and we wanna definitely thank the Lord for that, but also ask Lord to continue to to help Greg and and work with him as he goes through this process. Remember again, Tim Kolekka, gentleman I requested prayer for starting 2 weeks ago. He's still going through the illness and things he has, and lift him up that the Lord may touch him. Again, he's a a good Christian man. He owns a business here locally in the area, and does a fantastic, job being an example for people who are close to him and in the community with him.
We wanna include individuals who were affected by winter storm Blair this past week. Week. I know we were affected here. We had 6 to 8 plus inches of snow, also had about a quarter inch of ice that hit us here in in Milton, West Virginia where I live. And then today, we ended up having, you know, 3 to 4 more inches of snow that came down overnight. So still people who are dealing with that and handling that. We also wanna lift up those people who are being affected by the wildfires currently in California and Los Angeles and, seeing these homes that are just gone, completely destroyed, neighborhoods completely gone and destroyed.
So we're gonna lift those up and make sure that we ask the Lord to be with those people and to comfort them and to help them. And most of all, if they don't know his son, they don't know Jesus as their savior, that they might make that move, they might be able to get that calling and that feeling to come to the lord. As we do each week before we close out and talk about our next episode, let's lift up these requests to the lord in prayer. Heavenly father, we thank you again for this chance that we get each week to share your word with those in our audience.
We wanna lift up these requests today, lord, the people affected by the fires in Los Angeles and California, the people affected by winter storm Blair across the Midwest and the Mid Atlantic and the South and these states. Remember my dad, my mom, Greg, Tim. Let's include Tim's wife, Kim, as she works through this situation with him as well and and tries to keep him on track and and and help him with the situation they have at hand. We also wanna remember those unspoken requests that members of our audience may have and haven't shared with everyone.
You know what the needs are in all these situations, and we trust your wisdom to meet those requests with an answer that fits in your will. We work each week striving to share your word with the with the world through this podcast with the ultimate goal and hope that someone hears it who does not know your son, Jesus, as their savior, and they accept him so that they can then spend eternity in heaven with you, your son, and all the saved. It's in the name of your son, Jesus, that we pray. Amen. The next episode, we're gonna be on miracle number 29 in our series, and that is when Jesus, heals a mute demonic. So a gentleman who's also blind, a blind mute demonic is healed by Jesus. You can find that by going into the book of Matthew chapter 12. So we're going back in the book a little bit there, verses 22 and 23, but the bigger part of it in the story is in Luke chapter 11 verses 14 through 23.
So join us on our next episode of Bible Bites where we work to inspire faith 1 bite at a time.
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Bible bites. Bible bites. Shine. Inspiring
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This podcast was produced at Johns Creek Studios in Milton, West Virginia. To learn more, head over to johnscreekstudios.com. Johns Creek Studios, where podcast dreams come to life.
