July 31, 2009
3 Questions for a Friday
First of all, I have the greatest admiration for this guy Jeremiah. God asked him to sacrifice huge amounts of personal comfort for the mission. If you ever hear me whining, remind me about the call on Jeremiah’s life. But, here are the three questions from chapter 17.
1. What are you trusting in? 5-8
Most people today are trusting that man has the ultimate solution for the problems that face us. We only have to look within ourselves for the answer. God says that person is cursed. Curse is a strong word. This word comes from the word “bound.” We become so wrapped up with ourselves we cannot see the goodness of God. When we choose to trust in ourselves…. both as individuals and as a society, we place ourselves under a curse. The test for what are we trusting in: how much are you praying?
2. What is the condition of your heart? 9-11
Jeremiah has some bad news concerning that condition. This is called the doctrine of total depravity. The heart of every problem is the problem of the heart. Our hearts are sinful and separated from the holiness of God. This does not mean that we are all as wicked as we can possibly be…. but it does mean we are infected and affected in every part of our personality with sin. Right here we have a huge conflict with our culture. John Locke was a British philosopher who is largely responsible for this conflict with the Bible. In 1690, he wrote his book An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. In his work, he stated that whenever someone is born, they are born with their mind being a blank slate, “A tablua rasa .” Tablua Rasa says we are born good and we just need to provide good experiences and everything will turn out right. If we can just have good parents, good teachers, and a good society, kids will grow up to be good kids. The Bible says we need to have a heart transplant by Jesus. We cannot master sin in our own strength. We must turn to Jesus to receive help from on high. Jesus' way is to change us from the inside out.
3. Where is your hope? 12-18
The glorious throne is our place of sanctuary. It is our hope for today and the future. What a privilege we have to worship the creator of heaven and earth. Our hope is not grounded in anything on this planet. Several years ago the noted British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge was a guest at a breakfast in Washington, DC. When he had finished his speech, he made a number of comments about world affairs, all of which were very pessimistic. One of the people present said, Dr. Muggeridge, you have been very pessimistic. Don't you have any reason for optimism? Malcolm replied, “My friend, I could not be more optimistic, than I am, because my hope is in Jesus Christ alone. He allowed that remark to settle for a few seconds, and then he added, "Just think if the apostolic church had pinned its hope on the Roman Empire!"
Place your hope in God. Do not anchor to anything on this temporary planet.
Galya will be joining us on our journey and she will be writing Monday’s blog. We will probably change our accountability day to Friday starting in two weeks. Keep up the Bible reading!! Don’t slack off just because it is summer.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
July 30
Jeremiah 13, 14, 15
Useless
At my office we have a useless fact calender. Everyday, I can read about something that is interesting and/or funny but completely useless. It does not help me in any way in my life. (unless I was going to be on a game show!)
Some examples are:
- The wingspan of a Boeing 747 is longer that the Wright brothers first flight.
- Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny) was allergic to carrots.
- No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, and purple.
- Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.
- The elephant is the only mammal that can't jump.
- The name for Oz in the "Wizard of Oz" was thought up when the creator, Frank Baum, looked at his filing cabinet and saw A-N, and O-Z, hence "Oz."
- Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.
- Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.
- Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.
- The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.
- Rolling Stones guitarist Bill Wyman began dating 13-year-old Mandy Smith when he was 47. (With her mother's permission) They married when she was 19 and then divorced 2 years later. Bill's son Stephen began dating Mandy's mother and married her shortly after his father's divorce. Had Bill and Mandy stayed married, Bill would have been Stephen's father and son-in-law. Stephen would have been his son, and his father-in-law. Mrs. Smith would have been Mandy's mother and daughter-in-law, and Mandy would have been Mrs. Smith's daughter and mother-in-law.
In today's passage, God's patience is coming to an end. It's Jeremiah's job is to warn Judah about their impending judgment. God gives a clear example in chapter 13. He tells Jeremiah to purchase a linen belt and hide it for many days in a crevice. When he comes back to retrieve it, the belt is ruined and useless. It can no longer be used as a belt and is of no use or value to anyone. So is the fate of Judah. Jer 13:-11 say "Then the word of the LORD came to me: "This is what the LORD says: 'In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. These wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt—completely useless! For as a belt is bound around a man's waist, so I bound the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to me,' declares the LORD, 'to be my people for my renown and praise and honor. But they have not listened.' "
Like the facts listed above and the linen belt, God's people were useless because of their wicked deeds. God wants all of us to be involved in His great plans and blessings. But that cannot happen when we deliberately disobey Him.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
July 29
The Cost of Discipleship
Jeremiah was called to a very difficult ministry. He was given the responsibility to proclaim the truth of God’s standard to his culture. Prophets are not well received both in ancient times and today. In fact, it is clear that both his family and friends opposed his ministry. In chapter 12 Jeremiah is feeling sorry for himself. This naturally occurs when one faces opposition. But the response of God is very interesting.
God’s answer is not an explanation of his plan or giving Jeremiah a shoulder to cry on. God doesn’t give him any more information than he gave Job or Habakkuk. God doesn’t even promise the guy that one day he will be vindicated. The response of God is like a challenge from a football coach or a military drill sergeant.
Jeremiah 12:5
If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble in safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?
In effect here is what God is saying, “You think it is difficult to do this now. Just wait till it really gets tough.” Those are words we do not want to hear when going through a tough time. But the cost of discipleship is high. It seems God is much more concerned about our character than our comfort in life. The Christian walk is not about prosperity, health and wealth, it is about obedience. We might not want to hear this, but it seems the end destination of every disciple is a cross.
Well, be of good cheer today. If we try to run this race in our own resources, we are going to fail miserably. But if we run the race dependent on God, we are not guaranteed victory or an easy life, but one day we will hear God say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Live for the approval of God not people.
Be a person who speaks the truth to your culture.... be a prophet.
Jeremiah was called to a very difficult ministry. He was given the responsibility to proclaim the truth of God’s standard to his culture. Prophets are not well received both in ancient times and today. In fact, it is clear that both his family and friends opposed his ministry. In chapter 12 Jeremiah is feeling sorry for himself. This naturally occurs when one faces opposition. But the response of God is very interesting.
God’s answer is not an explanation of his plan or giving Jeremiah a shoulder to cry on. God doesn’t give him any more information than he gave Job or Habakkuk. God doesn’t even promise the guy that one day he will be vindicated. The response of God is like a challenge from a football coach or a military drill sergeant.
Jeremiah 12:5
If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble in safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?
In effect here is what God is saying, “You think it is difficult to do this now. Just wait till it really gets tough.” Those are words we do not want to hear when going through a tough time. But the cost of discipleship is high. It seems God is much more concerned about our character than our comfort in life. The Christian walk is not about prosperity, health and wealth, it is about obedience. We might not want to hear this, but it seems the end destination of every disciple is a cross.
Well, be of good cheer today. If we try to run this race in our own resources, we are going to fail miserably. But if we run the race dependent on God, we are not guaranteed victory or an easy life, but one day we will hear God say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Live for the approval of God not people.
Be a person who speaks the truth to your culture.... be a prophet.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
July 28
Here are some of my thoughts:
We take so much advantage of God, and for some reason tend to believe that we can get away with it. Jeremiah spent about 40 years warning God's people about their mistakes, and their backsliding ways. In our lives, though there is no Jeremiah, God is still there. What do I mean? God still sends us warnings, and he is very patient as he was with his people. He allowed 40 years of warnings go by before he brought judgement upon them. In our lives, we carry sins with us that are called cherished sins. Meaning, those sinful actions that while no one is looking (or something while everyone is looking) we tend to do and justify no matter what happens. It is actions such as that in which God warns us about. He gave his people 40 years to repent and go back to him. However, they failed to do that. How long before God brings judgement upon your actions? It could be a lot less than 40 years.
We all have that sin that we carry and tend to hold on to....
Here's one last observation ....
Jeremiah writes ...
Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
I don't think i can recall the last time i saw someone blush. As a matter of fact, last time I may have seen someone blush may have been in kindergarden. I'm not sure if here in the northeast we do things and find no shame in it. However, at some point, change has to start. Best place to start .... is with you.
Monday, July 27, 2009
July 27
The Ancient Ways
I know there is a danger of looking back and longing for the “good old days” but recently I have found myself wondering if the old days weren’t better. Today’s newspaper has a picture of Lance Armstrong who finished 3rd in the Tour de France. It was remarkable for him to do this at age 37 and after being retired for over three years. But the picture of his celebration at the end was sad. There he is with his trophy, his three children, his ex-wife, his girl friend and their new baby Max. What a messed up picture. How much pain is found in each one of their hearts after all they have been through?
Our reading today has this lesson and warning:
Jeremiah 6:16 This is what the Lord says:
"Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'
When we follow the ancient paths, the pathways set down by God, we find rest for our souls.
I don’t know about you but I need to find rest for my soul. I long for peace, rest, and joy to flood my heart like a river overflowing its banks. But the only way to find this rest is to walk in the ancient paths set down by God. Call me old fashioned, or even hopelessly out of touch, but I would rather have “rest” than the world’s highest bike trophy.
Today is accountability day. So send me an email and tell me where you are at on our journey.
I know there is a danger of looking back and longing for the “good old days” but recently I have found myself wondering if the old days weren’t better. Today’s newspaper has a picture of Lance Armstrong who finished 3rd in the Tour de France. It was remarkable for him to do this at age 37 and after being retired for over three years. But the picture of his celebration at the end was sad. There he is with his trophy, his three children, his ex-wife, his girl friend and their new baby Max. What a messed up picture. How much pain is found in each one of their hearts after all they have been through?
Our reading today has this lesson and warning:
Jeremiah 6:16 This is what the Lord says:
"Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'
When we follow the ancient paths, the pathways set down by God, we find rest for our souls.
I don’t know about you but I need to find rest for my soul. I long for peace, rest, and joy to flood my heart like a river overflowing its banks. But the only way to find this rest is to walk in the ancient paths set down by God. Call me old fashioned, or even hopelessly out of touch, but I would rather have “rest” than the world’s highest bike trophy.
Today is accountability day. So send me an email and tell me where you are at on our journey.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
July 26: Jeremiah 3:6-5:13
Today's passage continues the judgments that Jeremiah had begun sharing with Judah in yesterday's reading. God is indeed watching Judah, and his sin will bear fruit in God's judgment via the Bablyonians. Yet, despite the darkness of Judah's adultery, we see the hope of God's grace.
I would like to highlight one phrase from yesterday's reading because it so brilliantly encapsulates Judah's (and our) idolatrous attitudes:
"My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water." (Jeremiah 2:13,14)
Indeed, Judah has turned away from the living, true God Who wishes to bring everlasting life and hope to His people. Instead, they have created their own cisterns, believing that the gods of the surrounding peoples would provide a great improvement over the revealed Creator and Law-giver. They have abandoned something that truly satisfies for inferior and useless substitutes.
Jeremiah then mentions how the people have committed adultery against the Lord, both in Israel and Judah. Despite the warnings that Judah had received through Israel's judgment, Judah too continues the plunge into adultery. But God stands ready to forgive:
"'Return, faithless Israel,' declares the LORD,
'I will frown on you no longer,
for I am merciful,' declares the LORD,
'I will not be angry forever.
Only acknowledge your guilt --
you have rebelled against the LORD your God,
you have scattered your favors to foreign gods
under every spreading tree,
and have not obeyed me.'"
Ironically, in their adultery, Judah does not recognize that "your lovers despise you;/ they seek your life." The nation had spent time primping itself for prostitution to life-destroying idols and other nations.
Why is adultery a fitting metaphor for the people's spiritual attitudes? Adultery ruins intimacy between two people because it erodes the commitment of trust and security that the wedding vows sought to give. Furthermore, our sinful hearts often crave the rush of sin in the short term, but these actions bear serious consequences in the long run. As we observe marital upheavals among politicians and celebrities, we often find our hearts welling with compassion for the victims of the adultery, yet the adulterers face tumultuous emotions and do not escape unscathed. Furthermore, Judah's spiritual adultery reveals God's great emotional attachment to His people and Judah's lack of gratitude for God's provision and faithfulness.
In place of their wayward leaders, God, as Judah's "husband," will "give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding." God promises a coming restoration of Israel and Judah, which may speak of the New Heaven and New Earth of Revelation: "At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. In those days the house of Judah will join the house of Israel, and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your forefathers as an inheritance."
QUESTIONS
1. What are you doing to preserve your loyalty towards God?
2. How does God's promised restoration for the people illustrate His grace? How could you rejoice in this? How can you show such grace yourself?
I would like to highlight one phrase from yesterday's reading because it so brilliantly encapsulates Judah's (and our) idolatrous attitudes:
"My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water." (Jeremiah 2:13,14)
Indeed, Judah has turned away from the living, true God Who wishes to bring everlasting life and hope to His people. Instead, they have created their own cisterns, believing that the gods of the surrounding peoples would provide a great improvement over the revealed Creator and Law-giver. They have abandoned something that truly satisfies for inferior and useless substitutes.
Jeremiah then mentions how the people have committed adultery against the Lord, both in Israel and Judah. Despite the warnings that Judah had received through Israel's judgment, Judah too continues the plunge into adultery. But God stands ready to forgive:
"'Return, faithless Israel,' declares the LORD,
'I will frown on you no longer,
for I am merciful,' declares the LORD,
'I will not be angry forever.
Only acknowledge your guilt --
you have rebelled against the LORD your God,
you have scattered your favors to foreign gods
under every spreading tree,
and have not obeyed me.'"
Ironically, in their adultery, Judah does not recognize that "your lovers despise you;/ they seek your life." The nation had spent time primping itself for prostitution to life-destroying idols and other nations.
Why is adultery a fitting metaphor for the people's spiritual attitudes? Adultery ruins intimacy between two people because it erodes the commitment of trust and security that the wedding vows sought to give. Furthermore, our sinful hearts often crave the rush of sin in the short term, but these actions bear serious consequences in the long run. As we observe marital upheavals among politicians and celebrities, we often find our hearts welling with compassion for the victims of the adultery, yet the adulterers face tumultuous emotions and do not escape unscathed. Furthermore, Judah's spiritual adultery reveals God's great emotional attachment to His people and Judah's lack of gratitude for God's provision and faithfulness.
In place of their wayward leaders, God, as Judah's "husband," will "give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding." God promises a coming restoration of Israel and Judah, which may speak of the New Heaven and New Earth of Revelation: "At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. In those days the house of Judah will join the house of Israel, and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your forefathers as an inheritance."
QUESTIONS
1. What are you doing to preserve your loyalty towards God?
2. How does God's promised restoration for the people illustrate His grace? How could you rejoice in this? How can you show such grace yourself?
Saturday, July 25, 2009
July 25
“Who am I?” “Why am I here?” These are two of the most important questions of life. There are only three choices in answering those questions.
1. There is no God and there is no special purpose. We are all just cosmic accidents.
2. There is a God but he doesn't mess around with the details of individual lives. His hands are full just keeping the stars and galaxies in place.
3. There is a God and he has a plan for each of our lives.
Jeremiah faced these questions and they were answered not by Jeremiah looking within himself, they were answered by Jeremiah listening to God.
Jeremiah 1:4,5 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
The discovery of our God given destiny is absolutely vital for our lives. I believe each of us has a destiny, not just a vague or general destiny… a unique, personal destiny. God brought us into existence at this point in time to fulfill our part in His eternal plan and purposes.
To discover your purpose in life it must be built on the Word of God. You are reading that Word everyday. If you ask God to show you your purpose he is more than willing.
I am not a big poem guy but here is one by Russel Kelfer that reinforces the truth that God has a purpose for each of our lives.
You are who you are for a reason.
You're part of an intricate plan.
You're a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God's special woman or man.
You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistakes.
He knit you together within the womb,
You're just what he wanted to make.
The parents you had were the ones he chose,
And no matter how you may feel,
They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,
And they bear the Master's seal.
No, that trauma you faced was not easy.
And God wept that it hurt you so;
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into his likeness you'd grow.
You are who you are for a reason,
You've been formed by the Master's rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God.
1. There is no God and there is no special purpose. We are all just cosmic accidents.
2. There is a God but he doesn't mess around with the details of individual lives. His hands are full just keeping the stars and galaxies in place.
3. There is a God and he has a plan for each of our lives.
Jeremiah faced these questions and they were answered not by Jeremiah looking within himself, they were answered by Jeremiah listening to God.
Jeremiah 1:4,5 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
The discovery of our God given destiny is absolutely vital for our lives. I believe each of us has a destiny, not just a vague or general destiny… a unique, personal destiny. God brought us into existence at this point in time to fulfill our part in His eternal plan and purposes.
To discover your purpose in life it must be built on the Word of God. You are reading that Word everyday. If you ask God to show you your purpose he is more than willing.
I am not a big poem guy but here is one by Russel Kelfer that reinforces the truth that God has a purpose for each of our lives.
You are who you are for a reason.
You're part of an intricate plan.
You're a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God's special woman or man.
You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistakes.
He knit you together within the womb,
You're just what he wanted to make.
The parents you had were the ones he chose,
And no matter how you may feel,
They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,
And they bear the Master's seal.
No, that trauma you faced was not easy.
And God wept that it hurt you so;
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into his likeness you'd grow.
You are who you are for a reason,
You've been formed by the Master's rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God.
Friday, July 24, 2009
July 24
Zephaniah There’s A Great Day Coming
Several years ago there was a production of Shakespeare's Hamlet in Chicago. Near the end of the play there is a climactic fight scene— the guys had swords flashing all over the stage. Well, that night, right in the middle of all that action, Hamlet suddenly shouted, "Stop! Stop!" All the actors stopped and looked puzzled but froze. Then Hamlet stepped to the edge of the stage and said, "Someone's been hurt. Is there a doctor in the house?"
Apparently, during the fight, his knife had flown from his hand into the audience and struck a woman above her eye. The play stopped for a while till they could attend to her and ensure she was all right. Then Hamlet said, "Places," and the actors all resumed their frozen mid-fight poses till he said "Action," and they finished the scene and the play.
Today we read the book of Zephaniah and in it we see God as the great warrior and healer. He definitely draws his sword and has it flashing over the stage of the world. There is judgment in Judah, Philistia, Moab, Assyria and then there is a pause in the action. During this pause God calls all nations to seek him, to seek righteousness and humility. When people do seek him he heals all who turn to him. Then God makes an incredible promise.
Zeph. 3:17 He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
Wow.. what a picture of God, quieting us with his love and taking so much pleasure in us that he sings over us.
Those words create a picture in my mind of a mother cradling her little baby and singing lullabies to the child. We are living in the time when God is offering this love to all people.
But soon, God will say, "Action!" and a terrible end-time drama will have all the swords of earth crashing into one another in a cataclysmic finale.
The question for mankind is this, “Do you want to face God as your Judge or your Lover?”
Seek the Lord now for the Day of the Lord is coming. Don't procrastinate in the pursuit of God. Today is the right time to trust in him. People say he is not coming back, but he will. And when he does it will be too late. Don't wait.
Several years ago there was a production of Shakespeare's Hamlet in Chicago. Near the end of the play there is a climactic fight scene— the guys had swords flashing all over the stage. Well, that night, right in the middle of all that action, Hamlet suddenly shouted, "Stop! Stop!" All the actors stopped and looked puzzled but froze. Then Hamlet stepped to the edge of the stage and said, "Someone's been hurt. Is there a doctor in the house?"
Apparently, during the fight, his knife had flown from his hand into the audience and struck a woman above her eye. The play stopped for a while till they could attend to her and ensure she was all right. Then Hamlet said, "Places," and the actors all resumed their frozen mid-fight poses till he said "Action," and they finished the scene and the play.
Today we read the book of Zephaniah and in it we see God as the great warrior and healer. He definitely draws his sword and has it flashing over the stage of the world. There is judgment in Judah, Philistia, Moab, Assyria and then there is a pause in the action. During this pause God calls all nations to seek him, to seek righteousness and humility. When people do seek him he heals all who turn to him. Then God makes an incredible promise.
Zeph. 3:17 He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
Wow.. what a picture of God, quieting us with his love and taking so much pleasure in us that he sings over us.
Those words create a picture in my mind of a mother cradling her little baby and singing lullabies to the child. We are living in the time when God is offering this love to all people.
But soon, God will say, "Action!" and a terrible end-time drama will have all the swords of earth crashing into one another in a cataclysmic finale.
The question for mankind is this, “Do you want to face God as your Judge or your Lover?”
Seek the Lord now for the Day of the Lord is coming. Don't procrastinate in the pursuit of God. Today is the right time to trust in him. People say he is not coming back, but he will. And when he does it will be too late. Don't wait.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
July 23
From Manasseh to Josiah
Today's reading is pretty short, but still has some important things to teach us. Previously, we read about Manasseh and his depravity against the Lord. God would not allow it to continue so Manasseh was punished. In spite of all his past sins, Manasseh humbled himself and repented. Because of his genuine change of heart, God forgive and restored him. Throughout this year, I find myself being constantly amazed by God's ability to love and forgive flawed sinful people. It was not important that Manasseh had at one time deeply grieved God. All that mattered was his choice to return to Him.
Amon was like many of his predecessors and did evil in the eyes of the Lord. His reign started out just like his father Manasseh, but it ended very differently. Amon had the chance to choose God's way and did not. He refused to humble himself before God, which resulted in a violent end to his life.
Josiah was Amon's son and became king at the age of 8. Even though he was very young, he knew better than to follow the same path as his father. 2 Kings 22:2 says "He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left." He followed the command from Deuteronomy 6:5: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
July 22
Passing the Baton
I am back from vacation and excited to connect with you again. I hope you have been faithfully keeping up your daily Bible reading. Summer schedules and vacations can seriously affect our spiritual disciplines. If you fall behind, just mark the dates you missed and read the current day.
Today we run into a very familiar theme with the book of Nahum. It is the danger of not passing the baton of faith to the next generation and reaping terrible consequences because of it. This is a theme close to my heart because this is one of the core values of our church.
The significance of the book of Nahum is found in the dating and the location. The prophet is writing to the same city Jonah preached to, 110 years later. It is now 663 BC and Nahum preaches this sermon warning the great grandchildren of the revival that their wickedness is so great that God is required to judge them. How can a culture fall away from the Lord that quickly? 4 reasons....
1. They forgot the TRUTH about God. God is a holy God and he will not allow any sin or wickedness to go unpunished. 1:2-6 The people have misunderstood the patience of God as weakness. They seriously miscalculated the truth of God’s character. God’s holiness is not some thing you want to mess with.
2. They forgot the truth about sin. Sin is missing the mark of God’s standard. This city stood against God, they were party animals only concerned with their own entertainment. They did not worship the true God but idols. They were filled with pride. They were violent and finally they were into the occult and New Age practices. These are the sins they turned from a 100 years earlier, but now they have gone back to their old ways. No one was reading their Bibles anymore.
3. They forgot the Consequences of sin. 3:5-7 There is always a payday for sin!!! Numbers 32:23 You may be sure that your sins will find you out. The wages of sin is death, Romans 3:23 The TRUTH about God is that God hates sin and will eventually punish it. This is not something you will hear on Oprah or Jerry Springer today. But one day God’s patience will run out. There is always a payday for sin. This applies to individuals as well as nations.
4. Finally, they forgot to make time to pass the baton of faith to the next generation. It is easy to become prosperous and forget the mission. The mission is to make disciples of all nations. That is the heart of God. Somewhere in the city of Nineveh, a group of believers thought that disciplemaking was someone else’s responsibility. Every believer needs to have a strategy for passing the baton of faith to the next generation.
Any correlation between what happened in this book and the USA is strictly intentional. You could substitute the letters USA for Nineveh. We are living through the greatest decline in culture in the history of our nation. We are on the exact same pathway as Nineveh was. We have lost the culture wars and we are losing our children to the culture in alarming numbers. The impact that we are having on the next generation is non-existent.
So where is the hope in the book of Nahum?
Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,
Make God your refuge; trust in him, trust in his word, trust in his promises.
Once you have made God your refuge, then teach the next generation how to make God their refuge.
Pray for someone you can take through this Bible reading journey next year.
I am back from vacation and excited to connect with you again. I hope you have been faithfully keeping up your daily Bible reading. Summer schedules and vacations can seriously affect our spiritual disciplines. If you fall behind, just mark the dates you missed and read the current day.
Today we run into a very familiar theme with the book of Nahum. It is the danger of not passing the baton of faith to the next generation and reaping terrible consequences because of it. This is a theme close to my heart because this is one of the core values of our church.
The significance of the book of Nahum is found in the dating and the location. The prophet is writing to the same city Jonah preached to, 110 years later. It is now 663 BC and Nahum preaches this sermon warning the great grandchildren of the revival that their wickedness is so great that God is required to judge them. How can a culture fall away from the Lord that quickly? 4 reasons....
1. They forgot the TRUTH about God. God is a holy God and he will not allow any sin or wickedness to go unpunished. 1:2-6 The people have misunderstood the patience of God as weakness. They seriously miscalculated the truth of God’s character. God’s holiness is not some thing you want to mess with.
2. They forgot the truth about sin. Sin is missing the mark of God’s standard. This city stood against God, they were party animals only concerned with their own entertainment. They did not worship the true God but idols. They were filled with pride. They were violent and finally they were into the occult and New Age practices. These are the sins they turned from a 100 years earlier, but now they have gone back to their old ways. No one was reading their Bibles anymore.
3. They forgot the Consequences of sin. 3:5-7 There is always a payday for sin!!! Numbers 32:23 You may be sure that your sins will find you out. The wages of sin is death, Romans 3:23 The TRUTH about God is that God hates sin and will eventually punish it. This is not something you will hear on Oprah or Jerry Springer today. But one day God’s patience will run out. There is always a payday for sin. This applies to individuals as well as nations.
4. Finally, they forgot to make time to pass the baton of faith to the next generation. It is easy to become prosperous and forget the mission. The mission is to make disciples of all nations. That is the heart of God. Somewhere in the city of Nineveh, a group of believers thought that disciplemaking was someone else’s responsibility. Every believer needs to have a strategy for passing the baton of faith to the next generation.
Any correlation between what happened in this book and the USA is strictly intentional. You could substitute the letters USA for Nineveh. We are living through the greatest decline in culture in the history of our nation. We are on the exact same pathway as Nineveh was. We have lost the culture wars and we are losing our children to the culture in alarming numbers. The impact that we are having on the next generation is non-existent.
So where is the hope in the book of Nahum?
Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,
Make God your refuge; trust in him, trust in his word, trust in his promises.
Once you have made God your refuge, then teach the next generation how to make God their refuge.
Pray for someone you can take through this Bible reading journey next year.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
July 19: Isaiah 57 to 59
In today's passage, we see the following themes:
-- The people had forsaken God. God describes their following after idols as making "a pact with those whose beds you love,/ and youir looked on their nakedness." Our worship, either of idols or of the Lord, brings us into intimate contact. Yet, these idols would prove worthless in front of God's judgment:
"I will expose your righteousness and your works,
and they will not benefit you.
When you cry out for help,
let your collection of idols save you!
The wind will carry all of them off,
a mere breath will blow them away.
But the man who makes me his refuge
will inherit the land
and posees my holy mountain."
I love this imagery of God as our refuge. We may run to Him at all times, and He will not turn us away. Whether there is a storm today or tomorrow, we may cling to His presence.
-- God becomes present with the contrite. While the people had turned away from God, He can look upon those who are earnestly seeking Him. While God is wholly other, "the high and lofty One[,]... who lives forever, whose name is holy," He is "with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit." God will "revive the spirit of the lowly/ and to revive the spirit of the contrite." When the people turn to God, He will restore them and bring peace to their hearts. As St. Augustine prayed, "Lord, you have made us for yourself and our hearts find no rest until they rest in you!"
-- The Lord detests empty worship. As Juan preached today, sometimes we express our frustration when God appears not to answer us. While God acknowledges that the people had indeed sought Him through fasting, He notes that their lives had not been marked by the integrity that their fasting purported to show. God noted that their attitudes towards others showed brutality; they could not love God truly and show enmity towards their neighbors and the poor. Indeed, the Great Commandments of Jesus tie together clearly: our love for God comes shining through our love for our neighbor. What a great barometer for our hearts!
-- Corporate confession stokes God's heart and brings about true salvation. Isaiah prophesies about the weight of sin and how it has caused separation. Sin brings death and cause God to "have hidden his face from you,/ so that he will not hear." How painful is that separation! The lawlessness of sin has trampled truth and justice in the land and among the people. Realizing that the people cannot bring healing themselves, God's "own arm worked salvation for him.... [In retrospect, we may see that, in Christ,] he put on righteousness as his breastplate,/ and the helmet of salvation on his head... " God appoints His Son as a warrior to bring "wrath to his enemies" and so that:
"From the west, men will fear the name of the LORD,
and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory."
-- The Spirit brings lasting change. God's promised Spirit, which will come upon the Church, will bring lasting change. God's presence will sustain the Church: "'My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have out in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their decendants from this time on and forever,' says the LORD."
QUESTIONS
1. Who or what is your refuge?
2. Have you confronted your sin in humility? Did you feel God draw near to you during that period of contrition?
3. How can you trust God more fully in His provision of salvation or of the Holy Spirit?
-- The people had forsaken God. God describes their following after idols as making "a pact with those whose beds you love,/ and youir looked on their nakedness." Our worship, either of idols or of the Lord, brings us into intimate contact. Yet, these idols would prove worthless in front of God's judgment:
"I will expose your righteousness and your works,
and they will not benefit you.
When you cry out for help,
let your collection of idols save you!
The wind will carry all of them off,
a mere breath will blow them away.
But the man who makes me his refuge
will inherit the land
and posees my holy mountain."
I love this imagery of God as our refuge. We may run to Him at all times, and He will not turn us away. Whether there is a storm today or tomorrow, we may cling to His presence.
-- God becomes present with the contrite. While the people had turned away from God, He can look upon those who are earnestly seeking Him. While God is wholly other, "the high and lofty One[,]... who lives forever, whose name is holy," He is "with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit." God will "revive the spirit of the lowly/ and to revive the spirit of the contrite." When the people turn to God, He will restore them and bring peace to their hearts. As St. Augustine prayed, "Lord, you have made us for yourself and our hearts find no rest until they rest in you!"
-- The Lord detests empty worship. As Juan preached today, sometimes we express our frustration when God appears not to answer us. While God acknowledges that the people had indeed sought Him through fasting, He notes that their lives had not been marked by the integrity that their fasting purported to show. God noted that their attitudes towards others showed brutality; they could not love God truly and show enmity towards their neighbors and the poor. Indeed, the Great Commandments of Jesus tie together clearly: our love for God comes shining through our love for our neighbor. What a great barometer for our hearts!
-- Corporate confession stokes God's heart and brings about true salvation. Isaiah prophesies about the weight of sin and how it has caused separation. Sin brings death and cause God to "have hidden his face from you,/ so that he will not hear." How painful is that separation! The lawlessness of sin has trampled truth and justice in the land and among the people. Realizing that the people cannot bring healing themselves, God's "own arm worked salvation for him.... [In retrospect, we may see that, in Christ,] he put on righteousness as his breastplate,/ and the helmet of salvation on his head... " God appoints His Son as a warrior to bring "wrath to his enemies" and so that:
"From the west, men will fear the name of the LORD,
and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory."
-- The Spirit brings lasting change. God's promised Spirit, which will come upon the Church, will bring lasting change. God's presence will sustain the Church: "'My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have out in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their decendants from this time on and forever,' says the LORD."
QUESTIONS
1. Who or what is your refuge?
2. Have you confronted your sin in humility? Did you feel God draw near to you during that period of contrition?
3. How can you trust God more fully in His provision of salvation or of the Holy Spirit?
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
July 16
Isaiah 48, 49, 50
“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is bet for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”
Isaiah 48:16-19 gives us a picture of what would have happened to Israel if they had obeyed God’s commandments and stayed faithful to Him. Peace would flow like a river, righteousness would be like waves of the sea, descendants would be like numberless grains, and their name would never be destroyed or cut off. God greatly desires to give good things to His children and see them prosper. Unfortunately, we resist being obedient to His commands. We think we know better or we think we deserve freedom from rules. But the inescapable truth is that God knows what’s best for us and He is a just, holy God.
Thankfully for all of us, God will never leave or forget about His children, no matter what sin they commit. Isaiah 49:8-13 gives the Israelites hope for the future. “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, 'Be free!’ ”
“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is bet for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”
Isaiah 48:16-19 gives us a picture of what would have happened to Israel if they had obeyed God’s commandments and stayed faithful to Him. Peace would flow like a river, righteousness would be like waves of the sea, descendants would be like numberless grains, and their name would never be destroyed or cut off. God greatly desires to give good things to His children and see them prosper. Unfortunately, we resist being obedient to His commands. We think we know better or we think we deserve freedom from rules. But the inescapable truth is that God knows what’s best for us and He is a just, holy God.
Thankfully for all of us, God will never leave or forget about His children, no matter what sin they commit. Isaiah 49:8-13 gives the Israelites hope for the future. “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, 'Be free!’ ”
July 15
Look to the Stars
Isaiah 47 They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and all your potent spells.
Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood.
Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you.
We live in a culture that is wildly spiritual. That was also true during Isaiah’s day. The problem was people were turning to the wrong power for freedom. They were turning to the power of darkness not the Lord of Light. Whenever we turn to the powers of darkness there is a cost involved. Even if it was a secret initiation, a blood pact or even a game or joke there is a real power behind these spiritual counterfeits. Isaiah called these practices “potent” spells. The question that Isaiah asked them is the same question for today. Do you really think these counterfeit powers can save you when you have to face the wrath of a holy God? For us to be set free from darkness we much renounce these practices and ask Jesus to come in and be Lord of our lives.
Here is a list of some of the ways Satan tries to trick us into seeking power outside of Jesus. If you have personally ever been involved with any of these renounce them and command Satan out of your life.
Out-of-body experiences (Astral projection) Horoscopes/Astrology
Bloody Mary Table lifting
Magic Eight Ball Spells or curses
Mental telepathy Spirit guides
Tarot card Levitation
Witchcraft Satanism
Palm reading Hypnosis
Séances Black or white magic
Fantasy games with occult images Blood pacts
Superstitions WICCA
Occult or violent video or computer games Ouija board
Isaiah 47 They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and all your potent spells.
Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood.
Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you.
We live in a culture that is wildly spiritual. That was also true during Isaiah’s day. The problem was people were turning to the wrong power for freedom. They were turning to the power of darkness not the Lord of Light. Whenever we turn to the powers of darkness there is a cost involved. Even if it was a secret initiation, a blood pact or even a game or joke there is a real power behind these spiritual counterfeits. Isaiah called these practices “potent” spells. The question that Isaiah asked them is the same question for today. Do you really think these counterfeit powers can save you when you have to face the wrath of a holy God? For us to be set free from darkness we much renounce these practices and ask Jesus to come in and be Lord of our lives.
Here is a list of some of the ways Satan tries to trick us into seeking power outside of Jesus. If you have personally ever been involved with any of these renounce them and command Satan out of your life.
Out-of-body experiences (Astral projection) Horoscopes/Astrology
Bloody Mary Table lifting
Magic Eight Ball Spells or curses
Mental telepathy Spirit guides
Tarot card Levitation
Witchcraft Satanism
Palm reading Hypnosis
Séances Black or white magic
Fantasy games with occult images Blood pacts
Superstitions WICCA
Occult or violent video or computer games Ouija board
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
July 14
Here are some of my thoughts:
It's a little on the later side of the day, so my thoughts are a little shot. However, after reading today's passages, i thought of this: we fail to take pride in Christ. I truly believe a lot of us say "yea, i believe in Jesus, and his death on the cross" but the truth is, we don't really understand the meaning of that to it's full meaning.
"When I act, who can reverse it?"
Take time to sit here and realize that the bible has quotations because God spoke these words. God is beyond our most amazing memory, or thought. He is worth sharing! If someone gave you a brand new Mercedes ... you would be so happy you'd tell the world, and invite all your friends to drive with you, just to show off. If God gave you eternity and a second chance... will you show it off?
will you tell about it?
will you brag about it?
Think about it.
Monday, July 13, 2009
July 13
Three Relevant Truths for Today
1. God is not the god of popular culture. Yesterday someone said to me at coffee hour, “All the gods of religion are the same. All religions point to the same basic god, he just changes forms for different groups.”
Isaiah points out this popular belief about God is false.
Isaiah 43:10-11 Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.
I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior.
Just common sense tells us that all views of God cannot be correct. There are huge differences between religions. They disagree over the most fundamental points. The Bhagavad-Gita, Upanishads and other holy books of Eastern mysticism teach that God is one. Everything is God. You are god, I am god, and the black walnut tree in the church parking lot is god. Good is god, Evil is god. They also teach that God is impersonal. How radically different from the God of the Bible that teaches God is personal and he has my picture on his refridgerator.
2. The servant is now revealed in Isaiah. Sometimes this section is called the Servant Song and these verses describe both the nation of Israel as well as one individual person – the Messiah. In 42:1-17 we see the person of the Messiah foretold.
I will put my Spirit on him.
He will bring justice to the nations.
He will not falter or be discouraged
He establishes justice on the earth
3. The Prophecies of the Bible are amazing. If you ever doubt the truthfulness and accuracy of the Bible always go back to the prophecies. There is no book like the Bible when it comes to prophecy. Many other religious and secular writings don’t even have one prophecy in them. The writings of Buddha are totally lacking in any sort of specific predictive prophecy about the things of the future. The writings of Confucius there are absolutely no prophecies. In the case of the Koran, the scriptures of the Muslims, we find only the prophecy of Mohammed that he would return to Mecca, a "self-fulfilling prophecy," which he himself, of course, fulfilled." The vague and usually erroneous prophecies of people like Nostradamus, Jeanne Dixon, Edgar Cayce and others like them are not in the same category at all. All of these are very different from the prophecies of the Bible. There are over 2,000 specific prophecies in the Bible which have already been fulfilled. There are two great prophecies in our reading today.
Isaiah prophesied from about 740-681 BC and he predicts a ruler named Cyrus would rule. This came true 150 years later. Isaiah also predicted that Jerusalem would fall more than 100 years before it happened and that the temple would be rebuilt about 200 years before it happened. Don’t doubt the Bible or the knowledge of God. We can trust our heavenly Father because he holds the future in his hands.
Today is accountability day. Send me an email telling me where you are at in your Bible reading.
1. God is not the god of popular culture. Yesterday someone said to me at coffee hour, “All the gods of religion are the same. All religions point to the same basic god, he just changes forms for different groups.”
Isaiah points out this popular belief about God is false.
Isaiah 43:10-11 Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.
I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior.
Just common sense tells us that all views of God cannot be correct. There are huge differences between religions. They disagree over the most fundamental points. The Bhagavad-Gita, Upanishads and other holy books of Eastern mysticism teach that God is one. Everything is God. You are god, I am god, and the black walnut tree in the church parking lot is god. Good is god, Evil is god. They also teach that God is impersonal. How radically different from the God of the Bible that teaches God is personal and he has my picture on his refridgerator.
2. The servant is now revealed in Isaiah. Sometimes this section is called the Servant Song and these verses describe both the nation of Israel as well as one individual person – the Messiah. In 42:1-17 we see the person of the Messiah foretold.
I will put my Spirit on him.
He will bring justice to the nations.
He will not falter or be discouraged
He establishes justice on the earth
3. The Prophecies of the Bible are amazing. If you ever doubt the truthfulness and accuracy of the Bible always go back to the prophecies. There is no book like the Bible when it comes to prophecy. Many other religious and secular writings don’t even have one prophecy in them. The writings of Buddha are totally lacking in any sort of specific predictive prophecy about the things of the future. The writings of Confucius there are absolutely no prophecies. In the case of the Koran, the scriptures of the Muslims, we find only the prophecy of Mohammed that he would return to Mecca, a "self-fulfilling prophecy," which he himself, of course, fulfilled." The vague and usually erroneous prophecies of people like Nostradamus, Jeanne Dixon, Edgar Cayce and others like them are not in the same category at all. All of these are very different from the prophecies of the Bible. There are over 2,000 specific prophecies in the Bible which have already been fulfilled. There are two great prophecies in our reading today.
Isaiah prophesied from about 740-681 BC and he predicts a ruler named Cyrus would rule. This came true 150 years later. Isaiah also predicted that Jerusalem would fall more than 100 years before it happened and that the temple would be rebuilt about 200 years before it happened. Don’t doubt the Bible or the knowledge of God. We can trust our heavenly Father because he holds the future in his hands.
Today is accountability day. Send me an email telling me where you are at in your Bible reading.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
July 12: Isaiah 40 and 41
Even as Assyria has subjected Israel to exile, and God reveals a Babylonian captivity for Judah, Isaiah receives visions of God's coming restoration, words that hold promise for a Messiah and a Kingdom founded in Him. The words in today's passage offer encouragement of God's transformative power, His sovereignty over all the earth and the affairs of men, and His intimacy with His beloved "friends."
-- God will redeem a fallen world through a Messiah. His presence on the earth will fundamentally change the world, bringing creation back to the order that God initially intended:
"Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged placed a plain.
And the glory of the LORD will be revealed
and all mankind together will see it.... "
We find the fulfillment of this passage in the prophetic word of John the Baptist and in Jesus Christ. Particularly in the Transfiguration, we see God's great and unfading glory revealed in Christ Himself -- a glory that would not dim, as it had with Moses (2 Corinthians 3:13-18).
-- God's amazing power sets Him apart. His creative power and sovereignty over the nations make the Lord worthy of all our honor and praise. He is sovereign over the affairs of men and all history. He has never ceded His power, though, in the present age, the Evil One does appear as the "prince" of this age. We have great confidence in the testimony of Scripture, however, that God's sovereign will involves the subduing of all evil under the dominion of Christ. His ways are unsearchable:
"Who has understood the mind of the LORD
or instructed him as his counselor?"
Yet, He is faithful to His promise:
"He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing."
-- Believers have an amazing intimacy with their Father. Despite God's otherness, believers may have great intimacy with Him. He provides for His children:
"He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gnetly leads those that have young."
He will not abandon His children, but rather will renew their strength:
"Do you not know?
Have you not heart?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."
-- God has chosen His people. Isaiah describes Israel's chosen status in 41:5-10. His words apply, by extension, to believers everywhere and at all times. God has chosen His people, just as He chose Jacob. The spiritual descendants of Abraham, God's "friend," will experience God's support:
" ... I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
Saturday, July 11, 2009
July 11
The Plumb Line for nations
2 Kings 21:12-13 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 13I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.
If you are a mason you would be familiar with a plumb line. It is a weighted string that determines true perpendicular for a wall being built. If you hear the words “out of plumb” that means the wall is being built incorrectly. Well, God has a plumb line for nations. There are several hints of what his plumb line is.
Doing evil
Detestable practices of the nations
Building high places
Baal worship
Worshiping the stars
Killing babies
Practicing WICCA
Not listening to God’s Word
Shedding innocent blood
Here is the grace of God in this whole situation..... God allowed Manasseh to rule for 55 years!
No one can accuse God of being impatient. But know for certain there is a plumb line for all nations.
I wonder how the USA lines up with God’s plumb line?
Think about that as you read your newspaper over the next few days.
Have a glorious Saturday.
2 Kings 21:12-13 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 13I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.
If you are a mason you would be familiar with a plumb line. It is a weighted string that determines true perpendicular for a wall being built. If you hear the words “out of plumb” that means the wall is being built incorrectly. Well, God has a plumb line for nations. There are several hints of what his plumb line is.
Doing evil
Detestable practices of the nations
Building high places
Baal worship
Worshiping the stars
Killing babies
Practicing WICCA
Not listening to God’s Word
Shedding innocent blood
Here is the grace of God in this whole situation..... God allowed Manasseh to rule for 55 years!
No one can accuse God of being impatient. But know for certain there is a plumb line for all nations.
I wonder how the USA lines up with God’s plumb line?
Think about that as you read your newspaper over the next few days.
Have a glorious Saturday.
Friday, July 10, 2009
July 10
The Danger of Misplaced Confidence
The R.M.S. Titanic departed from Southampton, England, heading to New York City on its maiden voyage on Wednesday, April 10, 1912 at noon. In the movie, A Night to Remember, a deckhand of the ship, seeking to alleviate the fears of a second-class passenger, Mrs. Sylvia Caldwell, tells her, “Not even God could sink her.” Despite the absolute faith that some had in science and technology at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in less than 2 hours.
This same misplaced confidence existed in the King of Assyria, Sennacherib, as he addressed King Hezekiah.
2 Kings 18:19-20 " 'This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? 20You say you have strategy and military strength--but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me?”
Sennacherib had reason to be confident. He had the world’s most powerful army. He had the latest in high tech weaponry. He had just defeated the city of Lachish. This city was the last line of defense for Jerusalem. Jerusalem now was surrounded and there was no one to rescue her. Sennacherib is so bold that he even jokes that God told him to march against this city. So what could stop such an overwhelming enemy? Only prayer. It was Hezekiah who turned to the Lord and asked God to fight this battle.
2 Kings 19:14-16 Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: "O Lord, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16Give ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.
No nation is unsinkable. It doesn’t matter if you have Stealth Bombers, F-14s, Star Wars lasers, Patriot missiles, Stinger missiles, and the world’s best army. If God says, “I am against you... the battle is over.”
So God answers the prayer of Hezekiah and puts to death the entire Assyrian army in one night. A hundred and eighty-five thousand men and all their fancy weapons are wiped out in one evening!!!
Is there any possibility that we are dangerously overconfident in the USA today? How many people were praying on September 10, 2001 that God would protect us? My guess is very few. How many people are praying on July 10, 2009 that God would be our protection? My guess is very few. We have ignored history once again and we find ourselves in the dangerous place of overconfidence. Take time to pray today. Pray for our country, its leaders, and the church. If the people of God will humble themselves and pray then God will hear from heaven and heal our land.
The R.M.S. Titanic departed from Southampton, England, heading to New York City on its maiden voyage on Wednesday, April 10, 1912 at noon. In the movie, A Night to Remember, a deckhand of the ship, seeking to alleviate the fears of a second-class passenger, Mrs. Sylvia Caldwell, tells her, “Not even God could sink her.” Despite the absolute faith that some had in science and technology at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in less than 2 hours.
This same misplaced confidence existed in the King of Assyria, Sennacherib, as he addressed King Hezekiah.
2 Kings 18:19-20 " 'This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? 20You say you have strategy and military strength--but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me?”
Sennacherib had reason to be confident. He had the world’s most powerful army. He had the latest in high tech weaponry. He had just defeated the city of Lachish. This city was the last line of defense for Jerusalem. Jerusalem now was surrounded and there was no one to rescue her. Sennacherib is so bold that he even jokes that God told him to march against this city. So what could stop such an overwhelming enemy? Only prayer. It was Hezekiah who turned to the Lord and asked God to fight this battle.
2 Kings 19:14-16 Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: "O Lord, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16Give ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.
No nation is unsinkable. It doesn’t matter if you have Stealth Bombers, F-14s, Star Wars lasers, Patriot missiles, Stinger missiles, and the world’s best army. If God says, “I am against you... the battle is over.”
So God answers the prayer of Hezekiah and puts to death the entire Assyrian army in one night. A hundred and eighty-five thousand men and all their fancy weapons are wiped out in one evening!!!
Is there any possibility that we are dangerously overconfident in the USA today? How many people were praying on September 10, 2001 that God would protect us? My guess is very few. How many people are praying on July 10, 2009 that God would be our protection? My guess is very few. We have ignored history once again and we find ourselves in the dangerous place of overconfidence. Take time to pray today. Pray for our country, its leaders, and the church. If the people of God will humble themselves and pray then God will hear from heaven and heal our land.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
July 9
Isaiah 18, 19, 20, 30, 31
Judah is prospering under Hezekiah's leadership. But Isaiah is warning that it'll be short lived else they stay on track. The same thing that happened to Israel is in their future.
The part of today's reading that really stood out to me was Isaiah 30:15-18:
The part of today's reading that really stood out to me was Isaiah 30:15-18:
This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:
"In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.'
Therefore you will flee!
You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.'
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
you will all flee away,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill."
Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
After all the God's people have put Him through, He still desires to show them love and compassion! His capacity to show us love and mercy never ceases to amaze me. It's encouraging to know that we can never go beyond His reach.
July 8
July 8, 2009
Beware of Compromise
2 Kings 17:40-41 They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.
In our reading today we discovered the reason why this nation was judged by God. They had a divided heart. Time after time in our reading we saw their compromise with sin:
Worshiping other gods
Secretly doing wrong
Building of high places
Not listening to God
Rejecting and neglecting his Word
Bowing down to the stars
Killing their babies
It wasn’t as if they totally neglected God, no they went to synagogue but on the way home they compromised their faith. They intermingled their faith and the culture. This idolatry still abounds today. We have 68% of Americans claiming to be “Christian” yet we are committed to self above God, to materialism, to the gods of sexual erotica, and the gods of entertainment and comfort. We have failed to see how deadly compromise and sin is in our lives.
Israel was destroyed because of their sin. They never connected the relationship between sin and death. In the USA right now we have the same level of neglect and denial. We live in a culture that literally worships sin. Here is what Albert Dahlquist wrote concerning our compromise.
The seven deadly sins have become our American virtues.... Lust is America's favorite indoor sport. Gluttony can be seen in the national passion for fancy recipes and high-priced restaurants. Sloth is celebrated in fashionable magazines in the guise of leisure, recreation, and entertainment. Pride abounds in names such as black pride, gay pride, and lesbian pride. Wrath is the great virtue of revolutionaries and reformers. Envy, as Bertrand Russell said, is the basis of democracy. And avarice keeps our stock markets humming.
"In the old days, punishment was essential for sin, yet the idea of punishment seems as obsolete as sin itself. One prominent clergyman has said that people are more afraid of losing their jobs than they are of going to hell."
The probing question is: Where are we compromising our faith these days? Sin always leads to death. Death of individuals and death of nations.
Beware of Compromise
2 Kings 17:40-41 They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.
In our reading today we discovered the reason why this nation was judged by God. They had a divided heart. Time after time in our reading we saw their compromise with sin:
Worshiping other gods
Secretly doing wrong
Building of high places
Not listening to God
Rejecting and neglecting his Word
Bowing down to the stars
Killing their babies
It wasn’t as if they totally neglected God, no they went to synagogue but on the way home they compromised their faith. They intermingled their faith and the culture. This idolatry still abounds today. We have 68% of Americans claiming to be “Christian” yet we are committed to self above God, to materialism, to the gods of sexual erotica, and the gods of entertainment and comfort. We have failed to see how deadly compromise and sin is in our lives.
Israel was destroyed because of their sin. They never connected the relationship between sin and death. In the USA right now we have the same level of neglect and denial. We live in a culture that literally worships sin. Here is what Albert Dahlquist wrote concerning our compromise.
The seven deadly sins have become our American virtues.... Lust is America's favorite indoor sport. Gluttony can be seen in the national passion for fancy recipes and high-priced restaurants. Sloth is celebrated in fashionable magazines in the guise of leisure, recreation, and entertainment. Pride abounds in names such as black pride, gay pride, and lesbian pride. Wrath is the great virtue of revolutionaries and reformers. Envy, as Bertrand Russell said, is the basis of democracy. And avarice keeps our stock markets humming.
"In the old days, punishment was essential for sin, yet the idea of punishment seems as obsolete as sin itself. One prominent clergyman has said that people are more afraid of losing their jobs than they are of going to hell."
The probing question is: Where are we compromising our faith these days? Sin always leads to death. Death of individuals and death of nations.
Monday, July 6, 2009
July 6
The Gospel of Offense
Isaiah 28:10 Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there."
The religious leaders in Isaiah’s time had so structured religion that they had listed of 613 rules – 248 commands and 365 prohibitions – and bolstered these with rules with 1,521 emendations. You talk about do and do, do and do..... Religion was a bunch of rules. To avoid breaking the third commandment, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord,” they refused to pronounce God’s name at all. In Jesus’ day, to avoid sexual temptation they had a practice of lowering their heads and not even looking at women (the most scrupulous of these were known as “bleeding Pharisees” because of frequent collisions with walls and other obstacles). To avoid defiling the Sabbath they outlawed thirty-nine activities that might be construed as “work.”
Here is a summary of the difference between Religion and Relationship:
DO vs DONE
In the end religion is a way for people to earn their salvation. But the gospel teaches us that we can never keep God’s laws. We can never “DO” enough to earn it. The law shows us our complete inability to achieve perfection. This law is something we should always strive for but also realize we will never reach. The recognition of the great distance between God and us can only be made up by grace. Rather than put our efforts into “DOING” we trust in what God has “DONE” on the cross. There is a big difference between the two.
The great tragedy in Stamford in 2009 is that 90% of people in this city are counting on “DOING” religion to get them to heaven. Go out and ask ten people why they expect to get to heaven and nine of them will say, “I am trying to be a good person” Wrong answer. The right answer is, “I am trusting in what Jesus has “DONE” on the cross.”
Ask God to give you an opportunity to talk with someone about religion today. Then ask them, “Why do you think you are going to heaven?” Don’t answer the question unless they ask you what you think. Lord, I pray that you will open doors for us to share the gospel message today.
Isaiah 28:10 Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there."
The religious leaders in Isaiah’s time had so structured religion that they had listed of 613 rules – 248 commands and 365 prohibitions – and bolstered these with rules with 1,521 emendations. You talk about do and do, do and do..... Religion was a bunch of rules. To avoid breaking the third commandment, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord,” they refused to pronounce God’s name at all. In Jesus’ day, to avoid sexual temptation they had a practice of lowering their heads and not even looking at women (the most scrupulous of these were known as “bleeding Pharisees” because of frequent collisions with walls and other obstacles). To avoid defiling the Sabbath they outlawed thirty-nine activities that might be construed as “work.”
Here is a summary of the difference between Religion and Relationship:
DO vs DONE
In the end religion is a way for people to earn their salvation. But the gospel teaches us that we can never keep God’s laws. We can never “DO” enough to earn it. The law shows us our complete inability to achieve perfection. This law is something we should always strive for but also realize we will never reach. The recognition of the great distance between God and us can only be made up by grace. Rather than put our efforts into “DOING” we trust in what God has “DONE” on the cross. There is a big difference between the two.
The great tragedy in Stamford in 2009 is that 90% of people in this city are counting on “DOING” religion to get them to heaven. Go out and ask ten people why they expect to get to heaven and nine of them will say, “I am trying to be a good person” Wrong answer. The right answer is, “I am trusting in what Jesus has “DONE” on the cross.”
Ask God to give you an opportunity to talk with someone about religion today. Then ask them, “Why do you think you are going to heaven?” Don’t answer the question unless they ask you what you think. Lord, I pray that you will open doors for us to share the gospel message today.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
July 5: Isaiah 24-26, 32, 35
In today's passages, Isaiah prophesies about a far-distant series of events, including the judgment of the wicked and the coming of the new heaven and the new earth. These visions supplement those that appear in Revelation and provide some of the first recorded glimpses of what the Last Days will resemble. Please note that the Bible clearly portrays a cycle of sin, which brings death, and redemption, which brings life:
1. God creates heaven and earth, which he declares to be "very good," including man and woman. God and man enjoy a close communion. (Genesis 1,2)
2. Despite their connection with God, man's pride induces him to listen to the Evil One and to disobey God. Man's fellowship with God is broken, and death comes into being. (Genesis 3)
3. From this point forward, God forms a nation (from Abraham) through which he will bless the earth. God interacts manifestly in the lives of the patriarchs and shows His great provision. Still, the patriarchs all struggle with deception, a device used in times of doubting God's providence. (Genesis)
4. After bringing the people to Egypt, God shows His redemptive power through the Exodus. Through the Passover Lamb, God shows how the people's freedom from death only comes through God's direction, not through man's actions. God then gives the law, which points to man's sin and His need for God's redemption, through Moses. The complaining people wander through the desert due to their wavering hearts. (Exodus through Deuteronomy)
4. The cycle of rulers point to the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience. The tenor of leadership has a profound effect on the Israelite nation. (Judges, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles)
5. The people's sin becomes so great that God allows for the exile to Assyria, providing another turning point around which God will demonstrate His redemptive power.
6. God sends prophets to the Israelites to explain how He will send His only Son to earth, as a means of offering redemption to the whole world. (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel)
7. Israel eventually comes under Roman rule around the time of Christ's birth. Jesus fulfills the hundreds of prophecies previously given and serves as the perfect substitute for sinful man (2 Corinthians 5:21). (Matthew through John)
8. The Gospel spreads powerfully through Jewish and Greek culture, creating communities of faith among all classes of people. God attests to the truth of the Good News through signs and wonders.
9. Despite the church's presence, the cycles of sin and redemption still flow through history through the current time.
Today's passages point to the end, answering questions about the wicked and the righteous. God reveals several key lessons through Isaiah:
1. There is no favoritism in God's judgment; God will overturn the present age in His appointed time, and each person will bow to His power and glory.
2. Hoping in the present goodness of the earth represents an attempt to trust the ephemeral instead of leaning on the eternal. While the earth and its happiness are here for the present time, God will irretrievably change the earth in His appointed time.
3. The righteous will rejoice in God's judgment and salvation. They sense their foreignness on earth. They will come from all nations, all peoples, and all times. God will "prepare/ a feast of rich food for all people.../ The Soverign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces;/ he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth."
4. The redemption of the righteous and the death of the wicked ultimately points to God's glory and goodness. God's glory becomes central again.
5. The righteous will rejoice in the blessing of following God:
Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws,
we wait for you;
Your name and your renown
are the desire of our hearts.
My soul years for you in the night;
in the morning my spirit longs fro you.
When your judgements come upon the earth,
the people of the world learn righteousness. (26:8,9)
6. The righteous will receive resurrection from the dead, while the wicked will be banished from God's presence.
7. God will build a kingdom around His redemption:
a. Even the desert will blossom.
b. The redemption will show other physical signs, too (35:5-10)
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
8 And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not journey on it;
it will be for those who walk in that Way;
wicked fools will not go about on it. [a]
9 No lion will be there,
nor will any ferocious beast get up on it;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
10 and the ransomed of the LORD will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
QUESTIONS
1. What does the truth of redemption mean for you personally?
2. How can you share this Good News with a friend or relative who is struggling today?
Saturday, July 4, 2009
July 4
Joy on the Fourth of July
2 Chron. 30:26 There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.
On this Fourth of July if you ask 100 people what is their goal in life they will say, “I want to be happy.” There is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness has to do with all of the circumstances of life going well. We want the rain to stop and the sun to shine; we want the temperature to hit 80 degrees, the kids to be cheerful, the dog to obey us, and a lot of money in our pocket. That is the world’s definition of happiness. But joy is much deeper. Joy can be experienced even when the circumstances of life are not favorable. In Hezekiah’s day they experienced GREAT joy in Jerusalem. How they experienced it deserves a closer look. It started with a king who did not walk in the pathways of his ancestors. This king wanted to please God more than please man. He then opened with word of God and discovered that God wanted the nation to celebrate a Passover every year. So in simple obedience he arranged for the people to fulfill this command of God. And herein lies the secret to “Joy.” Joy is simply obeying God. When we obey the word of God we always arrive at joy.
On this Fourth of July obey God and discover joy.
Psalm 97:11 Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.
2 Chron. 30:26 There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.
On this Fourth of July if you ask 100 people what is their goal in life they will say, “I want to be happy.” There is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness has to do with all of the circumstances of life going well. We want the rain to stop and the sun to shine; we want the temperature to hit 80 degrees, the kids to be cheerful, the dog to obey us, and a lot of money in our pocket. That is the world’s definition of happiness. But joy is much deeper. Joy can be experienced even when the circumstances of life are not favorable. In Hezekiah’s day they experienced GREAT joy in Jerusalem. How they experienced it deserves a closer look. It started with a king who did not walk in the pathways of his ancestors. This king wanted to please God more than please man. He then opened with word of God and discovered that God wanted the nation to celebrate a Passover every year. So in simple obedience he arranged for the people to fulfill this command of God. And herein lies the secret to “Joy.” Joy is simply obeying God. When we obey the word of God we always arrive at joy.
On this Fourth of July obey God and discover joy.
Psalm 97:11 Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.
Friday, July 3, 2009
July 3
The Real Battle
In our reading today we visited the kingdom of Babylon. Isaiah is writing a hundred and fifty years before the destruction of this kingdom. As we read these verses we notice something strange is going on. In Isaiah 14:21 we see a king with sons, so this is clearly a reference to an earthly king. Yet in earlier verses we see this king as a being brought down to the grave after trying to usurp the throne of God. My understanding of this is that Satan is behind the power and rule of the king of Babylon. It is actually demonic power that is animating and inspiring his kingdom.
In Ephesians 6:12 we are told that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Behind the evil of our world lies the evil one. He is our enemy. He is the one we fight against. Yet this view of the battle is not believed by 50% of Christians today in the USA.
This view of a personal enemy of our souls was researched by Steve Russo and Neil Anderson. They interviewed more than 1,700 professing Christians teenagers in preparation for their book The Seduction of Our Children. Here are the results of one evangelical Christian High School.
- 45% said they have experienced a "presence" (seen or heard) in their rooms that scared them.
-59% said they've harbored bad thoughts about God.
-43% said they find it mentally hard to pray and read the Bible.
-69% reported hearing "voices" in their heads, like they were subconscious voices talking to them.
-22% present said they frequently entertain thoughts of suicide.
-74% think they are different than others. (It works for others but not for them)
As bad as these percentages are, they rise considerable when teens have dabbled in the occult, followed counterfeit guidance or played certain fantasy games that no Christian should play.
How do you explain that 7 out of 10 professing Christian young people are hearing voices? Are they paranoid schizophrenic, or psychotic? They could be, but we must also consider the truth taught in our passage today, that there is real spiritual enemy we are engaged with.
This battle is called spiritual warfare. And if you don’t believe in it you are already a victim. The Bible teaches with absolute clarity - our adversary is very real. He is invisible, powerful, shrewd and he doesn't play by the rules. He will do anything possible to destroy you, your family, your church and your nation. Keep your guard up today.
In our reading today we visited the kingdom of Babylon. Isaiah is writing a hundred and fifty years before the destruction of this kingdom. As we read these verses we notice something strange is going on. In Isaiah 14:21 we see a king with sons, so this is clearly a reference to an earthly king. Yet in earlier verses we see this king as a being brought down to the grave after trying to usurp the throne of God. My understanding of this is that Satan is behind the power and rule of the king of Babylon. It is actually demonic power that is animating and inspiring his kingdom.
In Ephesians 6:12 we are told that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Behind the evil of our world lies the evil one. He is our enemy. He is the one we fight against. Yet this view of the battle is not believed by 50% of Christians today in the USA.
This view of a personal enemy of our souls was researched by Steve Russo and Neil Anderson. They interviewed more than 1,700 professing Christians teenagers in preparation for their book The Seduction of Our Children. Here are the results of one evangelical Christian High School.
- 45% said they have experienced a "presence" (seen or heard) in their rooms that scared them.
-59% said they've harbored bad thoughts about God.
-43% said they find it mentally hard to pray and read the Bible.
-69% reported hearing "voices" in their heads, like they were subconscious voices talking to them.
-22% present said they frequently entertain thoughts of suicide.
-74% think they are different than others. (It works for others but not for them)
As bad as these percentages are, they rise considerable when teens have dabbled in the occult, followed counterfeit guidance or played certain fantasy games that no Christian should play.
How do you explain that 7 out of 10 professing Christian young people are hearing voices? Are they paranoid schizophrenic, or psychotic? They could be, but we must also consider the truth taught in our passage today, that there is real spiritual enemy we are engaged with.
This battle is called spiritual warfare. And if you don’t believe in it you are already a victim. The Bible teaches with absolute clarity - our adversary is very real. He is invisible, powerful, shrewd and he doesn't play by the rules. He will do anything possible to destroy you, your family, your church and your nation. Keep your guard up today.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
July 2
Isaiah 21, 23, 34
2 Kings 16
2 Chronicles 28, 29
The first part of today's reading describes God's impending judgment against Edom, Arabia, and Tyre. These passage emphasize a part of God's character that we don't usually like to think about. God is just who punishes the guilty with His holy power. Isaiah 34 gives the image of a sword descending in judgment, drenching the land with blood and fat, leaving Edom desolate. There's absolutely no way to sugar coat this: God cannot allow sin to go unpunished. We don't like to think about this, because we are all guilty. But it is important to remember not to take sin lightly.
The second part focuses on Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Ahaz was king for 16 years and very wicked. (no surprise there!) He sacrificed to other gods and provoked the Lord's anger. When he died, his son Hezekiah succeeded him. I image he was like a breath of fresh air to God! He actually did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, like his father David. He removed all traces of false gods and followed the commands that God gave to Moses. 2 Kings 18:7 says "And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook." It's amazing that no matter how much evil that his father Ahaz brought on Judah, through Hezekiah, the nation was turned back on the right path. This shows another aspect to God's character: His mercy and grace. It's encouraging to know that no matter how much we sin, its never beyond God's ability to forgive. Everyone who returns to Him is welcomed with open arms!
2 Kings 16
2 Chronicles 28, 29
The first part of today's reading describes God's impending judgment against Edom, Arabia, and Tyre. These passage emphasize a part of God's character that we don't usually like to think about. God is just who punishes the guilty with His holy power. Isaiah 34 gives the image of a sword descending in judgment, drenching the land with blood and fat, leaving Edom desolate. There's absolutely no way to sugar coat this: God cannot allow sin to go unpunished. We don't like to think about this, because we are all guilty. But it is important to remember not to take sin lightly.
The second part focuses on Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Ahaz was king for 16 years and very wicked. (no surprise there!) He sacrificed to other gods and provoked the Lord's anger. When he died, his son Hezekiah succeeded him. I image he was like a breath of fresh air to God! He actually did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, like his father David. He removed all traces of false gods and followed the commands that God gave to Moses. 2 Kings 18:7 says "And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook." It's amazing that no matter how much evil that his father Ahaz brought on Judah, through Hezekiah, the nation was turned back on the right path. This shows another aspect to God's character: His mercy and grace. It's encouraging to know that no matter how much we sin, its never beyond God's ability to forgive. Everyone who returns to Him is welcomed with open arms!
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