Week 29 Devotions

July 16 - - Because of his pride, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon learned a difficult lesson from the Lord, “God is able to humble those who are proud” (Daniel 4:37). King Asa of Judah learned the same lesson. The King had been told, “the eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him” (II Chron.16:9). But, in his stuborn-ness, Asa still refused to turn to the Lord. And when he developed a serious foot disease that eventually took his life, he sought help from medical doctors, but not the Lord (II Chronicles 16:11-14). Shebna was a palace administrator who was enamored with his position, wealth, and power. Eliakim was a humble man who recognized that only God was worthy of honor and praise. Consequently, God humbled Shebna by removing him from his position and disgracing him, and then God elevated Eliakim by promoting him to palace administrator (Isa.22:15-25). What is true of individuals, is also true of nations. When a nation ignores God, God will eventually humble that nation (Deuteronomy 28:15-62). When a nation honors God, God will bless that nation (Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Psalm 33:12). “Destruction is certain for the land of Ethiopia” (Isaiah 18:1). “In that day the Egyptians will be as weak as women. They will cower in fear beneath the upraised fist of the Lord Almighty” (Isa.19:16). “This message came to me concerning the land of Babylonia: Disaster is roaring down on you from the desert, like a whirl-wind sweeping in from the Negev” (Isa.21:1). “This message came to me concerning Arabia: ‘within a year,’ says the Lord, ‘all the glory of Kedar will come to an end.’” (Isa.21:13,16). “Who has brought this disaster on Tyre, empire builder and chief trader of the world? The Lord Almighty has done it to destroy your pride and show His contempt for all human greatness” (Isa. 23:8&9). On the other hand, when nations turn to the Lord, those nations discover God’s blessings. “the Egyptians will turn to the Lord, and He will listen to their pleas and heal them......For the Lord Almighty will say, ‘Blessed be Egypt, my people” (Isa.19:22& 23). Will we be wise, follow the Lord, and receive His blessings? Or, will we be foolish, ignore the Lord, and receive His punishment? July 19 - - What is life without hope? Once Satan has convinced someone that his lies to them are true and they don’t see their situation as ever changing for the better, they lose their incentive to continue battling their obstacles. A life without hope, is a life that has lost it’s reason to live. In the midst of our deepest valleys, we all need to believe that darkness will not forever dominate our lives. While the Bible sometimes paints a rather bleak picture as people sink farther into the muddy consequences of their selfish existence, the Bible also paints the picture of our lives with the hope that, “we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ who loves us” (Romans 8:37). We firmly believe that God is in complete control and God knows what He is doing. God inspired the prophets to remind us, that the day is coming when “a main road will go through that once deserted land.....It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways; fools will never walk there.....Sorrow and mourning will disappear....” (Isaiah 35:8-10). Yes, “in the last days, the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem will become the most important place on earth. People from all over the world will go there to worship” (Micah 4:1) “Everyone will live quietly in their homes in peace and prosperity, for there will be nothing to fear” (4:4). A ruler would be born in Bethlehem. “He will be highly honored all around the world. And he will be the source of our peace” (5:2-5). Paul writes in the New Testament, the things written in the Old Testament, “were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. They give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises” (Romans 15:4). So, as we read of God’s promises and God’s predictions to His people of what they could place their future hope in, and as we look back and see God fulfilling His promises to His people, we can take comfort in knowing that the God who was faithful in fulfilling their hope is the same God who will be faithful in fulfilling our hope. Therefore, “we can rejoice when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us - - they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us.....” (Romans 5:3-5).