Week 38 Devotions

September 17 - - Great leaders are rare. They are people who not only have their own act together, but people who are able to inspire others to also get their act together. Ezra and Nehemiah were just such leaders. When they observed the sorry state of their people, they did something about it. First of all, they didn’t accept the moral decline of the Jews as inevitable and irreversible. They didn’t turn a deaf ear to Israel’s condition. They were appalled and stunned at what had happened (Ezra 9:1-4; Nehemiah 1:4). Then, they mourned, fasted, and prayed. And in their prayers, they didn’t place blame on everyone else. They accepted responsibility for the moral decay of their countrymen. They confessed their own sins, as well as the sins of their people (Ezra 9:5-15; Nehemiah 1:4-11). And with God’s help, they formulated a plan for their people returning to God (Ezra 10:1-17; Nehemiah 2:1-18). Both believed that God had always been faithful to His promises and still would be if God’s people repented. The example of faithfulness of these two great men had a positive impact on the rest of God’s people. In Ezra’s case, he was able to convince those who had married pagan wives to separate themselves from those wives. In Nehemiah’s case, he was able to convince the people of Jerusalem to help him rebuild the walls. Our world and our society cries out for leaders like these two. Our moral decay demands that someone step into the vaccuum created by sin. Where will those leaders come from? What will those leaders look like? Unless God’s people step to the plate and be the moral leaders they should be in their homes, in their churches, in their schools, in their communities, and in their nation, Satan will certainly fill that void with ungodly leaders who will lead with ungodly methods. The Bible clearly states, “When the wicked take charge, people hide” (Proverbs 28:28). “When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan” (29:2). “When the godly succeed, everyone is glad. When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding” (28:12). “The whole city celebrates when the godly succeed; they shout for joy when the godless die” (11:10). “Kings and rulers make a grave mistake if they give foolish people great authority, and if they fail to give people of proven worth their rightful place of dignity” (Ecclesiastes 10:5&6). Either we accept the God-given call to be spiritual and moral leaders in any and every sphere of influence God has placed us in, OR we are destined to reap the results of immoral and ungodly leaders whose primary concern is themselves and no one else. What is your choice? It would certainly be no insult for people to compare us to men like Ezra and Nehemiah. September 20 - - “The Lord chose your ancestors as the objects of His love. And He chose you, their descen-dants, above every other nation, as is evident today. Therefore, cleanse your sinful hearts and stop being stubborn” (Deuteronomy 10:15&16). “God overlooked people’s former ignorance about these things, but now He commands everyone everywhere to turn away from idols and turn to Him” (Acts 17:30). “Unless you repent, you will perish” (Luke 13:3,5). “Heaven will be happier over one lost sinner who returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!” (Luke 15:7). For, “there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents” (Luke 15:10). Offering up sacrifices to God without an accompanying worship of Him from our heart means nothing to Him (I Samuel 15:22; Isaiah 1:11-20). What God desires from us is a broken and repentant heart (Psalm 34:18; 51:17). When God’s people seriously study the Word of God and see for themselves how far they have strayed from God’s desired will in their lives, it always leads to either a personal and/or a national repentance from sins. Earlier, both Nehemiah and Ezra had confessed their own sins, as well as the sins of their people (Ezra 9:5-15; Nehemiah 1:4-11). Eventually, the people them-selves would follow suit and also confess their sins (Nehemiah 9:2,33). What had started with Ezra and Nehemiah eventually spread to the whole nation. After devoting themselves to reading God’s Word and repenting of their sins, the people of God made a series of solemn promises to do what God’s Word told them to do (9:38), in the areas of: marriage (10:30), the Sabbath (vs.31), care of God’s Temple (vss.32-34), the giving to God of the firstfruits He deserves (vss. 35-37a), and the giving to the Levites a tenth or tithe of “everything our land produces” (vss.37b-39). It is one thing to make a promise and it is quite another to keep a promise. The next few years would determine how serious they would be. How do you see yourself before God? As a pretty fine individual much more righteous than many of the people around, or as one who at your best is nothing more than filthy rags compared to our Holy God (Isaiah 64:6)? Just remember, it’s not a proud and haughty heart God searches for, but a broken and humble heart.

Week 37 Devotions

September 10 - - One of God’s timeless promises was expressed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: “Keep on looking and you will find......(for) everyone who seeks, finds” (Matthew 7:7&8). That promise appears at other places in scripture, and at other times in history (Deuteronomy 4:29; Jeremiah 29:11-14). The Hebrew writer identifies this persistent pursuit to know God more deeply as a vital part of the definition of faith. “It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who comes to Him must believe that there is a God and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). God gave to Daniel very unusual abilities that in part, were a reward for Daniel’s diligent pursuit to know God more deeply. When Daniel was taken captive to Babylon, he refused to defile himself by eating food and drinking wine given to him by King Nebuchadnezzar (1:8). Daniel’s faith and convictions were formed long before he was exiled to Babylon. So, when the temptations came to compromise those convictions far away from home, Daniel refused to do so. Daniel was given the ability to interpret dreams from God, that no one else could understand (2:16-19,45-48; 4:4-9,19, 24-26). When King Darius later conquered Babylon, he elevated Daniel to an even higher responsibility within his government. “Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and princes. Because of his great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire. Then the other administrators and princes began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling his responsibilities, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize him for. He was faithful and honest (6:4&5). King Darius was later tricked into issuing a decree forbidding the worship of any god, but himself. Daniel refused to obey the edict. But, Daniel quietly continued to kneel down in his upstairs room with it’s windows open toward Jerusalem and pray three times a day, giving thanks to God (6:10). Daniel and God were tight. Consequently, God gave to Daniel, abilities and visions that God gave to no one else (10:2-19). What was true for Daniel is also true for us. We should not seek God simply so we can have abilities, dreams, or visions that no one else has. Our motive for seeking God would be wrong and selfish and God will not honor selfish motivations (James 4:3). But, God knows when we are seeking Him with a pure heart. And His promise still holds true today: “Those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 4:31). The wicked cannot understand the things of God. Their minds are blinded by Satan because he does not want people to see the truth that will set them free to really enjoy life (II Corinthians 4:4; John 8:44,32; 10:10). “The wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it (God’s Word and prophecy) means” (Daniel 12:10). And those who are “wise” according to God’s Word, have been promised they “will shine as bright as the sky, and those who turn many to righteousness will shine like stars forever” (12:3). So, let us be about the task of seeking God and pointing as many people as possible to Him. September 13 - - Human beings are constantly trying to prepare for the future without including the Lord into their equation. Even though Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5), and even though the apostle Paul said, “I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need” (Philippians 4:13), more often than not, we plan our lives as though the only one we can depend upon is ourselves and not the Lord. As Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, the Lord specifically spoke through Moses that when Israel cried out for a king, “the king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself, and he must never send his people to Egypt to buy horses there, for the Lord has told you, ‘You must never return to Egypt’” (Deuteronomy 17:16). And yet, we see Israel disregarding God’s commands time and again. Through the prophet, Isaiah, God said, “Destruction is certain for those who look to Egypt for help, trusting their cavalry and chariots instead of looking to the Lord, the Holy One of Israel......God will rise against those who are wicked, and He will crush their allies, too. For these Egyptians are mere humans, not God! Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits! When the Lord clenches His fist against them, they will stumble and fall among those who are trying to help. They will all fall down and die together” (Isaiah 31:1-3). No man and no nation can ever stand against the power and the fury of the Lord. “The horses are prepared for battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord” (Proverbs 21:31). Even though God would often allow Israel’s enemies to conquer her for a season, those enemies would eventually be judged by God, as well. The city of Tyre had built it’s defenses and in human terms, the city was impenetrable. But, no city can withstand the power of the Lord and the Lord promised Tyre’s destruction (Zechariah 9:2-4). “The Lord will rescue His people, just as a shepherd rescues His sheep” (Zech.9:16). “The pride of Assyria will be crushed, and the rule of Egypt will end. I will make my people strong in my power, and they will go wherever they wish by my authority. I, the Lord, have spoken” (10:12). “I will watch over the people of Judah, but I will blind the horses of her enemies” (12:4). “The Lord will defend the people of Jerusalem; the weakest among them will be as mighty as King David.....For my plan is to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem” (12:8&9). Why is it that we foolishly try to live in the weakness of our own strength? Why is it that we fail to see how strong we are when we place our confidence and our trust in the Lord instead of in ourselves? Is history not a brilliant enough teacher? Is our own experience not sufficient for us to know the truth? Why must we make the same mistakes over and over again? May the Lord give us the wisdom to totally place our confidence in Him, and not in ourselves.

Week 36 Devotions

September 3 - - Funny how pride is easier to spot in other people than it is in ourselves. How many of us have read the story of Pharoah’s stubbornness as he refused to let the Hebrew people leave Egypt and wondered what in the world he was thinking of? Why after three plagues didn’t Pharoah realize who he was dealing with? Why did Pharoah still not get it after six plagues? Or, eight? Was it really necessary that it take ten plagues before Pharoah finally figure it out? Does pride really blind us that much? Even though he didn’t realize it, King Nebuchadnezzar had been used by God to bring down punishment upon the people of Judah. The same had been true of the king of Assyria when he conquered the kingdom of Israel. “Assyria will enslave my people, who are a godless nation. It will plunder them, trampling them like dirt beneath it’s feet. But the king of Assyria will not know that it is I who sent him. He will merely think he is attacking my people as part of his plan to conquer the world” (Isaiah 10:6&7). We need to remember that, “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; He turns it wherever He pleases” (Proverbs 21:1). Nebuchadnezzar has a dream and Daniel interprets the dream for the king. Daniel warns the king that God will soon take his kingdom away from him and he will live like a cow for seven years (Daniel 4:10-17). Daniel pleads with the king to turn from his pride so he would not be judged (4:19-27). God gave Nebuchadnezzar a full year to humble himself, but the king still took pride in all that he had done (4:28-30). So, God fulfilled His promise and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from his throne. Why did it take Nebuchadnezzar even two years to realize how foolish he had been? Why didn’t he realize his foolishness after four years? Why in the world would it take him seven years to come to his senses? Nevertheless, the king’s sanity returned when he finally “looked up to heaven” (4:34). It took seven whole years of living like a cow before Nebuchadnezzar finally realized that God “is able to humble those who are proud” (4:37). And yet, while we shake our heads at the king’s pride, how many times does God shake His head at us wondering why we don’t learn from the examples of others or even from our own personal experiences? Why is it we insist that we know better than God and stubbornly refuse to turn in complete obedience to Him? How true it is that, “pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18), regardless of who we are. Pride really isn’t restricted to royalty, is it? September 6 - - Water is one of the absolute staples of life. Plant life needs water to grow. Most animals, including humans, are largely comprised of water and need constant nourishment and refresh-men from water to continue living. It is no accident that Jesus calls himself, “living water” (John 4:10). Jesus “created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn’t make (I Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:16&17; Hebrews 1:2). Life itself was in him” (John 1:3&4). Jesus is the “author of life” (Acts 3:15) and he “came to bring us life” (John 10:10). While it is true that Jesus created every physical thing that exists, it is also true that until human beings really know Jesus they are only existing. They are not living. We see this analogy of water giving life in both the Old Testament before Jesus Christ was born and again, after Jesus ascended into heaven (Revelation 7:17). The Dead Sea has nothing living in or around it because the water contains so much salt. But, through the prophet, Ezekiel, God pointed to that day in the future when trees would grow along both sides of the Jordan River running to the Dead Sea (Ezekiel 47:6-9). Fish would live in the river and everything that touches the river would also live. In fact, this living water would also heal the waters of the Dead Sea and fishermen would fill their nets there as surely as they did from the Sea of Galilee (47:10-12). If you’ve seen the Dead Sea, that hardly seems possible. Even now, the size of the Dead Sea continues to shrink because of the abundant amount of salt in it’s waters. But, nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 19:26; Luke 1:37). God will bring life where God chooses to bring life. He will heal that which is sick or broken. The picture of God bringing life to the Dead Sea is both a prophecy of future events, but also a promise of present healing. There are times in each of our lives when we feel spiritually dead. There are seasons when hope is not even a mirage we think we can see. God simply wants us to know that He not only has the power to bring life where He wishes and to whom He wishes, but He also has the desire to do both. The “author of life” is faithful. He knows our needs. He knows our sorrows. He knows our weaknesses. And he will never fail us (Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20; I Peter 5:7). Never!