Each of us and all of us have a very important choice to make. Either we will live our lives without God or live our lives with God. Jesus clearly articulated what life without God is like when he said, “without me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Even as a branch will die if it is not connected to the vine or the trunk, so a person without God simply cannot experience life as our Creator intended it to be experienced (John 15:1-8; 10:10). Everything holds together because of Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:17). Everything finds it’s meaning in Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul recognized this and wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).
“The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him” (II Chronicles 16:9). God wants to bless people. God searches the earth for people He can bless. We see example after example of God doing that when people chose to put their confidence in Him rather than in themselves. There were 44,760 “skilled warriors” in the armies of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. The Bible says, “they were all skilled in combat and armed with shields, swords, and bows” (I Chronicles 5:18&19). When they waged war against their enemies, they were victorious, but not because they were such skilled warriors. “They cried out to God during the battle, and He answered their prayer because they trusted in Him” (5:20). The enemy was defeated “because God was fighting against them” (5:22).
On another occasion, King Asa of Judah had an army of “300,000 warriors from the tribe of Judah, armed with large shields and spears. He also had an army of 280,000 warriors from the tribe of Benjamin, armed with small shields and bows. Both armies were composed of courageous fighting men” (II Chronicles 14:8). But, when Asa was forced to wage war, he did not do so based solely on the strength, the skills, and the courage of his armies. Asa prayed to God, “O Lord, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O Lord, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!” (14:11). They didn’t. Asa and his army experienced a resounding victory because they trusted in God.
We have battles going on in our lives everyday. Battles within our family, battles over our finances, battles with people at work or school, battles over our time limitations, etc. We can choose to engage those battles with our own strength, or with God’s strength. May the lessons and experiences of others throughout history be sufficient for us to make the right choice.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
August 31
What is life without hope? What keeps us going if we are convinced that our situation will never change? Never improve? There is not a one of us with the patience of God. He gives us a long time to wake up, recognize the mess our sins get us in, and repent of our evil before He executes judgment. And, even when God judges individuals or nations, He is quick to encourage them with hope.
Make no mistake, it was because the people of God were no different morally than the pagan nations around them, that they were conquered and exiled to other lands. God had sent many prophets to warn them. God had given them many opportunities to repent. But, they wouldn’t listen. And now, they felt as lifeless and hopeless as old, dry bones. They felt like, “all hope is gone” (Ezekiel 37:11). Once again, God gives them a message of hope. Ezekiel was taken to a valley filled with dry bones. Everywhere he looked, all he could see were bones lying on the ground. God asked Ezekiel, “Can these bones become living people again?” (37:3). Friends, we believe in a God with whom nothing is impossible (Matthew 19:26; Luke 1:37; Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17; Ephesians 3:20&21). And God proves this over and over to confirm that it is true, and to give us hope even in the midst of our hopelessness.
Ezekiel did as God commanded him. He spoke to the bones the words God gave to him and the bones began to come together. Muscles and flesh formed on the bones. Skin covered the bodies. Ezekiel spoke again and the bodies began to breathe and a great army came to life (37:7-10). God was showing Ezekiel that if He was capable of bringing life back to dead bones, He was capable of restoring and redeeming Israel. This was the message Ezekiel was to give to the people of Israel: “I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I am the Lord. You will see that I have done everything just as I promised” (37:12-14).
However dire your circumstances may currently be, and however low your life has sunk, remember that nothing is impossible with God. When we turn to Him, He will breathe life back into what appears to us to be a lifeless situation.
Make no mistake, it was because the people of God were no different morally than the pagan nations around them, that they were conquered and exiled to other lands. God had sent many prophets to warn them. God had given them many opportunities to repent. But, they wouldn’t listen. And now, they felt as lifeless and hopeless as old, dry bones. They felt like, “all hope is gone” (Ezekiel 37:11). Once again, God gives them a message of hope. Ezekiel was taken to a valley filled with dry bones. Everywhere he looked, all he could see were bones lying on the ground. God asked Ezekiel, “Can these bones become living people again?” (37:3). Friends, we believe in a God with whom nothing is impossible (Matthew 19:26; Luke 1:37; Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17; Ephesians 3:20&21). And God proves this over and over to confirm that it is true, and to give us hope even in the midst of our hopelessness.
Ezekiel did as God commanded him. He spoke to the bones the words God gave to him and the bones began to come together. Muscles and flesh formed on the bones. Skin covered the bodies. Ezekiel spoke again and the bodies began to breathe and a great army came to life (37:7-10). God was showing Ezekiel that if He was capable of bringing life back to dead bones, He was capable of restoring and redeeming Israel. This was the message Ezekiel was to give to the people of Israel: “I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I am the Lord. You will see that I have done everything just as I promised” (37:12-14).
However dire your circumstances may currently be, and however low your life has sunk, remember that nothing is impossible with God. When we turn to Him, He will breathe life back into what appears to us to be a lifeless situation.
August 29
All too often when we come to the Lord seeking His will, we already have our mind made up as to what we want Him to do. But, in order to be like Jesus, we will often times close our prayers with the words, “yet I want your will, not mine” (Luke 22:42). That is not to imply we pray with this mind set every time, but it is to suggest that we have probably all been guilty of being a little self-seeking in our prayers from time to time. It’s as though what we are really saying to God is, “tell me what your will is, but here’s what I want you to tell me.” What we are really asking, is that God bless what we’ve already decided.
After the Babylonians had conquered Judah, destroyed Jerusalem, and deported many of the Jews to other lands; a large number of the few who remained in Judah, approached the prophet, Jeremiah, with this request: “Please pray to the Lord your God for us. As you know, we are only a tiny remnant compared to what we were before. Beg the Lord your God to show us what to do and where to go......May the Lord your God be a faithful witness against us if we refuse to obey whatever He tells us to do! Whether we like it or not, we will obey the Lord our God to whom we send you with our plea.” (Jeremiah 42:1-3,5&6). Unfortunately, they had already decided they would be safe by fleeing to Egypt and seeking asylum in that country. But, God’s answer to their request was to remain in Judah. God promised to grant them favor with the king of Babylon if they did so (42:11&12).
But, as God predicted (42:13-22), they refused to obey the Lord’s command to stay in Judah and decided to do what they wanted to do anyway, seek refuge in Egypt (43:1-7). What it came down to then, and what it still comes down to today, is an arrogant and stubborn pride to be one’s own ruler. “We will not listen to your messages from the Lord! We will do whatever we want” (44:16&17)! God predicted, “when I have ruined the land because of their disgusting sins, then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 33:29).
What seems the right thing for us to do, may not always be the right thing to do. Our ways lead to ruin and death (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). God’s ways lead to life. He may not do things the way we want Him to. But, God always knows what He’s doing (Isaiah 55:8&9). Our role is to simply decide whether we will trust Him (Proverbs 3:5&6), or whether we will insist on our own ways. The choice is ours, and so is the consequence that goes with it. Choose wisely!
After the Babylonians had conquered Judah, destroyed Jerusalem, and deported many of the Jews to other lands; a large number of the few who remained in Judah, approached the prophet, Jeremiah, with this request: “Please pray to the Lord your God for us. As you know, we are only a tiny remnant compared to what we were before. Beg the Lord your God to show us what to do and where to go......May the Lord your God be a faithful witness against us if we refuse to obey whatever He tells us to do! Whether we like it or not, we will obey the Lord our God to whom we send you with our plea.” (Jeremiah 42:1-3,5&6). Unfortunately, they had already decided they would be safe by fleeing to Egypt and seeking asylum in that country. But, God’s answer to their request was to remain in Judah. God promised to grant them favor with the king of Babylon if they did so (42:11&12).
But, as God predicted (42:13-22), they refused to obey the Lord’s command to stay in Judah and decided to do what they wanted to do anyway, seek refuge in Egypt (43:1-7). What it came down to then, and what it still comes down to today, is an arrogant and stubborn pride to be one’s own ruler. “We will not listen to your messages from the Lord! We will do whatever we want” (44:16&17)! God predicted, “when I have ruined the land because of their disgusting sins, then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 33:29).
What seems the right thing for us to do, may not always be the right thing to do. Our ways lead to ruin and death (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). God’s ways lead to life. He may not do things the way we want Him to. But, God always knows what He’s doing (Isaiah 55:8&9). Our role is to simply decide whether we will trust Him (Proverbs 3:5&6), or whether we will insist on our own ways. The choice is ours, and so is the consequence that goes with it. Choose wisely!
August 27
“Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received a full knowledge of the truth, there is no other sacrifice that will cover these sins. There will be nothing to look forward to but the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume His enemies......It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:26&27, 31). The apostle Paul tells us that God allows us to keep on living in our foolish disobedience if that is what we choose. “God let them go ahead and do whatever shameful things their hearts desired” (Romans 1:24). “God abandoned them to their shameful desires” (1:26). “When they refused to acknowledge God, He abandoned them to their evil minds and let them do things that should never be done” (1:28).
God is wise enough to know that forcing us to follow Him is not really a relationship at all. A relationship exists when two people feel a mutual connection and make a mutual commitment to one another, and not when one does while the other doesn’t.
Jerusalem’s destruction was not simply because of God’s fury and anger. The leaders of the Hebrew nation, “deprived people of their God-given rights in defiance of the Most High. They perverted justice in the courts. Do they think the Lord didn’t see it?” (Lamentations 3:34-36). A lot of the burden of what happened to Jerusalem fell on the shoulders of Israel’s leaders. “Your ‘prophets’ have said so many foolish things, false to the core. They did not try to hold you back from exile by pointing out your sins. Instead, they painted false pictures, filling you with false hope” (2:14). The fact is, “the unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each day.....The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for Him and seek Him” (3:22-25). When we know from the lessons of the past and from our own personal experience that God is wonderfully good to those who wait for Him and seek Him, and when we know from the lessons of the past and from our own personal experience that God is angry with those who refuse to acknowledge their sin, why would we even think about continuing to sin?
God is wise enough to know that forcing us to follow Him is not really a relationship at all. A relationship exists when two people feel a mutual connection and make a mutual commitment to one another, and not when one does while the other doesn’t.
Jerusalem’s destruction was not simply because of God’s fury and anger. The leaders of the Hebrew nation, “deprived people of their God-given rights in defiance of the Most High. They perverted justice in the courts. Do they think the Lord didn’t see it?” (Lamentations 3:34-36). A lot of the burden of what happened to Jerusalem fell on the shoulders of Israel’s leaders. “Your ‘prophets’ have said so many foolish things, false to the core. They did not try to hold you back from exile by pointing out your sins. Instead, they painted false pictures, filling you with false hope” (2:14). The fact is, “the unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each day.....The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for Him and seek Him” (3:22-25). When we know from the lessons of the past and from our own personal experience that God is wonderfully good to those who wait for Him and seek Him, and when we know from the lessons of the past and from our own personal experience that God is angry with those who refuse to acknowledge their sin, why would we even think about continuing to sin?
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
August 19
As the Roman Emperor, Julius Caesar, was being attacked by a group of senators on March 15, of the year 44 B.C., he saw one of his close associates and friend, Marcus Junius Brutus, amongst his conspirators. Caesar is alleged to have uttered the famous phrase, “Et tu, Brute?” There is some disagreement as to whether Caesar actually made the statement, as well as whether he was cursing his friend or expressing hurt and dismay by his friend’s betrayal. But, the phrase basically means, “even you, Brutus?”
Those who have been betrayed by a close friend, business associate, or even a spouse, have probably felt the same way as Julius Caesar. Placing our trust in someone we love and someone who claims to love us is risky business. Because, if that trust is violated, our hearts feel totally shattered.
God considers His relationship with us to be a covenant of commitment. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20). Consequently, when we violate His trust and sin, God considers our act to be spiritual adultery. The Old Testament is filled with instances of God comparing Israel’s fascination with other countries, kingdoms, and empires to adultery and He calls it as such. In fact, when He could no longer put up with Israel’s adultery, He pronounced an impending judgment upon them that was inevitable. “How terrible it will be when all four of these fearsome punishments fall upon Jerusalem - - war, famine, beasts, and plague - - destroying all her people and animals” (Ezekiel 14:21). “Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the land, the Sovereign Lord swears that they could not save the people. They alone would be saved” (14:14,16,18,20). Keep in mind, this is the same God who insisted that the prophet, Hosea, buy back his wife after she had left him and become a whore. “Go and get your wife again. Bring her back to you and love her, even though she loves adultery. For the Lord still loves Israel even though the people have turned to other gods...” (Hosea 3:1). God’s love is so deep that He will forgive our wanderings time and time again. But, God’s patience is not without its limits. If we continue in our sins, then we must suffer the consequences of our choices. That in no way lessens or diminishes His love for us, but only points out how great God’s love for us really is (Ephesians 3:17-19).
Why would we want to continue to commit spiritual adultery through our continual chose to sin, when we have One who loves us greater than we can ever imagine?
Those who have been betrayed by a close friend, business associate, or even a spouse, have probably felt the same way as Julius Caesar. Placing our trust in someone we love and someone who claims to love us is risky business. Because, if that trust is violated, our hearts feel totally shattered.
God considers His relationship with us to be a covenant of commitment. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20). Consequently, when we violate His trust and sin, God considers our act to be spiritual adultery. The Old Testament is filled with instances of God comparing Israel’s fascination with other countries, kingdoms, and empires to adultery and He calls it as such. In fact, when He could no longer put up with Israel’s adultery, He pronounced an impending judgment upon them that was inevitable. “How terrible it will be when all four of these fearsome punishments fall upon Jerusalem - - war, famine, beasts, and plague - - destroying all her people and animals” (Ezekiel 14:21). “Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the land, the Sovereign Lord swears that they could not save the people. They alone would be saved” (14:14,16,18,20). Keep in mind, this is the same God who insisted that the prophet, Hosea, buy back his wife after she had left him and become a whore. “Go and get your wife again. Bring her back to you and love her, even though she loves adultery. For the Lord still loves Israel even though the people have turned to other gods...” (Hosea 3:1). God’s love is so deep that He will forgive our wanderings time and time again. But, God’s patience is not without its limits. If we continue in our sins, then we must suffer the consequences of our choices. That in no way lessens or diminishes His love for us, but only points out how great God’s love for us really is (Ephesians 3:17-19).
Why would we want to continue to commit spiritual adultery through our continual chose to sin, when we have One who loves us greater than we can ever imagine?
August 18
“There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). No one knows better than God the importance of proper timing. When He promises judgment, judgment will come, in God’s time. When He promises blessings, blessings will come, in God’s time. God is not bound to do things by our finite concepts of timing. God does everything in His own time (I Timothy 6:15; II Peter 3:9) and He always has a perfect reason for why He does what He does and when He does it.
False prophets had been prophesying peace for Israel, while God’s true prophets had been predicting Israel’s impending doom. People always listen to what they want to hear. They did not want to hear about impending doom so they gravitated toward those prophets who were foretelling peace rather than those who were foretelling destruction. Since destruction had not come, God’s people assumed that it either would not come or that destruction was still a long ways off. Through the prophet, Ezekiel, God said, “give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: No more delay! I will now do everything I have threatened!.....For I am the Lord! What I threaten always happens. There will be no more delays, you rebels of Israel! I will fulfill my threat of destruction in your own lifetime says the Lord......The time has come for every prophecy to be fulfilled!” (12:28,25, 23).
What was true then is still true today. We must not mistake God’s delay, which is evidence of His mercy, for God somehow being forgetful. “God is not a man, that He should lie. He is not a human, that He should change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through?” (Numbers 23:19). So, when God promises to do something, we can be sure that He will do it. It’s all about timing. And God’s time is always the right time.
False prophets had been prophesying peace for Israel, while God’s true prophets had been predicting Israel’s impending doom. People always listen to what they want to hear. They did not want to hear about impending doom so they gravitated toward those prophets who were foretelling peace rather than those who were foretelling destruction. Since destruction had not come, God’s people assumed that it either would not come or that destruction was still a long ways off. Through the prophet, Ezekiel, God said, “give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: No more delay! I will now do everything I have threatened!.....For I am the Lord! What I threaten always happens. There will be no more delays, you rebels of Israel! I will fulfill my threat of destruction in your own lifetime says the Lord......The time has come for every prophecy to be fulfilled!” (12:28,25, 23).
What was true then is still true today. We must not mistake God’s delay, which is evidence of His mercy, for God somehow being forgetful. “God is not a man, that He should lie. He is not a human, that He should change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through?” (Numbers 23:19). So, when God promises to do something, we can be sure that He will do it. It’s all about timing. And God’s time is always the right time.
Friday, August 8, 2014
August 11
James writes in the New Testament, “Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged by God with greater strictness” (3:1). Why is that the case? Because the way a person behaves, is greatly affected by the way a person thinks. And the way a person thinks is greatly affected by what a person believes. And what a person believes is greatly affected by what a person has been taught to believe. Because the Evil One knows that a knowledge of the truth can set people free from enslavement to his lies (John 8:32; Hosea 4:6), he must distort the truth in any way he can. If teachers can be deceived in their thinking by the Evil One, then their impact on those they teach will be wide spread.
The problem with Israel was that she was often being led and taught by misinformed and evil teachers and prophets. If the feet of those who bring good news are beautiful (Romans 10:15; Isaiah 52:7), then the feet of those who teach lies must be dry, cracked, and condemned. Rather, than being a light to the darkened kingdoms and people around them, both Judah and Israel had become as dark as the pagan nations themselves. Jesus said, “Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness. If the light you think you have is really darkness, how deep that darkness will be!” (Matthew 6:22&23). If that which our eyes see is dark, then our lives will be lived in the darkness. Likewise, the reason the people of Judah and Israel were living in darkness, is because their moral teachers, those who should have been the eyes which taught moral truth and light, were wicked and dark, themselves.
Through the prophet, Jeremiah, God said, “My heart is broken because of the false prophets. .....The land itself is in mourning......for the prophets do evil and abuse their power. The priests are like the prophets, all ungodly, wicked men......Therefore, their paths will be dark and slippery ...... I saw that the prophets of Samaria were terribly evil, for they prophesied by Baal and led my people of Israel into sin. But now I see that the prophets of Jerusalem are even worse! They commit adultery, and they love dishonesty. They encourage those who are doing evil instead of turning them away from their sins.....it is because of Jerusalem’s prophets that wickedness fills this land” (Jeremiah 23:9-15).
There are many people we impact on a daily basis - - our children, other people’s children, those we work with, our friends, and more. Are we bringing them good news, which is a light to the truth that will forever change their lives for the good? Or, are we bringing them the same darkness we’ve become accustomed to?
The problem with Israel was that she was often being led and taught by misinformed and evil teachers and prophets. If the feet of those who bring good news are beautiful (Romans 10:15; Isaiah 52:7), then the feet of those who teach lies must be dry, cracked, and condemned. Rather, than being a light to the darkened kingdoms and people around them, both Judah and Israel had become as dark as the pagan nations themselves. Jesus said, “Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness. If the light you think you have is really darkness, how deep that darkness will be!” (Matthew 6:22&23). If that which our eyes see is dark, then our lives will be lived in the darkness. Likewise, the reason the people of Judah and Israel were living in darkness, is because their moral teachers, those who should have been the eyes which taught moral truth and light, were wicked and dark, themselves.
Through the prophet, Jeremiah, God said, “My heart is broken because of the false prophets. .....The land itself is in mourning......for the prophets do evil and abuse their power. The priests are like the prophets, all ungodly, wicked men......Therefore, their paths will be dark and slippery ...... I saw that the prophets of Samaria were terribly evil, for they prophesied by Baal and led my people of Israel into sin. But now I see that the prophets of Jerusalem are even worse! They commit adultery, and they love dishonesty. They encourage those who are doing evil instead of turning them away from their sins.....it is because of Jerusalem’s prophets that wickedness fills this land” (Jeremiah 23:9-15).
There are many people we impact on a daily basis - - our children, other people’s children, those we work with, our friends, and more. Are we bringing them good news, which is a light to the truth that will forever change their lives for the good? Or, are we bringing them the same darkness we’ve become accustomed to?
August 10
Jehonadab was a devoted follower of God. He exhibited the same insight as the men of Issachar, who had been praised for understanding the times they lived in and knowing the best course for Israel to take (I Chronicles 12:32). Jehonadab looked at how evil the culture had become around him and insisted on removing his family and any others interested in doing the same from that influence (I Corinthians 15:33). He formed a group called the Recabites, named after his father, Recab. Though they were a part of this world, Jehonadab did not want them adapting the world’s wicked ways (John 17:13-19), so Jehonadab called them to renounce worldly ways. These people all took a vow never to drink wine or to settle down in any one place and build houses or plant crops (Jeremiah 35:6-10). For 200 years they had kept this vow. And now, when the Aramean and Babylonian armies threatened the land of Israel, they had moved to Jerusalem, hoping they would find safety in the capital city of God’s people.
While they are living in Jerusalem, God sends Jeremiah to them with a test. Invite them to the Temple and offer them cups of wine to drink (35:1-4). Jeremiah did as God had commanded and the Recabites refused to break their vow. “No,” they said. “We don’t drink wine, because Jehonadab son of Recab, our ancestor, gave us this command: ‘You and your descendants must never drink wine. And do not build houses or plants crops or vineyards, but always live in tents. If you follow these commands, you will live long, good lives in the land.’ So we have obeyed him in all these things. We have never had a drink of wine since then, nor have our wives, our sons, or our daughters. We haven’t built houses or owned vineyards or farms or planted crops. We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed all the commands of Jehonadab, our ancestor” (35:6-10).
Unlike the rest of the Israelites, the Recabites were still faithfully following a command given one time by their leader, 200 years earlier. Contrast that with the Israelites who had been told many times by God to repent of their sins and yet, they continually ignored Him. Consequently, while the Recabites would be rewarded for their faithfulness and obedience, the Israelites would receive the just punishment their arrogance and disobedience deserved.
God has spoken to each of us many times through other people, through things we read in His Word, and through events that have taken place in our lives. His kindness and patience are for the purpose of giving us all the opportunity we need to turn to Him (Romans 2:4). Have we ignored him like the Israelites? Or, have we obeyed Him like the Recabites?
While they are living in Jerusalem, God sends Jeremiah to them with a test. Invite them to the Temple and offer them cups of wine to drink (35:1-4). Jeremiah did as God had commanded and the Recabites refused to break their vow. “No,” they said. “We don’t drink wine, because Jehonadab son of Recab, our ancestor, gave us this command: ‘You and your descendants must never drink wine. And do not build houses or plants crops or vineyards, but always live in tents. If you follow these commands, you will live long, good lives in the land.’ So we have obeyed him in all these things. We have never had a drink of wine since then, nor have our wives, our sons, or our daughters. We haven’t built houses or owned vineyards or farms or planted crops. We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed all the commands of Jehonadab, our ancestor” (35:6-10).
Unlike the rest of the Israelites, the Recabites were still faithfully following a command given one time by their leader, 200 years earlier. Contrast that with the Israelites who had been told many times by God to repent of their sins and yet, they continually ignored Him. Consequently, while the Recabites would be rewarded for their faithfulness and obedience, the Israelites would receive the just punishment their arrogance and disobedience deserved.
God has spoken to each of us many times through other people, through things we read in His Word, and through events that have taken place in our lives. His kindness and patience are for the purpose of giving us all the opportunity we need to turn to Him (Romans 2:4). Have we ignored him like the Israelites? Or, have we obeyed Him like the Recabites?
Monday, August 4, 2014
August 8
The saying goes, “fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” The point is, we are intelligent enough creatures that all of us should be able to learn from the past, including from our mistakes. And yet, all too often, we go right on making the same foolish decisions and committing the same stupid mistakes time after time after time. God commanded Jeremiah to tell Judah: “When people fall down, don’t they get up again? When they start down the wrong road and discover their mistake, don’t they turn back? Then why do these people keep going along their self-destructive path, refusing to turn back, even though I have warned them?.....All are running down the path of sin as swiftly as a horse rushing into battle!” (Jeremiah 8:4-6).
Jeremiah grieved for the people of Judah because even though they knew destruction was coming, they refused to do anything to change their status. “The harvest is finished, and the summer is gone,” the people cried, “yet we are not saved!” (8:20). And whose fault was that? They should have been praying to God. “Open our eyes so we may see! (II Kings 6:16&17). Remove the blinders from our eyes that keep us from the truth! (II Corinthians 4:4).” But no, rather than learn from the past, rather than chart a new course for their lives, the people of God continued to make the same mistakes they always had.
Jeremiah was wise enough to know that, “a person’s life is not his own. No one is able to plan his own course” (10:23). God has a general plan for us all, as well as a specific plan for each of us. He has promised to reward those who are faithful, and punish those who aren’t. God loves all of us and God loves each of us, more than we can ever know. But God’s justice will not be compromised by God’s mercy. “A time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will punish all those who are circumcised in body but not in spirit” (9:25). God continually points out the consequences of our decisions, but we are the ones who ultimately make our own choices.
There really is nothing greater in life than truly knowing God. “This is what the Lord says: ‘Let not the wise man gloat in his wisdom, or the mighty man in his might, or the rich man in his riches. Let them boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who is just and righteous, and whose love is unfailing’” (9:23&24; see also I Corinthians 1:20-31). So, do you know Him? Even now, it’s not too late to learn from our past and turn to Him.
Jeremiah grieved for the people of Judah because even though they knew destruction was coming, they refused to do anything to change their status. “The harvest is finished, and the summer is gone,” the people cried, “yet we are not saved!” (8:20). And whose fault was that? They should have been praying to God. “Open our eyes so we may see! (II Kings 6:16&17). Remove the blinders from our eyes that keep us from the truth! (II Corinthians 4:4).” But no, rather than learn from the past, rather than chart a new course for their lives, the people of God continued to make the same mistakes they always had.
Jeremiah was wise enough to know that, “a person’s life is not his own. No one is able to plan his own course” (10:23). God has a general plan for us all, as well as a specific plan for each of us. He has promised to reward those who are faithful, and punish those who aren’t. God loves all of us and God loves each of us, more than we can ever know. But God’s justice will not be compromised by God’s mercy. “A time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will punish all those who are circumcised in body but not in spirit” (9:25). God continually points out the consequences of our decisions, but we are the ones who ultimately make our own choices.
There really is nothing greater in life than truly knowing God. “This is what the Lord says: ‘Let not the wise man gloat in his wisdom, or the mighty man in his might, or the rich man in his riches. Let them boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who is just and righteous, and whose love is unfailing’” (9:23&24; see also I Corinthians 1:20-31). So, do you know Him? Even now, it’s not too late to learn from our past and turn to Him.
August 7
There are many people who will not be deterred, detained, or defeated when told that some-thing is impossible to do. Perhaps, it is the Spirit of God within us that refuses to believe a solution cannot be found for almost any problem or condition. There is no doubt that God loves to demonstrate His power in situations that humans label as impossible. The thought of a virgin becoming pregnant 2,000 years ago seemed impossible. But, when Mary asked the angel how she could be having a baby, the angel informed her, “nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). When Jesus informed his disciples the probability of a rich person finding their way into heaven would be equivalent to a camel making it’s way through the eye of a needle, they asked, “Then who in the world can be saved?” Jesus answered them, “this would be impossible for humans, but with God everything is possible” (Matthew 19:23-26).
When King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon insisted that his magicians, enchanters, or astrologers not only interpret a dream he had, but also tell him what the dream was, they said it couldn’t be done. “There isn’t a man alive who can tell Your Majesty his dream!.....This is an impossible thing the king requires” (Daniel 2:10&11). When the King heard this, he became furious and sent out orders to execute all his so-called wise men. But, Daniel knew that nothing is impossible with God. He asked his three friends; Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to pray that God would reveal the king’s dream to him and what the dream meant. When God answered their prayers, Daniel was quick to give God credit for doing what no human being by themselves could ever hope to do (2:27&28).
Later, when King Nebuchadnezzar was enchanted with his own splendor, he commanded that everyone bow down and worship a ninety foot tall gold statue he had built. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah refused to obey the King’s command because they would only worship one God. In spite of the king’s threatened punishment, they replied, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us.” Why? Because they knew that nothing is impossible with God. “But, even if He doesn’t save us from the fiery furnace, Your Majesty can be sure that we will still never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (3:17&18). The King was so furious with their rebellion that the three were bound with ropes and the furnace was stoked seven times hotter than normal. It was so hot that the soldiers who threw the three Jewish young men in the furnace all lost their lives. But, the three God-fearing friends were loosed from their ropes and walked around in the furnace, with a fourth person also with them. The three were not harmed and not a hair on their heads was singed. Their clothing was not scorched and they didn’t even smell of smoke; proving once again, nothing is impossible with God!
What monumental and impossible situation are you facing in life? Consider, presenting your situation and your request before the Lord in prayer (Philippians 4:6&7). Nothing is impossible with Him!
When King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon insisted that his magicians, enchanters, or astrologers not only interpret a dream he had, but also tell him what the dream was, they said it couldn’t be done. “There isn’t a man alive who can tell Your Majesty his dream!.....This is an impossible thing the king requires” (Daniel 2:10&11). When the King heard this, he became furious and sent out orders to execute all his so-called wise men. But, Daniel knew that nothing is impossible with God. He asked his three friends; Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to pray that God would reveal the king’s dream to him and what the dream meant. When God answered their prayers, Daniel was quick to give God credit for doing what no human being by themselves could ever hope to do (2:27&28).
Later, when King Nebuchadnezzar was enchanted with his own splendor, he commanded that everyone bow down and worship a ninety foot tall gold statue he had built. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah refused to obey the King’s command because they would only worship one God. In spite of the king’s threatened punishment, they replied, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us.” Why? Because they knew that nothing is impossible with God. “But, even if He doesn’t save us from the fiery furnace, Your Majesty can be sure that we will still never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (3:17&18). The King was so furious with their rebellion that the three were bound with ropes and the furnace was stoked seven times hotter than normal. It was so hot that the soldiers who threw the three Jewish young men in the furnace all lost their lives. But, the three God-fearing friends were loosed from their ropes and walked around in the furnace, with a fourth person also with them. The three were not harmed and not a hair on their heads was singed. Their clothing was not scorched and they didn’t even smell of smoke; proving once again, nothing is impossible with God!
What monumental and impossible situation are you facing in life? Consider, presenting your situation and your request before the Lord in prayer (Philippians 4:6&7). Nothing is impossible with Him!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
