Come, Lord Jesus

Today I read the book of Malachi and Revelation 22 to finish the Bible for another year: My favorite verses are:

Malachi 4:3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.

Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

If Jesus Christ chooses to return for His children in 2010, will you be prepared to answer the call to come and meet him, or will you end up in the ashes. I pray that you can say along with me, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

Glory of God

Today I read Zechariah 10:3-14:21 and Revelation 21:7-27. My favorite verses are:

Zechariah 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

Revelation 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

As we draw close to the beginning of a new year, it is refreshing to read the promises of God’s eternal power on the earth and in the heavenly city Jerusalem which will be on earth. There will be one Lord, the King, the Lamb, the Light; there is no need for any other. God will have all power and majesty and glory and His children will worship Him and praise His Name.

God Keeps Promises

Today I read Zechariah 6:9-10:2 and Revelation 20:1-21:6. My favorite verses are:

Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Revelation 21:1-4 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

The prophecy given by Zechariah came to pass as Jesus Himself rode the colt into Jerusalem near the end of His life on earth. He brought salvation for all who will accept Him by dying on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins then coming forth from the grave as the firstfruits to life everlasting. Just as that prophecy was fulfilled, so will the prophecy from the Book of Revelation be fulfilled. What a beautiful promise to trust in. We know that those who have accepted the gift of salvation will dwell with God in the new Jerusalem when “the former things are passed away”.

Listen, Obey, Praise

Today I read Zechariah 1:15-6:8 and Revelation 19. My favorite verses are:

Zechariah 2:13 Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.

Revelation 19:1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God.

There is a time to be silent, and a time to praise with a great voice. When God raises up to do something, it is time to be silent and listen to what He has to say and watch to see what He is going to do. After listening quietly, we are to get busy doing whatever He has commanded us to do. Listen; then obey! Once God’s work is done, it is time to raise a great voice of praise to Him for what He has done. People in heaven know God’s power first hand. Their salvation was wrought by Him, and it is only fitting to give glory and honor to Him. But even now, we can say, “Alleluia,” to God for all the blessings we have received in this life; we don’t need to wait until we are at home in heaven with Him.

Blessings or Plagues

Today (December 27) I read Zephaniah 3:10-Zechariah 1:14 and Revelation 18:4-24. My favorite verses are:

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

God wants to bless us with salvation, joy, love, and singing; but if we do not obey and serve Him, we will receive plagues. God’s people are commanded to come out from among those who are sinning against Him. We are not to take part in the sins they commit unless we are prepared to also take part in the punishment. The great blessings from the Mighty God are what I choose; I do not understand why any child of God would choose the plagues.

The True God

Today I read Nahum 2:5-Zephaniah 3:9 and Revelation 16:1-18:3. My favorite verses are:

Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Revelation 16:7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

What a wonderful day it will be when the earth is full of the knowledge of God’s glory. Everyone will understand then that all the judgments made by God are true and righteous. The true in heart will worship the Lord God who judges hearts truly.

Singing in Heaven

Today I read Micah 5:8-Nahum 2:4 and Revelation 14:8-15:8. My favorite verses are:

Micah 7:8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.

Revelation 15:2-4 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. 4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

God lifts us up when we fall and lights our way to keep us safe. The enemy (whether human or demon) cannot win when we let the Lord fight the battle. And when we win the ultimate victory and stand before God in heaven, we get to play harps and sing! Since I love singing, I am so glad to know that we will be singing in heaven. I love singing to God here, and I know that in heaven it will be perfect.

Glory to God

Today I read Micah 1:1-5:7 and Revelation 13:5-14:7. My favorite verses are:

Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Revelation 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

I could not pass by this verse from Micah since it is only two days away from Christmas, and this is one of the best known Christmas prophecies. Jesus was born in a small village, but He went from there to become the Savior of the world. He is described as a ruler in Israel; He did not fulfill that role in the short span of His human life, but that was only a small part of His everlasting existence. The Revelation reminds us that when the hour of judgment comes, everyone will worship Him as Creator and give glory to Him for all that He has done and will do. He will stand as King of Kings and Lord of Lords and WILL BE the ruler of, not only Israel, but all the earth and heavens.

Salvation

Today I read the rest of Obadiah and all of Jonah as well as Revelation 12:1-13:4. My favorite verses are:

Jonah 2:9  But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.

Revelation 12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

It is important to keep your word—especially when you have made a promise to God. We should always remember to say thanks to God when he has blessed us. If you are his redeemed child, saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, it is good to know that he is not only the author of our salvation, but he completes the work. The verse in the Revelation tells of the time when Satan will be cast down so that he can no longer accuse God’s children, and Christ will come in his power and reign forever in the kingdom of God.

He Will Reign

Today I read Amos 6:2-Obadiah 1:4 and Revelation 10:10-11:19. My favorite verses are:

Amos 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.

Revelation 11:17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

These verses show opposite ends of a spectrum. Amos spoke of a day when God and His words would be taken away from the people because of their sin. They would suffer a famine of hearing God’s Word. In our time, in our country, we can read the Bible whenever and wherever we want to. There are multitudes of Bibles which can be bought. There are churches and other places where Bibles are given away at no cost. We have an abundance of God’s Word. Imagine if there were none. Would it matter to you personally? I know that I would miss it greatly; I have some memorized, but not enough to recreate a complete Bible. I take it for granted that I can read it every day, and I am sure that I don’t appreciate it as much as I should. The picture from Revelation is of God, the Eternal God Almighty, reigning with great power. I am so thankful that whatever may happen in this world as Satan becomes more desperate to win as many battles as he can before God locks him away forever, we have the assurance that God will reign when it is over. God will take back whatever power Satan mistakenly thought he had, and God will reign over His people forever and ever. I want to be on the winning side! I pray that you feel the same way.

Time to Serve God

Today I read Amos 2:10-6:1 and Revelation 9:10-10:9. My favorite verses are:

Amos 5:14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.

Revelation 10:5-6 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer.

God wants us to choose good when we have a choice to make between good and evil. Doing good will cause the Lord to dwell with you. The converse is also true—having the Lord dwell with you will cause you to do good. This is the way of life that God wants for us. He has lived and will live forever. He created all things, including time. Often we may complain that we just don’t have enough time to do all the things we need to do. But God wants us to use our time wisely because, as he warns in Revelation, some day time will run out. The angel will stand on the sea and the earth and declare “that there should be time no longer.” So in the time that He has given us, we need to serve Him and obey Him and seek to bring others to Him before time is gone.

The Valley of Decision

Today I read Joel 2:15-Amos 2:9 and Revelation 8:2-9:9. My favorite verses are:

Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Revelation 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

The message here is really the same as yesterday’s—our God will judge us. If you have made a decision to ignore the gift of salvation made possible by the death and resurrection of His Son, you will be one of those seeking death but not being able to find it. If you make the decision to accept the gift of salvation, you will die physically, but you will then become like God and live with Him forever. I pray that you will make the right decision!

When the Trumpet Sounds

Today (December 18) I read Hosea 8:6-Joel 2:14 and Revelation 5:8-8:1. My favorite verses are:

Joel 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;

Revelation 6:16-17 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

God is a loving, merciful God; but He is also a righteous judge. He will not wait forever for us to accept the gift of salvation bought by the blood of His Son. The day will come when He commands the trumpet to sound and says, “It is enough!” Then the lost will experience the wrath of a Holy God and will be condemned forever. His children will be received into heaven to live with Him forever. If you don’t make the choice before then, you won’t have a choice when the trumpet sounds!

Follow On

Today I read Hosea 4:4-8:5 and Revelation 3:20-5:7. My favorite verses are:

Hosea 6:3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

God is a God of movement; He is not just sitting on His throne overlooking His creation. He goes forth and comes back, and we must “follow on” if we are to get to know Him. You can’t follow someone who is not moving. We honor and glorify God because He is the creator of all things, but His work of creation is never done. Scientists say that the universe is continually expanding—God is still creating. He is responsible for each new morning; He determines what each day will be like. It may be warm or cold, sunny or rainy, or this time of year possibly snowy. He makes the wind blow or be still at His command. He takes an interest in each aspect of His creation; and above all, He takes an interest in mankind—the crowning glory of His creation. This great and powerful God wants to be actively involved in our lives day by day—“follow on to know the Lord”.

The Open Door

Today I read Daniel 11:38-Hosea 4:3 and Revelation 3:1-19. My favorite verses are:

Hosea 2:19-20 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. 20I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.

Revelation 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

Both the words of the prophet and the Revelation are spoken by God to His children. The church is referred to as the Bride of Christ—a Jewish woman was always betrothed before becoming a bride. God described the kind of woman He had chosen as His betrothed to later become His Bride—righteous, loving, merciful, and faithful. These are the attributes He expects to see in His church. We, the redeemed, are His church; these attributes should characterize our lives! And for those of His children who keep His word and do not deny Him, there will be an open door which no man can shut. It may be opened to opportunities for service to God and others; it may be opened to blessings given by Him to those who are the Bride; it certainly is opened to eternal life for His children. Whatever it is opened to, we would be foolish to fail to go through that door into whatever God has waiting for us.

Overcomers

Today I read Daniel 9:23-11:37 and Revelation 2:7-29. My favorite verses are:

Daniel 11:33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.

Revelation 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

God’s people are not promised freedom from suffering; in fact, we are told that we WILL suffer. Those who seek to serve God will be attacked by Satan and his forces. God has not promised to always intervene and preserve the lives of His own. Especially as the time of the end of the earth as we know it draws near, God’s people will have to endure great hardship. Daniel said they will “fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil”. Two verses later it says this is done to purge them and make them white. They are being prepared for entrance into the presence of God. God’s own Son suffered more than most people can even imagine. He willingly gave Himself to be tortured and put to death so that we who accept the salvation He died to provide can live eternally. When we face suffering in this world, we can rest assured that the words in the Revelation are meant for us; we will gain entrance into God’s paradise and be able to eat the fruit of the tree of life. When we overcome the adversities of this life, we will attain life everlasting—the SURE promise of God.

Alpha and Omega

Today (December 13) I read Daniel 7:15-9:22 and Revelation 1:6-2:6. My favorite verses are:

Daniel 9:18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.

Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

God, the eternal Almighty God, hears our prayers and answers them—not because we deserve it, but because he is a loving, merciful God. It is amazing to me how wonderful God is. In His eternal greatness, the Alpha and Omega listens to us and watches over us and loves us. He meets our needs and provided a way of salvation so that we can be with Him for the rest of His eternal existence. Thank You, God, for Your care for us!

Eternal Living God

Today I read Daniel 5:11-7:14 and Jude 1:10-Revelation 1:5. My favorite verses are:

Daniel 6:26 I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.

Jude 1:24-25 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever. Amen.

These descriptions of the living God remind me of how great and awesome He is. The God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are one and the same—stedfast for ever. He has “glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever”. He is the only one who has the power to keep us from falling, to keep us from being overcome by sin. By salvation through His Son Jesus Christ, we can be made faultless—completely forgiven for whatever sin is found in our lives. And when we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus, we can stand in the presence of the eternal living God with exceeding joy. What an amazing promise to mankind. Receive the gift and share the joy—not only during the Christmas season but at any time of the year.

Great and Mighty God

Today I read Daniel 3:15-5:10 and 3 John 1:4-Jude 1:9. My favorite verses are:

Daniel 4:2-3 I thought it good to show the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. 3 How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.

3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

It seems to be obvious that God’s children (John’s “children” in the faith) should walk in truth. Jesus is the Truth, so those redeemed by Him who are called by His name should walk in truth. We must always strive to be like Him; when we fail, we confess our sin and accept His forgiveness and continue to strive to be like Him. Nebuchadnezzar, a pagan king, was brought low by the High God and taught a lesson that we all need to learn. We cannot be God; there is only one God who is in control of the activities of man on this earth. He does give us free will and allow us to go our own way to a certain extent, but there are times when He says, “Enough! I will make you know Who I Am.” He did this to King Nebuchadnezzar. When his punishment was complete, God restored him to his office as king; and Nebuchadnezzar spoke very differently than he had before. He gave praise to God for His mighty wonders. He acknowledged that God is eternal and remains generation after generation. Man dies and may be remembered historically, but he does not continue to impact the world as God does for ever and ever.

You Bless God--God Bless You

Today I read Daniel 2:1-3:14 and 1 John 5:17-3 John 1:3. My favorite verses are:

Daniel 2:20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his.

3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Tonight I echo Daniel’s praise, “Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever!” God has given me so much, and I can never praise Him enough for the great things He has done for me. Even if I praise Him forever, it will not measure up to the goodness of his blessings to me. My soul prospers; I am rich in my relationship with God and His Son Jesus Christ! And thanks be to God, I have good health, and I am not struggling financially as so many do in today’s tough economy. I am not wealthy, but I am not in need. I pray that you, too, will find a closeness to the wise and powerful God, and that you will bless His name. Then in turn He will pour out blessings on you so that you will prosper and be in health just as your soul prospers.

Know that you Know

Today I read Ezekiel 47:17-Daniel 1:21 and 1 John 4:20-5:16. My favorite verses are:

Daniel 1:17 As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

1 John 5:12-13 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

You don’t have to be grown up before you begin to serve God seriously. Daniel and his three friends were children when they were chosen by God to do great works in a foreign land where they were being held captive. God gave them knowledge, skill, wisdom, and understanding. He gave them great responsibility as they stood before kings and brought honor to God through their behavior and commitment to serve Him faithfully. I am sure that they knew the Son of God who gave them eternal life—he was with them in the fiery furnace. The Word of God is given to us today to give us the assurance of our salvation through Jesus Christ; if we believe on his name, we can KNOW that we have eternal life. It isn’t something to guess or hope or wish; God wants us to know where we stand with Him.

God Is Love

Today I read Ezekiel 45:3-47:16 and 1 John 3:20-4:19. My favorite verses are:

Ezekiel 47:9 And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.

This verse made me think of the Holy Spirit, sometimes described as a river—wherever He goes, He brings healing. The great multitude of fish reminded me of the lost who need to know salvation through Jesus Christ. He told His disciples that He would make them to be fishers of men, bringing the lost to Him.

I could not choose just one verse from 1 John 4, so I simply printed all 19 verses for you to be immersed in.

1 John 4:1-19 1Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
7Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19We love him, because he first loved us.

It's All About God!

Today I read Ezekiel 42:18-45:2 and 1 John 2:28-3:19. My favorite verses are:

Ezekiel 44:24 And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.

1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

In God’s words to the prophet notice the words my, my, my, mine, and my. The emphasis is on God and how we are to approach Him. He makes the rules, and it is our duty to obey them. We are not given permission to negotiate with God; we are not told to interpret, modify, or amend His judgments. We are to judge according to His judgments. Then we are told to keep His laws; we cannot do as we please and justify our behavior before a Holy God. This is not unreasonable, especially in view of the rewards God gives to His children now and in the world to come. We do not yet know what that will be like. In fact, we do not know what we will be like. John told us that we will be like the Son of God, perfected and worthy to stand before God the Father, the Holy One. What a great God we serve.

What God Requires

Today I read Ezekiel 40:30-42:17 and 1 John 2:7-27. My favorite verses are:

Ezekiel 42:14 When the priests enter therein, then shall they not go out of the holy place into the utter court, but there they shall lay their garments wherein they minister; for they are holy; and shall put on other garments, and shall approach to those things which are for the people.

1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

God has requirements for those who serve Him. In the Old Testament there are a number of chapters devoted to descriptions and measurements and rules relating to the temple in Jerusalem. It is, quite honestly, rather boring to read. And yet God in His wisdom determined that the information was important for us to know. I believe that He is pleased with order and beauty. We can see in His creation that everything has its place; if planets orbited haphazardly around the sun and other stars, they would “crash and burn”. The earth that we live on is exactly the right distance from the sun to be able to sustain human life. It has a definite sequence to days and nights and months and seasons and years. God gave very specific instructions to men and women who worked in building and furnishing the temple where they would worship Him. It was not to be shoddily put together, but it was to be of a particular size and order that would make it a place of beauty. God was also concerned that His house not be defiled by irreverent behavior. He required the priests to go so far as to have a change of clothes when they ministered to Him in the Holy Place. Then when they left that place and returned to the court where the people were, they had to take off the holy garments and leave them behind. They put on other garments to minister to the people. I think that sometimes we become thoughtless in our treatment of things pertaining to the worship of God. If it didn’t matter how we approach His house, I don’t think He would have so much of the Bible devoted to instructions for its use. The next time you go into a church building, think about the God it represents. Approach the building and the Lord of the building with respect. The very short verse that I chose from the New Testament tells us something very important about the God of the temple. He has promised eternal life to those who receive Him. Now, in light of the whole discussion of the temple, think about the dwelling places He has built for us to live in eternally in heaven. I think that we cannot even begin to imagine the magnificence we will find there.

God Reveals Himself

Today I read Ezekiel 38:19-40:29 and 2 Peter 3:14-1 John 2:6. My favorite verses are:

Ezekiel 38:23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.

1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

These are great verses telling us what God the LORD says about Himself! He magnifies and sanctifies Himself so that the nations may know Him. He makes it easy to be seen and known because He is Light—there is no darkness in Him. And He has caused prophets and preachers to declare Who and What He is to all who will hear. Be one who hears! Know God as He reveals Himself to you individually as well as to the nations of the world. And in knowing Him, be ready to serve Him—be one who declares the message of God.

Gifts from God

Today I read Ezekiel 36:22-38:18 and 2 Peter 2:15-3:13. My favorite verses are:

Ezekiel 36:26-27 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

2 Peter 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

It is December now, and thoughts turn even more to Christmas. We may be thinking of gifts we wish to receive when that day arrives. Today’s verses speak of gifts from God. He said that He will give us new hearts, His Spirit, new heavens, and a new earth. Peter says “according to his promise” we can look for these things. They are sure to come, not just things to wish for. God in His wisdom makes us new so that we can be with Him in the new dwelling place that He is preparing for His own. We begin to learn in this life to walk in His will and keep His judgments so that we may enter the new earth where righteousness dwells. Oh, to be LIKE Him; even better to be WITH Him throughout eternity—and that is what He wants for us and for Himself. We are truly blessed by His gifts.

Moved by the Holy Ghost

Today I read Ezekiel 34:5-36:21 and 2 Peter 1:15-2:14. My favorite verses are:

Ezekiel 34:23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.

2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The prophet said that David would be established as the shepherd of Israel to feed them. Peter said that this prophecy was the word inspired by the Holy Ghost. Ezekiel did not just make up things to say; God, by the Holy Ghost, told him what to say. David was a shepherd when he was a young boy; then he became King of Israel. God said that he would become a shepherd again. Christ, the chief Shepherd, the good Shepherd, was a descendant of David. In Him, the prophecy was fulfilled; this descendant of David fed Israel the Word of God. The Holy Ghost moved Ezekiel to let the Israelites know that they would survive the judgment of God and would be cared for by the Shepherd and given new life. There is an unspoken condition here—the sheep must follow where the Shepherd leads if they are to be fed. Are you following the Shepherd today?

Why will you die?

Today I read Ezekiel 32:7-34:4 and 1 Peter 5:8-2 Peter 1:14. My favorite verses are:

Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.

The words spoken by God to Israel are the same to each of us today—God does not WANT to punish us for wickedness; He wants us to turn away from wickedness to salvation and eternal life with Him. Why would you choose death when life is offered? Peter gives some insight into the answer. Satan is ever on the move looking for a chance to devour unsuspecting sinners. God warns us to be vigilant—to be on guard against the adversary, but too many fail to watch. They continue in careless living, wickedness, disobedience to God; and they die in their sins, devoured by Satan and condemned to an eternity with him. We have a choice! Choose life.

Sure promises

Technically, this is the post for December 1, I just didn't get it posted until after midnight.  Today (December 1) I read Ezekiel 29:9-32:6 and 1 Peter 4:6-5:7. My favorite verses are:

Ezekiel 29:21 In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

God’s promises are sure. What He says will come to pass.  He renewed the nation of Israel in the land that He promised to them when He set them free from slavery in Egypt.  They returned from captivity in Babylon, but in the 20th Century they returned to their homeland again and became a nation.  They know that Jehovah is the LORD.  The promise of a crown of glory when Jesus, our Shepherd, appears is also true.  This is a promise to earthly shepherds (pastors of churches) from the Heavenly Shepherd.  Service to God, obedience to God, will be rewarded.  It is a sure promise from God. 

Sanctify the Lord God

Today I read Ezekiel 27:8-29:8 and 1 Peter 3:7-4:5. My favorite verses are:

Ezekiel 28:25-26 Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob. 26 And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

In both these verses, God tells us to sanctify Him. The meaning of sanctify is to set apart for a holy purpose. God promised the children of Israel that when they sanctified Him, He would provide a safe dwelling place for them in their homeland. He also promised to judge those who had despised His children. In the verse from 1 Peter, He commands all of us to sanctify Him in our hearts and be ready to tell anyone who asks why we have hope. Because of Christ dwelling in us, we know that we have the answer to all problems that we face. We can share that hope with others by sharing the Christ who is sanctified in our hearts. We have given Him a special place and a special reverence knowing that He is the only one who can make us dwell safely in a world full of evil. The majority of people in this world want God to be set aside rather than set apart. We can be living examples who show the result of having the Lord God sanctified in our hearts.

Judged according to our doings

Today I read Ezekiel 24:10-27:7 and 1 Peter 2:11-3:6. My favorite verses are:

Ezekiel 24:14 I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD.

1 Peter 2:24-25 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

The prophet Ezekiel spoke these words in a negative sense. The children of Israel had sinned against God until He was ready to deliver them into captivity for punishment. He said that He would not change His mind—that they would be judged according to the things they had done. But it is comforting to know that God is just as adamant in His response to righteous living. By the death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our sins were paid for so that we could live righteous lives. We were straying away from God following our own ways which lead unto death when our great Shepherd sacrificed His own life to bring about our healing. He bought our forgiveness and gave us the opportunity to live for Him. So when we are judged by God according to our ways and doings, we will be found righteous in His eyes because His Son redeemed us by paying the penalty for our sins with His own life. God is faithful to reward good just as He is faithful to punish evil. Make the choice to accept His Son as your Savior so that you will be found among the righteous when the Judge appears.

Stand in the Gap

Today I read Ezekiel 22:27-24:9 and 1 Peter 1:15-2:10. My favorite verses are:

Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

God is looking for men and women who will stand in the gap for the United States of America. If he finds none, we may go the way of the people of Israel and Judah who were carried into captivity into foreign lands. Their homeland was turned over to foreigners except for a remnant of Jews left behind. God’s children in America need to take this seriously. He wants us to be offering up spiritual sacrifices to Him in the name of His Son Jesus Christ. Then He can use us as living stones to build a house or wall to fill the gap. If we, as a nation, continue to move further and further away from God, there will be consequences. And it is only those who are Christians who can stop the decay by standing up boldly in the name of Jesus so that when God is seeking a man to fill the gap, He will see us.

Effectual Fervent Prayer

Today I read Ezekiel 20:45-22:26 and James 5:14:-1 Peter 1:14. My favorite verses are:

Ezekiel 21:5 That all flesh may know that I the LORD have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath: it shall not return any more.

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

God is a God of love, but He is also a righteous judge. When His mercy has been extended as far as He is willing to go, He will draw the sword and punish the evildoers. To avoid this judgment, we must confess to one another and pray for one another. Now we do not confess to an earthly priest to obtain forgiveness of sin—for that, we can go straight to the throne of God and make our confession and ask for His forgiveness. The verse in James is talking about covenant prayer. When you are tempted and you know you are likely to give in to temptation, share your burden with a Christian friend and let them pray for you. When we agree together in prayer, God is moved by our petitions. As we share with other Christians, we are more likely to find the will of God in a situation. Then we can pray together with confidence that what we are asking is in His will. That kind of prayer “availeth much”—it gives us an advantage in determining the outcome of the situation.

Gifts from Above

There was no daily devotion yesterday, and I apologize to those of you who read them each day. My father suffered some health problems and I was with him and my mother until 3 a.m. I had not had time to post a devotion early in the day, and it was too late when I got home.

Today I read Ezekiel 16:52-18:27 and James 3:7-4:9. My favorite verses are:

Ezekiel 18:21-22 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

I am so thankful for a God who forgives. When we seek salvation through Jesus Christ and turn to God in obedience and service, He not only forgives our transgressions, He will never mention them again. He FORGETS our sins and we live by the righteousness of God in us. When we receive those things offered to us from God above, how blessed we are; we also become a blessing to those around us. What a wonderful thing to have or to be a friend who is peaceable, gentle, merciful, impartial, and more. God can make us wise and pure and without hypocrisy—goals that we should strive to reach as we live in service to God our Savior.

Do the Word

Today I read Ezekiel 12:8-14:9 and James 1:18-. My favorite verses are:

Ezekiel 12:28 Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord GOD.

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

I found the combination of these verses interesting. In Ezekiel, God declares that He will do what He has said. In James, He tells us to do what He says. God fulfills His own word, and He expects us to do the same. We are to do more than hear the Word. No matter how much we know about what God says, it is useless if we do not obey Him. We are deceiving ourselves if we think knowing the scripture will save us. Salvation comes when we believe and confess that Jesus died for us. Believing alone is not enough—the devil believes everything that God says, but he is not saved. In fact, he works to deceive us into being like him—hearing the Word but not doing anything about it. The Christian life begins and continues with action being taken; it is not a passive way of life, but an active choice to do what God says.

Hearts of Stone

Today I read Ezekiel 9:3-12:7 and Hebrews 13:22-James 1:17. My favorite verses are:

Ezekiel 11:19-20 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Have you ever known anyone who was hard-hearted? The kind of person who has no compassion or love for anyone could be said to have a heart of stone. It may be someone who has been hurt by others and has hardened his heart to keep from being hurt again. In the world we live in, there is so much pain and suffering that we may become hardened by the familiarity of it. We see it constantly in the media and in situations around us and know that we cannot make it better. It seems that what little we can do to alleviate suffering is so miniscule that it barely makes a dent in the mountain of need we are confronted with. So we may all be guilty of having stony hearts to a certain extent. God can restore a heart of flesh—a soft and caring heart. He wants us to be like Him; He wants to be our God if we will obey and serve Him. God wants to give us good and perfect gifts; everything good comes from Him. If we are His children and obey His will in our lives, we will receive good things from Him. Then we can share them with those around us and soften stony hearts.

Get down and dig

Today I read Ezekiel 5:16-9:2 and Hebrews 13:1-21. My favorite verses are:

Ezekiel 8:7-8 And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall. 8 Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.

Hebrews 13:20-21 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

These verses from Ezekiel may seem a little obscure, but they spoke to me. Sometimes we pray and ask God for something then feel like he is not responding. These two verses reminded me that it is not always easy to see and know God’s will—it may take a little digging! God showed Ezekiel one door, but then he had to dig through a hole in the wall to find the second door—the door that God wanted him to go through. Are we willing to get down and dig, and maybe get a little dirty in the process, to find the door that God wants us to go through? If so, we may reach the goal described in Hebrews; we may become “perfect in every good work to do his will”. But read and know that it is only through the blood of that great shepherd that we may reach perfection in God’s sight. Jesus died for us and rose from the dead to bring us eternal life. It is only after being saved by the blood of Christ that we can be do anything pleasing to God. Our works in His Name and for His glory are pleasing to God—that is perfection.

Chastening brings Peace

Today I read Ezekiel 2:7-5:15 and Hebrews 12:9-29. My favorite verses are:

Ezekiel 5:7-8 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you; 8 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations.

Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

The prophet Ezekiel spoke much of judgment just as the prophet Jeremiah did. It seems that God’s people would have listened and learned—at least that Judah would have learned a lesson after the ten tribes of Israel were taken into captivity. But they continued to do all the things God warned against—they would not obey God’s laws. God said that because of their disobedience He was against them. The writer of Hebrews takes us a step further. He says that the chastening (punishment) is necessary to teach us not to disobey, but that after it is finished we can have peace if we learn our lesson. Fighting against God brings about trouble and unhappiness. Obeying God brings peace and joy. Which would you choose? It seems like a no-brainer to me!

Glory of God

Today I read Lamentations 4:16-Ezekiel 2:6 and Hebrews 11:28-12:8. My favorite verses are:

Ezekiel 1:28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Seeing the glory of God and looking unto Jesus. They are one and the same; Jesus told his disciples that in seeing Him they had seen the Father. Bright and beautiful as the rainbow, glorious in appearance, causing the prophet to fall upon his face and worship—this is our Lord. He spoke to the prophet of old, and He speaks to us through His Son Jesus—the One who endured suffering and death so that we, through the faith He gave us, might be saved from our sin and live forever with Him. He knew there was joy to come—the joy of rejoining His Father in heaven and reigning with Him forever. We can look forward to that same joy if we have accepted the gift of salvation for which He died. The incomparable beauty and glory and joy found in the presence of the Lord can be ours to share for eternity if we exercise the faith given to us and believe that indeed Christ died for our sins and desires to be our Savior.

Hope and Wait

Today I read Lamentations 3:19-4:15 and Hebrews 11:7-27. My favorite verses are:

Lamentations 3:25-26 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

Hebrews 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Is there any one of God’s children who does not want to receive good from His hand? I think we all want good things. We are told plainly how to make that happen—wait for Him and seek Him. I talked at some length about waiting on the Lord when I read Isaiah 40. We are to wait like a waiter or waitress waiting on tables—busy all the time meeting needs. We seek to know what God wants us to do, and we do it. We hope with confidence that God is busy fulfilling that which we hope for, and we wait quietly for Him—we don’t whine and complain and try to make things happen in our own strength because we think God’s way is taking too long. In waiting on and working for the Lord, we must have a vision that reaches farther than this life; we need to have an eternal view. We look forward to the time that we will enter the city built by God and be able to spend eternity with Him in heaven. Even all the good that we receive from the Lord on this earth will pale in comparison to the perfection of our eternal heavenly rewards.

The Hands of God

Today I read Jeremiah 52:34-Lamentations 3:18 and Hebrews 10:25-11:6. My favorite verses are:

Lamentations 2:18 Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease.

Hebrews 10:30-31 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

The Lord is a righteous judge, but he is also a merciful and forgiving Father. We can see in the history of His chosen people Israel that he punished them for their sin, but when their hearts cried to the Lord, he restored them to Himself. So we see for His redeemed people, the Christians of today, that when we sin against Him, he will judge us and take vengeance for our disobedience. When we disrespect His Son who died for our sins, when we claim Him as Savior but fail to follow Him as Lord, God is not pleased. He will punish us, and it will not be something to take lightly: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Cry out to the Lord for forgiveness before you bring down his vengeance on yourself for your disobedience.

Love and Good Works

Today I read Jeremiah 51:35-52:33 and Hebrews 10:4-24. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 51:54-55  A sound of a cry cometh from Babylon, and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans: 55 Because the LORD hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the great voice; when her waves do roar like great waters, a noise of their voice is uttered.

Hebrews 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.

The Chaldeans whose capitol city was Babylon took the Israelites captive when Israel had been disobedient to God. God used them to punish Israel; and when the punishment was complete, God sent another nation to destroy Babylon and the Chaldean nation. When peoples and nations believe that they are strong and powerful and in control, they should take note of the fact that it is ultimately God who is in control. He decides which nations have power and which nations suffer defeat; no matter how noisy the voices speaking for those nations may be, God can silence them. America is a great nation; most Americans are proud of their homeland and patriotic supporters of most of its policies. Even when we disagree with our leaders, we will band together against enemies who come against our nation. But if we fail to acknowledge the sovereignty of God as Americans, He will judge us for our failure. God may use pagan nations to mete out punishment to His own disobedient people, but it is the nation which worships and serves God that will be most powerful.

The verse from Hebrews is short and to the point; God wants to see love and good works. I think this is true for individuals, groups, and even nations. Imagine how the world would be if nations provoked one another to love and good works instead of hate and war! Imagine how your neighborhood would be if people there did the same thing. Imagine how your family would be if members only provoked love among themselves. Here’s a thought—if you and I begin the process, maybe others will follow. Provoke one another to love and good works.

Once and Forever

Today I read Jeremiah 50:18-51:34 and Hebrews 9:11-10:3. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 51:15 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.

Hebrews 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

What a great and mighty God we serve—the creator of heaven and earth! And the author of our salvation! He is the God of once and forever. When He created the heavens and the earth, He saw that it was good; and he rested from His work on the seventh day. He did not have to go back and make changes and fix mistakes—touch up and redo—He created each thing perfectly in one act. Then when Christ became the sacrifice for the sins of mankind, He died ONCE—the perfect sacrifice—and He will never die again. When God saves us, it is not something He needs to do over and over again. We are saved once for all eternity. Now we are not perfect, and we continue to fall short of God’s perfect plan. But he forgives us. Consider this paradox: The God of once and forever forgives His children over and over and over when they sin against Him. Here is the reason why He can do this—when He forgives, He forgets. So each time He forgives us, it is once and forever! What a Great God!

Trust God to Care

Today I read Jeremiah 48:41-50:17 and Hebrews 8:3-9:10. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 49:11 Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me.

Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

We can trust in God; He is gracious and merciful. He preserves the orphans; He becomes a Father to them. He becomes the Provider for widows; we can trust Him to care for us. He forgives all unrighteousness in our lives when we confess our sins to him—whether initially for salvation or subsequently for straying away from His will. He never fails us. When we call on Him, He is always there ready to meet our every need.

Saved to the Uttermost

Today I read Jeremiah 46:13-48:40 and Hebrews 7:10-8:2. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 46:28 Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.

Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

These verses speak to us of God’s forgiving Spirit. God loved His chosen people referred to here as “Jacob my servant”. They sinned against Him over and over; they worshipped other gods and refused to obey His commands. And He punished them “in measure”. In His great mercy he did not destroy them; He allowed them to return to the Promised Land. We too sin against God, and His mercy is extended to us just as it was to the descendants of Jacob. Those of us who seek salvation through Christ Jesus are saved “to the uttermost”. This complete salvation is evident as our Savior lives forever making intercession for us to His Father. He does not forsake us when we fail; rather, He speaks to the Father on our behalf, and we are forgiven.

Remember or Forget

Today I read Jeremiah 42:20-46:12 and Hebrews 6:9-7:9. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 46:10 For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.

Hebrews 6: 10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

God has a great memory. He remembers the wickedness of His enemies and punishes them; He remembers the goodness of those who minister in His name and rewards them. Which side are you on? If you are an enemy of God, He offers you a chance to repent and be saved. He gave His only Son to die for your sins so that you do not have to suffer the punishment you deserve. If you turn from your evil ways to follow the will of God, then you will receive a reward for doing good. When you repent of your sins and accept Jesus as your Savior, God chooses to forget the wickedness you have done in the past. Thankfully, He has an eternal “forgetter” when He chooses to forgive us and save us.

Again I say Obey

Today I read Jeremiah 39:9-42:19 and Hebrews 5:2-6:8. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 42:6 Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.

Hebrews 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.

If we would live by these words, what a world it would be—“we will obey the voice of the LORD our God”. Notice what precedes this declaration—whether it is good or evil. How could the word spoken by God be evil? Well, considering the theme of the entire book of Jeremiah, we must realize that God is a God of judgment. When His people disobey, there are consequences. If we are the recipient of those consequences—judgment for our sins—we certainly don’t feel good about it. It is what could be called a “necessary evil” sent from God to make us aware of our responsibility to obey Him. When we are willing to receive both good and evil from our God, we know that it will be well with us. He will do what is best for His children; if we want that, it is our responsibility to obey Him.

The verse in Hebrews is speaking of Jesus Christ. He became a man and lived in the flesh to fulfill the plan of God that He might become the sacrifice for our sins. When He had completed His mission on earth, He returned to the Father. We are again told to obey Him in order to receive the gift of “eternal salvation” which His death bought for us. He does not save us only in part or only for a short time; He saves us for eternity. No one and nothing has the power to take away our salvation. We are not perfect; we will sin after we are saved. But He IS perfect and he chooses to forgive us for those sins just as He forgave us when we called upon Him for salvation. There may still be consequences, but we can never lose the eternal salvation which He paid for with His blood.

Listen and Obey

Today I read Jeremiah 36:27-39:8 and Hebrews 3:16-5:1. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 38:17-18 Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house: 18 But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.
Jeremiah 39:6-8 Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah. 7 Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon. 8 And the Chaldeans burned the king’s house, and the houses of the people, with fire, and brake down the walls of Jerusalem.

This is a long passage of scripture, but I have very little to say about it—it is pretty self-explanatory. Jeremiah told King Zedekiah what God said: Surrender to the king of Babylon and live, or fight the king of Babylon and suffer great loss. Zedekiah chose to ignore the word from God. Verses 6-8 describe the results: His sons and nobles were killed before his eyes then his eyes were put out and the city was destroyed. God did what He said He would do. For Zedekiah it turned out very badly, but he CHOSE that path! The moral of the story is: Listen to God and do what He tells you because bad choices do not have happy endings.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

This has long been one of my favorite verses. Those of us who are God’s children do not have to come cowering before God pleading for Him to hear us. We can approach him with boldness knowing that he wants what is best for us. He extends mercy to us—He forgives us for things that deserve punishment. He also gives us grace when we need it—He blesses us when we have done nothing to earn it. God is Good!

Words of the Lord

Today I read Jeremiah 34:5-36:26 and Hebrews 2:13-3:15. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 36:8 And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of the LORD in the LORD’S house.

Hebrews 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

God spoke to Jeremiah, and Jeremiah listened. Jeremiah spoke to Baruch the words from God, and Baruch wrote them down. Baruch took the written words to the house of the Lord and read them there. These men were obeying God; I believe today God still wants us to read His word in His house. If you hear any preacher proclaiming words from any other source in God’s house, consider whether it is right to continue listening to that preacher. I am not saying that preachers should never use quotations and comments from various sources, but the main source of every message must be the Word of God. Social gospel is no gospel. God’s Word is the only eternal truth! And God loved us so much that He was willing to become a man and endure the suffering and temptation that man is susceptible to so that He would be able to empathize with us in our suffering and temptation. He alone has the ability to understand and to HELP us overcome the problems that Satan tries to overwhelm us with. Because He is more powerful than Satan, and He never leaves us to fight the battles alone. Thank God for his Word and His Presence in our lives!

Is anything to hard for God?

Today I read Jeremiah 32:12-34:4 and Hebrews 1:6-2:12. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 32:27 Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

Hebrews 2:4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will.

Do we believe God? Do we trust God? Do we ask God for impossible miracles? And if we ask, do we expect them to happen? I am as guilty as anyone of praying to God about something then offering Him my insight as to how it should be handled. And I usually realize mid-prayer just how ridiculous I must sound to God. When we ask for something then begin to think of reasons why we would understand if God doesn’t answer, God must be really frustrated with our unbelief. We struggle along in this world trying to work out our problems the best way we can instead of giving them to God—not SHARING, but GIVING! Let Him have them. I have heard parents tell their children, “Look at me! Listen to what I am telling you!” I can imagine God taking my face in His hands and saying, “Look at me! I am the Lord! Is anything too hard for me?!” Why can we not accept Him at His word? He has so much to give us, but He is waiting for us to ask in faith. Signs, wonders, miracles, gifts of the Holy Ghost—God can give us all this and more. He longs to bless us above all that we can ask or think, but we are usually too self-involved to even give Him a chance. God, forgive us again; and teach us to trust and obey and allow YOU to BE GOD.

Know the Lord

Today I read Jeremiah 30:13-32:11 and Philemon 1:10-Hebrews 1:5. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.

What a glorious picture! Everyone great and small will know the Lord; all our sins will have been forgiven and forgotten! The Son of God—the express image of His person—has purged our sins by Himself. He has sat down at the Father’s right hand; the work is done. There is no longer any need for us to tell others about the Lord because He is known by all. Understand, though, that time has not yet come to pass. There are many in this world lost in their sins and facing an eternity in hell without God or His Son. It is urgent that we tell them NOW before it is too late that Christ died for them to save them from their sins. They cannot see the brightness of His glory if Christians fail to reflect it in our lives.

What is God thinking?

Today I read Jeremiah 27:21-30:12 and Titus 3:4-Philemon 1:9. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Titus 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

The expected end spoken of by Jeremiah is the hope of eternal life Paul spoke of to Titus. I love being told that God is thinking about me. He has plans for me, but He doesn’t let me in on them until I ask. God can do what He pleases, but He chooses to give us responsibilities so that we can grow up in Him. He wants us to call upon Him, pray unto Him, and search for Him with our whole heart! Then, and only then, are we justified by HIS grace and given eternal life. He will hear us; He will allow us to find Him—if we are seeking and searching. When there is a relationship, there are two parties actively involved; there must be interaction. One person cannot have a relationship alone. God wants to have a relationship with us, so we must be actively involved with Him. God is busy, and we stay close to Him by working with Him and for Him. And the rewards for doing so are more than we could have imagined because they come from His thoughts for us.

Whirlwind or Glorious Appearing?

Today I read Jeremiah 25:20-27:20 and Titus 1:14-3:3. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 25:32 and 26:13 32 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. 13Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.

Titus 2:13-14 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Virtually everyone admits that this world cannot go on forever getting worse and worse. The judgment of God will come! We tend to become complacent, however, and say that it will not come in our time. The people of Judah had that attitude. Prophets had said for generations that they would be judged by God for their wickedness, but they always thought it would come later. By Jeremiah’s day, the time of judgment was at their door; Jeremiah was speaking to the people who would soon be taken captive to Babylon. I believe God is speaking today to the generation who will see the return of His Son and the judgment of the wicked. God spoke of a great whirlwind; if Judah’s downfall was a great whirlwind, I can’t even imagine how to describe the downfall of the whole earth. God will judge, but he tells us there is hope for those who will believe and obey. Jeremiah said, “amend your ways”; Paul told Titus that Jesus Christ will “purify unto himself a peculiar people”. We need to make changes, but we cannot make ourselves pure. We must turn to Christ for that. He died to pay the price for our redemption, and only as we confess our sins and seek His salvation can we be purified. Then we will be able to see past the judgment of God to the “blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God”. The whirlwind of destruction to the wicked is a glorious appearing of God to His children. And God allows us to choose which manifestation we will experience!

Return to Him

Today I read Jeremiah 23:7-25:19 and 2 Timothy 4:15-Titus 1:13. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 24:7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.

2 Timothy 4:18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

God wants us to be one with Him. He wants our whole heart to be His. He wants us to be with Him in His heavenly kingdom. He has the power to keep us from evil and preserve us for Himself. He is the Lord, and he will be our God when we come to Him and give Him glory. God alone is worthy of eternal glory, but He wants to share it with us. He has given His Son Jesus to be the Savior of our souls. Salvation through Him is the only thing that can make us worthy to enter the heavenly kingdom. If you find that you are further away from God than you want to be, return to Him with your whole heart. Then you will be His own child and He will be your God who will deliver you from all evil.

Fire in the bones

Today I read Jeremiah 20:6-23:6 and 2 Timothy 3:11-4:14. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 20:9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

When someone answers God’s call to preach or teach, God places within him a burning fire that compels him to preach or teach. If someone who is truly called decides it is too hard and wants to give up, he will find that giving up is also very hard. The Spirit of God will convict that one of the obligation to share the word of God. Just as Paul reminded Timothy to be longsuffering in his ministry, it is important for those called of God today to continue in the ministry even when it is difficult. It is much easier to let God lead than to have him push!

Deceitful heart

Today I read Jeremiah 17:8-20:5 and 2 Timothy 2:16-3:10. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

2 Timothy 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

It is sometimes difficult to recognize the voice of God when Satan is working so hard to draw our attention to himself. If we rely on our own strength and our own knowledge, we may be taken captive by the devil; he is very good at deceiving mankind. God searches our hearts which tend to wickedness to decide whether we are seeking Him and His will. If we are not actively seeking God, He may allow us to bear the fruit of our disobedience. Being a Christian is not the easy way of life; it is the best and most rewarding way of life, but it requires us to be constantly on the alert for Satan’s traps. Safety comes when we draw near to God and let him live in our hearts. He can drive the wickedness out and take up residence in its place.

Rightly divide the Word

Today I read Jeremiah 14:9-17:7 and 2 Timothy 1:13-2:15. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

If we truly trust the Lord and hope in Him, we can be happy; we will receive blessings from Him. But to trust Him means that we take our needs and cares to Him and leave them with Him. We do not worry about them or try to help God take care of them—we simply lay them down and believe that they are resolved. That is not an easy thing to do! We tend to want to serve God in an advisory capacity, especially when He is dealing with things that directly affect our lives. But if we trust Him, we allow Him to work things out in His time and according to His will. We wait expectantly to see what He will do then rejoice in the results. And when we say that the Lord is our hope, that does NOT mean that we sure hope He can get us out of the mess we have gotten into. It is more the idea that everything I hope for is entrusted to God knowing that He will do what is best for me in every situation. It is not a pins-and-needles, “Oh, I hope everything will work out.” It is a confident expectation that all is well and will continue to be well.

Now we know that God does all things well, but how good is my approval rating—or yours? How do we obtain God’s approval? Study, work, and “rightly divide” God’s word. To “rightly divide” means that all things in God’s word must be understood in context. Do not pick pieces of Scripture and twist them to mean what you want. Study God’s word as a whole and be sure your understanding of the message is not based on one verse or passage taken out of context to make it fit a situation the way you want it to. If we divide the word of truth and only keep the part we like, we have not “rightly divided”. Be very careful in your handling of the word; it is powerful and sharp, and you can hurt yourself or someone else if you handle it carelessly.

Wayfaring Stranger

Today I read Jeremiah 11:13-14:8 and 1 Timothy 6:13-2 Timothy 1:12. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 14:7-8 O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name’s sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee. 8O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?

2 Timothy 1:9-10 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 10But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

When we confess our sins before God and His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, the Word promises that they are forgiven. Jeremiah speaks of the Savior as a wayfaring man who only abides with us for a short time. But Paul reminds Timothy that the Savior has brought life and immortality—life forever. The difference is the gospel! The good news from God is that He has given us salvation through Jesus Christ according to His grace. God planned this before he created the world or mankind. He knew that man would not be able to be faithful to Him on his own. He planned from forever to forever to send His Son to save us and His Holy Spirit to dwell within us so that we could have eternal life, not just a temporary fix from a wayfaring stranger. God loves us and wants to abide with us forever. We must choose to accept His holy calling if we want Him to come and live in us. When this Wayfaring Stranger knocks at your door, welcome Him and have a room prepared where he can stay—always abiding with you!

God is in control

Today I read Jeremiah 9:1-11:12 and 1 Timothy 5:17-6:12. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 10:13 When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

These two verses have no relation to each other as far as I can see. The verse in Jeremiah just reminded me of the weather yesterday. We had thunder and lightning and rain—“a multitude of waters”—and wind! I am tired of the rain, and I have told God that I am. But I am so thankful that I serve the God who is in control of the rain. And I can be thankful that we have the rain as long as God thinks that is what is best for us. We can’t see the big picture like He can; so if he thinks we need more rain, I bow to His will. I like that the wind comes out of God’s treasures even though sometimes I don’t feel like it is a treasure. But I remember as a child sometimes when the wind would blow, especially on a warm summer day, we would go out and run with our arms spread wide and play in the wind. I can see that wind as being from God’s treasures. And there are lots of people in the world; thankfully, they are not all like me. Different people like different things. If God just did everything to please me, there would be a lot of unhappy people in His world. Thank You, Lord, for doing what is best for all of your creation in Your wisdom and love.

The verse from 1 Timothy reminds us of our duty as children of God. We are not playing a game; we are in a battle with evil powers. By faith, we can “fight the good fight”. We have laid hold on eternal life when we received salvation. Now we must live what we profess before those who are watching our lives—witnesses of what God has done for us. By being obedient to God’s calling, we may have a part in leading many others to lay hold on eternal life. Our God is a powerful God; our God is a good God. Let Him be God.

Speak or be silent?

Today I read Jeremiah 6:24-8:22 and 1 Timothy 4:12-5:16. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 8:14-15 Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD. 15 We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!

1 Timothy 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

Jeremiah speaks to God’s people who have sinned to such an extent that God has put them to silence. He evidently was tired of listening to their lies and excuses. He had patiently told them what He required as their God—they were to serve Him and Him alone; they were to listen to His words and obey His commands. But they were obstinate and disobedient and chose to serve other gods which had no power to help them. The result was that when they wanted to live quiet, peaceful lives, all they found was trouble. They sought health, but it was denied. I can’t help but make a comparison with what I see in our country today—has there ever been so much sickness and disease as we see around us now? There is a great deal of publicity right now about the H1N1 flu; as a blood donor, I am reminded frequently of the impact of AIDS on our society; and it seems that every week we add new cancer victims to our prayer list. We should learn from the past instead of going down the same road of disobedience and destruction. So what can we do? Just what Paul told Timothy! Pay attention, study God’s word, and be a witness. Paul told Timothy that he could save himself and those who hear him. They can’t hear us if we don’t speak up; we must be about God’s business and be vocal about it. Before the final judgment comes, we want to see as many saved as possible—there is much work to be done.

Godliness is profitable

Today I read Jeremiah 4:23-6:23 and 1 Timothy 3:7-4:11. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 6:19 Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.

1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

First, the frivolous—I used to quote the beginning of this verse in Timothy because I hate to exercise, and I could justify my laziness because the Bible says “bodily exercise profiteth little”. Yes, I know that is not the point of the verse.

So on to the serious—it is important that we lead godly lives here and now. We are not saved just so that we can go to heaven when we die, although that is a really good reason to want salvation. The life we are living NOW is important in the eyes of God. God saves us to serve Him and have fellowship with Him NOW. He wants us to influence others so that as many as possible will be saved before it is too late. The words of the prophet Jeremiah were spoken to the people of Judah concerning their failure to obey God, but those same words are relevant today even here in the United States of America. When I read this verse, I couldn’t help remembering all the controversy in recent years over the displaying of the Ten Commandments in schools, court houses, and other “public” locations. We have rejected the law of God; many of our leaders do not want to be reminded of it. Instead of abiding by our constitutional mandate to have freedom of religion, there are many who want us to have freedom FROM Christian influence. God said, “I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts.” Do you know what the fruit of this kind of thinking is? Those who don’t want to be reminded of God’s presence will be denied God’s presence. Can you imagine our country and our world deprived of the presence of God and the influence of godly people? Godliness IS profitable; God’s people must live in obedience to His word. We must sound a warning to those who are lost because they have no hope in this life or in the life to come; they are ETERNALLY lost. We can make a difference—we MUST make a difference!

Pastor Appreciation

Today I read Jeremiah 2:22-4:22 and 1 Timothy 2:1-3:6. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 3:15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

1 Timothy 2:3-4 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Have you prayed for your pastor today? God said in Jeremiah that he gives us pastors according to His heart, and there is no greater love than the love that God has for us in His heart. Think about your pastor right now, and say to yourself, “From God’s heart to me.” How incredible is that?! Fremont Hills Baptist Church is blessed with Pastor Art Hicklin, a man of God who preaches the Word of God in truth and love! I pray for him daily; I hope you do the same for your pastor. These men carry out God’s plan for all of us to gain the knowledge of the truth. That is how people come to be saved—they hear the word and respond to God because of it. And Paul told Timothy “this is good and acceptable”. Now those of us who have been saved and gained knowledge are responsible for sharing the Word of God with others; and sometimes we can begin sharing with the phrase, “Last Sunday our Pastor said . . .” October has a special designation as “Pastor Appreciation Month”, but it is appropriate (good and acceptable) to give your pastor a word of appreciation and encouragement on any day of any month. God bless them!

Glorify God!

Today I read Isaiah 66, Jeremiah 1:1-2:21, and 1 Timothy 1. My favorite verses are:

Jeremiah 2:12-13 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. 13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

1 Timothy 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

What a contrast between the Old Testament and New Testament verses today! Jeremiah is known as the “Weeping Prophet” because it broke his heart to preach the message of judgment to his own people. He wept over the sins they had committed which brought about the judgment from God. The message in the verses I chose for today is very clear: When we sin against God and know that we will be judged by Him, we should “be horribly afraid”. To turn away from the only true, living God to worthless idols, whatever they may be, is insanity. We may think that we are not guilty of such a thing just because we do not have statues or carved images that we bow down to. But be aware that ANYTHING separating you from God is an idol. It may be physical, mental, or emotional—if there is anything that draws you away from serving God or comes between you and God, it is a “broken cistern”. It is a useless thing and a very dangerous thing. If you don’t heed the warning and turn back to God, the judgment and punishment may be much more than you could have imagined—“be horribly afraid”! Turn now to Paul’s advice to Timothy, his “child in the faith”: Give glory to God. Recognize Him as your now and forever King—the ONLY God. We cannot see Him with our eyes or touch Him with our hands, but He is more real than anything else around us. If you do not know Him, seek His salvation today; ask Jesus to forgive you of your sin and save you from judgment. Let God fill you and surround you with His glorious, immortal presence; choose life and peace rather than horrible fear.

We are the clay

Today I read Isaiah 62:7-65:25 and 2 Thessalonians 2:14-3:18. My favorite verses are:

Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, 17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

God made us; God loved us; God gave us consolation, hope, grace, and comfort; God established us when our words and work were good. All that we are, all that we have, and all that we do comes from God our Father. He makes us what He wants us to be and blesses us when we fulfill His plan for our lives. If we choose to go our own way rather than His, there are consequences. It isn’t always something He does to us, but rather what he withholds from us. Life without consolation, hope, grace, and comfort is miserable—I know from experience. Being out of the will of God is the most unhappy existence possible. There may be times of happiness, but they are fleeting; there is no depth of joy as there is when we are in God’s will. Consider your life right now—are you mostly happy or mostly miserable? If the balance is not what you want it to be, seek God’s will for your life and let him restore the joy of your salvation. He is waiting to bless you.

Here Comes the Bride

Today I read Isaiah 58:12-62:6 and 2 Thessalonians 1:5-2:13. My favorite verses are:

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

2 Thessalonians 1:12 That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

What a glorious picture of the wedding and marriage of Christ and His church! The bride must first be clothed with the garments of salvation—a gift from the Bridegroom. Then she is covered with the robe of righteousness—His righteousness making her beautiful. The ornaments and jewels are added as we grow in service to one another. The Bridegroom making us holy—set apart to belong only to Him. The bride keeping herself pure, separated from former sinful behavior, dedicated to the Bridegroom, doing only those things which are pleasing to Him. He is glorified in us and we are glorified in Him as we fulfill vows to love and honor each other within the marriage. And all of this is made possible by the grace of God and his Son Jesus. The bride does not pay for the wedding because the Bridegroom has already paid the price in full by giving Himself to die for us so that we can live forever with Him in glory. If you long to be part of this wedding picture, ask the Bridegroom to give you the gift of salvation so that you can be clothed in the wedding garment!

Pray without ceasing

Today I read Isaiah 54:12-58:11 and 1 Thessalonians 5:12-2 Thessalonians 1:4. My favorite verses are:

Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 19 Quench not the Spirit.

God’s Word is powerful. As we read the Bible and share with others what we have read, God works in us and in them. Reading the Word of God makes it possible for us to rejoice, pray, give thanks, and be anointed by the Spirit. Sometimes in this world, we experience things that take away our joy and thankfulness. We fail to pray, and we quench God’s Spirit. We may be angry with God and stop reading the Bible because we do not want Him to speak to us. But His heart’s desire is to bless his children. When we are tested by circumstances, it is much easier to cope if we stay close to God rather than drawing away from Him. He will restore our joy and hear our prayers. If we truly pray without ceasing—talk to God about everything, big and small—we can be thankful in everything. He will show us, by the power of the Spirit who dwells within us—Who will not be quenched if we are constantly talking to Him—the reason for the trials we face. Some lessons are hard to learn; but I know from experience, they are easier to learn with God than without Him! Let Him speak to your heart today.

God's bare arm

Today I read Isaiah 50:10-54:11 and 1 Thessalonians 4:9-5:11. I find that I want to share several verses from Isaiah. One is very personal to me; it has been nearly a year since my husband died, and this verse spoke to my heart today: Isaiah 54:5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

What a promise that I am never alone!

Then, considering my name which I used for the title of my Blog site, I can’t fail to include verses about the sheep, Isaiah 53:6-7 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

But the verses I really want to comment on as my favorite verses today are:

Isaiah 52:10 The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

1 Thessalonians 5:5-6 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

When I read this verse from Isaiah, I always picture a man rolling up his sleeves to begin working. When God rolls up his sleeves, all the nations will be watching and see the work that God is doing. He is busy saving souls and saving His people from their enemies. As His children, we are of the light, not of the night. We are to be watching for God to roll up His sleeves, and we are to be ready to go to work with Him. He warns us not to sleep; we must not get complacent doing worldly things and fail to be ready when God calls us to His work. Be awake, be watching, be ready to work.

Joy!

Today I read Isaiah 47:10-50:9 and 1 Thessalonians 3:1-4:8. My favorite verses are:

Isaiah 49:13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

1 Thessalonians 3:8-9 For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. 9 For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God.

I love these verses because they are full of joy. We can sing and give thanks to God because of the joy in our lives. But look more closely . . . the joy came after affliction. God had shown mercy and given comfort to his people, and then they were joyful. Even in 1 Thessalonians, it implies that there had been problems by the phrase “if ye stand fast in the Lord”. To stand fast means that you will not be moved or swayed. When problems come, we must cling to the Lord so that we will not be moved away from his presence. If we do so, then we will again have joy. God does not promise that everything will always be good for His children; but he does promise that if we remain faithful, the joy will return. Personally, I have faced a year with trials and heartache; but I have done my best to be faithful to God through it all. And I can testify to His goodness in my life. Today I have the great joy that is spoken of in these verses. God is Good!