Monthly Archives: July 2013

July 11

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Psalms 87, 125; Isaiah 1:1-4:6

“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

This beautiful verse has been an encouragement to me more than once over the years. But I didn’t realize until today that the verse actually begins with, “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord”.

Let’s think about this, God says. The first 17 verses of this chapter talk about God’s frustrations – his loathing – for religion. He’s sick of their sacrifices and hates their religious festivals. They follow God’s instructions for these things to the letter but their hearts are full of sin.

They put on a good show. But God is not fooled.

Verses 19&20 remind us that if we are willing (which involves a conscious choice) and obedient (which involves more than just going to church), then we will be blessed. It goes on to remind us that if we resist (which also involves a choice) and rebel (which comes from the heart), we will suffer the consequences.

So yes, God promises to forgive sin and wipe the slate clean with Jesus’ blood.

IF

Once again God makes it plain that he’s got conditions. Good people, religious people will go to hell unless they accept Jesus as their Savior. There is no other way to the Father.

Let’s be reasonable about our beliefs. Let’s make a conscious, informed choice to follow God today, to repent of sin and accept forgiveness through his Son. God hates it when we just go through the motions.

Dear God, I pray that your children will come to you in Spirit and Truth, that we will choose Jesus and accept his work on the cross in a purposeful, meaningful way. Help us not to follow you blindly, but reasonably and honestly. May our actions reflect our heart’s relationship with you. Bless us and make us a blessing to someone who needs you today.

July 10

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Psalms 75, 76, 77, 80

Have you ever had a bad day? I mean a really, really bad day – or week – or year when nothing goes right, when your heart is broken, when you lose hope?

The writer of the 77th Psalm was in distress. His soul refused to be comforted. He cried out to God in anguish. He groaned. He was too troubled to speak.

But he didn’t allow himself to stay there. Look at 77:5:

“I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night.”

Then in 11&12 he says:

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.”

Then he goes on to do just that.

Satan would have us live defeated. Let’s not give him even one minute. I think the psalmist had the right idea. Instead of dwelling on all the reasons you have to be distressed, try thinking about all the ways you are blessed. Starting with Jesus’ work on the cross on your behalf. Consider the ways you have seen God work in your life instead of continuing to agonize over whatever is troubling you.

I’m not saying it’s wrong to hurt when bad things happen. Jesus wept when his friend Lazarus died. I’m just suggesting with the psalmist that counting your blessings goes a long way to defeating Satan’s attempt to steal your joy.

Father in Heaven, some of us are hurting. Some of us have reason to be distressed and downhearted. We give you our grief, our fears, our anguish. Help us to praise you, to remember how blessed we are in spite of what is troubling us. Help us not to dwell on the problems we face, but to look upon you our Savior, our Healer, our Shepherd, our King, our Friend, Almighty God who has the power to help us through the darkest days and who promises to go with us every step of the way. May we who go to you with broken hearts, know the strength that comes from you and the joy that comes from praising you.

July 9

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2 Kings 18:13-19:37; 2 Chronicles 32:1-23

Sennacherib found out the God of the Bible is not like other gods after all. He tried to bully Hezekiah and the Jewish people into joining him, bragging how powerful he was and how many nations he had destroyed. But Hezekiah prayed and God encouraged him to stand strong. 

In the end, the Assyrians were defeated, destroyed by God, and the Jews didn’t have to lift a finger.

As I read these chapters today I was reminded that there are Sennacheribs yet today. There are people who would bully Christians to come over to their side. Christians are called terrorists by our own government. We are called haters by the media when we voice the truth about homosexuality or adultery or greed. Christians are made fun of if we don’t party, if we don’t go to a ball game played during church on Sunday.

Let’s face it. Taking a stand for Jesus isn’t as easy as it used to be here in the good old USA.

But let’s be encouraged today by Hezekiah’s story. He laid it all out before the Lord in prayer. Then with confidence, Hezekiah told the people to be strong and courageous. There is a greater power with us, he reminded them, than with the enemy. We have God on our side and no one… not Satan himself… can stand against him.

My  prayer for us today is that we will all stand strong. May we stand for the truth in love. May we not back down because someone who seems to have power threatens us. Whether it be a government official, a boss, or a neighbor, let’s not allow ourselves to be bullied. Remember, God is greater than anything Satan can throw at us.

I wish I could promise an outcome like the Jews experienced in Hezekiah’s time. They got their victory before they had to go to battle. But standing strong could mean being willing to suffer for the Name. It’s true in some parts of our world and we can’t assume it can’t happen to us.

Be encouraged. Be strong. Remember that as a believer in the Lord Jesus, you have the God of creation on your side. Don’t let anyone bully you out of holding on to him, on holding on to the Truth of Scripture.

July 8

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Micah 4:1-7:20

“In the last days”, Micah says. There is a lot of speculation as to what those last days entail. Some people have devoted countless hours studying and calculating the details of “the last days”. Did God throw us a tidbit of information, a clue to some great mystery? Whether we are talking about Isaiah or Micah or Revelation, is there a hidden message that only a few are able to understand? And if that is true – whose message is the right one in light of the many theories out there?

What is God hiding? I believe the answer is, nothing. Our God wants us to know him. He has laid out his plan, explained himself, shown himself to be true. I don’t believe he would change his MO about “the last days.”

Yesterday my pastor pointed us to the Scripture that says a day is like a thousand years to the Lord. So it’s been like two days since Jesus went to the cross. We are bound by time. God is not. We are in the last days. But so was Paul. So was my grandfather who died in 1966.

Here’s what I believe God wants us to know. Life is hard. Evil exists. There are consequences for rejecting God. The temptation to sin will be with us every day we walk this earth. We will experience times of victory and times of defeat. We will know hunger and thirst for God when we don’t walk with him. We have a Savior in the person of Jesus Christ. Forgiveness is ours for the asking. And until God returns, he will use every means possible to draw all men to himself.

The pictures the prophets paint concerning the last days are not meant to hold a key to a mystery. They are written to encourage us, get our attention, point us to Jesus, and remind us that God is still on the throne and one day, we’ll be in his presence for the rest of eternity. I can’t get caught up in the details someone has interpreted from Scripture, which may or may not happen. 

Jesus is coming again. That’s really all I need to know. Because when he does, I want to be counted with the redeemed. I want my family and friends to be counted, too. I want to meet Jesus surrounded by many who are there because I was faithful.

Dear God, you have given me another day. May I use it to honor you, to reach out to someone who needs you, to represent you in everything I do and say. And if you come back today, may I be ready. May you find me busy sowing and reaping, sharing you with others, being the woman you intend for me to be. May Jesus be glorified.

July 7

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Isaiah 22:1-23:18; 2 Kings 18:7b-8; Micah 1:8-3:12

Don’t God’s words do good to him whose ways are upright? (Micah 2:7b) Isn’t it true that when our hearts are right with the Lord, reading the Bible brings comfort and hope? It’s also true that reading the Word brings conviction and grief when we aren’t obeying him.

The answer to that for some is – so don’t read it. Don’t go to church if the preacher’s sermon on sin makes you feel bad. 

Micah’s words for us today concern those who wear the name ‘Christian’ like a good-luck charm. They think they can live according to their own rules and God will bless them because they say they are Christians.

Micah 3:8-12 says they despise justice, distort what is right, are wicked, accept bribes, “yet they lean upon the Lord and say, ‘Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us.'”

Really?

Saying you’re a Christian doesn’t make it so. Going to church, tithing, teaching Sunday School or even pastoring a church doesn’t make you a Christian.

Read God’s Word. His requirements for wearing his Name are there. But be warned. If you read the Bible, the words might convict you and drive you to your knees. Reading the Word just might make you feel bad about yourself. Didn’t Paul call himself a wretched man when face to face with his own sin?

Christianity is not a “feel good” religion. It’s not even a “do good” religion as much as it is a “be holy” relationship with a holy God. The good news is, through Jesus Christ our Lord we can enjoy that relationship! And when we are in that right relationship with God, his blessings include love, joy, peace that passes human understanding.

Are you a Christian? Really? I pray that is true for each of us today. Wear Christ’s name proudly and remember who it is you represent. Remember what it cost Jesus to give you that name. 

Holy God, I pray that we who call ourselves Christian will be Christians from the inside out. Search us today, Lord. Point out those sins we need to confess. May our hearts be yours through Jesus’ blood. Thank you for the privilege of wearing your Name.

July 6

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2 Chronicles 31:2-21; Isaiah 18:1-21:17

I wonder what the Jews thought when they heard that Egyptians and Assyrians would worship God, that he would accept them as his own and bless them for their obedience. I can’t think it made them happy.

But as a non-Jew, it makes me happy. God, through the prophet Isaiah, is laying the groundwork for the church. Egyptians and Assyrians, non-Jews, will worship God together. They will make vows to God and keep them. God will protect them and call them his people right along with Jewish believers. No longer a matter of circumcision, but a matter of acknowledging God.

I thank God for his church today. For Jewish believers, American believers, German, Chinese, Iraqi, Russian believers. And I am burdened for those saints in countries where their lives are threatened because of their belief.

We in America don’t know what many Christians around the world know. It’s easy for us to sit in our comfortable pews and forget that there are brothers and sisters who live in real danger today, who suffer unspeakable torture for the Name. And our news agencies have made it easy for us to ignore it by their lack of coverage.

Let’s pray for the worldwide church. Let’s ask God what he would have us do on behalf of those believers who have no voice in their countries. Isaiah tells us Christianity is no longer just a Jewish religion and it is certainly not just an American religion. May we have a heart for our brothers and sisters all over the world.

God, I thank you that your kingdom is spiritual, that I don’t have to have Jewish blood in my veins to be your child. I thank you for Jesus whom you sent to save the world. Forgive us if we live in this little bubble and enjoy our freedom in the USA without remembering there are millions of your people in this world today who don’t have what we have, who fear for their lives because of their decision to follow you. Have mercy, Father. What would you have us do, Lord? May you find us faithful. May you find us willing to obey.

July 5

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2 Chronicles 29:3-31:1; Psalms 66&67

Hezekiah was determined to follow God. And many Jews were ready and eager to follow Hezekiah. They worked together to consecrate the temple and got it done in only sixteen days. They got rid of anything that had been used in the worship of false gods.

Then Hezekiah invited the nation to join him to celebrate the Passover. Jews came to Jerusalem from all over the land. In fact, so many people came with animals to be sacrificed that there weren’t enough consecrated priests to handle them all. So Hezekiah prayed that God would “pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God” even if they weren’t clean according to the law.

And God answered Hezekiah’s prayer.

Isn’t that exciting? Do you see yourself in this picture? God allowed the Old Testament Jews a glimpse at what was to come. We no longer need to go through a physical cleansing in order to go to God. We don’t need to be a better person for God to want to forgive us.

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Psalm 66:18-20 says, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!”

That’s all it takes. Repent of sin. Pray. Let God do the cleaning up after you give him your heart. Jesus is ready and willing to cover your sins with his precious blood and make you clean. 

Let’s set our hearts on seeking God today.

Gracious Father, thank you once again for your written Word. It’s so amazing to read it and see the beautiful pictures you paint of your Truth. Thank you that there are no rituals we need to perform in order for you to hear us. Thank you for prayer. Thank you for access to your Presence through Jesus. May we be seekers of You today and every day.

July 4

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Isaiah 13:1-16:14

I have to admit I don’t know Jewish history. But I know that every word God gave Isaiah is true. The flesh and blood nation of Israel was heading for trouble. The surrounding nations were going to find out what rejecting God would cost them, too. The Moabites, Philistines, Assyrians, the Babylonians were given notice along with the Jews.

But every once in a while Isaiah throws out a little hope. “The Lord has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.” And “In love a throne will be established…”

Yes, God cannot tolerate sin and the consequences are devastating. But God continues to remind us that he is our refuge. He is our hope. 

As we read Isaiah together let’s not lose our focus. It’s not so much about material events that either occurred hundreds of years before Christ or those that some believe will occur in the future. The focus needs to be on what is happening in my heart and life right now in 2013. What would God say to me about sin, obedience, purity and holiness?

May he find our hearts open to what he would say through the pages of his written Word today.

P.S. Have a safe and happy Independence Day. And for those of you who don’t live in the USA, grill a hotdog and light a sparkler or two with us!

July 3

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2 Kings 17:3-23, 18:9-12, 17:24-41, 16:19-20, 18:1-2; Isaiah 5:1-30, 2 Chronicles 28:26-27, 29:1; 1 Chronicles 4:34-43

They couldn’t keep the Promised Land. The Jewish people had been given such an amazing gift but they squandered it away. God’s condition for living in Canaan was to worship him only. They didn’t do that and God removed his protection and blessing and the Jews lost the land.

God won’t make us worship him. He didn’t create strings on us that he could manipulate to make us do what he asks. He created us with the ability to choose and he wants us to choose him.

He’s very clear about the consequences that come from rejecting him. And the nation of Israel’s example here in the Old Testament shows us what happens when we try to live with one foot in the Truth and the other in the world.

Making it personal, I bet you can identify times of God’s blessings of peace and joy and equate them with your choice to follow him. And you can probably identify times of struggle when you tried to hold on to a sin and worship God, too. I have experienced both.

Our spiritual Promised Land of forgiveness, love, hope, faith, joy was given to us when we accepted Jesus as our Savior. It’s where God wants us to live. But living there requires a daily choice to obey him. It takes a conscious walk with the Lord, communication, a willingness to deny self and be the people God would have us be.

May you walk with God today and know the blessing that comes from living in the Promised Land.

July 2

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Hosea 10-14; Micah 1:1-7

The nation of Israel really was just a group of individuals. Tall people, short people, thin people, fat people, weak people, strong people, nice people and jerks. So when Hosea is sharing what God said to the nation he is sharing what God said to this person and that one.

I am reminded that the church is the spiritual nation of Israel. And the church is really just one person after another. Hosea is telling the Old Testament nation of Israel and the New Testament church that God is not happy when we forget him. Consequences occur and will continue to worsen as long as we get further from the Truth of Scripture.

But God wants to redeem us. “I will ransom them from the power of the grave.”

Have you drifted away from God? Do you recognize sin in your life? Let God tell you what he longs for.

Read Hosea 14 and substitute your name for Israel. “Return, Connie, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall… I will heal Connie’s waywardness and love her freely, for my anger has turned away from her…”

Remember what God said to the Old Testament nation of Israel he says to us today. He longs for each of us to have a right relationship with him.

What are we waiting for?