Monthly Archives: August 2013

August 21

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Psalms 102, 120, 137; Lamentation 1-2

There is a lot of heartache in these verses we read today. They may have been written after the fall of Jerusalem but I imagine if you have experienced loss or hardships you relate to at least some of what the writers are saying. I know I did.

Have you ever felt God is out to get you? The writer of Lamentations said, “The Lord is like an enemy.” (2:5) How can that even be? Isn’t he the God of love and the giver of good things?

We aren’t fighting the flesh and blood battles Lamentations is talking about. But we can be battling wars as devastating. Depression, unfair treatment, alcoholism, pornography, self-pity. You can add your battle to the list.

And in the midst of that battle we might feel like God is leading the attack. 

Here’s what I believe is true according to Scripture. God created us with the ability to choose. And he wants us to choose him. But if we don’t, he “gives us over” to our choices. And he allows consequences to occur with the purpose of driving us to him.

That’s where he might seem like the enemy. 

We may be suffering because of our own choices or because of the choices of someone else. We may be even suffering because of the simple fact we live in a fallen world. I have a dear friend whose new-born granddaughter is experiencing some serious physical problems. I don’t believe that precious one’s illness is a punishment. But it is a circumstance God can – and wants- to use to draw that family, those friends, and hospital staff, to him.

But if sin is at the root of our battle today, I pray each of us will allow the circumstances do what God intends for them to do – cause us to repent and open the doors to fellowship with him.

I am reminded that God is zealous about your soul. And about mine. He will use any and all means to get our attention. He’s not the enemy. In fact, he wants to be on your side to fight the enemy. 

If your heart is broken today, I pray you will take inventory. If you recognize sin that needs to be confessed, do it. Ask God to forgive you. Trust him. Allow him to fill you with his Presence and give you hope and peace.

If God is for us, who can be against us?

August 20

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Jeremiah 52; Psalms 74, 79, 85

If you don’t read anything else today I hope you’ll take a few minutes and at least read Psalm 85. It really spoke to me today and I’m feeling pretty loved right now. This Psalm was written after the fall of Jerusalem and the capture of over 4,000 Jews. The city and the temple are destroyed. These psalmists are crying out to God to come to their rescue. And I understand that.

But the first three verses of Psalm 85 remind us that God has been faithful since the beginning. He forgives sin and turns from anger when his people repent.

Verses 4-7 contain a plea that God will once again restore his people, that there would be a revival and God would once again grant his salvation. Sounds like a prayer for 2013 to me.

God’s conditions are there in verses 8&9. We need to listen to God, not return to our former way of life, and we need to fear him “that his glory may dwell in us.” God wants to bless us. He misses us when we aren’t walking with him. May we listen and obey and enjoy the blessings that result.

Verses 10-13 thrill me. It’s a picture of our loving Father and his obedient children when love and faithfulness meet together. We the faithful look up and God pours his righteousness down on us. He gives us what is good so that we can produce fruit. And he prepares the way for us. How amazing is that?

I don’t know about you but having read this psalm today I am feeling loved. Yes, I need to keep up my end of the bargain by being obedient. But my heavenly Father lavishes me with blessings beyond imagination when I do. His love. His righteousness. His goodness and Presence, hope, strength… shall I go on?

Is your heart right with God? I pray that it is. And if it is, let him love you today. Look to him and allow him to pour out his blessings on you.

Just take a minute and enjoy it.

 

August 19

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Jeremiah 34:1-22, 39:1-18; 2 Kings 25:1-21; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21

We in America talk a lot about freedom. The United States of America was founded on freedom. Thousands of men and women have fought and died to protect our freedom.

But did you know everyone who has ever lived is given freedom no matter where they are born? Jeremiah 34 tells us about a God-given freedom. It’s the freedom to “fall by the sword, plague and famine.”

Gee, thanks God. Who would choose that?

God has granted all people everywhere the freedom to choose him or reject him. We can acknowledge the God of Creation, accept his Word to be true, or we can deny him and live by our own rules. God is plain to say there are blessings for those who follow him and consequences for those who don’t.

But there is something about freedom that we sometimes overlook. With freedom comes responsibility. We’ve seen freedoms erode here in the US because too many of us have not taken on the responsibility of making sure legislators aren’t chipping away at them. We’ve allowed our freedoms to disappear and have no one to blame but ourselves.

As Christians, we have the responsibility to obey God, to be holy as he is holy, and to share the gospel with everyone. Our freedom to choose God comes with the responsibility to live according to his Word.

Yes, we are free to choose. I pray that no one reading this blog will choose to fall by the sword, plague and famine by choosing to ignore God’s Truth. And I pray that all of us will take responsibility for the freedom we enjoy in Christ by reaching out to others in Jesus’ name so they can enjoy that freedom, too.

Holy God, I thank you for giving the human race the freedom to choose. I thank you that I am not a robot with no ability to choose for myself. Father, I choose you today. Help me to obey you. Give me the ability to share your Truth with someone today. I pray that my loved ones will choose that Truth. May my life stand apart as one who loves and obeys the One True God. And may I recognize that, as wonderful as the freedom I enjoy in Jesus, I have a responsibility to obey you. May you find me faithful.

August 18

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Ezekiel 31:1-18; Jeremiah 32:1-33:26

The Old Testament Jews probably dreaded it when Jeremiah received another prophecy from God. Usually it was about God’s displeasure and the devastation that was coming because of their disobedience. But I have to think they welcomed what they heard in Jeremiah 33.

God is promising the Jews peace and prosperity. He is telling them they’ll get their city back, bigger and better than before. I can almost see the wives pouring over the latest Lowes catalog and picking out new granite countertops for the kitchens they were going to remodel when the money started rolling in.

But what is it that God is promising? History tells us the city of Jerusalem did regain prosperity. It was a seat of government and commerce. But when God promised a righteous Branch from David’s line he was not talking about a flesh and blood king. When he said Judah would be saved and Jerusalem would live in safety he was not promising the absence of war.

And when he promised a descendant of David’s would sit on the throne forever, he was not talking about a human king. 

Let’s not try to put these prophecies into a material box. The truth here is so much bigger. When history has played out according to prophecy, it was done for one reason… to demonstrate the spiritual truth, to show the world God is who he says he is.

God’s goal in telling the Jews what was ahead was not so they could plan how to spend their money. God’s goal in telling the Jews the future was so that when the future panned out the way God said, all people would recognize God as the One True God and be drawn to him. 

We know the Jews were still looking forward to having that human king take over the world when Jesus came on the scene. Some of them are still looking for that. But God’s kingdom is so much bigger. 

I believe every word in the Bible is true. And if we try to interpret these verses materially only, we miss out on the real message here. Let’s not spend so much time looking at the signs. Let’s look at the goal, accepting God for who he is and his Son as our Savior.

Jesus is on the throne. Forever. With him is peace. With him we have everything we need, more than we can ask for. We have God himself living in us!

Amen.

August 17

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Ezekiel 25:1-17, 29:1-16, 30:20-26; Jeremiah 37:1-38:28

King Zedekiah and the people of Judah paid no attention to the words of the Lord. Jeremiah had been telling them they needed to repent of their sins or disaster was coming. Nowhere do I read that Zedekiah repented but he sent a message to Jeremiah –  “Please pray to the Lord our God for us.”

Zedekiah didn’t want to experience God’s wrath but he didn’t want to obey God, either. So he must have figured if Jeremiah prayed for them, God would listen and they’d escape the trouble ahead.

If you are a Christian I imagine you’ve had more than one person ask you to pray for them. When your unsaved friends face disease or financial hardships or broken relationships, do they come to you and ask you to go to God on their behalf? They may even say “Pray for me” with a chuckle, like you have direct access to a celestial genie who can twitch his nose and make everything better.

I’m not telling you not to pray. But may I caution you how to pray? Remember God is undoubtedly using this hardship in your friend’s life to draw that friend to Jesus because, obviously, he or she hasn’t gone to the Lord in good times. Rather than praying for healing or success or relief, maybe we should pray that the Holy Spirit will find fertile ground through this hardship and drive our friend to his knees in repentance. 

The next time someone asks you to pray for them, I challenge you to let them know that, yes you will pray. But that you will pray that God will reveal himself through this challenge, that your friend will know the joy of sins forgiven, and that God’s will will be accomplished in the midst of the hardship. Let them know you will also pray that the disease will be healed or the money will come or emotional healing will occur if that is what God wants for them.

I do think we need to let our unsaved friends know how we are praying so that they will recognize God’s hand in their lives. Remember God wants to reveal himself to them and is working zealously for that to happen in every circumstance of life. If our friends come to us because they know we know God, let’s be sure to tell them how they can know him, too.

After all, that is the most important thing in life, more than health or wealth or a happy home. 

August 16

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Ezekiel 23:1-24:27, Jeremiah 21:1-14

So many times in the Old Testament God used the day to day lives of people to paint a spiritual picture. Take Ezekiel for example. God told Ezekiel he was about to lose the delight of his eyes but he was not to “lament or weep or shed any tears.” Then Ezekiel’s wife died, and he did what he had been told.

Why? Why would God ask him to groan quietly and not mourn for her? The point here seems to be the lasting result of living in sin. God warns that even losing things we once held dear doesn’t effect us the way it would have in the past.

I look at our society here in the US. Our children have lost their innocence, something our parents once held dear. Maybe we shake our heads when we hear of 13 year old moms or listen to the words of songs our eight year olds are listening to. But have we ourselves become accustomed to living in this sinful world to the point where we have become desensitized? 

Personally, I can watch something on TV today that would have shocked and saddened me a decade ago. And today I hardly give it a thought. I don’t like that in me. And I’m pretty sure God doesn’t like it, either.

Ezekiel warned Israel that they would waste away because of their sin. Is that what’s happening to the church?

I pray that we will not allow sin to become “no big deal”. May we recognize sin when we see it and stand up for what is right. We serve a holy God who demands holiness of us.

How are we doing?

August 15

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Ezekiel 20:30-22:31

When you read Ezekiel you just can’t deny that God hates sin. Not only that but God punishes sinners. And everything he does is intended to show himself to the world as the One and Only God, the God to be feared and obeyed.

You know there can be only one Truth, right? Either God is who he says he is or all religions are true. You can’t have it both ways. Christianity can’t be one of many avenues to God. Nothing in the Bible even suggests that possibility.

So once again God is asking me if I really believe that. And if I do (which I do) then what am I going to do about it? Because the One True God who hates sin and will punish sin, loves sinners. He is not willing that any should perish or have to endure his wrath. He wants everyone to come to him through the precious blood of his Son Jesus. And he wants those of us who know him to allow ourselves to be used by him to draw others to the salvation he provides.

Let’s determine to live in obedience. The One True God is the God to fear. But he’s also the God who took on himself his own wrath so that we can walk with him as sons and daughters. Let’s enlarge our family today as we share God’s Truth with our loved ones, our neighbors and friends.

Father, may your people obey you today. May we put aside doubt or insecurities and share your Truth with boldness and love. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one can get to you any other way except through Him. Help us to recognize that Christianity is as inclusive as it can be because you so loved the entire world you gave your son that whoever believes, no exceptions, will have eternal life. Show us where to go today and who is ready to hear your Truth. And may you find us faithful.

August 14

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Ezekiel 17:1-20:29

I was raised in a Christian family. My mom was raised in a Christian family. I went to church three times a week and I had Christian friends. Went to a Christian college. Got involved in a Christian church and have pretty much lived a Christian life-style (some years I was better at that than others).

Being surrounded by believers my whole life has been a blessing I don’t take lightly. But in the end, God won’t look at the way I was raised or the people I held dear in this life time.

My dad was not raised in a Christian family. In fact, their life style was just about as ungodly as it could be. Dad came to know the Lord late in life. And when my dad died last September and met Jesus face to face, God did not read a list of the sins his family had committed. Dad was not required to account for his dad’s drunkenness or his grandfather’s unfaithfulness. 

Every one of us will face eternity based on what we did with Jesus in this life time. I won’t get a free pass because I was raised going to church and praying over meals. Dad won’t get a seat in the back because he wasn’t.

None of us will be able to point a finger at parents who raised us badly or people who have wronged us as an excuse why our walk with God wasn’t all it should have been. There won’t be an excuse if you were raised not going to church or if your parents took you to a church that didn’t claim the Truth of Scripture.

The question will be… do you know Christ as your Savior? Period. No excuses. No explanations. No exceptions. 

I pray that you have accepted Jesus’ work on the cross as your own. I pray that you value your relationship with him, that you talk to him, read his love letter to you. I pray that you are an obedient child of the King.

Because one day you will meet Jesus face to face. When you look into his eyes I pray you will see Someone who knows you personally and intimately. The love will be there. Ezekiel tells us God loves even those who don’t love him. But eternity with him is reserved for those who have decided for themselves to accept him.

Loving Father, I thank you for my family, for those who cleared the path for me to know you. I pray for those whose journey hasn’t been as smooth. But help us all grasp the importance of making a personal decision to follow you, to believe in Jesus and accept his provision of forgiveness. May we really understand that we are accountable for ourselves before a holy God. May we choose Jesus.

August 13

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Ezekiel 14-16

When I was reading about how God adorned the nation of Israel with jewels and beautiful clothes, when he fed them with fine flour, honey, and olive oil, when he washed them and protected them, I thought, “Wow! That’s what he’s done for me!”

He washed me with his blood, clothed me with his righteousness, set a crown of life on my head, and protects me, too.

But then I read on. Israel took what God had given her and turned it into something detestable. She trusted in her own beauty, became comfortable in God’s provisions, and prostituted herself. Worse than a prostitute, she paid others to be with her.

I am convicted today. What have I done, really, with the things God has given me? How have I used his salvation? How do I wear his righteousness? Am I so comfortable in the knowledge of my redemption I think I can do what I want and still be ok? Have I convinced myself that God loves me so he must accept me for who I am?

If that describes me I am the vilest of prostitutes. And Ezekiel reminds us what God thinks about that.

Father in Heaven, forgive me when I take you for granted. Forgive me when I squander away your provisions. May I remember what it cost Jesus to provide me with cleansing, forgiveness, eternal life. May I hold those things dear, use them the way they were intended to be used, and may I be grateful for the privilege of being your child. May you be honored through my life today.

August 12

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Ezekiel 10-13

God had a lot to say about false prophets in Ezekiel’s vision. He calls them foolish and liars and says very plainly that he is against them. They may claim to have had a word from God, they may “whitewash” their message but the reality is they’re dressing up a flimsy wall that will come crashing down in the wind. Their lies just can’t stand up to the truth of Scripture.

Once again God is challenging me to identify what it is that I believe. Maybe it would do us all some good to sit down and define where we stand on the subjects of sin, of Jesus, of the accuracy of Scripture, of creation, of other religions, salvation, grace. 

There are false prophets yet today. There are luke-warm theologies. There is a politically correct version of the Bible. We need to know what we believe and why we believe it so that we don’t fall for Christian-sounding words straight from the mouths of Satan’s servants. 

My heart’s desire is that each of us would spend time in God’s Word, reading it for ourselves, praying over it and meditating on it, memorizing it, and talking about it. May we hold on to the truth as revealed in its pages so that we can recognize and reject Satan’s attempt to deceive us.

Please remember God is against false prophets and, in turn, those who follow them. Don’t let that be you.