Monthly Archives: August 2016

August 8 – Shoulder To Shoulder

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Zephaniah

Zephaniah is another prophet who brings bad news. He tells us what happens to God’s enemies, including His own children who reject Him. It’s not good.

But 3:8-11 offer hope. God’s wrath is poured out on the earth, and then He will purify our lips so we can call on the Name of the Lord, and serve him shoulder to shoulder. I like that picture.

I’d like to think we can put aside our differences, our programs, our worship styles, Calvanism or Armenianism, denominational differences, and stand shoulder to shoulder to fight for the cause of Christ.

Is Jesus God? Is sin a death sentence? Is the cross the only means of salvation? If you believe that, then I don’t care what you think about speaking in tongues, or if you lead a praise team, or play the organ for the singing of hymns. Stand with me and proclaim the Gospel, stand up for the Truth of Scripture, serve God like He deserves.

The Church is not dead yet. Let’s face our enemy, Satan, standing shoulder to shoulder, and let God use our united front for His glory.

August 7 – Making It Personal

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2 Kings 22-23; 2 Chronicles 34-35

Josiah was young when he became king. His dad, the king before him, was evil. But somewhere along the way Josiah had leaned about God. So, after he’d been king for eight years, at the ripe old age of 16, he began to clean house. He purged Judah and Jerusalem of the high places where false gods were worshiped, he tore down the altars of Baal, got rid of the carved images. And he ordered that the temple be cleaned out and repaired.

“He did right in the sight of the Lord.”

When cleaning out the temple, someone found the written word of God, and took it to the king. Here’s what spoke to me today: Josiah had it read to him, then when he heard the law, the young king tore his clothes. Up to that point Josiah had been doing what he’d been taught was right. Now it was personal.

I think too many of us are satisfied hearing what the preacher says on Sunday, our knowledge of God’s Word comes from someone else’s encounter with God. And most of the time we are busy doing good things like serving as ushers or greeters, singing in the choir or taking a turn in the nursery.

Josiah reminds me how important it is for all of us to read God’s Word for ourselves. We can be busy doing good things, but until we make it personal, we aren’t the effective workers God deserves.

God deserves people who have had a personal encounter with Him, who have repented of sin and accepted His grace. He deserves more than people just doing good things. He deserves workers who serve Him out of grateful hearts, devoted to Him out of love.

I want to read God’s Word for myself and let Him speak to me about my own heart’s condition. May my relationship with God be personal, and my service a natural outpouring of love for Him.

August 6 – God’s Anger

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Nahum

Nahum begins his oracle by telling us how jealous, vengeful, and angry God is. Nothing PC about that these days when we’d rather talk about God’s love. Nahum tells us the Lord “will by no means leave the guilty go unpunished.” (1:3)

Some of us, when we hear that think, “Good! ISIS will get what they deserve. Homosexuals, atheists, Michigan fans (ok, it’s a joke. I’m from Ohio and it’s almost football season) will get what’s coming to them. I hope they suffer!”

But God is talking about you, too. He won’t let any of YOUR sins go unpunished, either. But, you say, “I’m not a terrorist, haven’t committed adultery or stolen anything big. I’m a nice guy, a good neighbor, a church goer.” That may be well and good. Except for the fact that the Bible says ALL have sinned, ALL have fallen short of God’s standard of holiness. And, dear one, you are included in ALL.

You have sinned. That makes you guilty. And God has said more than once that He will not let the guilty go unpunished. sin=guilt=punishment.

Period.

Scripture tells us that Jesus felt the extent of God’s wrath, He took on Himself God’s vengeance, and went willingly to the cross to take your punishment because YOU ARE GUILTY. God was angry at YOU for the sins you commit. But He took His anger out on His guiltless Son instead.

Oh, you don’t have to accept His forgiveness. (Not sure why you’d want to face God’s wrath on your own, though) But rest assured that your sins demand God’s wrath. Your sins.

My prayer is that you’ll accept what Jesus did for you when He felt the pain of the Father’s anger toward you. There is no reason why you need to feel that anguish or pay that price when it’s already been done for you. And all you have to do is ask God to forgive you, to repent and let God change you.

He will. And then, instead of His anger, you’ll really understand His love!

August 5 – Repentance

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2 Chronicles 32-33

In church-speak you often hear that we are told to “repent.” But what does that mean, really? Is it an admission of guilt? An apology? A feeling of regret? Those certainly are facets of repentance. True repentance goes further than that, however.

There is a picture of repentance here in 2 Chronicles. Manasseh is a good example of what it means to repent.

He was an evil king, a worshiper of false gods, a king who practiced divination and consulted mediums and spiritists. He even was brazen enough to erect idols right inside the house of God. They don’t come much worse than old Manasseh.

But Manasseh eventually humbled himself “greatly” before God. Manasseh prayed, and God forgave him.

Now here’s where the picture of repentance comes in. Manasseh changed. He removed the foreign gods from the temple, took down the altars he’d built, and set up the altar of the Lord for sacrifices to the only True God. He ordered the people of Judah to serve God, too.

Scripture tells us often to repent. Manasseh’s story demonstrates that no one is too evil for God to forgive if that heart is willing to change. A repentant person doesn’t look the same as he did before, doesn’t go to the same places, laugh at the same dirty jokes, doesn’t disrespect God’s Name, or treat others dishonestly. A repentant heart looks like Jesus.

Two things I take away from Manasseh’s example today: 1. no one is too far gone for God to forgive, and 2. people can change, and do change, when they give their lives to God.

August 4 – Your Children’s Children

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2 Kings 20-21

Every time I read this account of the life of King Hezekiah, I get angry. Why God answered his prayers I don’t know. When God promised to heal the king in three days, Hezekiah asked for a sign. He couldn’t wait three days? Then, when God told Hezekiah that because he had sinned, Babylon would defeat the nation, steal everything Hezekiah had worked for, and capture Hezekiah’s sons, Hezekiah thought, “Is it not so, if there will be peace and truth in my days?”

Yes, Hezekiah your life will be just fine. It’s your children and your children’s children who will realize the consequences for your sin. Happy?

I know Hezekiah did a lot of good while he was king. I just happen to think he ended badly. And his son, Manasseh brought back idol worship when he became king. In fact, under Manasseh’s reign the Jews acted worse than the heathen nations around them.

Then when Hezekiah’s grandson Amon became king, he continued where Manasseh left off. Quite a downward spiral that began, I believe, with Hezekiah’s self-serving attitude.

Just wondering, parents, what is it your children are learning from you? Obedience? Worship? Self-sacrifice? Integrity? Compassion? Love of Scripture? The fear of God?

You may be doing alright in your personal walk with the Lord. But what about the dear ones who are following you? Are you preparing them to know God, to love and serve Him? Or are you satisfied knowing you’re ok, and let them fend for themselves?

I think you know how I’m praying.

August 3 – The Flip Side

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Isaiah 64-66

The books of prophesy contain so much hope for God’s people. Christian, there is joy ahead. There is peace. Our longings met, and our hunger and thirst satisfied. We won’t be haunted by memories of past mistakes. We’ll enjoy a new heaven and a new earth forever in God’s Presence. The reality is beyond our imagination.

But the flip side of that coin is so much worse than we can imagine. God, through Isaiah, is talking about the redeemed who “will go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed Me. For their worm will not die, and their fire will not be quenched; and they will be an abhorrent to all mankind.” (66:24)

That’s hell. A fire of regret and agony caused by memories of missed opportunities. A thirst that can never be satisfied, knowing for eternity that you are the lowest of the low, abhorrent, disgusting, defeated, wrong. And the worst part of that is that you will truly be separated from God with no hope of ever seeing the light again.

Ever.

If you know Jesus as your Savior, rest assured you have a glorious future ahead of you. If you haven’t accepted Jesus, the flip side of that truth should scare you out of your mind.

August 2 – When God’s Not Listening

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Isaiah 59-63

Have you ever felt your prayers aren’t getting any higher than the ceiling, that God is too busy to hear your requests, or that God was unable to give you the desires of your heart? There might be a reason for that.

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. (59:1-2)

If you think God is ignoring you, you may be right.

Your unconfessed sin drives a wedge between you and God, it produces a distance caused by you. God doesn’t owe you anything. You, on the other hand, owe Him everything.

If God seems far away, or uncaring, remember “YOUR iniquities have made a separation… YOUR sins have hidden His face…”

I know that God delights in fellowship with His children. He’s there. He’s waiting. He’s eager to forgive. If you are feeling the distance between you, ask yourself if there is something you need to confess.

I promise you, He’ll be listening.

August 1 – Vindication

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Isaiah 54-58

Sometimes I think we read passages like these in Isaiah and forget that God’s ultimate plan is not the downfall of a disobedient USA, or the rise of the Jewish nation, but rather the end of the spiritual battle between God and Satan. I read how God promises to vindicate His people, to condemn accusers, to defeat the enemy, to establish His people in righteousness, and I realize He’s talking about something greater than planet Earth.

The ultimate vindication is when all of God’s enemies will bow before Him and admit He is who He says He is. Everything that happens up to that point happens in preparation of that great day. God wins. Satan is defeated. We who belong to God will see our accusers admit that they were wrong.

“No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord. (54:7)

Vindication. Eternity. Done.

July 31 – Really Good News

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Isaiah 49-53

How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace, and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” (52:7)

So many people want to limit the Good News to peace or happiness. Peace and happiness are certainly contained in the Good News. But the really good Good News is salvation, and the knowledge that Our God Reigns!

I hope you read Isaiah 53 today. It’s an amazing account of what Jesus did while in a human body here on earth. And it was written by Isaiah a long… LONG time before Jesus was born.

Every time I read this chapter I am blown away by it’s accuracy. If you ever had doubt that Jesus is who He said He is, read Isaiah 53 and ask yourself who but God could fulfill every detail.

Thank You God, for telling us in advance what Jesus did. And thank You Jesus, for going to the cross, for being despised and rejected, for being lied about and spit upon, for dying like a common criminal, yet being totally innocent, for pouring Yourself out to death – for me. You bore my sins. You carried my sorrows. And because You did – I live. There can be no doubt. You are God. You are MY God. And my God reigns! That’s really good news!

July 30 – And We Will Be Saved

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2 Kings 18:9-19-37; Psalms 46, 80, 135

O Lord God of hosts, how long will You be angry with the prayers of Your people? (Psalm 80:4)

The psalmist goes on to say that God’s people have experienced hardship and grief, they’ve become objects of contention to their neighbors, and laughed at by their enemies. Then the psalmist says,

O God of hosts, restore us and cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved. (verse 7, emphasis mine)

Do my prayers anger God? Do I pray out of selfishness, or pride, greed, or laziness? I am reminded of the great responsibility we who are God’s children have. If we want our nation, and our world saved – we’d better learn to pray.