Monthly Archives: September 2024

I’m Excited

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The Gospels

Every time I start reading the Gospels I get excited. After nine months of reading the Old Testament, I finally arrive at what the prophets, the Law, even the lives of the Jewish people pointed me toward – Jesus!

As hard as it is to read parts of the Old Testament, I still love it. I love looking for pictures of Jesus in the day-to-day lives of the Jews, through the words of the prophets, and the poets. I think it’s an amazing part of the Bible and there is something to learn on every page. It provides the backdrop and helps us understand the significance of what we are about to read in the New Testament. – Jesus!

The fulfillment of every word from Genesis to Malachi – Jesus!

I love reading the Old Testament. But I can’t help but get excited when I turn the page to the New. What a privilege it is to get to know my Savior through the eyes of people who knew Him!

I pray that God will open my eyes, draw me closer, challenge, convict, strengthen me, and reveal Himself a bit more as I spend the next three months in the New Testament.

I’m excited!

You Matter

Nehemiah 11-12; 1 Chronicles 9

I have to admit I skimmed over many of the names listed here this morning. Yet I know God inspired that list for a reason. None of these men would be remembered otherwise.

They weren’t all priests. None of them were kings. They weren’t prophets or poets. So why are they listed in Scripture, along with the menial jobs some of them had?

I think God wants us to know He sees each of us. We’re not all preachers or presidents. We’re not all soloists or song writers. Most of us aren’t known outside our churches, and many of us serve in ways not even our church family knows.

But all of us are important in the ministry. God wants us to know He sees our obedience – and it matters!

You matter.

So if you hold babies in the nursery so moms and dads can go to worship without distraction, if you pull weeds or clean toilets, God sees. If you sing in the choir, visit shut-ins, send cards, or get on your knees in the privacy of your own home and pray, God sees. What you do matters to God.

You matter.

What If We Obeyed?

Zechariah 8; Ezra

The temple in Jerusalem was being rebuilt. There was opposition, of course. But the opposition could not stand against the Truth. God’s house would be restored.

The Jews let God call the shots. (now there’s a novel idea). They didn’t go to war against those who wanted to stop the work. There was no mean Twitter exchange. They kept on working and let the Truth do its thing.

In fact, here are the things God told them to do instead of seeking revenge:

“…Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the Lord. (Zechariah 8:16-17)

I wonder what would happen if Trump and Harris obeyed this during tonight’s debate. I wonder how our nation, our churches, our families would fare if we all obeyed.

No, Thank You.

Ezra 4

When people came and offered to help build the temple in Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity, Zerubbabel told them: no, thank you. Even though they claimed to seek God, and would have lightened the load on the Jews (many hands make light work), the people offering their help were not true believers. In fact, Scripture calls them enemies.

Zerubbabel told them they had no part in the building of the temple, and sent them away.

I wish the Church was as protective of the work of the Lord. today It seems we are quick to welcome anyone who knows the password: “I’m a Christian.” But we aren’t necessarily hearing what their lives are telling us.

We welcome the enemy by singing Bethel songs, listening to the likes of Joyce Meier, Andy Stanley, and Joel Osteen. We welcome the enemy when we focus our worship on the band, or focus on the raising of hands and clapping along with the drums. The enemy comes saying the Gospel needs to be relevant to a changing society, that homosexuals can be pastors, that humans are basically good. The list goes on.

We’ve welcomed the enemy, and think we’re building the Church. Zerubbabel knew that you can’t build anything pleasing to God working shoulder-to-shoulder with the enemy.

When are we going to realize the same?