Category Archives: Christianity

August 15 – The Oracle From God

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Jeremiah 23-25

The Bible talks a lot about false prophets. They are out there! They’ve always been out there. They claim to have a message from God – but it’s not true. They write books and blogs, go on talk shows, and stand before some congregations every Sunday. They label themselves Christian, and even can quote Scripture. But they are polluted and wicked, (23:11) and “intend to make (God’s) people forget (His) name…” (vs 27).

Jeremiah says the more they proclaim this “oracle” from God the harder it will be to recognize the Truth.

For you will no longer remember the oracle of the Lord because every man’s own words will become the oracle, and you have perverted the words of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God. (vs 36)

Do you know the Truth when you hear it? Do you recognize a distortion of that Truth? You’ve got to read and re-read God’s Word for yourself. In these pages is the only Truth. And it doesn’t come by one or two verses taken out of context.

Read the whole Bible. Memorize passages that God lays on your heart. Ask Him to help you recognize the lies.

And He will.

August 14 – Kill The Messenger

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Jeremiah 18-22

Being a prophet of God in Jeremiah’s day must have been a hard, often thankless job. People only wanted to hear good news. And, let’s face it, those prophets didn’t often come bearing good news.

When hearing that God was about to discipline His disobedient children, or worse, destroy them, their reaction was no different than ours today. They got mad at the prophet. Kill the messenger! Jeremiah was beaten and put in stocks for telling the truth.

No one likes to hear they are wrong, that they deserve punishment, that they are sinners in need of a Savior. I get that. Sometimes we who proclaim the Gospel are hated.

What is our reaction to their response? Do we water down the Truth so it goes down a bit easier? Do we edit the Gospel so as not to offend? Do we just quit sharing the Gospel because we fear rejection? Do we convince ourselves that if God wants that person saved, he’ll be saved with or without me, so it might as well be without me?

Satan must love it when we wimp out.

Folks, people aren’t going to always pat you on the back when you talk about sin.

Talk about it anyway.

They aren’t always going to thank you for sharing the Gospel.

Share it anyway.

You might be rejected, even hated, for your faithfulness.

Be faithful anyway.

Because God promises to be faithful to you, even if they want to kill the messenger.

August 13 – Roots

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Jeremiah 14-17

It’s been a hot and dry summer here in Ohio. The grass is brown, the flowers have wilted, leaves on trees droop. The last few days there has been an occasional shower and even a few heavy rains, but so far it doesn’t seem to have had much effect on the landscape.

In fact, I went out in bare feet yesterday to get the mail, and the grass was still dry and brittle. It’s been that parched here. Even a bit of rain isn’t enough to quench the ground.

Jeremiah says people who put their trust in mankind, or even in themselves, are like that. (17:5-6) Like tumbleweeds in a desert, like a desolate land of salt, they are cursed with a thirst that cannot be satisfied. Oh, many will say that’s not true, that they are just fine without God. Jeremiah says they’re so used to living in the wilderness they won’t even see when prosperity comes.

Then the prophet goes on. People who put their trust in the Lord are blessed!

For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit. (17:7-8)

We who plant ourselves close to the Living Water will have deep roots, we won’t fear the heat of battle or hardship, and our faith will stand firm even when things around us dry up. Then, because of our witness, people will want what we have. We’ll bear fruit!

Where are your roots planted?

 

 

August 12 – My Prayer For Luke

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Jeremiah 10-13

We welcomed the newest member of our family, Luke Mitchell, into the world yesterday. 8lbs 15oz, with a head full of thick, blonde hair. He gave his mommy a very hard time. But she and her precious son are doing fine.

Sometimes when I read God’s Word and hear Him express anger toward disobedience, and see how He disciplines His children, like here in Jeremiah, I can get fearful for the future of the little ones in my life. I recognize the blatant disregard for God in the Old Testament children of Israel as the same as the disregard for God in some aspects of the 2016 Church.

I hear God say, “I have forsaken My house, I have abandoned My inheritance; therefore I have come to hate her.” (12:8) Pretty strong words. We don’t like to think about God hating His own people.

Here’s my prayer for Luke (and the other amazing little people filling our quiver).

May he be raised in the nurture and admonition of God. May he come to know Jesus as his Savior as soon as he understands what sin is and what Jesus did for him on the cross. May he grow up to be a man who knows the Truth of Scripture, who applies it to his life, and who’s stands for that Truth without compromise. May he never give God reason to hate him. And may his life be a testimony that draws others to the wonderful grace of Jesus.

And may God speak to the hearts of all His people today. May He find us obedient, standing in His strength, empowered by His Presence, and not ashamed to make it known. May none of us give Him reason to hate us.

August 11 – Bragging Rights

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Jeremiah 7-9

A lot of people are earning the right to brag these days. I am addicted to watching the Olympics. Every sport represents people who have sacrificed, worked, suffered, and determined to win the gold. I tear up every time I hear a national anthem played and understand that the person for whom it’s played is standing there at great cost, and with great pride, representing their country, their hopes and dreams.

I thought about them, and the apostle Paul as I read these chapters in Jeremiah today.

Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and  righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord. (9:23-24)

Paul, who had the pedigree everyone admired, said he counted it a loss for the sake of Christ. Philippians 3:8 says, “More than that I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.”

I wonder if that is true of me today? I certainly don’t have an Olympic gold medal on my shelf. I’ve never worked hard enough at a sport to get close. But I have a home, a family, an income, health, friends. Can I honestly say I count it all rubbish when compared to knowing Jesus?

How does that translate into my every day? Do I put spending time in God’s Word at the top of my priority list? Do I pray? Do I put God’s wishes above my own, or above that of my loved ones? Am I more concerned about what God thinks about me, about my obedience and reverence, than about what my family, friends, and community think of me? Do I try to be politically correct, or Biblically correct?

Do I work at knowing Christ a fraction of how an Olympic athlete works at their sport? Time for a little soul searching.

August 10 – Rejected Silver

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Jeremiah 4-6

Several of Team USA’s Olympic athletes have given God the glory for their successes. That’s not unusual in sports, as often you’ll see a ballplayer point to heaven after getting a hit or scoring a touchdown.

But a couple of athletes have gone a step further and said their identity isn’t in being an Olympic medal winner, but rather in Christ.  There is some meat in that testimony.

I remember watching an awards show a while back where several of the winners began their acceptance speeches with a shoutout to God. Six or seven people stood in front of millions and said something like, “I want to first thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” I always pray that testimonies like these will speak to hearts and draw people to the Lord.

But that night I cringed, when one award winner began her acceptance speech holding the statue in the air and said, “First of all, I am NOT going to thank any god. I did this. Me.” And it made me sad when she received a thunderous applause for her statement.

Being anti-God has become more commonplace these days. It seems God haters are bolder, more vocal, and accepted more and more. That’s why I think it’s refreshing when people like we’re seeing in the Olympics publicly and sincerely proclaim the Lord.

I thought about that when I read Jeremiah 6:16-17. That’s an in-your-face defiance of God. I shake my head and wonder how anyone could be that blatant in their rejection of the Creator Himself. That’s a bit like Chad le Clos shadowboxing in front of Michael Phelps before their race. Like saying, I’m not afraid of you, you’re nothing to me.

But instead of taunting a swimmer, you’re taunting the Sovereign God of the Universe. That is serious business.

Jeremiah tells us those who continue to deny God are “rejected silver, because the Lord has rejected them.” (6:30) Those who continue to deny God will never have the last word.

le Clos looked mighty foolish when Phelps won that race; his grandstanding meaningless in light of the superior swimmer. And that’s nothing compared to those who continue to deny God in light of His Power.

You’ve got to know who you’re dealing with here.

August 9 – A Harlot Among Us

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Jeremiah 1-3

God says His people had become harlots. Instead of being faithful to God, they sold out. They gave themselves to the worship of other gods, which were really no gods at all.

I always ask God to make His Word personal and relevant every day I read. So today I found myself thinking about God’s people in 2016. Has the Church become a harlot? Have Christians sold out?

I saw an article this week written by a respected Christian leader. His premise is that the Church, if not using the resources available in the twenty-first century, is outdated and unattractive to millennials. How can we market our churches so the everyone feels comfortable and welcome, he asked. Then he offered his solution.

I thought about that as I read Jeremiah this morning. No one is suggesting we erect wooden images in our auditoriums or sanctuaries. But I wonder if we haven’t fashioned a god to our liking anyway.

First, your church is the last place a nonbeliever should feel comfortable. The Church is an exclusive organization, limited to people who have accepted Jesus as their Savior. It is not the YMCA or Panera’s. Your church service is intended by God to be a place where Christians go to be taught from Scripture, strengthened, encouraged, convicted, and challenged to be soul winners outside those four walls. The idea that we should put on a program that attracts sinners in order that they be saved is not Scriptural. And having those programs prevents Christians from receiving the nourishment we need to be an effective witness in our homes and neighborhoods. I think Satan loves that.

Secondly, changing Scripture or editing it so as not to offend, places another idol in our churches. If we aren’t using God’s Words as He inspired them, we’re preaching a false gospel. Not referring to God in the masculine because some whining women got their feelings hurt, not using the word “sin” because it offends people, don’t judge, don’t judge, don’t judge, and talk about God’s love – but don’t mention His holiness because people don’t want to feel bad about themselves, let’s not call homosexuality sin because they’ll say we’re haters. Gotta look good to the world, you know.

And that’s exactly what a harlot thinks.

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!