Tag Archives: God’s Truth

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 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?

June 15

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I Kings 17-19

Elijah has to be one of my favorite Old Testament characters. This prophet of God stood up to Ahab, but ran in fear of Jezebel. I wonder what he thought about taking bread and meat from ravens.

Elijah prayed for a widow and her flour and oil were never used up during the famine. He even prayed for her dying son and the boy was healed. And Elijah had a little fun taunting the prophets of Baal.

But here’s what spoke to me today. Elijah could challenge those 450 prophets because he knew Baal was not a god of any kind. It wasn’t that Elijah “believed” that Baal was no threat. Elijah knew Baal had no power. He knew without a doubt that no amount of praying or dancing or shouting could produce fire on Baal’s altar. And you know what? Elijah didn’t feel the need to apologize for being sure about that, either.

Elijah repeatedly and very publicly challenged them because Elijah knew the Truth.

How sure are you that the Bible is true and God is who he says he is? How sure are you that Jesus is the only way to God? Are you convinced that Christianity is the only true theology? Can you stand up for God without apology?

I am not asking you what you believe. I’m asking you what you know to be true. Have you experienced the life-changing presence of God as you ask Jesus to be your Savior? Do you see him work in your life and in the lives of others? Do you recognize his power in creation?

If God asked, would you defend him as publicly as Elijah did that day? Would I?

Father, may your children know you. May we define what we know is true. May we never apologize for knowing the truth. And may we be ready to put ourselves out there because we are sure that you are who you say you are.

June 12

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I Kings 14:1-18, 22-28; 2 Chronicles 11:5-10, 18-23, 12:1-12; Psalm 89

Judah, under King Rehoboam, began living like the ungodly people God had driven out of the Promised Land. So when the king of Egypt attacked, God removed his protection over Judah and the Israelites were defeated.

The enemy invaded the temple and took the beautiful gold pieces Solomon had commissioned. What Solomon intended to serve the temple for generations were lost because of his own son.

Rehoboam probably didn’t have the resources his dad had. Or maybe he didn’t think temple utensils were all that important. Whatever the reason, he hired craftsmen to make replacement shields. The ones that were stolen were gold. Rehoboam’s replacements were bronze. Polished up, they probably looked like gold from a distance. But closer inspection couldn’t hide the fact they were not the original. They just couldn’t compare.

I might be grasping at straws here, but I wonder if some of our churches have replaced the gold of the Bible for the bronze of a politically correct, feel-good replacement. It still looks like a church, but upon close inspection you can tell it isn’t the original.

God’s holiness, his demands for our holiness, his law and the consequences for breaking those laws don’t always leave us feeling good about ourselves. Proclaiming Jesus as the only way to the Father doesn’t always sit well with non-believers. Holding the Bible up as the standard for living upsets people who think they have a better idea.

But any other gospel is no gospel at all. It’s a poor imitation. And, in the end, it cannot stand up to closer inspection. 

What is your church made of? I pray you are involved in a solid gold fellowship where Jesus is honored and God is worshiped in all his holiness. I pray, like Paul, you stand united, not ashamed of the gospel of Christ because it alone has the power to save. 

Let’s toss out the bronze and hold on to the gold.

June 11

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I Kings 12:1-13:34; 2 Chronicles 10:1-19, 11:1-4, 13-17

God had told the man of God exactly what to do. Go to Bethel and tell Jeroboam that God punishes disobedience, then get out. Don’t eat or drink anything. Don’t even go back the way you came. Just walk away and keep walking. The man of God didn’t have to guess at any of the details because God had spelled it all out for him.

But when someone who claimed to have received a special message from God that contradicted what the man of God knew to be true, the man of God changed his course. After all, didn’t the old prophet say he had received the message straight from God? So it must be true, right?

Wrong.

Dear one, it’s important for you to know what it is that God has spelled out in his Word. The Bible and ONLY the Bible is God’s instruction manual. It’s ok to read blogs (I’m glad you read mine) or commentaries or books about God. It’s good to listen to preaching and teaching. But you must always measure what you hear with what you read in the Bible. Always.

God will not ever, ever give a word to anyone that contradicts what he has already said in his Word. The Bible is God’s truth. Not the Bible plus anything.

And beware of those who would take a verse and use it to justify their own agenda if that verse, taken out of context, doesn’t agree with the rest of the Bible and who God is as revealed in the entire book.

The man of God died for his disobedience, even if the old prophet sounded like he had a revelation from God. The warning here for us is that if we accept a religion or a theology that contradicts what God said in his Word, we too will die for our disobedience. 

So I hope you continue to read my blog. But don’t take my word for it. Read the Bible for yourself. I hope you go to church and soak up the message from your pastor. But read the text for yourself and the chapters before and after the text. Is what you read or hear consistent with the entire Word of God?

The Bible is God’s instruction manual. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. Hold it close. Study it. Live it. Know it so that you can discern when something you hear isn’t consistent with God’s truths written there. We have such a treasure in these pages. Don’t miss out on the blessings of reading God’s message for yourself. Let him speak to you through his Word today.

Dear God, thank you for the written Word, your message to your people in 2013. Help us to read it, love it, use it every day. Help us to know what you have said in it’s pages so that we recognize when someone’s message isn’t consistent with Scripture. Give discernment to your people as we study those precious books we call the Bible.

June 9

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Ecclesiastes 7-10

Solomon continues his quest to find happiness and meaning to life. In these chapters he takes a look at morality and suggests maybe living life in the middle of the road is the answer. But once again he will have to admit that there is still something lacking.

I knew a young man fresh out of seminary. He was an eager young youth pastor who knew God had called him into ministry and looked forward to the day when he could pastor his own church. There was nothing middle-of-the-road about this young man.

After church one Sunday evening he and I were sitting around talking about God and life and our church and he asked me what I thought was the meaning of life, the reason for humanity. It caught me off guard and I said something brilliant like, “I don’t know”.

He said something I will never forget. Something that changed my life. He said we are all created to love God. Period.

In Ecclesiastes 8:16-17 Solomon once again throws up his hands and laments that man can never discover the meaning of life. Well, Solomon, my young friend would disagree with you. He would tell you you can’t find the meaning of life because you are looking in the wrong places.

The truth is life is not a mystery. God has lovingly spelled it all out in his Word. Why are you here? To love God. What does God want you to do today? Love him. What is his plan for you? To love him more.

Period.

Everything else in life comes as a result of our love (or lack of love) for God. True meaning, happiness, contentment, joy, whatever it is you are looking for is found in that relationship with the Lord, the One who created you to love him in the first place.

Dear God, forgive us when we make life so complicated. Help us to grasp the enormity of the truth that we are created to fellowship with you, that we are meant to love you, that nothing is more important and nothing more satisfying.

May 8

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2 Samuel 24:1-25, 15:7-36; I Chronicles 21:1-30

Not sure why counting the troops was such a big deal. Maybe it wasn’t the census that was a sin, but doing it without going to God first was.

Once again I am reminded that if God isn’t in it, even the simplest, most innocent act can be sin. I wonder how many examples of this lesson are recorded in the Bible. Dozens, I expect. And always those who are obedient to God are blessed, those who go in on their own suffer consequences.

This year as I read God’s Word I am struck at the importance of this theme. Yes, God is loving and forgiving, gracious and kind. But he is none of that at the exclusion of his holiness and his demand to be obeyed.

If we worship a god of love, a tolerant god who accepts multiple avenues to him, we worship a worthless idol. That is not the God of the Bible, who is loving AND holy, who is forgiving AND a righteous judge, who cannot tolerate sin AND who gave his life so that we can stand before him faultless when we accept him as our Savior.

My prayer is that we will go to God on his terms, that we will obey him in every detail of life. And that we will share him with others, knowing there just is no other way.

April 22

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2 Samuel 22, Psalms 14, 53, 1 Samuel 26

The fool says in his heart that there is no God. I don’t get how anyone can deny God when there is so much evidence surrounding us. Evidence that points to God as Creator, Powerful, Merciful. 

I would think that those of us who read today’s Scripture and this blog know that God is who he says he is. We believe.

But wait. How does my belief in God translate to my day-to-day? What is it I believe about God?

Scripture tells us God is the one true God. It tells us he is holy, the Creator of this world. It tells us that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one can get to God except through him. Scripture tells me that Jesus died on a cross so that my sins can be forgiven. And it tells me one day every knee will bow before him and even the fool who said there is no God will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord and God is real.

Scripture tells me that God demands holiness of us. He put down a set of rules we must live by. Breaking those rules… sin… has only one outcome. Death. It also tells me he provided a way for us to be forgiven of all our sin.

Scripture warns us that those who accepted Jesus in this life time will go to heaven. All others will spend eternity in hell. Period.

So if I truly believe that God is God and his Word is true, if I understand people will go to hell without him, that there is just no other way… why aren’t I doing more to share him with my friends, neighbors, and family? 

It’s not just the ones who deny God who are fools. We who know God and don’t share him just might be the biggest fools of all.

Father, I believe. Yet I have foolishly ignored opportunities to share your truth with friends and loved ones. Forgive me and help me to recognize your leading, to be faithful to you, and to introduce someone to the one true God who loves them and gave himself for them.

March 5

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Numbers 16-18

Often I am amazed that when I read the Bible, it seems it could have been written about the world in 2013. In chapter 16 we see 250 Israelite men rising up against Moses. Just listen to their complaint:

“You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”

Have you ever heard the same accusations today? When  a Christian proclaims the Truth it is often met with someone who says… “Who made you judge? There are a lot of good religions in the world and Christianity is just another of them.” or “How can you impose your view of morality on anyone? You must be a hater, intolerant.”

Here’s the thing. Moses didn’t make himself the leader of Israel.  Remember how he tried to talk God out of giving him that responsibility? And we Christians didn’t get together and decide that homosexuality or murder is wrong and we didn’t come up with a plan and call it the gospel.

God did, though.

Like it or not there is only one Truth. That’s not me talking… it’s God. The 250 Israelites lost their lives as a result of their rebellion. The reality is anyone who reject God’s truth will also lose in the end. It really doesn’t matter if you approve of God’s plan or not. It only matters that you accept it as Truth and obey.

God, I am so thankful that you made your plan plain. You spelled it out so completely that there can be no mistake. Help us who know you to share your plan in love and humility, but never apologetically. And may people who don’t know you, come to your Truth  today.

March 1

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Numbers 7

Did you read every word of this chapter today? I found myself wanting to skip over the repetitive details of the offerings the twelve tribes of Israel brought for the dedication of the altar. Each tribe brought exactly the same articles. But it’s written as though every tribe contributed something unique.

It occurred to me that I’m glad this account is written like that. It reminds me that we are all on equal footing before the Lord and he requires exactly the same thing of each of us.

He doesn’t require one person to repent of sin and another to pay money for forgiveness. He doesn’t ask one person to repeat a prayer ten times and another to confess the details of his sin before a congregation in order to be saved.

Romans 10:9 says “… if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.”

I John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

We don’t have to guess or try to be creative. God’s requirements are very well spelled out in his Word. Every man, woman, and child are required the exact same thing. Believe in Jesus, repent of sins, receive His forgiveness. Period.

Here’s the other thing I got from reading this today. Even though we are all required to humble ourselves before a holy God and ask for forgiveness, when we give Him our hearts He looks at each of us as something unique, something precious, someONE He gave His life for. The repetitiveness of people sinning, people repenting, people accepting forgiveness… never gets old for God. Each time an individual comes to the Lord, it’s like the first time for him.

Thank you, Lord for your Word. I don’t believe one word that is recorded here was done without meaning and purpose. Thank you for making your plan of salvation so clear. And thank you for seeing me as someone unique, for seeing my life as precious, and for accepting me just because I asked.