Tag Archives: sin

August 2

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2 Kings 24:1-4; 2 Chronicles 36:6-7; Daniel 1:1-2; Jeremiah 36:1-32, 25:1-38, 45:1-5

Did you shake your head at King Jehoiakim’s audacity? As Baruch read God’s Word, the king cut off a portion of the scroll and threw it into the fire until the entire scroll was destroyed. Baruch was reading God’s warning to the people of the devastation that was to come because of disobedience. 

What was Jehoiakim’s reaction? Get rid of the warning. Jehoiakim could not, however, stop God. God just gave Jeremiah the same message to rewrite (and added a couple more words for good measure).

There have been powers in the past that have tried to get rid of the Scriptures. But in every case God has preserved his written Word. I have multiple copies myself and several translations in my home.

However, as I read today God impressed on me another attempt to destroy his Word. And it’s coming from our pulpits. We are just as guilty as Jehoiakim when we don’t hold the entire Bible up as God’s inspired, unquestionable authority. We cut out a verse here and there if it makes us uncomfortable or doesn’t fit in with our politically correct agenda.

I know why Jehoiakim wanted that scroll destroyed. The words pointed out his sin and warned of God’s wrath. Let’s face it… the Bible doesn’t always make us feel good about ourselves. It isn’t intended to. 

In fact, the Bible is intended to show us how vile, how guilty, how dirty we are. It’s intended to show us our need of a Savior. And then it introduces us to that very One who can… who wants to… clean us up.

Do you believe the Bible is God’s inspired Word to us? All of it? Even the parts that end up revealing our deepest sin? Let’s not pick and choose which verses we like and throw out the ones we don’t. 

Because in the end, God’s Word will remain. And it doesn’t change with the times or with the desires of men. 

Dear God, I want to thank you for inspiring men to write your words down so that we in 2013 can know your heart. I pray for pastors and teachers. May they present your Word as Truth and not skip over or try to re-write verses that are hard for us to hear. Preserve your Scriptures in our time, Lord as you did in the days of Jeremiah. Give us ears to hear and hearts willing to be broken. Thank you for Jesus and his work on the cross that writes a happy ending to this story! May reading the Bible drive us to our knees and into his arms when we repent of the sin you reveal through the precious pages of your Word.

July 31

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Jeremiah 8:4-9:15, 9:22-10:16, 26:1-24

Be warned, Jeremiah says, disobedience will be punished. And it will be devastating.

What God said through Jeremiah to the flesh and blood kingdom of Israel he continues to say to us in 2013. Throughout the Bible we are introduced to a God who repeatedly says…

I love you. I want to bless you. I want you to obey me so that you can enjoy this world I’ve created. If you don’t obey, realize that there are serious consequences. I will not be ignored.

When the Old Testament Jews heard this message from Jeremiah they wanted to kill him. How dare he tell them they weren’t right. When the New Testament Jews heard Jesus singing the same song they nailed him to a cross.

I get it. No one enjoys having their faults pointed out, privately or publicly. So many of us don’t want to see our short comings. We’d rather go through life blindly, thinking we’re ok just the way we are.

But we have a choice here. Our choice doesn’t change the Truth. But it will determine what life looks like for us from here on out.

The bottom line is this… You and I have faults. The Bible calls them sin. And each of us are accountable for every last one we’ve ever committed. Are we going to get angry at the One who holds us accountable? Or are we going to allow that One to take those sins on Himself?

We don’t have to like God’s plan. But that won’t change his plan, either. Hear what God would say to us today. And let’s allow him to do his work in each of us.

Remember he loves us. He wants to bless us. Let’s obey him so he can.

 

July 29

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Psalm 81; Jeremiah 47:1-8:47; 2 Kings 23:29-30; 2 Chronicles 35:20-36:1

Don’t go, Josiah. This is not your battle. Stop opposing God or he will destroy you.

God sent that message to Josiah through Neco king of Egypt.  But Josiah went into battle anyway. And he didn’t survive. This young man who had done so much good for the kingdom died like anyone else.

Was it God’s will? Did God take Josiah because his time was up?

No! If that were the case I doubt God would have bothered to warn him not to go to battle.

Once again I am reminded that God did not create robots when he created man. He knew Josiah would not heed his warning but that’s not the same as making it happen. Had Josiah listened to God I wonder what other amazing accomplishments we would be reading about today instead of reading about Josiah’s death.

God speaks to each one of us when we read his Word. He may use the voice of a Christian friend. But as sure as I am sitting at this computer today, God is trying to get my attention. He’s trying to get yours. And when he does we have a choice. We can obey. 

Or not.

Of course he knows what we’ll decide but rest assured his will is that we obey. 

Heavenly Father, I want to hear what you have to say to me today. As I read your Word, as I talk with people who love you, may I have my ears and heart on alert. I don’t want to miss what you want me to know. And I want to obey whatever it is you reveal to me. May your people be quick to listen and quick to obey.

July 27

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Jeremiah 16:1-17:27; 2 Kings 22:3-20; 2 Chronicles 34:8-33

I gave my heart to the Lord as a little girl. I grew up knowing I was a Christian and that God loved me. It wasn’t until I was  teenager, though, that I really heard and understood the seriousness of sin. I confessed my sin at the altar of our church, broken before a holy God. With tears I accepted his cleansing and it was at that moment I truly realized what it meant to be  Christian.

What is your response to God’s Word? When you read how God hates sin, when you recognize yourself as a sinner, when you realize your need to repent – what do you do?

Josiah tore his clothes when he heard God’s Word read to him. He was devastated, ashamed, broken. Josiah confessed his sin and accepted God’s forgiveness. Then he got up and began to live life a changed man.

I remember my altar experience of long ago. And I wish I could say I got up from there that day and lived a changed life myself. I have to admit there have been times when my walk with the Lord wasn’t a priority and when I allowed sin to get a grip on my heart. There have been other points in my life when God’s Word cut me like a knife, when I looked into the face of a holy God and recognized my sinful state. There have been other tears of repentance when I’ve allowed God to deal with the sin in my life.

And I hope there continues to be. May I always be sensitive to what God would say to me through his Word. May I read it with an open heart. May I recognize those things in my life that hurt my Lord. And may I, like Josiah, be quick to repent.

I pray the same for you.

July 24

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Zephaniah 1:1-3:20; 2 Chronicles 34:4-7; Jeremiah 1:1-19

When was the last time you read the book of Zephaniah? Can you even find it in your Bible? It’s one of those books I have to stop and think where it even falls in the Old Testament.

But reading it today I was reminded that the God of love, of grace, and redemption is also the Mighty Judge. He has the power to destroy this life we know as easily as he created it. 

In our politically correct nation our churches have emphasized God’s loving attributes. But we don’t often hear about his anger. Read Zephaniah and you will see God’s anger toward sin.

God doesn’t take sin lightly and he certainly doesn’t laugh at sin. He never overlooks sin or excuses it on the basis of someone’s intentions. Like it or not, agree with it or not, God is clear about what sin is. Lying, infidelity, homosexuality, dishonesty, greed, gluttony, drunkenness are all sins as identified by God in his Word. 

Yes, all sin is forgivable when confessed. But no sin will go unpunished. That punishment will be paid either by the one who commits the sin or by Jesus on behalf of the sinner. 

The payment for sin is death. Eternal death. The Bible tells us Jesus not only paid that debt but he conquered death itself. We can either accept what he did or face him on our own. And facing him on our own will only turn out badly.

Let’s thank God for his love, for his grace, for redemption. But let’s not forget who we are dealing with here. He is Almighty God, Holy, Holy, Holy. 

And sin makes him really mad.

Holy God, we bow before you today and acknowledge that you take sin seriously. Forgive us when we don’t. I ask that you’ll reveal in each of us today those things in our lives that anger you. May we confess and repent of them and accept Jesus’ work on the cross on our behalf. I pray that none of us will hold on to sin or think for a minute that you will excuse that sin in us. May we view sin the same way you do and purge it from our lives. May we walk with you today in the righteousness that is ours through your Son.

July 23

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Isaiah 66:1-24; 2 Kings 21:1-26, 22:1-2; Psalm 82; 2 Chronicles 33:1-25, 34:3

Is it possible for someone to be too sinful for God to forgive? Look at the life of King Mannaseh. During the first years of his reign he undid everything his father Hezekiah had done. He worshiped Baal, consulted mediums, even sacrificed his own son. He turned the temple of the Lord into a place of false worship and encouraged the Jewish people to worship the gods of other nations.

His was a blatant act of disobedience and disrespect toward the God his father had served. But in 2 Chronicles 33 we find out Mannaseh repented. He humbled himself before the Lord and God forgave him.

King Mannaseh spent the rest of his life trying to undo the damage he had done. He worked hard to restore the nation as God’s blessed people.

So the answer to my question is – no. There is nothing you or I have done that God can’t forgive. The vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives. Praise the Lord!

Sometimes we might hold back from serving the Lord because of a sin we committed in our past. We convince ourselves that what we did was so awful we don’t deserve to be forgiven. And you know what?

We’re right to think that!

That’s the definition of grace – receiving what we don’t deserved. Grace that is greater than all our sin. 

If a past sin is holding you back because you think God can’t forgive you, think again. Go to him. Humble yourself. Ask him to forgive you. Repent. Forgiveness is yours for the taking because Jesus has already paid the price for that sin. It’s up to you to accept it for your own.

Don’t let Satan’s lies prevent you from receiving what God is offering you today. Remember, God has seen it all. Nothing you say will surprise him. He’s anxious to hear you tell him you’re sorry for what you did so he can wash you with the blood of Jesus.

Yes, even you.

July 20

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Isaiah 51-55

The 53rd chapter of Isaiah paints a picture of Jesus. Read it. Meditate on it. This is the One who loves you more than you can imagine. This is the One who lived and died to give you eternal life. It was God’s will to make Jesus the blood sacrifice for your sin – for mine.

What is our response to all that Jesus did on the cross? We can reject it, ignore it, or we can allow it to change our lives. 

You can accept Jesus and allow his blood to wash away your sin so that you can stand before our holy God clothed in righteousness not your own. You can be clean.

God wants us to come to him. He wants us to experience forgiveness and enjoy a relationship with him. Trust him.

Isaiah tells us God’s thoughts are not like our thoughts and his ways aren’t like our ways. God provides nourishment for hungry souls. And there is joy in following Him.

Dear Jesus, thank you for your willingness to go to the cross for me. You did what I could not. You paid for my sin. May I live today remembering what it cost you. May all that  do and say bring glory to you. Use me today. I trust you.

July 7

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Isaiah 22:1-23:18; 2 Kings 18:7b-8; Micah 1:8-3:12

Don’t God’s words do good to him whose ways are upright? (Micah 2:7b) Isn’t it true that when our hearts are right with the Lord, reading the Bible brings comfort and hope? It’s also true that reading the Word brings conviction and grief when we aren’t obeying him.

The answer to that for some is – so don’t read it. Don’t go to church if the preacher’s sermon on sin makes you feel bad. 

Micah’s words for us today concern those who wear the name ‘Christian’ like a good-luck charm. They think they can live according to their own rules and God will bless them because they say they are Christians.

Micah 3:8-12 says they despise justice, distort what is right, are wicked, accept bribes, “yet they lean upon the Lord and say, ‘Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us.'”

Really?

Saying you’re a Christian doesn’t make it so. Going to church, tithing, teaching Sunday School or even pastoring a church doesn’t make you a Christian.

Read God’s Word. His requirements for wearing his Name are there. But be warned. If you read the Bible, the words might convict you and drive you to your knees. Reading the Word just might make you feel bad about yourself. Didn’t Paul call himself a wretched man when face to face with his own sin?

Christianity is not a “feel good” religion. It’s not even a “do good” religion as much as it is a “be holy” relationship with a holy God. The good news is, through Jesus Christ our Lord we can enjoy that relationship! And when we are in that right relationship with God, his blessings include love, joy, peace that passes human understanding.

Are you a Christian? Really? I pray that is true for each of us today. Wear Christ’s name proudly and remember who it is you represent. Remember what it cost Jesus to give you that name. 

Holy God, I pray that we who call ourselves Christian will be Christians from the inside out. Search us today, Lord. Point out those sins we need to confess. May our hearts be yours through Jesus’ blood. Thank you for the privilege of wearing your Name.

July 4

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Isaiah 13:1-16:14

I have to admit I don’t know Jewish history. But I know that every word God gave Isaiah is true. The flesh and blood nation of Israel was heading for trouble. The surrounding nations were going to find out what rejecting God would cost them, too. The Moabites, Philistines, Assyrians, the Babylonians were given notice along with the Jews.

But every once in a while Isaiah throws out a little hope. “The Lord has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.” And “In love a throne will be established…”

Yes, God cannot tolerate sin and the consequences are devastating. But God continues to remind us that he is our refuge. He is our hope. 

As we read Isaiah together let’s not lose our focus. It’s not so much about material events that either occurred hundreds of years before Christ or those that some believe will occur in the future. The focus needs to be on what is happening in my heart and life right now in 2013. What would God say to me about sin, obedience, purity and holiness?

May he find our hearts open to what he would say through the pages of his written Word today.

P.S. Have a safe and happy Independence Day. And for those of you who don’t live in the USA, grill a hotdog and light a sparkler or two with us!

July 3

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2 Kings 17:3-23, 18:9-12, 17:24-41, 16:19-20, 18:1-2; Isaiah 5:1-30, 2 Chronicles 28:26-27, 29:1; 1 Chronicles 4:34-43

They couldn’t keep the Promised Land. The Jewish people had been given such an amazing gift but they squandered it away. God’s condition for living in Canaan was to worship him only. They didn’t do that and God removed his protection and blessing and the Jews lost the land.

God won’t make us worship him. He didn’t create strings on us that he could manipulate to make us do what he asks. He created us with the ability to choose and he wants us to choose him.

He’s very clear about the consequences that come from rejecting him. And the nation of Israel’s example here in the Old Testament shows us what happens when we try to live with one foot in the Truth and the other in the world.

Making it personal, I bet you can identify times of God’s blessings of peace and joy and equate them with your choice to follow him. And you can probably identify times of struggle when you tried to hold on to a sin and worship God, too. I have experienced both.

Our spiritual Promised Land of forgiveness, love, hope, faith, joy was given to us when we accepted Jesus as our Savior. It’s where God wants us to live. But living there requires a daily choice to obey him. It takes a conscious walk with the Lord, communication, a willingness to deny self and be the people God would have us be.

May you walk with God today and know the blessing that comes from living in the Promised Land.