Scripture to read today:
Daniel 1; Daniel 2; Revelation 16
Scripture that spoke to me:
Daniel 1:17
God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.
Observation:
The four men are Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (who King Nebuchadnezzar renamed Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.) They are Jews in exile in Babylon, but are young, strong men that the king wants to use in his service. God has blessed these men with special gifts.
Application:
God blesses us all with special gifts, and each gift is different. I look around sometimes and see that someone else has a gift that I don’t have, and I wish I did! But that doesn’t mean that my gift isn’t just as wonderful. I have the gift of music, and I have a friend who can’t carry a tune who would love to have that gift. But she has a gift for organization and details that I would love to have! So we are each special in our own way, and we should look upon the gifts we have as blessings from the Lord, and use them wisely.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You for blessing me with the gift of music. Let me use it to glorify You. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Lamentations 3; Lamentations 4; Lamentations 5; Revelation 15
Scripture that spoke to me:
Lamentations 4:17
We looked in vain for our allies
to come and save us,
but we were looking to nations
that could not help us.
Observation:
Jeremiah is lamenting the destruction of Judah. The people have been overcome by Babylon and either taken away as slaves or exiled to other lands. Egypt couldn’t help. Assyria couldn’t help. The people should have turned to the Lord, not to other men.
Application:
I’m guilty of doing the same thing, as I am sure most of us are. We get into trouble and we look to our family and friends to try to help. Many times they are there for us, but there is that one time that only God can take away what is troubling us. But if we are not used to turning to Him, we may forget that He is our best friend- the One who is always there for us. Next time there is a problem, take it to Him. He is bigger than any problem!
Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You for being there for us always. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Isaiah 43; Isaiah 44; Isaiah 45; 1 Peter 4
Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Peter 4: 10-11
God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
Observation:
God has given each of us a gift, maybe more. What we do with them is what is important. Do we use our gifts for good? Do we use them at all? If we don’t use them, they go away. If we use them well, it won’t even feel like we’re having to work very hard.
Application:
I haven’t played my saxophone in almost a year, and I’m sure I am not as good at it as I was when I was playing 30 hours a week. Talents fade if we don’t use them. I am musically talented, and good with kids, so the fact that I’m our children’s worship music leader is perfect for me. It doesn’t even feel like work! Using the talents that God gives us for Him will just make you happy! Now if you asked me to serve in the kitchen for a meal, I’d do it but it would be work and it wouldn’t be as rewarding. It isn’t my talent. That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do it from time to time, but there are people who are so comfortable in that kitchen that it is like home to them. So if everyone can match their gifts up with their work, we’d truly be Paul’s ideal of a body of Christ, where each part works together to make a whole.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for giving me the gift of music and putting me in a place that I can use it well. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Isaiah 15; Isaiah 16; Isaiah 17; Isaiah 18; Hebrews 10
Scripture that spoke to me:
Isaiah 17: 9-10a
Their largest cities will be like a deserted forest,
like the land the Hivites and Amorites abandoned
when the Israelites came here so long ago.
It will be utterly desolate.
Why? Because you have turned from the God who can save you.
You have forgotten the Rock who can hide you.
Observation:
Isaiah is prophesying destruction in Israel, because the people have turned away from the Lord and are worshiping idols. They have forgotten the One who has brought them through so many calamities.
Application:
It is easy to turn to God in a calamity. He is the first I go running to when something is wrong. But in times of ease, it is easy to sit back and forget to thank Him, to worship Him, for all that is good. When it goes wrong again, I’m right back with Him. I’m trying to do, and think I am doing, much better at being with God in both the good and the bad times. I don’t want to forget “the Rock who can hide you.”
Prayer:
Lord, thanks for being my Rock. For always being there- strong and able to withstand anything. When I am with You, I feel able to stand against anything, too. Help me remember that, even when there is nothing to stand against. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Isaiah 8; Isaiah 9; Isaiah 10; Hebrews 8
Scripture that spoke to me:
Isaiah 10:15
Does the ax raise itself above him who swings it,
or the saw boast against him who uses it?
As if a rod were to wield him who lifts it up,
or a club brandish him who is not wood!
Observation:
Tools are handy things. They help us do our jobs and our chores better. But tools are useless if they just lie there. It takes someone to manipulate them- put them to use- in order for them to be useful. So, the tool is not more important than the one who uses it.
Application:
I hope that God is using me for something good. I try, anyway. But I have to remember, with any good thing that I do, God is the one guiding me. I am His tool. So I am not more important than He is, and the work that I accomplish is only because He is the one putting me to use.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, help me not to boast of my good deeds, but give You credit always for giving me the chance, the ability, and the means to help others. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Micah 1; Micah 2; Micah 3; Micah 4; Hebrews 6
Scripture that spoke to me:
Hebrews 6:4-6
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
Observation:
According to Hebrews, anyone who has known God- truly known him- and falls away will find it impossible (not difficult, or hard, or nearly impossible, but this says impossible) to come back.
Application:
This is the first verse I have found in the Bible that I just think is wrong. I read it several times to make sure I was understanding it like I thought I did the first time. I can’t find the basis for this in Jesus’ teachings. The parable of the Good Samaritan tells us that the father welcomes His prodigals back with celebration! I know that the one unpardonable sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, but I don’t see, in this verse, where it is talking about totally forsaking God. My God wants His children to be with Him, and will welcome them home whenever they return to Him.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for being a welcoming, forgiving God of second chances. Help me to see where my understanding is lacking in Your scripture, and help me understand. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
2 Kings 6; 2 Kings 7; 2 Chronicles 20; 1 Timothy 3
Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Timothy 3:2-7
Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect.(If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
Observation:
This is Paul’s description of what a preacher should be. Someone who has managed his own life well, so that the church may be managed well, too.
Application:
I work with two preachers and also know the three at my church very well. I think they all fit this description. Not that they never make a mistake, or have flaws, but that their inner being, their character, is that of someone that people can look up to. I think of Scott, who is on track to be a minister, and see how he fits this description. I also see how God uses these fallible people to teach others about Him.
Prayer:
Lord, I pray for our ministers- that their lives are not only an example, but their hearts are, too. Be with them and their families as they set about to do Your work. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Proverbs 13; Proverbs 14; Proverbs 15; Romans 11
Scripture that spoke to me:
Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Observation:
If you keep your head and talk sensibly to someone who is ill at you, then you’re likely to be able to diffuse their anger. But, if you talk harshly back, they’re only going to get madder. There’s Rudyard Kipling poem that goes, “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you… you’ll be a man, my son.”
Application:
This is so true. If there is one thing that I learned through the divorce process, it was to stay quiet when the ex got angry. Usually, he ended up looking like a fool and I’m just sitting here calmly watching. I got all I wanted and he didn’t, simply because I kept my cool. For me, that happens because I can think. If I “lose it” my brain stops working. Remaining calm, I can think of the right thing to say- or the right argument- and usually come out the winner.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to keep my head when all around me are losing their cool. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
1 Chronicles 25; 1 Chronicles 26; 1 Chronicles 27; 1 Thessalonians 4
Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Thessalonians 4:1
Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.
Observation:
Live for God- and do this more and more! What a wonderful way for Paul to encourage people to keep going. When I first read this, I thought “how can you be doing something right and then do it more right?” But after a minute, I understood. Following God is pretty easy. What’s hard is to keep doing it day after day, year after year.
Application:
We all stumble, we track away from God and have to find our way back. Paul’s urging here is for longevity, not quantity. Not do something and do it better; do something and keep doing it for a longer and longer time.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, help me to stay on this same path and keep my eyes focused on You. Help me to not be sidetracked by things off the road that look good or that catch my eye, if they are not of You. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
2 Samuel 8; 2 Samuel 9; 1 Chronicles 18; 1 Chronicles 19; Matthew 21
Scripture that spoke to me:
Matthew 21:21-22
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Observation:
Jesus cursed a fig tree because it had no fruit on it, and it withered and died. The disciples asked him how it died so quickly. The above is his answer. You must have faith and not doubt. You must believe with your whole heart that you can have what you have asked for in prayer.
Application:
First off, we have to look at why the fig tree was not allowed to live- it didn’t bear fruit. How many of us go through life not bearing any fruit? Do we produce anything of merit? Lesson one today is to be fruitful! Lesson two comes in belief- truly believe. I know you have heard me say this before, but I often have much unbelief. Not that I think God can’t do something, but that He won’t. I’ve seen too many times when prayers weren’t answered. The lesson today is to not let the unanswered prayers form my beliefs for the future. I have to believe that God will answer my prayers- even if I may not like the answer He has for me!
Prayer:
Lord, change my heart and my way of thinking. I know You can do anything and want to bless me in my life. Help me to truly believe that I can have what I pray for. (And also let me see Your will at work when I don’t get what I want!) Amen.
