Scripture to read today:
Zechariah 4; Zechariah 5; Zechariah 6; Luke 12
Scripture that spoke to me:
Luke 12:51-52
Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against.
Observation:
This is so different from most of the teachings of Jesus- acceptance, love, brotherhood…. but what he is saying is that some will believe in Him and others won’t. That’s just the way it is. He came to separate the “wheat from the chaff” and that’s not dividing by family, race, economic status, popularity, but dividing by those who believe and those who don’t. This was a very different method of division for the Jews and it is still for us today.
Application:
We’re taught to bind our families together- the only way to do that is to have a family where everyone believes in Jesus. I still believe that is the basis for the failure of my marriage- I grew in my love for the Lord and he didn’t. Maybe it isn’t as simple as that, but as my walk got closer to God, he got more resentful of the time I put into it, and pulled back even further. My brother, the athiest, doesn’t join us on some family events. We invite him but don’t push him to- by not accepting the Lord he has alienated himself from certain parts of our lives. It is a shame, but that’s where the division comes.
Prayer:
Lord, teach me how to either accept division or correct it. I want to show people Your way and how to get to You. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Daniel 9; Daniel 10; Psalm 123; Luke 5
Scripture that spoke to me:
Daniel 10:12-14
Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.”
Observation:
This “man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist” (v 5) was obviously a visitor from heaven sent to Daniel to answer his prayer. He doesn’t identify himself but does say that he was delayed by a spirit until helped by the Archangel Michael. He goes on to say that he will have to face other spirits and call on Michael for help.
Application:
We don’t focus much on the spirit world. Perhaps it is scary to think of, or since we can’t see it we don’t understand it, but even Jesus made much of the spirits around him. What is out there and more importantly, what spirits are trying to visit us to tell us things and we don’t even know it? Maybe we feel like our prayers are not answered simply because we don’t know how to listen.
Prayer:
Lord, help me learn to listen to you and your messengers. Help me not be afraid of things I know nothing about but call upon your strength and understanding to make things clearer. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Daniel 7; Daniel 8; Psalm 137; Luke 4
Scripture that spoke to me:
Luke 4:41
Many were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at his command, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But because they knew he was the Messiah, he rebuked them and refused to let them speak.
Observation:
Earlier in this chapter, Satan is tempting Jesus by using scripture. Here, the demons are shouting “You are the Son of God!” Even the evil spirits know that Jesus is the Messiah. They obey his command.
Application:
If the devil and the demons know who Jesus is, why do so many on earth not know Him? And for those of us that do, what makes us better than the demons? To know Him isn’t enough- to be able to quote scripture isn’t enough- we have to invite him into our hearts, to be with us every day.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Make me ever mindful that You are with me in everything. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Ezekiel 22; Ezekiel 23; Ezekiel 24; Revelation 9
Scripture that spoke to me:
Revelation 9:4
They were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
Observation:
Revelation is full of imagery and symbols. Here, locusts are let loose on the earth to sting like scorpions. They are to leave the people marked by God alone.
Application:
Are you marked by God? How would anyone know? Take a step back and look at your life. Would someone looking in from the outside know that you follow the Lord? I know that following God means that your life will be different from those around you. It may mean that you don’t participate in some things. It may mean that you are laughed at and left out. But it does mean that you are full of love and compassion for others, not hate and greed and gossip. We are marked by God with a peaceful smile….
Prayer:
Lord, bring me Your peace, Your love, Your grace so that others can see You through me. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Ezekiel 17; Ezekiel 18; Ezekiel 19; Revelation 7
Scripture that spoke to me:
Ezekiel 18:23
“Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign Lord. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.
Observation:
The Lord wants all of His children to come home. He doesn’t want to lose one to death. That is why He offers eternal life to all who believe in Him.
Application:
Have you ever noticed that the people who are your best friends have a lot in common with you? Tend to be from the same economic level, with the same ideals and interests? So if your friends succeed, you’re likely to also. If your friends walk with God, you may as well. So you can either surround yourself with people who are the way you would like to be, or you can help the people around you become Christians and follow God. Either way, you are really helping yourself to be the best you can be.
Prayer:
Lord, let the people who I come in contact with know You through me. Let my life be a good example, not a detriment. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Jeremiah 50; Jeremiah 51; 3 John 1
Scripture that spoke to me:
1 John 3:9-10
I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.
Observation:
All should be welcomed in the church. Diotrephes is certainly not the last person who has not been welcoming of others. John calls this evil, and reminds his friend to show hospitality to men so that they may work together for God.
Application:
I have heard countless stories from friends about how they were not welcomed, and in some cases, shunned from the church. I had an experience once with a lady who called the church trying to get her ex thrown out. She ended up mad at me (which was ok) because I wasn’t going to do anything! He was living with a girl he was about to marry- living in sin according to her- and why wasn’t the church letting them come? My reply was that we don’t check sins at the door. Everyone who comes to church sins, and if we only let the righteous in, there wouldn’t be anyone here!
Prayer:
Lord, help us all to realize that everyone has their problems. Church should be a safe haven- where we can come to try to get back on that narrow path, and not a place that judges how far we fell from the path. Help me, help my church, help us all to realize that none of us are better than anyone else, and we’re all saved only through the grace of Jesus. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
2 Kings 20; Isaiah 38-39; Psalm 75; 1 Peter 2
Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Peter 2:11-12
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, thought they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
Observation:
We are aliens in the world, for we are not meant to live on earth for long. We are only visiting here for our lifetime and will move on to the heavens above. Therefore, we should try to stay away from the worldly desires. Show the people of this world what it means to live a good life, no matter what they may say about you, so that they may decide that God is almighty in the end.
Application:
I’ve enjoyed reading an interesting blog from my new friend Patrick, who recently found out some online friends were Wiccan. He has had a problem with this, and so have they, as they have tried to understand each other’s point of view. The Wiccans have tried to defend their position with things that are not Biblical (of course) and Patrick has tried to stay grounded in the scripture. He may not win anyone over to Christ, especially in an argumentative blog, but hopefully they will all remain friends and see that he is a good man who follows an awesome God. Then maybe one day they’ll want what he has! That is what I hope happens with these journal posts every day, too.
Prayer:
Lord, let me know the right things to say so that people see Your greatness. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Isaiah 19; Isaiah 20; Isaiah 21; Hebrews 11
Scripture that spoke to me:
Hebrews 11:1, 39
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.. All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.
Observation:
This chapter defines faith, then gives many Biblical examples of faith- Noah building the boat, Abraham leaving his country, Jacob, Joseph, Gideon… and then verse 39 is neat- none of these people received everything that God promised (or everything they wanted.) Faith isn’t about getting things. Faith is about believing in God and knowing that what you have is enough.
Application:
I like things- I like to shop and buy pretty things. Too bad I never have any money, because I could do that very well! But I know that this life isn’t about what we have- it is about what we do, who we love, how we worship. Looking at the lives of all these great men of God, even they did not get everything they wanted. And neither should I.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for blessing me with everything I have. Help me to be satisfied with all the good things around me. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Hosea 6; Hosea 7; Hosea 8; Hosea 9; Hebrews 3
Scripture that spoke to me:
Hebrews 3:12-13
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
Observation:
The writer is telling us to constantly be a blessing and encourage each other- every day- so that we remember what is right and good and are not tempted toward sin.
Application:
I like the thoughts of taking things one day at a time. If things are going well, then that lets me have the opportunity to enjoy what is happening without worrying about the future. If things are bad, it lets me just enjoy the good things that are happening that day and not worry about the bad.
Prayer:
Lord, help me learn to live in the present and enjoy the small everyday things. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Isaiah 6; Isaiah 7; 2 Chronicles 26; 2 Chronicles 27; Philemon 1
Scripture that spoke to me:
Isaiah 7:9b
If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.
Observation:
The metaphor that comes to mind is of the man with one foot in the boat and one on the shore. He has to choose to be on one or the other or he will fall.
Application:
I think we try to stand like the man in the boat- one foot in God and one in the world. It is so hard to put both feet in the boat with God because we want to be anchored to the land. But God has the true anchor- and as we float scarily, we have to remember that Jesus calms the storms in our boat.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for giving us an anchor. Help me to trust in You more and more. Amen.
