Scripture to read today:
Jeremiah 26; Jeremiah 35; Jeremiah 36; John 20
Scripture that spoke to me:
Jeremiah 35:17
“Therefore, this is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disaster I pronounced against them. I spoke to them, but they did not listen; I called to them, but they did not answer.’ “
Observation:
God is not going to be swayed this time. As far back as Moses, godly men have been able to pray for the people and beg for mercy on their behalf, and the Lord has listened. This time, He is serious. Babylon is coming, life is about to get really tough. Here we see why- God has been speaking to them and they have ignored His call.
Application:
We cry out to God in many ways; in many times, we turn to God and expect an answer. But what happens when He calls to us and we do not answer? (and I expect that happens way more often than we even know.) Why do we expect Him to answer our cries when we do not answer Him? Or if we do, it should be a lot like a husband who does the dishes- he doesn’t think he should have to do them again for a long time! Our relationship with God, at best, should be triangular. Between us, God, and other people. Many have a one-sided relationship- God to them. They wonder why they call to God and He does not answer, when He has called to them and they do not answer.
Prayer:
Lord, forgive me for the times I have not heard Your call or have not responded to You. Open my ears and let me hear Your voice. 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.
Scripture to read today:
Isaiah 4; Isaiah 5; Psalm 115; Psalm 116; Jude
Scripture that spoke to me:
Psalm 116:15
Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of his saints.
Observation:
The Lord calls us home with great thanksgiving! It is a pleasure for Him to meet us in heaven, not the horror we believe death on earth to be.
Application:
I must say, death scares me. Not only mine but that of my family and friends. I know it is the fear of the unknown. It is the grief and loss in the here and now. But to God it is a celebration, a homecoming, a freeing of the spirit from this corrupt world.
Prayer:
Lord, help me remember that in death You bring eternal life. 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:
2 Kings 4; 2 Kings 5; Psalm 83; 1 Timothy 2
Scripture that spoke to me:
2 Kings 5:10-12
Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.
Observation:
Naaman has been sent to Elisha to find a cure for his leprosy. But the remedy that Elisha has for him is not what he expected. He wanted fireworks- a big show- instead of being sent to the nastiest river around to wash. Luckily for Naaman, he ends up listening to Elisha and is cured.
Application:
Oh boy, can I be like Naaman sometimes! I want some big, showy thing from God. I expect him to tell me to go to Zimbabwe and be a speaker at a large gathering when instead, he wants me to talk to one overlooked person right here. Or I expect him to bless me with a huge miracle when in fact, he has already blessed me with several hundred small ones. We all have an easier time seeing God in the big things- when He is most often found in the smaller, less desirable things.
Prayer:
Lord, help me remember that this life isn’t what it is all about- that Your kingdom cannot be judged by the ways of man. Help me to see you in the everyday, ordinary things in life. Amen.
***it occurred to me later that Naaman’s other issue was that he was called to be active in his own healing. We often want to do nothing and receive God’s gift- when in fact we are called to be an active participant in our own blessings.
Scripture to read today:
2 Samuel 15; 2 Samuel 16; Psalm 32; Matthew 25
Scripture that spoke to me:
2 Samuel 15:21
But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be.”
Observation:
Ittai was a Gittite, a foreigner in Jerusalem. When David flees from the attempted coup of Absalom, Ittai goes with him. David is urging him to stay in the city, not wander around in the wilderness and possibly get killed. But Ittai remains loyal to the king.
Application:
This had to have made the king feel good. Here Absalom- his own son- is trying to take the throne and this stranger is sticking with him. I am finding that I want people like that in my life. I have been the loyal one for so long, that I forget that I can ask people to be loyal of me, too. And it usually comes by finding people who are loyal to God- who understand the kind of love that Jesus showed- that Ittai showed here- and are willing to share that love with everyone.
Prayer:
Lord, let me be like Ittai, and also be surrounded with people like Ittai. Let us all be worthy of your love, and help spread your love into the wilderness. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
1 Samuel 3; 1 Samuel 4; 1 Samuel 5; Psalm 77; 2 Corinthians 8
Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Samuel 3: 8-9
The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
Observation:
Samuel didn’t realize that it was the Lord who was calling out to him. He thought that he heard Eli calling. But Eli realized, after three times, that it must be God calling. He advises Samuel to reply, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”
Application:
How many times do we mistake God calling for something else? In the rushed, noisy life we live, could we even hear God call at all? And if we happen to, how many of us answer? Are we servants of God, ready to do what He asks, or are we already so busy that we don’t want to think about adding anything to our agenda. (And is it our agenda, or God’s?) I would like to be more intentional in my prayer time, to actually have some “listening” time, too.
Prayer:
Lord, I’m sorry that I do not always listen when You speak. I’m afraid it gets lost in all the noise of the day. Please continue to speak to me, Your servant, for I am listening as best I can. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Ruth 1; Ruth 2; Psalm 53; Psalm 61; 2 Corinthians 5
Scripture that spoke to me:
Ruth 2: 11-12
Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
Observation:
The story of Ruth is a beautiful story of love for an entire family- including a mother-in-law! Ruth is willing to leave all she knows to remain in the family she married into. She works hard gleaning grain in the fields to provide for the two of them.
Application:
I don’t know why, because it doesn’t seem to apply, but I see this as a missionary passage. Ruth leaves her home to go to a new place and care for someone who isn’t her blood kin. And the Lord blesses her for it. I love mission trips. It is great to see new places and get to know the people there. The work isn’t easy, but at the same time it is not hard. It is truly rewarding. Maybe Ruth was an early missionary, with a small mission field.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for giving me a heart for mission. May You lead me to my field- no matter what the size. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Numbers 10; Numbers 11; Psalm 27; Mark 1
Scripture that spoke to me:
Psalm 27:14
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
Observation:
Waiting isn’t easy and it usually isn’t fun. David was anointed a king at age 16 but had to wait until he was 30 to become one, so he was familiar with waiting. David knew about waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled.
Application:
Waiting is not usually easy for me. I’m a “get it done” kind of person. I don’t want to wait. But God has the answers and if I try to fabricate my own without waiting for His, I’ll probably fail, or at least have a less desirable outcome. I know that God has a plan for my life (a plan to prosper me, according to Jeremiah 29:11). I also know that “they who wait upon the Lord will not grow weary (Isaiah 40:31). So I can wait, and in waiting, it will be good. It still isn’t easy, though.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to see that You have a great plan, one that You will reveal to me at the right time. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Leviticus 10; Leviticus 11; Leviticus 12; Acts 16
Scripture that spoke to me:
Acts 16: 30-32
Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household.
Observation:
I love this story of Paul and Silas. They drove a demon out of a girl who was a slave, and made her master much money. So he had them beaten and thrown in prison. While there, an earthquake hit the jail. But the prisoners, although unchained now, didn’t escape. This was an opportunity for Paul and Silas to minister to the jailer and the other prisoners. So by taking every opportunity- good or bad- to teach about Jesus, Paul spreads the word by his actions.
Application:
It is hard to be in the middle of adversity and still see a chance to spread the Good News. We don’t have to be in a church to tell others about Jesus. In fact, most people in church already know about Him. The majority of the people who need to hear are out in everyday life. So look for every chance you get – in the store, getting your car fixed, in the bar…. wherever there are people who don’t know the risen Lord, find an opportunity to show Him to others.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to recognize the opportunities to teach others about You. Amen.
