Scripture to read today:
Jeremiah 33; Jeremiah 34; Psalm 74; 1 John 5
Scripture that spoke to me:
Jeremiah 34:17
“Therefore, this is what the LORD says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom for your fellow countrymen. So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you, declares the LORD -’freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague and famine. I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth.
Observation:
The law of the Jews required that they free their Hebrew slaves once every 7 years. This kept the people out of bondage and kept their own countrymen free. Here, we see that it is the 7th year and the slaves have been freed and then re-captured. The Lord is telling the people that they will all be captured by the evils that they have done themselves.
Application:
The word “freedom” is what caught my eye. We are all free to do whatever we please. Sure, some things are unlawful, but we choose whether or not to follow the law, too. However, it is what we choose to do with our freedom that counts. We are free to love or hate; believe or be skeptical; choose life or choose death. Freedom doesn’t mean that we’re free to do whatever we want- freedom means we’re free to choose the path that we want to follow. Every path has its own rules and its own limitations, but to choose to follow the path of Christ is the most freeing path of all.
Prayer:
Lord, let me choose my freedom wisely, so that others see that the freedom found in Jesus is desirable. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
2 Kings 21; 2 Chronicles 33; John 4
Scripture that spoke to me:
2 Kings 21:11-13
“Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins. He has done more evil than the Amorites who preceded him and has led Judah into sin with his idols. Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.
Observation:
A nation looks to its leaders for the way it should go. A good leader will keep his people prosperous and good. A bad leader will lead his people to ruin. Here, Manasseh is worshiping other gods, defiling the temple, and causing disaster in Jerusalem. The people are going to pay for his bad leadership.
Application:
What can we do to save ourselves from bad leadership? Sure, we have the power of a vote, but even that power will not help us for another 3 years. If we choose to follow our leader, I’m afraid of where we will end up. If we rebel against our leader, I’m afraid of where we’ll end up. In light of that, we can only follow God and what He wants for our lives. Pray earnestly, that our country and our friends and family will be held up before God as righteous and good and that one day our country will return to the principles that it was founded upon- liberty under God.
Prayer:
Lord, I pray that you spare the people of this country who truly love You and seek You. Help our leaders realize that they do have the power to lead people, either to redemption or destruction. Enter their hearts and minds so that their choice is redemption. Cause a revival in the land that promotes Your ideals of love and understanding. 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:
Amos 7-9; Psalm 104; Titus 2
Scripture that spoke to me:
Psalm 104: 19-24
The moon marks off the seasons,
and the sun knows when to go down.
You bring darkness, it becomes night,
and all the beasts of the forest prowl.
The lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.
The sun rises, and they steal away;
they return and lie down in their dens.
Then man goes out to his work,
to his labor until evening.
How many are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Observation:
The Lord made everything- and He made everything work together for good. The animals, the seasons- in all, He was wise in His creation.
Application:
We have spent a lot of time and money trying to figure out how things are made and how they work. We have even divided ourselves over some ideas (evolution v. creationism). I have a hard time worrying about this, though. God made it (and in Genesis, it tells us God saw that it was good) and I don’t need to know how He did it. I just need to know THAT He did it.
Prayer:
Lord, You are amazing in Your creation. Thanks for making such good stuff, however You did it! Amen.
Scripture to read today:
2 Kings 13, 14; 2 Chronicles 25; 2 Timothy 3
Scripture that spoke to me:
2 Kings 13:18-19
Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.”
Observation:
Elisha told Jehoash (King of Israel) to take the Lord’s arrows and strike the ground. Because the king chose to strike the ground three times, he would only win three times. He could have chosen to hit the ground once or 10 times, but he didn’t know what the rules were.
Application:
Do we know the rules, or make them up as we go along? The choices we make – even seemingly small decisions – have an effect on the future. And at times, the “rules” are only revealed after our choice.
Prayer:
Lord, let me be mindful of how the things I do today affect me tomorrow. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Proverbs 22; Proverbs 23; Proverbs 24; Romans 14
Scripture that spoke to me:
Romans 14:17-18
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
Observation:
Paul points out that what one man considers right, another considers wrong. And they’re both right! Those who believe they sin by eating a certain food will sin in their hearts if they eat it. Those who think that drinking wine is wrong will feel guilty if they drink wine. But the kingdom is not determined by what we eat or drink, but by believing in Jesus and serving Him.
Application:
Scott and I got in a deep discussion about sin last night. We both agree that sin is anything that separates you from God. For instance, he believes that drinking is a sin for Him because of where it leads him and how it separates him from Christ. I can have a glass of wine at book club or out with friends and it does me no harm. It is not a sin for me. I have a tendency to separate myself from God by focusing more on other people than on Him. Therefore, I have to watch to balance my time with God and my time with others, for my enabler tendencies get in the way of my relationship with Him.
Prayer:
Lord, lead us closer to You. Remove the obstacles, which we create for ourselves, that separate us from fully loving and worshiping You. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Proverbs 7; Proverbs 8; Proverbs 9; Romans 9
Scripture that spoke to me:
Proverbs 9:8-9
Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you;
rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
Observation:
If you are wise, you will know that wisdom is not an end- it is a journey. You can never know it all. Therefore, you would like to learn something every day- add to your learning. If you’re vain and foolish and think you know it all, you are not willing to be instructed in what you don’t know.
Application:
Scott is going to lead a new ministry at our church called Celebrate Recovery. This is for anyone who needs healing, from addictions, divorce, abuse, etc. I’m excited for him, but I’m thinking this could help me, too. I realize that I’m an enabler. I help too much. I’m hoping there is something in there for me as well. He made a comment that he had noticed I did something- now he can’t remember what it was- and recognized it as one of my enabler tendencies. I asked him to point out those things to me (and I can’t believe he didn’t do it anyway!) because the more I notice what I’m doing, the more I can learn from it. I want to learn, and grow, and improve- bring it on!
Prayer:
Dear Lord, please let me see that there is so much knowledge out there that I will never even be introduced to all of it, but help me receive it with a willing spirit. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
2 Samuel 17; Psalm 71; Matthew 26
Scripture that spoke to me:
Matthew 26:53-54
Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”
Observation:
Jesus knows that he fulfills all prophesy about the Messiah. This is the prophesy that has yet to be fulfilled- that the Son of Man will die on the cross and be raised up again in three days. He doesn’t want to do it- he has prayed to God at least twice to spare him- but he realizes that it has to happen in order for the plan to work. He has the power to stop it but doesn’t use it.
Application:
How many times do we know we have to do something that we don’t want to do- but we know it is the best thing to do. Scott’s dog died yesterday. She was at the Humane Society, and they would have disposed of the body. But we knew that we had to go get her and bring her back and bury her. So we did. It wasn’t easy. It would have been easier to let them do it. But we needed the sadness and closure. Savannah needed a grave. She also needed to see. I could think of many other examples- where you see the big picture, even though you don’t like a detail or two of it.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to see and understand the big picture, and know the best things to do. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
1 Samuel 15; 1 Samuel 16; 1 Chronicles 5; Matthew 1
Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Observation:
The Lord has just finished rejecting Saul for being more concerned about his own comfort than following the orders of the Lord. Now, Samuel is out looking for who the Lord says will be the next king. He is at the home of Jesse, since the Lord is anointing one of Jesse’s sons. Samuel naturally assumes that the eldest, strongest, tallest one is the Lord’s choice. But God doesn’t look at the outward features- He looks at the heart.
Application:
I’m afraid I’d end up like King Saul. Saul really didn’t think he’d done anything wrong. He thought he’d carried out the Lord’s commands. But he was more concerned with the plunder- more concerned with what the people thought of him- than he was with following the exact directions of God. I fight with this- I believe my heart is not pure and is often very selfish.
Prayer:
Lord, cleanse my heart. I want to be Your servant but often fall short, listening to my own desires. Forgive me and help me be a better daughter for You. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
1 Samuel 1; 1 Samuel 2; Psalm 66; 2 Corinthians 7
Scripture that spoke to me:
Psalm 66:17-19
I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;
but God has surely listened
and heard my voice in prayer.
Observation:
This is a praise psalm, which is fitting to read after the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel. It could have been her who wrote it, because her story is one of praise to God for answering prayers. It is also a story of the faith that Hannah had and her honor in following through on her promises. You see, Hannah was barren, but offered God her son if He would only allow her to have one. She gave birth to Samuel and then gave him to God. God honored her with more children.
Application:
I wonder about my heart sometimes. It seems to cherish sin- mainly, greed and selfishness. I don’t know that I could give one of my children up to God like that. I expect God to be faithful in His promises, but don’t know that I could be as faithful in mine. I have to stop and remember that all things come from God. If I’m not willing to sacrifice it all, I may not even have them to start with.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for being faithful. Help me to have a heart that is pure, not greedy and selfish like it seems to want to be. Let me honor You by keeping my promises. Amen.
