Scripture to read today:
Matthew 14; Matthew 15; Matthew 16
Scripture that spoke to me:
Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
Observation:
Jesus gets the good job- handing out rewards for those who have done well. This verse says that our actions do count- what we do matters. It isn’t just enough to believe, but we have to do well.
Application:
I know you can’t “earn” your way into heaven. But I believe you can earn your way out of heaven! There is something about trying, worshiping, giving, and leading that does gain favor with God. This is one of the biggest contradictions I see in faith- you don’t have to earn it- you can’t earn grace and forgiveness- but you do have to try to do the best you can. And you see that throughout Paul’s writings as he cautions the people not to go do what they want and then ask for forgiveness- over and over again!
Prayer:
Lord, show me the way to go. Let me live for you in all that I say and all that I do. And when I fail to do that, please forgive me. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Matthew 8; Matthew 9; Matthew 10
Scripture that spoke to me:
Matthew 9:28-29
When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they replied.
Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you”;
Observation:
Belief is the key to all the gifts of God. Just like these blind men believed and were granted their sight, we have to believe that God is who He says He is (I AM) and He will do what He promises to do.
Application:
This is one of my biggest challenges. I do believe in God- I do believe He can do anything. But sometimes I don’t believe He will. I tend to ask for things, pray for situations, where I ask God to do something if He wants to. I think I’m leaving a way for my spirit to not be disappointed if it doesn’t happen. And I know you can pray for healing and not get it. I know you can pray and have Him answer “no.” But I need to learn to approach prayer not timidly but boldly. Just ask and believe that He will come through. No, not for a million dollars or for unnecessary things, but for love, goodness, forgiveness, and peace.
Prayer:
Lord, grant me love, peace, goodness, and forgiveness. I know You offer these freely to those who believe- and I do believe. Help me not to carry a troubled and weary heart, but a heart that is so full of Your goodness that it spills out onto others and gives them love and peace as well. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Psalm 149; 1 Corinthians 15; 1 Corinthians 16
Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Corinthians 15:33
Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Observation:
Paul says this to the people of Corinth to have them take notice of their actions. Many felt that, since Jesus forgives, they could do whatever they wanted as long as they asked forgiveness for it.
Application:
It isn’t enough just to run to Jesus for forgiveness. If He is truly in your heart, you’ll live each day for Him- at least with an effort to be the best you can be. That doesn’t mean that you’ll never sin, but you’ll not plan to sin just to ask forgiveness for it later. That includes letting people into your life who may help you stray off the path. It is so tempting to think that you’ll change them into someone good, but more often that not, one small thing will lead to something larger.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to know who I need in my life. I do want to help others, lead them to You. But let me be strong enough to withstand coming across someone who may try to lead me away from You. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Job 34; 1 Corinthians 4; 1 Corinthians 5; 1 Corinthians 6
Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.
Observation:
Paul is right- no one who lives for this world will pass through to the next. But what you’re not seeing in these verses is grace- the grace of God that cleanses us from these earthly sins. That doesn’t mean you can go back to them time and time again, but with the help of God can move past these desires and desire Christ more.
Application:
I’ve seen too many of these things destroy families. Some of them destroyed mine. So it isn’t just for one person’s sake that God take you away from these… it can affect way more than that. I know that He gives me the strength to overcome the things that have affected me- and the strength to stay away from these things as well.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You for grace. It really is amazing! Forgive me for turning to the ways of the world and help me stay focused on Christ. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Ezra 4; Psalm 113; Psalm 127; Luke 9
Scripture that spoke to me:
Ezra 4:2-4
So they approached Zerubbabel and the other leaders and said, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God just as you do. We have sacrificed to him ever since King Esarhaddon of Assyria brought us here.” But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other leaders of Israel replied, “You may have no part in this work. We alone will build the Temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us.” Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work.
Observation:
The Jews are working on rebuilding the tabernacle in Jerusalem. They are singleminded about their work and will not allow those who were not exiles to help in their work. This causes division among the people living there and makes the work nearly impossible to complete.
Application:
We divide ourselves more ways than we need to. Not just by religion (Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist…) but even among Christians, we have Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal…. We divide by race, by income, by the region we live in, by which ball team we like… I believe God wants us to include people, not exclude people. We need a coming together, not a tearing apart. We need to learn to work together in acceptance of each other and in acceptance of our differences, not in division.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, help us to work together. Help us to learn to listen to each other, and accept that there are different viewpoints. We don’t have to be alike, but we need to learn to love. Help us, please. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Ezekiel 40; Ezekiel 41; Psalm 128; Revelation 21
Scripture that spoke to me:
Revelation 21:5
And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”
Observation:
Jesus came to make all things new. He brought a new covenant, so that if we accept Him as our Savior and ask for His forgiveness, we can have eternal life in heaven.
Application:
No one likes to follow a bunch of rules. We don’t appreciate the government intrusion into our lives- no talking on the phone while driving, wear your seat belt, etc. We just don’t like to be told what to do. But rules exist for our benefit- they are helpful to us. God gave the Israelites many rules that were helpful to them- ways to eat, worship, treat each other… but like many rules that have to be followed, the people looked for loopholes. They got so caught up in following the rules (or not) that they forgot why the rules were there to begin with. That’s where Jesus comes in. He came to remind us that the most important thing was to love God and love each other. It’s all about love.
Prayer:
Lord, I love You. Help me to love others as I love myself. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Ezekiel 38; Ezekiel 39; Psalm 145; Revelation 20
Scripture that spoke to me:
Psalm 145:8-9
The Lord is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
The Lord is good to everyone.
He showers compassion on all his creation.
Observation:
The observation for this one should be elementary- God is good! And He loves us all!
Application:
The application is tougher. If He is good, why do bad things happen? Here’s where a lot of people have different ideas. The Calvinists think that it was all predestined. I believe that we have free will. We make choices daily that affect our own lives as well as the lives of others. Some of these are not good choices. We weren’t put here on earth to have rosy, sweet, easy lives, but to learn to worship the Almighty. We aren’t promised a rose garden without the thorns. God is good in that He loves us, He cares for us, and He forgives us time and time again.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for having unending patience with me. I try to make choices that are pleasing to you and fall short again and again. Forgive my stubbornness, my failings. Grant your compassion to me once again. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Ezekiel 20; Ezekiel 21; Psalm 111; Revelation 8
Scripture that spoke to me:
Ezekiel 20:25-26
I gave them over to worthless decrees and regulations that would not lead to life. I let them pollute themselves with the very gifts I had given them, and I allowed them to give their firstborn children as offerings to their gods—so I might devastate them and remind them that I alone am the Lord.
Observation:
God has treated the rebellious children of Israel the way a good father would. He has tried to give them everything, only to have them not appreciate what they were given. So he gave them a bunch of rules to follow. That didn’t make a difference, so he allowed them to just do whatever they want- but not without recourse. Now they’re having to face the music for all the wrong things they have done.
Application:
How do we confess our sins? One at a time as they happen? Or do we let them build up until there is a dam of sins about to burst, then confess them all at once? I don’t know that it matters. What does matter is that we recognize how we have misused the gifts that God has given us. We confess that we don’t understand- don’t follow- don’t obey- and are able to reconcile with God. Sin separates us from Him, and the more we are aware of these sins and confess them to Him, the closer we come back to Him.
Prayer:
Lord, I confess that I sin constantly. Some are sins of thought, some are sins of deeds. Others are just sins that come from not keeping You in everything in my life. Forgive me. Draw me closer to You and help me to understand the things that I can do to be a better person in Your eyes. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Ezekiel 15; Ezekiel 16; Psalm 70; Revelation 6
Scripture that spoke to me:
Psalm 70:4
But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
“Let God be exalted!”
Observation:
All who seek God will find Him- let them rejoice and be glad! He is like the father of the prodigal- waiting, with open arms and not criticism, for the day his child returns.
Application:
I know people who think they’ve done so wrong that God would never welcome them back. the Bible is filled with verses that talk about seeking and finding- the love of God for His children- the celebration at the return of the prodigal. All God requires is that you turn to Him in love and acceptance, asking forgiveness. He wipes the slate clean. Turn to Him and ask Him to make you pure and whole again.
Prayer:
Lord, I don’t know who this was for today- someone out there needs You and needs to feel Your love and forgiveness. Shower them with Your blessings and Your healing. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Jeremiah 48; Jeremiah 49; Psalm 67; 1 John 1
Scripture that spoke to me:
1 John 1:8-10
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
Observation:
We are all sinners in one way or another. God knows it. He knows us. He wants us to confess our sins and He will forgive them. He knows that we aren’t going to make it through life doing all the right things. So if we claim that we’re perfect, we’re in essence saying that He is wrong about us.
Application:
I want to be a good person, and I expect most people do, too. I don’t want to be wrong- to have faults- to have things happen badly that I caused. But it happens. If I deny my involvement or don’t take the responsibility for my part in it, then I can’t be forgiven. It took me a long time in my divorce to see what I had done wrong. He left for another woman and I wanted to walk around going “look, I did everything right and he’s the one who messed this all up.” It took a long time for me to understand just how I had played a part in that, too. But I do understand and asked for forgiveness and healing from God. God wants us to understand and confess our faults, not to make us look bad in His eyes (He knows anyway) but so that He can bring about healing in our lives.
Prayer:
Lord, heal my faults. Help me understand how I can be a better person and forgive me for the things that I do that I know are wrong or cause others grief. Amen.
