Scripture to read today:
Nehemiah 7; Nehemiah 8; Acts 1
Scripture that spoke to me:
Acts 1:11
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
Observation:
Have you ever let go of a helium balloon and watched it rise until you couldn’t see it? There’s always that final glimpse of it, after you thought you’d lost it, when you see it again. I can just imagine the disciples standing there, looking up, hungry for that one final glimpse. But there’s also that time that you have to decide that you’ve seen it for the last time, look down, and go on. This is the time that the disciples must have dreaded- going on with life without their Messiah with them there physically.
Application:
How do you go on after you have lost something important? There is that time that you have to decide to stop longing for what is gone and move on. There is still work to be done. But we are comforted that Jesus hasn’t really left us- He is with us always! We can call on him, talk to him, listen for him, and learn from his teachings every day. We can long for the time that we will see him face to face, but he is not gone- he is right here!
Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank you for living in our lives every day, giving us wonderful things that remind us of your presence. Forgive us for looking up when we should be looking forward, ready to go on and do your work. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Nehemiah 5; Nehemiah 6; Psalm 146; Luke 24
Scripture that spoke to me:
Luke 24:35 Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread.
Observation:
I’ve always been intrigued with this story. These two men walking into town, joined by a stranger who explains all about Jesus’ death on the cross and how it fits the ancient prophesies about the Messiah. They don’t recognize him until he blesses the food and breaks the bread.
Application:
Can we know Him if we have not met him in the breaking of the bread? I think communion is one of the coolest things Jesus left us- a way to get close to him that is unlike anything else. Knowing that He left us this feast over 2000 years ago, and countless people have done the same thing throughout time seems to me to bind us together as Christians. What better way to become friends with each other than in eating a meal together!
Prayer:
Jesus, thank You for leaving us the communion meal to remember you with- and to share with others. Let it continue to fulfill people for another 2000 years! Amen.
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:
Jeremiah 31; Jeremiah 32; 1 John 4
Scripture that spoke to me:
1 John 4:16-18
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
Observation:
Love is what binds us to God. The love we have for Him, the love He has for us, and the love we have for each other. True love overcomes fear- if we have love, if we have God, there is no need to fear anything. Jesus had real love- he didn’t like what a lot of people were doing, but He loved them enough to sit and talk with them, explain things to them, and die for them.
Application:
I think of all different kinds of love- the love I have for my family, for my friends, for things (and yes, don’t we say “I love my car” or “I love french fries” and such?) Much of that love is conditional. We love our friends until they say something nasty about us, or until they betray us, and then we hate them instead. We love our family, but as my cousin pointed out yesterday, there are some unlovable people in our family, too. And even french fries let me down! What we should have is true love for each other. The kind that doesn’t fear- or doesn’t care- if we are loved in return (because we are loved by God!) The kind of love that uplifts those around us. And this is hard, because I’ve been hurt many times by people I love, and there is a real tendency to not stick my heart out there again to get it crushed. But real love doesn’t fear. Real love just loves because it can’t do anything else.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to love others, and You, with a real love that isn’t scared. And help me include people who have hurt me and people I don’t like very much. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
2 Kings 24; Jeremiah 22; Psalm 112; John 18
Scripture that spoke to me:
John 18:37-38a
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
“What is truth?” Pilate asked.
Observation:
What is truth? Dictionary.com has these definitions:
1. the true or actual state of a matter: .
| 2. |
conformity with fact or reality; verity: the truth of a statement. |
| 3. |
a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle
|
So Jesus says “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” He means He is the indisputable fact. He is the Son of God. Truth is filled with goodness- there can be nothing false in it. Just like there is nothing false in Jesus.
Application:
Remember true/false tests in school? Where you put a T with a small little line in the middle and tried to fool the teacher? We bend the truth so much that anymore, it is hard to tell the difference between true and false. “Little white lies” are ok. Answers that contain the truth but may not be the whole truth must be fine because they’re not lies, right? No wonder we don’t recognize the truth when we see it. We’re so used to believing lies.
Prayer:
Lord, let me learn to love the truth again, not believe lies. Let me learn to follow the Truth. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Jeremiah 3; Jeremiah 4; John 11
Scripture that spoke to me:
Jeremiah 3:23
Our worship of idols on the hills
and our religious orgies on the mountains
are a delusion.
Only in the Lord our God
will Israel ever find salvation.
Observation:
The people have looked for salvation everywhere but where it can be found. True salvation can only come from the Lord- the One who created life.
Application:
I know people who are searching for happiness. They look in all the wrong places- in the bottom of a bottle- in another person- in possessions- in travel- in hobbies. These things can bring pleasure, but only the joy of knowing Jesus can bring true happiness. It amazes me that people will try everything else (and some is strange stuff!) but they won’t try Jesus. Why is He such a turn-off to people, when He really is the ultimate high?
Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You for giving me a taste of joy through Your Son, Jesus. Open the hearts and minds of others to receive that same joy. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Nahum 1-3; John 5
Scripture that spoke to me:
John 5: 30
By myself I can do nothing. I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
Observation:
This is Jesus speaking on his own return and the judgment that will come. God has given Jesus the authority to judge because he is the Son of Man, and he will judge righteously.
Application:
How right we would all judge if we were judging to please God and not ourselves! I know I tend to judge people based on earthly standards. In many cases, I cannot see people’s hearts to judge them on a heavenly basis. But that is not my place. It has to be left to the One who CAN see their hearts. I also have to remember that He is judging my heart, too.
Prayer:
Lord forgive me when I rate people by earthly standards. Help me to remember that we are all One in You. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Isaiah 40; Isaiah 41; Isaiah 42; 1 Peter 3
Scripture that spoke to me:
Isaiah 42:1-4
“Look at my servant, whom I strengthen.
He is my chosen one, who pleases me.
I have put my Spirit upon him.
He will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout
or raise his voice in public.
He will not crush the weakest reed
or put out a flickering candle.
He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.
He will not falter or lose heart
until justice prevails throughout the earth.
Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.
Observation:
This is one of the prophesies about the coming Messiah. He is coming to bring gentleness, justice, encouragement and truth. He is coming to teach. He is coming for the weak and for all who have been wronged. Justice and truth go hand in hand- He comes to get to the bottom of the story- at the truth- so He can offer justice.
Application:
It is the last line that caught my eye- even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction. Jesus going global! And God knew it before he ever got here. This takes away the argument that Jesus came only for the Jews. He came to show us all how to live by following His example. But what also strikes me is that some people look to Him to see what He can do for them right now- right here on earth. We want instant gratification, but Jesus asks us to believe in Him for the long haul- not just based on how we feel (or what we get) today.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You for sending us Jesus to show us the way and lead us to justice and peace. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Isaiah 22; Isaiah 23; Isaiah 24; Hebrews 12
Scripture that spoke to me:
Hebrews 12:22-24
No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.
Observation:
We don’t worship a god of signs- a god of idols. We don’t have to pray only at an altar, or stand in awe of a burning bush, we have the living Jesus with us always, to be with us wherever we are. We don’t have to rid ourselves of our enemies, or ride into battle; instead, we only need to lean on Jesus for our troubles to be eased.
Application:
So, leaning on Jesus sounds like an easy thing to do, but how do you do it? For me, it just means to speak to him at times throughout the day. Keep him present in my life. Then, I have a friend I can tell everything to- someone to listen and to be there whether things are good or things are bad. And all that most of us want is just to know that we’re not alone in this world- and we aren’t if we have Jesus by our side.
Prayer:
Thank you dear Jesus for being with me throughout my day- no matter what may come up, I know you are a faithful friend. I love you. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Isaiah 11; Isaiah 12; Isaiah 13; Isaiah 14; Hebrews 9
Scripture that spoke to me:
Isaiah 11:6-9
The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling [a] together;
and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
Observation:
This is as peaceful a scene as is found in the Scriptures. The lion and the lamb lying together. The snake not biting a child. Jesus came to show us how to live in peace- to tell us to love one another instead of fighting- and this is the example given to Isaiah.
Application:
Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a peaceful place? To just love one another? Jesus said something else, though- he said that he didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword- meaning that he would bring division between people who believe in him and people who do not.. (“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 10:34-39 NASB)
Prayer:
Lord, help me create peace in my own life- to bring others closer to You and closer to love. Amen.
