Posts with the category “devotional”

         After Jesus healed the paralytic Luke noted that, “Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” (5:26). I am impacted that way when I consider the way God worked through His prophets and some of the tasks and miracles that were performed.  The section this week focuses on visions, prophecies and interpretations, and...  Read More

After Jesus healed the paralytic Luke noted that, “Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” (5:26).  I am impacted that way when I consider the way God worked through His prophets and some of the tasks and miracles that were performed.  The section this week focuses on visions, prophecies and interpretations, and not just seeing the display of the visions but the fulfillment of the visions.  Read More

1 Chronicles 5:18; 6:3b-15, 49; 7:1 – 8:28. “News of Record”          In our town, the paper has a section called News of Record, which reports every 911 incident and arrests or violations of the law.  When appropriate, the names of those involved are listed in the paper.  You would think that, because people in this town know they will face public humiliation for breaking the law, even traffic l...  Read More

1 Chronicles 4:24-5:17; Psalm 137; Jeremiah 52:28-30; Ezekiel 32:17-33:20.  “Failed Watchmen”          Before the invention of modern fire suppression systems, it was required for a hotel of significant size to employ a watchman during the night hours to alert guests in the case of fire.  One such hotel in Omaha, Nebraska had a fire on January 23, 1911, and the watchmen failed to notify the guests...  Read More

Ezekiel 32:1-16; 37:1-39:29.  “Taking the Good with the Bad”          In the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, the lead character George Bailey, played by James Stewart, makes the statement that he wished he had never been born.  Those of you who know the movie know that George was given a glimpse of what his family, friends and whole town would have been like if he had not been born.  Even though Geo...  Read More

Ezekiel 34:1-36:38.  “Forgiveness”          Forgiveness is a really curious thing.  All this week we have been thinking about consequences in life.  Now, forgiveness is like the exact opposite of consequences.  When we are forgiven, the one who forgives decides not to bring about potential consequences against us.  For example, some insurance companies offer what is called accident forgiveness.  I...  Read More

Jeremiah 42:1-44:30; Ezekiel 33:21-33.  “Seeking Wisdom”          “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice” – Proverbs 12:15 (NIV)         Have you ever found yourself asking for advice and yet you have already concluded in your mind what you think should be done?  This is precisely the situation that the leaders of Israel were in.  When Jeremiah gave the answer from...  Read More

2 Kings 25:22-26; Jeremiah 40:7-41:18; Lamentations 5:1-22; Obadiah.  “Compassionate Response”          When hurricane Katrina leveled the gulf coast and nearly destroyed the entire city of New Orleans, I heard someone comment on how they felt the city was being judged because of the excessive sin it promotes.  Now, I do not pretend to know why God allowed that hurricane and the massive damage tha...  Read More

         The reality of the exile has set in, and life as the Israelites knew it is gone.  They are now living with the consequences of their idolatry and disobedience to the Lord’s covenant.  Thus, our theme for this week is consequences.  Whether we want to admit it or not, we all live with consequences.  As we will discover, some consequences are good and some are bad, and all of them are real....  Read More

The reality of the exile has set in, and life as the Israelites knew it is gone.  They are now living with the consequences of their idolatry and disobedience to the Lord’s covenant.  Thus, our theme for this week is consequences.  Whether we want to admit it or not, we all live with consequences.  As we will discover, some consequences are good and some are bad, and all of them are real.  Read More

2 Kings 25:8-21; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21; Jeremiah 39:11-40:6; 52:12-27; Lamentations 1. “Time’s Up!”          “The LORD, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and his Temple.  But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words.  They scoffed at the prophets until the LORD’s anger could no longer be restrained ...  Read More

2 Kings 25:3-7; Jeremiah 39:2-10; 52:6-11; Ezekiel 26:15-28:26.  “Restoration Prophecies”          Bible prophets often spoke of a future restoration of the land of Israel.  Many of those prophets lived during times in which their homeland was being conquered and destroyed by a succession of ancient empires.  Today, we can see with our own eyes what some of those prophets saw with theirs—the curre...  Read More

Jeremiah 32-33; Ezekiel 26:1-14.  “Fully Restored”          God’s encouraging words of restoration came in the form of promise to Israel.  His promises of restoration were part of His plan for Israel.  It’s important for us to remember that His plan covers everything; the beginning, middle, and end.         His restoration is not haphazard.  I can think of some building projects I’ve been involved...  Read More

Jeremiah 21, 34; Ezekiel 24:15-25:17; 29:1-16; 30:20-31:18.  “Crime but No Time?”          Picture the familiar scene:  A wrong has been done, a punishment must be made, and the offender is suddenly sorry.  It is possible to apologize for getting caught and not for the offense.  This was the case with King Zedekiah.  He had been warned time and again of God’s coming judgment if he would not change...  Read More

2 Kings 24:20b-25:2; Jeremiah 39:1; 52:3b-5; Ezekiel 22:17-24:14.  “In the Cooking Pot”          Have you ever felt like you were in the “cooking pot”?  In the 1987 AFC Championship football game between Cleveland and Denver, Ernest Byner fumbled the ball just as he got ready to score a touchdown.  That mistake cost the Cleveland Browns the championship, a trip to the Super Bowl and is what most p...  Read More

Ezekiel 20:1-22:16.  “Preventing Decay”          One of the aspects of the dictionary definition for “restore” is “to recover from ruin or decay.”  The importance of that spiritually is enormous.  Restoration is expressed throughout Scripture, and the facet of its recovering something from decay is foundational.  We are ruined and decaying because of sin, and we need the salvation that Jesus Chris...  Read More

We just spent the weekend with longtime friends who have fully restored the home he grew up in.  It is a beautiful place on a tremendous piece of property.  They could tell you firsthand of the work, planning and money spent to tackle such a project.  He now has a plethora of new stories about planning departments, architects, permits, unrealistic estimates, and on and on.         There may well b...  Read More

  We just spent the weekend with longtime friends who have fully restored the home he grew up in.  It is a beautiful place on a tremendous piece of property.  They could tell you firsthand of the work, planning and money spent to tackle such a project.  He now has a plethora of new stories about planning departments, architects, permits, unrealistic estimates, and on and on.          There may well be a downside to restoring anything (work, money, etc.), but there is also an upside, and that is the finished project.  God offers restoration (reconciliation, salvation and forgiveness) to us, and in a similar way there was a downside.  A tremendous cost was necessary; the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.          As you read this week’s passages, note the emphasis on various aspects of restoration.  Read More

Ezekiel 10-13.  “Personal Relationship”          At the start of this week, we read about the coming of the new covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34.  In God’s expression of hope to Israel through the prophet Ezekiel, we read more details of the coming covenant (Ezekiel 11:14-21).  As part of the new covenant, God will do a heart transplant in His people, removing the old heart of stone and replacing it ...  Read More

Ezekiel 5-9.  “That’s Not a Threat, It’s a Promise”          “For I am the LORD!  What I threaten always happens.” – Ezekiel 12:25         Ezekiel paints a very bleak picture for the fate of God’s people.  But for those who have been reading the Scriptures closely, it should come as no surprise, because Moses informed Israel as to what would happen if they refused to listen to the Lord (Deuteronom...  Read More

Jeremiah 27-28; 51:59-64; Ezekiel 3:16-4:17.  “Hope Springs Eternal”          Those of you who know me, know that I love baseball.  The game is a wonderful gift from God, in my opinion.  Someone once said that the great thing about baseball (professional baseball that is) is that every team goes into the season knowing they will win sixty games and lose sixty games and the rest of them are up for ...  Read More

Jeremiah 37:11-38:28; Ezekiel 1:1- 3:15. “God’s Omnipresence”          Leaving home for an unfamiliar world can indeed be a frightening experience.  It will be an experience that will be repeated thousands of times in the coming weeks by young men and women heading off to college.  For the Christian, it is helpful and comforting to know that God is there with you in that new and different place. ...  Read More

2 Kings 24:10-20a; 1 Chronicles 3:10-16; 2 Chronicles 36:10-14; Jeremiah 37:1-10; 51:15-58; 52:1-3a.  “False Hope”          Ever since the kingdom of Israel became divided under Rehoboam (1 Kings 12), the kings of both Israel and Judah led God’s people through a downward spiral of idolatry and disobedience.  This had resulted in Israel no longer being a major player on the world political scene as...  Read More

         The reading for this week will deal with Israel in exile.  While there are still some who remain in Jerusalem, the main shift of the Scriptures has been on those who are living in exile in Babylon.  Particularly we see this in Ezekiel, whose ministry was directly to God’s people living in exile.  Because they were dark days for God’s people, both those left in Jerusalem and those in exile...  Read More

The reading for this week will deal with Israel in exile.  While there are still some who remain in Jerusalem, the main shift of the Scriptures has been on those who are living in exile in Babylon.  Particularly we see this in Ezekiel, whose ministry was directly to God’s people living in exile.  Because they were dark days for God’s people, both those left in Jerusalem and those in exile, there is a recurring theme of hope that we will be looking at this week.  Read More

Jeremiah 23:33-24:10; 29:1-31:14.  “Spoiled due to lack of Discipline”          “Spoiled children are more tolerated in homes than spoiled food.”         I read this quote and thought of the illustration in chapter 24 of the two baskets.  One is filled with good figs, and the other is filled with spoiled figs that could not be eaten.  God then explains what each basket of figs is representing.  Th...  Read More

2 Kings 24:5-9; 2 Chronicles 36:6-9; Jeremiah 22:24-23:32; 49:1-33.  “Judging the Shepherds”          “Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged by God with greater strictness” (James 3:1).         James knew there was nothing wrong with aspiring to teach but he was fully aware of an additional responsibility that came with the...  Read More

Jeremiah 16, 18, 35.  “Turning Clay”          I remember my first experiences at the potter’s wheel.  It wasn’t safe to be anywhere near me.  With the centrifugal force of the wheel, a chunk of clay can fly a long way.  Of course, even if something did stay on the wheel it didn’t mean it was going to look good.  Some of the things I first turned were too thick, and others too thin, and some were s...  Read More

Jeremiah 12-15.  “Clean Linen”          Jeremiah, being a priest, was familiar with linen as it was the material of which the priests’ garments were made.  The belt was worn close to the skin.  The linen belt was to be representative of an intimate relationship between God and Judah (13:11).         But then Jeremiah is instructed to bury it, then come back after a long time and recover it.  By th...  Read More

Jeremiah 8:4-11:23.  “A Broken Heart”          “Do not be afraid of showing your affection.  Be warm and tender, thoughtful and affectionate.  Men are more helped by sympathy, than by service; love is more than money, and a kind word will give more pleasure than a present.” - John Lubbock (1834-1913)         The illustration today is that of a broken heart (8:18).  We know what that depicts.  It’s...  Read More

Jeremiah 7:1-8:3; Daniel 2-3.  “Idols and Images”          The image of Daniel two is that of a statue with various layers representing various world empires.  However, a rock representing God’s kingdom crushed the entire statue.  King Nebuchadnezzar concludes that if his portion of the image in the dream was the head of gold which represented a limited time period then why not make an entire stat...  Read More

As a pastor I have often been reminded of the power and effectiveness of a fitting illustration.  As a student I am reminded of this principle time and again.  My capacity to learn, retain and understand things increases with illustrations.  As you read Scripture it is very apparent that God is aware of that tendency in us.  He is always using illustrations and word pictures, or just simply showin...  Read More

As a pastor I have often been reminded of the power and effectiveness of a fitting illustration.  As a student I am reminded of this principle time and again.  My capacity to learn, retain and understand things increases with illustrations.  As you read Scripture it is very apparent that God is aware of that tendency in us.  He is always using illustrations and word pictures, or just simply showing us how to do something.  For example; Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” (Mark 1:17)            The reading passages this week will each focus on a specific illustration, object lesson or visual aid.    Read More

Jeremiah 25:15-38; 36; 45-46.  “The Purpose of His Wrath”          “…The cup of anger from the LORD…” (Jer. 25:17)         If we were to make a list of what brings about God’s wrath what would it contain?  In our reading up to this point here are some of the items we have read that have brought about His wrath: Apostasy (2 Chr. 34:24-25), Sympathy with evil (Lev. 10:1-6), Unfaithfulness (Josh. 22:...  Read More

2 Kings 23:31-24:4; 2 Chronicles 36:1-5; Jeremiah 22:1-23; 25:1-14; 26:1-24. “It’s in the Application”          Jeremiah 26 elaborates on the evil of King Jehoiakim and the nation at that time.  The prophet Jeremiah does exactly as God asks of him and stands before the leaders announcing the judgment of God if they do not change.  For their wickedness God was to destroy the temple at Shiloh.  But...  Read More

2 Kings 23:29-30; 2 Chronicles 35:20-27; Jeremiah 47-48; Zephaniah 2:8-3:20.  “My Decision”          Zephaniah’s prophetic message contains words of warning and judgment for Judah if they don’t repent and humble themselves before God.  It also contains words of judgment against the enemies of Judah.  By the end of the book a powerful message of hope becomes very clear.  God is watching out for His...  Read More

Habakkuk 1-3; Zephaniah 1:1-2:7.  “Questions and Answers”          Imagine the opportunity to physically sit across from God and ask Him questions.  Many times, I’ve yearned for that kind of opportunity.  Habakkuk is describing that kind of situation, via a vision.         Habakkuk asks God if He’s even been listening to his calls for help.  Habakkuk asks God if He’s aware of all the sin and viole...  Read More

2 Kings 23:1-28; 2 Chronicles 34:29-35:19; Nahum 1-3.  “His Wrath”          “When God saw that the Ninevites from Assyria had put a stop to their evil ways, he had mercy on them and didn’t carry out the destruction he had planned.”  That is a quote from the book of Jonah 100 years before Nahum, and 150 before the fall of Nineveh and Assyria.  Jonah had preached the gospel to the 120,000 who lived ...  Read More

2 Kings 22:3-20; 2 Chronicles 34:8-28; Jeremiah 5:20-6:30.  “Rewarded Repentance”          The scroll containing the Book of the Law was found in the Temple and read to King Josiah.  After hearing the words, Josiah humbled himself before God in sorrow and repentance and tore his clothing and wept.  His immediate response had a bearing on God’s response.  Josiah pleaded with the high priest to spea...  Read More

         This week’s theme has to do with the justice and wrath of God.  Charles Swindoll wrote the following;         Surely this phrase, “the wrath of God,” is greatly misunderstood.  Many, invariably think of some sort of peeved deity, a kind of cosmic, terrible-tempered Mr. Bang, who indulges in violent, uncontrolled displays of temper when human beings do not do what they ought to do.  But su...  Read More