Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Ever Since You Were Born
Listen to me, descendants of Jacob, all you who remain in Israel.
I have cared for you since you were born.
Yes, I carried you before you were born.
I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age.
I made you, and I will care for you.
I will carry you along and save you.
To whom will you compare me?
Who is my equal?
Some people pour out their silver and gold and hire a craftsman to make a god from it.
Then they bow down and worship it!
They carry it around on their shoulders, and when they set it down, it stays there.
It can't even move!
And when someone prays to it, there is no answer.
It can't rescue anyone from trouble.
Do not forget this! Keep it in mind!
Remember this, you guilty ones. Remember the things I have done in the past.
For I alone am God!
I am God, and there is none like me. - Isaiah 46:3—9 NLT
Misplaced trust is disastrous. The Israelites had depended on their idols. They had ignored the one God who could have helped them. The Assyrians invaded Israel around 722 BC. They took captive a little fewer than thirty thousand people, mostly the upper classes and the well-to-do because they were most likely to lead an uprising. God spoke to the Israelites who were left behind after that destruction, who wondered what the future might hold.
Even though they might not have realized it, God had been taking care of them since before they were born, and he would continue caring for them until they were old and white-haired. There was no stage of their life where God was not present. They could not get away from him, no matter how hard they might try. There was no way that God had or ever would abandon them.
In contrast, the idols were nothing more than the wood, stone, or precious metals out of which they were manufactured. How could the Israelites ever compare God to them? They were worthless. We don't carry idols like those any longer, but we've made new ones of our jobs, our abilities, our technology. But if the economy goes bad, if we get sick or disabled, if the batteries run out, or we can't find a plug, what then? The new idols are as worthless as the wood, stone, and metal ones.
Information for your soul. Daily devotionals and Observances to celebrate.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Daily Devotion
Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Watching Hair Grow
The LORD said to Moses, "Give the following instructions to the people of Israel.
"If any of the people, either men or women, take the special vow of a Nazirite, setting themselves apart to the LORD in a special way, they must give up wine and other alcoholic drinks. They must not use vinegar made from wine or from other alcoholic drinks, they must not drink fresh grape juice, and they must not eat grapes or raisins. As long as they are bound by their Nazirite vow, they are not allowed to eat or drink anything that comes from a grapevine— not even the grape seeds or skins.
"They must never cut their hair throughout the time of their vow, for they are holy and set apart to the LORD. Until the time of their vow has been fulfilled, they must let their hair grow long. And they must not go near a dead body during the entire period of their vow to the LORD. Even if the dead person is their own father, mother, brother, or sister, they must not defile themselves, for the hair on their head is the symbol of their separation to God. This requirement applies as long as they are set apart to the LORD." - Numbers 6:1-8 NLT
Sometimes all you'll get out of a vow is distress. A Nazirite vow meant giving up haircuts and anything made out of grapes, among other things. People in the Bible who took a Nazirite vow include both Samson and Samuel, who were Nazirites from birth (Judges 13:7 and 1 Samuel 1:11). The apostle Paul took the vow as an adult, but only for a specified, limited period (Acts 18:18). Paul also paid for the ending ceremony for other Nazirites (Acts 21:17-26).
Why did God give the Israelites a spiritual discipline like the Nazirite vow? Did God delight in discomfort or deprivation? God is not brought nearer or better understood as a consequence of self-inflicted suffering. Rather, the discipline of the vow became the learning experience for the Nazirite—perseverance, seeing something through to the end. A person gets to know God better not in the pain but in the practice of God's qualities. A person who vows makes a promise that needs to be kept even when it is hard. To make a vow and to see it through to the end builds patience and perseverance, qualities that are valuable in life and in one's relationship with God. After all, God may not fulfill his promises instantly. His answers to our prayers often take time. We need to be patient.
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Watching Hair Grow
The LORD said to Moses, "Give the following instructions to the people of Israel.
"If any of the people, either men or women, take the special vow of a Nazirite, setting themselves apart to the LORD in a special way, they must give up wine and other alcoholic drinks. They must not use vinegar made from wine or from other alcoholic drinks, they must not drink fresh grape juice, and they must not eat grapes or raisins. As long as they are bound by their Nazirite vow, they are not allowed to eat or drink anything that comes from a grapevine— not even the grape seeds or skins.
"They must never cut their hair throughout the time of their vow, for they are holy and set apart to the LORD. Until the time of their vow has been fulfilled, they must let their hair grow long. And they must not go near a dead body during the entire period of their vow to the LORD. Even if the dead person is their own father, mother, brother, or sister, they must not defile themselves, for the hair on their head is the symbol of their separation to God. This requirement applies as long as they are set apart to the LORD." - Numbers 6:1-8 NLT
Sometimes all you'll get out of a vow is distress. A Nazirite vow meant giving up haircuts and anything made out of grapes, among other things. People in the Bible who took a Nazirite vow include both Samson and Samuel, who were Nazirites from birth (Judges 13:7 and 1 Samuel 1:11). The apostle Paul took the vow as an adult, but only for a specified, limited period (Acts 18:18). Paul also paid for the ending ceremony for other Nazirites (Acts 21:17-26).
Why did God give the Israelites a spiritual discipline like the Nazirite vow? Did God delight in discomfort or deprivation? God is not brought nearer or better understood as a consequence of self-inflicted suffering. Rather, the discipline of the vow became the learning experience for the Nazirite—perseverance, seeing something through to the end. A person gets to know God better not in the pain but in the practice of God's qualities. A person who vows makes a promise that needs to be kept even when it is hard. To make a vow and to see it through to the end builds patience and perseverance, qualities that are valuable in life and in one's relationship with God. After all, God may not fulfill his promises instantly. His answers to our prayers often take time. We need to be patient.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Daily Devotion
Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Pay Attention to the Details
GOD spoke to Moses: "Tell the Israelites that they are to set aside offerings for me. Receive the offerings from everyone who is willing to give. These are the offerings I want you to receive from them: gold, silver, bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet material; fine linen; goats' hair; tanned rams' skins; dolphin skins; acacia wood; lamp oil; spices for anointing oils and for fragrant incense; onyx stones and other stones for setting in the Ephod and the Breastpiece. Let them construct a Sanctuary for me so that I can live among them. You are to construct it following the plans I've given you, the design for The Dwelling and the design for all its furnishings.
"First let them make a Chest using acacia wood: make it three and three-quarters feet long and two and one-quarter feet wide and deep. Cover it with a veneer of pure gold inside and out and make a molding of gold all around it. Cast four gold rings and attach them to its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Make poles from acacia wood and cover them with a veneer of gold and insert them into the rings on the sides of the Chest for carrying the Chest. The poles are to stay in the rings; they must not be removed." - Exodus 25:1—15 MSG
God cares about the details as well as he cares about the big picture. Just as God told Moses what to say regarding the plagues, so too God told Moses what decorations he wanted in the tabernacle. God explained the sorts of cloth to be used, details about the furniture, even the kinds of spices to be used for the anointing oils. He explained in detail how the ark was to be built and how it was to be carried. God had specific plans for how the Israelites were going to worship him formally.
Nothing is too small for God. Nothing is insignificant. God concerned himself with the number of gold rings to attach to the ark of the covenant, and he bothered to specify the kind of wood to use for the ark even when that wood was going to be covered over with a layer of gold. God concerned himself with those details knowing the finished box would wind up behind curtains that only one man once a year would even see. No matter how much you may think both you and your concerns are insignificant, they aren't. You are worth more to God than the choice of spices and the design of furniture.
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Pay Attention to the Details
GOD spoke to Moses: "Tell the Israelites that they are to set aside offerings for me. Receive the offerings from everyone who is willing to give. These are the offerings I want you to receive from them: gold, silver, bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet material; fine linen; goats' hair; tanned rams' skins; dolphin skins; acacia wood; lamp oil; spices for anointing oils and for fragrant incense; onyx stones and other stones for setting in the Ephod and the Breastpiece. Let them construct a Sanctuary for me so that I can live among them. You are to construct it following the plans I've given you, the design for The Dwelling and the design for all its furnishings.
"First let them make a Chest using acacia wood: make it three and three-quarters feet long and two and one-quarter feet wide and deep. Cover it with a veneer of pure gold inside and out and make a molding of gold all around it. Cast four gold rings and attach them to its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Make poles from acacia wood and cover them with a veneer of gold and insert them into the rings on the sides of the Chest for carrying the Chest. The poles are to stay in the rings; they must not be removed." - Exodus 25:1—15 MSG
God cares about the details as well as he cares about the big picture. Just as God told Moses what to say regarding the plagues, so too God told Moses what decorations he wanted in the tabernacle. God explained the sorts of cloth to be used, details about the furniture, even the kinds of spices to be used for the anointing oils. He explained in detail how the ark was to be built and how it was to be carried. God had specific plans for how the Israelites were going to worship him formally.
Nothing is too small for God. Nothing is insignificant. God concerned himself with the number of gold rings to attach to the ark of the covenant, and he bothered to specify the kind of wood to use for the ark even when that wood was going to be covered over with a layer of gold. God concerned himself with those details knowing the finished box would wind up behind curtains that only one man once a year would even see. No matter how much you may think both you and your concerns are insignificant, they aren't. You are worth more to God than the choice of spices and the design of furniture.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Daily Devotion
Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
God Will Outlast You
GOD said to Moses: "Go to Pharaoh. I've made him stubborn, him and his servants, so that I can force him to look at these signs and so you'll be able to tell your children and grandchildren how I toyed with the Egyptians, like a cat with a mouse; you'll tell them the stories of the signs that I brought down on them, so that you'll all know that I am GOD."
Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "GOD, the God of the Hebrews, says, 'How long are you going to refuse to knuckle under? Release my people so that they can worship me. If you refuse to release my people, watch out tomorrow I'm bringing locusts into your country. They'll cover every square inch of ground; no one will be able to see the ground. They'll devour everything left over from the hailstorm, even the saplings out in the fields—they'll clear-cut the trees. And they'll invade your houses, filling the houses of your servants, filling every house in Egypt Nobody will have ever seen anything like this, from the time your ancestors first set foot on this soil until today."
Then he turned on his heel and left Pharaoh. - Exodus 10:1-6 MSG
Just as sometimes several whacks are needed to get a rock to break, so God knew it would take more than a single plague to get Pharaoh to break. Moses became discouraged at the beginning of the process, wondering why he didn't have immediate success in getting the people freed from their slavery. But thanks to God's instruction and encouragement, Moses kept confronting Pharaoh. Each time, the results were the same, with only minor variation. Every time, Pharaoh ended by telling Moses no.
Locust plagues weren't unusual in the ancient Middle East, though the severity of this particular plague was far above average. It was the worst such plague ever to have happened to Egypt. The timing of it was out of the ordinary also; it happened just when Moses said it would happen. Rather than the plague being a random event, it was clearly the hand of God.
The purpose of the plagues was not just to free the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. It also taught both Egyptians and Israelites that God was stronger than Pharaoh and all the many gods of Egypt. The plagues built their faith and helped prepare them—and their descendants—for the journey ahead. Don't be tempted to give up just because it's a long, hard trip.
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
God Will Outlast You
GOD said to Moses: "Go to Pharaoh. I've made him stubborn, him and his servants, so that I can force him to look at these signs and so you'll be able to tell your children and grandchildren how I toyed with the Egyptians, like a cat with a mouse; you'll tell them the stories of the signs that I brought down on them, so that you'll all know that I am GOD."
Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "GOD, the God of the Hebrews, says, 'How long are you going to refuse to knuckle under? Release my people so that they can worship me. If you refuse to release my people, watch out tomorrow I'm bringing locusts into your country. They'll cover every square inch of ground; no one will be able to see the ground. They'll devour everything left over from the hailstorm, even the saplings out in the fields—they'll clear-cut the trees. And they'll invade your houses, filling the houses of your servants, filling every house in Egypt Nobody will have ever seen anything like this, from the time your ancestors first set foot on this soil until today."
Then he turned on his heel and left Pharaoh. - Exodus 10:1-6 MSG
Just as sometimes several whacks are needed to get a rock to break, so God knew it would take more than a single plague to get Pharaoh to break. Moses became discouraged at the beginning of the process, wondering why he didn't have immediate success in getting the people freed from their slavery. But thanks to God's instruction and encouragement, Moses kept confronting Pharaoh. Each time, the results were the same, with only minor variation. Every time, Pharaoh ended by telling Moses no.
Locust plagues weren't unusual in the ancient Middle East, though the severity of this particular plague was far above average. It was the worst such plague ever to have happened to Egypt. The timing of it was out of the ordinary also; it happened just when Moses said it would happen. Rather than the plague being a random event, it was clearly the hand of God.
The purpose of the plagues was not just to free the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. It also taught both Egyptians and Israelites that God was stronger than Pharaoh and all the many gods of Egypt. The plagues built their faith and helped prepare them—and their descendants—for the journey ahead. Don't be tempted to give up just because it's a long, hard trip.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Daily Devotion
Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
For the Foreseeable Future
God said to Abraham, "As for you, you shall keep my covenant you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. Throughout your generations every male among you shall be circumcised when he is eight days old, induding the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring. Both the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money must be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant"
God said to Abraham, "As for Sarah your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her." Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said to himself, "Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" - Genesis 17:9—17 NRSV
The symbol of God's relationship with Abraham and his descendants was a secret that only they could see. And only half his people carried it. Women were not circumcised. Were they not part of God's covenant? For them, the symbol of their connection to circumcision was secondary, made real in the marriage relationship when they became "one flesh." Their connection to the symbol also came from the fact that they were born of their fathers, related to their brothers, and mothers to their sons. The circumcised man would know he was circumcised. His father and mother and wife would know he was circumcised. No one else would ever see the circumcision. But it represented the connection between that person and his God. His life reflected the hidden symbol.
The symbol of our relationship with God is likewise hidden. More important than the symbol was the reality of a relationship with God, what God referred to as "circumcision of the heart," something that was true for both men and women. No one can see the interior circumcision either, except in the way it transforms a person. The evidence of a changed heart is demonstrated by how a life is lived.
Click here to send this devotion to a friend!
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
For the Foreseeable Future
God said to Abraham, "As for you, you shall keep my covenant you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. Throughout your generations every male among you shall be circumcised when he is eight days old, induding the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring. Both the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money must be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant"
God said to Abraham, "As for Sarah your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her." Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said to himself, "Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" - Genesis 17:9—17 NRSV
The symbol of God's relationship with Abraham and his descendants was a secret that only they could see. And only half his people carried it. Women were not circumcised. Were they not part of God's covenant? For them, the symbol of their connection to circumcision was secondary, made real in the marriage relationship when they became "one flesh." Their connection to the symbol also came from the fact that they were born of their fathers, related to their brothers, and mothers to their sons. The circumcised man would know he was circumcised. His father and mother and wife would know he was circumcised. No one else would ever see the circumcision. But it represented the connection between that person and his God. His life reflected the hidden symbol.
The symbol of our relationship with God is likewise hidden. More important than the symbol was the reality of a relationship with God, what God referred to as "circumcision of the heart," something that was true for both men and women. No one can see the interior circumcision either, except in the way it transforms a person. The evidence of a changed heart is demonstrated by how a life is lived.
Click here to send this devotion to a friend!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Daily Devotion
Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
God Perseveres
Abram was ninety- nine years old when the LORD appeared to him again and said, "I am God All-Powerful. If you obey me and always do right, I will keep my solemn promise to you and give you more descendants than can be counted." Abram bowed with his face to the ground, and God said:
I promise that you will be the father of many nations. That's why I now change your name from Abram to Abraham. I will give you a lot of descendants, and in the future they will become great nations. Some of them will even be kings. I will always keep the promise I have made to you and your descendants, because I am your God and their God. I will give you and them the land in which you are now a foreigner. I will give the whole land of Canaan to your family forever, and I will be their God. - Genesis 17:1-8 CEV
Giving up is the easy way out. But it isn't God's way. God promised Abraham that he would have descendants who would become great nations with kings. The land of Canaan would be theirs.
The author of Genesis, writing after the exodus from Egypt, announced that it was Yahweh—translated as the word LORD in capital letters—who appeared to Abram when God promised him a son and changed his name to Abraham. Abram meant "exalted father," while Abraham meant "father of many." God changed Abram's name because Abraham would become the ancestor of more than one group of people, both the Jews and the Arabs.
The average life span is seventy years, give or take a bit. Abraham had to wait beyond a normal life span to receive what God had promised him. He had to wait until realistically all he had to look forward to was his own funeral. At that moment, however, God promised him a son. Abraham's descendants became the people of Israel—but not right away. Jacob's children would go to Egypt and have descendants who would be enslaved by Egypt for four hundred years.
Even after his people reached the promised land, God still would have to train them, leading them by prophet and punishment for centuries. It was not easy, and yet God never gave up on them. God persevered. He did not give up on Israel.
It is hard to keep working at a problem that never seems to be solved. Friends and family would probably support a decision to quit and turn back. They wouldn't want to see you suffer and be disappointed. But perseverance is a gift of God. Keep on going no matter how hard it is.
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
God Perseveres
Abram was ninety- nine years old when the LORD appeared to him again and said, "I am God All-Powerful. If you obey me and always do right, I will keep my solemn promise to you and give you more descendants than can be counted." Abram bowed with his face to the ground, and God said:
I promise that you will be the father of many nations. That's why I now change your name from Abram to Abraham. I will give you a lot of descendants, and in the future they will become great nations. Some of them will even be kings. I will always keep the promise I have made to you and your descendants, because I am your God and their God. I will give you and them the land in which you are now a foreigner. I will give the whole land of Canaan to your family forever, and I will be their God. - Genesis 17:1-8 CEV
Giving up is the easy way out. But it isn't God's way. God promised Abraham that he would have descendants who would become great nations with kings. The land of Canaan would be theirs.
The author of Genesis, writing after the exodus from Egypt, announced that it was Yahweh—translated as the word LORD in capital letters—who appeared to Abram when God promised him a son and changed his name to Abraham. Abram meant "exalted father," while Abraham meant "father of many." God changed Abram's name because Abraham would become the ancestor of more than one group of people, both the Jews and the Arabs.
The average life span is seventy years, give or take a bit. Abraham had to wait beyond a normal life span to receive what God had promised him. He had to wait until realistically all he had to look forward to was his own funeral. At that moment, however, God promised him a son. Abraham's descendants became the people of Israel—but not right away. Jacob's children would go to Egypt and have descendants who would be enslaved by Egypt for four hundred years.
Even after his people reached the promised land, God still would have to train them, leading them by prophet and punishment for centuries. It was not easy, and yet God never gave up on them. God persevered. He did not give up on Israel.
It is hard to keep working at a problem that never seems to be solved. Friends and family would probably support a decision to quit and turn back. They wouldn't want to see you suffer and be disappointed. But perseverance is a gift of God. Keep on going no matter how hard it is.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Daily Devotion
Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Love Rejoices Only in Good
Because of the violence you did to your close relatives in Israel, you will be filled with shame and destroyed forever.
When they were invaded, you stood aloof, refusing to help them.
Foreign invaders carried off their wealth and cast lots to divide up Jerusalem, but you acted like one of Israel's enemies.
You should not have gloated when they exiled your relatives to distant lands.
You should not have rejoiced when the people of Judah suffered such misfortune.
You should not have spoken arrogantly in that terrible time of trouble.
You should not have plundered the land of Israel when they were suffer¬ing such calamity.
You should not have gloated over their destruction when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have seized their wealth when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have stood at the crossroads, killing those who tried to escape.
You should not have captured the survivors and handed them over in their terrible time of trouble." - Obadiah 1:10-14 NLT
We're told to love our neighbors even if they're our enemies, but we tend to rejoice when bad things happen to our enemies. Schadenfreude is a German word that describes this paradox. Schadenfreude is the pleasure we experience when something bad happens to someone else, especially if we think that someone deserved it. But God told the Edomites not to rejoice when their enemy stumbled, and he criticized them for their reaction to Israel's punishment.
The Edomites were descendants of Esau, Israel's brother. Israel had deceived him and stolen his birthright. The prophet Obadiah brought God's message of judgment against the Edomites for rejoicing and plundering after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. God condemned their attitude and their behavior and promised that consequently they would suffer his wrath. This was in keeping with God's promise to Abraham—those who blessed him would be blessed and those who cursed would be cursed. Although Esau and the Edomites were descended from Abraham, they were not in the line of promise. Israel alone had received Abraham's blessings.
God expects us to love our neighbors, even those neighbors who hate us. When our neighbors are in trouble, we're supposed to help them, whether they're nice to us or not. True love does not depend on the worthiness of the recipient.
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Love Rejoices Only in Good
Because of the violence you did to your close relatives in Israel, you will be filled with shame and destroyed forever.
When they were invaded, you stood aloof, refusing to help them.
Foreign invaders carried off their wealth and cast lots to divide up Jerusalem, but you acted like one of Israel's enemies.
You should not have gloated when they exiled your relatives to distant lands.
You should not have rejoiced when the people of Judah suffered such misfortune.
You should not have spoken arrogantly in that terrible time of trouble.
You should not have plundered the land of Israel when they were suffer¬ing such calamity.
You should not have gloated over their destruction when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have seized their wealth when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have stood at the crossroads, killing those who tried to escape.
You should not have captured the survivors and handed them over in their terrible time of trouble." - Obadiah 1:10-14 NLT
We're told to love our neighbors even if they're our enemies, but we tend to rejoice when bad things happen to our enemies. Schadenfreude is a German word that describes this paradox. Schadenfreude is the pleasure we experience when something bad happens to someone else, especially if we think that someone deserved it. But God told the Edomites not to rejoice when their enemy stumbled, and he criticized them for their reaction to Israel's punishment.
The Edomites were descendants of Esau, Israel's brother. Israel had deceived him and stolen his birthright. The prophet Obadiah brought God's message of judgment against the Edomites for rejoicing and plundering after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. God condemned their attitude and their behavior and promised that consequently they would suffer his wrath. This was in keeping with God's promise to Abraham—those who blessed him would be blessed and those who cursed would be cursed. Although Esau and the Edomites were descended from Abraham, they were not in the line of promise. Israel alone had received Abraham's blessings.
God expects us to love our neighbors, even those neighbors who hate us. When our neighbors are in trouble, we're supposed to help them, whether they're nice to us or not. True love does not depend on the worthiness of the recipient.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Sticky Bun Day Feb. 21
Watch Good Eats for a perfect Sticky Bun recipes and a science lesson.
Watch House of the Rising Bun: Good Eats Full Length Episodes Online | Free on Fancast
Watch House of the Rising Bun: Good Eats Full Length Episodes Online | Free on Fancast
Daily Devotion
Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Unrequited Love
When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son. As they called them, So they went from them; They sacrificed to the Baals, And burned incense to carved images. I taught Ephraim to walk, Taking them by their arms; But they did not know that I healed them. I drew them with gentle cords, With bands of love, And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them. He shall not return to the land of Egypt; But the Assyrian shall be his king, Because they refused to repent. And the sword shall slash in his cities, Devour his districts, And consume them, Because of their own counsels. My people are bent on back sliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High, None at all exalt Him. - Hosea 11:1-7 NKJV
God loved Israel as a father loves his son. Through Hosea, God compared his love for his people first to a betrayed husband, and then to a disappointed father. In context, Hosea's prophecy spoke to the fact that God had rescued his people from Egyptian bondage because of his great love, and that God would, for the same reason, send them to Assyria as punishment.
Matthew's gospel quoted the beginning of this passage in Hosea where God discussed what it was like raising his people from their childhood. Matthew applied the passage to the time Jesus' parents hid him in Egypt until Herod the Great was dead. Egypt and the bondage in slavery stood as a symbol of wickedness. How could Matthew apply this passage to Jesus? The New Testament authors used the exodus from Egypt as a picture of salvation. Even in the Old Testament, the prophets recognized that just as God had saved them from physical bondage, so also he had the power to rescue them from spiritual bondage. The exodus was Israel's salvation experience.
Israel's trip from Egypt, passing through the Red Sea, and receiving the commandments from God was paralleled in the life of Jesus' return from Egypt, being baptized in the Jordan by John, and then preaching about the kingdom. Raising children or saving humanity is not easy, but few worthwhile things are.
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Unrequited Love
When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son. As they called them, So they went from them; They sacrificed to the Baals, And burned incense to carved images. I taught Ephraim to walk, Taking them by their arms; But they did not know that I healed them. I drew them with gentle cords, With bands of love, And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them. He shall not return to the land of Egypt; But the Assyrian shall be his king, Because they refused to repent. And the sword shall slash in his cities, Devour his districts, And consume them, Because of their own counsels. My people are bent on back sliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High, None at all exalt Him. - Hosea 11:1-7 NKJV
God loved Israel as a father loves his son. Through Hosea, God compared his love for his people first to a betrayed husband, and then to a disappointed father. In context, Hosea's prophecy spoke to the fact that God had rescued his people from Egyptian bondage because of his great love, and that God would, for the same reason, send them to Assyria as punishment.
Matthew's gospel quoted the beginning of this passage in Hosea where God discussed what it was like raising his people from their childhood. Matthew applied the passage to the time Jesus' parents hid him in Egypt until Herod the Great was dead. Egypt and the bondage in slavery stood as a symbol of wickedness. How could Matthew apply this passage to Jesus? The New Testament authors used the exodus from Egypt as a picture of salvation. Even in the Old Testament, the prophets recognized that just as God had saved them from physical bondage, so also he had the power to rescue them from spiritual bondage. The exodus was Israel's salvation experience.
Israel's trip from Egypt, passing through the Red Sea, and receiving the commandments from God was paralleled in the life of Jesus' return from Egypt, being baptized in the Jordan by John, and then preaching about the kingdom. Raising children or saving humanity is not easy, but few worthwhile things are.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Daily Devotion
Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Stealing and Adultery
Attention all Israelites! GOD'S Message! GOD indicts the whole population:
"No one is faithful. No one loves. No one knows the first thing about God.
All this cussing and lying and killing, theft and loose sex, sheer anarchy, one murder after another!
And because of all this, the very land itself weeps and everything in it is grief-stricken—animals in the fields and birds on the wing, even the fish in the sea are listless, lifeless.
"But don't look for someone to blame. No finger pointing!
You, priest, are the one in the dock.
You stumble around in broad daylight,
And then the prophets take over and stumble all night. Your mother is as bad as you.
My people are mined because they don't know what's right or true.
Because you've turned your back on knowledge, I've turned my back on you priests.
Because you refuse to recognize the revelation of God, I'm no longer recognizing your children." - Hosea 4:1-6 MSG
How can you have a relationship with someone you don't even know? If you don't love other people, then you don't love God—and vice versa. Not loving people results in all the crimes God listed in this passage. The crimes were merely symptoms of the underlying disease: an unfaithful and unloving heart.
Hosea prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II of Israel, which corresponded to the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah in Judah. It was a prosperous time for the two kingdoms. Those who were in positions of leadership—particularly those tasked with the responsibility of teaching, had failed to live up to their calling. Priests and prophets had turned their back on God's revelation to his people. They did not concern themselves with what God had told them. They ignored the scripture and had no idea they mistreated the people around them. And they had no idea who God was, what he cared about, or what mattered to him.
What we know is what we will live. It is impossible for us to worship God in spirit and in truth if we know nothing about the one whom we claim to be worshipping. The religious establishment in Hosea's day had forgotten whom they were worshipping, and they imagined it didn't matter. They imagined that only enthusiasm, sincerity, and rituals counted. But what we know does matter. True worship is impossible without knowledge about the one being worshipped.
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Stealing and Adultery
Attention all Israelites! GOD'S Message! GOD indicts the whole population:
"No one is faithful. No one loves. No one knows the first thing about God.
All this cussing and lying and killing, theft and loose sex, sheer anarchy, one murder after another!
And because of all this, the very land itself weeps and everything in it is grief-stricken—animals in the fields and birds on the wing, even the fish in the sea are listless, lifeless.
"But don't look for someone to blame. No finger pointing!
You, priest, are the one in the dock.
You stumble around in broad daylight,
And then the prophets take over and stumble all night. Your mother is as bad as you.
My people are mined because they don't know what's right or true.
Because you've turned your back on knowledge, I've turned my back on you priests.
Because you refuse to recognize the revelation of God, I'm no longer recognizing your children." - Hosea 4:1-6 MSG
How can you have a relationship with someone you don't even know? If you don't love other people, then you don't love God—and vice versa. Not loving people results in all the crimes God listed in this passage. The crimes were merely symptoms of the underlying disease: an unfaithful and unloving heart.
Hosea prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II of Israel, which corresponded to the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah in Judah. It was a prosperous time for the two kingdoms. Those who were in positions of leadership—particularly those tasked with the responsibility of teaching, had failed to live up to their calling. Priests and prophets had turned their back on God's revelation to his people. They did not concern themselves with what God had told them. They ignored the scripture and had no idea they mistreated the people around them. And they had no idea who God was, what he cared about, or what mattered to him.
What we know is what we will live. It is impossible for us to worship God in spirit and in truth if we know nothing about the one whom we claim to be worshipping. The religious establishment in Hosea's day had forgotten whom they were worshipping, and they imagined it didn't matter. They imagined that only enthusiasm, sincerity, and rituals counted. But what we know does matter. True worship is impossible without knowledge about the one being worshipped.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Daily Devotion
Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Love Those Raisin Cakes
The LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."
So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley.
Then I said to her, "You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man; so I will also be toward you."
For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols.
Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king and they will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days. - Hosea 3:1-5 NASB
The world is bright and wonderful in the arms of love. Hosea loved his wife even though she was sleeping with other men, just as God loved Israel, even though they insisted on worshipping other deities. The raisin cakes, in this context, referred to the food used during the worship of other gods, such as Asherah.
Hosea's wife had left him, and she had fallen on hard times and become a slave.
Despite the fact that his wife had been and seemingly continued to be with other men, God instructed Hosea to buy her back. Hosea paid fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley. Fifteen shekels was about six ounces of silver, while a homer and a half of barley was equivalent to fifteen ephahs, about 430 pounds. An ephah was usually worth about a shekel. So Hosea paid the equivalent of thirty shekels of silver for his wife, the standard price for a slave (Exodus 21:32). He told her she had to remain with him and that she could not continue to behave or live as a prostitute. In the same way, Israel would no longer have contact with those things that were part of their idolatrous relationships. That is, as Gomer must turn from other men, so Israel must turn away from other deities—from their idols, ephods, and pillars.
There was no sense here that Gomer had repented, any more than there was a sense that Israel had repented. Instead, they were being forced into a process that would lead them to repentance. Gomer was exiled from her lovers, and Israel was exiled from her land. Both exiles would lead to restoration. God's punishment transforms, restores, and beautifies.
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Love Those Raisin Cakes
The LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."
So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley.
Then I said to her, "You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man; so I will also be toward you."
For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols.
Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king and they will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days. - Hosea 3:1-5 NASB
The world is bright and wonderful in the arms of love. Hosea loved his wife even though she was sleeping with other men, just as God loved Israel, even though they insisted on worshipping other deities. The raisin cakes, in this context, referred to the food used during the worship of other gods, such as Asherah.
Hosea's wife had left him, and she had fallen on hard times and become a slave.
Despite the fact that his wife had been and seemingly continued to be with other men, God instructed Hosea to buy her back. Hosea paid fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley. Fifteen shekels was about six ounces of silver, while a homer and a half of barley was equivalent to fifteen ephahs, about 430 pounds. An ephah was usually worth about a shekel. So Hosea paid the equivalent of thirty shekels of silver for his wife, the standard price for a slave (Exodus 21:32). He told her she had to remain with him and that she could not continue to behave or live as a prostitute. In the same way, Israel would no longer have contact with those things that were part of their idolatrous relationships. That is, as Gomer must turn from other men, so Israel must turn away from other deities—from their idols, ephods, and pillars.
There was no sense here that Gomer had repented, any more than there was a sense that Israel had repented. Instead, they were being forced into a process that would lead them to repentance. Gomer was exiled from her lovers, and Israel was exiled from her land. Both exiles would lead to restoration. God's punishment transforms, restores, and beautifies.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Daily Devotion
Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
A Fresh Start
"Here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to start all over again.
I'm taking her back out into the wilderness where we had our first date, and I'll court her.
I'll give her bouquets of roses. I'll turn Heartbreak Valley into Acres of Hope.
She'll respond like she did as a young girl, those days when she was fresh out of Egypt.
"At that time"—this is GOD'S Message still— "you'll address me, 'Dear husband!'
Never again will you address me, 'My slave- master!'
I'll wash your mouth out with soap, get rid of all the dirty false-god names, not so much as a whisper of those names again.
At the same time I'll make a peace treaty between you and wild animals and birds and reptiles, and get rid of all weapons of war.
Think of it! Safe from beasts and bullies!
And then I'll marry you for good—forever!
I'll marry you true and proper, in love and tenderness.
Yes, I'll marry you and neither leave you nor let you go.
You'll know me, GOD, for who I really am.
"On the very same day, I'll answer"—this is GOD'S Message—"I'll answer the sky, sky will answer earth, earth will answer grain and wine and olive oil, and they'll all answer Jezreel.
I'll plant her in the good earth. I'll have mercy on No-Mercy.
I'll say to Nobody, 'You're my dear Somebody,'and he'll say 'You're my God!'" - Hosea 2:14-23 MSG
God wanted to rekindle the spark that had gone out of his relationship with Israel. Despite Israel's infidelity with all the other gods and goddesses, God was willing to make a fresh start of it. He intended to sweep Israel off her feet once more, just as he had once done years before in those heady days when he rescued the Israelites from the slave masters of Egypt.
Jezreel in Hebrew means "God sows." Jezreel was the place where Jehu killed the priests, prophets, and followers of the false god Baal. God hoped it meant that Israel would finally turn to him and turn away from all the make-believe false gods.
Hosea's relationship with his prostitute wife, Gomer, served as the picture of what was going on between God and Israel. Hosea forgave Gomer's adultery. God forgave Israel's idolatry. The people of Israel meant more to God than the pain they had caused.
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
A Fresh Start
"Here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to start all over again.
I'm taking her back out into the wilderness where we had our first date, and I'll court her.
I'll give her bouquets of roses. I'll turn Heartbreak Valley into Acres of Hope.
She'll respond like she did as a young girl, those days when she was fresh out of Egypt.
"At that time"—this is GOD'S Message still— "you'll address me, 'Dear husband!'
Never again will you address me, 'My slave- master!'
I'll wash your mouth out with soap, get rid of all the dirty false-god names, not so much as a whisper of those names again.
At the same time I'll make a peace treaty between you and wild animals and birds and reptiles, and get rid of all weapons of war.
Think of it! Safe from beasts and bullies!
And then I'll marry you for good—forever!
I'll marry you true and proper, in love and tenderness.
Yes, I'll marry you and neither leave you nor let you go.
You'll know me, GOD, for who I really am.
"On the very same day, I'll answer"—this is GOD'S Message—"I'll answer the sky, sky will answer earth, earth will answer grain and wine and olive oil, and they'll all answer Jezreel.
I'll plant her in the good earth. I'll have mercy on No-Mercy.
I'll say to Nobody, 'You're my dear Somebody,'and he'll say 'You're my God!'" - Hosea 2:14-23 MSG
God wanted to rekindle the spark that had gone out of his relationship with Israel. Despite Israel's infidelity with all the other gods and goddesses, God was willing to make a fresh start of it. He intended to sweep Israel off her feet once more, just as he had once done years before in those heady days when he rescued the Israelites from the slave masters of Egypt.
Jezreel in Hebrew means "God sows." Jezreel was the place where Jehu killed the priests, prophets, and followers of the false god Baal. God hoped it meant that Israel would finally turn to him and turn away from all the make-believe false gods.
Hosea's relationship with his prostitute wife, Gomer, served as the picture of what was going on between God and Israel. Hosea forgave Gomer's adultery. God forgave Israel's idolatry. The people of Israel meant more to God than the pain they had caused.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Daily Devotion
Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
God Is Good
Yes, Gods Message: "You're going to look at this place, these empty and desolate towns of Judah and streets of Jerusalem, and say, 'A wasteland. Unlivable. Not even a dog could live here But the time is coming when you're going to hear laughter and celebration, marriage festivities, people exclaiming, Thank GOD-of-the-Angel- Armies. He's so good! His love never quits, as they bring thank offerings into GOD'S Temple. I'll restore everything that was lost in this land. I'll make everything as good as new.' I, GOD, say so."
GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies says: "This coming desolation, unfit for even a stray dog, is once again going to become a pasture for shepherds who care for their flocks. You'll see flocks everywhere—in the mountains around the towns of the Shephelah and Negev, all over the territory of Benjamin, around Jerusalem and the towns of Judah—flocks under the care of shepherds who keep track of each sheep." GOD says so.
"Watch for this: The time is coming"—GOD'S Decree—"when I will keep the promise I made to the families of Israel and Judah. When that time comes, I will make a fresh and true shoot sprout from the David-Tree. He will run this county honestly and fairly. He will set things right." - Jeremiah 33:10-15 MSG
Punishment is sometimes confusing. We forget all about the reason for our pain. In the middle of the sorrow, when the nation of Israel was a blasted wasteland and the cities were rubble piles, it was impossible for them to see the presence of God, to discern any hope. The hopeful words of the prophets were just so many empty platitudes. As hard as it had been during prosperity to hear God's promised judgment, so in the midst of judgment it was hard to hear his promise of renewal.
Our circumstances dictate what we hear, what we see, and what we think we know. When times are good, rejoicing comes naturally. The world is bright and happy. All circumstances are interpreted in the best possible way. At a basketball game, for instance, when the score is in our favor, we think every missed basket was "almost there." We think, They're hot tonight. But when the other team is ahead, the same missed basket becomes evidence that "they can't hit anything."
The "sprout from the David-Tree" was a promise fulfilled when the Messiah came and brought the kingdom of God into the hearts of his people. Just as everything was awful, God promised that someday everything would be wonderful. Do not let circumstances rob you of recognizing God's hand in your life.
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
God Is Good
Yes, Gods Message: "You're going to look at this place, these empty and desolate towns of Judah and streets of Jerusalem, and say, 'A wasteland. Unlivable. Not even a dog could live here But the time is coming when you're going to hear laughter and celebration, marriage festivities, people exclaiming, Thank GOD-of-the-Angel- Armies. He's so good! His love never quits, as they bring thank offerings into GOD'S Temple. I'll restore everything that was lost in this land. I'll make everything as good as new.' I, GOD, say so."
GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies says: "This coming desolation, unfit for even a stray dog, is once again going to become a pasture for shepherds who care for their flocks. You'll see flocks everywhere—in the mountains around the towns of the Shephelah and Negev, all over the territory of Benjamin, around Jerusalem and the towns of Judah—flocks under the care of shepherds who keep track of each sheep." GOD says so.
"Watch for this: The time is coming"—GOD'S Decree—"when I will keep the promise I made to the families of Israel and Judah. When that time comes, I will make a fresh and true shoot sprout from the David-Tree. He will run this county honestly and fairly. He will set things right." - Jeremiah 33:10-15 MSG
Punishment is sometimes confusing. We forget all about the reason for our pain. In the middle of the sorrow, when the nation of Israel was a blasted wasteland and the cities were rubble piles, it was impossible for them to see the presence of God, to discern any hope. The hopeful words of the prophets were just so many empty platitudes. As hard as it had been during prosperity to hear God's promised judgment, so in the midst of judgment it was hard to hear his promise of renewal.
Our circumstances dictate what we hear, what we see, and what we think we know. When times are good, rejoicing comes naturally. The world is bright and happy. All circumstances are interpreted in the best possible way. At a basketball game, for instance, when the score is in our favor, we think every missed basket was "almost there." We think, They're hot tonight. But when the other team is ahead, the same missed basket becomes evidence that "they can't hit anything."
The "sprout from the David-Tree" was a promise fulfilled when the Messiah came and brought the kingdom of God into the hearts of his people. Just as everything was awful, God promised that someday everything would be wonderful. Do not let circumstances rob you of recognizing God's hand in your life.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Daily Devotion
Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
God Is Good
Yes, Gods Message: "You're going to look at this place, these empty and desolate towns of Judah and streets of Jerusalem, and say, 'A wasteland. Unlivable. Not even a dog could live here But the time is coming when you're going to hear laughter and celebration, marriage festivities, people exclaiming, Thank GOD-of-the-Angel- Armies. He's so good! His love never quits, as they bring thank offerings into GOD'S Temple. I'll restore everything that was lost in this land. I'll make everything as good as new.' I, GOD, say so."
GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies says: "This coming desolation, unfit for even a stray dog, is once again going to become a pasture for shepherds who care for their flocks. You'll see flocks everywhere—in the mountains around the towns of the Shephelah and Negev, all over the territory of Benjamin, around Jerusalem and the towns of Judah—flocks under the care of shepherds who keep track of each sheep." GOD says so.
"Watch for this: The time is coming"—GOD'S Decree—"when I will keep the promise I made to the families of Israel and Judah. When that time comes, I will make a fresh and true shoot sprout from the David-Tree. He will run this county honestly and fairly. He will set things right." - Jeremiah 33:10-15 MSG
Punishment is sometimes confusing. We forget all about the reason for our pain. In the middle of the sorrow, when the nation of Israel was a blasted wasteland and the cities were rubble piles, it was impossible for them to see the presence of God, to discern any hope. The hopeful words of the prophets were just so many empty platitudes. As hard as it had been during prosperity to hear God's promised judgment, so in the midst of judgment it was hard to hear his promise of renewal.
Our circumstances dictate what we hear, what we see, and what we think we know. When times are good, rejoicing comes naturally. The world is bright and happy. All circumstances are interpreted in the best possible way. At a basketball game, for instance, when the score is in our favor, we think every missed basket was "almost there." We think, They're hot tonight. But when the other team is ahead, the same missed basket becomes evidence that "they can't hit anything."
The "sprout from the David-Tree" was a promise fulfilled when the Messiah came and brought the kingdom of God into the hearts of his people. Just as everything was awful, God promised that someday everything would be wonderful. Do not let circumstances rob you of recognizing God's hand in your life.
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
God Is Good
Yes, Gods Message: "You're going to look at this place, these empty and desolate towns of Judah and streets of Jerusalem, and say, 'A wasteland. Unlivable. Not even a dog could live here But the time is coming when you're going to hear laughter and celebration, marriage festivities, people exclaiming, Thank GOD-of-the-Angel- Armies. He's so good! His love never quits, as they bring thank offerings into GOD'S Temple. I'll restore everything that was lost in this land. I'll make everything as good as new.' I, GOD, say so."
GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies says: "This coming desolation, unfit for even a stray dog, is once again going to become a pasture for shepherds who care for their flocks. You'll see flocks everywhere—in the mountains around the towns of the Shephelah and Negev, all over the territory of Benjamin, around Jerusalem and the towns of Judah—flocks under the care of shepherds who keep track of each sheep." GOD says so.
"Watch for this: The time is coming"—GOD'S Decree—"when I will keep the promise I made to the families of Israel and Judah. When that time comes, I will make a fresh and true shoot sprout from the David-Tree. He will run this county honestly and fairly. He will set things right." - Jeremiah 33:10-15 MSG
Punishment is sometimes confusing. We forget all about the reason for our pain. In the middle of the sorrow, when the nation of Israel was a blasted wasteland and the cities were rubble piles, it was impossible for them to see the presence of God, to discern any hope. The hopeful words of the prophets were just so many empty platitudes. As hard as it had been during prosperity to hear God's promised judgment, so in the midst of judgment it was hard to hear his promise of renewal.
Our circumstances dictate what we hear, what we see, and what we think we know. When times are good, rejoicing comes naturally. The world is bright and happy. All circumstances are interpreted in the best possible way. At a basketball game, for instance, when the score is in our favor, we think every missed basket was "almost there." We think, They're hot tonight. But when the other team is ahead, the same missed basket becomes evidence that "they can't hit anything."
The "sprout from the David-Tree" was a promise fulfilled when the Messiah came and brought the kingdom of God into the hearts of his people. Just as everything was awful, God promised that someday everything would be wonderful. Do not let circumstances rob you of recognizing God's hand in your life.
Daily Devotion
Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
It's Because I Love You
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.
I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, 0 Virgin Israel.
Again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful.
Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria; the farmers will plant them and enjoy their fruit.
There will be a day when watchmen cry out on the hills of Ephraim, 'Come, let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God.'"
This is what the LORD says: "Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations.
Make your praises heard, and say, '0 LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel.'
See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth.
Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return.
They will come with weeping they will pray as I bring them back.
I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel's father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son." - Jeremiah 31:3-9 NIV
Love is a fuzzy word in English. The first Hebrew word God used here for love has the same range of meaning as the English word. The word gets used for everything from how Abraham felt about his son Isaac to what Esau thought about his stew. And just as in English, it usually describes how husbands and wives feel about each other and about their children.
God promised to bring his people back home. Samaria was the capital city of Israel's Northern Kingdom. Zion was a hill in Jerusalem. Ephraim, the largest tribe of Israel, became a synonym for the nation as a whole. They would all return, no matter where or how far they might have wandered.
A second word in this passage is usually translated loving-kindness. Whereas people marry because they have "fallen in love," once married, they have obligations to one another that go beyond mere feelings that can ebb and flow. The word loving-kindness is used exclusively in that context. It refers to the obligations that exist between those bound by a contract like marriage. God's loving-kindness endures forever.
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
It's Because I Love You
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.
I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, 0 Virgin Israel.
Again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful.
Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria; the farmers will plant them and enjoy their fruit.
There will be a day when watchmen cry out on the hills of Ephraim, 'Come, let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God.'"
This is what the LORD says: "Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations.
Make your praises heard, and say, '0 LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel.'
See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth.
Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return.
They will come with weeping they will pray as I bring them back.
I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel's father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son." - Jeremiah 31:3-9 NIV
Love is a fuzzy word in English. The first Hebrew word God used here for love has the same range of meaning as the English word. The word gets used for everything from how Abraham felt about his son Isaac to what Esau thought about his stew. And just as in English, it usually describes how husbands and wives feel about each other and about their children.
God promised to bring his people back home. Samaria was the capital city of Israel's Northern Kingdom. Zion was a hill in Jerusalem. Ephraim, the largest tribe of Israel, became a synonym for the nation as a whole. They would all return, no matter where or how far they might have wandered.
A second word in this passage is usually translated loving-kindness. Whereas people marry because they have "fallen in love," once married, they have obligations to one another that go beyond mere feelings that can ebb and flow. The word loving-kindness is used exclusively in that context. It refers to the obligations that exist between those bound by a contract like marriage. God's loving-kindness endures forever.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
365 Promises -
365 Promises - Daily Promise Blog - Promise #47 - Wednesday February 16, 2011
John 10:29 KJV
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all;
and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
Promise #47: I will keep you safe because no one can snatch you out of My hand.
I love the picture that Jesus paints in this passage of Scripture. In order to better appreciate what Jesus is saying, let's read John 10:27-30... 27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.30I and my Father are one. KJV
John 10:29 KJV
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all;
and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
Promise #47: I will keep you safe because no one can snatch you out of My hand.
I love the picture that Jesus paints in this passage of Scripture. In order to better appreciate what Jesus is saying, let's read John 10:27-30... 27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.30I and my Father are one. KJV
Daily Devotion
Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Unloved Prophet
The judges and the other people told the priests and prophets, "Since Jeremiah only told us what the Loan our God had said, we don't think he deserves to die."
Then some of the leaders from other towns stepped forward. They told the crowd that years ago when Hezekiah was king of Judah, a prophet named Micah from the town of Moresheth had said:
"I, the LORD All-Powerful, say Jerusalem will be plowed under and left in ruins.
Thorns will cover the mountain where the temple now stands." Then the leaders continued:
No one put Micah to death for saying that. Instead, King Hezekiah prayed to the LORD with fear and trembling and asked him to have mercy. Then the LORD decided not to destroy Jerusalem, even though he had already said he would. People of Judah, if Jeremiah is killed, we will bring a terrible disaster on ourselves.
After these leaders finished speaking, an important man named Ahikam son of Shaphan spoke up for me as well. And so, I wasn't handed over to the crowd to be killed. - Jeremiah 26:16-24 CEV
Governments, bureaucrats, and lawyers concern themselves with precedent—what has gone before. When confronted by the uncomfortable, inconvenient, and unpopular words of Jeremiah, their first thought was to get rid of those words by getting rid of the prophet himself. But then someone brought up the precedent of a previous inconvenient prophet named Micah. Since Micah had been left alive and free to go about his business, there was no reason for them to do anything to Jeremiah, either.
Precedent trumped what they had initially planned for Jeremiah, because a bureaucrat likes following the rules more than anything else. For them, the precedent of Micah meant they had fixed the problem of Jeremiah by letting him live.
So they did what was right with Jeremiah. But they did it not because they cared about what was right, not because they loved God, and certainly not because they loved Jeremiah. They did the right thing because the rules said they were supposed to. If the rules had told them to kill him, they'd have done so with no more passion than they had expended in freeing him.
Just because you do the right thing doesn't mean that you are righteous. Just because you did the loving thing, doesn't mean you are loving. It is easy to follow the rules, to follow the steps, to do what you're told. Following the rules is easy, but it never leads to righteousness.
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Unloved Prophet
The judges and the other people told the priests and prophets, "Since Jeremiah only told us what the Loan our God had said, we don't think he deserves to die."
Then some of the leaders from other towns stepped forward. They told the crowd that years ago when Hezekiah was king of Judah, a prophet named Micah from the town of Moresheth had said:
"I, the LORD All-Powerful, say Jerusalem will be plowed under and left in ruins.
Thorns will cover the mountain where the temple now stands." Then the leaders continued:
No one put Micah to death for saying that. Instead, King Hezekiah prayed to the LORD with fear and trembling and asked him to have mercy. Then the LORD decided not to destroy Jerusalem, even though he had already said he would. People of Judah, if Jeremiah is killed, we will bring a terrible disaster on ourselves.
After these leaders finished speaking, an important man named Ahikam son of Shaphan spoke up for me as well. And so, I wasn't handed over to the crowd to be killed. - Jeremiah 26:16-24 CEV
Governments, bureaucrats, and lawyers concern themselves with precedent—what has gone before. When confronted by the uncomfortable, inconvenient, and unpopular words of Jeremiah, their first thought was to get rid of those words by getting rid of the prophet himself. But then someone brought up the precedent of a previous inconvenient prophet named Micah. Since Micah had been left alive and free to go about his business, there was no reason for them to do anything to Jeremiah, either.
Precedent trumped what they had initially planned for Jeremiah, because a bureaucrat likes following the rules more than anything else. For them, the precedent of Micah meant they had fixed the problem of Jeremiah by letting him live.
So they did what was right with Jeremiah. But they did it not because they cared about what was right, not because they loved God, and certainly not because they loved Jeremiah. They did the right thing because the rules said they were supposed to. If the rules had told them to kill him, they'd have done so with no more passion than they had expended in freeing him.
Just because you do the right thing doesn't mean that you are righteous. Just because you did the loving thing, doesn't mean you are loving. It is easy to follow the rules, to follow the steps, to do what you're told. Following the rules is easy, but it never leads to righteousness.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Daily Devotion
Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Redeeming LoveI will tell of the LORD'S unfailing love. I will praise the LORD for all he has done.
I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel, which he has granted according to his mercy and love.
He said, "They are my very own people.
Surely they will not betray me again."
And he became their Savior.
In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them.
In his love and mercy he redeemed them.
He lifted them up and carried them through all the years.
But they rebelled against him and grieved his Holy Spirit.
So he became their enemy and fought against them.
Then they remembered those days of old when Moses led his people out of Egypt.
They cried out, "Where is the one who brought Israel through the sea, with Moses as their shepherd?
Where is the one who sent his Holy Spirit to be among his people?" - Isaiah 63:7—I1 NLT
According to Paul's definition of love, "Love always trusts" and "always hopes." That definition of love was reflected in what God said to his people through Isaiah. Surely they would never betray God again. God thought that because that's what love is like.
The first half of Isaiah's book relayed God's words of anger over their idolatry. He foretold Israel's coming exile for idolatry. But the last half of his book records God's words of hope and joy when he predicted a future where God forgave his people and reconciled them to him. God remembered the past with his people. He remembered how much they had suffered and how much that suffering hurt him. He remembered how much he loved them, and so he chose to forgive them one more time.
Such love seems unreasonable. The abused child, the beaten wife, and the kicked dog willingly return to the very ones who hurt them. They hope that it will be different next time. How foolish, how dangerous it appears to those of us outside watching. God forgives repeat offenders. He paid all our debts and didn't take away our credit card even as we tried to rack up more debt. He forgives all in perpetuity and forever. We can't max out God's credit card. That bill is always paid in full.
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Redeeming LoveI will tell of the LORD'S unfailing love. I will praise the LORD for all he has done.
I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel, which he has granted according to his mercy and love.
He said, "They are my very own people.
Surely they will not betray me again."
And he became their Savior.
In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them.
In his love and mercy he redeemed them.
He lifted them up and carried them through all the years.
But they rebelled against him and grieved his Holy Spirit.
So he became their enemy and fought against them.
Then they remembered those days of old when Moses led his people out of Egypt.
They cried out, "Where is the one who brought Israel through the sea, with Moses as their shepherd?
Where is the one who sent his Holy Spirit to be among his people?" - Isaiah 63:7—I1 NLT
According to Paul's definition of love, "Love always trusts" and "always hopes." That definition of love was reflected in what God said to his people through Isaiah. Surely they would never betray God again. God thought that because that's what love is like.
The first half of Isaiah's book relayed God's words of anger over their idolatry. He foretold Israel's coming exile for idolatry. But the last half of his book records God's words of hope and joy when he predicted a future where God forgave his people and reconciled them to him. God remembered the past with his people. He remembered how much they had suffered and how much that suffering hurt him. He remembered how much he loved them, and so he chose to forgive them one more time.
Such love seems unreasonable. The abused child, the beaten wife, and the kicked dog willingly return to the very ones who hurt them. They hope that it will be different next time. How foolish, how dangerous it appears to those of us outside watching. God forgives repeat offenders. He paid all our debts and didn't take away our credit card even as we tried to rack up more debt. He forgives all in perpetuity and forever. We can't max out God's credit card. That bill is always paid in full.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Daily Devotion
Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
God Doesn't Think Like We Do
Come to me with your ears wide open.
Listen, and you will find life.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you.
I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David ...
Seek the Loma while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.
Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong.
Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them.
Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.
"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD.
"And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:3, 6-9 NLT
Every inclination of human beings is evil all the time. It was God's primary motivation for destroying the human race in the Flood (Genesis 6:5-6). The psalmist agreed that all human beings became corrupt and there was no one who did good, not even one (Psalm 14:1-3). If you're human, you fall into that characterization by God. We do not think as God thinks; we think selfishly. We tend to think and live and behave and do what we do, whether for God or for others, because of what we think we'll get out of it.
If we do good for God and think that he must therefore do something good for us, then we do not love God. And if we think God is waiting for certain good behavior before he'll bless us, then we think God does not love us. But God does love us, and that means he is good to us no matter what! He doesn't expect anything back.
The comfort for us is that God's thoughts and ways are nothing like ours. We love those who love us. It is easy for us to be nice to those who are nice to us. But how many people are nice to those who repay evil for good, who cause them pain, who harm them? How easy is it for us to forgive? But God's ways and his thoughts are not ours. Altruism is rare. We usually love only those who love us back. We get something out of our relationships, or we wouldn't maintain them. That's how we think. It isn't how God thinks. God is concerned only with what is best for us. He forgives us and asks us to change our thinking to be like his.
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
God Doesn't Think Like We Do
Come to me with your ears wide open.
Listen, and you will find life.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you.
I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David ...
Seek the Loma while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.
Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong.
Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them.
Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.
"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD.
"And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:3, 6-9 NLT
Every inclination of human beings is evil all the time. It was God's primary motivation for destroying the human race in the Flood (Genesis 6:5-6). The psalmist agreed that all human beings became corrupt and there was no one who did good, not even one (Psalm 14:1-3). If you're human, you fall into that characterization by God. We do not think as God thinks; we think selfishly. We tend to think and live and behave and do what we do, whether for God or for others, because of what we think we'll get out of it.
If we do good for God and think that he must therefore do something good for us, then we do not love God. And if we think God is waiting for certain good behavior before he'll bless us, then we think God does not love us. But God does love us, and that means he is good to us no matter what! He doesn't expect anything back.
The comfort for us is that God's thoughts and ways are nothing like ours. We love those who love us. It is easy for us to be nice to those who are nice to us. But how many people are nice to those who repay evil for good, who cause them pain, who harm them? How easy is it for us to forgive? But God's ways and his thoughts are not ours. Altruism is rare. We usually love only those who love us back. We get something out of our relationships, or we wouldn't maintain them. That's how we think. It isn't how God thinks. God is concerned only with what is best for us. He forgives us and asks us to change our thinking to be like his.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Daily Devotion
Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Covenant of Peace
"This is like the days of Noah to Me: when I swore that the waters of Noah would never flood the earth again, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.
Though the mountains move and the hills shake,
My love will not be removed from you and My covenant of peace will not be shaken," says your compassionate LORD.
"Poor [Jerusalem], storm-tossed, and not comforted, I will set your stones in black mortar, and lay your foundations in sapphires. I will make your battlements of rubies,your gates of sparkling stones, and all your walls of precious stones.
Then all your children will be taught by the LORD, their prosperity will be great, and you will be established on [a foundation of] righteousness.
Y ou will be far from oppression, you will certainly not be afraid; you will be far from tenor, it will certainly not come near you." - Isaiah 54:9—14 IICSB
When a judge offers a criminal mercy, his victim may feel that justice has not been served. God promised that he would never send a flood again to destroy the world. He did this despite the fact that the world's behavior didn't change; it remained just as wicked as before. Through the prophet Isaiah, God promised that he wouldn't be angry with Israel ever again. What he did to them that time, he'd never do to them again. He wouldn't ever repeat the punishment required by the covenant, their exile to Babylon. "Though the mountains move" and "the hills shake" he said, God's covenant of peace would not be shaken. It didn't matter how they acted now; they were his, and so everything would be fine.
God compared the captivity of Israel to the destruction of the world in the time of Noah. God destroyed Noah's world for its sins. Likewise, God destroyed Israel for its sins. In both cases, a remnant was preserved. And in both instances, God promised never to do it again. Israel's captivity in Babylon would not be repeated any more than there could be a rerun of Noah's Flood.
This was an illustration of God's grace. We are now at peace with God. Nothing is left of God's wrath, punishment, and anger to pour out on us. Whatever bad thing we do, however we act, God already punished us for it when Jesus accepted punishment for us. The covenant of peace stands because the punishment has already fallen. The fine has been paid, the sentence served.
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
Covenant of Peace
"This is like the days of Noah to Me: when I swore that the waters of Noah would never flood the earth again, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.
Though the mountains move and the hills shake,
My love will not be removed from you and My covenant of peace will not be shaken," says your compassionate LORD.
"Poor [Jerusalem], storm-tossed, and not comforted, I will set your stones in black mortar, and lay your foundations in sapphires. I will make your battlements of rubies,your gates of sparkling stones, and all your walls of precious stones.
Then all your children will be taught by the LORD, their prosperity will be great, and you will be established on [a foundation of] righteousness.
Y ou will be far from oppression, you will certainly not be afraid; you will be far from tenor, it will certainly not come near you." - Isaiah 54:9—14 IICSB
When a judge offers a criminal mercy, his victim may feel that justice has not been served. God promised that he would never send a flood again to destroy the world. He did this despite the fact that the world's behavior didn't change; it remained just as wicked as before. Through the prophet Isaiah, God promised that he wouldn't be angry with Israel ever again. What he did to them that time, he'd never do to them again. He wouldn't ever repeat the punishment required by the covenant, their exile to Babylon. "Though the mountains move" and "the hills shake" he said, God's covenant of peace would not be shaken. It didn't matter how they acted now; they were his, and so everything would be fine.
God compared the captivity of Israel to the destruction of the world in the time of Noah. God destroyed Noah's world for its sins. Likewise, God destroyed Israel for its sins. In both cases, a remnant was preserved. And in both instances, God promised never to do it again. Israel's captivity in Babylon would not be repeated any more than there could be a rerun of Noah's Flood.
This was an illustration of God's grace. We are now at peace with God. Nothing is left of God's wrath, punishment, and anger to pour out on us. Whatever bad thing we do, however we act, God already punished us for it when Jesus accepted punishment for us. The covenant of peace stands because the punishment has already fallen. The fine has been paid, the sentence served.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Daily Devotion
Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
God's Love Song
I'll sing a ballad to the one I love, a love ballad about his vineyard:
The one I love had a vineyard,
a fine, well-placed vineyard. He hoed the soil and pulled the weeds, and planted the very best vines.
He built a lookout, built a winepress, a vineyard to be proud of.
He looked for a vintage yield of grapes, but for all his pains he got junk grapes.
"Now listen to what I'm telling you, you who live in Jerusalem and Judah.
What do you think is going on between me and my vineyard?
Can you think of anything I could have done to my vineyard that I didn't do?
When I expected good grapes, why did I get bitter grapes?" - Isaiah 5:1-5 MSG
Unrequited love is unfulfilling. It is more painful than simple loneliness. But God is more familiar with unrequited love than any other kind. Sometimes God illustrated his messages by having his prophet perform an unusual action. In this passage, God told a parable. God pictured Israel as a carefully tended and protected vineyard. But despite all the efforts of the farmer, the vineyard yielded little but bitter grapes that were good for nothing.
It wasn't the farmer's fault that the vineyard was so bad. There was nothing more that the famer could have done. He did everything right; everything perfectly. He could have done nothing any better.
The point of God's parable was simple: Israel was without excuse. God was not demanding that they love him in the face of unrelenting misery. He did not ask them to return good for the evil being heaped upon them. He made it easy. He gave them anything they needed or asked for. He gave them everything and made them prosper. And what did God get back?
Most people respond to good gifts with at least a thank-you. They feel obligated to the person who has treated them well. But that wasn't so with God's people. The nicer he was to them, the worse they treated him. Like a bad vineyard, they gave him stuff that wouldn't even make good vinegar.
Despite the misery and evil Israel gave God, he always and forever did—and continued to do—what was good for them. God's love isn't dependent upon the actions of the ones he loves.
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst
Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.
God's Love Song
I'll sing a ballad to the one I love, a love ballad about his vineyard:
The one I love had a vineyard,
a fine, well-placed vineyard. He hoed the soil and pulled the weeds, and planted the very best vines.
He built a lookout, built a winepress, a vineyard to be proud of.
He looked for a vintage yield of grapes, but for all his pains he got junk grapes.
"Now listen to what I'm telling you, you who live in Jerusalem and Judah.
What do you think is going on between me and my vineyard?
Can you think of anything I could have done to my vineyard that I didn't do?
When I expected good grapes, why did I get bitter grapes?" - Isaiah 5:1-5 MSG
Unrequited love is unfulfilling. It is more painful than simple loneliness. But God is more familiar with unrequited love than any other kind. Sometimes God illustrated his messages by having his prophet perform an unusual action. In this passage, God told a parable. God pictured Israel as a carefully tended and protected vineyard. But despite all the efforts of the farmer, the vineyard yielded little but bitter grapes that were good for nothing.
It wasn't the farmer's fault that the vineyard was so bad. There was nothing more that the famer could have done. He did everything right; everything perfectly. He could have done nothing any better.
The point of God's parable was simple: Israel was without excuse. God was not demanding that they love him in the face of unrelenting misery. He did not ask them to return good for the evil being heaped upon them. He made it easy. He gave them anything they needed or asked for. He gave them everything and made them prosper. And what did God get back?
Most people respond to good gifts with at least a thank-you. They feel obligated to the person who has treated them well. But that wasn't so with God's people. The nicer he was to them, the worse they treated him. Like a bad vineyard, they gave him stuff that wouldn't even make good vinegar.
Despite the misery and evil Israel gave God, he always and forever did—and continued to do—what was good for them. God's love isn't dependent upon the actions of the ones he loves.
Friday, February 11, 2011
365 Promises - Promise Photo Gallery - 28 Promises For February
365 Promises - Promise Photo Gallery - 28 Promises For February
February 11 - Promise #42 - Psalm 91:15
Call on Me when you are in trouble and I will rescue you.
Psalm 91:15 KJV
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
February 11 - Promise #42 - Psalm 91:15
Call on Me when you are in trouble and I will rescue you.
Psalm 91:15 KJV
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
365 Promises - Promise Photo Gallery - 28 Promises For February
365 Promises - Promise Photo Gallery - 28 Promises For February
February 10 - Promise #41 - 2 Thessalonians 3:16
I will give you peace at all times and in every situation.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 KJV
16 Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.
February 10 - Promise #41 - 2 Thessalonians 3:16
I will give you peace at all times and in every situation.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 KJV
16 Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
365 Promises - Promise Photo Gallery - 28 Promises For February
365 Promises - Promise Photo Gallery - 28 Promises For February
February 9 - Promise #40 - Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in Me with all your heart and I will guide you.
Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
February 9 - Promise #40 - Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in Me with all your heart and I will guide you.
Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
365 Promises - Daily Promise Blog - Promise #39 - Tuesday February 8, 2011
365 Promises - Daily Promise Blog - Promise #39 - Tuesday February 8, 2011
Promise #39 - Tuesday February 8, 2011
Psalm 32:8 KJV
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go:
I will guide thee with mine eye.
Promise #39: I will look after you and teach you the way that is best.
God doesn't leave us to our own devices. The Bible says that He is closer to us than we could possibly imagine. In Psalm 139, King David talks about how God knows everything about him and is familiar with all His ways (Psalm 139:1-3). In today's promise, we read that God has committed Himself to teach us in the way we should go and guide us in what is best.
The New Living Translation says Psalm 32:8 this way... The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. NLT May the promise of our Father's tender guidance bring a sense of rest and security to our hearts today. May we know that we are not alone in this life. Each step that we take is carefully guided by a loving Father who has only our best interests at heart.
God is everything that we need when we need it. He is our Father, our brother, our savior, our friend, our healer, our redeemer and our teacher. Time and space would fail to speak of the many ways that the Triune God (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) watches over us every moment of our lives.
Photo by Barry Adams
Promise #39 - Tuesday February 8, 2011
Psalm 32:8 KJV
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go:
I will guide thee with mine eye.
Promise #39: I will look after you and teach you the way that is best.
God doesn't leave us to our own devices. The Bible says that He is closer to us than we could possibly imagine. In Psalm 139, King David talks about how God knows everything about him and is familiar with all His ways (Psalm 139:1-3). In today's promise, we read that God has committed Himself to teach us in the way we should go and guide us in what is best.
The New Living Translation says Psalm 32:8 this way... The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. NLT May the promise of our Father's tender guidance bring a sense of rest and security to our hearts today. May we know that we are not alone in this life. Each step that we take is carefully guided by a loving Father who has only our best interests at heart.
God is everything that we need when we need it. He is our Father, our brother, our savior, our friend, our healer, our redeemer and our teacher. Time and space would fail to speak of the many ways that the Triune God (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) watches over us every moment of our lives.
Photo by Barry Adams
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)