When I was in college a friend asked me what I wanted written on my tombstone. I decided that no greater honor could bestow me than "A man after God's heart." The challenge now is that I have to live in such a way that people will think that's an appropriate inscription. In the case of Josiah, he is well deserving of being remembered ... [Continue Reading]
Expired Hope (Nahum)
The book of Nahum is really about hope for the people of Nineveh and how they have run out of time to repent and return to God. Jonah was sent with a message for them a century and a half before Nahum's words were written, but Nineveh did not heed the warning and was now staring down the face of certain judgment. It's at this point that you might ... [Continue Reading]
Humility Isn’t Enough (2 Chronicles 32-33)
Throughout the Old Testament the lives of many kings are recounted for us, and the level of their humility does play a role in how well each king is remembered. However, it was not just humility that made a king great - it was humility before the Lord. There's a difference between simply not thinking too highly of yourself and humbling yourself before the ... [Continue Reading]
Really? (Isaiah 20-21)
When I read the story of Hezekiah's son, Manasseh, I want to ask the question: Really? Did you really think that things would go well for you when you burned your child as an offering? Did you really think that it was a good idea when you turned to fortune-telling, omens, and mediums? Did you really think that these were positive additions to your ... [Continue Reading]
God’s Footstool (Isaiah 64-66)
It's fairly humbling to think that God views the earth as His footstool (Isaiah 66:1). So often we're caught up in trying to impress God or in proving our worthiness that we forget how far above us He truly is. Ultimately, though, the one to whom God looks only needs to do two simple things: be humble and contrite in spirit AND tremble at His ... [Continue Reading]
The Barrier Sin Creates (Isaiah 59-63)
Do you remember the story of Adam and Eve and what happened after they ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? They felt ashamed and hid themselves. Their sin had placed a barrier between them and God, and they innately knew this. The same is true for us when we sin. Isaiah 59:2 says that our sins create a separation between us and ... [Continue Reading]
Killing Hypocrisy (Isaiah 54-58)
Isaiah's words, particularly in chapter 58, aren't altogether different from Jesus' words to the Pharisees in the New Testament. The Israelites were hyprocrites - they went to the temple and followed all of the rituals, but their daily living was not marked by the same zeal with which they boasted of their religious fervor. They were stuck in ... [Continue Reading]
Being Sheepish (Isaiah 49-53)
One of the things I love about the Bible is how accurately it represents the issues in life that we deal with on a regular basis. For instance, Isaiah said a long time ago that we are all like sheep and that we have a propensity to go our own ways and to avoid what God desires from us. Have you ever seen a child who does something he or she knows is wrong? ... [Continue Reading]
Not Everything Fades Away (2 Kings 18:9-19:37; Psalm 46, 80, 135)
I like buying things that will last. My parents taught my brothers and me that you "get what you pay for." So when I buy stuff (like a washing machine, a television, or even clothes), I want to choose things that will hold up versus those that won't survive over the long haul (consequently I'm sending clothes to Good Will that are in great ... [Continue Reading]
Redeemed (Isaiah 40-48)
There are certain promises in the Bible that were meant for a specific people at a specific time. That is true of Isaiah 43:1b, "'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.'" The great news, though, is that it applies to us, too, if we've accepted Christ's work on the cross! We have nothing to ... [Continue Reading]
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