It's tempting sometimes to believe that we have a lot of say in what goes on in our lives and in the world. While there is a level of truth to that belief, Isaiah 10 teaches us that God is ultimately the One in control. Yes, we have daily choices that give us the illusion of being in charge, but God seems to have a way of using His sovereignty to make ... [Continue Reading]
The Coming Christ (2 Chronicles 27; Isaiah 9)
It's pretty amazing to think about the prophecies made by Isaiah regarding the birth and life of Christ long before He came to earth. Especially as we draw nearer to Christmas, it's incredible to read some of these words: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name ... [Continue Reading]
The Sky Isn’t Falling (Amos 7-9)
Most of us are familiar with the story of Chicken Little and his concern that the sky was falling. In some ways, reading through Amos feels similar to listening to the cries of Chicken Little. The news for the Israelites was somewhat disheartening: some would be destroyed, others would be led away into exile, and God's voice would be silent. That ... [Continue Reading]
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God? (Amos 4-6)
Yes and no. When you read Amos you get a glimpse of a God who is angry with the Israelites and who is on the verge of punishing them for their apostasy (falling away from faith). However, to fully understand why God wanted to punish them is important to understanding God. He wasn't seeking to smite them because of their falling away from Him; ... [Continue Reading]
Just Like Everybody Else (Amos 1-3)
There's a tension in faith. It's complicated, really. The tension is that we receive everlasting life by placing our faith in Christ's atoning death on the cross (John 3:16), but the way we live reflects whether or not we've placed our faith in Christ. The way we live doesn't change whether or not we receive the everlasting life - ... [Continue Reading]
What Do You Fear? (Isaiah 7-8)
A lot of people fear a lot of things, but Isaiah makes it clear in today's reading that there's really only one thing we should fear: the Lord. See, when we recognize that God is holy and that He is sovereign over all, there's nothing we have to be afraid of... as long as we fear Him. To fear God means to view Him with a proper perspective - ... [Continue Reading]
If Not You… (Isaiah 5-6)
When God presented Isaiah with an opportunity to be His messenger, Isaiah jumped at the opportunity. He didn't give a list of reasons why God should pick someone else (as did Gideon), nor did he share his long list of short-comings. Several years ago I knew that God was asking me to do something, but because of fear, I wasn't sure I wanted to do it. ... [Continue Reading]
The Game of Faith (Isaiah 1-4)
There's a lot of truth to Solomon's wise phrase, "there's nothing new under the sun." The temptation to make religion a game is just as present now as it was thousands of years ago. In fact, the Israelites were great at playing it. Here's how it worked: they would sin all they wanted, and then they would go and confess their ... [Continue Reading]
The End is More Important (2 Kings 15; 2 Chronicles 26)
Beginnings are important because they often serve as a direction for the future. But endings are even more important. If you have a bad beginning, there is still hope that it can be changed. If you have a bad ending... well... that's really the end. The story of Uzziah is one that's sad because he had such a strong start. He ... [Continue Reading]
Being Faithful to the Call (Jonah)
Every time I read the story of Jonah, I think about how a person could be upset over people repenting. Jonah's call was to go to the people of Nineveh to share about God's impending wrath. He was concerned about their response, which is why he didn't want to go. In the end, they turned to God and received an outpouring of His mercy. ... [Continue Reading]
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