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]
You’re Responsible (2 Kings 14; 2 Chronicles 25)
An important remind from this reading is that we are responsible for our own actions. Amaziah could have put to death the children of those who led Judah in the wrong direction, but he didn't because the Law said that, "Fathers shall not die because of their children, nor children die because of their fathers, but each one shall die for his own sin" (2 ... [Continue Reading]
Tossed by the Wind (2 Kings 12-13; 2 Chronicles 24)
There's really no better description for Israel and Judah than to say that they were tossed about by the wind. The direction of their leader determined the direction of their nation, and unfortunately, their leaders took them back and forth. One would be committed to the Lord, and then another would abandon the ways of the Lord. The only consistent ... [Continue Reading]
Cleaning House (2 Kings 9-11)
Elisha gave Jehu the important job of cleaning Israel's house. The problem was that it had become corrupt, and the leaders were leading the Israelites away from the Lord. So Elisha anointed Jehu the new king and gave instructions to rid the nation of Ahab's and Jezabel's evil influences. Not wasting any time, Jehu nearly followed through ... [Continue Reading]
The Promise Keeper (2 Kings 5-8)
The sins of the Israelites certainly carried a lot of consequences for the nation. Things had gotten so bad that parents were even eating children in order to survive. But even in the midst of all of the horrible things that were happening, the Bible reminds us that God preserved Judah because of His promise to David. The nation had nearly hit rock ... [Continue Reading]
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