“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9) We have to admit that there are moments in time when we don't really understand what God is doing. From our perspective, life should go the way we ... [Continue Reading]
The Damaging Nature of Pride (Isaiah 37-39; Psalm 76)
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord Almighty: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. (Isaiah 39:5-6) Pride is dangerous. Without realizing what he's doing, the proud person makes decision based on the ... [Continue Reading]
Being Clay (Isaiah 28-30)
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not make me”? Can the pot say to the potter, “You know nothing”? (Isaiah 29:16b) When I was in college, a friend of mine informed me that students were allowed to visit the art department in the evening and use potting wheels and clay. I had very little prior experience "throwing clay," as it's called, so I ... [Continue Reading]
When God Can’t be Found (Hosea 5-8)
When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord, they will not find him; he has withdrawn himself from them. (Hosea 5:6) Whereas a person may believe that it's possible to move so far away from God that, when he or she finally does seek Him, He isn't to be found, such a belief simply isn't true. Those who desire to truly know God can find Him when they pursue ... [Continue Reading]
If Not To God, To Whom? (Isaiah 10)
What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? (Isaiah 10:3) 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 we do have some level of freedom in our lives, Isaiah reminds us that God is ultimately the One in ... [Continue Reading]
Gracious Provisions (Jonah)
Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (Jonah 1:17) There is a perspective about God that once you make a mistake, He writes you off for good. From my perspective, this is one of the most incorrect views about God that floats around because nothing could be further from the truth. The story ... [Continue Reading]
Listen Up (2 Kings 12-13; 2 Chronicles 24)
Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen. (2 Chronicles 24:19) When I was in elementary school my brothers and I loved playing in the creek near our house. I remember one snow day when we adventured out, and I really wanted to walk on the ice. My older and wiser brothers ... [Continue Reading]
To Whom Do You Listen? (1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 18)
The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” (1 Kings 22:8a) To whom have you given permission to speak truth into your life? King Ahab only gave permission to those who would speak positively of ... [Continue Reading]
The Afterglow Never Lasts (Ecclesiastes 1-4)
For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die! (Ecclesiastes 2:16) Given enough time, everyone will be forgotten. It doesn't matter how great you are or how big your afterglow is, there will come a point in time when you are not the topic of everyday conversation, ... [Continue Reading]
Perfect People Need Not Apply (1 Kings 8; 2 Chronicles 5)
“When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to their enemies, who take them captive to their own lands, far away or near... then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.” (1 Kings 8:46, 49) There is a misnomer in our culture that Christians need to be ... [Continue Reading]
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