As the Lord had declared, Nebuchadnezzar removed the treasures from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace, and cut up the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made for the temple of the Lord. (2 Kings 24:13) There are sad moments in the lives of God's people. Perhaps one of the saddest moments for Israel was the destruction of the Temple that Solomon ... [Continue Reading]
The Foundation of Faith (Jeremiah 38-39, 42)
So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud. (Jeremiah 38:6) So often what we believe about God is based on our life circumstances and how we feel. What's happening now and what ... [Continue Reading]
A Tree Planted by Water (Jeremiah 10-11:17; 17)
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7-8) Some of the richest words written in Jeremiah come in ... [Continue Reading]
A Different Perspective (Isaiah 54-58)
“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 Danger of Doubt (2 Kings 18:9-19:37; Psalm 46, 80, 135)
Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ (2 Kings 18:30) Doubt is an enemy of trust, and since trust must be at the root of man's relationship with God, doubt is naturally one of the first things that the Enemy seeks to instill in God's servants. ... [Continue Reading]
He Will Surely Come (Isaiah 35-36)
Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” (Isaiah 35:3-4) Are you weary and tired? Does it seem like you can't go on any longer? Are you discouraged or afraid? The words of Isaiah are an ... [Continue Reading]
Just Like Everybody Else (Amos 1-3)
This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not relent. Because they have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed...” (Amos 2:4) There's a tension as it comes to Christianity. It's complicated, really. The tension is that we receive ... [Continue Reading]
Be Careful, Keep Calm, Don’t Be Afraid (Isaiah 7-8)
Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid.’ (Isaiah 7:4a) The phrase, "Keep Calm and Carry On" dates back further than World War II. The story goes that the British government developed a number of posters to be placed in public areas to improve the morale of its people. Though more than 2.5 million posters were printed, they were never circulated publicly. ... [Continue Reading]
Not Me! (Isaiah 5-6)
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8) Life with a one-year-old certainly presents some interesting learning situations. Right now we're working on teaching Madelyn to eat whatever is given to her. She has a special gift of evading a spoon full of food that she doesn't want ... [Continue Reading]
The “I” Will (2 Kings 5-8)
After Naaman had traveled some distance, Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” (2 Kings 5:19b-20) The "I" will says, this is about me. Regardless of what's good and right, the ... [Continue Reading]
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