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Heart Prep...
This is just a basic repeat of every “heart preparation” I have read in these devotions up to this time; at least to some degree... Let’s pray that Father God would reveal to us His heart; pray that what we read in His Word – his living Word – will envelope our very beings, even to the point of shouting in the streets (or at least wanting to), and proclaiming His Holy Name – everywhere! This Week’s Study:
Some Things to Look For: - Standing Strong: God’s people are reminded and encouraged to stand strong before those who oppose the rebuilding of the temple. - Obedience: God’s people are reminded of all he has done for them; before, during and after the exile; and their need to be obedient to Him. - Genealogies: As we read the end of the Old and beginning of the New Testament, we will see these a number of times; confirmation of the family line of God’s people – all the way up to the Messiah! - Ezra reads the Book of the Law: Notice how “all the people” implore him to read from the book of the Law of Moses, and they celebrate and rejoice because they are able to understand it. In fact, they celebrate and hear the Law read to them every day for the next week... - Prophesies: Look for them! They are written in these passages many times, confirming that all of God’s promises find their “yes” and “amen” in Christ Jesus. - Joy (and praise): Look for it! Again, we will see this word (and action) quite evident – and repeated many times here as we read the OT and NT. - Angels: Look for them! Everywhere from personal visits, to legions of them singing joy and praise! My Personal Insight: Time and again, Nehemiah encourages God’s people (sometimes rather abruptly) to stand strong and fight as they build (rebuild) God’s temple. Backed by the writings and encouragement of Malachi and Ezra and echoed in Psalm 126, I am obliged to ask myself, “where am I at in the building and rebuilding of God’s temple in my own life – in this heart of mine? You see, “taking captive every thought,” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV) and “being transformed by the renewing of our minds” (Romans 12:2 NIV) are a daily process, and staying true to God’s word and professing Jesus Christ (as his cousin John did) are not always as easy as they sound. We all too recently saw the Enemy try to wreak havoc in the wake of losing Charlie Kirk; however, the Holy Spirit proved otherwise; indeed, Charlie is still very much “alive.” We see divorce – which God hates – running rampant (even among the Christian community) – yet we stand strong and continue to encourage the development and continuity of sound marriages. I think of Jesus touching and healing the leper; this may have been the first time that individual had ever been touched by another person! And ladies and gentlemen, Jesus is still very much in the business of touching peoples’ lives. He is the same: yesterday, today and tomorrow, and He is still in the business of leading His church as we support and encourage one another. Prayer: Our gracious heavenly Father, we thank you that Your Word is never compromised. Your amazing love and Your amazing grace are boundless, and it is indeed humbling that we have been called according to Your purpose. Let us never take that for granted. Today, we worship You and we give You all glory and honor and praise! In Jesus’ Name, Amen. -studog
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Heart Preparation:
Take a moment to sit in silence. So often, we are in the busyness of this world, that it can cause us to not just sit and be still. Yet the Psalms tell us to Be still and know that I am God. The world isn’t going to slow down, yet we can intentionally take a moment to slow down, still our hearts and the busyness, and be in the presence of God and know He hears us and wants to speak to us. Everything might be telling you that you don’t have time, but make time to enter into His presence this week. Ask God what He would have you hear from Him through His passage, and then read with a heart open to hear what He has to say. Reading Plan:
What to Expect: This week’s reading starts out in Zechariah, looking to the future Jerusalem, and the reason that the people of God are in this mess. We see the blame placed on the sinfulness of their fathers, who wouldn't listen to the prophets sent by God. We also see a warning to their generation (I would say ours as well), to "Return to God". This also comes with the promise from God that "If you return to Me, I will return to you". We move from there to an exciting vision and conversation with an angel about God working through some horns, flying scrolls, an ephah with a wicked woman in it, horses representing spirits, and crowns. In chapter 7, we see God asking his people if they were fasting for themselves or for Him. He follows that up by stating that He had called out to them and they wouldn't listen, so when they called to Him, He wouldn't listen. When we get to chapter 8, we see God Desiring Jerusalem again. He begins to talk about saving his people, bringing them back to Jerusalem to be his people, and for Him to be Their God!! From chapter 9 to the end, we see God cleaning things up for his people. He takes vengeance on the enemy nations, delivers and blesses his people. He speaks about punishing the evil shepherds that led his people astray, as well as removing the false prophets and idols. He finishes up the book by letting them know that one day The Lord will be King over all the earth. He will be the ONLY ONE, and His Name will be the ONLY ONE!! (We win if we are on His side) It continues through the account of Esther, Mordecai, King Ahasuerus, and Haman, which sets the stage for the return of the people to Jerusalem. The book of Esther has enough twists and turns to be a morning soap opera. It starts with the rejection of King Ahasuerus by his Queen Vashti, which sparks quite a turn of events starting with the removal of the current queen and a contest begins to find the next one. Esther has been described as a "15" on a scale of 1-10 for inner and outer beauty, which is how she is moved in as the new queen after the competition is over. We see Esther's "Uncle" show up to foil a plot against the king right off the bat, and he continues to be a man of integrity before God, but a thorn in the side of an official named Haman. This pair of Jews continue through this book to become the ones who stand in the gap for God's people. Mordecai refusing to bow before Haman starts a fit of rage that won't stop till a whole race is annihilated, or Haman dies trying. We come to a point where it looks like the end for the people of God, until Mordecai lets Esther know that she is the one that has to stand up and do something. After realizing that she had probably been called for such a time as this, she requests that Mordecai and the other Jews fast and pray for her before going before the king without an invite. She is fully aware that she could be killed for this if he does not reach out to her. Here is where we see her faith in stating "if I perish, I perish", vowing to see her mission through to the end. She receives the favor of the king and hosts a banquet for the king and Haman. She ends up inviting both of them to another banquet the next day to get down to the business at hand.We skip back over to Haman for a bit as he comes home from a long day to vent to his family and friends about this Jew named Mordecai that won't bow down to him and treat him as he feels that he deserves. His family convinces him to go ahead and build a set of gallows as his place to hang Mordecai on and bring the matter to the king in the morning. Meanwhile, we see God keeping the king up during that night which sends him to the record books to bring up the memory of Mordecai saving his life. When Haman arrives the next morning, you can feel the mixed up emotions that Haman must be feeling as the king asks him what should be done for a man that the king wants to honor. Haman gives quite a royal list of things that he believes the king will be doing for him. You can only imagine the look on his face when the king tells him that all of these fabulous things are what Haman will be doing to honor Mordecai. Talk about a bad day!! But it doesn't stop there. Esther hosts the banquet that she had invited the king and Haman to the day before, and tells the king that Haman has devised a plan to annihilate all of the jews including her and Mordecai. The king gets angry enough to go out and get some air. Meanwhile Haman lays in Esther's lap begging for his life. When the king comes back in to see this sight, Haman is removed and taken to his own gallows to be hanged immediately. Haman is essentially replaced by Mordecai who comes up with a plan to allow the Jews to defend themselves against any attackers. Because of this ruling, the Jews defend themselves where needed and survive. After this, the Jews set up the days of Purim to fast and pray in remembrance of the deliverance that God provided for them through Mordecai and Esher. We move from there to the last part of Ezra where the rebuilding of the spiritual side of Jerusalem begins. Ezra heads back to Jerusalem again along with the blessing and some gifts from king Artaxerxes. This is only possible by the favor of God. We see Ezra's desire to study the Law of the Lord and practice it. Before the journey, Ezra proclaimed a fast for the people to humble themselves before God and ask Him for a safe journey. When we get to chapter 9, Ezra sees that God is displeased with his people because of the intermarriage of his priests, Levites,princes and rulers with the women of the surrounding nations. This causes Ezra to begin to confess the sins of God's people as repentance for their sins. We continue through chapter 10 to find the people making a plan to rectify the situation that they have put themselves in. The Jewish leaders investigate the situation and plan to follow through with removing the foreign wives from the Jews. At the end of the chapter, the men who caused the offenses are listed off by name. We see the groundwork here for the rebuilding of the spiritual side of Jeruaslem. We end up in the beginning of the book of Nehemiah where we see the beginning of the physical rebuilding of Jerusalem. We start with Nehemiah fasting, praying, and repenting of unfaithfulness to God before making any moves. As he goes before the king as a cupbearer, he comes in with a sad face which could cost him his life. Thanks to God, the king sees the sadness of Nehemiah and asks what he needs from the king. The king sends Nehemiah with letters for him to give people on the way so they will provide safety and the resources needed to rebuild the wall and gates. Just like most missions, Nehemiah encounters opposition right off the bat from Sanballat and Tobiah. After assessing the situation of the broken down walls, Nehemiah gathers the people and begins the rebuilding process. The heckling and opposition continue from Sanballat and Tobiah, but Nehemiah makes sure that they know that this mission is sanctioned by God and they WILL succeed. I love his confidence in his mission. Chapter 3 lists out all the different areas of the wall and who is working on each area. Chapter 4 begins with the public ridicule of the project with Tobiah saying that a fox could knock down the wall that they are rebuilding. As the wall is quickly being repaired, Nehemiah prays for God to repay their enemies for the problems they are causing. In turn, we see their opposition making a plan to cause a disturbance and fight against the Jews. Nehemiah answers this threat by stationing guards around the wall where the work is happening. The Jews are still scared until Nehemiah reminds them that The Lord is in charge and they are called to fight for their families. From then on, half of them stood guard while the other half worked. They all stayed ready for battle at all times, keeping an eye out for each other and trusting God to protect them and their work. We see Nehemiah stepping in for the people in chapter 5 to relieve some of the pressure that the leaders were putting on them through taxes and usury. After this, Nehemiah is placed into the role of governor. We see in chapter 6 that even Nehemiah knows that a meeting with your enemies at "Ono" is not a good idea! He continues to deal with the false claims and accusations from Sanballat and Tobiah, but continues to stand strong in The Lord and complete the rebuilding of the wall. In chapter 7, we see the census of Jews that returned to Jerusalem along with the list of those serving there. To be continued... That was Quite a Trip!! Personal Insight The recurring theme that jumped out to me in all of these readings is that each one mentions a time of fasting and prayer. When issues arise, direction is needed, we find sin in the camp, or we just realize that we are out of fellowship with God, our first response should be to cry out to God in prayer and begin a time of fasting to God. This is the standard response that we see here, but not what we normally seem to do. I'm not sure about you, but my normal response is to do everything humanly possible to fix the situation myself or find my own way through whatever is going on. The champions of the faith that we see this week use prayer and fasting to make sure that they are right where God wants them to be and doing what God wants them to do. Watching the news and paying some attention to the world around us, local and abroad, leaves us wondering how much worse it can get before Jesus returns to take his church home. As we read the old testament, we see that the cycle of people is rejecting God, God giving them over to their free will, the people crying out to God, and God reaching back out to save his people over and over again. This cycle gives me some comfort in knowing that we are not so far removed from God that He can't restore his people. We are also reminded that God can still handle anything that comes against Him, and sometimes we get to be the utensils that He uses. Are we looking for opportunities to be used by God during these scary times or just trying to keep our heads down? When our boys are on the sidelines of a football field and want to get into the game, they will eventually realize that the one paying attention to what's going on and staying where the coach can get ahold of him is normally the one who gets to go in and play. I'm not a sports guy, but the concept is true for Christians as well. If we are staying in close relationship to God and seeking Him out, He is more likely to use us than if we are idling through life in neutral or keeping our head in the sand. Therein lies the question. Do you want to get into the game? These champions of the faith encountered plenty of trials and fears that were scary and not much fun to go through, and there's a pretty good chance that we will encounter some issues as well if we step out in faith for God. The final thing that I see in this section is the faith that these folks had in God. Even in great fear and persecution, these people knew where their help came from. They knew that no matter how things turned out for them, their God was going to work things out. There is only One True God, and He will be victorious in the end. I want to be one of the ones that is "in the game", serving Him when that time comes. How about You? Prayer God, help me to see You for who You are, the Creator of the universe, King of kings, Lord of lords, God of gods. You are the Almighty, You are the one who controls kingdoms. You are the source of our salvation, and You have given me that salvation through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You for that gift! Help me to come before You continually. Help me to walk in constant communication with You. Help me to take time out of the chaos of life, to center myself on You, and to direct my heart towards who You are over and over again. This week’s devotion was prepared by Todd Lacen. Heart PreparationThis week, you are going to meet Daniel and his friends, who resolve to not defile themselves with the things of the world. As you prepare to read this week’s readings, check your own heart and ask God to reveal to you areas in your life that you might be compromising and defiling yourself with the things of this world. Confess those to God as He brings them to light, repent of them, and walk in His grace, resolving to stand firm in His truths. Reading Plan
What to Expect:I’m going to be honest, this is one of my favorite week’s to read in the Old Testament. When we get to Daniel, there is so much going on. There are the Sunday School stories that we hear about growing up, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace (Rack, Shack, & Benny for Veggie Tale kids), as well as Daniel and the Lion’s Den. These are the events we grow up hearing about, and associating with Daniel. Yet, they aren’t why I’m excited, though they are very exciting. The thing that excites me is the historical accuracy of Daniel’s visions, yet they were written decades and even centuries before the events actually occurred! If you desire to dive deeper into this, there is an attached document with the information of Daniel’s specific visions and what they mean. The history that comes to light when you read them, and the accuracy of God’s Word, is so encouraging to me to see that God is the One on the throne, He is in charge, He orchestrates times and seasons and even nations for His purpose! That is the amazing God that we serve! That being said, here is what you can expect in your readings this week. DANIELThe book of Daniel can be divided into two portions: narrative and prophetic. Daniel was a youth of nobility who was taken into exile during the first Babylonian invasion. The nation of Babylon attempts to change Daniel’s, as well as the other youth’s, identities. They give them new diets, new names, and new educations. Yet Daniel and his friends resolve to stand firm in God’s truth. This sets the theme for Daniel’s life, as well as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s lives. They make the decision to stand firm, to not compromise in their faith, even when it leads them into the fire and lion’s den. The events of the book all occur during the Babylonian empire, lasting from 606-539BC. The first 6 chapters are narratives of what was going on with the exiles, and their resolution to stand firm. The final 6 chapters are visions that Daniel receives of what is going to happen “during the age of the Gentiles”, from the fall of Babylon to the coming of the Messiah. EZRAWith the fall of the Babylonian empire to King Cyrus of Persia, the Jews are allowed to go back to Jerusalem, just as God promised. The end of 2 Chronicles states that the city of Jerusalem will lie desolate for 70 years, and now the people are able to return and rebuild the Temple, just as God decreed 200 years prior in Isaiah 44:28-45:4, even calling Cyrus by name. Though the Jews are able to go back and rebuild the temple, this isn’t met without opposition, and for 20 years the Jews stop rebuilding the temple due to the opposition. HAGGAIIt is during this time where the Temple was not being worked on due to opposition that God spoke through Haggai, a prophet who encouraged the people to continue the work on the Temple. Haggai’s contemporary, Zechariah, prophesied alongside him and encouraged the people to also work on the temple. At the encouragement of the two prophets, the work on the temple continued, and in 516BC, the Temple was accomplished. This was 70.5 years after the destruction of the first Temple in 586BC by the Babylonians. With the Temple being rebuilt, the exile of the people was considered officially over. What to Look ForDANIELAs you read through Daniel, as mentioned already, look at the willingness of the four men to stay true to their faith, resolving not to defile themselves. Passages like Daniel 3:17-18, Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace…. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up, as well as Daniel 6:10, When Daniel knew that the document had been signed (which stated if you pray to anyone other than the king you are to be thrown into the lion’s den), Daniel went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. Another thing to take note of is during the narrative portion of the book, there is a key statement made towards the end of most of the chapters about God, but they come from a Gentile leader.
EZRAThe book of Ezra continues the narrative where Daniel left off in Daniel 6. When you get to Ezra 4:7, the chronology jumps to a different time in history, during the reign of Artexerxes of Persia (the rest of Ezra 1-6 takes place during the reigns of Cyrus the Great to Darius I). This jump in chronology is to point to the fact that even after the Temple was built, there was opposition against the people. Personal InsightThe key word that jumped out to me was the resolving that Daniel and his friends made. In a world where compromise is everywhere, even in the church, these men set an example of standing firm in the faith. This is a command that is repeated continually in the New Testament, that we are not to be swayed by the waves of culture and society, but that we are to stand firm on the Word of Truth. This makes me check my own heart, and wonder where in my life there might be areas that I am compromising. We see that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were rewarded for standing firm. This wasn’t for lack of effort on the enemies part, but because God is in control and rewards those who are faithful to Him. Our victory may not come in the form of the fire not touching us, or the lion’s mouth being shut, but we are guaranteed that it comes in the form of those things not holding any power over our eternity, because what He has guaranteed us is that the power of sin and the sting of death are no more! Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, WHO GIVES US VICTORY THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST! (1 Corinthians 15:54-57) Prayer:God, I thank you for the victory found in Jesus! Thank you for giving me that assurance that no matter what this world brings, it can never separate me from your love. But God, this world is full of struggles. There is an enemy out there that wants to try and force me to compromise. Help me resolve to not defile myself by the things of this world, but to live a holy life for you! This week’s devotion was prepared by Andy Peterman Heart Preparation
This week, there are going to be moments in the reading that may seem “boring”. There may be areas that don’t entirely make sense to us. Try to stay focused through this. Remember that you are entering into the presence of God, and that this time is going to be rewarded as we intentionally seek Him out. Reading Plan
What To Expect This week, we will be finishing off the book of Ezekiel and then reading all of the prophet Joel. God is judging enemies but restoring His people for His name's sake in Ezekiel. I want to view this part of Ezekiel as judgment –>renewal–>ultimate victory--> God’s presence forever. This ends with a hope that God’s presence brings life, peace, and restoration. What to expect from Joel is that we unfortunately don’t really know anything for certain about the background or historical things that happened in his ministry. Although this does not change the message of what Joel is saying. Joel wants his people to come back to God because he knows that there will be danger on its way. Joel calls for a fast, weeping, and mourning, but unfortunately, Israel’s history was full of this, and they were not serious in their actions. What To Look For
Personal Insight This week’s reading was one that I didn’t think I would be able to give much insight on. But as I started reading, I saw many of these symbols that kept popping off the page to me! The visions, The Day of the Lord, and many others that stood out as a challenge to me, even personally. God protecting His people from Gog in chapter 39 really stood out because of God’s ultimate protection over them! There are times I want to take control and protect the things in my life so closely, and yet, God is the ultimate protector. We have our God who is the ultimate protector! Even reading into the details of what the Temple looks like in the vision shows me that God cares about the small details in life, including mine. Going into Joel, I notice Joel’s passion and care for the people to turn back to God so that God will not continue to punish the people. When I see people in my own life who I have prayed for that have not turned to God, I tend to want to be impatient with them. Joel shows us a desire for the people to turn back to God because he doesn’t want these people to continue to go through His wrath. Joel finishes it off with one last challenge that the promised day of YHWH is a day of terror or hope, depending on the person’s status before God. But in the end, God will relieve his people of suffering by destroying the wicked. Culture will try to convince us that the wicked things of this world may be good, but here’s the thing: it will be destroyed. Ultimately, we will all fall short of the glory of God, but because Jesus has died on the cross for us, we can stand justified because His blood has washed us clean! Jesus cared for us so much that He willingly went to the cross for you and me so that we don’t have to face eternal destruction! Prayer God, thank you for giving us your Word to be able to be challenged and knowing that all your Scripture is God breathed. Thank you for sending us Jesus, who has justified us so that we no longer have to face eternal destruction if we turn to you. God give us the willingness to turn back to you in times of our rebellion and turn back to you. Let our hearts be open to what you have next for us. Prepare our hearts for this week so that we can live this life not for myself, but for your glory only. |
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