God's Love

July 31, 2008

Isaiah 63:7 GNB
(7) I will tell of the LORD's unfailing love; I praise him for all he has done for us. He has richly blessed the people of Israel because of his mercy and constant love.


There is nothing that we can do that will get us God's blessing. We are God's children.

Think of when your children. You do not give love to the child because it works for it, especially if it is a baby. It is natural for a parent to love a child because it is their child.

God is no different. He loves us not for what we have done, but because of who we are, His sons and daughters. You can not earn that, you can not work for it. Rest in it and know that God loves you.

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today
Isaiah 59:1-63:19

Tomorrow
Isaiah 64:1-66:24

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What weapon?

July 30, 2008

So often in my own life I think that the problems that surround me are my own doing. To some degree they are, but in so many others they are not. I deal with people. How they interpret what I say, especially when it was not said in any hurtful way from me, is not my problem. It is how they deal with it. In other things, like weather problems, traffic problems, etc., I have no control over the environment around me. All I can do is live in it. Through all of this though I have one precious promise in the Bible.

Isaiah 54:16-17 MKJV
(16) Behold, I have created the smith who blows the coals in the fire, and who brings out a tool for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
(17) No weapon that is formed against you shall be blessed; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment, you shall condemn. This is the inheritance of the servants of Jehovah, and their righteousness is from Me, says Jehovah.


You see, God created not only the earth, but the people and the things that will come against me. In creating them He has given me a promise. Nothing that He has created will ever be able to defeat me. God has given that to me as a promise. I have to believe it.

So, in other words, the only thing that can defeat me, is me.

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today
Isaiah 49:1-53:12

Tomorrow
Isaiah 59:1-63:19

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Would Jesus have a Blog?

July 29, 2008


Isaiah 52:7 ESV
(7) How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."


Would Jesus have a Blog if He was alive today? I wonder about that sometimes. Why did God pick such a time as He did to send His son to earth. Mass communications was not then what it is now. Jesus could have easily have been seen by all the world with our TV networks they way they are. He could have flown jets, cars and other things that would have gotten Him from place to place a lot quicker then foot or donkey power.

On the other hand we have grown into a people too civilized to have a death on a cross. I guess He could have had a lethal injection but that somehow does not convey the same suffering for us.

Back to the question at hand. Yes, I think He would. He never lost a chance to tell the 'good news' as Isaiah calls it. He would have taken every chance He could have to tell others about the Kingdom of Heaven.

That now brings another question. If we are the body of Christ, and Jesus told others the 'good news', what are you doing to tell the good news?

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today
Isaiah 49:1-53:12

Tomorrow
Isaiah 54:1-58:14

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If you know the answer to a problem, is it a problem?

July 28, 2008


Psalms 46:1-2 GNB
(1) God is our shelter and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
(2) So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken and mountains fall into the ocean depths;


I was listening to a well known preacher the other day. He was talking about fretting over things all night and not turning them over to God. He said if you knew the answer to a test or trial, it would not be one. If you knew the answer, then you had been through it before. Since you do not know the answer you have not. In that case, turn to God and get the answer and if you do not get the solution right away, then do not get into worry about it.

Today's verse says much the same thing. I do not know any of the answers of my current problems (and believe me I have a few), but I have a God who does and I need to learn to rest my faith in him.

How about you?

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today
2 Kings 18:9-19:37, Psalms 46:1-11, Psalms 80:1-19, Psalms 135:1-21

Tomorrow
Isaiah 49:1-53:12

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Who does God swear by?

July 27, 2008


When you have to promise to tell the truth it is called swearing. You usually have to swear on something or someone better than you. You know, you have heard the expressions 'I swear on aa stack of Bibles,; or, I swear on my blessed mother's heart.' Question! When God makes a promise who does He swear by? Is there anyone or anything greater than God? The answer is no. So how does God swear to something?


Isaiah 45:23 ESV
(23) By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: 'To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.'


There is no one better than God. So He has to swear by Himself. And He has made a bunch of promises in the Bible and He swears to them.

Take a look, in the book.

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today
Isaiah 44:1-48:22

Tomorrow
2 Kings 18:9-19:37, Psalms 46:1-11, Psalms 80:1-19, Psalms 135:1-21

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Why remember your sin?

July 26, 2008


Isaiah 43:25 NET
(25) I, I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for my sake;
your sins I do not remember.


How glorious it would be to not remember things that people do against me. I know that it would also be nice if people would forgive my sins against them and not remember them any more. But that is not the way we humans work. Though we are made in the image of God, we do not have that ability because we still walk in these flesh bodies of ours.

Every sin you have ever committed against God is forgiven and He does not remember it. If God can forget your sin, maybe you should also.

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today
Isaiah 40:1-43:28

Tomorrow
Isaiah 44:1-48:22

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Smack-talk

July 25, 2008


Isaiah 37:1 LITV
(1) And it happened when King Hezekiah heard, he tore his garments and was covered with sackcloth. And he went into the house of Jehovah.


King Hezekiah was not the best King of Judah, but he was far from the worst. One thing he had gong for him was his faith in God when things went wrong. Just before our verse for today, he had been surrounded by the army of Assyira. The servant speaking for the king participated in what we today would call smack-talking. You know that stuff that goes on before a big football game or some other sporting event. Some big player says something about how good there team is and how great he is and you better bring your popcorn and watch cause it will be a show. You know what I am talking about. Now the other team and the players can do one of two things. They can smack talk back, or they can keep their mouths shut and focus on preparing for the game. That is where we come in.

Smack talk is done and it is Hezekiah's turn. Instead of smack talk back, he focuses on his A game. He goes to the one that he knows has a game plan that will not fail. He goes to God.

Who do you turn to first when the devil tries to smack talk you? What does that say about you.

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today
Isaiah 37:1-39:8, Psalms 76:1-12

Tomorrow
Isaiah 40:1-43:28

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Redemption

July 24, 2008


First a quick note. I missed yesterday. In a year and a half of doing this, this is the first day I have missed totally. I have been a little late a couple of times but never let it slide totally till yesterday. An explanation (not an excuse) is in order. I write these as the day comes up. I do not have several in the can and pull them out each day. In fact I work 3 jobs and do not have the time to do that. Between the two jobs I worked yesterday and a job interview and total exhaustion, well, it was the perfect storm. I kept putting it off, and then I fell asleep. I ask forgiveness and promise to try not to do it again.

I want to take the time while out of devotion mode here to welcome many new readers. They seem to have picked up since I added YouVersion to the place I post the devotion to (the blog, mailing list, Facebook, Twitter and now YouVersion). If you have not used YouVersion I recommend that you give it a look at http://www.youversion.com/ . I will admit that it is not for everyone but I like to use it to get some ideas once in a while when I am coming up dry for the devotional.

I will hopefully get today's out shortly, now to our regularly scheduled devotional, already in progress.....



Isaiah 35:10 DRB
(10) And the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and shall come into Sion with praise, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.


As I mentioned in the note above. I work 3 jobs. I put in 80 hours a week and still try to be a dad to my kids (and husband to my wife). I can tell you it is not easy. I would love to just go to one job each day and say that is it. When the exhaustion creeps in as it sometimes does and I get depressed, I have to turn to verses like todays. I am redeemed, I know that, Jesus bought me with His blood and paid a price that I could never pay to get me that redemption. One day in the future there will be a time that I will not have to be working so much. I know that. If it is in my lifetime that is good. But when I pass on, there will be a time that I do not have to worry about it. There is a place where sorrow and mourning do not exist. In fact they will not even be hinted at. There will be perfect happiness.

Do you know Jesus as the one that redeemed you? If not ask Him to do so now. If you do, know that what ever situation that you are in will pass eventually. If not, there is that perfect place that we will see. Let that be your encouragement.

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today
Isaiah 35:1-36:22

Tomorrow
Isaiah 37:1-39:8, Psalms 76:1-12

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Who do you trust?

July 23, 2008

Back in my childhood there was a show called 'Who Do You Trust.' In it you had to decide if you would answer a question or trust your partner to get the correct answer. I do not remember it well (except the premise) but it came to mind today as I was looking over the scriptures. Trust is a universal problem spanning not only the world but time itself.

Isaiah 31:1 MKJV
(1) Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and lean on horses and trust in chariots, because it is great; and in horsemen, because they are so very strong, but they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor do they seek Jehovah!

People want to trust in things. They want to trust the government to take care of their financial problems (look at the energy and housing crisis in the United States). They want to trust the schools to educate their children. They want to trust their family members to support them when things go bad.

In some cases, the trust they seek is there, in too many it is not. But that is where God steps in. We can always trust in God. In Isaiah's day, people wanted to trust that another government with their strong horses and armies would rescue them. They had not learned yet to trust in God. Because of that, they would fail.

Have you learned to trust God yet?

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today
Isaiah 31:1-34:17

Tomorrow
Isaiah 35:1-36:22

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Telling God what to do

July 22, 2008

What a nation that I live in. It tries to say 'In God we trust,' and then takes Him out of everything else saying that He has no place there. Sounds a little backwards doesn't it?

Isaiah 29:16 CEV
(16) You have it all backwards. A clay dish doesn't say to the potter, "You didn't make me. You don't even know how."


I guess it is not a new problem. People have been telling God to get out of their lives for some years now. Isaiah had to face it even.

You cannot compartmentalize God. He made you and He knows what is best for you. You can not tell God to be in one part of your life and not in others. You need God to be in all parts of your life. Let's put it this way. If my DVD player is not working properly to I go to the washing machine repair person to get it fixed? No! So why would you go to someone other than God who made you and knows what to do to help you.

Do not put God out of your life.

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today
Isaiah 28:1-30:33

Tomorrow
Isaiah 31:1-34:17

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We all fall down...

July 21, 2008


Hosea 14:1 CEV
(1) Israel, return! Come back to the LORD, your God. Sin has made you fall.


Simple thought. Our sin makes us fall. God however, is willing to pick us up and put us back on our feet. All we have to do is to return to Him. That seems to be the hard part though. We get to enjoy our sin, or at least we think we do. The time will come that the sin becomes too much for us. We then learn that it is not the fun that we thought it was. God will still let us turn back to Him, it is not to late. Think how much better it would be to have a body not ruined by sin to give Him though.

Return, come back to the Lord.

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today
Hosea 8:1-14:9

Tomorrow
Isaiah 28:1-30:33

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Do you reject knowledge

July 20, 2008

Hosea 4:6 The Scriptures 1998+
(6) “My people have perished for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being priest for Me. Since you have forgotten the Torah of your Elohim, I also forget your children.


Do you realize that it is not lack of knowledge that destroys people? I have been taught this verse since my childhood and as I read it this day I saw something. The people rejected knowledge. When they rejected the knowledge, then God rejected them.

God's word is not to be rejected. It needs to be understood.

Do not reject knowledge. The results are too painful.

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today
Hosea 1:1-7:16

Tomorrow
Hosea 8:1-14:9

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The Invatation

July 19, 2008

King Hezekiah of Judah one day decided to do what the scripture said. As he read it he noticed that God called for the people to celebrate Passover and he knew that they had not done it in a long time. So he set about planning it. He also knew that the people of Israel were called to celebrate it as well. Even though they were not his subjects, he decided to invite them. Now the message was sent but guess what?

2 Chronicles 30:10 Darby
(10) And the couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even to Zebulun; but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them.


Not everyone wanted to celebrate God.

It has not changed much today. I want everyone that I meet to join me in worship of God. Not all will, most sadly will not. But the invitation needs to be made anyway.

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today
2 Kings 18:1-8 , 2 Chronicles 29:1-31:21, Psalms 48:1-14

Tomorrow
Hosea 1:1-7:16

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What is a rock?

July 18, 2008

What is a rock?

I know it is a strange question, but humor me with it if you will. What is a rock?

Rocks are things that are in the ground. They can be real small, we call those pebbles, or they can be real large, those we call boulders.

When I was growing up, many more years ago then I care to count, the school I went to had a big playground. Now in those days we did not have special swing sets and safety pits, we just had swings, slides, jungle gyms, and big rocks. I am sure that if the playground is still around, someone may have taken out that rock. In those days, you built around them or blew them up. Since it was in a big field behind the school, they just left it there. Today, for safety sake, it would be destroyed. That would be sad because it was big. And it had a weird triangle shape on the part that was above ground. We made it into a tank, a rocket ship, a car, oh, we had a lot of fun with that big rock.

And you know what else, that rock was dependable. We knew it would be there when we came out for recess. We knew it would be there after school, and we knew it would be there when we returned from summer vacation. It was a rock, it did not move.

So is God in our lives if we let Him. He even compares Himself to a rock you know:

Isaiah 26:4 RV
(4) Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is an everlasting rock.


Do you want something as dependable as that rock I used to play on He is there. All you have to do is ask Jesus in your life. If you already have, it is time to start trusting that He is always there. No matter what you are going through, no matter if you think no one cares, God is your rock, and you can lean on Him for the strength you need.

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today

Isaiah 23:1-27:13

Tomorrow
2 Kings 18:1-8 , 2 Chronicles 29:1-31:21, Psalms 48:1-14

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What do we do today

July 17, 2008

Isaiah 22:12-14 ESV
(12) In that day the Lord GOD of hosts called for weeping and mourning, for baldness and wearing sackcloth;
(13) and behold, joy and gladness, killing oxen and slaughtering sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine. "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."
(14) The LORD of hosts has revealed himself in my ears: "Surely this iniquity will not be atoned for you until you die," says the Lord GOD of hosts.


There is a time and place for everything in our lives. There may be a time when you need to stop and just listen to God. If you do not, then you are disobedient to God.

In our scripture today, God tells the people that it is time to mourn. They choose not to. They suffer the results of their disobedience.

Listen to what God tells you to do.

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today

Isaiah 18:1-22:25

Tomorrow
Isaiah 23:1-27:13

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Put God First

July 16, 2008

Isaiah 14:12-15 UPDV
(12) How you have fallen from heaven, O day-star, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, who laid low the nations!
(13) And you said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit on the mount of congregation, in the uttermost parts of the north;
(14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.
(15) Yet you will be brought down to Sheol, to the uttermost parts of the pit.


While most everyone agrees that these verses deal with Lucifer (aka Satan) it might be a good idea to look at why he fell. He choose not to put God first. He chose to lift himself above God.

This is a good example of what not to do with your life. In Vacation Bible School this week we had some spare time so one of the teachers started asking the kids questions and taching them his version of the ten commandments. The first one we all know, to honor God. But he made it simple for the kids. He raised his index finger in the air and said 'put God first!'

What a simple thought from a complicated verse.

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today

Isaiah 13:1-17:14

Tomorrow
Isaiah 18:1-22:25

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Doing Damage

July 15, 2008

2 Kings 17:14-18 ESV
(14) But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God.
(15) They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do like them.
(16) And they abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made anAsherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.
(17) And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
(18) Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only.

When you do not walk the way that God has asked you to, bad things result. Just ask the kingdom of Israel. When Israel was split, Judah followed God and they did not. Now after years of ignoring what God was trying to tell them, He stepped back and let the nations take over like He had promised.

If you try to ignore God by doing bad things, immoral sex, drugs, etc., then God will have no choice but to let the things you do destroy you. It was your choice to begin with.

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today

2 Chronicles 28:1-27, 2 Kings 16:1-17:41

Tomorrow
Isaiah 13:1-17:14

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Give Peace a Chance?

July 14, 2008


Everyone wants world peace. It is part of popular songs and a desire for most every person. The Bible tells us that there will be world peace, but not like most are expecting it will be.


Micah 4:3-7 ESV
(3) He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore;
(4) but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.
(5) For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.
(6) In that day, declares the LORD, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted;
(7) and the lame I will make the remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forevermore.


The only time that world peace will be here is when the Prince of Peace returns. That person is Jesus.

Is He part of your life today?

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today

Micah 1:1-7:20

Tomorrow
2 Chronicles 28:1-27, 2 Kings 16:1-17:41

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Are you the tool or the user of the tool?

July 13, 2008

Many times I have tried to tell God what I wanted to do for Him in ministry. Many times, those plans have failed. The book of Isiah tells us why.

Isaiah 10:15 BBE
(15) Will the axe say high-sounding words against him who is using it, or the blade be full of pride against him who is cutting with it? As if a rod had the power of shaking him who is using it, or as if a stick might take up him who is not wood.


You see, we are the tool not the maker. We need to be used the way that God wants to use us, not the way that we want to be used. If all the things that you are doing for God are failing, maybe it is time you got with God's plan.

Read through the Bible in historical order in one year

Today

2 Chronicles 27:1-9, Isaiah 9:1-12:6

Tomorrow
Micah 1:1-7:20

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A famine of the Word

July 12, 2008

Amos 8:11 GW
(11) The days are going to come, declares the Almighty LORD, when I will send a famine throughout the land. It won't be an ordinary famine or drought. Instead, there will be a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.

While there are many TV and radio stations here the United States, there are less people listening to them. Eventually these stations will have to go by the wayside. The big ones will last longer, but the smaller local ones will dry up and be sold off.

That problem happened in the days that Amos lived. No they did not have TV ans radio back then, but they did have the preaching of the Word of God. It dried up so that people who needed it all of a sudden would not have it. It is a natural thing when people turn their back on God.

The question for today is how long will the Word of God continue today. Will there be a famine of it today as well?

Today

Amos 6:1-9:15

Tomorrow
2 Chronicles 27:1-9, Isaiah 9:1-12:6

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What God wants.

July 11, 2008

There is one prevailing theme in the Old Testement of the Bible, and it flows through to much of the New as well. God does not want our sacrifices, He wants us to live a rightous life.

Amos 5:21-24 BBE
(21) Your feasts are disgusting to me, I will have nothing to do with them; I will take no delight in your holy meetings.
(22) Even if you give me your burned offerings and your meal offerings, I will not take pleasure in them: I will have nothing to do with the peace-offerings of your fat beasts.
(23) Take away from me the noise of your songs; my ears are shut to the melody of your instruments.
(24) But let the right go rolling on like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

At the time Amos lived, the people of Israel were living a dual life. While they offered sacrifices to God, they would not live a good life the rest of the time. They would not walk in love at all. They would do harmful things to widows and orphans. They would treat the poor amongst them with much disrespect. They justified it and other sins by saying we go to the temple and sacrifice to God so we are good.

Along comes Amos and teaches them this is not what God wants. As Samuel said to Saul that to obey is better than to sacrifce, so does Amos say to the people, to live in righteousness is better that to offer me sacrafices.

Do not think that it does not happen today. My dad who died many years ago used to justify his sin of drinking to excess and the behavior that went with it by saying that he went to church on Sunday and that is all God required of him. That attitude is wrong and it needs to be turned around.

God wants us to be givers, but if it comes to giving or being a morally good person, God will be happier with you if you live the good life.

Today

Amos 1:1-5:27

Tomorrow
Amos 6:1-9:15

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Why do you need Jesus

July 10, 2008

Isaiah 6:5 GW
(5) So I said, "Oh, no! I'm doomed. Every word that passes through my lips is sinful. I live among people with sinful lips. I have seen the king, the LORD of Armies!"


It is fairly clear why we need Jesus. We are unclean, sinful, dark. Isaiah realized this when he was brought before God in his vision. Not only are we sinners, but all around us are. We cannot be in the presence of the light of God. For us to be able to talk to God, to get rid of the darkness, something had to be done to give us light. That something was Jesus. He came and let the light be drained out of Him when He was on the cross. That light was then given to each of us. Just like Isaiah did when he was made clean, we can now comebefore God and do what He needs us to do. When God looks at us, He sees the light of Jesus on and in us, if we have accepted Him as I our savior.

Walk in the light.

Today

Isaiah 5:1-8:22

Tomorrow
Amos 1:1-5:27

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Why go to church?

July 9, 2008

Isaiah 2:3 MKJV
(3) And many people shall go and say, Come, and let us go to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go out the Law, and the Word of Jehovah from Jerusalem.


Did you know that church is a place that we need to go to learn. It is not a place to be inspired, though good teaching will do that. It is not a pace to go to fellowship, though that will happen. It is not a place to get salvation, but one should not let the chance ever go by. It is a place to learn. What ever else may go on, God has declared it to be a place to learn. We can learn many places, even on our own. The thing is, that Church has been declared as a place to learn from the ministers.

Many of us go to church for the wrong reasons. Time to go to learn.

Today

Isaiah 1:1-4:6
Tomorrow

Isaiah 5:1-8:22

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The law

July 8, 2008

2 Chronicles 26:18-19 MKJV
(18) And they withstood Uzziah the king and said to him, It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but to the priests, the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the temple, for you have sinned. Nor shall it be for your honor from Jehovah God.
(19) And Uzziah was angry. And he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of Jehovah, from beside the incense altar.


A lot of people would look at this verse and say what did he do that was so bad that he should be punished. What he did was simple. He broke the laws of God. We who live for God do not have the law to follow (except to love one another). No, he did what he wanted to do. In doing so he put himself above God. And in God's place of worship also.

You cannot break God's laws and not get punished.

Today

2 Kings 15:1-38, 2 Chronicles 26:1-23
Tomorrow

Isaiah 1:1-4:6

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2nd Chances

July 7, 2008

Ever screw up real bad? Jonah did. God told him to go do something and he ran away. He went through a high seas adventure and then asked God to forgive him. God did, but then what happened.

Jonah 3:1 ASV
(1) And the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the second time, saying,


God will not let you get around what he wants you to do. You can run away, try to go around it, or whatever. God will call you do to what He asked you to do. Get with His plan.

Today

Jonah 1:1-4:11
Tomorrow

2 Kings 15:1-38, 2 Chronicles 26:1-23

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Do you worship a beaten god?

July 6, 2008

It is amazing how many people will turn back to that which caused them be distant from God in the first place. For example, someone who has a problem with drinking, finds God and when times get rough, they turn back to the drink. Or someone who finds that money can not get them what they need in life, peace, find God and then they turn back to the need of money later on. This is not good as today's verses talk about.

2 Chronicles 25:14-15 KJV
(14) Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them.
(15) Wherefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand?

God had helped Amaziah win a war and what does he do? He goes back to worshiping false gods. Not only that but they were the gods of the people he had just beaten. If the could not stand up to the God of Jerusalem, how could they do any thing? Is there any sense in that?

Is there any sense in turning back to what God has delivered you from in the first place?

Today

2 Kings 14:1-29, 2 Chronicles 25:1-28
Tomorrow

Jonah 1:1-4:11

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Who do you give your money to?

July 5, 2008

When you donate your money to a church, who do you give it to? Do you give it to a man? If you do, you are giving it to the wrong place or person. It might be helpful to look at today's verses.

2 Kings 12:10-12 ESV
(10) And whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king's secretary and the high priest came up and they bagged and counted the money that was found in the house of the LORD.
(11) Then they would give the money that was weighed out into the hands of the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the LORD. And they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the house of the LORD,
(12) and to the masons and the stonecutters, as well as to buy timber and quarried stone for making repairs on the house of the LORD, and for any outlay for the repairs of the house.


Until this time, when an offering was made to God, the priest would take it. Jehodican wanted to fix the temple so he made sure that the money that came from the people went to where it was supposed to go, God. The people put the money in the chest and God's temple got repaired, in other words, God got it.

So it is with you. Your offerings, they may be put in an offering plate that passes you on a Sunday. Or you may mail them to a favorite minister of yours. The reality is that it is going in a box, and the box is for God.

Today

2 Kings 12:1-13:25, 2 Chronicles 24:1-27
Tomorrow

2 Kings 14:1-29, 2 Chronicles 25:1-28

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Age

July 4, 2008

2 Kings 11:21 VW
(21) Jehoash was seven years old when he became king.



Think you cannot do great things for the Lord because of your age. One of the better kings of Judah was only seven years old when he took over as king. He ruled wiisely and rulled with the advice of the priest who sought God for him.

Age is nothing that should stop you when you want to do something for the Lord.

Today

2 Kings 9:1-11:21
Tomorrow

2 Kings 12:1-13:25

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Is the world in you?

July 3, 2008

The New Testament tells us that we are in the world but not of it. I always found that kind of hard to do. I mean, doesn't the world affect me. Am I not tainted by it. It would seem that it would make it harder to live for God since I am in it. I mean if I was in water, wouldn't I get wet. Now if it is that hard in a nation like mine that has Christianity as its foundation and freedom of religion as its belief, wouldn't it be harder if I live in a country that openly and forcefully believed in another God? That country was Israel. After the kingdom was split Judah and its capital, Jerusalem mostly followed God. Israel and its capital, Samaria, turned to the worship of idols. Yet even in this country there was hope. A child had been taught about the true God and when she was taken by force to be a slave, she kept that belief in her.

2 Kings 5(Message Bible)

1 Naaman was general of the army under the king of Aram. He was important to his master, who held him in the highest esteem because it was by him that God had given victory to Aram: a truly great man, but afflicted with a grievous skin disease.

2 It so happened that Aram, on one of its raiding expeditions against Israel, captured a young girl who became a maid to Naaman’s wife.

3 One day she said to her mistress, “Oh, if only my master could meet the prophet of Samaria, he would be healed of his skin disease.”

4 Naaman went straight to his master and reported what the girl from Israel had said.

No matter what the outside world may throw at you, you are in the world but it does not have to be in you! In fact, what is in you needs to come out from time to time. Naaman goes on to get healed which could be another devotional by itself. And he becomes a follower of the true God.

Do not let the world get it you. You can be in it, but do not let it be in you.

Today

2 Kings 5:1-8:29
Tomorrow

2 Kings 9:1-11:21

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How do you want to ride out after death

July 2, 2008

The late Rich Mullins did a song called Elijah. I wish I could post the words of the song here. It has so much in it of what I want to say here that I could almost cut and paste it for the devotion. In it he talks about Elijah and his death. We as Christians we focus so much on the story about how Elisha following after him got the mantle and went on to do other things. But look how the man left this life.

2 Kings 2:11-12 ASV
(11) And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
(12) And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof! And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

Even though he had failed God in his pity party, God went on to use him for many mighty works. And when it was time for him to leave a chariot of fire took him out. It did not break his heart for God to take him and for him to say goodbye to the people around him. He knew he had done what God wanted him to do.

Now I do not know how I am going to die, and I do not know how it will look to the people around me. But if Jesus should tarry and I pass away, I want to take a chariot ride out of here. I want my life to reflect God so much that when it comes time to take me home I am going first class. I can only pray that God will see me that way. I do know that when I die, I will be satisfied that I have done what I could to teach others about Jesus.

Today

2 Kings 1:1-4:44
Tomorrow

2 Kings 5:1-8:29

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Looking down your nose

July 1, 2008

The people of the country of Edom looked down their noses at other people. No honestly, they did, in a literal way. Their location was up in the mountains. They were surrounded by rock. They could see people coming up to attack them or down from above. They thought that they were so much better than the rest of the world that they did not have to worry about a thing.

God pulled that up short.

Obadiah 1:3-4 GNB
(3) Your pride has deceived you. Your capital is a fortress of solid rock; your home is high in the mountains, and so you say to yourself, 'Who can ever pull me down?'
(4) Even though you make your home as high as an eagle's nest, so that it seems to be among the stars, yet I will pull you down.


They were not so safe that God could not deal with them, and He did.

What about you and me. We do not live in the rocks on the mountain (well I do not at least). But do we still look down our noses at people? While we will never be able to totally get rid of that (we have a human thing called pride), we can do what we can to diminish it. When we put ourselves above others because of their lifestyle, gender, age, or most anything else, we say that we are higher than they are.

Remember what happened to Edom when they said that....

Today

Obadiah 1:1-21, Psalms 82:1-8, Psalms 83:1-18
Tomorrow

2 Kings 1:1-4:44

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