Tag: Old Testament

December 27, 2024

December 27th, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Malachi 3-4

Highlight Verse:

““But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.”
‭‭Malachi‬ ‭4‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Do you remember the first day of summer vacation?

Three months with no homework or having to get to school on time.

The walk or ride home from school had a feeling of freedom that we had waited for all year.

The end of the Old Testament has that kind of anticipation of a time of freedom.

Freedom from the bonds of sin by the grace of God through the work of Jesus came with the Gospels on the very next pages in the Bible.

When you remember the grace God has shown you, celebrate like calves set free in a pasture, or like children set free from the old of school.

Only remember your celebration is forever.

How do you celebrate your freedom from sin?
Can you celebrate it with the heart of a child?
Christmas Eve, 2024

December 24th, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Deuteronomy 32

Highlight Verse:

“He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭32‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Why on earth did I schedule Deuteronomy 32 on Christmas Eve?

It’s a tough chapter that’s all about how bad people have become.

Which, by the way, ties right into the reason for Christmas.

You see, Christmas isn’t just another time for religious people to practice religious rituals or for party people to have another excuse to party.

It’s not even about feeding kids’ imaginations and giving them reasons to behave.

Christmas happened because humans are messed up.

God had to come rescue us.

He had to come as a baby so He could live a blameless life. That way, He satisfied the requirement of a perfect sacrifice to satisfy justice for the sin filled lives that all humans have lived.

Christmas is the beginning of the outpouring of God’s love for each and every person.

It is God with us!

Emmanuel!

May your Christmas be blessed as you enjoy the gift of God with us!
December 22, 2024

December 22nd, 2024

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Job 39-40

Highlight Verse:

““Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.”
‭‭Job‬ ‭40‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

At the beginning of the Book of Job, God was bragging on Job and how awesome he was.

Now God is in Job’s face, putting him in his place.

What happened?

Job complained. Not just a little but continuously throughout the book.

So,

God reminded Job who he was when compared to God.

And Job listened.

Stay tuned for the conclusion next week.

Have you ever complained so much that you forgot who God was?
Has God ever had to humble you?
December 18, 2024

December 18th, 2024

Wednesday – History

Reading – Esther 7-8

Highlight Verse:

“The king took off his signet ring—which he had taken back from Haman—and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai to be in charge of Haman’s property.”
‭‭Esther‬ ‭8‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The book may be called Esther, but it is as much about Mordecai as his young cousin Esther.

I do not mean to belittle Esther’s accomplishments.

But without Mordecai’s instruction and encouragement, she likely would not have saved the people of Israel.

Without Mordecai’s unwavering faithfulness to God, Haman’s evil might not have come to light.

Even while Mordecai got a large amount of power, the top billing went to Esther.

And I’m pretty sure Mordecai was fine with that.

Most of us find ourselves in supporting roles, at least most of the time.

That doesn’t mean that God doesn’t do amazing things through those supporting roles.

We would do well to remember that the main goal is bringing about God’s will, not getting credit for our role in it.

Have you ever found yourself feeling jealous because someone else got the spotlight for your efforts?
When have you had a supporting role and how did it work out?
December 10, 2024

December 11th, 2024

Wednesday – History

Reading – Esther 5-6

Highlight Verse:

“Then the king asked her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!””
‭‭Esther‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Oxford defines “hyperbole” as exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Esther apparently knew the “half the kingdom” statement was just such an exaggeration.

Instead of accepting the insincere gift, she humbly invited the king and Haman to a dinner she would host.

Despite being the declared queen, even that request was bold as Xerxes was the most powerful man in the world and she was likely still a teenager.

But he listened to her, and saved the people of Israel.

Which brings me to today’s points.

In many years of working with young people, I’ve known a few who were humbly bold.

While they may not have had the far-reaching impact of Esther, but they made a difference in their worlds.

So, my two simple points are this:
If you are young, be bold while being humble. If you’re not sure how to do both, read Esther’s story again.

If you are older, listen to young people. Their dreams are still big. If given the chance to act on them, their dream will stay big, and they will change the world.

What is your big dream?
What big dreams have you heard from others?
Have you helped make those dreams happen?
December 10, 2024

December 10th, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Deuteronomy 29-30

Highlight Verse:

““Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭30‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We just watched a clip from the 1970 movie Scrooge where the people sang a heartfelt song of gratitude to Ebenezer Scrooge.

Scrooge merrily sang along with them until he realized what they were thankful for –

His death.

I want my funeral to be full of people thankful what I chose to do for them when I was alive, and for the eternal life I would be just beginning.

And then, you know, it’d be kinda fun if the procession included dancing and the singing of Thank You Very Much too.

What kind of choices do you want to make that people will be thankful for at your funeral?
How many of those choices do you have left to make?
December 8, 2024

December 8th, 2024

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Job 37

Highlight Verses:

““My heart pounds as I think of this. It trembles within me. Listen carefully to the thunder of God’s voice as it rolls from his mouth.”
‭‭Job‬ ‭37‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I love thunderstorms!

There’s something about the the massive power unleashed in each lightning bolt.

But that’s not the part of nature that really stirs my heart.

When I lived in the Santa Cruz area, I would go down to West Cliff Drive and sit by the edge of the cliffs watching the waves pound the walls.

If there was a storm offshore, the waves would make the ground vibrate and would send water high above the edge of the cliff.

There are 390,000 miles of ocean shoreline in the world holding 352,670,000,000,000,000,000 gallons of water.

Imagine if you could hear the symphony of all the waves crashing around the world.

God can.

If your heart needs stirring at the grandeur of God’s power, I highly recommend a trip to the ocean.

Then remember that God made all that with the sound of His voice.

What stirs your heart in regards to the grandeur of God?
When is the last time you experienced that?
December 4, 2024

December 4th, 2024

Wednesday – History

Reading – Esther 3-4

Highlight Verse:

“When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage.”
‭‭Esther‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We’ve all dealt with them.

That person who blows a gasket any time things don’t go exactly as they want.

Haman was an extreme narcissist.

He not only expected things to go his way, but he expected others to bow down to him.

I probably would have given him a piece of my mind I could ill afford to lose.

Probably not the best course of action.

Mordecai and Esther handled the situation much more wisely.

They exercised grace and patience. At the right time, they brought their plight to the King’s attention in such a way that he was disposed to favor them.

In doing so, they saved the nation of Israel.

How do you deal with difficult people?
Do you have enough patience to act as wisely as Mordecai and Esther?
December 3, 2024

December 3rd, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Deuteronomy 27-28

Highlight Verse:
“You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God:”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭28‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God’s mercy takes away the curses in these chapters when you put your trust in Him.

God’s grace will supply the blessings if you trust Him, even if you mess up sometimes.

It could be argued that the more closely you obey God’s commands and principles, the more blessings you will receive.

I can’t say if that’s 100 percent true, since there are faithful followers of Jesus in this world who struggle to make ends meet, even to survive in some cases.

I can say with certainty that the more you follow God’s path for your life, the more joy and contentment you will experience.

What more blessing do we need?

How has God blessed you in your obedience to His call?
Have you ever experienced frustration and pain during times of disobedience to God?
November 29, 2024

November 29th, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Zechariah 9-10

Highlight Verse:

“Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.”
‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭9‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I love reading mystery novels.

It’s fascinating how all the little puzzle pieces of the story fall into place.

A good author keeps you guessing throughout the story but once all the pieces come together, the story makes sense.

Today’s verse is one of those little pieces of the puzzle that seem totally random when you read it but falls right into place at the triumphant entry (Matt 21).

My favorite novels sit on my bookshelf, or on my Kindle or Audible apps. Every couple of years I pick them up again both to refresh my memory of them and to figure them out more.

If I do that with a novel, you know I do it with my favorite book, the Bible.

In another month, we reach the end of this reading through the Bible.

You better believe I’m going to read it again to refresh my memory and to understand it better.

I hope you’ll join me.

What truths from the Bible did you find the second or third or more times that you read it?
Do you find yourself remembering it better the more times you read it?

Tag: Old Testament

Do you remember the first day of summer vacation?

Freedom from the bonds of sin by the grace of God through the work of Jesus came with the Gospels on the very next pages in the Bible.

Only remember your celebration is forever.

Which, by the way, ties right into the reason for Christmas.

Christmas happened because humans are messed up.

It is God with us!

May your Christmas be blessed as you enjoy the gift of God with us!

What happened?

God reminded Job who he was when compared to God.

And Job listened.

The book may be called Esther, but it is as much about Mordecai as his young cousin Esther.

And I’m pretty sure Mordecai was fine with that.

We would do well to remember that the main goal is bringing about God’s will, not getting credit for our role in it.

Despite being the declared queen, even that request was bold as Xerxes was the most powerful man in the world and she was likely still a teenager.

So, my two simple points are this:If you are young, be bold while being humble. If you’re not sure how to do both, read Esther’s story again.

If you are older, listen to young people. Their dreams are still big. If given the chance to act on them, their dream will stay big, and they will change the world.

Scrooge merrily sang along with them until he realized what they were thankful for –

I want my funeral to be full of people thankful what I chose to do for them when I was alive, and for the eternal life I would be just beginning.

I love thunderstorms!

Imagine if you could hear the symphony of all the waves crashing around the world.

Then remember that God made all that with the sound of His voice.

Haman was an extreme narcissist.

Mordecai and Esther handled the situation much more wisely.

In doing so, they saved the nation of Israel.

God’s mercy takes away the curses in these chapters when you put your trust in Him.

God’s grace will supply the blessings if you trust Him, even if you mess up sometimes.

I can say with certainty that the more you follow God’s path for your life, the more joy and contentment you will experience.

I love reading mystery novels.

Today’s verse is one of those little pieces of the puzzle that seem totally random when you read it but falls right into place at the triumphant entry (Matt 21).

You better believe I’m going to read it again to refresh my memory and to understand it better.

So, my two simple points are this:
If you are young, be bold while being humble. If you’re not sure how to do both, read Esther’s story again.