Tag: Old Testament

September 17, 2024

September 17th, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Deuteronomy 5-6

Highlight Verse:

“I stood as an intermediary between you and the Lord, for you were afraid of the fire and did not want to approach the mountain. He spoke to me, and I passed his words on to you. This is what he said:”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭5‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Ten Commandments are what we got when Moses stood as our intermediary.

When Jesus stepped in, we got mercy and grace and a good measure of eternal life with it.

I’m not belittling the Ten Commandments. Without them, we wouldn’t know how desperately we need Jesus.

We should always attempt to obey the Ten Commandments.

Then, when we fall short again, we need to trust in Jesus’ work on the cross to bring forgiveness and get right back up to setting our moral compass by the true north of the Ten Commandments.

How do you view the Ten Commandments?
How long has it been since you broke one?
Did you find forgiveness?
September 13, 2024

September 13th, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Nahum 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.”
‭‭Nahum‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Today’s reading is full of warnings of impending doom for Nineveh.

In the middle of it is this little verse that sums up the source of confidence for those who trust God.

I know that no matter what comes my way, God will pull me through.

It might not be in a way I expect.

But I have seen Him provide for my safety and well-being more times than I can count.

Someday, when my time here is done, He will provide an eternal home for me in His presence.

What more do I need?

Do you trust God to stay close and protect you?
How has He protected and provided for you in the past?
September 11, 2024

September 11th, 2024

Wednesday – History

Reading – Ezra 3-4

Highlight Verse:

“With praise and thanks, they sang this song to the Lord: “He is so good! His faithful love for Israel endures forever!” Then all the people gave a great shout, praising the Lord because the foundation of the Lord’s Temple had been laid.”
‭‭Ezra‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Twenty-three years ago today, I ate my breakfast in front of the TV in my Prescott Valley, Arizona home, watching in disbelief as the World Trade Center burned.

By the end of that day, I had vowed to never forget it.

With much red tape, politics, and budget fights to deal with, it took 13 years to replace the main tower. Work continues on the complex even today.

In 586 BC, invaders destroyed the First Temple.

About fifty years later, Israelites began to return and started work on the Second Temple.

With much opposition to deal with, it took 20 years to complete.

There are tragic events in history that deserve to be remembered.

But I love what the Israelites did in today’s verse.

When they hit a milestone in their recovery, they celebrated, giving great thanks to God for the progress that He had helped them achieve.

What have been the milestones in your life?
How have you celebrated and given thanks to God for them?
September 10, 2024

September 10th, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Deuteronomy 3-4

Highlight Verse:

“Instead, commission Joshua and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead the people across the Jordan. He will give them all the land you now see before you as their possession.’”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭3‬:‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Moses asked to be allowed to enter the promised land.

God said no.

Instead, Moses was to pass the baton of leadership on to Joshua.

You might wonder why God didn’t show mercy to Moses.

I think He did.

He allowed Moses to see the promised land from the top of a mountain.

But the time had come for Joshua to lead.

If Moses had crossed the Jordan, it would have diluted Joshua’s authority.

Remember that Moses was 120 years old by then and did not truly have the health to continue.

You don’t have to be 120 years old for this principle to apply.

At one church I was at, I was a director of children’s church when a new next generation pastor wanted to revamp all of the children’s ministries. People looked to me for leadership, so I moved to another ministry so volunteers would look instead to the new pastor.

Have you had situations where you needed to step out of the way for new leadership?
Have you had someone do that for you?
September 8, 2024

September 8th, 2024

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Job 11-12

Highlight Verse:

“People who are at ease mock those in trouble. They give a push to people who are stumbling.”
‭‭Job‬ ‭12‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I wonder if Job knew how correct he really was.

And it’s still true today.

If someone is experiencing trouble, people tend to talk behind their backs by people wondering what they did to cause the trouble.

Some will bad mouth them behind their backs.

Some will bad mouth them to their face.

Imagine if Jobs friends came to listen to him and bring him comfort instead of harassing him about what they assumed he did wrong.

Imagine what would happen if, instead of bad mouthing, we came alongside people in their problems, listened to them and helped them out.

Forgive me if I’m wrong but I think that’s one of the most important jobs of the Church.

Have you experienced insults in your tough times?
When those around you are having problems, is your first impulse to support them, ignore them, or insult them?
September 7, 2024

September 7th, 2024

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Isaiah 40:21-31

Highlight Verse:

“God sits above the circle of the earth. The people below seem like grasshoppers to him! He spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from them.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I was a Physics major in college…

For one year.

When I flunked Calculus (officially took an incomplete) I realized that I would not be a great scientist.

I was reminded tonight while helping my daughter with homework that

math is integral to physics.

But I still love science.

That’s why today’s verse delights me.

I know the Bible is not intended to be a science textbook.

Despite that, every once in a while, I run a across a verse like this that shows an understanding of science beyond that of the civilization that existed at that time.

At a time when the Earth was thought to be flat, Isaiah described the Earth as being round. He then gives an aerial description of the land.

I’d say he had an inside view from the Creator.

What other science have you seen confirmed in the Bible?
Does the accurate presentation of science in the Bible affect your faith?
September 6, 2024

September 6th, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Micah 7

Highlight Verse:

“How miserable I am! I feel like the fruit picker after the harvest who can find nothing to eat. Not a cluster of grapes or a single early fig can be found to satisfy my hunger.”
‭‭Micah‬ ‭7‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Have you ever felt like that, especially for the same kind of reasons as Micah.

Micah was upset that Israel had gone so far away from God – “not one honest person is left on the earth.” (V. 2)

I’ve felt that way.

Even tonight as my daughter told me about how the students at the high school football game she attended just left their trash all over.

I know that’s only trash but it’s a symptom of the entitlement generation that would say, “they don’t pay me to pick up the trash so why should I?”

Micah would have recognized the symptoms right away.

You drop God from the equation, and you cut the main motivation for doing good.

But there is hope.

Micah would point us to verse 7 where Micah is confident in the help that the Lord will send.

There are many in the next generation who, like my daughter, look to God for their hope and their value.

They are reason to hope!

Are you helping to reach the next generation?
Are you willing to do what you can to help bring hope to a generation in great need of it?
September 4, 2024

September 4th, 2024

Wednesday – History

Reading – Ezra 1-2

Highlight Verse:

““This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.”
‭‭Ezra‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Sometimes God uses unexpected people to get His message across.

In the American church community, we tend to be quick to dismiss someone because they don’t meet our expectations of what a Christian leader should be.

Cancel culture is alive and well in the church community.

But sometimes God chooses to use someone who does not meet our standards to reach people.

King Cyrus was not a Jewish believer. He supported the beliefs of the people in each region that he conquered, therefore he supported the Hebrew religion.

As far as I can tell, God was just fine with that. Perhaps He even inspired King Cyrus to restore the temple.

The bottom line is, despite the fact that Cyrus was clearly not a believer, God was able to use him to bring people to himself.

We could learn from that by not refusing to listen when people who don’t believe do things that bring people to God.

During the triumphal entry, Jesus said that if the people would not worship Him, even the rocks would cry out in praise.

I think God would use unbelievers to bring praise to Him before He would make the rocks do it.

Have you ever seen God use an unbeliever to bring about great change?
How can you tell when an unbeliever is doing God’s will?
September 3, 2024

September 3rd, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Deuteronomy 1-2

Highlight Verse:

““Then you confessed, ‘We have sinned against the Lord! We will go into the land and fight for it, as the Lord our God has commanded us.’ So your men strapped on their weapons, thinking it would be easy to attack the hill country.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭1‬:‭41‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A few years ago (okay, almost 30 years ago), I was driving down a freeway in a rainstorm. I rounded a curve at well below the speed limit, but water was running across the pavement so the back end of my little pickup broke loose.

A good driver would have steered into the skid just enough to maintain control.

I steered too far.

The overreaction caused me to lose control long enough to hit the guardrail. Once I had lost control, the opportunity to stay safely on the road was gone.

Israel’s overreaction caused them to be soundly defeated by the Amorites.

That was because they refused to listen to the Lord. (Verse 43)

There are times in our lives when we realize that we are in error. It’s easy to think we can correct that error by going back and doing what we were supposed to do in the first place.

Sometimes that’s the right thing to do.

Sometimes it isn’t.

Instead of jumping right back into a missed opportunity, we need to be sure that opportunity is still there.

Otherwise, we may be jumping right into a face plant (or a guardrail).

Have you ever missed an opportunity only to try to get it back and fail?
What do you do to listen to God’s guidance when you know you’ve missed and opportunity?
August 27, 2024

August 27th, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Numbers 35-36

Highlight Verse:

“designate cities of refuge to which people can flee if they have killed someone accidentally.”
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭35‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Imagine a city to which anyone who claims they are innocent of murder (despite killing someone) could take refuge in.

I can just imagine the outcry from the NIMBY (Not In My BackYard) crowd.

Sounds crazy to us today, but during a time when justice was handed out without any judicial process,

this was an unprecedented show of fairness.

In fact, this system forms some of the earliest roots for our modern justice system.

What provisions for justice did today’s reading point out to you?
How would you feel if you accidentally killed someone in this system?
What if you were the next of kin to a victim?

Tag: Old Testament

When Jesus stepped in, we got mercy and grace and a good measure of eternal life with it.

Then, when we fall short again, we need to trust in Jesus’ work on the cross to bring forgiveness and get right back up to setting our moral compass by the true north of the Ten Commandments.

I know that no matter what comes my way, God will pull me through.

What more do I need?

By the end of that day, I had vowed to never forget it.

There are tragic events in history that deserve to be remembered.

But I love what the Israelites did in today’s verse.

Moses asked to be allowed to enter the promised land.

Instead, Moses was to pass the baton of leadership on to Joshua.

You don’t have to be 120 years old for this principle to apply.

I wonder if Job knew how correct he really was.

Imagine if Jobs friends came to listen to him and bring him comfort instead of harassing him about what they assumed he did wrong.

Imagine what would happen if, instead of bad mouthing, we came alongside people in their problems, listened to them and helped them out.

math is integral to physics.

But I still love science.

I’d say he had an inside view from the Creator.

I’ve felt that way.

Micah would have recognized the symptoms right away.

But there is hope.

Sometimes God uses unexpected people to get His message across.

The bottom line is, despite the fact that Cyrus was clearly not a believer, God was able to use him to bring people to himself.

I think God would use unbelievers to bring praise to Him before He would make the rocks do it.

That was because they refused to listen to the Lord. (Verse 43)

Instead of jumping right back into a missed opportunity, we need to be sure that opportunity is still there.

Imagine a city to which anyone who claims they are innocent of murder (despite killing someone) could take refuge in.

this was an unprecedented show of fairness.