Tag: Prophets

May 16th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 58-60

Highlight Verse:

“All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭60‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I love the full moon.

I’ve admired the moon over majestic snowy mountains, across shimmering harbors, and filtering down through autumn leaves.

It always inspires me.

But the moon would be nothing but a big dark rock without the sun’s light to reflect.

The light this verse refers to is the glory of God (v. 1 and 2).

We were meant to reflect that light.

So how do we shine the brightest?

Don’t let anything block the light.
• Sin
• Selfishness
• Pride, etc.

And do what you can to magnify it.
• Love
• Charity
• A servant heart, etc.

When we truly shine with God’s light, we will not only dispel the darkness but also attract those who need the light.

How have you seen God’s light reflected well?
What have you seen that blocked that light?
May 9, 2025

May 9th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 55-57

Highlight Verse:

““My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’d like to think that I’ve gotten close enough to God to understand His thoughts.

But then, when I first read this chapter, my thoughts went something like, “Ooh, free food and drink.”

My perspective is so tied to this physical life that I often totally miss God’s perspective.

My limited perspective makes completely understanding God impossible.

My best bet is to follow the advice of verse 3 and listen with my ears wide open to what God would want me to hear.

Have you been able to get glimpses of God’s perspective?
How did it differ from your perspective?
May 2, 2025

May 2nd, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 52-54

Highlight Verse:

““Enlarge your house; build an addition. Spread out your home, and spare no expense!”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭54‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

On more than one occasion, I have heard this verse taken completely out of context.

Usually, it was in conjunction with a church building fund.

But context is important.

This prophecy was given to the people of Israel at the end of the exile.

They had been oppressed for many years at this point and were finally coming back to faith.

God was ready to bless them for that faith.

If you’ve been through the ringer through a time of unbelief and are coming back too a revived faith, then I would say this verse applies to you.

If not, maybe we should just rejoice in the restoration of Israel which laid the groundwork for the coming of Jesus.

And maybe find a more appropriate verse to encourage us to give – there are plenty.

What verses have you heard taken out of context often?
What verse do you tend to take out of context? (For me, it is 2 Corinthians 5:13)
April 29, 2025

April 29th, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Genesis 27-28

Highlight Verse:

“Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭28‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The LORD (this passage uses the name YHWH) met with Isaac personally in his dream to give him this message.

It may have been a dream but that doesn’t make it any less prophetic.

The Lord foretold of the incredible blessing that Jacob’s family would be to the whole world.

That blessing came in the form of Jacob’s descendant Jesus.

I have only a third of the children Jacob had but I am already seeing them bless others.

I don’t doubt that their children will bless others and so on.

While I may not have had a face-to-face encounter with God giving my family a prophetic blessing, that doesn’t mean that God can’t use them to bless many others.

As a parent, I want to do whatever it takes to set my kids up to bless people!

I believe God will honor that and bless my descendants.

Have you seen your children or grandchildren bless others?
Can you imagine the long-term effect your family can have on future generations?
April 25, 2025

April 25th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 49-51

Highlight Verse:

“I replied, “But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust God for my reward.””
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭49‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Isaiah was what Bible scholars call a Major Prophet.

He not only spoke out against the enemies of Israel; he advised kings and gave numerous Messianic predictions that came true with Jesus.

Yet here he testifies that he felt useless.

There are times that I can relate, though I certainly can’t compare to the likes of Isaiah.

But, if I make myself available to the Holy Spirit, I do believe that I can be effective to bring people closer to God.

A famous TV chef in the 80’s, Martin Yan, used to always say, “If Yan can cook, so can you!”

With that in mind I think Isaiah would say, “If God can use me, He can use you!”

Have you ever felt discouraged especially in how effective your ministry is?
Have you ever left the real work up to the Holy Spirit?
April 11, 2025

April 11th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 43-45

Highlight Verses:

““But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Earlier in the chapter, we are told to remember Israel’s roots.

Now it’s “forget about it!”

So, which is it?

This chapter – indeed, much of Isaiah points to the Gospel.

It sounds to me like God wants the people of Israel to remember the start of their faith but forget out the corruption of the faith with the development of a strict religion.

It was time to find the redemption promised with the coming of the Messiah.

In a comparative religions course at university, we used a textbook called “Zakhor” to learn about Judaism. Zakhor literally means “remember”

We came to learn that much of the religion was wrapped around remembering their roots.

Isaiah tells us to forget about that stuff that would keep you tied up in vain religion.

Instead, look for the new life of the gospel.

Are there parts of your past that you are holding onto?
Is that holding you back?
How do you think you move past that?
April 3, 2025

April 4th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 40-42

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 bet some of you thought I was going to pick Isaiah 40:31.

That is one of my favorite verses.

But why would you “wait on the Lord” (trust in the Lord) if He wasn’t trustworthy.

The main way we learn to trust Him is through the Bible.

This verse is one more reason to trust God’s Word.

In a time that the vast majority of people thought the world was flat, Isaiah flips that notion with a simple scene of God presiding over a round Earth.

The Bible is not a science textbook, but when it presents scientific fact in a way that people of that day could not have known, it demonstrates that its source is far beyond earthly knowledge.

Just one more reason to believe that the Bible is truly God’s Word.

What most influences you to believe that the Bible is the Word of God?
What other verses in this chapter stand out to you? Why?
March 28, 2025

March 28th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 37-39

Highlight Verse:

“After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it out before the Lord.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭37‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Yes, I know this is a bit of history practically cut and pasted into Isaiah. Maybe I should have focused on the words of Isaiah but I couldn’t resist Hezekiah’s actions here.

Hezekiah had just been reassured by Isaiah when he got this threatening letter from his enemy.

Maybe he should have just burned it and ignored it’s message, but he was disturbed by it. He needed some reassurance.

So he brought it to the Lord and spread it out before Him.

I’ll let you read God’s reply to him.

Suffice it to say that Hezekiah set a good example for us.

When we face discouragement, we should bring it straight to God.

Then we might get a taste of the words of Big Tent Revival when they sang “Take the biggest thing that’s got you down, stand it up right next to God. Anyone can see who’s bigger now, It don’t take no astronaut.” (Jesus is Your Friend – copyright 1995, Big Tent Revival)

What discouraging situations have you brought to God?
How did He answer your cries for help?
February 21, 2025

February 21st, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 22-24

Highlight Verse:

“But the Lord of Heaven’s Armies also says: “The time will come when I will pull out the nail that seemed so firm. It will come out and fall to the ground. Everything it supports will fall with it. I, the Lord, have spoken!””
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭22‬:‭25‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God’s not afraid of change.

Why should we be?

Yes, it is true that sometimes God changes direction in the middle of things.

No, God does not change.

But He sure can change things for us.

It may seem like a new and different thing for us but I assure you that God knew what He was going to do all along.

How has God changed your plans in the past?
Are you open to Him changing your plans in the future?
February 14, 2025

February 14th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 19-21

Highlight Verse:

“In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and there will be a monument to the Lord at its border.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭19‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

First off, for all you hopeless romantics looking for a romantic reading, sorry.

I scoured today’s reading and found nothing that we would call romantic.

That is unless we think along the lines of what author Ted Dekker called “The Great Romance” in his “Circle Series” of novels.

In that case,

The Great Romance is the story of God wooing His creation to find life in Him.

In today’s highlight verse, Isaiah prophesied that Romance coming to Egypt.

It came true!

In the 2nd century BC, during the Maccabean revolt in Israel, the priests were forced to flee to Egypt. They brought with them the practice of worship and sacrifice. Many in Egypt came to worship God, laying the spiritual foundation for the Coptic Church to follow after Christ’s sacrifice.

It was likely to the same area that Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fled.

The Coptic Church, founded by Mark the Evangelist in 42AD is likely the oldest Christian group still in existence today.

And Isaiah saw it coming.

Does it surprise you that Isaiah’s prophecies came true in such a profound way?
What other prophecies in today’s reading caught your eye? Why?

Tag: Prophets

I love the full moon.

We were meant to reflect that light.

When we truly shine with God’s light, we will not only dispel the darkness but also attract those who need the light.

But then, when I first read this chapter, my thoughts went something like, “Ooh, free food and drink.”

My best bet is to follow the advice of verse 3 and listen with my ears wide open to what God would want me to hear.

But context is important.

If you’ve been through the ringer through a time of unbelief and are coming back too a revived faith, then I would say this verse applies to you.

And maybe find a more appropriate verse to encourage us to give – there are plenty.

The Lord foretold of the incredible blessing that Jacob’s family would be to the whole world.

I have only a third of the children Jacob had but I am already seeing them bless others.

As a parent, I want to do whatever it takes to set my kids up to bless people!

Yet here he testifies that he felt useless.

With that in mind I think Isaiah would say, “If God can use me, He can use you!”

Now it’s “forget about it!”

So, which is it?

It sounds to me like God wants the people of Israel to remember the start of their faith but forget out the corruption of the faith with the development of a strict religion.

Isaiah tells us to forget about that stuff that would keep you tied up in vain religion.

But why would you “wait on the Lord” (trust in the Lord) if He wasn’t trustworthy.

In a time that the vast majority of people thought the world was flat, Isaiah flips that notion with a simple scene of God presiding over a round Earth.

Just one more reason to believe that the Bible is truly God’s Word.

So he brought it to the Lord and spread it out before Him.

Suffice it to say that Hezekiah set a good example for us.

When we face discouragement, we should bring it straight to God.

God’s not afraid of change.

But He sure can change things for us.

It may seem like a new and different thing for us but I assure you that God knew what He was going to do all along.

I scoured today’s reading and found nothing that we would call romantic.

The Great Romance is the story of God wooing His creation to find life in Him.

And Isaiah saw it coming.