Tag: Prophets

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?
August 30, 2024

August 30th, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Micah 5-6

Highlight Verse:

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.”
‭‭Micah‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I grew up in California suburbs. Only about a fifth of my life has been spent in small towns or in the country.

But I’m a small-town boy at heart.

For that reason, I love the fact that God chose to use a small town in which to make His entrance into the world.

God seems to make a habit of using seemingly insignificant places and people to make a big impact.

• He used Bethlehem as the setting for Jesus’ birth.
• He used Nazareth as the place where Jesus was raised.
• He chose people like Gideon, Ruth, Rahab, and that young shepherd David to hinge history around.

That means He can use me, and He can use you.

Have you ever felt so insignificant that you couldn’t possibly make a difference?
Do you trust God enough to let Him use you to make an impact on those around you?
August 16, 2024

August 16th, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Micah 2

Highlight Verse:

“Suppose a prophet full of lies would say to you, “I’ll preach to you the joys of wine and alcohol!” That’s just the kind of prophet you would like!”
‭‭Micah‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I cannot say when you are in the right church listening to the right preacher for you.

But I can say when it’s the wrong one.

If your church entertains you but you don’t learn there, you might be going to the wrong church.

If the preaching never challenges you, you might be going to the wrong church.

If sin is taught as something that does no harm, you might be going to the wrong church.

If you are going there just to look at all the pretty ladies or handsome guys, well, okay, that’s on you not your church. But you get the point.

We all want to hear teaching that entertains us.

But if it doesn’t challenge us to grow in some aspect of our faith, there’s something seriously missing.

Does the teaching at your church challenge you?
Are you actively seeking to be challenged?
August 9, 2024

August 9th, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jonah 3-4

Highlight Verse:

“Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?” “Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!””
‭‭Jonah‬ ‭4‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jonah had anger issues.

Last week we saw that he was so angry at the Assyrians that he didn’t want to warn them about the wrath of God.

Today he got angry at God for letting a plant die.

But…

Don’t miss this…

God used Jonah to save 120 thousand people!

We all have our faults.

We shouldn’t ignore them and should be striving to improve ourselves our whole lives long.

But we should never think that God can’t use us because we aren’t perfect!

God uses imperfect people because that’s what He has to work with.

If He didn’t use imperfect people, nothing would ever get done.

Is there anything you’ve been putting off or a call that you’ve been ignoring because you think you’re not good enough?
If you were good enough, what could God do through you?
Are you willing to let Him do that through you anyway? He can you know.
August 1, 2024

August 1st, 2024

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Revelation 1

Highlight Verse:

“I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Some would discredit Revelation because John claimed it would be fulfilled “soon”.

In verses 8, 17, and 18, we are reminded of the timeless nature of God.

He was here before creation and will be here at the end. In fact,

He is the beginning and the end.

2000 years may seem like forever to us but to God, it is the blink of an eye.

We would do well to spend the next 22 weeks learning what to expect at the end and how to act to be a part of want God wants to do in the end.

The book of Revelation is just as valid today as when it was written.

Does studying Revelation make you nervous?
Are you willing to look at it with an open heart and mind?
August 2, 2024

August 1st, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jonah 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish.”
‭‭Jonah‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This verse struck me as funny.

I know the skeptics out there are saying, “Of course it’s funny. No one could survive 3 days in a fish or whale or any animal.

Other’s might say, “oh, it’s just a metaphor.”

I would say that it really happened and I don’t dwell on how because God is the one that made it happen and He can do anything.

But then, we’re all missing the point.

Jonah was in a place where he could do nothing.

He was left with only 2 choices, give up or turn to God.

He prayed to God from inside the fish.

Have you ever made such bad choices that you were suddenly left with no choice? Maybe facing jail time or bankruptcy?
Did you pray to the Lord Your God (implying that you truly trust Him) to deliver you from the consequences of running away from Him?
How did He bring you through it? (I assume He did since you’re reading this).
July 12, 2024

July 12th, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Amos 7-8

Highlight Verse:

“So the Lord relented from this plan. “I will not do it,” he said.”
‭‭Amos‬ ‭7‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

How can such a simple verse open up such a deep theological conundrum?

It raises the question, “If God knows everything that is ever going to happen, how can He change his mind when someone prays?”

I would respond to that with another question, “If God’s will cannot be changed,

why pray at all?”

We could debate circles around this topic but I believe that simple answer is that God is sovereign. That means,

if He wants to change His mind, He can.

I also believe that God wants to hear from His children and allows us to influence His decisions.

He may even choose not to know what He will decide until it comes to pass.

God may live outside of time and have the capacity to know everything that has ever happened and ever will happen, I think He can choose what knowledge to access.

What is your opinion?
Are you a strict Calvinist believing that everything is predestined or do you believe that God chooses to let us influence what He decides and what will ultimately happen?
July 5, 2024

July 5th, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Amos 5-6

Highlight Verse:

“What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury in Jerusalem, and you who feel secure in Samaria! You are famous and popular in Israel, and people go to you for help.”
‭‭Amos‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This verse struck me as I’m lounging in a recliner in our family room. (we’re staying up late to comfort the dogs with all the fireworks going off around us).

Our youngest and I walked down to the local park at the height of the fireworks.

It sounded like a war zone.

That made me think of people in some countries who were prospering when war came their way. Many lost everything to war and violence.

While it seems very unlikely here, I realize that nothing is impossible, and

I should work toward peace.

Some might think that means gun control or more police.

This scripture makes the answer clear.

If I want peace in this land, I should worship God alone, strive to follow in obedience to his leading, and encourage others to do the same.

How do you work for peace?
What does following in obedience to Him look like in your life?
July 3, 2024

July 3rd, 2024

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Chronicles 10-12

Highlight Verse:

“But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the older men and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him and were now his advisers.”
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭10‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It is so tempting to say that Rehoboam blew it because he didn’t listen to the advice of older men.

It’s not that simple.

The fact is, not all older men are wise.

In this case, the men were advisors to Solomon, a man thought to be the wisest king ever. That’s some pretty high qualifications.

But, it’s also true that God had sent a prophecy that Rehoboam would lose the ten tribes.

Does that mean that God chose to force Rehoboam to choose poorly?

I won’t go so far as to say that is impossible. But I don’t believe that would be in line with God’s character.

But God did know what Rehoboam would choose.

For all his father’s wisdom, Rehoboam was not a wise King. He was unfaithful to God and the Kingdom of Israel suffered as a consequence.

Here’s the tough part – Was Jeroboam any better?

If not, the people of Israel had a very difficult choice – To follow the bad man or to follow the worse one.

The best answer to that is to follow God, not the imperfect human politicians.

What leader do you follow after?
What makes that person a good leader to follow?
June 15, 2024

June 15th, 2024
Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Numbers 22:21-41

Highlight Verse:

““But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?”
“No,” Balaam admitted.”
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭22‬:‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Today I decided to try to find the funniest story in the Bible.

My wife suggested this one. I agree with her.

Not only is Balaam saved by his donkey, the animal proceeds to explain the situation to him.

I mean, I’d be whipping out my cellphone and recording that conversation!

Yes, I know that cellphones didn’t exist back then, but NEITHER DID TALKING DONKEYS!

Well, except one.

I can’t leave this topic without quoting the song Balaam, that Don Francisco wrote in the late 70s.

The final lines read:

“So when the Lord starts usin’ you
Don’t you pay it any mind.
He could have used the dog next door
If He’d been so inclined.”
- Balaam, ©️1979, Don Francisco
The bottom line is God can use anyone or any thing He chooses.

And sometimes, the funnier, the better.

What do you think the most humorous story of the Bible is?
What have you learned from humor in the Bible?

Tag: Prophets

I’ve felt that way.

Micah would have recognized the symptoms right away.

But there is hope.

But I’m a small-town boy at heart.

God seems to make a habit of using seemingly insignificant places and people to make a big impact.

That means He can use me, and He can use you.

But I can say when it’s the wrong one.

We all want to hear teaching that entertains us.

But if it doesn’t challenge us to grow in some aspect of our faith, there’s something seriously missing.

Jonah had anger issues.

God used Jonah to save 120 thousand people!

But we should never think that God can’t use us because we aren’t perfect!

He is the beginning and the end.

The book of Revelation is just as valid today as when it was written.

But then, we’re all missing the point.

Jonah was in a place where he could do nothing.

He prayed to God from inside the fish.

How can such a simple verse open up such a deep theological conundrum?

why pray at all?”

if He wants to change His mind, He can.

It sounded like a war zone.

I should work toward peace.

This scripture makes the answer clear.

It’s not that simple.

For all his father’s wisdom, Rehoboam was not a wise King. He was unfaithful to God and the Kingdom of Israel suffered as a consequence.

Today I decided to try to find the funniest story in the Bible.

The bottom line is God can use anyone or any thing He chooses.

And sometimes, the funnier, the better.