Friday, November 23: Zechariah 2- Many nations.

This chapter points to a day which is still to come when Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you (11).

Many nations … will become my people. God’s grand scheme from the beginning* is for many nations, all peoples (Gen 12:3), all nations (Mt  28:19), the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) and so on, will come to the Lord.

We sometimes think ‘the ends of the earth’ is a New Testament expansion of God’s plan, but no. It was God’s heart, intention and plan from the beginning.

I sat back and marveled at the wonder of this chapter. Then I began to ask myself (or was it God asking me?)….what was I doing to cooperate with God in expanding His name to all peoples and nations and the ends of the earth??

Is it simply enough to give some money to missions? Is it simply enough to be part of a church that gives 10-15-20% to mission near and around the world? What would God have me to do?  The two key words in this last sentence is ‘me do.’ This thought led me to prayer.

Oh Lord, show me what I can do… show me places I should go, show me people-groups I should pray for, show me missionaries I should support with prayer, finances, resources and anything else You desire. Show me, Lord, show me… Amen.

 

*The message of God’s grand scheme is so clear in this chapter, and yet I wondered if I would have noticed it had I not currently been taking a 15-week course titled ‘Perspectives on the World Christian Movement’. It is a powerful teaching. Consider checking it out at www.perspectives.org. If there is a course near you, I highly recommend it.

 

 

 

Thursday, November 22: Zechariah 1 -Love extended.

Happy Thankgiving!

Thanksgiving is a wonderful US holiday. Families get together to enjoy each others’ company, to break bread and eat turkey and simply be with one another, without the pressure of buying the right present for everyone. I hope you have a great day. And if your day is less than the ideal mentioned above, I hope and pray that the Lord is very close to you this Thanksgiving day, filling any and every void in your life…

My reading for today was not particularly Thanksgiving-ish but for me, God’s Word is precious and is the source from which my life with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit grows….

I read and re-read this chapter.  Lord, speak to me. Let me hear Your voice. Give me a nugget for today, for my soul is starved for Your Word.

I began reading again and this time words left the page and touched my heart. "The LORD was very angry with your forefathers. Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty. Do not be like your forefathers, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.' But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the LORD (2-4).

God was inviting His people to return to Him. Prophets were sent. God’s Word embedded with forgiveness and restoration was extended.

What would Israel do? Would they turn toward God or run from God, as they had done in the past?

It was as if God was reminding me that we all have a choice. We, too, can turn toward God or run from the Almighty when He speaks, when He confronts us with our sin, when He calls us to repent and return…

What will we do? What will I do when God reaches out to me?

I will call out to the Lord. Where else would help come from? To whom else can I turn to find words of life and love and forgiveness?

Lord, I turn to You. Search me and know me. Examine me and cleanse me from all sin, for I have been sinful since birth. Sin-filled since I was conceived before You. Have mercy on me I pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

Wednesday, November 21: Haggai 2 - God blesses faithfulness.

Yesterday I pondered God’s call to "Give careful thought to your ways” (1:5). God used that word to cause Israel to think long and hard about how they were living. Israel thought and Israel changed her ways. The people reordered their lives, put energy and resources into building the temple and re-establishing ‘Yahweh-honoring’ worship in the land.

Today we read how God blessed their faithfulness… "'From this day on I will bless you.'"  (19).

God blesses faithfulness.

Did God show you anything yesterday about your way? Are there any ways you can alter your life to be more inline with God’s Will and Way? Do it!  Make the changes. Live faithfully and see what blessings faithfulness brings into your life.

Oh God, show me Your ways that I might walk in them. This I pray, Oh God. Amen.

 

Tuesday, November 20: Haggai 1 - Give careful thought to your ways.

Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways” (5).

God’s message shot through me like an arrow: "Give careful thought to your ways.” I realize it was spoken to a specific people over two centuries ago, still it grabbed me! It seems so appropriate.

Am I carefully building my life, my reputation, my faith, my family?… so the circles of thought swirled in my head. "Give careful thought to your ways.”

I find myself pondering ‘my ways.’

As I ponder, I realize that I can measure and evaluate ‘my ways’ according to the ways of my world or the ways of my Lord. And I come up with very different answers when laid against those to backdrops…

Lord, as I meditate on Your Word for today help me to use Your Ways as the plumb line for evaluating my ways. Lord, I want to stay in line with You! Thank You for the reminder, today, that careful thought is important for faith-filled living. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

Monday, November 19: Zephaniah 3 - On 'that' day.

Today’s chapter sings of ‘that’ day… the day when God will set things right for Jerusalem. On that day, God will save His people, quiet them with his love, and rejoice over them (17). On that day, God will rescue the lame, gather the scattered, and give praise to those who were shamed (19). On that day, God will gather them, bring them home, give them honor and praise among the nations, and restore their fortunes (20).

That will be quite a day for God’s faithful.

I looked back over what God was going to do for His people. I focused on the verbs.  It is a comforting list. God will totally take care of them.

I pondered these things.  That day must be the end of time day when God will establish His kingdom forever.

Hey, that day speaks to me as well, for I, too, am one of God’s children through faith in Jesus.

What a day, what a wonderful day that will be…

Oh Lord, strengthen my faith to hold on until that day. Oh Lord, give me wisdom to live for You until that day. Send Your Spirit, Lord, that I might live for You until that day. Amen.

 

Saturday, November 17: Zephaniah 2- . Seek God

Just before God begins to release His judgments on the surrounding nations, a key verse blazed on the text before me. God’s final comment to the people of Judah, verse 3, Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger.

God’s judgment is decreed and certain.  What can one do? Seek the Lord… live (seek) righteously, humbly and obediently (my interpretation of the verse).

Seek God: get to know Him, learn about Him, endeavor to please Him. Spend time cultivating your knowing of God. Time and intentionality seem to be a key to seeking. Seek the Lord.

Live righteously: live rightly in God’s sight.

Live humbly: don’t grow puffed up about your place with God or your knowing of God.  Remain ever the seeker of God. And likewise, don’t be puffed up with respect to other people either.

Live obediently: remember God is God and we are not. Live His Way not yours. Live by His Rules.

Seems to me that this kind of living would honor God in any time or season…

Off to practice what I have just learned.

Lord, at work and at play I belong to You. I pray for strength to live in a way that always reflects that I am Yours. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

 

Friday, November 16: Zephaniah 1- God's Word.

Well, this is not exactly a feel good chapter. God seems angry and punishment is coming on Judah.

Israel has already faced the wrath of the Lord. Judah will soon taste the same.

We don’t know exactly when this prophecy came during Josiah’s reign. But I find it interesting that Josiah was one of the few good/faithful kings of Judah and the last faithful one as well. About 20 years after Josiah, the words of this prophecy came true as God judged Judah.

It struck me… we better take God at His Word. We don’t know when, but we do know that God will fulfill His Word!

I wonder how the people of Judah received this word from Zephaniah? Given that Josiah was a faithful king, he likely listened. But the kings that followed him did not. It is so easy to dismiss the Word of God.

My last sentence strikes a blow to my heart. Do I dismiss God’s Word? 66 books of the Bible are God’s written Word. Do I honor it, learn it and most importantly live according to it? If I do not, then I am no different than the people of Judah and God judged them for it.

How about you, do you dismiss God’s Word? Think about it…

Lord, may Your Word fill me, direct me and change me to live as You would have a person life. Through Jesus, I pray. Amen.