"Come, Lord Jesus!" December 31 Readings: Malachi 3-4, Revelation 22, Psalm 150, Proverbs 31:29–31

Today's Readings - Malachi 3-4, Revelation 22, Psalm 150, Proverbs 31:29–31

Devotional 

It's New Year's Eve. Think for a moment about what is going to be happening across our land. People are going to be going out to "have a good time." Nothing wrong with enjoying yourself, of course, but think of all the ways that people are going to be seeking happiness and fun tonight.

More than a few will seek their joy from a bottle - they will look to alcohol or perhaps some form of drugs to provide them a feeling of exhilaration. Many will seek pleasure through sexual immorality. There will be wild parties and games and activities - all sorts of fun things to participate in. Some are sinful. Some are harmless. But our manic search for fun reveals the fact that we still have not grasped one of life's great truths.

We spend a lot of time trying to find life, to find fun and contentment and pleasure and peace. But in Revelation 22, the last chapter of the Bible, we see a truth that helps us in the search for real life. Observe verses 1 and 2.

Then he showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the city’s main street. The tree of life was on each side of the river, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations

Coming from the throne of God is a river of living water that feeds the tree of life and brings healing to the nations. Life flows from the throne of God - and nowhere else.

This world can offer us some fun (again, fun does not always mean sin). It is full of beauty and pleasure - things created by God and blessed if enjoyed within proper boundaries. People can be a great blessing. This world has a lot to offer.

But God is life. Real life, true life - it flows from his throne to us. Don't look for, from this world, what only God can offer. Eternal life, abundant life, joy, contentment and fulfillment, these flow from heaven in streams of living water. He alone satisfies the soul with everlasting joy.

The Bible begins with God, speaking the world into existence. Now, the Bible ends with God's words again.

He who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” 

First Jesus gives us a blessed promise. He's coming quickly. Oh, of course, quickly is defined by the One to whom a day is as a thousand years. But he is coming. One day. Soon or in the distant future, he will come and consummate this world in his glory.

And so, we say with the Apostle John, "Come, Lord Jesus." Life can be hard, or it can be good, But come, Lord Jesus. When everything is coming up roses or when its stinking like fertilizer, come Lord Jesus. 

Come, Lord Jesus, Come! We long for your appearing and the display of your glory. In the meantime, may our lives serve your kingdom and display your glory in this earth. 

Think and Pray

Pause to thank God for the blessings and challenges of 2017, and for sustaining you in everything.
Commit 2018 to God's glory and the kingdom!
Maybe this will be the year!

"Heaven" December 30 Readings Malachi 1-2, Revelation 21, Psalm 149, Proverbs 31:27–28

Today's Readings - Malachi 1-2, Revelation 21, Psalm 149, Proverbs 31:27–28

Devotional 

Theologians and preachers have speculated about heaven for a long time. The New Testament is clear about how we get there - we ride the coattails of the righteousness of Jesus Christ to eternal glory. None of us is worthy of heaven or fit for it. Since sin cannot dwell there, and we are all sinners, we are excluded until the blood of Christ cleanses us and the power of Christ makes us new. Clothed in the righteousness of Christ we who deserve hell can become fit for heaven.

That much is clear, but what will heaven be like? On that there is a wide divergence of opinion. The description given in Revelation 21 is not all that helpful. Look at verses 19-21.

The foundations of the city wall were adorned with every kind of jewel: the first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates are twelve pearls; each individual gate was made of a single pearl. The main street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.

My guess is that John was doing the best he can to describe the glory he saw, but that heaven is so far above and beyond human experience that he did the best he could to write down what he saw. The problem is that I'm not really sure what chrysolite, chrysoprase or jacinth are. How about you? What does it mean that each of the gates was made of a single pearl, or that the street is made of a pure gold that looks like transparent glass? I just don't have a good sense of what that means. Pure gold like transparent glass?  Not visualizing that.

Heaven is beyond our existence. I cannot envision a sinless, perfect world, one that sin has never and will never touch, one that is unaffected by time, where death and decay have no place. In fact, that leads me to my point. When John describes heaven, he spends most of his time describing what isn't there.

• There's no sea (21:1). This may refer to the sinful nations of the world. The roiling and political machination is gone and Jesus reigns supreme. 
• Death no longer exists (21:4). Jesus has once and for all defeated the enemy of humanity and it is no longer a threat. 
• There's no tears, grief, crying or pain (21:4). All the "former things" have passed away as the new order of things has taken over. God is now in charge and all is well. Every trace of sin, of the curse and all of its effects has been forever banished. 
• There's no sanctuary (21:22). No sacrifice or place of worship is needed. God is there personally. 
• There's no source of light - sun or moon (21:23). It's not needed because the glory of God provides all the light that is needed. 
• There's no closing time (21:25). The gates are open eternally. 
• There's nothing profane (21:27). Sin has been banished once and for all. 

I can't tell you exactly what heaven is going to be like, but I can tell you this, everything that is wrong, evil, awful, hurtful and bad about life here on earth - it won't be there. God will. Jesus will. Those who believe in Jesus will be there - redeemed and transformed. But all the mess of this world will be gone.

I can't tell you exactly what heaven will be like, but it's going to be wonderful!

Father, I thank you that Christ prepared a place for me in glory by his blood shed on the cross. I thank you that all the evil, grief and pain of this world will only last a time, but that your glory is eternal. 

Think and Pray

Remember the song, "I Can Only Imagine?" That's all we can do. Imagine heaven. It is impossible to think of a world without sin, living in the presence of God.
Read through Revelation 21 and consider what heaven might be like.
Thank God that in Christ, you will be there.

"When the Books are Opened" December 29 Readings: Zechariah 13-14, Revelation 20, Psalm 148:9–14, Proverbs 31:24–26

Today's Readings - Zechariah 13-14, Revelation 20, Psalm 148:9–14, Proverbs 31:24–26

Devotional 

Why do people go to hell?

No one wants to talk about it or think about it, but when we arrive at Revelation 20:11-15, we can no longer pretend the final judgment does not exist. There is a Great White Throne and seated on it is the Judge of all the earth. Every man and woman who has ever lived and died is brought to stand before this throne and is judged.

Here is where my eschatological viewpoint comes in - I believe that the believing dead have already been raised prior to this and that all those who face this judgment are lost. It's not an issue that needs to be fought to the end, of course.

But the key is that we see hints as to how the final judgment of sinners is made. John describes two different sets of books being opened. In verse 12, it says, "the books were opened." This implies that the dead are judged according to their works, and that is something that no human being wants. "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Every one of us who is judged according to the works we have done in this life will be found wanting.

The first set of books is opened and every man and woman standing before the throne of God stands guilty, without excuse. No one offers an appeal or justification. Guilty as charged.

But there is another book that is opened, mentioned in verse 12 as well, the "book of life." This has also been called the Lamb's book of life. In this book is written the names of those who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

Why do people go to hell? Because their name is not written in that book! Because as sinners they have not repented of their sin and turned to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. John put it about as clearly as one could in his first epistle.

"He who has the Son has life. He who does not have the Son does not have life." (1 John 5:12)

Eternity is about Jesus. What did you do with him? There's not a single one of us who can stand when God opens the books and judges our lives. We are sinners. But those who have placed their faith in Jesus have a secure hope in heaven for all eternity, a hope for glory.

It is my guess that most of those who read this devotional "have the Son." You have repented of your sin and put your faith in him. If you haven't, do so now. But if your name is written in the book of life by the grace of God, by the blood of Christ, then give thanks today. Give thanks that your eternity does not depend on you but on Jesus Christ. Give thanks that Jesus paid with his blood so that your name could be written in the Book of Life. Give thanks that though your works could never earn righteousness, his was imputed to you.

Father, I thank you for your Son, our Savior. Because of him, I have hope for all eternity. I have life I didn't serve and a place in heaven I couldn't earn.  

Think and Pray

Is your name written in Book of Life? Do you "have the Son" - because you repented of your sins and put your faith in Christ? If not, turn to him now and give your life to Christ.

If you are "in the Book" give thanks that God saved you and give glory to him. You have heaven even though your sins deserved hell. Rejoice. 

"He Wins! We Win!" December 28 Readings: Zechariah 11-12, Revelation 19, Psalm 148:1–8, Proverbs 31:22–23

Today's Readings - Zechariah 11-12, Revelation 19, Psalm 148:1–8, Proverbs 31:22–23

Devotional 

Do you ever feel like there is no hope for the future in this world?

There is nothing in sports more thrilling than a come-from-behind victory, when one team seems to have surefire victory and the team that seems destined to lose mounts a heroic effort to win. I could regale you with great Yankee victories against overwhelming odds, but I can already feel you rolling your eyes!

Revelation 19 is the moment when the apparent victory of evil in this world comes crashing to a halt. Right now, the wickedness seems to be getting its way, doesn't it? The moral foundations are crumbling and people are abandoning truth and righteousness to embrace evil. Even in the church our values are more shaped by the culture of the world than the revelation of the world. I've talked to more than one skeptic who has gloated that Christianity is fading and the church is dying. Sometimes, it seems like they are right.

But they are wrong. At least in the long run, they are. I don't know what is going to happen here in America - we may continue in the course we have set, following the European path of spiritual and moral decay. But this much we know - Jesus is going to win it all. If you think he's losing right now, it's all an illusion. The end has already been written and evil will be utterly, eternally, and infinitely defeated.

Yes, things look bad and it can be tough to be positive and faith-filled. But never forget what happens in the end. People talk about "being on the right side of history." If you are on the wrong side of Revelation 19:11-16 you are on the wrong side of history.

Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and he judges and makes war with justice. 12 His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on his head. He had a name written that no one knows except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. 14 The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. 15 A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. 16 And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

From this moment until the end, mankind will marshal his strength to continue the war begun in the Garden, when Adam and Eve chose the other side. Most will continue on the wide path and stand in rebellion against the Lord who paid for the sins of the world. That war isn't going to cease, or even lessen. It will intensify until that climactic battle. But at that moment Jesus will ride out of heaven in glory and he will establish his authority over all the world. Jesus is Lord and he will stand supreme. 

Don't forget that. Yes, the world is evil. The god of this age has blinded minds and hearts are bound in sin. We live in a world with loyalties to the kingdom of darkness and we serve the light. It is going to be hard. But as we face hardships, as we see things going badly, we can rest in this hope - that Jesus Christ's ultimate victory is guaranteed. 

The end is written and Jesus wins. Don't forget that during those times when things seem bad right now. 

Father, help me never to forget, when I see the specter of the victory of evil, that your Son will one day stand in glory and defeat all of your foes. He wins, and we win with him - those of us who have been born by your grace. Thank you Lord.  

Think and Pray

Do you ever despair at the apparent victory of evil in this world?
Remember that Jesus is the conqueror of all. The victory of evil is apparent - only!

"In It, Not of It" December 27 Readings: Zechariah 9-10, Revelation 18, Psalm 147:15–20, Proverbs 31:19–21

Today's Readings - Zechariah 9-10, Revelation 18, Psalm 147:15–20, Proverbs 31:19–21

Devotional 

There are a lot of things in this world that I care about, perhaps too many. I have a job and a writing hobby (it is a little more than that). I'm trying to get some things set up for next year. You might know that I have moderate (?) interest in sports as the baseball hot stove is warming up and the NFL playoffs are about to start. There are politics and economic matters that garner my attention. I have the cutest grandkids in world history (we will not argue this because I am right). 

Yesterday, we read about "Babylon the Great" - not great in any good sense. She is the world's system of evil which stands in opposition to God and his kingdom. God works to bring that system down. In Revelation 18 we see the ultimate downfall of system as God brings her crashing to nothing. All of man's power, his wealth, his wisdom, his armies, and his greatness is brought low in an instant. In an instant, Babylon falls once and for all. There is an expiration date on this world in which we live.

Then, John gives this admonition, in Revelation 18:4

Come out of her, my people,
so that you will not share in her sins
or receive any of her plagues.

That is the eternal struggle for us as believers. We must "come out of her" and yet our address is downtown Babylon. Some have tried to take this command literally. In the post-apostolic days, monastic monks went into the wilderness to "come out of" the wicked world. They left it behind and engaged in prayer and other spiritual pursuits, totally disconnected from the world. Today, some Christians try to cut the world out of their lives completely. The problem is that we are supposed to make disciples and it is hard to do if we treat the world like an Ebola virus we are trying to avoid.

The old saw says that we are to be "in the world but not of the world." I will buy that. But that is easier to say than to do. How do I balance my loyalty to the kingdom of God and my interests in what is going on in Babylon? Was I wrong to watch Star Wars? (Twice?) Should I disconnect my cable and internet and seek a modern version of the monastic life? How do I love the Yankees without that love becoming idolatrous? Can I hate the Red Sox and the Patriots and the Alabama Crimson Tide without sinning (I am convinced the answer is yes)? How engaged in Babylonian politics should I be as a citizen of heaven? There are more questions to ask than I can answer.

The key, of course, is in my heart (and yours). Where is my first love? What is my highest passion? I do not believe God minds me enjoying my life. A good meal. A fun time. A good book or a good movie. But he must be my passion, my ambition, my desire. When my heart turns to Babylon, I must heed verse 4 and "come out of her." And I must remember to invest my heart, my passions, and my life in those things that are eternal.

Father, may your Son be my driving passion every day. May the things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. 

Think and Pray

Is your life invested in the things that are eternal or in that which will pass away?
Are you "in the world but not of it?"
Think through what that might mean in your life.

2018 Bible Reading Plan - Chronological Bible Readings

Another year has come to an end and it is time to start a new year. I considered just redoing the plan from last year  - readings from the OT, the NT, from the Psalms and the Proverbs. We have done that two of the three years that we have done this program.

After a lot of prayer and thought, I made a decision I may regret! I decided to do something brand new, a chronological Bible reading plan. We will read the Bible as it happened, from Genesis to Revelation.

I have used the standard Old Testament plan that was developed and is used by almost all of the chronological plans. However, I have made a significant change. The Old Testament makes up 3/4 of the Bible by volume, so most of the plans spend January through September in the OT, then October through December in the NT. I took the nine-month Old Testament plan and worked it into six months. A couple of years ago, I developed my own six-month New Testament reading plan. So, we will spend half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.

That means that there will be a few days in the Old Testament section that have lengthier readings. If the reading is more than about 5 chapters, I will try to include a "focus" section for those who are a little busier and can't read the whole thing.

One reason I was nervous about doing this is that my schedule is very full this year. If I did the repeats of last year, I would be able to simply copy and paste previous devotionals when I am busy or traveling to Africa or some such thing.

It is possible that there may be days that you open this up and all you find is the Scripture. I will try to have a devotional every day, but if I don't, you can at least just read God's word and meditate on it yourself.

There is no better way to grow in Christ than to consistently read God's word. This is a different approach that I hope will be a blessing to you.

PLEASE - if you have time to either read the WORD or read my DEVOTIONAL - read what God says. He has so much more to say than I do!

"Fallen Babylon" December 26 Readings: Zechariah 7-8, Revelation 17, Psalm 147:8–14, Proverbs 31:17–18

Today's Readings -  Zechariah 7-8, Revelation 17, Psalm 147:8–14, Proverbs 31:17–18

Devotional 

Find 20 commentaries on the book of Revelation and you might find 2 dozen different explanations for  the identity of "Babylon the Great." The Roman empire was a historical favorite and so was the Roman Catholic church (still is). Some point the finger at the revived Roman Empire of the Tribulation period. In my younger years many tried to find a way to fit America into the prophecies of the end times and some managed to make Revelation 17 apply to the good ole USA. But perhaps the best thing to do in a short (well, for me anyway) devotional is to just let Babylon represent what it often represents in Scripture - the sinful world system that stands in rebellion against God. It is an economic system that values financial gain over the true wealth of God's glory. It is a political system that seeks to establish human power and authority instead of yielding to God's. It is a religious system that turns to human truth, human rules, human rituals, human endeavors, and human merit instead of relying on the grace of God and the righteousness of Christ. Babylon. Since the Tower was built so many years ago to reach to heaven man has been seeking his own way, doing his own thing and walking in opposition to the will and way of God.

And one day that will all come crashing down. "Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the Great." When the time is right, when Jesus is ready, he will bring this rebellious world system crashing to the ground so that he can establish his kingdom and authority over this earth.

I have strong views about Revelation, but I am afraid that we have missed the overall message, the great truths of Revelation because we've gotten so bogged down in the minutiae - arguing over the identity of the Antichrist, or the timing of the end. The ultimate truth is that God wins. This wicked world and all its evil men cannot and will not stand against the awesome power of the great God who created it all and sent his Son to redeem a people for himself. Jesus always has been Lord. He is Lord today. And one day the entire earth will know it. He rose from the dead and one day he will be physically and visibly enthroned on this earth.

This is the absurdity of our lives. If I saw a burning home, I would not gather all my valuables and run into that house and deposit my precious things. I would certainly not lead my family into that home. I'd get anything of value out! And yet that is exactly what we are doing in the spiritual realm. This world and the system that runs it is doomed to destruction. Babylon will fall. But so often I invest all of my time, energy, enthusiasm, and passion into the things that will burn. I sacrifice the eternal for the temporal.

It is hard to figure all the details out, but it appears that God works by his sovereign hand in the future to sow discord between the Antichrist and Babylon (whatever specifically that means). God brings down Babylon by creating hostility within itself.

Maybe that should be our prayer as one year ends and another year begins.

Father, as one day you will bring discord in Babylon, give us a heart that cares more about your kingdom than this world. Drive a wedge between us and this world. May we be so heavenly minded that we can be of some earthly good. 

Think and Pray

Are you investing your life in Babylon or in heaven? 

"A Psalm for Christmas" December 25 Readings: Zechariah 5-6, Revelation 15–16, Psalm 147:1–7, Proverbs 31:14–16

Today's Readings - Zechariah 5-6, Revelation 15–16, Psalm 147:1–7, Proverbs 31:14–16

Devotional 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I'm going to keep this short today, since you and I both have a lot to do. There are presents to open and gooses to cook (if you are the Cratchit family) and families to enjoy. Lord willing, we will be int he air today, to meet with our family in Boston for a wonderful time with the whole clan. 

Christmas has become about so many things in America. It's about Santa and elves and blockbuster movies and parties. We try at Southern Hills to keep the focus where it needs to be, on Jesus Christ, his birth, and what that really means in the long term. But let's face it, Christmas is about presents. "What do you want for Christmas?" Been to the mall? Sam's? Or, horror of horror, Walmart? We are bankrupting ourselves to buy gifts for our kids (and grandkids!).

But as I read the seven verses of Psalm 147, I was reminded of a very important truth. The greatest gifts in life are not ones you can wrap and put under a tree! They are not gifts you can open, play with and break. No, the greatest gifts are those that God gave to us through Jesus Christ. God heals the brokenhearted and binds their wounds (verse 3). He is great and worthy of praise because of his abundant power (verse 5) and he lifts up the humble. This psalm goes on to recount the goodness of God and his love and mercy.

It ends with the simple Hebrew command, "hallelujah." Praise the Lord. Do it! Remember on this day of family and presents and food and festivity that the greatest blessing you have is Jesus and the eternal work of grace he has done in your life.

Father, I thank you that Christmas is more than a fairy tale used as an excuse for festivities. It is your work of grace begun. Thank you for Jesus. May his name be praised. 

Think and Pray

On this day, take a few moments to thank God for the wonderful gift he gave you - his Son to save you from your sins - and all the precious blessings that flow from that.

"Message of the Angels" December 24 Readings: Zechariah 3-4, Revelation 14, Psalm 146, Proverbs 31:12–13

Today's Readings - Zechariah 3-4, Revelation 14, Psalm 146, Proverbs 31:12–13

Devotional 

The story of Christmas is filled with angels making announcements. Now, at the end, they speak again. This time, though, the message is not one of peace on earth and good will, but of impending judgment. The ax hangs in the air and the final blows of God's wrath are about the fall on the earth. The end is truly near, but before God's wrath comes, Revelation 14 tells us about 3 angels who will make their way to earth to deliver the word of God. Their messages are harsh - nothing positive or encouraging there! But they give humanity a last chance to understand the truth of God. Each of these angels speaks a word of truth that we need to hear.

The first angel delivers his warning in verse 7.

Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.

Throughout history, the love of God has called us to worship him. His goodness has been the primary reason to fall before him and give him glory. He gave his Son and demonstrated infinite love through that sacrifice. But now the message has changed. It is the impending wrath of God that must move men to fear God and give him glory. Judgment is coming and it is time to give honor to the one to whom it is due. 

The second angel speaks a word of prophecy, the meaning of which serves as a stark warning even for us today. Look at verse 8. 

“It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen. She made all the nations drink the wine of her sexual immorality, which brings wrath.”

Babylon represents the sinful, materialistic world system and the angel declares that it is about to come crashing down - an event that will take place in chapters 17-18. This world and everything in it has an expiration date. Why would we invest our hearts, souls, bodies, and time into the things of this world when it is going to crash into oblivion? It is utter folly. Never waste your life on this world and its passions and pleasures. Babylon will fall. 

The third angel's message is the most ominous, picking up on the first angel's warning and ratcheting it up higher and higher. In verses 9-11, John details the judgment on those who worship the beast, who embrace evil and the works of Satan. There is a lot of eschatological controversy wrapped up in these words, but let's ignore that and look at the simpler truth. The judgment of God on sinners is sure, certain, unavoidable, and terrible. There is no escape. 

We are blessed to live in the love of God and experience his grace daily. But we can never allow that grace to blind us to the reality that awaits sinners. God's judgment will fall and it will be awful. There is no solution but to seek God's forgiveness through Christ and to yield our lives to him - while that is still an option. 

The other option is too horrible to consider. 

Father, I thank you for the love that Christ has shown me that means I will not have to experience that horror of wrath that awaits sinners. May I tell others about your grace as well!

Think and Pray

As awful as it is, consider the reality of the wrath of God on sinners.
What changes ought you to make in your life in view of the coming wrath?

"Embracing Evil" December 23 Readings: Zechariah 1-2, Revelation 13, Psalm 145:17–21, Proverbs 31:10–11

Today's Readings - Zechariah 1-2, Revelation 13, Psalm 145:17–21, Proverbs 31:10–11

Devotional 

There are many misconceptions about the spread of evil. We fictionalize the devil and his ways, casting him as a vile monster who attacks people and drags them to hell against their will. But that is, unfortunately, not what the Bible teaches. What we learn in scripture is leaves us without excuse.

Mike Bergman, a pastor in Missouri and one of my fellow-writers on SBC Voices, said this:

In Genesis, God gave us the world. We chose a tiny piece of fruit instead. In the future, God promises once again to give us the world. Each time we sin, we're saying to him: "No thanks, I'd rather have this tiny bite of fruit instead." Heirs of everything shouldn't sell it for a tiny bite of fruit that doesn't satisfy beyond the moment.

What a powerful statement. Hold onto that thought as we reflect on Revelation 13. In verse 1 we are introduced to a being of infinite evil that we call the Antichrist, or the Beast. He is empowered by Satan himself (verse 2) and is enabled by him to recover from some sort of fatal wound (the exact nature of this is much-debated). But what comes next, in verses 3 and 4, is what I'd like you to take notice of. 

One of its heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but its fatal wound was healed.  The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against it?”

We often labor under the idea that Satan gains power by forcing people to sin against their wills or that the Antichrist will rise to power by a coup and seize world control by force. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Adam and Eve were deceived, but they chose the fruit of sin over the Paradise of God, and people have willfully chosen sin ever since. In this passage, the enemy of God rises to power as a hero. People worship him as their savior, their deliverer. He does not force his way to the throne, he is carried on the shoulders of the people - those he will later brutally oppress. 

That is the way of sin. We choose it - willfully, even gleefully. We like it. We want it. It is only after we have eaten the fruit that we realize what it will cost. It is only after we have embraced the evil that we realize what a cruel tyrant it is. Sin always takes us farther than we want to go, costs us more than we want to pay, and keeps us longer than we want to stay. 

Jesus is a loving Lord. He gives joy and peace to those who follow him. Why do we choose the measly fruit of sin when we can have the full blessing of God? Why do we embrace the ways of the enemy of God when the yoke of Jesus is easy and his burden is light? 

Father, I want what you have, not the false promises of the enemy. I thank you that you have freed me eternally from sin. Help me to walk daily in freedom from his lies. 

Think and Pray

Remember that sin is something you do, something you choose, not something you are a victim of. Thank God for his sin-defeating power and recommit your life to him. 

"Curse of Misplaced Priorities" December 22 Readings:December 22 Readings: Haggai 1-2, Revelation 12, Psalm 145:10–16, Proverbs 31:7–9

Today's Readings - Haggai 1-2, Revelation 12, Psalm 145:10–16, Proverbs 31:7–9

Devotional 

As we read the little book of Haggai, we are also reading the book of Revelation. The last book of the Bible is argued about and debated, but it teaches a couple of indisputable truths. It reminds us that this world and everything in it has an expiration date and that in spite of what we may see and feel, God wins and this world will end with Jesus as Lord and evil utterly defeated. Haggai reminds us to live today with priorities that recognize the reality of those truths. It makes no sense to invest our lives in that which is doomed to destruction.

If you see a house on fire, you don't run into it hide all your valuables there, do you? You remove them! You try to salvage what you can. In the same way, as Jesus said, we ought to store up treasures in heaven because whatever we invest in here on earth is going to rust, mold or burn.

A youth pastor I knew gave the best illustration of life I ever heard. He rented a limousine and took his small youth group out for a night on the town (in Cedar Rapids). He took them to a fancy restaurant, to museums, to all kinds of expensive places. Finally, he took them to the gates of Mt. Trashmore, Cedar Rapids' dump. He said, "Everything you saw today ends up here." Wow.

That's how we live our lives, isn't it? We devote ourselves to this world, which is destined to be destroyed, while we ignore the things of God. It is the worst investment decision any of us could ever make.

Haggai was a prophet to the people of Israel who had returned from exile in Babylon. They had come back to the land with the intent of rebuilding the Temple and reestablishing the worship of Yahweh. But, of course, they first had to erect places that they could live in and walls to protect them. Suddenly, it was many years later and they were living in comfort while the Temple still lay in ruins. They continually procrastinated. "The time has not come for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt." (Haggai 1:2).

God's patience with this procrastination was at an end, and he sent Haggai to warn the people, "Think carefully about your ways." They were living with (borrowing from Revelation 18) Babylonian priorities. Their minds were on their own comfort and convenience and they cared little for the things of God.

There are consequences to that. We could call it the Curse of Misplaced Priorities. When we invest ourselves in this world, we bring certain natural consequences, designed by God, upon our lives. Look at what God said through Haggai in 1:6.

You have planted much but harvested little.

You eat but never have enough to be satisfied.

You drink but never have enough to be happy.

You put on clothes but never have enough to get warm.

The wage earner puts his wages into a bag with a hole in it.

There is an inverse proportion principle at work in the kingdom of God. Jesus mentioned it often. "He who saves his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake will save it." What you seek is not what you get. "Seek first the kingdom and all these things will be added to you as well. Here, the more you invest in your own life, the less you will have of peace, satisfaction, and contentment.

The less you focus on your own things and give attention the things of God, the more you receive of peace, satisfaction, and contentment.

There are five statements there that describe the dissatisfaction, frustration and futility of the life with misplaced priorities. 

• No matter how much work you do, there is little return (eternally) on your investment. In the kingdom, a grain of mustard seed moves mountains. With misplaced priorities, we can barely move the mustard seed!
• The next three speak to satisfaction and contentment. When you invest in this world, it's never enough. Ever eaten a meal so good that you didn't want to eat again for a month? Of course not. The things of this world never satisfy for more than a moment. You eat, but its not enough. You drink, but you want more. You put on clothes, but you are still cold. This world offers fun and good times, but not satisfaction. 
• Finally, misplaced priorities produce lost opportunities - what might have been. You stick money in a bag, but the bag has a hole. The money goes away and you don't get to enjoy it. You had it all, but you squandered it. I hate writing this, because boy-oh-boy have I been there! But it is a marker of misplaced priorities that you squander the opportunities and blessings that God gives you. 

There is a solution, though. Build the house of God. In the OT, that was a building on a hill just above the City of David to the north. But we are the Temple of the Living God today - both individually and as a church. We need to build the church and we need to build our lives as sanctuaries of God's presence. Cleanse it. Honor God's presence. Make the sacrifice (well, honor the one Christ made) and devote yourself to the service of God. 

Father, I have seen so much of the Curse of Misplaced Priorities in my life - work without return, dissatisfaction and lost opportunity. Cleanse my heart as your sacrifice. I thank you for the sacrifice made for me once for all by Christ. Consecrate me, Lord, for your service. 

Think and Pray

Are you "building the Temple?"
Since our bodies are the dwelling of God, this means building ourselves, in God's power, as holy dwellings of Christ.
What are your priorities?

"Mysteries" December 21 Readings: Zephaniah 3, Revelation 10–11, Psalm 145:1–9, Proverbs 31:5–6

Today's Readings - Zephaniah 3, Revelation 10–11, Psalm 145:1–9, Proverbs 31:5–6

Devotional 

There are some things we just are not meant to know.

In Bible studies I am often asked questions to which I have to give my most common answer. "I don't know and no one does." It doesn't help my sense of macho as a Bible teacher, I suppose, but the fact is that there is much in God's word I don't understand, will never understand, and probably am not meant to understand. We are called to trust a God we cannot fully figure out, one whose actions often boggle our minds.

Revelation is one of the most argued books of the Bible, the subject of debates between various millennial systems. And there are many who comb the pages of Revelation (and Daniel, and Ezekiel) looking for arcane details about this and that. There are some who seem to be able to look at every headline in the newspaper and relate it back to some prophetic detail in the pages of Revelation.

But Revelation 10:1-11 tells a story that reminds us that God has not revealed all his mysteries to us yet. A mighty angel appears with a small scroll and then seven thunders sound. John is about to write down the message delivered by the thunders when he is told by the angel to seal it up and keep it until the end.

God reveals himself to us and tells us all that we can understand of him, but that doesn't mean that we know all there is to know. Some aspects of God's character and his plan for the future are always going to remain a mystery. God means it to be that way.

That's where so many have gone wrong in their study of this book. It is about the glorious victory of Jesus over evil. It's primary purpose is not to satisfy us on every detail of the second coming. Yes, we learn a lot about what will happen in the end, but the goal of the book is to teach us to trust the one who is driving the story, who is opening the seals and guiding the end of the world. The goal is the trust the Victor, not to understand every detail of the battle. The study of the end times isn't about details and charts and systems, it's about Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords who orders the details so that he stands supreme in the end.

So, as you read this book and encounter a million confusing and fascinating tidbits of information, remember that the key is to look for the one who ends it all for his glory not the details of the end. There are things that have been sealed that we will never understand until it is revealed.

Remember that this book is about Jesus.

Father, may we focus on your Son, not just the fascinating details of the end times. 

Think and Pray

When you study the end times, do you tend to get bogged down in a morbid fascination with the details,s or do you keep your eyes on Jesus, the Victor?

It is not wrong to seek to understand what the Bible reveals about the end, but let us always remember the chief message - Jesus is Lord. 

"What More Could God Do?" December 20 Readings: Zephaniah 1-2, Revelation 9, Psalm 144:12–15, Proverbs 31:3-4

Today's Readings - 

Devotional 

What more could God do?

Since the beginning of time, since Adam and Eve took that fateful bite of that fruit and turned their backs on God and his ways, choosing sin instead of obedience, God has been at work to display his love and to draw people back to himself in grace. He gave a law to Moses, but before Moses came down off the mountain with the tablets the people had already put other gods before Yahweh. They broke the law before they had it. Israel's history is one of constant rebellion, judgment, restoration, and then renewed rebellion. God was faithful and loving but Israel continued in sin.

Then God sent his Son to a little village south of Jerusalem, born of peasants from Nazareth. He came to show the love of God and to be the sacrifice for sin - willingly giving himself on our behalf. It is the most amazing thing anyone has ever done. Having lived a perfect life Jesus gave himself to die for us. He took the judgment of our sins on his shoulders that we might be clothed in eternal righteousness. And yet, the vast majority of humans choose to reject Jesus and his gift and embrace the sin that damns them.

God gave a law and man broke it. God sent his son and man rejected him. What more could God do? Some might say that what God needed to do was to show just how awful sin is in his eyes. That is what the Tribulation period is about. Jesus, in Revelation 5, takes the scroll and begins to break the seals to reveal the judgment of God on the world. God hates sin. God makes it clear that he will not put up with humanity's wickedness. Does God's demonstration of wrath move mankind to repentance? No, no more than his amazing love did. Revelation 9:20-21 makes this clear

The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see, hear, or walk. And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.

They did not repent of their evil, their idolatry. They refused to acknowledge their sin before God. The problem is depravity, the utter sinfulness of the human heart. Our hearts are not only wicked but stubborn. We cherish the sin that destroys us.

It is sad. God cannot do more than he has done, than he is doing, to love us. He has shown infinite, unlimited love, and yet our hardened and sin-loving hearts reject him. This is true of the lost person you pray and grieve for. Pray that he or she will be softened by the Spirit, that God will till the soil in that person's heart to receive the word. But it is also true even in our redeemed hearts. We are far too susceptible to holding on to sin, to resisting repentance and loving the sin that distances us from intimacy with God.

Father, may no sin harden my heart or drive a wedge between us. May your Spirit break down the walls in my heart to make me sensitive to you.

Think and Pray

We are compelled and driven by the love of God, but it also behooves us to remember that God is a Holy God and that his wrath will fall on sinners.
How can the impending wrath of God motivate you to action in this sinful world? 

"Woe" December 19 Readings: Habakkuk 2:6-3:19, Revelation 8, Psalm 144:5–11, Proverbs 31:1-2

Today's Readings -  Habakkuk 2:6-3:19, Revelation 8, Psalm 144:5–11, Proverbs 31:1-2

Devotional 

I love it when our readings come together like I planned it, or as if, perhaps, there were some kind of Holy Spirit working in the word of God to bring things together in perfect harmony. All four of our readings today have a common theme. Unfortunately, it is not a theme of joy, or encouragement, or victory. It is a theme of woe. Judgment. God's wrath against sin.

We spoke of Habakkuk's message yesterday, but here he pronounces the "woe" of God on the Babylonians, those God used to punish his people. God may use evil for his purposes, but he still punishes it as surely as the earth revolves around the sun.

In Revelation 8, we see the continuation of God's plan of wrath being poured out on the earth as the seventh seal of Jesus' scroll is opened and seven angels step forward to blow trumpets announcing escalating judgments on the world in which a third of all the earth is destroyed.

Our Psalm (144) calls for God to come down from heaven in awesome power and glory, to deliver David and to destroy the enemies of his people.

Finally, Proverbs 31 begins with a question from King Lemuel to his son. "What are you doing?" More than one father has asked his son such a question. Why, son, why? He is obviously dismayed at his choices - it seems he was giving himself over to wine, women, and song - and Lemuel wanted to steer him away from the terrible consequences of these choices.

Four readings, four tales of sin, woe, judgment and the hand of God. The common themes?

1. Sin brings terrible consequences into the lives of those who choose it. Life is choices and choices have consequences. We are free to reject God's ways but we cannot do so with impunity. Sin brings with it it's own pain and suffering. 
2. God will surely deal with and defeat his enemies. Evil men abound in this world and strike terror in our hearts, but they have sealed their own fate! When they stand against the reign of Christ in this world they are without hope. Jesus stands supreme in the end. 

So, while this world can be depressing, fearful, and challenging, but our Lord is supreme. He is glorious and powerful and will overcome all foes. I need fear nothing in this world, not even my own death, because Jesus defeated sin, death, hell, Satan, and anything else that can destroy me.

So, in this world of woe, we can rejoice that we have been included in Christ and blessed in him.

Father, I thank you for my salvation, my blessings, and the confidence I have in your eternal victory. 

Think and Pray

Do you take seriously the woe of sin, the consequences that come on those who sin and the discipline of God?
Do you also remember the unceasing love of God and the glorious redemptive work in Christ?
One key to successful Christian living is balancing the fear of the Lord with our security in Christ.

"Like Deer on the Heights" December 18 Readings: Habakkuk 1:1-2:5, Revelation 6–7, Psalm 144:1–4, Proverbs 30:32-33

Today's Readings - Habakkuk 1:1-2:5, Revelation 6–7, Psalm 144:1–4, Proverbs 30:32-33

Devotional 

Every day you watch the news and you ask the same question. Why, Lord, why? Why do you permit things like that to happen? You read of atrocities and wonder, "Where was God?"

Prophets asked questions like that throughout the Old Testament era. They observed the sin, the wickedness and the wretched consequences of that sin in the world and wondered where God was. They knew two things about God - he was sovereign and he was good - and they couldn't make sense of it all. So they took their concerns to God.

Habakkuk was one of those prophets. His book is a journey in discovery of the purposes of God. In chapter 1, verses 1-4, Habakkuk confronts God with his sense of injustice.

How long, Lord, must I call for help
and you do not listen
or cry out to you about violence
and you do not save? Why do you force me to look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? (1:2-3)

How could a righteous and holy God watch the evil that was going on in Israel and not step in? How could he allow evil men to oppress the innocent? How long was he going to sit back and let this happen?

Habakkuk had a rare privilege most of us never get. God answered his question. It was not the answer he expected or wanted. He wanted a soft hand of correction but God was going to do something more. In Habakkuk 1:5-11, God explains himself. Look at verse 6.

Look! I am raising up the Chaldeans,[c]
that bitter, impetuous nation
that marches across the earth’s open spaces
to seize territories not its own.

Say what? That wasn't a little corrective discipline. That was a nuclear response. Whatever problems there were in Israel, the Babylonians (Chaldeans) were only worse. Wicked. Violent. Cruel. And Habakkuk couldn't understand why God would use them to punish his people. He responded to God in 1:12-17, and in verses 12-13, said this: 

Are you not from eternity, Lord my God?
My Holy One, you will not die.
Lord, you appointed them to execute judgment;
my Rock, you destined them to punish us. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil,
and you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
So why do you tolerate those who are treacherous?
Why are you silent
while one who is wicked swallows up
one who is more righteous than himself?

He understood what God was doing, that he was using Babylon to execute judgment on his people for their sins, but he could not understand why he was doing that. How could God tolerate people who were even eviler and use them again his own people? 

In chapter 2, God answered Habakkuk - with both barrels. He let him know in no uncertain terms that he had things well in hand. He was going to deal with evildoers - both in Israel and in Babylon. Verse 20 (we'll have to dip into tomorrow's reading!) sums it up. 

But the Lord is in His holy temple;
let all the earth keep silence before him. 

That is a very dignified way of saying, "I'm in charge here, Habakkuk. Why don't you settle down and let me handle things?" Be quiet, trust God and watch him work. 

And that is exactly what Habakkuk did. In chapter 3, he expresses his newfound trust in God's purposes. Verse 2 expresses it well. 

O Lord, I have heard the report of you,

    and your work, O Lord, do I fear.

In the midst of the years revive it;

    in the midst of the years make it known;

    in wrath remember mercy.

He had heard of the awesome power of this God, but now he knew it firsthand, and he stood in awe of God's glory. He was content now to stop telling God what to do and to simply trust God to do his work. He called out for God to renew his work of power, but now it was in a spirit of absolute trust. 

The book ends, in verses 17-19, with an affirmation of that faith. Habakkuk realized that hard times were coming to Israel, but he would trust God through them. Whatever happened, God would bring him through. He could trust in the good God to see him and his people through whatever came. 

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
    nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold    and there be no herd in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

God, the Lord, is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the deer's;
    he makes me tread on my high places.

In Israel, I saw a type of small deer walking near En Gedi on a rocky mountain paths. I could never walk there without falling, but these small creatures walked sure-footed on the worst terrain. When we trust in God, when we give ourselves fully to him, we stand like those deer, in the power of God, whatever harsh terrain we encounter. In faith, we walk confidently where in the flesh we would fail and fall. 

Thank you, Lord, that you make my feet stand firm in the mountain heights. May I trust in you always. 

Think and Pray

Do you often ask God, "Why?"
Do you trust him enough to walk in obedience when you do not understand?
Can you remember a time when God established you "like a deer on the heights" - helping you stand through difficult times?