The Prophet Habakkuk’s name means, “the wrestler”, and here he is wrestling with the question of why God would allow evil to seemingly go unpunished. But that same query has been echoed down through the ages by both Believer and unbeliever…”Why doesn’t God do something about evil?!” Even today, we can look around and see the oppression and despair of the innocent and weak, while violence and wickedness seems to be winning over the streets everywhere. So just like Habakkuk, we wrestle. We grapple with Scripture like II Peter 3:9 that reminds us that God isn’t slow in keeping His promises for He doesn’t want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. We contend with the idea that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways, not our ways.(Isaiah 55:8) But at the end of our wrestling match we need to remember… He is God and we are not…nor will we ever control His hand or even begin to understand His plan.
Category: daily devotional
Galatians 1: 13-17 ” For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God , who set me apart from birth and called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.”
We all have a past…those B.C. years (Before Christ) when we were far away from God. But for some, their “But when God” conversion is a radical encounter. Saul had a similar divine appointment on the road to Damascus when his idea of God was turned upside down. His radical conversion was a 180 degree turn from his past…showing that with God anything is possible, and that no one is beyond the reach of our Heavenly Father.
Hebrews 2:14-15 ” Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
Jesus Christ took on flesh and walked among us…fully man, yet fully God. For death is the destiny of every man. (Ecclesiastes 7:2) Yet Jesus came to earth to give us freedom and victory over death. “Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (Hosea 13:14) So we no longer need to fear death…for Jesus came to set us free.
Micah 4:3 ” He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
Across the centuries people have called for world peace. And for a moment it may happen…but then, evil gets in the way. Except here, Micah is telling us about a time when there will be lasting world peace. For the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, will come and He will judge with all righteousness and justice. (Isaiah 11:4) There will no longer be any need for weapons, for there will no longer be hostility or conflict in the world, because Jesus will mediate all disputes. So with world peace, the arms of war will be turned into tools of agriculture in order to feed the nations.
Mark 7:8 ” You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”
The Pharisees and Teachers of the Law had watched the disciples of Jesus eating without first washing their hands…a real defilement of tradition in their eyes! So they confronted Jesus in what they believed to be a breaking of the Law. To answer them, Jesus quoted Isaiah 29:13, “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.” For anytime the Good News of the Gospel is pushed aside for man-made rules, our focus changes from Jesus to religion. But remember, religion in and of itself will never save us. Nor will man-made traditions and teachings ever get us to heaven. It’s only by the blood of Jesus that we are saved…not any rule.
Psalm 24:3-4 ” Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.”
Matthew 5:8 tells us that, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” In II Samuel 22:21 it says, “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me.” The bottom line is we can only serve one Master…it’s either God or self. But when we dedicate our life to God, consecrating our whole self -mind, body, and spirit to Him… we will be able to stand blameless before Him, spreading out clean hands in prayer, our conscience clear.
Galatians 1:10 ” Am I now trying to win approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
Whether we want to admit it not not, we all seek the approval of others. But there are some that push the limits and become real “people-pleaser’s”…those who intentionally solicit the favor of everyone around them at the expense of their own reputation. They want so badly to be liked that they will compromise their integrity, character, and good name just for approval. But people are fickle and pleasing all at the same time will never happen. For it’s only God that we must place our will under and seek to please.
I Corinthians 10:31 ” So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
The world tells us to do whatever will make us happy at the moment. We’re also encouraged to look out for #1…and that the desire for immediate gratification is normal. But Christians are not called to do what makes us happy…we are called to do what glorifies God. Honoring God in whatever we do will quickly strip away all of our selfish, self-absorbed, self-centered ambitions and behaviors, for we will take on a servant’s heart. And servant-hood is all about others…not about self.
Hebrews 12:11 ” No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
We will all go through Seasons of our lives when sickness, loss, and life-changing trials will take us deep into that Valley of the Shadow of Death. But it’s not until we come out on the other side that we can then truly appreciate what we’ve learned from it all. For it’s then that God can remind us of His unfaltering Presence… His overwhelming grace and mercy…and His infinite love. We may not experience a lot of joy in the middle of that trial…but we can still have the peace that passes all understanding.
Amos 5: 18-20 ” Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light – pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?”
Amos came from humble shepherd roots when God thrust him into the role of prophet to the kingdom of Israel. This was during the time Israel was enjoying a peak in their material and political success, and so hearing Amos denounce their prideful smugness was treasonous. To them, the day of the Lord would be a day of total triumph over all their enemies… for don’t you know, we’re the chosen race, and God’s superior group here on earth! But Amos was warning them that because of their unbelief and wickedness, the day of the Lord would be a day of judgement instead. Anytime elitism rears its ugly head…God’s judgement will follow.
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