Category: Daily Inspirational Devotional

Jeremiah 51:46 ” Don’t lose heart or be afraid when rumors are heard in the land; one rumor comes this year, another the next, rumors of violence in the land and of ruler against ruler.”

Jerimiah’s message to Judah under Babylonian captivity was that of encouragement under duress. This verse is part of his oracle of judgment against the nation of Babylon, of which the Jewish people would spend 70 years in confinement. Jeremiah reassured them that their exile would not last forever, even though the journey through life may be painful and bitter. “Don’t fear, O Jacob My servant – you will again have peace and security and no one will make you afraid.” (Jeremiah 46:27) And this goes for us today, as international reports circulate concerning political & cultural unrest. We are not to be afraid…the Lord is still with us, we are not forgotten, and God is still in control.

II Peter 3:15-16 ” Just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.”

From the very beginning man has misinterpreted and distorted the Word of God. Jeremiah warned of false teachers & prophecies in Jeremiah 23:36…that every man’s words becomes his own (not God’s) and so man distorts the words of the living God. Psalm 56:5 speaks of man twisting God’s Words, or changing their meaning. In these verses, Peter is reassuring his readers that Paul’s writings, while they may not be easy to understand or comprehend without careful study, were inspired and authoritative writings. And instead, it was the false teachers that were perverting his writings. But with a personal solid foundation of faith, Peter was telling them that these mysteries would be unveiled.

Nehemiah 4:1-2 ” When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, ‘What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble – burned as they are?’ “

Jerusalem lie in ruins, reduced to rubble, its walls broken down, its gates burned by fire…but the gracious hand of the Lord was on Nehemiah to rebuild the city. But as soon as reconstruction commenced so did the opposition. Sanballat was a Samaritan who openly mocked and scoffed Nehemiah – certain that what Nehemiah started he’d be unable to finish – but Sanballat completely underestimated the power of God. And try as he might, Sanballat was unable to stop the progress…despite all his false reports and threats, they failed to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Which shows us that no one can stop God, or as Proverbs 46:10 says, “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.”

I Corinthians 2:12-13 ” We’ve not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit Who is from God that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in Words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in Spiritual Words.”

The Church in Corinth had a rather unhealthy appetite for rhetorical speeches…high & lofty discourses that said a lot, but had no substance to them…thanks to Greek influence. So enter Paul, who came with the Gospel Message – Christ crucified …in all its simplicity…but the Church wanted more…they wanted their ears tickled with eloquent speeches. This is where Paul sharply compares the differences between worldly or fleshly wisdom & the divine wisdom given by the Holy Spirit…or as he wrote in I Corinthians 1:17, “For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel – not with words of human wisdom, lest the Cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” The wisdom of the world today can’t understand or begin to accept the simpleness of the Gospel Message…to them it’s too easy, and too crazy to even consider…but in the end God’s Word will stand alone.

I Chronicles 16:11-12 ” Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He pronounced…we will”

One of the greatest things that we can be completely sure of is this…”Those who seek Me find Me.” (Proverbs 8:17) We don’t have to guess if God hears us if we turn to Him in humility, contrition, and prayer. If we are seeking His Presence in personal devotion, we will find Him. And the more consistent we are, the deeper God will take us…showing us His awesome power, mighty acts, and divine revelation…for our good & His glory.

Matthew 26:74-75 ” Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, ‘I don’t know the man!’ Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: ‘Before the rooster crows, you will disown Me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly. “

Not once, not twice, but three times Peter loudly denied he even knew Jesus. This was Simon, the man Jesus gave the new name Peter, (the rock)…redefining who Simon Peter was & his destiny in John 1:42. This was the same Simon Peter who enthusiastically followed Jesus, eating, traveling, and ministering beside Him for three years. But suddenly in the heat of the moment, Simon Peter’s humanness had taken control and he distanced himself and denied his fellowship with his Savior…three times he disowned the Christ he had so confessed in Mark 8:29. But the true testimony of this story is two fold…we see human weakness at its very worst & we see the greatness of God’s mercy at its finest. For Jesus not only restored Peter but used him despite his shameful failure. “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church.” (Matthew 16:18)

Hebrews 10:23 ” Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”

Someone once said there were 7,474 promises of God in the Bible, and all I can say is Wow! So why then is it so easy for any upset in our life to cause us to question God’s trustworthiness…or shake us from staying the course set before us…or cause us to doubt our confidence in Him? God is faithful, His promises are always Yes & Amen, for “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.” (Joshua 21:45) So we can confidently put our hope & faith in Him when He says to us…”Believe in Me”…”Accept Me”…”Hold on to Me”…Walk with Me”…”Trust in Me”…Wait with Me”.

Psalm 23:2 ” He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.”

For most of my adult life I lived in Idaho, and come Spring when the snowpack in the mountains started to melt, the Snake River would start becoming turbulent and furious. The Corp. of Engineers at Palisades Dam & Reservoir would carefully monitor snow melt, level of the reservoir, and river flow…but if the Spring runoff was large due to high Spring temperatures, a lot of water was sent down the Snake River. We’d often travel down to Twin Falls then to see Shoshone Falls in all its furor. This falls is one of the largest in the United States…standing 212 feet tall & 900 feet wide, and during the Spring when there’s a heavy snowpack melting rapidly, it can reach flows of upwards of 20,000 CFS (cubic feet per second). The noise of the water crashing over the Falls was deafening, the mist caused by the ferocity of the water hung like a fog in the valley…it was scary looking. In sharp contrast, I read this verse and can only imagine the quietness & stillness of the waters the Lord is beckoning us to here. Still waters that offer restoration for our dry & parched spirits, and rest for our weary bodies. Today, the Lord is saying, “Come away with Me, My child. I have a quiet place for you to rest. It’s a place where you can peacefully open your heart to Me.”

Job 4:3-4 ” Think how you have instructed many, how you have strengthened feeble hands. Your words have supported those who stumbled; you have strengthened faltering knees.”

Broken bodies & broken hearts. You may have friends & family going through very difficult times right now, I know I do. You may also feel, as I, at a loss for what I can do. Encouraging those that are fatigued from major surgery, fearful of impending pathology reports, or coping with profound sorrow don’t need our unsolicited advice, war stories about our own surgeries, or raucous pep talks. What they need is for us to provide words of true comfort…compassion in their vulnerable state…and proclaiming God’s Word in the midst of their turmoil. Yes, progress may be slow & unpredictable…but each step forward is a victory however small. And as we continue to encourage, assist, uphold, and pray for…we know the Great Physician, who knit us together in the womb, will take the unraveled threads of their life and piece them lovingly back together… rebuilding mind, body, and spirit.

II John 5 “I’m not writing you a new command but one we’ve had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.”

John was referring back to Jesus when He said in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another, just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” But even this is a new take on the Old Testament Scriptures from Leviticus 19:18 that taught God’s people to, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The “new ” part is found in the word changes Jesus used. He changed neighbors (a specific group) to one another (a much broader group)… and yourself (a selfish & personal love) – to as I have loved you (the sacrificial love of Christ). So it becomes both a old and new commandment…old because love is defined by all God’s commandments, and new because we are to continually reapply the love of Christ in our everyday acts of love for one another.