Studying Zechariah in order to write a devotion for www.digdeeperdevotions.com to be published next Thursday. This prophetic book is fourteen chapters full of Messianic prophecies. God will come to dwell with His people. Immanuel, God incarnate (2:10-13). He will remove their iniquity in one day: dying for their sins on the cross. His sacrifice will pay the debt of their sin (3:9). Others not now part of His people will be invited to sit under the vine and fig tree. Gentiles (3:10, 6:15).
The Messiah is described as The Branch (see also Jeremiah 23:5-6). He will be both priest and king (6:8; 11-13). He will be rejected, stricken, His followers scattered (11:12-13, 13:6-9).
But one day all nations will gather against Jerusalem and God will defend His people who have been refined as silver and tested as gold. They will look on the One they pierced and mourn as for an only child, a firstborn son (12:10).
Friday, December 6, 2013
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Thursday, October 31, 2013
The devotion on Jonah published today on www.Digdeeperdevotions.com. "Welcome" to those of you coming from that website to this one for the first time. Here is where I comment on my Bible studies, including those I do in preparation for writing the devotions there. I also include poetry here. The poem on Jonah may be found by scrolling down.
I've begun my next study on Nahum and have found it to be very closely aligned to Jonah. We'll see if I'm inspired to write a poem for the new one. The title might be "The Bad Guys May Be Winning Now, But Some Day They'll Lose Big Time." Well, that's a little long, longer than the whole poem would be.
I've begun my next study on Nahum and have found it to be very closely aligned to Jonah. We'll see if I'm inspired to write a poem for the new one. The title might be "The Bad Guys May Be Winning Now, But Some Day They'll Lose Big Time." Well, that's a little long, longer than the whole poem would be.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
I haven't been blogging, but I've been writing devotions for the website www.digdeeperdevotions.com
every other week. We've begun our series "Major themes of the minor prophets." I haven't written one on Jonah yet there, but I'll post a poem here that I wrote years ago.
Fleeing
from God
Silly Jonah
Turning his back,
Going the opposite direction,
as if he could flee
from God’s presence.
Silly Me
Closing my eyes
As if God couldn’t see me,
As I run away
from His presence.
Praise God
He never turns His back
He sends whatever it takes
To bring us back
into His presence.
every other week. We've begun our series "Major themes of the minor prophets." I haven't written one on Jonah yet there, but I'll post a poem here that I wrote years ago.
Fleeing
from God
Silly Jonah
Turning his back,
Going the opposite direction,
as if he could flee
from God’s presence.
Silly Me
Closing my eyes
As if God couldn’t see me,
As I run away
from His presence.
Praise God
He never turns His back
He sends whatever it takes
To bring us back
into His presence.
Monday, September 2, 2013
The poem I posted may seem like a Christmas one, but I pulled it out of my collection as I was writing a devotion on Rosh Hashanah for the website www.Digdeeperdevotions.com. Known as the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah is a day of blowing of trumpets, shofars, a call to repentance to usher in Yom Kippur, the great day of Atonement which comes ten days later. The in-between days are called the Days of Awe, a time of acknowledging God's sovereignty, of repenting, doing good deeds, improving relationships, a day of asking G-d to remember His promises to His people.
Next Time
The first time He came
He was a tiny baby.
So few saw Him:
Some shepherds,
Wise men from afar.
But next time He comes
A trumpet will sound
Every eye will see him:
Those who eagerly await him,
And those who curse his name.
Not a baby next time!
Lord of Lords, King of Kings,
And the night will not be silent!
Nor will it be dark–God’s glory
Will shine all around!
The first time He came
He was a tiny baby.
So few saw Him:
Some shepherds,
Wise men from afar.
But next time He comes
A trumpet will sound
Every eye will see him:
Those who eagerly await him,
And those who curse his name.
Not a baby next time!
Lord of Lords, King of Kings,
And the night will not be silent!
Nor will it be dark–God’s glory
Will shine all around!
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Perseverance
I keep hearing a certain word:
perseverance. It came up when I was writing a devotion on The
Sower and the four kinds of soils (Luke 8:5-8, 11-15) for the website
www.Digdeeperdevotions.com.
I saw it again today in a devotion about a blind dog and the lessons
to be learned concerning perseverance from another website:
www.Christiandevotions.com.
As I write a book on aging, I find
perseverance is a very important part of “maturing.” Persevering
doesn't mean hanging in there, gritting your teeth and getting
through whatever comes along. It means having a source of strength
that doesn't depend on physical or mental strength (Philippians
4:13). Our source must be God who strengthens us, empowers us through
the Holy Spirit no matter what's happening around us.
God can soften our hard hearts so we can hear Him, God can
help us grow deep roots in Him that can't be uprooted, God can cause
us to grow as we persevere through the thorny parts of life. God
causes us to bear fruit as we persevere. Some translations use the
word patience which brings to mind long-suffering—all
related. Persevering may seem passive because God and the Holy
Spirit play an important role, but we have to not give up.
One of the results of suffering just as
others are suffering is that we become compassionate and merciful
toward one another. “Oh you have that problem too; I thought it was
just me.”
I'm reminded of another verse,
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of
witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that
so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked
out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of
faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its
shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”
(Hebrews 12:1-2).
Run your spiritual race with
perseverance. There's incredible joy to come!
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Prophetic Fulfillment
For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken; who can but prophesy? (Amos 3:7-8 ESV)
My husband and I once climbed to the top of a small mountain where we were able to see not just where we had come from, but down the other side as well. How different our mountaintop experience would have been if a helicopter had simply placed us there! We would have still seen the wonderful vista, but we would have missed something along the way. We remembered the twisty trail over rock and stream that we'd climbed up. And we saw what lay ahead for us where we would go down the other side.
I thought of this climb as I was attempting to read through the whole Bible in order and went from the end of the Old Testament to the beginning of the New. I felt like I was on top of a mountain with two views. Having recently read the prophets, I could imagine what Matthew must have felt as he wrote, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel—which means, 'God with us.'" Matthew 1:22 quoting Isaiah 7:14
Hundreds of years after Isaiah died, his prophecy was fulfilled. Though the Hebrew word virgin could mean “a young girl,” it also meant “a girl who had never had sexual relations with a man.” Matthew told the story of how God fulfilled the prophecy given to Isaiah through Mary and Joseph, a young couple—they were engaged but did not have sexual relations until after she gave birth to a son conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew1:18-25).
Matthew is full of the fulfillment of prophecy. God gave over a hundred other prophecies recorded in the gospels foretelling the birth, ministry and death of Jesus. Why had God given these prophecies?
The prophets lived in troubled times: political upheaval, natural disasters, failed leaders—including religious leaders. The people rebelled and didn't want God telling them what to do. Their worship was hypocrisy. They said to God's prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 30:9-11 ESV).
But the prophets faithfully presented God's words. Those who listened and believed God were encouraged. They received hope that no matter how bad things were, God had a plan. In the prophecies, they saw God's sovereignty, His control over everything that happened, His faithfulness and loving-kindness toward His people. They saw God's promise that one day He would send a child, a son, a Mighty God, a Savior who would save His people from their sins.
As we read the Bible, we are on the mountaintop looking at both the past and the future of God's people. Have you seen God's plan as it enfolded in the past and as it promises to enfold in the future?
Questions for Bible Study :
The people not only refused to hear God's prophets, they appointed false ones who would tell them what they wanted to hear. Read Amos 8:11-12. How did God respond? When did He break the silence? See Luke 1:5-23, 57-79.
Read Luke 4:16-30. How did the people react when Jesus claimed He fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 61:1-3? (Note He purposely left out part of verse 2 “the day of Vengeance” which refers to His Second Coming.) What was He claiming? Why couldn't they believe Him?
Read Isaiah 1:1-20. As you compare the times of the prophets and our own times, what likenesses and differences do you see? What do you know of God's plan for the end of the age in which we live? Does His plan for Jesus to return as Conqueror and Judge frighten or reassure you?
For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken; who can but prophesy? (Amos 3:7-8 ESV)
My husband and I once climbed to the top of a small mountain where we were able to see not just where we had come from, but down the other side as well. How different our mountaintop experience would have been if a helicopter had simply placed us there! We would have still seen the wonderful vista, but we would have missed something along the way. We remembered the twisty trail over rock and stream that we'd climbed up. And we saw what lay ahead for us where we would go down the other side.
I thought of this climb as I was attempting to read through the whole Bible in order and went from the end of the Old Testament to the beginning of the New. I felt like I was on top of a mountain with two views. Having recently read the prophets, I could imagine what Matthew must have felt as he wrote, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel—which means, 'God with us.'" Matthew 1:22 quoting Isaiah 7:14
Hundreds of years after Isaiah died, his prophecy was fulfilled. Though the Hebrew word virgin could mean “a young girl,” it also meant “a girl who had never had sexual relations with a man.” Matthew told the story of how God fulfilled the prophecy given to Isaiah through Mary and Joseph, a young couple—they were engaged but did not have sexual relations until after she gave birth to a son conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew1:18-25).
Matthew is full of the fulfillment of prophecy. God gave over a hundred other prophecies recorded in the gospels foretelling the birth, ministry and death of Jesus. Why had God given these prophecies?
The prophets lived in troubled times: political upheaval, natural disasters, failed leaders—including religious leaders. The people rebelled and didn't want God telling them what to do. Their worship was hypocrisy. They said to God's prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 30:9-11 ESV).
But the prophets faithfully presented God's words. Those who listened and believed God were encouraged. They received hope that no matter how bad things were, God had a plan. In the prophecies, they saw God's sovereignty, His control over everything that happened, His faithfulness and loving-kindness toward His people. They saw God's promise that one day He would send a child, a son, a Mighty God, a Savior who would save His people from their sins.
As we read the Bible, we are on the mountaintop looking at both the past and the future of God's people. Have you seen God's plan as it enfolded in the past and as it promises to enfold in the future?
Questions for Bible Study :
The people not only refused to hear God's prophets, they appointed false ones who would tell them what they wanted to hear. Read Amos 8:11-12. How did God respond? When did He break the silence? See Luke 1:5-23, 57-79.
Read Luke 4:16-30. How did the people react when Jesus claimed He fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 61:1-3? (Note He purposely left out part of verse 2 “the day of Vengeance” which refers to His Second Coming.) What was He claiming? Why couldn't they believe Him?
Read Isaiah 1:1-20. As you compare the times of the prophets and our own times, what likenesses and differences do you see? What do you know of God's plan for the end of the age in which we live? Does His plan for Jesus to return as Conqueror and Judge frighten or reassure you?
Monday, August 5, 2013
Perfect
Husband
Who can
find the perfect husband?
A man
of noble character—
His
worth beyond measure?
A man
who inspires our full confidence,
and
brings us good, not harm, all our days?
There
is One . . .
Though
not handsome or wealthy
He is
the answer to all our longings.
From
early childhood He learned scriptures;
He
taught with wisdom and authority.
From
His earthly father He learned carpentry
He
spoke with His heavenly Father intimately—
long
talks, even in the middle of the night.
He gave
up glory in heaven and came to earth
To
prepare His Bride
for an
eternal, glorious life together with Him.
Published in
Power for Living July
15, 2013
Sunday, August 4, 2013
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