Category: October

Scatterers: October 22-31, 2019 (Tues-Thurs): Read through Song of Songs, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Obadiah, Nahum, and 1-2 Timothy

Scattering is a good thing and a bad thing. When we plant, we don’t place all our seed in a pile and cover it with dirt. We scatter seed so that each plant has room to grow and flourish. The early church was scattered as persecution increased, and what the devil meant for evil actually caused the gospel to spread farther into the world. Scattering can definitely be a good thing.

However, scattering can be a bad thing, too, especially when God is the One who is scattering. I don’t mean that God is bad or what he does is bad. On the contrary, He’s always right and good. He’s actually the standard for determining what’s right. What I mean is that when God comes up against you to scatter, you’re up against the ultimate opponent who never loses. That’s bad—for you if you’re His opponent. Nineveh and Assyria’s wickedness had reached its limit with God, and He was about to deal a blow to them, so Nahum gives them a warning which was useless for them unless they became repentant. He said, “One who scatters is coming up against you. Man the fortifications! Watch the road! Brace yourself! Summon all your strength!” (Nahum 2:1 CSB). The advice is good, but when God is your opponent, you’ve got to realize who you’re up against and just repent in dust and ashes. Let’s stay on God’s side.

In addition to these, people can be scatterers by creating dissension in the church—murmuring here and complaining there. They can do it to one person on the right and one on the left. Scatterers can drop tasty morsels before undisciplined listeners and generate division. We must be wary about words said in secret. After all, followers are not flawless. Pastors are not perfect. Members are not immaculate. There is much fodder for the fault-finder, but we shouldn’t want to take part in ungodly disunity that merely seeks to divide and destroy. We must build up and not scatter.

The Greek word ekklesia is often translated as church, or gathering. Although the church is much more than just a gathering, that is a basic part of the local church—gathering together, yet some in her midst are bent on dividing, separating, and scattering. In preparation for the scatterers who would come to destroy the unity in the local gathering of the church, let’s remember Nahum’s words: “Man the fortifications! Watch the road! Brace yourself! Summon all your strength!” Next, let’s remember Jesus’ words to the hypocritical Pharisees, “Anyone who is not with Me is against Me, and anyone who does not gather with Me scatters” (Matthew 12:30 CSB). Let’s be careful that the very God that we say that we follow is not our opponent. Let us not be caught scattering what He has gathered.

 

This week you’ll read…

Song of Songs 1-8: “​Oh, that he would kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your caresses are more delightful than wine” (Song of Songs 1 CSB).

Jeremiah 43-52: “‘This is what you are to say to him: “This is what the Lord says: ‘What I have built I am about to demolish, and what I have planted I am about to uproot—the whole land!’”’” (Jeremiah 45 CSB)

Obadiah 1: “Your arrogant heart has deceived you, you who live in clefts of the rock in your home on the heights, who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ Though you seem to soar like an eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down. This is the Lord’s declaration” (Obadiah 1 CSB).

Nahum 2-3: “One who scatters is coming up against you. Man the fortifications! Watch the road! Brace yourself! Summon all your strength!” (Nahum 2 CSB)

1 Timothy 1-6: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6 CSB).

2 Timothy 1-4: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4 CSB).

 

 

MSG are daily readings linked to The Message Bible on BibleGateway.com.

CSB are daily readings linked to The Christian Standard Bible on BibleGateway.com.

NLT are daily readings linked to The New Living Translation on BibleGateway.com.

Death Is Not the End: October 15-21, 2019 (Tues-Mon): Read through Jeremiah, Lamentations, Nahum, and 1-2 Thessalonians

“In the 2007 film The Bucket List, two terminally ill men—played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman—take a road trip to do the things they always said they would do before they ‘kicked the bucket.’ Before the film’s release, Nicholson was interviewed by Parade magazine. Reflecting on his personal life, Nicholson said, ‘I used to live so freely. The mantra for my generation was “Be your own man!” I always said, “Hey, you can have whatever rules you want—I’m going to have mine. I’ll accept the guilt. I’ll pay the check. I’ll do the time.” I chose my own way. That was my philosophical position well into my fifties. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to adjust.’

“But reality has a way of getting the attention of even Jack Nicholson. Later in the interview, he adds, ‘We all want to go on forever, don’t we? We fear the unknown. Everybody goes to that wall, yet nobody knows what’s on the other side. That’s why we fear death.’”[1]

One of the greatest fears which humans have is the fear of death. Coupled with that fear is the fear of the unknown. What’s on the other side? Thankfully, we have the Bible to guide our thinking and belief about the other side, but we’ve still never been there. All we know is living and breathing. The idea of stopping breathing is hard to think about. However, we believers can have hope now as we contemplate our “end.” Our end although is just a beginning. The Apostle Paul wrote, “We don’t want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you won’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 CSB).

Believers have a wonderful future even if it includes death. Non-believers, however, have a horrible future even if they have all the money, power, and prestige that the world can offer because death begins a tremendous and timeless torment. Believers, can endure suffering because it’s momentary (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) compared to the forever celebration on the other side with Jesus, so as you contemplate your life, remember that death is not the end.

This week you’ll read…

Jeremiah 29-42: “You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29 CSB).

Lamentations 5: “Bring us back to you, God—we’re ready to come back. Give us a fresh start” (Lamentations 5 MSG).

Nahum 1: “The Lord is good, a stronghold in a day of distress; He cares for those who take refuge in Him” (Nahum 1 CSB).

1 Thessalonians 2-5: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4 CSB).

2 Thessalonians 1-3: “For we hear that there are some among you who are idle. They are not busy but busybodies. Now we command and exhort such people by the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and provide for themselves” (2 Thessalonians 3 CSB).

 

MSG are daily readings linked to The Message Bible on BibleGateway.com.

CSB are daily readings linked to The Christian Standard Bible on BibleGateway.com.

NLT are daily readings linked to The New Living Translation on BibleGateway.com.

[1] Dotson Rader, “I Want to Go on Forever,” Parade (December 9, 2007)

Faith, Hope, and Love: October 8-14, 2019 (Tues-Mon): Read through Psalms, Jeremiah, Lamentations, and First Thessalonians

Do you have a thankful heart? Do people know you as a thankful person? Paul was just such a person. He was thankful for how God was working in believers’ lives, and oftentimes he expressed that thanks to them in his letters. In First Thessalonians 1, Paul mentions three reasons for giving thanks to God for the believers in Thessalonica: faith, hope, and love. “We always thank God for all of you, making mention of you constantly in our prayers. We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work produced by faith, your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1 CSB).

He was thankful for their work produced by faith. Doesn’t this sound like James that faith without works is dead. Paul was thankful that their faith was producing. They didn’t have a dead faith or just a said faith. They had a faith that acted. They had a real, living faith that worked.

Paul was also thankful for their labor motivated by love. People have all kinds of motivations for their labor. Some labor from the motivation of money or fear or guilt, but the Thessalonians’ labor was motivated by the supreme motive—love. They weren’t laboring to avoid conflict or negative emotions. They weren’t laboring selfishly for what they could get out of it. They labored because of love.

Lastly, he was thankful for their endurance inspired by hope. Hope will keep you hanging on when your strength is stripped away and your will has withered. Hope endures.

These three—faith, hope, and love—were not conjured characteristics. These people were changed characters. Jesus had radically saved them, and faith hope, and love were the results of the change. How prominent are these three in your life?

This week you’ll read…

Psalm 145-150: “​Hallelujah! Praise God in His sanctuary. Praise Him in His mighty expanse. Praise Him for His powerful acts; praise Him for His abundant greatness. Praise Him with trumpet blast; praise Him with harp and lyre. Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with strings and flute. Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with clashing cymbals. Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. Hallelujah!” (Psalm 150 CSB)

Jeremiah 15-28: “‘The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it? I, the Lord, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve” (Jeremiah 17 CSB).

Lamentations 3-4: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3 NIV).

1 Thessalonians 1: “We always thank God for all of you, making mention of you constantly in our prayers. We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work produced by faith, your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1 CSB).

 

MSG are daily readings linked to The Message Bible on BibleGateway.com.

CSB are daily readings linked to The Christian Standard Bible on BibleGateway.com.

NLT are daily readings linked to The New Living Translation on BibleGateway.com.

Conqueror: October 1-7, 2019 (Tues-Mon): Read through Psalms, Jeremiah, and Lamentations

While visiting Grand Coulee Dam, a man and his family were surprised to see that the visitors’ center was dark. It was a sunny day, so they thought the center might have tinted windows, but as they got closer, they realized there were no lights on. They went in and saw that none of the displays were working. Suddenly it became clear: there was no power to the center. Due to some technical difficulty, the visitors’ center that sat only hundreds of feet from a hydroelectric dam had no power. How could something be so close to the power source, yet not be “plugged in”?[1]

Paul wrote Timothy, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment” (2 Timothy 1:7 CSB). Clearly, God didn’t give believers fear, but He did give us power! God didn’t give you a spirit which makes you afraid, but one which makes you strong and powerful, a spirit which makes you confident and brave, but we must “plug in” to the power.

In Romans 8:37-39, Paul calls us hypernikes, or more than conquerors, and you’re much more powerful than a pair of athletic shoes. He says, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (CSB). “Nike” is a Greek word which means victory. Paul says that we’re hypernikes, or more than conquerors. We’re more than victorious. What’s that mean? Your school football team comes up against a team, and it’s a grudge match for all four quarters. It’s back and forth the whole time, but 15 seconds before the clock runs out, your team manages a field goal which puts you ahead at the end. They’re victorious (nike). Now suppose your football team goes up against another team, and at the end of the 1st quarter it’s 21-0 your way. By halftime, it’s 35-0, and by the end of the game it’s 72-0. Your team is not just a conqueror. They’re more than conquerors. They’re hypernikes. They’ve utterly defeated their opponent.

Being more than a conqueror doesn’t rest in our ability. Paul said, “What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31 CSB) We have power that works in us, but it’s not us. Paul also proclaimed, “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 CSB). We have spiritual Under Armour. Kevin Plank started Under Armour in his grandma’s basement in 1996. He operated by selling undershirts from the trunk of his car. He did that for three years until he could finally start paying himself. The founder of Under Armour eventually became a hypernike in the world of sports clothing. In a spiritual way, we have some Under Armour in the form of the Holy Spirit. Luke wrote, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 CSB). “I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit…Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:16,20 CSB). As believers, we have the greatest power within us.

A little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox. He had with him his box of cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny, red plastic shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox. The boy dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt. He pushed and nudged the rock across the sandbox by using his feet. When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found that he couldn’t roll it up and over the little wall. Determined, the little boy shoved, pushed, and pried, but every time he thought he had made some progress, the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox. The little boy grunted, struggled, pushed, shoved—but his only reward was to have the rock roll back, smashing his chubby fingers. Finally, he burst into tears of frustration. All this time the boy’s father watched from the living room window as the drama unfolded. At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow fell across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy’s father. Gently but firmly he said, “Son, why didn’t you use all the strength that you had available?” Defeated, the boy sobbed back, “But I did, Daddy. I did! I used all the strength that I had!” The father kindly corrected, “No, son, you didn’t use all the strength you had. You didn’t ask me.” With that the father reached down, picked up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox.[2]

If you’re a believer in Jesus, you’ve got the unlimited power of God in your life. Ask for help in everything!

This week you’ll read…

Psalm 138-144: “For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well” (Psalm 139 CSB).

Jeremiah 1-14: “The word of the Lord came to me: I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1 CSB).

Lamentations 1-2: “The Lord has done what He planned; He has accomplished His decree, which He ordained in days of old” (Lamentations 2 CSB).

 

MSG are daily readings linked to The Message Bible on BibleGateway.com.

CSB are daily readings linked to The Christian Standard Bible on BibleGateway.com.

NLT are daily readings linked to The New Living Translation on BibleGateway.com.

[1] PreachingToday.com. (2003). More Perfect Illustrations: For Every Topic and Occasion (p. 212). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

[2] Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks