And then there was silence...

Malachi, at last! We conclude the OT today with yet another stern warning from God through His prophet Malachi. Again, God's message is that sin must be dealt with. The chosen have turned away and not kept the law. Note ch2v17...how often do we fall into that line of thought! Who are we to question God? Ch3v6 is key, "I am the Lord, and do not change". God is still with us even today. He ends the OT with continued warning against the traps of sin, but does give hope in a solution to come! Ch4v5 talks about his coming. This was the end of direct communication for 400 years. Why the wait? Time matters not to God. He doesn't change. But He gives us an opportunity to do so!

Don't miss Jesus in Zechariah

Keeping in mind that Zechariah wrote around 500BC, you have to marvel at the detailed accuracy in which God inspired him to prophecy. Read ch12v10-11. You cannot miss Jesus. In fact, the final 3 chs of Zech are revealing end times. These are not written to scare, but to warn and to keep believers on the ready. Time is running short, and as believers, we have an obligation to warn others. Are we truly ready? Time to get ourselves out of our comfort zone and take this seriously. Jesus has power in Zech. How can we miss it?

We do have a choice!

Zechariah wrote and prophesized around 500BC. Read ch9v9-10. God is truly in control and knows what is to come. But He allows us to choose, He will not force anyone to accept Him. However, He will not release us from the consequences of our choice! What we do today will matter. Do all with that on your mind! It is truly amazing how God gave Zech a vision of the king arriving on the donkey 500 years before it happened. See John ch12v14-15. Is there anything God cannot do? Yes. He cannot act contrary to His promises; He will not contradict His written word; and He will not accept evil. Thank you Jesus for stepping in and doing what we could not. The choice is ours, as are the consequences of that choice...

Find Him Again!

What is your prayer life temperature? Is it difficult to find time for such activity? If your fervor and commitment for God's work have been waning, chances are you need to stop and refocus on the wonderful character of God. The Israelites were wondering how to procedurally restart things in Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile, as noted in Zechariah. Ch 7-8 talk about fasting. Zechariah's message from God was that the way you live is more important than the way you fast. Don't give in to empty rituals! Come back and refocus on God. Look at His creation. Marvel at how He made a perfect solution for us. Thank Him for His involvement in our meager lives. Find Him again!

The coming Wrath

Warnings before sin...Isaiah 21-23 carry out further warnings against Israel's neighbors, but ch22 includes Jerusalem! It is amazing how we see and cheer on justice for others, but think we are spotless. God is providing warnings to Judah to change. But when you think you are doing right, why change! When you are allowing yourself into temptation, and thus planning to sin, you can justify your actions or allow the passion to help you overlook it. However, the remorse afterwards....if only there was a pre-warning about the remorse you'll feel. There is, God's Word and the Holy Spirit! We need to heed both, or suffer in the consequences of our sin. Isaiah gave this message to Judah and surrounding areas. For that, he was led to years of isolation and being outcast. But he was right

Events to come...

Happy Friday! We begin the book of Isaiah. This book follows an outline of the whole Bible. There are 66 chapters, of which the first 39 are devoted to Jerusalem's folly, judgement and condemnation. The latter 27 chapters offer hope and reconciliation. There is much foreshadowing and prophecy revealed in Jesus also. Written around 700 BC, Isaiah remarkably hits key events in the future. Actually it is not remarkable, as God is inspiring him in the writing. During the time of the writing, the Assyrians have control and are opressing Judah. Israel (northern kingdom has fallen). The people of Judah have fallen into sinful patterns and basically turned from God. Ch1 v10-17 detail how fed up God is. But ch1v18 gives us hope. Jesus also uses this wording during his earthly ministry. Ch2 offers some interesting prophecy.

Building others...

Making preparations, getting ready. After all, you plan out things to pack for a trip, why not plan out a significant building project? In 1 Chronicles 22-27, we read about King David's planning out of the temple project, including who will serve, how they will serve, when and for how long they will serve. To a casual reader, these chapters might be easy to gloss over, but God felt it was important enough to include in scripture for over 2,000 years! A key to David's planning was to make not only the project successful, but the one leading it, his son Solomon! Think about how you are making those around you successful. Even John the Baptist realized his role and said that he must diminish and Christ increase. Great lesson of humility and sacrifice (living) to be

Do Unto Others....

ek!
In 2 Samuel 5-7, David is bringing Israel together as one nation. He is truly a servant of God and seeks His guidance over everything he does. We see a sad event in ch 6 where the Israelites are moving the Ark of God to David's capital. Unfortunately, the cart it is on stumbles and one of the cart drivers reaches his hand out to steady it and is struck down by God. How unfair you say. But, were they carrying the ark the proper way? No poles, rather placed on a cart.....someone needed to review Leviticus for proper instructions!
In ch 7 v 18 David receives God's blessings and asks a very important question...."who am I....that you have brought me this far?". A good question that we could ask even today....

Is Jesus who He claimed to be....

Good Monday all! Yesterday, we spoke of encouragement. Today, we will keep that theme going. It IS going to be a great week! We are nearing the end of the Old Testament. Kudos to you who have followed and kept up. If you have struggled, take heart. There are many things that are difficult to understand. The question you must ask is "Is Jesus who he claimed to be". You might say that Jesus has not even come on the scene yet, this is the OT! But, this whole Bible is about Jesus! It is by Him all things were made. It is by Him that we are back in relationship with God. And it is by Him that peace will be achieved. Zechariah and others wrote almost in code about his coming. They knew God had a plan. And so do we....

Encouraging words!

Encouragement! That is the message Zechariah brings to the returnees from Babylonian exile. He encourages the rebuilding of the temple, not just for worship now, but for the coming Messiah! Zechariah is a contemporary of Haggai, who we just read. Haggai used rebuking to get the people motivated to build the temple. Zech uses encouragement. Great point: we are put on this earth not to see through one another, but to see one another through! Have a great Sunday and pass some encouragement along!

Patience required!

Selective following is a way to describe the people's response to God's message through Jeremiah in ch40-45. Jeremiah prayed to God on the people's behalf, only to have the people reject the response. Don't laugh or judge, we do the same! We choose certain parts of God's law to follow, then brush off the others that are too hard. We ask God for direction, then feel we need to help Him. We desire a shiny new penny we see, rather than waiting for God to give us the treasure chest of gold He has for us. Like a stubborn child, we act like we can do it ourselves. Jeremiah's words should be a warning to us even today. We ask God for help or guidance, we need to wait until He provides it!

God allows U-turns!

"If I knew I had to face my God and Judge tomorrow and account for my life, I would spend my time doing......" What? How do we complete that sentence? God gives us time.....and plenty of warning! The prophet Zephaniah warned the people of Judah of the impending doom that was to come on them as a result of their unfaithfulness. It was not their lack of knowledge about God's will, but rather a lack of willingness to do what they knew to be right. Does that sound familiar today? Say it ain't so...Zephaniah prophecized in 630BC! We truly do not learn from the past. Take heart, there is a message of hope in Zep ch2v3. God allows U-turns!

The righteous live by faith

What have you gained by worshipping all of your man-made idols? The prophet Habakkuk asks this in his book ch2. Habakkuk struggles with a similar question of other prophets, "How is it that the wicked prosper?". God assures Habakkuk that the wicked will be dealt with, in God's way on God's time. God reminds Habakkuk in ch2:4 that the righteous will live by faith. Are we doing that today? Or is faith something we merely reserve for a few hours on Sunday? I too struggle to rest on God's timing. I am impatient, wanting action. Perhaps God is wanting a period of rest or reflection. The wicked do not prosper, there is always more to conquer. It is never satisfying.

What makes a leader?

So what makes a leader? How do you know a good leader when you see one? Why would you follow? The prophet Micah talks about a coming leader who will bring peace. He notes the failures of Israel's "leaders" in their self absorbed lust for power and riches. Jesus led, yet he owned nothing. Solomon led, yet he failed and his kingdom was divided after he died. Being a leader means keeping hope alive in others. They serve, they focus on others not themselves. They balance sensitivity with responsibility. All of this matters as to who you will follow. And why. Think on that as you "worship" this week.....

Who deserves mercy?

There are over 120,000 living in spiritual darkness. Washington County? Perhaps. But directly I speak from the words written in Jonah. You know this familiar tale and probably have watched the Veggie Tale movie...which is quite good! But read Jonah's anger towards God in ch3. He is mad at God for showing love and compassion. A very strange thing to be mad about. If there were more love in the world, we think it could be a better place. But God is showing love and mercy to Israel's enemy....Assyria! How would we feel about God showing grace to our enemies? Slighted? Unfair! After all, we love God more than they! We live by His law! We worship Him. But is not God's love for all? Did Jesus command we spread the Gospel to all the ends of the earth? Do we even deserve mercy?

What do you own?

Ever have the uncomfortable duty to call someone out on something they were doing that was not right? Amos had that responsibility. He had to call Israel into coming judgment for their abandoning of God. The people rejeted him. They were too caught up in their high living. Wealth and prosperity were thought to be security. They forgot that it was only temporary, and that God is not just the "previous" owner. They failed to realize that enjoying things from God had replaced enjoying God himself! Instead of owning their possessions and wealth, they became owned by them! How different are we? What possession could you absolutely not do without? How long have you had it? How did you get it? That possession is not God!

Signs of things to come

: The Book of Joel offers interesting insight to end times prophecy, even though it was written around 850BC. What is the purpose of the prophecy? To warn God's people to repent, with their hearts, not just outward ritual. Joel uses swarms of locusts to tear down the people. Are the locusts figurative? Perhaps of invading armies, hard times, droughts? What locusts do we face today? How are our hearts toward them? Are we angry? Do we feel the need for repentance? Joel assures us in ch2v25 that God will give back what the locust have taken. God is in the love business, which means he wants to forgive, but we must be truly sorry. Ch2,v28 is borrowed by Peter at Penecost in Acts ch2v16-21. Signs preceeding Christ's second coming!

Heeding the prophet's warning!

Biblically speaking we are coming to a close with Hosea. His writing has warned Israel. He spoke of the rebellious past, the omnious calamity of the future, and the need for present change. We can relate. The past is done, the future is uncertain. We need to change our hearts here in the present! God is giving us time to adjust. We have the info, now we need to apply it! Hosea's life was not easy, neither is some of ours. But God is with us and for us, we need not fear! Remember, if God seems distant from you, it must mean you have moved!

We need God

In Hosea ch 9-11, we read of God's continued faithfulness and Israel's continued rebellion. Hosea reminds Israel how God has helped time and again yet Israel returns to idolatry. Ch11v7 sums it up,"they call me the Most High, but they don't truly honor me". We pray to God to give us "our" list but do we truly honor Him? Do we have a healthy fear and respect for Him? Do we seek Him, or just call on Him when we need something, like a genie in a bottle. God has warned us in His word and His son. This is not something to take lightly. Don't fall into the trap of self sufficiency. We need God.

Faithfulness is thy God

Welcome to Sep and to the minor prophets! In Hosea ch1-3 we see a prophet of God married to a promiscuous woman. She continually leaves him in search of other lovers. Even after Hosea has fathered children and provided a safe home for her, she continues her quest for others. Later, Hosea had to buy his own wife back. Sound familiar? Ok, perhaps not with a wife in prostitution, but definitely a wayward people searching for answers outside of the one true God who has them! How often do we worship our idols? Is that not the same? It is showing lack of commitment to God. Notice how Hosea is faithful and takes back his wife. God takes us back too. This is a story of the faithfulness of God even when we pursue others.