Lamentations 3-5; Haggai; 1 Peter 1

I am amazed watching young people in their spiritual growth and at the same time I can cringe at what they can come up with to do or say that would put into question if there is any spirituality in them at all.

One thing for certain, especially with my children, I tried to put into them the importance of walking with Jesus everyday.

It is good for a man that he bear
    the yoke in his youth. – Lamentation 3:27  ESV

When I walk with Jesus the outcome of my salvation is not in question. I do not lack in desire to live a life according to the call before me. Unfortunately, if I walk in the faith only because of my profession of faith I miss out on the fact that Christianity is life in God. There is only one way the world can know that I am Christ’s – it is not in how I handle grief, it is not how passionate I am to confess my sin, it is not the thrill of first love or of glad emotions – it is because I obey Jesus. This is the true outcome of salvation – I walk with Jesus.

Should I walk away from Him and disobey Him, then God will step in to get my attention and I pray that He always will.

You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.  Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce.  And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors. – Haggai 1:9-11  ESV

Getting my attention through my finances is quick and painful. For my hope is not there, it is in Jesus and sometimes I need a wake up call to remember that.

 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,  who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. – 1 Peter 1:3-5  ESV

That is where my confidence is – the future is strong and sure. It motivates me and will equip me to be the disciple who engages in good works with the foundation of such being love. It takes away my doubt, even in some very tough times. My hope is a living hope.

Father, I thank You that in my youth You shaped me and formed me to be Yours. Amen.

Erwin (evanlaar1922)

 

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Haggai; Zechariah 1; Psalm 138; 1 John 2

I remember 2 Chronicles 7:14 so well – it’s been drilled into my life through so many different kinds of prayer meetings. What a surprise to find the same message in Haggai this morning. When God is not a priority – it matters to Him!  I find myself meditating on His challenge.

Think about what I have said! – Haggai 1:7  CEV

While I might have been challenged this morning, it matters nothing unless I heed it.  What I love about God is that His grace was extended to me like He allows does.

The Lord’s answer was kind and comforting. – Zechariah 1:13  CEV

So what does that mean in my life today.  What can I expect?  Turning to the Lord, making Him my priority, gives me amazing blessings – love, protection, safety, kindness.

I worship at your holy temple and praise you for your love and your faithfulness.  You were true to your word and made yourself more famous than ever before.  Though you are above us all, and you keep a close watch on everyone who is proud.  I am surrounded by trouble, but you protect me against my angry enemies.  With your own powerful arm you keep me safe. You, Lord, will always treat me with kindness. Your love never fails. You have made us what we are. Don’t give up on us now!  – Psalm 138: 2, 6-8  CEV

Quite a journey this morning – repentance, Lord responds with grace, embraces me with blessings – how do I respond to that kind of cherishing?  A different kind of challenge ends my morning devotion.  God has called me to love Him, to have close friends who do the same, love others and in all of this, I cannot even give a small room in my heart to love the world.

We truly love God only when we obey him as we should, and then we know that we belong to him. My dear friends, I am not writing to give you a new commandment. It is the same one that you were first given, and it is the message you heard. But if we love others, we are in the light, and we don’t cause problems for them.  Don’t love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you cannot love the Father. – 1 John 2:5,7,10,15

Lord, this morning You are speaking right into my heart. As much as You have challenged me, You have made me come alive as I realize that I feel so connected with You. I pray that the Holy Spirit will give me the courage to be the follower of You that You have called me to be.  I do not want to live the life of a bored Christian.  May those I connect with see the passion in my life that You have put there.  Thank you for challenging me to make You a priority. Amen

Erwin (evanlaar1922)

 

 

 

2 Chronicles 14, 15; Revelation 4; Haggai 2; John 3

As much as I can, I try to be honest. I want to be the same person in church, at work,  home, sitting in traffic, with my believing and non believing friends and family.  I try to use the same language and have the same overriding purpose.  That being said, there are moments of personal duplicity that leave me feeling like a fake. I want Jesus to own my heart no matter what the circumstance. He knows that,  he loves me and hangs in there with me. Enter Nicodemus.

Nicodemus seeks out Jesus under the cover of the night. Maybe because Jesus was not easy to be alone with during the day, but more than likely because he didn’t want to be seen with Jesus.  I love how Jesus skillfully weaves his words concerning the new order of the day to a personal challenge. He dares Nicodemus to leave the darkness he hides in and be the person he was created to be.

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But he whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. John 3:19-22

So I ask myself, why and what am I trying to hide from God? from others? I ask God to make me his, 100% and keep me from being afraid of the light; after all, he knows and understands EVERYTHING that was and is and is to come.  When I fall and look to the one who loves and forgives me, He is gives grace and restores what I have broken. I pray God gives me a love for him that is far stronger than the fears that would keep me in the dark.

Kathy

PS You can read the rest of Nicodemus’s story in John 19.

Haggai 1-2, 2 John

You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” Haggai 1:6

 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. 2 John 1:9-10 

Haggai could well be talking about the hustle and bustle of this Christmas season. Marathon baking sessions and Christmas parties stretch clothing and budgets to the breaking point. Wallets really do seem to have holes in them. In a matter of weeks, no one even remembers what they received for Christmas or what they spent hours doing. Valuable time and energy end up yielding nothing but a chasing after the wind.

The gift of hospitality comes in handy this time of year. A diverse crowd at a party gives us opportunities to share the love of Christ with others. However, John does warn us not to welcome just anyone to stay in our houses, at least not for lengthy periods.

Pray to stay focused on the Christ in Christmas. It’s so easy to become side-tracked by all the distractions.

Wishing, as Tiny Tim said so well in A Christmas Carole, “God bless us everyone.”

yicareggie