The grass withers.

Reading: Isaiah 40-41, John 21, and 1 Corinthians 11

Scripture: Isaiah 40:6-8, A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

Thoughts: We have all seen the season change, watching the grass grow and the flowers come up and bloom in the spring and summer then at the end of summer and going into fall we watch everything wither and die back. Each person’s life is just a blip on the timeline of eternity, even the oldest people one hundred plus years old, are still seen as just grass and flowers, but God’s Word has endured, the Old Testament, the books of the law and the books of the prophets are all far older than the writings of the apostles, who’s writings are now about 2000 years old and largely unchanged other then being translated into new languages. Isaiah was crying out that even though we are all going to pass the one thing that will not change is the Word of God. Let us dive into is and chew on it that we may know God better through his words. 

Prayer: Father God, you are so wonderful, your word speaks anew every day, it is alive and sharper than any two-edged sword. Your word leads us and guides us in all we do. I thank you for the refining and molding you are doing in me, I ask that you speak to me though your word, lead me and guide me in what you have for me this day. 

What is your legacy?

Reading: 2 Kings 20, Isaiah 38-39, Psalm 134, John 20, and 1 Corinthians 10

Scripture: Isaiah 39:8, Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.”

Thoughts: After being told he was going to die, then after lamenting to God and being told he will have fifteen more years, He shows some people from Babylon everything he had. Now God tells him that everything including his sons will be taken captive into Babylon, and he says “Sounds good as long as I’m good.” This seems to be the mentality to much of the world today, As long as I get what I want and get to have the fun I want who cares what comes after me. Are we living to leave a legacy? We are called to spread the gospel, to praise and worship God. Are we sharing what God did for us, are we teaching the next generation what it means to walk with the lord? Are we seeking a legacy of lasting peace with God or do we only care that we have piece as long as we are here on earth?

Prayer: Father God, you are the all mighty and everlasting God above all things. You pour out your piece and love on us and call us to legacy building. I thank you for your calling and your provisions and blessings. I ask that you help me to focus on you plan and growing the legacy that you are creating. Lead me and guide me in all that I do. 

Battle commands and missinformation.

Reading: 2 Kings 19, 2 Chronicles 32, and John 19

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 32:15, Now, therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you in this fashion, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand!

Thoughts: It is easy to get into a battle and loose track of the one we are to be listening to, to combat this the romans had their centurions who had this large red plum on their helmet so that the 100 they were over could follow them into battle. Over the centuries the way it is done has changed but the concept is still the same we are to follow the commands of the one above us. The evil one will use everything in his power to disrupt the communication or cause you to doubt it. This king of Assyria was crying out to get Judah to doubt God and just give up, as Hezekiah was encouraging Judah telling them that God and His army is with them. When we are in battle fighting side by side with those we trust, who are we listening to the loud voices of the enemy telling us we are going to fail or are we listening to the commander who we know already has won the war even though we are in the middle of a battle. This battle belongs to the Lord let us not listen to those who oppose Him.

Prayer: Lord God, your victory is absolute, your glory and honor abounds, and your creation shouts your name. I thank you that the battle is yours and that you have a place that I can serve. I thank you for your provisions and blessings that you pour out on us, the strength and boldness to continue in the face of an enemy who says you don’t exist or that their god is stronger. I ask that you help us to discern the truth and walk in your ways. I ask that you continue to mold me and refine me, cleans me and create in me a clean heart that I may honor you more. 

Battle plans and sailence.

Reading: Isaiah 36-37 and John 18

Scripture: Isaiah 36:21, But they were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.”

Thoughts: In a world of witty retorts, quick words, and twitter wars, we are not good at being quiet. Be it going to a quiet place and spending time with God in the Word and prayer, or if is it like these men who were told to not answer. Every battel we are in will take different tactic, there are battle where we are to rush in guns blazing and battels where we are to hunker down in our foxhole and let them run out of ammo. We need the discernment to know what sort of battle we are going into and what commands are coming down from above. There are times where we are told to run in like when I was told to pray for my aunts cancer, and times to sit in our foxhole like in some work situations where we can show our faith by little actions and being quiet about situation that may be slandering people. We need to listen to the orders and plan that we are being given from above. 

Prayer: Lord God, your plans are better than our plans your strategies and better than ours and are so much more effective. You give us the strength to stand firm or to race in, you give us the ammo needed and the armor to withstand the attacks. I ask that you help me to see the plan for each day, help me to walk out the orders that you lay before me. May our battles be your victories.

Break down the Altars!!!

Reading: 2 Chronicles 30-31, John 17, and 1 Corinthians 9 

Scripture: 2 Chroniclers 31:1, Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and broke down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the people of Israel returned to their cities, every man to his possession.

Thoughts: There are groups that call themselves Christians, there are people who say they are Christian because their parents or grandparents were. We are not a religion that is passed down from parent to child just by being born. We are called to a personal relationship and to follow Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Are we going to just assimilate into the world and look and act just like the world or are we going to be like Israel and go out to tear down the alters that the world worship at. Those alters take many forms, lust, sexual immorality, money, and selfishness. Are we tearing down those alters in our lives and helping others to identify and tear down their own? We need to our foxhole, those who are fighting by your side to overcome the strongholds and chains that are holding us back.

Prayer: Father God, you are so wonderful, your creation shouts of your glory all the earth sings in worship of who you are. I thank you that you are taking care of us, you are leading us and guiding us. I thank you for your provisions and blessings that you pour out on us. I thankyou for your refining and molding you are doing in my life. I ask that you help me to overcome my stronghold and alters that I put up in my life and to be the encouragement for others. 

Bringing out the uncleannes.

Reading: 2 Kings 18, 2 Chronicles 29, and John 16

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 29:16, The priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and they brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the Lord into the court of the house of the Lord. And the Levites took it and carried it out to the brook Kidron.

Thoughts: In 1 Corinthians 3:16 we are reminded by Paul that we are the temple of God and Holy Spirit dwells in us. I know that I have uncleanness in me and that I need that cleaning from time to time. It is not enough to just scrub the outside and not clean the inside. King Hezekiah began to reign in the first month he opened the temple and gathered the priest and Levites to get the temple cleaned out that the Lord may dwell there. It says that the priest brought the uncleanness to the court and the Levites took it to the book Kidron. There may be uncleanness that God will just take and clean up but it has been my experience that Jesus our High Priest will bring it onto the court where we have to do our part and take it the rest of the way to the brook to toss it in and be rid of it. All too often we let that uncleanness sit in the court of our heart and continue to defile the entire temple. Let us band together and exhort one another with love and grace to get that court cleaned, our high priest has done the hard part let us take the steps to do our part in that cleaning. 

Prayer: Father God, you are so good, you are cleaning out temple, you are helping us to find the uncleanness in our lives that we can get it moved out of our lives and out of your temple. I thank you for your provisions and blessings that you are pouring out on us. I thank you that you are cleaning me, refining me and molding me. I ask that you help us to see and do our part in removing the uncleanness from our lives, give us people in our lives that will help call us on that uncleanness and encourage us to keep going as we can encourage them to do the same. 

Grafting and pruning

Reading: 2 Kings 17, Isaiah 35, Psalm 8, John 15, and 1 Corinthians 8

Scripture: John 15:2, Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Thoughts: We are always producing something, be it the good fruit that Jesus is calling us to here in John, or if it is rotten fruit, or unrepented hard nasty fruit, or even just leaves like the fig tree that was cursed. Are we allowing God to work in our lives to prune out the things that are not effective and producing in a way that is not healthy? We are all called to bear fruit, sure my fruit will look different than yours but that fruit all should do the same thing, draw people to want a relationship with God. Recently I came across a bunch of videos of people grafting plants together, made me think about a pear tree that my parents got a few years back and it had three of four varieties grafted together so this portion produces this variety of pear, and that side does another and so on. That is exactly what God is doing with us. In Romans 11:19 talks about those branches broken off that we could be grafted in. We are all to be getting our nutrients and what we need from God our root and we get that from Jesus the vine that he refers to himself as in the next few verses. Like the tree in my parents backyard there is one root system one main trunk of the tree but many are grafted in and give a variety of fruit. What fruit are you producing? Are there things that need cutting out because it is making rotten fruit, are there branches that only have leaves on it taking nutrients from the branches trying to make the good fruit? Ask the gardener who knows you better than you know yourself for help pruning and cutting out of those branches that are not pointing to Him through your fruit.

Prayer: Lord God, creator of all things, you know me and you know the rotten fruit that I can produce. I lay my life before you and ask that you help me prune and remove those things in my life that do not point to you. I thank you for the molding and refining that you have been doing that that you continue to do in my life. Help me to produce the fruit that you have called me to, and my it glorify you. 

They were the ruin of him.

Reading: 2 Kings 16, 2 Chronicles 28, Psalm 113, John 14, and 1 Corinthians 7

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 28:23, For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.

Thoughts: In todays Western society we do not have alters and gods the way they did back when this was written. There is not a god that is over each of the nations or people groups that we believe strengthened one nation over another. Our gods are more steeped into our culture and hidden in the selfish nature of the world. Just as chasing after the other gods ruined King Ahaz and continued the destruction of Israel in that time. The gods of our day and age will cause the same to use. Today many of the gods that are followed are things like the lust for money, things, fame, and notoriety. None of these are inherently sinful or bad but when we let then become more important than our relationship with God and spreading his Word, we start bowing down at the alter selfishness. Are we seeking God first, seeking his place for us in in plan? Let us seek after him and set aside our desires, as we seek him earnestly our desires may change or be fulfilled in a way we did not expect.  

Prayer: Lord God, your wonders never cease to amaze, from the rising of the sun to the birds of the air, you have made all things to point to your glory. I thank you for all you are doing in my life, I thank you for your provisions and blessings that I get to steward, I thank you that you are working in me, molding, and refining who I am that I can reflect you better. I ask that you help me to seek you and your desires for my life, help me to discern the next steps that I am honor you in all that I do. 

Devoted to distruction

Reading: Isaiah 33-34, Psalm 4, John 13 and 1 Corinthians 6

Scripture: Isaiah 34:2, For the Lord is enraged against all the nations, and furious against all their host; he has devoted them to destruction, has given them over for slaughter.

Thoughts: Each day as we move closer to the unknown end, we see more and more of the things that Jesus said we would see in the end times, earthquakes, famines, wars, and rumors of wars. When this passage was written it was being written to Israel and the surrounding lands as a warning. I feel that that waning is just as applicable today as it was nearly 3000 years ago. One day the Lord’s judgment will fall on all nations. We are called to spread the Gospel the good news that God loves us so much that he sent his Son to fulfill the Law that we could be adopted into his family. When we were not of the Family we were of the world and part of the nations that were devoted to destruction. As a parent I would do anything to protect my children from harm, but I also want them to make choices. We are to share God’s love and offer the opportunity to become part of the family, but we cannot make the choice for them. Are we sharing what we have, the adoption through the death and resurrection of Jesus, or are we just letting the world follow after it’s own desires? Let us share what God has done for us. 

Prayer: Lord God, your grace and mercy abound, you call us to you. Your glory abounds in all I see. I thank you for all you are doing in my life, the provision and blessings you pour out on us, the molding and refining you are doing in my life. I ask that you help me to grow deeper in my relationship with you and have the boldness to step out in your name when called. You lead and guide me every day. 

Purge them!

Reading: Isaiah 31-32, Psalm 138, John 12, and 1 Corinthians 5

Scripture:  Corinthians 5:12-13, For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges judge those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

Thoughts: I can’t count the number of times I have heard from Matthew 7 “do not judge, or you will be judged” Here we are told that we are to hold accountable those in the church, Those who call themselves our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are not to judge the world because it is not our place, our place it to share the Gospel to the fallen world that they may come to God and have the opportunity to repent of the sins in their lives. Once they have that relationship with God and us as that family with love we can help them to overcome the sins in their life. But Paul is saying here that if someone who claims to be apart of the family yet still revels in unrepentant sin they are to be purged and treated as an unbeliever. Let us grow in our love and grace and have that group of people in your church family who will call you on your garbage as well as you being willing to call them on theirs. 

Prayer: Father God, you know the things we hide in our hearts and the place we try to keep secret from those around us. You know the hairs on our heads and the number of our days. I thank you that you are still working on me, you are refining me and molding me in to the vessel you need me to be, Create in me a clean heart and take not your Holy Spirit from me. I ask that you help those around me to have the discernment to come to me and call me on sins that I don’t see in my life and help me to be a help to those who need me to do the same. Open our hearts and minds to your directions. 

Smooth speaking illusions.

Reading: Isaiah 29-30 and John 11

Scripture: Isaiah 30:9-10, For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord; who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions,

Thoughts: When we walk out our lives, the influences of the world are all around us. The world is telling us to look here, look there, and oh look something shiny and new. Within all the looky looky being cried out, I also hear lots of tell me you accept me and that you affirm everything about me. Those people not willing to listen to instruction and telling us just talk nice to us tell us pretty things about ourselves. We are to stand in the gap, we care called to be peacemakers and to be that peacemaker we are to being the gospel to people that they can have reconciliation with God thus making peace between God that that person. When there is unrepentant sin in someone’s life there is a division between them and God bringing enmity. Are we telling people to affirm my sin, tell me it is ok that I am doing this or that, or are we seeking God with all we have? 

Prayer: Lord God, you know our hearts and our minds, you know the days of our life and the hairs on our heads. I ask that you help me to turn from those things trip me up. Help me to speak truth and love into the lives of those around me and grow deeper in my relationship with you. I ask that you break the smooth speaking of illusions that the evil one brings to us. Help us to discern the truth and walk in your ways. 

What are you looking for?

Reading: Isaiah 26-28 and John 10

Scripture: Isaiah 26:9, My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

Thoughts: What are we longing for? What is the yearning of your heart? When you can’t sleep and you are tossing and turning, what is that thing that is always there in your mind? Isaiah is talking about that longing got God and that waking up to the I need more of you in my life God. But he also says that when God’s judgment is on the earth that the inhabitants would learn righteousness. There are judgments going on all the time, be it the kind where we are given over to sinful desires as shown in Romans 1:24, or like when there were judgments against Israel or other nations and God brought in other nations to capture them. During these times of judgment, we are to learn and grow. When we are seeking God there will be opposition, The evil one does not want us to dive deeper and get emboldened to spread the gospel. He wants us to become complacent to the point of sitting back and watching the show.

Prayer: Father, you are the one who can work all things for the good of those who follow you. The trials and tribulation will not overcome us and there is no temptation that you can’t help us through. I thank you that you are working in my heart, that you are molding me and refining me into that man you call me to be. 

God listens to him.

Reading: Isaiah 24-25, Psalm 42, John 9, and 1 Corinthians 4

Scripture: John 9:30-31, The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.”

Thoughts: I love how this man was brought before the leaders and questioned, and after giving them his testimony, his story about what God did for him, he had the boldness and the faith to poke fun at these religious leaders. We all have a story to tell, besides the God above who knows your story better than you. We are called to share the gospel through our story and what God has done in our lives and to have a boldness to stand up and give account. The Definition of Apostle from the Greek is emissary or one who is sent. As Christ Followers, in Matthew 28:19, we are sent into all the world we are the emissary to this world for God. Are we being bold and sharing our story of how God changed our lives. 

Prayer: Lord God you are the one who knows our story and is working all aspects of it for your glory and our good. I thank you that you are with me and have sent me. I thank you that you are always providing and guiding me. I ask that you help me to have the boldness and the willingness to walk our the calling you place before me. Help me to find the words I need in conversations with those around me each day. 

Are you free?

Reading: Isaiah 22-23 and John 8

Scripture: John 8:33, They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

Thoughts: The United States of America even with the history that it has had is still one of the freest countries in the world. Even though there were several generations of slavery in Egypt, and many times of being taking into captivity after they claimed the promised land these descendants of Abraham claimed their freedom even though they were a slaves to the laws of Moses and the sacrificial system. We have the opportunity to accept the freedom that Jesus offered us. Are we walking in the freedom of the world or the freedom that comes from the Father above? 

Prayer: Lord God, you are the redeemer of all things, you redeem our stories, and our lives. All your creation shouts of your glory. I thank you that you have redeemed me, I thank you that you are working in my life to help me to be a mirror reflection your glory to this dark world. I ask that you continue to fill us and guide us in all we do. 

Are you seeing this?

Reading: Isaiah 20-21, Psalm 32, John 7, and 1 Corinthians 3

Scripture: Isaiah 21:6, For thus the Lord said to me: “Go, set a watchman; let him announce what he sees.”

Thoughts: If you have been in the Church for almost any about of time you have heard someone say, “we are to be in the world not of the world.” This is a paraphrase of much of what John recorded Jesus saying in John 17. As I read in Isaiah this morning that saying came to mind after seeing where God told Isaiah to set up a watchman. We are in this world but not of it made me think of the ancient walled cities having watchmen posted around the city to want for danger, or at least the state of the surrounding world. In a way we are a walled city and if we cut ourselves off from everything outside our city, how are we going to spread the Gospel as we are told to do? Also without watchmen looking out into the world our enemy may find a hole in our wall and defenses. Each and every day we move one day closer to when Christ will return, if we don’t have watchmen looking to the horizons and interpreting the signs of the time, we may be caught not doing the will of the Lord. I want to be taken up going what I have been called to do or running on fumes because I gave Him everything. 

Prayer: Father God, you are in control, you have created all things and you know when you will send your Son back to collect those whom you call yours. I thank you that you have a plan and that I can be apart of it. I thank you that you are still refining me and molding me to be more affective in that which you call me. I ask that you help me to be a watchman and seek your will for each day. lead me and guide me