Daily Biblical Devotionals

[Need2Know]

February 21, 2012

Net worth

"Thus says the Lord GOD: 'Behold, I am against you, O Tyre...' Ezekiel 26:3 (NKJV)

The ancient City of Tyre was a sight to behold 2,500 years ago. It was divided into two halves: One was situated on the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, and the other was an island fortress about a half-mile from the coast. Tyre's defenses were so formidable that her people considered themselves invincible against any attack. Pride and arrogance set in, and God determined He would have to humble them. So, in 580 B.C., He declared a prophecy against Tyre through a man named Ezekiel:

'I...will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for spreading nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken,' says the Lord God; 'it shall become plunder for the nations. (Ezekiel 26:3-5 NKJV)

Despite Tyre's apparent invincibility, God prophesied that its walls and towers would be destroyed, that dust would be scraped from the city until it was a bare rock, and that it would become a place where people would spread out their nets in the middle of the sea. At the time, most would have questioned Ezekiel's sanity in saying this.

But history tells us a decade after Ezekiel's prophecy, the Babylonians destroyed the walls and towers of the mainland portion of Tyre. It's citizens fled to the island fortress, which the Babylonians couldn't conquer. But when the Greeks rose to power, Alexander the Great scraped every bit of stone from the mainland ruins to build a bridge out to the island fortress. The bridge was completed, and Alexander destroyed the remaining half of Tyre. And to this very day, fishermen lay their nets out to dry on Alexander's bridge...right in the middle of the sea!

Could God have given mankind a clearer message that He's behind the Bible, and could there be anything else more worthy of our confidence?

[Need2Know]

February 22, 2012

History in advance

Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. Daniel 2:1 (NKJV)

In the second chapter of the Book of Daniel, we encounter one of the most important prophetic passages in the Bible. It starts with Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, dreaming of an enormous statue of a man made out of four different metals. The head was made of gold, the arms and chest were silver, the stomach was bronze, and the legs were made of iron.

Nebuchadnezzar sensed there was something significant about this dream and scoured his kingdom for someone who could interpret it. God revealed the dream's meaning to a devout Hebrew named Daniel, and the interpretation he gave is a panorama of human history.

Inspired by God, Daniel prophesied that the statue represented the succession of empires that would rule over the known world. The golden head was none other than King Nebuchadnezzar, the silver arms and chest would be another kingdom that would succeed Babylon, the bronze stomach signified a third kingdom, and the iron legs represented a fourth world empire. Daniel declared all of this around 600 B.C.

The rest is history. In 445 B.C., the Babylonian Empire was conquered by the Medo-Persian Empire, fulfilling the silver arms and chest of the statue. Then, in 331 B.C., the Medo-Persian Empire was replaced by the Greek Empire, which fulfilled the bronze stomach. Finally, in 146 B.C., the Greek Empire was overcome by the Roman Empire, which is a fulfillment of the legs made from iron.

History corroborates Daniel's prophecy perfectly. From the time this prophecy was given, four different and distinct empires ruled over the known world. There are many other detailed nuances where history parallels this prophecy with astonishing clarity. But suffice it to say, this is yet another example of God revealing upcoming events in order to demonstrate the supernatural nature and absolute credibility of the Bible.

If you ever find yourself questioning whether the Bible is true or deserving of your trust, turn to Daniel Chapter 2 and then compare it to history books. They will conclusively prove God revealed history in advance!

[Need2Know]

My Only Hope


“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions” Psalm 51:1


Any Star Wars fans out there? Remember the opening scenes of the first movie that begin with a laser battle between a little spaceship (the good guys) and this huge, ominous Imperial Star Destroyer—you guessed it, the bad guys. The camera cuts to the inside of the ship and we see Princess Leia and her loyal fighters quickly overpowered by Darth Vader and his minions. The situation is dire and our heroine has time only to pass a message on to her faithful robot R2D2, who is then jettisoned to safety on a nearby planet along with his uptight buddy C3PO.

The droids end up in the care of Luke Skywalker, who discovers Leia’s message. R2D2 projects an image of the princess pleading, “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope!” The message is repeated over and over: “Help me . . . you’re my only hope!”

That simple little phrase encapsulates David’s plea in the first verse of Psalm 51. After fighting a year-long battle against the forces of darkness in his own heart, he had reached a point of desperation. Finally, he admitted that he could not overcome the guilt of his sin by his own cleverness, charm, or position. Nor could his inner turmoil be quieted by a clever spin from a PR department. In the face of the mess he had made of his life—adultery, deception, murder—he was left with only one hope: a plea for mercy from God who held all the cards regarding David’s cleansing.

I have to tell you, whether it’s the overwhelming force of life’s struggles or the guilt of our sin, our only hope is that God in His mercy will forgive and deliver us. As David writes in Psalm 42:11, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? . . . Put your hope in God!”

The good news for David—and for those of us who need to come to this same tipping point in our walk with Christ—is that our hope is never misplaced when we place it entirely and completely in God. And our confidence in His willingness to bestow delivering mercy is grounded, as David said, in the fact that God is a God of unfailing love and great compassion. We don’t need more meds or self-help positive spins on life when we are beyond ourselves. We need God! David said it best when he penned the words of Psalm 25:3, “No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame.”

In the midst of the turmoil of life and in the mire of our own sin, one simple prayer offers us the promise of rescue and deliverance. “Help me, Lord Jesus. You’re my only hope!”

YOUR JOURNEY…

•Where do you go for strength and solutions when you are in need? When was the last time you turned to God to find help in your time of need (Hebrews 4:15-16)?
•What characteristics of God can you list to give you confidence that, when you are in need, He can be counted on?
•Read Psalms 25:1-22; 42:1-11, and 51:1-19 prayerfully, and claim their promises for yourself.

[Need2Know]

When A Nation Sins

Structural sin. Ever heard the term? It could also be called cultural, social, or national sin. A good biblical example relates to the captivity of Judah by the Babylonians, which God declared would be a seventy-year captivity because of national sin for seventy years (2 Chronicles 36:21). Judah as a nation had ignored and forgotten the laws of Moses, and because they did not give the land its necessary Sabbath rest for seventy years, God made sure that the land would get it—by sending the Jews away from the land so that it could recover. Jeremiah had warned them that this would indeed happen, but they did not heed the prophet’s warning. One of the captives in Babylon, Daniel, eventually went back to the Word and discovered the reason for the captivity; and he confessed for the nation. Not long afterward, King Cyrus followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and allowed the children of Judah to return. [Wikipedia photo: "This is a depiction of the biblical character, Emperor Cyrus the Great of Persia, who permitted the Hebrews to return to the Holy Land and rebuild God's Temple."]

KEY SCRIPTURE:
This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt,” declares the LORD, “and will make it desolate forever” (Jeremiah 25:11-12). This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. (Jeremiah 29:10)

In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom—in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. (Daniel 9:1-6).
In this age of grace, God typically does not deal with us as directly. Further, no one nation now represents the “chosen people.” Instead, his children are all over the world where as the Body of Christ they are to be “salt and light” to the nations—preserving and enlightening them with the truth about the one true God (Israel’s initial responsibility). But just as the Jews were influenced by the idol-worshiping nations around them, we individual followers of Jesus can come under the influence of sinful and idol-worshiping people around us. [Photo: Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford]

An idol, remember, does not have to be an actual false deity like Baal or Moloch. It can be anything we worship as a substitute for God. A helpful definition of idolatry is this: “Finding our security, our safety, our meaning in something or someone other than God.” Know any good candidates for idols in our day? I do. I don’t have to look beyond myself. How about my 401k savings? Money and time spent on trivialities? Carelessness about the way I live and what impact it might have on God’s good earth? Materialism in general, which has been built on the structural sin of covetousness, gluttony, and greed? Jesus told us that we can’t serve both wealth and God. One or the other of the two will be our master. [See Bob Goudzward material re: "Idols of Our Time" and "Beyond Poverty and Affluence"]

Consider spending a few minutes in the next few days to think about the way you and I live and what social, political, cultural, and economic systems tend to run our lives. Think about that old list of “seven deadly sins”: anger, greed, laziness, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. How many of these are built into the structures of our society, our economy? Because they are “just the way we do business and live our lives in the modern world,” we tend to excuse them because “everybody lives that way.” God will probably not send us into literal captivity for our wholesale ignoring of His commands; but we might well find ourselves in captivities of several different sorts. In fact, God may just let us reap what we have sown.

We might seriously consider repeating Daniel’s confession:

“O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.”

[Need2Know]

The Best Story Ever Told

“My purpose is that they . . . may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” Colossians 2:2-3

It’s not uncommon for blockbuster movies today to be followed by a sequel and even a “three-quel.” The film industry has discovered that we like to revisit certain stories. We want to know more about the characters and want to see what happens next.

George Lucas, years after completing his original Star Wars trilogy, took it one step further by producing three “prequels” to look at how the characters and story lines developed. And fans around the world were thrilled to learn more.

As followers of Jesus, however, we have the ultimate story—a real story—provided to us through the truth of Scripture and focused around the person of Jesus. And when our hearts have been awakened to the reality of His grace, we begin to explore Scripture looking for glimpses of who He is and what He has done. We track through the Gospels, amazed and thrilled at His insight and His character. Our hearts are pierced by His words as they cut directly to the core of who we are. We follow Him to the end of each gospel and weep as He is beaten and crucified, realizing the immense cost of our sin and shame. And then our spirits soar with the news that He is risen and has returned to heaven, where He prepares a place for us as His followers and promises to come back for us. But the story doesn’t end there.

We dive into the pages of Acts, exploring the action-packed sequel as we see the Holy Spirit equipping and energizing Christ’s followers to turn the world upside down through the message of the gospel. The pages resonate with the drama of characters who struggle, face incredible trials, and persevere because of their devotion to their compelling Savior. We trace their stories through the epistles, which clarify and explain the nature of this new entity, the church. But even that is not the whole story.

We could go back to the ultimate “prequel”—the Old Testament, where we see the vivid roots of our sin problem in Adam and Eve and yet, even in the midst of that sin, the seeds of grace sown by our God. The seeds of grace grow and flourish through God’s promises to men like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. The drama heightens through the personification of God’s love relationship with His people Israel, who continually turn away from the only One who loves them completely. Through each page, we see the promise of Jesus as the hope of God’s people—prophesied and longed for, and pictured through the sacrifices prescribed in God’s law. But still, there’s more to the story.

In Colossians 2:2-5, Paul’s prayer for God’s people is that all of his efforts on behalf of the Colossian church would be focused toward one goal: helping them to know Jesus better. He reminds them—and us—that in Jesus are hidden “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” In other words, the more we know Him, the more we will yearn to know even more. There will always be more to the story, and we will never tire of the characters.

Yet the ultimate story is in the unfolding drama of a Savior who is so deep and wonderful that you never tire of getting to know Him.

[Need2Know]

February 28, 2012

Positon on Pilate

I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate... 1 Timothy 6:13 (NKJV)

The Bible makes reference to a man named Pontius Pilate fifty-six separate times and leaves no wiggle room about his literal existence. There's no allegorizing or spiritualizing him. In no uncertain terms, the biblical text identifies him as a real man, as a real Roman, and as the real ruler who consented to have Christ crucified.


Why make such a big deal about Scripture's position on Pilate? Because for several centuries, opponents of the Bible argued that Pilate was a fictional character, a figment of the imagination of those responsible for writing the New Testament. According to them, if Pilate truly lived and was a real person, there would be more historical evidence that pointed to him.


Obviously, both couldn't be right. Pilate could not be the man portrayed in the Bible and the fictional character that the critics contended he was. Which position on Pilate was wrong?


In 1961, an Italian archeologist named Antonio Frova led an expedition at the ancient amphitheater in the city of Caesarea. His team uncovered a stone with an interesting inscription on it that stated, "Tiberium [a temple dedicated to the worship of Emperor Tiberius by the Cesareans], Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judea [has erected]."


This stone has become known as the "Pilate Stone," and it proves three things. It proves Pontius Pilate was a true historical figure; it proves the Bible's position on Pilate was the correct one; and it proves once again that the biblical record is more worthy of our trust than any other opinion or position of man.


If we ever find ourselves confronted with a viewpoint that pits itself against the Bible, we can rest assured that it will eventually be proven false. Time and time again, as with Pontius Pilate and so many other instances, the Scriptures are shown to be true and accurate despite being doubted, questioned, critiqued, and even attacked by man.

[Need2Know]

February 29, 2012

Now what?

"Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:21 (NKJV)


The question invariably comes. "Now what?" Now that we've looked at a month's worth of historical, scientific, prophetic, and archeological evidence that proves the Bible could only have come to us from God, what do we do with this information?



It's been well said that "sometimes the best way to reach our heart is through our head." There's a direct connection between this principle and our question of, "Now what?"


Our series of studies has equipped us with many facts. Nineveh's fall, the dimensions and feasibility of Noah's Ark, the Law of Entropy, the nature of light, the way an infant's vitamin K peaks on the eighth day of life, the recent discovery that wind weighs something, the essential function of the circulatory system, the sixteen basic elements of our bodies...these are facts. They aren't subjective. They are objective, and they can be logically locked into our minds as absolutes. They don't and won't change.


But the feelings and emotions that pull on our hearts will change. There will be times when we're prone to question and doubt our faith, because we believe in what isn't subject to our senses. It's then and there that our heart needs to fall back on our head. The facts we've locked into our minds can be a rudder for our fickle feelings and wavering trust.


How do we know the Bible is true? How do we know it is God's Word?


Because Daniel revealed the succession of world empires centuries in advance, because Pontius Pilate's name is inscribed on a stone discovered in 1961, because Jerusalem is the envied city above all other places on earth, because the stars are innumerable, because Matthew Maury discovered the ocean currents used to this day, because there's irrefutable evidence of the Hittite Empire, because a man named Cyrus overthrew Babylon, because of photosynthesis...and much, much more.


All these things point to the fact that holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. They are the facts that dictate the reality of our faith...they are factuality.

[Need2Know]

March 01, 2012

He can

"With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26 (NKJV)

As we come to a principle as profound as the one presented to us in Romans 8:28, we need to begin with a basic understanding about something: God's ability to make good on the claim to work all things together for the ultimate good of His people. If we don't believe God is actually able to do this, then we'll have a hard time believing He actually will.

That's an uncertainty we don't need to be held captive by because the Bible tells us two things about God that prove His ability to fulfill Romans 8:28.

First, the Bible tells us that God is omniscient. "Omni" means all, and "science" means to know. There is nothing that can be known that is not known by God. He's fully aware of every event and happening that has ever taken place from one end of the universe to the other. He has absolute awareness of every fact and factor. The atomic number of hydrogen, the height of the Empire State Building, the way your co-worker looks at you, the crack in the driveway six doors down, the thoughts you're thinking as you read this...God knows it all.

Secondly, Scripture also assures us that God is omnipotent. Again, "omni" means all, and "potence" means power. God is all-powerful. When He determines to do something, there is no question about it being done because His power knows no limitations. The earth needs the sun to sustain life, and God is able to provide it according to His power. Mankind requires redemption, and God's power provides it. No matter how massive or monumental the task, God's power is always sufficient.

Now, put these two attributes together and you can see how God is able to work all things together for our good. He knows every detail about everything happening in our lives, and His limitless power allows Him to control them in a way that always benefits us in the end. Regardless of how impossible things might seem, all things are possible with the God who is able to use them for our good.

[Need2Know]

March 02, 2012

He's higher

"My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV)

"I just don't see how anything good can come out of this."

Have you ever thought or said that? Of course you have, because as long as we live on planet earth, a lot of things in this world are going to look completely, hopelessly, and utterly bad.

The loss of a loved one, a natural disaster that leaves an entire community homeless, a wound that scars someone physically and emotionally...these are just a few of the things that seem to be the direct opposite of goodness. How can anything positive come from them?

As justifiable as this question may seem, there's a greater reality that trumps it. That reality comes to us from the Book of Isaiah as the Lord declares that His thoughts are not man's thoughts, and that as high as the heavens are above the earth, so are His ways higher than man's. In other words, God operates on a whole different level than we do. He sees things we can't see and thinks in ways we can't think. Consequently, He works in ways we can't comprehend.

There's such an infinite gap between God and us that He can take the most painful events and seemingly hopeless situations and bend them in such a way that they become blessings to us. When our earth-based perspective prevents us from being able to see anything good, He sees an entirely different picture.

We won't always understand just how God is going to use our trials, tribulations, and tears for good. But we can always know and trust that His higher ways mean He can and He will. He's the Creator of all things, and He alone possesses the creative power to transform the things that make us mourn into things that make us dance.

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing..." Psalm 30:11 (NKJV)

[Need2Know]

A Living, Breathing Miracle

And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
— 1 Corinthians 2:1-2


Have you ever thought that if you could do a miracle for non-Christian friends, they would become believers? Maybe you've said, "If I could just do a miracle, I know they would believe on the spot."

I don't think so. I am sure it would be amazing. It probably would move them deeply. But ten million signs and wonders would not make the world turn to Christ. When a person believes in Jesus, it is an act of the heart—an act of the will that has to take place.

A miracle is not going to convince someone. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and afterward, they plotted to kill Jesus and Lazarus. John 12 says that when all the people heard of Jesus' arrival, they flocked to see Him and also Lazarus, the man whom Jesus raised from the dead. And then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus too. Poor Lazarus. It was bad enough that he had to die once, and then the religious leaders wanted to kill him. Why? Because Lazarus was a living, breathing miracle. His presence alone was a testimony to the power of God.

And guess what? You are a living, breathing miracle man or miracle woman if you can talk about how God has changed your life and how He has transformed you. You are a powerful representative of Jesus Christ. So be one.

Our message to a lost world is that we are all sinners. We are separated from God. But God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for our sins and to pay the price for us on the cross and to rise again from the dead. That is the gospel. Just proclaim it, and watch what God will do.

[Need2Know]

True Strength in God

I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 1 Corinthians 2:3

Can these really be the words of Paul the Apostle? I see Paul as a spiritual giant—a man among men, unafraid of men and the world around him. Here, we see the vulnerability of Paul. He was just a man, with all the weaknesses in flesh and blood man.

Paul was telling them he was scared to death. After everything he had gone through, you would think Paul would be self-confident. Before the people, Paul was strong in the Lord. He did not rely upon his own strength.

In this verse, Paul emphasized his personal demeanor. He was not afraid of persecution from man. In himself, he was afraid to go and teach them, because he felt he was not qualified, yet God had chosen him. He was humbled.

I see many people who are self-confident, but there is nothing behind their confidence. They do not have the power of God. They have only the power of self, which is total weakness before the Lord.

I love what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:10: Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

When we are weak, we are strongest, because we are trusting in God, not self.

One test of a person’s strength is his
knowledge of his weaknesses.
~Author Unknown~

[Need2Know]

God’s Preservation

“For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? - Esther 4:14

The Feast of Lots, Purim, begins today at sundown. It is a celebration of God’s great preservation for the people of Israel. You see, God’s hand has always been upon His people, Israel. From the beginning, it has always been His perfect will to have communion with His people. Because of their relationship with God, the children of Israel have always had an enemy, Satan.

Mordecai knew of God’s protection for His people. He knew if Esther did not agree to help the people, God would raise another to save the people. Mordecai did not say, “God may raise another,” but, “deliverance will arise for the people.” He was so sure of His God. He held onto the promises of God.

I find it interesting; Haman was trying to wipe out the Jews in Persia, modern day Iran. Today, we see the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, threatening to wipe the nation of Israel off the face of the earth. This is no coincidence.

Satan has been stirring up enemies of the nation of Israel for centuries. He has been trying to eliminate the Jewish nation, using one heathen nation after another. Satan will never succeed. Why? The Jews are the chosen people of the One True God. That is why they can celebrate year after year.

God rules and overrules.
-William S. Plumer-

[Need2Know]

God Our Protection

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
Genesis 3:15

The children of God have had a natural enemy since the beginning, in the Garden of Eden. God told the serpent He would put enmity between the serpent and the woman. He was speaking of the birth of Jesus Christ. He would come and destroy the power of Satan.

As children of God, Satan is our enemy. He has come to rob, kill and destroy us because we are children of the King. We are children of Jesus Christ, who came and saved His people from the judgment brought upon them in the Garden of Eden.

Think about it. Satan came to Eve in the Garden of Eden and lied to her, causing her and Adam to sin against God. Because of their sin, they were cast out of the Garden of Eden, and the curse was put upon man.

God the Father sent Christ into this world to restore fellowship with us. He provided atonement for our sins in order for us to have fellowship with Him, but Satan is still at work in this world. We will suffer, but we have God’s protection.

“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).

What God intends, he decrees; what God permits,
He has foreseen.
-Arthur C. Custance-

[Need2Know]

March 12, 2012

Good for bad

See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant. Jeremiah 1:10 (NKJV)

We're unpacking the powerful principle that God works all things together for the ultimate good of His people...even things that initially appear tragic. This reality is the central "hub" of our understanding. But connected to this hub are several spokes of truth, and we find one here in the Book of Jeremiah.

In context, God is telling Jeremiah that the Nation of Judah, which had rebelled against the Lord for many years, was about to be rooted out, pulled down, destroyed, and thrown down. They were going to be conquered and captured by the Babylonians. If you were Jeremiah or any other Jewish man or woman at the time, this would have been a hard message to hear. Most likely, this meant you'd be forced to live out the rest of your life as a captive in a foreign land, far away from home.

But notice what God goes on to say. After telling Jeremiah about tearing down and uprooting Judah, He mentions that it's so He can build and plant something once again. In other words, although the Lord was willing to allow bad things to happen to Judah, it was for their greater good. God's desire was to give them a new beginning, but before He could, He had to remove what was already in the way: their disobedience and defiance. Any gardener or builder understands this. You need to do demo work before you can refurbish, and you need to purge before you can plant.

Often, we experience the first half of this equation, and it all seems so bad. We have a hard time understanding why God would allow things that uproot us or tear us down. But according to His Word, that's just the first step in a sequence that leads to something better in the end. If you're feeling torn down or plucked up, rest in knowing that God is likely removing things that are bad so that He can replace them with that which is good.

[Need2Know]

March 13, 2012

It's not how you start

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it...to bring some of the children of Israel...to serve in the king's palace...among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel. Daniel 1:1-6 (NKJV)


At some point during his teenage years, Daniel was forcibly ripped away from his home, his culture, and his family. He was one of the young Israelites who was kidnapped by the King of Babylon, whose army swiftly swooped in and robbed Jerusalem of its spoils. Instead of growing up as most young men did, he would be forced to serve a foreign king in a foreign land. It was not the way you want to start out your life!




Before we go any further, pretend this was your story. Pretend you're the one whose life has just been turned totally upside down. Imagine how this situation must seem on the surface...how wrong and skewed all of this is. What possible good could come from being abducted and enslaved by an unmerciful and ungodly king?




When we read the rest of Daniel's story, however, we see that this seemingly tragic beginning was just the first act. A steady stream of good came as the result of Daniel being taken into Babylon. By being in the king's court, Daniel was strategically situated to burn brightly for the Lord, declaring His truth and His righteousness in the least likely of places. The Lord used Daniel there in an unprecedented way, even to the point of influencing King Nebuchadnezzar, the very man who had kidnapped him, to surrender to God's authority (Daniel 4).




Moreover, Daniel's status in the Babylonian Kingdom enabled him to produce and preserve a series of prophetic visions God gave him. Those visions, found throughout the book that bears his name, serve as the "prophetic backbone" of our understanding of End Times events.




All things work together for the good of those who love God. That probably didn't seem to ring true as Daniel was shackled and marched away from all that was familiar to him and toward all that was foreign. But as his story progresses, and as our stories progress, God's greater purposes prevail, and the good He produces eclipses all that seems bad.

[Need2Know]

March 14, 2012

Forgiving our unfaithfulness

The LORD said to Hosea: "Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry ...for the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the LORD." Hosea 1:2 (NKJV)


God ordained a very unique path for the Prophet Hosea. At the outset of his ministry, the Lord told him to marry a woman who would prove to be unfaithful to him. Through this marriage, God knew that Hosea would come to experience the particular pain produced by the sin of adultery. Moreover, the Lord also told Hosea to forgive his wife's unfaithfulness and to lovingly pursue her (Hosea 3:1).

Now, this obviously makes us stop and ask a few questions. Why would God work this way in this instance? Why put Hosea through something so hurtful? How does this square with the Lord's loving nature? Isn't this a clear contradiction of His goodness? How can a righteous God be the author of something so wrong?

But if there's one thing we see over and over in God's Word, it's how He can take things that initially appear evil and re-purpose them into something indescribably good. Hosea's call to marry a wanton woman is no exception, because God would use this real-life example of infidelity and forgiveness to reveal the endless depth of His own love for His people.

On an infinitely greater scale, Israel had been unfaithful to her God. She'd turned her back on Him and committed spiritual adultery with other gods. Yet despite all of this, the God of Israel was willing to forgive her and take her back as His bride. He would even lovingly pursue her despite what she's done to Him...just as He'd commanded Hosea to do.

Hosea' relationship with his wife serves as an invaluable illustration of how much the Lord loves His people. Whenever we fail and make a mess of things, whenever we question God's willingness to forgive us, Hosea reminds us of God's everlasting love and His willingness to forgive our spiritual unfaithfulness. But a love like this doesn't give us a license to sin; it actually gives us motivation to forsake sin.

In the Lord's hands, all things do work together for good...including the harlotry of Hosea's wife.

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March 15, 2012

An unexpected answer

The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw. "O LORD, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear?" Habakkuk 1:1-2 (NKJV)

If you've ever been bothered, bugged, or burdened by the things going on around you; if you've ever cried out to God in confusion and asked Him why He was letting something happen; if you've ever wrestled with the Lord's apparent apathy and ambivalence; then you can relate to Habakkuk.

He begins his book by pointing out the injustices taking place throughout the land of Judah. "Lord, everywhere I look there's dishonesty, there's fighting, there's lawlessness, there's wickedness...what's a righteous man like me supposed to do?" he asked. God answered Habakkuk, but not the way the Prophet expected.

The Lord agreed that Judah was infected with sin and needed to be healed. But instead of healing from within, God told Habakkuk He would cure Judah with something from outside. He would raise up the Babylonians to punish the people of Judah (Habakkuk 1:7-10).

Again, that's not what Habakkuk expected or even wanted to hear. At this point in time, the sins of Judah were nothing compared to the cruelty and corruption of the Babylonians. Habakkuk questioned how God could ever use such unholy people for His holy purposes (Habakkuk 1:12-17).

And yet, that's exactly what God did. He used a nation that was historically evil in order to accomplish something good. The Babylonians would interrupt Judah's spiritual slide by taking her captive and forcing her into exile. But through that painful experience, which lasted seventy years, the people of Judah would finally forsake many of the sins they indulged in when they were free. In essence, their physical bondage brought spiritual freedom.

God knew what He was doing when He used something that seemed so bad (Babylon) to accomplish something so good (Judah's cleansing). We need to keep this on the forefront of our minds because sooner or later, God is going to do something similar involving us. He's going to use something that looks bad to accomplish something good in our lives. Why? Because He utilizes all things, including the bad, for our good.

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March 16, 2012

Crisis is a catalyst

There was a certain nobleman whose son was sick...he went to Him [Jesus] and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. John 4:46-47 (NKJV)

Imagine you're the nobleman in this passage. Your beloved son is seriously sick; in fact, he's on the brink of dying. Helplessness and hopelessness begin to overwhelm you. But then you hear that there's a Man about twenty miles away who has a reputation for miraculously healing people. His name is Jesus, and you pursue Him in hopes of convincing Him to come heal your son.

The clock is ticking, and after an anxious journey you finally find yourself face to face with Jesus. You share your need and ask Him to return with you to your son's bedside. But Jesus' answer catches you off guard, "Go on back home. Your son is OK."

This father takes Jesus at His word, turns around, and makes the return trip home. Along the way, some of his servants intercept him with good news, "Your son has been healed!" He asks when this happened, and it becomes clear the healing occurred at the same time Jesus pronounced his son to be well, over twenty miles away! In response, the nobleman and his entire household believe in Jesus, recognizing He's much more than a mere man (John 4:53).

Now notice the progression. The crisis of the son's sickness became the catalyst for spiritual salvation. If the son had never gotten sick, then the nobleman and his household would not have placed their faith in Jesus. But because the son was so close to death, a chain reaction was set off that eventually led not only to the physical blessing of physical healing, but the eternal blessing of eternal salvation through faith in Christ.

Crisis is often the catalyst God uses to accomplish His good-and greater works in our lives. It comes to us as an unwelcome guest but fulfills a key role as the Lord uses it to work all things together for our good.

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Blessed blindness

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. John 9:1 (NKJV)

Few things in the ancient world were as debilitating as being born blind. Keep in mind that the social structure was an agrarian one. In order to be self-sustaining, you had to labor out in the fields harvesting crops or tending livestock. It was hard work that required all of your senses, especially sight.

So to be born into this time and culture without the benefit of eyesight was to be born with a serious disadvantage. In fact, almost everyone assumed blindness was a form of divine judgment. Even the disciples asked Jesus if this man's condition was the result of his own sin or some sin committed by his parents. Jesus' answer can't be missed:

"Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him." John 9:3 (NKJV)

Far from being the evidence God's judgment, this man's blindness actually played an important purpose in God's plans. Jesus declared that this condition, which seemed to bear every sign of being wrong, would be used by God to reveal His works. That was a truly remarkable statement, because nobody else saw anything good about this man's blindness.

Yet as the story unfolds, this man's lifelong condition becomes the perfect backdrop for Jesus to demonstrate His power-not only to heal physical blindness but to give spiritual sight as the Light of the Word (John 9:3-5). In the end, the man born blind received his physical sight. But the greater blessing was that he was given spiritual sight and salvation by seeing Jesus for who He truly is.

God was able to take this man's blindness and turn it into a blessing. And this blessing has an ongoing effect, because countless people over the past 2,000 years have received their own spiritual sight as they've read this story. The Light of the world continues to shine through the account of this man, whose condition had caused many to write him off.

Don't make that mistake in your own life or in the lives of others. Recognize God's capability to bring forth a blessing out of all things, even blindness.

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March 21, 2012

Positive product

At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem. Acts 8:1 (NKJV)


Yesterday, we looked at the stoning of Stephen and its long-term effect on a man named Saul, who would eventually become known as Paul the Apostle. Stephen's stoning had another effect in the short-term that we see in Acts Chapter 8: It sparked a wildfire of persecution against the Christian Church, which was centered in the city of Jerusalem. This seems pretty negative, doesn't it?


But we need to back up and consider something before we place this persecution against the Church in the negative column. In the beginning of the Book of Acts, just before ascending into Heaven, Jesus told His Church their mission would be to live as witnesses for Him in Jerusalem, in the surrounding regions of Judea and Samaria, and even to the edges of the known world (Acts 1:8).


At the point of this persecution, the Church's presence and influence had been mainly confined to Jerusalem, and it hadn't fulfilled the greater scope of its mission. Now watch what we're told happens on the heels of the Church being persecuted:


And they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria... Acts 8:1 (NKJV)


Persecution pushed the Christian believers outward from Jerusalem, out toward Judea and Samaria. The faith of these believers would continue to spread and eventually reach the uttermost parts of the world. Had this persecution not happened, Christianity probably would have remained an obscure sect within the walls of Jerusalem, lacking any global impact. But as the winds of persecution blew, the seeds of the Gospel were scattered far beyond its birthplace, even to the ends of the earth.


A tremendous positive was produced by an event that initially seemed negative. True to God's nature, He was able to take the persecution aimed at His people and transform it into something that was good for them and for the rest of the world. Store this truth away in your heart for the next time you're attacked, because despite initial appearances, God has a way of producing something positive from our persecution.

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March 22, 2012

Multiplication by division

Being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they [Paul and Barnabas] went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God...They also had John as their assistant. Acts 13:4-5 (NKJV)

As the Christian Church began to extend it's reach into the known world, the Holy Spirit sends Paul and Barnabas on a special mission to share the Gospel in the area of Asia Minor. They take along a young man named John, or John-Mark, to assist them in their travels.

This was uncharted territory, full of dangers both spiritually and physically. About mid-way into their adventure, John-Mark leaves Paul and Barnabas. We're not given the exact details as to why, but it seems like John-Mark quit because the challenges got to him as the going got tougher. We surmise this because a little later on, Paul and Barnabas plan another journey, and Paul refuses to take John-Mark along (Acts 15:38). If John-Mark couldn't handle the pressure before, why take a chance on him again?

Barnabas thought differently; he wanted to take John-Mark along. The two men were so divided on this issue that they parted ways. Barnabas took John-Mark with him on a journey to the west, and Paul took a man named Silas on another journey to the east. On the surface, this didn't look good. Two of the most important leaders of the Church were divided, and they took off in different directions.

Yet beneath the surface, their division was multiplying the Church's effectiveness. Now, instead of having just one team of missionaries, there were two teams, and one was having an impact to the west while the other was having an impact to the east. The Church's effectiveness was multiplied by division.

That really shouldn't come as a shock to us because as we've seen all along, God has a wonderful way of taking things that look bad on the surface and working with them in such a way that they yield a deeper and more lasting good. Let that be an encouragement to you as you entrust all of your experiences into His hands.

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March 23, 2012

Imprisoned for a purpose

Then the multitude rose up together against them [Paul and Silas]; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison... Acts 16:22-23 (NKJV)

As Paul and Silas carried the message of the Gospel into new territory, one of their new destinations was the city of Philippi. At first the men were well received, but before long, they fell out of favor with the local authorities. In fact, they were beaten and thrown into prison.

If we were in their position, the temptation would be to question God's fairness and goodness in letting this happen. After all, here they were, well out of their comfort zone, going through the rigors of traveling to a distant place, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, being sacrificial in every way, and this is what they get for it? It really doesn't seem like a good deal.

As the story progresses, we read that an earthquake struck the prison that very night, causing all the doors to be opened and all the chains to be snapped apart! Instead of escaping, Paul and Silas stayed put, sensing there was a divine purpose behind them being there. The jailer was startled from his sleep, saw the shambles the prison was in and assumed everyone had escaped. In that time and culture, a prisoner's escape meant the death penalty for the jailer, so the jailer of the prison went to kill himself (Acts 16:26-27).

Just then, Paul yelled out from the rubble and told the jailer they hadn't escaped, and that there was no need to take his life. Seeing how God used the earthquake to destroy the prison, and impressed by Paul and Silas' decision to stay put, the jailer asked them what was needed in order to be saved. The Gospel was shared, the jailer and his household received it, and eternal salvation came to a place it hadn't been before (Acts 16:28-32).

At first, it seemed as though God's fairness and goodness had failed. Yet in time, in God's time, we see a great and glorious demonstration of His power and prerogative to work everything together for good.

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March 26, 2012

Saul's assaults

For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. Galatians 1:13 (NKJV)

If you were a Christian during New Testament times, back when the first few chapters of the Books of Acts were unfolding, the name "Saul of Tarsus" would have sent a shiver down your spine. He, more than any other individual, was fully committed to doing whatever it took to eradicate all that you stood for.

There were no limits to what he would do to make sure this new faith, which had its basis in his beloved Judaism, was wiped off the earth. In his very own words, his persecution was beyond measure, and total destruction was his only goal.

We know that Saul was miraculously transformed into Paul the Apostle. But if you were a Christian living before his conversion, you would probably wish he'd never been born. Perhaps you would have known some of the men, women, and children that he'd persecuted. Maybe your own family would have been broken by his hand. At any rate, it must have been hard to see Saul's assaults as anything but bad.

But notice what Paul writes many years later regarding his persecutions:

"I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy...and the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus...for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life." 1 Timothy 1:12-16 (NKJV)

In reflecting back on his past persecutions as Saul, Paul saw how God took what seemed evil and worked it for good. By saving, forgiving, and using him, after all he'd done, God demonstrated that nobody is beyond His mercy and grace. It's as if He said, "I'm going to take the least deserving sinner and work in his life so everyone out there can have hope."

And we do have hope, because our hope is in the One who can even use Saul's assaults to convey His matchless mercy and great grace.

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The Real Thing

A church in Naperville, Illinois, is basking in excitement about its brand-new bells in the belfry above its sanctuary. When the church was built many years ago, they didn’t have the money to purchase bells. However, for its 25th anniversary they were able to raise the funds to hang three bells in the vacant space. Even though they are stunning, there is one problem: the congregation will never hear the bells ring. Although they look real, they are artificial.

The apostle John wrote his first epistle to encourage believers not to just look like real Christians, but to prove they are genuine by how they live. The evidence that a person’s faith is real is not found in some mystical experience with God. The proof that people truly know and love God is found in submitting to His authority and to His Word. John writes, “But whoever keeps His Word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:5-6).

If we claim that we have been transformed by the gospel and intimately know and love God, we should validate it by our obedience to His Word.

Don’t listen to the Word of God and then ignore what you have heard; instead obey God’s will for you—be doers of the Word. — Obedience to God is an expression of our love for God.

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March 28, 2012

Definition of terms

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

At this point in our study, it's important for us to do some defining. When you stretch Romans 8:28 out from end to end, the word "good" seems to be the one that ties it all together. So we agree that "good" is important, and we've been using this word frequently and freely...but how well do we understand what it means?

What determines whether or not something is good? As humans, we have our own definition of good: a shiny new car, a five-star meal, or a trip to Hawaii. But it's God's definition that counts, and we get God's definition of "good" in the very next verse:

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:29 (NKJV)

Connect the dots here: God works all things together for "good" for those who love Him and who He has called. But those who He has called have been predestined to be conformed into the image of God's Son, Jesus. God isn't going to work in our lives in a way that makes us less like His Son. Not at all. His work is to make us more like Him. So the "good" that God accomplishes in our lives is also going to have the effect of making us more like Jesus. That's the real definition of "good."

It's important we remember this because if our definition of "good" is off, if we're thinking in terms of a new car, a five-star meal, or a trip to Hawaii, then we're going to be disappointed when that doesn't happen. And we may be tempted to doubt the reality of Romans 8:28.

However, when we define "good" as God does-as anything that conforms us into Christ's image-then we'll we this verse faithfully fulfilled, as our lives resemble less of us and more of Him.