Category Archives: Sin

All Powerful / King of All, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Humility, Learning To Pray Effectively, Purposeful / Intentional, Unteachable / Foolish, Wise, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

When You Come Before God… Listen More; Talk Less

The writer of Ecclesiastes, commonly accepted as Solomon, has much wisdom to share. We do well to take our time and digest it fully rather than quickly scan over it in our hurry to get on with our day. In chapter 5, he addresses several elements of our attitude toward YHWH.

If we reflect on his first example, we probably realize we have a lot to learn and change in our walk with YHWH. Typically today most of us come to YHWH with a list of things we want to talk to him about or ask for him to help us. We often jump right in. Solomon cautions us to remember who is the LORD and who is the servant. Let us approach the LORD with an attitude to listen and learn, to submit and obey. Let us take care to have few words and listen more.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-9

Your Attitude Toward God

     1Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. 2Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few. 3For the dream comes through much effort and the voice of a fool through many words.

      4When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! 5It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. 6Do not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands? 7For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God.

      8If you see oppression of the poor and denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be shocked at the sight; for one official watches over another official, and there are higher officials over them. 9After all, a king who cultivates the field is an advantage to the land.

I definitely would do well to put more focus on listening to my LORD before even asking him for those things with which I am seeking his help.

The second matter is also very important. We should be careful in making vows to the LORD and if we do, we should fulfill them. We should not make excuses. We should take care and fear YHWH. Their is often a tendency to overlook this instruction in the Bible. We tend to characterize YHWH as “love” as if that means we should not revere and in some ways fear him. We should recognize and respect that he is the one who is over our life and our life after death. We should take seriously the desire to please him as a loyal servant would their master.

Verses 8-9 are interesting. I need to dig a little deeper to fully chase that meaning. That is one thing I love about God’s written word… there is always more depth we can search for (like treasure) if we have the will to do so!

My first impression leans into a comparison of the LORD as the king. It is good to have the king who desires to cultivate the land, to be involved in our lives. However, there are clearly examples of oppression and denial of justice because of the people who have authority under him in certain areas. Witnessing unrighteousness does not mean there is not a righteous LORD who is in charge of all. It simply means that there are some wicked people who do not truly submit to and follow him.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Guide, Obeying God, Protector / Deliverer

The Fool Has Said in His Heart There Is No God

It is folly for man to reject God, and man left to his own folly inevitably embraces wickedness. It is not complicated. There is a Creator who made everything. He gives us an instruction book in the Bible. He tells us what is good and what is evil. His instructions are based on loving God and loving one another.

Matthew 22:38-40

38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

When we reject God and follow after our own path we end in sin and selfishness… in wickedness and folly.

Psalm 53

For the choir director; according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David.

      1The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God,”
They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice;
There is no one who does good.

      2God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there is anyone who understands,
Who seeks after God.

      3Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
There is no one who does good, not even one.

      4Have the workers of wickedness no knowledge,
Who eat up My people as though they ate bread
And have not called upon God?

      5There they were in great fear where no fear had been;
For God scattered the bones of him who encamped against you;
You put them to shame, because God had rejected them.

      6Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores His captive people,
Let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

We each must choose a path… do we trust and obey in Jehovah and seek Him through Jesus Christ? or do we choose our own way?  One way is narrow and leads to life, and the other is broad and looks “fun” and leads to destruction.

Deuteronomy 11:26-28

  26“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today; 28and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known.

Matthew 7:13-14

13“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Which path will you choose? Once on the path, will you remain at the gate, or follow along the journey to grow closer to Christ? Just like the metaphor of the narrow path, to travel farther on this path we must wake up each day and decide in which direction we will travel that day. As trials and struggles come against us, we must choose to continue to move down that path. This is how we invite God to transform our lives and make us more like Jesus Christ. It is a journey of many small steps rather than a believer being magically changed all at once. It is a journey that lasts a lifetime and we never “finish” the journey, but it transforms us along the way!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Place Your Trust in God Above All Else

Life can be challenging.  We can get absorbed in trying to solve our problems without God. When God provides guidance to us about a situation, we need to let go of our anxiety and stop trying to solve things our way and trust in Him.

Think about the Israelites when they refused to go into the promised land of Canaan because they were intimidated by the “giants” there.  God would have given them victory. Instead, they got 40 years of delay in the wilderness.

That same group, as they were leaving to go back to the wilderness,  decided to attack now against God’s direction to avoid the extra time in the wilderness and they were soundly defeated.

It can be hard and very uncomfortable, but we need to learn to tune into and trust God.

Jeremiah 46 shares an example where the people put their trust in Pharaoh rather than God to protect them from the Babylonians. They disobeyed the word of God through Jeremiah to stay in Israel and fled to Egypt instead.

God was not pleased and showed it by planning for Pharaoh to be defeated. He was going to show His people in whom they should put their trust. (Hint: It is Him!)

Jeremiah 46

Defeat of Pharaoh Foretold

      1That which came as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.

      2To Egypt, concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was by the Euphrates River at Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

      3“Line up the shield and buckler,
And draw near for the battle!

      4“Harness the horses,
And mount the steeds,
And take your stand with helmets on!
Polish the spears,
Put on the scale-armor!

      5“Why have I seen it?
They are terrified,
They are drawing back,
And their mighty men are defeated
And have taken refuge in flight,
Without facing back;
Terror is on every side!”
Declares the LORD.

      6Let not the swift man flee,
Nor the mighty man escape;
In the north beside the river Euphrates
They have stumbled and fallen.

      7Who is this that rises like the Nile,
Like the rivers whose waters surge about?

      8Egypt rises like the Nile,
Even like the rivers whose waters surge about;
And He has said, “I will rise and cover that land;
I will surely destroy the city and its inhabitants.”

      9Go up, you horses, and drive madly, you chariots,
That the mighty men may march forward:
Ethiopia and Put, that handle the shield,
And the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.

      10For that day belongs to the Lord GOD of hosts,
A day of vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes;
And the sword will devour and be satiated
And drink its fill of their blood;
For there will be a slaughter for the Lord GOD of hosts,
In the land of the north by the river Euphrates.

      11Go up to Gilead and obtain balm,
O virgin daughter of Egypt!
In vain have you multiplied remedies;
There is no healing for you.

      12The nations have heard of your shame,
And the earth is full of your cry of distress;
For one warrior has stumbled over another,
And both of them have fallen down together.

      13This is the message which the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to smite the land of Egypt:

      14“Declare in Egypt and proclaim in Migdol,
Proclaim also in Memphis and Tahpanhes;
Say, ‘Take your stand and get yourself ready,
For the sword has devoured those around you.’

      15“Why have your mighty ones become prostrate?
They do not stand because the LORD has thrust them down.

      16“They have repeatedly stumbled;
Indeed, they have fallen one against another.
Then they said, ‘Get up! And let us go back
To our own people and our native land
Away from the sword of the oppressor.’

      17“They cried there, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a big noise;
He has let the appointed time pass by!’

      18“As I live,” declares the King
Whose name is the LORD of hosts,
“Surely one shall come who looms up like Tabor among the mountains,
Or like Carmel by the sea.

      19“Make your baggage ready for exile,
O daughter dwelling in Egypt,
For Memphis will become a desolation;
It will even be burned down and bereft of inhabitants.

      20“Egypt is a pretty heifer,
But a horsefly is coming from the north—it is coming!

      21“Also her mercenaries in her midst
Are like fattened calves,
For even they too have turned back and have fled away together;
They did not stand their ground.
For the day of their calamity has come upon them,
The time of their punishment.

      22“Its sound moves along like a serpent;
For they move on like an army
And come to her as woodcutters with axes.

      23“They have cut down her forest,” declares the LORD;
“Surely it will no more be found,
Even though they are now more numerous than locusts
And are without number.

      24“The daughter of Egypt has been put to shame,
Given over to the power of the people of the north.”

      25The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says, “Behold, I am going to punish Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh, and Egypt along with her gods and her kings, even Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26“I shall give them over to the power of those who are seeking their lives, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of his officers. Afterwards, however, it will be inhabited as in the days of old,” declares the LORD.

      27“But as for you, O Jacob My servant, do not fear,
Nor be dismayed, O Israel!
For, see, I am going to save you from afar,
And your descendants from the land of their captivity;
And Jacob will return and be undisturbed
And secure, with no one making him tremble.

      28“O Jacob My servant, do not fear,” declares the LORD,
“For I am with you.
For I will make a full end of all the nations
Where I have driven you,
Yet I will not make a full end of you;
But I will correct you properly
And by no means leave you unpunished.”

Spend time in prayer and reflection asking God to show you any areas of your life where you are putting your trust in something other than Him. This could be money or a job or a spouse or parent. It could be many things.

Give thanks to God for who He is and how He provides for us. Ask Him to help you fully trust in Him.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Protector / Deliverer, Slow to Anger, Through Prophets

When God Rebukes You, Don’t Miss the Message!

Have you ever felt that God was giving you a message for something He wanted you to do? Did you ever talk yourself out of it, if it was something you really felt uncomfortable doing on your own?  This message is for you.

After God brought the Babylonians to conquer Judah as punishment for the people worshipping other gods and not following God’s law and instructions… He gathered a remnant together to remain in Judah.

The people became afraid to remain in Judah, fearing Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon would do them harm. They decided in their wisdom to go to Egypt for protection. Yes, the same Egypt they once relied on to prevent Babylon from conquering them in the first place.

Spoiler alert: It did not work the first time. Pharaoh’s  army was beaten by the Babylonians (and God who was using the Babylonians at this time).

The remnant is making a mistake we all are vulnerable to if we are not careful. When we hear from God, sometimes He will call us to to things we are very uncomfortable doing. We need to trust Him and obey.

In the case of Jeremiah 44, the remnant was getting a second chance, after the first judgment God inflicted on them. They missed the message. They made excuses and tied the problems and defeat they faced to their failure to worship the false gods enough, rather than their failure to follow the one true God.

It sure feels like they are about to get a second helping of God’s correction and judgment because they refuse to hear His message and obey.

Jeremiah 44

Conquest of Egypt Predicted

      1The word that came to Jeremiah for all the Jews living in the land of Egypt, those who were living in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and the land of Pathros, saying, 2“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘You yourselves have seen all the calamity that I have brought on Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are in ruins and no one lives in them, 3because of their wickedness which they committed so as to provoke Me to anger by continuing to burn sacrifices and to serve other gods whom they had not known, neither they, you, nor your fathers. 4‘Yet I sent you all My servants the prophets, again and again, saying, “Oh, do not do this abominable thing which I hate.” 5‘But they did not listen or incline their ears to turn from their wickedness, so as not to burn sacrifices to other gods. 6‘Therefore My wrath and My anger were poured out and burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, so they have become a ruin and a desolation as it is this day. 7‘Now then thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, “Why are you doing great harm to yourselves, so as to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, from among Judah, leaving yourselves without remnant, 8provoking Me to anger with the works of your hands, burning sacrifices to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you are entering to reside, so that you might be cut off and become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? 9“Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10“But they have not become contrite even to this day, nor have they feared nor walked in My law or My statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.”’

      11“Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am going to set My face against you for woe, even to cut off all Judah. 12‘And I will take away the remnant of Judah who have set their mind on entering the land of Egypt to reside there, and they will all meet their end in the land of Egypt; they will fall by the sword and meet their end by famine. Both small and great will die by the sword and famine; and they will become a curse, an object of horror, an imprecation and a reproach. 13‘And I will punish those who live in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine and with pestilence. 14‘So there will be no refugees or survivors for the remnant of Judah who have entered the land of Egypt to reside there and then to return to the land of Judah, to which they are longing to return and live; for none will return except a few refugees.’”

      15Then all the men who were aware that their wives were burning sacrifices to other gods, along with all the women who were standing by, as a large assembly, including all the people who were living in Pathros in the land of Egypt, responded to Jeremiah, saying, 16“As for the message that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we are not going to listen to you! 17“But rather we will certainly carry out every word that has proceeded from our mouths, by burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, just as we ourselves, our forefathers, our kings and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had plenty of food and were well off and saw no misfortune. 18“But since we stopped burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have met our end by the sword and by famine.” 19“And,” said the women, “when we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?”

Calamity for the Jews

      20Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and women—even to all the people who were giving him such an answer—saying, 21“As for the smoking sacrifices that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your forefathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them and did not all this come into His mind? 22“So the LORD was no longer able to endure it, because of the evil of your deeds, because of the abominations which you have committed; thus your land has become a ruin, an object of horror and a curse, without an inhabitant, as it is this day. 23“Because you have burned sacrifices and have sinned against the LORD and not obeyed the voice of the LORD or walked in His law, His statutes or His testimonies, therefore this calamity has befallen you, as it has this day.”

      24Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including all the women, “Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt, 25thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, as follows: ‘As for you and your wives, you have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, “We will certainly perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.” Go ahead and confirm your vows, and certainly perform your vows!’ 26“Nevertheless hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who are living in the land of Egypt, ‘Behold, I have sworn by My great name,’ says the LORD, ‘never shall My name be invoked again by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “As the Lord GOD lives.” 27‘Behold, I am watching over them for harm and not for good, and all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will meet their end by the sword and by famine until they are completely gone. 28‘Those who escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number. Then all the remnant of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to reside there will know whose word will stand, Mine or theirs. 29‘This will be the sign to you,’ declares the LORD, ‘that I am going to punish you in this place, so that you may know that My words will surely stand against you for harm.’ 30“Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I am going to give over Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt to the hand of his enemies, to the hand of those who seek his life, just as I gave over Zedekiah king of Judah to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy and was seeking his life.’”

When God tells you to do something, even if it is hard, confirm it with His word and then do it. If He rebukes you and gives you a second chance… don’t miss the message again!

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Unteachable / Foolish, Wise

Reject Oppression and Embrace True Wisdom

Ecclesiastes can certainly come across as depressing and discouraging. It helps to keep in mind the ultimate conclusion that the book is leading up to. The context is an old Solomon, wise and rich in splendor as king over his lifetime. He is reflecting back on the meaning of life. He ultimately concludes the following:

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

    13The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

It is with this conclusion in mind that it helps to drive home the meaning of the whole book as we read it. Ultimately everything falls short of real significance except fearing God and keeping his commandments.

Ecclesiastes 4

The Evils of Oppression

     1Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them. 2So I congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living. 3But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.

      4I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind. 5The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh. 6One hand full of rest is better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind.

      7Then I looked again at vanity under the sun. 8There was a certain man without a dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches and he never asked, “And for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of pleasure?” This too is vanity and it is a grievous task.

      9Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. 10For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. 11Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? 12And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

      13A poor yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction. 14For he has come out of prison to become king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom. 15I have seen all the living under the sun throng to the side of the second lad who replaces him. 16There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them, and even the ones who will come later will not be happy with him, for this too is vanity and striving after wind.

There are a collection of gems of wisdom in this chapter, all of which are worthy of reflection and prayerful consideration for application in our own lives today. Some that strike me…

  • Oppression is very bad.
  • Empty rivalry is worthless.
  • Two working together are better than one.
  • A poor wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer receives instruction

Take time to reflect on these truths and pray God shows you application in your life. Where might this wisdom shed light on things you need to change in your life?

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Arrogance, Humility, Psalms, Wickedness / Evil

Resist Boasting in Wickedness! (Psalm 52)

In whom shall we boast? What power do we have to control and even influence our lives that has not been allowed us by our heavenly Father.

If I am wise or strong, did this not come from Yahweh as He made me? Should I not trust in Him for all things? Let us be planted in the house of God forever, trusting in His loving kindness and not boasting in ourselves.

We certainly should not be boasting about wickedness in which we go against the ways of God!

Psalm 52

Futility of Boastful Wickedness.

For the choir director. A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

     1Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?
The lovingkindness of God endures all day long.

      2Your tongue devises destruction,
Like a sharp razor, O worker of deceit.

      3You love evil more than good,
Falsehood more than speaking what is right.

Selah.

      4You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.

      5But God will break you down forever;
He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent,
And uproot you from the land of the living.

Selah.

      6The righteous will see and fear,
And will laugh at him, saying,

      7“Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge,
But trusted in the abundance of his riches
And was strong in his evil desire.”

      8But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.

      9I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it,
And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.

Praise to our loving Father who created all things, including each of us! How wonderful that He loves us. I will trust in Him rather than boast of my own works. There is nothing I can do that He did not first grant me the ability to do.  I will seek Him as my refuge. All honor and glory to Him!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Obeying God, Prophecy, Through Prophets

Do Not Ignore God to Do What Seems Right to You

Do what the LORD says. Do not try to take matters into your own hands. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, mind, and soul. Lean not on your own understanding and be not wise in your own eyes. Obey what God says.

After all the accurate prophecy that God shared through Jeremiah leading up to the Babylonian victory over the Israelites, they still would not listen to Jeremiah about what God told them to do.

They insisted on deciding based on what made sense to them and doing right in their own eyes to try to take control of the situation.

After reading Jeremiah 43, I am sure we can see where this approach will not work out well for them.

Jeremiah 43

In Egypt Jeremiah Warns of Judgment

      1But as soon as Jeremiah, whom the LORD their God had sent, had finished telling all the people all the words of the LORD their God—that is, all these words— 2Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You are not to enter Egypt to reside there’; 3but Baruch the son of Neriah is inciting you against us to give us over into the hand of the Chaldeans, so they will put us to death or exile us to Babylon.” 4So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces, and all the people, did not obey the voice of the LORD to stay in the land of Judah. 5But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took the entire remnant of Judah who had returned from all the nations to which they had been driven away, in order to reside in the land of Judah— 6the men, the women, the children, the king’s daughters and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, together with Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah— 7and they entered the land of Egypt (for they did not obey the voice of the LORD) and went in as far as Tahpanhes.

      8Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, 9“Take some large stones in your hands and hide them in the mortar in the brick terrace which is at the entrance of Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes, in the sight of some of the Jews; 10and say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am going to send and get Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and I am going to set his throne right over these stones that I have hidden; and he will spread his canopy over them. 11“He will also come and strike the land of Egypt; those who are meant for death will be given over to death, and those for captivity to captivity, and those for the sword to the sword. 12“And I shall set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt, and he will burn them and take them captive. So he will wrap himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself with his garment, and he will depart from there safely. 13“He will also shatter the obelisks of Heliopolis, which is in the land of Egypt; and the temples of the gods of Egypt he will burn with fire.”’”

Spend time in prayer and reflection. Are there areas in your life where you are not fully listening to and surrendering to God’s direction? Are you going your own way because it makes sense to you?

Ask God to help you make changes to fully rely on Him and do as He leads.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Complaining, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing

Do All Things Without Grumbling or Complaining

Once we choose to serve and follow Yeshua, let us do so without grumbling and complaining. Let us follow Him with rejoicing, even through tough circumstances. In this way, we will glorify Him all the more and set ourselves apart from the world.

Philippians 2:14-18

      14Do all things without grumbling or disputing; 15so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, 16holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. 17But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. 18You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.

Take time for personal prayer and reflection. Ask God to show you any areas where you are grumbling and complaining instead of finding joy. I have certainly experienced this (and still do, at times)!

Make an effort to focus on what is good and trust in God for the rest. Ask Him to help you. Sometimes it is also helpful to ask someone(s) you trust and know well to help bring to your attention when you are grumbling in a way that can challenge you to turn your attitude around toward rejoicing.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Holy / Set Apart, Purposeful / Intentional, Satan, Traditions / Holidays, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

Should a Follower of Christ Celebrate Halloween?

Far too often we just go along with whatever “everyone else” is doing when the holidays are concerned. We can always rationalize why many of the common “holidays” such as Halloween “are harmless” or even “an opportunity to participate so as to lead others to Christ”. However, never in scripture does God encourage us to in any way imitate the pagan celebrations of others as a way of “getting along with” or “blending in with” or even witnessing to non-believers. We are instead called to be set apart from pagan traditions and worship of false gods in every way. We are to do things only in God’s way. Being different is an important part of being a light to draw people to Christ. If those who follow Christ blend in with everyone else, why should any non-believers accept Christ and change their lives.

The following article is a good summary of Halloween, so I choose not to write my own. I recommend you pray for God to give you an open mind and test celebration of Halloween, not against what your church does or your family has done for generations, but against the word of God.

A few easy questions to ask yourself…  “Does celebrating this holiday honor God and point others to Him? Could it actually confuse others as to what Christ calls us to do and how He calls us to act? If I ignore traditions of men for a moment and test the holiday (and how it is celebrated) against scripture, is there any way I would ever reasonably conclude I should celebrate this based on the Bible itself?” Perhaps one final question, “If I am not sure it is good and honoring to God, should I skip it or celebrate it anyway?”

ChristianAnswers.net – Should Christians participate in Halloween?

The October 31st holiday that we today know as Halloween has strong roots in paganism and is closely connected with worship of the Enemy of this world, Satan. It is a holiday that generally glorifies the dark things of this world, rather than the light of Jesus Christ, The Truth.

Have you noticed how costumes and masks are getting generally more bloody, gory, and depraved each year? Unfortunately, the gruesome and grotesque and the occult are increasingly glorified in American society, not only on Halloween, but throughout the year in frequent horror movies and television programs.

My family does not celebrate it or participate in it. We do not believe that our children are “missing out,” and neither do they. Other days are used for costumes and parties. Happily, all of our children have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. We have found that Halloween provides an excellent time to remind our children that, as Christians, we are different, and not of this world (Heb. 11:13-16; 1 Pet. 2:11).

What about church “Harvest Festivals” held on October 31? Although we understand the rational and good intentions behind them, we don’t think they are the best approach. Our family tends to agree with the author of an article called “Are ‘Harvest Parties’ for Christians?” (written by a self-avowed former witch and now active Christian). Harvest parties on October 31 tend to assume that “our children need something to take the place of Halloween, since they won’t be participating in the secular and pagan celebrations. It suggests our kids are missing out on something. And indeed they are, if we allow them to spend Halloween in celebration.” There are better things to do on Halloween than partying.

Also, we need to teach our children that “the fight isn’t against occultists, non-Christians, Christians who feel differently than we about Halloween, or institutions that promote Halloween, but” “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12, NKJV).

Click the following link to read the full article: ChristianAnswers.net – Should Christians participate in Halloween?

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please lead Your people away from worldly celebrations that draw them in and lead them to embrace Your celebrations and Your ways. Help us to be set apart from the world, not blend in. Help give courage to those who struggle to break away due to family and emotional attachments to worldly holidays and celebrations. Help us to choose You first! Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Unteachable / Foolish, Wise

A Time For Everything

Ecclesiastes is a very interesting book in which Solomon reflects on his life and on what is significant and worth pursuing. As we read, we do well to keep in mind his final conclusion, stated in chapter 12. Understanding his conclusion helps us keep the other chapters of the book in the right context.

Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14

  13The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

With this conclusion in mind, then we can continue to read through each chapter and reflect on his wisdom and how it still applies in our lives today.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-10

A Time for Everything

     1There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—

      2A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

      3A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.

      4A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.

      5A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.

      6A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.

      7A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.

      8A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.

      9What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils? 10I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.