Tag Archives: choice

Fear, will you choose awe or terror? (Revelation 15) December 30, 2015

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Revelation 15

Set – Revelation 15-16

Go! – Revelation 15-18

Revelation 15
1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing: seven messengers with seven plagues—plagues that marked the end. With these the wrath of God reached its end.
2 And then I saw something like a sea made of glass mixed with fire flashing through it. Those who had been victorious over the beast, its image, and the number of its name were standing on the sea of glass, holding the harps of God in their hands. 3 As they stand and play their harps, they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.
Victors: Great and amazing are Your works,
Lord God, the All Powerful.
Right and true are Your ways,
King of all nations.
4 Who will not fear You, Lord?
Who will not glorify Your name?
Because You alone are holy,
all the nations will come
and worship before You,
For Your righteous judgments have been revealed.
5 After I had taken all this in, I looked again; and the inner part of the tabernacle of witness opened in heaven. 6 Out of the temple came seven messengers, clothed in pure linen, bright and shining, their chests clad in a golden sash, carrying seven plagues. 7 Then one of the four living creatures stepped over to give to the seven messengers seven golden bowls brimming with the wrath of God who lives throughout the ages. 8 The temple was full of the smoke billowing from the magnificent glory of God and from His power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven messengers accomplished their God-ordained end.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Let Me remind you again of the song the victors will sing as they stand on the sea of glass before the throne.
Great and amazing are Your works,
Lord God, the All Powerful.
Right and true are Your ways,
King of all nations.
Who will not fear You, Lord?
Who will not glorify Your name?
Because You alone are holy,
all the nations will come
and worship before You,
For Your righteous judgments have been revealed.

Right in the middle of that song you will find two questions. Who will not fear you, Lord? Who will not glorify your name? The answer is – no one. All the nations and every individual of all the nations will fear and worship Me.

But there are two kinds of fear. Everyone will experience one of those two types depending on whether you follow My precepts. The first type of fear is reserved for those who have not follow My ways. That type of fear and trembling comes because of fear of punishment. It equates to the horror of what will befall those damned to eternal punishment. Those who choose their own path choose eternal separation from Me. They choose to face the horror of eternity alone with no support, no love, no light, nothing. They will face eternity absorbed by the horror of complete isolation from their only source of hope, Me.

Think of the synonyms associated with this type of fear, the definition most people think about when they consider the word fear: dread, fright, alarm, panic, terror, trepidation. All negative terms that evoke that fight or fright reflex in you, except when you face My wrath, there will be no fight for I will already be victorious over evil and there will be no flight for there will be no escape from My wrath. There will be only the horror of what is to come forever for those who choose their own path.

But for those who choose to follow Me, there is another kind of fear. Seldom to you hear about that definition today, but My word uses the term “fear God” often. So what does it mean for those who follow Me? For that group, you do not fear punishment and the wrath those who follow their own way do. So what does it mean to fear Me? It means to tremble in awe and reverence.

Let Me give you a simple example. Suppose you had an opportunity to meet the president or the queen face to face. They are ordinary people, but have positions of great political power. You would probably put on your best clothes, make sure your hair is just right, brush your teeth and eat a breath mint or two before your appointment. As his or her staff members check you through the security measures, bring you to the outer offices and begin to move you through the spacial rooms toward your appointment, you probably begin to get a few butterflies. You may tremble a little thinking about the coming meeting. Your tongue might get a little thick and your palms a little sweaty and your fingers a little clumsy as the appointed time approaches. Maybe when you step forward to introduce yourself, you have a hard time getting your words straight because you’re in the presence of one of the most powerful political figures in the world.

That’s the fear My word talks about. Awe and reverence. But now imagine yourself entering the presence, not of a powerful political figure, but the presence of the Creator. The One who performed the miracle that gives you life. The One who put the universe and all its physics in place to hold everything together so you can enjoy the spendor of this vast universe. Imagine yourself coming into the presence of the One who truly holds the power of life and death. The One who cannot be bound by time because I am eternal. Can you begin to understand what fearing Me is all about, now?

Can you begin to understand what it means to enjoy the privelege of coming into My throne room in prayer? Do you understand the awe that comes from My loving you enough to walk in flesh for you? Do you begin to connect with that feeling of fear I want you to have when you come into My presence? I don’t want My followers to experience the negative side of fear, I want you to know and experience the awe and wonder and reverence of entering My presence. Fearing Me is the beginning of wisdom.

Remember, as the song of the redeemed says, everyone will fear Me. Which definition will you choose to embrace? Follow your own way and you will experience the fright, terror, and panic that comes as a part of My wrath. Follow Me and you can tremble with awe and reverence in My presence. You get to choose the path you will take. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Choose Christ (Romans 6:15-23) December 1, 2015

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Romans 6:15-23

Set – Romans 6-7

Go! – Romans 5-8

Romans 6:15-23
15 So what do we do now? Throw ourselves into lives of sin because we are cloaked in grace and don’t have to answer to the law? Absolutely not! 16 Doesn’t it make sense that if you sign yourself over as a slave, you will have to obey your master? The question before you is, What will be your master? Will it be sin—which will lead to certain death—or obedience—which will lead to a right and reconciled life? 17 Thank God that your slavery to sin has ended and that in your new freedom you pledged your heartfelt obedience to that teaching which was passed on to you. 18 The beauty of your new situation is this: now that you are free from sin, you are free to serve a different master, God’s redeeming justice.
19 Forgive me for using casual language to compensate for your natural weakness of human understanding. I want to be perfectly clear. In the same way you gave your bodily members away as slaves to corrupt and lawless living and found yourselves deeper in your unruly lives, now devote your members as slaves to right and reconciled lives so you will find yourselves deeper in holy living. 20 In the days when you lived as slaves to sin, you had no obligation to do the right thing. In that regard, you were free. 21 But what do you have to show from your former lives besides shame? The outcome of that life is death, guaranteed. 22 But now that you have been emancipated from the death grip of sin and are God’s slave, you have a different sort of life, a growing holiness. The outcome of that life is eternal life. 23 The payoff for a life of sin is death, but God is offering us a free gift—eternal life through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, the Liberating King.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

So once you thought you were free to do whatever you wanted but found you were slaves to your selfish desires that led to nowhere. Fulfilling those base desires in sinful ways are the road to death and you know it. They might bring temporary pleasure, but you know the pleasure doesn’t last and in the end you fall further into a pit of guilt and sorrow and slavery to those selfish desires. That path always leads to misery and death. But I give you a different path.

I offer you the path of righteousness and holiness. I offer you My sacrifice to cover the penalty for your sins. I offer you the free gift of eternal life. Paul talks in these words about slavery to one of two masters. You can choose slavery to self and sin which leads to eternal death or you can choose slavery to Me which leads to peace and eternal life.

The problem with the terms Paul uses in today’s culture is the negative connotation the word slavery brings. The term is correct, but remember in Paul’s day, most slaves volunteered their service to their masters as a permanent means of survival. There existed the aristocracy and the poor with not much in between. There was no middle class. You were rich or poor. You had fairly significant assets or lived in poverty hoping to eat the next day. And unlike today in the west, there existed few ways to break out of the caste in which you were born. The rich and their children remained rich, the poor and their children remained very poor.

Slavery indentured an individual and sometimes a family to the aristocracy, but it meant a home to live in, clothes to wear, and food to eat every day. In return, the family labored. Sometimes the labor was in fields, sometimes in homes, sometimes in the manufacture of goods or bookkeeping or through other varied skills. But in a time when bartering in the economy played as great a role as exchanging coins, slaves exchanged their labor for the necessities of life in a society in which jobs were often scarce.

Were some masters harsh to their slaves and servants? Yes. Most were not. Slavery existed as a way of life. Did I want slavery to be the means by which humankind existed? No. But neither did I want sin to exist in My world, but it does. In a flawed, sinful world slavery has existed as long as you have existed. And ultimately, you are slaves to your own selfish desires, sin, or you are slaves to a higher power, Me. One leads to death, the other leads to eternal life. Which sounds like the better deal to you?

So if eternal life is the better choice, why do so many think they know better than Me and choose to live by their own selfish path instead of living according to My will? The wise will choose the path to eternal life. Choose Me.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Judgment is for your actions (Ezekiel 18), September 2, 2015

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Ezekiel 18

Set – Ezekiel 18; Revelation 7

Go! – Ezekiel 17-19; Revelation 7

Ezekiel 18
1 The word of the Eternal came to me with a message.
Eternal One: 2 Why do you people continually quote this proverb about Israel:
Fathers have eaten sour grapes,
and their children’s teeth are set on edge?
3 As surely as I live, I, the Eternal Lord, declare you will not quote this proverb in Israel anymore. 4 For every living being belongs to Me—parent and child alike. You will die for your own sins, not because of what your ancestors did. 5 Imagine a righteous man who always does what is right: 6 First, he worships Me exclusively; he doesn’t feast at the heathen shrines atop mountains, nor does he worship idols as others do in Israel—he won’t even look at them! Second, he does not sleep with his neighbor’s wife or have sex with a woman when she is menstruating. 7 Third, he does not persecute or abuse anyone; he gives back a debtor’s collateral and does not seize poorer men’s property. Fourth, he tends to the poor; he clothes the naked and gives his bread to the hungry 8 and doesn’t charge those poor people who borrow from him interest or keep their profits. Fifth, he is law-abiding; he does not participate in wrong deeds and is fair toward all others. 9 Sixth, he is obedient to Me, living by My statutes and faithfully keeping My laws. This man who is righteous—he will surely live.
10-11 Now suppose this righteous man has a violent son. The son is a killer and does wicked things that the righteous father has never done: He worships other gods, feasting at the heathen shrines atop mountains. He defiles his neighbor’s wife. 12 He abuses the poor and persecutes the needy. He seizes property and keeps a debtor’s collateral. He looks up to breathless idols, worshiping them. He breaks the law and commits shocking deeds. 13 He charges those who borrow from him interest and makes excessive profits. Do you think the wicked son will live? Of course not! Because he has done all of these shocking things, he will be put to death, and it will be his own fault.
14 Now, suppose the wicked son has a son of his own, and this son watches his father’s vile lifestyle and chooses not to do as his father has done: 15 He worships Me exclusively; he doesn’t feast at the heathen shrines atop mountains, nor does he worship idols as others do in Israel—he won’t even look at them! He does not defile his neighbor’s wife. 16 He does not persecute or abuse anyone; he gives back a debtor’s collateral and does not seize poorer men’s properties. He tends to the poor; he clothes the naked, gives his bread to the hungry, 17 does not participate in wronging the poor, nor does he charge those who borrow from him interest or make excessive profit. He is obedient to Me, faithfully keeping My laws and living by My statutes. This man who is righteous will not die for his father’s sins. He will surely live. 18 But his father will surely die for his own wicked deeds—taking advantage of the poor, seizing property from poorer Israelites, and refusing to do good for his people.
19 So why do you ask, “Why is the son not also punished for his father’s guilt?” Don’t you see? The son did not commit his father’s sins. The son chose to do what is just and right by remembering and following My laws, so he will surely live. 20 The person who sins will die. The child will not be punished for the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent be punished for the guilt of the child. The righteous will be credited with righteousness. The wicked will be charged with wickedness.
21 But there is good news even for the wicked. If the wicked turn away from their sins, choose to uphold My laws, be honest, and live a righteous life, then they will surely live. They won’t die. 22 I won’t remember any of their previous wrongs against them because of the right things they have done. They will surely live. 23 Do I enjoy watching the wicked die? No. I, the Eternal One, would prefer for the wicked to stop doing the wrong things they do and live. 24 If the righteous stop doing what is right, choose the sinful path, and commit the shocking things the wicked do, do you think they will live? Certainly not! I won’t remember any of their righteous deeds because of all the unfaithful and wicked things they do. They will surely die.
25 You say, “The Lord’s way is not fair at all!” Hear Me, people of Israel: You think My way is unfair? You are the ones with unjust ways! 26 If a righteous person turns away from the right path and chooses to act wickedly, he will die for it. He will die because of the sin he committed. 27 But if a wicked person turns from the wicked path and chooses to be honest and live a righteous life, he will end up saving his life! 28 Because he thought about his wrongs and turned away from the wicked things he’d done, putting them behind him, then he will surely live. He will not die! 29 Yet the people of Israel continue to complain, “The Lord’s way is not fair at all!” You think My way is unfair, people of Israel? Don’t you think you are the ones with perverted ways?
30 Therefore, people of Israel, I will judge each of you according to what you have done. Repent! Turn from your wicked ways so that your sins do not trip you up! 31 Get rid of all your wicked ways! Acquire a new heart and a new spirit! Why would you choose to die, people of Israel? 32 I don’t enjoy watching anyone die, so turn back to Me and live!

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Ezekiel’s call to the people of Israel ends with this question, Why would you choose to die? It’s still the right question to ask yourself and all those around you. You have a choice. At the end of time, when I’ve come again to call an end to this decreped, sinful world, I will conduct a judgment on each individual. You will not answer for your parents lives, nor will you answer for what your children do. You will answer only for yourself. But I will judge you. You probably know where you stand with Me if you take a quick inventory of your heart. I don’t keep those secrets from you. But I can also put you into a right relationship with Me if you’ve drifted away. Just call on Me and then follow My directions. Pretty simple instructions. Not always easy in this world, but simple instructions to follow. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Two letters, two paths (Revelation 3:7-22), August 29, 2015

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Revelation 3:7-22

Set – Ezekiel 5; Revelation 3

Go! – Ezekiel 4-7; Revelation 3

Revelation 3:7-22
7 Write down My words, and send them to the messenger of the church in Philadelphia. “These are the words of the holy One, the true One, and the One who possesses the key of David, which opens the possibilities so that no one can shut them. The One who closes all options so that no one can open:
8 “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut. I have done this because you have limited strength, yet you have obeyed My word and have not denied My name. 9 Watch, and I will make those of the congregation of Satan—those who call themselves ‘Jews’ but are not because they lie—come before you penitent, falling at your feet. Then they will know how much I have loved you. 10 Because you have obeyed My instructions to endure and be patient, I will protect you from the time of trial which will come upon the whole earth and put everyone in it to the test. 11 I will soon return. Hold tight to what you have so that no one can take away your victor’s wreath.
12 “As for the one who conquers through faithfulness even unto death, I will plant that person as a pillar in the temple of My God, and that person will never have to leave the presence of God. Moreover, I will inscribe this person with the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, New Jerusalem—which descends out of heaven from My God—and My own new name.
13 “Let the person who is able to hear, listen to and follow what the Spirit proclaims to all the churches.”
Letter to Laodicea
14 Write down My words, and send them to the messenger of the church in Laodicea. “These are the words of the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of God’s creation:
15 “I know your works. You are neither cold with apathy nor hot with passion. It would be better if you were one or the other, but you are neither. 16 So because you are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 You claim, ‘I am rich, I have accumulated riches, and I need nothing’; but you do not realize that you are miserable, pathetic, poor, blind, and naked. 18 So here is what I suggest you do: buy true gold from Me (gold refined by fire so that you can be truly rich), white garments (to cover you so that you can keep the shame of your nakedness from showing), and eye ointment (to treat your eyes so that you may see clearly).
19 “Those I love I also correct and discipline. Therefore, be shamelessly committed to Me, and turn back. 20 Now pay attention; I am standing at the door and knocking. If any of you hear My voice and open the door, then I will come in to visit with you and to share a meal at your table, and you will be with Me.
21 “The one who conquers through faithfulness even unto death I will place next to Me on My throne, just as I Myself conquered and took a place of honor with My Father on His throne.
22 “Let the person who is able to hear, listen to and follow what the Spirit proclaims to all the churches.”

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The two letters, one to Philadephia and one to Laodicea, provide contrasts in the churches and in the choices you can make. The letters also give the two different outcomes for the choices you make. Those in Philadelphia chose to obey My commands and were commended for their faithfulness. Consequently, they will find themselves protected from the trials to come to all humanity at My final coming. They will escape the wrath I will bring on the world. They will find themselves transported to My temple in heaven to be in My presence forever.

The other choice looks like the church in Laodicea. You can, like them, choose a lukewarm life. Not quite the cold of apathy or the heat of passion, but just hanging around playing church. Attending. Pretending to love Me by saying the right words. Giving of a little of your time and treasure, but never so much at it would inconvenience you. Pretending to know Me, but only knowing about Me. Those I will spew out of My mouth. Those will have no part in My kingdom.

You can make those around you think everything is alright between us, but you and I know the real state of our relationship. Which choice have you made? Do you obey like those in Philadelphia or are you lukewarm like those in the church at Laodicea? You choose your path, your path determines your destiny. Two letters, two paths, two destinies. Make the right choice.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

God is love (1 John 4:7-21), August 23, 2015

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 1 John 4:7-21

Set – Jeremiah 32; 1 John 4

Go! – Jeremiah 31-32; 1 John 4

1 John 4:7-21
7 My loved ones, let us devote ourselves to loving one another. Love comes straight from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and truly knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
9 Because of this, the love of God is a reality among us: God sent His only Son into the world so that we could find true life through Him. 10 This is the embodiment of true love: not that we have loved God first, but that He loved us and sent His unique Son on a special mission to become an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 So, my loved ones, if God loved us so sacrificially, surely we should love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God with human eyes; but if we love one another, God truly lives in us. Consequently God’s love has accomplished its mission among us.
13 How can we be sure that He truly lives in us and that we truly live in Him? By one fact: He has given us His Spirit. 14 We have watched what God has done, and we stand ready to provide eyewitness testimonies to the reality that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone unites with our confession that Jesus is God’s own Son, then God truly lives in that person and that person lives in God. 16 We have experienced and we have entrusted our lives to the love of God in us.
God is love. Anyone who lives faithfully in love also lives faithfully in God, and God lives in him. 17 This love is fulfilled with us, so that on the day of judgment we have confidence based on our identification with Jesus in this world. 18 Love will never invoke fear. Perfect love expels fear, particularly the fear of punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been completed through love.
19 We love because He has first loved us. 20 If someone claims, “I love God,” but hates his brother or sister, then he is a liar. Anyone who does not love a brother or sister, whom he has seen, cannot possibly love God, whom he has never seen. 21 He gave us a clear command, that all who love God must also love their brothers and sisters.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

As children, the first thing you probably learned about Me was “God is love.” John learned it well as he walked with Me in My human form. He is sometimes called the disciple I loved. I think it’s probably turned the other way as well because John truly learned what love means as he poured his heart into his letters to the churches.

John recognized all My commands could be boiled down into the single directive to love. Love Me. Love your brother and sister believers. Love you enemies. Love those in authority over you. Love those you might not agree with. Just love. I am the very essence of love. As you learned as a child, I am love.

John got it right. You can’t love Me if you don’t love those you see around you. If you don’t love those around you, you don’t love Me. How can you love someone you haven’t see and not those around you that you have seen? John’s right, it’s not possible. My love isn’t in you if you don’t have real love for those around you. If My love is in you, you’ll see others the way I see them. You’ll see them as eternal souls with eternal destinies. You’ll see others as My highest creation and you’ll know that My desire is that all should know My saving grace.

You will know that not everyone will accept My grace and salvation, but My desire is that they do. I won’t force Myself on you or anyone else. As much as I want you to be with Me throughout eternity, it will always be your choice. You can accept My salvation or refuse it. You choose your action, I choose the consequences.

The consequences were set in motion before time. Those who accept My will spend eternity with Me. Those who don’t will be separated from Me eternally. The book of Revelations describes what it will be like for those who choose not to follow Me. The contrast is there for all to read and study. The choice is yours. The consequences of your choice is laid out before you. Choose wisely. Choose to love as I love. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Prophets still sound warnings (Jeremiah 25:1-14), August 17, 2015

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Jeremiah 25:1-14

Set – Jeremiah 25; John 19

Go! – Jeremiah 23-25; John 19

Jeremiah 25:1-14
1 The word of God concerning all of Judah again came to Jeremiah when Jehoiakim (son of Josiah), king of Judah, had reigned for four years. Meanwhile, the dreaded Nebuchadnezzar was in his first year as king of Babylon. 2 During these ominous days the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the citizens of Jerusalem and the people of Judah.
Jeremiah: 3 I have been warning you since the word of the Eternal started coming to me in the 13th year of King Josiah (son of Amon), ruler of Judah. For these last 23 years, I have been telling you again and again what was coming, but you never listened. 4 It wasn’t just me whom the Eternal sent. He sent you His servants, the prophets, again and again, but you never paid attention to them. You never listened as 5 they said, “Turn back from your evil ways and actions so you can live forever in this land the Eternal gave to you and your ancestors. 6 I will not harm you if you do not chase after other gods to serve and worship them or provoke Me to anger with the little idols your hands have made.”
Eternal One: 7 But you did not listen to Me or My prophets! Now I, the Eternal One, declare that you have stirred up My anger with the little idols your hands have made, and you have brought this harm upon yourselves. 8 Therefore, I, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, declare that since you have not heard or obeyed My words, 9 I am about to summon the clans of the north along with King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon who serves Me. I will use them to punish this land and those of you who live in it. I will also use them against all the surrounding nations of Judah. I will destroy them completely, making them a place of horror, an object of scorn, a land of everlasting ruin. 10 I will silence any hint of laughter and joy, the sweet words of the bride and bridegroom at a wedding, the milling of grain and the lighting of a lamp. 11 It will all end, and this place will be a horrific wasteland. And these nations will serve the king of Babylon for 70 years.
Eternal One (to Babylon): 12 When the 70 years of servitude are complete, I will then punish the king of Babylon, his people, and the land of Chaldea for their guilt. I, the Eternal, will make it a land of everlasting ruin. 13 All that I warned would happen to that land—all that Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations and is now written in this book—I will do. 14 For the mighty Babylonians will be turned into slaves for many nations and powerful kings; I will repay them according to what they have done and how they have treated My people.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

All My prophets tried to warn the Israelites about their coming destruction if they failed to come back to Me. Instead, they continued to worship the false gods of the people around them. They crafted idols of wood, silver, and gold and worshiped them in place of Me. I kept sending My servants to them year after year. They would address the kings, the priests, the people and plead with them to come back to Me, but so often they patterned their lives after the nations around them instead of following the commands I gave Moses after I freed them from slavery from Egypt.

Many today read the Old Testament prophets and wonder how the Israelites could wander so far from Me and continue to fail in their faith. How could they fail to follow Me after all I had done for them? How could they fail to listen to the prophets and go their own way?

It’s easy to point back to others and point out their faults, though. Take a look at yourself. Do you let anything get between us? Do you spend time talking with Me? Is it your best time or what you have left over? Do you study My word to learn who I am, how I act, what I say, what I want you to do or do you just skim through My word as a duty to perform or not read it at all? Do you meditate on what I tell you? Do you listen to My Spirit in you and act on what I command of you?

The stories of the Israelites in the Old Testament often represent the story of individual lives today. I come to you time and time again through the words of My scriptures, My prophets, My followers, My Spirit, but like the Israelites, My voice is ignored and you do what you want instead of obeying Me. The path for the Israelites led to destruction because of their disobedience. The path remains the same for all who do not follow Me.

You know My desires for you, but I cannot make the decision for you. Choose wisely. Choose Me.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Train up a child…(Judges 13), Apr 2, 2015

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast


Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Judges 13
Set – Judges 13; 2 Corinthians 2
Go! – Judges 13-16; 2 Corinthians 2

Judges 13
1 Once again, though, the Israelites did evil according to the Eternal God, and He gave the Philistines power over them for 40 years. 2 During that time, a man of Zorah named Manoah, from the tribe of Dan, was married to a wife who could bear him no children.

Messenger of the Eternal One (appearing to Manoah’s wife): 3 You are barren and have no children, but all of that is about to change. You will conceive and have a son. 4 Be careful that you don’t drink wine or any other spirits (strong drink), and don’t eat anything that is ritually impure, 5 for you are going to become pregnant and have a son. Don’t ever use a razor on his head, because you will raise this boy as a Nazirite, dedicated to the True God from his conception, and he will be the one to begin delivering Israel from the Philistines.

Manoah’s Wife (to her husband): 6 A man of the True God visited me. He looked like a messenger of God, awe-inspiring. I didn’t ask where he came from, and he didn’t tell me his name, 7 but he told me that I was going to become pregnant and bear a son. He told me not to drink wine or other spirits or to eat anything ritually unclean because our boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart for God from the day he is conceived until the day he dies.

Manoah (to the Lord): 8 Eternal One, please let the man of God whom you sent visit us again and teach us what to do with the boy You are giving us.

9 The True God heard Manoah and sent His messenger to visit the woman one day while she was in the fields. Manoah was not with her, 10 so she ran to tell him.

Manoah’s Wife: Look, the man who spoke to me the other day is here again!

11 Manoah got up, followed his wife, and came to where the man was.

Manoah (to the messenger): Are you the one who spoke to my wife the other day?

Messenger of the Eternal One: I am.

Manoah: 12 When your words come true, what rules should we apply to the boy? What is his mission in life?

Messenger of the Eternal One: 13 Your wife should do as I told her on my first visit. 14 She must not eat or drink of the vine, she must not drink any other strong drink, and she must not eat foods that are ritually impure. She must do all that I have commanded.

Manoah: 15 If you will wait, we would like to prepare a young goat for you to eat.

Messenger of the Eternal One: 16 Even if you try to detain me, I will not eat your food. If you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the Eternal.

Manoah had not realized that he was speaking to the Eternal’s messenger. 17 That is why he asked the Eternal’s messenger a question.

Manoah: What is your name, so that we may honor you when your words become truth?

Messenger of the Eternal One: 18 Why do you ask my name? It is incomprehensible, beyond human understanding.

19 Manoah took the young goat, together with the offering of grain, and sacrificed it on a rock to the Eternal, to the wonder-working God. While Manoah and his wife watched 20 the flame going up toward heaven from the altar, the Eternal’s messenger rose up to heaven in the flames, and Manoah and his wife put their faces to the ground. 21 When he did not reappear, Manoah realized that they had seen the Eternal’s messenger.

Manoah (to his wife): 22 We are most certainly going to die, for we have seen the True God!

Manoah’s Wife: 23 If the Eternal had desired to kill us, then He would not have accepted the grain and burnt offerings from us or shown us these wonders or brought these announcements at this time.

24 In due time, the woman did bear a son, and she named him Samson. The boy grew, the Eternal God blessed him, 25 and the Spirit of the Eternal One began to move in him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

One of the things I want you to understand as parents is your responsibility to raise your children in the way they should go. I tell you in My word they will not depart from it. But I must also tell you that each individual still has a choice. Samson is a good example of My rule. He eventually came back to Me and served Me well, but fell away from Me for a while because of the choices he made in his young life.

His parents started out well in their training, raising him under the strict traditions of a Nazarite, but as he got interested in women, it became evident that Samson’s strength overawed his parents and they let him get by with more than they should. Even though Samson might have been able to overpower them physically, they were still his parents and had responsibility to advise him and show him the right ways to live.

Perhaps if they had forbidden some of his early exploits and given him the reason why, Samson would not have strayed when he became a young man as far as he did. But they let him indulge in areas Manoah and his wife knew would entice him toward ways apart from God and Samson later found himself ensnared by the pagan Philistines not knowing I was no longer with him.

Some of the other parents probably thought Manoah and his wife were too strict on Samson holding him to the Nazarite vows. But others didn’t know the plans I had for Samson. Besides, since when should parents listen to the world for advice on how to raise their children? That’s part of the problem with the world today. My word give the best advice for rearing children, not the world.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Love is a choice, not an emotion (1 Corinthians 13), Mar 28, 2015

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast


Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 1 Corinthians 13
Set – Psalms 39, 41; 1 Corinthians 13
Go! – Judges 4-5; Psalms 39, 41; 1 Corinthians 13

1 Corinthians 13
1 What if I speak in the most elegant languages of people or in the exotic languages of the heavenly messengers, but I live without love? Well then, anything I say is like the clanging of brass or a crashing cymbal. 2 What if I have the gift of prophecy, am blessed with knowledge and insight to all the mysteries, or what if my faith is strong enough to scoop a mountain from its bedrock, yet I live without love? If so, I am nothing. 3 I could give all that I have to feed the poor, I could surrender my body to be burned as a martyr, but if I do not live in love, I gain nothing by my selfless acts.

4 Love is patient; love is kind. Love isn’t envious, doesn’t boast, brag, or strut about. There’s no arrogance in love; 5 it’s never rude, crude, or indecent—it’s not self-absorbed. Love isn’t easily upset. Love doesn’t tally wrongs 6 or celebrate injustice; but truth—yes, truth—is love’s delight! 7 Love puts up with anything and everything that comes along; it trusts, hopes, and endures no matter what. 8 Love will never become obsolete. Now as for the prophetic gifts, they will not last; unknown languages will become silent, and the gift of knowledge will no longer be needed. 9 Gifts of knowledge and prophecy are partial at best, at least for now, 10 but when the perfection and fullness of God’s kingdom arrive, all the parts will end. 11 When I was a child, I spoke, thought, and reasoned in childlike ways as we all do. But when I became a man, I left my childish ways behind. 12 For now, we can only see a dim and blurry picture of things, as when we stare into polished metal. I realize that everything I know is only part of the big picture. But one day, when Jesus arrives, we will see clearly, face-to-face. In that day, I will fully know just as I have been wholly known by God. 13 But now faith, hope, and love remain; these three virtues must characterize our lives. The greatest of these is love.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Listen carefully. This is what it’s all about. I created humankind to have loving relationships with Me and with each other. The church is all about love. My coming in human flesh and dying on the cross is all about My love for you. The entirety of the Bible echoes My love for My highest creation and My plan to redeem fallen humankind.

Today’s problem is that love has been hijacked by the entertainment world and made it something I never meant it to become. The cheap lust that the world substitutes for real love continues to pull people, young and old, into its clutches. But My intentions for men and women were much higher than the temporary pleasures Satan uses to tempt lost souls.

Read Paul’s description of real love in several different translations and let its meaning soak into your heart. Understand what I want from you as you relate to one another. I want you to love Me and love one another with the conscious, deliberate love Paul describes. It’s not an emotion, it’s an action. It’s a decision you make when you love one another. Here’s that description again to show you it’s not an emotion.

“Love is patient; love is kind. Love isn’t envious, doesn’t boast, brag, or strut about. There’s no arrogance in love; it’s never rude, crude, or indecent—it’s not self-absorbed. Love isn’t easily upset. Love doesn’t tally wrongs or celebrate injustice; but truth—yes, truth—is love’s delight! Love puts up with anything and everything that comes along; it trusts, hopes, and endures no matter what. Love will never become obsolete.”

I gave Paul these words because love is an action, a practice, a purpose, a choice you make every day with those around you. You can love your spouse, children, and family. You can love your brothers and sisters in Christ. You can also love your enemies. How? Because love is a choice, an action, a purpose, a practice you exercise each day. With My help, there is no one you cannot love. And remember what I told you in My word. If you cannot love your brother whom you can see, you cannot love Me whom you cannot see.

It might not be a bad idea to put this part of Paul’s letter in a place you can read it every day for a week to remind yourself what I want from you in your relationship with Me and each other. Give it try and see where you might be falling short. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

You must choose each day (Joshua 24:11-28), Mar 26, 2015

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast


Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Joshua 24:11-28
Set – Joshua 24; Psalms 44
Go! – Joshua 23-24; Psalms 44; 1 Corinthians 11

Joshua 24:11-28
11 When you crossed over the Jordan into the land of Canaan and came to Jericho, the leaders of Jericho fought against you. So did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I gave them all into your power.

12 I sent hornets ahead of you to run off the two kings of the Amorites; it was not done by your bow or sword. 13 I delivered to you fields you had not worked and towns you had not built, yet today you live in them. You eat the fruit of olive trees and of grape vineyards you did not even have to plant.”

14 So remember: fear the Eternal and serve Him sincerely and faithfully. Put away from you any gods your ancestors served across the Euphrates River or in Egypt, and serve only Him. 15 If you decide that you’re not willing to serve Him, then today is the day for you to choose whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors bowed to in the land beyond the great River, or the gods of the Amorites whose country you possess. But as for me and my family, we will serve the Eternal.

People of Israel (responding): 16 Nothing could be further from our minds than abandoning the Eternal to serve other gods. 17 We know that the Eternal One our God rescued us and our ancestors from slavery in the land of Egypt. We remember that He performed all those great signs in front of us. He protected us from the people we passed as we traveled. 18 And we know that He removed the Amorites and all the peoples who lived in Canaan. We, too, will serve the Eternal One, for He is our True God.

Joshua (warning them): 19 If you think you will be able to serve the Eternal, you are wrong. He is a holy God and a jealous God; He will not tolerate your shortcomings and your sins. 20 If you desert Him and worship these foreign gods, He will fall upon you and totally consume you, even though He has done all this great good for you.

People of Israel: 21 All the same, we choose to serve the Eternal.

Joshua: 22 All right, then. You are witnesses—against yourselves, if it comes to that—that you have made this choice to serve the Eternal.

Israel: We are witnesses to it.

Joshua (repeating): 23 Then you must put all other gods away from you and turn your hearts to the Eternal God of Israel.

Israel: 24 We will serve the Eternal One, our God, and we will obey His voice.

25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day at Shechem and gave them statutes and ordinances to obey. 26 Joshua wrote the words in the scroll of the law, and he had a large stone set up underneath the oak tree near the Eternal’s holy place.

Joshua (to all the people): 27 This stone will also be a witness to your vow. It has heard all the words the Eternal spoke to us, so it will be a witness if you turn your backs on your True God.

28 So he sent the people away, back to the lands He had given them.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Everyone must make a choice about whether they will follow Me. Joshua made the choice early in his life while assisting Moses in the Exodus of Israel from the bonds of slavery in Egypt. Then as Joshua neared the end of his life, he called on the rest of the Israelites to make a choice for themselves. They did. But they didn’t keep their covenant with Me.

Joshua tried everything he could to remind the people of their promise to follow Me. He wrote the covenant on a scroll. He had a memorial stone erected under an oak tree near the tabernacle where they worshipped Me. He called all the elders together and had them and all the people personally vow their allegiance to Me.

Joshua gave all of them the consequences that would follow if they failed to keep their vow and the rewards they would gain if they kept it. Still, over time they forgot what they pledged and fell away from Me and began to worship the pagan gods of the nations I defeated for them. It’s truly a wonder to Me as to why they would trust the idols of the lands I defeated instead of trusting Me after I clearly showed My power over them. But they did.

You must make a choice also. And just as with the Israelites, you will find yourselves bombarded by a host of other gods that try to sway you from worshipping Me. Today’s gods don’t appear as idols of wood, stone, or silver, though. Today, Satan has become more subtle in his attempts to gain humankind’s attention. The most sought after god of the world today finds itself in the form of money and material goods.

Men, women, and young people around the world seek material goods and socio-economic status as their prime objective rather than pleasing Me. They chase the dollar and the things they think will earn them more. They worship money instead of Me. People give themselves to the pursuit of making more regardless of what it takes to do so. They sacrifice almost anything to accumulate more things that won’t last and in so doing, give up what is really important.

Families become secondary. Spiritual growth becomes unimportant. Support to others becomes a waste of hoarded resources in their eyes. Relationships are built only for what they can provide rather than for the joy of the relationship. The world turned My creation upside down for so long that what I ask of you seems topsy-turvy. But trust Me. Following My way leads to real life. Real joy. Real peace. Real riches. Just try it. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Felix and you can choose (Acts 24), Feb 17, 2015

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast


Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Acts 24
Set – Numbers 1; Acts 24
Go! – Numbers 1-2; Acts 24

Acts 24
1The high priest Ananias came north to Caesarea five days later, accompanied by some elders and an attorney named Tertullus. They explained their case to Felix without Paul present. 2 When Paul was brought in, Tertullus launched into an accusation.

Tertullus: Most Excellent Felix, through your esteemed leadership we have enjoyed a long and happy peace. Your foresight in governance has brought many reforms for the people I represent. 3 We always and everywhere welcome every thought of you with high and deep gratitude. 4 But knowing how busy you are and how limited your time must be, I beg you to hear us briefly present our case to you with the legendary graciousness for which you are known everywhere.

5 Here are the facts: this man is a disease to the body politic. He agitates trouble in Jewish communities throughout our empire as a ringleader of the heretical sect known as the Nazarenes. 6 He even tried to desecrate the temple, so we seized him. [Our aim was to try him by the Jewish law, 7 but Commandant Lysias interfered and removed this man from our control. 8 Because of his meddling, you are now forced to hear those making the accusation.][a] You will find, through your own examination, that everything we say of Paul is true.

9 The Jewish opponents present added their vigorous testimony in support of the lawyer’s opening statement. 10 The governor didn’t say anything, but he motioned for Paul to speak.

Paul: I am happy now to make my defense to you, sir, knowing that you have been a judge over this nation for many years. 11 Just 12 days ago, I went up to Jerusalem to worship, as you can easily verify. 12 I wasn’t arguing with anyone in the temple. I wasn’t stirring up a crowd in any of the synagogues. I wasn’t disturbing the peace of the city in any way. They did not find me doing these things in Jerusalem, 13 nor can they prove that I have done any of the things of which they have accused me. 14 But I can make this confession: I believe everything established by the Law and written in the Prophets, and I worship the God of our ancestors according to the Way, which they call a heretical sect.

15 Here is my crime: I have a hope in God that there will be a resurrection of both the just and unjust, which my opponents also share. 16 Because of this hope, I always do my best to live with a clear conscience toward God and all people. 17 I have been away for several years, so recently I brought gifts for the poor of my nation and offered sacrifices. 18 When they found me, I was not disturbing anyone, nor was I gathering a crowd. No, I was quietly completing the rite of purification. Some Jews from Asia are the ones who started the disturbance— 19 and if they have an accusation, they should be here to make it. 20 If these men here have some crime they have found me guilty of when I stood before their council, they should present it. 21 Perhaps my crime is that I spoke this one sentence in my testimony before them: “I am on trial here today because I have hope that the dead are raised.”

22 Felix was quite knowledgeable about the Way. He adjourned the preliminary hearing.

Felix: When Lysias the commandant comes to Caesarea, I will decide your case.

23 He then ordered the officer to keep Paul in custody, but to permit him some freedom and to allow any of his friends to take care of his needs.

24 A few days later, Felix sent for Paul and gave him an opportunity to speak about faith in the Anointed One. Felix was accompanied by his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. 25 As Paul spoke of justice, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became fearful.

Felix: That’s enough for now. When I have time, I will send for you again.

26 They had a number of conversations of this sort; but Felix actually was hoping that, by having frequent contact with him, Paul might offer him a bribe. 27 As a favor to the Jews, he did nothing to resolve the case and left Paul in prison for two years. Then Felix completed his assignment as governor, and Porcius Festus succeeded him.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I hear Felix’ words far too often. “That’s enough for now. When I have time, I’ll send for you again.” The problem with waiting is you never know when your end will come. You don’t know if the next car that passes will plow into you because it’s driven by a drunk driver. Or maybe your disease ridden condition as a world marred by sin will cause cancer to rear its ugly head and take you away. Perhaps you’ll be the victim of a drive by shooting.

Especially today, tragedies can happen so quickly and life can disappear so fast that no one knows when they will take their last breath. Then it’s too late. There comes a point when My grace and mercy ends. I try hard to bring you redemption. I use everything within My means to steer you away from evil and toward Me. Ultimately, though, it’s always your choice whether you will serve Me or go your own way.

Putting Me off is making a choice. Each time you say no to the prompting of My Spirit it becomes easier to ignore My calling. I won’t plead with you or beg you. It’s your choice to follow Me. Just know the stakes are high. The temporary pleasure you might gain in putting Me off does not compare to the everlasting joy you’ll have with Me. All around you will one day pass away. Nothing you have will remain except the relationship you have with Me.

But those who trust in Me are assured of a place in heaven with Me. Not only will your relationship with Me be perfect, but you will share eternity with all who join together in their worship. Your relationships will grow and join together in a cloud of witnesses to Me and you will live in peace and harmony together forever.

Those who do not trust in Me are destined for an eternity separated from Me, lost and alone. Jesus described it as a place with gnashing of teeth where the worm never dies and the fire is never quenched. You don’t want to know more than that about the place destined for those who do not make Me Lord of their lives.

Like Felix, you have a choice, though. You can ask My messengers to come back when you have more time. You’ll not find where Paul had enough time to give to Felix. Perhaps you won’t have enough time if you keep putting Me off. Remember, saying later, means no for now. It’s your choice. Make good ones. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.