Tag Archives: prophecy

The consummation of all things is not far away (Matthew 24:13-14) June 2, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Proverbs 1

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 24:13-14
Jesus: But those who do not waver from our path and do not follow those false prophets—those among you will be saved. And this good news of God’s kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, a testimony to all people and all nations. Then, beloved, the end, the consummation of all things, will come.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Growing up, I always wondered about that part Jesus’ prophecy to His disciples that the end would come after the good news of God’s kingdom is preached throughout the whole world. It always seemed that’s what He was saying in the words He gave to His followers. They must have thought that would be a long time coming since news traveled so slowly in His day.

It took months and years to get news from one end of the known world to another. Modes of transportation were as fast as a horse or a ship or a man’s feet. And the path from east Asia to Spain to Egypt and Africa was a long treacherous one. Surely it would be a long time before Jesus returned if this was one of the things that must happen before His return.

When I was a boy, missionaries would come to our church and speak about the things they saw and the places they had traveled. Some to previously unexplored parts of the Amazon and the darkest parts of Africa. But today, there are few parts of the world that have been unexplored. There are few pockets of people who have been untouched by civilization. Few populations can say they have no knowledge of the at least some events that happen outside their community.

But what of the sharing of the gospel? Has the good news of God’s salvation reached around the world, yet? That’s the question we might ask ourselves. How close are we to reaching the world with the message of God’s kingdom at hand?

I’m sure my grandparents use to wonder if Jesus’ coming was right around the corner with the advent of radio. That invention made possible the transmission of the message to every square inch of the globe as long as someone had a receiver to pick up the radio waves and hear the message transmitted. Of course, the question then would be whether they understood the language of the speaker. I never worried about that translation, though, because I knew of the miracle of translation when Peter spoke on the day of Pentecost. People from every nation were gathered to celebrate and heard him speak in their own language. They understood even though he spoke in Greek, they heard in their native tongue. Translation for God is not an issue. Transmission of the gospel is the issue for us.

So then our parents wondered if perhaps television was the answer to spreading the gospel. This new media that rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s now invades every home in almost every nation of the world. The flick of a switch (or the push of a button on the remote) puts ideas into the minds of those who sit in front of the screen. Unfortunately, more of the world’s ideas than God’s come through that media. But it still gave hope to some that God’s message might be spread around the world through television.

For our generation the Internet seems to be the vehicle that promises to reach the world. You just can’t get away from it. The Internet permeates our lives. It seems to control almost every aspect of life. Our banking, our entertainment, our medical systems, our jobs – whatever they might be. The Internet is everywhere. Perhaps it might be the vehicle by which the gospel moves across the globe to every nation to spread the news that Jesus died that we might live.

There’s a very interesting statistic I’ll share with you about this podcast that amazes me every time I see it. I don’t understand it, I don’t know why it happens, I don’t know how it started, but one day I was curious as to where the downloads for my podcast went. One of the categories I can use to parse information about the podcast is the geographic origin of downloads, so I clicked on it and was astonished at the results.

I expected San Antonio to be the city with the largest number of downloads and it was. That’s where I live, so no surprise there. But the next cities in order did surprise me. I’ve been around a bit and have friends in a lot of places, but here are the next for cities in order San Francisco, Washington DC, Beijing, and Seattle. San Francisco? Shock. Beijing? Super shock! Did I think my podcast would reach around the world and anyone would be interested in what I had to say on a consistent basis in Beijing, China? Never in a million years.

But God’s message goes where He wants it to go. One day, and it’s coming closer every day, it will spread around the world and then, as Jesus says, the end, the consummation of all things, will come. Be ready, it’s not far away. 

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.

Avoid the coming wrath (Revelation 10), September 5, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Revelation 10

Set – Ezekiel 28; Revelation 10

Go! – Ezekiel 25-28; Revelation 10

Revelation 10
1 Then I saw another extremely powerful messenger descending out of heaven. He wore a cloud wrapped around him, and a rainbow was covering his head. His face shone like the sun, and his legs blazed like columns of fire. 2 In his hand, he held a little scroll that had been unrolled. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on dry land; 3 then he shouted with a voice that sounded like a roaring lion. When he cried out, the seven thunders answered with their own rumbling voices. 4 As I was about to record the thunders’ answer, a voice from heaven stopped me.
A Voice: Seal up all the seven thunders have spoken; do not write it down!
5 Then the messenger, whom I saw standing on the sea and on the dry land, raised his right hand into heaven 6 and swore an oath to the Eternal One—who always lives, who created heaven, earth, the sea, and all that is in them.
Heavenly Messenger: Time has run out. 7 Whenever the days arrive and the seventh messenger sounds his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished just as He announced to His servants, the prophets.
8 Again, the voice I heard from heaven addressed me.
A Voice: Go. Take the little scroll that is unrolled in the hand of the messenger standing both on the sea and on the dry land.
9 I then went to the messenger and asked him to give me the little scroll.
Heavenly Messenger: Take it, and eat it. Although in your mouth it will be sweet to taste, sweet as honey, it will become bitter when it reaches your stomach.
10 I took the little scroll from the hand of the messenger and ate it. In my mouth, it was sweet like honey, but my stomach became bitter after I swallowed it.
Heavenly Messengers (repeating): 11 Once again, you are to prophesy about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I gave John a most difficult task. Many of the things he saw as I showed him how the future would unfold were more than he could take. He describes how it took the touch of My angels to give him the strengths to continue at times. He saw the glories of heaven that overwhelmed his senses with indescribles scenes. He wrote the letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor describing the conditions of the eras of the ages that would come before My coming again.

John saw the pouring out of My wrath on the unsuspecting masses of humanity that failed to call Me Lord. The plagues and punishment that came to humankind because of their apostacy was beyond the measure of his understanding as he watched in horror. Nothing could stop the movement of My armies as they marched across the world to do My bidding in the destruction of those who failed to follow Me.

John was known as the disciple who loved and to see the mass destruction of so many because of their failure to listen and follow the pleas of My prophets was traumatic for him. But he also understood the cause of the punishment and destruction as he saw My holiness and the glory of My presence. John understood why things will unfold as they would, but like Me, he felt the pain of the judgment that would fall upon humankind.

He heard the messenger’s words and the answer of seven spirits that sounded like thunder, but the words were too ominous to write down. They will complete the mystery that voices the sounding of the seventh and final trumpet that heralds the end of time. Words you do not want to hear because the outpouring of My final wrath will be more than those who remain can endure. The wailing and gnashing of teeth discribed in the scriptures only begins to touch on the torment the souls of those lost to Me will endure.

My words are still true. My prophecies still come true. My salvation is still available to all who will accept it, though. All you need to do to escape the coming wrath is believe in Me for salvation and follow the commands I give you. My commands are not burdensome. They just ask you to give Me Lordship, control, ownership of your life. I ask you to let Me remove the selfishness from the core of your self and replace it with love for 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.

Stay on track (Ezekiel 3:1-15), August 28, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Ezekiel 3:1-15

Set – Ezekiel 3; Revelation 2

Go! – Ezekiel 1-3; Revelation 2

Ezekiel 3:1-15
The Voice (to Ezekiel): 1 Son of man, eat what you find here—consume the scroll you see before you. Then go and preach to the people of Israel.
2 So I opened my mouth, and He fed me the scroll.
The Voice: 3 Son of man, swallow this scroll I am giving you, and let it fill your stomach.
So I ate it, and these words of God tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
The Voice: 4 Son of man, go to the people of Israel and preach My message to them. 5-6 You are not being sent to a far away nation with an unintelligible language. I am sending you to the people of Israel. But if I had sent you to foreign peoples with unintelligible languages, surely they would listen to you. 7 But the people of Israel will refuse to listen to you because they refuse to listen to Me. As I told you, the Israelites are a hard-headed, stubborn-hearted people. 8 But I have set your jaw just as tightly and furrowed your brow just as deeply as theirs. 9 I have made your head as hard as any rock. Do not be scared or intimidated by them, even though they are a rebellious lot.
10 Son of man, take to heart all the words I am speaking to you. Listen carefully to what I am saying. 11 Now go to your people, the exiles in Babylonia, and give them My message. Proclaim to them, “This is what the Eternal Lord has to say.” It doesn’t matter whether they listen to you.
12 Suddenly the Spirit picked me up, and I heard a loud rumbling sound behind me—it seemed to say, “May the glory of the Eternal One be praised in His holy place!” 13 The sound I heard was the sound made by the wings of the four living creatures brushing up against one another and the rumble made by the spinning wheels beside them. 14 The Spirit picked me up and carried me away. I was at once resentful and impassioned, but I couldn’t escape because the hold the Eternal had on me was strong.
15 The Spirit took me to a group of the exiles who lived by the Chebar Canal at Tel-abib. I sat there among them in a daze for seven days.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Have you ever thought I’ve given you a mission too hard for you? Think again. I’ll never do that. When you think I’ve given you a difficult task just think about what I asked Ezekiel to do. I sent him to prophesy to the exiles stipped away from their homes and taken into captivity by the Assyrians. I told him in advance the people I told him to speak to would not listen. They wouldn’t pay attention to him. Even though I gave Ezekiel the right message, they would never listen to him.

I told Ezekiel he would preach to a group of people who were rebellious, hard-headed, and would not change. But his mission was to tell them My truth. He was not responsible for their decisions, but was responsible to give them My message. Those Ezekiel spoke to would ridicule him for the visions he shared with them. They would call him foolish. They would think him insane. They would think he had lost his mind. The vision I gave Ezekiel would not make sense to them or to Ezekiel. But it was My message to the people to whom I would send him .

Only years later would the prophecies Ezekiel gave to the exiles make sense. Only as they came to fruition would the prophecies and the visions begin to take hold and Ezekiel know the honor he deserved. But it wouldn’t be in his lifetime.

I might give you tasks that won’t make sense to you, too. That doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m doing. Years later the exiles and My people who saw My prophecies fulfilled understood that Ezekiel spoke the truth and My message became clear to them. The same may happen with the task I give you. Those around you may not understand at the moment, but one day all will make sense. One day you will look back and know that all I’ve asked you to do had a purpose that brings glory to Me.

Don’t worry if people don’t understand you. Don’t worry if they don’t make the decisions you think are right. Don’t worry if they ridicule you or think you foolish. Don’t worry if they persecute you, throw you into prison, or even take your life. Many have gone before you under such extremes and discovered My rewards are well worth it. As Paul told you, you cannot imagine the glory before you. The sufferings of this life will seem as nothing compared to the riches that await you.

Just continue to do what I ask you to do. Stay on track and keep the faith.

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’s word is always true (Jeremiah 33), August 24, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Jeremiah 33

Set – Jeremiah 33; 1 John 5

Go! – Jeremiah 33-34; Psalms 74; 1 John 5

Jeremiah 33
1-2 For a second time the message of the Eternal came to Jeremiah as he was being held in the court of the guard. The Eternal who made the earth, who formed and fashioned it, the One whose name is the Eternal, has this to say:
Eternal One: 3 Call to Me, and I will answer you. I will tell you of great things, things beyond what you can imagine, things you could never have known. 4 I, the Eternal God of Israel, tell you that all these public buildings and royal palaces have been dismantled in vain. You thought you could strengthen the city walls with the scraps of those buildings, but it is a useless defense against the siege ramps and swords 5 of the Chaldeans. In this fight, the city will be filled with the dead whom I will destroy in My anger and wrath, for I have hidden My face from this city because of their wickedness. 6 Nevertheless, keep watching! I will restore this city and heal the wounds of My people. I will lavish them with peace and stability. 7 I will bring both Judah and Israel back from captivity, and I will rebuild their land to what it was before. 8 I will cleanse them from all the sins they committed against Me and forgive all the wrongs they have done and all the ways they rebelled against Me. 9 Jerusalem will have a sweet-sounding name once again. The good I do for her will bring Me joy, praise, and honor among all nations of the earth, for they will be in awe and tremble at the peace and prosperity I give to this city.
10 Listen to Me, Jeremiah. You say this place will become a desolate wasteland with no people and no animals, but it will not always be so. The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem may indeed become lifeless, but I, the Eternal One, promise you the silence will be broken. Once again you will hear 11 the sounds of laughter and joy, the sweet words of the bride and bridegroom at a wedding, and voices of those who bring thank offerings to the temple singing,
Give thanks to the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies,
for He is good. His faithful love endures forever.
All of this will happen because I will restore the riches of this land to what they once were.
12 I, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, promise: even this desolate place—with no people and no animals—and all of its ruined cities will once again have pastures where shepherds will rest their flocks. 13 In the towns of the hill country, in the villages of the western hills, in the cities of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the vicinity around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, once again flocks will be cared for by a faithful shepherd who will count each and every one of his sheep.
14 Look! The days are coming when I will fulfill the promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. 15 In those days, when the time is right, I will cause a righteous Branch to sprout from the old stump of David’s lineage; He will do what is right and just in the land. 16 In those days, Judah will be liberated, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And the city will be called by His name, The Eternal Is Our Righteousness. 17 I tell you, the royal dynasty of David will not cease; the throne of Israel still belongs to his family. Remember this, even as other kings rule over you. 18 Remember also that the line of Levitical priests will not cease; for all time they will stand before Me offering burnt offerings, grain offerings, and making sacrifices.
19-20 Again, the word of the Eternal came to Jeremiah.
Eternal One: If you can figure out a way to break My covenant with the day and with the night so they do not always arrive on schedule, the very rhythm of life on this earth, 21 only then will My covenant with My servant David be broken and his son not rule from his throne. Only then will My covenant with the Levitical priests who minister before Me be null and void. 22 I will make David’s descendants, along with the Levitical priests who minister before Me, so numerous they will seem like the stars of the skies that cannot be counted and the sands of the seashore that can never be measured.
23 The word of the Eternal came to Jeremiah again.
Eternal One: 24 Have you noticed what some people are saying? “The Eternal chose these two families, Israel and Judah, but He has now rejected them.” They clearly despise My people—they don’t even consider them a nation any longer! 25 But again, this is what the Eternal promises: “Just as I am not about to stop ruling the universe with fixed laws so that the day and the night become confused, 26 I will likewise keep My promise to the descendants of Jacob and David, My servant; I will not reject them. I will not forget the covenant I made with David that one of his descendants will rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will restore their fortunes and have mercy on them.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

After Jeremiah’s prophecies, many of My people began to lose hope. Thousands found themselves in exile in strange lands. They knew they would likely never return to their homeland. Others saw the might of Nebuchadnezzar’s army assembled outside the walls of Jerusalem and everything pointed toward the destruction of the city and the death of all who remained within the walls. Despair and hopelessness seemed to make up the fabric of people’s lives everywhere they turned.

But Jeremiah gave them My promise that David’s descendants would continue to sit on the throne. They would not understand how after the exile and destruction of the nation, but it would come to pass through the birth of Jesus, My Son, with both Joseph, His earthly father and Mary, His mother, descedants of David. Jeremiah believed but didn’t understand. He faithfully carried My message without knowing what it would mean for all humankind.

My kingdom would burst upon the scene in the form of a small seemingly insignificant baby. But what a difference He would make. God in human flesh. The Anointed One showing the world My love for them. Becoming a living sacrifice while He walked alongside them and the sacrifice for all sins when He died upon the cross for all humankind. Jeremiah saw a glimpse of what was to come. You know the rest of the story. Rejoice with all My believers then and now knowing My word is always true.

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’s word comes true (John 16:16-33), August 14, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – John 16:16-33

Set – Psalms 96; John 16

Go! – Jeremiah 16-17; Psalms 96; John 16

John 16:16-33
Jesus: 16 For a little while you will not see Me; but after that, a time will come when you will see Me again.
Some of His Disciples: 17 What does He mean? “I’ll be here, and then I won’t be here, because I’ll be with the Father”?
Other Disciples: 18 What is He saying? “A little while”? We don’t understand.
19 Jesus knew they had questions to ask of Him, so He approached them.
Jesus: Are you trying to figure out what I mean when I say you will see Me in a little while? 20 I tell you the truth, a time is approaching when you will weep and mourn while the world is celebrating. You will grieve, but that grief will give birth to great joy. 21-22 In the same way that a woman labors in great pain during childbirth only to forget the intensity of the pain when she holds her child, when I return, your labored grief will also change into a joy that cannot be stolen.
23 When all this transpires, you will finally have the answers you have been seeking. I tell you the truth, anything you ask of the Father in My name, He will give to you. 24 Until this moment, you have not sought after anything in My name. Ask and you will receive so that you will be filled with joy.
25 I have been teaching you all of these truths through stories and metaphors, but the time is coming for Me to speak openly and directly of the Father.
26 The day is coming when you will make a request in My name, but I will not represent you before the Father. 27 You will be heard directly by the Father. The Father loves you because you love Me and know that I come from the Father. 28 I came from the Father into the cosmos, but soon I will leave it and return to the Father.
Disciples: 29 We hear You speaking clearly and not in metaphors. How could we misunderstand? 30 We see now that You are aware of everything and You reveal things at the proper time. So we do not need to question You, because we believe You have come from God.
Jesus: 31 So you believe now? 32 Be aware that a time is coming when you will be scattered like seeds. You will return to your own way, and I will be left alone. But I will not be alone, because the Father will be with Me. 33 I have told you these things so that you will be whole and at peace. In this world, you will be plagued with times of trouble, but you need not fear; I have triumphed over this corrupt world order.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Around the world, My followers encountered persecution from the time I spoke to My disciples in the upper room until today. Those who do not know Me and do not understand Me seek to destroy My teaching and those who uphold My teaching. Despite the goodwill My followers demonstrate My love for those around them, they feel the same rejection, punishment, and pain I felt.

The Adversary does his best to confuse and veil the hearts and minds of people to lure them away from Me. I told My disciples and I will tell you that trouble will follow you as long as you live in this world. But like I told them 2000 years ago, don’t despair. I already defeated your Adversary. His judgment is determined. His defeat is complete. I have already overcome this corrupt world order.

As I leave My Spirit with you to guide you and strengthen you, you will have the ability to stand in the face of your enemy. In the face of trouble, you can remain true to Me. You can face persecution and trouble. Just as I triumphed over the cross and burst from the tomb, I will return to resurrect you and take you to a home I’ve been preparing for you since I ascended to heaven so many centuries ago.

My disciples had a hard time understanding all that was happening on the other side of the history of the cross. From your vantage point on this side of the cross, you understand the words I spoke to them and their fulfillment in My sacrifice on the cross, My death, and resurrection. As the words I spoke to the disciples revealed what would happen to Me came true in the following days in Jerusalem, so the words I spoke are true for you.

I will never leave you or forsake you. My Spirit, the Helper, will remain with you and be in you if you will ask Him into your life. He will strengthen you and enable you to become more like Me each day if you will listen to Him and obey His urging in your life. 

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 your path wisely (Isaiah), July 2, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Isaiah 5:1–7

Set – Isaiah 5; Jude

Go! – Isaiah 4–5; Psalms 115–116; Jude

Isaiah 5:1-7
1Let me now sing for my dear friend,
a love song about his vineyard.
My friend, whom I dearly love,
had a vineyard on a fertile hill.
2 He labored to prepare the ground, tilling the soil and digging out rocks,
and then he planted it with the best plants he could find.
In its midst, he built a watchtower over it
and cut out a winepress in the hill nearby;
Then he waited, hoping it would be bountiful.
But the vineyard produced only wild, bitter grapes.
3 Eternal One: That’s it. Enough. Now, you who live in My special city, Jerusalem,
you people of this choice country, Judah,
Who’s in the right—Me or My vineyard?
4 What else could I possibly have done to make it flourish?
Why, when I had every reason to expect great beauty and bushels of grapes,
Did it yield only wild, bitter fruit?
5 I’ll tell you what I’m going to do,
what I’ve determined to do to My vineyard:
I’m going to take away its protective fence
and let the deer, raccoons, and rabbits devour it.
I’ll break down its wall,
let the vines be eaten and trampled.
6 I will set it up for destruction—
do no pruning, no tilling—
And it will be overrun with nasty briars and thornbushes.
I will even order the clouds not to water it.
7 See here, the vineyard of the Eternal, the Commander of heavenly armies,
is the house of Israel, His special people.
And the shoots and buds He nursed so lovingly along
are the people of this choice country, Judah.
He expected a paragon of justice and righteousness—
but everywhere injustice runs bloodred in the streets, and cries echo in the city!

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I try hard to bring you to Me. I want you in My home. But I’m a holy God. I cannot tolerate sin. So I made a away to teach you right from wrong. I made a way of escape for you so you can choose right instead of wrong. But you still have a choice. I created you with that capability. Unfortunately, as much as I try, you often choose the wrong over the right. It’s your choice, but you must understand, I have not changed. I still cannot tolerate sin and ultimately, I will destroy every vestige of sin that exists.

I separated the Israelites as My chosen people to especially teach them My ways so they could then teach them to the rest of the world. Instead, they turned from Me and chose their own path. It led to their destruction at the hands of other nations. Only in the last century have I allowed them to stand up as a nation again with national boundaries and their own government. But time for them to truly return to Me is drawing short.

I raised up a nation across the seas with individual freedoms like no other nation. I gave it democratic rules and representative government. I blessed it with men who saw far beyond themselves and established laws that would give self-government to individuals and cities as far as possible to protect freedom from tryanny. You called yourselves Americans. I hoped this new democracy would follow Me based on the people who fled the persecutions they faced in Europe.

The new settlers followed Me for a while, but like Israel, when you gained prosperity and power in the world, you forgot Me. You felt self-sufficient and thought you no longer needed Me. Despite the fact I gave you what you needed to begin this experiment in self-government, you cast Me aside. Now you begin to feel the payment for your arrogance. As with Isaiah’s prophecy so many centuries ago, the metaphor still holds true.

I am like a the farmer who planted the vineyard and did everything I could do to create a good crop, but the vineyard produced only wild, bitter grapes. You are that vineyard and will leave you to your own destruction. I will no longer tend to you or help you in times of despair. You have chosen your path by the actions you take in your courts, your legislature, you seats of power. You choose the wrong path instead of following Me. You choose to tickle your ears with personal pleasure, you hear only what you want to hear to satisfy your base desires instead of listening to what separates you from the rest of the animals in creation.

So since you have chosen your path, I will leave you to your own ends. I will let you see what it is like to live as a nation without Me. I will allow you to become the wild, wanton creatures you choose. It pains Me to watch, but I gave you freedom to choose and I will not withdraw that freedom. Remember, however, you do not choose the consequences of your choice. I do. You will not like the consequences of the path you follow apart from Me.

For 20 centuries, the Israelites wandered without a country to call their own. They were My chosen people. What do you think will happen to you when I withdraw My protection from you? Choose your path carefully. As a nation, it is done. As individuals, you still have a choice. Choose wisely!

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.

A battle is brewing (Amos 5:1-17), June 29, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Amos 5:1–17
Set – Amos 5; Titus 1
Go! – Amos 4–6; Psalms 86; Titus 1

Amos 5:1-17
1 Hear this message I sing about you;
it is my dirge for you, people of Israel:
2 The virgin Israel has fallen,
fallen never to rise again;
Forsaken in her land, forgotten where she lies.
No one is there to help her rise again.
3 So says the Eternal Lord:
Eternal One: The city that sent out a thousand soldiers
will see only a hundred of them survive;
And the town that sent out a hundred
will see only ten remain for the house of Israel.
4 So says the Eternal to Israel:
Eternal One: Turn back to Me and you will live. There is still time.
5 But don’t hang your hopes on Bethel,
Or travel to Gilgal or Beersheba or any other sanctuary expecting help,
because Gilgal will surely be sent into exile,
And the shrine at Bethel will come to nothing.
6 Turn back to the Eternal One, and you will live.
If you don’t, He will flame up like fire against the house of Joseph,
Burn it to the ground, and no one in Bethel will be able to put it out.
7 Listen, you who distort justice and make it taste bitter
and trample righteousness to the ground.
8 The One who set the Pleiades and Orion in the heavens,
who turns night’s shadow into morning and darkens the day with night,
Who calls forth the waters of the sea to pour down rain and flood the earth—
the Eternal One is His name,
9 Who destroys the mighty in a flash,
and crashes against the fortress with the force of a tidal wave.
10 Those of you who hold power now hate the one who judges in the courts at the gate
and detest anybody who speaks the truth.
11 So because you have climbed to success on the backs of the poor
and your wealth comes from taxes you impose on their harvests,
You may well build mansions of expensively-cut stones,
but you’ll never occupy them.
You may plant beautiful vineyards,
but you’ll never enjoy their delicious wine.
12 For I know the depth of evil that you’ve done,
and I see the gravity of your sins:
You persecute those who do the right thing, you take bribes,
and you push the poor to one side in the courts at the city gates instead of helping them.
13 So the wise may decide to keep quiet just then,
because truly, it is an evil time.
14 Search for good and not for evil
so that you may live;
That way the Eternal God, the Commander of heavenly armies, will be at your side,
as you yourselves have even said.
15 Hate what is evil, and love all that is good;
apply His laws justly in the courts at the city gates,
And it may be that the Eternal God, the Commander of heavenly armies,
will have mercy on those descendants of Joseph who survived.
16 So says the Eternal God, Commander of heavenly armies, the Lord of all:
Eternal One: Get ready to hear wailing from every street,
people crying out in pain and sorrow along every highway.
The farmers will be pulled away from their fields to mourn,
and those who are trained to grieve will wail with them.
17 In every vineyard, there will be mourning
because I will pass through the middle of you.
Says the Eternal One.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Israel didn’t listen to My prophets when I warned them against the evil they were doing. They turned away from My law. They didn’t treat each other justly. The leaders took advantage of the people taxing them into poverty and making themselves rich on the backs of the people they were to care for.

I sent My prophets to warn them, but they wouldn’t listen. They continued to do as they pleased and they paid a heavy price for their disobedience. Israel was crushed under the might of Assyria and Babylonia and Persia and Greece and Rome. For centuries, Israel could not hold its own leadership, but lived under the occupation of another country whose leaders did not believe in Me. The Israelites were forced out of their homes and lived in exile as I allowed them to suffer because they abandoned Me.

The United States’ early documents talked about Me. Most of the founding fathers of the country talked of My providence in bringing the people of this country together to form a new nation with the hope of freedom from the tyranny of evil men. Churches grew up in every city and men and women prayed. The first book printed by Congress was the Bible to be used as a reader in schools.

In just two centuries, you have fallen just as Israel fell. Your prosperity caused you to look to other gods and forget Me. I have sent prophets to you, but your churches are empty except for those who tell you what you want to hear. Those who agree with your perverted sense of justice and twist My words to please you.

So I will come soon and bring justice for the righteous. I will again bring peace and hope to My world. But this time, as prophecies have foretold, the new heaven and new earth will come from the purging of all evil. I will come again and the great battle will punish the evil one and all who follow him forever. My people will be brought to live with Me and will feast with Me through eternity. 

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.

Fulfilled, but not yet! (Joel 2:12-32), June 25, 2015

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Today’s Podcast


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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Joel 2:12–32
Set – Joel 2; 2 Timothy 1
Go! – Joel 1–3; 2 Timothy 1

Joel 2:12-32
12 Eternal One: Even now, turn back your heart and rededicate yourselves to Me;
Show Me your repentance by fasting, weeping, and mourning.
13 Rip the wickedness out of your hearts; don’t just tear your clothing.
Now return to the Eternal, your True God.
You already know He is gracious and compassionate.
He does not anger easily and maintains faithful love.
He is willing to relent and not harm you.
14 Who knows? Perhaps He will turn and relieve you of this threat,
and leave behind some blessing as He goes—
Maybe enough grain and wine to offer
to the Eternal, your True God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; set apart a time for fasting;
tell everyone to be still and stop working.
16 Assemble the people. Consecrate the congregation.
Gather the elders and other leaders,
The young children, and even the nursing babies.
Let the bride and groom leave their chambers on their wedding night.
17 Let the priests, the Eternal’s servants, stand between the porch and the altar
and weep as they intercede. Let them say,
Priests: Have pity on Your people, O Eternal One!
And do not let Your legacy—Your covenant people—
Be taunted and mocked by the nations,
who ask, “Where is their God?”
18 But wait—the Eternal One has become possessive of His land;
He will restore us in compassion, His people!
19 In response to our prayers, the Eternal will answer:
Eternal One: Listen! I am sending you a great harvest of grain, wine, and oil.
You will be completely satisfied and no longer
Will I make you a people held in contempt by the nations.
20 I will remove My armies who attack from the north far from your borders,
driving them into a parched and lonely desert.
Then I will separate them: the front line to the Dead Sea,
the rear guard into the Mediterranean Sea
with the vile stench of their rotting corpses rising up.
Surely the Eternal One has done great things!
21 Do not fear, O land. You have been revived.
Celebrate and rejoice, for the Eternal One has done great things!
22 Do not fear, you wild beasts: You will eat again,
for the desert pastures are green again!
And so will we: the trees bear their fruit;
the fig trees and the vines produce their bounty once again.
23 People of Zion, shout with joy
and happiness in the Eternal, your God;
The drought is over; He has sent the early autumn rain as a sign of His faithfulness.
He has poured down heavy rain, autumn and spring, as before.
24 The threshing floors will be covered in grain;
the vats will spill over with new wine and fresh oil.
25 Eternal One: I will compensate you for the years
that the locusts have eaten—the swarming locusts,
The creeping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts—
My great army that I unleashed against you.
26 In that day, you will eat plenty of food and always have enough,
so you will praise My name,
The Eternal One, your God who is merciful to you.
Never again will My people be shamed among the nations.
27 Return to Me and you will know that I live among My people Israel
and that I, the Eternal One, am your God and there is no other.
Never again will My people be shamed among the nations.
28 Then in those days I will pour My Spirit to all humanity;
your children will boldly and prophetically speak the word of God.
Your elders will dream dreams;
your young warriors will see visions.
29 No one will be left out. In those days I will offer My spirit
to all servants, both male and female.
30 In the heaven above and on the earth below,
I will give signs of My intervention: blood, fire, and clouds of smoke.
31 The sun will become a void of darkness, and the moon will become blood
just before the great and dreadful day of the Eternal One arrives.
32 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Eternal One will be liberated.
Mount Zion and Jerusalem will shelter those who survive exile,
Just as the Eternal says, “Among those who survived, He will call them.”

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Many have tried to assign the words of Joel to different times in history. For Joel, much of the prophecy would take place in the distant future. He saw the destruction of the locust, but didn’t see Me pour out My Spirit on the men and women assembled together at Pentecost.

Like many of the prophecies of the Old and New Testaments, the passage in Joel has both short-term fulfillment and end-time fulfillment. Many work hard today to figure out when I will come. What the end-times will look like. How I will return. What to look for and so many other signs to make last minute preparations.

What I want you to know is that I will come when I decide to come. I’ve told you time after time that no one knows when I will return. Just be ready. I might decide today is the day or I might wait another 2,000 years. Your responsibility isn’t to figure out when I’ll come to get you, but to be ready when I get there. If I decide to come today are you ready? That’s the question for every person on the earth.

Enough of the prophecies have already been fulfilled that I can make the dominoes fall in no time at all. Or like many generations have experienced, I can withhold My coming for a few more years. I’ll decide. You stay prepared. I am coming back. I promised and I never break My promises.

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.

Specializing in the little things (Luke 19:28-48), Jan 19, 2015

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Today’s Podcast


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Today’s Devotional

Today’s background scripture comes from Luke 19.
Many people know about what is commonly called Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into the city of Jerusalem the last week of His life. Many of those who think Him only a prophet think He acted according to scripture only because of His deep study of the scriptures. They don’t believe He was truly God incarnate. They don’t look at the details of the stories recorded about Him to understand He wasn’t just any man or any prophet.

Zechariah foretold the coming of the King 500 years earlier. He said He would come riding on a donkey, specifically on a colt, an unridden colt. Most today haven’t been around unridden animals, but it isn’t common to ride into town on an animal that’s never been ridden. Think a minute about the westerns you’ve seen. The horse that throws its rider is the nature of an unridden animal. As soon as the disciples tried to put the cloaks on its back, it would have tried to shake them off.

But not this one. Not in the presence of My Son. The colt acted like a well trained adult horse, not a brand new unridden donkey colt. The disciples put their cloaks on it to provide a makeshift saddle and Jesus rode it across the narrow paths of the steep hillsides into the gates of Jerusalem. No bucking, no resistance, no missteps. One of My creation carried My Son exactly as I told Zechariah it would 500 years earlier. Jesus knew where the colt would be. He knew its owners would release it without question. He knew it would return with the disciples without hindrance. He knew He could ride the untamed animal. He knew all of this, not because all of it was written in scripture. Only the fact He would ride into Jerusalem on a colt was foretold. The rest He knew because He was My Son, the God-Man.

Maybe it sounds like a little thing to you. I specialize in little things, like forming each individual snowflake that together add up to mountains of snow in the winter. Forming each raindrop around a speck of dust and letting it fall to earth to replenish the rivers that flow to the oceans. I paint each flower petal before folding it into the DNA of each seed that falls into the ground.

I specialize in the little things that become the incredible things. The prophecy seemed like a little thing to Zechariah 500 years before it happened. It seemed like a little thing when the disciples picked up the donkey from the owners the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem. It seemed like a little thing when He told His disciples He would not eat the Passover with them again. You see I specialize in little things and make them pretty incredible.

I can take things you might think are little and make them pretty incredible, too. In this one story of one event in Jesus’ life, a story that consumes only eight verse in Luke’s gospel, you see how small things mean a great deal to me. I specialize in the small things in life. Imagine what I can do with your life. In the small things and the big things that come your way.

Today’s Scripture

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 19:28-48
Set – Genesis 48; Luke 19
Go! – Genesis 47-48; Psalms 19; Luke 19

Luke 19:28-48
28 When He finished the parable, He pushed onward, climbing the steep hills toward Jerusalem.

29 He approached the towns of Bethphage and Bethany, which are near Mount Olivet. He sent two of the disciples ahead.

Jesus: 30 Go to the next village. When you enter, you will find a colt tied—a colt that has never been ridden before. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you why you’re untying it, just say, “The Lord needs it.”

32 So the two disciples found things just as He had told them. 33 When its owners did indeed ask why they were untying the colt, 34 the disciples answered as they had been instructed.

Disciples: The Lord needs it.

35 They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their coats on the colt’s back, and then sat Jesus on it. 36 As Jesus rode along, some people began to spread their garments on the road as a carpet. 37 When they passed the crest of Mount Olivet and began descending toward Jerusalem, a huge crowd of disciples began to celebrate and praise God with loud shouts, glorifying God for the mighty works they had witnessed.

Crowd of Disciples: 38 The King who comes in the name of the Eternal One is blessed!

Peace in heaven! Glory in the highest!

Pharisees (who were in the crowd): 39 Teacher, tell these people to stop making these wild claims and acting this way!

Jesus: 40 Listen—if they were silent, the very rocks would start to shout!

41 When Jerusalem came into view, He looked intently at the city and began to weep.

Jesus: 42 How I wish you knew today what would bring peace! But you can’t see. 43 Days will come when your enemies will build up a siege ramp, and you will be surrounded and contained on every side. 44 Your enemies will smash you into rubble and not leave one stone standing on another, and they will cut your children down too, because you did not recognize the day when God’s Anointed One visited you.

45 He entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. He began driving out the temple merchants.

Jesus: 46 The Hebrew Scriptures say, “My house shall be a house of prayer,” but you have turned it into a shelter for thieves.

47 He came back day after day to teach in the temple. The chief priests, the religious scholars, and the leading men of the city wanted to kill Him, 48 but because He was so popular among the people—who hung upon each word He spoke—they were unable to do anything.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Music by the Booth Brothers from Room for More, “Faithful One” ©2008.
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.