Tag Archives: worship

Start your journey with God (Psalm 122), November 11, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Psalms 122

Set – Psalms 122; 1 Corinthians 10

Go! – Psalms 122; 1 Corinthians 9-11

Psalms 122
1 I was so happy when my fellow pilgrims said,
“Let’s go to the house of the Eternal!”
2 We have made the journey, and now we are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem! What a magnificent city!
Buildings so close together, so compact.
4 God’s people belong here. Every tribe of the Eternal
makes its way to Jerusalem—
Just as God decreed for Israel
to come together and give thanks to the Eternal.
5 In Jerusalem, justice is the order of the day because there sit the judges
and kings, the descendants of David.
6 Ask heaven to grant peace to Jerusalem:
“May those who love you prosper.
7 O Jerusalem, may His peace fill this entire city!
May this citadel be quiet and at ease!”
8 It’s because of people—my family, friends, and acquaintances—
that I say, “May peace permeate you.”
9 And because the house of Eternal One, our God, is here, know this:
I will always seek your good!

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Do you get excited the way David does when you go to church? David wrote this psalm for those who journeyed to Jerusalem to worship Me. He remembered the excitement of approaching the city and seeing the buildings gleaming in the sun as he turned the bend in the road and saw the city on the side of the mountain. David thrilled with the thought of coming to My city to worship Me. Every time he Jerusalem to do battle or to take care of some part of the kingdom, he longed for the thrill of coming home to see the beautiful city of Zion set on the hill for My glory.

You hear it in his song. He gave this song to the people of Israel to sing on their way to the city when they came to worship Me. When they joined together to lift their voices in praise, they began to think about worship well before they entered the city, well before they came to the tabernacle. They came to the city expectantly. As they gathered along the roads on the journey, families would meet each other and take up the song.

Enthusiasm would build the closer the people came to the city. They waved palm branches in the air, they sang songs of joy. They lifted My name as they came through the gates and approached the tabernacle to bring their sacrifices to Me. Joy filled their hearts well before they came to the tabernacle because they began to worship well before they came to the tabernacle. They sang and praised and prayed and lifted their voices to Me all along their journey to Jerusalem. They worshiped together long before their feet hit the city streets. They worshiped together and prepared their hearts all along the way.

When the people finally reached the tabernacle brought to Jerusalem, the people already had their hearts and minds set on Me. They already prepared themselves well in advance of their arrival and getting to the tabernacle just continued their celebration. They were ready to see Me and experience My glory because they prepared for it all the time they traveled from their home to get to the tabernacle.

So how about you? Do you prepare to meet with Me when you come to worship? Do you sing and praise and pray on your journey from your home to the place you will gather with others to worship Me? Do you come enthusiastically to the place where you will experience My glory and present yourself to Me as a living sacrifice so I may bless you and your family as you worship with those of like mind with Me? Is your journey a chore? A bore? Or an enthusiastic joy knowing you have an opportunity to meet with Me again?

You might try what the early Israelites did on your next trip to church. Sing and praise Me on the way. Get prepared to meet Me before you come. Worship Me along the way. You’ll be surprised what it does to the rest of your day when you start your journey with 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.

Why do you go to church? (1 Corinthians 3:10-23), November 8, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 1 Corinthians 3:10-23

Set – Job 33; 1 Corinthians 3

Go! – Job 34-37; 1 Corithians 1-3

1 Corinthians 3:10-23
10 Like a skilled architect and master builder, I laid a foundation based upon God’s grace given to me. Now others will come along to build on the foundation. Each serves in a different way and is to build upon it with great care. 11 There is, in fact, only one foundation, and no one can lay any foundation other than Jesus the Anointed. 12 As others build on the foundation (whether with gold, silver, gemstones, wood, hay, or straw), 13 the quality of each person’s work will be revealed in time as it is tested by fire. 14 If a man’s work stands the test of fire, he will be rewarded. 15 If a man’s work is consumed by the fire, his reward will be lost but he will be spared, rescued from the fire. 16 Don’t you understand that together you form a temple to the living God and His Spirit lives among you? 17 If someone comes along to corrupt, vandalize, and destroy the temple of God, you can be sure that God will see to it that he meets destruction because the temple of God is sacred. You, together, are His temple.
18 Don’t let anyone deceive himself. If any one of you thinks he is wise in matters pertaining to this world, he is going to be really disappointed. In fact, one must be deemed a fool by worldly standards in order to become truly wise 19 because the wisdom of this rebellious and broken world looks like foolishness when put next to God. So it stands in Scripture, “He catches the wise in their deceitful plotting.” 20 And the Scriptures add, “The Lord knows the highest thoughts of the wise, and they are worthless.” 21 So there is no reason for anyone to boast in human leaders. You already have it all. 22 So whether it is Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life or death, the present or the future—it all belongs to you. 23 You belong to the Anointed One, and the Anointed One belongs to God.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Why do you go to church? Is it to hear the message of the preacher? Is it to hear the music present by the choir or choral group? Is it to study under a particular teacher? Just why do you attend where you attend? It really is an important question to ask yourself every once in a while. If you only go because of the pastor or the music or the studies presented or some particular program, you’re there for the wrong reason. You’re even there for the wrong reason if it’s because you think they have the doctrine that fits the way you believe.

So why do you go to church? The only acceptable answer is to worship Me. Any other answer makes the church a social club. You might as well go to the Elks Lodge or the local Lions’ Club. Find yourself another place that does good things for people and go there. If your goal when you come through the door of the sanctuary of your church isn’t to meet with Me in worship, then you’ve missed the reason for coming together as brothers and sisters.

All the physical ministries of the church can be carried out by other organizations in your community and probably are. The Food Bank collects and distributes more food to the hungry than you’ll ever feed in a lifetime at your church. The Red Cross provides shelter for the homeless in disasters worldwide and does it better than a church could ever think about doing it. Doctors without Borders provides health and healing for the sick and injured in ways your local church could not begin to approach. And the list goes on.

Sure, you do some things in your community, but so do other organizations and they probably do it better, so why do you come to church? Search your heart. Do you come expecting to see Me every Sunday? Do you even come every Sunday? Do you prepare yourself to visit with Me when you arrive? Have you prayed and met with Me through the week so that when you join your brothers and sisters you’re ready to celebrate My coming together with you in worship?

Some of those Paul wrote to in Corinth forgot why they came together. They began to follow people instead of Me. They came together to do good things instead of coming together to meet with Me. They thought they could reach Me by ministering to others. They got it backwards, though. Reach out to Me first and I will help you reach out to others. Your ministries will never succeed until you worship Me first. Until you follow the path I lay before you, your efforts will be in vain. Your wisdom is meaningless compared to Mine.

So ask yourself again today, why do you come to church? Do you know the answer? There will be a test. I want you to pass. Make sure you have the right answer when I return.

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.

Remember the Sabbath for the right reasons (Luke 13:1-17), September 30, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 13:1-17

Set – Zechariah 8; Luke 13

Go! – Zechariah 7-9; Luke 13

Luke 13:1-17
1 As He said this, some people told Him the latest news about a group of Galilean pilgrims in Jerusalem—a group not unlike Jesus’ own entourage. Pilate butchered them while they were at worship, their own blood mingling with the blood of their sacrifices.
Jesus: 2 Do you think these Galileans were somehow being singled out for their sins, that they were worse than any other Galileans, because they suffered this terrible death? 3 Of course not. But listen, if you do not consider God’s ways and truly change, then friends, you should prepare to face His judgment and eternal death.
4 Speaking of current events, you’ve all heard about the 18 people killed in that building accident when the tower in Siloam fell. Were they extraordinarily bad people, worse than anyone else in Jerusalem, so that they would deserve such an untimely death? 5 Of course not. But all the buildings of Jerusalem will come crashing down on you if you don’t wake up and change direction now.
6 (following up with this parable) A man has a fig tree planted in his vineyard. One day he comes out looking for fruit on it, but there are no figs. 7 He says to the vineyard keeper, “Look at this tree. For three years, I’ve come hoping to find some fresh figs, but what do I find? Nothing. So just go ahead and cut it down. Why waste the space with a fruitless tree?”
8 The vineyard keeper replies, “Give it another chance, sir. Give me one more year working with it. I’ll cultivate the soil and heap on some manure to fertilize it. 9 If it surprises us and bears fruit next year, that will be great, but if not, then we’ll cut it down.”
10 Around this time, He was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest. 11 A woman there had been sick for 18 years; she was weak, hunched over, and unable to stand up straight. 12-13 Jesus placed His hands on her and suddenly she could stand straight again. She started praising God, 14 but the synagogue official was indignant because Jesus had not kept their Sabbath regulations by performing this healing.
Synagogue Official: Look, there are six other days when it’s appropriate to get work done. Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath!
Jesus: 15 You religious leaders are such hypocrites! Every single one of you unties his ox or donkey from its manger every single Sabbath Day, and then you lead it out to get a drink of water, right? 16 Do you care more about your farm animals than you care about this woman, one of Abraham’s daughters, oppressed by Satan for 18 years? Can’t we untie her from her oppression on the Sabbath?
17 As the impact of His words settled in, His critics were humiliated, but everyone else loved what Jesus said and celebrated everything He was doing.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

How easy to get hung up on the words of your traditions and forget the spirit of My laws. I instituted the Sabbath as a day of rest for three reasons. First, I wanted you to stop your normal activities to focus on Me. Spend time together worshiping Me. So I commanded you to set aside the Sabbath to do just that.

Second, I knew that physically you need a day of rest. You cannot go on day after day without taking some time to rejuvenate. Working seven days a week without end will wear out your body, mind, and spirit. You need to stop and rest. The Sabbath gives you that one day a week to stop from your labors and rest.

Third, I knew that unless I forced you to look beyond the every day routine, you would become engrossed in the material things of life instead of looking up to the heavenly. You would become enamoured with the world instead of enamoured with Me. I wanted you to break away from your daily business to spend time with Me in community with others to know the joy of worshiping Me.

The Sabbath is important, but it is important in understanding the importance of relationship and community with Me and others. It’s not about rules, regulations, and traditions. It’s not even about the form of worship you desire or participate in. It’s about Me. It’s about My plan for humanity within a community of believers sharing together in worship and remembering what really matters in this world and the next.

Remember the Sabbath for the right reasons and keep it holy. Set time aside and remember 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.

Learn from the mistakes of the Israelites (Ezra 3:7-13), September 25, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Ezra 3:7-13

Set – Ezra 3; Luke 8

Go! – Ezra 2-3; Luke 8

Ezra 3:7-13
7 Jeshua, Zerubbabel, and their fellow returning expatriates exercised King Cyrus of Persia’s permission to pay masons and carpenters and send food, drinks, and oil to the Sidonians and Tyrians in exchange for a shipment of Lebanese cedar by sea to Joppa.
8 In the second month of the second year after they had begun preparations for the True God’s temple in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel), Jeshua (son of Jozadak), and the priests and Levites and all who had been exiled, began construction of the Eternal’s temple. The Levites 20 years old and older oversaw the construction, 9 and Jeshua and his relatives, Kadmiel and his sons, the descendants of Judah, oversaw the True God’s temple laborers, the descendants of Henadad and their brothers the Levites.
10 After the laborers had laid the Eternal’s temple foundation, the priests and Levites praised the Eternal as their beloved King David of Israel had prescribed. The priests dressed in their vestments and played trumpets, the Levite descendants of Asaph played their cymbals, 11 and together they sang praises and gave thanks to the Eternal.
Priests and Levites: We praise him because He is good and because of His continual and loyal love for Israel.
All the people joined in, shouting praises to the Eternal because the foundation of His temple was complete. 12 But in the midst of those praises, the priests, Levites, and tribal leaders who remembered the first temple wept loudly when they saw it because they knew this temple could never be as grand as Solomon’s. 13 There were shouts of joy intermingled with cries of sorrow, and the entire ensemble grew so loud it could be heard a great distance away.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Ezra, Zerubbabel, and the others who returned with him to rebuild My temple were pleased they could return and see the construction of My earthly home again. But they wept because of the poor replica this one was compared to the magificence of the temple Solomon constructed from the plans and materials David collected for the first temple. There was little comparison in terms of pure grandure. Remember, I had pilaged the Egyptians when My people escaped from slavery.

A great deal of that gold and silver came back to the temple and became part of the implements of worship. Gold lined the walls of the temple and covered the ceilings. There was so much gold it couldn’t be counted and the silver was as common as stones in Solomon’s day. That was the wealth and prosperity My people gave up when they gave up Me. They lost it all.

The good news, though, is that I brought them back. They left Me, but I made a way to bring them back. Still they didn’t understand that I couldn’t be kept in a building. Ezra and those who returned with him put their heart into getting the construction of the temple underway and getting it completed as fast as they could, but it wasn’t the stones and wood and implements of worship I was really interested in when I brought them back to Jerusalem.

I wanted Ezra and Zerubbabel to return to their homeland to understand I could do anything I pleased. I prophecied their return 70 years earlier. I even gave them the name of the king who would declare their return. Nebuchadnezzar put them into exile, but Cyrus returned them to their home. Babylon seemed undefeatable when they took Judah and Jerusalem into exile, but the Persians were soon to defeat them just as they conquered others. Cyrus sent My people home.

I wanted them to learn I had their lives in My hands. I could do the impossible. I could take care of them if they let Me. I didn’t need the temple, they did. I didn’t need the synagogues, they did. I didn’t need their offerings and their praise, but they needed to give it. It was always that way. I’m God, they were not.

The same holds true today. You can find Me in your churches and synagogues and temples, but you cannot confine Me to those places. I created the universe and all that it contains. I gave you life and will live in you if you let Me. But I cannot be contained. I do the impossible and can do the impossible in your. I can cleanse you of your sin if you trust Me to do so. I want to do so much more for you than you can begin to imagine. But I also demand your worship because I am a holy God and as I told Moses in the desert, I will have no other gods, in fact, nothing else more important in your life than Me.

I want you to learn from the lessons of Ezra and those who accompanied him. Understand I want to bring you back to Me. Know that I cannot be confined in the structure of a place. Worship is what I desire from you. It will come from an outpouring of love for Me when you know Me and understand who I am and what I’ve done for you. Get to know Me and don’t suffer the anguish of the Israelites. Learn from their mistakes. 

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.

Do you love God’s temple? (Psalm 84), September 24, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Psalms 84

Set – Psalms 84-85; Luke 7

Go! – Ezra 1; Psalms 84-85; Luke 7

Psalms 84
1 How lovely is Your temple, Your dwelling place on earth,
O Eternal One, Commander of heaven’s armies.
2 How I long to be there—my soul is spent,
wanting, waiting to walk in the courts of the Eternal.
My whole being sings joyfully
to the living God.
3 Just as the sparrow seeks her home,
and the swallow finds in her own nest
a place to lay her young,
I, too, seek Your altars, my King and my God,
Commander of heaven’s armies.
4 How blessed are those who make Your house their home,
who live with You;
they are constantly praising You.
5 Blessed are those who make You their strength,
for they treasure every step of the journey to Zion.
6 On their way through the valley of Baca,
they stop and dig wells to collect the refreshing spring water,
and the early rains fill the pools.
7 They journey from place to place, gaining strength along the way;
until they meet God in Zion.
8 O Eternal God, Commander of heaven’s armies, listen to my prayer.
O please listen, God of Jacob.
9 O True God, look at our shield, our protector,
see the face of Your anointed king, and defend our defender.
10 Just one day in the courts of Your temple is greater
than a thousand anywhere else.
I would rather serve as a porter at my God’s doorstep
than live in luxury in the house of the wicked.
11 For the Eternal God is a sun and a shield.
The Eternal grants favor and glory;
He doesn’t deny any good thing
to those who live with integrity.
12 O Eternal One, Commander of heaven’s armies,
how fortunate are those who trust You.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The sons of Korah acted as the worship leaders of the Israelites. These Levites held the responsibility of leading the music, the choral readings, the congregational hymns, the common prayers of My people. They led the worship as My people assembled together in the Temple in Jerusalem.

Perhaps watching the faces of My people coming into My house to worship helped them see the inner beauty of worship. They saw beyond the gold and silver and ornate tapestry of the faciltiy and saw My presence in the Temple as My people sang praise to Me each day.

Perhaps preparing the music and worship activities helped bring the Korahites into a close relationship with Me as they put words and sounds together lifting their praisees and petitions to Me in orchestrating the parts of their worship service. Maybe their study of My word began to show them how beautiful worship can be.

But maybe the author if this psalm just figured out that spending time with Me is better than living life in any other place or in any other way. Spending time with Me is better than life itself. Perhaps the song writer spent time doing more than just reading My word and singing My praise. Perhaps he spent significant time alone with Me in prayer, not just talking to Me, but also listening to My voice. And what did he learn?

He learned that there is no better place than being in My presence. He learned that it can be an even better experience when several of My people humble themselves in My presence and call on Me in adoration and praise. He learned that when My people call on Me I hear them from My throne in heaven and I answer their prayers. He learned that I know what’s best for him and those he cares for and I will never let him down because I will never fail.

The writer of the psalm found the words of the hymn flowing easily from his pen because he knew Me. He spent time with Me. His worship was more than coming into My house and getting through the routine. He poured out his heart to Me with every word he sang and every prayer he prayed. He put his heart and soul into his worship because it was for Me. The writer knew Me and longed to be near Me in this life and the next. And his desire showed in everything he did.

How does your worship measure up to his? Is that how you come to the Temple, synagogue, church, altar every time you come into My presence? Do you dig into My word so that you might truly know Me. Do you spend time in prayer listening to Me as much as talking to Me? Are our conversations two-way conversations or one-way? Do know Me or just know about 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.

All will bow (Revelation 15), September 10, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Revelation 15

Set – Lamentations 3; Revelation 15

Go! – Lamentations 3-5; Revelation 15

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:

Before the great day of My judgment, the victors over sin, those believing in the blood I shed for your forgiveness, will sing a song of praise to Me. It is an old song that reverberates through the heavens from the mouths of all who have known My saving grace.

“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.” Of course, after My plagues descend on the earth and the wicked feel My wrath, they too will know that I am holy and all nations will begivn to fall at My feet. Still many will fail to worship Me. Many will still wallow in their sins and selfishness and think they know better than Me. They will curse Me and cry out thinking their punishment isn’t deserved.

But I am a holy God and before anyone can come into My presence, their sins must be washed away by the blood of My sacrifice. Many will think it foolish and refuse. Many will continue to follow their sinful ways and die. Many will refuse to accept Me to their own eternal destruction. My mercy and grace has stayed My hand of wrath for centuries, but I will not hold it back forever. It will come. I have told you and I always keep My promises.

I long to see you among that throng of victors singing the song of Moses, a song of victory and praise. At judgment, many will bow to Me as Lord and Savior. The rest will bow to Me as Judge and Executioner. Be in the first group instead of the second. All will bow to Me. It’s your choice to make as to which group you will belong to. Choose the right one. 

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.

What kind of book is Revelation (Revelation 14:6-20), September 9, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Revelation 14:6-20

Set – Lamentations 2; Revelation 14

Go! – Lamentations 1-2; Obadiah; Revelation 14

Revelation 14:6-20
6 I saw another messenger flying through midheaven. He carried an eternal gospel, bringing good news to all the citizens of the earth—every ethnicity, nation, language, and people.
Heavenly Messenger (with a loud voice): 7 Fear God. Give Him glory, for the time of judgment has arrived. Worship the One who fashioned heaven and earth and created the seas and the springs.
8 Another messenger, a second, came along.
Second Messenger: Fallen, fallen is Babylon, the great city! She has intoxicated all the nations with the wine of the wrath of her sexual perversion.
9 Another messenger, a third, followed.
Third Messenger (with a loud voice): Those who worship the beast and its image, and all who receive its mark on their foreheads or on their hands, 10 will be forced to drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured out undiluted into the cup of God’s anger. And they will face the torment of fire and the agony of sulfurous flames before the holy messengers and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of their torment will rise throughout the ages for eternity. Day and night will come and go without pause or cessation. There will be no end to the torture experienced by those who worship the beast and its image and by those who receive the mark of its name.
12 Here is the patient endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and remain faithful to Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice call out from heaven.
A Voice: Record this: “Blessed are the dead who have died in the Lord from now until the end.”
Spirit: Yes, they will rest from their labors because their deeds remain with them.
14 Then I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like the Son of Man, a golden wreath atop His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. 15 Another messenger proceeded from the temple and called with a loud voice to the One who sat on the cloud.
Heavenly Messenger: Take Your sickle and reap the harvest, because the harvest of the earth is full and ripe and because the time to harvest has come.
16 Then the One seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth gave up its harvest.
17 Just then another messenger proceeded out of the heavenly temple. He also had a sharp sickle. 18 Then another messenger (the one with authority over fire) came out from the altar, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle.
Messenger of Fire: Take your sharp sickle and gather together the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for the grapes are ripe and ready for harvest.
19 So the heavenly messenger swung his sickle over the earth, gathered the fruit of the vine from the earth, and threw it into the great winepress, which is the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trampled outside of the city, and blood flowed from the winepress. The blood ran deep. It reached as high as the bridle on a horse and ran for the distance of about 185 miles.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

For centuries men have tried to unravel the mysteries of the end times. When will I return to take My children to be with Me through eternity? When will I finally pour out My wrath and avenge the evil prosecuted against those who bear My name? How long will I stand by and watch the evil in this world continue before I call an end to it all and call My faithful home? You read Revelation and see the punishments and the wrath and want it to come to join Me soon.

Many see Revelation as a vision of My wrath and fury, of final judgment against the evil of the world. They recite the judgments, the plagues, the battles that John relates in the visions I should him during his exile on the Isle of Patmos. But the book is so much more than a recitation of My judgments. Look deep into its verses.

Even in what you heard today, the book is filled with recognition of who I am. John acknowledges Me as the one True God, worthy of blessings and honor and glory. The Holy One who will provide rest for those who labor justly and rightly in this world. I am the One who avenges those abused by evil men. John’s Revelation has much to say about My wrath, vengance, and the devastation that will lay waste the world at the end of time. It also has much to say about the glory I will receive, the praises I you will sing, and the wonders of heaven you will enjoy. It is a book of mystery and worship.

Read it with the praise of My people in mind the next time you pick it up.

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 know what God wants, do it (Isaiah 1:2-20), July 1, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Isaiah 1:2–20

Set – Isaiah 1; Titus 3

Go! – Isaiah 1–3; Titus 3

Isaiah 1:2-20
2 Listen and take note,
from the farthest reaches to the nearest!
Listen up heaven and earth,
for the Eternal One has spoken.
He is not happy with the children He raised.
Eternal One: Despite all I’ve done,
My children have rebelled against Me.
3 Oxen know their owners;
even donkeys know where their master feeds them,
But Israel is ignorant.
My very own, they ignore Me.
4 Truly this is a wicked nation,
a people fat with wrongdoing,
Like a litter of miscreants,
a pack of wilding adolescents.
They’ve rejected the Eternal,
despised the Holy One of Israel;
they’ve turned their backs on Him.
5-6 Why do you insist on taking a beating?
Why do you persist in such reckless rebellion?
Your bodies already suffer head to toe—
your heads ache and hearts flutter;
Your skin is covered with bruises,
swollen with welts, and gaping with wounds,
with no tending, no healing, no soothing.
7 Your country is a waste.
Your cities are dead, sooty rubble.
Your farms and fields are consumed,
everything you worked for destroyed
by foreign armies as you look on—helplessly.
8 Zion, our portion of heaven on earth, is no longer protected;
Jerusalem stands like a watchman’s shelter in a vineyard,
Like a hut in a melon field,
like a city assaulted and besieged.
9 Except for the fraction of us who hang on
by the grace of the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies,
We’d be destroyed and deserted
like Sodom and Gomorrah, utterly done in.[a]
10 Listen to the word of the Eternal One,
you rulers of Sodom!
Attend to God’s instructions,
citizens of Gomorrah!
11 **Eternal One**: What do I care for all of your slaughter-gifts?
I have had enough of your burnt offerings.
I’m not interested in any more ram meat or fat from your well-fed cattle.
The blood of bulls, lambs, or goats does not please Me.
12 When you come into My presence,
who told you to trample down the courtyard of My temple bringing all of this?
13 Just stop giving Me worthless offerings;
your incense reeks and offends Me!
Your feasts and fasts, your new moons and Sabbaths—
I cannot stand any more of your wicked gatherings.
14 Likewise, I deplore your holidays,
those calendar days marked specially for Me;
They weigh Me down.
I am sick and tired of them!
15 When you summon Me with your hands in the air, I will ignore you.
Even when you pray your whole litany, I won’t be listening
Because your hands are full of blood and violence.
16 Wash yourselves, clean up your lives;
remove every speck of evil in what you do before Me.
Put an end to all your evil.
17 Learn to do good;
commit yourselves to seeking justice.
Make right for the world’s most vulnerable—
the oppressed, the orphaned, the widow.
18 Come on now, let’s walk and talk; let’s work this out.
Your wrongdoings are bloodred,
But they can turn as white as snow.
Your sins are red like crimson,
But they can be made clean again like new wool.
19 If you pay attention now and change your ways,
you can eat good things from a healthy earth.
20 But if you refuse to listen and stubbornly persist,
then, by violence and war, you will be the one devoured.
These things were spoken by the very mouth of the Eternal.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I don’t care about the stuff you try to give Me or the rituals you perform. I established the system of sacrifices and offerings Moses presented to the Israelites at Mout Sinai and carried out in the tabernacle and the Temple before their exile. But when the system becomes mindless ritual, I’m no longer interested in hearing it. I want your worship to come from the heart.

I used Isaiah to give that message to the Israelites and the message hasn’t changed. The only real sacrifice I want is you. I want you to willingly give of yourself. The bulls and rams and grain offereings only symbolized what I really want from you. Those give their all when they are laid on the altar. They give their life’s blood as a symbol of devotion. But it’s only a symbol.

What I want is you. I want your total devotion. Your total dedication. Your total worship. I want your willing acceptance of the tasks I give you to perform. I want you to lift your hands, not because some worship leader asks you to, but because you feel something in your spirit that stirs you to point to Me as the supreme entity. I want you to realize I am above everything. All except Me is part of creation. Everything has been created except Me and I am the One who began all of creation put it into order.

As you understand who I am, you will understand why nothing short of you is acceptable as an offereing to Me. Paul tells it best. “Offer yourself as a living sacrifice – this is your spiritual worship.” One day you will bow to Me and know I alone am worthy of worship. I ask you to do it now so you can do it throughout eternity with Me instead of apart from 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.

What is most important to you? (Psalms 135), May 23, 2015

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Today’s Podcast


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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Psalms 135
Set – Psalms 135; Romans 4
Go! – 2 Chronicles 6-7; Psalms 135; Romans 4

Psalms 135
1 Praise the Eternal!
Praise and glorify the name of the One who always has been and always will be;
praise Him, servants of the Eternal!
2 Join in the chorus, all you who minister in the Eternal’s temple;
in the courts of our God’s temple,
3 Glorify the Eternal, for He is good!
Sing praises, and honor His name for it is delightful.
4 For the Eternal made His choice; He selected Jacob as His own;
He claimed Israel as His possession.
5 Now I know this: the Eternal is great; His power is unmatched.
Our Master is above any so-called god.
6 He does whatever He pleases,
in heaven, on earth,
in the seas, and in all the ocean depths.
7 He draws up the clouds that rise over the whole earth,
He causes rain and the lightning to strike,
and He summons the wind from His storehouses.
8 He took the lives of Egypt’s firstborn,
human and beast alike.
9 O Egypt, He worked wonders and signs before your eyes,
signs against Pharaoh and Pharaoh’s servants.
10 He destroyed nation after nation
and killed mighty kings:
11 Sihon, the Amorite king;
Og, the king of Bashan;
and even all the kingdoms of Canaan.
12 He conquered their land and gave it as an inheritance—
an inheritance for His people, Israel.
13 Eternal One, Your name is everlasting.
Your legacy, Eternal One, will be known through all the ages.
14 For the Eternal will judge His people,
He will show compassion to those who serve Him.
15 The nations have idols of silver and gold,
crafted by human hands!
16 They shaped mouths for them, but they cannot speak;
they carved eyes into them, but they cannot see;
17 They placed ears on them, but they cannot hear;
they cannot breathe, not even a puff of air from their mouths!
18 The artisans who made them
are just like them,
and so are all who mistakenly trust in them, no exceptions.
19 House of Israel, praise the Eternal;
house of Aaron, praise the Eternal;
20 House of Levi, praise the Eternal;
all those who revere the Eternal, praise Him!
21 Blessed be the Eternal from Zion,
the One who has made Jerusalem His home.
Praise the Eternal!

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The psalmist recognized who I am and what I do in the lives of My people. He calls the people to praise Me for it, a rational response. I want to talk about those he mentions who craft idols, though. The nations around him that craft idols of silver and gold with mouths that can’t talk and eyes that can’t see. They have ears that can’t hear and they cannot breathe. Yet the artisans and the nations that worship these metal idols believe in their power.

I wonder what happens to people’s brains to think that these objects made from their hands have any power in them. How can these pieces of wood, stone, silver, or gold molded into some image do them any good? Can sightless eyes see the trouble you have or the enemies you face? Can ears that do not hear understand the cries of your heart or hear your prayers as you plead for mercy or ask for grace in your times of trouble? Can a statue of wood or stone extend a tender heart and show compassion when you need it?

Today, you say you have become more civil, though. You no longer have idols, but don’t you? Look around and see what has replaced Me in your praise and worship. Sports fields fill with cries of praise instead of My churches being filled with praise. You sit in front of screens for entertainment instead of reading My word and learning of Me or building your relationship with Me. You walk past the hungry and the needy without thought of helping.

You let your thirst for jobs, houses, cars, clothes, money, and things become more important than your thirst for Me. All of these “things” made by man become worshipped more than Me. They replace Me in importance despite the fact they cannot see or hear or speak. You give generously to these things. You spend your time with these things. You worship these things.

When will you discover that these “things” cannot save you or give you the peace you long for in your life? When will you learn that only I can provide the contentment you seek? When will you stop and recognize that love drives the world and My commands to love Me with your whole self and love your neighbor are all you need to do to find real joy in your life?

Use your brain a little and think about what you worship. What is most important in your life? Things that cannot last but swallow your time and resources or 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.

Asaph points to the center of attention (Psalms 50) Apr 1, 2015

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Today’s Podcast


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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Psalms 50
Set – Psalms 50; 2 Corinthians 1
Go! – Judges 11-12; Psalms 50; 2 Corinthians 1

Psalms 50
1 The Mighty God, the Eternal—God of past, present, and future—
has spoken over the world,
calling together all things from sunrise to sunset.
2 From Zion, that perfectly beautiful holy place,
shines the radiance of God.
3 Our God will come, and He will not enter on a whisper.
A fire will devour the earth before Him;
the wind will storm wildly about Him.
4 He calls heaven above and earth below
to assist in bringing judgment on His people.
5 “Gather up those who are aligned with Me; bring them to Me;
bring everyone who belongs to Me who have made covenant sacrifice.”
6 And the heavens shout of His justice,
for He is the True God, an honest judge.
[pause][a]
7 “Listen, My people, I have something to say:
O Israel, My testimony comes against you;
I am God, your God.
8 I am not going to scold you because of your sacrifices;
your burnt offerings are always before Me.
9 I will not accept the best bull from your fields
or goats from your meadow,
10 For they are already Mine, just as the forest beast
and the cattle grazing over a thousand hills are Mine.
11 Every bird flying over the mountains I know;
every animal roaming over the fields belongs to Me.
12 I would not come to you if I were hungry,
for the world and all it contains are Mine.
13 Do you really think I eat bull meat?
Or drink goat’s blood?
14 Set out a sacrifice I can accept: your thankfulness.
Be true to your word to the Most High.
15 When you are in trouble, call for Me.
I will come and rescue you,
and you will honor Me.”
16 But to those acting against Him, God says,
“Who do you think you are?
Listing off My laws,
acting as if your life is in alignment with My ways?
17 For it’s clear that you despise My guidance;
you throw My wise words over your shoulder.
18 You play with thieves,
spend your time with adulterers.
19 Evil runs out of your mouth;
your tongue is wrapped in deceit.
20 You sit back and gossip about your brother;
you slander your mother’s son.
21 While you did these things, I kept silent;
somehow you got the idea that I was like you.
But now My silence ends, and I am going to indict you.
I’ll state the charge against you clearly, face-to-face.
22 All you who have forgotten Me, your God, should think about what I have said,
or I will tear you apart and leave no one to save you.
23 Set out a sacrifice I can accept: your thankfulness.
Do this, and you will honor Me.
Those who straighten up their lives
will know the saving grace of God.”

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

A lot of people don’t remember who Asaph was. You see the twelve psalms ascribed to him, but probably don’t think much about what he did. If you look into the book of Chronicles, you’ll find where David made assignments to the different clans within the Levite tribe for the care and maintenance of the tabernacle and the future temple and for the acts of worship that would take place before and after the temple construction. David named Asaph the song leader, the music director, the one in charge of all the vocal and instrumental harmony that would fill My place of worship.

As you read Asaph’s psalms, you might think he would focus on the music and the worship in the temple. You might think Asaph would put together words that fill the temple with praise and happy thoughts. But as you read the words that I inspired him to write in his psalms, you’ll find instead condemnation of those who forget what worship is about. You’ll see him calling people back to Me.

Perhaps because of Asaph’s position, he saw the shallow ritual many performed and understood better than most that I didn’t need the meat sacrificed on the altars. Everything belongs to Me anyway, so I don’t need the food and drink as the other pagan religions felt their gods needed. Asaph understood I wanted the people’s praise. I wanted their true worship. I wanted them to understand who I was and what I did for them each day in giving them food to eat, water to drink, the sun to warm them, and the night to cool them.

Asaph’s psalms are filled with a call to recognize Me as the One True, Eternal God. He tried to emphasize what I wanted from My people and the consequences of not following Me. He filled his songs with judgment and justice. He also included in them My grace and mercy because He saw that side exercised on behalf of My people as they came to the temple and I released them from their heavy burdens.

Asaph served in the courts of kings, but regarded them as nothing compared to his service in My courts. He knew the place of honor I held and did his best to renew the people’s faith in Me and Me alone. Asaph knew what worship is all about. Read his psalms understanding his role in the temple and recognize the call he gives to bring everyone back to the place of worship as it should be…with Me as the center of attention.

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.