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Examine Yourself
Today’s Readings: Ezekial 4-6, Psalm 82, John 2
23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.[d] 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.
Where does your belief come from? Where does your unbelief come from?
I think about the miracles we read about in John 2. I had read before that one of the first miracles Jesus performed was filling the wine vases. How amazing. Maybe believing would involve seeing the paralyzed man healed or raising Lazarus?
Many believed based on these miracles, but many still didn’t. I didn’t see the miracles we read from the Bible, but I think of my wife, Jennifer, and three kids: Jackson, Marshall, and Gianna. I think of my profession God has blessed me to do or even my health, which I wake up to daily.
Even with all the daily miracles we are blessed with, this does not guarantee eternal belief. The most critical decision in worldly life is to know God. Amid life and all our circumstances, we aim to believe, trust, be obedient, and continue to know and understand Him.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Dear Heavenly Father,
The miracles You show us every day we are so thankful for. Help us to understand Your love more each day. Help us to realize how we need to be obedient and how Your Son Jesus died for us. Lord, help us know You better each day. Amen
Psalm 82:8 provides a reminder on Election Day.
Come, O God, and rule the world; all the nations are yours.
Listen or Not listen
Today’s Reading: Ezekiel 1-3; John 1
““But then when the time is ripe, I’ll free your tongue and you’ll say, ‘This is what God, the Master, says:. . .’ From then on it’s up to them. They can listen or not listen, whichever they like. They are a bunch of rebels!””
There are several different methods of listening, but two that are very important are active listening and passive listening. When you’re actively listening, you are processing the words, the context, and the tone of the message. You are engaging in the full context of the message and you are understanding the information to make an informed decision.
Passive listening is when you are just in the presence of the message and you hear the information, but you are not processing it. If you were asked to give information about the message at a later time you would not be able to relay the information.
In the two passages that we have today, Ezekiel and John, we have two messengers that are given their assignments and they are tasked to relay the information. In Ezekiel, Ezekiel is afraid of the persecution of the individual that he is tasked to deliver this message. He is in the midst of the exiles in Babylon. From my previous writing, we find that the individuals in Babylon were protected by God if they abided by his rules and listened to Jeremiah.
And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions.[j] Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. 7 And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.
Ezekiel 2: 5-7
In contrast in John, John the Baptist delivers his message with boldness and confidence that Christ is coming and will be the Savior of everyone.
15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.[e]
19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight[h] the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Behold, the Lamb of God
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son[i] of God.” John 1 : 15-34
The main focus of the message is not the messenger, but on the audience who receives the message. In Ezekiel, God tells Ezekiel that God will protect Ezekiel if he delivers a message. It is up to the people who listen or not listen to except the direction in the guidance. John the Baptist, tells everyone the good news of Christ. John the Baptist is overjoyed that he continuously tells the world the good news several times in the first Chapter of John.
In the Bible the messengers were limited in their audience. We currently have the benefit of having the Holy Spirit as our messenger. We all are the audience. We all have the ability to hear and listen to the message. This is the Spirit of God or God the Spirit. We have unlimited access to our messenger. He dwells in us and connects us with God the Father and God the Son. We are in continual communication with our messenger of today.
Many times in the Bible they were listening for information about the coming of Christ or the deliverance of the people. But now we can listen for guidance, listen for encouragement, listen for healing, and listen for anything that we need from God.
Let’s be in tune to what God is giving us and ask him that we may be better at active listening. Such as the example of Elijah.
“And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?””
1 Kings 19:11-13 ESV
Let’s listen for the whisper of God.
You Snooze, You Lose
The alarm is set for 4:00. It will come fast. A loud and annoying siren is necessary to bring life to my body at that early hour. I will not like it. It will not be fun, but that is not the point. The fun lives on the other side. I have a flight to catch, and it leaves early. The sunshine is beckoning. I will do it.
Paul is sounding an alarm too. His words and his tone in 2 Peter are written to get our attention. While they may not come off loud and annoying, they are designed, he says, “to stimulate our minds.” In other words, “wake up!” It is time to focus and engage in his conversation. Sure, you can snooze, but you will also lose. Regression is real, but that is not the point. You see, there is an opportunity, an experience awaiting our response. Once energized with the Gospel, our minds bring peace and assurance, purity and blamelessness. This is the new heaven and new earth that we are being called to. But do not delay this opportunity is for a limited time only. We have a flight to catch.
Restore Us
Today’s readings are Jeremiah 47-49, Psalm 80, and 2 Peter 2.
The title in my Bible for 2 Peter 3 is “The Day of the Lord Will Come” speaking of the 2nd coming of Jesus. Our reading for today, 2 Peter 2 is titled “False Prophets and Teachers.
Here are some verses from 2 Peter 2…
And many will follow their sensuality and because of them the way of the truth will be blasphemed.
2 Peter 2:2
For speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice for sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.
2 Peter 2:20
Be whatever or whoever you want to be. Do whatever what every you want to do. Do whatever you feel you want to do. It’s your choice. Follow the science…until it doesn’t fit what you want or how you feel.. or the agenda.
These are common themes of the world we live in today, and this world sounds an awfully lot like what Peter describes in 2 Peter 2…especially in the United States. I’m not going to try to predict the end times will happen soon even though it may seem like it based on Peter’s description and what’s going on in our world. Most can a agree though that regardless of when it will occur…each day we’re getting closer in same way that we don’t know the day each of us will die, but we know today we are closer than we were yesterday.
Our readings in the book of Jeremiah from chapters 47-49 describe the judgement on or fall of the Philistines, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar, Hazor, and Elam. Most all of these were caused by them turning away from God and His truth. While one could say the United States is not mentioned in Biblical end times prophecies due to not being near Israel geographically, others say it’s because it’s because we don’t exist then which could be as a result of our turning away from God like the aforementioned peoples or cities.
However, there is hope for the United States and us as Christians.
Let us learn from the Psalmist who cries for help for Israel in Psalm 80 where we read in Psalm 80:3.
Restore us O God;
Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Psalm 80:7 and Psalm 80:19 say nearly the same. We can see where God has protected Israel through thousands of years and even through tumultuous events in the just last few months which could have brought Israel’s end, despite all of Israels flaws and mistakes throughout generations.
We can also read in 2 Peter 2:9…
Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgement,
As a Christ follower in the US, I will pray for our country to turn back to Jesus and the truth He gives us in the Bible which is the only real truth on how we are to live, and we know that in following Jesus He will protect us and our souls through His saving grace and Resurrection.
And while we wait, I can only borrow the words of Joshua…
..But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Joshua 24:15
Lamenting is Worship
Today’s Readings: Lamentations, Psalm 137, 1 Peter 4
Can you find the book of Lamentations in the Bible? An impactful book with only five chapters, nestled between Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
Lamentations, a poetic expression of grief over Jerusalem’s destruction, speaks to enduring suffering, loss, and hope in the face of despair. Written by Jeremiah, it reflects on the devastation Israel faced as a consequence of turning away from God. Today, it offers insight into dealing with personal and communal suffering. The deep expressions of pain and sorrow highlight how we, too, can honestly bring our struggles before God. Lamentations teaches that lament is a form of worship, acknowledging pain without losing faith. This book emphasizes that while suffering may feel overwhelming, it isn’t the end. Jeremiah’s words about God’s mercies being “new every morning” remind us of God’s faithfulness even in the darkest times (Lamentations 3:22-23). We are encouraged to hope and trust in God’s compassion and justice, especially when we don’t understand our circumstances.
Furthermore, Lamentations challenges us to reflect on personal and collective responsibility. It invites us to examine our actions, acknowledge when we’ve gone astray, and seek restoration. The communal grief expressed encourages us to stand in solidarity with those who suffer, reminding us of the importance of empathy and collective healing. Ultimately, Lamentations reassures us that God’s presence endures even amid despair, offering hope and a path toward restoration. In a world marked by loss and uncertainty, this message remains profoundly relevant today.
Bring your sorrows, pain, and trials to the Lord and He will see you through it.
Written with the assistance of ChatGPT
Slowing Down to Be Present with God and Others
Do you find yourself constantly in motion, always on the go, and rarely stopping to take a breath? Do you experience restlessness? When people ask how you’re doing, is your automatic response something like “good, just really busy”? If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. I catch myself saying it too, and I hear it from people of all walks of life—retirees, students, stay-at-home parents, and professionals alike.
I constantly find myself in a hurry, trying to accomplish one thing after another so I can accomplish more. This includes activities related to my employment, in the home, where I serve, and even when I’m supposed to be rejuvenating.
This summer while on vacation to visit family and friends my heart was convicted. It was as though I was trying to get through every conversation and gathering as quickly as possible. This left me feeling exhausted and guilty as I was supposed to experience peace and joy with these wonderful people, yet I felt the opposite. My mind wandered and I was frequently mentally “somewhere else”.
What convicted me wasn’t a specific friend or family member, it was through self-reflection, alone time, and prayer. One phrase kept coming to mind: Be present.
My selfishness is what got in the way. I was the problem, not anyone else. Our most limited resource is our time, and more important than time is our attention. While I “spent time” with these people, my attention was elsewhere.
Worse than inattention to family and friends is inattention to God and his will for my life. The more focused I am on myself, the less focused I am on God. This goes for prayer time, acknowledging the beauty of His creation, and giving thanks for the many blessings he has given.
Since that moment of conviction, I’ve started making small but meaningful changes. By intentionally focusing on the present (and on others), prayer, and time with God, I’ve found more joy in my interactions.
Today’s reading in 1 Peter 3 gives some simple instructions for good living which relates to my story:
- Love each other (v. 8). It is loving to give our attention to others.
- Be tenderhearted (v. 8). We can only have tender hearts when we see others for who they are (God’s creation) and we let go of selfish desires.
- Keep a humble attitude (v. 8). Again, putting others first, dying to self.
- Bless those who hurt us (and we will be blessed by God) (v. 9). The world says to take revenge but how is that working out for the world?
- Tell the truth and speak with kindness (v. 10). This talks about being able to enjoy life. While scripture doesn’t guarantee a “happy life”, we can still live life abundantly in Christ. Too often we chase things we don’t need to find happiness. This scripture keeps it simple.
- Do good, maintain peace (v. 11). This verse contains action words. Good living doesn’t come from just sitting on the couch watching television. Take action!
All of those verses lead me to close with 1 Peter 3:15.
Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.
As you reflect on these scriptures, I invite you to carve out some quiet time today or tomorrow to pray over these questions:
- What do my time and attention say about me? Do these choices indicate Christ as Lord of my life?
- If someone asks about my hope as a believer, am I ready to explain it? What will I say?
Today’s reading: 2 Kings 24-25; 2 Chronicles 36; Psalm 126; 1 Peter 3
Simple, Not Easy
Jeremiah 38, 39, 52, 1 Peter 2
1 peter 2 tells us to put away all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander. What are they, exactly?
Malice – malice is the conscious and willful desire to hurt or harm others
Deceit – deliberately misleading or lying to others
Hypocrisy – pretending to be something you are not
Envy – desiring what others have
Slander – the act of making false, damaging statements about someone in order to harm their reputation
Is it possible to “put them away,” as Peter commands? Maybe, for a minute.
It seems similar to catching a child picking his nose. When I yell “stop it,” he stops. He will even obey for a while. Then, once he discipline wears off and the discomfort returns, his natural self takes over. The same is true for us. I might be able to take the action of putting them away for a minute but if it is to persist over the long term, I must first replace the mindset with something else.
Peter tells us directly in verse 13. He says,
Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 1 peter 1:13
Harvest
Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 21,34,37 Psalm 79, James 5
This last weekend, I was in Detroit, Michigan, for one of my son’s hockey tournaments. Along the drive, I was grateful to observe the beautiful colors of the fall foliage in Michigan. On the way there, the route showed delays throughout the interstate route . I knew I couldn’t do the traffic, so I took the back route, which presented as only a few more minutes. Most of these additional minutes would be spent behind farm vehicles harvesting the fields. For me It was the perfect ride. This drive made me reflect on James who uses numerous metaphors and illustrations to make his point very similar to the way Jesus would. 
7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.
The ride also helped me think about the loss of one of our close friends ( Heidi Zell), who was our neighborhood mother and/or grandmother to many. To me, she modeled kindness, care, and love for many. There was a lot of tears in our family and loss ow words. The only words I could use for my 13, 9, and 6 year old is that God loves us more than anything and He decides when we spend eternity with Him.
James shairs with us that the lives of those who believe should be marked by a peaceful assurance of His returnand faithful efforts to increase the harvest of souls for the Kingdom. Just as the farmers I saw understood to wait patiently for the crop to grow, so we should all be patient in waiting for Him to com once again.
Enjoy being with our Lord in Heaven Heidi! Thanks for showing His love through the love and kindness you gave to everyone. Luke 23:43 And he said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.
I’ve Got You
Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 24,27,28,29 and James 4
One of my favorite messages from God is this “ I’ve got you”. This is one of the most comforting and reassuring messages that God continues to give me throughout my life. In the world where so many things are variable and ever changing, God continues to tell me “I’ve got you “. This message doesn’t say that it’s going to be easy or that it’s going to be fair or that I’m not going to have hardships or trials. It states that he will help us and be there to guide us through everything.
“Then God told me, “This is the Message from the God of Israel: The exiles from here that I’ve sent off to the land of the Babylonians are like the good figs, and I’ll make sure they get good treatment. I’ll keep my eye on them so that their lives are good, and I’ll bring them back to this land. I’ll build them up, not tear them down; I’ll plant them, not uproot them. “And I’ll give them a heart to know me, God. They’ll be my people and I’ll be their God, for they’ll have returned to me with all their hearts.”
Jeremiah 24:4-7 MSG
“‘I’m the one who made the earth, man and woman, and all the animals in the world. I did it on my own without asking anyone’s help and I hand it out to whomever I will. Here and now I give all these lands over to my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I have made even the wild animals subject to him. All nations will be under him, then his son, and then his grandson. Then his country’s time will be up and the tables will be turned: Babylon will be the underdog servant. But until then, any nation or kingdom that won’t submit to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon must take the yoke of the king of Babylon and harness up. I’ll punish that nation with war and starvation and disease until I’ve got them where I want them.”
Jeremiah 27:5-8 MSG
“This is the Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God, to all the exiles I’ve taken from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and make yourselves at home. “Put in gardens and eat what grows in that country. “Marry and have children. Encourage your children to marry and have children so that you’ll thrive in that country and not waste away. “Make yourselves at home there and work for the country’s welfare. “Pray for Babylon’s well-being. If things go well for Babylon, things will go well for you.” This is God’s Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”
Jeremiah 29:4-7, 10-11 MSG
In reading Jeremiah, I have a new understanding of God‘s provision for us. In these chapters, we have some of the most memorable verses:
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[a] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope“.
But when you really dive deep into this, you can see a different story. The majority of my life I have thought of the Babylonian conquest and the Babylonian empire as a season where the Israelites were persecuted and deliberately mistreated. But reading through chapters 24, 27, 28, 29 and actually understanding it in a different perspective, God actually had them covered from the beginning to the end and the exile and the Babylonian conquest. God actually protected the people in their exile. He gave them instructions that he was there in the midst of everything. He instructed them to grow and flourish in this exile from their land. He was putting his hand of protection around them in the midst of their exile. This is a continuation of God‘s provision for us.
When we look back at the chronicles of the Bible Cannon, we can see how God has protected us in the midst of change and in the midst of chaos.
- Egypt
- The wilderness
- Exile
God is continuously protecting us in these chaotic times. He is allowing us to grow, and he is allowing us to lean into him. From my own experience when things become chaotic and difficult, I tend to retreat into myself. But as I am reading, and having God mentor me through these passages, I will attempt to lean into him more. I will attempt to not retreat into me, but retreat into Him, and not hinder my blessings that He has in store for me. I will make an effort to not withhold my seeds in time of famine, but just continue to sow them for His growth. He doing an amazing work in me. He is the Gardener and the Protector and the Perfector of all that he does in me. So I remembered that he’s telling me “I’ve got you”.
Are You Wise? Prove It!
Jeremiah 25, 35, 36, 45, Psalm 133, James 3
Conventional wisdom tells us that wise people should be teachers. While that may be true, James suggests a different approach. Wisdom, he says, is demonstrated through your conduct. James 3:13 highlights three key characteristics of wisdom:
Good Conduct
Some translations use the term “good works.” Living wisely means doing good not for ourselves, but for the benefit of others. “Good works” also suggests helping and serving.
Show your works
Our good works need to be visible; they should make an outward impact on the world.
Be Humble
It’s not about me—true wisdom is grounded in humility.
How Does the World Show Wisdom?
The world’s idea of wisdom focuses more on preaching and moralizing rather than on service.
Wisdom Leaves Clues
How do we prove that we are living wisely according to God’s plan? The following traits from James 3:17 offer evidence:
– Peaceable
– Gentle
– Open to Reason
– Full of Mercy and Good Fruits
– Impartial
– Sincere