I’ve been thinking a lot recently about telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help me God.
Jesus always and only told the truth.
If He said one of the twelve disciples was going to betray Him, it was so. If He said He would not drink of the vine until He drank it again in the kingdom of God, it was so. If He said, “See, my betrayer is at hand,” it was so.
But Jesus didn’t only speak the truth prophetically. Jesus spoke the truth personally, without exaggeration or hype or grandstanding or posing. He simply spoke truth. The whole truth. And sometimes He simply held His tongue and didn’t say a thing.
I want to be more like Jesus, telling the truth without exaggerating, without twisting or shaping it to make it look nicer, or to make me look better. How about you?
Heavenly Father, Your Word is truth. Every word of Your Word is true. If You said it, we can believe it. We never have to question or doubt what You said. You never exaggerate. You never tried to make Yourself into something You’re not. Please, Father, I want to be more like You. Help me to be content in my weakness, knowing that my weakness glorifies Your immense, almighty, perfect power. Help me to not hide from You, for I trust that You already know all of me. Keep me from the fear of man. Keep me from wanting to show off and win the praise and approval of man. I want to live for Your praise and approval, not theirs. In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Savior, my Lord, my Judge, and my Friend. Amen.
Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.
Mark 13:33 ESV
When I was little, my parents would sometimes get a babysitter and go out for a late night by themselves. I would try so hard to stay awake in bed until they got home, but I was usually unsuccessful. The following morning, I’d wake up disappointed that I’d missed hearing them come home.
In more recent years, I’ve had a similar, but opposite struggle, trying to stay awake until my teenage children come home. I usually just head to bed and my husband does “staying awake duty” for us both. Like the disciples Peter, James, and John in the garden of Gethsemane, I just can’t seem to stay up for my eyes are so very heavy.
Oh, but I don’t want to miss the return of Jesus! I want to be found watching and waiting with eyes wide open with eager expectation! I want to be on my guard like a watchman in the midst of a fierce battle. My brothers and sisters, my King, and my children, need me – and you – to stay awake. Let us not grow weary of well doing, knowing that in due season we will reap a bountiful harvest, if we do not give up! (Galatians 6:9)
Heavenly Father, Forgive us, please. Too many of Your children have fallen asleep on the job. We have forgotten that we’re in a battle. We have left our battle stations. We have quit watching for our King’s return. We have given up our posts and gone home to our warm beds. Forgive us for falling prey to our adversary’s schemes and temptations. Wake us up, Lord! Your army needs to be shaken awake! We need to hear the trumpet call crying, “I am coming soon! Make way for the return of Your King! Herald the good news to every corner of creation! Make straight the way of the Lord! Put on your armor and take up Your swords and shields, for the battle has already begun!” For Your glory and fame we pray this in the Name of King Jesus! Amen.
In 2 Kings 2, Elisha remained rock solid in his commitment to Elijah, doggedly insisting, “No, I won’t stay behind. I’m going with you!” But shortly thereafter, Elisha failed to persevere when he was urged persistently, “till he was ashamed” by the “sons of the prophets who were at Jericho.” And that resulted in three days of fruitless searching for Elijah.
For as strong-willed as I am, I, too, can be swayed by peer pressure and make excuses that it’s “no big deal” to just go along with what others want. Reading today’s passage encouraged me to stand firm in my convictions, to ‘let my yes be yes and my no be no’.
Heavenly Father, please give me wisdom and patience in making decisions and give me strength to be like a solid rock that cannot be moved by the urging of men. Help me to cling to what is right and not be swayed by the opinions of others. I pray that I will be trustworthy and true, that my yes will be yes and my no will be no, for Your glory and honor. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
In 1 Kings 12, I was reminded of the dangers of following counterfeit gods, and in 1 Kings 13, I’m reminded of the dangers of following counterfeit Christians. I’m afraid that all too often Christians trust whatever a professing Christian author, blogger, podcaster, or pastor says, without giving it serious thought or prayer. We need to “test everything; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21 ESV)
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
1 John 4:1 ESV
Remember that “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16) It’s so important to know the Word. All the Word. Not just John 3:16 and Genesis 1:1. So that we can discern truth from error
I’m praying Ephesians 1:17 for you, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him.”
Heavenly Father, We need Your wisdom. We need Your guidance. Please, Father, give us a hunger for Your Word. Give us an all-consuming desire for Truth in our innermost beings. May the half-truths of the world and the devil be repulsive to us. Please, Father, let us not settle for sorta, kinda, half-hearted faith, but make us passionate for a Holy Fire revival to sweep through our homes, churches, cities, and nations. For Your glory and fame we pray by the blood of Jesus Christ shed for the forgiveness of our sins. Amen.
After Solomon’s death, the kingdom of Israel was divided. Judah (and Benjamin) followed Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, while the other ten tribes of Israel followed Jeroboam, an Ephraimite who had been a hard-working servant of Solomon. Jeroboam feared that the Israelites would turn back to Rehoboam if they went to Jerusalem to worship God, so he set up counterfeit gods and counterfeit temples, counterfeit priests and counterfeit feasts.
Isn’t that just like Satan?
Satan doesn’t create his own stuff. He’s not a creator; he’s a fake trying to look like the real thing, and he copies what is true in order to draw people away from it. He disguises himself as an angel of light, and so do his followers (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
God created mankind to worship Him. When we aren’t worshipping Him, we will worship other things, created things rather than the Creator Himself.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Romans 1:18-23 ESV
There are still people all over the world who are worshipping idols, crafted objects made to resemble a supernatural being, but the majority of Americans think we’re above that. Most red-blooded Americans wouldn’t dream of bowing down to worship a golden calf or a stone Buddha. Oh, friends, but we are worshipping all kinds of counterfeit gods. We worship at the altars of money, fame, and sex. We worship at the altars of food, fame, fortune, and phones. We worship at the altars of Amazon, Facebook, and YouTube. These counterfeit gods are trying to steal our allegiance from the One True God, the only one who is worthy of our worship, and we’re falling for it.
Will you pray with me?
Heavenly Father, You alone are worthy of our worship. You are the one who created the sun, moon and stars, the earth and the seas and all that is in them. You are who created me and every man, woman, and child on the face of our planet. Open our eyes to the counterfeits that we have made with our own hands, the worthless things that we are setting before our eyes day after day. Forgive us, Father. Create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us. For Your glory we pray in the Name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
– Zephaniah 3:14-17 ESV
Verse 14 tells Zion to rejoice and exult with all her heart, and then verse 17 says that the Lord rejoices and exults over Zion. Rejoice, rejoice. Exult, exult. I understand “rejoice,” but what does “exult” actually mean??? (Am I the only one who doesn’t use or understand this word?)
I looked it up in Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, as well as Etymology Online and Strong’s Concordance I learned that the English word “exult” comes from the French word “exulter” which means to rejoice exceedingly, or literally to leap about. And I learned that the Hebrew word שָׂמַח śāmaḥ means to rejoice and be glad. Ok, so “exult” means to rejoice!
Exult means to rejoice exceedingly.
So today when I read 1 Kings 1, the word “exalt” jumped out at me, “Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, ‘I will be king.’ And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him” (1 Kings 1:5 ESV) So I was off again to check the dictionary as well as Strong’s Concordance and Etymology Online. According to Merriam-Webster, exalt means to raise in rank, power, or character, to elevate or glorify. It can also mean to raise high or enhance or intensify the activity of something. That specific Hebrew word מִתְנַשֵּׂא miṯnaśśē’ is only used one other place in the Bible, “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.” (1 Chronicles 29:11 ESV) In studying the etymology of the word, I latched onto the Latin word root, altus which means high because it reminded me of the word altitude.
Exalt means to elevate, glorify, or lift high.
Jesus and his disciples had quite a lot to say about who exalts whom. I am certain that Jesus would have some harsh words for Adonijah exalting himself as king, getting for himself chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run before him (like his brother Absalom had done before him. (See 2 Samuel 15:1) It reminded me of Proverbs 27:2, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger and not your own lips.”
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 14:11 ESV)
So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you” (Hebrews 5:5 ESV)
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:10 ESV)
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, (1 Peter 5:6 ESV)
So, I’m asking myself, “What am I exulting in?” and “Who am I exalting, myself or my Lord?”
Heavenly Father, You are the source of my joy. I rejoice in You and the power of Your might. My hope and joy are in YOU. Help me, Father, to exalt YOU, to lift you HIGH, to elevate Your name, to honor You with my life. I pray that I will heed Paul’s words from Philippians 2, that I will do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count other more significant than myself, looking not only for my own interests, but also for the interests of others. For this is the example that Jesus Christ, the God-man, has given to us, that He humbled Himself even to the point of death on a cross. Therefore He was highly exactly and bestowed with the Name that is above every name, that someday ever knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We lift You high, Father. We exalt You and magnify You for You alone are worthy of our praise. In the Name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
Take with you words and return to the LORD; say to him, “Take away all iniquity; accept what is good, and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips. Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.”
I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.
Hosea 14:1-4 ESV
Return. Return. Return. It’s the call of God to His bride, Israel. It’s a call for repentance, doing an about-face, a 180, forsaking idols in favor of Yahweh, the Almighty One.
Israel will return to the Lord when she finally sees her sin for what it is, and so will we. We must recognize our rebellion against God and return to Him. The next step, as we see here, is to confess our sin to God and ask for His forgiveness. And then immediately we will commit to changing our behavior. Like Israel, “We will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands.”
True repentance looks like this.
True repentance is more than just feeling sorry or saying you’re sorry. True repentance is more than grieving the consequences of our sin. True repentance is a change of heart leading to a change in action. If your life doesn’t begin shifting away from your sin and back towards God, then you haven’t actually repented.
Heavenly Father, Bring us back to You. Turn us back to You. Heal us and bind up our wounds that we might worship You again. Wash us thoroughly. Cleanse us of our sin. Make us ready for the return of Your Son. He is coming soon, Father. We want to be ready. In the Name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Teshuvah. Return to Me.
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.”
Amos 8:11 ESV
Would I rather worship or wander through Wally World?
Would I rather scroll through the truth of the Word or the foolishness of Facebook?
Would I rather skip my daily dose of carbs or the daily bread of the Lord’s presence?
Would I rather sit in a pew or sit on a couch?
Would I rather be in the front row of a church or the front row of a concert?
Would I rather listen to the correction of a wise counselor or the consolation of a foolish friend?
Would I rather miss a dinner date with my BFF or a breakfast date with my Heavenly Father?
Would I rather miss my morning cup of java or my morning cup of living water?
Would I rather have an empty belly or an empty mind?
“Sabbath days and sabbath work are a burden to carnal hearts, that are always afraid of doing too much for God and eternity.
Can we spend our time better than in communication with God?
And how much time do we spend pleasantly with the world? Will not the sabbath be gone before we have done the work of it and reaped the gains of it? Why then should we be in such haste to part with it?
They were fond of market-days: they longed to be selling corn and setting forth wheat. When they were employed in religious services they were thinking of their marketings …
Those are strangers to God, and enemies to themselves, that love market days better than sabbath days, that would rather be selling corn than worshipping God.”
Matthew Henry, Commentary on Amos 8
Heavenly Father, Align our hearts with Yours. Make us love what You love. Break our hearts for what breaks Yours. Give us a holy hunger. Make us hunger for what is healthy and right, what is pure and true. Make us sick over what makes You sick. Give us discernment to recognize what is truly lovely and what is a joy stealer. Help us spot the counterfeits, the deceptions, those things that masquerade as beautiful and give us hearts that hunger and thirst for righteousness for Your Name’s sake. In the Name of Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, the One who meets our every need, the well that never runs dry, the unending source of living water and the eternal bread of Your living presence, we pray. Amen.
As a mom, I want my discipline to bring my children to repentance. I want them to grieve their sin, see their error, and turn around.
But, all too often, that’s not the case. In fact, my discipline can end up making them more hard-hearted and rebellious. My words of gentle correction, or the natural consequences of their actions, can end up causing them to blame everyone but themselves.
Does that mean I’m wrong to discipline them?
Does that mean I should look the other way as they run headlong away from what is right?
My heart grieves with the Lord as He says five times in Amos 4, “yet you did not return to me.” He had withheld rain. He had struck their gardens with blights and locusts. He had even brought death upon some of their young men, yet they did not return to Him.
It reminds me of a line from one of Charles Spurgeon’s sermons.
The same sun which melts wax hardens clay. And the same Gospel which melts some persons to repentance hardens others in their sins.
C.H. Spurgeon
The Lord disciplines those He loves. That discipline will harden some and convict others. I wonder, which am I? Am I listening when the Lord is trying to get my attention? Am I willing to correct my course when the Lord is putting road blocks in my way?
How about you? How have you handled the Lord’s rod of correction? Where do you need to do an about-face and return to Him, your Creator?
Heavenly Father, We are indeed silly sheep who often go astray and wander into dangerous places. Forgive us, Father, for our foolishness, our rebellion, and our disobedience. Thank You for Your loving hand that seeks to bring Your children back into the fold. Your rod and Your staff are our comfort. Help us to listen to Your voice of corrections and change course, to RETURN to YOU, the lover of our souls. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Sometimes it seems that professing Christians think they are immune from the consequences of their sin. Indeed Jesus has paid the price for our sin by His death on the cross, but we still must endure God’s discipline for our good.
In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
Hebrews 12:4-8 ESV
All too many American children are being left without discipline, and our nation is reaping the consequences of it.
God disciplined the Israelites and He disciplines Christians. Not because He hates us, but because He loves us.
Oh, Heavenly Father, what a blessing it is to call You, Father. What an honor to be Your daughter. Help me to endure Your discipline with humility and gratitude and trust, fully believing that You are working to conform me into the image of Your Son. You are good. Always. Help me to learn what you’re teaching me. In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord I pray. Amen.
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