Jesus went from village to village teaching and preaching repentance. So long as people think they are good people who deserve eternal life in heaven, they don’t feel the need to repent and trust in Christ.
I pray you’ll take ten minutes to watch this video.
If you have not repented of your sins and trusted in Christ, I pray that today will be your day of salvation. If you are trusting in the death of Christ in your place for salvation, who does God want you to share this good news with? Don’t keep this joy to yourself!
Living Waters
Heavenly Father, Thank You for giving us Your law that we would know our need for a Savior. Oh, and to think that You not only gave us the Law, but You gave us a Savior! You are completely just and completely merciful. You are holy and wise and good, full of steadfast love and justice and righteousness! Like King Nebuchadnezzar said in Daniel 4:37, I “praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” Thank You for humbling us that we might exalt You! In the Name of Jesus Christ my Savior and Lord I pray. Amen!
What do you do when you find yourself in a pickle? Do you cry out to God for help? Do you beg Him for mercy? Do you plead for Him to save you?
I think many Americans run their lives on their own terms 95% of the year and then suddenly remember God when they find themselves in a jam, much like Jeroboam in 1 Kings 14.
As we read earlier in 1 Kings, Jeroboam had set up his own houses of worship complete with altars and golden calves in the Israelite cities of Bethel and Dan. And yet, when his own son, Abijah, became sick, where did Jeroboam turn? Did he send his wife to Bethel or Dan to inquire of those golden calves that he had erected? No, he didn’t. He sent her to Shiloh to inquire of the Lord’s prophet, Ahijah.
Is this genuine faith? No, it isn’t. Jeroboam’s faith is the faith of demons, not the faith of born-again believers.
Counterfeit faith says, “I know God is real, but I won’t submit my life to him.”
Friends, genuine faith will result in obedience, daily obedience. Genuine faith says, “God is real, so I want to live my life for Him.”
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! …
You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.
James 2:19, 22-23 ESV
Do you have genuine faith? Or counterfeit faith?
Heavenly Father, You are the one true God. There are so many imposters, but You are the only One who is true. Search my heart and test me. Show me where I’ve fallen prey to the lies of the devil. Show me where I’m faking faith. Please don’t let me come to the day of judgment when my deeds will be laid bare and it will become clear that I was among those who never knew you. Do what You need to do to bring me into a right relationship with You. I want to know You more that I would love you more and walk in the daily obedience of faith. I pray this in the Name of Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb who died in my place, Amen.
It’s hard to imagine how much has changed in our world since I began teaching English online in December of 2018. I am so grateful for technology that allows me to have face to face conversations with people who live on the other side of the world, people who don’t live in towns full of churches and radios that freely broadcast Christian media.
Like I said one morning last month to some precious online sisters, “The great thing about living in America isn’t that we’re rich. The great thing about living in America is that we have freedom to worship our great God.” I pray that our nation would be known not for our lavish lifestyle but for our love for the Lord, not for our abundant wealth but for our abundant wisdom, not for our sports and movies and hospitals but for our kindness and integrity and generosity.
The Queen of Sheba blessed the Lord because she was impressed by King Solomon’s wisdom and wealth. I wonder, “Are other nations drawn to know and bless the Lord because of America’s wisdom and wealth?”
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, May we use our wealth to point the world to You, rather than to ourselves. Help us to remember that everything we have is a gift from Your abundant goodness. You know all things. You have all wisdom. Solomon’s wisdom didn’t come from books. It came from You. Bless our nation with wisdom. Bless Your children with wisdom, that others might be attracted to know You, the source of wisdom. For the Name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
After reading all the yuck of the previous 12 chapters of 2 Samuel, I held my breath reading David’s words in 2 Samuel 23:5.
For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?
2 Samuel 23:5 ESV
Then I was reminded of 2 Samuel 7 when God made that everlasting covenant with David,
“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.
And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’”
2 Samuel 7:12-16 ESV
And then I was reminded of 2 Samuel 12 when God swore to bring evil upon David because of his sin.
“Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’
Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’”
2 Samuel 12:9-12 ESV
And I was once again reminded that God is a promise keeping God, both in His promises of blessing and His promises of wrath. God did keep His everlasting covenant with the house of David, bringing Jesus, our eternal King of kings, but God also kept His oath that the sword would come upon David’s house and that his wives would be given to his neighbor, as we just read about in chapters 15-16.
So, then I wondered, why do so many professing Christians only talk about God’s steadfast love and refuse to talk about His just anger against our sin?
The reason God’s great mercy is the BEST NEWS EVER is because God’s great wrath is the WORST NEWS EVER.
Friends, if you are not in Christ, then you are still under God’s judgment, and if you are judged by your own deeds, you will be found “guilty as charged” and endure God’s eternal condemnation.
Everyone loves John 3:16 ESV — “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” But, let’s not forget about the other verses of John 3,
“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” John 3:18 ESV
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” John 3:36 ESV
And what about 1 John 5:11-12? “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life;whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.“
HeavenlyFather, help us to believe and proclaim the full counsel of Your Word, the full gospel of truth, that You are holy and righteous, that You are the judge of even our secret sins, those hidden things that no one else knows about, the thoughts and intentions of the heart as well as our words and deeds. None of us can stand before You by our own merit. We need You, Lord. Cover us with the blood of Jesus and wash us clean. Redeem us and deliver us from sin. In the Holy, Almighty Name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Though we don’t know what exactly Noah said to those living around him, 2 Peter 2:5 calls Noah, “a herald of righteousness.” Though we don’t know exactly how Noah was treated by those who saw him building an ark in a desert, Hebrews 11:7 says that, “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”
We know more about John. We know that John “went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Luke 3:3 ESV) We know that John had fiery words to say to his Jewish brothers who came to be baptized by him.
“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Luke 3:7b-9 ESV
I was reminded this morning that John’s father, Zechariah, was a priest, but we see here in Luke 3 that John answered the crowds, even those detested tax collectors and soldiers, who asked, “What shall we do?” And again and again John pointed people to the One who is mightier than him, the one who was yet to come, who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire, who would gather the wheat into His barn and burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.
But Noah’s life and John’s life ended very differentlly. Noah’s life was spared, while John was locked up in prison (Luke 3:20) and eventually beheaded (Matthew 14:1-12).
So I’m asking myself, am I willing to be a herald of righteousness?
Am I willing to preach repentance or am I too afraid of what people will say?
Do I fear the disapproval of man … or of God?
Heavenly Father, make me like John and Noah. Make me a herald of good news. Help me to preach repentance and the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. I know how this story ends. I know that Jesus came, and I know that He is coming again. Help me to live for Your glory, rather than my own. Help me to love my neighbor more than I love my own comfort. Give me Your strength. Give me Your words. Guide me where You want me to go. In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior, I pray. Amen.
In April 1994, I was having another discussion about religion with a young man I was interested in. For the dozenth time I was arguing with him about my inability to believe in a God that I couldn’t see with my eyes or touch with my hands. Suddenly, in a brief moment of humility, I asked a simple question, “What do you mean when you say, ‘saved’?” To me, “save” was a word associated with money and stray puppies, not college valedictorians. And for the first time I heard clearly explained the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Reading through the book of Ruth, I noticed the words redeem and redeemer used over and over again, but do we as 21st-century adults understand what ‘redeemed’ means?
Do we see our own abject lostness and our need for a counselor and guide to show us where to go and lead us by the hand to get there?
Or do we think we’ve already arrived, already know all the answers, and we don’t need anything beyond what hard work, Google, and the government can provide.
Do we see ourselves as hopeless, helpless beggars all searching for a morsel of bread?
Or do we see ourselves as wealthy, capable, able-bodied people in need of no one and no thing to help us?
Do we see our sinful nature and recognize our need for forgiveness and rebirth?
Or do we think we’re really pretty good, decent people who’ve never killed anybody or done anything all that bad, especially compared to all the good things we’ve done?
Naomi, a Jew, and Ruth, a Moabite, both needed to be redeemed and so do you and I. Naomi and Ruth’s earthly lives were redeemed by their kinsman-redeemer, Boaz, but their eternal souls were redeemed by looking forward to that sinless Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who paid the price for their sins with His own sins blood, something much more precious than all the gold and silver all the world over.
Have you been redeemed? Have you been washed in the blood of that Lamb? Were your sins been fully paid for when Jesus, that spotless Lamb, was nailed to the cross 2,000 years ago?
Ruth, a widowed Moabite woman, found safety in the providence of God and in the fields of Boaz, her Israelite kinsmen redeemer.
Have you ever considered the fact that God called Abram, a man living in Ur of the Chaldeans, to come to Canaan and be the great father of the Israelite nation? God could’ve chosen someone already living in the Promised Land, but He didn’t. God called Abram to leave his people and his land and to go to a land that he would show him, and he did.
God chose a foreign-born woman, Ruth, to be the great grandmother of King David, the forefather of Jesus Christ Himself. God could’ve chosen Naomi herself, a Jew, but He didn’t. God called Ruth to leave her people and her land and to follow her mother-in-law back to her land, and she did.
And now, three thousand years later, God chose me, a young woman running from God, blaspheming His name, scoffing at His followers, to carry His Word across the world wide web to foreign nations around the world. He could’ve chosen my sister-in-law who grew up in church, but He didn’t. God called me to wake up before dawn, to turn on my computer and teach, morning by morning, and I’m trying. 😁
Heavenly Father, have Your way with me. Help me to trust You and walk humbly with You, my God. You are the God of Redemption and Power, the God of Holiness and Second Chances. You are the Tapestry-Weaving God of Life and Purpose. We worship You, Lord, and thank You for Your mercy. Help us to reach out to the foreigner dwelling among us for Your glory, never forgetting that You desire the worship of people all over the globe. We want to be faithful to make disciples of all nations. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Are you looking for a family friendly advent devotional? Two years ago I got in print what had been in my heart, head, and mouth for the last decade with my own kids. I hope it blesses you. It’s available in paperback or ebook versions. Download a PDF of all 25 ornaments free here.
“From Creation to Christ: A Family Advent Devotional Tracing the Story of the Savior Through Scripture, Stories, Songs, and Pictures” by Kim Endraske
Day 11 of the Devotional is about Ruth and Boaz. Enjoy!
And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What evil is this that has taken place among you? Now therefore give up the men, the worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and purge evil from Israel.”
But the Benjaminites would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the people of Israel.
Judges 20:12-13 ESV
You have to read Judges 19 in order to understand Judges 20, so please start there. I wrote some thoughts on Judges 19 here. Now considering Judges 20, I’m thinking about how often people protect the perpetrators while turning their backs to the needy. Unfortunately it’s often the criminals with a good reputation who the community rallies to support while the lesser-known victims are left with no one to defend them. May it never be.
Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah 11 and Isaiah 61.
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Isaiah 11:1-4 ESV
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
Isaiah 61:1-3 ESV
May we be vessels of His mercy and justice, of His grace and truth. May we be impartial as He is. May we help the poor and broken, remembering that we are poor and broken recipients of God’s amazing grace.
I think Judges might be my least favorite book of the Bible. 🥺 Chapter after chapter we read how vile, wicked, foolish, and inhumane people can be. This chapter must be the worst of all!
First off, why does the Levite have a concubine in the first place? Then, why was the concubine unfaithful to him and why would she leave him to live with her father? And then, why does her father keep insisting on keeping the Levite so late into the evening? But it gets much worse from there … You’ll have to read it for yourself.
This morning, though, what I’m still thinking about for myself, is that this Levite didn’t want to stay the night in Jebus because it was a city controlled by heathens. He insisted that they keep traveling to the town of Gibeah, an Israelite town, where he expected to find safety and hospitality. And yet, Gibeah is the very city where his concubine was violated and abused all night, to her death. 😫
I find myself asking questions like these:
Are Christians today so perpetually angry, bitter, and selfish that we, likewise, are unable to be places of mercy for the wounded traveler looking for help?
Are Christians today safe spaces for our brothers and sisters in Christ to get a few moments of peace in the midst of the storms of life?
Are Christians today hospitable and generous to the stranger in our midst?
Are Christians today committed to protecting the hurting and needy, or do we send them on down the street to be devoured by wolves and taken in by frauds?
Are Christians today humble and kind to the broken, or are we so busy feeding our own flesh that we can’t be bothered to take care of others who need someone to throw them a lifeline?
Let’s be faithful to inspect our own eyes for the logs that are lodged there, instead of just pointing fingers at lost people doing what lost people do
Oh, Heavenly Father, break my heart for what breaks Yours. Thank You for Your saving grace. Thank You for pursuing me and bringing me into the safety of Your fold, for hiding me under the shelter of Your wings. Help me to do likewise. Give me eyes for the needy, the helpless, the hurting. Burden my heart for them. Set the captives free, Lord! Free those chained to addictions of all kinds, pornography and gambling, alcohol and drugs, selfishness and greed, laziness and gluttony. We need Your grace, Lord. Help us, Father, by Your steadfast, powerful mercy. In the Name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, we pray. Amen.
From the beginning of time, God knew that people would need signs to strengthen their faith in Him. When God created the sun, moon, and stars, He said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be forsigns and for seasons, and for days and years” (Genesis 1:14 ESV). A rainbow, a staff turned to a snake, and here in Judges 6, a wet fleece on a dry ground followed by a dry fleece on a wet fleece, have all been signs given by a good God to prove the truth of His promises, His Word, and even His existence.
I remember a time when I asked God for a sign that He was real, that He was out there somewhere. I was 15 or 16 years old, sitting in an empty grassy field on a college campus in Vermont where I was attending a summer debate camp. The vast blue sky, gentle breeze, and towering swaying trees were making me think.
When I wasn’t struck by lightning (or a Bible falling from the sky), I concluded that God must not be real. But, I was wrong. So wrong. In fact, God had given me signs of His existence in those very things – the sky, wind, and trees, the sun, moon, and stars – they were all pointing me straight to Him. ☝️ (Read Romans 1 and Psalm 19 for more on this.)
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.
Romans 1:20 ESV
God has also given us so many signs to point mankind to the Messiah, the Savior of the World, Jesus, the One who came into the world to save sinners like you and me. He took on human flesh, born as a human baby to a virgin mother, yet He was Immanuel, God with us. He was crucified without cause, the sinless for the sinful, the innocent for the guilty. Do you know Him?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14 ESV
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:10-12 ESV
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Matthew 12:38-40 ESV
So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
John 2:18-22 ESV
God gave us all these signs so we would recognize the Messiah when He came the first time 2,000 years ago, but I believe He’s coming again … and soon! I hope you’re keeping your eyes wide open, being faithful to attend to your Father’s business while you’re eagerly watching for Him. Don’t be caught unaware like a thief in the night. Read Matthew 24 for more!
Heavenly Father, Thank You for sending Jesus in just the right way to just the right place at just the right time. Your Word is true and trustworthy. I pray that we would be found eagerly watching for You with our hands to the plow, bring about our Father’s business. I pray that we would be faithful to You and faithful to pursue the salvation of the lost. I pray for anyone who is reading this and has not yet bowed the knee to Jesus. I pray that today would be the day of their salvation, that they would wait for a sign no longer. In the name of Jesus Christ, our savior and our Lord, we pray. Amen.
As we enter this advent season, I hope you’ll order a paperback copy or ebook of my family Christmas devotional and trace the line of the Savior from Creation to Christ.
Teach What is Good 
You must be logged in to post a comment.