Does God Answer Prayer?
Luke 11-15
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (11:9).
How can we pray effectively so that we know God will hear and answer our prayers? This is a question we all struggle to understand. We believe in God and believe that he answers prayer, yet when it comes to “my” prayer, it seems as if heaven is silent. We hear the testimony of others and how God miraculously answered their prayers, but it seems we never experience such miracles in our own lives. So, like the disciples, we wonder if it is because we do not know how to pray. We read James 4:3, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your own pleasures,” and wonder if the problem is our lack of faith or improper motives. Even worse, we begin to question the legitimacy of the promise. We wonder if God is holding a carrot out, only to snatch it away when we reach for it.  
As we read through the promise of God to answer prayer in Luke 11, we often miss an important statement. We often pray for our physical needs, our health, and the struggles we face in life. It seems the harder we pray about these things, the more silent heaven becomes. As a result, the promise of Christ that God will answer our prayers can feel like a wish rather than a promise. However, there is an important statement he makes in verse 13 that reorients everything. The most important answer we need is not deliverance from our adversity, but the strength to maintain our faith and our witness in the midst of our struggles. God bestows the presence of his Holy Spirit so that we might be empowered to obtain his salvation and the realization of God’s kingdom in our lives. It is through the Holy Spirit’s empowerment that we can endure all circumstances and live with the hope of eternity, despite the present circumstances. This is far greater than deliverance from the present, for the present will ultimately pass. But what is most important is the hope we have for the future. It is this hope that enables us to see beyond the present struggles of life and see God’s hand in all circumstances, so that we know that “All this works to the good for those who trust God” (Romans 8:28). This is the prayer that God richly answers. God’s greatest gift is perspective and the assurance that our eternity is secure. Heaven may seem silent, but heaven is never indifferent. In the midst of our struggles, God deeply cares and gives us the one thing we need most: Hope, assurance, and the promise of eternal life.   What we need most is not the change of circumstance, but the change in our perception of our circumstances and that is the prayer God answers whenever we cry out to him.

Losing Focus
Luke 6-10
Luke 10:41-42, “But the Lord answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

We are easily distracted by the trivial and sacrifice the eternal for the present. How often are we driven and governed by what is temporal and insignificant? What we believe to be so important today is often discarded and rejected as inconsequential and worthless tomorrow. In our quest to follow the crowds, we spend countless amounts of money to purchase the latest fashions and popular brands, only to discard them in the Goodwill bin tomorrow because they are no longer in vogue.

In Luke 10:38-42, we find a common scene in a household. Jesus had entered the home of Mary and Martha. The honor of such a guest required the host to prepare a lavish feast; anything less would be a social faux pas. This, at least, was the thinking of Martha and her contemporaries. During this time, it was incumbent upon the host to honor an important guest with a lavish dinner and entertainment. Martha, feeling such pressure, quickly set about the task of preparing the feast. However, much to her chagrin and irritation, her sister Mary remained at the feet of Jesus, listening to his teaching. The more Martha busied herself with preparation and the more Mary remained inactive, the more irritated Martha became. One can easily hear the frustration of Martha in her words, as she asks Jesus to rebuke Mary for her perceived laziness. However, to her surprise, Jesus does not rebuke Mary; instead, he rebukes Martha for focusing on the wrong thing.

However, the story is not about the proper way to entertain guests. The story serves to confront us with the priorities of our lives. We are either Mary or Martha. Martha is like many today who become driven by social pressures. More often than not, she represents us. We spend our lives in pursuit of the temporal and inconsequential. We focus on the activities, priorities, and possessions that provide temporal pleasures and recognition. But these things always prove fleeting. We spend our lives trying to climb the career ladder, only to find that once we get to the top, it still leaves us empty and void of any sense of fulfillment. We pursue being culturally relevant by purchasing popular brands, only to have those brands replaced by new lines. We strive to gain recognition for our accomplishments, only to find the praise of men empty and meaningless.  

Christ confronts Martha and us by realigning our priorities with what is truly important and significant. What is truly significant is not the outward appearance but the inward transformation of the heart. What we were is not important, but who we are becoming. The temporal is just that: temporal. Only what is eternal is genuinely lasting. Mary received praise from Jesus because she focused on the eternal and transformative. She recognized that the next meal was not nearly as important as the words and teaching of Jesus that bring eternal transformation in our lives. Character and spiritual transformation are far more important than accomplishments and recognition. Are we becoming like Christ? Are we growing in our knowledge and obedience to God? It is our relationship with him that is eternal, and that is what we must pursue. Thus we are left with the question: Are we Martha or are we Mary? What is our focus in life?

 The Cost of Discipleship
Luke 1-5
Luke 5:11, “When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.”
                  We read the words and actions of people in the Bible and often accept them without really stopping to reflect on the significance of their actions. This is true of the disciples’ response when Jesus called them to follow him. Until their encounter with Jesus, they knew little about him. They had heard stories and news that there was a young itinerant preacher performing miracles and preaching to the people. In this, they were no different from the rest of the people of that day. The miracles and teaching of Jesus were undoubtedly the talk of the villages surrounding the Sea of Galilee. Like all rural communities, news of something unusual traveled fast. So when Jesus first appeared to Peter and asked him to take him a little ways into the water so the crowds could hear him better, it is not surprising that Peter did so. Yet what happened after this changed Peter’s life. After Jesus finished teaching, he instructed Peter to take the boat out and do some fishing. Peter was reluctant, for obviously Jesus was not a fisherman and did not know these waters like Peter did. Peter knew the lack of the catch of the day was an indication that the fish were elsewhere and that it would be some time before they came back into the waters near Peter’s home port. However, he complied, and the catch exceeded anything he had ever experienced. So great was the catch that his boat and the boat of his partners, James and John, were so weighted down that they were at risk of sinking.  
                  After they got the catch into the boat, Jesus made a statement that changed their lives. Jesus told them that instead of fish, they would become fishermen of men. It is one thing to follow Jesus when he makes no demands on our lives, when he gives us what we desire and pours out his blessings upon us. But it is quite another to follow Jesus when he demands that we change our whole course of life. We want to follow a Jesus who is safe, who blesses us and gives us comfort and security in life. We want to follow a Jesus who allows us to continue to follow our own agenda and goals. What we do not want is a Jesus who disrupts our lives, changes our focus, and demands radical obedience and surrender to his will. To become his disciples, Peter, John, and James left everything. They left the financial security of their careers; they left their family and friends; they gave up everything to follow an upstart itinerant preacher. When they chose to follow Jesus, they had no idea of the cost it would bring to their lives, for not only would it require them to give up their careers, but eventually it would lead to unspeakable deaths because of Jesus. Do we only follow Jesus when he is safe and he blesses us with what we want, or do we follow Jesus regardless of the cost? To become a disciple of Jesus, we must give him control of everything: our present, our dreams, our goals, our future, and even our lives. Are we this kind of disciple? Do we follow Jesus when it is convenient, or do we follow Jesus even when it becomes costly?

The Most Difficult Verse in the Bible
Mark 11-16
Mark 15:34
“At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI!” which is translated, “My God, My God why have You forsaken me?”
There are many verses, passages, and teachings in the Bible that have given rise to much debate among biblical scholars. Each offers a perspective on what the passage means and the arguments that support their view. But there is one verse in the Bible that we cannot fully understand this side of heaven, perhaps even in eternity, for its meaning and significance are so profound, so deep, that they defy any explanation. The verse is not difficult to understand grammatically, but the significance of the words is beyond our capacity to perceive, and the implications are so profound that we cannot even begin to comprehend. The statement consists of only 4 words in the Hebrew (or Aramaic, depending on the quotation in the different gospels) in which they were stated. They are a quote from Psalm 22:1. However, in light of the intrinsic unity within the Trinity that has existed from eternity past, the significance of these words confounds us. How can the Son, who has enjoyed unaltered and unbroken unity with the Father in all aspects of his being, be abandoned and forsaken by the Father? The words confront us with a paradox. How can the Son, who from eternity past and will continue into eternity future experiences perfect joy, harmony, and communion with the Father, be at this moment in time alienated and abandoned by Him? For a moment in time, the impossible occurred: the communion between the Father and the Son was mysteriously broken. It is a mystery that defines our understanding and ability to comprehend. But in these words, we see the true depth of our sin and its judgment. During this moment in time, Christ experienced the full weight of God-forsakenness, which sinful humanity will experience for all eternity and from which we needed to be saved. The full weight of hell is not the torment of everlasting fire, but the eternal state of being separated from God. We understand the significance of Christ’s separation, nor can we understand the significance for us. Hell and its consequences are not a myth, nor are they a fabrication of humanity to incite fear in people. They are real and eternal. Christ confirms this in Mt 25:46, where he affirms both the eternal nature of heaven and the eternal consequence of Hell, “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
These words should arrest our attention and fill our hearts with fear. However, the story does not stop there. Christ’s death on the cross was redemptive. Through his death on the cross, the payment was made so that our sin might be forgiven. He did not experience this abandonment because of his own sin. He experienced it to satisfy the justice of God so that we might be freed from sin’s judgment. He paid the penalty for our sin so that we might be forgiven. The only condition is that we accept this salvation. To be the recipients of his death on our behalf, we need to turn from our sin rather than justify it. We need to recognize it for what it is: not a minor mistake, but an act of deep rebellion against God and an abhorrent affront to his character. Then we need to accept his forgiveness by surrendering our lives to him and living in obedience to his word. Then Jesus’ cry on the cross becomes our cry of victory and forgiveness. We will never fully understand what happened on the cross, but we can be the recipients, by faith, of its results, which are the forgiveness of our sin and the attainment of eternal life. How have you responded today?

Radical Faith
Mark 6-10
Mark 8:34-38 , “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me….For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”
We all recognize the need to believe in God, but we want a God who is safe, one who conforms to what we want.  We want a God who is manageable, one who provides for our needs, comes to our aid, but one who remains in the shadows and does not interfere or make demands.  We desire a God who affirms us and our beliefs and our life choices rather than one who confronts us with our sin and makes radical demands for change in our lives.
In reality, we are no different from the people of Jesus’ day. They wanted a God who would heal their sicknesses but also one who would follow their rules. They wanted a God they could worship, but one who would allow them to live as they pleased. They wanted a messiah who would save them from the rule of the Romans but not radically change their lives. Consequently, they found Jesus too demanding, too radical, and too upsetting. We often condemn the people for their rejection of Christ and their refusal to accept Christ, yet we often display the same attitude. We want a God who is safe and affirms our beliefs, lifestyle, and choices. We want a God who conforms to our views but does not radically demand that we change.  
However, Christ does give us this option. In Mark 8:34-38, Jesus lays it on the line. He makes it clear that those who genuinely surrender everything are worthy to be his disciples. Christ affirms that if we desire to receive his salvation, we must be willing to “take up his cross.” In other words, the only ones who are his disciples are those willing to give up everything, including life itself, to him. To take up his cross is to go with him to his death. This points us to complete surrender. We no longer dictate the terms or determine how we should live. Instead, we bring every aspect of our life under his lordship and rule. It is easy to give up what we do not want. But giving up every facet of our life, including our dreams, hopes, desires, beliefs, and how we live, is much more daunting. Yet this is what Christ demands. To hold back anything from his sovereign authority is ultimately to lose everything. Tragically, many people today sacrifice eternity for present pleasures and desires. However, in the end, they lose everything, including their own eternal life.  
To be a follower of Christ requires that we give up everything and submit to Christ completely in all things. But in the sacrifice of our lives, we obtain a life far greater. This is the paradox of faith. When we hold fast to our dreams, aspirations, wants, and control of our lives, we ultimately lose them all. But when we surrender all these things to Christ and seek him and his will, we discover the true joy of life. It is the ultimate paradox. The more we give up, the more we gain; the more we seek to keep, the more we lose. Are we holding on to our lives, our dreams, and our desires, or are we giving up everything to Christ’s sovereign rule? This is the meaning of radical faith.

When Everything Changes
Mark 1-5
“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth onto an old garment; otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results.”
When Christ enters a life, everything changes. There are times and events in our lives that are so dramatic that they become defining moments, when everything about us and how we live changes. We can reflect upon how our marriage or having children results in a dramatic shift of priorites.  This is what happens when we accept Christ. Throughout the first five chapters of Mark, we find a number of people who encounter the person of Christ. We first find two fishermen, Simon and Andrew, fishing along the Sea of Galilee. Yet when they were confronted with Christ, everything immediately changed, for Jesus gave them a whole new purpose in life. No longer would they be fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. They would become fishermen of people, and their ministry would extend far beyond the region in which they grew up. A leper was not only healed but became an unstoppable witness for Christ. Levi was a despised tax collector for the Romans and so was seen as a traitor to the people. Yet when Christ commanded him to follow him, he immediately got up and followed, and began to be a witness to others who were seen as outcasts. Throughout the Gospels, we see over and over again that when people have a direct confrontation with Christ, it completely and radically transforms their lives. It changes their character, their purpose, and their relationships with others.  
Tragically, today people often encounter Christ but remain unchanged. They attend church and may even read their Bible, but they continue to live the same way they did before. They give verbal assent to the teaching of Christ, but they do not change their conduct. When we read through the Gospels, we find over and over again people who had a genuine encounter with Christ, and when they did, they were changed. Embracing Christ brings about a change in one's outlook on life. In Mark 2:21-22, Christ points to the importance of this change. Christ did not come merely to rearrange a few areas of our life. This would be like putting a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment or putting new wine into old wineskins. The result would be disastrous, leaving the person in a worse condition than before. When we embrace Christ, he desires to make us new, to radically change every aspect of our life, including our desires, goals, wants, and the direction of our life. A relationship with him is not based upon external: who we are related to or how often we attend church. Our relationship is grounded in our submission to him (3:28-35). In the parable of the Sower, the fruit of the harvest is not just how much we do in ministry for God; it is also the change in life that God brings about in order that we might serve him.
This leads us to the question each of us is confronted with. How much does Christ make a difference in your life? How much does your relationship with him change your priorities, purpose, and desires? Do you merely know about Christ, or are you radically changed by him?

Eternal Life Or Eternal Death
Matthew 25-28
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age.” (Mt. 28:19-20).
How do we know the Bible is true and that Christ is the only way to heaven? Why can there be only one way to heaven? How do we know that not everyone will go to heaven? These are questions people have asked since the church's formation in the Book of Acts. To answer them, we need to ask the one question upon which everything hinges. Paul points us back to that question when he addresses the same issue in his letter to the church at Corinth. The critical question upon which everything hinges is the resurrection of Christ. Paul points out that if the resurrection is merely a story invented by the disciples, then the whole message of the Gospel is false (1 Corinthians 15:13-19). The resurrection of Christ is not a mythical story to convey a spiritual truth. It is the linchpin upon which all of Christianity and the whole message of the Gospel stand. This then raises the second question. If the resurrection is false, why would Paul and the rest of the disciples be willing to die for something they knew to be false? For Paul and all the disciples, the resurrection was the prerequisite for the Gospel. To prove its authenticity, Paul pointed to over 500 witnesses who testified that Christ was raised from the dead and seen alive after the crucifixion. If Christ was raised from the dead, it proved he was who he claimed to be: the one sent from God to be his spokesman and bring salvation to all humanity. The reason Christ is the only way to heaven is that he is the only one who died for our sins and rose again from the dead. Christ makes it clear that he is the only way to heaven.
This then takes us to the second critical question, is there hell? Will God condemn people to hell? Again, we go back to the words of Christ. In Matthew 25:26, Christ unequivocally states that the righteous go into eternal life. But in the same breath, he states that those who reject him will go away into eternal punishment. When I talk with people, everyone affirms the existence of heaven, but many want to deny the existence of hell. Yet Christ does not give us this option. Christ makes it clear that the existence of heaven and hell are bound together. If there is no hell, then there is no heaven either. Likewise, if there is eternal life, there is also eternal punishment. The two truths are bound together. Therefore, the question that confronts us is where we are going: Are we going to heaven, or are we destined for hell? The answer lies in our acceptance and surrender to Christ. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, he paid the penalty for our sins. All that is necessary is that we accept his gift of life and surrender to his purpose and plan. If you were to face God tonight, do you know for certain where you are going?  

The Danger of Being Misled
Matthew 21-24
“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.”
Matthew 24 is a pivotal chapter in our understanding of what is happening in the world today and where the world is going. We live in a world and culture that many have characterized as a culture of fear. Something sinister seems to lurk in the future, and causes us to be fearful. Everywhere we turn, there are signs that our world is moving toward an impending crisis. For some, it is the geopolitical world, where international tensions seem to rise even as the economy becomes more global than national. Others fear our environment is on the brink of turmoil because of misuse. Others point to the collapse of our nation's political unity. And the list goes on. As a result, people live in fear: fear of international war, environmental disaster, and economic collapse.
However, for the student of the Bible, none of this should be surprising. Two thousand years ago, Christ predicted that these things would happen as the world continued to rush headlong in its pursuit of sin and its abandonment of God. The crisis facing the world is not political, economic, or environmental. Rather, the crisis is spiritual. As the world continues to decay because of the effects of sin, it will increasingly be plagued by these disasters. However, for the Christian, this descent toward destruction is not without hope. The turmoil is a sign that we are moving toward the ultimate solution, the return of Christ, when he will establish his kingdom and restore the world to God’s original intent (24:29-31). Therefore, instead of being fearful, we live by faith in the promises of a future salvation and restoration that will come when Christ returns.
The greatest danger we face is rejecting the truth of the gospel and being misled by false prophets and teachers. Our greatest threat is false teachers who reject the Bible and its warnings, and teach what people want to hear. Many today claim to speak for God but reject his word and reinterpret the Bible to fit their own desires. They proclaim that God is loving and will not judge, even as they rush headlong to their own destruction. God Christ reminds us, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Mt. 24:35).  This includes the promise of his return to bring salvation as well as his promise to come and bring judgment upon those that reject him.
The greatest threat today is not the events of the world but the false teachers we follow, who reject the truth of God’s word and promise peace and safety rather than warn of the coming destruction (1 Thess 5:3). We need to remember that God is a God of love and mercy, but he is also a God of holiness and justice. He offers salvation to all who will accept his grace, but warns of judgment upon those who reject him. The question we must ask is not: “How do we stop the destructive forces in the world?” Rather, we need to ask, “Have I accepted the salvation that Christ offers?” Are we fearful of what is happening in the world, or are we trusting in God, who controls the universe?

The Lost Art of Forgiveness
Read Matthew 16-20
“Then Peter came and said to Him, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”
Our society continually affirms that we are to stand up for our rights and oppose those who wrong us in any way. When someone mistreats, hurts, or wrongs us in any way, our society states that we are to stand up for ourselves and our rights. To not do so is a sign of weakness. Not only has forgiveness been withheld, but we see it as a sign of powerlessness. The Jews regarded themselves as more pious than others and stated that we should forgive a person up to seven times. Beyond that, a person was under no obligation to forgive.
We are no different today. We quickly judge and condemn others for only slight wrongs they have done against us. The  greater the offense and the more severe the hurt, the more likely we are to withhold any forgiveness. This was equally true in the time of Christ. When a person was deeply offended, the more they demanded some form of restitution. Thus, Peter raises the question of the degree of forgiveness we are to offer. How often can a person wrong us before we need to stand up for our rights and demand some level of restitution and repentance?
In a surprising twist, Christ shares a parable that turns everything upside down. In the parable, a servant is indebted to his master for ten thousand talents. Each talent represented 15 years of income for the average laborer. In other words, the slave owed a debt that would require him 150,000 years to pay off. The point is that the wrong and the debt are incalculable, yet the master shows compassion and forgives him of the debt. Rather than be humbled by such forgiveness, when the slave departed, he encountered a fellow slave who owed him a hundred denarii. A denarius was the typical wage a laborer received for a day's work. Thus, the debt was equal to 100 days of labor. When his fellow slave pleaded for patience, the forgiven slave felt no compassion and threw his fellow servant into prison. The whole point of the story is to illustrate that in our relationship with God, the offense of our sin is far beyond our ability to repay. Yet God, in an incredible display of mercy, forgives our sin through the work of Christ. How much more should we then be willing to forgive others of any offense they have done against us? When we hold a grudge, when we fail to forgive others, when we demand some level of restitution, we are demonstrating our failure to understand the forgiveness given to us and the depth of our sin. We have no justification for holding a grudge against others, for their offense against us is incomparable to our offense before a holy and righteous God. Forgiving others starts by recognizing our own need for forgiveness and the depth of our own sin. If you have a difficult time forgiving others, then no longer look at them and their offense; rather, take a look inward and see the offense and sin you have committed against a holy God.

Living by God’s Words
Matthew 11-15
“And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” (13:23).
Many people are familiar with the parable of the Sower. It is a story that is told often and one that we know but find difficult to apply. In the story, the farmer goes out and broadcasts the seed indiscriminately throughout the field. But the soil is not the same in every location. Each soil represents different levels of receptivity toward the gospel. However, it does not just apply to those who hear the gospel message of salvation; it applies to all of us whenever we hear the message of the Bible. It calls on all of us to evaluate our preparation and response when the message of the Bible is presented to us.
The first soil is the hard-packed pathway, where the ground is hard and stony, and nothing can take much root, so it is quickly taken away by the birds eager to find their next meal. This soil represents those who hear the teaching of the Bible, but it does not lead to any change. How often do we hear the message but either do not understand it or do not apply it to our lives? How many times do we attend church and walk away unchanged? How many times do we forget what the message is about by the time we arrive home? When we remain unchanged after encountering the message, we are the hard-packed soil. We may know what the Bible says, but it does not change our lives.
The second soil represents those who understand the message and even rejoice in it. We walk out of the church, shake the pastor’s hand, and genuinely remark on how wonderful and meaningful the message was to us. However, by the time we arrive home, our enthusiasm begins to wane. As soon as we get home, we become distracted by all the other activities of the day: the football game on TV, the picnic on a Sunday afternoon, and the demands of the job the next day. The message that was initially so moving to us is quickly pushed aside and forgotten, so that in the end we are not changed by it.
The third soil describes those who hear the message but because it contradicts their priorities and views, they dismiss it.  We become distracted by the events and philosophy of our world.  Instead of conforming our lives to the message, we conform the message to the way we desire to live.  Instead of being changed by the message of the Bible, we change the message to fit our own perspective.  Like the previous two soils, in the end we remain unchanged by the message of God’s word.
The only productive soil is the individual who not only hears the word but is transformed by it. When we are fruitful soil, we do more than gain knowledge of the Bible; we are changed by its message. It changes how we live in the world. This requires preparation and response. When we open the pages of scripture, are we reading to gain knowledge or to change our lives to conform to the message of the Bible? Do we respond in complete obedience? The fruit is the changed life one experiences. Perhaps the greatest tragedy of all is not just those who reject the Bible, but also those who are faithful to read the Bible, listen to it preached, yet remain unchanged by its message. When we read the Bible, we need to do so with an attitude of surrender and submission, as well as a firm commitment to be transformed by it. What type of soil are you today?

Anxiety and Faith
Read Matthew 6-10
“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
We live in a world described as a culture of fear. One reason there is so much conflict and anger today is that people are fearful of the future. There is a sense that our world is rushing headlong into self-destruction, so people become fearful in the present. A close companion to fear is anger, for anger is the emotional response to what we perceive as a threat. The word itself refers to the apprehension and anxiety one experiences when we encounter a danger or threat. In the world today, the great perceived threat is what will happen tomorrow. We live with a deep-rooted concern that disaster lies just around the corner, whether it be economic, political, or societal. Chapman University has been tracking, for the last 11 years, the fears that Americans have. The top three fears of Americans are 1/ Corrupt Government Officials (69.1%), 2/ People I love becoming seriously ill (58.9%), and 3/ economic/financial collapse (58.2%). In another survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, 77% of adults are anxious about the future of our nation, making it the most significant source of stress in their lives.
In Matthew 6:25-34, Christ addresses the paralysis of fear that can grip our souls, for fear arises when we lose sight of God’s sovereign control over the world and our lives. Christ reminds us that the future of our lives and the future of the nations does not lie in the control of chance or the wisdom of men. Our world is not governed by the arbitrary laws of chance and evolution. Rather, the universe is governed by a personal God who remains in control of the universe and of the events and circumstances that happen in our own lives. Nor is he an impersonal God who is unconcerned or uncaring in our lives. Instead, he not only cares for the whole of creation (vs 26), but he gives his special care to our lives and the circumstances we are facing (26b, vs 30). Every concern we have, every worry that plagues us in the night, every need we have—both real and imagined—he already knows, and he is already providing for us. So instead of being caught up in the worries and concerns of the day, we can focus on our greatest need, which is seeking to establish his sovereign rule in our lives (vs 33). The more we surrender to him, the more secure we become. When we are focused on Christ and following him, every concern or threat we might face is already addressed by the God who loves us.  

The Certainty of the Bible
Matthew 1-5
“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest leter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (5:18).
Where do we discover truth? Where do we find it, and to whom do we turn to discover what is morally right? This is the most fundamental question about life we can ask. Everyone will answer this question in their quest to determine how to live. Some turn inward and trust their own wisdom and understanding. They follow the adage, “Let your conscience be your guide.” To determine what is true, they look inward to their own reasoning. People thus say, “Be true to yourself.” However, we can easily be self-deceptive. Jeremiah warns us, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it” (Jer. 17:9). So also Proverbs warns us, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (14:12). To trust in oneself is to be self-deceived, for we fail to recognize the power of sin’s grip upon our life.
Others turn to society and the popular opinion of people. Morality and truth are determined by popular vote. What the majority believes determines what is true. Thus, morality is always shifting according to the popular opinion of people. What was viewed as wrong in previous generations is now considered right, for morality is shifting as the opinions and views of people change. But here again we find a fatal flaw: just as sin corrupts the individual’s moral compass, it also corrupts society's moral compass. Paul warns against the popular opinion of our culture when he writes, “Do not be conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2). So also John warns us that if we pursue the morality of the world and its values, then the love of the Father is not in us” (1 John 2:15).
So where do we turn to discover what is true? Christ provides us with the answer in Matthew 5:18-19. Some say the Old Testament law is invalid, written by men expressing their views. Therefore, the only standard of truth is the words of Christ, and the rest of the Bible is merely the opinions of unenlightened men. However, Christ does not give us this option. In his Sermon on the Mount, Christ makes it clear that the writings of the Old Testament law did not originate with man but came from God, and thus they are 100 percent true and accurate. We cannot reject them as outdated, for they originate from God, and those who reject the teaching of the law are not only false teachers but will face the certainty of God’s judgment.
This confronts us with the question: Do we trust in God’s word, revealed to us and recorded by the writers of the Bible, who wrote by the direct inspiration of God? Do we turn to the words Christ affirmed to be true or to the opinions of people? How we answer this question will determine our eternal destiny. Psalm 1 states, “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, but sin in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”

Warnings and Hope
Malachi 1-4
“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.” (4:2).
Malachi was the last book of the Old Testament before Israel entered a period known as the 400 silent years. After Israel became a nation under Saul's leadership, God continually sent prophets to call the people back to him and to remain faithful to their covenant relationship with God. From the rise of Samuel during Saul's reign in 1070 B.C. to the end of Malachi’s ministry, a consistent prophetic voice directed people back to God. However, when Malachi passed from the scene, the prophetic voice went silent for 400 years until the arrival of John the Baptist and Jesus. As the last prophet, Malachi both condemned the people and offered the hope of salvation to those who would seek God. He begins by condemning the people for failing to worship God exclusively and walk in obedience to him. Just like today, many false teachers and prophets told people what they wanted to hear. They approved and justified sin rather than confronting it and calling for repentance. As a result, they turned many away from God in order to pursue their own desires (2:7-9). The people no longer sought instruction in God’s word; instead, they listened to those who justified their sin. As a result, they profaned the worship of God and faced his judgment. God does not change, and so His word does not change (3:5-6). Yet we see the same today. Instead of walking in obedience to God, we follow teachers who justify our sin by claiming that the God of the Bible is not the same as the God of today. We give lip service to God but not a heart of obedience.  
Even as Malachi gives his final warning of coming judgment, there is also an offer of hope and salvation. He proclaims that there will come one who will be “my messenger, and He will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming” (3:1). This messenger is none other than the Messiah, who will come and bring hope to people. This Messiah is not only the hope of Israel but also the Hope of all people. For those who fear God and seek him, instead of judgment they will “rise with healing in its wings and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall” (4:2). The Messiah will bring not only hope and salvation but also full restoration to God, and he will bring joy to those who seek him.
This is a message of hope for us when we are going through dark periods of our lives and when we face the struggle with sin. Christ came as the fulfillment of that so that we might not only have forgiveness but also have joy. When we walk with Christ, not only will we obtain vertical healing with God (4:2), but we will also enjoy horizontal healing in our relationships with others (4:5-6). If your life seems broken and there is inner turmoil, there is an answer. That answer is the Messianic king who came so that we might have life. Thus, Malachi opens a new doorway in history, a doorway that brings life. The question we must ask is this: Are we walking through that doorway, or are we still pursuing the wisdom of men? The choice is ours to make. Are we going to choose life?!  When we choose to follow Christ, he comes with healing in his wings to restore joy in our lives.

The Coming Hope
Zechariah 11-14
“And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day of the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.”
The age of information has ushered in the age of misinformation. We turn to the internet for answers to the questions we struggle to find answers for. We turn to the internet to discover answers to the most mundane questions, such as: “What is the weather today?” We also turn to the internet to find answers to the most complex and personal struggles we face. For every issue, every struggle, and every problem we encounter, we can find a myriad of answers from several different sources. AI has brought a whole new solution to the struggles and questions we have about life. Yet for all the information and answers to the questions we have about any problem confronting us, the age of information has also become the age of misinformation, where we are fed the answers that the internet believes we want to hear. Search engines and AI track our searches to better predict what type of answers we are seeking. So, the greatest deception we face comes from ourselves.
In the final chapters, Zechariah, prophesying under the direction of the Holy Spirit, turns our attention to the end of time before the return of Christ. It will be a time when God brings judgment upon the world and its people for their rejection of him. One of the judgments will be the removal of the restraint upon false teachers. No longer will people seek the truth, but they will seek only the truth they want. As a result, they will follow teachers (and internet sites) that say what they want to hear to profit themselves (and get the most hits).
However, within the darkness of Zechariah’s final words, he ends with a ray of hope. In the end, God himself will dwell upon the world, and he will be established as the king over all the earth (14:9). When he reigns, the effects of the curse of sin will no longer be present, for God will be security to the world, and there will be universal praise and worship of God (14:20-21).
We look at the tragedies of this world not only on a global level, with hostilities between nations, but also on a personal level, as we feel the weight and effects of sin and its destruction in our own lives. As a result, it is easy to lose hope. However, the answer does not lie in the wisdom of men or the promises of AI. Rather, the answer is found in God and in the one he sent to die for us. Truth is found in God and in his word.
As we struggle with the challenges of life and the unending questions that plague us when we are going through tragedy and adversity, we must stop turning to the internet or the wisdom of men. Instead, we must turn to the wisdom of God. In Him we discover the answers we desperately need.

The Source of Hope
Zechariah 6-10
9:9:  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with Salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
It has been almost two months since my last devotional.  In this time, my life has been turned upside down through the death of Becky.  Two and a half years ago we were told this day would come and that the cancer would eventually win and it would bring its destructive force.  From that day forward, we lived with this cloud over us.  Yet there was nothing that prepared us for the depth of pain it would bring when it finally gained the victory of its deadly grip.  Until that final day, death was still abstract and impersonal, something out there but something we seemed to be able to ignore.  But death always seems to win as the inevitable happens.  When death finally came and Becky breathed her last, the pain of loss became unbearable.  The pain of losing a spouse was unlike any pain and sorrow I had ever experienced.  Only those who have gone through the journey can fully relate to the emptiness and loneliness one experiences when a spouse is suddenly removed from this world.  Even the assurance of her presence in heaven does not dull the pain and emptiness.  It reminds us that life is temporary and that death is the ultimate pain and consequence of the Adamic fall.  In times such as these, we cry for hope and for some sense of healing.
But the pain we feel in the death of a spouse and loved one is not unique to us.  It has been felt by every individual who has ever walked the face of the earth.  It was a pain that Israel experienced when the invading hordes of Babylon brought death, suffering, and exile to the people.  However, just when it seems that there is no hope, Zechariah gives them a prophecy of hope.  Even though they had turned their back upon God and made their hearts lie flint so that they could not hear the law (7:12), God still responded with grace and salvation.  In the midst of their sorrow and pain, he tells them not to fear, for God will again restore the nation 8:15 and will bring them back to the land.  But then he makes an even more incredible prediction, one that would provide the basis for our hope today.  Their hope was in the arrival of a new King, one who “is just and endowed with salvation.”  He will be unlike the kings of the earth, for he will come as one who is humble in order that he might bring salvation.  The words of Zechariah 9:9 would be realized in the triumphant entry of Christ (Mt. 21:5).  
The one who would give hope to Israel, is the one who gives hope for us today.  For he would not only come as the king to restore Israel, but he came as the savior to give us the hope of eternity.  When we trust in him, death is no longer the great destroyer, for it has been defeated (1 Cor: 15:56-57).  It does not dull the pain of our loss, but Christ’s salvation gives us the hope of eternity.  Our grief and sorrow, while seemingly unbearable and overwhelming at times, is only temporary, for there is the promise of eternal life.  We still grieve the lose but now we grief with the hope that we will see them again because of what Christ has done (1 Thess. 4:12-18).

Fixing the Broken
Zech 1-5
“Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying. ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”
For 70 years the nation of Israel had been exiled from the land and in bondage to Babylon.  Life seemed hopeless as Babylon maintained control.  However, there was a flicker of Hope when Darius had defeated Babylon, and the words of the Prophet Jeremiah had predicted that after 70 years the nation would return to the land.  As Zechariah comes on the scene, there was the hope of the return that had been prophesied by Jeremiah.  But how was Israel going to obtain their freedom?  They had no military, no political clout, nothing that would enable them to obtain permission to return to the land.
This brings us to the same issue we are confronted with today. How do we find hope in a world without hope? How do we fix broken lives? How do we fix a world marred by conflict, disunity, and confusion? The same questions the people of Israel asked are the same questions we face today. But it is more than just global and political; the brokenness of our world affects us individually as well. We face the uncertainty and struggles of life, and something deep within us cries for help and answers, yet they seem elusive. The more we try to fix our lives, the more we are confronted with how unfixable life seems. We wrestle not only with questions on a global level but also on a personal level.
The answer that God gave Israel is the same answer we need in our own lives. First, we cannot find the answers to life by our own power. This word refers not just to physical strength but also to the physical things of life we rely upon, including our wealth and property. We often think that if we get enough money, prestige, and influence, we can solve our problems and be free from the pressures of life. But wealth is deceptive, and power and status are an illusion. The more we have, the more empty we feel inside. The recognition we receive from others only makes us feel emptier. The second word can also refer to physical strength, but it can also refer to mental strength. Just as wealth is an illusion, intellectual and mental capacities are also an illusion. Friedrich Nietzsche suffered from severe mental health issues. William James Sidis is regarded by many as the smartest person who ever lived. He passed the entrance exam at Harvard at age 9 and by age 11 was lecturing at Harvard, but he died a penniless recluse at age 46.  The greatest thinkers of our world are powerless to change the world.
However, we are not hopeless, for God provides the answer for effective and lasting change and hope. It is found in the presence of God’s Spirit. God can accomplish what humanity cannot. If you are looking for answers in life, do not look to the world, to the great thinkers of our culture, or to the powerful politicians, for they will fail. Instead, look to God, for he never does.

Setting Priorities in Life.
Haggai 1-2
“You have sown much, but harvested little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes” (1:6).
The greatest tragedy is not failure but success in the things that do not matter. We are always pursuing elusive desires, thinking that if we get enough, we will be satisfied and content. However, the reality is that no matter how much we have, no matter how much we do or how great our achievements, we are always left with a feeling of failure. Contentment remains elusive. For the people of Israel, when they were able to return to the land of Israel after 70 years in captivity, they thought their greatest desires would be fulfilled. After longing to return to their homeland, they thought once they were back in the land of Israel they would have peace and contentment. However, the harder they worked and the more they pursued their desires, the more unsatisfied they became. They pursued all the things that we think will bring contentment but still remained empty and unsatisfied.  In 1:9 we find the reason for their dissatisfaction.  They were pursuing the wrong things for the wrong reasons and for the wrong desires. They, like us, were focused on the temporal and the personal rather than the spiritual and eternal. They were pursuing their own desires rather than seeking to serve God.  Temporal things will only bring temporal satisfaction that is not lasting.
In the last part of verse 9, we find the reason for their dissatisfaction: They were pursuing the wrong priorities. To find joy and satisfaction in life, we need to pursue the eternal rather than the temporal, and prioritize God’s will rather than our own pleasure. The people were pursuing the building of their own house but neglecting the house of God. In chapter 2, Haggai reminds them that their priority was to rebuild the temple of God, not because God needed a house to live in, but because the people needed to remember that their ultimate purpose in life is found in God, not in themselves. Even when they started to rebuild the temple, they still focused on the present and the physical rather than the eternal and the spiritual. Those who had seen the majestic Temple of Solomon were lamenting that the new temple was nothing in comparison. And so they discouraged the people.
As a result, God reminded them that it is not what we accomplish or how much recognition we receive that matters. It was not the size or greatness of the temple that made it adequate for a place of worship. What determined the greatness of the temple was that God was present and would be in the temple with his people. God does not need us, our wealth, or our abilities. Rather, we need to give to God and serve him, for it reminds us that genuine significance does not come from the things we desire but from our service and relationship with God. It is in the pursuit of the eternal that we find genuine fulfillment and significance. True joy and fulfillment in life come when we focus on God and his purpose for our lives (2:18-19). If life seems empty and without significance, refocus on serving God and his kingdom agenda for the world, and we discover what is genuinely eternal and fulfilling.

When God Shouts for Joy
Zephaniah 1-3
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior.  He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” (3:12).
Reading through the prophets is often difficult because it seems the prophets continually beat the drum of God's judgment. One of the greatest mistakes people make is believing that God will not judge us or condemn our sin. However, through the prophets, God makes it clear that there will come a day of judgment when God condemns sin and those who practice it.
However, as dark as the prophetic messages may seem, there is also interwoven throughout the prophets another message. It is a message of hope and affirmation for those who seek him. God never judges unjustly. He does not overlook sin. However, he also never judges those who have set their hearts upon him. Thus, we find in the prophets the delight God has for his people. This confronts us with the question, “Who are those that God delights in and will experience the blessing and salvation of God?” This is the most fundamental question we must ask. While God judges the proud, those who set themselves up as God or worship other gods, he delights in the humble and lowly. This is not a reference to one’s economic or social status, but to the attitude of the heart. In 3:12, we see that God saves and protects the humble. The person who is humble recognizes their moral and spiritual condition apart from God. The humble person recognizes their sin and unworthiness before God so that they no longer rely upon their own righteousness or trust in their own moral reason. They recognize the futility of sinful man to gain any merit before God. As a result, they rest solely upon God’s grace for their salvation. This is further highlighted by the word lowly. The lowly are those who have nothing to offer. The spiritual lowly recognize that they have no merit to gain favor with God. The humble and lowly realize that salvation is not based upon our merit or worthiness, but solely upon God’s grace. Instead of trusting themselves, they surrender completely to God.
When we recognize our spiritual and moral bankruptcy and trust only in the mercy and grace of God, how does God respond? The answer is found in 3:17. This verse presents a picture that is impossible for us to fully comprehend. When we trust in God, “He will exult over you with joy. He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” This should arrest our attention. The God of the universe shouts for joy because of us. Elsewhere we are told to rejoice because of God’s salvation with shouts of joy, but here the God of the universe shouts for joy over us! It is beyond our comprehension that the God of the universe would experience exuberant joy because of us. But this is what he does when we trust in him. If we refuse to accept his salvation and refuse to obey him, we should be terrified. But when we trust in him, we can find joy, for instead of his anger we experience his unrelenting joy over us. When we trust in God, he does not just remove his threat of judgment; he shouts for joy in the throne room of heaven as a loving father shouts for joy for his children. When you surrender your life to God and submit to him, God does not just indifferently write your name in his book of life, he shouts for joy!!!!

Where is God when We Cry in Sorrow?
Habakkuk 1-3
“Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.  The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places.”

Habakkuk begins with a cry of despair and ends with a song of praise.  What happened, what changed his perspective from hopelessness to praise? How do we likewise find the voice of praise when we cry out in despair?
Habakkuk cries out with a plea we also offer when we are going through times of trial and when we see the injustice in the world, where sin seems to be winning the day. “How long, O Lord, will I cry for help and you will not hear?” The words seem shocking coming from the lips of a prophet, yet they are the very words we often cry when going through times of difficulty. However, Habakkuk’s cry was not just for himself but for the world in which he lived. Everywhere he turned, he saw that sin seemed to be winning the day. He prayed for God to act, to bring justice into the world and to stop the reign of terror and sin. Yet heaven remained silent. Habakkuk could understand the presence of evil, for we live in a fallen world. What he could not understand was the silence of heaven in the face of evil. How could a holy and righteous God seem indifferent to sin when he is “too pure to approve evil” (1:13)?
We struggle with the same paradox. Every time we read the news, we are reminded that evil seems to be in control. People take advantage of others’ misfortunes to line their own pockets by charging exorbitant interest on loans (2:6). They establish their own security through bloodshed (2:9, 12). Instead of worshipping God, they turn to idols of their own making (2:18). We see the same thing in our country today. The rich gain their wealth at the expense of the poor. People in the streets turn to violence to force their rule over others. They kill the unborn because the baby is not financially convenient. In today’s world, those who proclaim God’s moral law are labeled evil, while we give approval to those who embrace sin. As evil increases, we wonder why heaven remains silent.
This is why the message of Habakkuk is so important. Habakkuk reminds us that the idols of man remain silent and powerless, while it is God who speaks. Instead of worshiping false gods of materialism and pleasure that remain silent in the face of our trials, we are to stand in silence before God because of his holiness (2:19-20). In chapter 2, God has spoken and affirmed that he will bring judgment. In chapter 3, we see that the splendor of God covers the earth (3:3-4), and he will come in judgment. Heaven may seem silent, but it never remains silent. There comes a time when God will bring his judgment and restore righteousness.
It is this assurance that gives Habakkuk a new sense of hope and confidence. As the book closes, Habakkuk’s circumstances have not changed. He is still in distress (3:16-17). Life is still marred by struggles and hardship. However, what has changed is his focus. Instead of being overwhelmed by the tragedy of his circumstances, he is overwhelmed by the assurance of God’s salvation. Even in the midst of adversity, he rejoices because God has given him new strength, and he will dwell in the high places with God (3:18-19). When we get frustrated, discouraged, or hopeless because of the sin in the world and the struggles we face in life, we need to remember that God may be silent for a time, but he is not indifferent to our plight. There will come a time when God will bring his salvation, and that is why we can still rejoice in the present.

The Sermon Jonah Wanted to Preach
Nahum 1-3
“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him.”
The book of Jonah (written around 798 b.c.) ended with Nineveh repenting of their sins and Jonah frustrated that God would forgive even the worst of sinners. However, as is often the case, when the threat of judgment is abated, people quickly forget God and return to their sin. Such was the case with Nineveh. When Nahum came upon the scene in 662-627 b.c., Nineveh was again facing God's judgment for their wickedness, including their cruel treatment of the people they captured in war. As a result, God again pronounced the coming judgment upon the nation. However, this time there would be no repentance, and they would face complete destruction.

Nahum opens with a picture of God’s judgment that is both terrifying and unrelenting. God is a holy God who will bring judgment upon those who reject him. In vivid detail, we see the severity of God’s judgment and the complete devastation he brings. When God pours out his wrath, even the mountains quake and the hills are melted away. There is no hiding and no avoiding God’s terrible judgment. Such would be the judgment upon Nineveh. So complete would their judgment be that there would be no restoration, no rebuilding of the city or the nation (3:19). Jonathan Edwards, in his famous sermon that started the Great Awakening, warns, “What are we, that we should think to stand before him, at whose rebuke the earth trembles, and before whom the rocks are thrown down?” Yet in the folly of man, we believe that we can escape the judgment of God by our own devices. Edwards goes on to describe our folly, “Almost every natural man that hears of hell, flatters himself that he shall escape it; he depends upon himself for his own security; he flatters himself in what he has done, in what he is now doing, or what he intends to do. Every one lays out matters in his own mind how he shall avoid damnation, and flatters himself that he contrives well for himself, and that his schemes will not fail.” It is this folly that Nahum dispels with the warning of the impending judgment that no one will be able to withstand (1:6).

However, woven throughout the book are some of the most powerful descriptions of God’s grace. While God’s wrath will incite fear in those who reject him, his grace brings security, tranquility, and peace to those who seek him. Even though God pours out his wrath, he remains an unassailable stronghold for those who trust in him (1:7). God is not quick to anger and is willing to offer his grace. In words that point forward to the announcement of Christ’s coming, Nahum reminds us, “Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace.” Paul would refer back to these words to remind us of the hope of the gospel and the necessity of sharing it with others.  

As we look about us, we see a world hellbent on pursuing its own morality and way. People have turned their backs on God and rejected his moral law. Yet God calls us not to be silent but to proclaim the hope and salvation of the gospel. In Romans 10:12, Paul reminds us that all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. God is not indiscriminate in his judgment; rather, he offers salvation to those who seek him. He also entrusts us with the task of offering his salvation to others. Just as Nahum proclaimed the hope of salvation in the face of judgment in his day, so we are to proclaim that hope to people today (Romans 10:14-15). God will judge, but he will also save and protect those who trust in him.

The Song of Victory
Micah 7
“But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my Salvation.  My God will hear me.  Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fill I will rise, Though I ddwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me.” (7:7-8).
Having proclaimed a series of judgments in the first part of the book, Micah now ends with a song of praise and thanksgiving for God’s victory. Like Micah, we live in a world that seems broken and divided. Every day we read the news and are confronted by a number of ominous headlines. But even more troubling is that, in our own lives, we often face struggles that seem overwhelming. We seem to have no victory in our struggle with sin. Every day we are confronted with the reality that our world is broken. Cancer strikes and destroys indiscriminately. We struggle with relationships with others. We lose our jobs or are confronted with mounting bills. We look around us and cry out, echoing the cry of Micah, “Woe is me! For I am like the fruit pickers, like the grape gatherers. There is not a cluster of grapes to eat or a first-ripe fig which I crave. The godly person has perished from the land, and there is no upright person among men” (7:1-2). We get discouraged because life seems overwhelming and the world seems to have abandoned God.  
However, just when it seems as if Micah has given in to complete despair, he breaks out in a song of victory. The book concludes not with the despairing words of one who has lost hope, but with the words of praise of one whose hope has been restored and whose soul has been reinvigorated. As dark as the night gets, there is always the breaking forth of the sun in the morning. Despite the despair of the world, Micah turns back to his faith and trust in God. He reaffirms that he will keep his focus on God and wait with bated breath for God to act on his behalf. But these are not the words of one who lives in denial of life’s struggle. He recognizes that there will be times when he falls and when the darkness of life’s circumstances overwhelms him. Nevertheless, because of God’s activity, he knows that he will rise again, and even in the darkest circumstances, the promises and purpose of God will give him hope and a radiant light. Micah does not call for a change of circumstances but reminds us that our need is for a change of focus. Instead of looking at all the troubles around us, we are to look to God. God will shepherd and care for his people because we are his and his alone (vs 14). God never abandons us but will always come to our aid. Even when he disciplines us because of our sin, he will still demonstrate his unfailing love for us (vs 18), and he will give us victory over our struggles with sin (vs 19).
When life becomes hard, instead of falling into despair, remember God, for he never forgets you.  No matter how difficult the day before us, he will continue to guide us and protect us.  His unseen hand always remains over us.

Judgement and Grace
Obadiah and Jonah
“I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and one who relents concerning calamity.” Jonah 4:2
One reason people do not like to read the Old Testament, especially the prophetic books, is that they seem so dark and foreboding. The continual pronouncement of coming judgment becomes unrelenting. From the prophetic passages, people conclude that the wrath and severity of judgment conflict with Christ's message that God is gracious and abounding in mercy. However, we often miss one very important truth. All the judgments pronounced in the prophets came before the events rather than after them. Such is the case with the pronouncement of Obadiah of God’s impending judgment upon the nation of Edom for their violence and spiritual arrogance. Rather than follow God, Edom rebelled against God and even rejoiced when Israel was led into captivity. However, God pronounces judgment upon them and warns of the coming Day of the Lord, when He will bring judgment upon the nations. The Day of the Lord (Obadiah 15) in the Bible refers to the end of the age when Christ will return and bring salvation for His people. It is also a day of severe judgment in which God pours out His wrath upon sin. However, Obediah was not proclaiming what had already taken place, but what will take place.
Thus, we are left with the question, “Why did God always pronounce the judgment before the actual event?” The prophet Jonah knew the answer, and because he knew it, instead of going to pronounce judgment upon Ninevah (located in modern-day Iran), he fled in the opposite direction to Tarshish (probably located in southern Spain). He did not flee because he was fearful of the Assyrian people putting him to death for announcing judgment. He fled because he knew the heart of God. While God will bring judgment upon sin, Jonah also knew that no matter how evil people are (the Assyrians were the most feared nation because of their brutality toward the people they conquered), God would still demonstrate His grace and compassion if they repented (Jonah 4:4). He did not flee because he was afraid they would brutally mistreat him for pronouncing judgment; he fled because he knew that if they repented, God would forgive.
Although it is not explicitly stated, whenever God pronounced judgment, there was an opportunity for forgiveness if the people heeded the warning and repented of their sin. This is why the warnings of judgment came before the event. God is not cruel, vindictive, or harsh. Nevertheless, He is holy and just and will judge sin and sinners. However, He is also loving and gracious and will forgive even the worst sinner who repents and seeks Him. People are condemned to hell not because God is vindictive, but because they refuse to repent, turn from their selfish pride, seek God's forgiveness and submit to God’s sovereign reign in their lives. In the New Testament, we see Christ coming to offer grace and forgiveness to all who seek Him. Yet we often ignore the warnings He gave in the same breath as His judgment of sin and sinners who refuse His offer of grace. No matter how sinful we are, He extends His offer of grace. The only reason we face the condemnation of God is that we refuse to accept this offer. When you read the prophets, take their warnings to heart and remember that God is just and holy and will judge sin. But also recognize that the pronouncement of judgment was also an offer of grace and forgiveness if we repent, turn from our sin, and seek him.

When Famine Strikes
Amos 6-9
“Behold, days are coming declares,” the Lord God, “When I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the Lord.”
In an age of the internet, podcasts, and social influencers, it is easy to find people who say what we want to hear and affirm what we want to believe. The vast amount of information available online has ushered in a new phase, “confirmation bias.” Confirmation bias is when we seek out information that affirms what we want to believe and reject or ignore information that challenges what we believe. But confirmation bias is not new; it has plagued people since the beginning of time and afflicted the people of Israel during the time of Amos. When Amos warned the people of God’s judgment because of sin, instead of listening to him, they accused him of promoting insurrection against the king (7:10). Instead of changing and turning from their sin, they accused Amos of being a charlatan who was not fit or called to be a prophet. Because of their refusal to listen to Amos’s warning, God warned the people that if they continued to reject His prophets, He would send a famine on the land, not a famine of food, but a famine of the prophetic message of God. God warns the people that if they continue to reject His message and warnings about sin, there will come a time when God will no longer send a prophetic message at all. Instead of having the word of God to give them guidance and direction, they will be left to their own sinful and distorted thinking.
However, the greatest tragedy is not when God sends a famine on the land, but when we create our own famine by failing to listen to His word. In the TV show “Alone,” which follows the plight of individuals who seek to live off the land in harsh environments, one contestant was pulled from the competition because he was suffering from severe starvation and malnutrition. Yet he had 33 halves of dried fish left unconsumed. He lost the game not because he lacked food, but because he did not eat the food he had. The same is often true of us today. We have unlimited access to hear God’s word. According to surveys, 88 percent of American households have a Bible, and the average home has 4.4 Bibles. The Bible is not just available in print but can be accessed through the internet and a number of free apps for our phone. Like the contestant on Alone, we have an abundance of Bibles accessible to us, yet we are spiritually dying from spiritual malnutrition. We are facing a spiritual famine of our own making. Even when we do read the Bible, we accept only the teachings that conform to our thinking and ignore those that confront us with our sin. We affirm the verses that speak of the existence of heaven while ignoring the warnings about the existence of hell. We fall prey to the greatest deception of all, the deception of our own spiritual bias.
The challenge we face in our spiritual lives is not only reading the Bible but also accepting its message. Amos warns that part of God’s judgment is that “they will go to and fro to seek the Word of the Lord, But they will not find it” (8:12). But even more tragic is when we stop seeking, when we ignore the Bible even when we have access to it. Make it a habit to dig deep into the Bible, not to confirm it to our own views, but to allow it to change and mold us to conform to God’s standard.
 
 

Seeing our nation through the lens of God.
Amos 1-5
“Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the gate! Perhaps the Lord of hosts may be gracious to the remnant of Joseph” (5:15).

In a politically divided world, it is easy to see the faults of the other political party but remain ignorant of the sins of our own party.  We tend to look at our nation through the lens of the party with which we affiliate. However, political lenses are always distorted.  We condemn the other party while overlooking the sins that are perpetrated by the party we affirm. This was the fault of Israel.  They were quick to judge and condemn the governments and people around them while justifying their own actions.  

The book of Amos begins with the condemnation of the nations surrounding Israel for their sin. God condemns the nations for four particular sins. First, God condemns Syria for the aggression and violence it inflicted upon Israel in the invasion recorded in 2 Kings 13:1-9. Instead of promoting peace, it treated people with cruelty and inhumanity. The second nation condemned is the Philistines for their enslavement of those they conquered. In many of their incursions into the southern area of Israel, they would take captives and sell them into slavery to the Edomites. The third nation he condemns is Tyre for violating the pacts it had made with Israel. Like the Philistines, it took captives and enslaved the people of Israel even after it had claimed to be at peace with them. Last, God condemns Edom (descendants of Esau), who had continually attacked Israel and inflicted violence, especially upon pregnant women.
Having considered the nations around Israel, God then pronounces His judgment upon Judah and Israel. Like the nations around them, they had failed to keep the commands of God and had mistreated and taken advantage of the poor. Furthermore, they had embraced sexual perversion. But the final act of rebellion was their refusal to listen to God's prophets. A nation in rebellion seeks to silence the messengers of God.  

As we read through the sins and judgments of the nations around Israel and the nation of Israel itself, we see parallels to our own country and the sins of our nation.  Like the nations around Israel, we turn a blind eye to the poor.  Just as the nation of Edom committed violence against the pregnant mother by killing her infant, so we commit violence against the unborn through abortion.  God condemns Judah and Israel for their sexual perversion, and so he holds our nation accountable for embracing sexual perversion today.  When preachers denounce the sins of our nation, we also ignore their message and seek to silence them.  The troubles we see in our nation are not the result of economic downturns, corrupt politicians,  global warming, or any other cause; they are the warnings of God for our nation to turn back to him.

However, there is hope. In Amos 5, God calls the people to seek Him and to submit again to His word. Throughout chapter 5, God calls the nations to uphold God’s righteousness once again. But this requires us to look at our nation, not through the eyes of our political parties, which condemn the other while justifying themselves, but through the lens of God’s moral law and truth. Instead of looking to our favorite political party for solutions, we need to look to God and His word. When we start to do that, we will have hope as a nation.

The Grace and Justice of God
Joel 1-3
“The Lord roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and earth tremble.  But the Lord is a refuge for His people and a stronghold to the sons of Israel.  Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.” 3:16-17.
The Day of the Lord has always posed a challenge for the student of the Bible. It speaks of a time when God will pour out the devastation of His judgment, as well as a time of salvation for His people. It is a day of terror and a day of hope. The Day of the Lord encompasses events in the past as well as those still to come. Joel begins with the pronouncement of God’s coming judgment upon the nation of Israel. In 1:1-2:17, the message is similar to that of the other prophets, a pronouncement of coming judgment upon the nation for its sins. Throughout the prophets, we find warnings of God’s impending judgment because of the people’s sins. For God to leave sin unpunished would mean that He is a God who tolerates sin. To allow sin to go unpunished is to give tacit approval of it. God is righteous and pure, and He cannot allow sin to remain without justice. In 1:4, we see the severity and completeness of God’s judgment. To fall under the hand of God’s judgment is to face unrelenting terror as God pours out His wrath. This judgment is unrelenting and complete. However, the warning of judgment is not just a pronouncement but a call to repentance. God is just and will judge sin, but He also offers His grace and forgiveness if we are willing to turn to Him. This repentance must be genuine and complete. It involves the willingness to change at the very depths of our soul.  
The Day of the Lord is not just a pronouncement of judgment but also a pronouncement of salvation. For those who seek Him, it is a time when He will pour out His Spirit upon them. This found its ultimate fulfillment in the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. God not only calls us to live a life of righteousness but also provides His Spirit to empower us to live for him. When we seek Him, God strengthens and protects us. God is not indifferent to our condition or struggles but is actively engaged in our lives. He is our refuge, a powerful fortress that protects and watches over us (3:14-17).  Therefore, we do not need to be afraid of the circumstances around us.  It is easy to lose sight of God and to start to focus upon the circumstances or uncertainty of our day, whether it be the uncertainty of the world events, or the uncertainty of our own personal life.  With God, there is no uncertainty, nothing unknown, and no circumstance beyond His ability to guard and protect us so that we enter into His kingdom through His salvation. Therefore, we no longer need to be fearful of any circumstance we will face (2:21).
As we look at the circumstances of the world, or the circumstances in our own lives, we can rest in the fact that God is in control and he has ordered the days and circumstances to accomplish his eternal purpose.  Therefore, we can rest in the security of God’s control. When life seems overwhelming, remember that God has given us His promise of a coming day when He will restore all things back to Him.