Fri.’s Devo - The Glory of God

Read: Job 37:1-39:30; 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:10; Psalm 44:9-26; Proverbs 22:13
Job is in the middle of his description of God and his ways. He ends by saying that God is beyond our reach when God comes down and answers him. God begins his answer with questions: “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge.” God continues to ask Job where he was when He created the heavens and the earth. God then gives us a detailed description of creation and a God’s-eye view of everything he made. God is the creator of science and all the heavens tell a story. He talks about the sweet influences of Pleiades which is a cluster of seven stars. I wonder if they stand for the seven spirits of God mentioned in Isaiah 11: the spirit of the Lord, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
God then said that Mazzaroth appears in its season. Mazzaroth has to do with the Zodiac which is sadly only spoken of in New Age circles. The Zodiac starts with the Virgin and ends with the Lion. It is the story of God’s redemptive plan. God asked Job if he could guide Arcturus with his sons. Arcturus is the constellation the Great Bear who migrates through the heavens. I wonder if the Great Bear represents Abraham or vice versa. It talks about Arcturs and his sons. Interestingly the Great Bear is seen in the months of Leo the Lion and Virgo the Virgin. Jesus was born of a virgin from the tribe of Judah which is the symbol of a lion. The heavens declare the glory of God.
God gave Job a quick lesson on his animals and their characteristics which He gave to each of them for a reason. Everything God does is for a reason and what happened to Job was also for a reason. God was building his case.
Paul explains it so beautifully. He says that everything is for our sake and even though our outward man is getting older and deteriorating, our inward man is being renewed day by day. Our trials are light compared to the great eternal weight they are carrying for the glory of God. So, we have to open our spiritual eyes and see what God sees. We have to learn to walk by faith and not by sight. One day we will see God face to face and be rewarded for every hard trial we had to endure. It will be worth it all.
Lord, thank you for the trials you give us to mature us like gold and make us shine like silver to display your glory on the earth.

Thur.’s Devo - Suffering

Read: Job 34:1-36:33; 2 Corinthians 4:1-12; Psalm 44:1-8; Proverbs 22:10-12
Elihu was ruthless. He accused Job of keeping company with evil doers and wicked men. Elihu concluded that God only punishes men who do evil and since it is obvious to him that Job is being punished, Job had to have done something awful. Since Elihu said that God doesn’t do wrong or pervert justice, who is Job to stand up against God.
He continued to say that nothing he could do could affect God; our actions only affect man. He said that God is not answering Job because of his arrogance. Elihu claimed to be perfect in knowledge which sounded pretty arrogant to me. Elihu said that the arrogant are held in God’s affliction until they repent. If they repented their prosperity would return, but if they didn’t then they would die by the sword.
He accused Job of doing evil and dragging people away from their homes.
Paul had a handle on the gospel of hope and on suffering. He understood that this life is all about suffering and overcoming in the midst of it. We die daily in the flesh that the spirit of Christ might reign instead.
Lord, give us compassion on those who are suffering and help us not to judge.

Wed.’s Devo - Glory and Life

Read: Job 31:1-33:33; 2 Corinthians 3:1-18; Psalm 43:1-5a; Proverbs 22:8-9
Job so believed in his own integrity that he pronounced a curse on himself if he had done any of the wrong things he listed. He denied treating anyone wrongly or not helping a person in need. He rests his case for three chapters and so do his three friends. It is a fourth man named Elihu that rises up to try his wisdom. He was angry with Job for his righteous indignation and he was angry at his friends for not being able to condemn him. He doesn’t sound like a great friend. He was also the youngest and had waited eagerly for his elders to finish talking so he could have his chance. He reiterates Job’s testimony and then starts tearing it down. He starts with the fact that Job said God was not condemning him. Elihu explained that God uses different ways to speak. He chasens through dreams and pain. But, if there was just one angel on Job’s side, he would save him from the pit. He would stand up for him and save him from judgement. He would bring him to the face of God and he would be restored. He would repent before men and say he was a sinner. Elihu was insinuating that Job has not come to this point or he would be repentant.
Paul explained the work of the Spirit. It is better than words written in ink because it is the life behind those words. The law was given by God to his people, but without the spirit it only condemns and gives no hope. With the spirit, it is life and reveals the glory of God.
We have the Word written in our hearts so we bear the glory of the Lord.
Lord, may we shine forth your glory and your life.

Tues.’s Devo - Have Patience to the Very End

Read: Job 28:1-30:31; 2 Corinthians 2:12-17; Psalm 42:1-11; Proverbs 22:7
Job uses natural things like gold and silver to represent the wisdom that God hides. Man doesn’t comprehend its worth but it is the answers of life. He, like Solomon concludes that the fear of the Lord is wisdom and to shun evil is understanding. That is worth contemplating.
Job reminisces his past when everything was going well and he walked in God’s blessings. He was strong and God was his intimate friend. There are few people in the Old Testament that had a relationship with the Lord. Abraham was a friend of God and so was David, but most of the people feared God as their judge and ruler. Job referred to God being his intimate friend. He remembered what it was like to walk in God’s favor and blessing and in man’s favor and blessing. Now, he had none of those and he had lost his dignity and respect on the earth. When he prays, he doesn’t hear a response. It makes me wonder what God was feeling at this time. God knew the end of the story and how wonderful it was going to end.
Job was a type of Jesus in his suffering. It pleased God to bruise Jesus because he knew of the glory he would be able to bless him with. God always sees the good in the end and not just the pain in the process.
Paul saw the same thing when he said that God always leads us to triumph. We might smell like death to some but life to others.
In our Psalm, David felt the same that Job did. He felt alone, forgotten, and oppressed by his enemy but he concluded that he put his trust in the Lord.
God, no matter what we are going through, we choose to put our trust in you. You alone have the keys to life.

Mon.’s Devo - The Law of Grace

Read: Job 23:1-27:23; 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:11; Psalm 41:1-13; Proverbs 22:5-6
Job complains that he would love to present his case before God but he can’t find him. He has searched for his presence everywhere. Since Job feels that God has brought all this upon him, he is terrified of God and thinks he is not finished pouring out his wrath on him. Little does Job know that none of his hardship came from God but his enemy, Satan.
Job contests that he has treasured the word of the Lord more than his daily bread. He asks why God doesn’t set times for judgment which he does. Job is seeing God out of his own lenses and not the truth. If he could see his life from God’s perspective he would see that God has honored him above all men and set him up as an example to heaven and earth. God has no plan to keep Job in this state but it is a trial for him. He is passing in the fact that he refuses to curse God, but his view of God is all wrong. That is ok because in the end God will straighten it all out and bless him.
Bildad asks how Job, or any man be pure before God. Job responds with a series of questions implying that Bildad doesn’t know what he is talking about. He then says that surely God has denied him justice. In all he is going through, he refuses to speak wickedness or deceit. He also refuses to deny his integrity. His conscience is clear and he is not going to let them put condemnation on him.
In Corinthians, Paul is teaching the people that God is not just about laws, but in Christ all his promises are “yes”. They are all ours for free.
Lord, help us to see from your perspective and stand on your awesome promises of life. Help us to walk in the law of grace.

Sun.’s Devo - Why Do We Have Trials

Read: Job 20:1-22:30; 2 Corinthians 1:1-11; Psalm 40:11-17; Proverbs 22:2-4
Zohar has been dishonored by Job and now feels compelled to stand up for himself. He explains how the wicked always fall in the end. The wicked will one day pay for all his injustice and unfair dealings. If he doesn’t pay in his lifetime then his children will have to pay for their father’s sins. He is implying that this is what has happened to Job: his sins have caught up with him.
Job counters that their mockery isn’t true. Sometimes the wicked never pay for their sins on earth and don’t care what will happen to their children when they die. Job concludes that the fate of man whether he is good or bad is in the hands of the Lord.
Eliphaz argues that God would never punish Job if he didn’t have something to punish him for. He accuses Job of abusing or neglecting the poor. He tells Job to submit himself to God and repent of his unrighteousness and God will restore him.
How differently Paul encourages his leaders who are going through hard times. He tells them to praise the God who comforts all who are in trouble. He tells them to give out that same comfort to those they know who are suffering. Sufferings cause us to have patience and endurance. We can be sure that Jesus shares in our sufferings and our comfort which gives us hope for God’s deliverance.
Lord, remind us that humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life. Thank you for the trials that come to us to make up perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Sat.’s Devo - Be An Encourager

Read: Job 16:1-19:29; 1 Corinthians 16:1-24; Psalm 40:1-10; Proverbs 22:1
Job tells his “friends” that their long-winded speeches are not what he needs. He needs pity, compassion and sympathy. If he was in their place, that is what he would do for them. Instead, they have joined the crowd of on-lookers and judges. But, Job has an advocate in heaven who intercedes for him and is his friend. This being pleads man’s case with God. Job was speaking of Jesus even though he didn’t even know his name. In 19:25 he calls him Redeemer. He even sees him standing on the earth in the end. This is what keeps Job going day after day.
Bildad defends himself and his friends saying they aren’t stupid cattle like everyone else. Then he goes into a long dissertation about what happens to the wicked which sounds like what is happening to Job.
Job defends himself and attacks them for judging him wrongly and not minding their own business. To his friends, Job’s life is perfectly lining up as one who has greatly sinned and is getting his just reward. It makes me see how easy it is to judge outwardly and not have a clue to what is really happening behind the scenes with God. Job is wrong to blame God, but he does keep his heart toward God pure and yearns for the day he will see him face to face.
In Corinthians, Paul gave them a tangible way they could help their brothers in Jerusalem. They were to tithe of their earnings weekly and put it in a box so that when he arrived, it would be waiting. Paul would send it to Jerusalem.
The church was about to face the worse persecution and Paul encouraged them to be strong and men of good courage and to do everything in love.
Lord, help us to discern the bigger picture and see what you are doing behind what we see in the natural. You are always at work on our behalf and your goal is our destiny. Help us to your encourager.

Fri.’s Devo - Resurrection and Life

Read: Job 12:1-15:35; 1 Corinthians 15:29-58; Psalm 39:1-13; Proverbs 21:30-31
Job fights back accusing his friends of thinking they are smarter than God. I love how he sums up his view of his wealthy friends: “Men at ease have contempt for misfortune.”. It was the thought of the day. If you are blessed then you are doing everything right and God is smiling down on you, but if things are going bad for you then it must be your fault. This is an easy lie to buy into because we want everything to make sense. We like cause and effect but God’s ways are not our ways.
Job concluded that it would be wise for his friends to not say a thing instead of their lies. That is a great piece of advise.
In Corinthians, Paul teaches us about resurrection. He was speaking to a group of people who said they didn’t believe in the resurrection, yet they were being baptized for their dead relatives. By doing this, they were proving that they believed there was a hereafter.
They also believed that life was short so they should live it up. Paul reminded them that sin corrupts the soul and who they hung out with and what they did mattered. Our flesh and blood cannot enter heaven, so we must be born again and have a spiritual rebirth to enter heaven. The old man will die, but the new man will resurrect. That is the victory over the grave and that is our hope as Christians.
Lord, thank you for salvation and life.

Thurs.’s Devo - Walking Uprightly

Read: Job 8:1-11:20; 1 Corinthians 15:1-28; Psalm 38:1-22; Proverbs 21:28-29
Bildad means “confusing love”. His view of the love of God was confused. He reminds Job of what happened to his children. They were now dead because of their sin (in his opinion). If Job could look into the past he would see that they ended up where they are because of the life they lived. His conclusion was that God would never reject a blameless man, so Job cannot be blameless.
Job agreed that no man is righteous before God and his wisdom is beyond man’s. He praised the majesty of God’s power but he maintained his opinion that he was blameless and his state was not because of some sin he had committed. Job believed that the Lord was punishing him for no reason.
Zohar means “departing early” and he spoke last. He was the hardest on Job. He wished that God would speak up against Job. He told Job that God had forgiven some of his sin, but it was too much to forget it all. He gives man no hope in having any wisdom. He tells Job that he needs to repent and God will forgive him. He lists the benefits of walking pure before the Lord. You will have revelation, safety, hope, and confidence. All this is true.
The thoughts of Job’s friends were the thought of the day which was: there was no grace with God. They only saw God as the rewarder of your actions and not the lover of your soul. There are consequences for sin according to the law, but the blood of Jesus took our sin once and for all and did away with it. This is such a hard concept for us to get because we want justice. The truth is that God is the judge but he only wants to judge the unrighteous. He wants to give his children grace and justice.
In Corinthians we read that when Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared not only to the disciples, but to over 500 of his followers. He explained that through Adam, all men were cursed with death, but through Jesus, all people were given resurrection and life. One day, his last enemy, death will be put under his feet and be no more.
Lord, help us to be upright in all we do. Our Proverbs says that an upright man gives thought to all his ways. Help us to think before we act. Thank you for your grace and justice.

Weds.’s Devo- Going Past Our Natural Minds

Read: Job 4:1-7:21; 1 Corinthians 14:18-40; Psalm 37:30-40; Proverbs 21:27
In the days of Job the general thought was that calamity was due to guilt. Job’s first friend to speak was Eliphaz the Temanite. Eliphaz means “my God has refined as gold”. He was the mildest of Job’s friends. He did understand that the man that God corrects is blessed. God will bind up our wounds and heal us.
Eliphaz told Job that if he was him, he would appeal to God and present his case before the Lord. He believed that God did miracles and would do one for Job if he asked.
Job’s response was that God was against him so there was no hope for him. (It was the opposite of ‘if God be for me who can be against me.). Job spent the rest of his words explaining his woeful lot.
Paul had just explained how important it was to prophesy because it benefited the church but he wanted to set things straight about speaking in tongues. He was not saying that it was not a valid and important gift because he exercised it daily. He was only referring to the ministry when he said he would rather prophesy. Tongues were to the believer since they are supernatural and can’t be understood by the unbeliever. Prophecy speaks straight to the heart so it can be a vital witnessing tool.
In church, it was normal to have tongues given and someone interpret them. God chooses the simple things to confound the wise. He uses tongues to bypass our logic and speak to our spirit. It takes faith to believe in things that don’t make sense to our natural minds and tongues is one of those things.
Lord, open our hearts to believe past our natural minds.

Tues.’s Devo - Job

Read: Job 1:1-3:26; 1 Corinthians 14:1-17; Psalm 37:12-29; Proverbs 21:25-26
Job was a real person who is referred to in Ezekiel and James. He is thought to have been a descendant of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. It is unknown who wrote Job and what era he lived in but we do know that he was a nomad who traveled around with his herds of animals. He was the most important man in the east for his wealth, his righteousness and his wisdom.
In Job, we are invited into a heavenly meeting. God has gathered his sons to talk to them and Satan came. Remember that Satan was once Lucifer, one of God’s best. God asked Satan what he had been doing and when Satan said he had been going to and fro through the earth, God asked if he had noticed Job’s unfailing devotion to him. Satan argued that Job was righteous because he was so blessed, so God gave Satan permission to do what ever he wanted to Job as long as he didn’t hurt him. Satan quickly took everything he had. Satan has no mercy. When Job didn’t curse him, Satan said it was because he hadn’t hurt him. So God gave Job permission to attack his body. Satan gave him disgusting looking sores that itched. Job was tormented but refused to curse God. He said that it was not fair to only be faithful to God when he was blessing him. Job refused to curse God but he wasn’t afraid to curse the day he was born.
His three friends came to sympathize with him and through them we learn the way the people of that time viewed God.
In Corinthians, Paul tells us to desire the gift of prophesy because it encourages, strengthens and comforts other people. For those who speak in tongues, they should pray to understand what their language means so they can bring revelation, knowledge or prophecy or a word of instruction. Those are all the benefits of speaking in tongues.
Lord, help us to praise you and bless you even in the hard times. We pray for your gifts so that we can encourage the body and bring revelation and comfort to those we meet.

Mon.’s Devo - Write Your Destiny

Read: Esther 8:1-10:3; 1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13; Psalm 37:1-11; Proverbs 21:23-24
The king gave the estate of Haman to Esther and Esther turned and gave it to Mordecai. Human is a type of Satan, Mordecai is a type of Jesus and Esther is a type of the church. It is so fitting that the church would give back to Jesus all that she had. Everything we have is the Lord’s.
Mordecai was also given the king’s signet ring that had been given to Haman. This is a picture of the title deed of the earth given back to Jesus after he rose from the grave. Adam and Eve had lost it to the devil in the garden and Jesus got it back. Haman was hung on the gallows which is where Satan is. His power is over. What he is operating on now is just a smoke screen and a lie.
Now it was time for a new covenant to be written. The king told Mordecai to rewrite what he wanted it to say. This is a picture of our destiny. We can write our own destiny. God will put in our hearts what to write. Mordecai wrote that the Jews would be able to defend themselves against their enemies and plunder their property. All the tables were turned and instead of doom they got victory.
Paul gives us the chain of command in the church: apostles, prophets, teachers, workers of miracles, gifts of healing, helpers, administrators, and those who speak in different tongues. Then he tells us the most excellent way to operate in these gifts and that is love. Paul gives us the definition of love which convicts me every time I read it. He does give us a promise if we will love and that is that it will not fail. I needed to hear that today.
Lord, help us to love those who are hard for us to love and remind us that they are not hard for you to love. Help us to write down our destiny and trust you to bring it to pass.

Sun.’s Devo - God’s Suddenlies

Read: Esther 4:1-7:10; 1 Corinthians 12:1-26; Psalm 36:1-12; Proverbs 21:21-22
I love the story of Esther; it is ridden with deep jewels to pick up. Esther is told of the wicked plot Haman has devised for the Jews and realizes that God is their only hope and that she has been put in the position she is in to cry out for them. She declared a fast for her and her people so she can hear from God on what to do. God obviously gives her the plan.
She invites the king and Haman to a feast but waits to tell him her reason and invites them both back tomorrow. Between the two feasts God works to expose the enemy and the friend to the king. The king reads that Mordecai saved his life and needs to be rewarded. He is the friend. Human erects his gallows to impale Mordecai. Human is the enemy. Now the setting is set and it is time to blow the whistle.
Everything changes on that next day. Mordecai changes his sack cloth to the king’s robe which was a picture of what was to come. Human has to humble himself and declare that the very man he despised and wanted to kill is now honored by the king and Haman is full of fear. The conditions are now ripe for Esther to come in an tie the bow on the present. She calls out Haman and the king goes mad with anger and has him killed. The source is gone, but the law still remains. We will read about that tomorrow.
Paul gave us a list of the spiritual gifts: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues. The body is designed so that our gifts complement each others. We need the gifts that others are operating in. We can have all the gifts but when we meet together we work as a body so the gifts are scattered throughout the congregation to show us how God wants us to function as one.
Lord, give us strategy to defeat the enemy in our lives and put on your robe of righteousness and walk in your suddenness.

Sat.’s Devo - Queen Esther

Read: Esther 1:1-3:15; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; Psalm 35:17-28; Proverbs 21:19-20
The book of Esther happened during the time of Ezra. Artexerses is believed to have been King Zerxes 1 who succeeded Darius 1 who ruled in 485 B.C. The Jews were just being allowed to return to their home land which stirred up the devil to fight against them using a man named Haman.
God had a plan to use Esther to stand for her nation and went about it in a most unusual way. Artexerses was used by his own officials to proclaim the husband was to rule over his wife when Artexerses wife refused to come to his drunken brawl. They weren’t looking after the king, but after their own hides. They knew that whatever happened in the kingdom would happen in their homes and if Vashti got away with refusing his unreasonable request then their wives would turn it on them. God used all of it to get Esther to the kingdom where she needed to be to save her people.
In the meantime, Mordecai uncovered a plot to assassinate the king and told it to Esther. She told it to the king and gave Mordecai the credit. It was all recorded for future use.
This reminds me of all the things we do that we doesn’t get acknowledged at the time. God has it all written down in his books and it will be rewarded at the right time.
Mordecai refused to bow before Haman which caused a chain reaction and put every Jew in the province in jeopardy. What the devil meant for harm, God meant for their good.
In First Corinthians, God said that their meetings did more harm than good. That is a sad thing to say about church. They had become selfish and without love for one another. Some were overindulging while others were starving. He reminded them of the last supper that Jesus had with his disciples. They were to examine their motives because the bread stood for the body of Christ and the blood stood for his blood.
Lord, help us to see the bigger picture in our lives and that everything we do is meaningful. Help us to live by love.

Fri.’s Devo - Infiltration

Read: Nehemiah 12:27-13:31; 1 Corinthians 11:3-16; Psalm 35:1-16; Proverbs 21:17-18
In celebration of the wall dedication Nehemiah assigned two large choirs to give thanks. They met on top of the wall and one choir followed Ezra and the other choir followed Nehemiah as they walked opposite directions around the city. They sang praises the whole way surrounding the city with praise. Talk about surround sound! People could hear the praises from far away. Then they read the law from the book of Moses.
The priest, Eliashib was friends with Tobiah who had tried over and over to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Eliashib allowed Tobiah to have a room in the Temple where they had originally stored things for the Temple.
Nehemiah had been away from Jerusalem for several years to return to serving the king in Persia. When he returned he found out about Tobiah and how they had neglected the service of the Temple, given their sons and daughters to their enemies and misappropriated the money given to the Temple. They were allowing the merchants from other nations to come in and sell and trade on the Sabbath. They were doing everything that they had promised they wouldn’t.
Tobiah hadn’t been able to stop their building so he infiltrated them and got them to bring a curse down on themselves through sin. It was the same thing that Balaam did when he wasn’t allowed to curse Israel. He infiltrated their ranks and got them to enter into idolatry.
This is the same thing the devil does to us. He will try to get us from outside circumstances and if he can’t win, he will go for our hearts, our attitudes, and our thoughts. It will end up with the same result because our physical circumstances will fall in line with what is going on in our hearts.
Nehemiah had to purify everything again. I’m sure that was frustrating to him. I feel his pain. It is frustrating to me to find that I am still having the same issues when I thought I had won that battle. I have to remind myself that I did win that battle and this is a counterattack. With the same grace I used to win the first one, I can win the next one and the next one, etc.
In Corinthians, Paul had to do a lot of teaching of the chain of command because Corinth was a Greek city where the gods were all women and women were out of order. Paul taught them that the man represented the head which is God and the woman represented the church which is the body. They must have each other, but the body must honor the head just at the church must honor God who is in control of everything.
Lord, help us to recognize the attacks of the enemy and fight them with your Word and the power of your blood.

Thurs.’s Devo - Resettling Jerusalem

Read: Nehemiah 11:1-12:26; 1 Corinthians 10:14-11:2; Psalm 34:11-22; Proverbs 21:14-16
The priests had settled in Jerusalem and now it was time of the people to resettle there. They asked for volunteers, then chose the rest by lot. One family out of ten were chosen by lot and moved to Jerusalem. Then they scattered some of the priests throughout the land.
In the city of Jerusalem there were people from the tribe of Judah, Benjamin, priests, Levites, gatekeepers, and singers. The rest of the people lived in settlements outside the city.
We read today how the Levites would line in two lines and give praise and thanksgiving, one section responding to the other like they did in the days of David. I imagine it looked a lot like our responsive reading today.
Paul was speaking to the Corinthians who lived in a very pagan ritualistic city. He was trying to teach them that they couldn’t participate in the rituals of other gods and also God’s ritual of communion. They had to choose to serve one god and the only true god is Jehovah. They didn’t have to worry about accidentally eating food offered to idols, they had to worry if they were offering the food to the idols. It wasn’t about the food, it was about their motives and their heart. It has always been about the heart.
Lord, may we walk in the fear of the Lord and keep our tongue from evil. Bring your justice to the earth.

Wed.’s Devo - Running the Race

Read: Nehemiah 9:22-10:39; 1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13; Psalm 34;1-10a; Proverbs 21:13
Nehemiah reminds them of all the things God has done for their nation in the past and how the people responded to God’s goodness. He reminded them that they were slaves today because of their sins. The priests decided that they would make a binding agreement to follow the Lord and his laws. Then the priests affixed their seals to the writing. The people bound themselves with a curse if they didn’t follow the law. They promised not to give their sons of daughters in marriage to other nations. They promised not to buy on the Sabbath and to let their land rest every seventh year. They promised to fund the temple offerings and it operation. They also promised to bring their first fruits and tithes to the Lord as an offering. Their last statement summed it up: “We will not neglect the house of our God.”
True revival brings a new hunger to read and understand God’s Word. It also brings a fear of the Lord and people want to meet together and give what they have to the Lord. Priorities change and the church and the kingdom becomes the goal.
Paul compares the Christian race to a physical race. The runner will train and submit his body to strict diets and pain in order to run well. In the same way, we have to have self-discipline to run our Christian race which is so much more important because the prize is eternal.
The people of Israel had to go through strict discipline and hardships just as we do, but God’s grace is the ability to remain faithful and not sin. We can do it!
Lord, help us to not live with excuses but to overcome with your overcoming grace. May we run our race and win the prize.

Tues.’s Devo - Chosen For Service

Read: Nehemiah 7:61-9:21; 1 Corinthians 9:1-18; Psalm 33:12-22; Proverbs 21:11-12
Apparently, the only ones who could live in Jerusalem were priests and they had to be able to prove it by the records. That makes perfect sense since the only way we are to get into the holy Jerusalem is to have our names written in the book of life. Some of the people could not be found in the records and had to wait until they could determine their right to live there with the Urim and the Thummin - the priest’s lots.
On the Feast of Trumpets, they gathered all the people to hear the reading of the law. The priest explained what the law said to to the people and put it in words they could understand. The people stood for hours as they taught them the Word of the Lord. Ezra, the priest and Nehemiah, the governor stood on the platform and told the people not to be sad but this was a day to rejoice because the joy of the Lord was their strength.
They read where that month they were also to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles where they were to prepare booths to live in for a week. This temporary booth was to remind them that their lives here on earth were temporary but their real home was in heaven. They were to build these booths made of branches and live in them for that week. As they laid at night and could see the sky through the roof and they were to tell their children that this life on earth is temporary but their real home was in heaven.
On the twenty-fourth day they repented of their sins and praised the Lord - the God of the host of the heavens.
In Corinthians, Paul explained that just like we work for natural wages, our spiritual service will reap spiritual benefits for the kingdom.
Lord, may you bless your people and may we be a people who serve you with all our hearts.

Mon.’s Devo - Grace

Read: Nehemiah 5:14-7:60; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Psalm 33:1-11; Proverbs 21:8-10
Nehemiah refused to get his paycheck at the expense of the people who were impoverished. Instead, he fed 150 of them from his own table. He was a true leader that cared about his people.
When Sanballat found out the wall had been built and all that was left was the gates, he came to deter Nehemiah’s work. He started out asking to meet with Nehemiah and when Nehemiah told him he was too busy working to meet. Next, Sanballat sent letters to Nehemiah saying he would tell the king that Nehemiah was planning a revolt against the king and self-proclaiming himself to be the king. Sanballat even infiltrated his ranks and had Nehemiah’s own prophets work against him. They tried to instill fear in him and encourage him to hide. He saw through their lies and refused to run knowing this would destroy his testimony.
The wall was totally completed in 52 days which was nothing but the grace of God. It was such a powerful miracle that it put fear in the hearts of the enemies. Now that the wall was finished, the people could come and rebuild their houses and live in Jerusalem. They took a census of all the people who had come back from exile according to their families. There were over 40,000 people.
In First Corinthians, Paul teaches the people about honoring people which is really honoring God. Making the transition from a Jew who followed the law, to a Christian who followed a new covenant was hard to do. Paul knew this and wanted them to extend grace to them. Their freedom was not to be exercised to hurt those who had not grown to embrace it yet.
We are responsible if we are the stronger one and defile someone else’s conscience that is weaker than us. We need to be sensitive to what they are sensitive to and honor them.
Lord, help us to extend the same grace to others that you have so graciously extended to us.

Sun.’s Devo - Persevere

Read: Nehemiah 3:15-5:13; 1 Corinthians 7:25-40; Psalm 32:1-11; Proverbs 21:5-7
The men of Israel divided the work on the wall into sections and they each worked on their section. When Sanballat, their enemy found out how well their project was going, he came to discourage them and stop them. He gave counter prophesies. Their taunting remind me of the temptations that Satan brought against Jesus in the wilderness, even down to turning stones to life. All of the things that Sanballat said against them were things God had promised to do for them.
His negative words did weigh on the people but they turned to the Lord and set their heart to finish the work. They set guards around the clock to keep the enemy away. They stood with their families and protected their sections. Nehemiah encouraged them not to be afraid of their enemies because God was fighting with them. They worked fortified and armed. Whenever they heard a trumpet sound, they would come and help those people fight.
If the enemy can’t get you from the outside, he will work from within, so that is what Satan did with them. The wealthier Jews were taxing their poorer brothers till they were starving. When Nehemiah found out, he put an immediate stop to that and cleaned up the greed.
I could sum what we read today in Corinthinans up into one statement: “Mind your own business.” It is your decision whether you marry or remarry. Paul defended those who didn’t want to marry and he defended those who wanted to marry. It is important that you seek the Lord and do what he wants you to do. I honestly think that he leaves a lot of things to us and what we desire to do which is also not any one else’s business. I’m laughing, but it is a serious matter who you marry. That is the important thing. Marriage is a contract that shouldn’t be entered into lightly and you should never marry an unbeliever.
Lord, we need discernment, commitment and perseverance to build the section of our wall in life. Help us to fight fearlessly and not give up.

Sat.’s Devo - Rebuilding the Walls

Read: Nehemiah 1:1-3:14; 1 Corinthians 7:1-24; Psalm 31:19-24; Proverbs 21:4
Nehemiah was written 34 years after Ezra and continued the story. Nehemiah means “I will comfort my people”. Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the king Artaxerses which means that he tasted every thing he drank to make sure it was not poisonous. He also served as governor to Judea and his heart was in Jerusalem. He had traveled there with Ezra but had to return to serve the king. He was always seeking news of how his people were doing in Jerusalem so when he found that the wall had been torn down and the gates set afire, he was heartbroken. He sat in mourning, fasting and praying for days.
In the second chapter, it was the month of Nisan. That is the month of Passover. Nehemiah presented the wine to the king at the same time that Jesus will later present his blood to his Father - the King. It also lets us know that the queen was sitting next to the king. She stands for the church, seated at the right hand of the Father from eternity.
Nehemiah asked for letters so he could have safety in the journey and so the keeper of the forest would give him timber for the walls and gates. The king gladly granted everything he asked. God owns everything on this earth and if we are building his temple, all his resources are at our bidding.
Of course, the enemy was not happy to hear that someone was there to help the Israelites. One of them was Sanballat, which means “hatred in secret”. He wasn’t too secret about his opinion. He laughed and scorned their idea to rebuild and accused them of rebelling against the king.
The high priest rose up with his priests and repaired the first part - the sheep gate. That is exactly what our High Priest, Jesus did for us. He became the door that we, the sheep could enter in. His example inspired others to build their section of the wall and gates. Jesus is our example and we labor with him to rebuild his kingdom on earth.
I read I Corinthians 7:1 and in the NIV it says it is good for a man not to marry, which I knew had to be wrong. ( How else would the human race keep going?) So I read it in the KJV and it says, “It is good for a man not to touch a woman.” When I looked up the word “touch” it means inappropriately. That makes much more sense. If your don’t open the door, you can’t go through it.
Marriage is suppose to be a picture of union with Christ. We give up everything to honor him and live for him. We show that in the way we honor our husbands. If we are married or not, we should do everything to glorify God. We are all married to Christ.
Lord, we give you our bodies to honor you in everything we do.

Fri.’s Devo - Get Rid of Sin

Read: Ezra 10:1-44; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20; Psalm 31:9-18; Proverbs 21:3
We can all relate to Ezra’s reaction. He has spent his life praying and waiting for God to rebuild the temple and for Israel to be a nation once again only to find that not everyone has his zeal for the Lord. Many of his people have done the detestable and married other wives of the nations God told them to destroy. Leadership is like herding cats. It is easy to manage your own life but harder to manage others who don’t necessarily have the same convictions. The good news is that they wanted to make it right. Some of these marriages had resulted in children so the wives and the children had to be sent away.
That seems so harsh but that is the consequence of sin. The deeper we go and longer we allow ourselves to live in sin the greater the consequences of it and the more people that are affected.
They finished dealing with all of this by Roshashana - the first day of the new year. The last Roshashana will be the last day, and people will have to have dealt with their sin once and for all. Roshashana is the Feast of Trumpets and Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead on that day.
In Corinthians, Paul is rebuking them for taking church matters to the world. The world cannot judge spiritual matters correctly. Christians shouldn’t be taking other Christians to court, the church should be able to settle their own problems. One day we will judge angels, so God can give us the wisdom to judge one another correctly if we ask him for the answers.
Paul goes on to explain that we are free to do whatever we want to do, but it will not benefit us to sin. He uses the example of sexual sins. Sexual sins hurt your own body and the body of Christ. When we became a Christian, we gave up the right to our body and the right to sin. We are now the property of the Lord’s and he would not use our body to sin.
Lord, help us to remember that to do what is right and just is more acceptable to you than sacrifice.

Thurs.’s Devo - Other Wives.

Read: Ezra 8:21-9:15; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; Psalm 31:1-8; Proverbs 21:1-2
Ezra proclaimed a fast for all the returning Jews to Jerusalem. They were carrying tons of gold and silver with them and would be traveling through dangerous territory known for outlaws and thieves, but to ask for a protection from the king would be to doubt the power of God to protect them. So they left laden with goods trusting in the power of God to watch over them. They arrived Jerusalem with all their goods accounted for.
After unloading all their offerings in the temple, Ezra learned that some of the Jews had unmarried with wives from races God had told them not to. Ezra was distraught and cried out to the Lord for the sins of his people.
These wives represent the things that we allow into our heart that are not godly or good for us. They will produce bad fruit in our lives.
They were having the same problem in the church in Corinth. Sexual sin had polluted their hearts also. They had no guilt till Paul pointed out their sin just like Ezra did. Both of them had to remove the sin from their midst. Paul and Ezra knew that a little sin would affect the whole group so they had to take it out.
Lord, help us to get rid of the unholy things we allow in our lives that reproduce bad fruit. Psalm describe them as traps that are set for us, but God is our refuge; may we find your way of escape.

Wed.’s Devo - God’s Favor and Abundance

Read: Ezra 8:21-9:15; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; Psalm 31:1-8; Proverbs 21;1-2
This Artaxerses is the grandson of Darius, not to be confused with the one in Esther and the one who stopped the building in chapter four. Ezra was a descendent of Aaron and had studied and taught the law of Moses. He came to Jerusalem from Babylon taking five months to travel there. The king had given Ezra a proclamation for him to read to the people saying that any of the Israelites who wanted to resettle in Jerusalem were allowed to return. He sent silver and gold to buy offerings and sacrifices for their worship. He provided all and anything Ezra had wanted for the temple. He also proclaimed tax-exemption for all the priests and Levites according to Moses’ law. Among the people, Ezra found 220 Levites to start preparing for worship.
When we are walking in God’s plan, provision is abundant and the favor of God is on us. Ezra was walking in this.
In Corinth, the people had become arrogant in their walk with the Lord and thought they were rich. Paul tried to show them that thinking they were rich and worthy of judging everyone else was not the way of the kingdom. Paul was persecuted, slandered, cursed and mistreated all for the gospel. His life was not easy and neither was Jesus’ life. They had let pride creep in and were judging one another as if they were the standard. One day everything that is hidden will be revealed. Paul was trying to tell them that God will judge everything in the end but now the way was humility.
Lord, help us to walk in humility and realize that our present suffering is not to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in the end.

Tues.’s Devo - The Temple is Rebuilt

Read: Ezra 5:1-6:22; 1 Corinthians 3:5-23; Psalm 29:1-11; Proverbs 20:26-27
The building of the temple had stopped for 40 years during the reign of Artexerses and now Darius was king. The prophets started encouraging the people to begin rebuilding again because God’s law is higher than man’s. When the governors of their region got news of what they were doing they came to ask them who authorized them to build. They had no building permit! LOL! They explained that God had authorized them through Cyrus and asked the king to look through his archives and he would find the decree.
King Darius did and found that they not only had authority to build, but they were to be fully funded by the royal treasury. Even the sacrifices were to be provided for from the king. If anyone changed the decree, a beam was to be pulled from his house and he was to be impaled on it. His house was then to be torn down. Darius agreed to carry out the decree with diligence. Smart man!
The Jews were able to finish building the temple and dedicate it with joy. It makes me wonder if the ones who had cried remembering the first temple were now dead and their response had caused the delay of the finishing of the temple. This time everyone was glad. They finished it in time for Passover.
Paul talked about a different building. In the Old Testament they built the physical temple of the Lord but in the New Testament the fulfillment was the temple in the hearts of every believer. As everyone builds this temple in their hearts, corporately we are building the house of God on the earth. God also warned that anyone who destroyed His temple would be destroyed. In Proverbs it says that God drives the threshing wheel over the wicked.
Lord, may your glory be known in the earth through your people. May your temple be fortified in us.

Mon.’s Devo - The New Kingdom

Read: Ezra 3:1-4:24; 1 Corinthians 2:6-3:4; Psalm 28:1-9; Proverbs 20:24-25
In the seventh month, they completed the altar of the Lord. The seventh month was the feast of Tabernacles when the temple of the Lord will be established in the new heaven and the new earth one day.
They began the building of the temple with all the materials supplied by Cyrus the king. Once they had gotten the foundation laid they had a celebration. The people came from everywhere and there was much shouting and praise. Many of the older priests who remembered the last temple cried in disappointment. The younger people praised in joy. I believe that the fact that the older people could not readjust to what God was doing in this season cost them seeing the fulfillment of it.
A new king came to the throne, Darius and he stopped the building during his reign. So for forty years no work was done on the temple. The older priests all died off during this time. Forty years is the time God used to discipline his people. They were in the wilderness for forty years for not having the faith to enter in. Saul was king for forty years to discipline them for asking for a king. In the forty years they were suppose to learn their lesson.
If we can’t readjust our thinking to what God is doing in this new season we too will miss out in the glory of the new spiritual temple God is constructing on the earth.
Paul was telling his disciples the same concept. Wisdom is for the mature. It is God’s secret wisdom that has been hidden since before time and is now ready to be revealed. For the people in Paul’s time it was the gospel of Jesus Christ and walking in the Spirit of God. For us it is living in the kingdom age here on earth. We have to readjust our thinking.
Lord, help us to follow you.

Sun.’s Devo - Rebuilding the Temple on Earth

Read: Ezra 1:1-2:70; 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5; Psalm 27:7-14; Proverbs 20:22-23
Seventy years ago, Jeremiah had proclaimed that the people would return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple and the time had come for this to be fulfilled. God moved on a worldly king, Cyrus to do it. Cyrus not only gave them silver, gold, goods, livestock and offerings but he gave them all the articles that belonged to the temple of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had stolen. Talk about getting back what the devil took!
We have a list of the people that returned and one of them was Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, and the other was Nehemiah who would later build the wall. The list was divided into Israelites, and priests and Levites. They all settled in their previous towns.
What a picture of what God is doing right now as he reestablishes his kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. He will provide everything we need and it will come from the hands of the world.
Paul explains how the message of the cross seems absurd to the heathen but the most powerful miracle to the chosen. The Jews were looking for miracles and signs and the Greeks were only interested in wisdom, so the message of death and resurrection wasn’t appealing to either of them. The truth is God’s foolishness is wiser than man’s highest wisdom. His ways are so much higher but the only way you can see that is to be born again and given new eyes and a new heart. It takes faith to see.
Lord, help us to see with your eyes and believe with your heart.

Sat.’s Devo - Boundaries

Read: 2 Chronicles 35;1-36:23; 1 Corinthians 1:1-17; Psalm 27:1-6; Proverbs 20:20-21
It is amazing what Josiah did during his reign. He orchestrated the bringing in of the ark of the covenant into Solomon’s temple…the right way. It was to be carried on the shoulders of consecrated priests with poles. The presence of the Lord is to be carried by those who have consecrated their lives to the Lord and are willing to carry the responsibility of God’s Word and not let it go to their heads. The priests were never to touch the ark with their hands. We can never take credit for what God’s grace and power does through us.
Josiah planned and brought about the greatest Passover celebration Israel had ever had since Samuel’s day. He went by the book. Josiah, himself offered 3,300 sacrifices and the people brought 8,400 additional gifts. Everything was orderly and pleasing to the Lord.
Once he had set up the temple worship and it was running like the law said, he heard that Neco king of Egypt had gone to fight at Carchemish. Carchemish was the capital of the Hittites in Babylon territory. Josiah had no business getting into their battle, but he insisted on fighting them. Sadly, he was injured in the battle and was brought back to Jerusalem to die.
God gave Israel boundaries that they were to live within. Josiah got out of the boundaries and God’s grace was not there to protect him. The same is true for us. In God’s will we are totally safe and can know that whatever comes our way, God is there to help us through it, but once we get out of that, we are not safe. God can rescue us when we call on him but it is better to stay in his grace.
After Josiah picked a fight with Egypt and Babylon, they controlled what went on in Israel. Kings lasted only months till Zedekiah became king and decided to rebel against God and the king of Babylon. That was a huge mistake which cost him everything. Babylonians came in and set fire to Jerusalem, carried off the people and desecrated the temple. Jerusalem rested for 70 years until King Cyrus made a decree to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.
Corinthians was a Greek city noted for its wealth, and for the luxurious and immoral and vicious habits of the people. It had a large mixed population of Romans, Greeks, and Jews. Paul had lived there for almost a year before he left to visit the other cities. He had received letters complaining about some of the abuses and contentions that had arisen among them so he wrote this letter to them. He started out reminding them of their strengths. They had all the spiritual gifts operating in their midst and he reminded them that they were not the convert of a man but a new creature in Christ. It didn’t matter who brought them to salvation, they were to follow Christ and him alone.
Lord, help us to stay in the boundaries you have set for us and enjoy the grace we have in You.

Fri.’s Devo -Josiah

Read: 2 Chronicles 33:14-34:33; Romans 16:8-27; Psalm 261-12; Proverbs 20:19
Manasseh, who started out so bad, ended up restoring the altar and serving the Lord. When he died, his son, Amon did not do well but did evil and never repented. His son, Josiah ruled after him and became king at the age of eight becoming the youngest king Judah ever had. He began to seek the Lord at the age of sixteen and rid the nation of the evil his father Amon had set up. When he was 26 he had the Levites restore the Temple that was in disrepair. While renovating the temple, they found a copy of the law and read it to Josiah. He tore his robes as he heard how far they had gone from worshipping the Lord the way God had written. He turned his heart to seek the Lord and asked to speak to the prophetess Huldah. She sought God’s word and found that God was not happy with Judah for turning so far from him. Because Josiah had humbled himself, God would hold his judgment on Judah till he was dead.
Three hundred years before Josiah was born, his name was mentioned by an unnamed prophet (1 Kings 13:2) that he would tear down the altar that Jeroboam had built to sacrifice to Baal. I wonder if he read his name in the manuscripts he found in the temple. I would think he did because he did exactly that in his life. He not only removed the idolatry in Judah but he removed all the idols from the territory belonging to the Israelites and as long as he lived, they did not stop following the Lord.
In Romans, Christianity was a new concept. It was the truth so Satan had his counterfeit religion to deceive the people. He is OK with us believing in God, as long as he can keep us from believing in Jesus. Jesus is the door to God and the only way to eternal life. Paul told them to be wise about the things that are good and innocent about what is evil. We are not to even speak of the things that evil people do in secret (Ephesians 5:12). David declared in today’s Psalm that he did not sit with deceitful men or people who hated the Lord. He chose to surround himself with believers when it came to counsel and close companions.
Lord, help us to be wise in all our choices. Surround us with people that can encourage us in our walk so we can reach out to those who need the truth.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Battle is the Lord’s

Read: 2 Chronicles 32:1-33:13; Romans 15:23-16:7; Psalm 25:16-22; Proverbs 20:16-18
The first few lines of today’s reading gave me hope. It reads: “After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah.” Hezekiah had done nothing wrong and he still got attacked. Sennacherib means “the thorn laid waste”. A thorn is a symbol of a curse and in this case it tried to lay waste to Hezekiah but it had no power.
When we are doing everything right, we still get attacked by the enemy but his curses cannot stay.
Hezekiah prepared for the attack. He sought counsel, and blocked off the water supply outside the city so Assyria’s army wouldn’t have water for their horses. He repaired the wall and built towers to keep watch and made many weapons and shields. He was well fortified. Then he called the people together and encouraged them in the Lord. He gave them confidence in God’s power to save them.
All of Sennacherib’s efforts fell to the ground. He tried intimidation and fear. He boasted of all the nations they had conquered and that their gods hadn’t been able to protect them. Who was Israel to think that their God could protect them. They were wrong. God sent one angel who annihilated all the fighting men, leaders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. Sennacherib had to withdraw in disgrace. He returned home to have his own sons kill him.
Hezekiah brought great prosperity to the land and fell into pride and it almost cost him his life. He humbled himself before God and God healed him. After he was healed he became proud once again and had a son. He died a proud man and and sadly his son, Manasseh, was one of Judah’s most evil kings. Manasseh did the exact opposite of his father. Most of his life he undid all the good his father had done. He rebuilt all the altars to idols that his father had torn down and led the nation into sin and rebellion. God sent prophets to get his attention and he refused to listen so God had to put a hook in his nose, bound him with shackles and took him to Babylon to get his attention. Manasseh humbled himself greatly before the Lord and God heard his prayers and brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. He died a humble man.
In Romans, Paul was on his way to Jerusalem to give the Jews a contribution from the Gentiles. The Gentiles wanted to bless their fellow Jews because they were blessed by the spiritual blessing the Jews had given them through Abraham so they wanted to share with them their material blessing.
Lord, help us to remember that we are blessed by those that have gone before us. Help us to pass down an even greater blessing to the next generation.

Wed.’s Devo - Revival

Read: 2 Chronicles 30:1-31:21; Romans 15:1-22; Psalm 25:1-15; Proverbs 20:13-15
Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah inviting them to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Most of the people scorned and ridiculed the invitation, but a few from Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came. This reminds me of the parable Jesus told in Matthew 22 about the king who sent out invitation to his son’s wedding. They ridiculed them also so God sent the invitation to the highways and byways.
Many people from Judah came to the feast which had to be put off a month to get all the priest sanctified to serve. The people came unpurified and ate the Passover. It looked like nothing was being done according to the law, but because Hezekiah’s heart was so right, God heard his prayer for the people and healed them. Revival came to Judah and they celebrated another seven days with joy and they left blessed. When it was through, the people went through their land getting rid of all the evil and places idolatry. They finished by the seventh month in time for the feast of tabernacles. That is the sign of true revival - when it causes the people to tear down their old idols and change their lifestyle. Revival is more than a meeting or an experience, it is a life changer.
The people had given so much offerings to the temple that they had to build storerooms in the temple to hold it all. The Levites were all placed in their places of service. They served from the age of 3 and up. That is amazing that three year olds had duties in the temple but then I remember that Samuel was probably that age when he came to live with Eli and serve in the temple.
Hezekiah spent a year setting up God’s government the way the law said it should be and God caused his government to prosper.
In Romans, we learn that everything written in the past was written to teach us something for today. Paul encouraged the ones who had always had the law, the Jews, to have patience with the Gentiles who were just coming to the faith. They had been prophesied years ago that they would come in and now they were coming in. It was Paul’s ministry to teach the Gentiles how to be an acceptable offering to the Lord. We don’t have Jews and Gentiles but we do have churched and unchurched people. So we churched people are going to have to have patience with the unchurched that come in during the harvest.
Lord, help us to stay awake spiritually to what we are to be doing in this time. Prepare our hearts for the harvest that is coming.