Fri.’s Devo - Shine as Lights

Read: Isaiah 60:1-62:5; Philippians 1:27-2:18; Psalm 72:1-20; Provers 24:11-12 Today is all about the Good News! Many believe this is about the Messiah coming but this abundant blessing on Israel and the world has not happened at this level yet. It is talking about returning to the splendor and wealth of Solomon’s time. This is what we can look for in the coming years. We are at the very end of the delivering the baby…right about at ‘push’ time. All of our suffering and waiting will soon be over and we will walk into a time of great prosperity and peace. Violence will disappear from our land and war will end. The Lord will be the light of the world like it was in the Garden of Eden. Chapter 61 describes what Jesus came to do and beyond that. When Jesus read this scripture in the synagogue (Luke 4:16-20) he stopped in the middle of verse 2. During our time God will finish it. He will bring his vengeance against his enemies and give those who mourned a crown of beauty and blessings. They will become great people on the earth. They will rebuild all that the wicked destroyed in their sinful lifetime. God’s people will become the head of nations and not the servants of sinners. The Bride of Christ will wear righteousness as a robe. Isaiah could feel what it would be like to be Jesus. He described the feeling as a bridegroom dressed for his wedding or a bride in her jewels. That is a person who feels beautiful and worthy of praise. Through Jesus, God would show the nations what his justice looks like. People will praise him and become his seed springing up everywhere. Jesus will pray for us until we become his righteous city, Zion. Jerusalem and the people of God will become a light of God’s glory. We will go from being desolate to God’s delight, the Bride of Christ. We will commit ourselves to him as a bride does to her husband. Paul tells us to live right now as though we were citizens of heaven because that is what we are. We should not be intimidated by our enemies. We have been given the privilege of suffering with Christ which should give us confidence not shame. Instead of becoming arrogant in our standing with God, we are to serve one another as Christ did. He was humble and always thinking of others instead of himself. He took an interest in others lives and was our example of how to live to please him. We are to live a bright lights in a world of darkness and sinful people. Our lives are to be poured out like a liquid offering to the Lord. May we live to give your glory today. Thank you for the good news of our glorious future.

Thurs.’s Devo - Sin is the Roadblock; Repentance is the Way

Read: Isaiah 57:15-59:21; Philippians 1:1-26; Psalm 71:1-24; Proverbs 24:9-10 God declares himself as the high and lofty one who surrounds himself with the humble. He restores their crushed spirit and revives their courage if they have repentant hearts. He wanted them to know that he was not going to let them all die. He punishes them now beacuse they were greedy and stubborn but he will heal them and comfort them in the future. There will still be the ones who would still reject him and stir up dirt. They will not experience God’s peace. God told Isaiah to shout Israel’s sins to them. Israel thought they were righteous but they were self-righteous. They thought they could fool God by their bias fasting and acts of godliness but God saw their hearts. They fasted while oppressing their workers, fighting and quarreling among themselves. God told them they would never get anywhere with Him acting like that. They pretended to be humbling themselves but they were just going through the motions while their hears were haughty and selfish. The kind of fasting that gets God’s attention is the fast where the people put actions behind their rituals. They lighten the burners of those that work for them and remove the chains from the oppressed. They share their food with the hungry and provide shelter for the homeless. They give clothes to those in need and help their relatives in need. He tells them that that kind of humility will get God’s attention and he will give them their requests. God also requires that people honor his Sabbath and think of him on that day. God was more than able to save them and help them but their sins stood in the way of his salvation. Sin was the roadblock. If they removed that, God would come speedily and rescue them. Isaiah describes their day. Justice can’t be found and honesty has been outlawed. Anyone who renounced evil was attacked. Sounds like our day. God was amazed to see that no one stood up to change things. He himself will have to do it. In 59:17 we see God dressing for the occasion. He pus on the body armor of righteousness, the helmet of salvation on his head and clothes himself with a robe of vengeance and a cloak of passion. He comes to repay his enemies for their evil deeds. He will come as the Redeemer to buy back those who have turned from their sins. God’s garments of war are a lot like the ones in Ephesians 6 we read about yesterday with a few differences. God is not wearing shoes of peace but a robe of vengeance. He is the Word of God. In Revelation 2:16, God tells the church in Smyrna to repent or he will fight against them with the sword of his mouth. God’s sword is in his mouth, not his hand. It is everything he says. Ephesus was a Roman city full of mainly Romans and few Jews. Because their were few Jews it protected the church from Judaisers who stirred up dissections in the other churches. Paul had planted this church on his second missionary journey. The believers in Ephesus had sent money to Paul three times when they learned he was in need even though they were very poor themselves. This church gave Paul much joy because of their faith and love for him and each other. He assured them that his being in prison has worked for the good of the gospel. His emprisonment encouraged others to stand up and preach the gospel. Paul wanted the church in Ephesus to know how much he loved and appreciated their faith and courage. May we be like this church and bring You joy in our faith. May we be able to say like Paul, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Wed.’s Devo - The Good News to Come

Read: Isaiah 54:1-57:14; Ephesians 6:1-24: Psalm 70:1-5; Proverbs 24:8 Today’s reading in Isaiah could be addressed to the United States. It begins with telling those that have never had children to rejoice because they are about to have more children to take care of than they could have ever imagined. Roe vs. Wade was overturned leaving so many women who would want to abort, to choose to have their baby. These babies will need homes. America is living in disgrace with a puppet president who doesn’t put his own nation first but God is going to do something about all of that. We will no longer live in disgrace. Our embarrassing President will no longer be our “daddy” but the Lord will be our husband as a nation. God turned his face from us for a while so he could draw us back to Him with great joy. Our next generation will enjoy a time of great peace under a government that is just and fair. I see the “storm-battered city” as the Church. God will not send enemies against the Church again. If a group does come against us, we will defeat their lies quickly. No weapon that Satan tries to use against us will succeed. This is a promise to God’s children who follow him. God will vindicate his bride. All who are thirst and hungry to learn of God will come and freely be taught and fed God’s Word and enjoy His presence. The Church will be so relevant in this new season we are about to walk into that nations will come to see what we have and want if for themselves. God will pour out mercy and grace on all who come in repentance to Him. They will learn of God’s ways and his thoughts which are nothing like ours. God’s Word will go out of his people’s mouths and accomplish exactly what they were meant to accomplish. In other words, we will have what we say. God will put power behind our words and we will see miracles and healings at the sound of our voices because we will be speaking what God wants to say. When the Church returns to the Lord, even nature will respond. The ground will yield healthy crops. God encouraged his people that while they were waiting for all of this to happen they should be careful to walk in goodness. Be fair and just to everyone and do what is right and good. God has a word to the destitute and those who have given up on having an inheritance or a reputation to pass on. They should never think there is no hope for them or that they have done too great of sins to be forgiven. God can turn things around for them in an instant. He can take all their hopelessness and ruin and bless it and make something great from the ruins. On the other hand, God has some pointed rebukes to the wicked that use their power to hurt others and lead them down the wrong paths. They filled the earth with their Satanic symbols and their sins against humanity. God will expose their good deeds they did to cover up their evil ways. They will be exposed and dealt with. The false gods they trusted will not be able to help them. Those that trust in the Lord will inherit the earth and rebuild the road to salvation for God’s people. I don’t want to miss the part where it says that people who die before their time was God protecting them from the evil to come. This should give us comfort for those who we love who have died. In Ephesians, God has a word to the children, the fathers, the slaves and the masters. Children are to obey their parents. Fathers are to parent with love and patience, not anger and insults. Slaves are to respect their bosses and work for them as they would for Christ. Masters are to remember that they are Christ’s example to their workers and they are to treat them as Christ would. Then we are given the how-to on the armor of Christ that we are to wear daily so we can resist the devil. We are to stand our ground wearing the belt of truth, the body armor of righteousness, shoes of peace, holding the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation. We are to weild the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. We pray in the Spirit always for all believers everywhere. We agree with Paul’s prayer that we would have God’s peace, his love and his faithfulness. May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.

Tues.’s Devo - Walk in the Light

Read: Isaiah 51:1-53:12; Ephesians 5:1-33; Psalm 69:19-36; Proverbs 24:7 Isaiah spoke to those looking for deliverance and were losing hope. He told them to remember how God took one man, Abraham and made a whole nation from him. God would do it again. God would preserve his people and make them great again. Isaiah prays that God would wake up and do something like he did in the past when he dried up the sea and made a path of escape through the dry ground. God responds to his prayer and brings comfort. They should not fear mere humans who can’t create anything. He is the creator of the whole earth and everything in it. They should not fear these people who intimidate them with fear. He tells them to wake up and put on strength as a garment. He tells them to rise and sit in place of honor and to remove the chains of slavery from their neck. God reminds his people that they chose to go into bondage because they turned from him and worshiped the gods of Egypt so he sent them to Egypt. Now they will know His voice and come to know his power. God was calling them out of the places they had been taken captive and they were to rejoice and look forward to a new life of freedom in their own land. Isaiah gives the most descriptive picture of Jesus’ first coming. He said that he would be a servant who would be despised and rejected by men. He would carry our weaknesses and sorrows. We would think he was being punished by God for his own sins, but they were really ours he was being punished for. He would be beaten beyond description and have all our sins laid on him. He would be like a lamb led to the slaughter without putting up a fight or defending himself. His life would be cut down in the middle of his time and be buried like a criminal. He would offer his life an offering for our sin. When it is all over, he would see the Lord’s good plan to save many was well worth all his suffering. He would receive his inheritance of many offspring and be honored and exalted above all. Paul tells the Ephesians to live their life as children of the light. Carefully examine what pleases the Lord and do those things. We are to expose the darkness - not participate in it. Jesus is the light inside of us and we are to let it shine through our lives. His light only produces what is good and right and true. We do that by being filled with the Holy Spirit, singing songs to the Lord among our saved friends and in our hearts. Everything we have comes from God and we can be thankful to him for all of it. We also submit ourselves to one another as Christ submitted his life to us. Women submit to their husbands who are the type of Christ. Husbands are to live as the picture of Christ to their wives. They are to love them as they love themselves and the wife is to respect her husband. Lord, we thank you for taking our sin in our place and giving us life instead of the death we deserved. May our lives bring you joy. May we walk in freedom and light.

Mon.’s Devo -God’s Plan

Read: Isaiah 48:12-50:11; Ephesians 4:17-32; Psalm 69:1-18; Proverbs 24:5-6 God declared his sovereignty over the earth. Even the stars appear before him in order of their constellations. He wants to know if their idols ever told them anything like that. And to add to that, God was going to use Cyrus to end the empire of Babylon and destroy its army. That is our promise of what Trump is doing. His purpose in life is to take down the Luciferian dynasty of evil on the earth. God said, he would send Cyrus on this errand and help him succeed. So, we know what is going to happen no matter what we see with our eyes. God has ordained it from the foundation of the earth. If Israel had just listened to the Lord and worshipped him none of this would have happened. They would have lived in blessing and freedom. But, God in his great mercy and love was going to set them free from the Babylonians to come back to their land. Just as he led them out of Egypt and gave them water in the desert, he was sending his Messiah, who was called from the womb with words of judgment as sharp as a sword. Isaiah was also called from the womb with words of judgment to bring Israel back to Him. The Messiah would do more than bring God’s people back to him, he would also bring the Gentiles to the Lord. The Lord responds and says that on the day of our salvation, he will give the land of Israel back to his people and call those in prison and in darkness to come into the light. God will make a way for them to return to him. They will also come back to Israel in droves. In that day, Israel will be a great nation feared by other nations. Isaiah was a type of Jesus. He was persecuted and despised yet he refused to fight back. He used his words to defend himself as Jesus did. He relied on God to have the final say. Paul tells his disciples to live according to God’s nature. They have become new creatures so they have to get rid of their old way of living and embrace their new life in Christ. He calls out their sins of lying. anger and stealing. He tells them to replace these with kindness, having a tender heart, and forgiveness. That is what God did for us through Christ and that is what we should do for others. Lord, help us to live our new life with your perspective and your heart. Thank you for your many promises you have given us for ourselves, our family and our nation. May your truth march on.

Sun.’s Devo - God Holds the Future

Read: Isaiah 45:11-48:11; Ephesians 4:1-16; Psalm 68:19-35; Proverbs 24:3-4 God makes it clear who we are - his creation, and who he is - the one who made the earth and created us. He would raise up Cyrus to fulfill his righteous purpose. He would guide his actions to restore his city and free God’s captive people. Cyrus would do all this without seeking a reward. I think of how Trump served as President refusing to take a salary but donating it to different groups of people - mainly the military. God says that Cyrus would rule the Egyptians, the Ethiopians, and the Sabeans and receive the wealth of these nations, the fruit of their labor. Their knees would bow before the Lord and acknowledge that He is God. Babylon will be judged and their gods, Bel and Nebo will be brought to the ground no more to be exalted as having power. Bel was Babylon’s version of Baal and was identified with the planet Jupiter, which, with the planet Venus (under the name Astarte or Astaroth), was worshipped in the East as the god of fortune. Nebo was identified with the planet Mercury or Hermes, in astrology. One of the names associated with it was Nebuchadnezzar. God says that all of the people who were angry with him would come to him ashamed and bow and declare their allegiance to him. The gods that they worshipped, Bel and Nebo would be carried off on ox carts with no one to protect the idols. Their idols could not protect the people either. God spoke to the remnant of Jacob and he proclaimed his love for them. He told them to remember the idols that people trusted could not save them. He is the only God who can tell us the future before it happens. God was bringing a “ravenous bird from the east”. This man, Cyrus would execute God’s will from a far country. Cyrus’s standard was a golden eagle on a spear. Trump is bringing us back to the gold standard, America is the eagle and the sword is God’s Word. To Satan’s kingdom, God describes them as pleasure-loving, living in ease and feeling secure. They who made many widows and childless would become widows and childless themselves. They would lose their husband, the devil and their inheritance - the nations of the world. Despite all their witchcraft and magic, this would happened. They wouldn’t be able to buy themselves out of the mess they have made. Catastrophe would strike them so suddenly and they wouldn’t be prepared. All their charms and spells and astrologers that they trusted in before would not be able to save them from God’s fire. God turned his attention back to his remnant and he rebuked them for hearing God’s predictions but when they happened they had refused to admit it was the Lord. Now he would tell them new things, secrets they had not yet heard. It will be things that they had never heard of before so they wouldn’t be able to say they knew all the time. We have modern day prophets who are telling us what is about to happen and it would behove us to listen. Kent Christmas has a great prophecies he gives concerning America. It is encouragement to the righteous but a scary warning to those who claimed Jesus with their lips but hold secret sins in their heart. God has great things prepared for the remnant so we can be joyfully expectant because God is about to do a new thing and it will be glorious. In Ephesians, Paul gives the gifts that God has given to the church to equip God’s people to do his work and to build up the church. They are the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. They are to serve the Body not be worshipped by the Body. It is God’s will that the whole Body is healthy and growing and full of love. Lord, may we be part of your Body that is becoming healthy and growing in love. Help us to be quick to forgive and slow to anger. Put your will in our hearts.

Sat.’s Devo - God’s Choice

Read: Isaiah 43:14-45:10; Ephesians 3:1-21; Psalm 68:1-18; Proverbs 24:1-2 I love God’s sense of humor. He warns the Babylonians that he is going to send an army against them and force them to flee in the ships they are so proud of. God opened a dry path through the sea in Moses’ day but in this day he is going to do just the opposite. God calls it his “new thing”. He is going to put water in the desert. This would be a picture of the refreshing he was bringing to a very dry time in their lives. Israel had grown tired of waiting for the Lord to move but God hd made Israel for himself and they would one day honor him as a witness to the whole world. We are that witness to the world. God would blot our their sins and never think of them again. His water would come in the form of the Holy Spirit who would be poured out on their descendants and cause them to thrive. God proclaims that he is the only God. The people made gods out of a piece of wood that they halved. One half they used for firewood and the other half they carved into a god and worshipped it. How silly! They trusted in this piece of wood to rescue them and defend them. God implores them to return to him. He removed their sins from them and paid the price to set them free. He is thee only one who can truly rescue them. God made the heavens and the earth and it responds to his voice. He decides what will happen and when he tells Cyrus that he is His shepherd, then he is just that. When he tells Cyrus to rebuild Jerusalem he will have the Temple rebuilt. God anointed Cyrus to do his purposes. He told Cyrus he would go before him and level the mountains (the elite people in power) and smash down gates of bronze (destroy anything in his way). He would give him secrets to things God had hidden from humanity so Cyrus would know that He is the Lord. Cyrus was called by name to do the work of the Lord even when Cyrus didn’t know the Lord. God addressed all the arguments people would have over his choice of Cyrus. God told them that he was the potter and man was the clay and he would shape it and use it any way he wanted to. It is not our business to ask why he is using who he is using. In the same way, God created us the way he did to use the church in all their diversity to display his wisdom to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. We are not just a witness to the world but to angels and demons. Because of what Christ did, we can now enter into the unseen realm of the Spirit and come to God’s throne and present our case before him. We not only visit heaven, but God comes and makes his home in us. He visits us! We can experience the love of Christ and be made complete with all the fullness of life, and power that comes from God. God is more than able and can accomplish through us more than we can ask or think. Lord, show us today what you want to accomplish through us. We are your vessels with our unique personalities and gifts. May we use them effectively in your kingdom.

Fri.’s Devo - The New Path

Read: Isaiah 41:17-43:13; Ephesians 2:1-22; Psalm 67:1-7; Proverbs 23:29-35 When the people get thirsty and there is no water, God will give them pools in the desert just like he did for the children of Israel when they left Egypt. The desert will blossom and produce trees and produce. This will be a sign to God’s people that God is moving on their behalf. I have seen this happen in my lifetime. Israel who was once not even a nation has become a nation and trees have been planted in the desert and bloomed. God calls the worshippers of idols to stand in his court and testify for them. He will ask them what these idols have done for the people. Have they told them the future? Have they done anything - good or bad? The answer is - they have done nothing and the ones who chose to follow them polluted themselves. God would raise up a leader from Persia who would call on his name. His name was Cyrus. He would acknowledge God as the Lord and send God’s people back to Jerusalem to build God’s temple. Cyrus would bring justice to the people. He would not die until justice prevails throughout the earth. Trump is the modern day Cyrus so this should be a great encouragement to us. We are living the days of restoration of good and justice on the earth and the downfall of the swamp. In the 4th verse of Chapter 42 it says that even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction. Trump is a leader to the nations. In our days the Lord will open the eyes of the blind, free the captives from prison, and release those who sit in dungeons. This is both physically and spiritually. God declairs the future before it happens through his prophets. We are about to have so much to sing praises to God about. We already do and when we praise him when we don’t see the answer, it empowers God to bring it to pass. At this time, God will lead Israel down new path that is unfamiliar to her. In our day, God will lead us down a new path also. Those who trusted in idols will be turned away in shame. In our day, those who trusted the CDC, the vaccine, the media, the politicians, or science to help them will be ashamed. God’s people have been robbed, plundered, enslaved, imprisoned and trapped. All this happened because the people would not walk in his path or obey his law. But to the remnant, God says not to be afraid. He will be with us in the deep waters and the fire of oppression. God will protect and save us. He will gather his people from around the earth - those that had eyes to see and ears that heard - those that have been chosen to know and believe and understand what God is doing. We will be a testimony to the earth that God is faithful in what he said he would do thousands of years ago. In Ephesians, Paul reminds the Ephesians that once they were enemies of God and headed for hell, but God in his mercy saved us. He sent his son to die for us and take our sins to the cross. We who had no hope, were given a living hope in Christ. He is our path back to God. He is the ‘new path’ Isaiah was talking about. All hostility and requirement of the law were brought down at the cross. Now we have this Good News of peace and reconciliation with God. We are citizens of God’s kingdom and members of God’s family. We have become God’s temple. Lord, may we walk down your path to freedom. Thank you for repentance and freedom from any sin we might have done. Thank you for the power of restoration.

Thurs.’s Devo - God Rules the Earth

Read: Isaiah 39:41-16; Ephesians 1:1-23; Psalm 66:1-20; Proverbs 23:25-28 Babylon, like Judah had broken their tribute they had paid to Assyria and were experiencing their own independence as Judah was. They both had this in common. The Babylonians invented the sun dial so when it went back 10 spaces and they found out the source was Hezekiah, they were very interested in making an alliance with Israel to investigate this amazing mystery. So, Merodach-baladan sent ambassadors to Hezekiah with a gift and best wishes to win his trust. Hezekiah was blinded by his pride and showed off all of his treasuries and everything they had. When the ambassadors from Babylon left, Isaiah came to talk to Hezekiah about his visitors. When he was told Hezekiah had showed them everything they had, he told Hezekiah that one day they would come and get it all, even his sons would be taken to Babylon and made to be eunuchs in the palace of Babylon. Hezekiah’s response was that he was glad it wasn’t going to happen in his life-time. What has happened to Hezekiah? Chapter 40 seems so premature since Israel has just gotten their death sentence. This is just how God sees - he chooses to look at the end from the beginning. He sees a time when the judgment is over and he is restoring his people. He speaks of the voice of John the Baptist crying in the wilderness making a highway for God. Many people like grass will come and go but God’s Word will stand and it will be fulfilled in its rightful season. God will come and be a shepherd to his people. He will gently lead them as sheep in a pasture. God rules the nations which are like sand in his bucket. He moves them wherever he wants. He will bring his people from the ends of the earth back together. Israel’s enemies will come to nothing and not be able to fight against what the Lord is doing with his people. Israel will rejoice and defeat their enemies with the help of the Lord. They will rejoice in the Lord and glory in Him. Paul addresses a letter to the believers in the church in Ephesus. The church in Ephesus included both Jews and Gentiles. He begins by telling them that they are the ones God chose to be holy and without fault in his eyes. Before the foundation of the earth he had planned to adopt many children into his family and purchase their freedom through the blood of his son. He showered them with his kindness, as well as all wisdom and understanding. At the right time, he will bring everything together under Christ’s authority - everything on earth and in heaven. Paul prays for this group of believers that their hearts would be flooded with light so that they could understand the confident hope Christ has given them. He prays that they would understand the greatness of God’s power - the same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavens. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and made him the head over everything for the benefit of the church. Everything Jesus does is for our benefit! Lord, thank you for your great love for us. Thank you that you reign over us, not a group of men with titles. You, from heaven are our authority and we bow to none but you. May will walk with your kingdom in our hearts obeying you.

Wed.’s Devo - God’s Deliverance

Read: Isaiah 37:1-38:22; Galatians 6:1-18; Psalm 65:1-13; Proverbs 23:24 The commander of the Assyrian army had proclaimed his plans to take the city of Jerusalem in the ears of all the people. He implored them to surrender and go back with him to Assyria where they could live in peace. Hezekiah’s men brought him this news and when he heard it, he tore his clothes and put on burlap and went to the Temple of the Lord. He sent his palace administrator, his court secretary and all the leading priests dressed in burlap to visit Isaiah and give him a message from the king. The message said that he didn’t know if they had the strength to finish this war with the Assyrians and win. The king of Assyria was defying God and they needed prayer. Isaiah sent back news that God had heard king Sennachrib’s blasphemy and would move against the king of Assyria. He would send him news that he was needed at home where he would be killed with a sword. The commander of the Assyrian army left to go talk to the king of Assyria who was fighting close by. Before he left he sent Hezekiah a written threat that he better not think that his God would save them. The gods of all the other countries they had captured thought the same thing and their god could not save them. Hezekiah took his letter and spread it out in the Temple for the Lord to read. He told God he knew that He was the God of the whole earth and he begged him to protect his name and rescue them. God sent Isaiah his response to Assyria’s arrogance. He told them that they had done all their mighty conquering because God had used them to do it. They had accomplished nothing on their own. God had heard his prideful boasting and would put a hook in his mouth and lead him back home on the same road he had come on. As a sign to Israel, they would eat that year what grew on its own. The next year they would eat the what great up from the first year and in the third year, they would plant their own crops and harvest them. The ones who lived through the siege would put down roots in their own soil which would grow up and flourish. The Assyrian king would never enter Jerusalem or any of his army. God would defend the city himself. That night, God’s army killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in their camp while they were sleeping. When morning came the king found dead soldiers everywhere. He returned home to his capital in Nineveh and his own sons killed him while he was worshiping Nisroch, his god. It was his god who couldn’t save him. Israel’s god saved them. Hezekiah became deathly ill and was told by Isaiah to put his house in order. Hezekiah cried out to the Lord and presented his case to the Lord. God repented of his death sentence and gave him 15 more years to live. As a sign of his decision, God caused the sun’s shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial. Time went backward because God was giving him more time to live. Sadly, it would have been better for Hezekiah and the nation if he had just died then. In Galatians, Paul gives us the new covenant’s answer to judgment. In the old covenant, they were to stone a person caught in certain sins. In the new covenant, they were to gently and humbly help a person who has fallen into temptation to come back to the Lord. Instead of judging others, we are to judge ourselves. We should honor those who teach us and not mock God’s justice. We will harvest what we plant. We get to choose if we will harvest life or death. Lord, may we plant seeds of life and love so that we can bring a good harvest into your barns. May we always believe that the cross is enough for all we need.

Tues.’s Devo - The Highway of Holiness

Read: Isaiah 33:10-36:22; Galatians 5:13-26; Psalm 64:1-10; Provers 23:23 God declares that he is standing up to declare his authority over the Assyrians. He says that the Assyrians will amount to nothing but Judah’s own breath will turn to fire and consume them. They cowered in fear and shook in terror asking who could survive all this. God’s response was those who were honest and fair and refused to profit by fraud; those who refused to do evil or to shun the enticement to do wrong. These are the ones who will not only survive but be fed during famine and saved during war. They will live to look back at the fall of the ones who everyone feared so greatly. They will live to see Jerusalem in peace enjoying the worship of their God. They are the ones who put their trust in the Lord. Isaiah is given a word against Edom. It will be burned to the ground never to rise again. The judgment on Edom would never end and its land will lie deserted and become a place for the wild animals and plants to live and thrive. Then one day, God will make a highway through its land and the highway will be called the Highway of Holiness. Only the Lord’s righteous people will walk on it. They will use it to return to Jerusalem with joy and singing. God was talking both literally and spiritually. Spiritually this road would be salvation. It would come through Jesus and he would lead his people down this road back to God. Everything Isaiah said happened. Assyria attacked Jerusalem and used intimidation and fear to shake the people into submission. They told the people that they were sent by the Lord to destroy them and that God would not help them. They spoke against Hezekiah saying that he could not save them either - they had no hope. Hezekiah’s leaders came to Hezekiah in despair and told him what the Assyrian army had said. In Galatians, Paul explained that grace and freedom was not given so we would have a pardon for sinning. It came to enable us not to sin. The way not to sin is to serve others in love and let the Holy Spirit be your guide. The Spirit of God is in opposition to our sinful nature. The sinful nature produces a list of selfish desires but the Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. As God’s children we have to nail our passions and desires to the cross and crucify them there. Then we let the Holy Spirit of God lead us his way down his Highway to Holiness. Lord, may we listen to your Spirit instead of our own desires. May we walk in sacrificial love.

Mon.’s Devo - The Truth That Sets Us Free

Read: Isaiah 30:12-33:9; Galatians 5:1-12; Psalm 63:1-11; Provers 23:22 In the midst of terrible judgment God gives a call to return to him so he can help. God loves to save and have compassion more than the loves to judge, but because he is a holy God with holy rules, he has to judge righteously. Isaiah saw a day when Israel would get rid of their idols and return to the Lord. He would teach them the way to walk and their land would be blessed. God would destroy their enemies and fill his people with joy and singing. The Assyrians who destroyed Israel would be destroyed themselves. Israel had trusted in Egypt to come to their rescue instead of asking for the Lord to help. The horses and chariots of the Egyptians would never arrive to help, but God would save Jerusalem by his hand of mercy. The Assyrians would be destroyed by the Army of God, not by men. Chapter 32 talks of a righteous king who was coming. He would have honest princes who will rule under him. He was referring to the Messiah, Jesus Christ who would come and produce a people of righteousness and justice. Foolish people wouldl not be worshipped but exposed for their foolishness. At the time, the people were experiencing great wealth but within a year they would start to listen because their wealth will be taken away. This would get their attention. They would continue to lose everything until it was time for God to pour out his Spirit on all flesh. Those who waited for the Lord to deliver them will see that happen. They would see the Assyrians fall. Jerusalem will become God’s place of justice and righteousness. Those there would treasure the fear of the Lord. But for now, the warriors of Jerusalem weep in public and their roads are deserted. The Assyrians had broken their peace treaty with them and the land mourned for they were surrounded by plunder and devastation. In Galatians, the people were tempted to go back under the law. Paul told them to stay free. To think that obeying one part of the law would make them righteous was wrong teaching. If they were going to go back under the law then they had to obey every single dot of the law. Grace set them from from the law and allowed them to live by the Spirit who gives them righteousness. The currency of God’s kingdom of the Spirit is faith. God wants us to run our race and not be held back by the law. Lord, help us to run our race in freedom listening to your Spirit. Thank you for your loving grace that leads us into all truth. May we walk in your truth.

Sun.’s Devo - Our New Covenant

Read: Isaiah 28:14-30:11; Galatians 3:23-4:31; Psalm 62:1-12; Proverbs 23:19-21 Hezekiah had made an alliance with the Assyrians to protect which he ended up breaking but it gave them a false sense of security. God was also talking about their spiritual condition. They were not living their lives with eternity in mind; they were trusting in their own power to protect them. God was going to remove the things they trusted in and the very ones they trusted in would be the ones who would trample them and take them captive. God is the great husbandman of the earth. He taught man how to plant and reap each crop according to its nature and he knows just how to reap every man according to their nature. In Chapter 29, Ariel refers to Jerusalem. Ariel means “the lion of God” but in this case it means “an altar covered with blood”. The people of Jerusalem would be blinded and not be able to hear the prophecies against them. They would not be able to understand what God was doing until Jesus came and took off the seal and revealed truth to them. Since they couldn’t see what God was doing, they thought he couldn’t see what they are doing. God’s judgment were going to come so swiftly it would astonish them because they wouldn’t be prepared. In Chapter 30, God rebuked them for making alliances with Egypt. They sent caravans of treasures to pay Egypt for their support but it would be for naught. Egypt would not help them. They should have asked the Lord for help; he is the only one who cares about them. In Galatians, Paul explains that the law protected them until the way of faith could come. Now that grace has come, everyone that comes to the Lord through Jesus is saved and a child of Abraham. Paul reminds them of Abraham’s two sons. Ishamael was born because Abraham and Sarah tried to make God’s promise come early. He was the son of the slave wife, Hagar. It still kept them in bondage to it. Isaac was the promise fulfilled and he represents Salvation through Jesus. Hagar stands for the covenant given on Mt. Sinai to Moses which enslaved them. Those who live by the law are enslaved by it. Sarah stands for the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman who is our mother. We are her children just as Isaac was. They were being persecuted by those who kept the law just as Ishmael persecuted Isaac. Ishmael was born by human effort and Isaac was born by the Spirit of God. God through Abraham told Sara to get rid of the slave and her son because they wouldn’t share in the inheritance of Isaac, the child of promise. The same is true of us. The ones who live by the law will not inherit the promise of heaven given to the ones who believe in the Son. Lord, help us to remember our inheritance is not on this earth but awaiting us in heaven. We are children of freedom and life.

Sat.’s Devo - The Fulfillment of God’s Word

Read: Isaiah 25:1-28:13; Galatians 3:10-22; Psalm 61:1-8; Proverbs 23:17-18 Isaiah knows that the great cities of the earth will be turned to rubble, but the poor who take their refuge in the Lord will be saved. He will be their tower of refuge and strength. In Jerusalem, God will spread a feast for all the people of the world. God will remove the cloud of gloom and the fear of death. He will wipe away all tears and remove their shame. The people will rejoice in their God who was mighty to save them. Jerusalem will be a place of blessing once more. This was all fulfilled through Jesus. God will punish Moab and end their evil deeds and their pride. But, the people of the Lord will rejoice in all He has done. They will give God glory for saving their nation. Isiah says all this about the future but for the present, he tells them to go in their houses and wait until the Lord brings them salvation. He will do what he promised to do. Justice will be meted out and the evil will be judged. God will watch over his people while he is judging the earth. They will blossom once again and fill the earth. God judges his people for a while to cleanse them but it is for their good and not their harm. When it is time, God will gather them together and bring them back to their land. God speaks to Samaria, Israel’s capital and declares its end. It had been proud and abandoned the Lord, so he would send a mighty army to destroy it. In the end, God’s army would defend it. The remnant would live there who will honor the Lord and long for justice. God will give them great courage. At the present time, Israel was led by men who were drunks and deceivers. They couldn’t understand why the prophets talked to them as they did. They didn’t understand the prophecies against them and didn’t think they deserved to be judged. Because they couldn’t hear, God would send them messages in sporadic bits. In Galatians, Paul explains that the law is not bad, but Christ redeemed them from the curses of the law. The law must be followed verboten if they choose to live by it, but no one could do it. Grace sets them from from obeying the letter of the law and allows them to live by the Spirit of grace. God gave the promise of Christ to Abraham but he gave the law to Moses. The law was to last until the promise came. The promise has come through Jesus and we can now enjoy the fulfillment of the promise. The law pointed out our sin and the promise set us free from that sin. Lord, thank you for giving us freedom for sin. Thank you for forever taking our sin from us that we might live unto you in joy and freedom. May our lives reflect your love and power.

Fri.’s Devo - The Valley of Vision

Read: Isaiah 22:1-24:23; Galatians 2:17-3:9; Psalm 60:1-12; Proverbs 60:1-12 God refers to Jerusalem as the Valley of Vision which is sort of an oxymoron. You would go up on a mountain to see, not a valley. But, since Jerusalem had lost their ’seeing’, God referred to it as a valley. Isaiah saw Jerusalem full of devastation and disease. The leaders that couldn’t escape surrendered without a fight. He was seeing a day of crushing defeat, confusion and terror brought by the Lord and his army. Isaiah looked forward to the day when the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and Elamites attacked with their bows and chariots. Homes were dismantled to fill up the holes in the wall. Reservoirs were built to bring water into the city. Yet, no one cried out for God’s help. No one realized this was their fault for abandoning God. Isaiah tried to warn them as well as other prophets but they chose to party when they should have repented and walked in burlap. God sent Isaiah to Shebna, the palace treasurer who was building a great monument to be buried in. He asked him what he was doing since his body was about to be sent to a foreign land to die. He would never have any use for the tomb he was building. He told him he was a disgrace to his master. He would be replaced by Eliakim who would serve Hezekiah faithfully. Shebna represented all the dishonest men who ruled the financial world. They would all be replaced by men of integrity like Eliakim. God’s people would be given authority over the finances of the world and would be able to open doors that had been shut before. God gives a word about Tyre, the wealthy city of trade on the sea known as the marketplace of the world. It would be torn down and judged for her pride. Sidon, her sister city would also be destroyed. Babylon would be turned over to wild animals after the Assyrians were through with it. Tyre would be forgotten for 70 years, the life span of a king. Then she would be revived for a time but, in the end, all her wealth would be turned over to the Lord. He would use it to provide good food and fine clothing for the Lord’s priests. Judgment was coming to the whole earth at the same time. The sins of the earth has caused this great curse. The whole earth has lost their joy and they all have the same sad story. Only a remnant is left. Only a little food is left to harvest. Isaiah sees this great shaking of the earth and all the devastation that lies ahead and yet the people still continue to party and act like noting is about to happen. The good news is that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will rule on Mount Zion and he will rule in great glory in the sight of all the leaders of his people. All that we read today reminds me of what is going on right now in our nation. It is encouraging to read that all that is happening in the world is going according to plan. In the end the wealth of the wicked will be in the hands of the righteous who will use it to bless the world. In Galatians, Paul addresses the ones who thought they still had to follow the law to be Christians. He explains that they can’t continue to live by the old system since the new one has come. The new one is based on Christ’s death and resurrection. We too have died to our sins and been resurrected to a new life of freedom and grace. If we live to please God then we will do the things that are right. We now live by the Spirit and not by a list of laws. Abraham is our example who went agains the laws of his day and followed the Lord by faith. God’s plan was given to Abraham when he said that through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Now the Gentiles are welcome into GOd’s kingdom which was God’s plan all along. Lord, help us to understand the day we are in and put our trust in what you are doing.

Thurs.’s Devo - Judgment to the Nations

Read: Isaiah 19:1-21:17; Galatians 2:1-16; Psalm 59:1-17; Proverbs 23:13-14 God had a warning for Egypt. His army was advancing on Egypt. God would cause civil war in Egypt. Upper Egypt would fight Lower Egypt. They would call upon their false gods to no avail. The wisdom of their false priests would give them nothing but bad advice. Their economy would sink, their food supply grow scarce and there would be no answers. In fear, they will turn to the Lord and God would set up his altar in the heart of Egypt and a monument to Him at its border. These will be signs that Egypt worships the Lord. When the people cry out for help, God will send them a savior to rescue them. God will send his Spirit to heal them. There will be a road connecting Assyria and Egypt and both countries will worship the Lord. Israel will join them in worshipping the Lord. The prophesies began to come true when the Assyrians attacked the Philistine city of Ashdod. God told Isaiah to take off his outer tunic exposing his inner vest. This was a picture of what was about to happen to the Egyptians possessions. They were about to be taken and their sins exposed. Egypt had been under Ethiopian rule for over 50 years so they were synonymous. When the Assyrians take Egypt, the Philistines will panic because they were counting on the Egyptians helping them. Chapter 21 gives the account of the fall of the Babylonian kingdom and the rise of the Persian kingdom. It happened on a night when the Babylonians were feasting and drunk. The sight that Isaiah sees frightens and sickens him. Babylon had abundant towers where their watchmen looked for invaders. Isaiah was one of God’s watchmen who watched and told what he saw coming. Many prophets saw the same thing and warned them. Isaiah as a watchman told Edom what he saw coming to them. They cried out to have some relief and he saw a quick relief but it would not last. He saw the Edomites and the Assyrians being run out of their own lands into unknown roads they would take to escape. They would hide in the deserts of Arabia and the people of Tema would bring water and food to help them survive. Only a remnant of Arabians would live. In Galatians, Paul finally is able to revisit the church in Galatia. He meets with the leaders to make sure they are all on the same page especially about circumcision and find that they agree in their doctrines. Paul is so pleased even though he meets a few who were planted in the church just to take away their freedom. Paul doesn’t give them an inch. The leaders of the church recognized that Paul had been given the commission to preach to the Gentiles and that Peter had been given the mantle to preach to the Jews. They encouraged Paul in his ministry to the Gentiles. Paul had had to confront Peter about his hypocrisy with the Gentiles but he had repented and was now walking in truth. Lord, may we appreciate the discipline of your hand and repent. Thank you for forgiveness.

Wed.’s Devo - God’s Word to Moab and Galatia

Read: Isaiah 15:1-18:7; Galatians 1:1-24; Psalm 58:1-11; Proverbs 23:12 It is believed that Isaiah gave this prophecy against Moab in the first year of Hezekiah’s reign and it was fulfilled four years later when Shalmaneser seized the strongholds of Moab on its way to invade Israel. Moab had probably joined with Israel and Syria against Assyria. God used Assyria to take down the places of idolatry and idols worship in Moab. The surprise attack happened so fast that the army didn’t have any time to do anything but cry out like the people. They only had time to flee. In Chapter 16 the prophecy continues and the prophets of Moab tell the people to send the lambs to the king of Judah. They had paid Israel lambs during King David’s rule but had stopped. They hoped that by providing Judah with lambs, they would take them in as refugees. They will cry out to their pagan gods but they will not be able to save them. Nothing they do will save them from God’s wrath. Isaiah says that this would happen to Moab within the next three years. Chapter 17 begins Isaiah’s prophecy about Damascus. It will end in a heap of ruins. Syria will look like Israel after the Assyrians took it. Their land will look like a field after harvest - totally desolate. Only a remnant will survive. Then the people will look to God as their creator and God. The will realize that all this happened because they abandoned the Lord. Their harvest will not be fruit and grain but grief and pain. Those who plunder them will be plundered themselves. Chapter 18 was a word to the people of Ethiopia. They were fierce warriors who were feared by other nations. They would be cut off before they started. The good of their land would be gifts sent to Jerusalem. In Galatia, the Judaizers said that Paul had taught them wrongly. They said that Paul taught other churches that they must be circumcised. Paul wrote them this letter to set things straight. He makes the point that he didn’t teach anything using human reasoning but he heard from God and spoke what he heard. When Paul was saved on the road to Emmaus he spend three years in Damascus listening to the Lord and being taught by him. Then he went to Jerusalem to meet Peter and spend time with him. After that he launched out on his missionary journeys. During those three years, the church had gone through growing pains and struggles to keep the truth from becoming blurred and tainted. Paul came back full of God’s spirit and full of the truth. His mission was to bring truth to the church and help cleanse them from false doctrines that had worked their way into the churches. Lord, may we look into our own hearts and see if any false doctrines have sifted in. Thank you for truth that stands the test of time.

Tues.’s Devo - Babylon’s Fate

Read: Isaiah 12:1-14:32; 2 Corinthians 13:1-14; Psalm 57:1-11; Proverbs 23:9-11 We begin reading what will happen in the end of the ages when God’s people will come to salvation through Jesus. In Chapter 13, Isaiah received a message concerning the destruction of Babylon. It was talking about literal Babylon and spiritual Babylon. Babylon captured Judah and took many captive for 70 years. This prophecy was about their doom. It is also talking about “the day of the Lord” which is the end of days. Every nation will meet and to fight. The Lord will come with his army from heaven. The world will be punished for her sins. In their day, God will use the Medes and it will be a picture of the end. The Medes will attack Babylon and have no mercy just as Babylon had had no mercy on other nations during their reign. This happened during the reign of Belshazzar. Isaiah sees the wild animals taking over the world just as it will be in the end. Chapter 14 gives the hope for the remnant of the earth. God will have mercy on them and they will return to their inheritance, the land of their ancestors. The nations of the world will help them to return to their land. This happened when Cyrus became the king in Persia. He sent Ezra with as many exiles as wanted to go home to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. The leader of Babylon was Satan himself moving through a king. When he was defeated, the ones who went before him to the grave stood to see him arrive in hell. They were amazed at how weak he looked. We should see Satan in that state because when Jesus rose from the dead, he was exposed as a weak loser. When he is taken down in the end, all hell will see how weak he really is. Isaiah says that that king of Babylon will be thrown out of his own grave and dumped into a mass grave where he will ascend to the pit. He will not be given a proper burial because of all the evil he did on the earth. This is a picture of Satan’s fate. Uzziah had placed the Philistines under a heavy yoke of payment. When he died, they saw this as their chance to break out from that bondage under the new king, Ahaz. That never happened so when Ahaz died, the Philistines thought that they would now be delivered but God wanted them to know that Hezekiah would be even more powerful over them. He would be the more poisonous snake. This is a picture of the rising power of the Church. In Corinthians, Paul encourages them to repent before he comes. It reminds me of how Jesus wants us to repent before He comes. He wants to come back and find his children living in righteousness so he doesn’t have to discipline them. He wants to find them repented and walking in truth and obeying God’s Word. This was Paul’s prayer for them. May we be joyful, grow in maturity and encourage each other to live in harmony and peace. May we walk in the grace of Jesus, the love of the Lord and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

Mon.’s Devo - God’s Plan of Redemption for the Remnant

Read: Isaiah 10”1-11:16; 2 Corinthians 12:11-21; PSalm 56:1-13; Proverbs 23:6-8 God pronounces his judgment on the unjust judges and the lawmakers who issued unfair laws. Today that would be the judges from the Supreme Court down to the county judges and the ones who make the laws which are the Senators and Representatives…Congress. The unfairness of their laws affected the widow and the orphan the most. They were the most vulnerable. God was sending Assyria to be his punishing rod, then he would turn and punish Assyria for their crimes. The king of Assyria will not understand he is being used because his mind doesn’t work that way. His plan is to simple take over the world, city by city. He will think his own might won him all his victories. His arrogance will be his downfall. God will send a plague among his troops and kill them in a single night with his heavenly army. He will do it with the fire of his glory and it will even consume most of the trees. A remnant will remain who will put all their trust in the Lord. God told them not to be afraid of the coming Assyrians because He was sending them. When it is all over, God will end the bondage of his people and make a way for them to survive. They will come from God’s new Branch (Jesus). The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Jesus and he will have the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Jesus will delight in following the Lord and bring justice to the poor and not be bias. His word will shake the earth and he will walk in righteousness and truth. All who inherit David’s throne will be saved and spread the Gospel throughout the earth. God will reach out to the Jewish nation and bring them to Israel. God speaks of a future time when Judah and Israel will no longer be jealous of one another. In that day Israel will plunder the nations to the east and attack the nation to the west. God will make a dry path through the gulf of the Red Sea and send a wind to divide the Euphrates River so that it can be easily crossed on foot. He will make a highway for his people just as he did when they returned from Egypt with Moses. In Corinthians, Paul admonishes the church for being deceived by these people he calls Super Apostles who are all show and no integrity. He also admonishes the people who have not cleaned up their lives and still tolerate sexual immorality and lustful pleasure. Some of the people complained that Paul took advantage of them through trickery and Paul calls them out and asks them what proof they have. The only thing he regrets is not letting them support him financially while he was there like all the other churches did. The Church in Corinth reminds me of an entitled child that wants to live by different standards than his parents but still wants them to support him. Lord, may we be mature children of God who take responsibility for our actions and depend on the power of the Holy Spirit to help us walk in integrity and freedom. Thank you for the power of salvation.

Sun.’s Devo - Hope for the Remnant

Read: Isaiah 8:1-9:21; 2 Corinthians 12:1-10; Psalm 55:1-23; Proverbs 23:4-5 The Lord told Isaiah to make a sign with the name Maher-shalal-hash-baz on it. Then he slept with his wife and she got pregnant with a son who would be called Maher-shalal-hash-baz. This was the sign that he promised the king. Maher-shalal-hash-baz means “swift to the plunder and pick to carry away.” This would be the fate of Israel. Before this son was old enough to say ‘papa’ or Mama’ the king of Assyria would carry away the plunder of Samaria. Isaiah and his wife lived in Judah. Judah, like Israel had rejected the Lord. While they rejoiced over the word about the take down of Israel, the Assyrians would be marching to destroy them. To the remnant, God said not to be in fear. God was bringing his army against Israel and Judah but the remnant would be saved. God would fight for them. God would one day send the rock, Jesus Christ to crush Satan’s power. Their job was to preserve the teachings of the Lord until he comes. God spoke of the day when Galilee would be filled with glory. That would be the place Jesus walks. He would be the great light in a land of deep darkness. Isaiah describes Jesus as a wonderful counselor, a prince of peace who will rule fairly and bring justice for all eternity. One day, Israel would be rebuilt. During their day, Israel would be destroyed by Syrians and the Philistines. In one day both houses, Israel and Judah would be destroyed. Neither would stand up for the other even though they are brothers. In the end, Israel will be saved in a day. In Corinthians, Paul is tempted to boast about the revelations he has received from God to compare with the revelations these false apostles were bragging about. But Paul will not join in their game of competition. He refers to a “thorn in the flesh” that kept him humble. I have heard many people try to guess what Paul’s thorn is but I think it is best that we don’t know. Everyone has their weakness that keeps them humble that is custom to them. Paul’s was his own. Thank God for thorns in our flesh that remind us that in our weakness, God can be very strong. Lord, we trust in your good plan for our lives and the future of our nation. Help us to be the remnant that shines in the darkness. Help us to look ahead to the promises of hope and revival in our future and not lose our hope by what our eyes see. The best is yet to come.

Sat.’s Devo - Isaiah’s Vision

Read: Isaiah 6:1-7:25; 2 Corinthians 11:16-33; Psalm 54:1-7; Proverbs 23:1-3 King Uzziah was a good king for most of his life. He honored God and during his 52 years of reigning over Judah, Judah enjoyed prosperity much like in the days of Solomon. At the end of his life he allowed pride to corrupt his heart and he arrogantly entered into the Temple to offer incense. The priests had to drive him out, but not before his body became racked with leprosy. When he died, he was buried in a lone grave located apart from the tombs of the kings. The day he died, Isaiah had a vision of the Lord on his throne surrounded by angels that cried out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” Their cries shook the foundation of the Temple and the entire building was filled with the glory of the Lord like smoke. Isaiah was overwhelmed with the guilt of his sin. An angel took a coal from God’s altar and touched it to Isaiah’s lips and told him his guilt was removed and his sins forgiven. God asked for a messenger and Isaiah volunteered. God told Isaiah to go and tell the people that God was going to close their eyes and ears and harden their hearts so that they could not perceive his words. This would continue till they had all gone into exile except for a few who would be God’s holy seed he would use to repopulate the land. God didn’t speak again until Uzziah’s grandson became king. Rezin was king of Syria and Pekah was king of Israel. They conspired together to attack Judah. Ahaz was the king of Judah at the time and God told Isaiah to take his son, Sher-jashub and meet with Ahaz. His son’s name means “a remnant shall return”. Isiah was to tell Ahaz that he didn’t need to fear the kings of Syria and Israel because their invasion would never happen. God told Ahaz to ask for a sign that God had said this. He refused, saying he didn’t want to test the Lord. God was mad and told him if he wouldn’t come up with a confirmation he would give his own sign. A young woman would have a child whose name would be Immanuel. By the time the child was old enough to choose between good and bad, the land of these two kings would be deserted. We know that he was speaking in the distance of Jesus but he was also speaking of his time. Isaiah’s young wife had a child and this was fulfilled through him in Isaiah’s life-time. The king of Assyria and the king of Egypt would be the ones who would take Judah into exile. The land would be turned into thorns and briers with only enough substance to keep the remnant alive. In Corinthians Paul described what the false apostles were doing. They were taking advantage of them and controlling them with guilt to get their money. The people were allowing these men to use and control them and rejecting the love and truth that Paul was offering. Paul gave them his testimony of the suffering he had faced in his life to show them the way of the cross was quite different than what these false prophets were teaching. Lord, may we not lose sight of the prize. It is not on this earth but waiting for us in eternity. May our lives reflect that promise.

Fri.’s Devo - God’s Judgment

Read: Isaiah 3:1-5:30; 2 Corinthians 11:1-15; Psalm 53:1-6; Proverbs 22:28-29 When God shakes the earth, no one wants to be in charge because no one has solutions. Everyone blames and oppresses one another and there is no respect for elders or honorable people. No one is ashamed of their sins or takes responsibility to understand that they brought this upon themselves. God has Isaiah interject hope for the godly. He tells them that everything will go well for them. They will enjoy a reward instead of judgment. The leaders will mislead the ungodly and send them down a destructive path. God will sit on his throne of judgement and declare judgment on the earth. He will judge the elders and the rulers first because they were the ones in charge. Israel had become prideful and prosperous but they had forgotten their God. They will lose everything and sit in shame and humiliation. Men will be so scarce there won’t be enough to go around. But, the godly who depend upon the Lord and never gave in to idols or sin will be written down. God will wash them of the filth of the nation and sin. God will be their refuge and their covering. Israel was the Lord’s vineyard. He gave her a land in Canaan and built a Temple for her to worship in. Then he waited for a harvest of her grapes but instead her grapes were bitter because of her wanton heart. What will the Lord do? He will cut down that vineyard and let the animals trample it. Where grapes were suppose to grow, he will let bribers and thorns grow. He will not water it. This is what happened to Judah and Israel. God sent the people into exile except for a few who were left to care for the land. The land grew thorns and briers and waited until the 70 years of judgment were over. The people were taken to Egypt, Babylon and thoughout the earth where they were humbled and expected to repent. Some repented and others just took their sins with them and continued them in a foreign land. In Corinthians, Paul addressed the apostasy of the ‘super apostles’ who had sprung up in their church. They did great miracles and spoke elegant words but they deceived the people and preached a different Jesus than the real Jesus Christ. They lured the people from the truth so Paul was trying to steer them back around to the truth. His goal was to present them as a “pure bride” to Christ. Paul wondered if he did wrong by using the contributions of other churches to come to them without cost and freely preach to them. Maybe if he had charged they would have realized he had something of worth to teach them. Paul described these deceptive false prophets as angels of light, like Satan. They looked like righteousness but they were deceiving everyone instead. They were really wolves in sheep’s clothing. Lord, help us to have great discernment in the days to come. Help us to keep our eyes on you and on things of heaven, not of this earth. May our nation seek righteousness and truth. May we endure till the end and not get weary in well doing.

Fri.’s Devo - God of the Nations

Read: Jeremiah 8:8-9:26; Colossians 3:1-17: Psalm 78:32-55; Proverbs 24:27 Other nations tried to read the stars and were terrified by what they thought the stars were saying. God told Israel not to follow their practices. Other nations made gods from pieces of wood. They decorated them with gems and metal but they were nothing but scarecrows. God told them not to be afraid of their gods. But, there is no one like God who is great and full of power. He is the king of all the nations and they should fear him and not their gods. None of the nations can stand up to God when he gets angry. God told Jeremiah to tell all the people who trusted in their homemade idols about the God who created the earth. He controls the thunder and the rain. He sends the lightning and releases the wind. The idol makers are frauds and the people who buy them are fools. It was time for the people to pack their bags because the siege against Jerusalem was about to happen and they would be taken into exile. The towns of Judah were about to be destroyed and become desolate. Jeremiah plead with the Lord for mercy for them and revenge on their enemies. God sent Jeremiah to remind the people of the covenant they made with him and the consequences it says would happen if they broke it. They would be cursed. They had chosen to worship other gods so they would be shamed. God told Jeremiah to not weep or pray for them anymore because He would not listen. The people wanted to make sacrifices to God but also to enjoy their sins and idolatry. There were many who plotted to kill Jeremiah but God wouldn’t let it happen. These men would die instead. In Colossians, Paul instructed the wives to submit to their husbands as it is fit in the Lord. I take that to mean that as long as the husband fits into God’s standard, the wife is to submit. It doesn’t mean that if the husband is sinning that the wife is to submit to that. The husband is to love his wife and not treat her harshly. Children are to please the Lord by obeying their parents. Fathers are not to aggravate their children because they will become discouraged. Workers are to honor their bosses as if they were working for the Lord. Bosses are to be just and fair to their employers as they represent the Lord. Through Christ, we have the power to live wisely and have the right response for every situation. Like Paul, we are surrounded by other Christians who are there to help us in this life. We should be thankful for them. God made us to need the whole Body in our walk. Lord, help us to see the big picture of your kingdom and how we fit into it.

Thurs.’s Devo - God of the Nations

Read: Jeremiah 8:8-9:26; Colossians 3:1-17: Psalm 78:32-55; Proverbs 24:27 Other nations tried to read the stars and were terrified by what they thought the stars were saying. God told Israel not to follow their practices. Other nations made gods from pieces of wood. They decorated them with gems and metal but they were nothing but scarecrows. God told them not to be afraid of their gods. But, there is no one like God who is great and full of power. He is the king of all the nations and they should fear him and not their gods. None of the nations can stand up to God when he gets angry. God told Jeremiah to tell all the people who trusted in their homemade idols about the God who created the earth. He controls the thunder and the rain. He sends the lightning and releases the wind. The idol makers are frauds and the people who buy them are fools. It was time for the people to pack their bags because the siege against Jerusalem was about to happen and they would be taken into exile. The towns of Judah were about to be destroyed and become desolate. Jeremiah plead with the Lord for mercy for them and revenge on their enemies. God sent Jeremiah to remind the people of the covenant they made with him and the consequences it says would happen if they broke it. They would be cursed. They had chosen to worship other gods so they would be shamed. God told Jeremiah to not weep or pray for them anymore because He would not listen. The people wanted to make sacrifices to God but also to enjoy their sins and idolatry. There were many who plotted to kill Jeremiah but God wouldn’t let it happen. These men would die instead. In Colossians, Paul instructed the wives to submit to their husbands as it is fit in the Lord. I take that to mean that as long as the husband fits into God’s standard, the wife is to submit. It doesn’t mean that if the husband is sinning that the wife is to submit to that. The husband is to love his wife and not treat her harshly. Children are to please the Lord by obeying their parents. Fathers are not to aggravate their children because they will become discouraged. Workers are to honor their bosses as if they were working for the Lord. Bosses are to be just and fair to their employers as they represent the Lord. Through Christ, we have the power to live wisely and have the right response for every situation. Like Paul, we are surrounded by other Christians who are there to help us in this life. We should be thankful for them. God made us to need the whole Body in our walk. Lord, help us to see the big picture of your kingdom and how we fit into it.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Lord Shall Save -

Read: Isaiah 1:1-2:22; 2 Corinthians 10:1-18; Psalm 52:1-9; Proverbs 22:26-27 Isaiah received prophecies throughout the reign of four of Judah’s kings. He spoke of the judgments of the Lord on the people and the world, and yet His mercy to the elect. He spoke them to God’s rebellious children in Judah and Jerusalem. They had forgotten their father and their maker and become sinful, guilty and evil. Their lifestyles invited judgment and punishment. Isaiah means “the Lord shall save” which is God’s promise throughout his Word. Because of their rebellion, their land had been ravaged and destroyed by foreigners. God spoke to the leaders of Judah and told them that he was sick of their sacrifices and rituals. They had hard hearts. They had killed innocent victims, perverted justice and spurned righteousness. They had refused to defend the cause of the orphan or fight for the rights of the widows. So, God was going to take revenge on them and remove all of their impurities. He was going to replace their judges with good judges and give them wise counselors like they used to have. The rebels and sinners were going to be completely destroyed and righteous people would take their roles. In the last day, the Temple of the Lord would be exalted above all other institutions. The Lord would be taught throughout the earth and He would mediate between nation and and settle disputes. People would use their weapons of war as instruments of harvest The Lord was rejecting his people because they worshiped the idols of the east and made alliances with pagans. Judah was rich with gold and silver, armies and weapons, and also idols they had made with their own hands. They would now be humbled under God’s hand and their pride and arrogance be brought down. The Lord was bringing his day of reckoning. The proud would be brought down and they would abandon their gold and silver to hide in the rocks to escape God’s wrath. God was about to arise and shake the earth. This sounds like what the earth is experiencing right now. In Corinthians, Paul warns the ones in the church who think he is acting from selfish motives. He reminds them that they don’t fight with natural weapons but with God’s weapons used to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and false arguments. These weapons destroy obstacles that keep people in pride and rebellion. Paul recognizes his authority comes from the Lord and doesn’t change. He will be the same in person as he is in his letters. His boast comes in what the Lord has done through them. Their mission was to spread the Gospel as far as they could.

Wed’s Devo - The Mature Bride

Read: Song of Songs 5:1-8:14; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15; Psalm 51:1-19; Proverbs 22:24-25 In our song, the bride’s prayer is answered but the bride is not ready. She had given up and gone to sleep. That was such the way of Israel and the church. We need God desperately and cry out to him to save us. When He doesn’t respond quickly we lose heart and give up too soon - right before the answer comes. Israel had cried out for a Messiah and when he came, they didn’t accept him because he didn’t look like what they were expecting. They had gotten used to their lives and were not hungry or awake enough to see. In our song, when the bride does wake up, she looks everywhere for her lover but to no avail. When she describes him with such tenderness and love, he responds with the way he sees her. He describes her beauty to the world who is watching her with admiration. In the next scene, the bride and the groom are walking together and those watching are wondering how they can grow into that woman. She explains that she was not always this way. She gave herself to the king willingly and he changed her. It is the story of the young virgin growing up into the Bride of Christ over the ages. She began as a child of Abraham and because the bride of Christ. Paul was the great fund-raiser for the Church. He taught the people to be a family by caring for one another and sacrificing and sharing what they had to help a fellow brother in the Lord. He taught that giving was a seed that went into God’s ground and produced a harvest to bless many more. Giving was the key to providing for the ones who needed it and the giver. It was your seed that would bring forth a harvest in your own life and many others. Lord, help us to be faithful to give and bless our faith family and the world. Thank you that you gave your life for your family and for the world. Help us to continue to grow into a mature bride.

Tues.’s Devo - The Crossroad

Read: Jeremiah 6:16-8:7; Colossians 2:8-23; Psalm 78:1-31; Proverbs 24:26 Israel was at a crossroads and they needed to decide what road they were about to take. One of the choices was to go back to their roots and choose the road that God mapped out for their nation. But, that was not the road they wanted to choose. God had sent prophets which were like signposts to show them the road to take but they refused to pay attention to the signs. The result would be disaster. They would eat the fruit of their own hands which was wickedness. Jeremiah was to test the people and find out what they were made of as a tester or metals examines stones and metals to see if they were pure or worthless. God would label them as “Rejected Silver.” God sent Jeremiah to the gates of the Temple to tell them that if they repented he would allow them to stay in their own land. Just because God’s Temple was there didn’t mean he had to keep the people there. God promised to be merciful only if they would stop their evil thoughts and deeds and started treating each other with justice. They must stop exploiting foreigners, orphans and widow and stop murdering and worshiping idols. Then they would be able to stay in their land forever. The people had a false sense of security because of the Temple of the Lord. They thought God would never let it be destroyed but they were wrong. God had made it clear when they built it that the building could not contain him and that he didn’t need an earthly building with his name on it. The whole earth was his footstool. When the people refused to turn back to Him, God told Jeremiah to stop praying and crying out for the people. They were bent on worshipping other gods and teaching their children to do the same. They were to tell the people this so they would be warned of how God was thinking. They had set up idols inside God’s Temple and their dumping place would become a valley of slaughter. The enemy was coming from the north and it would open up their graves and scatter their bones where they will not be buried again. In other words, they will expose their sins where they will not be able to hid from them. God ended his words explaining that even birds know when to migrate back to their homes but his people refuse to come back home - back to him. Human reasoning and philosophy is the opposite of God’s ways. The only way we can know anything about God is through Christ. When we come to Christ he performs the operation of circumcision on our sinful nature. When Jesus died on the cross he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities that led us to sin. Jesus shamed these spiritual enemies on the cross. Lord, help us to walk in the freedom you purchased for us on the cross. Thank you for your wisdom and revelation.

Tues.’s Devo - The Love of God

Read: Song of Songs 1:1-4:16; 2 Corinthians 8:16-24; Psalm 50:1-23; Proverbs 22:22-23 Song of Songs is an interesting book and means “holy of holies”. It was not even allowed to be read by anyone under 30 because they would not be mature enough to understand its true meaning. Though it is an allegory of a man and a woman, it is the story of God’s great love for his people, Israel. It begins by explaining how great the love of God is. His name is like olive oil poured out. Olive oil was the symbol of the Holy Spirit and this shows how wonderful it is when the Holy Spirit is poured out over a nation. Solomon compares the presence of the Lord like a bundle of myrrh that lies next to his heart all through the night. Surely to the Israelite, God was the lily in the valley. He was with them in all their sufferings. He was with them in suffering, in persecution, bondage, exile and war. They went through seasons of refreshing like the seasons of harvests. Jesus was found in the cleft of the rock - he came gushing out of the rock when Moses prayed for water. Many times through their wilderness wanderings they felt abandoned and alone but God was with them even then. Israel went through great humiliation but rose up to be one of the mightiest nations in the earth under Solomon. Solomon talks about his splendor in Chapter three. In Chapter four, God describes his love for his faithful followers. He mentions the lion’s den, probably referring to Daniel’s unwavering love for him. No doubt, he is referring to his prophets who suffered greatly to speak for him and choose him over life and comfort. In Corinthians, Paul and Titus are coming together to bring the offerings of the churches to Jerusalem. Paul wants another person to prove his accountability in guarding this great offering. Titus has longed to come and meet the rest of the body of Christ throughout the region and Paul greatly respects his walk with the Lord. In Paul, we see the loving Father God. Paul praises those who work with him and loves them as a son. Paul feels the same way about his churches. They are his off-spring. This is just the way God feels about us. He is proud of our successes, reproves our missteps and loves us with an undying love. Lord, thank you for your long-suffering, never tiring love for us. Thank you for being our constant companion and for never leaving us. Thank you for your discipline and your rod of correction. We welcome your hand in our lives.

Mon.’s Devo - Wisdom and Giving -

Read: Ecclesiastes 10:1-12:14; 2 Corinthians 8:1-15; Psalm 49:1-20; Proverbs 22:20-21 Today, Solomon talks about wise people, foolish people, and youth. He says that the wise will choose the right road; where a foolish person can be identified by he way he walks. Some princes are foolish while some servants are wise. So position has no bearing on worth. All the people suffer when the rulers are foolish. Success comes through hard and steady work. To the youth he reminds them that they will one day give an account to God for everything they do. He calls us all to remember God before we get old and have spent our strength on meaningless things. We all go the way of the grave and judgment day comes to everyone. He gives some common sense like, “Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade.” And to have a diverse portfolio. He concludes his speech with: Fear God and obey his commands and remember that everything known and done in secret will be judged. Paul reminds his people that their testing produced much joy and generosity. Though they were poor, they gave more than he had hoped to the church in Jerusalem which made Paul so proud of them. Paul encourages them to give again like they did at the first of the year. Paul seemed to always be encouraging them to be givers because he wanted to instill in them the habit of taking care of one another. One day, they might be the ones in need and the people they give to now might be the ones giving to them. They all needed to learn to care for one another. Our Psalm reminds us also that we can take nothing with us when we die so we should spend our money wisely while we are living. Lord, help us to have wisdom with what you have given us. Help us to be generous and joyful in our giving. Thank you for the way you given us your only son and so much more. We are grateful. May we give as you gave.

Sun.’s Devo - Enjoy Life -

Read: Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18; 2 Corinthians 7:8-16; Psalm 48:1-14; Proverbs 22:17-19 Solomon talks much about death in today’s reading. Realizing that death is inevitable is healthy and helps you make better decisions. We are all born to die one day. Life is our gift from God and we have a set amount of time to enjoy it and live it for Him. I laughed out loud when I read that Solomon thought only one out of a thousand men were virtuous and not one woman. Then he turns around and says that people are born to be virtuous so we all have missed that mark. It is God’s plan that we be virtuous and he gave us his Word, his son and the Holy Spirit to help us to live righteously. Solomon says that a wise person will find a time and a way to do what is right and there is an answer even if you are in trouble. I have seen that happen so many times in my life. When I have gotten myself into an unfixable situation, God will show me a way to fix it that I would have never come up with on my own. I saw that happen in my curtain business over and over. Here is some advise to parents: when a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong. Punish your children as soon as you see them do something wrong and they will learn faster what is right and that there are always consequences for doing what is wrong. Solomon’s recommendation to the fate of life is to enjoy the life you are given. Have fun and experience happiness. Laughter is good like a medicine so we need to create times of fun and laughter to carry us through the hard times. Solomon also encourages us to do everything to the best of our ability. Doing something well is a reward that no one can take away. Even if no one appreciates what you do, you can be proud that did it well. Solomon ends with, “one sinner can destroy much the is good.” If we turn that around we can say, “one righteous person can destroy much that is evil.” Paul talks to the Corinth church and commends it for repenting after his rebuke. Now they are much stronger than they were before and it strengthened him to see them thriving. Repentance takes off blinders and sets people free to love and become what they are called to be. Lord, help us to enjoy our lives today and be happy. May repentance free us to see better and have wisdom. Thank you for the lives you have given us and for putting us on earth for this moment in time. May we finish our race and fulfill our destiny.

Sat.’s Devo - Jesus is the Answer

Read: Ecclesiastes 4:1-6:12; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:7; Psalm 47:1-9; Proverbs 22:16 It is hard to read Ecclesiastes and not think of songs in the 70’s like Bob Dylan’s “The Answer is Blowing in the Wind” and Donovan’s “Catch the Wind”. Solomon can be rather depressing as he considers life and its meaning. He comes up with ‘meaningless’ and ‘chasing the wind’ as his answers to most of life. Today he does see one thing to bring a ray of hope. He says it is good for people to embrace their own destiny instead of comparing their lives to others. He encourages us to enjoy the life God has given us instead of trying to be something we were never meant to be. That is great advise. Paul tells us not to team up with unbelievers because there can be no agreement there. God called his people out of the world to be separate and we are not to make covenants with people who aren’t in the same kingdom we are. Paul was constantly in the battle of good verses evil and was so aware of it. Lord, help us to be aware of the battle of good verses evil around us. May we separate ourselves from what defiles us and press on to the destiny we are called to. Thank you for the plan you have for our lives and may we not envy others and what they have. May we be grateful for everything you have given us and keep your kingdom first in our minds.

Fri.’s Devo - Chasing The Wind

Read: Ecclesiastes 1:1-3:22; 2 Corinthians 6:1-13; Psalm 46:1-11; Proverbs 22:15 Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon in his old age. In his time, people would meet to hear the philosophy of great wise men, Solomon being the greatest. In these yearly meetings, Solomon gave his philosophy found in Ecclesiastes. It is divided into six parts so he could have given a different part every year. Proverbs was written when Solomon was young and walking close to the Lord, Ecclesiastes was written after he had married many women and lived a life of wealth, paganism and selfishness. Ecclesiastes is his summary of what he learned from life lessons. We read today that Solomon felt most of his life was full of meaningless things he referred to as ‘chasing after the wind’. He describes the sun chasing itself around the earth, the wind chasing itself, the rivers running and people chasing after anything new. Everything was running and chasing itself. We call that the “rat race” - a hamster on a wheel. Solomon admits that he was the greatest chaser. He chased wisdom, knowledge, foolishness, happiness, achievements, wealth, women, pleasure, and hard work. He summed it all up with the word ‘meaningless’ - a chasing after the wind. The only satisfaction that Solomon found was to realize that pleasures are from the hand of God who gives them out as he wishes. God works in seasons and everyone finds themself in one of God’s seasons which change all though our lives. Sometimes we are in the season of planting and sometimes we are in the season of reaping. The wisdom is to find out what season you are in and bloom there. Chances are, your season will not last long, so you learn what you need to learn during that season to prepare you for the nest season. Solomon says that God has made everything beautiful for its own time. That means that in every season, God has something beautiful for us to learn about him and about his ways. Since God has put eternity in the human heart, we can be happy no matter what we are going through because we understand that this is not our eternal home and we are living for a much greater purpose and reward. Paul says exactly the same thing to his followers in Corinth. He describes the trials of his life and explains how he can patiently endure. He is not living for today, but eternity. Paul doesn’t have to depend upon his wisdom and understanding like Solomon, Paul has the Holy Spirit who empowers him to keep going and preaching the truth. The Holy Spirit is truly a gift from Jesus to be our helper. Lord, thank you for the Holy Spirit, our constant companion. May we walk in your wisdom and your power. Thank you for the changes of our lives, may we flourish in every season.

Thurs.’s Devo - New Birth

Read: Job 40:42-17; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21; Psalm 45:1-17; Proverbs 22:14 God accuses Job of being his critic but asks him if he has all the answers. Job has nothing to say. (Good answer.) Then God has more questions for Job. He asks Job if he would discredit His justice to prove his point. He challenges Job to put on his glory and vent his anger to the proud and put them in their places. God is being sarcastic because only he can humiliate the proud. God uses the example of one of his creatures called Behemoth. Behemoth was probably the hippopotamus. Nothing scares him or catches him off guard. Nothing can capture or tame him. All of creation shows us a part of God’s character and the behemoth shows us God’s might and power. Next, God mentions Leviathan which was a crocodile or a large sea monster. It cannot be tamed or conquered by man either. It is another example of God’s sovereignty and power. Fire comes out of its mouth much like God’s word comes out of his. It fears nothing and neither does God. Job repents and tells God that he spoke of things he knew nothing about. Now that he has seen God with his own eyes he takes back everything he has said. Then God went to visit Job’s friends and tells them that they were all wrong about Job. To make things right they needed to offer sacrifices and go to Job and receive his prayer for them. Job did pray for his friends and then God reversed everything for Job. He was restored his fortunes doubly. He gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. He lived another 140 years and saw four generations of his children and grand children. He died an old man having lived a long, full life. Job’s encounter with God was like his salvation that ushered him into a whole new life. Paul explained that Jesus died so they could live, so they also must die to their selves to live a new life unto God. We have been reconciled back to God just as Job was. This is the gift of reconciliation and the great news that we share with others. Lord, thank you for the message of the cross and the gift of reconciliation. Thank you that we now have a way to communicate and fellowship with you. May we feel your presence today as we go about our day. All glory and honor to you.