Thus.’s Devo - God Speaks!

Read: Job 37:1-39:30; 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:10; Psalm 44:9-26; Proverbs 22:13 Elihu continues telling Job all the ways God speaks. Today he talks about how God speaks through the weather. You can hear him loudly through thunder and see his power in lightning, snow and rain. His breath can be seen in ice and wind. He is either punishing his people or showing his unfailing love. God’s wonders can be seen in the miracle of nature. Man can not stand before God’s great power. He ends with, “All who are wise show him reverence.” *** God answers Job from the whirlwind asking him questions. Who is Job to question his wisdom? Where was he when God laid the foundations of the earth and determined how to design the earth and all its elements. Creation was an act of war. God overcame the darkness with light. Since Job was not created then, he has no idea about how the earth was created. He doesn’t know about Gods storehouses for snow that have been reserved as weapons for the day of battle. *** God determined laws for the universe that it must obey. The beings in the sky have to obey him. The creatures on the earth have to operate as they were created to operate. Only man questions and rebels against God’s wisdom. *** In Corinthians, Paul speaks of the resurrection. Jesus rose from the dead as a first fruit and now we will rise from the dead also. When we do, Jesus will present us before God in heaven. That is our hope that keeps us going through trials and heart aches in this life. When we resurrect, we will put on new bodies that are incorruptible and glorious. As long as we live in our earth suits, we are not at home with the Lord. Whether now or then, our goal is to please the Lord. One day we will stand before God to receive our rewards according to our good deeds. *** Lord, may we fight the good fight of faith while we are here on the earth and live our lives to please you.

Wed.’s Devo - Living in the Light

Read: Job 34:1-36:33; 2 Corinthians 4:1-12; Psalm 44:1-8; Proverbs 22:10-12 Elihu led a fiery discourse defending God and his power and leveling Job to the dust. He is the least merciful to Job than his three friends. He tells Job that he deserves the maximum penalty for the way he talked to God. *** Elihu does have some great points about God’s power and sovereignty. He, like all Job’s friends warn Job of the seduction of wealth and how it bribes people into sin. He says that God sent this punishment to Job to keep him from a life of evil. He encourages Job to sing songs of praise to God because God is leading him to a table he has prepared for him full of great things. *** All of Job’s friends spoke of Job’s wealth as a reason for his predicament. None of them was right. Job lived a perfect life in the midst of being one of the most wealthy people of his time. People are tested in both need and in wealth. Both are a test. We are about to be tested in wealth so what we do in times of need determines how we will endure in the plentiful times. If we are faithful in the small things, he will make us rulers of much. *** Paul explained the veil between the ones who are in the dark and the ones who are in the light. Our commission is to let the light in our hearts shine so that those in darkness will want to come to His light. Our power is not of ourselves but Christ who lives in us. *** Lord, thank you that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony of Christ and that we are not afraid of dying for You. We are living sacrifices for your glory.

Tues.’s Devo - From Death to Life

Read: Job 31:1-33:33; 2 Corinthians 3:1-18; Psalm 43:1-5; Proverbs 22:8-9 Job is still proclaiming his innocence explaining that he made a covenant with his eyes to not lust after women. He has not lied or deceived anyone. He has not been unfair to his servants but listened to any complaints they had. He helped the homeless and the widow and hasn’t put his trust in his riches. He has never cursed anyone or asked for revenge. Neither has he stolen from another man’s fields. Job ends his defense. *** His friends have nothing else to say either. They are resolved that Job is never going to hear them or admit his guilt. A younger man named Elihud has been listening to all their conversations and realizes that the three friends have given up. He is angry that they couldn’t knock any sense into Job so he decides to throw his two cents into the argument. Surprisingly, God doesn’t rebuke him in the end when he rebukes the three. *** Elihu accuses the three of not answering Job’s arguments. He is about to bust with his great wisdom so he spews it out. His argument is that God does speak to man but maybe he’s not listening. He talks about how God speaks in dreams. Sometimes God disciples through pain and suffering and right before they are at death’s door, if God wants, he can send an angle to heal him and restore his health to him. Then his prayers will be answered and he will rejoice. He will spent and admit to his friends that he sinned and twisted the truth but now that God saved him, I understands his sin. *** Elihu tells Job that he is as anxious as Job is to see him justified. Actually, this is about what happened to Job in the end. God did step in and heal him and he did see the error of his thinking and God did restore everything to him. *** Paul was dealing with the teachers of the law who opposed his teaching. They came with many letters of recommendation from the other churches and left Corinthians with their letters of recommendation. They tried to make it a law that you had to have these letters to be able to teach in the churches. Paul didn’t have them so he was explaining that their testimonies were his letter of recommendation. They were his proof that his ministry was valid and powerfully effective. *** These people who opposed Paul wanted to put the people back under the law where Paul wanted to set them free to walk in God’s glory and freedom. This is the same argument we face in our own churches. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. We can and are equipped to do the same things that Jesus did, not because of our self-righteousness but because of what Christ did for us. He took our sins away: past, present and future. We are to be very bold and not afraid or intimidated. The law put a veil over their eyes, but through Christ that veil can be removed. The law brought bondage and death but the Spirit brings freedom and life. *** Lord help us to see and experience the power of the Spirit of Christ. May we walk in boldness and authority.

Mon.’s Devo -True Wisdom and Understanding

Read: Job 28:1-30:31; 2 Corinthians 2:12-17; Psalm 42:1-11; Proverbs 22:7 My favorite quote of Job’s today is “Now I am mocked by young men whose fathers are not worthy to run with my sheepdogs.” Job would have made a great country song writter. *** Job explains all the ways man has discovered to find treasures in the earth yet wisdom and understanding are hard to find. They can only be found in God. They are more valuable than all the gold and silver and precious metals found under the earth. God created and rules the earth with his wisdom. To fear him is true wisdom and to forsake evil is real understanding. *** Job laments the glory of his past. He used to be esteemed among the people on the earth. Everyone respected him and honored his opinion. Now they laugh at him and despise him. He lost his family, his honor, and his position. In their place he has depression, embarrassment and heart ache. He feels he has lost his standing with God and God isn’t answering his prayers. *** In contrast, Paul looks at his life like a parade in God’s triumphal procession. Walking with Christ is compared to a sweet perfume where its fragrance permeates everywhere we are. It is received differently depending on the heart of the one who smells it. To some it is a sweet aroma of life and to others it is the smell of death and doom. That is the power of the gospel preached with sincerity and Christ’s authority. *** In our Psalm today, David feels much like Job does yet he puts his hope in God. *** Lord, we put our hope in you. We seek your wisdom and understanding and refuse to be discouraged. We will live to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. We will see the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God.

Sun.’s Devo - A Clear Conscience

Read: Job 23:1-27:23; 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:11; Psalm 41:1-13; Proverbs 22:5-6 I wonder if they ever did plays of Job like Shakespeare’s. There are so many quotable verses in Job like Bildad’s today: “How you have enlightened my stupidity!” *** Job begins with lamenting that he can’t find God’s court. He has looked east and west, north and south to no avail. Since he can’t find it, he wonders why God doesn’t bring the wicked to judgment. Why does he have to wait in vain as God’s godly. He describes all the horrible things the wicked does and how merciless they are to others. One day they will meet their doom. *** Bildad explains that God enforces peace in the heavens with his heavenly army. How can a mortal man be innocent before God like Job claims to be. He says that we are nothing before God. God sees in heaven, on the earth, in the underworld and in hell. HIs power is unlimited. He rules everything. *** Job vows that God has taken away his rights but he will never sin with his mouth and will maintain his innocence without wavering. His conscience is clear. The wicked receive an inheritance as well as the righteous. The inheritance of the wicked is death and destruction. The inheritance of the godly is the wealth of the ungodly. *** We are about to see this transfer of wealth in our day. Everything that Satan has stolen from us we will recover seven-fold. Not in the hereafter but here on earth. We are living in that day! *** Paul claims a clear conscience for him and his coworkers. He says they have lived with God’s holiness and sincerity in all their dealings. They depended on God’s grace and wisdom and not there own. They have not been deceptive in any way. *** Paul spends a lot of time explaining why his plans to visit them changed. He is trying to follow the Lord’s guidance and do what he wants him to do. He also wants to do what is best for the church. His first letter caused a stir. Some repented of their sins and others had not yet. He wanted to give them more time to weigh their lives before he came to visit again. *** In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul talked about a man who encouraged them in sexual sins and Paul gave him over to the devil to destroy his flesh. He was to be excommunicated out of the church. If they have forgiven him, then Paul does also. *** David is having the same day Job and Paul are in today’s Psalm. His enemies torment him with lies.They want only the worse to happen to him. He has lost his closest friends and his only hope is the Lord. He claims his innocence. *** Lord, we proclaim our innocence because your blood has taken away our sins. We choose to walk with you in the land of the living. May we not lose hope or despair but put our hope in You.

Sat.’s Devo - God’s Timing

Read: Job 20:1-22:30; 2 Corinthians 1:1-11; Psalm 40:11-17; Proverbs 22:2-4 Zophar gives his opinion about the wicked. He sees them flourishing only for a short time but their lives ending in doom and despair. He sees God rewarding them on earth for their evil deeds. *** Job in turn sees the wicked prospering and not facing their reward in this life. He makes it plain that he is not mad at people but his complaint is with God. If man is rewarded on earth for their deeds then why was he rewarded with such a harsh sentence when all he did was try to live his life to please God and honor his fellow man. He sees the light of the wicked shining on forever. If they argue that God will punish their children, then why not punish the ones who did the evil themselves. No matter how a person lives, he still faces death. The wicked get away with murder and are celebrated on earth. Where is the justice? *** Eliphaz speaks up and asks if it helps God if you are righteous or not. He argues that Job had to have done some secret sins and comes up with many examples. He asks Job if he is going to follow the path of sin like so many have walked before him. He concludes that Job must submit to God and then He will give him peace. If he gives up his lust for money and turns to God then He will listen to him and once again Job’s life will have meaning and purpose. *** The truth is that some of what Job and his friends said are true in certain circumstances. Sometimes the wicked are disciplined here on earth and sometimes they meet their judgment after death when they stand before God. The problem with making broad conclusions about God that God is soverign and his ways are so much higher than ours. He sees from the perspective of heaven and we see from the perspective of earth. God has his own timing. He lets wicked people reign for a season before he judges and brings them down. He judged Israel for different amounts of time (40 years, 70 years, 430). But when God is ready to redeem and rescue, it is sudden and sure. We are in that day where God is about to do something sudden and sure. He is about to rescue us from the wicked. It is always worse before His salvation comes so we have to endure until the end. *** Paul writes his second letter to the Corinthians and explains to them that he is writing this letter from the place of comfort. After all he has gone through he has reached a time of peace in his life. He prays that they will go through the same or like trials so they will get to the place he is… comfort. *** Paul relates his near death experience in a province in Asia when they thought there was no hope. They put their confidence in the Lord instead of themselves and God delivered them. He thanks them for their prayers. *** Lord, may we remember the trials we have endured and use it as a way to comfort others. Thank you for bringing us out of our own darkness and bringing us into your light. May we patiently await your deliverance.

Fri.’s Devo - Everyone Needs Encouragement

Read: Job 16:1-19:29; 1 Corinthians 16:1-24; Psalm 40:1-10; Proverbs 22:1 Job accused his friends of being lousy counselors. Instead of encouraging him they criticized him and blamed all his troubles on him. He already felt like God hated him and now he doesn’t have a friend in the world. Even his wife is repulsed by him. *** Job had been living the perfect peaceful life when in a moment lost everything. He not only experienced physical loss but respect, honor and position in the earth. He realized his only hope is God but he laments that he doesn’t have a mediator between him and God so he could reason with him. *** The third friend, Bilhad spoke up. He accused Job of speaking nonsense. He gives a brief description of the wicked and their fate and it mirrors everything that has happened to Job. *** Job responds that they should be ashamed of tormenting him with their words. He argues that it is God who has done this to him and it is not because of his sin. God has taken away his hope and counted him as His enemy. He begs his friends to have mercy on him because God sure isn’t. He warns them that they should have a more healthy fear of God themselves. *** In Corinthians, Paul answers the question about the money that was collected in the church in Jerusalem. He told them to set aside their offering every week and not wait until he got there to give. He shared his itinerary with them. He was going to Macedonia then spend the Feast of Pentecost at Ephesus. Then he would come and see them. He was sending Timothy to them. He was young, so Paul asked them to treat him with respect and encourage him. Paul himself would come later. *** Paul lists some of his greatest helpers in the ministry and what they had done. He encourages the people in Corinthians to be on their guard against evil, to stand firm in their faith, be courageous and to do everything in love. *** May that be our prayer also. Thank you that it is You who expose darkness so we can walk in the light. May our light shine today to lead others to You. May we choose to be encouragers.

Thurs.’s Devo -The Seed

Read: Job 12:1-15:35; 1 Corinthians 15:29-58; Psalm 39:1-13; Proverbs 21:30-31 You have to love Job’s sarcasm. He tells his friends, “You people really know everything don’t you? And when you die, wisdom will die with you.” Then he informs them that he knows a few things also. He believes that God will answer him. He believes that God will vindicate him and he is right. When God does something, there is nothing that can stop him or stand in his way. He is the one who uncovers mysteries hidden in darkness. *** Eliphaz had told him to bring his case before God’s court and Job says he would love to take his case before God. He has been working on what he would say to God and he knows he will be proved innocent. He asks that he wishes God would remove his heavy hand from him so he would be able to face him. He is afraid of being terrified when he stands before him because of his awesome presence. In spite of his fear, he begs God to summon him to his court and let him testify in his own behalf. *** Job laments life and how fleeting it is. He wishes he could die and be awakened when his case is on the docket of heaven. *** Job ponders if there is life after death. He wants to know if there is a time when he would come back to earth and instead of God watching for his sins, they would be sealed in a pouch and his guilt taken away. *** Job is describing the rebirth that we now enjoy. Being dead to our sins and resurrected to live a guiltless life of grace. It also describes the rebirth of the world in the end when the whole earth will be reborn and Jesus will be king on the earth. We are nearing that resurrection. *** Eliphaz calls Job a windbag and accuses of him of being deceived. He calls his words evil and says that no man can be pure or just. God didn’t even trust the angels who sinned against him, why would he ever trust man. The evil throughout history had proven that they may be prosperous for a time but they can never escape God’s judgement. They can’t outrun death. They sow evil and reap it. Then they perpetuate it to the next generation. *** Paul gave a great explanation about resurrection. He likened it to a seed that had to die before it could produce a plant. The plant looked like what was in the seed but not one could see what was in the seed until it died. We are like that seed and if we put God’s Word in our hearts we will reap a life that looks like his Word - like Him. *** Paul warned them about the company they kept because bad company corrupts good morals. So, good company encourages good morals. We want to have good morals because we are making a seed that will bring forth our resurrected new man after this body is done with. We want our heavenly body to shine forth for Jesus then and now. *** Lord, may we watch over the things we put in our seed so that we can resurrect a new man that looks like Christ. May we be strong and immovable always working enthusiastically for the Lord. Nothing we do for You is useless.

Wed.’s Devo - Our Mediator - Jesus Christ

Read: Job 8:1-11:20; 1 Corinthians 15:1-28; Psalm 38:1-22; Proverbs 21:28 Bildad which means “confusing” speaks. He accuses Job of twisting justice. He believes that one of Job’s children must have sinned against God so they got what they deserved. (How comforting is that?) He tells Job to seek for God’s favor and he will turn it around for Job. Job’s righteousness could not save his children. They died for their own sins. But God will not reject Job if he is a person of integrity. He will one day laugh again. *** Eliphaz had mentioned taking his complaint to God in his court of justice. Job responded that it would be unwise to challenge God in court since he is wisdom, and the all-powerful God and the creator of all. Job could only plead for mercy. *** Job notes that disasters affect the righteous and the unrighteous. Since it would not be wise to take God to court, Job wishes there was a mediator between him and God. He could speak for Job on his behalf and Job could speak to him without fear. *** Job wants to know what God has against him. It does Job no good to not know the charges God has so he could defend himself or agree to the charges. He realizes he can’t approach God in his own strength. Job wants to know why he is being picked on when there are so many knowingly bad people who are allowed to continue in their sin. He wishes that God would stop tormenting him and let him live the rest of his life in peace. *** God did have an answer to all of Job’s questions and woes and that was Jesus. He became our mediator, our lawyer. He is the one that made it possible for us to boldly come before God and present our cases to him. *** Zophar speaks up to answer Job. He accuses Job of babbling on and not realizing that God is punishing him for something he has done. This wisdom and deep understanding of God is over Job’s head. He needs to get on his knees and repent of his sins. Then his life will turn around and he will have hope and a future. *** Paul brings the Corinthians back to the foundation of their faith. Christ died for our sins, he was buried and rose from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said he would. He was witnessed he was alive by the disciples and others. Paul witnessed him on the way to Damascus. *** Many in Corinth were preaching that there was no resurrection and Paul challenges that wrong doctrine. Their whole message stemmed on the resurrection of Christ and the fact that they would follow in his resurrection when they died. Resurrection is the power of the gospel. Without it, they are all lost and this life is all there is. *** All died in Adam and all are raised in Christ. When Christ comes back, they will all be raised. Then the end will come and the Kingdom will be turned over to God. Every ruler and authority and power will have been destroyed before Jesus turns this world over to God. Christ will reign until he humbles all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. *** We are living in that day. We are watching all of Christ’s enemies being crushed beneath his feet. The deep state is going down. Their plans for a re-set is failing and their paper money is being seen for what it is…paper. All of their plans are failing and Christ’s Kingdom is rising. We are living in the last days and it is glorious. It is not going to end in our defeat but Christ’s victory. The enemy is ending in defeat! It is a great time to be alive. *** Lord, may we rejoice and be glad because our redemption is coming! Awaken your people to joy and gladness and take away their fears and gloom. May we see with eyes that see. Soon, the kingdoms of this world will be the kingdoms of our God.

Tues.’s Devo - Job’s Confidence

Read: Job 4:1-7:21; 1 Corinthians 14:18-40; Psalm 37:30-40; Proverbs 21:27 Eliphaz answered Job. Job and his friends were the philosophers of their day. They were considered the wise men who understood more than most. He began by building up Job and remembering all the good Job had done in the past. He had encouraged others, strengthened the weak and been strong, but now that disaster had fallen on him, he had fallen apart. Eliphaz observed that evil comes to those who do evil, so Job must have done something to deserve what happened to him. *** He reminded Job that God’s angels even sinned and had to be punished by God, so why would he think he was any better. If he were Job, he would go before God and present his case to him because God is merciful to sinners. *** Job should consider it all joy to be corrected by God. Though God’s discipline hurts, it only lasts a little while, if you repent. *** Job answered Eliphaz. He tried to paint a picture of how defeated and devastated he felt. He needed comfort, not a pointing finger. He accused Eliphaz of accusing him without any fear of God. He assumed Job had done something wrong when he hadn’t. Job had searched his heart and gone over his ways and there was nothing he had done deserving of this. He knew that people are not perfect and he wasn’t saying he was, he just knew he had not sinned against God. *** This is the conflict of the law against grace. Even in many of our churches today, they want to make you feel like the sinner, when we are the righteousness of God in Christ. They heap on condemnation when all that does is make us powerless to fight our real enemy which isn’t ourselves, but Satan. It will never be our self-righteousness that gets us into right standing with God, it is our total dependence on his blood to make us righteous. *** Paul told them to be innocent when it came to evil but to be mature when it came to things of God and the Spirit. Speaking in the tongues shows unbelievers that the power of God is supernatural. Prophecy speaks to the believer to encourage them. Prophecy reveals the secrets of men’s hearts and puts the fear of God in the one being prophesied to. Everyone has something to share - a song, a word, a teaching. If they are in a meeting and one speaks aloud in tongues, then someone should be there to interpret it. *** They were new in all of this so Paul instructed them that if someone spoke out in a tongue, they should wait for the interpretation of that tongue before anyone spoke out in another tongue. They should limit it to about three messages so it can be soaked up by the people listening. *** Corinthians was a Greek city where women were used to being in charge. They had the order of family turned upside down so Paul was trying to help them right this. He asked that their women be silent and let the men rise up to be the head of the church like God meant it to be. They could talk about any questions they had when they got home. Paul was teaching them to be husband and wives like God wanted them to be. He was encouraging a better relationship for them. *** Lord, thank you that you have solved the sin issue once and for all through the blood of your son. Help us to realize the power of that blood that took our sin and guilt away. May we walk boldly in your righteousness, loving your more than our lives.

Mon.’s Devo - Job’s Tests

Read: Job 1:1-3:26; 1 Corinthians 14:1-17; Psalm 37:12-29; Proverbs 21:25-26 Job means “the cry of woe”. Job was a very wealthy man from the land of Uz which means “counsel”. He was also a wise man who was sought out for his counsel. *** One day God had a meeting in heaven with his heavily court and the Accuser, Satan attended. God asked him what he had been doing and he said he had been patrolling the earth. God asked him if he had noticed his servant Job who was the finest man in all the earth. He was a man who feared God and walked in upright integrity. *** Satan had noticed Job and blamed his upright integrity on the fact that God had surrounded him with wealth and protection. So God told Satan he could remove his protection and test him, only he couldn’t kill him. *** Satan had no mercy. He sent the Sabeans to steal his 500 donkeys, sent fire to burn up his 7,000 sheep and all his shepherds, sent the Chaldeans to steal his 3,000 camels and kill his servants and a wind to kill his 7 sons and 3 daughters. All of this happened on the same day in a matter of moments. *** The first thing out of Job’s mouth was a proclamation of praise to the Lord. *** Then next time the heavenly court met, Satan came. God asked him what he thought of Job and his reaction - Job had retained his integrity though he had been attacked without a cause. Satan then asked to take away his health, then Job wouldn’t be so holy. God gave Satan permission to take away his health, only not his life. *** Satan attacked his whole body with boils from head to foot. His three friends heard of his tragedy and came to console him. They didn’t recognize him he was so changed. They sat grieving with him for seven days not saying a thing. *** At last, Job spoke and cursed the day he was born. *** Paul urged people to desire to prophesy. Prophesy strengthens, encourages and comforts others where speaking in tongues does that to you personally. So if you have the gift of tongues, you should pray for the gift of interpretation so you will understand what you are saying. We can sing in the spirit and pray in the spirit. Both prophecy and speaking in tongues is beneficial to us and blesses God. *** Lord we pray for hearts that praise you no matter what our circumstances are. Thank you for your great plan for the earth and your people. Thank you that the wicked people will not always be with us but you judge the unrighteous and give gifts to your children.

Sun.’s Devo - A Total Turn of Events

Read: Esther 8:1-10:3; 1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13; Psalm 37:1-11; Proverbs 21:23-24 Haman was impaled on the pole he had set up for Mordecai and Mordecai was promoted to Haman’s office. All the power that Haman had was transferred to Mordecai and his estate was given to Queen Esther. She put Mordecai in charge of it. *** Esther went before the king again begging with tears for the lives of her people. Xerxes told Mordecai to write whatever decree he wanted but what had been written couldn’t be changed. So Mordecai sent out a decree saying that on the days the Jews were to be annihilated they had the power to unite and defend themselves and take the property of their enemies. The Jews and their friends rejoiced everywhere and declared a holiday to celebrate. *** So, on the day appointed, both decrees went out. The enemies of the Jews attacked and the Jews attacked back. Five hundred enemies of the Jews were killed in Susa alone. Seventy-five thousand were killed throughout the land. The Jews refused to take their plunder, but celebrated. *** Esther asked that they be able to defend themselves the next day also and the king agreed. Mordecia declared that these two days would become a national holiday called Purim and celebrated every year as the days that God gave them victory over their enemies. *** In our time there are two resets being planned. One is by the World Economic Forum and one is by God. The WEF plans to take our wealth, health and freedom. God plans to set us free. He is going to transfer the wealth of the wicked and put it in the hands of the righteous. He is going to set us free from the unconstitutional laws like income tax and other oppressive laws. We are going to experience technology that has been hidden from us to restore our health and we are going to experience a freedom greater than any other time in history. Both resets will happen but our reset will over power theirs. It will be just like in the days of Esther. *** Yesterday we read about the different gifts but today Paul gives the first three offices. There is the office of the apostle, the prophet, and the teacher. Then there are ones who do miracles, those that have the gift of healing and the ones with the gift of helps. There are those who are administrative and those who speak in tongues. He explained that no one is meant to have all of them. They are distributed as God needs so that we work together and rely on one another. We should desire to have gifts that are most helpful in where we live. *** Most importantly, Paul tells us how to operate in the gifts we have. We do it in love. Love needs to be above everything. Love makes the difference between us and the world and keeps the church from becoming a dictatorship. *** Lord, thank you for what you are doing in the earth and how you are setting things in order. We trust your plan. You are going to reverse the plans of our enemies and exalt your plan on the earth. May we be ready to step in with the gifts you have given each of us to serve in your government. Today's Psalm tells us that soon the wicked will disappear. Though we look for them, they will be gone. The lowly will possess the land and live in peace and prosperity. Amen!

Sat.’s Devo - Haman’s Exposure

Read: Esther 4:1-7:10; 1 Corinthians 12:1-26; Psalm 36:1-12; Proverbs 21:21-22 The Jews reacted to the news of their demise with great mourning. Mordecai tore his clothes and put on burlap and ashes and went out into the streets crying with a loud and bitter wail. Esther’s maids and eunuchs told her about Mordecai’s actions and she sent Hathach to find out why he was so upset. Mordecai told him of the edict and asked him to have Esther go to the king and beg for mercy for their people. *** Esther sent back a message saying that it could cost her her life to go before the king uninvited, to which Mordecai answered that she was not safe either. Her position would not be able to save her. If she didn’t stand up for her people God would raise up someone else but it would be too late for them. Maybe she was made queen for this very moment in history. *** Esther asked Mordecai to have all the Jews in their province of Susa to fast for her for three days and then she would go before the king. If she died, then she died. *** On the third day of the fast, Esther put on her royal robes and stood at the entrance of the inner court of the palace. Xerxes was sitting on his throne and when he saw her, he extended his royal sceptor to her and asked what she wanted. She invited him and Haman to a banquet she had set up. He called for Haman and they went immedeately. After they ate and drank, the king asked Esther what she really wanted and she asked for them to come to another banquet the next day; she would tell him then. *** Haman went home but passed Mordecai on his way. Mordecai gave him no honor and wasn’t afraid of him which made Haman very upset. He went home and bragged about the banquets he was invited to but complained about Mordecai. His wife and friends told him to have a pole set up and have Mordecai impaled on it. This pleased Haman so he had the pole erected in his own backyard. *** That night, the king couldn’t sleep so he asked that the books of the history of his rule be brought and read to him. The part where Mordecai exposed his assassins was read to him. He asked what had been done to thank Mordecai and they said nothing. Haman was just about to enter to ask to impale Mordecai when the king asked him what he should to for someone he wanted to honor. Haman thought was talking about him so he told him what he would like. He would let this person ride on the king’s donkey wearing the king’s robe with a high official crying out that this is what the king does to honor the man he wants to honor. Xerxes thought this was a great idea and told him to hurry and do it to Mordecai. What a change of events! One day the king is ordering his death and the next he is honoring him with great ceremony. The people had to wonder what was going on. *** Haman went home completely humiliated. When he told his wife and friends what had happened, they saw the writing on the wall. They said that since Mordecai was of Jewish birth it would be fatal to continue to oppose him. Haman was then picked up to attend Esther’s second banquet. *** Esther finally told the king her purpose for the banquets. There was an evil person who had sold her people to be killed, slaughtered and annihilated. When the king asked who would do such a thing, she pointed to Haman and said he was the one. The truth brought the king to his senses and he left to get his guard to arrest Haman. Haman fell on the couch Esther was laying on to beg for his life. The king walked in and accused him of now assaulting the queen. He was impaled on the pole he had made for Mordecai. *** This is the boomerang effect that we are now seeing played out in our nation. The plots they have set for our president, Trump are now being boomeranged back on them. It never pays to go against God’s anointed. *** Paul explained how to discern spirits and the purpose of spiritual gifts. There were many false teachers and doctrines but the way they could know if it was the Spirit of God was if it honored Jesus and called him Lord. If it didn’t it was not of God. *** Spiritual gifts were given so they could help each other. The gifts were wisdom, knowledge, faith, miracles, prophesy, discernment, speaking in tongues an interpreting tongues. God gives these gifts how and to whom he wants to. His Body is to work like the different parts of our bodies work. They all do something different but they all serve the body. How could we walk well without eyesight, etc. God distributed his gifts so we would need one another and help one another. Together we are to function as one complete man. *** Lord, thank you for your boomerang. Thank you that you do punish the wicked and reward the righteous. Thank you for the gifts you give to your Body. May we learn to function in our gifts and honor the gifts of others. May we function as a healthy body that gives glory and honor to You.

Fri.’s Devo - Haman’s Promotion

Read: Ester 1:1-3:15; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; Psalm 35:17-28; Proverbs 21:19-20 King Xerxes was a king who depended on the advice of others to run his life and help him run his kingdom. This caused him to make many bad decisions and kept his people guessing. In the third year of his reign he had a huge banquet honoring his officials and the princes of all his 127 provinces. When that was over he had another banquet for the people of his kingdom which lasted for 7 days. On the last day of his banquet he asked for his beautiful wife named Vashti to come into the room with all the drunk men and let them gaze at her beauty. She was to wear the crown and probably that was all. She was having her own banquet for all the women and refused to obey her husband’s request. *** Xerxes was humiliated in front of the common men of his kingdom and went to his advisors to ask what law was written about what to do when a wife didn’t obey. There was no such law but the advisors didn’t want Vashti to get away with it or their wives would do the same. They advised him to exile Vashti and write letters proclaiming that every man should be the ruler of his own house and should say whatever he pleased. He did. *** After a while, Xerxes got lonely and missed Vashti. His advisors didn’t want him to turn on them so they suggested a beauty contest to bring in all the beautiful women in his provinces and let him choose the one he wanted to replace Vashti. *** There was a very beautiful Jewish woman named Esther who had lost her parents during the exile. Her uncle, Mordecai had adopted her and raised her as his own. She was chosen to be one of the contestants for the next queen. Mordecai warned her not to tell her nationality to anyone. Every day he checked up on how she was doing. *** She was given much favor and was expedited through the treatments. In the meantime, Mordecai overheard a plot to assassinate Xerxes and told Esther to warn the king. She gave the warning to her handler and they were able to catch the killers. She made sure that Mordecai’s name was given as the informant. *** Xerxes promoted a man named Herman to be over all his leaders making him the most powerful official in his empire. All the king’s officials were to bow down before Hamas to show him respect whenever they passed him. Mordecai refused to bow. When Haman was told about Mordecai’s disrespect he plotted to not only kill Mordecai, but all the Jews. *** That spring when the yearly calendar was planned they used lots or purims to decide the timing of their plans for everything. It was decided that in the 12th month all the Jews would be slaughtered and that whoever killed a Jew would get their property. It was everyone’s duty to comply. When this edict was read aloud in all the provinces, the people were thrown into confusion. But the king and Haman went and had a meal and a drink. *** Paul told them that their meetings were doing more harm than good because there was so much division among the people. They were suppose to meet together for the Lord’s Supper but people who could afford it only brought food for their family and didn’t share with those who had nothing. He reminded them that when Jesus shared the Lord’s Supper with his disciples he was giving himself to them. It was a very solemn occasion. He gave them the wine and told them that it represented the new covenant of his blood that was about to be shed for them and the generations to come. They were to practice this remembering that when they ate the bread and drank the cup they were announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again. To eat this meal unworthily was to bring guilt and sin against their body and the blood of the Lord. They were to examine their own hearts before they ate it or drank the wine. So, when they met together they needed to wait and let Paul lead them in the teaching of it so they could learn more of what their salvation was really about. *** Lord, may we reflect on the great sacrifice you laid down for us. Thank you for your willingness to save us and give yourself as the final sacrifice for our sins. We now walk in newness and free from the power of sin.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Cycle of Sin

Read Nehemiah 12:27-13:31; 1 Corinthians 11:1-16; Psalm 35:1-16; Proverbs 21:17-18 The time came to dedicate the wall with a great ceremony. The musicians came from all around and joined two choirs. They would start at the Fountain Gate where they would climb the steps that ascended to the city and walk on the wall around the city. Ezra led with half of the leaders of Jerusalem and one of the choirs and they walked eastward. The other group was led by Nehemiah and the other half of the leaders. They went westward. They were both singing songs of thanksgiving to the Lord. It was like having surround sound. They met up at the other end of the wall. They were accompanied with musical instruments and trumpets. *** Many sacrifices were made to the Lord and it was a great family day of joy and fun. Men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the offerings and the first fruits. The priests were payed and the Temple was run the way the law instructed it to run. *** The Book of Moses was read to the people and they read where no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be permitted to enter the assembly of God because they had hired Balaam to curse Israel. They had to send all foreigners home. Tobia, their enemy in the work of the Lord had been given a room in the Temple to use as he needed. Nehemiah had been out of town when this was allowed and when he returned and found out, he threw Tobia and all his stuff out of the room and had it purified and brought back in the things of the Temple. *** In our day, this would be like the church allowing their building to be used for the Masons to meet or for Covid shots to be distributed. *** Nehemiah also found out that the priests had not been payed so they had had to return to their former jobs to make enough money to support their families. Nehemiah appointed more honest men to take care of the offerings of the people. *** Nehemiah also saw that they weren’t honoring the Sabbath. They were working and allowing trade to be transacted on that day. Nehemiah stopped all of that. Then he found out that some of the men of Judah had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab and their children didn’t even know how to speak Hebrew. Nehemiah was irate and took matters into his own hands on that one. He reminded them that they were doing the exact things that made the Lord mad and punish their ancestors in the past. One of the sons of the high priest had married a daughter of Sanballat. Satan always tried to infiltrate from inside. *** Nehiamiah always prayed that God would remember his faithfulness to him. *** In Corinthians Paul told them to imitate him as he imitated Jesus. God teaches in everything he created. God created man and the first man, Adam was a type of Christ. From Adam came Eve who represents the Church. Christ is the head of the church just like Adam was made first and Eve came from Adam. The church came from Christ. Women should not try to usurp that power over men just as man should not try to be greater than Christ. *** Jesus stands perfect and holy before God so the man should not wear anything on their head to be a picture to us of that precept. Women stand for the church who is under the blood of Christ. They should wear a covering to show that submission because that is their part in the teaching of God. *** Lord, help us to function in the place you have put us and not rebel like Israel did over and over. Help us to walk faithfully and uprightly.

Wed.’s Devo - Good Choices

Read: Nehemiah 11:1-12:26; 1 Corinthians 10:14-33; Psalm 34:11-22; Proverbs 21:14-16 The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are the fulfillment of Isaiah 43:5-6 that says, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will gather you and your children from the east and west. I will say to the north and south, Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel from the distant corners of the earth.” *** The leaders settled in Jerusalem and a tenth of the people determined by lots. There were also people who volunteered to live there. Others resettled in the towns of their ancestors. It had been 70 years since any of them had lived there so there was much to do to restore them to be cities. The priests and Levites scattered throughout the land. A record of all the priests and Levites was made.In those days Nehemiah was the governor and Ezra was the scribe. *** In Corinthians Paul admonished them that they couldn’t serve two masters. They could not worship idols and God too. He encouraged them to live for others with their conscience in mind. The bottom line was to do everything for the glory of God and not for their own glory. Our goal is to be a reflection of God on the earth so others will come to know him also. Lord, help us to reflect your glory and goodness on the earth.

Tues.’s Devo - Faithfulness

Read: Nehemiah 9:22-10:39; 1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13; Psalm 14:1-10; Provervbs 21:13 The leaders finished addressing the people. They had reminded them of the history of their nation - the promises and patience of God in the face of their rebellion. When they were faithful to the Lord, he had been more than faithful to them blessing them and honoring them in the earth. When they refused to worship and obey Him he gave them the curses that he had laid out in his Word. God had been totally true to his promises in every way. ***They made a solemn promise in writing and sealed with their names signed to it pledging their allegiance to God and all he had told them to do in the law. They would not intermarry outside of their people or allow their children to to so. They would not carry on any business on the Sabbath. They would pay the annual Temple tax that would go to the general care of the Temple. They would keep the Temple supplied with wood for the sacrifices. They would bring their first fruits into the Temple where one tenth of it would go to pay the priests. In conclusion they promised not to neglect the Temple of the Lord. *** Paul explained that our life is our gift to Christ. Paul chose to live his life as a slave to Christ. He became like the people around him to relate to them so they might hear his message. He buffeted his body and gave up his own will to do this. *** Paul reminded them of the children of Israel. They had all been led out of bondage. They were led by God’s glory cloud and the rock which was Christ, and yet not all of them had heart that were right with God. They, too could get caught up in hanging out with Christians but not becoming one in their hearts. The children of Israel were sinners so they craved to sin. They worshipped idols, indulged in pagan parties and sexual immorality. They grumbled against the Lord and his leaders and God had to punish them. Paul warned them not to do the same. *** Temptations are universal but God will strengthen us to withstand them if we ask for help. He will show us a way out of them or a way through them. He is our salvation over everything that Satan throws at us. We are more than conquerors through Christ who strengthens us. *** Lord, help us to remember this. Our power is in You and You alone. Through You we can go through rivers of difficulty and not drown and through fires of oppression and not get burned.

Mon.’s Devo - The Fall Feasts

Read: Nehemiah 7:7-9:21; 1 Corinthians 9:1-18; Psalm 33:12-22; Proverbs 21:11-12 In the seventh month on the first day is the Feast of Trumpets. The people were called to the Water Gate to hear the words of the book of the law that they had found. He not only read it but explained it so they would understand what it was saying. They people were very grieved when they heard the words because they had not obeyed it. Ezra told them not to cry because it was not a day to repent but a day to celebrate with joy. *** On the second day of the feast they gathered all the leaders, priests and Levites to explain to them the word of the Lord and had read when it told them how to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles which also happened that month. They read that they were to live in shelters during the festival and instructed the people to find branches to build shelters on the roofs of their houses to celebrate the festival. They all lived in these shelters for the week and celebrated with great joy. The shelters were to remind them of how God took care of them during the wilderness and provided all their needs. For forty years their clothes didn’t wear our and their feet didn’t swell. The temporary booths were also to show them that life was temporary but our real home was with our heavenly Father in heaven. *** The leaders of the Levites encouraged the people to stand and praise the Lord. They led them in a prayer of thanksgiving remembering all the Lord had done for them and how the Lord had done what he promised and was always true to his Word. *** In Corinthians, Paul encouraged the people to support the ones who watched over them spiritually and taught them. These people had given up their jobs to be faithful in what God had told them to do and it was the responsibility of the people to support them back with payment and provisions. They were not different than the priests and Levites of the old covenant. They were paid from the gifts given by the people back then and the people needed to give to the apostles now. *** Lord, may we be faithful to what you have called us to. Thank you that you are always faithful to perform your Word and your power. May we honor you with our tithes and offerings and celebrate your feasts.

Sun.’s Devo - Nehemiah’s Determination

Read: Nehemiah 5:14-7:73a; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13;Psalm 33:1-11; Proverbs 21:8-10 Nehemiah had been the governor of Judah for 12 years and during those years he had not taken a food allowance from the government although it was his right to do it. The governor before him had and it had put heavy taxing on the people. Nehemiah paid the cost of his administration out of his own pocket. *** Nehemiah devoted himself to building the wall and received no salary. He asked the Lord to bless him. When Sanballat realized the wall was being completed, he asked to meet with Nehemiah in the plains of Ono which were about 30 miles north-west of Jerusalem. Nehemiah saw through the trap and refused to meet four times. The fifth time, Sanballat sent an open letter from Sanballat. Usually letters were sent very ceremonially sealed in an ornate bag denoting honor. The open letter means that it was not sent in a bag and was meant to show disrespect to Nehemiah. The letter accused them of building the wall so Nehemiah could be crowned king and they could rebel against Artexerxes. Sanballat wanted to meet and talk about his rumor. *** Nehemiah reponded that it was all lies and ignored the request. He continued building with even more determination. He later went to visit Shemaiah who had been a close friend of Nehemiah and was the son of one of the priest. He claimed to have prophetic gifts and had a word for Nehemiah. He told Nehemiah that they needed to hide out in the Temple because his enemies were coming to kill him that night. Nehemiah saw through his lies and chose to trust God who was able to protect and save him. It ended up that Shemaiah had been hired by Sanballat to get him to sin. Once again Nehemiah appealed to God in heaven to try his case. *** The wall was finished the 25th day of Elul, 52 days after they had began the work. Even their enemies could see that God had helped them prosper in their work. Many of the elite of Judah had been on the side of Tobiah’s because of his status in life. They were a thorn to Nehemiah the whole time. *** When everything on the wall was finished and all the guards in place, Nehemiah felt his job was complete. He put his bother Hanani and Hananiah the responsibility of governing the people and keeping the peace. At that time Jerusalem was large but the people had not rebuilt houses there. God gave Nehemiah the idea to call together all the nobles and leaders of the city for registration. He found the original list of those who had come to Jerusalem the first time. He was able to correct some people who were acting as priests but were not found in the registry to be of priest origin. They would have been the RINO’s of their day. *** In the early churches, the challenge was to meld two different cultures into one group who could love and serve together. The Jews who became believers were used to strict laws in religion while the Gentiles came from very loose morals. The clash was what Paul was addressing. He was asking both sides to honor the convictions of the others and not live in a way to harm another’s conscience. It boiled down to putting others ahead of their own desires. *** Lord, may we be sensitive to others in this regard and not use our freedom to cause another to stumble. May we be determined like Nehemiah to finish the work you have called us to do.

Sat.’s Devo - Their Struggles and Victories

Read: Nehemiah 3:15-5:13; 1 Corinthian 7:25-40; Psalm 32:1-11; Proverbs 21:5-7 Each family repaired the wall close to where they lived but Satan was not happy. His minion was Sanballat who flew into a rage and mocked the Jews trying to intimidate and discourage them in their efforts. Nehemiah prayed that their mocking would fall back on their own heads and that they would become captives in a foreign land. *** At last the wall was joined and half its height was finished. This made Sanballat furious. They made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and cause confusion. The Jews prayed for God to guard them and protect them. *** The people became discouraged and complained about all the rubble left to be removed. They felt the weight of the work and now an imminent attack. Nehemiah placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall and stationed the people to guard the workers. He encouraged the people reminding them that their God was great and glorious and he would fight for them and protect them. They had nothing to fear. *** It was the enemies who were frustrated becuase the Jews had learned about their wicked plans of attack and had fortified themselves. The Jews continued to build with a weapon in one hand and a sword belted to their sides. Since they were so spread out Nehemiah came up with a plan. When they heard the blast of a trumpet, they would all rush to help. *** Nehemiah’s next problem was internally. Some complained that they didn’t have enough food to feed their families They had had to mortgage their fields and borrow money just to pay their taxes. They had to sell their children into slavery just to be able to have enough money to live. This made Nehemiah very angry. He rebuked them for charging interest on loans made to fellow Jews and enslaving them. He told them that they should walk in the fear of the Lord so that they wouldn’t be mocked by all the other nations like before. He commanded that they pay back the interest they had taken from their fellow countrymen. They agreed to do this. *** We are coming to a time when all the money we have paid to the banks as interest for houses and cars will be given back to us because it was unconstitutional for the banks to do this. Mark my words… this is coming! *** In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians he was answering their questions. They had asked if they should let their young men marry in the middle of the crisis they were in. Paul said that he thought it would be better for them not to marry and concentrate on the battle. Theirs was a spiritual and political one. He was just trying to save them from more problems. *** Also, they thought that Jesus was coming back right them and that the end of the world was coming. Paul wanted them to concentrate on the mission of saving the world of their sins. He wanted their undivided attention on the Lord’s work. He didn’t want them weighed down with worldly issues for the time being. He did add that marrying would not be a sin and that if a widow remarried, then her new husband must love the Lord. *** Lord, thank you that you are a righteous and just judge. Thank you that your justice is coming to America and the rest of the world. Fight for us as you did long ago for Israel. Fight for Israel also and deliver them from their enemies.

Fri.’s Devo - Nehemiah’s Commission

Read: Nehemiah 1:1-3:14; 1 Corinthians 7:1-24; Psalm 31:19-24; Provers 21:4 Nehemiah means “Comfort of Jehovah”. He arrived on the scene eleven years after Ezra. Nehemiah was probably a teen who had the trustworthy job of being the king’s cup bearer. He learned from his brother who had just returned from Jerusalem that the city was in great trouble. The wall had been torn down and the gates had been destroyed by fire. This troubled Nehemiah so much that he fasted and mourned for many months. He prayed for God to remember his promises to Moses. God had said that if they rebelled against him, he would scatter them among the nations. But if they returned to him and obeyed his commands, he would gather them back to Jerusalem. He repented for himself and his people and prayed for favor with the king. *** It took four months for the king to notice Nehemiah’s condition. It just happened to be the month of Nisan, the month of Passover. God was ready to act. The king asked Nehemiah what was on his heart so heavily. Nehemiah told him his heart and how he wanted to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall. The king listened to his plan and granted his request. Nehemiah had already planned everything he would need. He asked the king to give him letters to get him safely to Jerusalem and letters to Asaph who was over the king’s forest so he would have timber to build the walls. The king agreed to everything he asked for. He sent army officers to protect him on his way. *** Sanballat which means “hatred” and Tobiah were very upset that someone had come from the king to help the people of Israel. Nehemiah didn’t disclose his plan. He went out at night and surveyed the wall and the condition of the city. It was so bad, his donkey couldn’t get through all the rubble. *** Nehemiah met with the leaders of the city and told them why he was there and about his conversation with the king. They were ready to get to work. Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem heard about their plan and scoffed at them and tried to stop them. He told them that God would help them but they had no share, legal right or historic claim in Jerusalem. That is what we have to tell the devil. He has no share in earth. God gave this earth to Adam and his children. We are to rule and reign here and have dominion. Satan has no historic claim! *** Different families took sections of the wall nearest them and began repairing it. That is true for us, we work where God has put us…what is before us. *** In Corinthians, there was a huge problem of sexual immorality. Paul wrote to them about the issue. He encouraged husbands and wives to satisfy one another and those that were not married to stay pure. He encouraged husbands and wives to stay married and not divorce but if they did, not to remarry unless they were reconciled with their spouse. *** People who were married to unbelievers were encouraged to stay with them because their holiness would be passed down to the children. And, the unbelieving spouse might become holy because of their believing spouse. *** Whatever state they were before they came to Christ, they should remain and let the Holy Spirit do his work in their circumstances whether it had to do with things like marriage, circumcision or slavery. *** We might think we are slaves to our circumstances but we are free in Christ. No one can take our faith from us. *** Lord, we take back our nation, our education system, entertainment and sports, government, financial, medical, religious and families for your glory and your kingdom. We say no to all of Satan’s plans for this world and stand on the Word that says that all the kingdoms of the earth are our God’s. He shall reign forever and ever.

Thurs.’s Devo - Making Things Right

Read: Ezra 10:1-44; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20; Psalm 31:9-18; Proverbs 21:3 Ezra lay prostrate before the Lord repenting for the people who had married pagan wives. This was something forbidden by God for so many reasons. Marrying a pagan wife was to make a covenant with their gods. In the scriptures we read about in Corinthians today, Paul explained that when a person joins himself with another person in they become one with them. No other sin affects the body as sexual sin does. What was even worse is that these were the priests and Levites that had done this. *** Shecaniah came to Ezra and told him that all was not lost; they could divorce their wives and make a covenant to follow the Lord. He told Ezra that it was his duty to tell them what to do to make things right. They were behind him he just needed to be strong and do something. *** That is a good word for us when we feel overwhelmed by our own sin or the sin of our nation. There is always a way to make things right; we just need to be strong and take action. *** Ezra did take action. He stood up and demanded that the people divorce their wives and turn to the Lord with a solemn oath. A proclamation was made through out Judah and Jerusalem for everyone to come to Jerusalem within three days or forfeit all their property and be expelled from the assembly of the exiles. *** All the people gathered in the three days which was around Hannukuh and the weather was cold and rainy. Ezra had them confess their sins and separate themselves from their wives. They realized this would take some time to bring their wives and perform the divorces. Some of them even had children involved. Lawyers were designated for each family and a list was made of all the ones who would need to file for divorces. What a mess! *** Sin has consequences and sometimes they are hard to fix but God always has a way to make amends. We can never get ourselves into something he can’t get us out of. *** Speaking of lawyers, Paul rebuked the Corinthians of taking their fellow believers to court in secular courts. Why would we let the world settle our disputes; we will one day judge the world. It will be our job to judge them not vice versa. Paul was trying to tell them that they needed to be wise in these areas and to learn how to come to terms among themselves like they did in Ezra’s day. *** To argue with a believer was already a defeat. Paul asked why not just accept the injustice and leave it to the Lord to judge. *** By the next verses (9-20) we can see what was being taught by the false teachers that Paul warned them over and over against. They were teaching that sin was okay because we are bent and made for sin. Weren’t our parts made to have sex. They taught reason and logic which is the opposite of God’s laws which say, “Come out from among them and be separate.” 2 Co. 6:17. *** Lord, you bought us with a high price of the blood of your son. May we honor you with our bodies, our mind, our soul and our spirit.

Wed.’s Devo - Ezra’s Exiles

Read: Ezra 8:21-9:15; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; Psalm 31:1-8; Proverbs 21:1-2 Ezra had his group camp by the Ahaha Canal and fast and pray that their trip would be successful. It would take them 4 months to get to Jerusalem. They left on the first day of the first month in the religious calendar. That was the month of Passover, the same month the children of Israel left Egypt with Moses. They would be carrying much gold and silver and would be passing through dangerous paths to get there. Ezra had been ashamed to ask the king for soldiers to accompany them since he should be trusting in the Lord to protect them so that is what he was doing. God heard his prayer. They safely carried 24 tons of silver and 7,500 pounds of gold as well as other treasures. This had been offerings of the king and the people. *** The priests and Levites were in charge of carrying and protecting all the offerings to the Lord and the things set apart as holy. When they reached Jerusalem all the silver and gold was weighed and it was all accounted for. They offered up great amounts of animals on the altar to atone for the new arrivals to Jerusalem. They hadn’t been able to sacrifice to the Lord for over 70 years. *** Reports came to Ezra pertaining to the people that had preceded him to Jerusalem. He learned that many of the Levites and priests had polluted the Jewish race by intermarrying with pagan women and the leaders were the leaders in this sin. Ezra was so shocked by this he sat silently on the ground pulling the hairs from his head in anguish. When it came time for the evening sacrifice he fell to his knees and prayed with his hands lifted to heaven. He repented for his nation. They had gone into exile over their sins and now they were still guilty of the same sins. Ezra prayed for God’s mercy and repented for his people. *** Lord, thank you for your mercies that are new every morning. Thank you that you do not reward us according to our sins but the blood of Jesus cleansed us from them now and forever. Help us to walk worthy of your sacrifice.

Tues.’s Devo - The Favor of God

Read: Ezra 7:1-8:20’ 1 Corinthians 4:1-21; Psalm 30:1-12; Proverbs 20:28-30 Ezra was a scribe who wrote the book of Ezra although he did not go to Jerusalem until the second migration of exiles returned to Jerusalem. He gave his whole lineage dating back to Aaron. He was well versed in the law of Moses. *** He left Babylon with much favor from King Artaxerxes. He was given anything he asked for and encouraged other Jews to go with him. The king sent a letter with Ezra giving him permission to collect and take any donations of silver and gold and animals the people wanted to send with him as well as people. He gave them cups from his own treasury and anything else he might want. The letter also told the provinces west of the Euphrates River to give Ezra anything he wanted or needed up to 7,500 pounds of silver, 500 bushels of wheat, 550 gallons of wine and 550 gallons of olive oil and an unlimited supply of salt. He also gave all people connected to the service of the Temple, tax exemption. He gave Era the power to appoint magistrates and judges who knew God’s laws to govern all the people in the province west of the Euphrates. He was to teach everyone the law of Moses and if they disobeyed they would be punishable by death, banishment, confiscation of goods, or imprisonment. *** Ezra praised God for the favor he was given. He listed the families that agreed to leave Babylon and go with him. As he read the list he realized that not one Levite had volunteered to come. He sent for leaders of the people and leaders of the Levites to meet with him. They agreed to send some of their Levites and temple servants. Their names were added to the list. *** It is amazing to see what God can do in the hearts of kings when they fear him. Artexerxes gave over total power to Ezra to rule God’s people and judge them. This is a foretaste of what is coming for America. Hold on and endure a little longer because we are headed for great days ahead! *** Paul continues explaining that they and other ministers are mere men that will be judged one day by God. He is the standard though Paul reminds them that as their spiritual father in the faith, he has lived his life as an offering of suffering for them. His life has also been an example that they can trust to emulate. Jesus was the only one that was spotless and sinless. *** Lord, it is so exciting to read about Ezra and the turn around you did for Israel. It strengthens our faith for our nation and our time. We praise your like the Psalm says, “I will exalt you, Lord, for your rescued us. You refused to let our enemies triumph over us!”

Mon.’s Devo - A Turn of Events

Read: Ezra 4:24-6:22; 1 Corinthians 3:5-23; Psalm 29:1-11; Proverbs 20:26-27 This story is another one of God’s victorious defeats. When God is ready to do something, nothing can stand in his way. God was ready to rebuild his Temple in Jerusalem. *** God’s enemies tried to stop the building with an intimidating letter to Xerxes full of propaganda and lies. Their goal was to stop the building which they had managed to delay for years. Darius came to the throne after Xerxes. *** God sent his prophets Haggai and Zechariah who told the leaders of Jerusalem to continue building the Temple. So they began again to build. When the governor west of the Euphrates, Tattenai, found out, he sent messengers to get a list of the workers and find out why they were defiling his order to stop building. They told him that Cyrus had ordered this building years ago and given them the articles he had taken when he took Jerusalem. He had returned the articles and instructed them to put them in the Temple they were building. *** When Darius read the letter, he had a search made into the archives and found the order that Cyrus had made. He sent Tattenai a letter ordering him not only to stop hindering their work but to help them in it. He was to supply whatever they needed from the taxes he collected in his land and pay for the Temple being built and to supply any animals they would need to sacrifice to the Lord. What a turn of events! How humbling must that have been for the governor. If anyone refused to obey the decree, they were threatened to have their house torn down and to be impaled by one of its beams. Tattanai obeyed at once! *** By March 12, four years later, the Temple was complete. This was in time to celebrate the Passover which they did with much pomp,. They celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days cleansing themselves to be holy before the Lord. There was much joy in Jerusalem among God’s children. *** Paul continued his letter to the Corinthians who had put so much importance on their leader instead of seeing them as servants of God. Each one of them had a part. They were workers, the people were the field or his building. They were building a Temple for the Lord just as Ezra was doing in today’s reading. Only this was not a visible one but a Temple in their hearts. *** Paul had laid the foundation which was Christ and all other builders had to build their doctrine on that foundation. In the end, the building would be tested by fire to see what remains. God’s Temple had to remain holy just as we must remain holy. The only leader we can boast about is Christ. He is true and right. *** Lord, help us to remember this. You are our foundation and your Word is our covenant. May we stay true to You and be a holy people set apart to show your glory on the earth.

Sun.’s Devo The Exiled Rebuild the Altar

Read: Ezra 3:1-4:23; 1 Corinthians 2:6-3:4; Psalm 28:1-9; Provers 20:24-25 The first thing the Israelites did when they returned to Jerusalem was to rebuild the altar and begin sacrificing on it. They celebrated their first Jewish feast which was Feast of Tabernacles meaning that God was now dwelling with them on earth. They began the other sacrifices in the morning and evening even though they were afraid of the local residents. They trusted in God and he kept them safe. *** When they got ready to lay the foundation for the Temple, they hired masons and carpenters from Tyre just as Solomon had. They had logs floated from Lebanon all sanctioned by Cyrus. They began construction in the seventh month which was the month of Passover. The priests and their families worked to rebuild the temple. When they had completed the foundation they blew the trumpets and shouted for joy. The priests who had seen the old Temple cried because the foundation was so much smaller than Solomon’s Temple, but the new generation shouted for joy. *** The enemies of Judah and Benjamin got news that the exiles had returned to build the Temple and they came to Zerubbabel and the other leaders and asked if they could help them. Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the other leaders told them they could not help knowing what was in their heart. They were evil and only had evil intent. These men hired people to work against the builders and frustrate their plans. *** When Cyrus died, Xerxes came to the throne. Israel’s enemies wrote a letter to him accusing the people of Israel of treason. When nothing came of it, they sent another letter. In it they described the Jews as rebellious people who were building an evil city. They had already laid the foundation and were working on the walls. If they completed it, they would not pay taxes to him any longer. Since they didn’t want to see the king dishonored, they recommended that he search into their past records about Jerusalem. It had been destroyed because it had revolted against them in the past. If he allowed this city to be rebuilt, he would lose the land west of the Euphrates River. *** King Xerxes did do a research into the past records and found that Jerusalem had been a hot bed of insurrection and trouble so he ordered that the work on the Temple be stopped immediately. *** The enemies of God took their reply from Xerxes immediately to the workers in Jerusalem and forced them to stop their work. *** Paul went to great lengths to show how God’s plan had been hidden from the world until then. His plan could not be understood with logic or man’s wisdom. It had to take the Spirit of God to reveal it to their hearts and mind. Paul rebuked them for still being babies in Christ. They were still babies because they were still controlled by their sinful nature. They were jealous of one another and still argued and quarreled among themselves. Because they refused to mature, he couldn’t feed them the meat of God’s Word. *** Lord, I pray that your body would mature that we might be abl

Sat.’s Devo - God’s Promise Fulfilled

Read: Ezra 1:1-2:70; 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5; Psalm 27:7-14; Proverbs 20:22-23 God’s people had been in exile for seventy years and the time had come to return home. Isaiah had prophecied 200 years before this that a man named Cyrus would be His shepherd to say to Jerusalem, “Thou shalt be built: and to the temple, Thy foundations shall be laid.” Isaiah 44:28. *** Cyrus had come to the throne in Persia and declared these very words. He was the leader of the whole world and he knew that God wanted him to send the exiles back to Jerusalem to build a Temple to their God. He asked that their neighbors give them silver and gold and supplies for their journey including livestock as well as an offering for the Temple. Amazing! *** God put it on the hearts of priests and Levites to give up their comfort of Babylon and return to a barren torn-down land and rebuild its cities and the Temple. He put it on the hearts of the neighbors to give just as Cyrus had asked. King Cyrus gave the ones returning all 5,4400 of the articles from the Temple that they had taken when they overthrew Jerusalem. *** Over 43,000 people responded and returned. The priests, Levites, singers gatekeepers and Temple servants all settled in villages near Jerusalem. Other people went back to the towns they came from. *** Isaiah said that God would frustrate the omens of the liars and make the magic of the diviners foolishness. (Isaiah 44:25) *** Paul quotes Isaiah 29:14 which says that God will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent. The Kingdom of God can not be obtained through human wisdom. To the intelligent the gospel of Christ is foolish but to those called by God Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. God’s plan was so much higher that what man could have come up with. God chose people who were not esteemed highly in the world to shame those who think they are wise. God called us to be right with him - to be pure and holy and freed us from sin. *** Paul used himself as an example. He had come to them timid and weak with a very simple message. He relied totally on the Holy Spirit trusting the power of God. That is our assurance also. We are nothing special but God in us is super special. We can do all things through Him. *** Lord, we trust in your perfect plan for our lives and our nation. We know that you are doing something great and we trust your plan. Thank you that you never forget a promise.

Fri.’s Devo - The Passover

Read: 2 Chronicles 35:1-36:23; 1 Corinthians 1:1-17; Psalm 27:1-6; Proverbs 20:20-21 After Josiah had cleansed the land he announced that all Israel would celebrate the Passover. People from all over Israel came to celebrate with him bringing their animals for sacrifice. Every thng went according to the book of Moses and it was a celebration like nothing before. *** Passover always leads to warfare with Satan. Passover stands for our salvation in Christ and the devil will always come to challenge that. In Josiah’s case his adversary was the king Necco of Egypt. King Nico was taking his army to battle at Carchemish on the Euphrates River. They were just passing through their land but Josiah took that as a threat and brought his army to challenge King Necco. King Necco told Josiah that he had no quarrel with him and asked him not to get involved but Josiah refused to listen to him. He led his army to the plain o Megiddo and battled with Egypt. Josiah was wounded by an arrow and brought back to Jerusalem where he died. All of Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him and the prophet Jeremiah composed a funeral song for him. *** When he died, his son Jehoahaz became king of Judah. He only ruled three months when the king of Egypt deposed him and demanded tribute paid to him. He installed Eliakim, Jehoahaz’s brother as the next king of Judah. Necco changed his name to Jehoiakim and took his brother, Jehoahaz to Egypt as a prisoner. *** Jehoaikim was evil in God’s sight and the king of Babylon came and took him as a prisoner to Babylon. He also took some of the treasures from the Temple and placed him in his evil palace. After Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin became the next king of Judah. He only reigned three months and ten days. He was evil also. He was taken to Babylon as a prisoner also with more of the Temple treasures. Nebuchadnezzar installed his uncle Zedikiah as the next king in Judah. Zedekiah was 21 when he came to rule and ruled for 11 years. He was also evil and refused to humble himself even when God sent Jeremiah to speak to him and turn him to the Lord. The people and the priests also rebelled against the Lord and worshipped idols. *** God sent many prophets to turn their hearts back to him but they refused to answer so God had no choice but to give them over to their own evil desires. The king of Babylon came against them and killed their young men and women and the old and infirmed having no mercy. Nebuchadnezzar took any thing of worth left in the Temple before burning it down. He tore down the walls of Jerusalem destroying everything of value. The few survivors were taken to Babylon as slaves. They remained as slaved until Cyrus came to power. *** The land of Judah enjoyed its Sabbaths for 70 years as it laid unoccupied. When Cyrus of Persia came to power, he declared that God had put in his heart to build a Temple to the Lord in Jerusalem. He sent back anyone who wanted to return to Jerusalem. *** Paul wrote a letter to the believers in Corinth commending them of their gifts and the way the church had grown in knowledge. They had all the needed to remain strong until Christ returned so that they would be free from all blame on the day of judgment. *** Paul appealed to them to stop quarreling about whose leader that were following. That was unimportant The thing that was important was that they followed Christ. *** An example of that would be how we boast of what church we are from which doesn’t matter to God. We are all part of the same Church - the Ecclesia of Christ. *** Lord, may we all become one in our devotion to You. May we break down the walls of denominations and church buildings and all worship you in one heart and one Spirit.

Thurs.’s Devo -Josiah’s Reforms

Read: 2 Chronicles 33:14-34:33; Romans 16:10-27; Psalm 26:1-12; Peocervs 20:19 When Manasseh returned to Jerusalem after being imprisoned in Babylon, he came back a new person. He undid the evil he had done and tore down the altars to Baal and Ashtarah he had set up. He took them down to the Kidron Valley and burned them. Then he restored the worship in the Temple to the Lord and encouraged the people to turn to the Lord also. When he died, his son Amon became king. *** Amon only ruled for two years and he was not devoted to the Lord but to other gods. He was evil and his own officials had him assassinated in his palace. He was replaced by his son Josiah who was only eight years old when he became king. He began to seek the Lord at a young age and at 16, he began to purify Jerusalem and Judah by removing all the pagan shrines and pagan instruments used in idol worship. He burned the bones of the false priests on their own altars. He also purified the towns of Manasaseh, Ephraim and Simeon all the way to Naphtali. *** When he was 26, Josiah began to repair the Temple and the parts that had fallen into ruins. In the process, Hilkiah the priest found the book of Moses and the Law. He read it to the king. Josiah realized how much Judah was under the judgment of God over all the idol worship they had been involved in. Hikiah and other priests went to consult the prophet Huldah and she gave them a word from God. God said that he would bring disaster on Jerusalem but since Josiah had repented and followed the Lord, it would not happen until he was dead. *** Josiah called all of Judah’s leaders to Jerusalem where he had the law read to them and they entered into a new covenant with the Lord to serve and worship him alone. They removed all the detestable idols from the entire land of Israel and required everyone to worship the Lord their God. There was rest in the land during Josiah’s lifetime. *** In Romans, Paul continued listing the people he gave honor to and the people who sent their greetings to Rome and the church there. In the middle of this he gave a warning to watch out for those who caused divisions and upset the believers faith by teaching things contrary to what they had been taught. These teachers were not servants of Christ but they were servants of theirselves and their own interests. They would use flowing words to make their message sound good, but their motives were evil. One day God would crush Satan under their feet. *** Lord, help us to stay true in our hearts to the pure message of Christ. May we understand the basic foundation of the gospel of peace and not be enticed to stray from it in any way.

Wed.’s Devo - Consequences - Good and Bad

Read: 2 Chronicles 32:1-33:13; Romans 15:23-16:9; Psalm 25:16-22; Proverbs 20:16-18 Hezekiah had restored the worship of God the way the law had commanded. This had stirred up Satan who he sent the king of Assyria to fight him. Hezekiah heard he was coming and finished building the walls around Jerusalem and gave orders to stop the flow of the Gihan Springs that ran outside the walls so the Assyrians wouldn’t find water when they came. He also manufactured many weapons and prepared for war. He encouraged the people by telling them that the king of Assyria may have a mighty army but they had the Lord on their side and he was not a mere man. *** The king of Assyria sent messengers to tell the people of Jerusalem he was coming and that they shouldn’t think that their God would be able to defeat them. They had come against many gods of many people and had defeated them so why did they think their God was any different. They shouted these taunts in Hebrew so the people could understand them and it would put fear in their hearts and weaken them. *** Hezekiah and Isaiah cried out to the Lord and he sent one angel who destroyed the whole Assyrian army. King Sennacherib returned home in disgrace and was killed by his own sons. Other nations heard of what happened and gave Hezekiah gifts honoring and fearing him. *** Hezekiah became deathly ill and cried out to the Lord who healed him and gave him 15 more years to live. During those years he became prideful and God had to humble him. He also sired a son named Manasseh who would become the next king. During those years he was visited by the ambassadors of Babylon. He pridefully showed them all the wealth of his kingdom. God sent Isaiah to tell him that one day all he had foolishly showed the Babylonians would be there’s. Hezekiah humbled himself and God said it would not happen in his lifetime. (You can read more about this in 2 Kings 19-20.) *** Manasseh was the one who would bring judgment to Judah. He was an evil king who worshipped Baal and undid all the good his father had done. He brought idol worship back into the Temple of God and practiced child sacrifice and all the perversion that goes along with idol worship. God sent prophets to turn Manasseh around but he ignored them and walked in his own rebellious ways. Finally, the Assyrian army (the ones that God had defeated when Hezekiah asked for help) came and took Manasseh with a hook in his nose and chains on his feet to Babylon. While he was in prison he humbled himself before the Lord and God brought him back to Jerusalem and he was able to rule again knowing that God alone is God. *** Romans is written to the church at Rome. Paul was greatly desiring to visit them but he had go to Spain and stop by Jerusalem to drop off an offering for the poor first. The Gentiles wanted to repay the believers in Jerusalem because they felt they owed them for the knowledge of salvation. Paul asked for their prayers that the people in Judah that opposed his message would not harm him and that the believers there would be willing to accept the gift from the Gentiles. *** Paul then gave a list of people he wanted to honor for their service to the Lord and to him. These were fellow workers who put their life on the line just like Paul to help him in spreading the Good News. *** Lord, it is evident in your word that what we do with our lives matter for generations. We can have a legacy of faith or one of compromise. Help us to stand tall for You and not waver and to remember that greater are You in us than he who is in the world.

Tues.’s Devo - A Great Revival

Read: 2 Chronicles 30:1-31:21; Romans 15:1-22; Psalm 25;1-15; Proverbs 20:13-15 Since they had not been able to cleanse the Temple and the priests by Passover, Hezekiah asked the people to celebrate it a month later than usual. He sent out messengers throughout Israel and Judah asking the people to return to the Lord and come and celebrate Passover in Jerusalem. Many made fun of the messengers and mocked them but some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. This was unusual since Israel and Judah had been at war with each other and the people of Israel had not come to Jerusalem to worship in the Temple since the days of Solomon. This was a big deal and very bold of Hezekiah. *** The people of Judah had a heart to obey the king and the Lord so they came in mass. They cleansed the pagan altars in Jerusalem and threw them in the Kidron Valley in preparation of the festival. On the assigned day, they began slaughtering the animals brought to the Passover. Many of the people had not cleansed themselves so the priests had to offer their animals they brought for their family. Most of them were the ones from Israel. *** They had such a wonderful time rejoicing in the Lord and fellowshipping with one another they decided to extend it another week. There had not been a celebration like this since the time of Solomon. When the celebration was over the ones who attended went back home and got rid of the pagan shrines and altars in their own towns and homes. This was a revival of repentance. *** Hezekiah set up the priests and Levites to restore the worship of all the sacrifices: the new moon, Sabbath, and daily sacrifices. He encouraged the people to give their tithes to the Temple. The people responded in such a big way that they were able to pay the priests and Levites and provide for them so they didn’t have to have a second job. They could totally give themselves to the daily needs of the Temple. The people gave so abundantly that they had to prepare the storehouses in the Temple to be able to hold it all. *** Hezekiah did what was pleasing and good in God’s eyes and God made him very successful. *** Paul taught us to live with others in mind and not just how we want to live. He encouraged us to be sensitive to the convictions of those around us and not flaunt our freedom in front of them. Our goal is to live in harmony with others and for them during their day it was to live at harmony with the Gentiles even though they were so different in their backgrounds. They could unite in their praise to God. *** Paul explained that it took him so long to get back to them because his heart was to share the Good News about Christ to those who had never heard about him. The people of Jerusalem saw Jesus with their own eyes and heard him with their own ears. But, he was glad to finally be with them and rejoice in their awakening also. *** Lord, may we see our nation return to the Lord as in the days of Hezekiah. May we cleanse our land of it wickedness and return to you.