Tues.’s Devo - Jonah

Read: Jonah 1:1-4:11; Revelation 5:1-14; Psalm 133:1-3; Proverbs 29:26-27 Jonah means “a dove” the same metaphor used to describe the Holy Spirit at Jesus’ baptism. Jonah was the son of Amittai which means “God’s veracious faithfulness”. Jonah was to be the Holy Spirit to show the city of Nineveh God’s veracious faithfulness. God told Jonah to go and cry against the city for its wickedness. I would think he would love to go and say this to his enemy. God didn’t tell Jonah to go and preach repentance, he told him to cry against it. Instead, Jonah ran from what God told him to do. He didn’t want to do it. He hopped a ship to Tarshish but God sent a great wind to destroy their ship. The crew cried out to their gods and threw all the cargo overboard. All this time Jonah was asleep in the bottom of the boat. He was awakened with the same panic Jesus was awakened when he was asleep in the bottom of the boat with his disciples. Both were told they were about to die and both Jesus and Jonah knew what to do to quiet the waves. Jesus spoke to the waves and Jonah gave himself to them. When Jonah told the men why the storm came and that they had do cast him overboard. They finally did and the waves were still. Jonah was swallowed by a great fish that God had prepared for him. The fish took him to the shore that led to Nineveh. Jonah died and was in that fish’s belly for three days and three nights just like Jesus was in the tomb three days and three nights. Jonah was resurrected as he repented. Jonah was cast on the shore and had to walk for three days. He had a long time to think. When he got to Nineveh he told them that in 40 days they would be overthrown. Instead of killing him, they repented and proclaimed a fast. They cried out to the Lord for mercy and God repented of the evil he had planned. This upset Jonah that God had chosen to have mercy on them. He was so upset he wanted to die. (Talk about a pity party.) God confronted Jonah about his attitude and caused a gourd to grow over him and shade him from the sun. Then he prepared a worm to eat the gourd and take away his shade. Once again Jonah wanted to die. God asked him if he had a right to be mad at a gourd. Jonah thought he did. God told him that he cared about the gourd who didn’t have a soul; shouldn’t God care about Nineveh and its 120,000 people that didn’t know right from wrong. The gourd and Nineveh were the same. They were both ignorant of the things of God but God still loved them and had pity for them because they just didn’t know the truth. The end of the story is that Nineveh eventually went back to their wickedness and were destroyed 200 years later. In Revelation, John saw that God was holding a scroll in his right hand. It had seven seals on it and no one in heaven or on the earth was worthy to open it. John began to weep and the angels told him that there was one who could open it and that was the the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne. Then John saw a lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered standing where the menorah had been. The Word became flesh. He had seven horns and seven eyes which represented his spirit sent out to all the parts of the earth. He took the scroll and the four living beings and the 24 elders fell down in worship. They were carrying the bowls full of the oil and incense which represents the prayers of the saints. They gave the Lord worship. Angels joined in the worship just as they did when Jesus was born. The four creatures fell down in worship also. Lord, we know that the time is so close to your returning. May we live in worship of you.

Mon.’s Devo - The Destruction of Edom

Read: Obadiah 1:1-21; Revelation 4:1-11; Psalm 132:1-18; Proverbs 29:24-25 God gave a message to Edom. Edom stands for Esau who despised his godly inheritance and the blessing that his father could give him. He came for the blessing but it was too late. It is a picture of all the people who had the chance to follow Jesus but rejected his offer of eternal life. They despised the things of God and only serve themselves. God was about to judge Edom for its arrogance and the way it laughed when calamity came to Israel. They were ruthless to Israel and now all of their allies would turn on them and side with their enemies to destroy them. Jerusalem would become a refuge for those who escape. The people of Israel would come back to reclaim their inheritance. They will bring revenge upon Edom for what they did to them. Israel would once again possess their land. Israel would rule over Edom and the Lord will be king. In Revelation, John is shown an open door to heaven. He saw God on his throne with the 24 elders around the throne. He saw the menorah with the sevenfold Spirit of God and the four living creatures. The first creature was like a lion, the second like an ox, the third had a human face and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. Each had six wings which were covered with eyes. They began the worship of God and the 24 elders joined in. They cried that God was holy and worthy to receive glory and honor and power because He created all things and they exist because He created what He pleased. Lord, it is hard to believe that you are pleased with what you created when we look at all the evil in the world, but that is exactly what you say. You love your creation as you created it. May we return to the way we were created to be as a nation, as a people and as your church.

Sun.’s Devo - Philadelphia and Laodicea

Read: Amos 7:1-9:15; Revelation 3:7-22; Psalm 131:1-3; Proverbs 29:23 God showed Amos two scenarios of what he was planning to do to judge Israel. The first was a swarm of locusts that came through the land at harvest time and ate up all the crops. The second was a fire that consumed everything. Amos cried out in protest over both of them pleading with the Lord not to do either because Israel could not survive. God relented and then showed Amos a plumb line. By His standard of measure He would judge Israel. Whoever didn’t measure up would be killed. King Jeroboam’s kingdom would be brought down. Jereboam was the leader of the northern kingdom of Israel. The kingdom had just split into Israel and Judah and to keep the people from traveling to Jerusalem to worship the Lord, Jereboam had set up two golden calves for the people of Israel to worship. He led the people into idolatry. One of these golden calves was in Bethel. Amaziah, the leading false priest of Bethel sent word to Jeroboam that Amos was prophesying against him. He also sent word to Amos to take his business back to Judah. Amos explained that he wasn’t prophesying for money like they did, he was there on commission from God. He made his living being a shepherd and taking care of sycamore-fig trees. Then Amos told the priests of Israel what would happen to them and their land. Their own wives would be forced to become prostitutes as they would be led into exile where they would die. Their children would be killed and their land divided up. Amos was shown a basket of ripe fruit. God told him that Israel was ripe for judgment. Their day of feasting and singing was going to change to wailing and mourning. Many would die. Their sins were listed: they dishonored God, cheated the helpless and enslaved the poor. There would be a famine of hearing the Word of the Lord. There would be no place to escape God’s judgment. Amos brought out a great point. He reminded them that just like God brought Israel out of Egypt, He brought the Philistines out of Crete and the Arameans out of Kir. He asked the Israelites if they think that are more important than these other nations. God has to judge nations for their actions…all nations. Israel was to be God’s nation on the earth to be an example to the other nations of how His nation should live and how He would care for them. Instead, Israel followed after the other nations and became like them. God had to judge them. But, God always leaves them with hope. One day they would return not only to their land but to Him and he would abundantly bless them. In Revelation John speaks to the churches of Philadelphia and Laodicea, the last two churches. These churches mirror the last ages of the church age. The people in the church of Philadelphia were commended for obeying God’s Word and not denying Him. Their enemies will have to come and acknowledge that they are the true children of God that he loves. Their perseverance will keep them from the time of testing that will come in the end. The victorious will become pillars in the Temple of God and they will have the name of God and be citizens in the new Jerusalem. They will also be given God’s new name. They were given no rebuke. The church of Laodicia were the opposite. They were lukewarm and would be spit out of God’s mouth. They didn’t have eyes to see or ears to hear or a heart to understand the days they were living in. They had no fear of God. He called them to hear his voice and come and sit with him and have fellowship. If they overcame their indifference they would sit with him on his throne. Lord, may we be victorious in the age we are living in. May we not give up hope.

Sat.’s Devo - Thyatira and Sardis

Read: Amos 4:1-6:14; Revelation 2:18-3:6; Psalm 130:1-8; Proverbs 29:21-22 In Chapter 4, Amos speaks first to the nobility and the elite of the nation. They oppressed all the common people and led the nation in idolatry. (Sounds like America.) They scoffed at God’s judgments and refused to be reformed. God turned them over to their own ways and it brought severe consequences. They refused to see that it was God’s hand judging them and calling them to repentance, so they must prepare for the last and worst judgment of all. In Chapter 5, Amos sings a funeral song to Israel. He calls them to repentance and declares the coming day of judgement. It will be terrible to the scorners who despise God’s words. God was tired of their rituals and meetings that had nothing to do with Him. They were self-righteous and showy to impress one another but God was not impressed. He knew their hearts. Because of their rebellion, they would be taken far away to the east. In Chapter 6, Amos denounces Zion and Samaria for their sense of false security. They trusted in their own strength and didn’t rely or call on the Lord for help. God would ruin their palaces and slaughter their people for their perverse injustice. God speaks of 90% of the people being killed. Only a remnant would survive. In Revelation God has a message to the churches of Thyatira and Sardis. Thyatira is commended for their love, faith and patient endurance. The complaint against them is their toleration of Jezebel who enticed others to sin and think it was okay. She and all her followers would be judged. Those who are victorious over this evil spirit will be given authority over all the nations to rule and smash the enemy. They will walk in the same authority that Jesus did. Sardis got the greatest rebuke in my opinion. They appeared to be alive and well while inside they were really dead. They were told to repent and turn to the Lord. If they didn’t wake up God would come to them like a thief. There were some in that church who hadn’t been soiled with evil and they would walk with the Lord in purity. The victorious would walk with God in white and their names would never be erased form the Book of Life. Everyone’s of God’s children are written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the earth but those who rebel will have their name erased from the book. (Revelation 13:8; 17:8) Lord, may we be victorious till the end.

Fri.’s Devo - Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamum

Read: Amos 1:1-3:15; Revelation 2:1-17; Psalm 129:1-8: Proverbs 29:19-20 Amos means “burdensome” because he was carrying God’s burden of His people. He was given this prophecy two years before the earthquake of Uzziah’s reign. It is mentioned in Zechariah 14:5. At the same time Uzziah was struck with leprosy for usurping the priest’s duties. God passes out judgement on six of Israel’s enemies which they would agree with but then he ends it with the judgment of Judah and Israel’s sins. He begins with Damascus, the capital of Syria. Gaza was second, then Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Tyre, Judah and Israel. They would all be destroyed by God’s refining fire. God had more to say about the sins of his people than their enemies. They made their righteous ones to sin and told their prophets to be quiet. Their elite would be brought down with their idols. In Revelation we read the letters to the churches in Ephesus, Smyrna and Peramum. Ephesus was commended for her hard work and patient endurance but rebuke for turning from their first love of Christ. They were promised fruit from the tree of life to those who were victorious. Smyrna was commanded for their suffering and poverty. They were promised a crown of life for their faithfulness. Pergamum was commended for standing for the truth in the midst of paganism. They were rebuked for tolerating wrong teaching about sin in their congregation. The victorious were promised manna from heaven and a white stone with their name engraved on it. Lord, thank you that you rebuke and you encourage. Your judgements are right and fair. May we be faithful in persecution and suffering.

Thurs.’s Devo - Our Hope is in the Lord

Read: Joel 1:1-3:21; Revelation 1:1-20; Psalm 128:1-6: Proverbs 29:18 Joel saw four stages of locusts: (1) the gnawing locust; (2) the swarming locust; (3) the licking locust; and (4) the consuming locust. They were a progression with the last being the most destructive kind. The fourth is often three inches long, with two antennæ, each an inch long. It had six feet, the back two longer than the others so it could leap. The first “gnawing” locust, emerges from its egg in the spring, without wings. The second “swarming” locust evolves at the end of spring, when the locusts shed their skin again and bring forth little ones without legs or wings. The third, “licking” locust occurs when after their third shedding of their old skin. They get small wings, which enable them to leap better, but not fly. Once their wings are matured, they devour all before them, grass, shrubs, and the bark of trees. The fourth “consuming locust” is the matured winged locusts. In Joel 2:25 they are are mentioned in the reverse order, where the restoration of the devastations caused by them is promised. The first stage of the locust refer to Assyria and Babylon; the second to Medo-Persia; the third, to Greco-Macedonia and Antiochus Epiphanes, and the fourth, to the Romans. Each successive empires which attacked Judea were worse than its predecessor; Rome being the climax. Their devastation on the land would look like a plague of locusts came through. God called the people to mourn and repent for their sins. Their sins had been the cause of the devastation. It was time to fast and pray. Famine and war was coming. This vast army that marches through their land would leave nothing but destruction and devastation behind them. This army he is describing is God’s army and He is the leader of it. This was a picture of how it will be in the end on the “Day of the Lord.” God was giving them a chance to repent before it happened so maybe they could turn God’s heart. God is merciful and compassionate and will relent on his judgement if he sees repentant hearts. Joel called for a national day of repentance and fasting. He wanted everyone to stop their daily plans and repent and turn back to the Lord. If they did, God would turn the curse into a blessing for his people. God spoke of their future because he knew that one day they would repent and He would bless them once again and bring them back to their land. One day they would know Him as their Lord. God would pour on them his Spirit and they would prophesy and hear his voice. He was referring to the time when Jesus would walk the earth and bring salvation through his death. The Holy Spirit would be given at Pentecost and people would once again walk with God. Chapter three speaks of the day when God will call every nation to the Valley of Decision which will be Armageddon. There he will judge and fight every nation that came against his people. God will fight and win a victory over all his enemies and this will be the last battle. After the war, God’s people will return to Jerusalem and make their home there. Their sins will be pardoned forever and they will live with the Lord. This revelation was given to John of the events that would happen in the end of time. It came from the throne of God in heaven and was sent by a messenger to John. Jesus would return in the clouds and all would see him, even the ones who were his enemy and crucified him. John received this vision while exiled on the island of Patmos for preaching the truth about Jesus Christ. John was told to write what he saw in a book and send it to seven specific churches. These churches would mirror the ages to come. When John turned to see who was speaking he saw Jesus in all his glory. Jesus was standing among the lamp stand with seven stars in his right hand and a two-edged sword coming out of his mouth. John fell to the ground in awe and fear and Jesus touched him and told him not to be afraid. He was the one who held the keys to death and the grave. He told him to write down what he saw and then gave him a clue. The seven stars where the messengers of the seven churches and the seven lamp stands were the seven churches. Lord, may we repent as a nation. Thank you for showing us the future so that we will put our hope in You.

Wed.’s Devo - The Path of the Lord

Read: Hosea 10:1-14:9; Jude 1:1-25; Psalm 127:1-5; Proverbs 29:15-17 Prosperity was Israel’s downfall. Money without God leads to all sorts of wrong spending. They spent their money on idols and their temples. God was about to do away with their idols and their luxuriant temples. Samaria was the capital of Israel and had a golden calf that they worshipped. It was going to be carted away to Assyria. The people of Ephraim and Samaria had trusted in this idol. Bethel, which means “house of God” was renamed by God to be Beth-Aven which means “house of vanity or nothingness”. This was the home of one of the golden calves that Jeroboam had set up. God said that there had only been sin and more sin since Gibeah. Gibeah was where the man and his concubine stopped for the night. They were accosted by the men in the city and to save his life, the man gave his concubine for them to abuse all night. She died that night so he cut her body into12 pieces and sent them to all the tribes calling them to war against the men who had done this (Judges 19). God said that when it fit his plan, he would attack them too. Israel had built up strong armies thinking that their military would keep them safe but all their fortifications would fall and they would be crushed. Since the people refused to return to the Lord, they would return to Egypt instead and be forced to serve Assyria. Ephraim was one of Joseph’s sons and it meant “double fruit”. It was the tribe blessed above the other tribe but instead of being a leader in righteousness, they had turned to the worship of Baal. God reminded them that it was Him who brought them out of Egypt and they must acknowledge no other God but him. That was the first commandment he gave them. God had taken care of them and provided for them abundantly but they had exchanged his kindness for cruel gods who couldn’t do anything for them. God would destroy them even though He was their only helper. He was the only God who was on their side and wanted good for them. The other gods wanted death and destruction fo them. So now, they would get death and destruction. After God had destroyed them, he would heal them of their unfaithfulness. They would once again prosper under God’s loving hand. Hosea gives one more call for the people to repent and turn to God. He reminds them that the path of the Lord is true and right and the righteous people live by walking in them but the sinners stumble and fall. Jude talks about this very thing. He reminds the people that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful. He chained the angels in prisons of darkness that came down to earth and had sex with human women. He judged the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their sin with fire as a picture of what will happen in the end. In the same way, he would judge the people who were deceiving the people with their dreams while living immoral lives and blaspheming supernatural beings. Michael wouldn’t even rebuke Satan but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” These people were murderers, deceivers and extortionists. These deceivers were eating with them and participating in spiritual meetings which would end up shipwrecking them. Their purpose was to only satisfy their ungodly desires and they would create division among you. Instead, they were to build up each other in their faith praying in the power of the Holy Spirit. We are cautioned about showing mercy to everyone. We are to hate the sin which contaminates their lives. Lord, help us to walk on your path of righteousness and truth.