relationships (Zephaniah 3:1-20) Family Without Shame

(Zephaniah 3:1-20)

1   Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
     The oppressive city!
2   She obeyed no voice,
     She accepted no discipline.
     She did not trust in the Lord,
     She did not approach her God.
3   Her leaders within her are roaring lions,
     Her judges are wolves at evening;
     They have no bones to gnaw in the morning.
4   Her prophets are insolent, treacherous men;
     Her priests have profaned the sanctuary.
     They have done violence to the Law.
5   The Lord is righteous within her;
     He will do no injustice.
     Every morning He brings His justice to light;
     He does not fail.
     But the criminal knows no shame.
6   “I have eliminated nations;
     Their corner towers are deserted.
     I have laid waste their streets,
     With no one passing by;
     Their cities have been laid waste,
     Without a person, without an inhabitant.
7   I said, ‘You will certainly revere Me,
     You will accept discipline.’
     So her dwelling will not be eliminated 
     In accordance with everything that I have stipulated for her.
     Instead, they were eager to corrupt all their deeds.

8   “Therefore wait for Me,” declares the Lord,
     “For the day when I rise up as a witness.
     Indeed, My decision is to gather nations,
     To assemble kingdoms,
     To pour out on them My indignation,
     All My burning anger;
     For all the earth will be devoured 
     By the fire of My zeal.
9   For then I will restore to the peoples pure lips,
     So that all of them may call on the name of the Lord,
     To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia 
     My worshipers, My dispersed ones,
     Will bring My offerings.
11 On that day you will feel no shame 
     Because of all your deeds 
     By which you have rebelled against Me;
     For then I will remove from your midst 
     Your proud, arrogant ones,
     And you will never again be haughty 
     On My holy mountain.

12 But I will leave among you 
     A humble and lowly people,
     And they will take refuge in the name of the Lord.
13 The remnant of Israel will do no wrong 
     And tell no lies,
     Nor will a deceitful tongue 
     Be found in their mouths;
     For they will feed and lie down 
     With no one to frighten them.”

14 Shout for joy, daughter of Zion!
     Shout in triumph, Israel!
     Rejoice and triumph with all your heart,
     Daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away His judgments against you,
     He has cleared away your enemies.
     The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
     You will no longer fear disaster.
16 On that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
     “Do not be afraid, Zion;
     Do not let your hands fall limp.
17 The Lord your God is in your midst,
     A victorious warrior.
     He will rejoice over you with joy,
     He will be quiet in His love,
     He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
18 I will gather those who are worried about the appointed feasts—
     They came from you, Zion;
     The disgrace of exile is a burden on them.
19 Behold, I am going to deal at that time 
     With all your oppressors;
     I will save those who limp 
     And gather the scattered,
     And I will turn their shame into praise and fame 
     In all the earth.
20 At that time I will bring you in,
     Even at the time when I gather you together;
     Indeed, I will make you famous and praiseworthy 
     Among all the peoples of the earth,
     When I restore your fortunes before your eyes,”
     Says the Lord.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

The Lord is our perfect law and order and the only one who can save us;  from His wrath, from evil, from eternal punishment and from ourselves:  The Lord is also a God of relationships!  Christianity is all about having a personal relationship with the God of unconditional, sacrificial love.  In His forgiveness and salvation, we are changed from the inside out.  We are covered by the blood of Jesus, and His righteousness.  We are sealed with His Holy Spirit of promise for all eternity.  We are adopted into God's family.  The Lord, Himself, is our heavenly Father, who is holy - perfect - and caring!

verse 5 - the Lord is just

verse 5 - the Lord is righteousness and does not fail

verse 8 - the Lord is all-knowing and a witness, and therefore can see and judge our hearts and motives

verse 5-8 - the Lord is judge and will punish sinners, those who have not humbly turned to Him for His salvation

verse 7,  15 - the Lord will NOT judge or punish believers for their sins

verse 15 - the Lord chooses to NOT remember our sins when He has forgiven us

verse 11 - the Lord removes all sin and shame

verse 19 - the Lord saves and heals 

verse 9 - the Lord restores us so that we can serve Him, in beautiful unity

verse 7 - the Lord guides and disciplines

verse 20 - the Lord will take care of us

verse 12-13 - the Lord protects us when we take refuge in Him

verse 11, 19 - the Lord will deal with all sinners, the proud and haughty and all oppressors

verse 17 - the Lord fights our battles for us and then rejoices over us

relationships (Zephaniah 2:1-15) Useful vs Useless Efforts

(Zephaniah 2:1-15) 

1   Gather yourselves together, yes, join together,
     You nation without shame,
2   Before the decree takes effect—
     The day passes like chaff—
     Before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you,
     Before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you.
3   Seek the Lord,
     All you humble of the earth 
     Who have practiced His ordinances;
     Seek righteousness, seek humility.
     Perhaps you will remain hidden 
     On the day of the Lord’s anger.

4   For Gaza will be abandoned,
     And Ashkelon will become a desolation;
     The inhabitants of Ashdod will be driven out at noon,
     And Ekron will be uprooted.
5   Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,
     The nation of the Cherethites!
     The word of the Lord is against you,
     Canaan, land of the Philistines;
     And I will eliminate you 
     So that there will be no inhabitant.
6   So the seacoast will become grazing places,
     With pastures for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7   And the coast will be 
     For the remnant of the house of Judah,
     They will drive sheep to pasture on it.
     In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening;
     For the Lord their God will care for them 
     And restore their fortunes.

8   “I have heard the taunting of Moab 
     And the abusive speech of the sons of Ammon,
     With which they have taunted My people 
     And boasted against their territory.
9   Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of armies,
     The God of Israel,
     “Moab will assuredly be like Sodom,
     And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah—
     Ground overgrown with weeds and full of salt mines,
     And a permanent desolation.
     The remnant of My people will plunder them,
     And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.”

10 This they will have in return for their arrogance, because they have taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of armies. 11 The Lord will be terrifying to them, for He will starve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from his own place.

12 “You also, Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.”
13 And He will stretch out His hand against the north 
     And eliminate Assyria,
     And He will make Nineveh a desolation,
     Parched like the wilderness.
14 Flocks will lie down in her midst,
     All animals that range in herds;
     Both the pelican and the hedgehog 
     Will spend their nights in the tops of her pillars;
     Birds will sing in the window,
     Devastation will be on the threshold;
     For He has uncovered the cedar work.
15 This is the presumptuous city 
     That dwells securely,
     Who says in her heart,
     “I am, and there is no one besides me.”
     How she has become a desolation,
     A resting place for animals!
     Everyone who passes by her will hiss 
     And wave his hand in contempt.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Verse 3 might seem like a contradiction to the pre-Trib. stance, but it is not.  God is telling people to actually become a believer, instead of just acting like one, so they can avoid going through the Tribulation, as well as eternal punishment.  While going through the motions will have a few benefits, this will do nothing to save a person.  All efforts made by unbelievers, no matter how "good" they are, are worthless and will be destroyed.  

Verse 2 talks about a day passing like chaff.  Chaff is the useless, worthless parts of a crop that blows away as the wheat is being threshed in order to gather the grain.  For an unbeliever, this would be a day spent rebelling against God, or running away from God, or just pretending to believe in God...  A sadly pointless day is spent by very religious people who strive to work to save themselves. 

For believers, a wasted day would be one that didn't involve God in everything they were doing and saying.  Because Christianity is not a religion!  It is all about having a personal relationship with the Lord!  Therefore, involving Him in every aspect of our lives is the opposite of "work".  A few hours a week at church, worshiping and serving the Lord.  A few minutes daily spent in God's word.  Thanking the Lord whenever we eat.  Praying to Him throughout the day to have Him help us and guide us toward healthy decisions and attitudes, and then asking Him to do these things FOR us... The benefits to both God's kingdom and our lives are massive!

God can use us anywhere and anytime!  I heard a quote the other day that said, "Bring the Glorious into the mundane."  God can and will use the smallest things in great and mighty ways!  As we trust in the Lord to work for us, in us and through us, in His strength, love and righteousness we will produce fruit, which is valuable, because it is all for God's kingdom and glory!

relationships (Zephaniah 1:1-18) Set Apart and Protected

(Zephaniah 1:1-18) 

The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah:

2   “I will completely remove all things 
     From the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
3   “I will remove human and animal life;
     I will remove the birds of the sky 
     And the fish of the sea,
     And the ruins along with the wicked;
     And I will eliminate mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
4   “So I will stretch out My hand against Judah 
     And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
     And I will eliminate the remnant of Baal from this place,
     And the names of the idolatrous priests along with the other priests.
5   And those who bow down on the housetops to the heavenly lights,
     And those who bow down and swear to the Lord, but also swear by Milcom,
6   And those who have turned back from following the Lord,
     And those who have not sought the Lord nor inquired of Him.”

7   Be silent before the Lord God!
     For the day of the Lord is near,
     Because the Lord has prepared a sacrifice,
     He has consecrated His guests.
8   “Then it will come about on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice 
     That I will punish the princes, the king’s sons,
     And all who clothe themselves with foreign garments.
9   And on that day I will punish all who leap on the temple threshold,
     Who fill the house of their lord with violence and deceit.
10 And on that day,” declares the Lord,
     “There will be the sound of a cry from the Fish Gate,
     Wailing from the Second Quarter,
     And a loud crash from the hills.
11 Wail, you inhabitants of the Mortar,
     Because all the people of Canaan will be destroyed;
     All who weigh out silver will be eliminated.
12 And it will come about at that time 
     That I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
     And I will punish the people 
     Who are stagnant in spirit,
     Who say in their hearts,
     ‘The Lord will not do good nor harm!’
13 Their wealth will become plunder,
     And their houses desolate;
     Yes, they will build houses but not inhabit them,
     And plant vineyards but not drink their wine.”

14 The great day of the Lord is near,
     Near and coming very quickly;
     Listen, the day of the Lord!
     In it the warrior cries out bitterly.
15 That day is a day of anger,
     A day of trouble and distress,
     A day of destruction and desolation,
     A day of darkness and gloom,
     A day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 A day of trumpet and battle cry 
     Against the fortified cities 
     And the high corner towers.
17 I will bring distress on mankind 
     So that they will walk like those who are blind,
     Because they have sinned against the Lord;
     And their blood will be poured out like dust,
     And their flesh like dung.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold 
     Will be able to save them 
     On the day of the Lord’s anger;
     And all the earth will be devoured 
     By the fire of His jealousy,
     For He will make a complete end,
     Indeed a horrifying one,
     Of all the inhabitants of the earth.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Here is a warning that the Tribulation is coming and there will be an end to all evil.  And it is a stern warning for someone to open their eyes and see their need for Jesus' forgiveness and salvation.  Because the Lord is a God of relationships, and He created us and knows us better than we know ourselves, He knows exactly what it will take to get those who will become believers - to become believers!  

For some people, Jesus simply needs to gently hold out His hand for them to take.  For others, they need to learn the hard way.  And for those who will reject Jesus to the end, they will be without excuse.  Because God loves everyone and desires that all come to know Him personally, He will make sure everyone has fair opportunity.

All believers leading up to the rapture, will not be part of those seven years of judgment and punishment upon the earth, because we have been consecrated... set apart and made holy.  From reading this chapter, particularly verse 7, it is clear that we can be encouraged and confident about this!  The God of love and purpose knows exactly what He is doing and promises to protect and look after His children!

(1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)  Now as to the periods and times, brothers and sisters, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction will come upon them like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, so that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then, let’s not sleep as others do, but let’s be alert and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we are of the day, let’s be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. 11 Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you also are doing.

relationships (Habakkuk 3:1-19) Free Will to Freedom

(Habakkuk 3:1-19) 

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.

2   Lord, I have heard the report about You, and I was afraid.
     Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years,
     In the midst of the years make it known.
     In anger remember mercy.

3   God comes from Teman,
     And the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah 
     His splendor covers the heavens,
     And the earth is full of His praise.
4   His radiance is like the sunlight;
     He has rays flashing from His hand,
     And the hiding of His might is there.
5   Before Him goes plague,
     And plague comes forth after Him.
6   He stood and caused the earth to shudder;
     He looked and caused the nations to jump.
     Yes, the everlasting mountains were shattered,
     The ancient hills collapsed.
     His paths are everlasting.
7   I saw the tents of Cushan under distress,
     The tent curtains of the land of Midian were trembling.

8   Did the Lord rage against the rivers,
     Or was Your anger against the rivers,
     Or was Your rage against the sea,
     That You rode on Your horses,
     On Your chariots of salvation?
9   You removed Your bow from its holder,
     The arrows of Your word were sworn. Selah 
     You divided the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw You and quaked;
     The downpour of waters swept by.
     The deep raised its voice,
     It lifted high its hands.
11 Sun and moon stood in their lofty places;
     They went away at the light of Your arrows,
     At the radiance of Your flashing spear.
12 In indignation You marched through the earth;
     In anger You trampled the nations.
13 You went forth for the salvation of Your people,
     For the salvation of Your anointed.
     You smashed the head of the house of evil 
     To uncover him from foot to neck. Selah 
14 You pierced with his own arrows 
     The head of his leaders.
     They stormed in to scatter us;
     Their arrogance was like those 
     Who devour the oppressed in secret.
15 You trampled on the sea with Your horses,
     On the foam of many waters.

16 I heard, and my inner parts trembled;
     At the sound, my lips quivered.
     Decay enters my bones,
     And in my place I tremble;
     Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress,
     For the people to arise who will attack us.
17 Even if the fig tree does not blossom,
     And there is no fruit on the vines,
     If the yield of the olive fails,
     And the fields produce no food,
     Even if the flock disappears from the fold,
     And there are no cattle in the stalls,
18 Yet I will triumph in the Lord,
     I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord God is my strength,
     And He has made my feet like deer’s feet,
     And has me walk on my high places.

For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

It is interesting how people question how God can be loving when there is so much evil in the world.  Well, because He is love, He has given everyone a free will to choose if they want to love God back.  For those who choose salvation through Jesus, the Lord fights for those who are His children.  

For those who say they hate evil and that something needs to be done - why do they avoid putting their faith and trust in the Lord?  Why do they choose to hate and be angry at the Lord?  It is not His fault that people sin!  It is not His desire that anyone be punished or perish.  He desires that all come to know Him.  This is why He came to suffer and die on the cross - in our place - to pay for our sins!

Therefore, once we confess that we are sinners and want Jesus in our lives, in His forgiveness, He sets us free from sin, death, hate, fear and punishment.  And with that, no matter what is happening around us or to us, we can triumph in the Lord.  We can rejoice in our salvation.  God is our strength, and it is He that wants to help us with and in all things, all to His glory!  Why avoid this?  This is something and Someone to cling to ! ! !

relationships (Habakkuk 2:1-20) Being Prepared

(Habakkuk 2:1-20) 

1   I will stand at my guard post 
     And station myself on the watchtower;
     And I will keep watch to see what He will say to me,
     And how I may reply when I am reprimanded.
2   Then the Lord answered me and said,
     “Write down the vision 
     And inscribe it clearly on tablets,
     So that one who reads it may run.
3   For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
     It hurries toward the goal and it will not fail.
     Though it delays, wait for it;
     For it will certainly come, it will not delay long.

4   “Behold, as for the impudent one,
     His soul is not right within him;
     But the righteous one will live by his faith.
5   Furthermore, wine betrays an arrogant man,
     So that he does not achieve his objective.
     He enlarges his appetite like Sheol,
     And he is like death, never satisfied.
     He also gathers to himself all the nations 
     And collects to himself all the peoples.

6   “Will all of these not take up a song of ridicule against him,
     Even a saying and insinuations against him 
     And say, ‘Woe to him who increases what is not his—
     For how long—
     And makes himself rich with debts!’
7   Will your creditors not rise up suddenly,
     And those who collect from you awaken?
     Indeed, you will become plunder for them.
8   Since you have looted many nations,
     All the rest of the peoples will loot you—
     Because of human bloodshed and violence done to the land,
     To the town and all its inhabitants.

9   “Woe to him who makes evil profit for his household,
     To put his nest on high,
     To be saved from the hand of catastrophe!
10 You have planned a shameful thing for your house 
     By bringing many peoples to an end;
     So you are sinning against yourself.
11 For the stone will cry out from the wall,
     And the rafter will answer it from the framework.

12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed,
     And founds a town with violence!
13 Is it not indeed from the Lord of armies 
     That peoples labor merely for fire,
     And nations become weary for nothing?
14 For the earth will be filled 
     With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
     As the waters cover the sea.

15 “Woe to him who makes his neighbor drink;
     To you who mix in your venom even to make your neighbors drunk,
     So as to look at their genitalia!
16 You will be filled with disgrace rather than honor.
     Drink, you yourself, and expose your own foreskin!
     The cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you,
     And utter disgrace will come upon your glory.
17 For the violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
     And the devastation of its animals by which you terrified them,
     Because of human bloodshed and violence done to the land,
     To the town and all its inhabitants.

18 “What benefit is a carved image when its maker has carved it,
     Or a cast metal image, a teacher of falsehood?
     For its maker trusts in his own handiwork 
     When he fashions speechless idols.
19 Woe to him who says to a piece of wood, ‘Awake!’
     To a mute stone, ‘Arise!’
     That is your teacher?
     Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
     Yet there is no breath at all inside it.
20 But the Lord is in His holy temple.
     Let all the earth be silent before Him.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

What is it that we need to wait and watch for?  Well, no matter who we are, and no matter which era we live in, we all have an inevitable end.  To be prepared, in order to be saved from death, we need to find and embrace Jesus and His salvation.  We cannot save ourselves, or guide ourselves, or be "good enough".  If we think we can, or whenever we think that we know better, that is self-righteousness, and we are only deceiving ourselves.

We need to see, know and remember that Jesus is truth and righteousness!  By having a personal relationship with Him, and following Him and His word, He imparts to us His righteousness.  With Jesus' Holy Spirit living in us, He changes us from the inside out.

Therefore, we should consider how vigilant we are in knowing God's words which will help us get through each day, striving to live in His will, as well as praying and asking the Lord to continue working for us, in us, and through us.  Sometimes it is about seeing what needs to be addressed in our lives.  If and when God reprimands us - what is our reply?  This was Habakkuk's question.  And when the Lord spoke to him, Habakkuk was given a directive.  

As believers, we are not expected "to pay" for any sin.  Jesus has done that for everyone of us, in full.  His desire for us is that we keep relying on Him, in joy and thankfulness, and continue serving Him with the gifts that He has given us, in His strength and guidance.  In the way we live our lives, we will be a living testimony to those around us, so that they too might see their need for Jesus and His salvation, and the benefits that He brings to our lives right now.  This is what it means to wait on the Lord and keep watch.  This is the only way to be prepared and ready!

relationships (Habakkuk 1:1-17) A Love to Share

(Habakkuk 1:1-17) 

The pronouncement which Habakkuk the prophet saw:

2   How long, Lord, have I called for help,
     And You do not hear?
     I cry out to You, “Violence!”
     Yet You do not save.
3   Why do You make me see disaster,
     And make me look at destitution?
     Yes, devastation and violence are before me;
     Strife exists and contention arises.
4   Therefore the Law is ignored,
     And justice is never upheld.
     For the wicked surround the righteous;
     Therefore justice comes out confused.

5   “Look among the nations! Watch!
     Be horrified! Be frightened speechless!
     For I am accomplishing a work in your days—
     You would not believe it even if you were told!
6   For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans,
     That grim and impetuous people
     Who march throughout the earth,
     To take possession of dwelling places that are not theirs.
7   They are terrifying and feared;
     Their justice and authority originate with themselves.
8   Their horses are faster than leopards,
     And quicker than wolves in the evening.
     Their horsemen charge along,
     Their horsemen come from afar;
     They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour.
9   All of them come for violence.
     Their horde of faces moves forward.
     They gather captives like sand.
10 They make fun of kings,
     And dignitaries are an object of laughter to them.
     They laugh at every fortress,
     Then heap up dirt and capture it.
11 Then they fly along like the wind and pass on.
     But they will be held guilty,
     They whose strength is their god.”

12 Are You not from time everlasting,
     Lord, my God, my Holy One?
     We will not die.
     You, Lord, have appointed them to deliver judgment;
     And You, O Rock, have destined them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too pure to look at evil,
     And You cannot look at harm favorably.
     Why do You look favorably 
     At those who deal treacherously?
     Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up
     Those more righteous than they?
14 Why have You made people like the fish of the sea,
     Like crawling things that have no ruler over them?
15 The Chaldeans bring all of them up with a hook,
     Drag them away with their net,
     And gather them together in their fishing net.
     Therefore they rejoice and are joyful.
16 Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net
     And burn incense to their fishing net,
     Because through these things their catch is large,
     And their food is plentiful.
17 Will they therefore empty their net,
     And continually slay nations without sparing?

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Seeing the horrors in life, one might wonder why God allows this.  Well, He is loving and righteous, so He will not force anyone to believe in Him or live in His will.  Yet He is also sovereign, therefore people and the spiritual realm can only do as much as God allows.  And because God is fair and just, one day all unbelievers will be held accountable.  Yet, it is in the darkness that many people will realize their need for salvation and desire to seek, find and live in the light, putting their faith and trust in the Lord.  

Part of trusting in the Lord is to wait on Him to accomplish whatever it is He has in store for each time period.  Another aspect of trusting and waiting on the Lord is to rely on Him to get us through each day in His strength, wisdom and grace, no matter what is happing to us or around us.  

For believers, seeing the darkness is a good reminder to continue praying, and sharing the good news!  But there isn't any need to seek out the darkness, it is all around us wherever we are.  And that should not be our focus anyway.  Our purpose isn't to stamp out darkness, but to pursue and share God's light and love, while always drawing closer in a personal relationship with the Lord.  We cannot share what we do not have.