relationships (Zechariah 1:1-21) Timeless and Fulfilling

(Zechariah 1:1-21) In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo saying, 2 “The Lord was very angry with your fathers. 3 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “Return to Me,” declares the Lord of armies, “that I may return to you,” says the Lord of armies. 4 “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.”’ But they did not listen or pay attention to Me,” declares the Lord. 5 “Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6 But did My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, not overtake your fathers? Then they repented and said, ‘Just as the Lord of armies planned to do to us in accordance with our ways and our deeds, so He has dealt with us.’”’”

7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, that is, the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, as follows: 8 I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel, and white horses behind him. 9 Then I said, “What are these, my lord?” And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.” 10 And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees responded and said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.” 11 So they responded to the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees and said, “We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is still and quiet.”

12 Then the angel of the Lord said, “Lord of armies, how long will You take no pity on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been indignant for these seventy years?” 13 And the Lord responded to the angel who was speaking with me with gracious words, comforting words. 14 So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. 15 But I am very angry with the nations who are carefree; for while I was only a little angry, they furthered the disaster.” 16 Therefore the Lord says this: “I will return to Jerusalem with compassion; My house will be built in it,” declares the Lord of armies, “and a measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem.”’ 17 Again, proclaim, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.”’”

18 Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there were four horns. 19 So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 20 Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. 21 And I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he said, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah so that no one lifts up his head; but these craftsmen have come to frighten them, to throw down the horns of the nations who have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah in order to scatter it.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God created us with the purpose of having a personal relationship with Him.  And He chose the tiniest of nations, Israel, to be "the missionaries" to the world.  Whenever they as a nation put their faith and trust in the Lord, and are obedient to His will, the Lord blesses them, and works for them, in them, and through them.  But, they as a nation have rejected Him.  For now.

Therefore, the Israelites are told to return to the Lord so that He may return to them.  Israel has strayed, and one day, they as a nation will return to the Lord, after seeing the signs of Jesus' second coming (during the Tribulation).  Then He will take all those who become believers during those seven years into the Millennium.  After removing all evil, Jesus will set up His kingdom to fulfill all of Israel's covenants, rebuild the temple, and bring justice, peace and blessings to the entire earth for a thousand years.

Everything on earth is temporary.  It is only the Lord and His word that lasts forever.  So, it is only through the Lord Jesus Christ that we can have eternal life.  And because His word is eternal, the Bible is always relevant.  Because the Bible is timeless and true, we can trust that everything God tells us, works!  And because God is holy and loving, we can trust that He wants the best for us, so can have confidence that His words will lead us to a fulfilling life of purpose, spiritual peace, hope and joy.

relationships (Haggai 2:1-23) Being With is Close and Personal

(Haggai 2:1-23) On the twenty-first of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying, 3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison? 4 But now take courage, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord, ‘take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you people of the land take courage,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ declares the Lord of armies. 5 ‘As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit remains in your midst; do not fear!’ 6 For this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. 7 I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord of armies. 8 ‘The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,’ declares the Lord of armies. 9 ‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of armies, ‘and in this place I will give peace,’ declares the Lord of armies.”

10 On the twenty-fourth of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet, saying, 11 “The Lord of armies says this: ‘Now ask the priests for a ruling: 12 If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and touches bread with this fold, or touches cooked food, wine, oil, or any other food, will it become holy?’” And the priests answered, “No.” 13 Then Haggai said, “If one who is unclean from a corpse touches any of these things, will the latter become unclean?” And the priests answered, “It will become unclean.” 14 Then Haggai responded and said, “‘So is this people. And so is this nation before Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean. 15 But now, do consider from this day onward: before one stone was placed on another in the temple of the Lord, 16 from that time when one came to a grain heap of twenty measures, there would be only ten; and when one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there would be only twenty. 17 I struck you and every work of your hands with scorching wind, mildew, and hail; yet you did not come back to Me,’ declares the Lord. 18 ‘Do consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month; from the day when the temple of the Lord was founded, consider: 19 Is the seed still in the barn? Even including the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree, it has not produced fruit. Yet from this day on I will bless you.’”

20 Then the word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, 21 “Speak to Zerubbabel governor of Judah, saying, ‘I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 And I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will go down, every one by the sword of another.’ 23 ‘On that day,’ declares the Lord of armies, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you,’” declares the Lord of armies.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Sin is contagious, but holiness is not.  Holiness will not just rub off on someone if they are simply going through all the right motions, or if they are hanging out with mature believers.  To be holy as the Lord is holy is a choice that every person must make:  to realize our need to be saved, repent of our sins, and accept the forgiveness and salvation that is only possible through Jesus Christ's work on the cross.  In this, the Lord changes us from the inside out, and seals us for eternity.  

The Lord is omnipresent, meaning He is everywhere at one time.  Therefore, the Lord is always near - in vicinity - to everyone.  As believers, as soon as we become Christians, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.  Therefore, we always have the indwelling Spirit within us.  But - we can quench the Spirit by ignoring the Lord, and by drifting away from Him and His word.  Too often, Christians start to do things their way, thinking that God is "with" them and that He'll just sweep up their mess as they go and make everything good.  

Note that in Romans 8:28, it clearly says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."  It doesn't say that things will work out according to our purpose, or to our desires.  And it most certainly doesn't say that things will work out for good when we do things our way.  Even if we think God would really appreciate our personal plans, preferences or ideas, we are not omniscient.  We do not know all things!  But God does!  This is why we need God's direction and God's help!  Only He knows what is best and what is needed!

Therefore, God is only "with" us when we are with Him.  When we strive to walk in His way - in His will - according to His plans - with His help - we will experience courage and confidence that God is "with" us.  Will we still make mistakes?  Definitely!  But like king David, a man after God's own heart, if we truly love and trust the Lord, we will be confessing our sins as we become aware of them, and daily, we will be striving to continue on in seeking after the Lord, to trust and obey Him in everything..

The Lord is here to help!  And He wants us to take advantage of that!  He desires to have a close relationship with each and everyone of us, so that He can work for us, in us, and through us, all to His glory!  To work things out for good, according to His purpose, and to His holy, perfect, omniscient goodness!

relationships (Haggai 1:1-15) Intentional Community

(Haggai 1:1-15) In the second year of Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, 2 “This is what the Lord of armies says: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.”’” 3 Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 “Is it time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses while this house remains desolate?” 5 Now then, the Lord of armies says this: “Consider your ways! 6 You have sown much, only to harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but there is not enough for anyone to get warm; and the one who earns, earns wages to put into a money bag full of holes.”

7 The Lord of armies says this: “Consider your ways! 8 Go up to the mountains, bring wood, and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be honored,” says the Lord. 9 “You start an ambitious project, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?” declares the Lord of armies. “It is because of My house which remains desolate, while each of you runs to his own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the sky has withheld its dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 And I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on mankind, on cattle, and on all the products of the labor of your hands.”

12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, just as the Lord their God had sent him. And the people showed reverence for the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke by the commission of the Lord to the people, saying, “‘I am with you,’ declares the Lord.” 14 So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of armies, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius the king.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

When we neglect going to church and serving the Lord and each other, and selfishly focus on ourselves, we will find ourselves spinning our wheels.  We were created to have a personal relationship with the Lord God, and be part of His family, which is an intentional community.  But most importantly, God created us with a soul, which only He can fill and satisfy. 

When we become believers, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit forever, so we cannot lose our salvation;  but like a rechargeable battery, while the Holy Spirit is always with us, we need to recharge.  This includes spending time with the Lord in prayer and reading our Bibles consistently.  As well, God's word tells us not to neglect the meeting of the saints... going to church, getting involved in a Bible study, serving... plugging into a micro-portion of God's community that is our spiritual family! 

Every time I go to church, even if I was tempted to just stay home, I am always glad I went!  After the whole pandemic-quarantining-thing, I can say definitively, being at a service in person is so much more than watching a streamlined service.  God never forces people to do anything, but God will stir our hearts and energize us, inspiring a desire and eagerness to worship and serve Him, which brings healing, peace and joy.

This is not just for our own sake, it is also a testimony to others.  As verse 12 describes, physically going to church SHOWS our reverence and respect for our heavenly Father.  It is a physical sacrifice of our time and energy.  God certainly deserves that!  God is pleased with that!  And God will honor that!  And then, just like with tithing, throughout the week we will find that we are making better use of our time in God's strength and guidance.  When we make time for God, He literally makes time for us!

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!