My Daily Journal
August 11, 2009 - False Peace, False Hope
Readings: Jeremiah 7-9; John 13
“. . .prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. 11 They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace. Jeremiah 8:10-11
God had revealed this same message to Jeremiah previously (4:10 and 6:14) so it must have some great significance. The prophets and the priests had misled the people of Israel to believe that there was “peace” in the midst of all of their sin and disobedience. As a result, God would allow His people to fall to the Babylonians.
This is also a present danger. As churches fall into preaching the gospel of “nice,” the “feel good” gospel that doesn’t condemn sin and disobedience. This is the same apostasy of the people in Jeremiah’s time (alarming statistics show that only 7% of “evangelical Christians” have a Biblical world view). And just like in Jeremiah’s age, God has allowed these false prophets and priests because it is the desire of the people; it’s what they want to hear. And just like in Jeremiah’s time, God’s judgment will come and it will come swiftly. False peace brings false hope. We as Christians need to bring the true message of peace through faith in Christ and we must act swiftly because the time is near.
August 10, 2009 -Willing to Die
Readings: Jeremiah 5,6; John 12
“24I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:24-25
Jesus was speaking of his own death for the salvation of many. But He does not stop with His own life. Verse 25 above and 26 (Whoever serves me must follow me) reminds us of our own need to die ourselves in service and witness for Him. His disciples did. And we are called to do the same. Are you willing to die, not merely to the flesh, but literally for Christ’s sake? If we claim to follow him, then we must.
August 9, 2009 -Remove the Stones and See His Glory
Readings: Jeremiah 3,4; John 11
39“Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” 40Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
Martha, like most of us, just could not understand; she could not see past the present circumstances. And so many times we also can’t see the forest for the trees. We need to remove the stones (thoughts, ideology, unbelief) in our lives that limit us from seeing all of God’s glory, all of the things he wants to reveal to us. If we would just believe on everything He has told us through his Word, then we will be able to see the glory of God like we never have before.
August 8, 2009 -Forever His
Readings: Jeremiah 1,2; John 10
“27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.“ John 10:27-29
If we have truly accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior there is nothing, absolutely nothing that can separate us from Him and our Heavenly Father. This verses are the verses which give us the security for our salvation.
August 7, 2009 - Wrath & Love
Today’s Readings: Zephaniah 1-3; John 9
“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with His love, he will rejoice over you with signing.” Zephaniah 3:17
Zephaniah had given a prophesy of exile for the people of Judah into the hands of the Babylonians. God’s wrath would bring divine judgment because of their continued failure to seek after God alone. Yet, after all they had done, there is a promise of salvation that will come to His people.
Our sin is clearly not pleasing to God, and though He is a loving and gracious God, there will always be consequences for our rebellion against Him. But the promise of salvation is always there when we come to him with a pure heart. There is a promise of restoration; a promise that he will always be with us and he will rejoice over His children. How great that he will look into our hearts and know that we are His. How wonderful that we can come to Him with all confidence and know that despite our imperfections, He will delight in us. And that phrase, “He will quiet you with His love. . .,” how incredibly awesome is that! How can I not seek after Him?
August 6, 2009 - True Discipleship
Today’s Readings: Habakkuk 1-3; John 8
“If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” John 8:31-32
The discourse between Jesus and the unbelieving Jews brings us to this all important passage that brings understanding of the meaning of true discipleship. True discipleship begins, of course, with belief in Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the Son of God. But that is only the beginning. From there we must habitually abide in God’s word and the teachings of Jesus. From here we learn truth and learn to live according to the Word of God and this is what brings freedom to the believer.
It is easy to say “I believe.” And while it is true that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ and not anything else, evidence of salvation comes from faithfully following the Word of God. We must make it a habit of being in the Word daily. This in turn will allow us to know divine truth which leads to freedom from the bondage of sin.
When I am really struggling, finding myself distracted and finding it difficult to do what I should be doing, all I need to do is look at my journal and see if I am missing any entries. The amount of missing entries generally determines the amount of distraction I am dealing with. The only way I can get back into focus is to pick up again on my daily journaling which is my means of maintaining myself in the Word. The time spent in God’s Word is most definitely time well spent.
August 5, 2009 - A Simple Invitation
Today’s Readings: 2 Kings 23; 2 Chronicles 35; John 7
On the last day, the great day of the Feast, Jesus stood and cried out saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” John 7:37
This is the Gospel invitation. It was simple. Our thirsty, needy souls crave a Savior. And He is there, crying out “come to me and I will fill your need, I will satisfy that which you crave, I will quench your thirst.”
So why is it so difficult for some people to accept this incredible invitation? Perhaps we, the church, have made it appear much more complex than what it really is by throwing religiosity into the mix. Most of the time it’s not even what we say, it’s what they see in us.
We need to be mindful to communicate the gospel of Jesus as he did, simply. And perhaps more importantly, we need to be mindful that our actions, our behavior does not communicate a gospel other than the love of God. Keep it simple.
August 4, 2009 - Seeking After Jesus (for all the right reasons)
Today’s Readings: 2 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 34; John 6
From that time, many of His disciples went back and walked with him no more. John 6:66
In chapter 6 we read about Jesus miraculously feeding the 5000+ people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish. But we also read about how the crowds were more interested in how Jesus could meet their present earthly needs rather than being interested in who He is, the Messiah; their Savior. Jesus tells them four times, “I am the bread of life” but they just didn’t get it. He tells them that through belief in Him, they would have everlasting life. But they were after the one who would relieve them from their Roman oppressors. They sought after Jesus for all the wrong reasons. When Jesus made it clear that what He offered was not what they sought, they walked away from Jesus.
Why do you I seek after Jesus? I can answer that question with all confidence and know that my heart is in the right place. Still, we need to be very careful that we don’t fall into the pattern of these disciples who when they didn’t get what they were after (or thought they needed), they turned away from their Savior. We should never come to Jesus based on what we could get or need physically or materially. We come to Jesus because of what He has already done on the Cross. If for any other reason, you will surely fall away.
August 3, 2009 - God’s Righteousness
Today’s Readings: Nahum 1-3, John 5
“(6)Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, And the rocks are thrown down by Him. (7) The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.” Nahum 1:6-7
What an incredible contrast the prophet Nahum gives us in these two verses. First he shows us the fury and mighty power of God and then, in just the next verse, he shows God as our fortress when we have need of Him and trust in Him. God truly is righteous. While He “will . . . not acquit the wicked” (v.3), He will always show His compassion to those who love Him, trust in Him and seek to do His will.
August 1, 2009 - God’s True Dwelling
Today’s Readings: Isaiah 65, 66; Psalm 62; John 3
“But on this will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.” Isaiah 65:2
Isaiah begins the summary of his prophesy in this chapter reminding God’s people that God does not look for a building as a place of dwelling. Rather, God our Father seeks those who recognize their absolute need of Him, His grace and His mercy. Isaiah also points out that is also imperative that God’s people take His word seriously. Only in the heart of these will God’s Spirit dwell, not in buildings.
I am God’s temple, and I need to take care that my heart remains in a right condition so that God can continue to dwell in me. My heart must remain tender and broken.