Welcome to River of Life, First Baptist Lake Monroe and Ridge Crest Bible Church’s Chronological Bible Reading Plan.  Over the next several years, the members of these sister churches will be reading through their Bibles together in a chronological way, following the events of the Bible in the order in which they occurred rather than in the order in which they were recorded.  In addition the pastor and adult Bible study teachers will be teaching from the same passages we read each week.  At times, additional passages from the Psalms will be provided along with the chronological reading portion.

     I hope that you will prayerfully consider making a commitment to reading through the Bible with us.  As you approach each days’ passage and questions let me encourage you to: 

Pray – Pray before you read.  Ask God to make the scripture real to you and show you how it applies to your life.

Read – Read the scripture passage(s).

Ask – Ask yourself, “in what I just read is there a lesson to learn, a truth to embrace, an example to follow, a sin to avoid, a mistake to dodge, a change to make or a promise to claim?”

Meditate – Think about what you have read.  We are to be doers of the word and not hearers only (James 1:22).

Remember God’s promise and condition in Jeremiah 29:13

 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

If you miss a lesson and would like it emailed to you,

 send me an email at rolwebperson@yahoo.com

Want a link to read the Scriptures?

http://www.biblegateway.com/

Monday, September 20 - Read for today: 2 Kings 10

Being against something is not enough

       In verses 28-29 we read, “Jehu eliminated Baal worship from Israel, but he did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit—worshiping the gold calves that were in Bethel and Dan.

     Did you notice the mistake Jehu made, one the Lord clearly pointed out?  He was angry and carried out part of the things that would please the Lord, but ignored others.     It is not enough to simply get upset over other people’s sins and to protest them.  It is not enough to get upset about the sins that others commit and try to put an end to them.  It is equally, if not more important that you address pursuing holiness and obedience yourself.

     It is so much easier to beat a drum and to talk about the sins that others are committing, as long as they are not your sins.  It is much more difficult to pursue obedience and holiness yourself, and many settle for the first while ignoring the second.  Let me ask you, how much time did Jesus spend addressing the homosexuality, and drunkenness, and immorality in His day, which was much more prevalent than it is today, and how much of His time did He spend addressing the sins of the “religious” folks, who looked down on others?

     Jesus said in Luke 6:46, “Why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and don’t do the things I say”?

      Why do we so often settle for attacking others’ sins, and not pursue holiness ourselves?  Jesus Himself said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48).

     “Do not be content to be strong against evil; be eagerly ambitious of good. It is easier to be vehement against the abominations of others than to judge and put away your own secret sins.” (Meyer)

Questions for thought:

  1. How diligently are you pursuing holiness?  How much are you striving to become like Christ?

  2. Are you walking closer to the Lord today, than you were a year ago?  Can you say that you are more like Jesus than you were a year ago?  Why then are you so concerned about others’ shortcomings when there is so much to work on in your own life?

For further study:

  1. Read Matthew 7:3-5.  What does this passage say about our priorities?

  2. Read John 8:2-11.  How would you have responded?

Tuesday, September 21 - Read for today: 2 Kings 11

God is in control

       There have been some wicked and evil kings (and kings’ wives) on the scene in our readings recently but few more evil than this queen mother Athaliah. Few characters in history, sacred or secular, stands out blacker or more hideous than this daughter-in-law of the godly Jehoshaphat.

      I love in the middle of one of Israel’s darkest hours there is an important but! But Jehosheba: This little-known woman had an important place in God’s plan of the ages. Through her courage and ingenuity, she preserved the royal line of David through which the Messiah would come. No one knew her.  She didn’t have a position of power or prominence, but she made a great difference in the world.

     Evil people like Athaliah will begin their work, but God can always raise up a Jehosheba. She hid the true heir to the throne for six years. God can do whatever He wants, whenever He wants, in spite of the Devil’s greatest efforts.  He is God.  He is the Creator of Heaven and earth and none can stand against Him or His plans.  Ask the Devil.

     One reason Athaliah was able to reign for six years was that no one knew any alternative. Many people live under the reign of Satan because they don’t really know there is a legitimate king ready to take reign in their life.  They don’t realize there is an alternative.

     We need to remember, when evil seems to be running things, and God’s people seem to be getting the bad end of the deal, that God is still on the throne.  He is in control, and things are going on behind the scene that we don’t know about.

Questions for thought:

  1. Do you sometimes feel that things are out of control, sometimes get discouraged?

  2. What does it take?  How do you get out of those feelings?

For further study:

  1. Read John 16:33.  What does this verse remind us of?

  2. Read Psalm 46:1-3, 7.  What do these verses remind us of?  Do you often remember this?

Wednesday, September 22 - Read for today: 2 Kings 12

The influence of others

       In verse 2 we read, “Throughout the time Jehoiada the priest instructed him, Joash did what was right in the Lord’s sight.” (HCSB - FYI, I almost always use the Holman Christian Standard Bible translation).

     When people are looking over our shoulder it can make a world of difference in the way we act.  When the boss is watching, people are conscientious about staying busy and using time wisely.  When strangers are present, we might be a bit guarded in what we say.

       Think about how a classroom operates. It’s amazing how much a classroom can change if the teacher steps outside for a few minutes.  A group of teenagers can go from an orderly, well-behaved group to an unruly, spit-ball throwing rabble in under three minutes!  It’s not that the students have forgotten how to behave well, it’s just that they no longer have someone holding them accountable for their behavior.

      Jehoiada made a great impact on Joash’s life.  The king acted wisely and made good decisions as long as the priest was there to guide him. When we have a positive role model looking over our lives then it can help us to strive to be better people.  When Joash was king the Bible said that he obeyed God’s laws when he had a priest working alongside him.  It’s good for us to find wise people to associate with so we can learn from them and strive to be better people in all the areas of our lives.

Questions for thought:

  1. Do you have a role model?

  2. Whose life are you impacting?

For further study:

  1. Read 2 Timothy 2:2.  Do you think this example gives us a responsibility as well?  What might that be?  How might we fulfill it?

  2. Read Proverbs 27:17.  How might we help and be helped?  Are you doing so?

Thursday, September 23 -Read for today: II Kings 13

Opportunity Lost

     If we could only get yesterday back what would we do differently?  As we read of all the kings of Israel every time a new one takes the throne I think “here is a fresh start and a new beginning.”  Things will be different now and good things can happen but then the words are read that this king did evil in the sight of the Lord.  The opportunity to begin a new and honor God were lost and the consequences followed.  God would allow His protective hedge to be removed and great sorrow followed.  Wrong choices were made and opportunity was lost. Where are we in our lives?  Are we setting the stage for a blessing or a curse? Opportunities are precious and we need to stay alert for their arrivals.

     We notice beginning in verse 14 that God’s prophet Elisha was approaching death and Joash came to see him. He evidently highly respected Elisha as he wept over him and spoke words of honor to him. Next Elisha had words of instruction for Joash. Step by step he followed by taking the bow and shooting out the window and then he was told to strike the arrows on the ground.  Joash did this but stopped at three times which disappointed and angered Elisha.  Elisha informed Joash that now Syria would only be defeated three times and that if he had struck the ground five or six times he could have completely destroyed his enemy. It is not plain from the passage how much Joash knew but evidently Elisha thought he knew better than to fall short.  The opportunity was lost and could not be regained. Let us examine our lives to make sure we are not throwing opportunities away. Time and life is short and too much is at stake to waste anything.  God wants us to redeem the time we have and use each day to its fullest to gain victory over sin and bring glory to our God!

Thoughts to Consider:

Job 28:28-Consider how we are told to walk toward wisdom as we honor God and reject the evil before us. This is a choice we make each day we live.

Proverbs 4:7- Godly wisdom should be sought at all cost. Its price is extremely high but it is worth it.

For further study:

Matthew 7:24-What steps can we take to build our house upon the rock of wisdom. How important is obedience in this process?

II Timothy 3:15-Consider this verse and the importance of studying Scripture for a long time. Think of other passages where are told to value Scriptures. How will this keep us from missing opportunities?

Friday, September 24 - Read for today: 2 Chronicles 24

Remember so you don’t repeat

     George Santayana said it best: “When experience is not retained, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” The leadership of the divided kingdom of Israel evidently had no concept of the history of their nation, the faith or sins of their forefathers, or the mighty works of their God. Joash failed to remember even the most recent history in his life, let alone that of his nation. As a result, his reign came to a swift and shameful end.

     Joash forgot the faith and kindness of Jehoiada, his foremost advisor. He had already rejected the covenant to remain faithful to God, but he didn't even have the decency to pay respect to Jehoiada's son, Zechariah. When Zechariah chastised him for his wickedness, he had him stoned in the courtyard of the temple, desecrating what should have been a holy place. Ironically, Zechariah's father had spared Athaliah (Joash's childhood attacker) the same indignity when he was ushering Joash to the throne (2 Chron. 23:14).

     It didn't take long for Joash to experience the penalty for his wickedness, and the form of retribution was reminiscent of the stories we've studied so far. The Aramean army resembled the army of Gideon, but this time it was the large army of Judah that was overtaken by a much smaller one. Just as Joash had conspired against Zechariah, his own officials turned to conspire against him. But the identity of the conspirators reminds us of yet another grievous deed: they were the sons of a Moabite woman and an Ammonite woman, descendants of the daughters of Lot.

     The consequences of the sins of God's people had a way of revisiting generation after generation of Israelites. The quantity and quality of faith appeared to be dwindling, and the magnitude of their sins grew exponentially. Clearly, Israel needed a better plan, a better ruler, and a better way to preserve their faith in the one true God.

     The more we study the effects of sin, the more reasons we have to stay pure and true in obedience to God. Sin multiplies the more we engage in it, and time alone never heals the wounds it causes.

Questions for thought:

  1. What will it take for our country to remember or to learn from the example for those who have gone before?

  2. Have you learned or are you repeating the mistakes and the same sins again and again?  What will it take for there to be a change?

For further study:

  1. Read Isaiah 59:2.  What does this say sin costs us?

  2. Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. What is another cost of sin?

Monday, September 27 - Read for today: 2 Kings 14

God doesn’t grade on a curve

     In verse 3 we read, “He did what was right in the Lord’s sight, but not like his ancestor David. He did everything his father Joash had done.”

     The verse basically tells us, “He did some good, but not the best he could have done.  He followed the Lord, ‘sort of’ but not whole-heartedly like his ancestor King David did.  He did better than some, but not as well as he could have.”

       When a person tries to justify his wrong behavior by pointing to the conduct of others, he isn’t aiming high enough. This is also true if he patterns himself after someone who gives the Lord only partial obedience. A college student learned this lesson when he was reprimanded by the school president for misbehavior. The young fellow offered this lame excuse for his questionable conduct: “But, Sir, you’d find it difficult to locate 10 men in this school who wouldn’t have done as I did if they had been in my circumstances.” The president replied, “Has it ever occurred to you that you could have been one of those 10?”

     Isn’t that what many folks do when it comes to driving?  “Well, there are a lot of cars driving faster than I am so my speed must be ok.  How about paying your taxes?  Well, everyone cheats a little bit.  Really?  Is that the standard one is to set or judge his life by; the way others do things or the way others live?

     Amaziah was a good king. He worshipped the true God and showed mercy to the children of some who had conspired against him. Apparently he set a good moral example. But he foolishly led his troops into a shameful defeat and was finally executed by a group of rebels. In 2 Kings 14:3, we are told why Amaziah did not experience the full blessing of the Lord. The text says, “And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, yet not like David.” He followed the example of his father Joash and failed to put a stop to the semi-pagan worship conducted on hills throughout the land. He should have patterned himself after his forefather David. He simply didn’t aim high enough.

God doesn’t grade on a curve.

Questions for thought:

  1. What standard do you use to govern your life?

  2. Are you striving to become more like Christ and to represent Him more each day?

  3. How does one measure obedience and Christ-likeness?

For further study:

  1. Read Philippians 2:1-8.  What are we commanded in verse 5 of this passage?

  2. Read Matthew 5:48.  What scale does the Lord measure us by?

Tuesday, September 28 - Read for today: 2 Chronicles 25

All the way?

The righteous will live by his faith. - Habbakkuk 2:4

     The wholehearted faith of Caleb was one of his most remarkable attributes. When he was one of only two spies to recommend entering the Promised Land, it was promised that he would live through the subsequent years of wandering “because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly” (Deuteronomy 1:36). When that generation died off and the next entered the land, Caleb at age 85 was still there, as strong and vigorous and wholehearted as ever. He was given the city of Hebron, though he had to drive out the Anakites to take it (Joshua 14:6-14). His faith never faltered!

     By contrast with Caleb, Amaziah in today's reading is an anemic example of halfhearted faith. Verse 2 says it all: “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly.” On the positive side, he took limited vengeance on his father Joash's killers, obeying the Law's strict guidelines (vv. 3-4). On the negative side, his military ambitions showed pride. When he hired northern Israelite mercenaries, he may have hoped God would judge his actions differently from those of previous kings who had formed alliances with pagan nations. But through an unnamed prophet, the Lord let him know that putting one's confidence in human strength was a bad move in any case. To this rebuke, Amaziah responded with some faith—he sent the hired soldiers home and even gave up their wages as a lost investment.

     The king's mixed actions led to mixed results. God gave Judah a victory over Edom. This victory, however, was marred by cruel murders of some prisoners-of-war and entirely undone by Amaziah's astoundingly foolish worship of the Edomite “gods” he had just defeated.

     Meanwhile, the mercenaries, furious that their lust for violence and booty had gone unsatisfied, took out their aggressions by plundering towns on the way home. This led Amaziah to another foolish decision—challenging Israel to a war. God engineered his defeat as a judgment on his idolatry, and like his father he ended up a victim of assassination.

Questions for thought:

  1. Are you whole heartedly following the Lord?  How does one tell?

  2. Is half-hearted obedience actually obedience?

For further study:

  1. Read Revelation 2:4-5.  What does this passage say about God’s view of half-heartedness?

Wednesday, September 29 - Read for today: Jonah 1

Removing the problem

      In verses 14 - 16 we read, “So they called out to the Lord: “Please, Yahweh, don’t let us perish because of this man’s life, and don’t charge us with innocent blood! For You, Yahweh, have done just as You pleased.” Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.

     Did you notice what happened in this passage? Jonah was running away from God and affecting the life of these sailors. The storm was so great that these experienced sailors were afraid, and they knew there was something different about this storm. They did everything they could, and it came down to one person causing the storm; Jonah, a man running from God. The only way to keep from capsizing and drowning was to throw him overboard.

     Sometimes, there are people in our lives who are running from God.  They are out of His will.  They are doing their own thing, and they are pulling down others around them.  They can pull you down as well.

     The only way these sailors were able to save their lives were to get this person who was running from God out of their lives.  Sometimes we are required to do the same thing.  We have friends, relatives or whatever, who once walked with the Lord.  Now they are far from the Lord.  They are out of His will, and they are pulling down the people around them.  Sometimes, the only way to keep from being pulled down is to remove the problem from your life.

Questions for thought:

  1. Are you lifting up the people around you, or are you pulling them down?

  2. Are the people around you walking closer to the Lord because they know you, or are you causing them to stumble?

For further study:

  1. Read Matthew 18:6-7.  What does the Lord warn us of here?

  2. Read Proverbs 27:17.  What are we supposed to be doing?

Thursday, September 30 – Read for today: Jonah 2

Do I Have Your Attention?

     What does it take?  God wants our attention and then He wants obedience.  If we are God’s child, He has a plan for us and He expects us to follow him to the task before us. Jonah was called to go to the people of Nineveh to proclaim God’s Word and warning to them. We see evil people today in many ways but God in His mercy would reach out to them.  I believe these people of Nineveh were very repulsive in their practices to the point that Jonah only wanted to see their destruction.  He had no interest or intention to bring them a warning or salvation message.  He was afraid they would respond and be delivered from their sins.  God is full of mercy and patience but man is short and quick to let judgment fall hard upon the transgressor. We all as believers need to examine our hearts before God.  Do we find a place for mercy and forgiveness or have we become bitter and cold?

       Jonah could run but he could not hide from God. He fled on the ship to Tarshish and probably called it an opening from God to flee but in his heart He knew this was wrong.  Nothing went right for Jonah at this point as God applied more and more pressure to follow His plan. When the storm came he knew it was all about his disobedience and confessed this to the sailors.  Perhaps he thought he would just drown and all would be ended but no he was swallowed by a fish and given three days to think things over. After this he was ready to obey.  How far do we go to escape the will of God?  We need to take a good long look at our hearts and see what is there. Is our heart full of mercy or do we carry bitterness and hold grudges? Let’s pray and ask God to fill us with love and compassion for the lost about us and not have to be forced into submission.  A day by day communion with God will keep our hearts warm and ready to bring the message and hope to the lost world around us. Are we willing missionaries?

Thoughts to Consider:

 John 15:9-What do you think it means to remain in God’s love in this verse? What is expected of God’s born again children?

 John 15:13—Lets measure our love as to how far we are willing to go to help the lost. Do we know God’s love in us or are we cold and bitter?

For further Study:

II Corinthians 5:14-What do you think this compelling love is? What people of God displayed this kind of love in their lives?

Galatians 2:20-If we as believers are crucified with Christ then how does this affect all our choices in life?  What characters in the Bible revealed a crucified life of service to God?



Friday, October 1 - Read for today: Jonah 3

I need your prayers

     In 430, Patrick, a young Roman Briton, was carried off by Irish raiders to be a slave. At the time he was a nominal Christian, but he turned to God in earnest in the midst of his suffering. “I would pray constantly during the daylight hours,” he later said. “The love of God and the fear of Him surrounded me more and more.” After six years, he escaped.

     Years later, Patrick had a dream in which he received a call to evangelize Ireland, the country in which he’d been enslaved. At that time, Ireland was pagan and idolatrous, a difficult place to serve. Patrick faced fierce opposition from druids and wrote, “Daily I expect murder, fraud, or captivity, but I fear none of these things because of the promises of heaven.”

     Called to witness to his enemies, Patrick obeyed. But when Jonah was called to do the same, he ran.

      Where was Ninevah? This ancient city, with a population of 120,000 (Jonah 4:11) and an area of about sixty square miles, was the capital of Assyria, a world power and chief enemy of Israel. Jonah ran away not because he was afraid to take a message of judgment there, but because he was afraid the people would repent and God would relent and forgive them (Jonah 4:1, 2, 3). He understood God’s character well (Jonah 4:10; cf. Jeremiah 18:7, 8, 9, 10)!

     The Ninevites did indeed respond to Jonah’s preaching. They fasted and wore sackcloth to demonstrate humility and repentance before God (v. 5). The essence of repentance is a changed heart and life, as the king’s proclamation recognizes: “Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence” (v. 8).

     God gave both the Ninevites and Jonah a second chance; His love is infinite, reaching out even to those who oppose Him (Matt. 5:44–45; Rom. 5:10). Later, in an example which must have galled the Pharisees, Jesus used the Ninevites as an example of repentance in response to God’s love (Matthew 12:41).

Questions for thought:

  1. Do you ever hate the thought of God’s mercy going to others who “don’t deserve” it?

  2. Do you think you deserve the Lord’s mercy?

  3. How do you respond when you are warned?

For further study:

  1. Did you notice what Jonah preached in this passage?  How did the people respond?  A mighty response to such a short sermon, don’t you think?  What was the key?  Read Ephesians 6:19. Might this be the reason behind Paul’s request?

Monday, October 4 - Read for today: Jonah 4

Be angry and do not sin

     In verse 9 we read, “Then God asked Jonah, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?’” (HCSB)

     Anger is not always or necessarily sinful, but to has such an ability and a tendency to run wild or to run away with us that whenever it raises its head, we should be quick to ask ourselves, as the Lord asked Jonah in this verse, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

     There are times when sin or circumstances may cause us to become angry, as Jesus was in the temple; however, we need to be careful that we do not excuse our anger when it rears its ugly head.     Is the anger we are experiencing justified?  is it beneficial?  Will it accomplish the righteousness of God?  Does it accomplish His will and will it please Him?  So often the answer to these questions would be, “No!”; yet we excuse it.

     I have had some tell me that they cannot control their anger or their tempers, after all, “That’s just the way they are.  That’s their personality.”  What a bunch of foolishness.

       Is such anger honorable to our Christian profession, or glorifying to God? Is it not the old evil heart seeking to gain dominion, and should we not resist it with all the might of our newborn nature?Many professors give way to temper as though it were useless to attempt resistance; but let the believer remember that he must be a conqueror in every point, or else he cannot be crowned. If we cannot control our tempers, what has grace done for us? Someone told Mr. Jay that grace was often grafted on a crab-stump. “Yes,” said he, “but the fruit will not be crabs.” We must not make our natural inclination an excuse for sin, but we must fly to the cross and pray the Lord to crucify our tempers, and renew us in gentleness and meekness after His own image.

Questions for thought:

  1. Do you often get angry?

  2. Is there a justifiable/Godly reason for becoming angry?

  3. How can one tell the difference?

  4. Why do some attempt to excuse their anger?

For further study:

  1. Read Ephesians 4:26-27.  What does this verse warn us of concerning anger?

  2. Read James 1:19-20.  Do you agree with the second verse?  How does one tell the difference between Christian and Godly anger?

Tuesday, October 5 - Read for today: 2 Kings 15

The beginning of the fall

    In verse 4 of this passage we read, “Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.”

     The kingdom was divided between north and south; between Israel and Judea.  Originally, all the tribes were God’s people, chosen and blessed by God. The tribes of Israel chose to go their own way and to do their own thing with little or no concern about the Lord.

     Judea now has decided that they will follow the Lord a little, or somewhat.  They followed Him half-heartedly.  They allowed the high places to remain.  They didn’t get rid of them.

     One wonders what it was about the high places that caused the people of Judea to allow them to remain?  What benefit did they get from them?  They served the Lord, kinda; but they never got rid of the junk so they serve the Lord whole-heartedly.What was result?  What was the outcome?

     Israel, the ones who completely abandoned the Lord; they crashed and burned.  For Judea; as a nation they also failed, they followed in the steps of Israel.  They just fell a bit later.

Questions for thought:

  1. What comparisons might one draw between Judea and some of the Christians churches today?

  2. How might Judea be compared to some Christians today?

  3. Are there any high places that you have allowed to remain in your life?

  4. What benefit are you drawing from them?  What will they cost you?

For further study:

  1. Read Acts 5:29.  What does this verse say about obedience?

  2. Read Deuteronomy 22:10, the Lord commanded the Israelites, “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.” Those two animals do not have the same nature, gait, or strength. Therefore, it would be impossible for such a mismatched pair to plow together effectively. They would be unequally yoked.

Wednesday, October 6 - Read for today: 2 Chronicles 26

Pride can mess you up.

       In verse 5 we read, “He sought God throughout the lifetime of Zechariah, the teacher of the fear of God. During the time that he sought the Lord, God gave him success.”

     Read 1 John. Long before Israel had kings, God through the Law provided guidelines and warnings for them. Kings should not acquire large numbers of horses, that is, they should not put their confidence in military strength. They should also not take many wives—though that was a common form of diplomacy in that day—because these women would arrive with foreign idols and could distract or corrupt the king's spiritual devotion. Another warning was against accumulating riches, for similar reasons. Perhaps the most important instruction was for the king to study the Scriptures as an antidote to pride (Deuteronomy 17:14-20).

     Pride comes before a fall, as we've seen time and time again in 2 Chronicles. In the exceptionally long (52 years) reign of Uzziah, we see the same pattern we've seen before: good beginnings, followed by backsliding fueled mainly by pride. Uzziah began well. He sought the Lord and did what was right. He had a godly adviser, Zechariah. As a result, Judah experienced military successes and a time of peace. It appears Uzziah was a highly skilled military leader—his army was well-trained and he himself designed several new weapons. In addition to being a warrior, the king was also a builder and a farmer who embarked on many construction and agricultural projects to benefit his people.

     Uzziah had many reasons to be proud—and pride was his downfall (v. 16). The turning point was an incident in which he entered the temple to burn incense, though the Law said only priests should do so. The group of priests who confronted him was courageous indeed, given what a powerful and popular king Uzziah was. He didn't accept their rebuke, and for his blasphemy the Lord immediately struck him with leprosy. He never entered the temple again and had to let his son take over the day-to-day ruling of the kingdom. Sadly, though he had years to think things over, we have no indication he ever repented of his sin.

Questions for thought:

  1. What is pride?

  2. How can someone recognize it in his own life?

  3. How does one guard against it or overcome it?

For further study:

  1. Read 1 John 2:16.  What does this verse warn us of?

  2. Read Proverbs 29:23.  What is an alternative to pride?

Thursday, October 7 – Read for today: Isaiah 1

Turn Around Now

    The message in this chapter reveals God’s love as well as God’s judgment upon His people. Israel and Judah were very disappointing to God in their behavior after all He had done for them.  He asked them why they had turned against Him?  God was not taking any pleasure in judging His people but they left Him no choice.  He asked them why they continued to make Him bring more judgment against them- “have you not had enough”. The conduct of God’s people was very repulsive. God send word that He would not even acknowledge them or any of their sacrifices because He knew their heart. So, how do our sins affect our relationship with God today? First let me say that our relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ is as secure as His word.  We are his children forever but this does not mean we are in his favor in all our decisions. We can grieve Him greatly by wrong choices and actions. He brought hard times to Israel and so He can do in our lives until we see the error of our ways.

     It is easy to see the heart of God in this passage as He brings justice in one hand and mercy and restoration in the other.  He wanted the best for His people then and He wants the best for his church today. He can cleanse us and make us as white as snow in our daily walk which will bring great joy to Him and a wonderful and purpose filled life for us as His children. Our Lord is praying and pulling for us to be in the sunlight of His Love He truly wants the best for us so let’s not get in the way by allowing sins in our lives to hinder things. The Lord can and will come down hard on His children when necessary but His love remains the same.  He truly loves us with an everlasting love and we should respond to that with obedience and fruit in our lives. Let’s be sure to honor our Lord and return this love to Him as we live out our lives.

Thoughts to consider:

Job 19:4-Consider our personal responsibility before God in acknowledging and confessing our sins for a fruitful life.

Proverbs 19:12-How we use wisdom will lay out a path for us. If we live the life of a mocker of God’s truth, then we have made a crooked road for ourselves.

For Further Study:

Matthew 12:36-Think of those in the Bible or that you know that are paying or have paid for careless words before God’s ears.

Luke 12:20-Consider the folly of putting all our hopes and dreams in this life with no apparent concern for a holy God who watches us. This was a hard working farmer but what was his big mistake in living?

Friday, October 8 - Read for today: Isaiah 2

The rough road is often the right road

     In verse 2 we read, “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s house will be established at the top of the mountains and will be raised above the hills. All nations will stream to it,”

     A recently read of a man who has a son who has been trying to earn a living off his music. He has been a part of a band for a number of years and they are slowly starting to get recognized for their talent.     After touring around with a number of other musicians they were approached to write a song for a mainstream TV show. This song would have earned them a significant amount of money and potentially put them in the right circles to get more work in this area. I was shocked to hear that the band turned the opportunity down.

     While they have been working hard for many years they felt that they would be selling themselves short by just writing a song for a show they didn’t respect. It was sending them in a direction they did not intend to go, and so, they stood firm and said no. It was hard for me to understand this kind of decision, and yet, I respected the integrity that these young guys held.

     When Isaiah the prophet was sent to the Israelites, his purpose was to point them back to God. They had rejected God’s law and had turned away from how He had instructed them to live.

     Isaiah spoke of a time when people would ‘stream back’ to the Lord’s temple.  God could have enticed the people back with blessings and prosperity, however, He knew that would not be helpful for the people.

     He knew that His instructions were good and true, and so, He kept the integrity of His commands.  It was the people who needed to see that their decisions had taken them in another direction.

     It is often hard to see that the tough road is often the right direction. God does not intend to cause us grief, but He understands what decisions are best for us to make.

Questions for thought:

  1. Have you found the “right” way to be the rough way?

  2. What makes the Christian life difficult?

For further study:

  1. Read Matthew 7:13-14.  What does this passage warn us of?