29 OCT 23 Sunday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 29 OCT 23 Sunday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor.  And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses.” Haggai 1: 9

Do you ever get your priorities out of wack? You can get so focused on things that don’t matter and can miss the truly important stuff.  God’s people focused on building wealth, establishing themselves, building their fancy homes, and forgetting God.  In and of themselves wealth and property are not an issue.  If we make those things our complete focus then they become idols that take up our time, talent, and energy.

In Haggai, the people were sent back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple and the city's walls.  The favor of God was shown by influencing kings to give them the ability to restore the central part of their culture and lives.  Because they didn’t prioritize the things of the Lord, he ruined the harvest thereby damaging their economy and expectations.  God got their attention and told them his intentions both in punishment and in stating his expectations.

Where does that leave us? As the church, locally, nationally, and globally, we need to ask ourselves if we are keeping the main thing the main thing.  Are we prioritizing the work of the Lord and his mission or are our efforts and labor on our desires? How do you know? Take a look at your bank account and your calendar.  

How much do you spend on the spread of the gospel or support of the local church? How much time are you intentionally spending sharing the gospel, serving others, praying for the lost, and building up the church? Be honest with yourself and the Lord.  Don’t be surprised if God gets your attention through unpleasant measures.  Stop delaying and start doing what he says.

Are you focused on God’s priorities?

Reading Plan: Psalm 63:1-8, 98; Haggai 1:1-2, 9; Acts 18:24-19:7; Luke 10:25-37

28 OCT 23 Saturday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 28 OCT 23 Saturday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt.  I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’  And you forgave me!  All my guilt is gone.” Psalm 32: 5

We carry a lot of baggage in our hearts and minds that can really weigh us down.  We still lug it around and it shows on our faces.  One of my fellow chaplains did a little skit where he had a backpack that was empty and a table full of bricks.  Each brick had a different emotion, sin, problem, and stressor written on it.  The volunteer put the empty backpack on and then began adding the bricks to the backpack.

Before long, the volunteer was visibly getting weaker and struggling to keep his balance.  Eventually, it became too heavy to carry and he fell.  In the story, Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian is carrying all his burdens in a backpack hoping to be able to unload them to someone.  He was told that if he reached the narrow gate there would be a person to take his burdens.  We are all like that, carrying around burdens that can be unloaded, but we just keep adding bricks.

Why? The psalmist experiences this and acknowledges that he refused to deal with the problems he had and his body began to waste away and he groaned all day long. (v. 3)  It got to the point that he needed help from the only person who could lift his burdens from him, God.  When he confessed “all” his sins and revealed all the bricks he had been carrying, the Lord responded by forgiving him and taking his guilt away.  

God can deal with any sin, frustration, addiction, depression, illness, ideation, demonic influence, or possession.  He can forgive you, give you perspective, and purpose, and take away the guilt and shame.  So what are you waiting for? Why do you still rebel?

Are you being crushed under the weight of your burdens?

Reading Plan: Psalm 30, 32; Ezra 4:7, 11-24; Philemon 1:1-25; Matt. 12:33-42

27 OCT 23 Friday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 27 OCT 23 Friday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“But many of the older priests, Levites, and other leaders who had seen the first temple wept aloud when they saw the new Temple’s foundation.  The others, however, were shouting for joy.  The joyful shouting and weeping mingled together in a loud noise that could be heard far in the distance.” Ezra 3:12-13

The older I get the more I laugh when I get together with my friends and we get to talking about the good old days.  Not that today is worse, it’s actually better in my estimation.  We talk about things with a high gloss on them and sometimes we can make them out to be better than they were.  We can have such fond memories of something that we cannot bear to think of something new or start to poo poo the new thing.

In Ezra, you have the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem and you have two groups of people, the old and the young.  The older generation remembers what the original Temple looked like in all of its glory.  The ark of the covenant was there, heavenly fire, mercy seat, shechinah glory, and the size and majesty of it all.  This new one would be small in comparison to the new one. These old guys had probably seen its destruction so this was a very emotional event.

Their emotions were discouraging to the younger generation who were excited to be a part of restoring the Temple and Jerusalem.  The worship that broke out was filled with mixed emotions for joy and sorrow which ultimately would cause problems.  God was doing something significant in that moment that the old guys were missing and becoming bling to what God was going to do.  Jesus himself would walk in this Temple preaching, teaching, healing, and issues in the Kingdom.  That didn’t happen in the first Temple.  

Let’s not get so caught up in the glory days that we miss what God is doing right now in our day.  Young or old we can be guilty of this and become hardened to the move of God.

Are you looking back when you should be looking at right now?

Reading Plan: Psalm 31; Ezra 3:1-13; 1 Cor. 16:10-24; Matt. 12:22-32

26 OCT 23 Thursday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 26 OCT 23 Thursday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“The Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah.  He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and send it throughout his Kingdom.” Ezra 1:1

This is the day that the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it.  Has the Lord just done something in you that won’t go away? As a child, I remember my eyes being opened to the gospel.  It came through understanding what sin is and my need for Jesus.  I hadn’t done much as a kid, but it didn’t matter because God was initiating a relationship with me.  My heart stirred and was moved to the action of repentance and trust.

As a teenager, God stirred my heart in the midst of many youth group meetings and trips.  Sometimes he convicted me of sin and other times, he moved me with a passion for him or the lost.  Throughout my life, I have experienced God stirring my heart and implanting new desires in my heart for His work. (Ps. 37) It never goes away but tends to ebb and flow as I do life.  Some days are stronger and more intense than others, but it is always there bubbling up.

The passage hit me this morning as I opened up Ezra and read, “He stirred the heart of Cyrus”.  Such a small pebble hitting the pond of my heart and creating a ripple of memories that lead to worship and abiding. God is so wonderful and the magnitude of his grace is something to experience.  God throughout history works on the hearts of leaders of countries to shape history.  

Sometimes he uses the enemies of his people to correct, discipline, and pass judgment.  He also uses our enemies to move us into the places he expects us to go. (Acts 8:1) He takes nobodies, people you wouldn’t expect, and uses them to do great things.  Being stirred by God is a great thing and we should expect it, look for it, and ask for him to do it.  When he does stir his desires and plans into you, they will stay with you until you meet him face to face.  I’m sure of that!

Is God stirring in you?

Reading Plan: Psalm 37:1-18; Ezra 1:1-11 ; 1 Cor. 16:1-9; Matt. 12:15-21

25 OCT 23 Wednesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 25 OCT 23 Wednesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory.  O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Cor. 15: 54-55

It is now two months until Christmas! Growing up, I remember waking up early with my brother to scope out the gifts under the tree.  Ever so often we would get a bike for Christmas and it would usually stand out because that is one thing that was difficult to wrap.  It usually would have a bow on it or it might have a sheet over it.  We loved getting a new bike.

I was particularly hard on bikes because me and my friends would do all kinds of crazy stuff like jumping over ramps, riding through mud, and racing through the neighborhood.  Oh course with all that fun we would have tremendous wrecks that required regular maintenance or some duct tape.  Our bodies can be like those bikes and take a beating while having fun or just doing life.  You might not have a lot of age on you, but you have a lot of mileage and can feel it.

Ask someone in their forties to eighties how their body is holding up.  They will freely tell you of all the aches and pains or they might give you a smile to let you know they have worn out a few parts that maintenance won’t fix.  The older you get the reality of death becomes more evident knowing you have lived more than you have left.  The hope of the gospel turns those thoughts on its ear.  Those that die in the Lord or if the Lord returns, will have a great transformation to look forward to.

Paul says, that we will don a new body, a glorified body, that will last for eternity.  Jesus says that there will be no more tears death, sorrow, crying, pain, and all these things are gone forever.  To me, that will be the best Christmas gift ever!  Right now we have the promise of it, but when it becomes a reality, it will be a joyous moment.  We too can say, O death where is your sting? O death, where is your victory?

Are you looking forward to the new body that Jesus will give us?

Reading Plan: Psalm 38; Lam. 2:8-15, ; 1 Cor. 15:51-58; Matt. 12:1-14