2 Chronicles 36:22-23, Ezra 1-3; WE’RE GOING HOME! Don’t know you those were the words spoken time after time after time by the children of Israel help in captivity in Babylon. They were finally going home and God had worked a miracle in the heart of the king. He was giving them the opportunity to return. All they had to do was pack their bags and return. He also gave them the mandate to rebuild of all things, The Temple! The very place they had met God. Ezra and other leaders were getting the plans together and soon they would be HOME!
I can’t imagine how excited those weary captives must have been but can’t you just hear the excitement in their voices? Can you imagine the river of tears they must have shed as they placed belongings on mule back or on camels and joined the caravan going back to Jerusalem. Can you also imagine the tears as they topped the last mountain and saw their beloved homeland in shambles. Walls were broken down, fields were over grown and signs of life were few and far between. Yet they were going home and they would rebuild.
Can you imagine the shouts of joy as the cornerstone was once again laid to the temple? There was much work to do, but they were finally back and little by little they would rebuild.
This is the story of many today. They have found themselves captive to sin, addiction, ungodly lifestyles, and yet God offers them a chance to come HOME! Sure there may be ruins to rebuild. There are relationships to mend and heal, but The King offers opportunity to come back into right relationship with Him. Oh my friend, don’t delay. There are many of us here waiting for you to come back. Yes much may have changed, but it is time to write a new story. The old is past, behold there are many great things in the new that is head. I invite you Christian brothers and sisters to welcome those who have been far away back into the family fold as well. It is never too late for the captive to return HOME!

Ezekiel 21-24: I am worn out with the lamenting and sadness we have read through the last month. Israel’s disobedience and captivity can be hard to read through! I was asking the Lord for something positive to write about today and this is what came to mind.
For those of you who are parents or who have ever worked with kids, you know how there are some children that you can look at with a corrective eye and they will straighten up. My mom was the master at this from the choir on Sunday mornings. You knew when she looked at you with “that look” you had better straighten up and fly right. Then you have some that look straight back at you, smile or laugh and keep right on going. That is when mom would put her head right next to my head in church like she was lovingly kissing me, but through gritted teeth she would say, “If you do not straighten up right now I am about to take you out.” Now she wasn’t talking about killing me, but she was planning something outside that would tan my hide and make me want to stop talking and pay attention. Then there was the time when she would lift you up by your arm, march you out the front doors of the church and yes apply the board of education to my seat of learning. I would know I had crossed the line and needed and deserved what I had done.
As I look at Israel and Judah God had been so gracious to them. He had sent the look through the prophets words. He had sent the speech through gritted teeth through the difficulties of life, but here God is taking them by the arm and marching them out the door! He is applying His board of education to them with the intent that they turn from worshipping worthless gods and themselves and turn back to Him.
America, Oh how I hope we will learn from the lesser disciplines to come back to God. This is not a political issue. It is not a social issue. It has no color or gender. It is a heart issue. We choose. We listen and obey or suffer the consequences. God is pleading with us. He longs to lovingly move us back to right relationship, but if the gentle reminders cease to work, the strong arm will come. I pray especially for the church. We know the right way. He is peering at us with loving eyes saying, return. His word stands as a constant reminder of right behavior. Oh read, listen and obey.
This child of God has had enough whippings. I have felt His breath on my head as through gritted teeth He has said, enough. I am running so hard to Him I am out of breath. Oh sister, brother, come and join me!

Ezekiel 13-16: Do you follow your own spirit? Have you made God into someone or something that you control? Do you speak what you want and make it sound like you heard God say something?
Now more than ever before churches as well as people have described God and His character in a way that fits into their social or political correctness rather than defining Him by what His word says. Entire denominations have adjust their by laws and beliefs to fit into the times in hopes of drawing more parishioners. Whether it is their stance on leadership and who is qualified to serve, marriage, abortion, or any number of social issues they define God by what they want to believe. That is exactly what the people in Ezekiel’s day were doing as well.
Ezekiel 13:3Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
13:6 “They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘Declares the Lord,’ when the Lord has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word. 7Have you not seen a false vision and uttered a lying divination, whenever you have said, ‘Declares the Lord,’ although I have not spoken?”
God doesn’t change and He doesn’t play games. His word is truth and it stands no matter the political or social climate of the day. Those who try to change it or Him will find themselves in a dangerous place because just as He did not allow the people of old to lead the people astray, He will not stand for it being done today. God alone defines right and wrong. He alone declares what is acceptable. We choose to follow and obey or suffer the consequences. I fear what we see around us today is just that the consequences of the church and leaders preach and teaching a false narrative of what God is like. He is a God of love, but He is a God of righteousness. He cannot and will not drop of our level no matter what we think is right or wrong.
I don’t know about you guys, but I am tired of the harsh parts of God’s word, but I know they are necessary to remind me of how far we as a nation are from the holiness of God. Praying for a return.

As I read this I wondered how many church buildings in America are devoid of the Lord’s presence and power. I wondered how many are just going through the motions and attending services more out of ritual than worship of God. Even in churches where there is a remnant of people who truly worship how many others are just doing what they have always done never connecting with God. Oh Lord, please forgive us. Help us remember that true worship is when our hearts connect with Yours. It isn’t about the songs we sing, the offerings we give, or whether the message pleases us or not. It is about drawing closer to you and giving a portion of what we have to You. It is a sacrifice of love showing You how grateful we are. You genuinely care about us not the beat or when we give. It is about hearing a word from You that we are to live out and getting our marching orders for the week. It is about telling others who You are and how to love You because of all You have done for us. Oh God please forgive us for making it about us. We love you Lord. Please help us this weekend to worship you before we attend church and then when we get to the building to poor out our love to you. Help us hear Your voice and leave to walk out what You have said. We Love you Lord. Please allow Your Glory to fill our houses of worship.

Lamentations 3-5: Isn’t it easy to look at others and see the faults in them? I know it is definitely more comfortable for me to look at others instead of at myself. When I look at me and my life it is hard to face the truth of my failures. The writer of Lamentations says to the people,
Lamentations 3:40Let us test and examine our ways,
and return to the Lord!
41 Let us lift up our hearts and hands
to God in heaven:
42 “We have transgressed and rebelled,
and you have not forgiven.
What a great word for us as well. Test and examine your heart today. Lift up your heart and hands to heaven. We are not to judge looking at someone else’ life. When we judge we are to look to the Lord and His justice, right and wrong, then see where we stand. Where we have missed the mark of right living we are to confess.
Today I have been praying for our nation and confessing the sins of our nation as well. My heart breaks for the unrest, killing of innocent life, lack of love, kindness and respect for others. I challenge you too to look at your life first and start there, but don’t stop there. Intercede for our nation and for those in leadership. Today in our state we are having local elections. Pray for those you are voting for. Pray they will stand right before God. Pray they will lead your community to honor and fear God foremost. Pray for our national elections and that truth will prevail as those vying for the position campaign. No matter who wins pray that that person will follow the Lord not men and that He will be feared and respected. Pray that the politics will take second place to the righteousness of God. Pray that we as a nation will turn back to obedience to God.

Lamentations 1:1-3:36: Are you laboring under a burden these days for our nation? For your family? For your community or your church? If you are sweet friend you can identify somewhat with the writer of Lamentations. He was heartsick over his beloved country that was in shambles because they had been conquered. He was heartsick for the people who had left their relationship with the One True God. He was lamenting over so many losses. Yet these are some of the words he pinned.
Lamentations 3:22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; Because of the steadfast love of the Lord, we are not cut off
his mercies never come to an end;
23they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
25The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
26 It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
What a great message for us today as well. No matter what happens around us we can know
*God’s steadfast love never ceases
*His mercies are new every morning and He is faithful
*The Lord is good to those who wait on Him even on dark days
*God is enough for whatever you face. He can handle it. He is in control. Rest in Him.
*Your job is not to fix the problems around you but to seek Him
*Waiting on Him may seem like you are doing nothing, but waiting on Him to do the doing is a part of active faith. You can do it!
As we wait patiently on the Lord through out 2020 may we grow stronger daily in our faith and walk with Him. May 2020 give us clearer vision of who He is and what He can and will do!

Obadiah 1 Psalm 82-83: Obadiah was proclaiming something that should be a wake up call for us as well.
Obadiah 1:15 For the day of the Lord is near
Obadiah was talking about a day of reckoning coming not just for Israel but for all nations. God was in control even in the darkest of days and He would bring about justice to the earth. That message is just as relevant today as it was then when Israel was in captivity and being disbursed throughout the known world at that time. God had a plan to bring them back. God has a plan for us too.
One day we will hear a trumpet sound. Our day of reckoning is coming as well. The dead in Christ will rise first, then the those of us who are still alive will meet them in the air. Those who claim the Name of Christ will go to our heavenly home. The rest will be headed to a place of even greater darkness, wrath and gnashing of teeth. We will all stand before the throne of God and be held account for what we have done here on earth. Then the Lord will pronounce judgement. Either He will say enter into your rest or depart from Me for I never knew you. By then it will be too late to claim Christ and the free gift of salvation will be gone. That is why today is the day of salvation. Oh friends, don’t wait too late. The day of the Lord is near!

Jeremiah 41-44: People often ask do I counsel. My answer is it depends on the situation. lol. If the person really wants to make changes and find answers to what is hurting them I am more than willing to be a lay counselor. However if the person is not willing to make changes and work through what is going on with them the answer is no, I don’t do that kind of counseling. lol. (Insert smile here) I wonder if that is not how Jeremiah must have felt as he attempted to “lead” the children of Israel where God was leading them. Listen to what they said in Jeremiah 44:
44:16“As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen to you.
If you go back and look at the context they wanted God to help them but they were giving their offerings to the queen of heaven, an idol. I read that and my heart hurts for their blindness. They want God to bless them but they are not willing to honor Him.
As I prayed through this passage I wept for my own nation. We sing God bless America and yet we don’t honor Him. We kill our unborn, we condone behavior He calls deplorable, we hear what His pastors, leaders and teachers say about following Him but we go our own way. God disciplined Israel and He will use whatever He feels best to discipline us. My heart breaks for our choices that lead us into these hard times. I also take heart in knowing though that God did see those who were faithful. He did call for them to repent and turn back. He was and is willing to receive us if we turn from our sin, ask for forgiveness and follow Him. The option is ours. Don’t be like those who come for counsel, hear what they need to do and walk away unchanged. Look at your life and confess any known sin, turn from that sin back to Christ. Then know that no matter what happens around you, God sees your faithfulness and will take care of you. This “counselor” is walking this path right beside you trying her best to stay faithful as well.

Jeremiah 29-32: Don’t you just love knowing that God has a purpose and plan for your life. I also love that His purpose is for my welfare not to harm me. He longs to give me a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare Or peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
I have heard this verse quoted many times and even quoted it myself a lot. When you place this verse in the context of where it is in the scripture it gives it even more emphasis. God’s people had gone through a time of correction. Their “time out” was to last 70 years. It was their disobedience that had cause them to stay in time out and now they were at the beginning of their discipline. They had been taken captive to Babylon and were now experiencing a new normal. Jeremiah is giving them a word from the Lord that let them know though the time was to be a lengthy stay, they were to marry, work hard, make a life for themselves there. They were to raise their children and find a new normal. In it they were to remember God and know that even in a foreign time and place He was still with them. They were to seek Him with all of their hearts.
Jeremiah 29:12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
God was already planning to restore them to Jerusalem, but in the meanwhile they were to engage in relationship with Him no matter where they were physically. What a great word to us right now. God has not forgotten us. He has a plan and purpose for us. He expects us to live but in our living to seek Him with our whole heart. No choosing to play in the world and seek Him when you are in trouble. He gets your whole heart. Oh friend, allow Him to restore you even if it takes a while and learn to truly live giving Him your whole heart!

Jeremiah 21-24: Choices…. we all make them everyday. Some choices are good and lead to life like healthy habits, exercise, time spent in God’s word. Some habits are bad and lead to destruction like over eating, gossip or malicious talk, reckless behavior. Every day we get to make choices. What we don’t get to determine are the consequences of these actions to a certain degree. We know where they will ultimately lead, but when and how we get there may vary. God told the Children of Israel they too had a choice to make and that their choice would determine where they would end up but they could not choose how they got there.
Jeremiah 21:8“And to this people you shall say: ‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live and shall have his life as a prize of war.”
I am sure to the people they thought WHAT??? To surrender to the enemy will allow me to live and give up the fight? Yes, those who gave up and surrendered to the conquering army would ultimately live but those who chose their own way would perish. The choice was theirs. Either way hard times were coming.
I feel in many ways that is where we have been and are as well. Hard times are coming, but we can choose to have faith to experience life or live in disobedience and fear and cease to live. There are eternal consequences to choosing to do things our way instead of His as well. So I lead you with this. Today you have a choice to make. God has set before you the way of life and the way of death. You choose. Choose wisely my friend not just in the things that are eternal but also the things that will affect your life here on earth. We have choices to make that lead to consequences. May we all make good choices today.