Zephaniah 1-3: Israel had been so disobedient as had the other nations around them. They disappointed God on every level and yet God chose to redeem them. He chose not to leave them abandoned. He chose to bring them back to the very hill He had made the covenant of Provision to Abraham and Solomon. God was their Provider, Sustainer, and very life. I love Zephaniah 3:
Zephaniah 3:16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Fear not, O Zion;
let not your hands grow weak.
17 The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
Oh my friends we as a family of faith are in such great need to hear the Father singing over us with a loud voice. We need Him in our midst. He is the only answer to all of the crazy going on right now. He alone brings true lasting peace to all.
Today I will spend time just praising Him. I will sit for a few minutes in the total quiet to listen for His voice. I will rejoice in Him no matter what comes. I will proclaim His goodness. I will choose His ways and walk in obedience. I will rest in His goodness. Won’t you join me?

Isaiah 59-63: The gospels record when Jesus spoke at the synagogue in Nazareth one of the first times. As He spoke the people were amazed at His teaching with authority. The gospel writers record the scroll Jesus read from. It was Isaiah 61.
61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening [of the eyes] to those who are blind;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
3to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
After Jesus had read the scroll He told the people that the scripture had been fulfilled in Him.
I can just imagine the looks being exchanged by the religious leaders and those present. Did they want or need to rewind what He had just said? How could this son of Mary think He was the Messiah? Even greater did He really think God’s Spirit was on Him? Others may have thought contemplatively of all of the miraculous signs and wonders He had been doing. I wonder if they did not consider if it really could be possible. There was only One who had NO doubt and that was Jesus Himself. He knew what God had called Him to. He was ready, willing and able to do all that God had appointed for Him to do.
Even today some doubt. Others question. Those of us who have seen with our eyes of faith and heard know without a doubt that Jesus does have God’s favor on Him. He did come not just to heal and provide, but He truly set each of us free from the power and dominion of sin! Glory. This child of God rejoices over the crown I have received instead of ashes. I bask in the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and my goal in life is to bring the Father much glory! I believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God, My Lord and Savior!

Isaiah 13-17: Have you forgotten God? As I read Isaiah my heart breaks for my own nation. So many parallels with God’s own people in Isaiah’s day look like our world today. Here is what Isaiah writes.
Isaiah 17:10For you have forgotten the God of your salvation
and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge;
therefore, though you plant pleasant plants
and sow the vine-branch of a stranger,
11though you make them grow on the day that you plant them,
and make them blossom in the morning that you sow,
yet the harvest will flee away
in a day of grief and incurable pain.
Mercy haven’t we see this recently. So many trying to separate God from every aspect of life other than a few minutes when one attends a service. That is not God’s way. He is in all whether we acknowledge Him or not. He will not be forgotten. He will not be pushed aside. He may allow our behavior for a while, but in time His discipline comes on every nation that He loves. It is not to harm, but to persuade His children to return to Him. Israel saw it and after years of captivity and war they returned. Oh that we would learn quickly and escape the wrath of God’s vengeance.
May we all bend the knee of our hearts to the Lord and remember Him in all we do. May we set the example for the world to follow.

Isaiah 9-12: There is no way Isaiah understood all he was writing when he penned the book, but God did! God knew that though the world around him seemed like chaos, that hope was on the way.
Isaiah 9:
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Israel had chosen to walk away from God and they were in a hot mess, but God had not totally abandoned Israel. He had a plan! Jesus, God in flesh was going to come. Israel though him to be a military leader who would take on the governing authorities of the day. God’s plan was so much bigger. Israel had to come to then end of their own might and power and find Him to be the only weapon they needed. I wonder if that isn’t where God is waiting for our nation to get as well. No military might or power can save us. Only the Wonderful Counselor that will help us heal our mental and emotional wounds. Our Mighty God who defeated sin, death and hell. Our Everlasting Father who will be with us forever!!! And our precious Prince of Peace who brought what we most needed. No, not peace among men, but peace with God. Our sin forgiven allowed that peace to reign. GLORY!!!!!

Isaiah 5-8: I love how Isaiah 6 begins with describing a vision he had of the temple. It was filled with the presence of God in such a way that it was tangible. Isaiah knew not just by sight but also by hearing God was present as the angels called out Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty! To be in the presence of God like that Isaiah was even more aware of his own uncleanness. The result was he confessed his uncleanness and was cleansed. With a clean heart Isaiah hears God asking who will go and who shall I send. Isaiah’s response was immediate.
Isaiah 6:8And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
When we have a true encounter with God, He get a volunteer. You can’t be in the presence of the Almighty and not realize your own brokenness nor your need for healing. Isaiah’s vision is a word to all of us. Confess your sins and failures and find forgiveness and healing. Then get ready because God’s children don’t sit on the side lines. They are put in the game! Isaiah was sent to spread the message that though Israel had fallen there was hope.
7:14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
God Himself was coming to the rescue. He would come as a child but his purpose was clear. He would be “God with us”. As God walked the earth in the form of Jesus the Son, many experience the presence of God and they too were changed. Through His life many lives were changed and God got volunteers who spread His word through generations. Today you and I get the opportunity to volunteer as well. As we come into His presence, receive cleansing, our only response should be “Here am I, send me.”

Isaiah 1-4: You are smart. You have been given the ability to think and reason. You have been charged with looking at a situation and making the wisest choices. Every day through out the day we are given the responsibility to make the wise choice. Our health, security and well being are based on the choices we make. This is a God given gift. So we should not be surprised when He says,
Isaiah 1:18“Come now, let us reason says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
20but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
It really is that easy. We get to choose and our choices lead to forgiveness and life or guilt and destruction. For me that is an easy choice. I choose life. It may mean saying no to some things that look good or even make me happy, but in the end these things would only be momentary. I choose to look toward the eternal and that which brings life everlasting.
Take the time to reason. Count the costs. Look beyond today, this hour, this minute and choose life.

Amos 6-9: I am so thankful that God is a God of great mercy. All through Amos the prophet recounts all of the death and destruction headed to Israel and the surrounding countries. The message is sever and sad. I can’t imagine how Amos and the other prophets must have felt to be asked by God to deliver this message. I loved Amos’ response when encouraged to flee.
Amos 7:12And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, 13but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”
14Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ Now therefore hear the word of the Lord.
It was merciful for God to warn the people. He longed for them to have a better life. Yet they would not listen or obey. So the outcome of disobedience is destruction and captivity.
It happened just as Amos and the other prophets prophesied as Israel was conquered and deported. Again in God’s mercy and sovereignty He again restored.
Amos 9:14 I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel,
and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,
and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 I will plant them on their land,
and they shall never again be uprooted
out of the land that I have given them,”
God’s great desire was never to harm Israel but to bring the people back into right relationship with Him. There are times that all of us go through a time of pruning or discipline not because God hates us, but because He loves us and longs for us to walk right with Him. Don’t rebel sweet friend. Turn to Him, stop any ungodliness, move back into the right path and allow the mercy of the Lord to wash over you. You are never too far away.

2 Kings 14-15, 2 Chronicles 25-27: Did your mom ever tell you “don’t get too big for your britches”? In the case of King Uzziah that is exactly what happened and he paid a heavy price for it. Uzziah had started out well doing the things that brought God honor and glory.
2 Chronicles 26:5He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.
I love how it says “He set himself to seek God”. That is the way for us to see God do great things in our life. We see and go where He wants us to go and do what He says. As long as we seek Him he will prosper us though it may not be a physical prosperity as in money, but it is His presence and His blessings. Uzziah would have done well if he continued down this path, but this is how the scripture describes his “too big for his britches” moment.
26:16But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the Lord his God and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.
Uzziah had usurped the job of the priest and considered himself holy enough to present his own sacrifice. God immediately passed judgement and leprosy broke out on his skin. Uzziah though the king spent the rest of his life separated from his family and his kingdom. It was a sad ending to what had been a good kingship.
Has pride ever cost you? Maybe anger was the culprit that caused you to lose greatly. Uzziah allowed his pride and anger to take away his freedom and his kingdom. Choosing to humble ourselves is huge in receiving God’s blessing. The New Testament reminds us that pride goes before a fall. It is much better to choose humility than to be broken by pride.
Check your heart, set yourself up to seek the Lord and choose humility. It is the best way to receive God’s favor.

2 Kings 12-13, 2 Chronicles 24: Yesterday one of my ladies in our Bible Study remarked that the kitchen in the building we meet in needed to be cleaned. As we examined the kitchen in our thoughts we concluded that the refrigerator, the stove, the cabinet and even the floors could use a thorough cleaning. As our leadership team talked we discussed how in the past the church had paid people to do the job we were describing, but our ladies have been so active lately and serving with a whole heart. We decided that we would take on the job and not just that one but also pick up around the grounds and get the flower bed out front into pristine condition with the help of one of our ladies who is a master gardener. We are actually looking forward to the projects and will have a great time doing them and then be so proud of the results.
As I read our passage I wonder if that is not have the King of Judah felt. He had told the priests to collect money and clean up the building. They may have seen the problems, but for whatever reason did not do anything about them. The king wasn’t pleased so he devised a plan. In the end the people did the work and the finished product was something they were all pleased with and proud of.
Maybe today God is saying to you, “Look around. What simple tasks need to be done so that your church is in good repair and ready for service.” Don’t wait on the hired help to do it. Get out your cleaning supplies, get the hedge trimmers going. Do whatever God speaks to you to do. Then don’t expect any “Ata boys or even a thank you.” Your reward comes from your Heavenly Father who sees and knows what you are doing. Don’t deny. You may even want to grab a friend and make it a party. That is what I did! By the way, if you are a member of FBCPG meet me Tuesday morning at 9:00, I have a job for you. 🙂

1 Kings 20-21: Is your God the same God on the mountains as He is in the valleys? In our reading today the Syrian army had an askew view of God. God had already allowed Israel, a much smaller force to defeat Ben-hadad king of Syria once when the armies fought on a mountain. I am sure he like many others found excuses as to why so many died and fell at the hands of a smaller force with less training, skill and artillery. Little did Ben-hadad know that the God was the same on the mountain or in the valley and because Ahab and his forces had faith in God, they were able again to defeat the much larger, well trained and equipped force. Ahab was FAR from a godly leader. Even his disobedience in allowing Ben-hadad to return to his home country and escape cost him. This story, however is about how God can and will do what He wants even with people who don’t always do what is right. Can I just add a thank you Jesus right here! This girl needed a savior that still came through when she did not always do the right things.
In the years I have walked with the Lord, I have learned something Ben-hadad did not know though. God is not limited in any way. He is not limited by time, distance, equipment, ability or anything! He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is a steadfast anchor for our souls Hebrews 6 tells us and He is the only surety we need in our world surrounded by chaos. You can trust Him to do what is right and best for you. Put your trust in Him today my friend and no matter what enemy you face know He is enough and will fight on your behalf.