Today’s Reading: John 8:1-11

There are five women in the genealogy of Jesus – five women with stained reputations but also five women whom God chose to bless by placing them in this royal lineage. As Jesus was growing up, I am sure his parents taught him the stories of his ancestors.

What would Jesus have said regarding Rahab, the second of the women in his paternal genealogy? Let’s look at her story – a story that includes prostitution, deceit, dishonesty and finally REDEMPTION and a new life.

Tamar had disguised herself and acted as a prostitute one time in an act of deceit but Rahab made a living from prostitution. Rahab opened her home up to strangers as an inn or hotel in the walled city of Jericho. It was common for women who owned this kind of business to offer more than just a place to sleep for the night but to also offer their body to the strangers passing through town.

But this night was different. Her guests served the God she had heard so much about, the God who drew her to Himself in a way that perhaps made her feel loved and worthy for the first time. So when she received orders from the king of Jericho to bring out the spies, Rahab lied and said the spies were no longer there. To protect these godly men, she hid them beneath bundles of flax she had laid out on the roof and lied about their whereabouts in order to help them escape safely.

Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went on the roof to talk with them. “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.

“Now swear to me by the Lord that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.” – Joshua 2:8-13

Rahab’s desire was to live. But beyond the idea of escaping death, Rahab’s heart desired to REALLY live – to experience the kind of life the God of Israel could give her. She had heard the stories and her heart longed to be a part of what God was doing. This foreign prostitute had developed a faith in God in the midst of a pagan world.

So Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute and her relatives who were with her in the house, because she had hidden the spies Joshua sent to Jericho. And she lives among the Israelites to this day. – Joshua 6:25

This is the story of how Rahab came to be in the lineage of Jesus. In this story, Rahab risked her life in order to spare the life of two men of God. She walked away from everything she had ever known – the sin, the shame, the regret, the scarlet rope – and began worshipping the God who had always loved her.

A man named Salmon (a descendant of Tamar’s son Perez) looked beyond Rahab’s past and gave her a future as his wife. Perhaps Salmon remembered the redemption of Tamar when he looked at Rahab and was willing to offer her the same grace that had been extended to his ancestor. Together they had a son and they named him Boaz. All three of these names can be found in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

What would the young man, Jesus, have to say of this woman in his family story? What would Jesus have to say of this woman with a history of sexual immorality? Perhaps Jesus’ thoughts went to Rahab when he knelt down and wrote in the sand:

Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

“No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” – John 8:1-11

Perhaps there is a “scarlet rope” in your past that has kept you in bondage when God wants to use it for your escape. Just like Tamar and Rahab, God’s perfect plan for you includes redemption and forgiveness – new life in Christ.

Or maybe it is not YOU that you are using the “scarlet rope” against. Perhaps there is someone in your life for whom God intends redemption and forgiveness but you are using the “scarlet rope” to keep her in bondage, unwilling to forgive or forget the sinful decisions she has made.

Jesus is stooping down and writing something in the sand. Listen closely. He is saying something. “But let the one who has never sinned through the first stone!” Let’s put down the stone in our hand, unwrap the “scarlet rope” from around her reputation and offer her the same thing that God offers her – redemption and forgiveness; new life in Christ.

Today’s Reading: John 4:1-42

There are five women in the genealogy of Jesus – five women with stained reputations but also five women whom God chose to bless by placing them in this royal lineage. As Jesus was growing up, I am sure his parents taught him the stories of his ancestors. We know that Jesus was well studied in the law and history of the Israelites. He would have known the stories of all those names in his genealogy – both the family lineage of the man who was known as his father, Joseph, and the family lineage of his mother, Mary.

What would Jesus have said regarding Tamar, the first of the women in his paternal genealogy? Let’s look at her story – a story that includes grief, abuse, rejection, abandonment, prostitution, deceit and finally redemption.

In the course of time, Judah arranged for his firstborn son, Er, to marry a young woman named Tamar. But Er was a wicked man in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord took his life. Then Judah said to Er’s brother Onan, “Go and marry Tamar, as our law requires of the brother of a man who has died. You must produce an heir for your brother.” But Onan was not willing to have a child who would not be his own heir…the Lord considered it evil for Onan to deny a child to his dead brother. So the Lord took Onan’s life, too.

When the time came for Tamar to give birth, it was discovered that she was carrying twins. While she was in labor, one of the babies reached out his hand. The midwife grabbed it and tied a scarlet string around the child’s wrist, announcing, “This one came out first.” But then he pulled back his hand, and out came his brother! “What!” the midwife exclaimed. “How did you break out first?” So he was named Perez. Then the baby with the scarlet string on his wrist was born, and he was named Zerah. – Genesis 38:6-16, 24-30

God had a plan – the Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham and a descendant of Judah and a descendant of Perez. But Judah married a Canaanite woman, whose influence on his sons caused them to be evil in the eyes of the Lord. In spite of all of this, God continued to work out his plan. In spite of Judah’s sins of selfishness, God took the unholy union of Judah and Tamar and made a beautiful thing. Tamar was pregnant with twin boys. Zerah began to come out first but God’s plan was for Perez so he caused Zerah to pull back and Perez to be born first.

This is the story of how Tamar came to be in the lineage of Jesus. In this story, Tamar is first a victim of the sinful choices of three men in the lineage of Jacob, but Tamar did not remain innocent in this story. Desperate for love, she devised a plan of deception that included sexual immorality. Instead of trusting God to take care of her, Tamar stepped out of His plan and created her own. What would the young man, Jesus, have to say of this woman in his family story? What would Jesus have to say of the man, Perez, whose birth was the result of a crisis pregnancy?

Perhaps Jesus’ thoughts went to Tamar when he met the Samaritan woman at the well – a well that was near the field that Jacob gave his son Joseph. Perhaps he was thinking of Jacob’s daughter-in-law who would have perhaps drawn water from this same well at one time.

The story of the Samaritan woman had some resemblance to the story of Tamar – multiple husbands and then union with a man who was not her husband. Her story might have included the same elements as Tamar’s – grief, abuse, rejection, abandonment, prostitution, and deceit. What we know is that her story included redemption.

If you have some of these same elements in your story, perhaps these words of Jesus are for you today: “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water…Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” – John 4:10, 13-14

God’s perfect plan for your life probably did not include a lot of the junk that makes up your story but His plan for you has always ended in redemption. He sent His son to be born of a woman pledged to be married to Joseph – whose family story was far from perfect. That same son died on a cross in order to complete your story – to be sure that it can include a story of redemption from sins and eternal life that can be found by accepting the living water that He offers you today. Let us worship the One who was born and died to offer us eternal life. Let’s humbly bow down and offer to Him our past so that we can walk into His future.

Today’s Reading: Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 1:1-4 and 3:23-38

My parents pastored on the Northwestern Illinois District of the Church of the Nazarene for 31 years. I love those moments when someone comes up and introduces themselves by adding their connection to my parents. “Your father was my Bible teacher at camp” or “Your mother was my camp counselor” or “I loved it when your parents were quizmasters at all the area quizzes” or “I was a student in several of the classes your father taught for the course of study” or “Your parents played a large role in where I am at today.” I love those moments because I am proud to be the daughter of Larry and Dora Fortado. I am grateful when people know WHO I am because they know WHOSE I am.

Two of the writers of the gospel – Matthew and Luke – saw the importance of their readers knowing where Jesus came from. Both genealogies showed that Jesus was a descendant of David, one more indicator that he truly was the Messiah. Matthew shows us the genealogy of Jesus from his paternal lineage. He starts with Abraham and lists all of the descendants until he lands at Joseph (Matthew 1:1-16)

“Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gives birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah. All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.” – Matthew 1:16-17

I love verse 17 because I, like Matthew the tax collector, love numbers and playing with statistics. I find the pattern between generations intriguing (14+14+14), as it seems Matthew did.

Now Luke takes it from the perspective of the maternal lineage of Jesus. Mary, too, was a descendant of David and therefore a descendant of Abraham. Mary descended from David’s son Nathan while Joseph could trace his ancestors back to Solomon, the son of David and Bathsheba.

Matthew traced Jesus’ family back to Abraham, showing that Jesus was the promised Messiah of the Jewish people. Luke traced Jesus’ family even farther back to Adam, showing that Jesus came to be the Savior for ALL people everywhere (Luke 3:23-38). “And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Who will He save? HIS people. Who are His people? We ALL are His people because we have all descended from Adam. Salvation is for each and every one of us.

Consider your family on both sides. Take a moment to think of the influence the family on your mother’s side has had on your life. Now consider the impact of your father’s family on who you are and where you are at today.

When you look at the genealogy of Jesus, you will see a list of people who made mistakes. Almost each one has a story of how God in grace reached out to them and used them even after they had messed things up. We have spent the last four and a half months studying many of the people listed in these genealogies. You can probably look up at your family tree and see a lot of imperfections in those who have come before you. Yet the God of grace still chose them to give the world YOU!

Let us not take lightly the role God has played in our lives since before we were born. Each story that precedes us sets the backdrop for our story. God has known us, loved us and developed a plan for our lives in spite of our family tree – whether that tree is one of a strong spiritual heritage or a weak faith of our fathers. God had a purpose for the life of Jesus, His only Son – to save the world. In the same way, the genealogy of your fathers comes to you and leads to a moment in history when you carry out God’s plan for your life.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up, you are still with me! – Psalm 139:13-18

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11

Plans for your future – plans for you and for those who will follow you in your family tree. What story will be told of you? Will you submit to God’s plan – the plan for which He created you? Those coming after you are counting on you.

Lord, we thank you this morning for the heritage passed down to us from our parents and grandparents. Your workmanship in our lives is marvelous – how well we know it! We thank you for the love and investment of time into our lives that have made us who we are today. We pray that you will take our own imperfect attempts to love and allow us to positively influence the next generations. Help us to shine your light onto the path you have set before them – a path marked with hope for their future.

Today’s Reading: John 1:1-18

Now that we have completed the Old Testament and studied the prophecies of the Messiah, it is time to look at the life of Christ. As we start our study of the gospels, I pray that the Spirit reveals something new to each one of us and increases our understanding of our Savior’s love for us. Who is Jesus and what impact does his life make on mine?

Jesus.
My Savior, my Redeemer, my LIFE.
Jesus.
My Counselor, my Comforter, my LIGHT.
Jesus.
My King, my Best Friend, my LOVE.
Jesus.

LIFE, LIGHT and LOVE – three powerful words that describe the difference Jesus Christ makes in our life. These three gifts from God are made possible by the presence of Christ in our life, the presence of the Word.

In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave LIFE to everything that was created, and his life brought LIGHT to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. – John 1:1-5

JESUS GIVES US LIFE

He was there in the beginning when life was created. In fact, all life was created through Him because he is the One who gave life to everything that was created. We would not be here, we would not experience physical life, if it were not for Jesus – the Word. But we would also not experience a rebirth or a second gift of life if it were not for him.

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn – not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. – John 1:10-13

JESUS GIVES US LIGHT

Just as God spoke light into existence at creation, Jesus brought light when he came into the very world he created. Jesus – the true light – came into a world that had been darkened by sin in order to cast his light into the world he created.

…His life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it…The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. – John 1:4-5,9

JESUS GIVES US LOVE

When He entered the world of darkness full of unfailing love and faithfulness, he gave us blessing after blessing from the abundance of His love. Before this time, God’s people had experienced the love of their Creator who had faithfully cared for them but it was through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, that God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came down so close you could see it!

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing LOVE and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son…
From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. – John 1:14,16-18

LIFE, LIGHT & LOVE – we will experience all three of these today but it is our choice whether or not we acknowledge the presence of these gifts in our life. Today I can choose to recognize God’s blessings in my life that overflow from the abundance of His unfailing love and faithfulness, or I can focus on the loud cries of the darkness that try hard to extinguish these gifts of life, light and love.

Jesus came into the world he created and they rejected him, but all who believed him and accepted him were given the right to become children of God (v.10-12). I am a child of God! I have been given life, which brought light into the darkness I was living in, and today I will see God in every blessing He has abundantly allowed to overflow into my life out of His great love!

Thank you, God, for the impact you have made and continue to make on my life. Your praise, Oh God, will ever be on my lips!

Today’s Reading: Malachi

A QUESTION OF RESPONSIBILITY

Do you ever question why we have some of our traditions or why we do the same things year after year? Is it our responsibility to carry on these traditions? After God’s people returned to Jerusalem, they asked the question: “Should we continue to mourn and fast each summer on the anniversary of the Temple’s destruction, as we have done for so many years?”

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies sent me this message in reply: “Say to all your people and your priests, ‘During these seventy years of exile, when you fasted and mourned in the summer and in early autumn, was it really for me that you were fasting? And even now in your holy festivals, aren’t you eating and drinking just to please yourselves?” – Zechariah 7:3-6

A QUESTION OF SINCERITY

A question of responsibility was answered by a question of sincerity. God was exposing the heart of His people. I have to admit I feel a little exposed as well. How often do we go through the motions on a Sunday Morning? Has the worship become more about what pleases us or are we sincerely offering our praise to God so that He will be pleased? How often do religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter become more about family traditions, food and gifts than about God? Do we have a routine of going to church or do we have a growing relationship with Christ?

The prophet Malachi also spoke of the tendency of God’s people to offer less than their best to God – to sacrifice for the sake of fulfilling a ritual instead of making a true sacrifice of the heart.

A QUESTION OF SACRIFICE

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: “A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for my name!
But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’
You have shown contempt by offering defiled sacrifices on my altar.
Then you ask, ‘How have we defiled the sacrifices?’
You defile them by saying the altar of the Lord deserves no respect. When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

“How I wish one of you would shut the Temple doors so that theses worthless sacrifices could not be offered! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and I will not accept your offerings… – Malachi 1:6-10

Our sacrifices and offerings to God are defiled when we give less than our best, less than He requires of us. He wants us to give from our heart, genuinely showing our love and faithfulness. He wants us to give to please Him and not to please ourselves, or to satisfy the minimum requirement of being a member of a congregation.

A QUESTION OF PRIORITIES

Malachi also speaks of how unconfessed sin can stand in the way of God accepting our worship – again pleasing ourselves instead of obeying God to please Him:

Here is another thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altars with tears, weeping and groaning because he pays no attention to your offerings and doesn’t accept them with pleasure. You cry out, “Why doesn’t the Lord accept my worship?” I’ll tell you why! Because the Lord witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young. But you have been unfaithful to her, though she remained your faithful partner, the wife of your marriage vows. – Malachi 2:13-14

These blocks to our sacrifice and worship involve loyalty. Putting God first includes the vows we made before Him, whether that’s marriage or anything else we have promised to do. God wants us to put Him first and to give Him first place in our lives. If we pour out ourselves to God, He will pour out blessings on us.

“Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’
Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me!
But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’
You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. – Malachi 3:7b-12

SINCERITY – Are we going through the motions of our Christian walk or are we sincerely following Him?
QUALITY – Are we giving our best or doing our best with what God has entrusted to us? Are we hanging on tight to it or do we live as if everything we have comes from Him and belongs to Him?
LOYALTY – Are we committed to God? Are we faithfully following through on all we have promised before God and to God?

Lord, open our eyes to the areas of our life where we are cheating you, and therefore cheating ourselves of your blessings. Lord, open the windows of heaven for us. Pour out a blessing so great we will not have enough room to take it in! Lord, bless us with your presence today and reveal where we have lost our spiritual fervor. Give us the desires of your heart and help us to see what you see. We love you, Lord – sincerely, giving our best to you, and remaining forever committed to who you have called us to be. Everything we do, we long to do for you and not just to please ourselves. Amen.

Today wraps up the last book in the Old Testament. Thank you for joining me on this journey through the Scriptures, starting at Genesis in January and ending in Malachi in May. Tomorrow I will start going through the New Testament in what is believed to be chronological order. I hope you will join me each morning as I start my day with the word of God and a hot cup of my morning coffee.

Today’s Reading: Joel, Psalm 42

Tell your children about it in the years to come, and let your children tell their children. Pass the story down from generation to generation. – Joel 1:3

This hard time that you are going through, this time of loss and mourning over what you used to have, pay attention for this is a time you need to tell your children about and they need to tell their children. For generations, your children will have these stories to share with their children – times when the Lord has provided and brought you out of the valley of trouble. These stories of God’s provision will provide a gateway of hope for future generations, when they find themselves going through a difficult time (Hosea 2:15).

The grapevines have dried up, and the fig trees have withered. The pomegranate trees, palm trees, and apple trees – all the fruit trees – have dried up. And the people’s joy has dried up with them. – Joel 1:12

At times, everything that has sustained you and all that has given you pleasure will be taken from you. It will dry up and with it your joy. You will begin to wonder, “Is God really a merciful and loving God? Am I being punished for something?” God responds to your need for answers and confirms His identity to you. He instructs you on how to respond to this difficult time – this time of uncertainty.

Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. Bring the leaders and all the people of the land into the Temple of the Lord your God, and cry out to him there. – Joel 1:14

This is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of a curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the Lord your God as before. – Joel 2:12-14

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!
Now I am deeply discouraged, BUT I WILL REMEMBER YOU…
each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,
and through each night I sing his songs,
praying to God who gives me life. – Psalm 42:5-8

God confirms who He is. Look back at all He has done for you over the years. REMEMBER HIS FAITHFULNESS to you and know with confidence that He has more blessings to pour into your life.

Surely the Lord has done great things! Don’t be afraid, my people. Be glad now and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things. Don’t be afraid, you animals of the field, for the wilderness pastures will soon be green. The trees will again be filled with fruit; fig trees and grapevines will be loaded down once more. Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the Lord your God! For the rain he sends demonstrates his faithfulness. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring. The threshing floor will again be piled high with grain, and the presses will overflow with new wine and olive oil.

The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. Once again you will have all the food you want and you will praise the Lord your God, who does these miracles for you. – Joel 2:20b-26a

God is in the middle of all of this. None of this has caught Him by surprise. REMEMBER HIS FAITHFULNESS and trust that He has great plans for your future, that your joy will not be dry forever but that you will rejoice again in how your God has provided during a difficult time. You will have a story of God’s provision and His redemption to tell your children and your children’s children.

Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts;
let them proclaim your power.
I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor
and your wonderful miracles.
Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue;
I will proclaim your greatness.
Everyone will SHARE THE STORY of your wonderful goodness;
they will sing with joy about your righteousness. – Psalm 145:4-7

Remember His faithfulness and pass the stories down from generation to generation.

Happy Mother’s Day to all who have intentionally sat down with their children and their grandchildren to SHARE THE STORY – The story of your family, the story of our country and the stories of the Bible. Let’s continue to pass our stories down from generation to generation!

Today’s Reading: Nehemiah 8-13, Psalm 107 & 135

In his book, Just Walk Across the Room, Bill Hybels speaks of how important it is for us to take time to think through our story and be prepared to tell it as it fits into God’s greater story. What is your before and what is your after? What journey has God brought you on and how does that affect the way you live your life today?

Over and over again in the Old Testament, a prophet would gather the people of Israel together and review their story once more. This was often at a time of confession and repentance – a time of re-entering a covenant with God. Nehemiah retells the story of God’s people in a beautiful way in chapter nine. Retelling the story reminded them of how wonderful and full of grace God is. It reminded them of where pride and stubborn hearts had led them in previous years; how God had forgiven them time and time again, providing for them and blessing them abundantly.

“May your glorious name be praised! May it be exalted above all blessing and praise!
You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you. You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him from Ur of the Chaldeans and renamed him Abraham. When he had proved himself faithful, you made a covenant with him…And you have done what you promised, for you are always true to your word.

“You warned them to return to your Law, but they became proud and obstinate and disobeyed your commands…In your love, you were patient with them for many years…What a gracious and merciful God you are!… – Nehemiah 9:5-31

Then God’s people said, “In view of all this, we are making a solemn promise and putting it in writing…” (9:38) They were recognizing that they deserved all of the punishment they had received and yet God had forgiven them over and over again. They were once more making a covenant with God – a covenant full of written promises to obey the Law of God and God’s commands.

If we were to write out our stories today, what would they say? My story would include several of the same elements of the prayer told in Nehemiah: praise to God, recognition of His generosity and blessings, confession of my own tendency to be prideful and stubborn, stories of God’s forgiveness and grace, testimony of God’s provision and second chances, and promises to put God first in my life. I never want to forget what God has done for me. I want to learn from my past mistakes in order to not repeat my errors, but instead grow stronger in my walk.

What has God commanded me to do? Have I done it? I want to be reminded of God’s instructions to me over the years. I want to look back at old prayer requests and see how God has answered those prayers. May God’s faithfulness always be a reminder and a stimulant to the growth of my own faith. May time in His presence stimulate my spiritual growth much more than the caffeine in my morning coffee.

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest: God is saying to His people, “You are not in love with Me now, but I remember a time when you were.” He says, “I remember…the love of your betrothal…” (Jeremiah 2:2). Am I as filled to overflowing with love for Jesus as I was in the beginning, when I went out of my way to prove my devotion to Him? Is that where I am now, or have I chosen man’s wisdom over true love for Him?… [My Utmost for His Highest]

In view of all this, I am making a solemn promise and putting it in writing…

Today’s Reading: Nehemiah 1-7, Psalm 129 & 132

Ezra and Nehemiah’s stories are quite similar. While Ezra was now in Jerusalem teaching the people and unifying them in repentance, Nehemiah was still back in Persia serving as the cupbearer to the king. When news arrived that the Jews in Jerusalem were experiencing opposition, he mourned on their behalf. The Temple had been rebuilt in the midst of the opposition but the wall of Jerusalem had been torn down and the gates had been burned. There would be no protection for the city without the wall.

IT WAS THE DESIRE OF NEHEMIAH’S HEART TO GO TO JERUSALEM TO HELP THE PEOPLE REBUILD THE WALL, SO HE PRAYED FOR GOD TO GIVE HIM THE DESIRE OF HIS HEART.

“O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you…O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” – Nehemiah 1:5-6,11

As we learn in the book of Esther, no one can approach the king of Persia with a request without first being invited into a conversation. Nehemiah would be in the presence of the king as his cupbearer but could not ask for permission to travel to Jerusalem without the king first speaking to him. An intervention of God was needed in order for Nehemiah to have the opportunity he wanted. God saw the desire of Nehemiah’s heart to serve his people and faithfully answered his prayer. The king noticed that Nehemiah had a heavy heart and asked him if he was troubled, giving Nehemiah the opportunity to ask for some time off to return to Jerusalem. Again, just like Ezra, the king granted his request generously because the gracious hand of God was on him (Nehemiah 2:8).

When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he inspected the condition of what was left of the wall. He went back to the Jewish leaders and said: “You know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace!” Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king. They replied at once, “Yes, let’s rebuild the wall!” So they began the good work (Nehemiah 2:17-18).

NEHEMIAH SAW A NEED, PRAYED FOR THE NEED AND THEN ALLOWED HIMSELF TO BE PART OF THE ANSWER TO THAT PRAYER.

Now that’s leadership! Nehemiah sets a great example for us. That last part is where we sometimes miss out on an opportunity to be used by God. Nehemiah saw God’s movement, recognized that the gracious hand of God was on him and testified to the rest of his people of God’s faithfulness. His bold requests, his intercessory heart and his testimony of God’s grace are what gave the people courage and inspiration to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, starting with its wall.

Now things did not go easily as they rebuilt the wall. They faced opposition. The people would mock, “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!” (Neh. 4:3) Their response was to pray but eventually they became discouraged. Day after day they heard the voice of defeat saying that it could not be done and they began to listen to that voice. “The workers are getting tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves” (Neh. 4:10).

NEHEMIAH CHOSE TO DROWN OUT THE VOICE OF DEFEAT AND STAY FOCUSED ON THE TASK GOD HAD CALLED HIM TO.

Nehemiah had to do the same thing that we have to do daily – he had to DROWN OUT the voice of defeat! “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!” – Neh. 4:14

After this, they changed their plan. While half the men worked, the other half would stand armed with swords against the attacks. Some of the laborers used one hand to support the load while the other hand held a weapon. They carried their weapons with them at all times! We have the same weapon against the voice of defeat and opposition to God’s work – God has given us the same armor to protect ourselves and stand strong!

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. – Ephesians 6:10-18

Father God, help us to be more like Ezra and Nehemiah – seeing a need and being willing to be part of the answer to that need. And when things get tough, when we face opposition, clothe us with your armor and give us the faith needed to drown out the voice of defeat. We love you, Lord. Amen.

Today’s Reading: Ezra 7- 10, Psalm 25

Who is this Ezra? Here are a few of my thoughts on the lifestyle and essence of Ezra.

This Ezra was a scribe who was well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel had given to the people of Israel. He came up to Jerusalem from Babylon, and the king gave him everything he asked for, because the gracious hand of the Lord his God was on him…This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel. – Ezra 7:6,10

EZRA WAS A STUDENT OF THE WORD OF GOD

He recognized that God had given the Law of Moses to the people of Israel for a reason and he was determined to STUDY it, KNOW it, and OBEY it in order to TEACH it. He saw the benefit of spending time studying God’s word in order to better UNDERSTAND God and His laws – to know God’s commands and obey them. He went beyond just being a hearer of the Word; he was a doer. He went past the purpose of learning for his own sake to becoming a conduit of God’s Word to others.

Because Ezra was dedicated to God and well versed in the Law, God blessed Ezra by giving him favor with the king for the benefit of all God’s people. Anything he asked for the king was prepared to give him BECAUSE the gracious hand of the Lord his God was on him. Ezra recognized that this favor was of God and not based on his own worth or merit.

EZRA HUMBLY GAVE GOD THE GLORY

When the king said, “If you need anything else for God’s Temple or for any similar needs, you may take it from the royal treasury,” Ezra’s response was to praise the Lord. When the king recognized Ezra’s wisdom as having come from God, Ezra praised God for demonstrating such unfailing love to him by honoring him before the king, his council, and all his mighty nobles! “I felt encouraged because the gracious hand of the Lord my God was on me” (Ezra 7:28).

Ezra’s humility, knowledge and wisdom situated him to be used by God in leadership. Like Nehemiah and Esther, he was strategically positioned to be effective in God’s eternal plan. He gathered together some of the family leaders to return with him to Jerusalem. Before they began their journey, Ezra led the entire group in a time of fasting and humbling themselves before the Lord, praying that God would give them a safe journey and protect them, their children, and the goods they were bringing to Jerusalem.

EZRA LIVED OUT HIS FAITH IN HIS ACTIONS

Ezra could have asked the king for soldiers to escort them to Jerusalem with all of this silver and gold that would make them vulnerable against bandits and robbers on their four-month journey. It would have been a reasonable request. But Ezra once again saw the importance of living out his faith in his actions. He had previously testified to the King, “Our God’s hand of protection is on all who worship him, but his fierce anger rages against those who abandon him” (Ezra 8:22). Ezra knew that he needed to back these words up with faith in God so they fasted and earnestly prayed for God to take care of them, and God faithfully heard their prayer. At the end of the journey, Ezra was able to testify that God, rather than the king’s men, had protected them.

EZRA LED THE PEOPLE IN THE CONFESSION OF THEIR SINS

Just as Ezra was able to ask for provision and protection for his people, he was also willing to humble himself and confess on behalf of the people. When Ezra arrived in Jerusalem, he found they had done exactly what God told them NOT to do – they had married women from other nations who served false gods. Ezra could have washed his hands of all this sin and stood back in self-righteousness for he had not disobeyed God. Instead he tore his clothes, fell to his knees and lifted his hands to the Lord praying:

“O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are piled higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens…once again we have abandoned your commands!…O Lord, God of Israel, you are just. We come before you in our guilt as nothing but an escaped remnant, though in such a condition none of us can stand in your presence.” – Ezra 9:6,10b,15

Ezra led those around him in the study of God’s word.
Ezra led those around him in prayer and fasting.
Ezra led those around him in the journey God had called them to.
But here is where I am overwhelmed by the humble actions of this man of God:
Ezra led his nation and his people in confession of their sins. He took the sins of the nation upon himself, taking responsibility for their sins and stepping into God’s presence in repentance of such sin, even though he himself had not disobeyed God in this way.

This reminds me of how Jesus, who was without sin, was willing to die for our sins. Hebrews 4:14-16: Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

We sin as individuals and we go before God, humbly asking for His forgiveness. We sin as a family or as a church or group of people and we humbly pray for mercy. We sin as a nation and the appropriate thing to do is still to humble ourselves, fall on our knees in mourning and beg the Almighty God of Justice to have compassion on us and forgive us as a nation. Oh God, hear our prayer!!!

Lord, I want to be like Ezra. I want to be a student of your word, praying and fasting for Your guidance and protection. I want to live out my faith, not looking for human answers. I want to be an Ezra-like leader! Lord, forgive us for the many times we step out of your plan and disobey as individuals, as congregations and as a nation. Lord, give us mercy and grace in our time of need. Amen.

Today’s Reading: Esther, Psalm 35

January 22, 1973 marks a time in the history of America when abortion was legalized. It is a day to remember – a day we choose to never forget. Women were given the freedom to end their pregnancies, and those who were alive but not yet born were stripped of their right to life. The motives behind the legalization of abortion were not just about reproductive freedom, their motives included racial targeting. Still today the majority of abortion clinics are found in neighborhoods primarily made up of African-American and Hispanic families.

The book of Esther speaks of a similar day of remembrance in the lives of the Jewish people – the Festival of Purim, a time in history Jews continue to recognize every March. Just like there has been an attack on the unborn for the past 44 years, with evidence the attack is racially motivated, an attack was planned against the Jewish people living in the empire of King Xerxes because of similar racial hatred.

While a large number of God’s people had returned to Judah and Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple and the walls of the city, there were still a great number of Jews who had remained in what had once been Babylon. It is not explained why these Jews chose to not return to the Promised Land. Perhaps they had become comfortable in their new homes and chose to stay in the “known” instead of traveling the long distance back to the “unknown”.

We are probably all familiar with the story of Esther and the conspiracy of Haman to destroy all of the Jews in order to curb his appetite for the death of Esther’s cousin, Mordecai. Haman managed to convince the king that it was not in his best interest to let this race of people live. Lots were cast to determine the day in while the Jews could be annihilated. These lots were called “purim” and were similar to what we would think of as dice. This is where the Festival of Purim received its name – a time to remember when a day was set to destroy the Jews, but to also celebrate how God instead rescued His people from their enemies.

I found several similarities between Esther’s role and Nehemiah’s role. Nehemiah was an exiled Jew living as a servant or slave to the king. His role as cupbearer became a blessing as Nehemiah was strategically positioned to be near the King to request a favor for his people. In the same way, the misfortune of Esther to be taken from her home and placed in the palace had become a blessing as she became queen and was strategically positioned to be near the King, giving her the opportunity to request protection for her people.

God intervened on Nehemiah’s behalf and the king noticed that he was distraught. God intervened on Esther’s behalf and the king noticed her standing in the inner court. He welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her so that she could approach his throne.

Nehemiah saw a need, prayed for the need and then allowed himself to be part of the answer to that prayer. He allowed himself to be used by God. Esther saw a need, feared for her life and yet boldly stepped into the equation, allowing herself to become part of the solution.

Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made the queen for just such a time as this?”

Then Esther set this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in and see the king. If I must die, I must die.” – Esther 4:13-16

This, too, reminds me of Nehemiah. When faced with opposition while rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in order to protect God’s people, Nehemiah appointed half of the men to work on the wall while half stood armed with swords against the attack. For some laborers, they used one hand to support the load while the other hand held a weapon.

In the same way, God’s people lifted prayers on behalf of Esther while she worked on protecting or rescuing them. She put herself in harm’s way but not until she knew that her family and God’s people were lifting her up in prayer, calling on God to bless her efforts and use the position He had placed her in as an opportunity to reverse the decree and allow the Jewish people to live.

There are days and opportunities when God strategically positions us to be used by Him. There are also times in which God gives us the responsibility to pray for someone else. There may be times in which we feel sorry for ourselves wishing that we were not in a situation or place. Then what once seemed like an unfortunate coincidence becomes a God-placed miracle and we find ourselves strategically positioned to be used by Him.

Will we see our situation today as Esther did? Will we accept our calling “for such a time as this”? Will we boldly step into the equation and allow ourselves to be part of the solution? Perhaps our role today is to enter into the presence of our King, as Esther did. Perhaps it is our role today to stand with sword in hand and pray God’s protection on others. Perhaps God is calling you to do something about the issue of abortion. Either way, today is a special day because it represents the chance to allow God to make an unfortunate situation an opportunity for His power to be displayed. It is a day to remember that God has called us as His servants to be used however He desires. It is a day to be called into action. It is a day to remember and never forget!