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Readings for today: Ezekiel 9-12

In our current frame of reference, material wealth and physical health and overall prosperity are all signs of God’s blessing on our lives while material poverty, mental and physical health issues, and failure, struggle, and suffering are all signs of God’s judgment or God’s curse upon our lives. But what if our frame of reference shifted to a more biblical worldview? One where seasons of exile and judgment and suffering are not curses but actually part of God’s work to refine and sanctify us? Would we then be willing to go where He leads?

The reality is we often take the Lord for granted. We act as if He’s “trapped” in a relationship with us. As if God is “bound” by His unconditional love for us. We falsely believe our thoughts, attitudes, and actions don’t matter. We falsely believe we can reject holiness as a way of life. We falsely believe God’s primary goal is our personal happiness. Nothing could be farther from the truth. God does love us with an everlasting love. God does love us unconditionally. Nothing can snatch us out of His hand. Yes. Yes. And yes. But make no mistake, God is not “bound” to us or “trapped” in this relationship. He is not co-dependent on us nor does He allow our whims, our feelings, our desires to shape His will for our lives. We sin at our own risk. We run ahead of God at our own peril. We stubbornly refuse to follow Him to our own detriment. And this leads to God’s judgment on our lives, our communities, even our nation.

Thankfully, even in the midst of overwhelming judgment, Ezekiel sounds a note of hope. Presumably, God could have chosen to leave His Temple and head in any direction. However, He went east. East to where the exiles lived. East to Babylon. East to find His wayward children. East to be with them in captivity. East to comfort them in their diaspora. East to provide for them and make them prosper. East to join them so they never would be alone. Friends, God’s glory doesn’t need a Temple or a house made with human hands or a sanctuary covered in gold. The Bible declares that we are temples of the Holy Spirit. Our hearts have become the residence of God Himself. This is why Ezekiel declares, “Therefore say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Though I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’ “Therefore say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’ “When they arrive there, they will remove all its abhorrent acts and detestable practices from it. I will give them integrity of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh, so that they will follow my statutes, keep my ordinances, and practice them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel‬ ‭11‬:‭16‬-‭20‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Readings for tomorrow: Ezekiel 13-16

Lament

Readings for today: Lamentations 1:1-3:36

Lament is an invitation from God to bring Him our grief and sorrow, our pain and suffering, our doubts and confusion, our fears and anxieties. Prayers of lament can be focused on the individual or the community. The Book of Psalms contains plenty of prayers where the Psalmist cries out to God for example. The Book of Lamentations, however, is one long prayer of lament from Jeremiah over the death of the holy city of Jerusalem. It is not an easy read. The language is raw and real. The pain and grief is right at the surface for the prophet as he weeps over the destruction of his people and his way of life.

Lament is also a prayer of hope. A prayer prayed from the deepest, darkest recesses of our souls to the only One who can deliver us. It’s a primal cry. When life is stripped down to the studs and we have nothing left. It’s a cry made when we’ve reached the end of ourselves and are sitting in the dust and ashes of what’s left of our lives. When everyone has abandoned us, even those closest to us, and we find ourselves feeling all alone. In such moments - and I’ve had such moments - we find God waiting for us there. It’s powerful. It’s transformative. And it’s why in the midst of our lament, we begin to find hope.

This is what happens to Jeremiah. As he literally sits in the dust and ashes of the city he loves, surrounded by the death and destruction of the people he loves, having witnessed firsthand the horrors of war, rejected by everyone; he finds God waiting for him there. He finds God more than willing to meet him there. He finds God sitting with him in that place and his hopes are renewed. “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness! I say, “The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the person who seeks him. It is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord…For the Lord will not reject us forever. Even if he causes suffering, he will show compassion according to the abundance of his faithful love. For he does not enjoy bringing affliction or suffering on mankind.” (Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭26‬, ‭31‬-‭33‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Hope for the believer is not wishful thinking. It is not blind to reality. It does not close its eyes to all the evil and injustice and suffering and pain in our world. It simply looks beyond those things to God. To the One who is faithful. To the One who pours out new mercies every morning. To the One who is good. To the One who rewards those who seek Him. To the One who answers those who wait for Him. To the One who shows compassion and steadfast love to the thousandth generation. This is why Jeremiah holds onto hope and it’s why we can have hope as well.

Readings for tomorrow: Lamentations 3:37-5:22

Hope

Readings for today: Jeremiah 41-44

There is nothing worse than losing hope. It depletes our strength. It saps us of all motivation. It drives us to despair. I have sat with so many over the years who’ve lost hope. It could be a medical condition like cancer or Alzheimer’s or ALS. It could be a business loss or a job loss or some other financial disaster. It could be a broken marriage or a broken relationship with a child or parent. It could be a general feeling of hopelessness when one looks at the world around them. Human beings don’t deal with the loss of hope well. We tend to turn to self-destructive behaviors.

Another thing I’ve found is that hope is only as good as the object on which it rests. The reality is what a lot of people call hope is actually nothing more than wishful thinking. I think of the parents who spend thousands of dollars “hoping” their kid gets a scholarship to play sports in college even though only about 7% of high school athletes actually achieve this distinction. I think of the businessman or woman who leverages all they have, “hoping” to score the big deal or hit on the latest “get rich quick” scheme. I think of the many people I know who “hope” they’ve been good enough for God to let them into heaven. It’s all a roll of the dice and that’s not hope. Not in the biblical sense at least.

Jeremiah understood the difference between hope and wishful thinking which is why he called God’s people to place their hope in the Lord. He knew going to Egypt was a roll of the dice. He knew there was little chance they could stand against the power of Babylon. Furthermore, the Lord had revealed the future to him. He knew what would happen if the people fled to Egypt. Babylon would pursue them there and Nebuchadnezzar would set up his throne in the very place where they sought refuge. As always, the people had a choice. Place their hope in God or trust their own instincts for self-preservation. Listen to how God puts it to them yet again in our passage today. It’s a remarkable statement of mercy and grace to a people who had done nothing to deserve it. “If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will rebuild and not demolish you, and I will plant and not uproot you, because I relent concerning the disaster that I have brought on you. Don’t be afraid of the king of Babylon whom you now fear; don’t be afraid of him - this is the Lord’s declaration - because I am with you to save you and rescue you from him. I will grant you compassion, and he will have compassion on you and allow you to return to your own soil.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭42‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

I am with you to save you. I am with you to rescue you. I will grant you compassion. I will ensure your return to the Promised Land. As crazy as it sounds, this is not wishful thinking because it comes as a declaration from God Himself. A statement of fact about the future. And God is always true to His promises. I love how Romans 4:21 describes faith as “being fully convinced God is able to do what He’s promised.” This is the faith that was credited to Abraham as righteousness and it is the faith that is credited to us as well if we place our hope in God.

Readings for tomorrow: Obadiah 1, Psalms 82-83

The Hope of Eternity

Readings for today: Psalms 119:89-176

“If your instructions had not been my delight, I would have died in my affliction.” This line hit different today. Mainly because I am spending time with brothers and sisters who cling to the Word of God for life. Literally. This is not a metaphor for them. It’s not an abstract philosophical concept. They depend on God for life. They depend on God for daily provision. They depend on God for protection in an area where there is often significant persecution. Salvation, for them, involves the body, mind, heart, and soul. It’s not just a private spiritual experience. And it’s powerful to witness.

As I trained yesterday, I found myself wondering what keeps them going? We are training in almost 100 degree heat in a building with a metal roof which makes it feel like an oven at times. The sun is relentless. It’s the hottest and driest month of the year for them in this part of the country. Some of them travel for days. They sleep on the floors of churches while they are here. All they have are the clothes on their back and their training materials. Some of them are in dangerous areas. They travel through conflict zones. Some of them are persecuted regularly. All of them live in deep, deep poverty. As I listen to their stories, I can hear the incredible faith. They truly believe God is their Protector, Deliverer, and Savior. They truly believe His ways are the highest ways and His law stands eternal and provides a strong foundation for their lives. Their hope is not in the things of this world or in the governments of this world but in heaven itself. It’s powerful to witness.

Spending time with them makes my own time with the Lord sweeter. Jet lag has me rising early in the morning hours. The city is quiet. The hotel lobby is deserted. I can come down and sit with the Lord. People have asked me if God speaks more clearly to me over here. Yes and no. It’s not that God is somehow more clear over here and less clear when I am home, it’s that I’m able to hear more clearly because my life is more free of distraction. My prayers are more focused because there is less noise. My meditation and reflection on God’s Word is more fruitful because my time is less hurried. I am currently making my way home. Pretty soon I will be back into my daily routines. One of the things I always try to do when I get back from a trip is find ways to slow my routine down. Find ways to eliminate distractions. Find ways to spend unhurried time with the Lord. I don’t want to lose the connection I’ve gained by being over here.

Readings for tomorrow: Song of Songs 1-4, 5:1

The Power of Hope

Readings for today: 1 Thessalonians 3-4, Psalms 16

Hope is a superpower. The ancients told stories about hope and how it fueled the rise of the human species. Against all odds. Overcoming incredible obstacles. Succeeding despite all kinds of disadvantages. What kept human beings going over the centuries? Hope. Hope that things could get better. Hope that hard work would lead to success. Hope that together, we could accomplish great things. There is nothing quite like hope. Of course, the flip side is also true. There is nothing quite so devastating as the loss of hope. The loss of hope makes it almost impossible to rise above our struggles, face our fears, and overcome our failures. The loss of hope makes all of life meaningless on some level. It’s why it’s so important that our hope is grounded on something real, something certain, something true. Hope is not wishful thinking. Hope is not a fantasy. It is not something we dream up or imagine. Perhaps that’s why I love what the Apostle Paul tells his Thessalonian friends in today’s reading…

“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬-‭18‬ ‭CSB)

For most of human history, people have died tragic deaths. Most have died in infancy. Many more when they were young. The select few who made it to adulthood were then subject to all kinds of natural disasters, wars, plagues, disease, etc. Only a tiny majority lived to an old age before dying peacefully in their sleep. The Thessalonian Christians would have been well-acquainted with death. They knew death was the great enemy. They knew death was undefeated. They knew death and they feared death so Paul writes them this letter to remind them that they have a hope that transcends this life. Their hope is in Jesus Christ. The same Jesus who was executed on a Roman cross. The same Jesus who rose again from a Jewish tomb. The same Jesus who appeared bodily to hundreds of witnesses. This same Jesus is coming again. He’s coming back with all the saints who have died. Their souls will join their bodies and they will be raised to new life. And the reason we can be sure this is true is because Jesus Himself went through it. His death and resurrection are a matter of historical record. This is no legend. This is no myth or fairy tale. Jesus Christ lived. Jesus Christ died. Jesus Christ rose again. On these three real life events rests the hope of the Christian faith.

Sadly, too many Christians have let go of this hope. They have exchanged the hope of the resurrection for the hope of some kind of disembodied afterlife. They have exchanged real hope for false hope. Hope that is grounded in real life events for hope in a Platonic fantasy about the eternal nature of the soul. Our hope is not that our souls fly away to be with Jesus after we die. Our hope is that our souls one day return to our physical bodies and we are raised from the dead! Only then will death be defeated. Only then will our victory be complete. Until that day comes, yes, when we die, our souls are hid with Christ. But that is only temporary until Jesus comes again to raise us all from the dead and give us eternal life with Him.

Readings for tomorrow: 1 Thessalonians 5, Psalms 17

Hope

Readings for today: Daniel 7-9, Psalms 57

Today we read one of my favorite passages in the Old Testament about the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man. A prophetic vision of the end times when God Himself will set up His throne on earth to bring judgment and an end to all injustice, fear, and violence. He will give His kingdom to the Son of Man who has been prepared from eternity to rule a kingdom that will last forever. No matter how strong and fearsome the principalities and powers of this world may seem, they are no match for the Son of Man. The great “beasts” of this world with all their arrogant, corrupt, oppressive, and abusive ways will be killed and thrown into the eternal fire. They will be no more. It’s a day I long for with all my heart. It’s a day I pray for with all my soul. I long for the day when the Son of Man will come again, bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth, reign and rule over all creation.

Listen again to the words of the vision of Daniel, “As I kept watching, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was white like snow, and the hair of his head like whitest wool. His throne was flaming fire; its wheels were blazing fire. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from his presence. Thousands upon thousands served him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was convened, and the books were opened. I watched, then, because of the sound of the arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued watching, the beast was killed and its body destroyed and given over to the burning fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was removed, but an extension of life was granted to them for a certain period of time. I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.” (‭‭Daniel‬ ‭7‬:‭9‬-‭14‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Our world is on fire. Beasts of all kinds rise up and create all kinds of chaos and destruction. None of us are immune. No one can escape. We live in so much fear, so much anger, so much hate. Things are so bad even the “holy ones” of God, believers in Jesus Christ, are led astray. We turn on the news and see the violence. We scroll through social media and drown in disinformation designed to incite all kinds of outrage. We listen to our leaders lie with impunity and without shame. Perhaps worst of all, we become numb to the suffering we see. It’s heartbreaking. Thankfully, we are not at the mercy of the evil in the world. Sin will not have the last word. God Himself is coming to judge. He will take His seat on the throne of this world. And though the nations of the earth rage against Him, they resist in vain. God will remove their dominion and give it to His Son. He will reign forever and ever with glory and power. Every tribe, tongue, and nation will serve Him. His Kingdom will have no end. This is our only hope.

Readings for tomorrow: Daniel 10-12, Psalms 58

Hope for our Community, City, Nation, and World

Readings for today: Proverbs 10-12, Psalms 1

Jesus calls His disciples the “salt” and “light” of the world. His desire is for His followers to live righteously so we might provide hope for those around us. It could be in our homes. It could be in our cities. It could be in our nation. It could be around the world. We are called “light” because God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. As such we live lives of integrity and purity and holiness and self-discipline and joy and peace. These things are the fruit of the Spirit’s presence and can only come from Him. Human beings, at their best, can only produce these things partially and temporarily, never fully and completely and permanently. We are called “salt” because through us God brings His righteousness and provision and protection to the world. As we “dissolve” into our communities, righteousness begins to work its way like leaven through a whole lump of dough. Evil is restrained. Sin is held in check. The Kingdom of God begins to advance. Lives are transformed. Hell is emptied. Heaven is filled. This is what God desires for His world and He works His great plan through His chosen people.

Jesus didn’t come up with this on His own. (Well, maybe He did since He is God!) He is essentially rephrasing what King Solomon once wrote in the Book of Proverbs. “When the righteous thrive, a city rejoices; when the wicked die, there is joyful shouting. A city is built up by the blessing of the upright, but it is torn down by the mouth of the wicked.” (Proverbs‬ ‭11‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Solomon could see the impact of righteousness on a nation. When he ruled with righteousness and made decisions according to God’s wisdom, Jerusalem rejoiced. All of Israel celebrated. Every family and every home was filled with joy. Even the pagan nations around him recognized the blessing of God. When Solomon began to follow his own heart and wisdom and when he sought to rule out of his own strength, the city began to fail. The nation began to suffer. Every family and every home struggled under the oppressive weight of his rule and reign. Enemies began to rise up all around him. After he dies, the nation is literally torn in two.

There’s nothing new under the sun. Human society has always functioned best when it seeks to run on the fuel of God’s righteousness. Human society has always suffered when it seeks to live off its own righteousness. We simply cannot produce what we need to thrive. In fact, we can barely produce what we need to survive. This is why it’s critical for God’s people to trust in the Lord with all their hearts and lean not on their own understanding. We must seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness if we are to fulfill our calling to be salt and light in the world. If we want to see revival come to our homes, our cities, our nation, and the world; we must pursue righteousness in our own hearts.

Readings for tomorrow: Proverbs 13-15, Psalms 2