Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

September 16, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers
 
Praying to God in Secret

When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place . . . -Matthew 6:6

The primary thought in the area of religion is- keep your eyes on God, not on people. Your motivation should not be the desire to be known as a praying person. Find an inner room in which to pray where no one even knows you are praying, shut the door, and talk to God in secret. Have no motivation other than to know your Father in heaven. It is impossible to carry on your life as a disciple without definite times of secret prayer.

"When you pray, do not use vain repetitions . . ." (Matthew 6:7). God does not hear us because we pray earnestly- He hears us solely on the basis of redemption. God is never impressed by our earnestness. Prayer is not simply getting things from God- that is only the most elementary kind of prayer. Prayer is coming into perfect fellowship and oneness with God. If the Son of God has been formed in us through regeneration (see Galatians 4:19), then He will continue to press on beyond our common sense and will change our attitude about the things for which we pray.

"Everyone who asks receives . . ." (Matthew 7:. We pray religious nonsense without even involving our will, and then we say that God did not answer- but in reality we have never asked for anything. Jesus said, ". . . you will ask what you desire. . ." (John 15:7). Asking means that our will must be involved. Whenever Jesus talked about prayer, He spoke with wonderful childlike simplicity. Then we respond with our critical attitude, saying, "Yes, but even Jesus said that we must ask." But remember that we have to ask things of God that are in keeping with the God whom Jesus Christ revealed.

Living with Passion

I want to focus your attention today on two passages.  The first is Ecclesiastes 9:10,

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

The second passage is Colossians 3:23,

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.

Do you see the common theme?  God desires us to live our lives full out, with passion.  Whether you are a preacher, a writer, a teacher, or a singer, whatever you do, you are to do it with passion.  You are to throw yourself into it.

People are attracted to passion.  They want to see someone who is burning with a fiery zeal for whatever they do!

In my opinion, the greatest example of a passionate person is Jesus.  Remember the story when Jesus threw the money changers out of the temple?  That was a passionate act.  In fact, the end of that passage says, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."

Zeal is just another word for passion.  "Passion for Your house has eaten Me up!"  Have you ever tried to imagine Jesus doing that?  I have a very clear image of what that must have been like.

He is whipping these guys and they are running, covering their heads.  He is throwing over these big tables and the disciples are watching with their mouths wide open, when they remember the verse, "Zeal (passion) for Your house has eaten Me up."

Let me ask you a question:  When is the last time you were eaten up with zeal for anything?  When is the last time you were utterly passionate about anything?

Don't just sleepwalk through life.  You need to decide you are going to live!
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Read: Nahum 1:7-11
The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. - Nahum 1:7

TODAY IN THE WORD
When Elena Desserich was just five years old, doctors diagnosed her with pediatric brain cancer. Her parents didn't tell her the news, but somehow she must have come to understand what was happening in the nine months before she died. After her passing in 2007, her parents and little sister found hundreds of her notes written on scraps of paper tucked in random corners all over the house. Elena loved to draw, and many of her notes featured purple hearts and the words, "I love you." She had hidden them everywhere for her family to find.
Such incredible love in the heart of a dying child inspires awe. God's love, the source and fountain of all human love, is awe-inspiring as well. In today's reading, Nahum's description of God's character continues, this time focusingon His lovingkindness. He is good, a caring refuge for those who trust in Him (v. 7). This doesn't mean He's a pushover. He is just in His condemnation of Nineveh's sin (vv. 8-10). And He is powerful-there is no escape from His judgment. To be enemies of the Lord is to be doomed. They will be burned up like stubble in a dry field. There is no way to resist His will. No plot can possibly succeed against His sovereign decree. Those who try will be caught in their own traps or made drunk by their own wine-that is, people will reap what they sow. To be God's enemy is synonymous with being wicked, leading to the opposite inference that to be God's friend is to pursue love and righteousness.

The identity of the "one" in verse 11 is uncertain. Some commentators think it was Sennacherib (1 Kings 19), while others speculate it might have been Ashurbanipal, the last great emperor of Assyria. In any case, Assyria had chosen the wrong "refuge" or stronghold, trusting in its military power above all. The city of Nineveh was well-known for its strong walls (see September . These, however, were nothing compared to the strength and power of God. No refuge is perfectly secure except Him (cf. Pss. 9:9; 46:1; 59:16).
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Reaping what one sows is a general moral principle God has built into the structure of the universe (see Job 4:. This principle is not absolute, or we would all reap the penalty of death for our sins (Rom. 6:23). God's grace and mercy rescue and redeem us from normal processes of cause and effect, and getting what we deserve. Even so, we are not to presume upon His grace but rather we are to live as those who have been freed from slavery to sin (Rom. 6:1-6).

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

September 17, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers


Is There Good in Temptation?

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man . . . -1 Corinthians 10:13


The word temptation has come to mean something bad to us today, but we tend to use the word in the wrong way. Temptation itself is not sin; it is something we are bound to face simply by virtue of being human. Not to be tempted would mean that we were already so shameful that we would be beneath contempt. Yet many of us suffer from temptations we should never have to suffer, simply because we have refused to allow God to lift us to a higher level where we would face temptations of another kind.

A person's inner nature, what he possesses in the inner, spiritual part of his being, determines what he is tempted by on the outside. The temptation fits the true nature of the person being tempted and reveals the possibilities of his nature. Every person actually determines or sets the level of his own temptation, because temptation will come to him in accordance with the level of his controlling, inner nature.

Temptation comes to me, suggesting a possible shortcut to the realization of my highest goal- it does not direct me toward what I understand to be evil, but toward what I understand to be good. Temptation is something that confuses me for a while, and I don't know whether something is right or wrong. When I yield to it, I have made lust a god, and the temptation itself becomes the proof that it was only my own fear that prevented me from falling into the sin earlier.

Temptation is not something we can escape; in fact, it is essential to the well-rounded life of a person. Beware of thinking that you are tempted as no one else-what you go through is the common inheritance of the human race, not something that no one has ever before endured. God does not save us from temptations-He sustains us in the midst of them (see Hebrews 2:18 and Hebrews 4:15-16).
   
Contagious!

In yesterday's devotional, I challenged you to live life with passion.  Today I want to give you one other perspective on that. 

Take a look at 2 Corinthians 9:2 where Paul writes these words,

For I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority.

Did you notice those last eight words, and your zeal has stirred up the majority?  Passion is contagious.

What do you think might happen if a community saw a church that was utterly on fire?  Where all the members in that church were passionate about their worship, passionate about their relationship with God, passionate about serving one another, passionate about real deal Christianity where the rubber meets the road?

I believe there is a divine attraction to that!  And I believe that it would transform a community.

Sadly, most communities witness just the opposite-compromise, apathy, and boredom-not passion.

Now, rather than complain, I want to challenge you to live life with real passion.  Go all out for God.  It only takes one person to ignite the fire of passion in others.

I heard the story of a man who came to hear D. L. Moody preach.  While sitting there the man next to him asked, "Do you come out here because you believe the things he's preaching?"

His response was, "No.  I come out because he believes it."

Passion is contagious!  Are people catching it from you?  Is your zeal for Christ stirring up those who come in contact with you?  If not, ask God to put that passion into your heart today and watch what happens!
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Read: Nahum 1:12-15
God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day. - Psalm 7:11

TODAY IN THE WORD
Earlier this year, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) built the world's most precise clock. It is an experimental atomic clock based on a single aluminum atom, and according to NIST measurements it won't alter as much as one second in 3.7 billion years. By comparison, the current national clock for civilians, kept by a NIST-F1 cesium fountain clock, can keep to within one second for "only" 100 million years. The NIST physicists call their latest effort a "quantum logic clock."
By any measure, Nineveh's time had run out. God had been patient, but He is holy and will not tolerate evil forever. Though Israel was God's chosen people, this hadn't exempted them from His judgment on their sins. And though Assyria had been God's instrument of judgment on the northern kingdom, this wouldn't protect them from His judgment on their sins as well. Assyria's military strength and numerous allies wouldn't matter (v. 12). God's judgment was a sure thing. This judgment would be more than a military defeat, though that was part of it. It would also be a spiritual defeat, in which false idols were destroyed and God's supremacy vindicated. The prophecy included a cultural shocker-no descendants and a "vile" or "worthless" grave (v. 14). A family line or people group dying out was the worst fate imaginable.

Nahum spoke of Nineveh's destruction as an accomplished fact (v. 15). From his point of view, the messenger was already arriving in Judah with the good news of peace-the good news that an antagonist had been defeated. For God's people, it would be as though a yoke had been broken or chains removed (v. 13). The former conqueror, Assyria, would itself be overthrown and the nation would again be free to celebrate holy days and keep vows, that is, to pursue covenant faithfulness and worship the Lord. How complete would Nineveh's destruction be? Centuries later, during a battle involving Alexander the Great, he would not even realize that it took place near the site of the former imperial capital.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Nahum's picture of the "one who brings good news" (v. 15) reminds us of a picture of a person who spreads the gospel. In the words of Isaiah: "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim . . . salvation" (52:7; cf. Rom. 10:13-15). Having "beautiful feet" and actively sharing the good news of the gospel is the calling of every follower of Christ. Are we being faithful to bring life-giving news to others and glory to God?

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

September 18, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

His Temptation and Ours

We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin -Hebrews 4:15


Until we are born again, the only kind of temptation we understand is the kind mentioned in James 1:14, "Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed." But through regeneration we are lifted into another realm where there are other temptations to face, namely, the kind of temptations our Lord faced. The temptations of Jesus had no appeal to us as unbelievers because they were not at home in our human nature. Our Lord's temptations and ours are in different realms until we are born again and become His brothers. The temptations of Jesus are not those of a mere man, but the temptations of God as Man. Through regeneration, the Son of God is formed in us (see Galatians 4:19), and in our physical life He has the same setting that He had on earth. Satan does not tempt us just to make us do wrong things- he tempts us to make us lose what God has put into us through regeneration, namely, the possibility of being of value to God. He does not come to us on the premise of tempting us to sin, but on the premise of shifting our point of view, and only the Spirit of God can detect this as a temptation of the devil.

Temptation means a test of the possessions held within the inner, spiritual part of our being by a power outside us and foreign to us. This makes the temptation of our Lord explainable. After Jesus' baptism, having accepted His mission of being the One "who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29) He "was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness" (Matthew 4:1) and into the testing devices of the devil. Yet He did not become weary or exhausted. He went through the temptation "without sin," and He retained all the possessions of His spiritual nature completely intact.

Peace

One of the great truths of the Christian life is that you and I can know the peace of God in our lives because we have peace with God.  As believers, we need not live our lives without God's peace.

Are you worried right now about anything?  Finances?  Kids?  Marriage?  Job security?  Your health?  What somebody said about you?  How a situation is going to turn out?

If you are worried about anything, here are some instructions for you found in Philippians 4:6-7,

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything [that means in every circumstance] by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Talk to the Lord about your problems, offering thanks along with your requests.  He promises to give you peace if you will.

Let me leave you with these words from Dr. Stanley Jones:

"I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear.  Fear is not my native land; faith is.  I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil....  A Johns Hopkins University doctor says, 'We do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than non-worriers, but that is a fact.'  But I who am simple of mind think I know;  We are inwardly constructed...for faith and not for fear.  God made us that way.  To live by worry is to live against reality."
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Read: Nahum 2:1-10
Nineveh is like a pool, and its water is draining away. - Nahum 2:8

TODAY IN THE WORD
After finishing dead last among the 32 teams in the 1998 World Cup, no one expected much from the U.S. men's national soccer team in 2002. Their first opponent, Portugal, was widely considered a dark horse favorite to win the tournament. So when the Americans scored three goals in the first half against the overconfident Portuguese and went on to win the game 3-2, the sports world was stunned! The U.S. team made it to the quarterfinals that year in their best modern World Cup showing ever.
The phrase "how the mighty have fallen" describes the Portuguese defeat in that memorable soccer match, as well as the conquest of Nineveh in today's reading. Though God's righteous judgment of Nineveh was clear in chapter 1, Nahum wasn't ready to leave the topic just yet. Chapter 2 gives us a vivid narrative of the city's downfall. We might imagine that the messenger of Nahum 1:15 has arrived and is delivering this news or telling this story to a highly appreciative audience. First, there is an announcement, a mocking warning to Nineveh to brace for an attack (v. 1). The narrative then mentions the big picture of national Jewish restoration (v. 2) before picturing the arrival of an impressive enemy army at the gates of Nineveh (v. 3). The battle is soon over in the city's outer section, as the invaders' chariots roam freely through the streets (v. 4). Behind the inner walls, things aren't going well either. Elite Assyrian troops stumble on the way to their defensive positions (v. 5).

Nineveh's final defeat is pictured in terms of water, as if the city was being swept away by a flood (v. 6). The palace collapses, the battle is lost, the city is plundered, and the people are exiled (vv. 7, 9-10). In fact, many historians believe the Babylonians used the Assyrians' own dams against them to damage their fortifications. By opening floodgates on the Khoser River, they may have won a swift victory. In a powerful final image that is then true both literally and figuratively, Nineveh spirals down the drain (v. .
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Biblical prophets often spoke of the future they were predicting as if it had already happened. They knew they were speaking the absolutely true and unbreakable word of the Lord. Speaking of prophecies as accomplished involved no risk whatsoever. That's how sure God's promises are! As Joshua told the Israelites: "Not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed" (Josh. 23:14). What good promise of God do you need to believe today?

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

September 20, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

The Divine Commandment of Life

. . . be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect -Matthew 5:48

Our Lord's exhortation to us in Matthew 5:38-48 is to be generous in our behavior toward everyone. Beware of living according to your natural affections in your spiritual life. Everyone has natural affections- some people we like and others we don't like. Yet we must never let those likes and dislikes rule our Christian life. "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another" (1 John 1:7), even those toward whom we have no affection.

The example our Lord gave us here is not that of a good person, or even of a good Christian, but of God Himself. ". . . be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." In other words, simply show to the other person what God has shown to you. And God will give you plenty of real life opportunities to prove whether or not you are "perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." Being a disciple means deliberately identifying yourself with God's interests in other people. Jesus says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).

The true expression of Christian character is not in good-doing, but in God-likeness. If the Spirit of God has transformed you within, you will exhibit divine characteristics in your life, not just good human characteristics. God's life in us expresses itself as God's life, not as human life trying to be godly. The secret of a Christian's life is that the supernatural becomes natural in him as a result of the grace of God, and the experience of this becomes evident in the practical, everyday details of life, not in times of intimate fellowship with God. And when we come in contact with things that create confusion and a flurry of activity, we find to our own amazement that we have the power to stay wonderfully poised even in the center of it all.

A Miracle-Working God

Once again I want to take us back to 2 Kings 6:6,

So the man of God said, "Where did it fall?"  And he showed him the place.  So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float.
Perhaps you are wondering just what other principle for regaining your spiritual edge can come from this verse.  Well, there is one more, and it is critical to understand because it points to God's part in the process of restoration.

I want you to look at the words,"And he made the iron float."

I don't know about you, but I have never seen an iron ax head float.  Clearly this was a miracle.  God worked a miracle when the man did his part, looking to the master, taking responsibility, and going to the place where the ax head was lost.

You do your part; God does His part.  I like the King James Version as it says, ...the iron did swim.  It was against that ax head's nature to swim, but God made it swim.

God brings the restoration.  He brings the healing.  He brings back that sensitivity and usefulness to Him.  I pray that right now God is at work in your heart, and you are responding, making adjustments...regaining your cutting edge.

As you admit to those areas where you have lost your spiritual edge, God is going to restore it.  God's part is to make that ax head float once you have admitted where you have failed!

He can restore what has been lost, even if it takes His miracle power to do it. 
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Read: Nahum 3:1-7
They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. - Hosea 8:7

TODAY IN THE WORD
In 1839, the Amistad sailed for Cuba with a shipload of African slaves. The captives, led by a man known as Cinque, escaped from their chains and took over the ship. As seen in an award-winning movie, also called Amistad, they then attempted to return to Africa but were captured by the U.S. Navy and imprisoned while the case was investigated. Spain tried to pressure President Martin Van Buren into extraditing the group so they could be tried for piracy and murder, but abolitionists succeeded in having the case tried in the United States. Two years after the original mutiny, the Supreme Court finally ruled that they had been taken captive illegally and were thus free to go. Justice had been done!
In vivid and intense language, Nahum 3 reiterates the justice of God's judgment on Nineveh and poetically addresses the reasons for it-which is, in short, their sins. This "city of blood" (v. 1) was guilty of cruelty, pride, idolatry, deceit, and witchcraft, and one gets the feeling that Nahum's list is a sampler, not a complete record. The Lord's justice would be poetic: Sins done in private would be made public. Shamelessness would be shamed. "I will pelt you with filth," said God, "I will treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle" (v. 6). This may sound extreme, but the literary device of hyperbole (exaggeration for effect) reflects the true heinousness of Nineveh's sins.

Assyria was not just a superpower, but a sadistic and evil one. History testifies to their bloody cruelties. They are alleged to have cut off enemies' hands, feet, and noses; gouged out their eyes; flayed or skinned them alive; ripped open pregnant women; beheaded and then burned the bodies in huge piles; and carried out many massacres. Their lust for power is comparable to a lust for sex-the "harlot" (v. 4) is probably Ishtar, goddess of both fertility and war. Given all this, it's no surprise that no one will mourn the destruction of Nineveh, no one will offer words of comfort. Instead, Assyria's former victims will rejoice in their liberation (v. 7).
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Justice is often about reaping what we sow. Sowing the wind, the Assyrians were bound to reap the whirlwind (Hos. 8:7). We need to remember, though, that God can and does break this pattern with His mercy and grace. He can make it so that "those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy" (Ps. 126:5). In Christ, He has made it so that those condemned to death can receive eternal life (John 3:16).

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

September 21, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers


The Missionary's Predestined Purpose

Now the Lord says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant . . . -Isaiah 49:5


The first thing that happens after we recognize our election by God in Christ Jesus is the destruction of our preconceived ideas, our narrow-minded thinking, and all of our other allegiances- we are turned solely into servants of God's own purpose. The entire human race was created to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Sin has diverted the human race onto another course, but it has not altered God's purpose to the slightest degree. And when we are born again we are brought into the realization of God's great purpose for the human race, namely, that He created us for Himself. This realization of our election by God is the most joyful on earth, and we must learn to rely on this tremendous creative purpose of God. The first thing God will do is force the interests of the whole world through the channel of our hearts. The love of God, and even His very nature, is introduced into us. And we see the nature of Almighty God purely focused in

John 3:16

- "For God so loved the world. . . ."

We must continually keep our soul open to the fact of God's creative purpose, and never confuse or cloud it with our own intentions. If we do, God will have to force our intentions aside no matter how much it may hurt. A missionary is created for the purpose of being God's servant, one in whom God is glorified. Once we realize that it is through the salvation of Jesus Christ that we are made perfectly fit for the purpose of God, we will understand why Jesus Christ is so strict and relentless in His demands. He demands absolute righteousness from His servants, because He has put into them the very nature of God.

Beware lest you forget God's purpose for your life

The First Commandment of Marriage:  Exclusivity

The first of the Ten Commandments is simply this, as found in Exodus 20:3,

"You shall have no other gods before Me."

What is God saying in this commandment?  That He wants to have an exclusive relationship with you.  He wants to be your one and only.  He will not settle for flavor of the month.

And how appropriate in marriage as well.  We are to have an exclusive relationship with our spouse.

It's been said that Henry Ford, on his golden wedding anniversary...50 years of marriage...was asked, "What's the secret of your success in marriage?"  And he said, "The secret of my successful marriage is the same secret that I have in business:  I stick to the same model."

In traditional wedding vows, the man and woman pledge their devotion until death parts them.  For life.  There is no competition.

My wife has no competition.  I am not shopping for a new model.  I do not want to trade in the old model.  I will not be shopping in the future.  One is all I need.

When God made man, He said it is good.  But then He said, "It is not good that he is alone.  I am going to make a helper suitable for him."  And the Bible says God took one of Adam's ribs, and He formed a woman, Eve, and brought her to the man.

God did not take four or five ribs and say, "Okay, Adam, here is Eve, and here is Lois, and here is Samantha, and here is Rachel."  No, it was just one.  And to have a healthy marriage relationship, that is it.

I am committed for life.  An exclusive relationship.  I am not shopping, not even window-shopping.  One God.  One wife.  That is enough.
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Read: Nahum 3:8-13
You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. - Psalm 77:14

TODAY IN THE WORD
The survey discussed earlier on September 9 suggested that Americans are mixing and matching their religious beliefs for personal reasons. Another recent survey focused on American "millennials"-the generation born about 1980 that came of age at the turn of the millennium-sees a similar decline in orthodox Christian beliefs: Twenty-six percent of this generation are not affiliated with any church or faith tradition, even though 41 percent pray daily and 53 percent are "certain God exists." Only 18 percent attend any worship service weekly. Among all Americans, more than half say they combine their religion with New Age and Eastern beliefs such as astrology and reincarnation.
Although these numbers show a thirst for spirituality, God will not bless those who make up their own truth. They will reap what they sow, just as in today's reading. This passage is another reminder that God's judgment is certain because His power is absolute. If the Ninevites doubted, all they needed to do was remember

Thebes (vv. 8-10). Thebes, located about 400 miles south of Cairo on the eastern bank of the Nile River, was the capital of Upper Egypt. Defended by many moats and canals and with strong allies, Thebes was nonetheless destroyed by Assyria in 663 B.C. Assyrian records contain many details of this great victory, such as the exile of the city's people, the enslavement of its nobles, and the slaughter of its infants. Jeremiah (46:25) and Ezekiel (30:14-16) both prophesied about this.

Nahum's point was that Nineveh would suffer the same horrifying, humbling fate (vv. 11-13). Though now on top of the world, they would soon be running and hiding like refugees or like women (given that war was a "manly" pursuit in that day and age). Their defenses would fall like ripe figs-a startling simile, like comparing nuclear missiles to dandelion seeds blown away by the wind. Furthermore, the figs do not merely drop and spoil, rather, they are hungrily and effortlessly devoured, just as Nineveh would be by the armies of Babylon.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
In the face of temptation, let us pray our defenses do not drop like ripe figs! When under spiritual attack we must "put on the full armor of God." We are to "stand firm" with the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, and other spiritual truths pictured as pieces of military equipment. Behind the shield of faith, we are safe from the "flaming arrows of the evil one," and with the "sword of the Spirit" we can disarm him (Eph. 6:10-18).

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

September 22, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

The Missionary's Master and Teacher

You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am . . . . I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master . . .-John 13:13, 16

To have a master and teacher is not the same thing as being mastered and taught. Having a master and teacher means that there is someone who knows me better than I know myself, who is closer than a friend, and who understands the remotest depths of my heart and is able to satisfy them fully. It means having someone who has made me secure in the knowledge that he has met and solved all the doubts, uncertainties, and problems in my mind. To have a master and teacher is this and nothing less- ". . . for One is your Teacher, the Christ . . ." (Matthew 23:.

Our Lord never takes measures to make me do what He wants. Sometimes I wish God would master and control me to make me do what He wants, but He will not. And at other times I wish He would leave me alone, and He does not.

"You call Me Teacher and Lord . . ."- but is He? Teacher, Master, and Lord have little place in our vocabulary. We prefer the words Savior, Sanctifier, and Healer. The only word that truly describes the experience of being mastered is love, and we know little about love as God reveals it in His Word. The way we use the word obey is proof of this. In the Bible, obedience is based on a relationship between equals; for example, that of a son with his father. Our Lord was not simply God's servant- He was His Son. ". . . though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience. . ." (Hebrews 5:. If we are consciously aware that we are being mastered, that idea itself is proof that we have no master. If that is our attitude toward Jesus, we are far away from having the relationship He wants with us. He wants us in a relationship where He is so easily our Master and Teacher that we have no conscious awareness of it-a relationship where all we know is that we are His to obey.

The Second Commandment of Marriage:  Don't Love a Substitute

In the second commandment recorded in Exodus 20:4-6, we are given the second principle for a strong marriage,

"You shall not make for yourself a carved image-any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.  For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."

God commanded that there be no carved images, whether in heaven, in earth, or in the sea.  He wanted to make sure everything was covered.  And He said not to bow down to them and worship them.  God said, "Do not make images of Me and then worship them.  Don not love or worship a substitute for Me.  Love Me."

Religion has made pictures, statues, and idols and then called them holy.  They are all imitations.  They are all substitutes.  And in marriage we should have no substitutes either.

Love your husband only.  Love your wife only.  Do not look for fulfillment in some other relationship or in some other thing.  Find your fulfillment in that relationship.

Pornography is a substitute.  When a man watches pornography, he is loving a substitute.  He is directing his passion and his sexuality toward those images.  That is a substitute, and he is robbing his wife of that intimacy.

Do not allow any substitute, no matter what it might be, to take the place of intimacy with your spouse. 
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Read: Nahum 3:14-19
Everyone who hears the news about you claps his hands at your fall. - Nahum 3:19

TODAY IN THE WORD
How can a loving God judge and destroy? This question applies not only to the city of Nineveh in today's passage but also to the doctrine of hell. Writer and apologist C. S. Lewis explored this issue in his books The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce. He argues that those condemned to hell get not only what they deserve but also what they have chosen. In The Great Divorce he wrote: "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.' All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened."
One of the challenges of faith is to come to terms with truths that at first glance seem appalling. Judgment and hell are among these. Today's final reading in the book of Nahum again describes the defeat of Nineveh (vv. 14-15). Though Assyria was a commercial empire and center of world trade, it would be devoured by locusts, as it were. Merchants would take what they could and run (v. 16). Political leaders would disappear during the crisis (vv. 17-18). While a king named Ashur-uballit would try for several years to keep the empire going from another city, Nineveh's defeat would essentially be the death blow (v. 19). No one would grieve, for "who has not felt your endless cruelty?" The book ends with one of the many rhetorical questions, an effective literary technique in this prophecy.

How are we to respond to the fact that Nineveh was completely wiped out? It was never rebuilt, though archaeologists discovered its ruins in 1842. Was this overkill on God's part? Not at all. The wonder is that He waits so patiently and offers so much mercy in the face of human wickedness! If we had a true sense of His holiness and our own sin, we would, like Isaiah, fall to the ground in reverence for Him and in horror with ourselves: "Woe to me!" (Isa. 6:5).
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
God's love cannot ignore or overlook sin. We should rejoice in divine justice and judgment because it represents the triumph of holiness. If these truths or the doctrine of hell are troubling you, consider doing additional Bible study on these topics. You might also read one of the books by C. S. Lewis mentioned above. The Screwtape Letters offer "advice" from a senior devil to a junior one, while The Great Divorce narrates a "bus tour" from hell to the edges of heaven.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

September 23, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

The Missionary's Goal

He . . . said to them, 'Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem . . . ' -Luke 18:31

In our natural life our ambitions change as we grow, but in the Christian life the goal is given at the very beginning, and the beginning and the end are exactly the same, namely, our Lord Himself. We start with Christ and we end with Him?". . . till we all come . . . to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ . . ." (Ephesians 4:13), not simply to our own idea of what the Christian life should be. The goal of the missionary is to do God's will, not to be useful or to win the lost. A missionary is useful and he does win the lost, but that is not his goal. His goal is to do the will of his Lord.

In our Lord's life, Jerusalem was the place where He reached the culmination of His Father's will upon the cross, and unless we go there with Jesus we will have no friendship or fellowship with Him. Nothing ever diverted our Lord on His way to Jerusalem. He never hurried through certain villages where He was persecuted, or lingered in others where He was blessed. Neither gratitude nor ingratitude turned our Lord even the slightest degree away from His purpose to go "up to Jerusalem."

"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master" (Matthew 10:24). In other words, the same things that happened to our Lord will happen to us on our way to our "Jerusalem." There will be works of God exhibited through us, people will get blessed, and one or two will show gratitude while the rest will show total ingratitude, but nothing must divert us from going "up to [our] Jerusalem."

". . . there they crucified Him . . ." (Luke 23:33). That is what happened when our Lord reached Jerusalem, and that event is the doorway to our salvation. The saints, however, do not end in crucifixion; by the Lord's grace they end in glory. In the meantime our watchword should be summed up by each of us saying, "I too go 'up to Jerusalem.' "

The Third Commandment of Marriage: Speak Well of Your Mate

Exodus 20:7 gives us our third commandment of marriage, 

"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain."

Many misunderstand the term, in vain.  It means empty, meaningless, insincere, not showing due respect. 

When we speak flippantly or lightly about someone, we erode our respect for that person.  Some people are just far too casual in the way they speak of their spouse, and it erodes your respect for him or her.

In marriage, few things can affect the relationship like words.  Words are containers.  They can contain love; they can contain hate; they can contain joy; they can contain bitterness.

The book of James says that our tongue is like a rudder on a ship.  It will send the ship of your marriage in whatever direction your words go.  Some people are on the brink of divorce because they talk divorce.  Just listen to the words they say.  Are they negative or positive?  Critical or encouraging?

One night I was out with a couple of friends diving for lobster.  Some guys were out in one of those big, long speedboats drinking and zooming back and forth at 60 miles an hour. All of a sudden, BANG! The boat hit the rocks.

But it did not hit the rocks by itself.  It was steered into the rocks.  Just like the driver of that boat, some people are steering their marriage into the rocks of divorce, into the rocks of heartache, by the words they speak.

Think about what you say.  Are you building up your partner?  Learn to speak well of your mate.  Build them up with your words.  Be lavish with your praise.  You will be pleased with where those words will take your relationship. 
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Read: Haggai 1:1
The word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai. - Haggai 1:1

TODAY IN THE WORD
The teachings of the great Chinese philosopher Confucius have for centuries influenced culture, social morality, philosophy, and political theory throughout Asia and the world. He emphasized order and propriety in relationships, justice, and harmony. He believed strongly in the value of education as a key dimension of self-improvement, and he also promoted study of the classics as a highly virtuous pursuit. He is perhaps best known for his version of the Golden Rule, "Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself," which he called the virtue of "reciprocity."
Did you know Confucius was a contemporary of the prophet Haggai? Considering Haggai's ministry in this final week of our month's study, we begin by noting his book is the second shortest (to Obadiah) in the Old Testament. Its two chapters contain four brief messages delivered during a four-month timespan: chapter 1, 2:1-9, 2:10-19, and 2:20-23. It was written in 520 B.C., in the second year of the reign of Darius. It is permeated by a strong sense of being a message from God, as more than two dozen times we are reminded that this is the "word of the LORD." Haggai is regarded as the first postexilic prophet, joined soon after by Zechariah. Nothing is known about his personal background, though it is speculated he was perhaps in his 70s. This is based on a possible inference (from 2:3) that Haggai was one of the people who had seen the original temple, which was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.

The book's main purpose was to encourage the rebuilding of the temple. During the reign of Cyrus, 50,000 Jews returned home under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua the priest. In the second year of their return, the foundation for a new temple was laid, but then construction halted due to Samaritan harassment, political shifts in the empire, and the people's own spiritual apathy. Sixteen years later, Haggai appeared on the scene. The ministry of Haggai and Zechariah would be successful: The people obeyed and finished building a new temple about 515 B.C.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The book of Ezra (especially 3:1-4:5) provides background for understanding Haggai. The return of the people from exile happened as God promised, but it wasn't easy. The people had to make a new life, including rebuilding homes and planting crops. Collectively, they faced the challenge of rebuilding the temple and reestablishing national worship. It must have seemed overwhelming! Fortunately for them and for us, "nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37).

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

September 24, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

The "Go" of Preparation

If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift-Matthew 5:23-24

It is easy for us to imagine that we will suddenly come to a point in our lives where we are fully prepared, but preparation is not suddenly accomplished. In fact, it is a process that must be steadily maintained. It is dangerous to become settled and complacent in our present level of experience. The Christian life requires preparation and more preparation.

The sense of sacrifice in the Christian life is readily appealing to a new Christian. From a human standpoint, the one thing that attracts us to Jesus Christ is our sense of the heroic, and a close examination of us by our Lord's words suddenly puts this tide of enthusiasm to the test. ". . . go your way. First be reconciled to your brother. . . ." The "go" of preparation is to allow the Word of God to examine you closely. Your sense of heroic sacrifice is not good enough. The thing the Holy Spirit will detect in you is your nature that can never work in His service. And no one but God can detect that nature in you. Do you have anything to hide from God? If you do, then let God search you with His light. If there is sin in your life, don't just admit it- confess it. Are you willing to obey your Lord and Master, whatever the humiliation to your right to yourself may be?

Never disregard a conviction that the Holy Spirit brings to you. If it is important enough for the Spirit of God to bring it to your mind, it is the very thing He is detecting in you. You were looking for some big thing to give up, while God is telling you of some tiny thing that must go. But behind that tiny thing lies the stronghold of obstinacy, and you say, "I will not give up my right to myself"- the very thing that God intends you to give up if you are to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

The Fourth Commandment of Marriage:  Spend Exclusive Time Together

Over the last few devotionals, we have been working through the principles behind the Ten Commandments...and how they form the basis for a strong and vibrant marriage.  Today we come to the fourth commandment, found in Exodus 20:8-11,

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God.  In it you shall do no work:  you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.  For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.  Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it."       

Sabbath means an intermission.  It means to put down your work and rest.  Take a break.  And holy means separate to the Lord.  "If you want a long-term relationship with Me," God says, "We have to have time together.  I want special time, exclusive time.  I want a whole day."

In the same way, in order to have a healthy, growing marriage, husbands and wives need time together...special time, exclusive time, sometimes extravagant time.  And I think we all know that if we do not schedule it, it will not happen.

My wife, Janet, once did a little research.  She found that surveys showed the average couple spends 37 minutes or less in face-to-face conversation every week.  I bet before you were married you spent a lot more time together in a week, didn't you?

If your marriage is to thrive, you need to spend exclusive time together.  You can't build a relationship and not spend time together.  It is just not possible.
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Read: Haggai 1:2-11
Give careful thought to your ways. - Haggai 1:5

TODAY IN THE WORD
A credit company based in Riga, Latvia, last year asked borrowers for their immortal souls as collateral. The company, which offers short-term loans of up to $1,000 at high interest rates, did not worry about credit rating or actual collateral. Instead, said their Web site: "There is just one condition, a borrower should pledge their soul." According to the terms of the loan, the soul remained the property of the company until the loan had been completely repaid. Was this a joke? A marketing ploy? Latvians weren't sure, but several Christian denominations there complained and asked the government to investigate.
Some people are willing to sign away their souls for a bit of money, and we are reminded how human priorities contrast with God's. In today's reading, the Israelites were invited and commanded to "give careful thought" to their ways and priorities (v. 7). Initially, Haggai addressed Zerubbabel and Joshua directly (v. 2). As the main political and religious leaders of the nation, they could not allow the people to continue making sinful excuses about why the temple project was being neglected.

Haggai then spoke to all the people, condemning their spiritual indifference and self-centeredness. "Paneled houses" suggests luxuriousness, meaning that they were putting their personal, materialistic desires ahead of the priority of worshiping the Lord (v. 4). How could they be claiming, "the time has not yet come" when the ruins of the temple were compared to their own beautiful homes? Did it make sense to pursue earthly priorities first? Their present circumstances revealed that God was not blessing such actions (v. 6): Harvests were small. There were shortages of food and clothing. They were unable to save money and inflation was a problem. They were living hand-to-mouth-it was as though their purses had holes in the bottom! They needed to put God first and gather building supplies for the new temple (v. . Once they straightened out their priorities, He would bless the work of their hands (vv. 9-11).
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
We should give careful thought to our spiritual priorities in the stewardship of our physical and material resources. Do we take care of ourselves first and give God the leftovers? Perhaps it's difficult to offer God the "firstfruits" of our paychecks when it seems there's barely enough to cover the bills. When we have our priorities in order, though, God has a way of blessing us. And what are we worried about? He's already promised to meet all your needs (Phil. 4:19)!

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

September 25, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

The "Go" of Relationship
 
Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two-Matthew 5:41

Our Lord's teaching can be summed up in this: the relationship that He demands for us is an impossible one unless He has done a super-natural work in us. Jesus Christ demands that His disciple does not allow even the slightest trace of resentment in his heart when faced with tyranny and injustice. No amount of enthusiasm will ever stand up to the strain that Jesus Christ will put upon His servant. Only one thing will bear the strain, and that is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Himself- a relationship that has been examined, purified, and tested until only one purpose remains and I can truly say, "I am here for God to send me where He will." Everything else may become blurred, but this relationship with Jesus Christ must never be.

The Sermon on the Mount is not some unattainable goal; it is a statement of what will happen in me when Jesus Christ has changed my nature by putting His own nature in me. Jesus Christ is the only One who can fulfill the Sermon on the Mount.

If we are to be disciples of Jesus, we must be made disciples supernaturally. And as long as we consciously maintain the determined purpose to be His disciples, we can be sure that we are not disciples. Jesus says, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you. . ." (John 15:16). That is the way the grace of God begins. It is a constraint we can never escape; we can disobey it, but we can never start it or produce it ourselves. We are drawn to God by a work of His supernatural grace, and we can never trace back to find where the work began. Our Lord's making of a disciple is supernatural. He does not build on any natural capacity of ours at all. God does not ask us to do the things that are naturally easy for us- He only asks us to do the things that we are perfectly fit to do through His grace, and that is where the cross we must bear will always come.

The Fifth Commandment of Marriage:  Honor Your Spouse by Showing How Grateful You Are

The fifth commandment gives us our next principle for a healthy and vibrant marriage.  It is found in Exodus 20:12,

"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you."

Among other things, God is saying we must be grateful.  Generally, parents spend a lot of time, labor, and money...sometimes to the point of radical sacrifice...to give their kids an edge in life.

And it is a tragedy when a child is ungrateful or unthankful.  William Shakespeare said, "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child."  It is very difficult to have a relationship with an ungrateful, selfish person.

"Thank you" are important words to your parents, and an incredibly important phrase in marriage.  It is difficult to live with someone who takes you and all of your efforts for granted.

You may be thinking, "I don't say it, but I am grateful in my heart.  I truly am!"  Well, hooray for you.  You are blessed because in your heart you know you are grateful.  But it does your spouse no good if you do not vocalize it.

If you do not demonstrate your gratitude, I doubt if you are really grateful because Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."  If it is not being expressed, chances are it is not truly there.

Maybe you think you don't have a lot to be grateful for.  But there must be something you can say "thank you" for.  There is something you can praise your mate for.  Look for those things, and accentuate the positive.

Take time today to express thanks to your spouse in some way...through an action, through a card, through words.  That is how you honor your mate.
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Read: Haggai 1:12-15
The people feared the LORD. - Haggai 1:12

TODAY IN THE WORD
The popular children's television program Reading Rainbow ended its 26-year run last summer. During this time, it won more than two dozen Emmy awards and was widely admired for inspiring children to fall in love with books and reading. Hosted by actor LeVar Burton, the show didn't address how to read but why to read, as reflected in the theme song: "Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as high, Take a look, it's in a book." Children responded positively to the show's message.
In today's reading, the Jewish exiles who had returned to the Promised Land responded positively to God's message as brought by Haggai. This makes for a refreshing change in our month's study! Jonah eventually obeyed, but much of the time he acted like a stubborn donkey being pulled along a mountain path. The Ninevites responded to Jonah's message with humble repentance, but by Nahum's time their sins were so great that God judged them by totally destroying their city. Here at last in Haggai we find a group of people who, upon hearing the word of the Lord, simply got up and did it.

Thanks to Haggai's precise dating, we know that a mere 23 days passed between receiving the prophecy and restarting the temple building project. This short time tells us that Zerubbabel and Joshua were highly effective leaders and that the hearts of the people were spiritually receptive and responsive. They obeyed and feared the Lord, meaning they showed awe and reverence for Him (v. 12; cf. Deut. 31:12-13). For this reason, He renewed the covenant promise they most wanted to hear: "I am with you" (v. 13; cf. Matt. 28:19-20). What was the key to their obedience? From a human perspective, they got their hearts right with God and made the right choice to obey Him. From God's perspective, He "stirred up" their spirits or moved their hearts, a phrase suggesting both passion and action. In short, He spiritually transformed their self-centered hearts, enabling them to seek Him and choose to do the right thing (v. 14; cf. Ezra 1:5).
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Now it's your turn to "give careful thought to your ways." Would an outsider looking at your decisions and way of life know that God was at its center? Worship and obedience are key, but we can't simply "will ourselves" to do them. We need God's help to seek Him and make right choices. We need Him to stir up our spirits and transform our hearts so that we can be better followers of Him. Let this be the cry of our souls today and every day!

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

September 26, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

The "Go" of Reconciliation
 
If you . . . remember that your brother has something against you . . . -Matthew 5:23

This verse says, "If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you . . . ." It is not saying, "If you search and find something because of your unbalanced sensitivity," but, "If you . . . remember . . . ." In other words, if something is brought to your conscious mind by the Spirit of God- "First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:24). Never object to the intense sensitivity of the Spirit of God in you when He is instructing you down to the smallest detail.

"First be reconciled to your brother . . . ." Our Lord's directive is simple- "First be reconciled . . . ." He says, in effect, "Go back the way you came- the way indicated to you by the conviction given to you at the altar; have an attitude in your mind and soul toward the person who has something against you that makes reconciliation as natural as breathing." Jesus does not mention the other person- He says for you to go. It is not a matter of your rights. The true mark of the saint is that he can waive his own rights and obey the Lord Jesus.

". . . and then come and offer your gift." The process of reconciliation is clearly marked. First we have the heroic spirit of self-sacrifice, then the sudden restraint by the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit, and then we are stopped at the point of our conviction. This is followed by obedience to the Word of God, which builds an attitude or state of mind that places no blame on the one with whom you have been in the wrong. And finally there is the glad, simple, unhindered offering of your gift to God.

The Sixth Commandment of Marriage:  Don't Destroy Your Spouse But Learn to be Gentle

Today we are going to look at the sixth commandment of marriage, based on the sixth commandment God gave to Israel in Exodus 20:13,

"You shall not murder."

While you might think this commandment is not too applicable, I believe it is vital.  It is telling you not to destroy your spouse!

Jesus helps us understand this principle in Matthew 5.  He said, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment."

Jesus went right to the root of murder:  anger and hatred.  If you are going to have a good, healthy, lasting marriage, you need to learn to be gentle.  People who are easily angered...who are violent or have an explosive temper...destroy relationships.

If you are dating someone who blows up easily, you ought to take it as a warning sign.  If they get mad at things at the drop of a hat, that anger can be turned on you very easily.

Anger erodes relationships.  If you have a hot temper, get it under control, or the devil will control you through it.

Another way anger is expressed is by going stone cold...using silence and angry moodiness to punish your mate.  Again, not a healthy thing for a marriage.  If you anger quickly and forgive slowly, you are a hard person to live with.  Work at being quick to forgive, and make the controlling of your anger a serious matter of prayer.  God will help you.

If you do not master your temper, it will master you.  And it will not only decay and destroy a marriage relationship, it will harm every other meaningful relationship you have in life.
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Read: Haggai 2:1-5
My Spirit remains among you. Do not fear. - Haggai 2:5

TODAY IN THE WORD
During the most recent Super Bowl between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts, college football star Tim Tebow of the University of Florida played a starring role-not in the game, but in an advertisement aired during the game. The pro-life ad, sponsored by Focus on the Family, featured Tim and his mother, Pam. Pam discussed how she had almost aborted Tim, and viewers were directed to a Web site for more information. The ad sparked controversy before it even aired, but Tim Tebow and everyone involved stood their ground.
It takes courage to obey God's Word, as seen in today's reading. The date of this prophecy was the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, a harvest festival and the same holy day during which King Solomon had dedicated the original temple (v. 1). Again the prophecy was addressed specifically to the main political and religious leaders, Zerubbabel and Joshua, and then to the people in general (v. 2).

No doubt the older returnees from exile, possibly including Haggai himself, remembered the original glory of Solomon's temple. Unquestionably the new temple was nowhere near as splendid as the old one (v. 3). God knew it, the people knew it, and the leaders knew it. The book of Ezra records that when the new temple was dedicated, shouts of joy were mixed with sounds of weeping (3:10-13). Feeling discouraged was a natural result of recalling the nation's and temple's former glory and why it had been lost-their sin and God's judgment of conquest and exile.

In the face of these very human emotions, God Himself encouraged the people to "be strong" or "take courage" (v. 4, NLT; cf. Josh. 1:6-7). The size and beauty of the temple wasn't the point. The point was that God was their God and He was with them once again-the same God who had delivered them from slavery in Egypt and shepherded them throughout their history (v. 5). Their responsibility was faithfully to do the work of rebuilding, not to mope around comparing their lives to the supposed "good old days."
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Do you wonder where the "good old days" went? Do you think something you've done wrong has ruined everything? Be strong, take courage, your God is still with you. Be faithful to the work to which He has called you. Do not compare what you're doing now to the apparent "glory" of the past. Do not compare yourself to the next person about who is the "greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:1-4). Trust that God "will keep you strong to the end" (1 Cor. 1:8-9).

GOD BLESS!