-Sixty Four- Gomer

Gomer

Today’s Reading: Hosea 2:14-23

Focal Verse: Hosea 2:16

“And it shall be, in that day,”

says the LORD,

“That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’

And no longer call Me ‘My Master’”.

Are you in love with your Savior? Do you crave to spend time with Him? Or is your relationship one of obligation, or even just a façade with no real relationship underneath.

Hosea and Gomer were married but she was a faithless, adulterous prostitute. God still told Hosea to go get Gomer and love her. This was a picture of God’s love for faithless Israel. He loves you and me with that kind of passion today.

In the book, The Mayor of Casterbridge, by Thomas Hardy, there is a statement that I think sums up many of our attitudes towards God today. The main character goes to visit a man, who is known to dabble in the supernatural, to get some information he wants. The seer notices the man sneaking up to his house, trying to hide from the village that he was coming to this man. The seer reflects on this:

“He was sometimes astonished that men could profess so little

and believe so much at his house, when at church they professed

so much and believed so little.”

Does your life show that Jesus is the love of your life? Or are you like Gomer, being swayed and bought out by any other idea that may turn your head?

You have a God who passionately loves you even when you have been unfaithful to Him. Come back into His arms today.

Meditate on the love that Christ has given you. Spend time considering the quality of the love you return to Him.

-Sixty Three- Impending Judgement

Impending Judgment

Today’s Reading: Amos 3

Focal Verses: Amos 3:7

Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.

Imagine you are driving on a mountain road and, all of a sudden, it suddenly drops off into a deep gulley. You would expect some kind of warning, wouldn’t you? It would be typical to have several warning signs, an available detour and maybe some flashing lights.

The children of Israel were on a road that headed into a drop-off. Miles and miles ahead, God began to warn them and even offer detours (see 2 Kings 3:3-6 for one example). He sent prophets who warned them for years. They just ignored all the warnings.

Sometimes we head down a road that ends in calamity. Even today, God graciously warns us again and again. Are we going to ignore His warnings, too?

Thank God for showing you the road hazards ahead.

If you are headed down a dangerous road, make the decision today to accept God’s warnings and get off!

-Sixty Two- Naaman

Naaman

Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 5:1-15

Focal Verse: 2 Kings 5:15

And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.”

Sometimes God is there, grace held out in His hand, just waiting for us to take it. We have some sort of problem. We try to fix it by going to someone of earthly prestige or power. When that doesn’t work, we will go to God or a representative of His, but when the solution given us is just a simple act of faith, we rebel. We think surely our problem deserves some sort of showy solution, but to have to do something so humble? Our flesh recoils from the thought.

But there it is…still in His hand. And as we take it, finally, in our moment of humility, we see God ---just as Naaman did.

What act of grace does God have in His hand for you?

Humble yourself…and see God.

-Sixty One- Shunamite Woman

Shunamite Woman

Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 4:8-37 and 2 Kings 8:1-6

Focal Verses: 2 Kings 4:9-10

And she said to her husband, “Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.”

As far as we know, the Shunamite woman didn’t perform great miracles. She didn’t live a perfect life. She didn’t lead an army into battle. She didn’t make a huge donation. She wasn’t one of God’s prophets. We don’t even know what her name was. Yet God showed her great favor.

She had wealth and social position, but no son. God gave her one. The son died. God restored his life. He warned of a famine and led her to another land so she would not go hungry, and when she returned seven years later, He restored not only all her lands, but all the proceeds from them in the time she was gone.

Why, then? Why the special favor?

She showed her love for God by showing hospitality to a servant of God.

1 Peter 4:9 tells us to, “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.”

Ask God to show you ways to be hospitable.

-Behold, I Stand At The Door And Knock-

Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock

Today’s Reading and Focal Verse: Revelation 3:20

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

I expect there is at least one person who is reading this who doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ. This one is for you…

Christ died for you. It doesn’t matter what you have done or not done. It doesn’t matter if you have been pretending to be something you are not. Christ died for you.

If you are sensing the call of Christ right now, it’s not coming from you. The Holy Spirit Himself is calling you to life and freedom from the burden of sin. He doesn’t want you to wait until you are “perfect”. He loves you as you come today.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

All that is left is for you to respond. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

If you are ready to do that, talk to Jesus right now. Confess your sins to Him. Acknowledge that He paid the price for them on the cross. Ask Him to come into your heart and be the Lord of your life.

Accept Grace.

If you accepted Jesus as your Savior, tell someone as soon as possible.

If you are already a believer, please stop and pray right now for those who may be reading this who don’t know Him.

-Sixty- Ahab

Ahab

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 20:1-29

Focal Verse: 1 Kings 20:13

Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, saying, “Thus says the LORD: “Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the LORD”.

Let’s look at Ahab’s track record up to this point. He worshipped Baal and built an altar for Baal (1 Kings 16:31-32). He allowed his wife to kill the prophets of God (1 Kings 18:13). In fact, 1 Kings 16:33b says, “Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him”.

So why didn’t God allow Ben-Hadad to defeat Ahab? As He says in verse 13 to Ahab, “Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the Lord”.

God reveals Himself to each of us so that we may have the opportunity to accept or reject Him – even a nasty, mean fellow like Ahab.

Ahab rejected God’s grace. What will you do?

Thank God for revealing Himself to you.

If you have never accepted Jesus as your Savior, click on Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock.

-Fifty Nine- Burned Out?

Burned Out?

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 19:1-18

Focal Verse: 1 Kings 19:4b

And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”

Fear and fatigue are powerful enemies. Even God’s servants can fall prey to them.

Elijah faced both these enemies right after a wonderful display of the power of God and answered prayer. But Elijah was human. He faced constant danger. He felt like he was fighting God’s battle alone, and he was tired.

In His grace, God answered Elijah’s needs. First, He gave him food and water to sustain him for the journey. Elijah didn’t even have to cook it. Next, God showed Elijah He could sustain him for the 40 day and 40 night journey. I think the solitude must have been soothing to Elijah’s nerves.

There, Elijah waited for God. After a display of His power, the LORD met Elijah in a still, small voice. The Lord listened to Elijah’s concerns and then revealed the next step of His plan to him.

It is a great comfort to me that when I grow weary fighting the battle, the Lord is there. He is there to sustain me. He is there to give me periods of rest and a hope beyond the present circumstances. He listens to me… and then reveals a little more of Himself. What a merciful Father!

Are you weary or frightened? Make time to meet with God.

-Fifty Eight- Delivered From Destruction

Delivered From Destruction

Today’s Reading: 2 Chronicles 12:1-12

Focal Verse: 2 Chronicles 12:12

When he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, so as not to destroy him completely; and things also went well in Judah.

When we turn our backs on God, we deserve destruction; but when we humble ourselves, what He gives us is mercy.

It begins with us like in v.1: “Now it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, that he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel along with him.” Things are going pretty well in our lives and we begin taking our eyes off of Jesus and putting them on ourselves. Before long, God just really doesn’t matter to us all that much anymore. We’re feeling pretty strong on our own.

God allows us to turn our backs to Him, if that is our desire, but He makes sure we understand what we have done and the consequences (v. 5b). If we humble ourselves, He gives mercy, but sometimes He allows us to "taste” what it would mean to turn away from Him so that we can see the mercies we have in serving Him (v.8).

We must learn to trust in God instead of ourselves or the world, in the good times as well as the bad. Psalm 20:7 says: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” Are you remembering His name?

Humble yourself before the God of mercy. Purpose in your heart to trust in His name alone.

-Fifty Seven- The World Notices

The World Notices

Today’s Reading: 2 Chronicles 9:1-8

Focal Verses: 2 Chronicles 9:1,8

Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with hard questions, having a very great retinue, camels that bore spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart.

-and-

“Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God! Because your God has loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.”

Blessings come in many ways. Sometimes it’s faith, sometimes wealth, sometimes wisdom, and the list goes on. One thing is certain, though; when God in His grace blesses a person or a nation, the world notices.

If God’s grace has blessed you in some way, you will be noticed and it will draw others to you. In Matthew 5:14, Jesus spoke these words: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” He was talking about you, as a believer. As the grace God has shown us draws people to us, we are to point them to the Grace-Giver. Then, as the queen of Sheba expressed, there is no question to the world where your blessings come from.

Are you pointing others to the Grace-Giver?

-Fifty Six- First In God's Eyes

First in God’s Eyes

Today’s Reading: 1 Chronicles 26:10

Focal Verse: 1 Chronicles 26:10

Also Hosah, of the children of Merari, had sons. Shimri the first (for though he was not the firstborn, his father made him the first)…

What order were you born into in your family? Are you a middle child? The youngest? The oldest? It probably doesn’t make much difference in these times, but in Biblical times, it was of extreme importance.

The firstborn got a double portion of the father’s inheritance (Deuteronomy 21:17). The firstborn also got a special blessing from the father (Genesis 27:4,35). He became the chief, and priest until levitical times, of the family upon the father’s death (Exodus 24:5). The privileges of the firstborn were so great that Jacob tricked Esau and his father into making sure he had this birthright (Geneses 27:1-40).

So it is significant that this father named this particular son first, although he was not born first. Birthright was sometimes changed due to misconduct by the firstborn (1 Chronicles 5:1-2). The Bible is silent on why it was changed this time. It just says that it is so.

If you are a believer, God looks at you as a “firstborn”. His kingdom will be full of firstborns. The fact that you were a sinner doesn’t nullify that. As Romans 8:14-17a says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, the heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ”.

**Praise God that although you were not “firstborn” of Him, He has made you first.

-Fifty Five- God's Hand

God’s Hand

Today’s Reading: Psalm 44:3

Focal Verse: Psalm 44:3

For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword,

Nor did their own arm save them;

But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance,

Because You favored them.

Not only do we not recognize the role God plays in preserving our lives, but many times we do not give Him credit for our successes and victories. At times, we attribute our successes and our material possessions to our own hands. We do have a part to play, but we must also notice the hand of God in our lives. He clears the way. He enables us with abilities. Many times, He has enabled us to succeed where there was no reason we should succeed.

We have not “earned” the hand of God, but He gives it anyway…just because He has favored us.

So next time your paycheck comes, you step into your home, you greet your family – stop and look for the hand of God.

Think of ways you have clearly seen God’s hand in the past. Ask Him to show you where you may have missed it.

-Fifty Four- The Life Preserver

The Life Preserver

Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 8:6b; 2 Samuel 8:14b; 1 Chronicles 18:66

Focal Verse: 2 Samuel 8:6b

So the LORD preserved David wherever he went.

There is one aspect of God’s grace that I think many times we overlook. That is God’s preservation of our life. He is, first of all, the Giver of Life (Acts 17:25). He then, in His grace, preserves our lives.

So many times we say that we have been “lucky” or had a “narrow escape”.  What the record could also say is “the LORD preserved (insert your name) wherever he/she went”. We thank “our lucky stars” when who we should thank is the God of all creation.

“Who have been upheld by Me from birth,

Who have been carried from the womb;

Even to your old age, I am He,

And even to gray hairs I will carry you!

I have made, and I will bear;

Even I will carry, and will deliver you.”

Isaiah 46:3b and 4

Thank you, Lord, for preserving my life. Help me not take it for granted even a single day.

Consider this: How does realizing that God is your Life Preserver change how you feel about, and live, this life?

-Fifty Three- Solomon

Solomon

Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 12:24-25

Focal Verse: 2 Samuel 12:24b

Now the LORD loved him.

I have known Christians who were haunted by guilt from a sin they had committed years earlier. They had repented, but they were still living in the past instead of the glorious present of God’s forgiveness.

From this story, I can say with confidence that God doesn’t dwell on our repented sin and neither should we. David and Bathshebas’

marriage began out of sin. Their first child even died as a consequence of that sin. But God took something that began out of sin and brought a blessing from it – Solomon, and the Bible tells us that God loved him.

As believers, we should not live in the past. When we sin, we should repent, and then we should trust that the God of grace can take even the circumstances of our sin and bring good out of it. As it says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Are you living in guilt from sin in your past? Ask God’s forgiveness, if you haven’t already, and accept His forgiveness if you have. Let the God of grace bring good out of the circumstances of your life.

-Fifty Two- Grace, Grace, Grace!

Grace, Grace, Grace!

Today’s Reading: Psalm 103

Focal Verse: Psalm 103:1

Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

　

We make all kinds of lists in life: shopping lists, “to do” lists, Christmas lists, and on and on. Sometimes we forget the most important list of all --- the lists of ways God has shown you grace. Psalm 103 is that kind of list.

Spend time listing the ways God has shown you grace. Verse 2 urges us to not forget His benefits. As you make the list, worship Him for the God of grace He is.