-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.