Mark 6:4

Then Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown among his relatives, and in his household.”

When Jesus taught with authority in the synagogue, His own family members were offended. After all, to them, He was just Joseph and Mary’s boy. What made Him think He was an authority in the Scriptures? He was one of them and nothing more, so they could not receive from Him the truth to increase their faith. They were looking for something more – someone different.

Quite often, those closest to us have the most trouble receiving truth from us because of familiarity. When we long for something more, something different, we have trouble believing our answer may be right in our own home, family, community, neighborhood, or church. We resist the familiar because it sounds dull to us, when Jesus is often right where we are.

Jesus did not rebuke or lash out at those closest to Him. He simply continued in His ministry and went to those who would receive Him. He still loved His own family, but it would take more to reach them. When those closest to you will not listen to you or accept the gospel, you can still stand in the gap and pray for someone to reach them where they are. God still loves them. Your role in reaching them has just changed from preacher/teacher to intercessor, so pray with all your might.

Verse 5 tells us that Jesus could do no miracles there because of their familiarity with Him. There is always some facet of Jesus that we need to discover. When we become so comfortable with what we know about Jesus that we don’t have a hunger to know more, we forfeit the possibility of a miracle.  Remain in awe of Him, and keep yourself open to His wonder, His awe, and His glory.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 106:44-45

When He heard their cry, He took note of their distress, remembered His covenant with them, and relented according to the abundance of His faithful love.

Israel had gotten themselves into a mess because of their sin, and God allowed their sin to take them into captivity. Most often, His commands are a warning sign against the consequences of evil, and we tend to consider them suggestions, rather than commands. Even though their trouble was of their own making, God still heard their cry, considered their distress, and delivered them because of His great love for them.

Quite often, we feel as if we deserve the trouble we’ve caused and look to our own strength to overcome it. We may even look at others and think they deserve their consequences. While this may be true, God still has compassion on us. He knows we can’t overcome the enemy with our own strength, so He hears our cry and delivers us from our own failures. Instead of losing hope, we should always cry out to Him, assured of His faithful love for us as our heavenly Father. Despite the old saying, when we get ourselves into certain messes, we can’t always get ourselves out. In those times, however, we have an opportunity to admit our fault, repent, and seek God with all our heart. When we do, He hears our cry and goes to work on our behalf. He truly is a Father to us.

God has established a covenant of grace with us through Jesus Christ, who bore our sins on the cross. Because of what He has already done, we can turn to God and cry out for help. Never let hopelessness rule in your life; we always have hope in Him and can come before the throne of mercy with full confidence of God’s love for us. Don’t shrink back in shame when you can cry out for mercy and be delivered! Your heavenly Father hears your cry and considers your distress. Because He is faithful, you can overcome your own worst enemy – yourself.

Have a blessed day!

2 Chronicles 18:28-29

Then the king of Israel and Judah’s King Jehoshaphat went up to Ramoth-gilead. But the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your royal attire.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.

Oh, the foolishness depicted in just two verses! After inquiring of the LORD through Micaiah the prophet, Ahab received word that he would not survive if he tried to take Ramoth-gilead from the king of Aram. Ahab tried to avoid Yaweh’s warning by disguising himself. He must have feared Micaiah’s prophetic word was true, but he thought he could outsmart God. I feel like I’m reading a biblical version of Dumb and Dumber because what Jehoshaphat did was, perhaps more foolish than what Ahab tried to do. After inquiring of the LORD and hearing the prophetic word of defeat in battle, Jehoshaphat marched right into battle with Ahab, making himself the prime target for attack by wearing his kingly robe. Can you sense trouble brewing? Let’s look further.

Verses 30-32

Now the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.” When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they shouted, “He must be the king of Israel!” So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out and the LORD helped him. God drew them away from him. When the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

Aram’s army had been ordered to attack only the king. The strategy was to kill the king, and the soldiers would flee in fear. Jehoshaphat in his kingly robe had a big bullseye on his back, so the enemy went after him. Fortunately, Jehoshaphat reverted back to his old custom of crying out to God for help.

Take a moment to fully grasp what happened here. After having inquired of the LORD, Jehoshaphat deliberately ignored God’s warning and went into battle with Ahab. He took up an offense that was not his and sided with the wrong party. He even agreed to make himself a target for attack by wearing his kingly attire and allowing Ahab to disguise himself. Jehoshaphat was asking for trouble, and he got it! Even though he deserved the consequences of the attack, he still had enough sense to cry out to God for help. The absolutely amazing and mind-boggling part of this incident is that God helped him!

Underline that sentence in your Bible: Jehoshaphat cried out and the LORD helped him. If someone had ignored my warning and did the exact opposite of what I had instructed, my belief system would say that he got what he deserved. He got himself into this mess, so he can get himself out. I would fail to consider the hundreds of times I didn’t listen to godly counsel, myself, and did the exact opposite of what I knew to be was right.

Many times in my life I have followed the leading of a friend because I didn’t want to cause conflict between us. I’ve gone places I shouldn’t, said things I should not have said, and done things I knew were wrong. To make matters worse, I’ve even persuaded friends to do the wrong things with me. Having desperately needed grace, my first inclination would be to let Jehoshaphat squirm in his own mess. Our great and loving God, however, is not like me. When Jehoshaphat cried out to Him, He rushed to his rescue. Even when our attack is of our own making, we can still cry out to God for help and trust Him to help us!

Note to self: God’s love for me is greater than His aggravation with me. Hallelujah!

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 89:16-17

They rejoice in Your name all day long, and they are called by Your righteousness. For You are their magnificent strength; by Your favor our horn is exalted.

This promise is for you and me, and we can lean on it today. We are called by the righteousness of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. He is our magnificent strength, and He exalts our horn by His favor.

To exalt our horn means that God gives us power and eventual triumph. This power is magnificent and far exceeds any earthly power. When God intervenes on behalf of His people, everyone recognizes the supernatural force at work and knows these are a people favored by Him.

We have this power as a child of God. Through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, we obtain this mighty favor that enables us to triumph in the face of our enemies. Rejoice in the name of Jesus today. His victory over death gives us magnificent strength and favor beyond compare in this world. You are not deserted, forgotten, unworthy, rejected, or ignored. You are highly favored and dearly loved by your Creator, who gives you magnificent strength to overcome, and you are more than victorious through Him who loves you.

Have a blessed day!

Micah 6:8

He has told you men what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: only to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.

Have you ever wondered just what God wants from you? The answer is found in this verse. He does not require achievement or sacrifice. He helps you succeed in what He has called you to do, so achievement does not impress Him. He has given His Son, Jesus, as our sacrifice, so any sacrifice you make to try to earn His grace or His favor is useless. Your sacrifice has already been made, and you need only to accept it.

God does expect us to reflect the character of His Son. His requirements of us are to act justly by doing what is fair in every situation and not trying to take advantage. We are to love faithfulness to His word and to be merciful in our dealings. He expects us to walk humbly with Him in full dependence, without thinking more highly of ourselves than we should. When we fail to do these things, we bring God’s judgment upon ourselves.

True worship that God accepts reflects these attitudes. When we try to worship God on our own terms, we fail. He is looking for these characteristics among His people, and when He fails to find them, He rejects the worship. We end up working ourselves to death, never fully experiencing the blessings of His presence or the fulfillment only He can bring.

At this time, we need more than ever to take a close look at our worship to see if it is truly pleasing to God. Are we seeking Him or His blessing on what we want to do? Are we concerned about doing His will or achieving our own agenda? Are we outwardly focused upon completing His mission or inwardly focused upon our own pleasure or comfort? Do we truly want to fulfill His purpose or to have our own preference? When we get serious about Him, I’m convinced He will get serious about us.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 73:21-24

When I became embittered and my innermost being was wounded, I was a fool and didn’t understand; I was an unthinking animal toward You. Yet I am always with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterwards You will take me up in glory.

God does not leave us when we struggle with doubts. On the contrary, He stands with us to help us see His truth. A view of eternity will help us gain proper perspective when we see the wicked prosper. Those in Christ will be with Him forever, and any victory an unbeliever experiences is temporary. Some may enjoy great wealth and notoriety today, but nothing they have or do will last forever.

I love The Message Bible’s translation of verses 23-24. “I’m still in Your presence, but You’ve taken my hand. You wisely and tenderly lead me, and then You bless me.”

How wonderful it is to know that when we doubt, God remains with us and is still eager to bless us! When we can’t see His hand, we can surely trust His heart toward us. We were made to make His name great and not our own. Those who seek to make their own name great will perish. When we honor and exalt God, He honors us.

Have a blessed day!

Isaiah 53:3

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like one people turned away from; He was despised, and we didn’t value Him.

Jesus knew rejection. He was the very Son of God, and we didn’t value Him. Many didn’t even recognize Him because He didn’t appear the way they thought the Son of God should be. They thought themselves better, so they rejected Him. They did not want to identify with a suffering Savior; they wanted to identify with what they perceived to be greater than themselves.

No one wants to identify with suffering because it isn’t what we want for ourselves. We want a powerful God – one who can lift us to new heights and take away our suffering. What we fail to see, however, is that power is the result of suffering. You can’t overcome something you never encounter. To overcome rejection, you must first be rejected. To overcome sickness, hurt, or anything negative, you must first experience it. Unfortunately, we, like many religious Jews, try to mask our pain or avoid it. In so doing, we reject the healing and freedom only Christ can bring, and we don’t value Him for who He really is – the suffering Servant who bore our sicknesses and sorrows.

Christ – the suffering Servant – died so we could be healed and free from the hurts and chains that hold us back from the abundant life He came to bring. He was despised and rejected so He could identify with us in our pain. Only when we surrender our pain – our insecurities, broken dreams, failures, weaknesses or anything that hinders us – do we find the power to overcome.

Our identity is found only in Christ. We are His and heirs with Him in His very inheritance from the Father. We cannot identify with Him, however, unless we first allow Him to identify with us and receive the healing and freedom we so desperately desire. Surrender to your pain to Him today, and allow the suffering Servant to heal you where you hurt most. Dare to overcome your hurt instead of simply masking it. In the process you will find the power to live victoriously and abundantly.

Have a blessed day!

2 Chronicles 17:3-5

 Now the LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the former ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals but sought the God of his father and walked by His commands, not according to the practices of Israel. So the LORD established the kingdom in his hand. Then all Judah brought him tribute, and he had riches and honor in abundance.

Jehoshaphat was king of Judah at the same time Ahab was king of Israel. Ahab was very impressed with the prosperity of the Sidonians, who worshiped Baal. As a result, he married the wicked daughter of the king of Sidon and established Baal worship in Israel, along with Asherah poles. These sex and religion shrines offered abominable worship to Baal in hopes of prosperity for the nation.

In stark contrast, Jehoshaphat destroyed the Baal high places and Asherah poles and established an educational system throughout Judah to teach the word of God. While Ahab sought prosperity, Jehoshaphat sought the presence of God. Ahab received drought and famine while Jehoshaphat received riches and honor in abundance. When comparing their stories, we find Matthew 6:33 at work:

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

The terror of the LORD filled the nations surrounding Judah, and none of them dared go to war against Jehoshaphat. God protected him and firmly established the nation in his hand. In seeking relationship with God rather than riches, Jehoshaphat brought peace and prosperity to Judah by honoring God.

We can all learn a lesson from Jehoshaphat. By seeking God’s presence daily, He will care for our every need. We find security in our relationship with Him and not in the riches of this world. Just as Mary chose the one thing which was necessary, so we can choose to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn from Him. When we do, God adds the other things to our life and establishes us for His purpose. Seek Him first today, and watch everything else fall into place.

Have a blessed day!

Isaiah 57:15-16

For the High and Exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy says this: “I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed. For I will not accuse you forever, and I will not always be angry; for then the spirit would grow weak before Me, even the breath of man, which I have made.

While God is high and holy, He is also with the lowly in spirit. He will not hide His face forever or keep His hand of blessing from those who are humble before Him. If He did, we would all grow weak and weary with no hope of ever overcoming our past or our failures. He comes to the aid of those who are hurting to revive them and help them live again.

The Message Bible explains that God puts a new spirit in the low-spirited and spirit crushed to get them up and on their feet again. He will not be angry forever; otherwise, the very souls God created would tire out and give up. As I read the verse, I can’t help but recall the words to an old hymn, “Revive Us Again.” Search the words below and see if something doesn’t comfort you this morning. They have certainly comforted me!

We praise Thee, O God!

For the Son of Thy love,

For Jesus Who died,

And is now gone above.

Refrain:

Hallelujah! Thine the glory.

Hallelujah! Amen.

Hallelujah! Thine the glory.

Revive us again.

We praise Thee, O God!

For Thy Spirit of light,

Who hath shown us our Savior,

And scattered our night.

All glory and praise

To the Lamb that was slain,

Who hath borne all our sins,

And hath cleansed every stain.

All glory and praise

To the God of all grace,

Who hast brought us, and sought us,

And guided our ways.

Revive us again;

Fill each heart with Thy love;

May each soul be rekindled

With fire from above.

Have a blessed day!

Job 1:9-11

Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Haven’t You placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions are spread out in the land, but stretch out Your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”

In this passage, we clearly see God’s heart for Job versus Satan’s heart for Job. God had blessed Job and built a hedge of protection around him so the enemy could not destroy him. Satan, however, desired to destroy everything Job had for one reason – to turn him against God.

Satan’s intentions are to steal, to kill, and to destroy. He wants to destroy the work of God in your life to try to convince you to turn against God. If he can make you believe God is unjust or unloving toward you, he can steal your faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. We must remember that the Devil is a liar!

Job falsely believed that his blessings were a result of righteous living before God. He was a man of integrity, and he lived his life in reverential fear of God. Being blameless before God, however, did not obligate God to bless him or to protect him from trials. On the contrary, the trials Job faced were allowed to test his faith – a test Satan was sure he would fail. While Job did not understand the reason behind his misfortune, he refused to curse God. Although God corrected his faulty thinking that he somehow deserved to be blessed because of his works, Job ultimately learned that God is sovereign over every situation that occurs in life. He repented and submitted himself firmly to God’s plan.

Things will happen in our lifetime that seem unjust. We will never understand some trials, and God never promised us fairness. In the midst of difficulty, we must learn to ask ourselves whether or not we really trust God. Unless our faith is tested, it cannot be proved genuine. True faith, however, pleases God and sends the Devil running!

Determine to trust God with whatever difficulty you are facing. Believe firmly in His goodness and His love for you because He has promised us that nothing – absolutely nothing – can separate us from His love. Job was tested for a season, but the Devil was not allowed to strike him forever. Job’s faith grew even stronger because of his struggle, and God blessed the latter part of his life even more than the former. God is sovereign over your situation; you need only to submit to His plan and trust He is working on your behalf. Allow your trials to increase your faith and draw you closer to God. In doing so, you will win the battle and destroy the lie the enemy has constructed against you.

Have a blessed day!