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God is making a way…. (devo reflection)

Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

A verse that I cling to, especially in difficult times, especially when life feels like it is falling apart, is Isaiah 43:19, paraphrased here as: God is making a way in the wilderness…. This verse is not only a touchstone in times of trial but also in times of temptation.

Matthew 4:2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

It’s easy to give in to temptation, especially when you are weakened. Jesus here was hungry after 40 days of fasting. No human would have faulted Him for turning stones into bread. But Jesus clings to God’s word, and God makes a way in His wilderness.

Matthew 4:3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Lord, Thank You for making a way in any wilderness we face. Thank You for giving us a means of resisting temptation by clinging to Your word. Thank You for the understanding that resisting temptation isn’t easy, but by clinging to You and Your word, it is always possible, no matter how difficult the situation. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 4:11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Have a blessed day.

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A life in harmony…. (devo reflection)

Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

The Pharisees and Sadducees fascinate me. I understand them from the standpoint of following rules. You give me rules to follow, and I can follow them to a T. Church on Sunday? Check. Tithing? Check. What gets me is the fact that these rule-followers miss the mark so badly. How did groups known for following rules and expectations end up murdering the Messiah? How did things go so terribly wrong?

Matthew 3:8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

What they seem to lose sight of, what John is telling them here, is that the kingdom of God is not about appearances; it’s not about checking boxes of righteousness. It’s about the state of the heart in relationship to Christ. That is much more involved and much more personal than simply checking boxes.

Matthew 3:9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

Lord, Thank You for the caution of the Pharisees and Sadducees. While I want to do the right thing, follow the rules, obey the law, I do not want to end up with the hardened, bitter heart of these groups. Help me to worry less about checking boxes and more about living a life in harmony with Your teachings. Draw me closer. Amen.

Matthew 3:10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Have a blessed day.

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Moving past the familiar…. (devo reflection)

Matthew 2:1-2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi a from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

I am much more familiar with the New Testament than the Old, so familiar that it is easy to gloss over words I’ve read so many times. As I read Matthew 2 this morning, I consciously had to keep slowing myself down, concentrating, refocusing on the words on the page instead of the familiar story in my mind.

Matthew 2:5-6 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

And honestly, isn’t that concept–of slowing down, looking more deeply, not simply resting on surface impressions–exactly what Jesus was about? The rulers and the religious were so entrenched in “the way things are” that they lost sight of the way things could be, should be. They were so busy maintaining status quo that they lost sight of what was right in front of them.

Matthew 2:17-18 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Lord, Thank You for this desire to read through Your word, looking closely. As I continue through these familiar passages, help me to remember to keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking (Matt 7:7). Help me to move past the familiar and to know You more. Amen.

Matthew 2:22-23 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Have a blessed day.

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Immanuel,“God with us”…. (devo reflection)

Matthew 1:1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham….

My oldest sister loves family genealogies—tracing histories back in time to see where they lead. The beginning of Matthew does something similar—traces Jesus’s legal lineage back to Abraham, rooting the New Testament into the Old.

Matthew 1:18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

This first book of Matthew also gives the narrative wings as we see the origins of Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary. We are rooted in the past so that we can fly into the New Testament on the metaphorical wings of the Messiah.

Matthew 1:22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Lord, As I begin this foray into the New Testament, thank You for rooting me firmly in You, in all that has come before. Thank You for the reminder that You are Immanuel,“God with us”. Thank You that You are here with me every step of the way. Draw me closer. Amen.

Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”).

Have a blessed day.

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Reading, studying, seeking…. (devo reflection)

Malachi 4:1 “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them.”

Lord, It is so easy to stand in judgment of others. Even when we don’t intend to, we judge. It’s easy to celebrate when we think someone gets what they deserve (especially if it’s someone not nice who gets a comeuppance). But this is not Your way. Help me

Malachi 4:2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.

Lord, As Jesus was dying on the cross, He prayed for the misguided soldiers who did not understand their actions. As He was dying, He prayed for His killers. Lord, Help me to have a heart like Jesus instead of a heart like the world.

Malachi 4:3 Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

Lord, Thank You for taking me through the entirety of the Old Testament, reading, studying, seeking. Thank You for showing up in my confusion and for being present in my understanding. Thank You for drawing me closer with every day, every chapter, every word. Help me to “Keep on asking…. Keep on seeking…. Keep on knocking…. (Matt 7:7), knowing that You are right there with me. Amen.

Malachi 4:4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.

Have a blessed day.

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The heart of my faith…. (devo reflection)

Zechariah 7:4-5 Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted?
The question here is one of motivation, not action. The people have followed religious law and fasted when appropriate, but God asks WHY they fasted: to adhere to the law, so they could be seen as upstanding religious persons by law, or to draw closer to God?
Zechariah 7:6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?
The point, it seems to me, is that faith is more than following religious law and checking off obedience boxes. If there is no heart for God, no justice, mercy, and compassion, if there is only adherence to ritual, the acts are empty and meaningless.
Zechariah 7:9-10 “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’
Lord, If I am a “good Christian” in the eyes of the world but fall short of the mark in Your eyes, I have failed. Help me to live out the heart of my faith. Help me to put my beliefs into action daily. Help me to live a life that allows You to say to me at the end, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt 25:23). Amen.
Zechariah 7:11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears.
Have a blessed day.
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In the presence of our Savior…. (devo reflection)

Zechariah 2:10 “Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord.

Reading this section of today’s verse brought clearly to mind Matthew 1:23: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). God with us, God among us—to be in the presence of our Savior—that’s the goal, right?

Zechariah 2:11 “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.

But scripture also tells us that God IS with us. Always. Even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). He’s already here—in us, with us, through us, among us.

Zechariah 2:12 The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem.

Lord, Thank You for Your word and for these things that I ponder in the quiet of my heart. Thank You that You are not only making a place for us (John 14:3) but also that You are with us, that You will never leave us (Deut 31:6, 8). My human mind can’t quite comprehend how all this is possible, but my eternal heart trusts You. Draw me closer. Amen.

Zechariah 2:13 Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.”

Have a blessed day.

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Hearing the words of the Lord…. (devo reflection)

Amos 8:11 “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.

Matthew 7:7 reminds us that if we “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” But in Amos 8:11 God says that because His people are not listening, not seeking, not thirsting, He will bring a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.

Amos 8:12 People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.

Because I sit in my recliner every morning asking, seeking, knocking, because every morning I read scripture wondering what message my Savior will have for me and every morning He talks to my heart, I feel the threat of Amos 8:11 on a gut level. Because He shows up even in scripture that makes no sense to me, because He whispers His truth to my heart daily, a famine of hearing the words of the Lord would be incomprehensible.

Amos 8:13 “In that day the lovely young women and strong young men will faint because of thirst.

Lord, Thank You for meeting me here every morning. Thank You for whispering Your truth to my heart. Thank You that a famine of hearing the words of the Lord would be an incalculable loss for me. Help me, always, to keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. Help me to hear Your words always. Amen.

Amos 8:14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria—who say, ‘As surely as your god lives, Dan,’ or, ‘As surely as the god of Beersheba lives’—they will fall, never to rise again.

Have a blessed day.

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Examining my own behavior…. (devo reflection)

Amos 6:1 Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come!

Here we are once again, looking at the sins of complacency and pride. It is easy to be frustrated that these people are just so dense that they can’t see what is so obvious to the rest of us. But I would encourage you once again to go back to Matthew 7:5, to take your eyes off their speck and see if you are overlooking a plank in your own eye.

Amos 6:8 The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself—the Lord God Almighty declares: “I abhor the pride of Jacob and detest his fortresses; I will deliver up the city and everything in it.”

It is so easy for me to “armchair quarterback” someone else’s behavior. And I do it with startling regularity, completely ignoring my own less-than-desirable behaviors. That is not what God wants for His beloved children, for a whole host of reasons.

Amos 6:12 Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness—

Precious Savior, Thank You for continuing to bring me back to examine my own behavior so that I might be more aware of when complacency and pride are creeping in. Help me to focus on removing the plank in my own eye while still loving Your people well. Help me not to be a doormat for others, but instead to shine Your light for all. Amen.

Amos 6:13 you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar and say, “Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?”

Have a blessed day.

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Seek the Lord and live…. (devo reflection)

Amos 5:4-5 This is what the Lord says to Israel: “Seek me and live; do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.”

Matthew 7:5 (You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.) speaks to the futility of trying to tell someone the error of his ways. Humans are very good at justifying our actions to the point that we will ignore our blatantly bad behavior while actively trying to correct others. If I’m convinced I’m right, you will never convince me otherwise.

Amos 5:6 Seek the Lord and live, or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them, and Bethel will have no one to quench it.

Amos’s audience is convinced they are giving God His due. They hold religious festivals as they should, but God knows their hearts; therefore, He knows they are just going through the motions with Him, and He says, emphatically, that what they are doing is not ok and will not end well. “Seek the Lord and live” (v6).

Amos 5:14 Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.

Lord, Thank You for the abundant compassion and fierce love that I see as I read Your word. I thought Your anger was because they put others before You, but I am understanding that it is because You know that that behavior will ultimately be to their harm because it does not lead to You—our Creator and Savior. Forgive me. Guide me. Protect me. Draw me closer. Amen.

Amos 5:15 Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

Have a blessed day.