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Being called out on my mess…. (devo reflection)

Amos 2:13 “Now then, I will crush you as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.

Today’s scripture brought to mind the adage, “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” It deals with being so narrowly focused on one way, one solution, one thing, that you miss any other possibilities. Except, instead of viewing life through the hammer/nail lens, the people in Amos 2 are blinded by their own pride.

Amos 2:14 The swift will not escape, the strong will not muster their strength, and the warrior will not save his life.

The people spoken of in today’s scripture are so proud, so confident in their own abilities, that they don’t feel the need for God. This is another account of God bringing them to task for their pride, of God humbling them before His power. It’s not pleasant, but if they will repent, true growth can occur.

Amos 2:15 The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet-footed soldier will not get away, and the horseman will not save his life.

Precious Savior, It is really uncomfortable to be called out on my mess; however, if I will take the time to examine my actions, real growth can take place. I want to grow closer to You always, Lord. Forgive me when I fall short of that goal. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:10). Amen.

Amos 2:16 Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day,” declares the Lord.

Have a blessed day.

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Are you repaying me for something I have done?… (Devo reflection)

Joel 3:4a “Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done?…”

I’ve got a lot of thoughts spinning through my head this morning. But what jumps out at me in verse 4a is this idea of repaying God for something He has done. He isn’t asking in a positive way, asking are you going to reward me for the good I’ve done for you?

Joel 3:7 “See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done.”

It’s a sobering question. God asks one thing of us for all the many, many, many things He’s done for us. He wants relationship with us. Part of that is praise. Part of it is acknowledgement. Part is seeking to know Him more, better. It’s not much to ask in repayment for daily, hourly blessings, but I’m sure I’m not living up to my end of the bargain.

Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

Precious Savior, Thank You for who You are and who You are to me. Forgive me for being so caught up in my own mess that I don’t seek daily, hourly, to draw closer to You with thanks and praise. Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10). Amen.

Joel 3:21 Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged? No, I will not.” The Lord dwells in Zion!

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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First and always…. (devo reflection)

Joel 1:7 It has laid waste my vines and ruined my fig trees. It has stripped off their bark and thrown it away, leaving their branches white.

Today’s chapter brought to mind versions of church signs I’ve seen that have always bothered me. The first is: When all else fails, pray. The second is: When all else fails, read the instructions (meaning the Bible). I’ve always wondered why in the world anyone would wait until all else has failed to do either.

Joel 1:12 The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree—all the trees of the field—are dried up. Surely the people’s joy is withered away.

Joel 1 seems to provide a little bit of an answer: humans are proud. We like to be self-sufficient, often to the point of absurdity. When we get stuck in self-reliance mode, it often takes huge, uncontrollable things for us to realize that God didn’t intend for us to shoulder it all. He is our strength, our very present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1), but we have to turn to Him, to invite Him into our struggle.

Joel 1:19 To you, Lord, I call, for fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.

Lord, Thank You for allowing me to choose You. Forgive me for all those times I let pride and self-reliance get in the way. Help me to turn to You first and always, no matter the situation. Help me never to forget that You are my strength. Draw me closer to You. Amen.

Joel 1:20 Even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness.

Have a blessed day.

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Return, maintain, wait…. (devo reflection)

Hosea 12:1 Ephraim feeds on the wind; he pursues the east wind all day and multiplies lies and violence. He makes a treaty with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt.

The imagery of feeding on and pursuing the wind speaks to me. I feel I’ve done my fair share of both, with just as little to show for it as Ephraim. The wind is intangible. It cannot sustain, it cannot be caught, yet we can spend our whole lives caught in its pursuit if we lose sight of our center, our foundation, our portion and our cup, the One who makes our lot secure (Psalm 16:5).

Hosea 12:4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him; he wept and begged for his favor. He found him at Bethel and talked with him there—

Ephraim, the Israelites, lost sight of Who their center was. They chased after the wind, they tried to lean on worldly powers. They completely lost sight of Hosea 12:6: “But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.” And even as I’m tempted to chastise them for their actions, I am powerfully aware that there is little difference between them and me when I examine my own willfulness and pride.

Hosea 12:5 the Lord God Almighty, the Lord is his name!

Lord, I continue to be humbled by Your love and care, by Your desire for me to realize and live Hosea 12:6. Returning to You and waiting for You is so much easier said than done for me in my quest for self sufficiency. But when I lose sight of You, maintaining love and justice become selfish activities because I am at the center. That is Your place, Lord. Help me. Amen.

Hosea 12:6 But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.

Have a blessed day.

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Pay attention to what’s important…. (devo reflection)

Hosea 7:2 …but they do not realize that I remember all their evil deeds. Their sins engulf them; they are always before me.

Hosea in this chapter is describing a completely oblivious Israel. They don’t realize, they don’t notice, they don’t care. “Their sins engulf them; they are always before me.” As I search for connections in my own life, the chapter brought to mind Matthew 7:3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”

Hosea 7:9a Foreigners sap his strength, but he does not realize it….

I’ve been struggling this week with the hurtful actions of a friend, analyzing and over analyzing what’s done and undone. I feel Jesus gently calling me here to pay attention to what’s important: Him, to focus on actions I can control—my own, and to let the rest go, to find my center, my comfort, my peace in Him alone. Thank You, Jesus.

Hosea 7:9b …His hair is sprinkled with gray, but he does not notice.

Lord, You are my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (Psalm 18:2). Forgive me for taking my eyes off of You. Forgive me for worrying about things outside of my control. Thank You for forgiving me of my iniquities and remembering my sins no more (Jer 31:34). Help me to keep You as my center and my focus. Draw me closer. Always. Amen.

Hosea 7:10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against him, but despite all this he does not return to the Lord his God or search for him.

Have a blessed day.

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Relentless pursuit of my heart…. (devo reflection)

Daniel 6:3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.

At its heart, this chapter, like so many others, is about pride and its dangers. Ultimately, it’s the administrators and the satraps who were jealous of Daniel’s impeccable character, jealous of the king’s desire to set Daniel in a position of authority over the whole kingdom. This jealousy and bitterness, this pride led to the events in Daniel 6, events that led to the deaths of not only the administrators and the satraps who plotted but also of their wives and children.

Daniel 6:4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.

I truly believe this is one of the reasons God keeps after me about laying down my pride and adopting an attitude of humility, about letting go of my anger and bitterness about what I think “should be.” He knows that that way lies destruction for me, and He loves me too much to want that end for me.

Daniel 6:5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”

Lord, Thank You for Your relentless pursuit of my heart. Thank You that You love me too much to let my pride get the better of me. “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). Amen.

Daniel 6:15 Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”

Have a blessed day.

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God’s love is bigger than our sin…. (devo reflection)

Ezekiel 36:9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown…. (KJV)

Psalm 71:14 is strongly in my mind while reading Ezekiel 36: “As for me, I will always have hope….” While Israel has to be held accountable for generations of sin and idolatry, this chapter makes it clear that God has not written them off, has not turned His back on them forever. Even with all their sin and depravity, God still recognizes His beloved, He is still for them. Thank You, Jesus.

Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

We have all had issues, matters, seasons in our lives where we felt we had gone too far past the point of God’s love, where we felt that He could never forgive us, could never wash us clean. But God shows through Israel’s story that His love is bigger than our sin. Actually, I guess it would be more appropriate to say that God shows through Jesus that God’s love is bigger than our sin, but Israel’s story serves to give us hope.

Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your fierce, unending, all-encompassing love. Yours is a love so big and complete that we truly can’t wrap our minds around it. Help us to know You more. Help us to trust Your promises. And when the world has given up on us and we have given up on ourselves, help us to remember that You are for us, that we are never, ever too far gone for You to save. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Ezekiel 36:28 Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.

Have a blessed day.

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Prideful…. (devo reflection)

Ezekiel 29:3 “Speak to [Pharaoh king of Egypt] and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “ ‘I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, you great monster lying among your streams. You say, “The Nile belongs to me; I made it for myself.”

Commentary can be incredibly helpful as I try to make sense of my reading each day. Often it gives me background or insight into history of which I am unaware. For instance, one of the insights commentary gave me on today’s reading is that “Israel…has an impulse to look to Egypt in times of crisis.” The chapter also indicates that Egypt leaned into that role of savior, becoming prideful.

Ezekiel 29:6. Then all who live in Egypt will know that I am the Lord….

The issue here, as I see it, is two-fold: 1. Israel is looking to someone other than God in times of crisis. Psalm 121:2 says, “My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” 2. Egypt is getting prideful because of their role as rescuer. Both are issues as both remove God from His right place as center.

Ezekiel 29:6b-7 “‘You have been a staff of reed for the people of Israel. When they grasped you with their hands, you splintered and you tore open their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke and their backs were wrenched.’”

Lord, it is so easy sometimes to recognize and analyze what other people are doing wrong. Help me to concentrate instead on the plank in my own eye—being sure my focus is on You, my center is in You—instead of fixating on the speck of sawdust I see in someone else’s eye. Help me to remain humble in You. Amen.

Ezekiel 29:16 “‘Egypt will no longer be a source of confidence for the people of Israel but will be a reminder of their sin in turning to her for help. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’”

Have a blessed day.

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My center…. (devo reflection)

Ezekiel 27:25 “‘The ships of Tarshish serve as carriers for your wares. You are filled with heavy cargo as you sail the sea.”
Psalm 46:5 comes heavily to mind as I read this chapter: “God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it.” Just like yesterday, the issue here is one of sharp contrasts. In the Psalm, because God is in the city, the city cannot be destroyed. In this chapter, the city of Tyre is a powerful, magnificent trading port, yet God is no where within the city. All the riches, all the beauty and craftsmanship, all the money and power come to absolutely nothing without God at its center.
Ezekiel 27:26 “Your oarsmen take you out to the high seas. But the east wind will break you to pieces far out at sea.”
For me, the message is easy to connect to our modern life. There is so much value placed on appearances, on wealth and power and influence. So many are chasing the almighty dollar or pervasive influence over others. But if God isn’t within us, if He’s not our center, we can’t stand. This world is not our home. Our end goal is not here. Our reward is in heaven. Jesus, Help me never forget that.
Ezekiel 27:27 “Your wealth, merchandise and wares, your mariners, sailors and shipwrights, your merchants and all your soldiers, and everyone else on board will sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your shipwreck.”
Lord, Thank You for the reminder that this world is not my home, that I am not chasing the things the world deems important. Help me to keep You at my center so that I can stand strong in You. Amen.
Ezekiel 27:28 “The shorelands will quake when your sailors cry out.”
Have a blessed day.
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The hope of the Lord…. (devo reflection)

Ezekiel 21:3 …and say to her: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.
The people ignored the signs and the warnings and the prophecies of the coming judgement for a very long time. And while it’s easy for me to sit in judgment, I get it. When you are riding high, you begin to feel untouchable, like nothing can go against you, like life will always go your way. It’s easy to shut out the nagging voice that says you’re headed the wrong way.
Ezekiel 21:6 “Therefore groan, son of man! Groan before them with broken heart and bitter grief.
Not surprisingly, I guess, since hope is so important to me, in the midst of all the bad news of the coming destruction (brought on by the Israelites refusal to return and repent), I still see the hope of the Lord in verse 27 of this chapter. Yes, it’s going to get really bad. Judgement is never pleasant. But it won’t always be that way. Restoration is coming eventually. God hasn’t turned His back forever.
Ezekiel 21:7 And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand go limp; every spirit will become faint and every leg will be wet with urine.’ It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
Lord, Forgive me when I don’t listen and don’t heed Your voice. Forgive me when I get caught up in the ways of the world and lose sight of my purpose in You. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:10). Help me hold on to You with both hands. Draw me closer. Amen.
Ezekiel 21:27 A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come; to him I will give it.’
Have a blessed day.