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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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Sound bites…. (devo reflection)

Malachi 3:6 “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.”

I have pulled here, essentially, sound bites from Malachi 3. God doesn’t change, even when we are unfaithful. He wants to return to us and only asks that we return to Him first. He wants to bless us so abundantly that there’s not room enough to store all the blessings.

Malachi 3:7b “Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.

Sound bites aren’t bad, but it’s important to remember that they are only little chunks to help us hold on. Reading Malachi 3 shows that the verses here are barely the tip of what this chapter covers. The sound bites give you something to cling to as you do the hard work of making sense of God’s word and drawing closer to Him.

Malachi 3:10b “Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for verses I can cling to as I strive to know You more and live a life that’s pleasing to You. Draw me closer, Lord. Always. Amen.

Malachi 3:12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.

Have a blessed day.

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Getting there. Slowly…. (devo reflection)

Malachi 2:1 “And now, you priests, this warning is for you.

I’m still struggling with the notion that God has been baited into a shouting match with man, that He is defending Himself and His actions. That in no way fits the God of all creation that I know, and I know the issue is on my end. This is also the God of the Old Testament, prior to Jesus’s earthly life, death, and resurrection. Everything changed for us with Jesus.

Malachi 2:2 If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.

At its heart, this is a reminder to priests of how to live in covenant with God—revere Him and stand in awe of His name. I know that I am trying to be better at this, and in the face of a gorgeous sunrise or breathtaking mountain vista, I’m easily in awe of Him, but it is the quiet, ordinary moments that I’m still working on that same feeling of awe. I’m getting there. Slowly.

Malachi 2:5 “My covenant was with [Levi], a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name.

God of all creation, Thank You for the easily awe-inspiring moments and the moments of quiet joy. Help me to revere You and stand in awe of Your name every moment of every day. Amen.

Malachi 2:6 True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin.

Have a blessed day.

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God is greater than this…. (devo reflection)

Malachi 1:2a “I have loved you,” says the Lord. “But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’

Malachi triggers a long held belief that you should not question or argue with God. Ironically, at this point in my faith journey, I no longer subscribe to the “Don’t question God” philosophy. I think what bothers me here is that it feels like almighty God is being lured into defending Himself, and that’s not ok.

Malachi 1:6a “A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty.

I can question God. I can be angry. I can wail and rail against the unfairness of a situation. But at the end of the day, I know God loves me, He loves my loved ones (He loves my enemies, too, for that matter), and at the end of the day, even though I don’t understand, I trust His love and His promises. This chapter of Malachi, where He seems to be arguing back and defending Himself, is too human a reaction for me. God is greater than this.

Malachi 1:6b “It is you priests who show contempt for my name.
“But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’

Lord, Thank You for the ability to immerse myself in Your word. Thank You for helping me try to untangle prejudices and preconceived notions from my own past. Help me, always, to draw closer to You. Amen.

Malachi 1:7 “By offering defiled food on my altar.“But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ “By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible.

Have a blessed day.

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On that day…. (devo reflection)

Zechariah 14:1 A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.

The repetition of the phrase “On that day,” repeated five times in chapter 14, really strikes me. Verse one tells what day is referenced—a day of the Lord that is coming—and the repetition, called anaphora for my fellow rhetoric nerds, keeps us centered on that day and all the things that spring from it.

Zechariah 14:4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.

Romans 11:36 states, “For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.” Jesus is a central pillar in my life, around which everything else is centered. Just like the repetition of “on that day” keeps us focused on the day in question, I want to remain focused on Jesus as my rock. I want to abide in Him. I want everything to center on Him.

Zechariah 14:6 On that day there will be neither sunlight nor cold, frosty darkness.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the understanding that You are my center. Help me to always stay centered on You, grounded in You. This world tries every day to wreck my focus, to distract me from Your purpose. Help me to stay rooted in You, no matter what. Amen.

Zechariah 14:8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.

Have a blessed day.

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The Lord is our God…. (devo reflection)

Zechariah 13:7 “Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!” declares the Lord Almighty. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones.

The descriptors in this section are pretty terrifying: strike, scattered, struck down, perish, put in the fire. This is not a good time. This is, rather literally, a hellish description.

Zechariah 13:8 In the whole land,” declares the Lord, “two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it.

But take a moment to read verse 9, split up here into a & b. At the end of all the trials, the people are purified, cleansed, and claimed. “They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”

Zechariah 13:9a This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold.

Lord, There is so very much in this life that I do not understand, but one thing that I know for sure is that You can draw us closer to You through life’s trials. Thank You for loving me, for claiming me, for drawing me closer. In a world that often makes no sense, help me hold tight to the truth I can always count on: You are sovereign, loving, and merciful. Thank You. Amen.

Zechariah 13:9b They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’ ”

Have a blessed day.

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The Lord Almighty is their God…. (devo reflection)

Zechariah 12:2 “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem.

The very beginning of verse 1 says: “A prophecy: The word of the Lord concerning Israel.” This is the faithful remnant of Jerusalem, and God is talking about the day He fully restores them.

Zechariah 12:3 On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.

How fantastic these promises must have seemed to the remnant. In an effort to get Israel to return and repent, God has used all these enemy nations to unseat her. She has been a pebble easily displaced. To know that the power and protection of God is theirs because of their faithfulness is a new experience for them.

Zechariah 12:4 On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the Lord. “I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations.

Lord, Thank You for the ability to repent and return. Thank You that You remove our sins as far as the East is from the West. Thank You that You see past my deeply flawed nature to the beloved child that You created. Thank You that, as human as I am, I can claim with all truth and sincerity that I am Your masterpiece. Draw me closer. Amen.

Zechariah 12:5 Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.’

Have a blessed day.

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The ultimate example of love, compassion, and mercy…. (devo reflection)

Zechariah 11:7 So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter, particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock.

What struck me about this prophetic passage in Zechariah is the magnitude of Jesus’s choice to love us unconditionally. What is portrayed in these verses is a realistic look at what could happen if the crowd you are guiding doesn’t want to be guided. Throwing up hands, being weary, anger and hurt feelings are very real possibilities. Walking away makes sense.

Zechariah 11:8-9 In one month I got rid of the three shepherds. The flock detested me, and I grew weary of them and said, “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish. Let those who are left eat one another’s flesh.”

But Jesus doesn’t walk away. Yet He doesn’t force. I certainly don’t respond that way. I’m quick to get in a snit when I feel I have done everything and more and my efforts are for naught. Additionally, that line between compassionate and doormat gets a little blurry sometimes in this life.

Zechariah 11:10 Then I took my staff called Favor and broke it, revoking the covenant I had made with all the nations.

Lord, Thank You for the ultimate example of love, compassion, and mercy that we see in Jesus. Help us to navigate the gray area of leaving an open door for those who are not yet ready for our compassion and laying down as a doormat for those who are simply taking advantage. Help us to give You praise and glory always. Amen.

Zechariah 11:11 It was revoked on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the Lord.

Have a blessed day.

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Nothing like I had hoped or imagined…. (devo reflection)

Zechariah 10:1 Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.

Commentary says, in part, that this scripture is about trusting the Lord and asking Him specifically for what you need. It goes on to say that the Lord will provide abundantly for His people. This brought to mind the fact that I still have so much to learn about prayer.

Zechariah 10:2 The idols speak deceitfully, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd.

This scripture, and everything I understand about prayer, indicates that it is important to pray specifically. What trips me up is the fact that the Lord will answer my prayer but in His way and His time. Additionally, His thoughts are nothing like my thoughts and His ways are far beyond anything I could imagine (Isaiah 55:8), meaning that the answer may look nothing like I had hoped or imagined.

Zechariah 10:3 “My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the Lord Almighty will care for his flock, the people of Judah, and make them like a proud horse in battle.

Lord, Thank You for the understanding, again and again, that to fully live in You means to trust You implicitly—Your will, Your way, Your timing, Your love, mercy, and compassion, everything. Forgive me when I struggle. Help me to never lose sight of Your fierce love for me. Help me to let go of my expectations and cling to You alone. Amen.

Zechariah 10:4 From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler.

Have a blessed day.