Devotionals
Embracing Correction
As a Little League coach, I teach kids the fundamentals of baseball. One day, while playing catch with my own son, I noticed that some of the harder thrown balls that came near his head caused him to flinch and close his eyes. I always ask him, “Will the ball still hit you if your... Read More →
Are Your Plans Aligned with God’s Will?
As I read Isaiah 30:1-5 this morning, I was struck by the gravity of making plans without consulting God. The passage vividly describes such actions as sinful and rebellious. In these verses, the Israelites sought alliances with Egypt instead of seeking God’s guidance. This decision, made without divine consultation, led to their downfall. The concept... Read More →
The Shocking Truth About Why We’re Struggling—And the One Thing We Keep Overlooking!
Isaiah 18-23 predicts doom and gloom for many nations including Egypt, Ethiopia, Edom, Arabia, and even Jerusalem. What I found interesting is how all these nations have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide… except Jerusalem. They are the chosen nation of the Most High God, the God who is bringing the calamity, and yet... Read More →
Indicting God
Isaiah 13:13-16 reads: Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the day of his burning anger. Like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd, they will all return to their own people, they will flee to their native land. Whoever is captured will be... Read More →
Destruction of the Flesh
The latter part of Isaiah 1 paints a powerful and rather interesting portrait of Israel. In verses 21-23 God lays out the charges against her. Israel is a prostitute, a murderer, worthless, weak, rebels, thieves, bought & sold, and calloused in their heart and spirit. Verses 24-25a have God bringing his wrath down on an... Read More →
One Small Mistake Gone Uncorrected
Well, it’s finally happened. The sin of the northern kingdom of Israel has lead to their dispossession of the land and their captivity in Assyria. They were cheats, liars, murders, drunks, idolators, adulterers, and even child-sacrificers, yet not none of those are the reason their land is dispossessed. No, Israel lost their land because a... Read More →
God is a Gentleman
I grew up Catholic, which meant that God was far away and most waiting with a big stick to whack me if I stepped out of line. Eventually I became an agnostic and that lasted into my teen years. Then I got saved in a Pentecostal church when I was about 15. During these formative... Read More →
Getting it Twisted
One of the more surprising things in the Gospel of John is when Jesus says that He must be lifted up by God in the same way that Moses lifted up the snake in the desert. If we go back to that snake in the desert, we see that God used the instrument of destruction... Read More →
Don’t Take Too Much Credit
As I’m fond of saying, God using you to accomplish His purposes is not necessarily good news for you. Here in Isaiah we have another prime example of that in the King of Assyria who God intends to use to bring His vengeance on Israel. But what’s interesting to me in this is the idea... Read More →
Strong, Humble Leadership
Let me paint a picture: the King of Judah (not a good man) has just been attacked and ransacked by Kings Rezin & Pekah (of Aram/Syria & Israel, respectively) with many valuables and captives taken — though the people would be returned shortly afterward. And Isaiah comes to Ahaz, the aforementioned King of Judah, and tells... Read More →
Consistency is King
I’m not sure where it came from — and don’t care to look it up — but over the years I’ve heard some variation of the phrase, “60% of the time, it works every time!” Of course the whole joke is that whatever the product or service is, it only works 60% of the time. No... Read More →
Under My Own Power
I often see people cite Deuteronomy 17:17 when talking about David and Solomon, both of whom had multiple wives. And in the case of Solomon (who neared 1,000 when you factor in concubines) we see the direct statement in 1 Kings 11:3 that this did indeed result in his heart of hearts being led astray.... Read More →