I Have Made You a Watchman

Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and gove them warning from me. Ezekiel 3:17 NIV

Daily Bible Readings

*Ezekiel 1-3

Psalm 137

Luke 19

Today’s Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

Ezekiel 1* gives an awe inspiring account of the vision of the throne of God.  If you are interested, there is a devotion from Aug 5th of this year that has a number of corresponding scriptures that describe the courts of heaven in greater detail.  In every account, though, the description of the throne of heaven is both complex and awe inspiring, something beyond the human ability to comprehend, and surrounded by myriads of the (incomprehensibly powerful) heavenly host offering obeisance to the God Most High (YHWH, who is even more incomprehensibly powerful than all of them).   

I like how right off the bat, in Ezekie 1:1-3, this tells us the exact time and the almost exact place that Ezekiel initially saw God**: this is roughly @593 BC, since Jehoiachin went into exile @597 BC.  The Land of the Chaldeans refers to ancient Babylonia, specifically the southern region of Mesopotamia where the Chebar Canal (also known as the Grand Canal or nāru kabari) was located. This area, situated southeast of Babylon near the city of Nippur, served as the primary settlement for Jewish exiles deported by the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

Ezk 2:1-“He said to me, ‘Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.‘”.  It’s very interesting, and could be it’s own in-depth study, that the way which God addresses humans is “Son of man.”.  What is a son of man?  A man, of course.  A human.  It’s equally interesting to me that this is Jesus’ primary self designation in all of his ministry on the earth.  This is an important distinction, because in scripture (our measuring ruler) there are at least 30 verses*** that state unequivocally that Jesus was born a man, and 0 verses that state directly that he became a man.  Interesting, no?

In Ezk 2:8-10, when I read those verses, I can’t help but think of the phrase “take your medicine”.  In this instance, it doesn’t sound as if the medicine is pleasant (although it is indeed later described as tasting sweet as honey).  He is ingesting lamentations, mourning, and woe, and then told to go and speak to his people, the Jews in exile.

Ezk 3:10-11:  “Moreover he said to me, ‘Son of man, all my words that I speak to you, receive in your heart and hear with your ears. And go to the exiles, to the children of your people, and speak to them. And whether they will hear or whether they will refuse to hear, say to them, “This is what the Lord Yahweh says.’” This is one of the key things to take away from this, a core principle.  God knows that we’re a stubborn people, just like ancient Israel.  He still attempts to reach out to us, to speak to us in a variety of different ways: whether we will hear or whether we refuse to hear is up to us, but God is trying to say something.

Ezk 3:15-17 “Then I came to the exiles…and I sat there…overwhelmed for seven days. And at the end of seven days the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, “Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel, so hear the word from my mouth and give them warning from me.”  This small blurb in v15 lets us know that this vision took it’s toll on Ezekiel.  He sat overwhelmed for 7 days, then the word of God came to him and appointed him as a watchman for his people.  A watchman is defined as “One set to watch; a person who keeps guard; a guard; a sentinel “.  Someone to keep people safe.

Ezekiel 3:18- 21 are some of my favorite verses in the entire book of Ezekiel, I’ve got them highlighted in my bible.   This is the original “if you see something, say something” statement, by God to Ezekiel, with the caveat that if they chose not to listen then it wasn’t his fault, but if he chose not to say something he would be accountable.  What about us though?

That’s a little bit scary, when you carry it over into our modern lives.  How many times have you seen someone engaging in destructive or even self-destructive behavior, and chosen to keep silent for whatever reason?  I think of some very specific examples in my own life, and the times when I’ve kept silent when I should have spoken, and most of the times I think of are just because I didn’t want to be socially awkward. 

Now listen, it is absolutely not our job (nor our privilege) to hound and harass someone who believes or acts different than we do.  HOWEVER, in this present evil age, it seems as if it has become more of an “every man for himself!” and that is directly contrary to scripture.  The second greatest commandment (according to Jesus) is: love your neighbor as yourself.

A gentle word of correction, a loving nudge in the right direction, perhaps an inspiring and applicable bible verse, or even a simple “Hey man, God loves you.” can alter someone’s course.  Be a good servant, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick or imprisoned, help the widows and orphans, and take no personal credit.  Love and glorify God.  Take criticism lovingly, be unoffendable, and live the love that Jesus exemplified.  I am absolutely not endorsing slamming someone over the head with scripture until they comply, but  shouldn’t we be taking care of each other, in love?  I suppose what I’m really saying here is, “Hey man, God loves you.”.  Pass it along.

The Kingdom is ready: gather them in****.  Is everyone going to listen?  Is everyone going to care?  Is everyone going to immediately correct course by seeing your example and submit themselves to the will and authority of God?  Nope, probably not, but you will have done your job.  Ezk 3:27 “But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you will tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Yahweh says.’ The one who hears, let him hear, and the one who refuses, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.”

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. How many times have you seen a friend or family member doing something contrary to God’s word?  Think of 1-3 examples.
  2. Did you say or do anything to correct that?  Why or why not?
  3. What are 3 ways you can think of that we could, non-judgmentally, offer a better course of action when we see our brothers (or sisters) going astray? (Be specific)

PRAYER

Father God, please forgive me for all of the times when I was too timid to speak your word when I should have.  Give me the words, and open my mouth when it is needed, to tell others of how very much you love us.  Use me as you see fit, to your glory.  In Jesus name, Amen.

* All scripture quotations will be from the REV translation today.

** It should be noted that since it says in scripture that no man has seen God directly (John 1:18,  1 John 4:12, 1 Timothy 6:16 ), that the instances where this is described in scripture are most likely through an agent (as in Ex 3:2-4 when the angel of YHWH in v2 is then referred to as YHWH in v4, among many other examples), a vision (such as this one in Eze 1, among many others), or a dream (Job 33:14-15, among many others).  This one is clearly stated as a vision, in Eze 1:1.  Agent, Vision, Dream: remember, these are the ways in which man can see God (and live).

*** Luke 2:7, Matt 1:21, Gal 4:4, Heb 2:14, Heb 2:17, Acts 2:22, Acts 17:31, 1 Tim 2:5, Rom 5:15, John 8:40, etc. There are at least 30 verses in the NT that reiterate that Jesus was a human being who was born a man,  appointed by God and empowered by the spirit of God.  This is not counting the @80 times “son of man” was used (primarily as a self identification by Jesus), and in addition to the myriad of verses from the OT describing the requirements of the Messiah as being a human Israelite male descended from David (Gen 3:15, Deut 18:18, 2 Sam 7,Psalms 89, etc).  Pretty solid evidence, particularly when weighed against later “became a man” theories with 0 verses confirming them directly.

**** A message given to my blind father, in a vision.  The one who hears, let him hear.

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Lamentations: When Words Fail

You, Lord, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. Lamentations 5:19 NIV

Daily Bible Readings

Lamentations 4-5

Psalm 136

Luke 19

Today’s Devotion by Jake Ballard (IN)

Once, a young boy watched helplessly as his world fell apart around him. For a year, he watched as his vibrant, loving, passionate mother succumbed to the power of cancer and chemotherapy. Three days after Christmas, she breathed her last. His heartbroken father grieved; his beloved aunts and uncles and grandparents supported as best they could. 

But in the next month, January, his grandmother (his mom’s mom) who had been suffering a disease that destroyed her muscles, finally had all her muscles completely fail, and she too died.

Then the boy’s father left to play basketball in February…

He walked out the door… and never was able to come home…

And the boy

had no

words

How could he?

His world had shattered so agonizingly slowly, and just when the reality had hit home, a new wave of despair…

How could his dad be gone?

Lamentations has a structure in chapters 1-4. Each chapter is a self-contained acrostic, and chapter 3 is an interesting play on that.

Chapter 5 is what happens when devastation and despair overwhelm to the point where words fail.

The pattern breaks.

There is no acrostic.

The only order in the midst of the grief of the Lamenter breaks down.

Words begin to fail.

Often in songs of Lament, there is the turn-around, the recognition of God’s loving, providing care that the Lamenter feels and sees. We’ve seen the hope of that in chapter 3. The final couplet (5:21-22), demands, asks, begs for God’s intervention, but also voices the horror “unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry beyond measure.”

The Lamenter has not left the lamentation by the end of the book.

I want you to know that God doesn’t demand a bright and happy smile as you come into the end of this year.

The holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year) can be especially difficult if you have lost people in the previous year, and you might still be grieving. There are times when all words are broken and the order of our lives is stripped away and we simply are, merely exist…

God is there.

Listening to you yell and rage and cry and weep.

And he loves you through it all.

He will make all things new… but we might not see it now.

The boy who lost so much did not see a clear “end” to his lament, nor did he piece his life together on his own.

He was lovingly, carefully, powerfully held by God, embraced by the church, trained by faithful men and women, and grew up to be a pastor, hoping to share with those who read his words this day that hope exists on the other side. Even when you cannot see it, God is with you in the lament.

Have your words failed? God hears the Spirit in you groan with something deeper than words

Have you not seen restoration yet? One day it will come.

My brothers and sisters, may you express your heart to the Lord in your lament, in whatever way your heart is broken.

May you feel his touch upon your life even when everything has lost all sense.

And if, when, your words fail, may you trust that God is there, listening to the beating of your broken heart, and loving you in your lament.

May he restore you, in this life or in the age to come, because his wrath was taken by Christ on the cross.

Amen.

Reflection Questions

  1. In the midst of your dark days what has given you comfort and hope for the future?
  2. How can you work as God’s agent in spreading comfort and hope, perhaps even at a time when there are no words.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father – Thank You for being the God of all comfort, even when we are in such distress that we can not fathom being comforted. I need you, God. Teach my heart how to cling to You, in all ways and on all days. Thank You for making things new. In Your Son’s name who gives us hope, amen.

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Lamentations: Despair and Hope

A sunset scene with birds flying in the sky, alongside text that reads, 'Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.' Lamentations 3:40 NIV.

Daily Bible Reading

Lamentations 3

Psalm 136

Luke 18

Today’s Devotion by Jake Ballard (IN)

Yesterday, we focused on getting ourselves situated in Lamentations, a book of sorrow that shows us how to speak to God in our anger, sorrow, and loss.

Today, we see that when we take the time to open up to God and work through our suffering we can see it from various angles. In chapter one, the author (probably Jeremiah) gives Jerusalem herself a voice so that she speaks to God. She cries out to God in the midst of the judgement that she is suffering (1:15) and asks him to forgive her and vindicate her (1:20-22). Chapter two continues in much of the same way. The anger of God covers Jerusalem and that is why she is being destroyed (2:1). The people have sought false prophets and false visions (2:14). The people recognize that they have turned away from God, but they ask the Lord to look and see their distress (2:20). Essentially they recognize they deserve what they are receiving, and still ask the good God they know for mercy.

In chapter three, it isn’t about the pain of the city, or the voice of Jerusalem. The author begins to write from the first person perspective: I, me, and my. “I have seen affliction” (3:1) and “God turns his hand against me” (3:3). More than ever before, we could wear the shoes of the author and walk in them. We can understand the pain when we read about it in the first person. Maybe we have felt that the chains of our life are heavy (3:7-9) or that God has gone to war against our bodies (3:4-6). We have felt like we are being hunted down by wild animals, or that we are the wild animal fleeing a hunter (3:10-15). For Jeremiah, this was being attacked by armies, but for us anxieties, depression, gossip, relationships breaking; they feel like we are being hunted down and destroyed. That is why Lamentations 2:11a can hit so close to home “My eyes fail because of tears, My spirit is greatly troubled; My heart is poured out on the earth …” We suffer a different situation than Jeremiah, but the despair of the heart is the same.

Which is why portions of chapter three are so wonderful. After all this despair, all this heart break, some deserved, so much senseless, the author can remind us that the love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never end, they are new every morning. In the midst of suffering, reading about terror and destruction, it is good to be reminded that “Great is your faithfulness” (3:22-23). The Lord is good (3:25) and we will not be cast away from his goodness forever (3:31).

Let me give you some bad news. You and everyone you know will, at some point, suffer.

Let me give you some good news. You and everyone you know is able to rest in the strength and power of God. You are able to give him your suffering, even when if feels like too much, and he is willing and able to hold it.

If you are not currently suffering, chances are you know someone who is. Give them grace, and remind them that God loves them. Do this gently, finding the right moment. Allow God to control your words and the timing. Allow them to feel the goodness of the Lord and to feel his mercies that are new every morning.

If you are currently suffering, let me be the first to remind you that God has not abandoned you forever. As Lamentations 3:31-32 says “For the Lord will not reject forever, for if He causes grief, then He will have compassion according to His abundant lovingkindness.” [NASB] For those who place their hope in Jesus Christ, the suffering of this life is swallowed up forever in eternal joy and life and peace.

For all of us, let me ask you a difficult question: what sins do you need to repent of and renounce? The author of Lamentations believed, deeply, that it was the sin of Jerusalem and Judah that led to God’s judgement, sins that were greater than Sodom. (4:6). I say this next sentence with sorrow and fear: If you are living in a way that is against the life of God, you might be causing your own suffering and are living without hope. Not every suffering we experience is judgement from God. Yet Lamentations shows that some suffering is. I ask you to consider your ways, to repent, and to turn back to God so that his blessings may be on your life.

Reflection Questions

  1. As Jake asked, “What sins do you need to repent of and renounce?” What are even natural consequences of these sins?
  2. What is your current “suffering level”? Are you at a place where you feel you need to hear these words right now, or is there someone you need to share these words with?
  3. Having the proper mindset before a suffering phase begins is also helpful. What are words of wisdom that you can build into your mindset (and into your children) when the sun is shining?

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father – You are a good God. And all Your ways are just and right. Thank You for giving us Your Son to show us how to live, and also to offer us the only way to live with You through forgiveness of our sins. Thank You for being with me on sunny days and dark days. May I learn from Your discipline and draw closer to You. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

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Lamentations: An Invitation to Grief

Text from the book of Lamentations highlighting the desolation of a once-thriving city, with a backdrop of an abandoned urban landscape.

Daily Bible Readings

Lamentations 1-2

Psalm 135

Luke 18

Today’s Devotion by Jake Ballard (IN)

Over the next three days, we will be reading the book of Lamentations.

If you are anything like me, when you are wanting to open the Bible and hear the word of the Lord, a book called “Lamentations” doesn’t CALL to you. Who wants to be told about being sad and mourning when we want a pick-me-up? However, the Bible is full of poetry in the genre of “lament”.

Before we talk about genre, let’s get situated in the book of Lamentations. In our English and Christian Bibles, we place Lamentations in a section we call the “Major Prophets”, the section from Isaiah to Daniel. However, Lamentations is not prophecy. Even if we recognize that prophecy is about BOTH foretelling (speaking about the future with God’s wisdom) and forth-telling (speaking about the current culture with God’s wisdom), Lamentations isn’t that. It is a poetic work in response to the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon. As a book of poetry, in the Tanak (the Jewish order of the Old Testament), Lamentations is a part of the “writings,” which included the book of Psalms, Proverbs, and Job. (The Tanak is referenced when Jesus speaks about how everything must be fulfilled that was written of Jesus in the Law (Torah), Prophets (Nevi’im) and Writings (Ketuvim), TaNaK.)

Why is Lamentations included with our major prophets? Because many have attributed the poems to Jeremiah, the “weeping prophet”, who foresaw the destruction of the city and then lived through it in the early 580s BC (587/586). While we don’t know if it was by him, tradition has long held this to be the case, and it does make sense. Therefore, it has been included after the book we know Jeremiah wrote. This book was written after the destruction in response to the pain of loss that the people feel.

But why write the work? Lamentations is written to declare to the reader, but ultimately to God, the pain of the author. In chapter one, the author gives Jerusalem a voice, crying out to God in pain, despair and loss. The city is destroyed and betrayed. (1:1-2) What’s worse: it was because the people of the city and the Kingdom of Judah had sinned and turned away from God (1:8, 18) and therefore the destruction is Judgement from God. (1:15) Even in the midst of this pain, the city cries out for the Lord to look at them, see their suffering, and forgive (1:20). The author asks for God to vindicate the city in the presence of the evil enemies under which they suffer. (1:21-22).

However, the book is not just a factual recounting of the sufferings, nor a simple prose narrative. The author takes the time to write using the constraints of an acrostic in chapters 1-4. In chapters 1, 2, and 4, each line begins with a new Hebrew letter (basically, if we wrote a poem and started with “A”, then “B” and so forth.) There are 22 Hebrew letters, thus the 22 verses. And in Chapter 3, the pattern is even heightened so that every three lines start with the same letter. (“A… A… A… B…B…B” and so on for the 66 verses.)

However, knowing all this simply sets the stage. As you read the book, I want you to recognize that Lamentations is included in the word of God to allow you to see the beauty and the necessity of grief, especially as we take our grief to the Lord. God is willing to hear your lament. He is willing to receive all that you speak to him. Lamentations lets us know that God’s wrath against sin is severe, but those who come to him as children will always have a loving father listening to them.

Reflection Questions

What are you lamenting? Let lamentations give you permission to give it to God, to write it down and turn it into something beautiful.

Where does the world press against you? Lamentations shows us that God is over even the Kingdoms of the world, and we can go straight to him for forgiveness.

Where does sin cause a break between you and God? Let this book of sorrow become a book of repentance to turn back to him through faith in Jesus.

Tomorrow, we will focus on the messages found in Lamentations 1-4 and then we will pay close attention to the final chapter.

Prayer

Dear God our Father – I praise You because You are a holy and righteous God through all the ages. I am humbled to know that You, the same God who listened to Jeremiah, listens to me as well. Help me to grieve well, not only over the consequences of my sin, but over my sins that go against what You have made me to be. I repent of my sins. Show me, God, where I have gone astray and guide me in the way You want me to go, even when that requires correction and discipline.

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Surrender | Jeremiah 52

For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence. Jeremiah 52:3 ESV

Daily Bible Readings

*Jeremiah 52

Psalm 135

Luke 17

Today’s Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

Today we’ll be finishing up the book of Jeremiah in our reading, and we’ll take a look at some of the historical information and alternative sources which confirm the events recorded here.  It is very difficult to read the blow by blow description of the looting and destruction of the Temple that is recorded here, for both Christian and Jew.  This event (@586 BC) signaled what most consider to be the beginning of the Exile*: both literally and symbolically (from God).

The Babylonians recorded their histories on clay tablets, and while the fall of Jerusalem (and the Temple) is well documented in scripture (2 Ki 25, 2 Chron 36, Jer 52), it’s also very well documented in the Babylonian records, specifically: “The Jerusalem Chronicle” (ABC 05), and tablets VAT4956 and BM21946.  A separate Babylonian document, the Weidner’s Ration List, records that Jehoiachin received royal rations in Babylon for over 30 years, and a tablet from 561 BC notes his release from custody.   All of these directly support the biblical narrative given here, although usually more as a dry administrative note than a profound theological narrative such as is found in scripture.

During these last days before the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, Jeremiah had been adamantly warning the leaders that surrendering to Nebuchadnezzar’s forces was the only way for the city to survive, warning that those who stayed would die by sword, famine, or pestilence.  This wasn’t a popular stance: the people believed that they were untouchable since the Temple was in their midst, and as a result Jeremiah was branded a traitor despite just relaying the word of God as it had been given to him.

It’s interesting to me that during Zedekiah’s reign he often privately sent for Jeremiah, asking for “the word of the LORD” (Jer 37:17, 38:14).  Each time, Jeremiah delivered the same message: surrender to Babylon and live.   In private, Zedekiah swore secret oaths to protect him but then publicly refused to act, fearing his own officials and the pro-Egyptian faction in the court.  Here in the last chapter of Jeremiah, we see recorded both the fates of King Zedekiah, and also King Jehoiachin.

I was a little curious about this, because according to the scriptures (and the Babylonian historical accounts) Jehoiachin surrendered around 597 BC.   So how was it that Zedekiah was king after him, until the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in 586 BC? 

Well, on digging a little, after Jehoiachin surrendered, Nebuchadnezzar installed Jehoiachin’s uncle Mattaniah as the new ruler.  Nebuchadnezzar changed Mattaniah’s name to Zedekiah and made him a vassal king, requiring him to swear an oath of allegiance to Babylon (2 Ki 24:17).  This is because as a political strategy, Babylon preferred a compliant native monarch over direct occupation both to ensure short-term stability and to signal its dominance.

Zedekiah was the last king of Judah; his reign ended with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 BC.  While Nebuchadnezzar had put him in power (@597 BC), Zedekiah  eventually rebelled against Babylon due to internal political pressure, fear of his own court, and the promise of Egyptian military support** (see Eze 17:15).

Jeremiah spent years warning his people of God’s judgment, telling them that if they would just surrender they would live.  This was not a popular stance: the Jewish people considered themselves as “divinely elect”, chosen by God, and (despite rampant idolatry) it was inconceivable to the Jewish people of the day that they would be harmed: after all, wasn’t the Temple right there in Jerusalem?  That’s where God lived!  This “divinely elect” mentality, despite not electing to exclusively worship the divine God who had chosen them, led to their downfall.  Pride, in other words, despite rebellion and idolatry.

As a result of his rebellion and disobedience, Zedekiah’s fate is well detailed here in this last chapter of Jeremiah (Jer 52:10-11):  his sons were murdered in front of him, after which his eyes were gouged out, and then he was taken as a prisoner to Babylon (where he later died a prisoner). Ouch.  Imagine the last thing you (ever) see being the slaughter of your children.  That’s harsh.

As a result of his listening to Jeremiah and his obedience (despite it being an extremely unpopular stance with the people), Jehoiachin surrendered and lived.  This isn’t to say he had a great time, he was a Babylonian prisoner for 37 years.  He did his time, in modern parlance.  After that 37 years though, he was not only freed but given a position of honor and a daily allotment from the king.  Even more, he was of the line of David, and if you flip over to Matt 1:11 he’s actually listed (as Jeconiah***) in the ancestry of Jesus.

I can’t help but make some correlations between this and modern Christian life.  Sometimes, we are so secure in the bastion of our own selves that  we become prideful.  We forget that we are required to listen to the word of God, to obey, even when that isn’t comfortable or popular.  Even when we might have to go through some stuff, to do our time, to comply.  We are told that we are the temple of God, and like the ancient Jews, think ourselves unassailable because…this is where God lives!  Does he though?  Are you allowing the God who made you to sit on the throne of your heart, or are you insisting on occupying that seat yourself?  Think about it.  We all have our own plans.  We all have our own desires.  Sometimes though, God just calls us to surrender, and live.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. What are you being told by God to surrender, right now in your life?
  2. Are you going to?  Why, or why not?
  3. How could you be more obedient and surrender: what could you give up that you cling to that is dividing you from God, right now?

PRAYER

Father God, You are my Creator.  Please forgive me when I am prideful, help me to be humble, and to submit to your will and the word of the King you’ve anointed, the Christ.  Help me to not just say the words, but to surrender all to your authority.  Come, sit on the throne of my heart, rule my life.  In Jesus name, Amen.

* TECHNICALLY, The Babylonian Exile (or Captivity) occurred in multiple waves, going from 597 BC to 582 BC.  1st wave (@597): King Jehoiachin and approximately 7,000–10,000 prominent citizens, including the prophet Ezekiel. 2nd wave (@586): after the destruction of the temple, exiling the remaining population. 3rd wave (@582): A smaller group was exiled following the assassination of the Babylonian-appointed governor Gedaliah.  The Return happened in waves as well, starting in @538 with Zerubbabel and Joshua, and ending @445 with Nehemiah.

** The Lachish Ostraca (archaeological letters from the period) corroborate Judah’s expectation of Egyptian relief, mentioning watching for signal fires from Lachish and Azekah.

*** Jeconiah and Jehoiachin are the same person: they are different Hebrew transliterations of the same royal name, with the components “Yahweh” and “establish” simply swapped or abbreviated. Jehoiachin (Yəhōyāḵin) is the longer throne name meaning “Yahweh establishes,” while Jeconiah (Yəḵonəyā) is a variant form meaning “Yahweh has established”. Coniah is an abbreviation of Jeconiah (1 Chronicles 3:16), which is another form of the name Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:6).  You’re welcome, history nerds.  Many (most) of the names you’re familiar with in the English translation of the scripture bear very little resemblance to the actual, original, names: they’re “anglicized” for your reading convenience (and textual inaccuracy/confusion).  That includes Yeshua/Yehoshua/Jesus, by the way.

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God Help Us to Grow Our Trust | Luke 17

Image of hands raised towards the sky with a quote from Luke 17:5 NIV that says, 'Increase our faith!'

Daily Bible Readings

Jeremiah 50-51

Psalm 134

Luke 17

Today’s Devotion by Tom Siderius (MI)

Luke 17:5-6(REV)

Trust

5And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our trust.”
6And the Lord said, “If you have trust like a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be rooted up and be planted in the lake,’ and it would obey you.

This passage has the same subject as the parable in Matthew chapter 13.

Matthew 13:31-32(NKJV) Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

The mustard seed is a brassica seed which is dark or black, and very small, almost like a pencil point size.  I have some experience with planting brassica seeds, mostly turnips and other radishes. They are difficult to plant because you cannot see the seeds as they are dispersed from the seeder and cannot see them on the ground against the dark earth.  The people of that time hand seeded their fields so they would have to be very intentional about collecting the seeds, storing them and then seeding them in the next year’s field.

The mustard seed here is probably Brassica Negra and grows normally to about 3-4’ in size.  But there are some plants that given the right soil and conditions would grow to as much as 10-12’ in height with stems as big as a man’s forearm.  These plants give us mustard powder spice and also mustard oil. All were valuable commodities in their culture just as mustard is used to make mustard sauce to use on your hot dog today.  It had to be intentionally seeded and cared for to make it grow.  The ground needed to be prepared, then seeded and weeded to help the plants grow and flourish.  This doesn’t happen by accident or by chance.

When Jesus is telling us to have trust (or faith) in God as small as the mustard seed, he is saying for us to intentionally plant and cultivate the things that we plant in our lives.  If we plant the things of God and His Word in our hearts, then the plantings will grow all out of proportion to the size of the planted seed.  Trust in God starts with small decisions that will grow into great and important results. 

What are the ways that we can plant more seeds of the Word in our lives?

How about the lives of others that we have contact with?

The Kingdom of God will start with small seeds that are planted by intentional gardeners with their eye to an eventual valuable harvest of righteousness.  The smallest things that we do now can grow to become a tree which will fill the whole world with righteousness.  We don’t have any control over the growing of the Kingdom, except to plant, water, and cultivate the plants.  Jesus tells us that if our trust in God grows like these plants then we will be able to produce miraculous and wonderful works that God will direct our hearts to do

Ephesians 2:7-10(NKJV) – that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The trust that we develop by walking with God daily and studying His Word will change us and give us power in this world to do His will.  We don’t necessarily need to uproot trees and plant them in the middle of the lake, but Jesus’ point is that we can do things that we never thought possible if we trust in God.

What are the truly “good works” that God has called you to do?

1 Corinthians 3:4-9(NLT)  When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?
5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. 6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.

What a privilege to become a part of the wonderful family of God and walk together on the path to the coming Kingdom that God will include us in.  As we are faithful to obey His Word and then to give it away to those who are perishing God will give the increase of harvest of righteousness.

Reflection Questions:

What can you do to send the message of the coming Kingdom to others today?

See other questions above in bold text

Prayer:

Father God, we come humbly to You who are the creator of the heavens and the earth.  We ask for Your care and help in all that we do.  Help us to plant the seeds of Your Word and intentions in our hearts as we try to walk with You.  Help us to plant and water the integrity and accuracy of Your Word in our hearts and the hearts of others.  Show us the works that You would have us do to further Your kingdom to come.  We ask these things in the name of Your Son our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Parables: What the He…ck? | Luke 16

"If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead." Luke 16:31 ESV, with a backdrop of autumn foliage.

Daily Bible Readings

Jeremiah 48-49

Psalm 134

Luke 16

Today’s Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

Entering the Kingdom of God | Luke 16:16-17

I suppose I’d be a bit remiss if I didn’t point out an important verse that should have probably come up at the end of yesterday’s devotion about the Unrighteous Steward, but since it’s still in our reading today let me point it out, Luke 16:16-17 says: “The law and the prophets were until John. From that time the good news of the kingdom of God is being proclaimed, and everyone who enters forces his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one ornamentation of the law to fall.”  (REV translation, see yesterday’s note about that).

There are 2 points I’d like to mention in these verses.  Firstly, everyone who enters into the kingdom will be forcing their way into it: it’s not easy, and it goes against our sinful nature.  If you are not struggling with yourself, correcting yourself, and constantly trying to improve and give glory to God, don’t be surprised when you don’t get to enter in to the Kingdom, Jesus himself has told us we’re going to have to force our way in.  Push harder, if you’re not.

Secondly, Jesus said it’s easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny bit of the law to fail: that is, the law as given in the scriptures.  I know that a lot of our modern churches teach that adherence to the law is unimportant: that’s old testament stuff,  we just need to do what Jesus said.  Well, that’s my whole point; Jesus said it was important.  Just something to consider.

The Rich Man and Lazarus | Luke 16:19-31

Jesus taught a lot in parables.  ALL of them make you think a little bit, and while most of them I understand pretty well (I think), to be honest some of them have always confused me a little bit.  I will be very honest with you all and tell you that of them all, this is the parable that confused me the most, the parable of “The Rich Man and Lazarus” (as my Bible header reads).  You’re probably all familiar with it.

In this parable, which takes place in Luke 16:19-31, we see a rich guy who is super rich: living the good life, wearing fancy clothes, and having huge feasts daily.  Then, in contrast we have Lazarus, a poor guy who is super poor: living right outside the rich guy’s gates, starving and destitute, covered in sores, and ignored.  Since this parable is kind of a continuation on the other parable in Luke 16, I encourage you to go back and read yesterday’s devotion about the “Unrighteous Steward” if you haven’t already: the rich guy in this parable probably wishes he did.  It should also be noted that this IS a parable, which takes place after the rich man dies (and before the resurrection/judgment/establishment of the kingdom).

So they both die, the parable goes on to say, and the poor man goes to rest in “the bosom of Abraham”, whereas the rich guy lies down in torment: thirsty and suffering in flames.  This parable is where a large portion of the orthodox (mis)understanding of “Hell” comes from, by the way.  While everyone who reads the Bible can clearly see that there will be a lake of fire that the wicked are tossed into, this parable is likely one that led to the idea that they’d suffer there for an eternity of torment.  There are a couple of verses that I suppose could be read this way*, but the majority of verses that speak of the wicked after punishment** are finite, and describe the righteous walking on their ashes.  But what happens to the dead between death and the resurrection/judgment?

Let me be very direct and not dissemble in any way: I believe in the sleep of the dead, because that is what the Bible describes.  It does raise a question though, if we are being honest: even though this is a parable, why would Jesus describe this particular scenario in such a fashion?  I could speculate and say “those who sleep sometimes have nightmares” and also “God will not leave the guilty unpunished” and neither of those things would conflict with my overall understanding, but the truth is: there is no single Bible verse that says anything like that directly, it’s pure speculation.

More to the point, I’ve got some experiential knowledge that most people don’t get.  I’ve actually died (2/14/2022).  I laid on a table dead for about 5 1/2 minutes.  I’ve read a lot about NDE’s (Near Death Experiences…most seem a little “iffy” honestly), so let me tell you about mine.  After I died, I was still self aware: just like when you’re asleep and dreaming you have a sense of “self”.  I couldn’t see anything, but I was aware that I was “me”.  It felt like I was in a dark cave, and I had the sense of waiting.  I could hear a low susurration around me, so I had the feeling that I wasn’t alone.  That was it.  I wasn’t uncomfortable, I wasn’t scared, I wasn’t in torment, I was just…sleeping (the book of Enoch has a startlingly similar description of the state of death: it’s a “non-canonical” book but is quoted in the Bible).

Then I woke up, surrounded by a very concerned and wide-eyed group of physicians, one of whom was holding a pair of AED paddles.  “Are you ok?” one of them asked (Dr. Neal Barry, I think it was, now my primary cardiologist).  “Yeees…” I said, “are you ok?”.  Please note that your experience may vary significantly, but at the time of my death I was NOT living a righteous life. 

In this parable, the rich man says “Let me go back and tell them…”, and is told in v31: “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if one rises from among the dead.”.  This, I think, is one of the 2 main points of this parable.  FIRSTLY, come on man, if you’ve got that much wealth, don’t you think you should have given that guy a little love? (See yesterday’s devotion “True Riches”).  SECONDLY, this was some heavy foreshadowing, because Jesus WAS raised from the dead.  True to the parable though, the people didn’t listen to Moses and the prophets, and most of them didn’t listen to Jesus either.  What about you?

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Do you feel like following the law (the 10 commandments specifically) is important today for Christians***? Why, or Why not? 
  2. What about the rest of Jewish law? (again: why, or why not?)
  3. What lesson did you think was prominent in this parable?
  4. Why do you think Jesus used these specific circumstances in this parable?

PRAYER

Father God, please lead us.  Help us to listen when you speak.  Forgive us of our many shortcomings.  Lead us into the kingdom, and give us the strength we need to enter.  Help us to understand, and to listen, and to act in the manner which glorifies you.  In Jesus name, Amen.

* Rev 14:11-could be read this way at a stretch I suppose,  but to contrast please see note about Jude 1:7 below. Rev 20:10 describes an (unique) ongoing torment for the devil, the beast, and the false prophet that lasts (literally) “for ages and ages” (not forever) but that is a special circumstance and an end is implied for the devil in Eze 28:19 and Isa 14:15.  Mark 9:43 and 48 notably mention “where their worm does not die and their fire is not quenched” but even more notably, these verses are not found in the earliest manuscripts and are “later additions”, so they’re not used at all by knowledgeable scholars when debating this issue as there is strong evidence that they were added by later copyists. Isa 57:21 does say, “there is no peace for the wicked”, but the word for peace can also be translated as “completeness” so it’s not really convincing that this is a proof verse.

** Jude 1:7 describes Sodom and Gomorrah as suffering the “vengeance of eternal fire”, yet those cities are no longer burning, suggesting the fire’s effect is irreversible extinction rather than ongoing consciousness.  Similarly, Malachi 4:3 and Psalm 37:20 (among others) indicate the wicked will be turned to ashes or consumed away, contradicting the idea of indestructible, eternal burning and seeming to support the concept of an irreversible extinction instead.

*** Disturbingly, the Catholic church omits #2 (graven images) in order to continue some practices without condemnation, and says “it’s just part of no other gods“, and splits the covet commandment at the end into 2 to make 10.  Conversely, almost the entirety of the rest of the Protestant churches completely ignore #4 (or, #3, if you’re Catholic) about the Sabbath.  Curious, no?

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True Riches

A collection of gold coins in a stack with text overlay quoting Luke 16:13: 'No one can serve 2 masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.'

Jeremiah 46-47

Psalm 133

*Luke 16

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

Jesus taught a lot in parables.  ALL of them make you think a little bit, and while most of them I understand pretty well (I think), to be honest some of them have always confused me a little bit.  The reading for today and tomorrow have the 2 in them that always confused me the most.  Today we’ll focus on the first one (this one has the header “The Parable of the Unrighteous Steward” in my Bible), and tomorrow we’ll look at the other (with the header “The Rich Man and Lazarus”).

Matthew 13:34-35 says, specifically: “Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds, and he did not speak to them without using a parable, so that what was spoken through the prophet was fulfilled, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.” (REV* translation used). Which prophet are they quoting here**? Why does he always use parables? I think it’s because it makes you think, and that you can also get layers and layers from them sometimes, revealing more than just a simple concept.

As a kid, I never got the “Parable of the Unrighteous Steward”.  I mean, we have this guy who’s running the house, he’s about to get fired, and then he cheats his master.  How is being a cheater good?  Is the Bible advocating cheating here?  These are things that stick in a young kid’s mind and make them wonder.  What’s even more mind boggling was that his master praised him for his cunningness, after he was cheated!  I never got it, it seemed to be antithetical to all the things the Bible was teaching.

I think I get it a little better now, particularly because I’ve learned how to dissect word problems to find the real things that they’re asking (or, in this case, telling us).  The key bit of information here is found in Luke 16:4, “I know what I will do so that when I am removed from management, people will receive me into their houses.’ ”  The guy knows he’s about to get kicked out, he’s already said (in v3) that he’s not really qualified to do other jobs, and he’s trying to set himself up so he’s not homeless out in the streets.  To do this, he uses his master’s wealth, and lets some of the folks who owe his master money to shave off some (quite a bit if you look at the numbers) of their debt, so that they’ll now be indebted to him.  Then, despite being robbed (in a sense), the master commended him for being cunning.

So let’s apply this to real life.  Look around you.  Some people are richer than others, some people are in authority over others, some people have advantages over others.  It’s just the way it is.  We also know from scripture (Ps 24:1 being my favorite example) that GOD OWNS EVERYTHING.  This means that you are just a steward.  Probably an unrighteous one, if you’re being honest with yourself (see Romans 3:23).  So why not, like this unrighteous steward, use your master’s wealth to your own advantage?

If you have been given much or little is irrelevant, because everything belongs to God anyway.  The question is: how are you using that wealth?  How are you using that authority?  How are you using whatever advantages you have?  If you are cunning and wise, you will use them to make sure you’re not kicked out and homeless in the kingdom, when it comes. 

Is this about the kingdom though? It absolutely is: check out v9: “And I myself say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they will receive you into their tents in the age to come. ”  Any time we see the phrase “age to come” it’s talking about after the return, in the kingdom of God.  You know, the Kingdom, that thing we’re supposed to be seeking first?

The moral of this story is: use your wealth, use your authority, use whatever advantages in this life you may possess to try to win friends and enter in to the kingdom of God.  Jesus tells us very clearly in v13: “No servant is able to serve two masters, because he will either hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and think little of the other. You are not able to serve God and Wealth.”  Please don’t get me wrong, having money is not bad in and of itself.  The love of money is, though.  It’s simply a matter of where we are putting our priorities.  We are to love God, with all our hearts, with all our minds, and with all our strength.

This means that if we have much or if we have little, we use what we have to glorify God.  If you have wealth, buy the groceries of that lady behind you in line at the supermarket.  Buy a homeless person a hamburger.  Support people who are less fortunate than you, and don’t take credit for any of it, but give God the glory.  Support ministries as you can.  Love your neighbor as yourself in other words, and every now and again when you are taking care of yourself (which we all seem to be really good at), take care of your neighbor as well.

If you don’t have wealth, well, use whatever you have.  If you have authority, use it to help the servants of God.  If you have your health, go mow the lawn of the widow who goes to your church.  Give some extra clothes to the homeless.  Visit the imprisoned and give them hope.  Feed the hungry.  Use whatever you have to benefit your neighbor, and it is to the glory of God.  If someone you’re helping tells you “thanks!”, you tell them “don’t thank me, thank God!”.  Remember that this current evil age that we live in is not our final destination, and that we are striving for a place in the age to come, a place in the kingdom.  Use the Master’s wealth that He has given you to secure your own advantage in the age to come.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. What gifts have you been given, and how can you best utilize those to secure your own entry in the kingdom, in the age to come?
  2. Do you currently view your own personal wealth as the goal, or the tool which may help you to reach your goal?
  3. How can we shift our thinking to be more cunning and wise, and plan for the kingdom? What specific things can you do that may help you?

PRAYER

Father God, thank you.  You have given me so much, please give me also wisdom to use it well.  You have given life, breath, and all things.  Help me to use discernment, and to remember not the blessings, but the hand from which all these blessings have come.  Help me to glorify you in all things.  Thank you, in Jesus name, Amen.

* Some of you may have noticed that recently I’ve been using the REV version of the Bible in almost all of my Bible quotes.  I am going to give it a shameless plug here, because it’s probably one of, if not the, most honest translations I’ve come across and it uses the name of God (YHWH, or “Yahweh”) where the name of God is written.  This is a huge deal for me. The REV bible is available for free here: https://revbible.com/bcuk online, put forth by “Spirit and Truth” (https://stfi.org/).  Check it out.

** David, that’s found in Psalms 78:2 (a lot of times we forget that David was a prophet but he absolutely was).

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One Lost Little Coin

An arrangement of silver coins with the text from Luke 15:8 NASB overlaying the image.

Jeremiah 43-45

Psalm 133

Luke 15

-Devotion by Whitney Myers (AZ)

“I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10)

Luke 15 is Jesus telling three parables about a person losing something or someone valuable to them and finding them again.

One of these parables is about a woman losing one of her ten silver coins. Forgive me if you don’t like history but I’m going to give a little lecture. Originally when you hear about losing a silver coin you’d probably think “oh no that’s a lot of money back in the biblical days. Poor lady.”, but it’s actually a way bigger deal than that. I’m 15 so obviously I haven’t been married yet but allow me to try to connect to you married folk. Back in Jesus’s day when a woman got married she would wear a veil that had ten silver coins sewn into it. These coins served as what a modern day wedding ring or band is now. So basically this woman lost a diamond on her wedding ring if I were to connect to modern day traditions.

My grandpa tells this story: when he was in his 20’s right after he got married to my grandma he was working on painting a house and he took off his wedding band to clean his hands. He put his ring on the bumper of his truck and drove off and later realized he left his ring there. He started scrambling to find it and drove back to retrace his steps and found it lying in the street.

For the woman and my grandpa to lose something so valuable it must’ve been pretty rewarding and relieving to have found what they had lost.

Now imagine how God feels when one of his children repents to him. It’s as though what He had lost had found Him again. Just as the woman rejoices with her neighbors and my grandpa celebrated with his wife, God’s angels jubilate when a child of God repents.

Reflection Questions

  1. Is there any way in which you have been hiding from God?
  2. What is the connection between being unrepentant and being lost? What is the connection between repentance and being found? Which causes the other?
  3. What do you think it can feel like to be lost and unrepentant? What is the true problem with being lost – whether the lost item/sheep/person knows it or not?
  4. Do you recognize the worth and value in what is currently lost? In what ways can you seek the lost? What do you think God would say is the most loving way to approach the lost? What do they need more than anything?

Prayer

Dear God, Thank you for hearing and accepting our true repentance and for your forgiveness. Thank you for welcoming the lost who have been found into your fold. Help me know the importance of repentance and the value of the lost. Give me wisdom, love and persistence in the way I seek the lost and in the words I speak. May I be like the woman who lights her lamp, sweeps her house and searches carefully until she finds it – and then gets to rejoice with the repentant.

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Two Sons

Jeremiah 41-42

Psalm 132

Luke 15

-Devotion by Whitney Myers (AZ)

“And when he [the shepherd] finds it [his lost sheep], he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.” (Luke 15:5)

Sometimes followers of Christ tend to stray away from the good path that we as believers try to always follow. We consider ourselves lost and almost forgotten. We feel as though we don’t have a purpose and there’s no sense in trying because we’re just going to fail and even if we do succeed nobody will notice or care. However, that is not true.

Take the saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Your worth is something that cannot be taken away. What one person may see as impractical may be another’s most prized possession. For example, when you were a child you probably had a favorite stuffed animal. Mine was this brown bear with a little Christmas hat and a scarf with two pom poms on the end and his name was Belkey. I was only 10 months old when I received him but we were inseparable. I brought Belkey everywhere. I actually remember one day I lost one of the pom poms on the end of his scarf and held a private funeral for it. I cried for about a day. I told my mom and obviously she was sympathetic about it but she wasn’t crying on the floor making a fuss about it like I was. I was so disappointed that I lost something so valuable to me and even though my mom didn’t feel the same level of letdown she was still very sad for me because she knew how much I loved that bear.

This parable in Luke 15 gives three examples. One of a shepherd losing one of his one hundred sheep, one of a woman losing one of her ten silver coins, and one of a father losing one of his two sons. For the silver coin, the woman probably misplaced it but the sheep and the son could have run away. Now, a sheep is an animal and doesn’t have many feelings but we can imply that the sheep did not know its surroundings and was lost until his shepherd found him. However, the son ran away on purpose. He left to live a lavish life of spending and partying. Eventually, he ran out of money and the country he set off to had begun to experience a severe famine. He then “went and hired himself to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.” (Luke 15:15). At this point he was regretting his decision of running away and he felt truly lost. He didn’t know who he was anymore and felt as though he didn’t have a purpose. I mean, he literally went from living lavishly with so much money to feeding filthy animals. He concluded he should probably do something about this. He went home to his father and accepted the truth that he had sinned and voluntarily said he would be his own father’s slave. The moment his father saw his son returning back to him he was “filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20). The father immediately suggested they have a feast and celebrate because his son “was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” (Luke 15:32) The son was ashamed of his sins and rightfully so but the father was so grateful to have him back. The father’s other son however was not. He resented the father for being so welcoming while the whole time he’d been working for him and didn’t get any recognition. Even though the son’s brother didn’t appreciate his return, the father did which solidifies that the son’s worth never changed. The son just went through a rough moment in time and had to open his eyes and realize that his actions were the problem.

Everyone wasn’t as happy as the father was when the son arrived back home (like how sad I was when I lost my bear’s pom pom) but that didn’t make the son any less of a person. All of us are just as valuable as the other and when one of us wavers away in our faith, God yearns for us to return. When we return, it’s a par-tay!!!! “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:7). The sooner we can recognize that the feeling of being lost and unwanted is all in our head and we make a move to return back to God, the sooner we can enjoy being in His presence rejoicing with Him.

Reflection Questions

  1. What do you think gives you worth? What do you think God says gives you worth? Who is right?
  2. When or in what ways have you run from God? Did you have a wake-up moment like the son did? What did that look like? What did you experience when you returned to God?
  3. If you have been more like the faithful, but bitter, son, what advice would Jesus who gave this parable have for you?

Prayer

Dear God, I thank You for Your love and faithfulness! Thank you for Your love for the faithful and for the lost. Help me to have that same love and longing and welcoming arms. Give us wisdom to know how good we have it being Your child. Keep me, and Your church, from all foolishness and rebellion.

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