Category: faith

Israel’s Strength and Consolation

Genesis 1-3

January 1, 2025 – Day 1 of the 2025 Chronological Bible Reading Plan

In case we have forgotten, we serve the Almighty God who created the heavens and the earth. By His word alone, He spoke the universe into existence, forming the earth and filling it with life. From eternity to today, His hands continue to hold the world as a loving Father to humanity, created in His image—the climax of His creative acts. As part of this creation, it is a powerful reminder that we are not the owners but stewards in our Heavenly Father’s domain. Yet, we can draw from the strength and power present from the very beginning. The same power that called light into darkness, parted the Red Sea, called fire from heaven, and raised Jesus from the dead is also available to us. We simply need to stop wandering aimlessly in the garden, worrying about what we will eat next, and turn to Him.

Ultimately, it is God who gave us free will—the freedom to wander or to follow. This choice is most simply expressed in whether we choose to worship and honor Him or to worship and honor something else, including ourselves. There are countless opportunities to follow our own flawed prerogatives that lead to peril because choosing sin over God is inherent in our nature. Genesis 3 presents the moment of humanity’s fall—a moment that could have marked the end of hope. Yet even in judgment, God extends consolation. He seeks Adam and Eve in their hiding, clothes their shame with garments of grace, and promises a future Redeemer who will crush the serpent’s head. This promise is repeated time and again to Israel, God’s chosen people (Isa 9:7; Gen 49:10, Deut 18:18-19), and now to us, His new nation (Rom 11:17,18, 1 Peter 2:9,10). This act of mercy reveals God’s goodness—His justice tempered with overwhelming compassion.

In our own failings, we find consolation in knowing that God pursues us in the same manner. He offers to cover our shame with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. This has been God’s plan from the beginning—that we would be redeemed and restored from our falls. In Christ, we are made a new creation. Yes, there is judgment and the penalty of death, but there is also the far greater promise of eternal life. Ultimately, we have a sustaining consolation like no other. God has given His Holy Spirit to us—not only as our Comforter as we await the fulfillment of His promises but also as a source of strength. Through the Spirit, we are empowered to reflect the fruits of our Creator and Father.

-Aaron Winner

Reflection Questions

  1. What is revealed about God Almighty in the first 3 chapters of Genesis?
  2. Do you sometimes forget some of the things that Genesis teaches us about God?
  3. What is revealed about man and woman in the first 3 chapters of Genesis?
  4. Do you sometimes forget some of the things that Genesis teaches about man and woman?
  5. What hope do you find in the first 3 chapters of Genesis?

You can download and print the whole year’s Chronological Bible Reading Plan in a compact 1 page booklet form:

SGL.2025.CalendarBookletDownload

Or download and print just one month at a time in an easier to read format:

SGL.2025.JanuaryFullPageDownload

Who would you like to invite to be a Bible reading buddy with you in 2025?

2025 Seek Grow Love Bible Reading Plan

Welcome to the 2025 Seek Grow Love Bible Reading Plan! We will be reading through the whole Bible in a chronological reading plan this year.

In our 2025 Bible reading plan we will read through the complete Bible chronologically.  The daily devotions will be written by a variety of people – from pastors and Bible college professors to high school students – all seeking to know God more and more, and willing to share their thoughts on God’s word with us.  Reflection questions are included to help us think further – and could be useful if discussing with a Bible reading buddy, family devotions, or a small group Bible study.  

Subscribe at SeekGrowLove.com to receive the daily email devotions and questions.  Print the full 2025 Seek Grow Love Bible Reading Plan booklet found below and share one with a friend or Bible reading buddy! Or, you can print just January on a full page to get started with a larger font (the other months will be available later).

God has wonderful things in His Word to show us in 2025!  Praying for you and your journey in His Word!

SGL.2025.CalendarBookletDownload

SGL.2025.JanuaryFullPageDownload

Born to Set Thy People Free

OLD TESTAMENT: Malachi 1

POETRY: Psalm 149

NEW TESTAMENT: John 20:24-31

While there are many who find their religion in removing Christmas decor before the New Year, no such tradition exists in our home. Oftentimes, Christmas decorations linger well into January (or even February) before finding their way back into totes and closets. With these symbols close by, we try to cling to the lingering sentiments of the season. Unfortunately, there is a sobering of one’s mind from the blinding joy of Christmas spirit as we return to work and school, say goodbye to family and friends, and begin to eat our vegetables again. In this in-between season, we must wrestle with more desperate realities; we are still in the thick of things in the present evil age. Grief, illness, relational discord, anxiety, and stagnation find footholds to beckon or challenge us with a candid question: “Jesus, where are you now?”

If we say this, we are not unlike the captive Israelites of the Old Testament crying out. We are not unlike the apostles or those we have witnessed fall asleep in faith in our lifetime, all holding onto the promise of a soon-coming Savior. This week, as we transition our calendar from one year to another, our study and prayer echo the words of a three-century-old classic Christmas hymn, “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.” The first of these reminders, as we commingle a season of great joy with that of longing heart, is that Jesus was born to set God’s people free.

Looking at today’s reading, we start with the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi. This book addresses Israel’s increasing spiritual despondency. No doubt, we can connect this to some season we are currently weathering—whether it be the day on the calendar, within our own walk with Christ, or the physical location and time we find ourselves. Malachi begins with the Lord God responding to the question, “How have you loved us?” Spurgeon states in his sermon, “God’s Love Shamefully Questioned,” that the gratitude we give to God is similar to a hog who eats acorns which have fallen from a tree, yet never once lifts its head to bless the tree that has provided the food. The Sovereign God promised a Messiah and delivered, born on the other side of the Silent Years (the time between Malachi and Jesus). His love was demonstrated in the fact that while Israel, and truly each one of us, acted as pigs in our incompetence, lackluster faith, misplaced priorities, broken offerings, accumulation of sin, and running away, He still miraculously gave us Christ to set us free (Rom. 5:8).

We may know this truth, but honestly, it may show that we carry our concerns closer than our Christ when we ask for Jesus to show up in our prescribed time and location, much like Thomas.  We request to put our hands on His scars, or some other litmus test, as proof of His message, so we can freely live in faith.  Jesus replies to this skepticism, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). While there may be times of confirmation that the hand of Jesus is in our life, it is impossible for us to see, to hold, or to understand the preparations that have been made for our future hope.

In this way, our response of faith does not require more evidence of God’s faithfulness to us; we are already redeemed. Instead, we should declare the joy and triumph that is found in the daily redemption that comes through the advent of Christ. Singing a new song and bringing a sacrifice of praise equally remind us of the promises of God, how He has loved us through redemption in His Messiah, and draw us closer to Him. The very words of God we use to sing give voice to the silence as we wait for an answer, an intercession, or the coming of our Lord Jesus. Our present circumstance may tempt us to despair, but the act of praising God rekindles our faith and recenters our thoughts on the saving power of our Heavenly Father.

The challenges we may face in this coming season may have us crying daily, “Come, thou long expected Savior,” but know that God’s plan set you free long ago. Jesus is now interceding, preparing, and indeed, residing in our hearts as we carry our cross. We have yet to see our faith made complete in the second advent, but we can pray that our next year is the first within eternity. Until then, let our pining become our praise because God so loved us, He sent His Son.

-Aaron Winner

Reflection Questions

  1. How have you acted as a hog eating the acorns and never giving thanks? What can you do to change hog-like behavior?
  2. What are you waiting for? What is your relationship with God and His Son Jesus right now?
  3. How would you answer the question, “How has God loved you?”
sglcalendar2024Download

Promises

OLD TESTAMENT: Nehemiah 10-11

POETRY: Psalm 148

NEW TESTAMENT: John 20:10-18

Promises. 

I started learning about our cultural acceptance of the flexibility of “promises” when I was young: the revocability of a promise made with little crossed fingers, the lack of sincere meaning behind most promise rings given between teens, the recurring empty assurance that I could be Mario instead of Luigi the next time my friend and I would duel on her original Nintendo. 

Promises matter, from a pledge on the playground, to a contract with a company, to sacred words at a wedding. Unfortunately, we live in a shattered world laden with insincere, neglected, and forgotten promises. 

In Nehemiah, the Israelites came together to commit once again to following God. “The rest of the people…now join their fellow Israelites the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the Lord our Lord.” (Neh 10:28-29) As we discussed yesterday, throughout history, the Jewish race had been in a wild, cyclical, on-again, off-again relationship with God. That which began with Jacob/Israel as a beautiful tapestry of covenant between Almighty God and his chosen people became interwoven with heartache, death, defeat, and slavery. But they vowed that, this time, they would follow God! (Spoiler alert: they would disobey yet again before this book even ends.)

God’s love to his people was a covenant, not a contract. A contract is a promise that one party will uphold their end of the agreement as long as the other side fulfills their responsibilities, while a covenant is a promise no matter what. God remained faithful even when his people were unfaithful, but they still had to face the consequences of their behavior. This covenant, originally for the Hebrews, has been renewed through Jesus to include the Gentiles as well. I am so grateful that we can all share in the hope God offers through Jesus! 

Our family strives to emphasize the importance of keeping promises. My husband Dan can often be heard reciting, “Let your yes be yes and your no be no” (Matthew 5:37). My 7 year old, when feeling slighted by an unmet expectation from his older brother, will object, “But your word is your promise!” Even children can understand the potential detriment of dishonored vows. 

As my son Gideon and I read from the Jesus Storybook Bible every night, he echoes the beautiful phrase that describes God’s covenant love in many of the stories: God’s “never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love.”

Today, may you rest in the promise of God’s covenant love while you continue to seek Him in all you do. 

Similarities in today’s other readings: 

Psalm 148:6b: “God made a law that will not be broken.” God is a faithful God! 

John 20: Mary met the resurrected Jesus for the first time! His death and resurrection are amazing fulfillments of God’s prophecies and promise! 

-Rachel Cain

Reflections: 

* Create your own phrase to describe God’s covenant love, like the one I included from a children’s Bible above. Praise God for his covenant love! 

sglcalendar2024Download

Stop the Slow Fade!

SEEK & SHARE

OLD TESTAMENT: Nehemiah 9

POETRY: Psalm 148

NEW TESTAMENT: John 20:1-9

“Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction… it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation…”

~ President Ronald Reagan. 

Reagan spoke these famous wise words during his inaugural address. It was a call for the country to not take our freedom for granted, to continue fighting to keep our freedom alive.

That reminds me of the instructions following the Shema, a major tenet of Jewish faith and our faith, found in Deuteronomy 6. The Shema states: “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” 

Those words are super important, but is that the end? Is that all we need to know and do? A big, resounding NO! Immediately following these core words, we are instructed to pass along our faith deeply to the next generation and embed it into our daily rhythms: “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

If I am interpreting this scripture correctly, it seems like we are supposed to be thinking and teaching about God, like, all the time, right? We need to be in a state of constant communion with God not only in our own hearts, but also sharing that with our children and others around us. 

Nehemiah 9 describes Israel’s repentance, return to faith, and reinstallment of their covenant in a religious and legal document. Throughout the chronicle of their rebellion, they remember God’s covenantal love: “You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (v 17). They realize, though, that it is because of their sin that they are presently enslaved under Persia. 

We can’t let the next generation forget! This happened too many times in Israel’s history, and it continues to happen with us. Oh, sure, we don’t intend to not grow our relationship with God and teach our kids to do the same, but there’s just so much vying for our attention: school and work and sports and sleep and Netflix. It’s a slow fade, a side effect of busy-ness and forgetfulness and complacency, but ultimately it’s an abdication of our responsibilities as followers of Jesus. However, it is vitally important, in our farm-out-all-our-chores-to-someone-else culture, that we don’t assume someone else will teach our children about Jesus, someone else will share the love of God with our restaurant server, someone else will volunteer to meet the needs of our local church and community, someone else will…

We are called to be seeking and sharing about God from the time we wake up until the time we go to bed, whether we are at home or in another place. We are especially commanded to teach “them” to our children. (“Them” refers to commandments, but I think it means even more than that; I think it includes knowing and loving God enough to WANT to follow his commands, and passing that depth of understanding and passion onto the next generation.) 

In Nehemiah 9, with the Feast of Tabernacles fresh on their minds, the people were still  remembering their history of being slaves in Egypt, then finding freedom, and then following a cycle of rebellion and enslavement… rinse, lather, repeat. After their work with Nehemiah, they were hungry to return to God and understand the scriptures. Again, this is why the Shema and the instructions following the Shema are important – we can’t let the next generation forget who God is and what He has done in our lives! 

If we really peer outside our Christian bubbles, we will see a hurting and perverse world that is far from God. But it doesn’t have to stay that way! You can greatly influence your existing circle. Evangelist Gypsy Smith shared the secret to revival: “Go home. Take a piece of chalk. Draw a circle around yourself. Then pray, ‘O Lord, revive everything inside this circle.’” Start with yourself; renew your own relationship with God. Teach your family, and learn to follow Him better together. Then you won’t be able to keep it all inside! 

Connections to the other readings: 

In John, the disciples discover the empty tomb, but they seem confused about the whole event. Though Jesus had told them he would rise again, they didn’t fully understand until it really happened. Like the nation in Nehemiah longed to be free from Persian rule, Jesus’ peers wanted to be free from Roman rule. When Jesus didn’t save them in the way they wanted, they turned on him because they did not understand that Jesus was saving them in an even better, eternal way! 

Psalm 148 is a song of praise! The people in Nehemiah praised God for his faithfulness throughout this chapter. 

-Rachel Cain

Reflections: 

*Listen to this encouraging song. Be intentional to start a revival in your home and community today! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlQQcQc0eHU

*Read the Psalm as a prayer of praise and gratitude to God. 

sglcalendar2024Download

Joy to the World!

OLD TESTAMENT: Nehemiah 8

POETRY: Psalm 148

NEW TESTAMENT: John 19:38-42

Joy to the World! The Lord is come. Merry Christmas!

I never really considered Nehemiah as a Christmas devotional, but today’s reading actually fits in quite nicely! We read today about the Israelites finally being reintroduced to the Scriptures after completing the wall. They had forgotten who they were, and as the Torah was read to them, they cried – perhaps they were sad that they had not known this all of their lives? The Levites asked them to stop mourning and instead go celebrate by eating and drinking together. “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” (Neh. 8:10). 

As the people heard and understood more of the scriptures, they learned about the Feasts: God-ordained parties that had long been ignored or forgotten! Realizing that they were near the appointed time to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (also known as Sukkot or Feast of Booths) and eager to reconnect with their roots and their God, they quickly gathered branches to create temporary shelters. The booths/sukkahs that they created to remember their ancestors’ wilderness wanderings following their escape from Egyptian slavery were also a tangible reminder of their recent history living in a tumbledown city, which caused a renewed appreciation for their newly rebuilt Jerusalem. I can only imagine the overwhelming feeling of God’s faithfulness they experienced! The restoration of the wall led to a restoration of the Jewish people and their faith. 

A few months ago on a pleasant autumn evening, my family huddled with hearty bowls of soup under a makeshift tent (ok, so it was really just old bedsheets haphazardly pinned to the clothesline in the shape of an A by my Littles, but it’s the thought that counts!) in our backyard while we retold the story of Moses leading his people out of slavery only to wander in the desert and sleep in sukkahs – temporary dwellings – for 40 years until they were ready to enter the Promised Land. This God-ordained fall Feast of Tabernacles, which has been celebrated for centuries among the Jewish people, is a rich way to remember God’s faithfulness in the past (providing literal and metaphorical shelter for his people until they entered their Promised Land) and His promised hope for the future (the Kingdom). Through burps, unrelated laughter, and all the other chaos that occurs when doing almost anything with a small mob of children, we briefly discussed the parallels between Moses awaiting the Promised Land and Jesus awaiting the Kingdom through my best novice attempt to honor some of the traditional celebrations. (I encourage you to look more into the feasts and celebrate them, even at a basic level, with your family and friends!). 

Through my studies of this feast, I learned that Jesus was likely born around the time of Sukkot, which could be another reason why (in addition to the census) the area near Jerusalem was so full with travelers. As the Jewish nation celebrated their humble past, our Savior and King was born nearby in a humble dwelling, ushering in a new beginning. As many of us celebrate CHRISTmas today, we thank God for the gift of His son, Jesus. Merry CHRISTmas! 

Notes about the other passages:

In Psalm 148, the writer begs everyone and everything, large and small, to praise the LORD! The people of Jerusalem were definitely praising God for the completion of the wall and the restoration of their faith. 

John 19:38-42: Jesus was born around the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, but he died just before Passover, another important feast in which the Jewish people celebrate God’s provision when He led them out of slavery in Egypt. 

-Rachel Cain

Reflection:

  • Consider ways to renew your relationship with God and Jesus, such as celebrating the feasts, to help revive your joy and faith. 
  • During what times in your life has the joy of the LORD sustained you with supernatural strength? 

This is a music video of one of my favorite songs about JOY. How will you let God’s true joy be your strength in spite of whatever you’re facing

sglcalendar2024Download

Knowing God

OLD TESTAMENT: Nehemiah 6-7

POETRY: Psalm 147

NEW TESTAMENT: John 19:28-37

What is one thing that you just adore, something that, when people see it, they think of you? For me, it’s manatees or anything cheery yellow (preferably not a yellow manatee!); when my kids draw a picture for me, their masterpieces regularly feature one or both of those things. When I see libraries, LEGO, monkey bars, and giraffes, I automatically think of my four children, respectively. And I can almost always predict what my husband will choose from a menu before I even hear his order: the most diverse combination of tastes ever imagined in one entree, or anything pumpkin – preferably together. 

My family is my tribe. We know each other so well that, when given choices to make for one another, we often don’t even need to ask the other which they would choose. 

Nehemiah knew God well. He was in such deep communion with God all day long for much of his life that sometimes he didn’t even need to take time to think about how to respond in tricky situations. Prayers are woven into the narrative of his book, nonchalantly immersed within the historical account; Nehemiah’s heart was so aligned with the heart of God that the next step was clear and he was able to answer quickly and confidently.

Sanballat and Tobiah, who had been conspiring to sabotage the wall-erecting project all along, attempted a new approach – requesting a “friendly” meeting in another town. Four times they invited Nehemiah to join them, and four times, suspecting a sinister scheme, Nehemiah replied, “I am doing a good work and I cannot come down!” (6:3) When that attempt failed, they made false accusations against him, threatening his reputation and leadership. Nehemiah prayed that God would strengthen his hands (verse 9). Then the antagonists hired a prophet – a spiritual leader – to give contrary advice to Nehemiah, but guess what? Nehemiah was so in tune with the One True God that he didn’t even need to pray about it or stew in confusion about this prophet’s words; he was so confident in God’s laws and the work God had called him to do that he already knew what God’s response would be. This potentially confusing situation did not derail him; he saw right through the deception and kept focused on God’s instruction. 

I want to be so in tune with God on a regular basis that I can confidently make the right choice when trials and confusion come my way! 

Here are correlations between our other passages and Nehemiah: 

Psalm 147:2  “The Lord loves the righteous, and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.” The plans of the wicked were definitely frustrated in today’s Nehemiah story! 

In the John reading today, Jesus died and was buried – a very sad day for his followers. But we now know that was the beginning of something much more wonderful: the fulfilling of a promise, the forgiving of sins, the saving of humanity! Likewise, the residents of Jerusalem who have experienced the death of their faith, dreams, and security, will be experiencing renewed joy, faith, and wonder with the rebuilding of their city.

-Rachel Cain

Reflection: 

  • How well do you know God? Do you know HIM, or know ABOUT Him? What steps can you take to know him better today? 
sglcalendar2024Download

Fight Song

OLD TESTAMENT: Nehemiah 4 & 5

POETRY: Psalm 147

NEW TESTAMENT: John 19:17-27

I never grow tired of hearing my children belt out uplifting lyrics from the back of our van! I especially appreciate the passion in their voices reverberating throughout the vehicle every time we play Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song” :

This is my fight song

Take back my life song

Prove I’m alright song

My power’s turned on

Starting right now I’ll be strong

I’ll play my fight song

And I don’t really care if nobody else believes

‘Cause I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me

While I’m encouraged by the song’s positivity, I can’t help but think of how little fight I feel I have left in me some days. I doubt I’m the only one who is burdened under anxiety, societal pressures, responsibilities at work and home, fear of the future, difficult decisions, sickness and death of loved ones, mysterious health issues, spiritual warfare, and a plethora of other emotional and physical plagues. I often feel like I just. can’t. do. it. The fight requires too much of me sometimes, and there is little motivation or strength left with which to fight. Can you relate? 

Nehemiah’s construction team could relate! Sanballat and Tobiah were relentlessly hurling insults, threats, and discouragement at the builders. Not only was there oppression from outside their walls, but there was turmoil with them as well. The motley crew was trying to fix the wall – a monumental aspiration! – while also dealing with the other negative issues of daily life, which seemed to be compounding. And it was wearing on them. They already felt defeated, but the work was not yet complete. They were nearing the ends of their metaphorical ropes, anticipating the last symbolic straw that would break the camel’s back.

Nehemiah took action to provide defense for the workers, but most of all, he encouraged them to keep going! “… I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes… Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” (4:14, 20)

Not only did Nehemiah help resolve some of the immediate burdens of the people and foil the plans of their enemies, he also helped them remember the reason for their work so they could be filled with the mettle needed to recommence this noble work . 

Not long after I prayed for God to revive the fighter’s soul within me, a new-to-me song by Rend Collective called “Shackles” rang through my speaker on autoplay. I paused in awe when I heard the chorus: 

You’re my deliverer

My anthem through it all 

When my strength and my fight is gone

I know You will come through 

As I soaked in the life-giving lyrics, I was humbled by God’s gentle reminders of His provision. When my strength and my fight are gone, God will be my strength. He will fight for me (see Exodus 14:14). He will give us the strength and courage to do what he has called us to do. Remember your God; He will fight for you. 

These verses from our poetry reading apply to the Nehemiah story:

Psalm 147:2-3, 10-11: 

The Lord builds up Jerusalem;

    He gathers the exiles of Israel.

He heals the brokenhearted

    and binds up their wounds…

His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,

    nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;

the Lord delights in those who fear him,

    who put their hope in his unfailing love.

-Rachel Cain

Reflections:

  • Think back on some of the dark times in your life. How was God faithful to encourage you and bring you through it? 
  • Keep a journal of ways God has answered prayers and provided in big and small ways so you can look back on it during times of doubt.
  • Watch this powerful music video and remember that God is carrying you through your darkest times. 
sglcalendar2024Download

A Strong Green Olive Tree

OLD TESTAMENT: Zechariah 3-4
POETRY: Psalm 144
NEW TESTAMENT: John 17:1-5

Zechariah 3:6-10 (NKJV) Then the Angel of the LORD admonished Joshua, saying, 7 “Thus says the LORD of hosts:
‘If you will walk in My ways,
And if you will keep My command,
Then you shall also judge My house,
And likewise have charge of My courts;
I will give you places to walk
Among these who stand here.
8 ‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest,
You and your companions who sit before you,
  For they are a wondrous sign;
For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.
9 For behold, the stone
That I have laid before Joshua:
Upon the stone are seven eyes.
Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’
Says the LORD of hosts,
‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
10 In that day,’ says the LORD of hosts,
‘Everyone will invite his neighbor
Under his vine and under his fig tree.’ ”

Psalms 144:3-4 (NKJV) O LORD, what are human beings that you should notice them,
mere mortals that you should think about them?
4 For they are like a breath of air;
their days are like a passing shadow

John 17:1-5 ​(NKJV) After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. 2 For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. 3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. 4 I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.

The greatest message of the kingdom that we need for ourselves, and that we also need to share with others is this wonderful news about Christ and his life and death.  When we read the Bible histories in both OT and NT we are brought to an understanding of who the Father is and what He desires for mankind.  We get this by opening our hearts to His message that He is sending to us.  The Bible is not an encyclopedia where we look up the answers to our questions alphabetically.  God wants us to have faith and trust in Him and He shows us who He is in all these interactions with people who believe.  Especially we see Him in the life of Christ.  Jesus fulfills the law of God by doing the things and saying the things which truly represent God’s love and grace.  We become involved in a lifetime study of trust and faith.  Every day we should see a larger and greater picture of this love God has for us. We also learn of our inability to earn our own salvation but are dependent on His grace.  As we grow, we should come to  appreciate more and more God’s wonderful plan for mankind. 

About 500 years before Christ is born Zechariah prophecies about a man who is called the “Branch”.  This word is better translated as “shoot” or tree.  The stump of the tree of Israel has been cut off and this tree is no longer what it was.  God in the OT compares Israel to a strong olive tree. 

Jeremiah 11:16(NKJV) The LORD called your name,
Green Olive Tree, Lovely and of Good Fruit.
With the noise of a great tumult
He has kindled fire on it,
And its branches are broken.

Jesus becomes a strong tree shoot that grows from the roots of this tree stump and becomes a new tree of life. In Romans 11 God tells us that we are branches from a wild olive tree grafted into this new tree of Christ.  “Romans 11:24 You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree”.  The words “wild olive” in the Greek is “Oleaster tree”.  If you have noticed in the Midwest we have a terrible plague of invasive Russian olive or autumn olive trees growing everywhere.  These are from the “oleaster” family of trees.  They are very invasive and have no particular value to anyone.  They have small red berries which the birds eat and spread everywhere, but which are very bitter and have no food value.  They look at first like an olive tree especially from a distance.  They have silvery gray leaves and a shape like an olive tree.  But when you get close you see that it is this tree which everyone wishes to get rid of with no value or fruit.  God takes us Gentiles who have no value and aren’t even the right genus of plants and grafts us onto the wonderful tree of Christ.  We become part of this tree of life which God has decided to make us.

 These are branches grafted onto the roots in the humanity of people (which is why it is called the stump of Jesse instead of the stump of David).  But this is a tree chosen and prospered by God and then made even more diverse with the addition of wild olive tree branches to the tree.  What a wonderful picture of the love God has for us.  When we see ourselves in God’s plan then we are trusting Him with our hearts.  This is the desire that God has for us to be in His wonderful family of faith and love. God is always faithful to keep His Word. We have received a wonderful life today and a future with Him.  Have a great day in fellowship with our big brother Jesus Christ and our Father Yahweh God.

Revelation 19:10 (NLT) Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.”

-Tom Siderius

Reflection Questions:

How do you see yourself in God’s plan?

What ministry does He have for you to do this day?

sglcalendar2024Download

Humility that Leads to Life

Pride that Leads to Death

OLD TESTAMENT: Esther 5-7

POETRY: Psalm 141

NEW TESTAMENT: John 14:1-14

Esther 6:6 – “When Haman entered, the king asked, ‘What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?’”

Today’s Old Testament reading includes some of the most dramatic events! In the end, the bad guy loses and the good guy wins. And through it all we see how humility comes before honor and pride comes before a fall.

At the end of Esther chapter four we see Esther demonstrating humility as she recognizes that the only hope she has to save the Jews from destruction is to fast and pray to God.

Esther is also humble as she risks her life to approach the king uninvited. She knows that the only hope that she has of saving her people is if she shows proper honor to the king.

Mordecai showed humility as he continued to show up to the king’s gate day after day. The king had failed to acknowledge Mordecai’s part in uncovering the conspiracy to kill him. But that didn’t stop Mordecai from doing what he was called to do. What I find especially intriguing is that even in the light of impending destruction of all the Jews, Mordecai remained faithful and humble; he resisted becoming bitter and resentful.

Have you ever been overlooked? Ignored or dismissed after putting forth effort on behalf of someone else or to complete a task. Have you ever taken initiative only to have someone else receive the credit? 

If so, it can be disappointing, frustrating, and disheartening, which can then lead to apathy or even bitterness and resentment. 

But as believers, we are called to a higher standard. We are instructed multiple times that we do not work for anyone other than God. It is Him who we aim to please. He sees us, He knows how hard we work, He is aware of the self-discipline that is required to practice excellence. And even if our efforts are never acknowledged by others around us, we can count on God being fair and just. 

In due time, Mordecai was honored in the king’s court, Esther kept her status as queen, and the Jews were saved from destruction. And as for Haman, his pride led to his death. 

God saw and made what was wrong, right. He will do the same for you as you live in humility and honor Him in all that you think, say, and do.

-Bethany Ligon

Reflection Questions

  1. How is fasting (as seen at the end of chapter 4) an act of humility? What is your experience with fasting? How do you think God views fasting? Do you think there was benefit in the 3 day fast of Esther, her maids, Mordecai and the Jewish people?
  2. Where would you rate yourself on the humility – pride scale? What do you tend towards?
  3. What are the dangers that come with pride? When have you seen the pride fall?
sglcalendar2024Download