Because God is There

"But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’"

- Haggai 2:4-5

These verses really encouraged me when I read them this morning. I will be taking the ACT in two weeks and to be honest, I'm kinda nervous about it. I fear that I won't be ready- or even if I am ready, that I will fail somehow. But as I read this morning, these verses offered me comfort. I need to be strong and keep working even as time for my high-school education runs out, even as I am about to jump into something completely foreign to me- college. God is with me through it all! And He will give me the strength to keep going. He has never left me, from the day that he pulled me back from the brink of destruction, the day that he came into my heart until now. His spirit remains in me so what do I have to fear? As the Apostle Paul writes: "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom 8:31) I learned today that I really don't have to be afraid of what will happen in two weeks, God is with me, whatever happens that day will be his plan and because he has the best in mind for me, what opposition should I fear? Which trials should I worry about? The answer is: none! God will give me strength, and I know that he will give you strength too!

God is There For You!

"He said: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.

From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry."

- Jonah 2:2

What I really liked about this verse was how God answered Jonah's cry for help. God was there for Jonah when he was inside the great fish, even though this entire situation was Jonah's fault for turning his back on God, even though he was getting what he deserved, God was there for him to strengthen and help him. If God was there for Jonah then that means that he will be there for you as well, no matter what happens, whose fault it is, or how badly it seems to be going. God is there with you always and he will answer your call!

Feast on God's Word!

“The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.

- Amos 8:11

This verse reminded me of how lucky we are to have the Bible in our language as well as being so easily accessible to us. In the past the Bible was in Latin so only people who could read Latin were able to understand it, or they kept the Bible chained to the pulpit and locked behind a gate so that only certain people could read it. Job says this: "I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread." (Job 23:12) God's word is priceless! It sustains us, it strengthens us anew every single day. There are people in other nations who only have access to a single page of the Bible and they treasure it more than anything. Those of us who do have a bunch of Bibles in easily accessible places are so blessed, we have a feast at our disposal! This is a feast where we don't have to worry about eating too much, we don't have to diet God's word- in fact it is just the opposite, we need to take in as much as we can! We need to dig in to God's word, to let it fill us and let it transform our hearts. Feast on God's word today!

Christ Can Rebuild You!

"This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD asked me, “What do you see, Amos?” “A plumb line,” I replied. Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer."

- Amos 7:7-8

A plumb line consisted of a heavy object suspended from a rope that people in Biblical times would use to measure up against their walls and make sure that they were all straight and wouldn't collapse. God was telling the people of Israelites that they weren't measuring up to the standards that he had set for them. When it came to building a house, how much were you willing to risk when it came to your families lives? Those ancient people wouldn't tolerate a home that wasn't up to plumb and those unfitting houses would be torn down. That is were the Israelites were and that is where we all were as well. Have you ever tried straightening something by sight? It may just be me but when I try, it never seems to be perfectly straight. No matter how hard we try, no matter how pretty we try to make those crooked houses look, they are still crooked and still deserve to be destroyed. That is why Christ needed to come! He lived his life perfectly to God's standards and was then able to sacrifice himself for us and take our punishment upon himself. When we die to sin, and begin to live in him we can be confident that Christ will rebuild us and transform us from the inside out. "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." (Col 3:3) So let Christ rebuild you!

Give God the Credit!

"Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow there with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness— you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debarand say, “Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?”

- Amos 6:12-13

These verses had several aspects that really jumped out at me. The first part talks about how the people of Israel had turned Justice into poison and righteousness into bitterness. It was amazing to me how much of those phrases applied to our nation. The courts really have become a place of poison and corruption, I remember hearing court cases where people tried to defend the actions of murderers by saying that they were a "product of our modern society" while at the same time there are Christians who have to fight certain things in the courts. "righteousness into bitterness" I am seeing this in the way that society is trying to shed a positive light on things that are wrong such as abortion, homosexuality, and premarital sex. Those who say anything negative against such behavior are deemed "uptight" or "judgmental" or in some cases even "intolerant". The last part of the verse is what really has stuck with me, not only for it's personal application but also for it's place as the root cause of all this evil. At the end of the verse, the Israelites are taking credit for how they took Karnaim "by our own strength". I think this was the source of their problems- and ours. We often forget to give God the credit for the good things that have happened in our life, including the small ones. The Bible tells us that: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17) This means that if anything good has been given to you today, God is the one who deserves to be recognized and praised. Our society has so abandoned God that instead of "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Phil 4:13) people are now thinking "I can do anything if I set my mind to it" or "I can do everything if I just believe in myself". This leads to pride, something which God hates strongly when we are supposed to be committing ourselves to him and to his plan: "Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed. The Lord has made everything [to accommodate itself and contribute] to its own end and His own purpose--even the wicked [are fitted for their role] for the day of calamity and evil. Everyone proud and arrogant in heart is disgusting, hateful, and exceedingly offensive to the Lord; be assured [I pledge it] they will not go unpunished." (Prov 16:3-5 AMP) We need to remember that God is the one who has given us strength for every single moment, he has chosen us specifically to place us where we are and to guide us where we walk, he is the one who deserves the credit for our greatest victories! So give God the credit, not yourself!

Sacrifice Your Hearts!

"Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them."

- Amos 5:22

Even though the Israelites had turned their backs on God, they were still doing all the sacrifices and going through all the motions because that is what was expected of them and it was what they had always done. But their hearts weren't invested in what they were doing. Jesus says: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matt 6:21) The Israelites had placed value in their idols and had made these false gods into their treasure, and as a result that was where their hearts resided. Someone may ask this question: "So, their hearts weren't really in it but as long as they were doing all the sacrifices, they would be safe right?" Wrong! In the long run, God doesn't really care about the sacrifices of animals, or money, or even your valuable time; the only sacrifice that God wants is to have your whole hearts focused on him: "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." (Psalm 51:16-17) So Sacrifice your hearts to God today!

A Personal Relationship with the Former of Mountains

‎"He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth— the LORD God Almighty is his name."

- Amos 4:13

This verse reminded me of how powerful and amazing our God is! He forms the mountains, creates wind, turns the daylight to darkness and walks on the high places of the earth as if they're nothing! He has so much power and yet he takes the time to reveal to us his thoughts and to know us and love us personally. It takes a lot of power to be able to know all of those who are his, but the Bible says that he does. Jesus, the ultimate shepherd is mentioned doing this for his sheep "calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." (John 10:3) The same God who forms the mountains also knows us each by name and he is there to lead each of us individually!

God's Plan, Pieces of the Puzzle

"Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets."

- Amos 3:7

This verse reminded me of how much God cared for his people. His judgments were a way of bringing the people back to him but he always warned his people before he did so. He gave Jeremiah the job of warning the Israelites for a whole 20 years before anything even happened. He gave his people time to repent and he gave his people trials and judgement so that they could return to him. This verse also reminded me of the plan that God has for each and every one of us, he may not give us the whole picture but sometimes we get the privilege of getting little pieces of the puzzle, times when we have felt like we were doing what we're meant to do, or times when someone has told us "You're really a natural at ____!" God has an amazing plan for each of us and every single day that we live, he is making it happen!

Let God Be Your Strength

"Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, “I am strong!”

- Joel 3:10

This verse reminded me of a battle cry, of God rallying his people to fight. Not in a battle against flesh and blood but against the evil spiritual forces as well as the principalities. We all need to fight, no matter how weak we think we are- God can use us and strengthen us so that we can all say "I am strong!" all we need to do is to "be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." (Eph 6:10) when we are strengthened in God's power, we don't have to be afraid or worried about what will happen. God is looking out for us and like Paul says: "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Phil 4:13) this applies to each and every one of us, no matter what our weaknesses are. When we let Christ give us his strength we can be glad about our weaknesses not thinking about them as a cage that is holding us back but rather a window where God's power can shine through us: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor 12:9-10) Let God be your strength!

Rend Your Hearts!

"Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity."

- Joel 2:13

In Biblical times, the rending of garments was a sign of great mourning and distress in times of intense grief: "At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:20-21) It was also a sign of great anger when someone believes that blasphemy has taken place:“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” “He is worthy of death,” they answered. (Matt 26:64-66) In Joel 2:13, the rending was talking about distress and mourning over what had happened to Jerusalem. The people of Judah saw all the devastation around them and the felt grieved. But God was telling them that he didn't just want them to lie in mourning, feeling guilty for their wrongdoing. He wanted them to repent, to turn from these ways and live a new life and then he would take them back: "But if a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life." (Ezek 18:27) I think that this verse is important for us as believers as well. As Christians we know that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," (Rom 8:1) But sometimes when we fall into temptation and sin, we beat ourselves up about how we have "failed" and we wonder if we can even be forgiven at all. God doesn't want us to sit around dwelling in our own self-pity, he is compassionate and he is more than ready to forgive us. All that we have to do is repent and we can be confident that it is over! no condemning, no lingering guilt, just the complete and awesome forgiveness of our God! Don't dwell in guilt! Live in God's amazing forgiveness!

Speed Dial God

"To you, O LORD, I call, for fire has devoured the open pastures and flames have burned up all the trees of the field."

- Joel 1:19

I chose this verse today because it reminded me of how God should be the first one that we call when things get crazy in our lives or whenever things are going badly. He has a reason for whatever it is that we are going through and he will be there with us through it all. We should have God on our speed dial! Not only for when we can't walk any more or go on any longer but also just when we are weary. Christ says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matt 11:28-29)

Walking in the Way of the Lord

"Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them."

- Hosea 14:9

Solomon tells us: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,

but fools despise wisdom and discipline." (Prov 1:7). The only way that we can know how to walk in the way of the Lord as well as understanding what it means is to love him and have a relationship with him. When we understand the amazing plan that God has for us and trust him to guide in his ways then we can keep going. But those who don't trust God don't understand what amazing things He wants for them. They get distracted by the things that they don't agree with and they stumble. Dear God, please help me to fear you and to walk in your ways!

Why I'm Here

My daily devotions are the most important part of my day, without them I wouldn't feel like my day has started, they are my foundation. The way that I do these devotions is that I read a chapter of scripture (Sometimes more), after I have finished the passage that I am reading that day, I write down the verse that jumped out at me and I write down what it means to me. I have learned things that are really exciting by doing this and I love to share them with others! As a result, I started posting them on facebook and emailing the to some people who wanted to read them. If I am already facebooking and emailing these verses to the people that I know, then why am I starting a blog where anyone and everyone can see it? I am doing this because I believe that God's word has the amazing power to transform people's lives. I know that I personally have changed a lot since I started reading the Bible every day and this has been a real blessing in my life. Because I have seen the way that God works in my own life, I am confident that he will work wonders through your life as well. I'm not just talking about the people that I know and care about but also the people I don't know, God has a plan for each and every one of your lives and would love for you to be transformed and refreshed by his word! That is the mission of this blog, so tune in every day for the V.O.T.D! :)