EverydayDevotions.com

Click here to read Psalm 7-8  on BibleGateway.com

The question has been posed several times to us here at EverydayDevotions: what does it take to be a devotional writer? You’ll notice that the questioner leaves off such unimportant adjectives as “successful”, “insightful”, or “accurate.” We’d be tempted to read more into that, but sometimes if you know what’s at the bottom of the cone, you don’t need to eat all the ice cream.

In any case, the most essential ingredient for any devotional writer is deep felt conviction; or to use a more common term, arrogance. That’s right, my friends, behind every devotional you see in the Bible Book Store or read online (or “like” on facebook, hint hint) you will find a man or woman with the assumption that they have found something in scripture that has eluded the general population of goobers that go to NASCAR events and keep Kmart in business. Not only that, it has eluded the church as a whole for the last 2000 years.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT 

Well, let it not be said that we at EverydayDevotions don’t follow the trend. Today we’re going to be looking at a passage of scripture that has been pored over by PhDs for years, and yet we will claim to find something new. Why, you ask? The answer is simple:…if I think of what it is, I’ll let you know.

Psalm 7:14, according to the NIV, says “Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.” If you’re a KJV fan, you get “Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.” The NLT says “The wicked conceive evil; they are pregnant with trouble and give birth to lies.” There’s a host of other translations, of course, but you get the idea. Why so many versions of one verse? Well, fun fact of the day, one of the hardest things to translate into another language is wordplay, such as puns, metaphors, alliteration, ect. The Psalms, consisting primarily of poetry, are ripe with these types of translation landmines.

So let’s look at one of these words, specifically the one that is translated “travaileth/conceive/pregnant.” The original word here is “chabal”, which is sometimes translated as bind, such as tightening a cord or twisting to bind something. So, if we go with that meaning, then the verse could be translated: “sinners are tied up in sin; what they conceive as mischief eventually is born as deception and lies.”

“THE PATH YOU HAVE SET UPON CAN ONLY END IN DEATH” 

It’s interesting that people who are not living by God’s plan can see some actions as simple mischief, but in the end they wind up twisted up and bound by their own lies. The Bible is clear in other passages that sin is pleasurable for a season, but it ends in death. It seems to me that this verse is reiterating that same concept in poetic form.  There’s no such thing as “innocent” sin.

How does this apply to us? The time to decide how far you’re going to go with your date is not when the windows are all fogged up; by then, you’re already tangled pretty tight in those cords. The time to decide how much you’re gonna drink is not when you’re on the 3rd round at the pub. The time to decide if you’re gonna do that shady business deal is not when you’re in the closed boardroom; it’s when you first see the prospectus. God warns us time and again that walking too close to the edge is not “exciting,” it’s foolhardy and dangerous, and once the cords are tight, it’s very hard to struggle free. Decide now how you intend to live; before the knots are tied.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Click here to read Jeremiah 34  on BibleGateway.com

Sometimes when you think things can’t get any worse, somebody throws another nail under your tire. This wonderfully uplighting principle is often called “Murphy’s Law,” which basically says “just because you think you’re a pessimist, doesn’t mean life can’t still come up with more things wrong than you can think of.” For example, it is inevitable that right when the Superbowl is on, the power will go out. And you’ll be in a basement with no windows. And all the flashlights will have dead batteries in them. And you’ll inevitably miss the first step running upstairs, faceplanting on the remaining steps in a fall cushioned only by the plate of nachos that you were carrying. And when you finally make it outside, you’ll see that there is one ray of light, coming from your burning roof.

Take heart, my friends. Murphy’s law is nothing new; even in the Bible we see how things go from bad to worse quite often. Let’s take a peek at poor Zedekiah today. Zedekiah was a king of Judah during the fun time of Judah’s history called Babylon-kicks-everybody-around-and-takes-all-their-stuff BC. So, Zedekiah, being the semi-righteous man he is, begs God to come and save his city, Jerusalem. Day after day, there’s no word from God, and the armies of Babylon are getting mighty close.

IS THERE ANYONE ELSE UP THERE I CAN TALK TO?

Finally, Zedekiah sees his ray of hope; Jeremiah the prophet steps on the scene. Finally, God has answered Zedekiah, and Jeremiah’s coming to tell him the details on how God is going to miraculously save his people yet again. Jeremiah tells him “yep, I have a word from God. Here it is: This is what theLord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down. You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and given into his hands.”

Can you imagine poor Zedekiah? Finally, after all his waiting for a Word from God, God looks him in the eye and says “you think it’s bad now? Just wait a couple hours.” How tough would it be to hear “yes, I have heard your prayer about getting you that promotion; instead, you’re going to be fired and unemployed for the next year.” Why would God do such a thing? Doesn’t he care?

THE SILVERISH LINING

In Zedekiah’s case, God did care for him. Though Jerusalem would be destroyed, “Yet hear the Lord’s promise to you, Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the Lord says concerning you: You will not die by the sword; you will die peacefully.” Judah had long forfeited its right to God’s divine protection, and nothing was going to change the fact that they would now reap the consequences of their actions. However, in the midst of the suffering, God remembered his servant.

This is often how God works in our lives. Sometimes we just can’t understand why God is allowing us to suffer like this. In some cases, unfortunately, it’s not because God is teaching us a lesson, but because we have to reap the consequences of our own decisions. But even in the midst of that, God still finds a way to show His love for us. Maybe we won’t see it till after the storm has passed and we’re sitting in captivity somewhere, but God is always working. He never forgets.

Even when the new guy at work drops a steel girder on the new truck you just bought yesterday. And haven’t had time to get insured yet.

Click here to read Judges 19  on BibleGateway.com

A word of warning to those of you who are regular readers of EverydayDevotions – typically we find a lot of humor in the Bible in these devotions, but every so often we come across certain passages of scripture that offer very little in the way of humor. This is one of those days.

In Judges 19, we read the story of a Levite and his concubine. There has been much discussion about this story regarding the relationship of the Bible to the issue of homosexuality in our modern setting. For most people, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is the big condemnation in scripture; but this story is just as powerful, and possibly moreso, since it concerns almost all Israelites, God’s chosen people who were supposed to be a shining light of his goodness.

THE DOWNWARD SLIDE 

In any case, while we could spend some time examining the sexual orientation angle, let’s look instead at the so-called protagonist of this story, the Levite. The first thing we notice about this man is that he is in a remote area; this was not one of the up and comers in the temple, but a simple everyday Joe living in the boonies.

Next, notice that he had a concubine. A concubine in the Old Testament setting was neither wife nor prostitute, but somewhere inbetween. They were members of the household, so they were more than just sexual partners, but they do not have the full rights of a wife, especially regarding inheritance. It would appear that they were basically women who did not have enough standing or looks or property to get married, but found a man that wanted an extra female around. It should strike us odd that a Levite, one of the priests of the nation, should have this sort of relationship.

The woman leaves this man and returns home, where he subsequently follows her to get her back. On the way home, they stay in a stranger’s home (very common in the Ancient Near East). Notice again how the author of Judges draws attention to the fact that this city he stayed in were composed of Israelites, not “sinful” foreigners.

In the course of the night, this “godly” priest sends his near-wife out to take his place with a town full of strange men, who essentially rape her to death. Shockingly, when he arises in the morning, he steps over her and calls her to get up and proceed on their way. It’s hard to imagine this heartlessness, especially from an Levite.

THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD 

I’ll leave the gruesome details for you to read on your own, but I think we need to take a good look at this passage, and a good look at ourselves. This Levite probably saw himself as the spiritual leader of his town, the pastor or priest of his day. Yet one compromise, taking a concubine, sends his life and the life of the nation at large into an alarming spiral.

We often think that because we are “forgiven” or under “grace,” that the problems of sin don’t apply to us like they apply to all those sinners out there. We can easily grow complacent in our walk with the Lord, and make little compromises like watching that movie, reading that book, or dating that person. This story should be a sobering reminder to us of the devastation we can cause to ourselves and others when we begin to think that we are beyond such earthly temptations. The Bible is clear that Pride leads to great suffering, and sometimes we can even become prideful of our salvation. We think that since we are God’s special one, that we can get away with little sins and nothing bad will happen.

We need to pray that God will keep our eyes open to the temptations around us and our hearts clearly tuned to his will. Nothing else will keep us from falling.

Click here to read Psalm 1+2  on BibleGateway.com

Every so many moons, Americans get the extreme privilege of choosing between two millionaires chosen for their looks and voices by hooded secret societies. In the run-up to this exercise of free choice, we are treated to six months of commercials telling us why option A’s .0003% tax increase is the fifth horse of the apocalypse, and option B’s fuel emission standards will send us all back to riding mules. I think I can speak for everyone when I say the real joy of the electoral process is the day after, knowing that we get at least a 12 month break from political ads.

EVERYONE SAY “AYE” 

Judging by the media attention, it would seem that the fate of the planet hinges on exactly how many chads are hanging here and there. Yet what does one candidate actually bring to the table? Is there real power there? There’s an old story of a king that was out walking along a beach with some of his sycophants…i mean servants. They were praising him as suckups tend to do, telling him of his great power and authority. The king turned to the most boisterous of his flatterers and said “do you really think my power is absolute?” The man replied, “Oh yes, Your Majesty, there is no power on earth to rival yours.” The King turned his face to the sea and said, “very well, if I command this tide to stop coming in, you believe it will stop?”

This king showed considerable wisdom. While temporal power is all well and good, all the power in the world is not enough to slow the tide on iota, nor add one more minute to the day. The psalmist writes with amusement in Psalm 2, saying “The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and…The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.” It seems God is in the same position as the restaurant patron watching lobsters pushing and climbing on top of each other in a vain attempt to reach the top of the tank. A simple push sends them all crashing back to the bottom.

VOTE EARLY AND VOTE OFTEN

Lest it be misunderstood, voting is an important part of our American life, and everyone should avail themselves of the opportunity. However, we should always keep in mind that the fate of the world does not rest in the seat of government, but in the throne of the Most High. The Bible says in Philippians that our citizenship is in heaven; our ultimate allegiance belongs to an Eternal King, not a temporal ruler.  Our fate and the fate of the world is already under God’s control; there’s no need to get panicky if our favorite candidate doesn’t make the cut.

That should help put your mind at ease while you wait for the potato chip commercials to reclaim the airwaves. How sweet it will be.

Click here to read Mark 16 on BibleGateway.com

Have you ever said something you didn’t really mean? Like “I’m never going to eat a whole cheesecake by myself again,” “I’ve learned my lesson, Officer, I’ll never speed again,” or “I can’t believe I wasted my money on that; I’m never going to store without a shopping list again.” It seems we are very quick on the draw with our mouths, but a little less contemplative with our meaning. Take heart, my fellow blabber mouths, we are not alone. No less a person than the great Peter blazed a wide trail for us.

Everybody knows the story about how Peter denied Jesus 3 times, possibly because he was terrified of a 9 year-old serving girl. The ye ole rooster crows, and Peter goes out and cries himself to sleep. Later on, Peter is all over the book of Acts, including the big Pentecost speech in Acts 2. But the time inbetween there is a little fuzzy; what happened to Peter between cowering before Hannah Montana and standing up to the Jewish leadership?

…AND PETER

Mark 16 gives us one small incident from this time, and I think it reveals more of Jesus’ nature than it might appear at first glance. When the Mary’s show up at Jesus’ tomb, the angel tells them “He is not here; He is risen…go tell his disciples and Peter.” And Peter. Notice that Peter is not included in the disciples anymore. Just because Jesus rose from the dead, Peter doesn’t get to just ignore what happened.

Often times, when we screw up, we just want to forget about it. Remember what I said when I was mad, jesus? I didn’t mean it. Remember when I told that joke? I was just trying to fit in, but that’ not really who I am. Remember when I watched that? That was just an accident, let’s just forget it. Unfortunately, the nature of sin is such that we can’t just “ignore” it. It must be addressed, and Jesus does not just forget about our failures because he loves us.

FEED MY SHEEP 

Don’t worry, though, there’s good news. In John 21, there’s a story of how Jesus officially reinstates Peter as a disciple, bringing him back into the disciple fold in a fairly moving scene (go read it, people.) Jesus had not forgotten what Peter had done, but his love was greater than his memory. Peter became a disciple again, and his whole life from that point on was dedicated to serving Jesus. As far as we know, he never wavered again, taking his dedication to his own cross.

That’s good news for us. We all screw up; if you haven’t yet this week, I’ll go out on a limb and guarantee you will before this time next week. But take heart, Jesus is ready to welcome us back. Not because he forgets, but because he loves us more than he remembers our failures.

Love keeps no record of wrongs.

Click here to read Jeremiah 29 on BibleGateway.com

One of the trickier aspects of the Christian life is the relationship of modern prophets to our everyday walk with the Lord. In the Bible, prophets seem to pop up fairly frequently, and the true believers know them and follow them. But in our time, it seems often difficult to tell the phonies from the realies. Especially when so many people that claim to have received a divine mandate to take up the mantle of prophet are…um…unique.

If only there was a way to weed out the pretenders. In the book of Jeremiah, we read “you should put any maniac who acts like a prophet into the stocks and neck-irons.” That’s an idea. Maybe there’d be a few less self-appointed prophets around if they knew that all the maniacs would be put in stocks and neck irons; I know i’ve been around a few churches that could have benefitted from a stock or two.

This isn’t to diminish the role of the true prophet; by following a few simple rules, we could eliminate a few of the glory hounds, and open the airways for authentic messages from God to his people.

Number One: Beware the Joyful Judge

Abraham Lincoln once said “the problem with brutally honest people is that they often enjoy the brutality as much as the honesty.” Most of the prophets in the Bible, particularly Jeremiah and Ezekiel, did not relish their jobs as much as many modern “prophets” do. The true prophets seem to genuinely beg God to pick somebody else. If someone has “Prophet” on their business card or facebook profile, or if they have “PrFit” on their license plates, let the buyer beware.

Number Two: Check the Facts

According to Jeremiah 28:9, true prophets always predict accurately (in the rare instances when they actually predict the future; a fairly small percentage of prophecies in the Bible are forecasts.) If your local Prophet o’ the Day is not consistently proven correct, time to move along.

Number Three: Watch Out for Innovation

Isaiah 8:20 says “they speak not according to this word, because [there is] no light in them.” If a prophet suddenly starts with a new teaching or a new vision that goes against the Bible, make sure you keep a firm hand on your loved ones. This is usually the making of a cult, not a divine messenger.

Number Four: Stay on Target

True Godly prophecy always has as its aim to glorify God and edify others. If a prophet proclaims things such as “Thus the Lord says, listen to this man, for he is awesome” or “All of the people in this church are blind stumbling sheep except myself,” you might want to take their words with a grain of salt the size of a volkswagon.

While it may be true that the majority of our local prophets have…um….difficulties, we shouldn’t throw out the little prophet baby with the bath water. God is clear in his Word that prophets are a gift to communicate to His people. We just need to ensure that is God speaking, and not the author of today’s entry in Chicken Soup for the Prophet’s Soul.

Speak Lord, for your servants are listening.

Click here to read Judges 15 on BibleGateway.com

Every since I was a kid, I’ve heard horror stories about the damage television does to young, impressionable minds. “Don’t watch too much TV, you’ll turn into a drooling zombie…really, does anyone need more than 3 channels?…is your butt glued to that couch?…your muscles are atrophied into pudding…etc etc.” Yet, I never heard complaints about the one thing I believe is more damaging than any other (now that I’m all growed up): the discrepancy between television and reality.

On television and movies, if a man (particularly a man with exceptionally good martial arts skills and exceptionally bad acting ability) feels wronged in any way, he takes vengeance on those who have dared to trespass on his personal space. He always has the better plan, the quicker fists, the bigger muscles, or whatever. And then the movie ends. Finite. Over.

AND THE GIFT GOES ON

However, in real life, it never ends. There is no point where the “bad guys” say “ok, you win.” In real life, nobody thinks of themselves as a bad guy; everybody is the hero. As a result, everyone always has to get vengeance for whatever junk has happened to them. Everyone wants the last word, everyone wants the ace in the hole. The truth is, in real life, no one has a better plan. No one has the answers, everybody loses in the end. Example? Your wish is my command.

In today’s chapter, we get to see the result of a man trying to outdo his opposition. One of the more tragic figures of the Bible, Samson, is off romping around and decides to go visit his wife (wonder why he’s off romping and his wife is elsewhere? That’s for another day.) He goes to her house, where Samson finds out that her father – unsurprisingly assuming that Samson is probably not coming back – has married her off to Samson’s best man. Samson’s response: “Now I have the right to get even.” (note: nobody ever has a “right” to vengeance. That’s God’s prerogative.)

AND SO IT BEGINS

So Samson burns down a few Philistine fields (the original foxfire, for you pilots out there). But it doesn’t end there. Now the Philistines have the “right” to get even, so they go and burn Samson’s wife and her father alive.

Samson’s turn: he “attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them.” Now the Philistines return to the attack, this time possibly putting the rest of the israelites in the crosshairs. On and on it goes, until ultimately Samson is captured and blinded. If only Samson had let it go to start out with. Or better yet, if he had been a better husband, or not even married a girl against his parents’ wishes. Notice how his whole life snowballs because of his “rights.”

This is the real danger of television/movies. We believe that somehow we’ll get the last word, and it’ll be over. Look at some of the nations that have been fighting for hundreds of years around the world. Why? Because somebody had their “rights” violated. When we become Christ followers, we give up our rights. He is our Lord, and that means he takes vengeance when needed; that is out of our hands. Does Christ do this because he’s a powermad dictator? No, he does it to protect us from the consequences of our own stupidity. He does it for Love.

That’s the real Reality.