Category: Scripture

From the Holy Bible

Jesus Paid the Price

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/3797/day/3

As I read today’s devotional, I was reminded of the summer that my husband took our two sons to Germany and Italy. In Italy, they all wanted to visit the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. There was one small problem. One of our sons had only packed shorts and the requirement is for the male visitors to wear trousers. The boys were disappointed until my husband came up with the plan to allow the younger son (who had not brought any long pants) to wear his (my husband’s) pants and my husband would forego the adventure, giving preference to our sons. (What a good dad, right?) The funny thing is that Harry was about four sizes larger in the waist than Steven and about four inches shorter, so Steven buckled the belt in the last hole, wore his pants as low as he dared to keep them on and off the two boys went on their quest to see Michelangelo’s masterpiece.

The devotional made me also think that we don’t have to worry about what we need to wear to get into heaven. We will be clothed in righteousness, provided freely by our Savior Jesus. God always provides a way for those He loves to be with Him, and I am thankful during this Easter season to be reminded of fun times that the boys had with their dad and the sacrificial love that Harry showed as an example to them of the great love that Jesus has for each of us. Harry saw the Sistine Chapel through the eyes of our sons who described it in minute detail for him. And God sees each of us through the eyes of His Son who has made us holy by the shedding of His own blood.

God is good, all the time. Circumstances are not always great, but God is always good.

Public Display of Love

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www.bible.com/reading-plans/3797/day/2

When my husband and I were dating, it was the 70’s, the era of free love, hippies and doing what felt good. Nevertheless, we did not show each other a lot of public displays of love. We were quickly enamored with each other, but we shared kisses and cuddles privately, out of the view of a majority of others. Both of us were raised to believe that our love was between us, not to be gawked at by those who may or may not be commenting on our affectionate shows of love. Nowadays, some fifty years later, we kiss in restaurants or on sidewalks or wherever we feel like, and we sometimes hear others say, “Aww. How sweet!” We don’t kiss to get a reaction. We do so because our love for each other bubbles over and out.

About 2000 years ago, Jesus gave us a model of selfless love when He went to the cross willingly and died for us there. He hung on that cross in front of a multitude of believers and scoffers. He was not afraid to show His love for us in a very public and humiliating way. Now, every day, we have the opportunity to demonstrate our love for Him by telling others about His great sacrifice and how it has changed our lives. We cannot just hide His love in our hearts, but we need to take it to others. His model showed us that it was meant t be public, meant to be shared. And if others ridicule us because of our sharing our faith, then we are compelled to share anyway. Our words may mean the difference between their suffering or rejoicing for eternity. It’s a public display of Jesus’s love for us and for all mankind.

Take Time to Talk and Listen to God

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/13696/day/29

I read two devotionals this morning that had a recurring theme, that of talking to God before carrying out my plans. As Tina Wilson said in her book “Step into Scripture” for today’s devotional, “We blaze ahead with our plans, not thinking of what God wants or seeking him first. Then, when things fall apart, we wonder why God let it happen.” The important words are OUR plans and not seeking God first. I confess that this is a great fault of mine, to make plans and forge ahead. Then, in the middle of a mess and chaos that I never expected, I ask God what happened and why He wasn’t there. You know why, don’t you? I didn’t pause to talk to Him first, ask Him what plan He would like me to follow and then listen to Him. Joshua made this mistake in attacking Ai, and there was a consequence to pay for it. We don’t get out of the messes that we make unscathed. God wants us to learn the important lesson of calling on him FIRST, then executing the plan that He has put into our hearts. Good to remember that God loves us enough to keep us straight about just Who is in control!

God’s Grace

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www.bible.com/reading-plans/3797/day/1

God has given us the gift of His Son and as a result, His grace shines in our lives. Should we not also show mercy and grace to others? We are quick to judge, to angrily lash out when someone doesn’t meet our expectations. Instead, we need to take a step back, ask for God’s wisdom to handle difficult situations and extend grace to the person who has offended us in some way, big or small. We can all show the world what grace means by how we act towards them.

Confronting Greed

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/13696/day/28

The lesson we learn from Achan, Ananias and Sapphira is twofold (or perhaps even more). First, we learn that greed in any form has severe consequences. Achan was stoned to death whereas Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead after they lied, all of them trying to hide their own greed. The second lesson is that you cannot hide your sin from God. He sees all, knows all and deals with sin according to His justice system. When we look around at our leaders today, how many of them display greed? I would dare say all of them in some form or another. How many fear God and the consequences of their sin? I don’t want to even guess if any of them do, but I would say that number is small. I am not pronouncing judgment on anyone because that is not my responsibility, but I will say that it would be wise for our leaders to confess, repent and come before the Lord with an honest heart than to face His judgment. God is always the same and He hates sin. How much account will our leaders have to give to God for leading an entire nation of people astray, to worship the false gods of fame, greed and self-aggrandizement. One of God’s key attributes that He seeks is humility. May we remember that and come before Him in true repentance for ourselves and in prayer for our nation and its leaders.

Keep Our Eyes Fixed

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

I was impressed deeply when I read Jehoshaphat’s prayer this morning in my devotional. He is pressed by a great horde of enemies since several nations have joined forces against Judah. So, he prays to the Lord and this is part of His prayer.

Sometimes, I feel as though “a great horde” is attacking my soul. Battle follows battle, whether it is for my health, a death in the family, a beloved one’s struggles with their health, or the spiritual battle that I face daily inside my heart as my husband spouts off the latest bad news from our unspiritual and ungodly leaders. All of these together combine to make a great horde in my life. You probably have a number of attackers as well. It is the life we live…God gives us peace in the battles but He does not promise that we won’t have to face conflicts.

What is the solution? Jehoshaphat offers that as the verse continues. We need to admit that we don’t know what to do. Confess to God that we have done all that we know how in our finite minds and yet still we are beset by the enemy and feeling that defeat may be coming. Then, we just have to be still and keep our eyes on God. Jehoshaphat did not say, “Okay, let’s gather a large army against them and all of our best weapons. “ No, he waited and kept his eyes on God. If you open II Chronicles 20 and read it for yourself, it says:

”You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”“
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭20‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/2ch.20.17.ESV

These are the words from the Lord to the people as they stood waiting for Him after hearing Jehoshaphat’s prayer. So, how did the victory come?

”And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.“
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭20‬:‭22‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/2ch.20.22.ESV

The LORD set an ambush against the enemies. He stepped into the middle of the fray and He defeated them.

What can we learn from Jehoshaphat’s prayer? First of all, our enemies are many and powerful. As a conservative Christian, I look around at all that is happening, shake my head and cannot believe that I am still living in America. But if we admit that we are powerless, that God has all of the sovereignty and it is ultimately His battle, then we can rest in His promise to bring the victory. We don’t know how or when it will come, but it is on its way as long as we are waiting on the Lord and admitting that we don’t know what to do or have the power to do it. Then, as we wait, we keep our eyes firmly on the Lord. As the news gets worse, we can believe with our whole hearts that God will not be mocked. Even as the ungodly proclaim their dominion over our nation (like saying Roe v. Wade will be the “law of the land”), God is working behind the scenes to come into the battle and ambush the enemy in an unexpected way. I don’t know how or when this will happen. And I hate that some of our own leaders are enemies of God, but I do know that He wins in the end, so I am keeping my eyes on Him.

Be Courageous

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

I have to confess that I have not been feeling very courageous lately. In fact, I have been more like a coward after hearing the word cancer spoken about my beloved grandson. I have feared the future for him, the suffering he must go through and just the general fear of such a diagnosis. But God has been speaking words of comfort all week and today, this devotional spoke courage right into my spirit. I have told myself and you many times that God is in control, but when my faith is tested, I backed away from that strong belief. God is drawing me back into the place where I belong. He knows my doubts and fears and He is right there with me. He is right there with our grandson, answering his questions and doubts. It is easy to believe in God when all is going along just as we expect, with no big issues or problems. The hard part comes when there is a challenge to our faith. Satan uses these challenges to test our faith, to see if we can be pulled over to his side. Remember that Job’s wife told him just to curse God and die. Basically, she was telling him that there was no more reason to believe in God any more as much as he was suffering. However, the opposite is true. When the suffering, testing, and challenges to our faith come, that is when we cling tighter to God and He moves closer to us. The courage comes not from within me, but from knowing that God is on my side and He is working on the problem even as I go about my daily routine. God hasn’t forgotten Isaac; He is more beloved of God than he is of me and my husband. God has the situation under His control, so we can courageously say that it will be okay because God is with him and with us.

God is with You

Throughout the Bible, there are various moments where God tells someone to not be afraid. Each one comes at a time when the hearer has every reason to be very afraid.

In one instance, Joshua, the leader of Israel after the death of Moses, was taking the Israelites to their promised land (see: Exodus 3). He was leading over one million people to a place God had promised, and it meant going through some overwhelming and terrifying situations.

In the midst of this, God commanded Joshua to do two things:

Obey the Word of God and, be strong and courageous because the Lord was with them. (See: Joshua 1:7-9)

In Matthew 28, Jesus says something similar just after His resurrection. He is with His eleven disciples and He tells them:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 ESV (Emphasis added)

Jesus tells His disciples two main things:

– Obey His word (“go into all nations and make disciples”) and, He would be with them.

– God is always the same. He was the same God when He gave Joshua His word and the assurance of His presence, and He is the same God who gives us His Word and assures us of His presence. We are known, loved, and cared for by the faithful, consistent God—and He will never leave or abandon us.

Today, reflect on the ways you can teach others about Jesus and His words. How does His Word and His presence make you strong and courageous? Before leaving this time, thank God for His promise to always be with you.

God’s Victory

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/13696/day/25

Before reading today’s devotional, I had never really considered the significance the Sabbath Day played in the defeat of Jericho. God’s victory was a sure thing as long as the people did the work of obeying God on the other six days. That sounds like a simple thing, but it is sometimes difficult to walk out our faith all the way until we can enter into our eternal rest with God. Our walk has to be one of total dependence on God, knowing with a certainty that He was, is and will be victorious. And we can humbly say when God leads us to victory, “I’m with Him,” knowing that He is the reason for our own triumph.

Between the Wilderness and the Promised Land

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/13696/day/24

If you read the devotional, you will know that the obstacle between the Israelites and the promised land was a fortified city named Jericho. We all have obstacles in our lives that we have to overcome. Right now, mine is trusting God in the medical situation with our grandson. Each day, I have to give the anxiety and heartache to God, again and again. I know that God is sovereign and in control and that this tumor did not surprise Him, but it has shocked me. As I read about Jericho and God’s unconventional way of defeating that enemy, I know that the same God can lead our family past this obstacle. There is nothing God cannot do, and I am believing that He will use this for the benefit of those who need to draw closer to Him, including me. The wilderness seemed to be my own health problems and I thought all of that was done…but then, Isaac’s tumor was found. So, standing at the walls of Jericho, I am trying to maintain my trust and I am putting my hope in the Lord who created our grandson and loves him even more than we do. Obedience is the key to winning the victory. What God told the Israelites to do didn’t make a lot of sense in the natural order of winning battles, but they did it anyway. What God is speaking to my heart is to be still and trust…doesn’t make much sense to me when I want to find another answer, an alternative medical solution, something. But God says to be still and trust, so I am fighting myself every day to do just that.

I am sure that you have a Jericho in your life, too. Listen to God’s instructions about how to fight that battle and be an overcomer. As I told Isaac, “Nothing will happen today that you and God cannot handle together.” Reach out to God and ask Him what He wants you to do as you prepare for battle. And when He answers, do it.

Between Joshua and John’s Revelation

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www.bible.com/reading-plans/13696/day/23

What a great privilege we have to be able to read the entire Word of God and be encouraged by the fact that we know for a fact that God is working out His plan and He will ultimately triumph. Like Joshua, I face many battles of Jericho in my life, sometimes it seems more than others. With me, it has been a battle to continue to have faith for healing when the healing does not come. Nevertheless, God’s Word is true, regardless of my circumstances and one day I will have total victory over this rebellious body of mine. I am thankful to know that Jesus is the Commander of God’s Armies and is returning to lead a victorious people to conquer the enemy of our souls once and for all! I am looking forward to that day and rejoicing that God’s plan is still in place, He hasn’t changed His mind about what He is doing in the world, and we can rest assured that just as Joshua was victorious at Jericho, we will be victorious if we just hold on to the Lord. The victory here on earth may not be what we expect or when we expect or how we expect, but it is coming. We just have to let God be God.