Tag Archives: Obedience

2013 Day 350 – Malachi 3-4, Isaiah 55

16 Monday Dec 2013

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God’s knowledge and wisdom is far greater than our own. We would be fools to try to fit God into our mold and to make His purpose fit our own. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, 8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. We must always work to fit into God’s plan for our lives. Sometimes obedience is simply surrender.

2013 Day 343 – Zechariah 1-3, Isaiah 49

09 Monday Dec 2013

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Today we begin another one of the minor prophets, Zechariah. This book is written to the Jews in Jerusalem to give them hope by revealing God’s future deliverance through the Messiah. It was written between 520-480 BC when the Jews returned to Jerusalem from their captivity in Babylon to rebuild the temple. Zechariah and Haggai confronted the people and encouraged them to complete it. God, through Zechariah, gave the people all they needed to complete the rebuilding of the temple if they were simply obedient. Zechariah 3:7 says, This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.’ God gives us everything we need to be a part of His perfect plan if we simply trust and obey Him.

2013 Day 339 – Zephaniah 1-3, Isaiah 46

05 Thursday Dec 2013

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Today we read another book by one of the minor prophets. Zephaniah was written to shake Judah out of their complacency and to urge them to return to God. The key verse in this book speaks to turning away from sin and seeking God. Zephaniah 2:3 says, Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.

2013 Day 337 – 2 Peter 1-3, Isaiah 44

03 Tuesday Dec 2013

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Today we read the relatively short book of 2 Peter as a letter to the church at large and believers everywhere. The verses that stood out to me are 2 Peter 2:5-7, 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. Faith must be more than belief in certain facts. It must be accompanied by action and obedience in God’s will for our lives. God empowers us and enables us to act on our faith, but He also gives us the responsibility to learn and grow. We should never be surprised or resentful of the process.

2013 Day 335 – 2 Thessalonians 1-3, Isaiah 42

01 Sunday Dec 2013

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Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 3:13 And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good. This sounds like such a simple statement from Paul, and yet it is sometimes difficult to fulfill. It is easy to take shortcuts or to skip steps or to simply do the wrong thing because it is easier. It is hard to not follow a crowd who may be doing something that lacks integrity or is morally wrong. But it takes courage and perseverance to stand firm in our beliefs and to be obedient to God and faithful to our relationship with Him. We must never tire of doing what is good because that is the commitment in our relationship with God.

2013 Day 328 – 1 Thessalonians 3-5, Psalm 148

24 Sunday Nov 2013

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The Christian life is one of action. It is not one of sitting idly by and waiting for God to do all the work. It is also a life of responsibility and taking care of others when they need it and helping others help themselves. In 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 it says, 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. God does not desire us to live in a world where we live a frenetic lifestyle. He wants us to live a life where we do not shy away from action, but also one where we are not looking for a fight. We must always look to God for His guidance and his desires for our lives where we serve Him and serve others.

2013 Day 327 – 1 Thessalonians 1-2, Psalm 147

23 Saturday Nov 2013

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Today we being reading the first half of the short book of 1 Thessalonians, which was written by Paul as a letter to the church in Thessalonica (Thessaloniki). This was one of Paul’s first letters and it was written to encourage believers through their persecution. It was also written to clarify questions about Christ’s second coming. Some believed Christ was coming soon, which created confusion and despair among the early Christian church as believers watched loved ones die before the second coming. This was a letter of reassurance and encouragement which we can take as encouragement for ourselves. God’s timing is perfect. We are to continue in our obedience of God in all we do. He will come in His timing.

2013 Day 323 – Daniel 4-6, Psalm 4-6

19 Tuesday Nov 2013

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Sometimes we must hit bottom before God can show us the way back up. With King Nebuchadnezzar, God had to do just that. Even after Daniel prophesied what would happen, the king still praised himself for all he had accomplished. From that point Nebuchadnezzar went from being at the top of his game to the point of losing his mind. It wasn’t until he turned his eyes up to heaven and acknowledge the Most High God that God was able to restore Nebuchadnezzar’s mind and position. God wants us to have fellowship with Him. And while He ultimately does not want to see us harmed, God will allow us to hit bottom in order to come back into fellowship with Him.

2013 Day 322 – Daniel 1-3, Psalm 143

18 Monday Nov 2013

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Today we begin the book of Daniel which is written by Daniel, a Jew who was taken into captivity by the Babylonians to serve King Nebuchadnezzar. The purpose of the book is to show God’s power in every situation. Though Daniel was forced to serve a foreign conqueror of Israel, God still protected him and gave him success despite his circumstances. We must look to the example of Daniel and know that despite the circumstances we face throughout out lives, God can still accomplish many great things through us if we are obedient and open to serve Him in all we do.

2013 Day 312 – Ezekiel 43-45, Psalm 133-134

08 Friday Nov 2013

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In today’s reading in Ezekiel, we spent some time walking through the restoration of the priesthood. While we would never go through the same extensive steps to be restored, it is important for us to be deliberate about our restoration when necessary. If we do not recognize how we have failed, we are doomed to return to the same point of failure.