MOVING TRIALS FROM THE SAD COLUMN TO THE GLAD COLUMN James described the spiritual mindset that the Christian should have when facing trials. What is this mindset? “Great joy.” Not happiness, which is based on external happenings, but “great joy,” which comes from within and is the fruit of the Spirit for the believer that… Read more »
One Year Bible Devotions
All One Year Bible devotions are based on the One Year Bible Online Reading Plan
“Your people are saying, ‘The Lord isn’t doing what’s right,’ but it is they who are not doing what’s right” (Ezekiel 33:17 NLT).
WHEN A PEOPLE ACCUSE THE LORD OF WRONG When a people lose their fear of the Lord and begin to lift their own judgments above His, that nation will not long survive. The prophet Ezekiel warned the people of Judah to repent. Yet they responded by accusing God of injustice rather than repenting themselves. Today,… Read more »
“Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking.” (Hebrews 12:25 ESV).
DO YOU LISTEN TO THE ONE WHO IS SPEAKING? Have you ever refused to listen to the Spirit of Christ? Has He knocked at your heart’s door and been refused entrance? Consider those in the Old Testament who refused to obey God when He spoke. What became of them? And now, Jesus, the One who… Read more »
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us” (Hebrews 12:1 NLT).
CAN MY DADDY SEE ME NOW? Who is this “huge crowd of witnesses?” They are those who have already run life’s race “by faith” as Hebrews 11 has listed. They have already crossed life’s finished line and have now joined other believers, who the author of Hebrews here visualizes either metaphorically or literally, as now… Read more »
“He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward” (Hebrews 11:26 NLT).
THAT FAITH WHICH CHOOSES ETERNITY WITH CHRIST OVER TEMPORAL THINGS The book of Hebrews teaches that it was “by faith” that Moses chose to be identified with God’s people rather than remain as the adopted son of Pharoah’s daughter. Moses was further commended for his faith in that he considered it better to suffer for… Read more »
“Son of man, with one blow I will take away your dearest treasure. Yet you must not show any sorrow at her death. Do not weep; let there be no tears” (Ezekiel 24:16 NLT).
DO YOU LOVE THE LORD MORE THAN THESE? The Lord gave the prophet Ezekiel, whom He often referred to as the “Son of man,” a prophecy concerning the coming death of his wife. He further instructed him not to mourn for his wife because he was to be a sign to those who would see… Read more »
“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise” (Hebrews 10:23 NLT).
HOLDING TIGHTLY WITH UNWAVERING HOPE Christian hope is confident hope. For Christian hope is based on the promises of God. Since this hope is anchored to God’s promises we can be assured that our hope will not be disappointed. So rather than hanging on to the temporal things we can see, let us hold tightly… Read more »
“I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one” (Ezekiel 22:30 NLT).
WILL THE LORD FIND SOMEONE TO STAND IN THE GAP? The Lord told the prophet Ezekiel that He had looked for someone to “stand in the gap” of the wall surrounding Israel, but found no one. The physical walls surrounding Jerusalem were still standing at this time, but the spiritual walls were already breached. It… Read more »
“I gave them over to worthless decrees and regulations that would not lead to life” (Ezekiel 20:25 NLT).
WHEN GOD GIVES A PEOPLE OVER TO WORTHLESS LAWS Many have struggled with the meaning of this verse. Some have wondered whether God was saying that He had given some bad laws to His people. Yet, the Bible says that God’s law is “perfect” (Psalms 19:7). Others have suggested that God was referring to the… Read more »
“By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use” (Hebrews 9:8 NLT).
A NEW AND LIVING WAY IS NOW OPEN TO GOD The two rooms of the Tabernacle were symbolic of the spiritual separation existing between God and man. Only priests could enter the first room called the Holy Place. And only the High Priest could enter the second room called the Most Holy Place, and then… Read more »