Pastor Gary's OYB Devotion Archive for December 18

“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion” (Psalm 137:1 NKJV).

From: December 18, 2020

LONGING FOR HOME AT CHRISTMAS

Jerusalem had been overthrown by the Babylonians and its Jewish citizens had been taken captive. As they were force marched from Judea to Babylon, they were allowed to rest for a while by one of its rivers. Yet though their bodies were in Babylon, their hearts remained in Zion. And when their captors asked them to sing a song, they wept instead.

As the Christmas holidays approach, there are many whose hearts are not in it. Their bodies may be present, but their hearts cling to an earlier time when all their loved ones were still with them, or to an earlier place they always called home. But even when they return to that place, it’s not the same. Someone else lives in the house.

What is this longing for home that we feel at Christmas? Is it mere sentimentality? Always remembering the past as being better than the present? Or could it be something else? Could it be that there is within us a longing for something that lasts? A longing for an eternal home?

Solomon must have been feeling this when he wrote of this eternal longing inside all of us, saying, “He has put eternity in their hearts” (Eccl. 3:11). In other words, “God has placed a desire for an eternal home within every human heart.”

Maybe that’s why the Christmas holidays make us think of home more than any other season. For didn’t the Son of God leave His eternal home and become homeless, being born in a stable, so that we might find our eternal home in Him? He became one of us that we might become one with Him. He took our sin, our separation from God and our death, that we might receive His righteousness, His Sonship, and His eternal life.

The true meaning of Christmas is that this longing for home within us cannot be satisfied by trying to relive past memories, but only by looking to Jesus. Jesus is the home our hearts have always longed for.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we sometimes weep for past Christmas memories, but we are overcome with joy because we have found our true home in You. Jesus is our home. He is always with us, so we are never lonely. Our hearts were made for Him. Help us to share this joy with everyone. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God …” (Revelation 9:20 NLT).

From: December 18, 2019

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BRING REPENTANCE?

Six of the seven trumpets have been blown, yet humanity “still refused to repent” If God’s singular purpose during the coming Great Tribulation would be to judge humanity’s sin, then a single, swift flood like in the days of Noah would suffice. But God’s activity is aimed at repentance. He wants to bring the remnant of His people to repentance and saving faith. The means may seem harsh, but they reveal the depth of sin bound up in human hearts. Even after six trumpets of judgment, the rest of mankind continues wallowing in sin and false worship. The horror of this segment of Revelation is not God’s judgments, but humanity’s lack of repentance.

PRAYER: Dear Father, You have given us Your Word so that we are warned of the coming Tribulation. Just as You did Abraham before You destroyed Sodom, You have warned us of a coming time of judgment on the earth. Help us to be faithful to preach the gospel, so that its hearers repent and believe on Your Son. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights” (Habakkuk 3:19 NLT).

From: December 18, 2018

SUREFOOTED STRENGTH

Even though trials and suffering may come our way, we can depend on the “surefooted strength” of our God. After a long list of “even though” situations, Habakkuk declared his trust and dependence on God to help him not only take the next step, but to “tread upon the heights!”

Surefooted strength is power with wisdom. It gives us not only the strength to step, but leads us in the path to step. Since the next step is often steeper and more precarious, surefooted strength is also the courage to take it. For the depths are only one false step from the heights and faithful courage is required to move.

Lord, give us surefooted strength today!

“God came from Teman, The Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of His praise” (Habakkuk 3:3 NKJV).

From: December 18, 2017

When I was around ten years of age, I asked my grandmother, “Where did God come from?” And she responded, “Teman.” I remember she got out her big, black KJV and turned to Habakkuk and pointed out the verse to me. Of course, my next question to her was, “Where’s Teman?”

As I grew older, I came to understand from studying the Scriptures that God is eternal and self-existent. As Moses declared, “From everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psa. 90:2). God has no beginning and no end. He is not “from” anywhere because He is everywhere. He is omnipresent.

Yet, as the prophet Habakkuk praised the Lord, he remembered how God had come to Moses and the Israelites in the land to the Southeast of Israel. This was where God had met with Moses on the Mountain of God, also known by the various names of Mt. Sinai, Mt. Horeb, or “Mount Paran.” Habakkuk was calling for God to come and reveal Himself to Israel just as He had to Moses.

Are you looking for God? Don’t worry. He’ll find you. As the apostle Paul wrote, “He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27).

“The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent …” (Revelation 9:20 ESV)

From: December 18, 2016

Six of the seven trumpets have been blown, yet humanity “did not repent.” If God’s singular purpose during the Great Tribulation would be to judge humanity’s sin, then a single, swift flood like in the days of Noah would suffice. But God’s activity is aimed at repentance. He wants to bring the remnant of His people to repentance and saving faith. The means may seem harsh, but they reveal the depth of sin bound up in human hearts. Even after six trumpets of judgment, the “rest of mankind” continues wallowing in sin and false worship. The horror of this segment of Revelation is not God’s judgments, but humanity’s lack of repentance.

“By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion” (Psalm 137:1 NKJV)

From: December 18, 2015

When the Judean captives weren’t working for their Babylonian masters, they would retreat to the “rivers of Babylon,” and as they watched the waters flowing by, tears would begin to pour down their faces as they remembered their home in Jerusalem. They couldn’t see the mountains of Zion, but they could move to the outskirts of Babylon to gaze upon the Euphrates and the numerous man-made canals that intersected the terrain. Carrying their harps with them, they planned to sing and have a picnic, but gazing upon the waters, they “sat down” and “wept.” There’s something about sitting by a river or standing on a mountain that causes us to remember Zion. After all, this in not our true home. We are but pilgrims passing through.

“The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights” (Habakkuk 3:19 NLT)

From: December 18, 2014

Even though trials and suffering may come our way, we can depend on the strength of our God. After a long list of “even though” situations, Habakkuk declared his trust and dependence on God. This is not a response of barely hanging on, endurance. This is not “woe is me,” please feel sorry for me as I scrape by. No. This is things are hard, but we’re overcomers, persevering in Christ’s power. The mountain may be high and the valley low, but we’re leaping from peak to peak with joy and power in Jesus’ Name.

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines…yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

From: December 18, 2013

The prophet Habakkuk lived in a day when God’s judgment on Judah was about to be carried out via Babylon. In this day when there was no “fruit” or outward reason to be happy, Habakkuk determined to rejoice in God and in His salvation. Happiness is based on a desirable happening, but joy is an unshakeable state found by faith in God alone. The prophet chose joy over happiness. He said, “I will rejoice,” and “I will take joy.” These are the actions of faith.

“How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save” (Habakkuk 1:2)

From: December 18, 2012

The prophet Habakkuk wondered where the Lord was when he saw violence and injustice in his nation. But the Lord was watching and responded. He raised up Babylon to invade Judah to conquer and lay waste. There is a limit to God’s patience with violence and injustice. The prophets warned Judah, but they did not repent.

“Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it” (Habakkuk 2:2)

From: December 18, 2011

A good principle for leaders and preachers. When God reveals His Word to you, make sure to write it down in a plain and memorable fashion so that they that read it or hear it from you can run with it. Also a good habit for daily Scripture reading is to keep a study journal.