Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy of our Rejoicing over Justice (1/22/26)

Often it seems evil prevails and justice is far off. Yet, God will bring about complete justice in His time and we are to rejoice in it. He is gracious to give people plenty of opportunities to repent for their evil ways and turn to Him before He brings His final judgment.

As the destruction of Babylon the Great continues, various groups lament her downfall. Merchants and sea captains weep over the loss of their wealth, which was gained through her. Last week, we discussed the opportunity the onlookers had to repent of their own evil ways before destruction came to them. However, they continue to wallow in their distress instead of repenting.

Revelation 18:15-20 ¹⁵ The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn ¹⁶ and cry out:

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
    dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
    and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
¹⁷ In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’

“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. ¹⁸ When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’ ¹⁹ They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out:

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
    where all who had ships on the sea
    became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’

²⁰ “Rejoice over her, you heavens!
    Rejoice, you people of God!
    Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her
    with the judgment she imposed on you.”

In response to Babylon’s destruction, I think there are only two correct reactions: repentance or rejoicing. The onlookers need to repent while the people of God are commanded to rejoice at the destruction of Babylon the Great.

God is patient. God is loving. God is gracious. God is also just. He will right all wrongs one day and we can rejoice in His perfect, holy, and righteous judgment. He is the only One who can administer correct vengeance and accurately avenge. We aren’t to take revenge, as Paul says in Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.        

Reflecting on our lives, when have you and I taken vengeance into our own hands rather than leaving it to God? What were the consequences? What injustice do you and I need to surrender to God and wait on His timing to bring about justice? In heaven, we will be able to rejoice in Jesus’s victory and His perfect judgment!

Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy of our Repentant Return (1/15/26)

Over the advent season, I took a break from writing devotionals from Revelation. As we start a new year and get back into Revelation (with only a few chapters left!) you might remember that we finished the seven angels with the seven bowls of God’s wrath. Then, one of the seven angels showed John the punishment of “Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes.” She delighted in the destruction of God’s people and lured the rest of the world into abominable acts. She represents centuries of evil powers in the world.

As we continue to see the destruction of “Babylon the Great,” it’s worth noting that those who benefited from her lament her destruction. They are distraught because of the misfortune it also brings to them. They could repent and turn to the true and eternally lavish King of kings. Instead, they wallow in their earthly losses.

Revelation 18:9-14 9 “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,

    you mighty city of Babylon!

In one hour your doom has come!’

11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore— 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.

14 “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’

The earthly successes of the world can change in an instant. Jesus’s eternal victory lasts forever. His kingdom is everlasting. Those watching the flaming Babylon had an opportunity to repent of their self-focus and turn to Jesus who offers true satisfaction.

John 10:9-10 ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

As we look back on 2025 and look ahead in 2026, what priorities do you and I want to leave behind and which ones do we want to continue? Knowing Jesus is the only One who offers life to full, how does that change your and my goals for this year?  

Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Give Access to God (10/9/25)

When my kids are caught doing something wrong, they usually respond in one of two ways – in anger towards us for catching them or in tearful grief over their sin. People respond similarly to God, as we will see in this week’s passage.

Last week, we explored the first 3 angels pour out their plagues from God’s bowls of wrath. This week, we’ll examine the next 2 angels and plagues. Once again, God offers opportunities for people to repent. Notice how they react.

Revelation 16:8-11   ⁸ The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. ⁹ They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.

¹⁰ The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony ¹¹ and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.

It surprises me to see people continue to rebel against God, curse him and fail to recognize their rightful place before a Holy God. The only right response is sincere repentance. How do you and I respond to conviction of sin? With grief that leads to repentance?

II Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Are you continuing in defiance against God, like the people in Revelation 16, or have you humbly submitted to the Holy God who has all authority? If the latter, then you have personal access to God through Jesus and eternal salvation!

Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Unleash the 6th Trumpet Judgment (5/15/25)

Our daughter, Sarah, lives and breathes horses and gets to ride horses 1-2 times per week. She is a petite girl and knows they are quite big and powerful. She has a healthy fear of them and knows to be careful moving around them. She is willing, though, to ride some of the horses that others are scared to try to ride. In fact, she was bucked off a less tame horse twice last week and yet got up and got back on!

As “wild” as Sarah’s ride was last week, it was nothing compared to the 2 million horses and their destruction after the sound of the 6^th trumpet!

Revelation 9:13-21 ¹³ The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. ¹⁴ It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵ And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. ¹⁶ The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.

¹⁷ The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. ¹⁸ A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. ¹⁹ The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

²⁰ The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. ²¹ Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Jesus’s Sovereign patience is astounding! He could wipe everything out at once and be done with the wickedness in the world, but He graciously gives additional time. The 2/3 not killed had another opportunity to repent and turn to their Creator.

We may not be like these people who continue to refuse to repent. We may not intentionally worship idols or participate in sexual immorality, but are there things in our lives that take priority over God and His purposes for us? What areas of our lives are not totally surrendered to Jesus?

Like Sarah and horses, we are to have a healthy fear of God. He has the most powerful army of millions! He will win in the end! I want to be working for Him and not against Him. It ends terribly for those working against Him. Jesus is worthy of worship for all His power.

Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy of Our Sincere Repentance (11/21/24)

A couple years ago we started daily adding in repentance in our evening family prayer time. It was uncomfortable for a while. Actually, it can still be uncomfortable to verbally acknowledge sin before God and my family, especially if one of my sins that day was against a family member! Repenting each night has helped us all realize that we sin every single day, and usually multiple times a day! We try to be specific and not just general. Jesus knows all about our sin already. It’s to our own benefit to acknowledge it, desire to turn from it and accept the Holy Spirit’s help to replace it with godly thoughts and actions.

Jesus saw all that the Thyatira church had done. He saw those that were faithful and those living in habitual and destructive sin.

Revelation 2:18-23   ¹⁸ “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. ¹⁹ I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

²⁰ Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. ²¹ I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. ²² So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. ²³ I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

Jesus gives us opportunity to repent, just as He gave those in Thyatira time to repent. He lovingly warned them of the specific consequences if certain individuals refused to repent. His judgment is always perfect and timely.  

Jesus is Omniscient (all-knowing) as he searches our hearts and minds. What sin does He already know about that you and I need to repent and turn from? He desires our sincere repentance and offers His help to replace it with something far more satisfying and rewarding!

Thursday Devotional - All-Knowing God and Job’s Humble Response (9/26/24)

 This week, Joe and I spent hours working through a school situation with one of our kids. There have been differing stories. As we’ve prayed for wisdom and truth to be revealed, it still hasn’t been clear exactly what happened. I want all the people involved to be able to know and believe the truth! I realize that might not happen. In acknowledging God’s sovereignty over the situation, I want to trust God with the outcome.

When Job finally hears from God, he doesn’t get all his questions answered, either. Instead, throughout Job chapters 38-41, the All-knowing and Almighty God details out various aspects of Creation that only He understands and controls. I imagine He spoke with a majestic and thunderous voice through the storm!

In response, Job spoke briefly in the middle and at the end of God’s discourse.

Job 40:1-10 The Lord said to Job:

² “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
    Let him who accuses God answer him!”

³ Then Job answered the Lord:

⁴ “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?
    I put my hand over my mouth.
⁵ I spoke once, but I have no answer—
    twice, but I will say no more.”

⁶ Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:

⁷ “Brace yourself like a man;
    I will question you,
    and you shall answer me.

⁸ “Would you discredit my justice?
    Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
⁹ Do you have an arm like God’s,
    and can your voice thunder like his?
¹⁰ Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
    and clothe yourself in honor and majesty…

Job 42:1-6 Then Job replied to the Lord:

² “I know that you can do all things;
    no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
³ You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
    Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
    things too wonderful for me to know.

⁴ “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
    I will question you,
    and you shall answer me.’
⁵ My ears had heard of you
    but now my eyes have seen you.
⁶ Therefore I despise myself
    and repent in dust and ashes.”

Job rightly and humbly acknowledged God’s might, sovereignty, and wisdom! His only response was that of worship and repentance. He asked no further questions. He knew God was real, active, powerful, and in control.

In Joe’s and my situation with our kid, we can humbly acknowledge our rightful place before God, too. He’s aware of the situation, in control and can be trusted with the outcome. Instead of focusing on the resolution we want, we can ask God to help us and our kids humbly learn, grow and move forward for His purposes.

With what situation in your life will you humbly surrender to our All-knowing God? 

Thursday Devotional - Faithful God versus Defiant Jeroboam 11/10/22

What do you think Jeroboam did after God shriveled up his hand (as we saw last week)? Do you think he finally repented and turned to God?

I Kings 13:33a Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways.

So, God gave him yet another opportunity to repent and turn back to him (through the illness of his son). However, Jeroboam still didn’t change or repent. God, through the prophet Ahijah, painted a bleak future.

I Kings 14:7, 9-12   ⁷ Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler over my people Israel…  ⁹ You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you have aroused my anger and turned your back on me.

¹⁰ “‘Because of this, I am going to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel—slave or free. I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung, until it is all gone. ¹¹ Dogs will eat those belonging to Jeroboam who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country. The Lord has spoken!’

¹² “As for you, go back home. When you set foot in your city, the boy will die.

Even after all this, Jeroboam defiantly didn’t change. We see defiant evil today, too. God is faithful, though. He will judge evil in His time and for His purposes. He also generously and patiently gives opportunities for people to repent and turn to Him.

Who do you and I know that is defiantly ignoring God’s warnings? Let’s pray for them to respond to God, before it’s too late.  

Alice

Thursday Devotional - God Is With Us When We Repent

Is it hard for you and me to say “I’m sorry?” Sometimes it can be very difficult to acknowledge we messed up. Many of us probably want to move on like it didn’t happen and forget about it. However, to truly repent means we confess it, grieve it, turn from it, turn toward God and desire to set things right.

One of my kids has had to write several apology notes to teachers and fellow

students over the years. Sitting and writing a complete and lengthy note of

confession has been quite challenging. Plus, making restitution to try and set

things right has painfully consumed much of their own money!

As we faced yet another one of those situations, God had us timely study Matthew 3 in Bible study this week, with a focus on repentance!

Matthew 3:1-6     In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ³ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”

⁴ John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. ⁶ Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

The kids played a game and used sign language to emphasize the full understanding of repentance and how God is ready to welcome and help us with our repentance.

Where do you and I need help to truly repent? God calls us to repent so we can have restored relationships with Him and others. He doesn’t expect us to do it in our own strength, but is quick to help us!

Alice

Thursday Devotional - More Answers

After last week, did God help Joshua figure out who had sinned?

Joshua 7:16, 19-21, 24-26 ¹⁶ Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was chosen…  ¹⁹ Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

²⁰ Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: ²¹ When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

²⁴ Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor.²⁵ Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.”

Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. ²⁶ Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

This seems harsh, especially after Achan confessed to his sin. However, this is what God instructed Joshua to do (Joshua 7:15 – all destroyed by fire).

Sin is serious and it doesn’t just affect us. It affects those in our family, community, work place, nation, etc.   

Similar today, we can’t expect God to support us, defend us, help us, and go with us if we choose to live in sin, condone sin, or try to hide sin. It won’t go well for us as a country or as individuals. It must be removed.

As Jessica talked about last Monday (1/14/19) about mourning our sins, let’s examine ourselves. Where might you and I be living in, condoning or hiding a sin? It can be very painful to remove the sin, but the benefits and blessings to ourselves and others are well worth it in this life and the life to come. God wants to help us in those areas, if we will truly repent and ask for His help to remove it and move forward in obedience.

Alice

The Trick Question

Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 

Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”  Luke 5:29-32 

Have you ever had a trick question?  Here’s a good one.  Adam’s mother had three children.  The first child was named April.  The second child was named May.  What was the third child’s name?  I would of course think of June.  That would be the wrong answer because if Adam’s mom had three children and are the other two are named April and May, the only one left is . . . Adam.  Sometimes people can solve it just by reading it as is.  Other times, things are a bit more complicated.  For example, as Christians, we know we are saved through Jesus Christ.  But once we are saved, does that put us in a place higher than those who are not?  Well, we are given grace through Jesus Christ, and submit to God.  That puts us in a place other than those who have not made that choice.  But does that really make us better? 

We must always remember that although we are saved through Christ all are worthy of God's love.  In reading the story of Levi's conversion, we understand that Levi was a tax collector.  In those times, they were considered the ‘worst of the worst’ people.  Like last week's devotion, we find the Pharisees looking on with disdain questioning why Jesus would hang out with such people.  Jesus answered, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”  Now that sounded like He was out to save Levi and the other non-believers.  However, here’s the trick question. Did this mean the Pharisees did not need to be called because they were righteous?  The answer is no because we know that all fall short of God’s glory!  This means Jesus calls all people regardless of whether they claimed Christ or not.  We might see others who do wrong or are openly living in sin, and not feel they are worth our time.  However, we are to remain humble recognizing that we too need Christ.  We grow in Christ, and we have a heart for Him.  The key to avoid the trick is not substituting us being in a better place by knowing Christ for us being better because we know Christ. 

We are all equal in the eyes of Christ.  Yes, we are thankful for the gift of grace given by God.  That gift is special to us, but God makes each of us special. If we love others as we love Him, others will see how special they are too.  That’s how Jesus saw Levi and his friends; special people who just needed to know how special they were to God.  Let us remember this seeing those like us as brothers and sisters in Christ and those who have not committed as people who need to know how beautiful and special they are to God.  Who can you share the love of Christ with today?  How can you see others unlike you as Christ saw Levi?  My prayer is that we recognize how we all need Jesus Christ, and not fall for ‘the trick question.’  Amen. 

Trapped

“You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.

You do not want a burnt offering.

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.

You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit— with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings.

Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.”. Psalms 51:16-19 NLT

http://bible.com/116/psa.51.16-19.nlt

My wife is really smart.  She understands that I am often not motivated by her pointing out how wrong I am about a something.  I love her more than anything, and the best way for her to get what she wants is not to push for her way.  Instead, she shares how it affects her.  She knows that a psychological wall always comes up when the focus is on her wants, but it comes down when she appears in need or pain.  Now some might view this as being manipulative, but this is the beauty of her.  She would never take advantage of this liberty.  Why?  Because she loves me, and it’s her unconditional love for me that ultimately breaks me.  I thought about this when thinking about God’s will for my life.  By giving my life to Him, I agreed to serve Him.  In serving Him, it means that I at times will be broken out of His love for me.  Sometimes, it is simply breaking for what makes his heart break (see the Devotion ‘Heartbreaker’).  But other times, He just pushes me to where I am trapped with nowhere else to go, and I have no other choice but to go to Him.

Committing to God means that we have to accept that He will break us to build us up into the people that will follow Him.  While reading these verses, I realized David was in this place of utter submittal to God.  He recognized where he was wrong, but to admit guilt to God wasn’t enough.  He understood God wanted more than just repentance. He wanted all of David that not only included a repentant heart but also a broken one.  Our heart fights hard to do things its own way only to have God trap it in a corner with one of two choices.  The first is for it to fight with all its might to keep its ways, sinful and not, and maintain its comfort.  The other choice is for it to submit, which is what God ultimately wants, and through submitting, a person is shown God’s favor.  We must always be careful in our repentance for sins.  Repentance is what God wants, but not as an act or as someone once told me a ‘check mark on our check list.’  He wants us to feel the weight and gravity of our guilt and sinful nature.  It is this ‘brokenness’ that brings us closer to the heart of God, and if we understand who David was, these verses underline why he is called a man after God’s heart.

Brokenness to God is a sign of strength.  Not weakness.  We may focus on always being strong, but brokenness says that our source of strength is God.  He is our Alpha and Omega.  When we acknowledge this and realize that we are neither the beginning nor end of our greatness, only then will we truly be able to achieve all things because we are fitting into God’s image.  Not our own.  What is it that God might be trying to break you from?  What new area of your life are you willing to surrender to Him?  My prayer is that we embrace God’s love for us even when He corners us and we find ourselves trapped.  Amen.

Thurs Devo: Patience in Evil

Like we talked about last week, the “plagues” from Revelation chapters 6-9 are warning signs to the inhabitants of the earth. God is getting everyone’s attention. He is offering multiple additional opportunities for people to repent, turn to Him, and worship Him for who He truly is before He completely destroys this earth. How do you think people will respond?

Revelation 9:20-21    ²⁰ The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.²¹ Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

We can’t make people repent and believe, but we can be prepared ourselves.

II Peter 3:10-15 ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.¹³ But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

¹⁴ So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. ¹⁵ Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.

It can be frustrating to live in a world where evil continues to grow and increase. The delay in God’s final judgment and destruction of this world, though, means He’s giving additional opportunities for others to accept His way of salvation. He displays His grace, mercy and patience as we wait for evil to be avenged.

Will you and I remember that when evil seems to prevail, God is patiently granting more time for others to repent and turn to Him?  

Alice