Thursday Devotional - Joy to the World! 12/15/22

We just sang this last night before bed! Most nights we try to sing a Christmas Carol together when we do our evening Bible reading and prayer. A different kid gets to pick the carol each day. This year, the top pick has been Joy to the World! It is one of my favorite Christmas hymns because it truly expresses excited celebration of Jesus, our King and Savior!

Isaac Watts wrote the words to this hymn in 1719, at the age of 45. It was part of a huge work he wrote “The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, and Applied to the Christian State and Worship.” Isaac Watts saw how much David praised the Lord through song (in the Psalms) and knew we as New Testament believers have much more for which to praise God, having received Jesus!!!

Psalm 28:6-7

⁶ Praise be to the LORD,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.
⁷ The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.

How will you and I truly worship God with joy (for who He is and what He’s done through Jesus)? Let our joy be contagious this time of year!!!

Alice 

Thursday Devotional - The First Noel 12/8/22

 Or, “The First Christmas,” as the word Noel is actually an early modern English synonym of "Christmas." It was believed to originate in the sixteenth century in England, but wasn’t published until 200 years ago!   

The First Noel, the Angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.

Refrain

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the East beyond them far
And to the earth it gave great light
And so it continued both day and night! Refrain

This star drew nigh to the northwest
O'er Bethlehem it took its rest
And there it did both Pause and stay
Right o'er the place where Jesus lay. Refrain

Then entered in those Wise men three
Full reverently upon their knee
And offered there in His presence
Their gold and myrrh and frankincense. Refrain

Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord
That hath made Heaven and earth of nought
And with his blood mankind has bought. Refrain

I love how this hymn ties together Jesus’ birth and death. We have reason to offer our gifts and praise, even more so than the Wise men!  

Matthew 2:1-2 and 9-11 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

What gift will you and I give to Jesus this “Noel” season? 

Thursday Devotional - Angels We Have Heard on High Celebrates 160 years! - 12/1/22

 Luke 2:13-14       Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

The angels appeared to the shepherds to tell them the “good news of great joy” about the Messiah’s birth. I wonder if this passage in Luke influenced the writing of this Christmas carol. It was originally written in French, by an unknown author, and later translated into English in 1862 by James Chadwick. So, this year is the 160^th (English translation) anniversary!!!  

Gloria, in excelsis Deo! was not translated. It is Latin for “Glory to God in the highest.”

Angels We Have Heard on High

Angels we have heard on high

Sweetly singing o’er the plains

And the mountains in reply

Echoing their joyous strains

CHORUS: Gloria, in excelsis Deo! Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Shepherds, why this jubilee?

Why your joyous strains prolong?

What the gladsome tidings be

Which inspire your heavenly song? Chorus

Come to Bethlehem and see

Him Whose birth the angels sing;

Come, adore on bended knee,

Christ the Lord, the newborn King. Chorus

See Him in a manger laid

Jesus Lord of heaven and earth;

Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,

With us sing our Savior's birth. Chorus

How are (or how will) you and I give glory to God this Christmas season?

We can publicly and verbally give Him praise and glory in our conversations to others, just like the angels did!

Thursday Devotional - Faithful God versus Tolerant Rehoboam 11/17/22

 Have you heard the phrase “sin of omission?” Sitting back and doing nothing can be a sin. When we know to do something and don’t do it, that’s a sin.

Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, became king of Judah and shortly after lost much of the kingdom to Jeroboam (as we saw a few weeks ago). That didn’t seem to wake him up and turn his heart fully back to God. 

I Kings 14:21-24 ²¹ Rehoboam son of Solomon was king in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel in which to put his Name. His mother’s name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite.

²² Judah did evil in the eyes of the Lord. By the sins they committed they stirred up his jealous anger more than those who were before them had done. ²³ They also set up for themselves high places, sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. ²⁴ There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land; the people engaged in all the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.

Rehoboam tolerated all the sins Judah committed. It never says he participated in idolatry, but he didn’t stop the idol worship. In the above verses it says “Judah” did evil and “they” setup high places. So, I don’t think he actively participated. When the Bible talks about the evil of other kings, it says “Solomon did evil,” “Jeroboam made two golden calves,” etc. However, Rehoboam sinned by tolerating all these detestable things the kingdom of Judah did.

What about you and me? Where are we being tolerant in our own lives, with our kids, in our churches or communities? Instead of being tolerant or permissive, where can you and I lovingly speak up for truth in our church, communities and families for the things that are right and godly?

Alice

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 - Faithful God versus Idolatrous Jeroboam 11/3/22

Remember how Jeroboam set up golden calves? He even participated in making sacrifices on the altars to these fake gods. I don’t know why he thought that would work and be a good idea.

God tried to get his attention and gave him a warning and an opportunity to turn back to Him.

I Kings 13:1-5 By the word of the Lord a man of God came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering. ² By the word of the Lord he cried out against the altar: “Altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.’” ³ That same day the man of God gave a sign: “This is the sign the Lord has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out.”

⁴ When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward the man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it back. ⁵ Also, the altar was split apart and its ashes poured out according to the sign given by the man of God by the word of the Lord.

Did Jeroboam really think he could silence the Word of God? Wow, he tried to seize the prophet, but got seized instead!

What about you and me? What “idols” are we worshiping instead of the real God? Pleasure, sports, education, or position? When we’re convicted or confronted about it, how do we respond?

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Faithful God versus Fearful Jeroboam 10/27/22

 What do you do with your fears? Try to suppress them? Worry about them over and over? Talk to a friend or family member about them? Or take them to God?

Israel’s King Jeroboam did everything but take his fears to God!

I Kings 12:26-30     ²⁶ Jeroboam thought to himself, “The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. ²⁷ If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam.”

²⁸ After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” ²⁹ One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. ³⁰ And this thing became a sin; the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other.

Jeroboam’s fear led to sin after sin for himself and the people he led! God had promised to be with him and establish his kingdom if he followed Him.

I Kings 11:38             ³⁸ If you do whatever I command you and walk in obedience to me and do what is right in my eyes by obeying my decrees and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.

Jeroboam didn’t need to fear. If he sought God, God would address his fears and provide solutions.

How will you and I seek our Faithful God for our fears this week?  

Thursday Devotional - Faithful God versus Foolish Rehoboam 10/20/22

What do you think it would have been like to grow up with the wisest and wealthiest parent on earth?

Solomon’s son Rehoboam had the wisest and wealthiest father ever, but he didn’t seem to use that to his advantage. Soon after becoming king, he lost most of the kingdom (10 tribes) by heeding poor advice.

I Kings 12:12-15     ¹² Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, “Come back to me in three days.” ¹³ The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, ¹⁴ he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.” ¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the Lord, to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.

Rehoboam foolishly listened to his peers. Israel was divided into two kingdoms after this. God was faithful to David, though, by keeping a descendent on the throne of Judah. God was also faithful to his promise to Solomon to tear the kingdom away from him and his descendants because of his sins. God is faithful, whether it’s a lavish blessing promised or a forewarned consequence.

Where might you and I be foolishly listening to peers instead of seeking and heeding God’s wisdom? We have the wisest and wealthiest Heavenly Father!

Thursday Devotional - Faithful God versus Unrepentant Solomon 10/13/22

Joe and I have prayerfully addressed some repetitive disobedience by some of our kids. The consequences get steeper subsequent times. Why? So they are motivated to stop and take time to think about the seriousness of their choices.

God’s consequences aren’t for merely punishing the sin, but are intended to draw the unrepentant to repentance.

With unrepentant Solomon, God gave him several warnings and then raised up one enemy after another to disrupt the nation’s peace, including his very own high standing official, Jeroboam!

The Lord to Jeroboam:

I Kings 11:34-36, 39          ³⁴ “‘But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who obeyed my commands and decrees. ³⁵ I will take the kingdom from his son’s hands and give you ten tribes. ³⁶ I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name…  ³⁹ I will humble David’s descendants because of this, but not forever.’”

I think if Solomon had truly repented he would have been spared some of the subsequent consequences.

Where might you and I be experiencing consequences for unrepentant sin? Maybe God has allowed a lack of peace in our own lives and relationships to draw us back to Him!

God is faithful to His promises even while purposefully administering consequences.

Thursday Devotional - Faithful God versus Foolish Solomon 10/6/22

By God’s gift, Solomon was one of the wisest people to ever live! Yet, in his later years, he wasted the wisdom God gave him and foolishly turned to other influences.

I Kings 11:9-13        ⁹ The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. ¹⁰ Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command. ¹¹ So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. ¹² Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. ¹³ Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

Although Solomon wasted his wisdom, God was still faithful to His promises to David and to Solomon. God gave Solomon an opportunity to repent, too. It isn’t recorded that Solomon ever repented and turned back to God. If he had, God would have faithfully forgiven him and helped him use wisdom again.

When have you and I foolishly wasted something God gave to us? Money, education, family relationships, time? How might our Faithful God help you and me to wisely use His gifts going forward?

Alice