by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Hosea 1-4
We backtrack a bit to hear what Hosea has to say. And we indeed want to hear it, because Hosea has a unique assignment of showing God’s mercy.
This prophet has a message to the northern kingdom, Israel, after the kingdoms split. He spends about 40 years pleading with them to turn back to God, but they won’t listen.
In the midst of his message, however, Hosea shows God’s unfailing love towards His people. Hosea is instructed to marry a prostitute and to have children by her. She, of course, will be unfaithful to him, but he will continue to love her through it all.
It’s a picture of God’s faithfulness to Israel, even when Israel is “playing the harlot” with all of the gods around.
Chapter two is especially poignant. The Lord says that He will lure Israel into the wilderness and make a covenant with her there. He will rescue her from destruction, and draw her out to be with Him. “The valley of Achor will become a door of hope.”(2:15) The valley of destruction will become a hope for her, because it will be from there that Israel will remember God and turn back to Him.
This verse has brought solace to many mothers I have known. Praying for their wayward children, they have seen them suffer because of bad choices. Yet often that wilderness experience has been the very thing to bring them back to God. The Valley of Achor (pain) has become the door of hope indeed.
In this chapter of Hosea, we see that God’s people will begin to call Him “husband” (Ishi), because of the closeness they develop. All of this allegory reminds me of a passage in Song of Solomon 8:5. “Who is this coming up out of the wilderness, leaning on her beloved?” It’s the bride of Christ, of course, His church.
We are married to our Lord, so that we are one with Him now. What a beautiful picture of our love relationship with Him!
The difference is that we will remain faithful to Him…won’t we?
Jude
There is one word which leaps out at me from Jude’s letter. That word is “contend.” Contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to you. (V. 3)
He goes on to mention the angels and their fall from the very throne of God. Then he speaks of many others who have turned from God. Finally he gets to the present day (and , yes, they are still present day), men who try to turn the grace of God into licentiousness.
God’s grace is such a precious thing. His love for us and His empowerment of us through His Holy Spirit is wondrous indeed. We are to honor that grace and live lives which show His grace to others. Never is that grace to be defiled by taking it lightly and abusing it.
Jude finishes his letter by saying that there will be those who come into our midst, trying to create divisions and strife. They will be mockers, following after their own lusts, worldly-minded, and self-centered. (V. 19)
But there is good news in all of this: we don’t have to be that way. When we keep our eyes focused on our Lord, and when we “build ourselves up on our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit”(V. 20), we will be filled with faith, love and His purpose.
And our God is able to keep us from stumbling, when we commit our lives to these things. (V. 24)
It’s do-able – we just have to do it!
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Daniel 8-12
In this section, we come to one of the most important principles for a successful Christian life. It’s a lesson the Lord wants us all to know.
God is sovereign; He makes the rules and He implements them. However, many people stop with that thought and never go on to think: so what are the rules?
One of the most significant rules is that He has given to man a certain amount of authority on the earth. He has designed it so that men are to pray for even His will to be done. We have a part in all that He does.
To use the words of John Wesley, forerunner of the Methodist Church, “I am convinced that God does nothing in the earth unless a man first prays.”
Wow!! That certainly goes against the grain of those who say that all we have to do is sit on the sofa and eat popcorn while God runs the world.
Yet this is the thing. God sends His word to the earth so that man will know what to pray for. How about that? We get a “cheat sheet” which tells us what to pray for; then He brings it to pass.
We see a perfect example of this in Daniel’s book. The prophet saw that God had told Jeremiah that the children of Israel would be in captivity for 70 years. And guess what! 70 years were up!(9:2)
So Daniel prays for God’s will to be done. (This is the real “your will be done” prayer, when you see in the Word what is His will and you pray for it to happen).
Now let’s be clear about this. Most of us don’t have God telling us exactly what He intends to do in the whole world – or even in our own country. O.K. So we aren’t a prophet to the whole church. But what about our family? He certainly tells us about what His will is for them.
Right in the Word when we see our covenant, we see over and over that He wants us to walk with Him, be healthy, prosperous, and successful. He wants that for our families also. Abundant life – isn’t that what Jesus said? (John 10:10)
So we do what Daniel did. We take that word and we pray it back to our Father. Then we speak it into the atmosphere for all of the demons and angels to hear. (Remember, the angels hearken to the voice of God’s Word to obey it. When we speak it, we are giving it voice).(Psalm 103:20)
We are working with God to bring about His best for our families and our communities. We aren’t begging Him for something He is trying to withhold. He wants to give us the kingdom; it’s His pleasure. (Luke 12:32)
Pray. Speak. Pray. Speak. Don’t give up until you see it manifest!
III John
This thought just moves us right into III John:2. “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health just as your soul prospers.”
There is a doctrine of demons our there, which has really worked its way into the church, and which says that God wants us poor, sick, and suffering “for his glory.”
Well that doesn’t give Him glory. What gives our God glory is for us to be filled with his love and mercy. And for us to have blessed lives in every respect so that people can see that He is really the One True God in heaven and on earth.
So let’s shake off that phoney doctrine, which is the devil’s will for our lives, and look at what His Word says.
He wants us to prosper and be in good health. I’ll take that, won’t you?
Then we take the cue from Daniel and we pray that Word of God until we see it with our eyes and hear it with our ears!
Let’s never give up until we see God’s Word being performed in our lives!
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Daniel 5-7
When you read these stories, I hope that they aren’t just good old stories. They are meant to be much more than that. They are meant to show us God’s principles, and they are meant to be examples of heroic faith for us to follow. As you read, prayerfully consider what your Lord is showing you.
We are living in times very similar to those in Daniel. You are probably wondering why I would say such a thing, so I’ll tell you.
Earlier in these studies, I shared how the Babylonian captivity in the natural, parallels a spiritual one which has gone on for centuries. The word “Babylon” signifies a state of confusion which will come from mixing the cultures of Israel and of heathens. You can easily see that the same thing has happened to the modern church.
For centuries now the church has succumbed to a state of confusion by mixing the ways of God with the ways of the world. When we allow that to happen to us in our own minds and hearts, we no longer are sure about what God wants. We look around us to see what is true and what is not. And, unfortunately, we can never find God’s truth just by looking around us to see what everyone else is saying and doing.
In the midst of that confusion, we see some truly remarkable young men, and we see God really showing Himself strong toward them. We also see our God showing Himself strong toward the arrogance of men who don’t honor Him.
So when the new king and his cohorts mock God by taking the vessels from God’s temple to use for their partying, they see a hand writing a message on the wall. A message which foretells the king’s demise. And instantly the kingdom is overthrown. God shows Himself as God Almighty, Creator of all things.
Then when Daniel is thrown into the lion’s den for his refusal to pray, again we see a miracle. The mouths of the lions are shut, and Daniel remains safe. Only an all-powerful God could accomplish such a thing.
My guess is that none of us will ever be thrown into a lion’s den. Yet in a mixed-up world, when we remain true to God, He does and will continue to intervene on our behalf. The more we trust Him, the more we see His hand.
There will come a day also when the Lord will arise to judge the arrogance of men. I want to be on the right side when that happens!
The wisdom for us in all of this is to be like Daniel and learn to trust Him more. When we get to know Him and trust Him, we see His hand working in many ways that only He could do.
II John
Babylonian thinking was already getting into the church in John’s time.
There were those who were trying to change the gospel. Some were even saying that Jesus Christ never came in the flesh. It’s amazing that such heresy was already starting so close to the time of Jesus.
That’s the way it is, however, because we do have an enemy out there – the devil. The one thing he tries to accomplish is to make us unbelievers. If he can discredit the gospel and the true message of Jesus, he has us. So our enemy is busy at it from the first.
Beware of deceivers. That’s John’s message to this lady who has a church meeting in her home. That’s also a message we need to keep in mind.
Beware of deceivers. They are dangerous.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Daniel 3-4
Our God is able!
If you ever are in a situation where those around you don’t believe in God and you feel your faith waning also, these chapters should help rev you up. Daniel and his buddies, in a foreign land, surrounded by unbelievers, are remarkable in their ability to continue to be faithful.
It would have been so easy for them to cave in to the influence of those around them. After all, they are there because most of their fellow countrymen had long ago stopped believing in their God. But not this crew. Nothing can stop their faith!
The jealousy aimed at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego by the Babylonians is obvious. Annoyed with the newly earned prestige of these foreigners, the locals quickly snap up the opportunity to point out their disobedience to the king. If the king had asked for most things, they would have complied. Yet there is no way these faithful ones are going to bow down to worship anyone but Jehovah God. So they get into trouble, but God turns the tide for them.
As they are obedient to Him, the fire in the furnace can’t even touch the young Jews. Even though the furnace is seven times as hot as usual and the men who throw them into the fire die instantly, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego come out without even the smell of smoke on them. Could it be because of the “fourth man” in the fire with them? I think so.
Hopefully you and I won’t be thrown into a furnace during our lifetimes. But every life has hardships, and every Christian suffers unfair treatment from those who don’t know the Lord. There are times when we feel like we are in a furnace. And it can be tough.
Yet our Father is there for us, just as He was in the early days of captivity. If we will believe in Him and stand tall, we will be amazed at the many ways our God can turn things around for us.
But we have to be faithful, and we have to believe.
If we do, we will see miracles – just like the Jews of old. And God will get the glory for His greatness.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Daniel 1-2
What does the favor of God look like? We have it right here.
Daniel and his three best friends were taken to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar, along with other rich and noble people. These young men were singled out because they “had no defect, were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had the ability for serving in the king’s court.” (1:4)
All of these attributes, given by God, were lining Daniel up for great favor with the king. But there is one more thing to notice. Their favor also came because of their faithfulness to God. When the king wanted all of the “interns” to eat his rich, fat-laden food and drink his wine, they appealed to the commander of the officials to exempt them. Instead, they asked to eat vegetables and water instead – fare that would be healthier for them, and God’s favor secured their request.
So these young men prospered in the foreign kingdom because God’s hand was upon them.
Now comes the famous moment when Daniel gets to interpret the dream of the king. Not only does he know the interpretation, he also knows the dream itself, and can relate it to Nebuchadnezzar. As a result, the king declares, “surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery.”(2:47) Then Daniel is promoted to the highest position in the land – the position right next to the king.
What our God can do in a moment’s time is amazing, isn’t it? From somewhat of a slave to the highest position over night!
As we read these accounts of our Father’s dealings with the people of old, let’s remember that our God hasn’t changed. He still brings favor and honor to those who are faithful to Him. If our lives are totally His, we can count on that favor.
I’m not saying that each one of us will be second in a kingdom somewhere, but I am saying that God’s favor will help us fulfill His plan for our lives.
So let’s stay faithful and yield to His plans. We will see His hand upon our lives also, each in our own way.
I John 3-5
“For whoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.” (5:4)
“And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”(5:14-15)
A man who has submerged himself in the love of our God, knows the goodness of our God. Our Father’s will is always for our good. So as we study God’s Word, we find His will, and we are able to boldly and confidently ask Him, knowing that He will accomplish it in our lives.
Our faith in His Word is key. Our faith in believing what He says will give us victory over the world. Our faith in His Word will also give us victory over our flesh and over desires which are not of Him.
John’s example is a great one for us to follow. Always loving God and others. Always believing. Always victorious.
