today's meditation (Amos 6) Finding Satisfaction

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Amos 6:1-14) 

1   Woe to those who are carefree in Zion,
     And to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria,
     The dignitaries of the foremost of nations,
     To whom the house of Israel comes.
2   Go over to Calneh and look,
     And go from there to Hamath the great,
     Then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
     Are they better than these kingdoms,
     Or is their territory greater than yours?
3   Are you postponing the day of disaster,
     And would you bring near the seat of violence?

4   Those who lie on beds of ivory,
     And lounge around on their couches,
     And eat lambs from the flock,
     And calves from the midst of the fattened cattle,
5   Who improvise to the sound of the harp,
     And like David have composed songs for themselves,
6   Who drink wine from sacred bowls 
     While they anoint themselves with the finest of oils—
     Yet they have not grieved over the collapse of Joseph.
7   Therefore, they will now go into exile at the head of the exiles,
     And the revelry of those who lounge around will come to an end.

8   The Lord God has sworn by Himself, the Lord God of armies has declared:
     “I loathe the arrogance of Jacob,
     And detest his citadels;
     Therefore I will give up the city and all it contains.”

9 And it will be, if ten men are left in one house, they will die. 10 Then one’s uncle, or his undertaker, will lift him up to carry out his bones from the house, and he will say to the one who is in the innermost part of the house, “Is anyone else with you?” And that one will say, “No one.” Then he will answer, “Keep quiet! For the name of the Lord is not to be mentioned.” 11 For behold, the Lord is going to command that the great house be smashed to pieces, and the small house to rubble.

12 Do horses run on rocks?
     Or does one plow them with oxen?
     Yet you have turned justice into poison,
     And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,
13 You who rejoice in Lodebar,
     And say, “Have we not by our own strength taken Karnaim for ourselves?”
14 “For behold, I am going to raise up a nation against you,
     House of Israel,” declares the Lord God of armies,
     “And they will torment you from the entrance of Hamath 
     To the brook of the Arabah.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Nothing wrong with some leisure time, but we will never be satisfied if it is at the expense of others, and it pulls us away from God.  When we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ who paid the price for all sin, we will experience real joy.  When we understand that everything we have is because of God, we will be thankful and more content.  When we realize that God created everyone with gifts, talents and purpose, we will serve Him in His strength and guidance, and discover fulfillment.  Only the Lord can fully satisfy us.

today's meditation (Jer.33) Finding Peace

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Jeremiah 33:1-26) Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, saying, 2 “This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to create it, He whose name is the Lord: 3 ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ 4 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah which have been torn down to make a defense against the assault ramps and the sword: 5 ‘While they are coming to fight the Chaldeans and to fill their houses with the bodies of people whom I have struck down in My anger and My wrath, and I have hidden My face from this city because of all their wickedness: 6 Behold, I am going to bring to it healing and a remedy, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth. 7 And I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and will rebuild them as they were at first. 8 And I will cleanse them from all their wrongdoing by which they have sinned against Me, and I will forgive all their wrongdoings by which they have sinned against Me and revolted against Me. 9 It will be to Me a name of joy, praise, and glory before all the nations of the earth, which will hear of all the good that I do for them, and they will be frightened and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.’

10 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Yet again there will be heard in this place, of which you say, “It is a waste, without man and without animal,” that is, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, without man and without inhabitant and without animal, 11 the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say,

     “Give thanks to the Lord of armies,
     For the Lord is good,
     For His mercy is everlasting,”

as they bring a thanksgiving offering into the house of the Lord. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first,’ says the Lord.

12 “This is what the Lord of armies says: ‘There will again be in this place which is waste, without man or animal, and in all its cities, a pasture for shepherds who rest their flocks. 13 In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the Negev, in the land of Benjamin, in the areas surrounding Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.

14 ‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch of David sprout; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety; and this is the name by which it will be called: the Lord is our righteousness.’ 17 For this is what the Lord says: ‘David shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; 18 and the Levitical priests shall not lack a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to prepare sacrifices continually.’”

19 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 20 “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night do not occur at their proper time, 21 then My covenant with David My servant may also be broken, so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levitical priests, My ministers. 22 As the heavenly lights cannot be counted, and the sand of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the descendants of My servant David and the Levites who serve Me.’”

23 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 24 “Have you not observed what these people have asserted, saying, ‘The two families which the Lord chose, He has rejected them’? So they despise My people as no longer being a nation in their sight. 25 This is what the Lord says: ‘If My covenant for day and night does not continue, and I have not established the fixed patterns of heaven and earth, 26 then I would reject the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so as not to take from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But I will restore their fortunes and have mercy on them.’”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

During the Tribulation, the Israelites will see the signs of Jesus' second coming, and they as a nation will believe.  Then Jesus will come again to bring both physical as well as spiritual healing, peace and safety to all those in the Millennium.  At that time, the Israelites will have all their covenants fulfilled, and the Lord will be there as King and High Priest, to guide and rebuild.

The first time the Lord came to earth in flesh, He came to speak truth and bring healing and a remedy, which is the forgiveness for sins.  Salvation through Jesus brings spiritual healing and spiritual peace to a person's life.  As believers, God then gives us His indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us and keep the fear of the Lord in our hearts forever.  

In His grace we have eternal security.  God chooses to remember our sins no longer because Jesus is our righteousness.  The Lord Jesus is always with us to guide, restore and build us, from the inside out.  The closer we draw to Him, the more we experience His peace, joy and gladness in every circumstance.

today's meditation (Is.55) Seeking What We Need

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Isaiah 55:1-13) 

1   “You there! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
     And you who have no money come, buy and eat.
     Come, buy wine and milk 
     Without money and without cost.
2   Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
     And your wages for what does not satisfy?
     Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
     And delight yourself in abundance.
3   Incline your ear and come to Me.
     Listen, that you may live;
     And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
     According to the faithful mercies shown to David.
4   Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
     A leader and commander for the peoples.
5   Behold, you will call a nation you do not know,
     And a nation which does not know you will run to you,
     Because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel;
     For He has glorified you.”

6   Seek the Lord while He may be found;
     Call upon Him while He is near.
7   Let the wicked abandon his way,
     And the unrighteous person his thoughts;
     And let him return to the Lord,
     And He will have compassion on him,
     And to our God,
     For He will abundantly pardon.
8   “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
     Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
9   “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
     So are My ways higher than your ways 
     And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
     And do not return there without watering the earth 
     And making it produce and sprout,
     And providing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 So will My word be which goes out of My mouth;
     It will not return to Me empty,
     Without accomplishing what I desire,
     And without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.
12 For you will go out with joy 
     And be led in peace;
     The mountains and the hills will break into shouts of joy before you,
     And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn bush, the juniper will come up,
     And instead of the stinging nettle, the myrtle will come up;
     And it will be a memorial to the Lord,
     An everlasting sign which will not be eliminated.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

How do we think ourselves so clever?  Why would we ever think we know better than the Lord?  It would be because we usually love ourselves more than anything, and we are only thinking of ourselves.  Yet the Lord created us with a purpose to have a personal relationship with Him, because He loves us... MORE than we could ever love ourselves!  And He knows us better than we know ourselves.

It really comes down to seeking out what we NEED and not what we WANT or THINK we need.  And what we need is way beyond anything we could ever do for ourselves.  It is something only God can do and provide for us.  It is when we see that our way is nothing compared to God's way, and we choose to do things His way, that we will be fulfilled and flourish in His strength and guidance!

today's meditation (Pr.27) Planning and Preparing

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Proverbs 27:1-27)

1   Do not boast about tomorrow,
     For you do not know what a day may bring.
2   Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
     A stranger, and not your own lips.
3   A stone is heavy and the sand weighty,
     But the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them.
4   Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood,
     But who can stand before jealousy?
5   Better is open rebuke 
     Than love that is concealed.
6   Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
     But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
7   A satisfied person despises honey,
     But to a hungry person any bitter thing is sweet.
8   Like a bird that wanders from its nest,
     So is a person who wanders from his home.
9   Oil and perfume make the heart glad,
     And a person’s advice is sweet to his friend.
10 Do not abandon your friend or your father’s friend,
     And do not go to your brother’s house on the day of your disaster;
     Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away.
11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,
     So that I may reply to one who taunts me.
12 A prudent person sees evil and hides himself;
     But the naive proceed, and pay the penalty.
13 Take his garment when he becomes a guarantor for a stranger;
     And for a foreign woman seize a pledge from him.
14 One who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning,
     It will be considered a curse to him.
15 A constant dripping on a day of steady rain 
     And a contentious woman are alike;
16 He who would restrain her restrains the wind,
     And grasps oil with his right hand.
17 As iron sharpens iron,
     So one person sharpens another.
18 One who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit,
     And one who cares for his master will be honored.
19 As in water a face reflects the face,
     So the heart of a person reflects the person.
20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,
     Nor are the eyes of a person ever satisfied.
21 The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold,
     And each is tested by the praise accorded him.
22 Though you pound the fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain,
     His foolishness still will not leave him.

23 Know well the condition of your flocks,
     And pay attention to your herds;
24 For riches are not forever,
     Nor does a crown endure to all generations.
25 When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen,
     And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in,
26 The lambs will be for your clothing,
     And the goats will bring the price of a field,
27 And there will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
     For the food of your household,
     And sustenance for your attendants.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

We are not to boast about tomorrow, but we are to plan and prepare.  In fact, the only thing we should boast about is the Lord!  Working hard and being wise with our time and resources honors the Lord.  We do not know what the future holds, but we can have faith in Him to provide for us.  And when we have plans or are given plans that are in God's will - He will make sure that these happen.