Jesus was all-knowing. Jesus was God on Earth, and He could do, say or know whatever He wanted about mankind and his surroundings. At the time of that last meal in the borrowed room, Jesus knew Judas would betray Him. Judas, the one Jesus had fed, loved, helped, taught, prayed with and invested in was going to sell his Friend for the price of a slave within the hour. Yet, Jesus still washed his feet. Satan had already put (literally, thrown) the betrayal into Judas’ heart, and Jesus knew it. After three years with Jesus, Judas should have had the faith shield (Ephesians 6:16) up and ready for the darts of Satan, but he was too interested in other stuff—material things. Remember, he was the one who handled the money for Jesus and His entourage. After all that time, the talks they had together, the time spent teaching others, the time spent working miracles and all the other things Jesus did with him, Judas was about to betray our Lord. Still, Jesus washed his feet, knowing it wouldn’t make a bit of difference to Judas. Have you ever thought about why? Jesus knew it wouldn’t change Judas’ course of action. He knew Judas would still betray Him, and He knew that Judas wouldn’t appreciate in the least the humble service of washing his feet. However, Jesus wasn’t washing Judas’ feet for Judas; He was doing it because it’s what God wanted. It was pleasing to God. Our service to others

It doesn’t happen very often for me, but every now and then I get a good idea. You know the kind of idea—one that comes into your mind, and you know that it would improve something that you’re doing. I’ve had a few of those over the last several weeks, but I really haven’t put any of them into practice yet. It’s not that I don’t think they are good ideas anymore, but it’s just that I’ve found a lot of other things to do instead of implementing the new stuff. That happens a lot, doesn’t it? We have things that we know we should be doing (maybe a card, a call or a visit to someone who needs encouragement), but we have other things that seem to always get in the way. “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). Today, decide that you won’t let things get in the way anymore. Will you resolve to do what you know you need to do? “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice” (Romans 7:19).

It might be scary to you, or it might be a great comfort. One day, we will appear before our God to give an account of our lives. What will you say? What do you honestly think God will say to you? What do you think your emotions will be like? What will you feel? If God could personally tell you one thing right now, what do you think He’d say? Would He confront you about a secret sin? Would He encourage you in your walk? What would He want you to change before the Judgment? Today, what will you do to make sure your eternal destiny is secure? What choices will you make to be pleasing to God?

I know why we keep baking soda in the refrigerator – to keep the stench out. However, for as long as we’ve been married, we’ve had a box of baking soda in our shower. For the last few years, I guess it never registered with me, but a few months ago, I started to wonder why. Here was this box of baking soda that had always been in our shower, and I had no idea why. I couldn’t figure anything out on my own. So, I Googled it – and apparently, no one else keeps baking soda in the shower. As a last resort, I had to ask Alesha the reason for the baking soda in the shower (a last resort because I didn’t want her to know that I didn’t know the reason). It turns out that she uses it to get something out of her hair (I think). I guess there’s a good use for it after all. Are there spiritual things that you treat like I treated that box of baking soda? You know they are there, and that we do them or don’t do them, but you don’t really know why. Maybe it’s something to do with how we worship God or why we do certain things in a certain way. Maybe there are things that you’ve always done but never really investigated. Today, would you decide to make the extra effort and start investigating the things you don’t understand? Would you stop acting like those

You know the type: that person who seems to always be busy, constantly running from here to there and from there to here, making tons of stops along the way. You see them at work, at soccer games and at the grocery store. You know the kind of person I’m talking about. Is it you? Are you the one who is just too busy for your own good? I’m all for getting things done, but there has to be balance in life. Even Jesus took time out to rest! I hope you see today as a gift. Even more, I hope you see today as your gift to your family. Instead of staying so busy, can you find some time today to be at rest with your family?

We live in America, and so, naturally, that’s where most of our focus lies. We read news about our country, know about the leaders of our country and are concerned about the issues of it. Yet, if we’re serious about the Gospel – Jesus’ call to go into all the world (Matthew 28:19-20) –  shouldn’t we be concerned about the morality of other places on the globe as well as morality in our own country? Specifically, shouldn’t we be concerned about the fact that 336,000,000 babies have been aborted over the last 42 years (as of 2013)? That’s 336 million. The 50 million or so babies aborted in the US during the same time frame disgusts us, and so, what should our reaction be to the multiplied problem in other countries? To put that huge 336 million figure in perspective, the number of abortions in China over the last 42 years is more than: Pretty scary, isn’t it? Now, no one is counting on government to overcome the great evil happening in that country (and the same is true for ours). The only thing that will halt the murder of innocent babies is the Gospel, and the responsibility for getting the Gospel to people who don’t have it lies heavily on the shoulders of the ones who do have the Gospel. That’s us! It’s our job to reach people around the world with God’s message of hope and truth. Only then might we see the staggering numbers from China decrease.

God’s Word is not a menu. It’s not something from which we can pick and choose. We can’t decide what sounds good to us and what we’d rather ignore. If God said it, He meant it, and if He meant it, we’d better live it – not altering it or customizing it to fit our wishes. One of the hardest things God commanded has to be forgiveness. It’s needed when we’re hurt or when someone has wronged us. It’s a lot easier to hold the bitterness and keep the grudge, isn’t it? Today, is there a grudge you’re holding? If so, will you stop treating God’s Word like a pick-and-choose menu? Will you forgive the wrong? “And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him” (Luke 17:4 NKJV).

Are you excited about today? Excited about its opportunities? Its possibilities? Do you have confidence today in what God can do? Confidence in His peace? His joy? What about your future? Do you think it’s bright? Do you think it gets brighter once you pass from this temporal world? What about your past? Are you comfortable with it? Can you accept it? If you have trouble with today, your future or your past, why not take Jesus’ words in John 10:10 to heart? He’s promised an abundant life, and His promises never fail. Today, how will your actions and attitudes show that you believe Jesus’ promise?

That’s a phrase that I’ve found myself using a lot – especially with a 3-year-old. He’s always wanting to do something – to go outside, to go inside, to ride his truck, to play in the sprinklers, to mow the grass, to trim the bushes, to climb stuff, etc. We can’t do it all, and so, he hears, “Just wait,” a lot. It’s hard to wait, though, isn’t it? It’s especially difficult when we’re forced to wait for things out of our control. God’s plan doesn’t work on our timetables. It works on His time. Today, for what do you need to “just wait”? For what have you tried to work in the past when you needed to wait? How will today be different?

“The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, And adds learning to his lips” (Proverbs 16:23 NKJV). Are you good at choosing your words wisely? Or, are you, like me, on the other end of the spectrum? When people hear your words, are they usually encouraged and built up by what you’ve said? Or, do you tend to tear people down with what comes from your mouth? I’m sure you don’t plan for your words to be received that way (I hope not!), but looking back, does it happen often? Today, will you promise to think about your words carefully? Will you be honest and wise as you speak? Will you try to build people up instead of wearing them down?

“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). Love is God’s commandment to us. Faith is important, and hope is, too, but the greatest is love. Jesus commanded – not advised or encouraged but commanded – us to love one another as He love us (John 13:34). That’s a pretty steep command, isn’t it? Yet, as Christians, we must try to live up to it. He ultimately showed His love on the cross, and we show our love by giving of ourselves for others. Today, how will you show the world God’s love? How will you live your life in a way that might prick a heart? How will you bring someone to God?

This day is yours; what are you going to do with it? Psalm 118 reminds us that this day—just like every other day—is a reason for celebration. God gave it to us (Psalm 118:24) and filled it up with possibilities and opportunities to use it for His purposes. At midnight, it was given to us free of any kind of charge, but we must be careful. Although it was free, it’s non-renewable. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. Our responsibility is to use this day in service to God and His purposes. Today, will you treasure your time? Will you give God the glory? The thanksgiving? Will you look for the opportunities and possibilities with which God has blessed you? It’s the day the Lord made, for sure. Yet, how you live it depends on your choices and decisions.

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1). One truth we seem to forget daily is that God has a purpose for this world. In case you missed it, this world includes us. With that thought in the back of our minds, we go on about business, boasting about future events or our accomplishments in the past. I’m not saying we shouldn’t celebrate achievement or plan for the future. I think God looks favorably upon both those things. Yet, I do think we should plan for the future with a degree of humility and submissiveness. Further, shouldn’t we look back on the past with thanksgiving and gratitude? Today, how will you place trust in God when it comes to the future? What should you hand over to Him?

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:7-10). God is anywhere and everywhere, but does He sometimes feel far away from you? If so, I hope you realize that it has nothing to do with God and everything to do with us. I can be as close to God as I want to be. I can start each day in prayer, or I can neglect it. I can fill my mind and thoughts with Scripture, or I can choose to think about any number of other things. Our lives can become spiritual wastelands due to our neglect of God. If we feel distant from Him, it’s something we—only we—can correct.

I don’t think anyone really likes to be disciplined. It’s interesting, though, that the word “disciple,” which we all want to be, looks a lot like the word “discipline.” The two words are related. We all seek to be disciples of Jesus. In fact, our call is to go make disciples of the world, and much of discipleship involves discipline. We discipline ourselves to be under Christ’s Law. We discipline our flesh. We discipline our desires and wants. As we discipline ourselves, we become better disciples of Jesus and as we apply His Word to ourselves. Today, how can you discipline yourself to be a better disciple? Practically, how would it appear?

Lately, it seems like I’ve been consistently adding things to my plate. Tasks, jobs and responsibilities seem to pile up pretty quickly, and those things tend to dominate our lives, don’t they? Yet, as the burdens get more numerous and heavier, have you been guilty of leaving God out of your life every now and then? With the added responsibility you might have recently taken, did you make sure you still found time to read God’s Word and pray to Him? If your life seems to be getting cluttered like mine, will you commit to making more time for God as your tasks and jobs increase? What would that look like practically in your life?

Today, on what are you focusing? Some big project on which you’ve been working? Marital problems with which you’ve been dealing? Parenting struggles? What’s your focus? Will it be problems, or will you focus on God’s blessings and on what He wants for your life? Every moment is a chance to think of and celebrate God’s blessings in life, but we often turn our moments into time spent dwelling on the negatives of life. Instead of dwelling on the bad times, why not take a moment (right now) to thank God for what you’ve been given? Why not focus on the joys with which God has blessed you? Have you thanked Him for the blessing of being His child? For your spouse? For your children? For your grandchildren? “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 NKJV).

It happened yesterday, and it will happen again today. There will be people around you that you don’t even notice. It happens to us all. We get so busy going through our daily routines that we usually don’t pay much attention to our surroundings—especially to people. It could be the cashier at Wal-Mart, the person pumping gas across from you, the guy who works down the hall or the lonely neighbor down the street. There are people all around us who want to be noticed, but we usually don’t notice them. I wonder what it would mean for the Wal-Mart cashier if we started taking an interest in her. Would it brighten her day if we noticed her, talked with her and encouraged her? What about the guy down the hall or the neighbor down the street? Would it mean something to them if we went out of our way to let them know that we notice them, appreciate them and care for them? Would it open doors to Gospel-centered conversations? Would we learn about them so we could find ways to share the Gospel? I think so. Today, what will you do to notice more people? “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them…” (Matthew 7:12 NKJV).

“When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them” (Deuteronomy 4:30-31). Those were Moses’ words to God’s people under the Old Covenant, but the principle is still valid for us. God is loving, patient and kind. When things aren’t going well in life, He’s still there—loving us, being patient with us and treating us with kindness. Our God is a God who works through the difficulties of life to refine His people. Today, how do you think God is refining you? Are you fighting it? How could you better work with Him through the difficulties?

A lot of time discussing the Minor Prophets is spent focusing on their accusations against Israel. To be sure, there were plenty of accusations to go around for them. As we focus on the message of the Minor Prophets, it might be good to take a step away from the accusations and fix our eyes on God’s love for His people—even the ones receiving condemnation throughout the Minor Prophets. After all, from the beginning, God’s love for His people has been the backbone of everything He’s asked them to do. Throughout Hosea’s prophecy, God’s love undergirds everything He relays through the prophet. For example, just after chiding them for their unfaithfulness, God spoke of His faithfulness and goodness toward them (Hosea 3:5). Take a look at the way the book ends. Hosea’s prophecy was hard-hitting for Israel, but God ended it with love. “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him” (Hosea 14:4). God’s anger would only be turned away from them if they would return to Him (Hosea 14:1-3), but His love for them was never-ending. God’s treatment of Israel mirrors His treatment of us. In Romans 8:34-39 we can see how nothing will ever separate us from the love of God in Christ. Well, nothing except ourselves. If we refuse to be faithful, God still loves us freely, but we separate ourselves from His love. In the words of Hosea, if we neglect to “return” to Him once

Does today bring a difficult choice, a bad situation or a real temptation for you? How will you meet it and overcome it? How will you make sure that you stay on God’s path? “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). Today, you’ll have choices, decisions and temptations. Will you make choices that lead you into a closer relationship with God? Will your choices prove God to be the most important part of your life? Will you let the Lord direct your steps as you make your plans, choices and decisions?

The Thanksgiving holiday is always one of my favorite times of the year. Besides the obvious (a day of great, home cooked meals), it is a time to spend with family and friends, people that we do not get to see very much. Usually – at least in my case – our minds are on the things of this world when it comes to Thanksgiving. Yet, for a few minutes, look at some of the words of Paul – a man who was completely detached from this world. As we enter this week of Thanksgiving, I encourage you to have the mindset of Paul. Here are some things for which he was thankful. The Faithfulness of the Church “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world” (Romans 1:8). “Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles” (Romans 16:4). “Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers” (Ephesians 1:15-16). I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good

Proverbs 21:2 teaches that while we justify our actions by appearances, God cares about our motives. In this world, we see one another as how we seem to be. God sees us as we really are. He sees our hearts and knows our thoughts. His opinion should matter the most, and His opinion isn’t shaped by how good we are at keeping up our appearances. How much energy have you spent this week keeping up your appearances to your friends and neighbors or even before your fellow Christians? Even if everyone believes that you really do have it all worked out, how does that make your life better? Today, will you commit to pleasing God above all and not focusing so much on appearances? What does that look like for you?

“You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). Plenty of things in our lives can take the place of God. If we let them, they, in effect, become our gods; they become what we serve. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, Jesus made sure that the devil knew that God was the only One worthy of worship. Nothing else. No one else. If we place God in a position of secondary importance, we’re doing great harm to ourselves and to our families. When distractions come into our Christianity, we suffer greatly. However, when we put God on the throne of our lives, we’ll be blessed – if not physically, definitely spiritually.

“But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:13-14). How do you feel about the direction of your life? Your job? Your family? Are there things you wish you could change? Of course there are! We all have them. Yet, as Christians, shouldn’t we be content with the direction of our lives? However, the only way to experience that peace is through Jesus. The inner peace He provides can impact the rest of one’s life. Today, how would it impact your family if you had that kind of peace inside? Your friends? Your job?

Before you read another word, I think I need to make something clear. You’re about to be tempted to apply what you’re about to read to somebody else. If you’re like me and pretty much all other humans, you’re going to think of someone else’s sin. Their mistakes. How they’ve hurt you. How they are the ones who need to repent, but this is for you. It’s about your sin. Your mistakes. How you’ve hurt people. How you’ve neglected to serve people. How you are the one who needs to repent. Think of your own sin first. In Jesus’ words, concentrate on the beam in your own eye before you get the sawdust out of someone else’s eye (Matthew 7). The words you’re about to read are for you. It’s about your deficiencies. Your hardheadedness. Your need for change. It’s personal – or at least it should be. It should be offensive for you. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you quit reading after a few words. You might be upset. You could be angry. You might lose your interest in the direction I’m heading. I hope that isn’t the case, but I’m sure it could be if you really understand that I’m talking to you – not someone else. Now that we have that out of the way, think for a few moments about repentance and your need for it. I don’t like to go back and talk about original languages that much because those aren’t the languages

“Life is a series of choices between the bad, the good, and the best. Everything depends on how we choose” (Vance Havner). Every day of your life is a progression of choices. When you wake up, there are choices, and throughout the day, the decisions never stop. What will you eat? What will you wear? How will you respond to the difficult guy at work? Probably, there are already a host of things on your mind (even if you read these the first thing in the morning). You can already see that your day will be filled with choices, can’t you? Further, the sum of those decisions will decide the quality of your day. The sum of your days will determine the quality of your life. It starts with your choices. Today, will you make choices that are pleasing to God? Will you make choices that improve your life? How?

Is there any bitterness in your heart that you should do away with? Are there things you regret about your life? Made any bad decisions that you’re not happy about? Absolutely! We all have. Yet, if we keep letting those things bring us down, we’re not only wasting our time, we’re violating God’s Word. Forgiveness is a difficult thing sometimes. It is especially difficult when it’s ourselves that we need to forgive. We’re frail and imperfect. Most of us are quick to anger, quick to blame, slow to forgive and even slower to forget. However, God’s command was that His people be a forgiving people. We’ve been forgiven, so why not extend that blessing to others? Is there one person against whom you hold some kind of bitterness or unforgiveness? Or are you bitter toward yourself for some mistake you’ve made? Either way, it’s time to forgive and move on. Hatred, regret and bitterness are not a part of God’s plan for anyone’s life. Forgiveness is. It’s time to move on, isn’t it? Find some time today to read Ephesians 4, especially verses 31-32. Think about it and live it.

“And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Life will have disappointments and hardships. That’s pretty much inevitable. It’s going to happen, but how will you deal with them? Will you trust God’s providence? Will you allow Him to “supply all your needs according to His riches”? Or will you keep trying to overcome hardships on your own? Maybe you’ve tried to get over hardships that you don’t even understand. Will you commit to allowing God to supply those needs? Will you let His peace that passes all understanding characterize your life?

I read a story the other day about a man who attempted to rob a bank for $1.00. My first thought (along with the bank tellers) was that this guy was just joking around. Turns out we were wrong. He was seriously trying to steal $1.00 from the bank. My second thought was that if I were going to rob a bank, it better be worth a lot more than $1.00. I am not going to give up the blessings of my freedom for that little. Yet spiritually, we do the same thing. Sin is not worth much – even though it might feel like it for a moment. In the end, it is basically worthless. However, when we succumb to it, we are really just like the guy trying to rob a bank for $1.00. He gave up a lot to try and get a little. When we constantly give in to sin (to the point that it is willful), we are giving up the blessings in Christ for not much at all. Lately, what have you been giving up for sin? Today, how can you make sure that you do not give up something so important for something so worthless?

I have no doubt that you will do good things today; it is what we do as Christians. However, let me encourage you to make sure there are no strings attached to the good you will do. This was Jesus’ message in the Sermon on the Mount. Because we belong to Jesus, we should be doing good things to help others, knowing that they will never repay the good we do. Because of our Christianity, that should be fine by us. Today, what kind of good will you do for others? If you are not content right now with not being repaid for it, what can you do to change that attitude today?

There are not many things in Scripture that are worse than being labeled as an unbeliever, but not caring for your family is one of those things (1 Timothy 5:8). If God has blessed you with a family, He expects you to care for it. You might be leading as a father/husband. It might be the incredible work of a wife/mother. Whatever your case is, God expects you to care for the ones He has given to you. No family is perfect. Not even yours! However, as the problems come (today!), how will you show that you’re caring for the family He has given you? If you have not lately, you could start by praying, thanking God for the great people He has given to you.

“He must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). You already know Jesus made an extreme sacrifice for you, and as many times as we have been asked this question, it needs to be kept in the front of our minds: What changes have you made in your life because of His sacrifice? Is your commitment to Jesus shown only by a one-time decision and weekly church attendance? Or, does the sacrifice of Jesus Christ mean more to you than that? I hope it does! If you honestly examine yourself, does it look like you are a one or two day per week Christian? If so, it is time for a change. Nothing should take precedence over it. Today, how can you make sure that your Christianity impacts all of your days – not just a couple of them?

“In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility…” (Titus 2:7) Someone, I don’t know who, said that character is what we are when no one is watching. How true! When we do things that aren’t right, we try to hide them from our families, friends and the rest of the church. Even then, God is watching, and He knows. If you want to be pleasing to God, to walk with Him, you must seek to follow His commandments. When you try to live up to God’s standard, your character will take care of itself. You won’t be living to please other people anymore. You’ll live to make God happy, and if we get that right, the rest will fall right into place.

Our Lord made it very clear to the people who first followed Him: they were to ask God to meet their needs. Shouldn’t we? Genuine, heartfelt prayer can produce powerful changes in our lives and world. When we lift up our hearts to God, asking for His wisdom, we open ourselves up to a great source of wisdom and love. Do you have questions about today? Questions about your future that you can’t answer? Questions about choices or decisions you’ll soon have to make? Needs that you can’t satisfy by yourself? Have you sought God’s wisdom? Have you asked for direction? Protection? Strength? Courage? If you have, do you consistently ask for His wisdom? Our God is perfectly capable of answering your prayers, but first, you have to ask. Find some time today to read James 1:5. Think about it. Put it into practice.

“Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer… I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King” (Isaiah 43:14-15). Although we do not generally associate God’s redemption with Eden, the connection is there. We spend a lot of time painting God as a Redeemer King, seeking to redeem His people from sin and restore an intimate relationship with them. It is significant that Isaiah tied God’s kingly attributes to His creative purpose and redemptive plan. The King is the Creator. The Creator is the Redeemer. The Redeemer is the King. All three are tied together, and it is very important that we see the connections between these three, because they all take us back to Eden. As much as God is Creator of Israel, He is Creator of the entire world. On the sixth day, God, the Creator, created humans and placed them in Eden. Eden was God’s first kingdom – it was there that His people were to dwell, living in agreement with His will. God’s first humans did not live by His will, so they were ejected from Eden. The rest of history has been the story of God redeeming people back from what the first humans started. Adam and Eve fell, and Israel did not live righteously. So God brought forth Jesus, His ultimate plan to restore the atmosphere of Eden. There are plenty of others, but I want to highlight for you two passages that make this very clear, Ephesians 4:17-24 and 2 Corinthians

If sin is the problem, repentance is the fix. That was basically the message of John the Baptist as he was preaching and teaching down by the Jordan. The problem he faced was talking with and teaching people who did not really realize their sickness. After all, they could all claim Abraham as their father. Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.” (Luke 3:7-8) To give a little background to those verses, John had been preaching a message of repentance. He had been preparing the path for Jesus, doing his little part to get the world ready for the Messiah. A group of Jews had come to him to be baptized with his baptism of repentance. If most church leaders heard of a huge group of people coming to repent and be baptized, they would jump at the opportunity to get it done. They could not get in the baptistery quickly enough! However, John was not like most church leaders. He wore funny clothes, ate weird food and probably did not impress most of the theological professionals. In fact, the idea of somebody like John baptizing Jews was completely unusual. He was

Throughout the Scriptures, God went through great detail to paint a beautiful picture of His special people as a vine or tree. That imagery allowed Him to make clear His love and devotion to His people. You have brought a vine out of Egypt; You have cast out the nations, and planted it. You prepared room for it, and caused it to take deep root, and it filled the land. The hills were covered with its shadow, and the mighty cedars with its boughs. (Psalm 80:8-10) Now let me sing to my Well-beloved a song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: my Well-beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill. He dug it up and cleared out its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, and also made a winepress in it; so He expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, please, between Me and My vineyard. What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? (Isaiah 5:1-4) Do not miss the great pictures God painted for us. He uprooted the vine (Israel) from Egypt, brought it out, and rooted it deeply in the land. He did everything He could do to make the vine bring forth good fruit. That

There are plenty of Messianic prophecies scattered throughout the Old Testament, but none is more well known and beloved than Isaiah’s servant song in Isaiah 53. There, he beautifully foretold the coming of the Messiah, His existence, His punishment and His death for the world. Interestingly, Isaiah had much to say about the people Jesus would target. (Credit for this collection of passages goes to Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert in their book, When Helping Hurts). I know the following passages are lengthy, but every word is worth it. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. (Isaiah 1:16-17) Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. (Isaiah 35:3-6) Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways, as a nation

In the opening chapters of Nehemiah, we see a man who was consumed with God’s plan for his life. His zeal for God’s work was evident in the way he handled himself before the king, the way he responded when told about the state of Jerusalem and the planning he did while waiting for the right opportunity. Further, it was because of that zeal that Nehemiah accomplished such great things in God’s kingdom. His zeal led him to the walls and gates of a tattered city. When Nehemiah reached his beloved town, he found a place in ruins and people who did not care one way or another. Their city – God’s city – was in terrible shape, and no one was doing anything about it. Nehemiah inspected, was honest in his assessment of the city, and got to work on God’s kingdom. If we are honest with ourselves about God’s kingdom today, it’s not in much better shape than Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s day. The walls of the church (not the buildings) are broken and the gates are burned – and maybe that is the big reason that we do not see many people these days entering the gates of the kingdom. It is about time we fixed the city – the church. It is time that we inspect the walls and figured out where we can do some renovation and rebuilding on God’s city, the church, Jesus’ body. The walls are broken and the gates are burning – have