Author: David Short

Jeremiah 36:5-7

Build houses and dwell in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands; and be multiplied and not diminished. Seek the peace of the land into which I carried you captive. Pray to the Lord for them, for in its peace you shall have peace.

Encouraging Words…

As children of the Living God we are exiles from His kingdom as we live our lives in this temporal world. We do not live in His paradise but in the dry and barren land of His enemy. But just as God told His children in Israel to live full and complete lives, enlarging their number, while living under the captivity of the Babylonians, He tells us to do the same in our lives today. We can live full lives in His light, we can enlarge His Church, we can become a blessing to those around us who cherish this world and who may even be hostile toward us. Our charter, our calling, is to cultivate our lives in such a way that His kingdom, His paradise is manifest through us. Glory be to God!

Acts 4:19-20

But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

Personal Challenge…

Political correctness, or social conformity, has become the norm in our society today. And in the name of diversity we are often told that we cannot stand up for our faith and our Lord. We must always temper our actions with love for our neighbor but if the “system” begins to violate God’s teachings then we must take His side and be prepared for the consequences. Glory be to God!

Matthew 10:28

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Personal Challenge.

We often live our lives fearful of what another man (or woman) might do to us. If we stand up for, and demonstrate, our faith at work we fear that we could loose our job, or worse yet be passed up for a promotion. We don’t share our faith and the Good News of Christ for fear that we might loose our friends, or worse yet be labeled a Jesus Freak. God has both our physical life and our spiritual life in the palm of His hand. No one else does. We should be living our lives fully for Him. Glory be to God!

Jeremiah 23:23-24

“I am a God who is near,” says the Lord, “and not a God afar off. Can a man hide in secret, and I not see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.

Personal Challenge…

How is it that we can proclaim that our Lord God is omnipresent, everywhere at all times, and still justify our acts of sin as if He does not know and see what we are doing? Now is the time to live our lives, by the actions we take, the words we speak, and the thoughts that we have, as if we are doing them while standing at the foot of His throne, for that is what we are doing. Now is the time to bare all before Him, confess our sins, repent from them, and run into His loving arms, resting there in His loving forgiveness, grace, and mercy. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Acts 3:16

And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

Encouraging Words…

How awesome it is to know that our Lord is so powerful that all we need to receive His grace and perfection in our lives is faith in Him. On top of this He is the one that fives us this faith. Glory be to God!

Luke 11:28

But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”

Personal Challenge…

We live in the age of the printed word, whether on paper or on a computer screen. It has become such a prevalent part of our lives that we neglect the spoken word, the stories, the traditions, and the history that is passed on from generation to generation. Written words can become just as distorted as spoken words that are not tempered with truth and grace. When Jesus spoke these words there was no written scriptures of His life and actions. When He referenced hearing the word of God and keeping it, He was talking about His spoken word and His personal character. We must always remember that we worship Jesus, the living Son of God, and not a book written about Him.

Matthew 5:37

But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Personal Challenge…

That which comes out of our mouth so clearly demonstrates that which is in our hearts. We are called to speak truthfully and to act according to that truth. The modern world has become so skillful at saying one thing and meaning something different. Have we as followers of Christ started doing the same? Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Malachi 3:1-5

“Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come into His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, whom you desire. Behold, He is coming,” says the Lord Almighty. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can withstand His appearance? For He enters like a refiner’s fire and as soap in one’s wash. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver and gold. He will purify the sons of Levi and pour them out as purified gold and silver, and they will bring an offering to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in the days of old, as in former years.

“And I will draw near to you in judgment, a swift witness against sorcerers, adulterers, those who swear falsely by My name, those who exploit wage- earners, those who oppress widows and afflict orphans, those who pervert the justice due foreigners, and those who do not fear Me,” says the Lord Almighty.

Encouraging Words and Personal Challenge…

In the day of Malachi (~500 years before Christ) a new temple had been consecrated and the people restored. And yet, they were grumbling and complaining against God. Here Malachi prophecies of the coming messenger, the forerunner John, who will be proclaiming the coming of the Son of God, both the Redeemer and the Judge. We live in the age of redemption where we have the opportunity and responsibility to proclaim His love, redemption, and grace to all those around us. This is also an age of refinement where we are being cleansed and purified through our trials and tribulations to be more like Him. Now is the time to live for Him. Now is the time to humble ourselves before Him. Now is the time to follow in His steps and to love our neighbor and take care of the the widow, the orphan, and the poor amongst us.