August 1
Jeremiah 7:1 to 8:3;
11:1-17;
Our Father, today, again I
witness Your enduring - Your patient mercy.
I should not marvel so much at the persistent rejection of the people of
August 2
2 Kings 24:1-4; 2
Chronicles 36:6-7; Daniel 1:1-2;
Jeremiah 36:1-32; 25:1-38;
45:1-5
Father, it hurts to read
of Jehoiakim’s evil reaction to hearing Your
Word. His contempt apparently shocked
several others as well. I could easily say,
“What is it that seizes the heart of man that provokes such evil?” But, my Father, You have made me to reflect
better than that over the years. I know
that the evil actions demonstrated by some people only illustrate the
potentiality of all people. In fact, I
have come to realize that I cannot know the potential depth of evil in my own
heart. There truly is a palpable
desperation in the daily evils of the common sinner. He or she seems to sense the brevity of
time. And so the pleasures of sin are sought
after with a passion, as the open season slips away. Jehoiakim and those
close to him, as well as most of the people had taught themselves to make a
mockery of true religion. They were
creative in retaining a form of godliness as they pursued idols and their
related debaucheries. But You will not be mocked.
August 3
Jeremiah 46:1-28; Daniel
1:3-21; 2 Kings 24:7; Daniel 2:1-49
Sovereign Lord, there are
so many observations that can be noted as I read through Daniel. And even though it is a principal book in the
study of end times, there are such wonderful “every day” practical lessons
throughout. But Father, I have to
mention the most important theme – the truly big picture. And that is You! Your attributes – Your omnipotence – Your
omniscience, and maybe most of all, Your
providence. It is such a beautiful thing
that often escapes us. You can be
trusted. We are so inclined to trust
ourselves. And it is so silly because we
know we are not capable. You are the
wonderful Lord of glory and no matter where You lead
us, we can always know, our ultimate good is assured. Daniel knew this and his three friends knew
this. You have spared nothing, not even Your own heart, not even Your own Son. I love You, my
God. Forgive me. Forgive my neglect in handling Your Word of
Life. Amen. Thank You.
August 4
2 Kings 24:5-6; 2
Chronicles 36:8; 2 Kings 24:8-9;
2 Chronicles 36:9; 1
Chronicles 3:10-16; Daniel 3:1-30;
Jeremiah 9:16-21;
Holy Father, the
contrasting colors in this reading are vivid, to say the least. When I compare the list of
August 5
Jeremiah
Jeremiah 49:1-33; Obadiah
1:1-21
Loving Father, there are
many jewels here, but the most precious is the prophecy that a Righteous King
will come. It is a very good place for
such a prophecy, because it comes right on the heels of the fulfillment of a
prophecy – the capture of Jehoiachin and his
family. Whether Your Word deals with
negatives or positives, ultimately every jot and tittle
will come to pass as You have said. But none of the things You
have said bring more assurance than these Words in Jeremiah about the Righteous
Branch and the restoration of Your people.
The words about Ammon are frightening, but
encouraging. Like
August 6
Jeremiah 14:1 to 15:9;
18:1 to
Our Father in heaven, even
though this reading ends on a merciful note; the subject is predominantly
justice. And I am inclined to dwell
there for a moment. I have heard secular
Bible critics suggest that the God of the Old Testament is different from the
God of the New Testament. Some say the
God of the Old Testament is like a vindictive, spoiled kid. It occurs to me - this is a natural thing for
them to say, since they have no concept of sin; because they have no concept of
righteousness. They cannot possibly
understand You, Lord, because they do not understand holiness. They can only describe You
as they would describe a man – what they
consider to be a bad man. This is the
type of person who calls evil good and good evil. This kind of person does not realize that if You were not a just God, then neither could You be a
merciful God; and none of us could even exist, much less have life. Father, hallowed be Your
Name. Amen.
August 7
Jeremiah 29:1-32; 2 Kings
24:18-20; 2 Chronicles 36:11-14;
Jeremiah 49:34-39; 50:1-46
Faithful Lord, Your Word
takes me today through the parameters of the exile, the exhortation to those
exiled, and the warning about the false prophets – those who guide the people
to destruction – who speak differently than You. And then You give
the details of the demise of
August 8
Jeremiah 51:1-64;
Father, I can hardly
imagine the challenges that Jeremiah had, but I suppose in the end, he just
simply obeyed. That is what it boils
down to, isn’t it, Father? Will I do it,
or not? I suppose Jeremiah was
encouraged by Your promise to protect him from
physical harm, or at least violent death.
It is hard to imagine the courage required to write and send messages to
ruthless rulers about their judgment.
And sometimes Jeremiah even traveled and delivered messages in
person. I suppose his peers thought he
had a death wish. Father, I was thinking
that this prophecy of the utter destruction of
August 9
Jeremiah 23:9-40; 27:1 to
28:17
Father, You
are indeed a God nearby and a God far away.
You fill heaven and earth and beyond.
There is no place that Your eyes do not
see. The concept of secret sins is
really just a delusion. I suppose the
persistence of the false prophets, especially Hananiah,
was the result of wanting to be liked by a lot of people. I don’t think they feared You,
and they really enjoyed fame – the power of the attention of people. Perhaps that is the same as many of the
preachers today. Or maybe they truly
believe they have a helpful message of delusion, a message that may provide
temporal good feeling but eternal anguish.
I wonder if Jeremiah ever second-guessed his message. I doubt it.
There are indicators that he second-guessed his delivery and Your choice of him as the speaker; but I do not think he
questioned the content of the message.
Father, may we always stick to Your Word, not avoiding the parts that
don’t feel good. Amen.
August 10
Ezekiel 1:1 to
Almighty God, my Father, may Your Name be praised ever higher in the hearts of men
and angels. May Your
glory radiate until all darkness is no longer found anywhere in Your
creation. And today, let it be so in my
heart. Search me, Lord. Expose the dark chambers with the brilliance
of Your truth.
This priest, Ezekiel, is an amazing person. The candor of his account brings so many
sobering exhortations to the child of God.
My excitement with his ministry almost seems trite, but I can’t help but
marvel at his humility, blessedness, and boldness. When I consider the human pictures that he
portrayed as sermons to the people, such as bearing the sins of the people as
he laid on his side for 390 days, it brings questions to my mind, like how long
each day did he spend doing this. And
even though he was in his house, it was somehow publicized broadly. I wonder about his assistants and attendants. But in a way these are foolish wonderings,
because the message was always clear. For Your glory, amen.
August 11
Ezekiel 5:1 to
Holy Father, Your servant
Ezekiel seems to be truly set apart for Your
work. What an amazing ministry and time
he was part of. While the illustration
of the hair under fire and sword is sobering, there is a pause to observe Your mercy when I read that a few strands of hair are to be
tucked away. Your justice has never been
blind to those who love You – to those who grieve over
the evil that goes on around them. It
seems we are so careful to protect our reputations that we have lost the
message that offends. The Good News of
Jesus Christ is an offense to those who are perishing, but to those who believe
it is eternal life. Problem is, we have been so careful not to offend that we have
withheld the words of Life to those who would be saved. Father, I pray for an awakening in the
Church. Please, Father, discipline us
and fill us, until our neighborhood knows without any question what we stand
for. Dear Lord, arouse those who sleep
to stand and march for truth once again.
Amen.
August 12
Ezekiel 10:1 to
My faithful Father in
heaven, from a personal standpoint, the reading today inspires me to dwell on Your faithfulness.
This is very important to me because first of all my faithfulness to You is so flawed. I
would like to think I can be trusted in at least a few things, but I dare not
boast of anything. And I know Jesus
entrusted Himself to no man, because He knew what was in men’s hearts. Secondly, others show too often how
unfaithful and weak they can be. It is
not that we don’t trust the intent of others.
It’s just that we know that reality often (too often) ends up
differently than intent. But You, Father
– You are faithful. You can be trusted
because You are always true. When You announce
judgment to come, then judgment will certainly arrive; and when You proclaim
mercy, the recipients will certainly enjoy complete mercy. When You say You
will re-gather Your people, they should patiently hold to that promise. You are not like the false prophets who
imagine foolish things and draw big followings through the “tickling ear”
technique. You are my faithful Father,
and I love You.
Through Christ, amen.
August 13
Ezekiel 14:1 to 16:63
Righteous Father, I have
heard liberals comment about Your judgments on nations
of the Old Testament, including
August 14
Ezekiel 17:1 to
Merciful Lord, Your plan
never stops orchestrating the movement of history. The Scriptures available in the first century
AD were saturated with the sobering and earnest call to repentance. No wonder Paul said it is all good for
doctrine, reproof, and instruction in righteousness. The warnings of Ezekiel were so passionate,
and I suppose some of the religious people gave attention to his words, but it
seems most did not. Even though most of
the religious leaders did not heed his words, they still seemed to respect him
as a true man of God, which I think was rare in that day. Father, You spend
several words in correcting the misunderstanding that children would be judged
for the parents’ sins. The truth is that
everyone will pay for his own sins. I
love the parable of “the shoot from the very top of the cedar.” I especially love the closing part of the
parable when You say, “I myself will take a shoot from
the very top of a cedar and plant it.”
If we could get the message: salvation is only from the Lord. Amen.
August 15
Ezekiel
Dear Savior, I am happy in
You today. Your
Word once again comes relentlessly forward from You
heart. You speak again of judgment and
restoration, and then again later You give the details
of Your judgment coming from
August 16
Ezekiel 23:1-49; Jeremiah
21:1-14; Ezekiel 24:1-27
Loving Father, the clarity
of Your purpose and our failure leaves us without
excuse. It is a heart-wrenching account
of the two sister prostitutes. Judgment
will not be turned away now, as the siege of Nebuchadnezzar has already
begun. At this point the children of
August 17
Ezekiel 25:1-17; Jeremiah
37:1 to 38:28; Ezekiel 29:1-16;
Ezekiel 30:20-26
Father, You
are the great Provider. You create,
sustain, provide, redeem - You love. And
the most loving thing You can do is bring us to know
that You are Lord. Unfortunately, the
first step necessary in doing that is showing us that we are not Lord. That is painful, but necessary. Left to ourselves, we would destroy ourselves
in short order. While I tremble at Your discipline, Father, I thank You at the same time. Because I know that it will result in me
drawing close to You – loving You more. Your people who are called by Your name know when discipline delivers them from a greater
pain. Zedekiah is a sad person. He just could not bring himself to obey You. I think he may
have believed what Jeremiah said, but he still held to his hope in his own
solutions. I repent, Father, of the same
mindset. Please, help me to trust You. May I never
forget how You brought Jeremiah through the terrible
trials as he persisted in obeying You.
Your deliverance was complete for him and I know it will be for me. Amen.
August 18
Ezekiel 31:1-18; Jeremiah
32:1 to 33:26
Sovereign Lord - that is
the way Ezekiel referred to You as he brought Your
Word to the people. And his actions
always seemed to acknowledge that. Even
when he questioned You, You indulged him because his heart was genuine toward You. It is a lesson
that all of the recipients of the words Ezekiel spoke (including me) would do
well to follow. You are sovereign,
Lord. You were sovereign when
August 19
Jeremiah 34:1-22; 2 Kings
25:1-21; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21;
Jeremiah 39:1-18
Father, I struggle to know
how to express what I feel as I read today.
I love Your Word. I love Your heart. And I
feel so regretful that I must be numbered with those who have hurt Your heart in my disobedience. The end has come to
August 20
Jeremiah 52:1-30; Psalm
74:1-23; 79:1-13; 85:1-13
Faithful Father, through
all the heartbreak, through all the working of Your
perfect justice, through all the terrifying tragedy, the lesson that must be grasped
seems best said by Psalm 85. May I
listen to You, my awesome Lord. May I affirm Your
promise of peace and shun the folly that assaults each day. Your salvation is near; it is available to
those who fear You.
These are those who no longer hold to their life in this world. This is where Your
glory dwells. This is where Your love prevails.
As righteousness looks from heaven and faithfulness springs from the
earth, a meeting of the most peaceful intimacy takes place; and the land is
blessed by the gifts of Your Son, our Lord.
The message to be grasped is that righteousness does not come from us,
it comes from above. God, you call for
faithfulness to come from us; and though we are flawed, Your
righteousness, by grace through faith, is imputed through Jesus Christ. What amazing love from our Lord! Amen.
August 21
Psalm 102:1-28; 120:1-7;
137:1-9; Lamentations 1:1 to
My Father in heaven, Your
Spirit fills my heart this day, but it is filled with the sympathies and
sorrows of Jeremiah. His words indicate
to me that he has adopted
August 22
Lamentations 3:1 to
Father of Mercy, the
beauty of Your Spirit is so vivid in Jeremiah.
It is too strong for words, but is expressed here in words for me
today. This is a miracle. For those who are circumcised of heart, the
hope can never be extinguished. The
birthright is sure even when the discipline is severe. We must never take Your
great love for granted. The gift of
Jesus, the grace of His Spirit, is not to be trifled or shelved for times of
convenience or special need. Family must
act like family should act: relentless in love, sacrificial in protection,
endless in comfort, always a place of rest.
I hurt for Jeremiah’s
August 23
Lamentations 5:1-22; 2
Kings 25:22-26; Jeremiah 40:1 to 42:22
My Lord, the heartbreak
continues. Even You, Lord, Who reigns
forever, Whose throne endures from generation to
generation; even You are grieved over all that has happened. Your decrees are righteous, but Your love is never put on hold. I struggle to apprehend Your
attributes and I know that comprehension is not possible in this life; but I
know You feel, because You say You do. I
know You grieve, because you say You do. Even though the divine context is not like
the human context, because You are simple and pure and
never divided. There are no parts in You, such as that which begins and ends, because Your
perfection is not parted. It is
complete. And even though I may not
understand all the implications, I know Who I can
trust. This day is in Your
hands, not mine. I step out this day
only in surrender to You, only in the shadow of Your
protection, and only in the strength of Your Spirit. Amen.
August 24
Jeremiah 43:1 to 44:30;
Psalm 71:1-24; 116:1-19
My Great Deliverer,
Glorious Father, I had thought at first that I would use this page to write of
the frustrating ways of evil men, who even after being graciously delivered by
You, persist in disobedience. But then I
read these Psalms and my heart was filled with a much more worthy occupation:
the praise of You, the acknowledgment of Your tender mercies, the faithfulness
of Your protection, the closeness of Your loving attention even in painful
guidance, Your knowledge of all things, the relentlessness of careful
protection even when I am surrounded by that which intends my harm, the comfort
in the shadow of Your wings, the invincibility of the cleft of the rock in
which You place me, the beauty of Your past redemptive act, and the certainty
of Your future consummation of our bodily redemption. How could I ever doubt or deviate from that
glorious of all promises, “tetelestai!?” It is finished! May my soul rest only in Your work! Amen.
August 25
Jeremiah 30:1 to 31:40;
Ezekiel 26:1-21
My faithful Father, how
wonderful are Your Words to a bleeding
August 26
Ezekiel 27:1 to 28:26;
33:21-33
Father, my Father, there
is much to write about
August 27
Ezekiel 34:1 to 36:38
Dear Father, I love You and I love Your Word.
I witness repeatedly a primary goal of Yours in Your physical judgments
of people: “then you will know that I am the Lord.” There simply can be no greater mercy, Father,
than to know that You are the Lord and to receive that
Lordship. What a wonder it is to
discover that you have performed a heart transplant in my very soul, using the
scalpel of repentance. Thank you for
giving me a new heart on which is written the wonderful Words of Your Law. You have removed the futile pursuit of
superficial righteousness, replacing it with an abundant life and full love for
Your heart. You
have proven not only Your purposes in the reading
today, but You have proven Your reason.
“It is not for your sake…that I am doing these things, but for the sake
of My holy Name…”
Your love – Your salvation has never been driven by any good in us, but
rather by the good – by the love – that is Who You are. Blessed be the Name of the Lord! Amen.
August 28
Ezekiel 37:1 to 39:29
Father in heaven, I know
that You are Lord, and I thank You. Be glorified this day in all the Earth. Turn the hearts of men to You,
and may all of nature respond and be seen shining and shouting Your
praises! Father, I know the context of
the reading today is the restoration of the land and people of
August 29
Ezekiel 32:1 to 33:20;
40:1-27
Holy Father, many emotions
stir with this reading. I do ache for
August 30
Ezekiel 40:28 to 43:27
Dear Father, what mercy –
what wonderful, clear, unmistakable, mercy.
I wonder if the people fully appreciated what was happening. I am sure some of them had to. There must have been some mathematicians,
some builders, some engineers, maybe even architects. There had to be people who exclaimed about
the amazing thing that was taking place as these dimensions, provided
miraculously by a priest, began to be checked out. Dear God, You are merciful and faithful! Do any of the people see what is
happening?! This can mean only one
thing! And it is being given to them
(and to us). The promise of restoration
to their home and to their heritage, from their God – has now been revealed
through the most empirically exact science known to man (and given by God) –
math! No games here! No false garbage – all is verifiable. And Father, if we would simply open our eyes
in the 21st Century, we would also see the irrefutable evidence of Your coming! Amen.
August 31
Ezekiel 44:1 to 46:24
Sovereign Lord, many
considerations strike me as I read. Like
yesterday, I feel as if the people who hear or read Ezekiel’s words must surely
realize they are Your words. Not only do they explicitly say so, but the
details shared by these captive priests should provoke amazement, then shame,
then encouragement, and then diligent, studious behavior. God is speaking to rebellious, sinful people
who had given themselves over to shocking, desecrating behavior. But enough is enough. And the God of grace, Who
is full of love and mercy is speaking all these things to them! He is not coddling them, but He most
certainly desires to shepherd them.
There is one statement that should really amaze them and provoke all
that is mentioned above. “This is what
the sovereign Lord says:…” It seems to me that such words to these
disciplined and oppressed captives of the Babylonians should be the most sobering,
uplifting, and hope-filled words ever.
Amen.
Ó
2007 C. E. Briggs