The Journey to Humility

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed as you continually put forth your best effort but there is no fruit? How do you continually persevere through that situation? Jeremiah was a prophet given an incredibly difficult call from the Lord. He was called to preach to the people of Jerusalem and call them to repentance. For forty years he called repentance to a people who refused to hear and heed the warnings sent forth from the Lord. He was put in jail, suffered hunger, and faced discouragement. I could not imagine every day for forty years of going forth among a people who refused to turn to their Lord and of knowing the future calamities that would befall them if they would not repent. Jeremiah did this because the Lord commanded him to cry repentance to the people. He obediently went forth and fulfilled all that the Lord asked of Him. That is a demonstration of true perseverance. Merriam Webster defines perseverance as, "  continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficult

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound." Isaiah 61:1 Have you ever felt as thought you were in a prison? That you were a prisoner with no hope of escape? You felt as though the weight of your choices, sins, weaknesses, and responsibilities in life were overwhelming you? I think that at least once in each of our lives we will feel this way. We will be in a prison from which we cannot free ourselves. We are truly and utterly stuck. While this may seem a hopeless situation, it is not. We have a rescuer if we will but open our hearts and call upon His name. That Rescuer is the Savior Jesus Christ. He has all power to save us from our prisons. He has all keys to open any door. Not one of us is beyond the great and infinite power of Him. I can picture in my mind a lonely gir

" The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s  crib :  but  Israel doth not  know , my people doth not consider " Isaiah 1:3. When one hears the name Isiah, they may think of difficult, boring, or even fear at reading his word. His book is filled with imagery and dualism that can make it difficult to understand. Yet this book is filled with incredible imagery that shines light on a man who testified boldly to a nation who refused to turn to their God. During the days of Isaiah, the people turned from God looking to other idols for protection. They would not turn to very God who could save them. Isaiah was given the task to bring the people back to their God. This would be a difficult task;  seeking to stem the tide of idolatry in two different nations. Watching people who refused to find joy and comfort by rejecting their sins. How did Isaiah do it? I think the answer begins to be found in the verse at the start of the post. Isaiah knew His Master.  Chapter 6 of Isai

I believe that sometimes in the scriptures there are heroes of whom we do not often mention. They are incredible examples of obedience to the Lord. One of those examples is Nehemiah. Who is this man? He was the cupbearer to the King. This was a man who held a high trusted position in court. Yet his heart was with those in Jerusalem. He received word of the struggles that his fellow believers had in Jerusalem. Nehemiah 1:4-11 reads,  " And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned   certain   days, and   fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, And said, I beseech thee, O  Lord  God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:   Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Isra

Hezekiah: A Man of Great Trust 2 Kings gives the account of many different kings who chose to depart from the Lord. They chose to continue to worship the idols of the other religions. They had the thought process that they would worship these idols so that if the God of Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac did not come to their aid they would turn to these gods. They had a backup plan because they would not trust that God has all power, wisdom, and knowledge. They would not allow their wills and hearts to be completely submitted to the Lord. Then comes a man who completely trusts in the Lord. Hezekiah showed that trust in various aspects of his life. 2 Kings 18: 5 states, " He  trusted  in the  Lord  God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor  any  that were before him." Unlike his predecessors, he was completely willing to trust in the Lord. He did not have a backup plan but made the Lord His only plan. He abolished all of the idol worship th

The first book we studied was 1 Kings. I studied the life of Solomon. At the beginning of his reign he faced many challenges. He was king over a numerous people. He was the second king and would thus establish policies and procedures that would influence the people for generations to come. He was also a young man. Solomon turned to the Lord at this time. 1 Kings 3:6-7 states,        And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great      mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness,          and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great        kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as   it is   this            day.  And now, O   Lord   my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of        David my father: and I   am but   a   little   child: I know not   how   to go out or            come in. I cannot imagine the overwhelming feelings of inadequacies that Solomon must have fe