Latest Thoughts of the Day
Hosea 7:1
2/15/2025
Whenever I would restore the fortunes of my people, the sins of Ephraim are exposed and the crimes of Samaria are revealed. They practice deceit, thieves break into houses, bandits rob in hte streets

The corruption is so widespread that any attempt to touch it at the center triggers repercussions even to the periphery. Petty crime oozes forth when major crime is threatened, so great is the fundamental dishonesty of the people of Israel. God is building a case against His people that can only result in complete annihilation. Nevertheless, this will not come for over two hundred years. God’s longsuffering and mercy amaze us. We see His heart reach out. We hear His words of appeal. We marvel at His patience. We bow to His judgment. Lord, help us in all of this to see the amazing patience and the wonderful mercy of our Lord Jesus.
Daniel 6:1
2/15/2025
It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom,

The narrative goes on to say that these satraps were overseen by three men, one of whom was Daniel, and that Daniel’s remarkable ability made it likely that Daniel would end up second ruler of the kingdom. The officials he was displacing grew in animosity to Daniel and tried to find an area where he could be accused of wrongdoing. Failing in this, they would seek to make Daniel’s religion the cause of his downfall. All this will lead to the incident of the lion’s den, and Daniel’s ultimate vindication over his enemies. We see the hand of God in all these things and we rejoice to watch history progress toward the coming into the world of the Son of God. The Sovereign God is working all things in order to give to the world Jesus.

Ezekiel 24:1
2/14/2025
In the ninth year in the tenth month on the tenth day, the word of the Lord came to me.

Ezekiel was of the priestly line in Judah, taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon, where he lived out his days as an exile. He was God’s prophet to His people during the early part of their captivity in Babylon, helping them to understand and to respond to the terrible destruction that God had brought upon Jerusalem. Much that he wrote and experienced pointed forward to the ultimate goal of history, the coming of the Messiah and the completion of the purpose of the world. Ezekiel kept careful record of his experiences and visions, recording their exact time with relation to the beginning of Judah’s captivity in Babylon. Our times are in Your hands, Lord. You know the exact moment for whatsoever comes to pass. Help us trust Jesus.
Lamentations 3:1
2/13/2025
I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.

We all must interpret our trouble. Bad luck? Poor timing? Coincidence? Fate? Sabotage? Mistake? Why do bad things happen to me? Jeremiah recognized the hand of God in the calamities that had befallen Judah and he saw them to be judgments for her sins. Leadership in Jerusalem had never been willing to see their troubles as judgments. To view them in that way would involve repentance. It would involve surrender. Jeremiah repented and lamented for the judgments that had come upon the land, but he remained alone. He saw what the leaders refused to see. It was God’s will that he should preach without success. When he saw Jerusalem on heaps, he could sing, “Great is Thy Faithfulness”. Lord, help us to see Your hand in our calamities and look for mercy to Jesus.
Jeremiah 26:2
2/12/2025
Early in the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the Lord:

The word that the Lord gave Jeremiah to preach so enraged the hearers that they were ready to kill him. Nevertheless, Jeremiah continued preaching for eighteen more years, and all the calamity he had warned them of eventually came to pass. They were warned, but they would not hear. Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet. He foresaw the grief and destruction the people chose as they rejected the message God had given him to deliver. O Lord, give us ears to hear Your rebuke, for they will be ears that hear your comfort, too. Bring us to repentance, that we may experience the wonder of Your forgiveness. We have sinned, and we deserve Your wrath, but You did not want us to perish. In love and mercy You sent Jesus.
Isaiah 33:1
2/11/2025
Woe to you, O destroyer who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, O traitor who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying you will be betrayed

Sennacherib was on a roll and could be stopped by none, even being God’s instrument to disperse forever the ten tribes of Israel. But his arrogant boasting as he threatened Judah turned out to be the death of 185,000 of his troops on the night before the battle. It was time for him to stop destroying and be destroyed, to stop betraying and to be betrayed. God has judgment prepared for all the evil-doers of the world, and none will escape. We know, Lord, that You are using these forces to chastise and to form Your people. Help us in the midst of all this to draw near to our Deliverer, Jesus.
Song of Songs 4:1
2/10/2025
How beautiful you are my darling! Your eyes behind your veil are doves. Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Mount Gilead.

A person who recognizes details of beauty in the world around him finds similes to enrich his language. We do not need to force ourselves into his mind and identify the particular beauty aspect of every simile he uses. The point is that he recognizes beauty in his beloved that might well be missed by others, and he delights to declare the beauty he sees. To love a person is to love the whole world more. Are there things in us that strike the Lord as beautiful that others do not see at all? Do we remind Him of other beautiful things? That He should see anything beautiful in us is because he put His love upon us and sent Jesus.
Ecclesiastes 6:1
2/9/2025
I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on men.

Cynicism springs up often in the book of Ecclesiastes. Annoyance and even anger breaks forth from the observations that Solomon makes. We have found that when we take into account only what we can see by the light of the sun, we find it hard to avoid being disgusted. Presupposing a sovereign God working according to His will opens the way intellectually for us to make real sense out of what we see with our eyes. We will join Solomon in the cynics’ camp when we limit our view to what we see “under the sun.” Thank You, Lord, for Your sovereign control over whatsoever comes to pass. In Your light we see light. Beyond the sun, Your working Your will gives meaning and significance to all things, as they point us to Jesus.

Proverbs 16:1
2/8/2025
To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue.

We can pretty much think what we want to think, but when our thoughts get to where they will affect the lives of others, the sovereignty of God makes itself known. An attitude or a tone can slip into our expressions in such a way as to affect how people receive the things we say. What is true can “come across” as a lie. We can alienate the very ones we are trying to gain. Some people are very careful, and they make admirable effort to get the response they want from their words, but attitude problems complicate things from the other side. Uncomplicated communication is very rare in this world. Help us, Lord, to be honest and open, and use our words to bring glory to our Savior Jesus.




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