Mark 7:6

February 7, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“And he said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me’” (Mark 7:6).

Yikes!!! I better be careful with this verse. The old saying is true. “When you point a finger at someone else, you have three pointing at yourself.”

I wish I could point at the Pharisees without pointing at myself. But I can’t. I have certainly been guilty of honoring the Lord with my lips while my heart and mind were far, far away!

Father, help me to set my heart and affections on you. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, discipleship, Gospels, Isaiah, Mark

Micah 4:1-2

January 22, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, and many nations shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Micah 4:1-2).

Once again, God provides a word of hope in the midst of rebuking the wicked. Today, there remains the hope of righteousness for Israel. I believe they have been brought back to their promised land, and I am praying daily for the spiritual renewal component of God’s promise. 

Going up to the house of the Lord is a fairly common theme in the Psalms, but also in the prophets. 

“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!'” (Psalm‬ ‭122‬:‭1‬)

“And many peoples shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬).

“The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going’” (Zechariah‬ ‭8‬:‭21‬).

All of these references are before the destruction of the temple. But fervor for the house of the Lord is still there upon their return from captivity in Babylon. 

Father, please bring about the spiritual restoration of Israel. Please give strength, courage, and clarity of message to the believers in Israel today. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Isaiah, Jerusalem, Micah, Old Testament, Prophecy, Psalms, Temple Mount, Zechariah

Hosea 13:4

December 31, 2025 by Leave a Comment

“But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no savior.” (Hosea 13:4)

On the heels of saying, “And now they sin more and more, and make for themselves metal images, idols skillfully made of their silver” (13‬:‭2‬), “Besides me, there is no savior!” is an important and exclusive statement. God is attacking their idolatry by pointing out that he is the only savior. No matter how much silver or how finely crafted, idols cannot save. God alone can save!

Isaiah echoes this same exclusive claim: “I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.” (Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭11‬)

“… And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me.” (Isaiah‬ ‭45‬:‭21‬)

Jesus claimed to be the exclusive way to the Father: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬)

Peter made the connection between Jesus and Isaiah 43:11, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬)

Paul made the connection even clearer in his letter to Titus, … “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” (Titus‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬)

There is one true and living God and salvation is found only in Him. If we look anywhere else, we will come up empty-handed. If we look to anyone else, we will come up empty-handed. 

Father, please help me recognize your glory in your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Filed Under: Acts, Hosea, idolatry, Isaiah, John, Old Testament, Titus

Ezekiel 15:7-8

November 3, 2025 by Leave a Comment

“And I will set my face against them. Though they escape from the fire, the fire shall yet consume them, and you will know that I am the Lord, when I set my face against them. And I will make the land desolate, because they have acted faithlessly, declares the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 15:7-8)

Using the wood of a vine as imagery, the Lord makes two points to Ezekiel. First, the most important outcome of the Lord’s punishment on Judah is that Ezekiel will know that he is dealing with YHVH, the LORD. This foretelling of the future is indicative of God.

Second, great destruction is coming, though some will survive. This same imagery is used in Isaiah 6: “Then I said, ‘How long, O Lord?’ And he said: ‘Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, and the Lord removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled.’ The holy seed is its stump.” (Isaiah‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬-‭13‬)

Thank you, Father, for confirming your identity and for being consistent. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Israel, Old Testament, rebellion, Word Pictures

Jeremiah 42:11

October 4, 2025 by Leave a Comment

“Do not fear the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Do not fear him, declares the Lord, for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand.” (Jeremiah 42:11)

Babylon was the biggest and baddest dude in the neighborhood. But God told Israel, “Do not fear him.” How is that possible? The nation is under siege by Babylon! The next clause provides the answer: “for I am with you.” But, not just to “be with you” but “to save you and to deliver you.” The Lord has a purpose in His presence.

In a similar scenario, but a century earlier, when Assyria was the big boy, King Hezekiah said a similar thing to the great-grandparents of the people Jeremiah was talking to: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.” (2 Chronicles‬ ‭32‬:‭7‬-‭8‬) Once again, the Lord’s presence is purposeful: “to help us and to fight our battles.”

About 115 years apart, King Hezekiah had seen Assyria destroy the northern kingdom, and Jeremiah had witnessed the Babylonians destroy the southern kingdom. And both said, “The Lord is with you.”

Having witnessed what Hezekiah witnessed, Isaiah said the same thing: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41‬:‭10‬) (And, once again, the Lord’s presence has purpose: to strengthen and to help.

If we look at the impossible circumstances of Hezekiah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, we can see that these were words of faith. To be clear, both Jeremiah and Isaiah were speaking the word of the Lord to their audiences. I wonder if Hezekiah hadn’t heard the same from Isaiah. Perhaps, he just knew the Lord so well that he rightly concluded that the Lord was with them.

To put a finer point on this thought, the reason that Judah should not be afraid was that the Lord was with them. Their courage should have come from the fact that the Lord was with them. And who is with me?

Father, please help me to remember that your Spirit dwells within me. Help me find courage in that truth and not fear what others may say or think if I’m completely obedient to you. Amen.

Filed Under: Assyria, Babylon, devotional thoughts, fear, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Old Testament
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