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Then the Lord raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite...And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon son of Eliada...1 Kings 11:14, 23 We get to see a very different side of God in this passage. Generally, we tend to think that the opposition we face in life is entirely of the Devil's doing! Not so. Twice within a dozen verses God raised up an adversary against the King of Israel, Solomon. Solomon's heart had turned away from God and the anger of the Lord burned against him (1 Kings 11:9). God had given Solomon great wisdom...

King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharoah's daughter - Moabites, Ammonnites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods"...and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God...So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done. 1 Kings 11:1-6 In these few verses we see unnecessary tragedy. Solomon was said to be the wisest man alive. He was...

Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. Matthew 24:9 This isn’t exactly the first verse people turn to when they think of devotions. It doesn’t have the "warm, fuzzy" feel to it. However, it is an important verse in an important passage. Jesus was talking about signs at the End of the Age. Of course there will be deception, wars and rumors of wars, and other "birth pains." As we look at the world today, we see the beginning of these birth pains...

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father...Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Matthew 24:36, 42 These two verses will cause no shortage of consternation among my readers. That's fine. Wise and more scholarly men than I have debated the meaning of these kinds of texts for ages and have still come to different conclusion. These verses talk about Jesus' second coming to Earth. We know it's going to happen; we just don't know when. We get a...

One of them [Pharisees}, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Matthew 22:35-40 The Pharisees were at it again. They were trying to test Jesus. If they really only knew who they were talking to (the One who created them, gave them life, and knew exactly what was in...

Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher we want to see a miraculous sign from you." Matthew 12:38 The first question I ask when I read this verse is, would they have believed the miracle if Jesus had performed it right there on the spot? Probably not. Yesterday's devotion touched upon the crowds liking Jesus and hanging around him for more. The spiritual leaders seem to have just the opposite reaction. Jesus was threatening their power, and they wanted him out of the limelight quickly. They were hoping to ridicule and mock him....

And the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men. Matthew 9:7-8 Jesus was a crowd pleaser, though that's not what he set out to do. Generally speaking, the crowds liked Him. He did some pretty cool stuff (healing men and casting out demons is some cool stuff when it's done right in front of your eyes)! They were probably puzzled at the Jewish leaders' contempt for him and hostile reaction to him. Jesus had just healed the paralytic. He instructed...

An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins. Proverbs 29:22 What do you get angry at? What really frosts you? All too often we get upset over the 'minorest' of things. Another driver. Kids spilling something. Spouse buying something you can't afford. Clerks that don't understand your problem. Long lines at the store. Other drivers. Would you admit that these are minor? Instead, there are a great number of things that should really frost us over: the persecution of Christians in Muslim countries (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Indonesia come to mind), largely ignored atrocities that...

Woe to the land of whirring wings along the rivers of Cush... Isaiah 18:1 My wife and I had the privilege of visiting the land of Cush, modern day Sudan, in 2006 for a medical missions trip. We were there for a few days but we still feel the impact and the weight it had on us. We saw it all: end of the twenty-year civil war, intense heat, isolation, poisonous snakes and spiders, no medical facilities, no running water, few maintained roads, unexploded bombs in villages, and civil war casualties in every family we met. And yet. And yet,...

The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about. Luke 18:34 Years ago I was walking with a crowd of people in a Chicago suburb to attend a July 4th celebration. Police were called in to direct traffic because it was heavy. One officer directed a car to go in a particular lane, and the driver shook her head and pointed that she wanted to go in a different lane. The exasperated cop said, "Lady, move in this lane. Trust me on this. I know...

He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:20 Could 2009 be the year that Jesus returns? Forget for a moment the theological notions you might have of rapture and tribulation and wars and rumors of wars (not at all to make light of Eschatology and its implications, but stay with me a moment). Are you ready for His return? But you say, "x,y, and z need to take place before..." Let me phrase it this way, if you were to pass away (unexpectedly, of course) over the New Year's weekend,...

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, who do you persecute me?" Acts 9:3 I could have chosen any number of passages for today's devotional. As we ring in the New Year, it's appropriate for us to look at new beginnings, fresh starts, turning over a new leaf. In the twinkling of an eye, Saul-turned-Paul's life was changed from persecutor to Believer. Later we see the hesitation of those in the Church who were understandably afraid to trust...

Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation. The law will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations. Isaiah 51:4 Without question, there is a ton of injustice in the world. We’ve all been victims of injustice to one degree or another. In fact, we’ve all been able to tell our stories to the authorities and still correct justice wasn’t handed out. That’s because, try as we might, we are imperfect people. Judges and juries are imperfect (which is a reason we can appeal cases). Sports referees are not perfect (hence we have...

That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you"...Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours? 2 Chronicles 1:7,10 This is truly an amazing passage of Scripture. It gives us great insight into how God thinks. Solomon could have asked for anything at all. Granted, he was king over Israel and he could have commanded any material or societal whim he desired. But he had all of that. He wanted something that was lasting and meaningful....

"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life." Psalm 39:4 As a new year approaches, it's important for us to step back to take a broader look at our lives and see how we're doing. If you're like me, when you’re seeking to know God's specific will for your life ("what do you want me to do now, Lord?" would be one of those specific prayers in trying to discern His specific will), it's like we’re driving in a dense fog. You may have traveled down that...

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Luke 2:36-38 Have you ever wondered why these three verses were included in Scripture? In keeping with the overall...

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21 He was an obscure baby born to obscure parents in an obscure Middle Eastern town witnessed by obscure shepherds, foreigners, and animals. And yet He was and is the single-most central figure in all of history. He had no money to speak of, no wealth, no significant fame, no degrees, no fanfare. He had no home, no wife, no children. He walked with sinners, and rebuked the religious leaders of his day. He...

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout...then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed." Luke 2:25, 34-35 Simeon had waited all his life to say these things. The Lord had revealed to him that he would see the Lord’s Messiah. He knew what was going to happen and spoke it over the boy and his parents. Again,...

"Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him." Luke 2:2 Have you ever wondered why God had anyone at all show up for the birth of Jesus? First we had the insignificant shepherds, now the "Wise Men" who were not even from the same region. I think the Wise Men played at least two important roles when they came to find the baby. First, in one short chapter in the New Testament, the Wise Men exposed the selfish and arrogant leader named Herod....

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. Luke 2:8-9 Shepherds. They were young and impressionable. You might even say they were insignificant in the overall scheme of things. An angel appeared to them in the middle of the night. They paid attention and did what they were told. They probably left their flocks unattended while they went to see this baby. But they were still shepherds. They had nothing...