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Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwelling places not their own. Habakkuk 1:5-6 This is God's response to Habakkuk's complaint. God was raising up a very specific group of people who were feared and hated among God's people. Think about that. It was almost as if God were saying, "Yes, Habakkuk, you see evil now but wait until...

The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet received: How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore, the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted. Habakkuk 1:1-4 How many times this year have you felt this way?? This opening passage could have easily been written last week. Habakkuk...

The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing. Psalm 112:10 Have you ever had a non-believer look at you in disbelief at something you did or couldn't do because of your beliefs? I've had that happen on a number of occasions. They simply cannot figure out what's making you tick at the moment. When I lived in Mongolia, drinking three shots of vodka "to the bottom" was standard fare during dinner socials. Early in our stay there we had decided that drinking in...

[Blessed is the man who fears the Lord]…His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. Psalm 112:8 There is an entire multi-billion dollar industry built around Security. Whether it's security for your home, your car, finances, or even as simple as your computer, we all want to feel secure. But as we're beginning to see, the security we once knew in America is unraveling, especially in the financial markets. Everyone is looking for a secure place to park their hard earned dollars. Even the experts say there is...

Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. Psalm 112:6 O that there were an army of equipped and passionate Believers marching across the land in defense of Godly causes and the Gospel. How would our world be different if we had unshakable faith and an unquenchable thirst for righteousness? What would that look like in our day and age? And yet, there are many, even those reading this, whose faith is solid and strong, who cares not what the world says or thinks, but does he or she knows to be right. You don't...

Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. Psalm 112:5 How would our lives change if we sought to practice generosity and justice in everything we did? I believe the results would be astounding. Being generous is fairly easy to accomplish, and it goes beyond "not being stingy." Generosity is ungrudgingly giving something that you have to others so that they are more comfortable. It can be deal with money, food, service, time, and material goods. Of course you can even expand it to being generous with your knowledge and wisdom....

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. Psalm 112:4 When I was in high school, I played the character of grumpy General Bullmoose in the play "Lil' Abner." I told my secretary, "I'm not taking my Peale pills. They make me think...too positive." The reference is to Norman Vincent Peale, the famed optimist. The optimist referred to in this verse is not merely optimistic for the sake of being up, but he's displaying the quality of his moral character. I'll admit it, life can get you down, especially in the times...

Wealth and riches are in his house; and his righteousness endures forever. Psalm 112:3 This is a verse that refers back to the previous two verses. Because a man fears the Lord, he has great wealth and riches, and it may very well be that his children are the source of those "riches." Let me put it another way. Have you ever known a person with many children to be unhappy about it? I've personally known two families with 10 and 12 children each, and the parents couldn't be more pleased with their decision to have that many children. Sure,...

His [man who fears the Lord] children will be mighty in the land; each generation of the upright will be blessed. Psalm 112:2 This is a continuation of the previous verse. Each verse following will note that when a man fears the Lord, this will happen. Many years ago, there was a commercial on television that ended with a father walking through the forest with his young son. The two sit down and rest against a tree. The father takes out a cigarette, lights it, and puts the pack on the ground. The young boy picks up the cigarette pack...

The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. Psalm 113:4 I love putting things into perspective especially after I've had a frantic day at work. We all have those days; some obviously more often than others. Then I get home and read about the news in the world; it's enough to make me want to close myself from the world and hope they cancel tomorrow (or next month) completely. Perspective. You see, God is in control. I say it often enough in this space, probably more to remind me than to remind you. When you...

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 Arthur Fonzarelli, affectionately known as The Fonz on the 70s TV show "Happy Days," would never admit that he was wrong. According to The Fonz, he was never wrong. One episode shows him practicing in a mirror trying to say the word "Wrong" but he just can't do it. To my knowledge he never did admit he was wrong. We're like that. Confession is good for the soul, but boy is it difficult to do...

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8 Very few people in life claim to be perfect. We may joke about it being "hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way," but we know ourselves. We know our faults better than anybody. But often, we hide our sin. God sees it all but we tend to hide it from others. Nobody wants to air our own personal dirty laundry! We think that if others see what we're really like, they won't accept us. The truth is,...

But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7 The blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin. That's essentially the Gospel message in a concise sentence. Men, women, and children all over the world have died horrible deaths because of that one sentence. They have risked everything to proclaim that simple message. The upside to that is that many lives have been radically changed because of the words in that solitary sentence. Marriages have...

God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5 God is light but He is much more than that. In fact if you were to combine all of the attributes that we equate God (love, omnipotent, omniscient, wise, etc), He would still be more than all of that. But light is one of those characteristics that helps to reveal who we are as his Creation. When you shine pure light anywhere, there is no place to hide. The bigger and brighter the light source, the fewer places there are to shield ourselves. And yet, that's...

A man lacking in judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor. Proverbs 17:18 I miss the day when I could shake somebody's hand, and the handshake alone bound the person to whatever was agreed upon. Sadly, trusting your fellow man to do the right thing is a thing of the past. Now we must draw up 50 page contracts promising that we'll have the garbage ready for the garbage man at precisely 8:00 a.m., or the trash won't be picked up that week. Samuel Goldwyn summarized our new attitude the best: A verbal contract isn't...

Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18 A woman called her husband and told him she was in an auto accident. "What’s the damage to the car?" the husband asked. "I don’t know. They towed it away." "So where are you calling from?" he asked. "The hospital." Oops! Have you ever wanted to take back something you said immediately after it came out of your mouth? We have all done it. Careless words. Unkind words. Thoughtless words. If we catch ourselves, we try to salvage the situation. Most of the time,...

He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come. Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen. Revelation 22:20-21 In 1983 Anne Murray’s song “Little Good News” was #1 on the country chart. There's a local paper rolled up in a rubber band One more sad story's one more than I can stand Just once how I'd like to see the headline say "Not much to print today, can't find nothin' bad to say", because Nobody robbed a liquor store on the lower part of town Nobody OD'ed, nobody burned...

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 Many who are old enough will remember the TV series Hill Street Blues. I didn't watch it much but I do remember one line that was repeated often (and probably in every episode). Immediately before sending the cops into the streets, Sergeant Phil Esterhaus would say, "And hey! Hey, let's be careful out there, okay?" It was a daily reminder that even though the men and women carried badges and guns, there were dangerous people in the streets....

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25 The potential for negative news during a day is astounding. Newscasts, project problems, family, friends, car problems, they all can weigh heavily on you. If this negativity weighs heavily on you, think about your co-worker or family member. Chances are good that they're experiencing similar problems. The day drags on and you need a little "pick me up." You need, as Proverbs says, to be refreshed. Everyone – everyone – needs encouragement. The general principle in this verse is this: refresh someone; be refreshed. The...

Clap your hands, all you nations, shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth! Psalm 47:1 With so much negative talk about the economy and where we're headed as a nation, it's sometimes good just to slow down a bit and worship. It's not enough to sit down once a year and think about heavenly things. Our tanks need filled regularly. I find that if I don't do worship regularly, I get lost in the cares and worries of this world. I tend to get consumed by...