August 10
Hope for the Hopeless
Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 85:8-13; Ezra 10:1-44; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20; Proverbs 21:3
Today’s Scripture Focus: Ezra 10
“We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel” (Ezra 10:2 NIV).
“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” “There is always hope.” How do these two expressions fit together? Somehow Ezra’s story twists and turns through those two clichés. Maybe the hybrid expression would be: “It’s tough to teach an old dog new tricks, but there is always hope.”
The “old dogs” of Judah are returning to their old ways. God had been faithful to them, yet they once again proved to be hopelessly faithless. God had warned them about the effects of marrying the Canaanite women. He had forbidden it and already they had disobeyed big time (I sometimes wonder about some of the lists in the Bible, but I can understand the reason for the list in this passage—it shows the depth of compromise).
By the way, occasionally I hear someone use this as a proof text against “inter-racial marriage”—not the point. The Canaanite people were of the same basic racial background as the people of Judah. The problem is that they had a reputation for sin and idolatry. God knew that intermarriage with Godless people like that would lead to further drifting and compromise. Be careful not to allow your prejudices to skew your interpretation of scripture.The point is: choose a Godly spouse!
That God’s chosen people would so quickly fall back into deliberate disobedience and sin brought Ezra to his knees. Rebuilding the temple was important, but they also needed to rebuild their lives in accordance with God’s design. He saw the sin of his people, and knew that they needed repentance and revival. So he prayed intensely until he got the breakthrough.
I love the response of Shecaniah that signals the beginning of the breakthrough: “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel.” You see, there is always hope, even for “old dogs to learn new tricks.”
Paul in 1 Corinthians gives us a a lot of hope in regards to ability to change, despite our past failings. After describing their past lifestyles of sin, he says, “and that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. See, there is hope for you after all (1 Cor. 6:9-11).
Despite our failures, our attempts to distance ourselves from God, our deliberate disobedience, our drifting from the principles of his word, God is still faithful and forgiving. He is a God of grace and mercy. He is a God of hope (Rom. 15:13). He doesn’t give up on his people—even the ones who seem hopeless. People like you and me.
God of Hope, thank you for your faithful and steadfast love. Thanks for your patience with your people. Help me to find my hope in you today and keep walking on the path you have laid out for me. Amen.
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Blessing Instead of Bleeping
August 1
Blessing Instead of Bleeping
Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 81:1-17; 2 Chronicles 30:1 – 31:21; Romans 15:1-22; Proverbs 20:13-15
Today’s Scripture Focus: Romans 15
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NIV).
There seems to be a whole lot of bleeping going on these days. You know that high-pitched bleep that somehow tries to cover over certain words—curses, mostly (but you don’t have to be a lip reader to know what is being covered over). In the movies, on cable, or via streaming we get the full effect of the curse in all of it’s glory (or lack thereof). Of course, what should we expect from the mouths of a world that is living under the curse?
There’s a lot of cursing going on in the church too, but we don’t bleep ours. Our cursing is more sophisticated and less crass. But it is just as hurtful (maybe even more so). Instead of blessing one another, we curse when our lips wound and hurt one another—It may be more subtle, but it is still a curse.
Every malicious word, every tasty snippet of gossip, every venomous, sarcastic comment (humor is great, but even some humor wounds), every word that is judgmental, every hasty, angry word: each one, a curse. Sometimes the wound comes not from what is said, but how it is said. Even the way we handle a prayer request can become a curse instead of a blessing (don’t allow those prayer chain calls to turn into opportunities for gossip). Instead of blessing people with encouraging, helpful words, we are so quick to demean and criticize. James says this is hypocrisy at it’s worst and has no place in the life of a Christian: “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:10).
Our social media feeds are filled with it too. Words filled with contempt. Angry words. Slanderous, malicious, untruthful words. Name calling. Words that seek to divide and conquer–to tear down rather than build up. This is not the way of Christ. These things, too, ought not to be so.
Paul knew the debilitating effects of curses and he made a point of blessing the people he was ministering to. It’s a wonderful part of ministry—a ministry we can all be a part of. We see two of his blessings in this passage. You might want to make them part of your prayer language. I often use them in praying for others. They always bring a blessing:
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:5-6, NIV).
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13, NIV).
I am praying these blessings for you today, Receive them (meditate on them and pray them for yourself. Receive them in faith)… I trust that the God of hope will give you a joyful, peaceful, hope-filled day! Now that you’ve been blessed…go bless somebody else.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Amen. (Romans 15:13, NIV).
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