Malachi 1-4 This is exciting, guys! Today we finish the Old Testament by reading the last book, Malachi. I'm so excited to finally get to the stuff about Jesus, and see events that really shape Christianity. I feel like in the Bible, we learn about two major things, God and Jesus. Although it's argued that They're the same person, all part of the trinity... I feel like the Old Testament is about God and His laws, and then in the New Testament, Jesus is born, and we get a new way of living. Still the same God, but things were tweaked a bit. So, in saying that, we need to understand what God is trying to teach us, in both parts of the Bible. We need to understand that He is ultimately in control. It's just like teachers, or our parents. Even though, sometimes, what they say seems weird or unnecessary, we trust them anyway. They're our parents. They're our teachers. In many ways, God is our teacher. He's our father, too. And unfortunately, we treat Him with dis...
Posts
Zechariah 11-14 OH, HOW DAYS HAVE CHANGED. There are some aspects of the world that are still alive and living, just like they were thousands of years ago. Hate, love, peace, war... in those parts of the world, nothing has changed, really. But I felt like in today's reading, there was some pretty extreme stuff that might confuse people. Back in the old testament, there wasn't a savior that we could let wash away our sins. Jesus wasn't born yet, and everyone was living so strict on the Jewish law because that was just the RIGHT thing to do. It was the right way to live. Now, though, we understand that ALL people are sinners. No one is perfect, because no one has a completely blank slate. So in saying that, we NEED Jesus to make us clean again. Since we're all sinners, we need someone to keep us clean and live with Him, and that's Jesus Christ. In today's reading, people didn't have a savior. Their laws were strict. Today we have Jesus. Today we can develop a ...
Zechariah 6-10 Read these short chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . "I AM THE LORD, YOUR GOD." How much more simple can it get, people? There are certain parts of the Bible I'm just begging to get through. Like, why do I have to read the ancestry of people? And how God continually brought his people out of sin, then they sinned against Him, so He took them out of pain, so they did it again... I don't like history that much. You know, as a class, at school. It's just boring, to me. Right now we're talking about the French revolution. And justtttt when you think that France is going to be a perfect happy little country, some bully comes and tries to take over the world. And then he's sent to exile, so you thinkkkkk that everything will be okay. And then he escapes, and tries to rule the world again. It's kind of like our lives, how there are these constant trials that bring us down, over and o...
Zechariah 1-5 Read these short chapters with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . THAT'S A LITTLE WEIRD... Did yopu guys feel that today's reading was a little strange? There were all sorts of dreams and visions, and it was just weirdddd. But I want everyone to take notice and understand that just because I say it's weird, does NOT mean it didn't happen! Once you think about it-- weird things happen all the time. But does that mean they don't really exist? Zechariah had some really weird dreams sent from God. But just because they were weird, doesn't mean they're fake. I once had a dream I was being chased across a drawbridge by an invisible Chinese murder. Just because it's completely WEIRD doesn't mean it didn't happen! God is so SURE of all He's saying, because He has the power to make it happen. He has the power to make anything happen. So why do we doubt that He's real? Why do we doubt ANYTH...
Haggai 1-2 Read the entire book of Haggai with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ TURNING AROUND Sometimes, no matter how hard it is, we just HAVE to take a look our our lives. We go through our lives, day by day, without even thinking twice about living Godly lives. In today's reading, God bluntly came out and said "Listen, guys. You need to check out how you are living. You call yourselves followers, but you do no such thing!" It's hard to realize that sometimes, too. But the reality is... we have to take responsibility for our actions and just take time to think about stuff. Did I live for God today? Did I reach out to everyone I needed to? Did I love like God tells me to? Most times, we don't. We're all sinners, and we all make mistakes. But if we make a conscious effort to turn around from our selfish ways and take control of our actions, God will become more and more evident in our lives. I hope you take the ti...
Zephaniah 1-3 I think it's interesting-- parts of the Bible. How God can be speaking through prophets. It's unreal! If you don't have a good understanding of the whole concept, then it would sound really bizarre and fiction-y. But time and time again, everything that God says happens. For instance, God tells His people that they will be destroyed if they don't listen to Him. And guess what? They're destroyed. And of course, there are tons of prophesies about the savior of the world, who will be born in a manger, and who will save mankind from their sins by being murdered on a cross... And guess what? 700 years later, Jesus came into the world. So there isn't a doubt in my mind that everything God says is true, and if it hasn't happened yet, one day it will. If you haven't already, read today's chapters (there are only three: Zephaniah 1, 2, and 3.) God speaks through Zephaniah and tells a rather interesting prophesy you'll have to read to believe...
Habakkuk 1-3 Read the whole chapter of Habakkuk with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ IDOLS AND STATUES AND SACRIFICES-- OH MY! I've always wondered what God thought about all the idols people were worshipping. Believe it or not, people are STILL worshipping idols. Maybe not for Christianity, but for other religions. Anyways, I've always had my own opinions on idols and their worshippers. We've been taught since bible school that the golden calf is bad, and that bowing down to people is wrong. Making sacrifices is bad! Idols are wrong, and sinful! But I guess I never thought about it. I've never questioned how God felt about the situation, and since the book of Habakkuk is a giant conversation with God and Habakkuk... we get to see what God thinks of idols-- in His own words. Pretty sweet stuff. Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; ...
Nahum 1-3 Read the ENTIRE BOOK OF NAHUM now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post, or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . Surprised it was only three chapters? God gives us miracles all the time :) HOPE IS HERE. Until today, I was just reading these stories in the Bible as if they had already happened, and all the lessons were already learned. They were facts, like in history class. But there was a little blip of a story in the side of my Bible giving the viewpoint of someone living in those times. I guess I never actually made it an effort for us to actually THINK about the people facing this kind of stuff. Like what my Bible said-- imagine you were a little girl living in Jerusalem. Or worse-- the horrible city of Nineveh! These stories aren't just made up facts that back up a religion. They're actual events, that had actual people go through them! So, in today's reading, the people of Nineveh were bullying other countries. People were genuinely afraid, and didn...
Micah 5-7
Read the last three chapters of Micah now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ !
HAVE A LITTLE FAITH!
Have you ever been told, "Come on, man! Have a little faith!" People usually say it when they're talking about something insignificant, but you can also apply this saying to when people need to just have a little faith in God instead of going crazy.
Sometimes we get so worried, or so frustrated, we forget that there's a God who loves us, and everything we're going through is all a part of his master plan!
Do not gloat over me, my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise.
Though I sit in darkness,
the LORD will be my light.
Micah 7:8
Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy.
You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot
and hurl ...
Micah 1-4 Read these short chapters with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ , or with your own Bible, if you like! FRUSTRATING "GODS." Sorry that today's devotion is so rant-ish. I go on random rants sometimes, and most times, they don't even apply to the reading. Today's devotion has somewhat of a theme, and that's the utter FRUSTRATION I get when people refer to other "gods" than my God, the only true God. I get it when people get all skeptical. They're all like "Carly-- you don't KNOWWW that there's only one God. You don't have the proof!" In which case, I respond with "Well then-- you obviously don't know Him like I do." You see-- when you truly believe in the depth of your heart that there's a God-- then you KNOW. It's like a built-in part to your brain that He puts there. if you ask Jesus to live with you, and you develop a relationship with Him... then t...
Obidiah and Jonah These are two books of the Bible that are REALLY short. Obidiah only has one chapter. So read them now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ ! BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOURSELF. In the book of Obidiah, the citizens of Edom decided to just laugh at the Israelites that were facing God's wrath. They thought they were sooooo much better than Israel, and didn't give any kindness to the suffering people. The actually MADE FUN of the Israelites in this tough time, and beat them when they were down. But-- since God is a God of justice-- He put them in their place by bringing disaster on them, too. I think it's comedic, actually. These people thought they were SO good that they could say whatever they wanted... and as a result of their harsh words THEY were punished, too. Hmm. If people just are responsible for their own actions and quit pushing into other people's business, the world would be a much better place, I thin...
Amos 5-9 Finish up the book of Amos now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ ARE YOU THE BODY? Have you ever heard of the song "If We Are the Body" by Casting Crowns? It's one of my favorites. And, even though it was written thousands of years after the scripture in today's reading was written... it's basically telling the same message. This is just one of the many ways the Word of God is still living among us. I encourage you to check out the song on YouTube with the link below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4wojcSO9Ww Anyway, the chorus goes "If we are the body, why aren't His arms reaching? Why aren't his hands healing? Why aren't his words teaching?" It makes me think a little about how people call themselves Christians. They got to church, they pray before meals, they go through communion... the whole 9 yards. Does that mean they're the body of Christ? If you truly call yourself a follo...
Amos 1-4 Read these chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ FACTS UPON FACTS. When something crazy is said, it's often unbelievable. I think a lot of things in the Bible are pretty unbelievable, but they're just mere facts that show just how AWESOME our God really is. I loved this short verse in today's reading: Everyone is terrified when a lion roars-- and ordinary people become prophets when the LORD God speaks. Amos 3:8 It's a pretty simple devotion for today, I guess. Believe in God, have FAITH in things we can't see. Because even though things SEEM unbelievable, like prophets talking with God, it's history, and it happened. And there are a jillion little facts that can back up Christianity-- But mainly one HUGE fact that holds everything together. It's that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you KNOW everything is true, and that there IS a God watching over you. Share that experience w...
Joel 1-3 There's only THREE chapters to read today-- and there are only 3 chapters in the book of Joel. You wanna be able to say you finished an entire book in the Bible? Read 'em. Now. REND YOUR HEART, NOT YOUR GARMENTS. M&M's phrase now is "melt in your hand-- not in your mouth." It's catchy... don't get me wrong... but it's pretty false. M&Ms most certainly DO melt in your hand. And then, for a few minutes, you have multiple colors of M&Ms bleeding into your fingers, and it gets all messy. In today's reading, God sent plagues to hopefully convince the Israelites to come back to Him. He was showing His power-- that He can send terrible things like plagues, but He can save us from them, too. Pretty neat stuff. Anyway, this verse stuck out to me today: Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Joel 2...
Hosea 10-14 Read these last chapters of Hosea with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ GOD'S LOVE FOR ISRAEL When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more I called Israel, the further they went from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them. Hosea 11:1-4 In the above passage, God is talking about how His people are His children. How He has given so much to them, and they ignore Him. They chose other "gods" to thank instead. I encourage you to think of all the things that your parents have taught you. We take advantage of just HOW much they are apart of who we are today. When we are small, we thrive on what our parents are doing. That...
Hosea 5-9 Read these short chapters now with the BIBLE READER widget to the right of this post, or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . WHAT DOES GOD DESIRE? I have a lot of expectations for God. I want Him to make my life easier, and better, and cooler. I want him to heal me faster, and make sure I made the team. I want God to let me get the part I want. I have lots of desires, and most of them are unfair. Although God has the power to do EVERYTHING, He's a God of justice, so He doesn't just give us everything we ask for. We don't deserve all we ask for, because we're all sinners and we make mistakes. Luckily, God gives us mercy, which is the ultimate gift, I think. In today's reading, God explained how upset He was with Israel, and described what He expects of them. I've always wondered what is important in God's eyes-- and this verse made it a little clearer: For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6 ...
Hosea 1-4 THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE. There were a lot of things going on today's reading. This guy was told to cheat on his wife, she became a prostitute, they all had different kids-- it was quite the historical soap opera. But, regardless, I thought that of all the crazy stuff happening, the greatest of them was LOVE. You see, God used the examples He did in today's reading to explain His great love for Israel, and all His people. Just like in a normal relationship, there are difficulties. There are ups, and downs, and fights, and over-comings. Israel and God were like a couple, really: always fighting and then coming right back to each other. Israel refused to follow God, so they were abandoned, and then they lived according to the law and it was all better. No matter HOW many times problems arose-- LOVE was the great gift that held it all together. Love holds everyone together, I think. It's everlasting, and it gives me a sense of peace to know no matter HOW many ti...
Daniel 9-12 Read these final chapters of Daniel now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ !!!!!CHRISTIANITY MYTHS REVEALED!!!! I think a lot of times, Christianity comes across as some strict religion for church-goers and saints. You have to give alllll your time and alllll your money away to the church, and you have to stay clear of alllll sins to get into heaven. But I'm here to say THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE. Don't get me wrong-- it's not easy to be a follower of Jesus. We have to make sacrifices of time and energy to set ourselves different from the rest of the world. It's hard sometimes to do what Jesus wants us to do instead of what we want to do. But all of these things are easily payed for with the grace, peace, and love that only our God can give. Anyway-- I know that there's this myth that Christians have really strict laws to abide by. That we have to live a perfect life, and blah blah blah. In today's...
Daniel 6-8 Read these chapters with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . TRUST IN WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE. Life is tough sometimes. It can break us down to pieces, leaving us crying in a corner, or alone by yourself. We've all been there-- hit rock bottom. There seems like there is no hope. There isn't any love. There isn't any life. And I don't want to start of today's devotion with a big downer, but sometimes life just stinks. You know what I mean, right? Sometimes it seems as if we have no where to turn. Take Daniel in today's reading, for instance. He was thrown into a hole filled with lions, just because he prayed to God. If I were in Daniel's shoes-- I wouldn't want to carry on! I know I wouldn't be as hopeful as he was. Not even a LITTLE bit hopeful. Yet, when everything was falling apart, he turned to the one thing that wasn't failing-- his faith in God. It's crazy amazing, to me. That someon...
Daniel 4-5 Only two chapters to read today, folks. Be sure to do so at http://www.biblegateway.com/ or with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post. EARTHLY REWARDS. I feel like most times, we only get out of bed and do something if it has something in it for us. For instance, we go to work to get money. School for education. Church for fellowship. We do nice things because we want others to have a better impression of us, and although that's not the case ALL of the time, it's still pretty evident in everyday life. I'm not necessarily saying that's a bad thing-- to gain things for yourself. Sometimes we can gain friendship and happiness. However, today I'm talking about the stuff we do for earthly treasures, like money, fame, and STUFF. In today's reading, the king was in need of a dream interpretation. He needed help, and Daniel was nice enough to help him out. With the help of God, Daniel was able to tell the king what his dream meant, and it was a happy e...
Daniel 1-3 Read these awesome chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . KEEP YOUR CORE STRONG. There are all sorts of workout programs out there about "staying strong" and "sticking to your core." And I'm not saying that fitness is a bad thing-- but if I had to stick to anything I'd want to have a strong SPIRITUAL CORE. In today's reading, people were thrown into a furnace because of their core beliefs. They wouldn't bow down to an idol, and they trusted their core beliefs more than a golden statue. It put them in danger... yes... but their beliefs also saved them! It's like a huge cycle. You endanger your social status, or your free time for your beliefs. But in the end, God always rewards you and keeps you safe. And a few verses I also liked today were these: Shadrach , Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this...
Ezekiel 47-48 It's the end of Ezekiel, everyone! And instead of ending the book with a random verse, the ending was quite meaningful and awesome. Read these final chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . It's a great day today. I'm busy, like always, but somehow God always finds time for me to fit in my devotion. And today's message is pretty epic, just like the end of the book: THE LORD IS HERE. So, in Ezekiel, we've been talking about how people are rebuilding the temple, and the city around it. It's a hugeeeee process... involving all sorts of measurements and sizes, (all of which we had to read through... bleh...) but once they city finally comes to a close, you've got to smile and have a sigh of relief. It's almost like the ending of a sad movie-- though there are many depressing parts that are hard to get through, the ending is always meaningful and AWESOME. Ezekiel 48:35 "...And the nam...
Ezekiel 44-46 Read these chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post, or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . JUST WHAT IS HOLY? In today's reading, there was much talk of things being holy or unholy. Also, in order to be holy, people had to do all these weird routines. For instance: They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long, but they are to keep the hair of their heads trimmed. No priest is to drink wine when he enters the inner court. They must not marry widows or divorced women; they may marry only virgins of Israelite descent or widows of priests. They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. Ezekiel 44:20-23 Believe it or not, these were actual things that God's followers had to do in order to be holy. If you're like me, you're probably wondering why WE don't have to do these "holy" things! And here is what I think: Holine...
Ezekiel 41-43 WHY IT HAS TO BE SO DANG COMPLICATED. Why does the reading today have to be so dang complicated? Why did God have people make the temple EXACTLY how He wanted it-- and not how they wanted it? Why did every single detail matter? Why is all so tedious and important and strict? Why does it matter to me? If you've asked these questions while reading, then you're just like me. The first part of today's reading was awful to read through, solely because it was just long and boring. The details of making a temple? Why is that important? More importantly, what does it matter? Then I read the last chapter. There was a passage that totally changed the way I was thinking, and maybe it did for you, too. It talked about how these things need to be followed because in God's eyes, they matter. Though they seem stupid and mean to us, God's purpose isn't "let's see how well they can make a temple." To me, I think that God was asking himself, "How ...
Ezekiel 39-40 Read these two chapters with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.bible.com/ . WHAT YOU NEED. WHAT WE ALL NEED. Everyday, I feel like we're searching for something more. More money, more power, more love, more friendship... more of a reason to be thankful. More STUFF that we can grasp in the palm of our hands, or keep us temporarily satisfied. And I'm going to make today's devotion short, because it's all about someone who can fill all the wants in the world. A God who can keep our hearts filled, and give us that feeling of complete bliss. If you've never experienced it-- then I'm going to sound like a complete idiot. Which is why I'm encouraging you to get out and figure out all these things God is a part of! I could spend hours trying to explain all the miracles Go had blessed me with, but what does all of that mean to YOU? Nothing. So if you want to see what I'm talking about, and feel that thing deep inside of you...
Ezekiel 36-38 You won't believe what happened in today's reading. You better read today's chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.biblegateway.com/ . HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD? There's a song out there called "How Great is Our God" by Chris Tomlin. And honestly, I couldn't put it better myself. How great is He? It's impossible to put into words. Every breath, every death, every single step I take is governed by a God who loves and will always love me... forever! It's incredible how much we take that for granted. We live every day, thanking God for the big things, like a house, food, and money. But if we don't give thanks for the little things-- we're not praising God for just how AWESOME He really is. All these little things are overlooked, but are so important. In today's reading, however, God did something EXTRAORDINARY. Somehow, I've gone to Bible school all my life and have never heard this story...
Ezekiel 33-35 Read these chapters with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at http://www.bible.com/ . PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT. I don't know how many times I've encouraged people to not only HEAR the word of God but actually put it into practice. There's a HUGE difference between going to church and actually listening to the sermon. You know what I mean? I know I've said it a gillion times, that we need to practice our faith, and do things because we WANT TO, not because we HAVE TO. So naturally, when I read today's reading, I was super happy that it had a lot to do with what I'm always saying. In today's reading, God caught on to what was happening in the world. People were coming to see God speak through the prophet Ezekiel, kind of similar to how we go to church. We sometimes treat it as a job instead of a pleasure. People did the same back then. Here's an excerpt of what God was saying to Ezekiel: My people come to you, as they usually do, an...
Ezekiel 31-32 GOD CAN BUILD AND BREAK. If you haven't already, read these two chapters (listed above) at www.bible.com or with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post. Anyway, God had some pretty interesting things to say to Pharaoh today. And even though they were initially meant for Pharaoh, they can apply quite nicely to us, here, in modern day America. (Or wherever you may live.) People like to make ourselves up as big, powerful people. We like to be talented, and to have lots of STUFF. I know, you're probably getting all defensive now, thinking "You're SO wrong, Carly! I'm not a mean person! I don't brag or boast! I'm NOT a bad person!" But... remember what I said about making ourselves up to be something? The littlest things can make us completely defensive. We have this view of who we wish to be, and we'll do anything to get there. Don't get me wrong, I do it too. I try to make people think I'm someone I'm not. It can be big ...
Ezekiel 28-30 Read these chapters now with the BIBLE READER to the right of this post or at www.bible.com . BIG PEOPLE. Sometimes, we're faced with big people. People that we have to face, or stumble upon, or chose not to face, but end up facing anyway. And I don't mean "big" like "large," but like "experienced," or "powerful." And even though we don't stand a chance to these people, we have to face them anyway. And even when it seems impossible... we have to be still and know that no matter HOW big the person is, that God made them, and He's ultimately in charge. It's a little confusing. In today's reading, God talked to kings and rulers of places, and warned them about how they need to change. I just this encounter was just humbling for me, because it made me feel all warm inside to know that GOD IS IN CHARGE. He's in charge of the bullies, and the meanies, and the people whom we want to punch in the face. And no mat...
Ezekiel 25-27 THE WHOLE POINT TO CHRISTIANITY. It's weird for me to talk about a clear reason for being a Christian. I mean, I've been raised as a Christian, and I'm just used to it. And lately, I've been feeling some real God moments, which have assured my faith... so I don't really question the point to my religion. But in order for other people to "get" Christianity, I guess I have to have a reason to share with them. Something that will let them know WHY I go to church, and WHY I pray to this guy named Jesus. If you've never felt the love of Jesus, then yeah. Christians sound like lunatics. If you haven't already, I encourage you to read the first chapter of today's reading, because that's what I'll mostly relate to in today's devotion. Basically, thousands of years ago, people made bad choices and went against God's laws. They disobeyed, and never asked to be forgiven. They pretended there WAS no God, or they worshipped bi...