A Discreet Situation!

Today, we come across one of the most significant events in the Bible—the birth of Jesus. While this story is familiar to most, the character of Joseph stood out to me. He is engaged to Mary, but Mary is found to be with a child. As you can imagine, this was beyond awkward for them both. Mary has a far-fetched story about how this happened, and Joseph isn’t buying it. He hears her, but he decides to divorce her. Culturally, for Joseph and Mary, their engagement was as strong as marriage, and to break it off was considered divorce. 

But Joseph is not a knee-jerk-reaction kind of person. He is not vengeful. He is not even so concerned about how he feels betrayed as much as humiliation and potential death for Mary. Keep in mind that adultery in their day was punished by stoning. Notice Joseph’s reaction. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. (Matthew 1:18–19, ESV)

As I considered Joseph’s character, two thoughts came to mind: not everything is as it seems, and discretion is a valuable virtue. We see this in the following two verses. He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, It is folly and shame unto him. (Proverbs 18:13, KJV) Discretion shall preserve thee, Understanding shall keep thee: (Proverbs 2:11, KJV) Because Joseph had discretion, he had time to hear the whole matter. Sure, he heard Mary’s side of the story, but he hadn’t heard God’s side. How easy it is to go public with opinion and judgment! Yet, discretion was of great value in helping to preserve this situation. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:20, NKJV)

Is this a good pattern to follow? Imagine what would not be on FaceBook and other social media platforms if we practiced this discretion. Imagine how many situations could be saved or preserved if we simply didn’t send that text. In our culture of instant everything, where it is easy to tell the whole world whatever comes to mind, discretion is needed now more than ever.

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Matthew 1; Luke 2:1-38.

God at Work in the Mundane!

Today, I turned the page and began reading through the New Testament in my chronological Bible reading plan. Yesterday was Malachi; today is Luke and John. About four hundred years pass between the end of Malachi and the New Testament. These are usually called the silent years. No vision or prophet from the Lord is recorded for our reading. 

On top of that, the Jews are tired. They have lived under the rule of Babylon and Persia for centuries, and now Rome. When we turn the page from the Old Testament to the New, nothing feels new for these Jews—it is just another typical day for ordinary people living under a repressive regime. When will their prophesied King come? 

But something is different. The angel Gabriel appears to Zachariah and Mary, announcing two miraculous pregnancies. John and Jesus are soon to be on the way! Just like that, we slip into the New Testament, and almost no one notices. Eventually, Zachariah’s wife, Elizabeth, and Mary meet and notice the joy between them. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” (Luke 1:42–45, NLT)

As I thought about this, I was reminded that God’s big movements often start in small, hidden, and quiet ways among ordinary people. Even the birth of Jesus was in a small town of no significance. What an encouragement for the tired and weary who live commonly and are of ordinary means. God is at work in your life and mine. As believers, let us learn to rejoice in the mundane and the ordinary—often the epicenter of the plan God unfolds over time. 

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Luke 1; John 1:1-14.

He Is Worth It!

Malachi means “my messenger.” As we open Malachi this morning, we see God is sending a message to His people living in Jerusalem. Over time, these returned exiles have strayed, and Malachi’s message deals with God’s six disputes with His people. One of these disputes is seen in Malachi three: “You have said terrible things about me,” says the Lord. “But you say, ‘What do you mean? What have we said against you?’ “You have said, ‘What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins? (Malachi 3:13–14, NLT)

Wow! After all the goodness God has shown His people, they concluded it doesn’t pay to love God! God has been reduced to a deposit on their bank statement, and the amount wasn’t enough to cause them to bother with loving God. This would be like having a child, and the child’s relationship with you, the parent, is judged based on the size of the allowance you give to this child. In other words, they will only love you if it is lucrative and worth their time. Interestingly, the people of God have become so hardened in their hearts that when Malachi raises the issue, they are surprised that God should accuse them—what evidence does God have to justify this charge against them? Ouch!

None of us is that far off from doing the same thing. Our relationship with God can become blessing-oriented instead of love-based. We can become focused on what we think God should give us. We can focus on the wicked prospering and the righteous suffering. Before long, we can become blind to what Christ has done to redeem us and make us His own. Believers, let’s love God! Let’s seek His kingdom first! Let’s rejoice that He has adopted us into His family! Let’s love God—He is worth it!

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Malachi 1-4.

Protection for Our Joy!

Today, as we come to the end of Nehemiah, we see rejoicing, singing, and concern. As God’s people dedicated the wall of Jerusalem, it was a joyous day. And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away. (Nehemiah 12:43, ESV) According to this, the joy of this occasion was heard in neighboring towns. God intends for His people to be happy, joyful people! 

On this same day, the Book of Moses was read to them, and in doing so, they discovered they were sinning against God. This was a great concern! On that same day, as the Book of Moses was being read to the people, the passage was found that said no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be permitted to enter the assembly of God. (Nehemiah 13:1, NLT) The Bible says they “found” a passage they were not obeying. As a result, …all those of foreign descent were immediately excluded from the assembly. (Nehemiah 13:3, NLT) The point here is their response to the Word of God. 

This situation reminded me of two verses in the Psalms that apply to all. How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. (Psalm 119:9, 11, NKJV) For Israel, reading the Word of God, or the Book of Moses, helped cleanse them from what led to their captivity! For us, the effect is the same. As we read the Word of God, we discover where we have sinned, that we might put away that sin and the bondage that comes with it. In many ways, the Word of God protects our joy! How is your joy? Are you in the Word? Believers, let your neighbors hear your joy—by taking heed to the Word of God!

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Nehemiah 11-13.

Mercy, Joy, and Strength!

The people of God are back in their land, the temple is rebuilt, and the city wall is completely repaired under Nehemiah’s leadership. This morning’s reading shows us what looks like a church service. Ezra, the priest, stands on a wooden platform before all the people. The people stand when they see Ezra open the Book of the Law. Ezra proclaims the goodness of God, and the people respond with “Amen.” He then reads from the book and explains the words of the Law to the people. (Nehemiah 8:1–8)

The message of mercy stands out to me during this church service! In fact, as the Law of God is read, the people are convicted of their sins and weep. But Nehemiah, Ezra, and the other Levites encourage the people to rejoice in God’s mercy! They know they have sinned, and their repentance is met with the message of mercy. …But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love…(Nehemiah 9:17, NLT) “But in your great mercy you did not abandon them…(Nehemiah 9:19, NLT) …In your great mercy, you sent them liberators who rescued them…(Nehemiah 9:27, NLT) …In your wonderful mercy, you rescued them many times! (Nehemiah 9:28, NLT) …What a gracious and merciful God you are! (Nehemiah 9:31, NLT)

The reading of the Law, or the Word of God, led to the realization of God’s goodness despite their wickedness. With softened hearts, they responded in repentance. This brought about a realization of God’s mercy. And with that, notice what Nehemiah says to the people. Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10, ESV)

Let us rejoice today in the mercy of our God! Let us not lose focus on the importance of the Word of God in bringing about the work of mercy in our lives. Through these means, we find joy in the Lord; this joy is our strength! These days, we need this strength!

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Nehemiah 8-10.