Read the Bible in a Year (29AUG19).

DAILY REMINDER – Today, August 29’s Bible reading is Lamentations 3:37-5.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, August 30’s Bible reading is Ezekiel 1-4. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

 

  

LAMENTATIONS MOMENT – (29AUG19) “Not a king in all the earth—no one in all the world—would have believed that an enemy could march through the gates of Jerusalem. Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the sins of her priests, who defiled the city by shedding innocent blood” (Lamentations 4:12-13). The author of Lamentations wrote the reason as to why Judah and Jerusalem had been destroyed. The kings believed that they were indestructible, and the priests and prophets were guilty of sin. The author did not go into details as the who the innocent blood was that they shed, but we know that Israel had a history of killing the true prophets of God, which would have been in the category of shedding innocent blood. They were also, according to the author, responsible for the death of the people who had been killed by the Babylonians because of their failure to teach them the ways of the Lord. The Lord rebuked the watchmen during the Prophet Isaiah’s day because of their failure to turn the people back to Him. The Bible says, “For the leaders of my people—the Lord’s watchmen, his shepherds—are blind and ignorant. They are like silent watchdogs that give no warning when danger comes. They love to lie around, sleeping and dreaming. Like greedy dogs, they are never satisfied. They are ignorant shepherds, all following their own path and intent on personal gain” (Isaiah 56:10-11). The Lord blamed His shepherds for the sinful state of the nation and the shepherds are once again the blame for the sinful state of this nation.

America is in trouble, and yet, we have greed being the leading cause in there being no spiritual awakening of the masses. People fill the pews of worship houses every weekend and yet, this nation is in a state of sin. There are those who may get tired of hearing God’s true watchmen preach and teach on this matter, but all throughout the Bible, the Lord is rebuking His watchmen for not doing their job. He finds it repulsive that those who claim to be servants of His will not declare His name to those who are caught up in sin. This, within itself, is a sin before God. Why are they failing to do so? Because many of them are caught up in secret sins themselves, but to the Lord, there are no secrets and He sees all. The Bible says, “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:1-2). The author of Lamentations described how the priests and false prophets who were once celebrated for their message became an object of disgrace for the people. They were no longer praised and honored, but were turned away everywhere they went and were loathed by the people. That day is coming to many in today’s pulpits. May they enjoy their honor while it lasts. Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (29AUG19) Do you have a heart for the lost? Does it pain you to see that millions of people are headed towards a devil’s hell? Do you take every opportunity you can to witness to the unsaved in your family, on your job, at the checkout counter, and amongst your friends and associates? Do you grieve for the condition that our nation and world is in? Do you feel for the father who loses his son to gang violence, the police officer who is shot merely for doing his/her job, the drug addict who lives on the street with no hope, the baby who has an appointment with death at the abortion clinic, or the single mother who is tirelessly working three jobs to support her children? The Bible says, “Streams of tears flow from my eyes because my people are destroyed. My eyes will flow unceasingly, without relief, until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees.  What I see brings grief to my soul because of all the women of my city” (Lamentations 3:48-51). The author of Lamentations is grieving over the conditions of his people, and although they brought the judgments on themselves, he feels for their dire condition. The women were being raped and violated. Mothers who were once compassionate had resorted to cooking and eating their own children. The people who used to be in the upper class of society had been reduced to wearing rags, becoming beggars and were ravished with hunger. Those who had not been killed by the Babylonians were left to fend for themselves for mere survival – including the children whom no one took pity on. The author, seeing death everywhere he turned, was filled with sorrow as he wept over them.

As Christians, we are to have a heart like the author did in Lamentations. He took pity on those he saw because they had been cursed by God due of their defiance. Even so, he had compassion on them and empathized with what they were going through. We too live in a world who that is defiant towards God. A day similar to that described in Lamentations is coming to the nations who have rebelled against God. Nevertheless, are we doing what we can to help others turn to Christ? Will you be able to tell God that you did all you could to help usher the lost to Him? Did you help the beggar who asked for spare change, or did you consider him to be a nuisance and a bum? Did you help the mother who did not have money to purchase school supplies for her children when it was in your power to do so? Did you visit the little old lady down the street who had no family to check in on her? Did you go to the sickbed of the one who just needed someone to read the Bible to them? Have you sent a Bible or a book to someone who is in prison in order to share the love of Christ? When we take pity on others, the Lord will do the same for us and reward us in the end. To have a heart for God means to have a heart for His people. “’Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:37-40). Something to ponder….

LAMENTATIONS MOMENT – (29AUG19) “Your punishment will end, Daughter Zion; he will not prolong your exile” (Lamentations 4:22). Jeremiah the prophet had prophesied that Judah and Jerusalem would be in exile for seventy years, but after that, they would go back to their homeland. The author of Lamentations was reminding them that their judgment would not be extended, but the Lord was going to be true to His word and their deliverance would eventually come. Until such time, they had to endure their punishment to teach them a lesson about obedience.

The day is coming when the world will be judged. Those who were faithful to the Lord will enter into His gates, but those who were wicked, will be thrown into the lake of fire. The Bible says, “Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). There will be no more chances to get things right, so the time to do so is now. May the Lord help every unsaved person to turn their life around before it is too late. May we allow Him to use us to bring in the end times’ harvest. Something to ponder….