Read the Bible in a Year (30SEP19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, September 30’s Bible reading is Zechariah 8-14.

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

 ZECHARIAH MOMENT – (30SEP19) “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.’ This is what the Lord says: ‘I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.’” (Zechariah 8:2-3).

Zechariah prophesied the blessings that Israel would receive after their exile once they repented and came back to the Lord. Some of his prophecies were for their time and others were of the coming Messiah and His later Millennium reign. Israel was going to be in a state of peace as they restarted the rebuilding of the temple. The Lord promised to bless them as a result of their obedience. He let them know, however, that He was jealous for His people. This jealousy was not the kind that people have towards one another in the sense of covetousness or rivalry. This was a jealousy of protection from the harms of the enemy in whatever form he came because the Lord wanted the best for His people. Jerusalem was once again going to be prosperous, but Israel was not independent of foreign nations’ leadership because after the Medes and Persians, then came the Greeks and later the Romans of which they thought the Messiah would free them from. Nevertheless, Jesus will one day come to reign for 1,000 years on earth and all nations will be subjected to His rule where Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City of the Lord Most High.

We have a God who loves us tremendously. One day, we will see Him face-to-face and live with Him for all eternity. There will be no more death, dying, disease, or afflictions. It will be a time where we will experience peace and prosperity. You may not be happy with your house right now, but one day, you will have a mansion. You may not have money in the bank, but one day, you will walk on streets of gold. You may get sick in your physical body, but you will one day eat from the Tree of Life. You may have turmoil with your earthly family, but one day, you will be surrounded by the family of God. You may not be able to enjoy the finest restaurants, but one day, you will feast at the Banquet of the Lamb. You may feel defeated while here on earth, but one day, you will wear a victor’s crown. The Bible says: “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (30SEP19) “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). Zechariah prophesied the Lord Jesus riding in Jerusalem on a donkey as a king riding in his chariot. The Lord was giving hope to His people as to a time when their Messiah would arrive to give them hope, encouragement, love, and salvation. Some would love Him while others would hate Him because they were not able to spiritually discern who He was. Yet, Jesus was coming to die for the lowliest of sinners where we would be free from the enemy called SIN.

When we look at the prophecy of Jesus, we can see that He was not coming to earth the first time as the King that He is, but He was coming as a servant to submit to the authority of His Father. The Bible says: “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8). Jesus took on the likeness of a servant to fulfill the will of the Father so that we may have life. The first time that Jesus acted royally was when He rode on the donkey and even then, He did not get the finest of animals, but used a donkey to symbolize His kingship and humility. When we follow His example, we can learn that even if we are in positions of authority, we are to be humble and meek as He was. We are to be an example to the world in all that we do so that the world can see Jesus in us rather we are at the job, school, home, amongst friends, or grocery store. Will you try to model Jesus throughout your life? Something to ponder….

ZECHARIAH MOMENT – (30SEP19) “This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’” (Zechariah 13:9). Zechariah was prophesying a time of trial for Israel where there would be a remnant of a third left who would be faithful to the Lord. Some Biblical scholars believe that this third would include those in the 144,000. The Lord will have His vengeance against those who refused to accept Him as their Savior, but those who are His true remnant would be refined in the fire like silver and tested like gold. They would have favor with the Lord, and He would hear their prayers when they called. The ones who perished were deceived by the false prophets who led them astray. Therefore, the Lord would be the Good Shepherd to lead His sheep in the right direction. His one staff would break the hold of the enemy who tried to defile His sheep and the other staff would lead them to safety and care. The people would then know that He is the Lord.

Many saints are being tested in the fire right now. That fire comes in many forms. The devil wants us to give up on God when we go through the heat. Many servants of the Lord experience depression, social injustice, rejection, persecution, loneliness, and other trials as they try to serve the Lord. Going through the fire is not fun on any level, but the Lord allows these things so that we can become the vessels that He requires for His use. The Bible says: “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see” (Revelation 3:18). The Lord tests us like gold tried in the fire because the fake will never last, but real gold will endure. The refinement process is necessary to shave off anything that is not like God. Nevertheless, He rewards those who endure to the end so that His name may be glorified and praised. Something to ponder….