16 The Lord said:
Because the daughters of Zion are haughty
and walk with outstretched necks,
glancing wantonly with their eyes,
mincing along as they go,
tinkling with their feet, 17 therefore the Lord will strike with a scab
the heads of the daughters of Zion,
and the Lord will lay bare their secret parts.
18 In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents; 19 the pendants, the bracelets, and the scarves; 20 the headdresses, the armlets, the sashes, the perfume boxes, and the amulets; 21 the signet rings and nose rings; 22 the festal robes, the mantles, the cloaks, and the handbags; 23 the mirrors, the linen garments, the turbans, and the veils.
24 Instead of perfume there will be rottenness;
and instead of a belt, a rope;
and instead of well-set hair, baldness;
and instead of a rich robe, a skirt of sackcloth;
and branding instead of beauty. 25 Your men shall fall by the sword
and your mighty men in battle. 26 And her gates shall lament and mourn;
empty, she shall sit on the ground.
REFLECTION:
This passage describes vividly the dismay and demise that come when life is out of sync with the will of the sovereign God. It reminds us that people who refuse to walk in the light of the Lord will not prosper.
How do you see the haughty, self-centered attitudes reflected in men and women around you? How does their idea of beauty compare with that of 1 Peter 3:3-4? Do you think such inner beauty applies to men, as well?
How have you tried to develop this inner beauty on your own? How has God’s discipline of you led to growth and purity?
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
10 Enter into the rock
and hide in the dust
from before the terror of the Lord,
and from the splendor of his majesty. 11 The haughty looks of man shall be brought low,
and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,
and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
12 For the Lord of hosts has a day
against all that is proud and lofty,
against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low; 13 against all the cedars of Lebanon,
lofty and lifted up;
and against all the oaks of Bashan; 14 against all the lofty mountains,
and against all the uplifted hills; 15 against every high tower,
and against every fortified wall; 16 against all the ships of Tarshish,
and against all the beautiful craft. 17 And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled,
and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low,
and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. 18 And the idols shall utterly pass away. 19 And people shall enter the caves of the rocks
and the holes of the ground,
from before the terror of the Lord,
and from the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to terrify the earth.
20 In that day mankind will cast away
their idols of silver and their idols of gold,
which they made for themselves to worship,
to the moles and to the bats, 21 to enter the caverns of the rocks
and the clefts of the cliffs,
from before the terror of the Lord,
and from the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to terrify the earth. 22 Stop regarding man
in whose nostrils is breath,
for of what account is he?
REFLECTION:
This passage mentions a number of great things (natural or human-made) which the Israelites must have been boastful of. Yet, Isaiah warned his fellow countrymen that God would act to judge the arrogant people by bringing low these great things among them in the day when the splendor of God’s majesty is revealed.
Isaiah prophesied that on the Day of the Lord, the pride of men will be no more. We know that arrogance is not a desirable trait, yet many of us fall victim to our own arrogance.
Ask God to teach you what it means to stop trusting in humanity (v22) and to only rely on God.
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
The prophet Isaiah addressed the kingdom of Judah for forty years, beginning in the year that King Uzziah died (around 740 BC) and continuing at least to the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 BC. As with all the prophets, Isaiah based his message on the deep covenant bond between God and his people Israel. Prophets typically delivered their messages by composing oracles—poetic speeches they recited in public. Unlike some other prophets, Isaiah had personal access to the kings of his day. He was able to bring godly counsel to kings Ahaz and Hezekiah when the powerful Assyrian Empire threatened the life of the nation. Isaiah maintains an international perspective throughout his book, revealing that Israel’s life is bound up with the affairs of the broader world.
Isaiah urges the people to care for the poor and needy, commit to follow God’s ways, and pursue social and economic justice. In typical prophetic pattern, he speaks of coming judgment because of Israel’s failure, but also of promised restoration, and moving from Israel to the wider world. God’s correction is in the service of renewal. Isaiah’s later oracles introduce the complex figure of the servant, whose personal sacrifice brings healing. These “servant songs” fit into the bigger picture of Israel’s return from exile, the Lord’s return to his people, and the nations turning to God. New Testament writers will turn to Isaiah often to explain how Israel’s ancient commission to bring blessing to the world was fulfilled.
10 Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom!
Give ear to the teaching of our God,
you people of Gomorrah! 11 “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats.
12 “When you come to appear before me,
who has required of you
this trampling of my courts? 13 Bring no more vain offerings;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—
I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood. 16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil, 17 learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow's cause.
REFLECTION:
Isaiah described a religious people whose ritual seems to be according to the law. These people went up to the temple dutifully for the required festivals; they offered sacrifices correctly, made long and impressive prayers. But God called all these meaningless. They seem to believe that following rituals will guarantee God’s blessings. But God totally rejected it.
The people were, instead, summoned to obedience, focusing particularly on justice toward the oppressed, widows, and orphans, people who are vulnerable and without social protection.
The point is that a real and vital faith is not that we appear and do right, but that our relationship with God has produced righteousness.
Is your involvement in church activities, or prayer has become empty ritual, or do you serve the Lord from a heart of love and devotion?
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
One of the people Paul chose to deliver the letters we know as Colossians and Ephesians was a man named Onesimus. Onesimus was originally from Colossae, and would have been known to the people there. But Paul was compelled to write a separate letter for him. This was because Onesimus had been the slave of a wealthy Colossian named Philemon, in whose home the church met. Onesimus had run away, probably robbing Philemon in the process. In Rome he had become a follower of Jesus. He’d been helping Paul in prison, but now Paul needed him to return to Colossae. Paul’s hope was that Philemon would not only forgive Onesimus, but welcome him as a brother and no longer a slave.
Paul’s brief letter to Philemon stresses the change in Onesimus’s life. His name meant useful in Greek, and Paul tells Philemon that while he had formerly been useless (a servant Philemon couldn’t count on), now he could be useful to both of them. Paul doesn’t put Philemon under any obligation. His appeal is on the basis of love, and he promises to honor the demands of justice by making restitution himself if necessary.
Most likely Paul’s appeal was successful, or this letter would not have been preserved. In the life of Onesimus we have a clear example of the kind of transformation that occurred in thousands of lives as the gospel message spread throughout the Roman Empire.
8 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9 yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— 10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13 I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. 15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.
REFLECTION:
Paul asked Philemon to stop seeing Onesimus as a runaway slave, and to begin seeing him as a dear brother. The Gospel makes the same request of each of us. We’re to see everyone as individuals of infinite worth and value, for whom Christ died. And we are to see Christians as dear brothers/sisters and to love them as members of our family.
Are there one or more Christians that you have a hard time accepting as brother or sister in Christ? Why is it hard to think of this Christian this way? Is it the background, ethnicity, behavior, cultural or theological difference, or something else? What would need to change in you in order to accept this person as a Christian brother or sister?
Talk to God about your struggle of accepting others. Thank God that He accepts you and sees you and other believers as no less than His very own children. Ask God to help you see others with the same eyes.
As you encounter people this week who are different from you, remind yourself that God sees them with the label “my children”—and that means you too.
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. 9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.
REFLECTION:
This letter is full of ethical admonition and moral exhortation. Yet Paul, in closing, reminds us again that we do good works not in order to win the favour of God, but because God’s favor has been graciously given to us in Christ. Therefore, we ought to live like it. We are to live disciplined, purified, spiritually committed lives—lives that put faith into practice—not in order to get somewhere with God but rather, because of the mercy of God.
In doing what is good, which are you more motivated by: the call of duty? Fear of judgment? Hope of Christ’s return? Gratitude for what God has done for you? Desire to work for peace in your relationships? Needs of others?
Read verses 4-6 again slowly. What do you know about God’s grace? How does this knowledge affect your desire to do good? Tell God about it.
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
1 But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. 9 Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
REFLECTION:
Paul exhorts Titus to "speak the things which are proper for sound " Such things include the proper conduct expected of Christians, both male and female, young and old, and of those who are servants. Even Titus was to present himself as an example for others to follow.
Paul then writes of the grace of God that brings salvation to all men. Grace teaches us about the way we live, for grace teaches us to reject sin and to do good. Jesus Christ redeemed us from sin. But he has a purpose for us beyond that: He wants to purify us, to eliminate the sin, and to create in us a desire for good behavior “so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior”.
People often judge the Gospel by the way Christians The way we live, the way we work, the way we treat our families and neighbors, all make a difference in how receptive people will be to the message we share. Do you make the Gospel look good, or do you give people reasons to complain?
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
After the apostle Paul was released from prison in Rome, he discovered that renegade leaders were preying on the people of the church he had founded in Ephesus. He therefore left his long-time co-worker Timothy in that city with a letter authorizing him to replace these leaders and restore order. A similar situation on the island of Crete required Paul to commission another long-time co-worker, Titus, to act as his representative there.
Paul’s letter is addressed to Titus, but it is meant for the larger church as well. He confers his own authority on Titus and instructs him to appoint godly leaders. Paul’s description of the false teaching matches that in Ephesus: a combination of selective Jewish observances (such as being circumcised and abstaining from certain foods) and the pursuit of controversial speculations. However, the teaching didn’t help people live purer lives. Paul tells the community that the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It is the true message about Jesus that helps God’s people live a new kind of life. Paul reveals his plan to spend the winter in Nicopolis, a city on the west coast of Macedonia. It would provide an excellent jumping-off point for bringing the gospel to the western part of the empire. He trusts that Titus will help restore order in Crete so he can accompany Paul on this new venture.
1Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began 3 and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;
4 To Titus, my true child in a common faith:
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— 6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.7 For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
REFLECTION:
One of Titus’ tasks was to strengthen the organization of Crete’s churches. This was done by appointing leadership teams in each congregation according to the qualifications Paul laid out for Titus.
If your church’s search committee is currently looking for people who meet these qualifications to become elders or deacons, would you be qualified for nomination? Why or why not?
Identify the qualities in vv8-9. Which quality on this list do you most desire to develop in yourself? Where or who can you ask to help you develop them?
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
REFLECTION:
Paul has known plenty of discouragement and persecution. But he looked back over his life with a sense of satisfaction without regret or shame. Through it all, Paul kept on serving. He fought the good fight. He ran the good race. He kept the faith. And now he looked forward to his reward.
Paul wants us to know that God has the same reward for each of us. We can also live our life here aware that this earth is temporary, and all its pleasures are passing. We will yearn not for the things of earth, but for Jesus to return. This yearning will keep us, as it kept Paul, faithfully committed to God and whatever ministry God has given us, until we meet Christ in person.
What would it take for you to be at peace with your own death? Do you have a sense of completion?
In what way could you encourage someone in the next generation to continue the work of Jesus Christ?
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
REFLECTION:
The Bible is good for us and it gives usdoctrine (it tells us a truth that means more than our opinions). The Bible gives us reproof and correction (it tells us when we are wrong in our thinking or conduct). The Bible gives us instruction in righteousness (it tells us how to live rightly before God and men).
Imagine you are living an interactive life with God. All day long you experience God gently showing you truth, exposing your rebellion, correcting your mistakes, and training you to live His way.
Why would this be the best way to live? Are you willing to live like this?
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. 19 But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.24 And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
REFLECTION:
Slowly read these verses (esp. vv22-26) and let the message saturate your heart and mind. Imagine Paul is sitting beside you, speaking these words to you directly. How do you feel when you hear them? What part of the passage resonates most with you? Why?
Doesthe “evil desires of youth” seem a little patronizing? Or do you just like to have “foolish and stupid arguments”, or is there still bitterness in you causing you to get into “quarrels” a lot? Perhaps Christian maturity such as “be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful” seems impossible or defeating? Maybe with some people you’ve lost hope that they might “come to their senses”?
Continue to sit in silence and explore what God might want you to do with this instruction. How are you to live it out today? This week? This month?
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
