Reading & responding to God's Word in the Bible is the best habit you can establish if you are committed to following Jesus daily.

During 2025, Pastor Brian & Suellen are using The Bible Recap and journaling for our daily devotional habit. Join in and together we'll all KNOW God better this year.

Mary treasured these things in her heart.

Suellen says: I love that it includes my mistake of reading the wrong thing. This does not need to be done perfectly! The point is to meet with God in His Word!

—S— Es 6.13 // When Haman told his wife, Zeresh, and all his friends what had happened, his wise advisers and his wife said, “Since Mordecai—this man who has humiliated you—is of Jewish birth, you will never succeed in your plans against him. It will be fatal to continue opposing him.” // Es 6.13 NLT

—O— Once again there is a statement of determination, but the one who determines it is unnamed. Their statement begs the question, Why? Why is it that Haman's plans against a man of Jewish birth will never succeed? Why is opposing Mordecai a death sentence for Haman? 

The unstated answer is that a powerful force is at work behind the scenes, imposing these outcomes to the benefit of the Jews and to the destruction of anyone who opposes them. First this consequence falls on Haman, who suffers the tortuous and humiliating death he had planned for Mordecai. Then it falls on the enemies of the Jews throughout the empire, who plan over the course of a year to murder and plunder them. The tables are turned.

Tara-Leigh points out a keen observation: Saul had plundered Haman's ancestors when he was told not to do so. This time there is no mention of plunder. If the Jews did not take the plunder they were legally entitled to take, perhaps they are attempting to right the wrong done by their ancestors. 

Also notable is that Mordecai (and by extension, Esther) are descendants of Kish of the tribe of Benjamin. This ancient rivalry, dating back to King Saul, is still playing out generations later, and in a totally foreign land.

—A— When the Lord is hidden, he is not passive. Although he seems absent, he is present and active. He is the powerful and determinative force at work behind the scenes of our lives. He is taking what others meant for evil and turning it for good as he did in Joseph's life. He is turning murderous intent to life-saving result. He is working all things for our good as we love him and live out his purposes in our calling. 

Where does he seem hidden in our lives now? He is there. Where does the passive voice show up in our speech? He is the active voice. Where does it seem like things are on a trajectory of death and destruction? He is determining a result of life and advancement. Take hope. Count on him.

—P— Lord, help us to trust and speak in faith. We look for you to suddenly and powerfully act on our behalf. We will not take any weapon formed against us at face value. You turn swords into plowshares. Take these things that are apparently hindrances and harms and reverse the situation, work them for our good, make tools of destruction into instruments of help. XP Amen. 

God is Not Hiding — Je 29.14 | Day 226

—S— Je 29.14 // "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed," GOD's Decree. // Je 29.14 MSG

—O— Disappointment suggests a hope; in this case, the hope is that we will find the Lord when we seek him. This hope will not be disappointed. The Lord wants to be found.  In and up to Jeremiah's time, the Lord has been sending prophets to encourage the people to return to him, to seek him. He is making himself known. He is not hiding himself, his ways, his will, or his plans.

—A— God is not hiding from us. He has made his will clear through his Word. He sent Jesus to unveil what he is like. He sent his Holy Spirit to give us daily, moment-by-moment instruction and direction. He has not left us in the dark.

—P— Tune our ears to your voice. Tune our hearts to your heart. XP Amen. 

God's Light. God's Heat. - Is 50.11 | Day 210

—S— Is 50.11a //
But watch out, you who live in your own light
    and warm yourselves by your own fires. // Is 50.11a NLT

—O— Living in our own light suggests living in our own understanding. Warming ourselves by our own fires suggest that we are taking care of our needs; self-sufficiency without depending upon or looking to the Lord.

This is a path of poverty; we can't possibly provide for ourselves to the extent that the Lord can.

This is a path to suffering. The second half of the verse says the reward for such a life is to "lie down in torment." 

MSG: 
Go ahead and see where it gets you.
    Set your fires, stir people up, blow on the flames,
But don’t expect me to just stand there and watch.
    I’ll hold your feet to those flames.

—A— I'm reminded that in Acts I noticed that it was the Lord who provided the initiative and plan. I will not build my own fire. I can glean good information from books and such, and what others have down. There is some warmth and light. But my focus must and can be on following the Spirit's lead. He will show me what to do and when and how. 

—P— Lord help me to avoid turning to others and myself for warmth and light, and replace it with an intimate connection to you. XP Amen. 

Getting what we want - 1 Sa 8.21-22 | Day 099

—S— 1 Sa 8.21-22 // Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the LORD. “Listen to them,” the LORD told Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.” // 1 Sa 8.21-22 CSB

—O— Giving people what they want is a type of judgement. The Lord warned the people what having a king would mean, and they wanted it anyway. The things they wanted a king to do, the Lord was already doing for them. "...our king will judge us, go out before us, and fight our battles.” (vs. 20)

Eli's and Samuel's sons' failings poured fuel on the people's developing rejection of God's way of arranging their political structure. If asked, would God not have provided other judges who would rule in his way? Did they think Samuel was defending the status quo out of dynastic ambitions of a sort? Appointing a king wouldn't prevent those kinds of issues; it would exacerbate them.

—A— God is able to work in whatever structures he wants to work. Looking around for guidance of how to arrange our affairs is a poor substitute for looking up. Sometimes getting what we want is the last thing we need. We get into trouble by trying to figure out things on our own rather than turning to the Lord first.

—P— Lord, rescue us from our own "solutions." Help us to turn to you first and foremost. Help us to recognize the natural consequences and your judgements as discipline that directs us back to you and your ways. XP Amen. 

Start TBR