Coming to the Still Waters

Today is an in between chapter devotional as we give Haggai a breather and pick back up with chapter 2 on Monday.   I came across a great quote to think about from a magazine out of Canada called “Reformed Perspective” , May/June 2018, Volume 37, Issue No. 4 and from the regular column called “In A Nutshell - Tidbits Relevant, And Not So, To Christian Life.”   It is a quote titled, “Direction Matters” and by Douglas Wilson from Empires of Dirt.   A bio of Mr. Wilson says,   “Douglas Wilson has been pastor Christ Church in Moscow, ID for more than thirty years. He is the author more than fifty books, including Same-Sex Mirage and Rules for Reformers. Doug writes prolifically at Blog and Mablog (dougwils.com), ranked as a top Christian blog for years running, and has debated the notorious atheist Christopher Hitchens in the celebrated documentary Collision. Doug has been married to Nancy for over forty years, and together they ha...

We are almost half way through our Bible reading for the year.  We are also getting all of our greens from the garden in the front yard.  Most people have beautiful flowers out front but we have a full blown garden going on.  We miss it so much when fall rolls around and we have to start visiting that part of the grocery store again.  Keep eating those greens!!!  --Adam--

Today's verses are Haggai 1:12-15, which read, 12 - Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him.  And the people showed reverence for the LORD. 13 - Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke by the commission of the LORD to the people saying, "I am with you, declares the LORD." 14 - So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people and they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,  15 - on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius the king. This is a very beautiful passage of Scripture because the people of God, the remnant that have migrated back from Babylon to Jerusa...

I wish I had a picture to show you of where I was at last night.  It was at a camp for the Kids' Klub organization.  A school year of teaching the children about Jesus comes to a highpoint when some of the children go to camp and have 5 days of hearing about the great King who sent Someone to us who are sinners and separated from Him.  This Someone is a Savior and is sinless and can be the only one who can be our Substitute before the wrath of God.  The camp this year has the theme of wisdom and I divided the word into "wise" and "dome."   Is this wise under the dome of God's kingdom?  You will get to hear a condensed version of my presentation on Sunday's Down To The River radio broadcast on the weekend.  Thankful to be used of God in many different ways.  --Adam--

Today's verses are Haggai 1:7-11, which read, 7 - Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Consider your ways! 8 - Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified," says the LORD. 9 - You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away.  Why?" declares the LORD of hosts, "because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house. 10 - Therefore, because of you the sky has withheld its dew and the earth has withheld it produce. 11 - I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on men, on cattle, and on all the labor of your hands." The Israelites are starting to migrate back from Babylon to Jerusalem.  The first task was to rebuild the temple and the spiritual structure of their nation.  It started but then it stopped.  They put down the tools to build the...

The sun has returned to the Illinois Valley after rain that has swelled the rivers into flood stage.  Last night we had a great dinner with good friends and some new friends.  I am amazed at how God brings people into our lives over just the mundane things like trying to get rid of an old desk.  I am praying our new friends find a home here for as long as they are in the States.  --Adam--

Today's verses are Haggai 1:3-6, which read, 3 - Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet saying, 4 - "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?" 5 - Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, "Consider your ways! 6 - You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns earns wages to put into a purse with holes." 50,000 Israelites have been released to return to their homeland under the leadership of Zerubbabel.  Haggai is among them and pointing out their thoughts about rebuilding of the temple and also the rebuilding of their spiritual life in Jerusalem.  They started the process to rebuilt but then opposition came and other things got in the way so  "church"  got set on the sidelines or on the shelf to deal with later....

Good Thursday morning all.  In my part of the world it has been hot but it has also been raining in between and the combination creates a lot of green, mainly my lawn that needs attention each week.  The rain replenishes the earth as it falls on it.  The reign of God replenishes His children as it falls on them.  Am I in a place to be replenished or rained on by God to be greened up? My lawn is full of life and I see it.  Is my life full of God that others see it?  Just some questions to ponder this morning.  --Adam--

Today's verses are from a new book to study and I have picked Haggai.  Let's venture into some of these minor prophet books of the Bible and see what lessons are here to apply to our lives.  So Haggai, chapter 1, verse 1 says, 1 - In the second year of Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,... Here is the Bible being the Bible with giving us plenty of names, places, and times to put this account grounded in history to be verified.  The Bible is not afraid of history but actually is giving us an account of history that our world would be severely deficient of, if the Bible's recording of what happening we didn't have.  Haggai the prophet and the book is named after him.  His name means  "festal one"  so maybe he was born on a feast day.  Sometimes we call someone ...

Good morning from Illinois that has received some well wanted rain.  The heat has past for a little while and the humans are back out from the air conditioned houses.  We had a great weekend with an outside service and then a presence in the Oglesby Fun Fest Parade.  Here are some pictures of a midwest small town church making an impact where it can with the opportunities that God gives.  --Adam--

Today's devotional is an in between book devotional as we will go onto another book of the Bible on Wednesday.  Not sure what yet but praying about what to tackle for the coming months.  I thought this morning I would give a couple more thoughts about the passage we covered on Sunday, Luke 9:1-6 which reads, 1 - And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. 2 - And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. 3 - And He said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics apiece. 4 - Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city. 5 - And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them. 6 - Departing they began going throughout the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. I would just like ...

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there and to my dad, Roy, and to my father-in-law, Harry, out there.  Also a general appreciation to all those men who have been like dads to us.  That men's fellowship is so important to a young man and I am thankful for the way God set things up for us to benefit from our mentors.  Today I found a local Father's Day story to read.  --Adam--

Today's verses are Lamentations 5:17-22, which read, 17 - Because of this our heart is faint, because of these things our eyes are dim; 18 - because of Mount Zion which lies desolate, foxes prowl in it. 19 - You, O LORD, rule forever; Your throne is from generation to generation. 20 - Why do You forget us forever?  Why do You forsake us so long? 21 - Restore us to You, O LORD, that we may be restored; renew our days as of old, 22 - unless You have utterly rejected us and are exceedingly angry with us.  What a way to end the book.  The  "this"  and the  "these things"  was identified in the last study and it is our sin.  Our sin is making our hearts faint and our eyes dim.  Our sin has put us in the state that foxes are coming in and taking advantage of our situation.  The people of Israel are suffering these consequences because of their sin and the whole book has been a lament over where they are at because of their r...

Good Thursday morning all and the sun is out with a humidity that is pleasant at the moment.  Our town is getting ready for a weekend of fun and our church will have a presence in the parade scheduled for Sunday.  It also offers us an opportunity to have an outside service.  I love these because we see people who might only come to this service like those who come only for a summer picnic or a harvest dinner.  There is also something about taking the Word of God outside the building and publicly proclaiming it in the open air.  Pray for us.  --Adam--

Today's verses are Lamentations 5:8-16, which read, 8 - Slaves rule over us; there is no one to deliver us from their hand. 9 - We get our bread at the risk of our lives because of the sword in the wilderness. 10 - Our skin has become as hot as an oven, because of the burning heat of famine. 11 - They ravished the women in Zion, the virgins in the cities of Judah. 12 - Princes were hung by their hands; elders were not respected. 13 - Young men worked at the grinding mill, and youths stumbled under loads of wood. 14 - Elders are gone from the gate, young men from their music. 15 - The joy of our hearts has ceased; our dancing has been turned into mourning. 16 - The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned! Jeremiah is trying to describe to us in word pictures what has happened to the people of Israel because they have sinned.  It is not just because there are bad people doing bad things but it is because they have turned from God and fol...