Daily Devotional For Tuesday, December 26, 2023
Take a moment and read 1 Kings 1:1-7, "Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!” (2) Then the Lord said to Elijah, (3) “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. (4) Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.” (5) So Elijah did as the Lord told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. (6) The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. (7) But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land" (NLT).
It is tough to be the bearer of bad news. Somtimes that bad news comes from a doctor due to results from medical tests. Sometimes that bad news comes from your employer saying you are a great employee but due to corporate downsizing, you are losing your job. Sometimes that bad news comes from a spouse who serves you divorce papers. King Ahab was one of the most wicked, evil and sinful kings in Israel whose wife, Jezebel, was no different. God used the prophet Elijah to bring bad news to King Ahab.
To King Ahab, the prophet Elijah was like a nagging gnat that you cannot swap away. King Ahab tried repeatedly to even kill Elijah, but God proetected Elijah. We live in a culture not much different from Israel of that time. Morality has been replaced with subjectivism -- the individual decides what is right and wrong for them. We no longer have a culture code of morality and ethics. God needs His people to be a "voice crying out in the wilderness" (John 1:23). As we are about to enter into a new year, lets stand together for what God wants.
Oh, we will be misunderstood. We will be made fun of, joked about and ridiculed. The Good News is -- that puts us in the same experience as Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53:5-8, gives a prophecy about how badly the future Messiah, Jesus Christ, would be persecuted. But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins: "He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. (6) All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all. (7) He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet He never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, He did not open his mouth. (8) Unjustly condemned,
He was led away. No one cared that He died without descendants, that His life was cut short in midstream. But He was struck down for the rebellion of My people" (NLT).
Here are some questions to ansser:
- Are you afraid to take a stand for Jesus Christ? If so, why?
- Do you tend to go with the crowd and not "rcok the boat?" If so, why?
- After all Jesus endured for you through His scourging, crucifixion and death, would you be willing to be a different person in 2024 for Him?
- Who do you know who help you be this kind of person? Seek them out and ask them for help.
Scripture To Meditate On: Matthew 5:10-12, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.(11) Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. (12) Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (NLT).
Prayer to Pray: "Father Jesus, as I am about to enter into a new year, I really want to be a different person -- a new person for You. Please forgive me when I go with the crowd and do not stand up for You. Please bring someone to help me with this. I do not want to appear that I am ashamed of You and ungrateful for what You have done for me. I love you. Help my unbelief. In Jesus' name, Amen!"