WE ARE DOWN TO DOUBLE DIGITS!  What a day – only 99 days to go!  Here we go! Please read Malachi 2:10-17, Malachi 3, Malachi 4, and Joel 1, 2, 3. What is your highlight today?

Wow – look at this:  

“You make God tired with all your talk. ‘How do we tire him out?’ you ask. By saying, ‘God loves sinners and sin alike. God loves all.’ And also by saying, ‘Judgment? God’s too nice to judge’ ” Malachi 2:17 MSG)

Don’t we say these things even today? God is not being unkind by judging us – we NEED His correction desperately.  Don’t make this mistake and misunderstand His love in this fundamental way.

“I am God—yes, I Am. I haven’t changed. And because I haven’t changed, you, the descendants of Jacob, haven’t been destroyed. You have a long history of ignoring my commands. You haven’t done a thing I’ve told you. Return to me so I can return to you,” says God-of-the-Angel-Armies” (Mal 3:6-7 MSG)

So powerful. God always wants us back.  He has never changed, and we benefit constantly from His great compassion, even today. 

“Change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to God, your God.
And here’s why: God is kind and merciful. He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot,
This most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe.
Who knows? Maybe he’ll do it now, maybe He’ll turn around and show pity.
Maybe, when all’s said and done, there’ll be blessings full and robust for your God!” (Joel 2:13-14 MSG)

Change your heart, not your clothes. Receive this most patient God, He loves you extravagantly. Let’s let this God-change in us be honest, from the inside out.

Today, we are reading Nehemiah 12:27-47, 13:1-6, 5:14-19, Nehemiah 13:7-31, and Malachi 1, Malachi 2:1-9.  We’re only 100 days away from being finished, can you believe it? 

“Judah was so appreciative of the priests and Levites and their service; they, along with the singers and security guards, had done everything so well, conducted the worship of their God and the ritual of ceremonial cleansing in a way that would have made David and his son Solomon proud. That’s the way it was done in the olden days, the days of David and Asaph, when they had choir directors for singing songs of praise and thanksgiving to God” (Nehemiah 12:45-46 MSG)

They did their work so well it would have made David and and his son Solomon proud – what a compliment!

A few highlights from Malachi 1 – how about these?

“God said, “I love you’ ” (Malachi 1:2 MSG)

Doesn’t He always? ❤

God describes worship:  

“Isn’t it true that a son honors his father and a worker his master? So if I’m your Father, where’s the honor? If I’m your Master, where’s the respect?” God-of-the-Angel-Armies is calling you on the carpet: “You priests despise me! You say, ‘Not so! How do we despise you?’ “By your shoddy, sloppy, defiling worship” (Malachi 1:6 MSG)

Let’s not respond to God’s great kindness with half-hearted worship and praise. (I’m excited to be in Malachi – maybe we are getting close to the New Testament!)

A little Nehemiah, a little 1 Chronicles.  Please read Nehemiah 11, Nehemiah 12:1-26, and 1 Chronicles 9:1-34. What are you thinking about?  Here’s what’s on my heart today:

“The singers got their orders from the king, who drew up their daily schedule” (Nehemiah 11:23 MSG)

Did you notice in Neh 11 that the singers got their schedule “daily” from the king?  Us too! We ought to worship and look to the King every day! Great example for us!

Today, it’s all about Nehemiah again!  Here we go: Nehemiah 8:13-18; then full chapters 9 and 10.  Read and come on back – let’s visit!

“You are not to blame for all that has come down on us. You did everything right, and we did everything wrong” (Nehemiah 9 MSG)

The people did not blame God for their hardships…. you know, sometimes, it really is our fault.  It’s so important to recognize the connection between our actions and our circumstances. Now they enter a period of fasting again – fasting brought a victory before, now they continue the discipline. Fasting also brings favor.  

“we will not neglect the temple” (Nehemiah 10:39)

This is referring to the tithe. Tithes belong in the storehouse (for us, that is our home church) – it’s not a way to purchase favor (we can’t buy favor from God), it’s an act of obedience. Obedience releases blessing.

Continuing in Nehemiah!  Let’s read the following: 7:4-73 and 8:1-12. Got a highlight?  Here’s mine:

At the completion of the work, they remembered God:

“the people went out, brought in branches, and made themselves booths on their roofs, courtyards, the courtyards of The Temple of God, the Water Gate plaza, and the Ephraim Gate plaza. The entire congregation that had come back from exile made booths and lived in them. The People of Israel hadn’t done this from the time of Joshua son of Nun until that very day—a terrific day! Great joy! Ezra read from the Book of The Revelation of God each day, from the first to the last day—they celebrated the feast for seven days. On the eighth day they held a solemn assembly in accordance with the decree” (Nehemiah 8:16-18 MSG)

Once one vision is complete, it’s important to turn our eyes to the Lord purposefully and worship.  Tune in to Him, find out what He is doing next – worship Him for the victory and continue to work!  A victory is not a stopping point – it is a springboard into your next victory!

All in one place again – that’s nice!  Today, we’ll read Nehemiah chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, and finally 7:1-3.  Got a highlight?  I’d love for you to leave a comment and share it with me!

Everyone worked –

“except for their nobles, who wouldn’t work with their master and refused to get their hands dirty with such work” (Nehemiah 3:5 MSG)

It’s a blessing to have the strength to work, a blessing that God would allow people such as we are to cooperate with Him in restoration or whatever He needs accomplished – I don’t ever want to be so self-important that I refuse “such work”.  If God is involved, I want to be involved!

I love the response and when the enemy opposed to restoration (because you know the enemy will oppose) –

“We countered with prayer to our God and set a round-the-clock guard against them”(Nehemiah 4:9 MSG)

Prayer is a weapon! I like Nehemiah 5:16 – they were too busy working for the Lord to be distracted by their own needs, and they trusted God to take care of them. And don’t miss this one:

“I’m doing a great work – I can’t come down” (Nehemiah 6:3 MSG)

What determination. Whatever your situation is, that’ll preach!

A few chapters today – you are doing GREAT!  Let’s read Ezra chapters 9 and 10; then Nehemiah chapters 1 and 2.  What is your take-a-way today?  What can you apply to your life and learn from the Word of God today?  Here’s a couple of mine:

“Now for a brief time God, our God, has allowed us, this battered band, to get a firm foothold in his holy place so that our God may brighten our eyes and lighten our burdens as we serve out this hard sentence. We were slaves; yet even as slaves, our God didn’t abandon us. He has put us in the good graces of the kings of Persia and given us the heart to build The Temple of our God” (Ezra 9:8-9 MSG)

God is always kind!  God never leaves us!  Your circumstances do not determine whether God is good – the goodness of God is a fact, no matter whether times are easy or hard.

“When I heard this, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God-of-Heaven. I said, ‘God, God-of-Heaven, the great and awesome God, loyal to his covenant and faithful to those who love him and obey his commands: Look at me, listen to me. Pay attention to this prayer of your servant that I’m praying day and night in intercession for your servants’ ” (Nehemiah 1:4-6 MSG)

Nehemiah fasts and prays, such an important discipline – and it yielded great results. Physical obedience can release spiritual results. Fasting is a discipline that disconnects you from the pull of the world, while prayer connects you to God.  Don’t overlook this discipline in your own spiritual walk!

Today, we’re are reading Ezra 4:7-23, then Ezra 7 and 8.  All in one place today!

“He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel” (Ezra 7:9-10 NIV)

What a wonderful thing – for the hand of the Lord to be on us because we are devoted! Lord, let it be so in my life!  Let it be so in yours as well, my friend!

Ezra 8:10 NIV – Fasting continues to be an important discipline, and we’ll see it in the NT as well.

Today, we are finishing Esther – wow!  Please read Esther 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.  It’s so hard for me to put these 6 chapters in a “nutshell” for today! Let’s try – I’d love to hear your highlights too!

“When Haman entered, the king said, ‘What would be appropriate for the man the king especially wants to honor?’

Haman thought to himself, ‘He must be talking about honoring me—who else?’ So he answered the king, ‘For the man the king delights to honor, do this: Bring a royal robe that the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crown on its head. Then give the robe and the horse to one of the king’s most noble princes. Have him robe the man whom the king especially wants to honor; have the prince lead him on horseback through the city square, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man whom the king especially wants to honor!’ 

 ^‘Go and do it,’ the king said to Haman. ‘Don’t waste another minute. Take the robe and horse and do what you have proposed to Mordecai the Jew who sits at the King’s Gate. Don’t leave out a single detail of your plan.’ ”  (Esther 6:6-10 MSG)

Promotion and honor may not come from an expected source or at an expected time, but God will honor you if you honor Him!

I notice Haman was terrified before Esther and Ahasuerus –

“Haman was terror-stricken before the king and queen” (Esther 7:8 MSG)

I think because he had no love in his heart. We’ll get to it, but 1 John 4:18 says perfect love casts out fear. I’m thankful that because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we don’t have to feel this way that Haman felt.  

Finished the book of Esther!

Today, we are reading Ezra 6:14-22, Ezra 4:6, and we are starting Esther chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4. Esther is a favorite – it’s hard for me to pick out only one or two little highlights!

“they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for the Lord made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel” (Ezra 6:22 KNJV)

They were joyful because the Lord gave joy, and strengthened because the Lord gave them strength for their work. Hard work is a blessing!  The ability to do hard work is a blessing!

It’s hard for me to offer a nutshell on Esther and comment on 4 chapters in a little blurb! Did you ever notice God’s Name is never mentioned in this book? I notice Ahasuerus’ advisors exaggerate (“all” wives will be disobedient because of Vashti’s example?).  We need to be careful of the voices we allow in our lives. Have to mention Esther 4:14, of course:

“who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14 NKJV”