Devotionals

Enjoy our daily devotionals written by Pastor Randy Dubois. These devotionals can be used as another way to grow in your walk with Jesus and to grow in your understanding of God and His Word.

Zedekiah Calls for Jeremiah (Day 58)

Read Jeremiah 37:1-21
 
   King Jehoiakim died on the way to Babylon (2 Chronicles 36). His son Jehoiachin was appointed king but was taken captive to Babylon three months later. Nebuchadnezzar then appointed Zedekiah as his vassal in Judah. 

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King Jehoiakim Burns the Scroll (Day 57)

Read Jeremiah 36:21-32
 
   Only three leaders protested this evil act of burning the scroll containing God’s Word. This shows how complacent and insensitive to God the people had become. 

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Baruch Reads the Lord’s Message (Day 56)

Read Jeremiah 36:1-20
 
   This happened in the summer of 605 B.C., shortly after Nebuchadnezzar’s victory over the Egyptian army at Carchemish. 

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The Faithful Recabites (Day 55)

Read Jeremiah 35:1-19
 
   The Recabites’ code of conduct resembled that of the Nazarites, who took a special vow of dedication to God (Numbers 6). For 200 years they had obeyed their ancestor’s vow to abstain from wine. While the rest of the nation was breaking its covenant with God, these people were steadfast in their commitment. God wanted the rest of His people to remain as committed to their covenant with Him as the Recabites were to their vow. God had Jeremiah tempt the Recabites with wine to demonstrate their commitment and dedication. God knew they wouldn’t break their vow. 

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A Warning for Zedekiah (Day 54)

Read Jeremiah 34:1-22
 
   Babylon had laid siege to Jerusalem, and the city was about to fall. Zedekiah finally decided to listen to Jeremiah and try to appease God: so he freed the slaves. He thought he could win God’s favor with a kind act, but what he needed was a change of heart. The people had been disobeying God’s law from the beginning (Exodus 21; Leviticus 25; Deuteronomy 15). When the siege was temporarily lifted, the people became bold and returned to their sins. 

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Habakkuk’s Complaint (Day 1)

Read Habakkuk 1:1-4
 
   Habakkuk lived in Judah during the reign of Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23-24). He prophesied between the fall of Nineveh in 612 B.C. and the Babylonian invasion of Judah in 588 B.C. With Assyria in disarray, Babylon was becoming the dominant world power. This book records the prophet’s dialogue with God concerning the questions Why does God often seem indifferent in the face of evil? And Why do evil people seem to go unpunished? While other prophetic books brought God’s word to people, this brought people’s questions to God. 

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Paul’s Many Trials (Day 46)

Read 2 Corinthians 11:16-33
 
   Paul presented his credentials to counteract the charges that the false teachers were making against him. He felt foolish boasting like this, but his list of credentials would silence any doubts about his authority. Paul wanted to keep the Corinthians from slipping under the spell of the false teachers and turning away form the Gospel. Paul also gave a list ofhis credentials in his letter to the Philippians (Philippians 3). 

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The Priceless Gain of Knowing Christ (Day 11)

Read Philippians 3:1-11
   As safeguard, Paul reviewed the basics with these believers. The Bible is our safeguard both morally and theologically. When we read it individually and publicly in church, it alerts us to corrections we need to make in our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. 

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Haggai Rouses the Leaders in Jerusalem (Day 1)

Read Haggai 1:1-11
 
   The Jews who had returned from Babylon in 538 B.C. to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem were not able to finish their work because they were hindered by their enemies. After opposition put a halt to their progress, no further work had been done on the Temple for over 15 years. In August 520 B.C., Haggai delivered a message to encourage the people to rebuild the Temple. Haggai was probably born in captivity in Babylon and returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel in 538 B.C. (Ezra 1-2). Haggai and Zechariah, two prophets who encouraged the Temple rebuilding, are mentioned in Ezra 5:1.

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Living to Please Others (Day 30)

Read Romans 15:1-13
 
   If we merely set out to please our neighbors, we will be people pleasers. Paul was opposed to that (Galatians 1). We are to set aside willfulness and self-pleasing actions for the sake of building others up. Our Christian convictions must not be a disguise for coldhearted treatment of our brothers and sisters. 

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Jesus Is Placed On The Cross (Day 66)

Read Mark 15:25-32
 
   Crucifixion was a feared and shameful form of execution. The victim was forced to carry his cross along the longest possible route to the crucifixion site as a warning to bystanders. There were several shapes for crosses and several different methods of crucifixion. Jesus was nailed to a cross; condemned men were sometimes tied to their crosses with ropes. In either case, death came by suffocation as the person lost strength and the weight of the body made breathing more and more difficult. 

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