King
James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning
Scripture One Day At A Time
Date: Saturday,
September 26, 2015
Chapters: The Books of Zephaniah & Haggai
https://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-269.html
Message
Title: Hope
And Assurance

Hello My Friend,

The
Book of Zephaniah is the thirty-sixth book of the Old Testament/Bible
and contains three chapters, the author of the book is Zephaniah and
it was written to the people in Israel and all nations, the timeline
for these events took place approximately between 639BC and 609BC.
The purpose of the book was to warn all nations of Judgment Day. What
we are to learn from the book is that God rather save then destroy,
He is mighty to save all who come to Him. “The
LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will
rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy
over thee with singing.” - Zephaniah 3:17.

It's
incredible to be, Jew or Christian, we all worship the same God, yet
many pick and choose which part of the Bible they want to believe and
obey. Many Jews disregard any book other than the first five, while
Christians disregard all of the Old Testament and much of the New.
Okay, those of us who were born after the death, burial, and
resurrection of Christ are not under the Mosaic law, but it's
important that we learn of and study the times before Christ came
here so that we have an understanding of what God expects of us and
what is to come if we do not become hears and doers of all of His
Word. Zephaniah prophesied around the time of Habakkuk, this time God
addresses not only Israel, but the entire earth and points out
exactly who will not survive Judgment Day.

“I
will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven,
and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked;
and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD. And them
that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that
worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham; And
them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not
sought the LORD, nor enquired for him. Hold thy peace at the presence
of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD
hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. And it shall come
to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and
punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their
heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.”
- Zephaniah 1:3,5-7,12.

And those
that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him. Among
those who worship false gods, mix the Almighty with other gods, and
whom have turned their backs on Him are those who never sought or
even asked about Him. I heard a missionary to Africa say that where
she is they never heard of Jesus, the majority of them are Muslim,
and they are afraid to convert for being killed. Now, I know that
anyone can get saved, and if God has laid it on someones heart to
teach the Gospel to others in a foreign land then souls can be won,
but to know of and not accept Christ is just the same as not knowing
at all, ignorance does not save anyone, only Christ does. No one
wants to admit that Judgment Day will come, but they all fear the
end, we do not have to fear the end because God has a plan an escape
for those who will come to Him. He explains this through
Zephaniah.

“Gather yourselves
together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; Before the
decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the
fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD'S
anger come upon you. Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth,
which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness:
it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger. The LORD
will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the
earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all
the isles of the heathen. This is the rejoicing city that dwelt
carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside
me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down
in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.”
- Zephaniah 2:1-3,11,15.

Seek ye the
LORD, all ye meek of the earth, it may be ye shall be hid in the day
of the LORD'S anger. God only saves those who humbly admit
they are a sinner and need Him. You can pray a
thousand times a day, worship every man made god known, but unless
you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and are saved through Him than
you are a part of the billions of people who will be consumed off the
land upon His return. While God is willing to wait, He is not willing
to share the spotlight with false gods or those who think themselves
a god. This is not cruel punishment, this is just judgment from the
all mighty God.

“The just
LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning
doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust
knoweth no shame. I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive
instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I
punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.
Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise
up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I
may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even
all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the
fire of my jealousy. For then will I turn to the people a pure
language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve
him with one consent. I will also leave in the midst of thee an
afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the
LORD.” - Zephaniah 3:5-9,12.

The Book of Haggai
is the thirty-seventh book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains
two chapters, the author of the book is Haggai and it was written to
the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon after seventy
years of captivity, approximately 520 BC. The purpose of the book was
to inspire Israel to have a new zeal for God and make the leaders
aware of their responsibility to rebuild the Temple of worship. What
we are to learn from the book is that God demands first place in our
lives. “The silver is mine, and the gold is
mine, saith the LORD of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall
be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this
place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.” - Haggai
2:8,9.

Haggai was among the first of the exiles to return
from Babylon under the leadership of Zerubbabel, who was the governor
and Joshua, the high priest. Their purpose was to rebuild the Temple
that was destroyed seventy years ago, but due to circumstances they
let it slip and began building their own homes. Through Haggai, God
calls them to get back to building the temple. “Is
it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house
lie waste? Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your
ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not
enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you,
but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to
put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider
your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the
house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith
the LORD.” - Haggai 1:4-8.

I
will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.
I learned a long time ago that everything needs to be built upon the
foundation of Christ. I am self employed, when business comes to a
halt, I begin to wonder the cause, only to realize that I had not
been putting God first. He does not want second place, He wants first
place in our lives. Through Haggai, God reveals an everlasting temple
that all who enter will be His glory. “According
to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so
my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not. For thus saith the LORD
of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the
heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will
shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I
will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. The silver
is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts. The glory of
this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD
of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of
hosts.” - Haggai 2:5-9.

Christ is the desire of
all nations, for in Him shall the families of the earth be blessed
with the best of blessings. The shaking of nations will take place
during the Tribulation, which will be followed by Christ’s return
in all His glory. “For the Lord himself shall
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever
be with the Lord.” - 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17.

Today's
Prayer: God, Thank You for giving us hope and assurance of
the glorious day in which all nations will come together as one,
speak one language, and worship only You in the kingdom that You are
preparing for Your people. You desire our fellowship, our devotion,
and our trust for all our needs, as You delight in providing us with
everything we have need of. Lord, lead me and guide me in Your will
and ways, help me to work only for the things that give You glory,
for I know that as long as I am in Your will I will be taken care of
and receive much more than I imagine. I love You Lord, and pray in
Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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