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Tevet is the fourth
month of the Jewish calendar. While the first week sees the end of Hanukkah,
the rest of the month takes a more somber feel. It is the month when Babylon
laid siege to Jerusalem. It ends on a high note, however, as we celebrate the
translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek (the Septuagint) and remember that
the gift of communicating in different languages is a tool God has given us to
share the Gospel.
~Week 14~
Sunday, December 9, 2018 | Tevet 1, 5779
Hanukah / The Festival of Lights / The Feast of Dedication
“If you are convinced that you are a guide
for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the
foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the
embodiment of knowledge and truth—you, then, who teach others, do you not teach
yourself?” – Romans 2:19-21
Lord Jesus, help me to
never be so arrogant to think that I know everything about the Christian faith.
Help me to continue learning and growing in You so that I can shine Your light
for others to see.
Monday, December 10, 2018 | Tevet 2, 5779
Hanukah / The Festival of Lights / The Feast of Dedication
“For you were once darkness, but now you are
light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,
righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather
expose them.” – Ephesians 2:8-11
Father, You have
brought me out of darkness and not only put me in the light but made me the
light. Help me to shine for You.
Tuesday, December 11, 2018 | Tevet 3, 5779
“Then the king called together all the
elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
He went up to the temple of the Lord with the
people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets—all
the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the
words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. The king stood by the pillar and renewed
the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow
the Lord and keep His commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and
all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book.
Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.” - 2 Kings 23:1-3
What a
glorious reign was King Josiah’s in the history of Your people! Make me like
him. Give me a heart whole devoted to You, and a passion to share Your Word
with others.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018 | Tevet 4, 5779
“Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he
became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. And he did evil in the
eyes of the Lord, just as his predecessors had
done.” – 2 Kings 23:36-37
As glorious as Josiah’s
reign was, many of the kings of Israel and Judah failed You. Help me to
recognize the mistakes of others and learn from them to follow You better.
Thursday, December 13, 2018 | Tevet 5, 5779
“The Lord sent Babylonian, Aramean,
Moabite and Ammonite raiders against him to destroy Judah, in accordance with
the word of the Lord proclaimed by His servants
the prophets.” – 2 Kings 24:2
Lord, Your punishments
are just. Help me to accept Your punishments in my life as warnings and
opportunities to grow.
Friday, December 14, 2018 | Tevet 6, 5779
“Surely these things happened to Judah
according to the Lord’s command, in order to remove
them from His presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, including the shedding of
innocent blood. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive.” – 2 Kings 24:3
Father, I know that You
are a loving God, willing to forgive my sins. But neither do You ignore my
sins. Jesus had to die to take my punishment. Inspire me to fall deeper in love
with Him for His innocent blood shed on my behalf.
Saturday, December 15, 2018 | Tevet 7, 5779
“In the eighth year of the reign of the king
of Babylon, he took Jehoiachin prisoner. As the Lord had declared,
Nebuchadnezzar removed the treasures from the temple of the Lord and from the
royal palace, and cut up the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made
for the temple of the Lord. He carried all Jerusalem into exile: all the
officers and fighting men, and all the skilled workers and artisans—a total of
ten thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were left.” – 2 Kings 24:12-14
Holy
God, Your punishments are meant as lessons. And You are so in love with us,
that You humbled Yourself to allow Your temple to be desecrated. Not only that,
but You humbled Yourself to die for me. All to bring me to Yourself and teach
me to follow You.
~Week 15~
Sunday, December 16, 2018 | Tevet 8, 5779
“Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he
became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes
of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the
end He thrust them from His presence. Now Zedekiah rebelled against the
king of Babylon.” – 2 Kings 24:18-20
Why can’t we learn? Why
are we so hard-hearted against You? Give me a spirit that responds, a heart
that feels, and a mind that isn’t afraid to acknowledge You.
Monday, December 17, 2018 | Tevet 9, 5779
“So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign,
on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched
against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built
siege works all around it.” –
2 Kings 25:1
Lord, You know that
there are times when I feel besieged by the enemy. Yet, You are my guardian, my
strength, my protector and sustainer.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018 | Tevet 10, 5779
“The city was kept under siege until the
eleventh year of King Zedekiah.” – 2 Kings 25:2
Sometimes, my time of
trouble seems to go on and on, like it will never end. Help me to keep my hope
in You and know that You have better things for me than what I might be going
through at any one time.
Wednesday, December 19, 2018 | Tevet 11, 5779
“By the ninth day of the fourth month the
famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people
to eat.” - 2 Kings 25:3
Sometimes, it seems
that I’m at the end of my rope. I have nothing left to live on. It’s then that
I learn to lean fully on You.
Thursday, December 20, 2018 | Tevet 12, 5779
“Then the city wall was broken through, and
the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the
king’s garden, though the Babylonians were surrounding the city.” - 2 Kings
25:4
How fickle humans can
be. Those who were meant to protect the people fled! And those who are meant to
stand by my side sometimes fail me. But You never do, Lord. Help me to put my
trust in You alone.
Friday, December 21, 2018 | Tevet 13, 5779
“They fled toward the Arabah, but the
Babylonian army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All
his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, and he was captured.” - 2
Kings 25:5-6
Though I might try to
run from Your discipline, You will always catch me, just as Your punishment
caught up to the wicked king. Give me a heart of bravery that will accept Your
punishments and learn from them rather than fleeing from them and refusing to
acknowledge You.
Saturday, December 22, 2018 | Tevet 14, 5779
“He was taken to the king of Babylon at
Riblah, where sentence was pronounced on him. They killed the sons of Zedekiah
before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and
took him to Babylon.” - 2 Kings 25:6-7
Holy Spirit, even
though Zedekiah sinned against You, I can’t help but feel sorry for him. Help
me to feel compassion toward those who don’t You. Give me a heart not of
judgement but of love toward them.
~Week 16~
Sunday, December 23, 2018 | Tevet 15, 5779
“On the seventh day of the fifth month, in
the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of
the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He
set fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of
Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. ” - 2 Kings 25:8-9
Father, You allowed
Your temple to burn to teach Your people a lesson. You allowed Your Son to be
crucified to teach me a lesson. Help me to take Your punishments on my behalf,
and my relationship with You, seriously.
Monday, December 24, 2018 | Tevet 16, 5779
“The whole Babylonian army under the
commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile the people who
remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had
deserted to the king of Babylon. ” - 2 Kings 25:10-11
The Babylonian army
broke down the walls around Jerusalem to humble them and keep them from
fighting back. Break down the walls of my heart so that I can’t fight against
You.
Tuesday, December 25, 2018 | Tevet 17, 5779
“But the commander left behind some of the
poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields.” - 2 Kings 25:12
Lord, You never punish
beyond recovery. You always leave a remnant to carry on Your mission and to
receive Your promises and blessings. You are a faithful and merciful God.
Wednesday, December 26, 2018 | Tevet 18, 5779
“The commander of the guard took as
prisoners Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank and the
three doorkeepers. There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king had them
executed. ” - 2 Kings 25:18, 21
Jesus, I think about
these priests and wonder how faithful they were to You. Were they warning the
people? Were they confronting the kings with their sin? Help me stand up for
what I believe so that I won’t be a false witness bearing Your name.
Thursday, December 27, 2018 | Tevet 19, 5779
“So Judah went into captivity, away from her
land.” - 2 Kings 25:21
The people have felt as
if they were going away from You as well. There are times when I feel as if
I’ve left You, but You always come back to me. Your love never leaves me, and
You return as soon as I reach out to You. Keep me close to You, Jesus.
Friday, December 28, 2018 | Tevet 20, 5779
“In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of
Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, he
released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. He spoke kindly to him and gave
him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in
Babylon. ” - 2 Kings 25:27, 28
Even when all seems
lost, Lord, You can bring new life. Help me to keep trusting in You, no matter
what I’m going through.
Saturday, December 29, 2018 | Tevet 21, 5779
“Now the whole world had one language and a
common speech.” – Genesis 11:1
Father, as I reflect on
how Your Word was first translated into Greek this month, I am reminded that we
were once blessed not to need translations. We all spoke the same language and
understood each other. I’m looking forward to the time when all Your people
will communicate with one another clearly again.
~Week 17~
Sunday, December 30, 2018 | Tevet 22, 5779
“The Lord came down to see the city and
the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If
as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then
nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” – Genesis 11:5-6
How much would have
been possible for us if we had acknowledged You from the beginning instead of
building a tower to our own pride? Break my pride, Jesus, and give me a spirit
of unity toward my brothers in sisters in Christ so that we can accomplish the
impossible in Your name.
Monday, December 31, 2018 | Tevet 23, 5779
“So the Lord scattered them from there
over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called
Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the
whole world.” – Genesis 11:8-9
We are nothing without
You, Father. You give us breath. You give us speech. And You can take it all
away. Yet You only punish us when it would be for our own good so that we might
learn to follow You. Give me a soft heart learn Your lessons before punishment
is necessary.
Tuesday, January 1, 2019 | Tevet 24, 5779
“Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Aren’t all
these who are speaking Galileans?
Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native
language?” – Acts 2:7-8
Holy Spirit, just as
You confused our language at the beginning, so You blessed us with the gift of
overcoming that curse and communicating with one another through Your gifts and
talents. Show me how to reach out with Your Word to those who speak other
languages.
Wednesday, January 2, 2019 | Tevet 25, 5779
“And
these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out
demons; they will speak in new
tongues.” – Mark 16:17
Whether by supernatural
means or by study, help me to communicate with those who are different from me,
so that we can all be one in You.
Thursday, January 3, 2019 | Tevet 26, 5779
“Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you
and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some
revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?” – 1 Corinthians 14:6
Jesus, Your gifts are
always to build up Your people or bring Your children to You. Give me the right
words to say to anyone I meet.
Friday, January 4, 2019 | Tevet 27, 5779
“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip,
“Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” –
Acts 8:26
Father, I pray that You
would give me such clear instructions. Pull me so close to You that You can
communicate with me and tell me Your will.
Saturday, January 5, 2019 | Tevet 28, 5779
“So he started out, and on his way he met an
Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the
Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem
to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of
Isaiah the prophet.” – Acts 8:27-28
Lord, I know You are
working on the hearts of people before I even meet them. Help me to see what
You are trying to accomplish, and do my part to bring others closer to You.
~Week 18~
Sunday, January 6, 2019 | Tevet 29, 5779
“Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard
the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’
Philip asked. ‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?’ So he
invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” – Acts 8:30-31
Whether it be reaching
out to someone who speaks another language or someone who is simply ignorant of
Your ways, help me to explain Your love and salvation to everyone You put in my
path.
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