Author: Christian Hile

Ecclesiastes 3

Soloman starts this chapter of scripture off with the idea that there is a time or a season for everything. What he is trying to say is that life is so monotonous. We go from one thing to the next and then back around again in this monotonous circle. There is real wisdom in trying to understand what season you are in so you aren’t “kicking against the goads” if you will. Sometimes God directs us into something difficult and it’s our time of weeping, mourning, or tearing down. Use discernment as you are in the different times of life seeking to understand what God is trying to teach you, instead of always asking for the next season of life.

In verse 11, Soloman writes, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”

God has put eternity in the hearts of men. There is something more than just the monotonous seasons of life that we experience under the sun. There is more than just laboring and enjoying the here and now. We should live in the present; honoring, glorifying, and thanking God for everything; without forgetting about the eternity that He has put in our hearts.

I am thankful for the second part of verse 11. I’m glad that I don’t always understand what God is doing. That shows me He is a big God. If I could pinpoint everything God was doing all the time and could “read” His moves like I do a silly rom com with my wife, is He really a God deserving of my worship? I’m glad I can’t find out the work God is doing from beginning to end. This makes us reliant on Him through His miraculous and providential hand. It makes my faith grow because I know the foundation of His throne is righteousness and justice (Ps. 97).

Sometimes life just feels like a constant cycle of seasons that ends in 80 years when we return to dust. There is far more than just toiling and enjoying the fruit of your labor. God has put eternity in the hearts of men. God’s work endures forever. He doesn’t leave something unfinished. He is the captain of your salvation and the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 2 & 12). Would you place your trust in Christ and rest in the fact that there is nothing more you need to add to His work, but to simply receive the grace He is offering to you? After you do this, live for eternity and keep looking up. He is coming back soon.

Jeremiah 31

Jeremiah was known as the “weeping prophet”. His heart was utterly broke by the sin and idolatry of God’s chosen people as a whole. He was broken by the lack of repentance of his people and the judgment that Judah and Israel endured. It is important to remember that Jeremiah had a front row seat to the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC and the ransacking that followed.

With this context, Jeremiah 31 has an extremely uplifting mood and would be quite encouraging to the people of Israel as a whole. Within the first few verses of this chapter, God declares that there will be rest, singing, dancing, rebuilding, and enjoyment of God’s everlasting, loyal love. God then speaks about a great gathering of the people back to Israel. Ezekiel gives us even greater context when he adds that the nation will be one nation and will never be divided again (Ezekiel 37:21-22). God started this work in 1948 when Israel became a nation again. We need to pray that Israel’s heart would be softened and their eyes would be opened to Jesus the Messiah. The Bible prophecies in Romans that there will be a day when all of Israel will be saved (Romans 11:26).

Just how will all Israel be saved? The answer is in the end of Jeremiah 31. The law will be put in their minds and written on their hearts. Through a personal relationship with God. No longer will neighbors teach neighbors, they will have an intimate relationship with God by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. God will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more. The sacrificial system covered God’s wrath, but the death of Jesus satisfied God’s wrath to the point that He will no longer remember the believer’s sin.

The Gospel is first for the Jew and then for the gentile. Israel, as a principle, has rejected Jesus, so God is using the gentile Church to provoke Israel to jealousy (Romans 11:11). God’s heart is for all people (both jew and gentile) to be reconciled by coming to the knowledge of the truth that Jesus is the Messiah.

So what do we do? Be reconciled to God by our One Mediator. Represent Christ to Israel. Pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122). Pray that the scales would be removed from their eyes before the end comes. Read Romans 9-11.

John 14

Jesus loves you.

Within this chapter, we see a few different ways that Jesus displays His love to us, undeserving sinners. Before we dive in, I want to note a key verse. In verses 9-11, Jesus gently rebukes Philip for not fully understanding Jesus’ nature yet. Philip had not yet seen the love of Jesus displayed on the cross or the power that came from the resurrection. Philip didn’t fully understand that the Father was in Jesus and Jesus in the father. This oneness is exactly what Jesus prayed the Church would have with one another (John 17).

The love of God is not accepting and affirming of all the decisions we make. It is God’s love that rebukes, corrects, and disciplines when we fall into a sinful lifestyle. How can that be loving? He created you and wants what is best for you. His best for you is a relationship with God where you are growing more and more into the image of His Son. So, that means He is actively correcting us when we act in a way that is contrary to the absolute truth we find in God’s Word. This brings us to some key points of how God loves according to John 14.

The first point is that Jesus provided a way to bridge the gap between God and man (John 14:6). Sometimes man will want to be inclusive because we tend to want to be nice and not hurt other’s feelings. We will hear phrases like, “all religions lead to heaven”, “be more open-minded, you are too closed off”, or “If God really loves, then He wouldn’t be so exclusive”. The truth of this passage is that the path to God, and salvation, is very exclusive. It is God’s love that He even provides a way to take care of the sin that separates us from Him. We shouldn’t ask so many questions about how God bridged the gap, instead we should be in awe and amazement that He bridged the gap between man and Himself.

The second point is that Jesus loves us by giving us a Helper and a Comforter who indwells believers (John 14:16,26). This is an amazing gift and blessing that every believer experiences. Elsewhere in the NT, we see that the Holy Spirit is what seals us and is the guarantee (or deposit) of our salvation. The Holy Spirit will convict us of sin, give us gifts to edify the Church, and bless us with the fruit of the Spirit.

The last point of Jesus displaying His love to us in this passage, is the truth that He is preparing a place for us and is coming back (John 14:28). God will not just leave us as orphans. He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell Christians and to come upon them with power to serve. He will come back.

So, what is our response to His love? What do you take away from this chapter? Read verse 21 with me, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” It is quite simple. You love God by loving His Word, rightly dividing it, and staying obedient.

Psalm 89

God made a covenant with David that there would be a King who would come from his lineage. We see in Jeremiah and in Isaiah that God will bring a branch or a root forth from Jesse. God made a promise and then fulfilled that promise when He sent His own son, Jesus. When God made a covenant to David, He made an unconditional covenant. He didn’t say I will establish your throne forever if… He said I will establish your throne forever.

In verse 30-32 the psalmist writes, “But if his descendants forsake my instructions and fail to obey my regulations, if they do not obey my decrees and fail to keep my commands, then I will punish their sin with the rod, and their disobedience with beating.” It’s easy for us to read that and think, “So much for God keeping His promise.”

Israel was judged for their wrongdoing because God is just. God was being a loving God when He brought Babylon down to send Judah into exile. He was using Babylon to clear the idolatry from His wife, Israel. There must be payment for sin, it’s just a matter of who pays it, you or Jesus. In the Old Testament, souls were saved by trusting in the coming Messiah. In the Church Age, souls are saved by trusting in the Messiah that has already come.

Jesus paid the cost in full for our sin on the cross. In Hebrews, we read that He died once, for all. The work has already been done. Now does that mean we should keep on sinning so that grace may abound? Absolutely not! God still chastens and disciplines believers for their sin, but He does not require additional retribution (Romans 8:1). Jesus already paid the cost. It’s easy to associate God’s chastening and disciplining with His judgment, but it is His love.

Read verses 33-34, “But I will never stop loving him nor fail to keep my promise to him. No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said.” God loves you so much that he will discipline and chasten you so that you will be perfect and mature, lacking nothing. He does it from His lovingkindness. Praise God that He kept His promise to David. If He kept His promise to David, then we can trust His promise to every believer. That He is going to prepare a place for you and will come back to take you to that place. Amen!

Joshua 3

In order for us to appreciate what is happening in this third chapter, it is helpful to look back at the first chapter of Joshua. God spoke to Joshua and told him to lead the people across the Jordan river into the land which He had promised them. Joshua then told the people within three days they would cross the Jordan. When God promises something it will come to pass. Look in the New Testament at Romans 11:29, it states, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” When God says something, it comes to pass. He does not go against His Word.

Now fast forward to chapter 3. We see Joshua, speaking on behalf of God, tell the priests to take the ark of the covenant into the Jordan river first. The rest of the people were to stand back about a half mile. It was said they would walk on dry ground. Not on marshy, muddy ground, but dry. Surely Joshua was recalling when God split the Red Sea and led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt as he was about to experience a similar work of God. Additionally, we have a description of the river. This river was swollen with water as it was early in the harvest. Sometimes we forget that we serve a supernatural God who is not limited or bound by natural laws. Our finite minds can get in the way of our faith in God’s Word. This was not so for Joshua.

Joshua trusted God and commanded the priests evermore. The river may be gushing but God said we were going to walk on dry land. Joshua and Israel took a step of faith. Where do you need to take a step of faith? God says that He will never leave us nor forsake us. His word says that by one sacrifice He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. Do you know that with faith you can move mountains? Do you know that with faith, all things are possible? Is God calling you to something and you are on the fence of obeying? Trust His Word. He esteems it even higher than His name. My pastor always says, “Love God, love His Word, and love His people”. Do those things and God will do some awesome things in your life!

Psalm 124

God is such a great help in time of need. In this psalm David is calling on Israel to think about what would have happened if God was not their defense. David uses imagery of a beast swallowing them alive or of a raging torrent overwhelming them. But blessed be the Lord who did not allow this to happen to His people! The psalm concludes saying “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

How often do you find yourself in need? I can speak for myself; it is nearly every single day. I’ll give you an example. I looked down at my wallet to pay for my emissions test this morning and my credit card wasn’t in its normal spot. This is seemingly a minor issue, but what was my first reaction? Where did I leave it? What time does that restaurant open so I can find it? What if it’s not there? How do I lock my card? I should have called on the name of my God. The One who created everything and is therefore the most powerful being, who is my defense. This is a minor incident where I need help.

Let’s take it up a notch. What do you do when you get that diagnosis, or worse when a loved one gets a diagnosis? Who do you call on when your spouse passes? Who do you call on when your boss calls you into the office and tells you to pack your things? I urge you to call on the name of your God. The One who is outside of space, time, and matter, yet He is within it at the same time.

Jesus Christ told His disciples that He had to go away so that he could send the Helper. The Helper is the Holy Spirit. He is the one who comes alongside us as individuals and works through the Church as a whole. Another way to translate the Greek word for helper (parakletos) is comforter. The Holy Spirit will be a comfort to you if you would just call on Him.

Did you know that in Romans 8 Paul is encouraging the believers that when you don’t know how to pray as you ought to, the Holy Spirit will intercede for you with groanings too deep for understanding? When you find yourself in times of trouble, don’t fall for the temptation to think that God caused this. Remember what His word says in Romans 8, “all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”

When life gets messy and you need help, call on the name of Jesus. Don’t call on your earthly wisdom or knowledge, call on the One who gave you the wisdom and knowledge.

Psalm 108

The psalms were written as songs that should be meditated on. As I read and reread this psalm, the first line keeps coming back to me. David opens the psalm with, “My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart!” (NLT). As I meditate and fill my mind with this scripture, I keep coming back to one word: confidence. David did not find his confidence or his steadfastness in himself or his own abilities, his confidence was in God. From that confidence in God and His character, David could rightly sing with all his heart.

We can have confidence that God is the same today as He was yesterday and as He will be tomorrow. God is steady, a firm foundation your feet can stand upon. David goes on to mention a few attributes of God’s character that we can be steadfast on. First, David praises God for His mercy. David uses the Hebrew word Hesed. This word means a little more than just our common English understanding of mercy. This word has the meaning of God’s loyal, unfailing love for His people. David uses hyperbole to try and describe this love as higher than the heavens (v. 4). God has a loyal love for His people, even when He disciplines. Not only does God have a loyal love, but He is faithful and true (v. 4). God is a man of His word. He does not pull back on His promises. He has fulfilled all his past promises and will fulfill all his future promises. 2 Peter 3:9 states, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” Lastly, we see a final attribute of God being His holiness. God is holy, set apart, and righteous (v. 7).

You can be confident in these attributes of God because He doesn’t change. He is a good, caring God. David was confident in these truths, so he left vengeance up to the Lord. David trusted in the Lord to be a just God as he stated, “With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes” (Ps. 108:13).

What do you need to trust the Lord with? Maybe you are switching jobs and need to trust God will make the decision clear. Maybe you are being tempted that God really isn’t real, and you need to come back to what you know is true about God. Maybe you have a decision to make and are trusting in your own abilities instead of finding your confidence in God. He is a trustworthy God. Find confidence in what you know about Him.

Psalm 102

This psalmist is clearly in distress. When you read the first eleven verses, you can hear the despair, and you can see the imagery of the deep emotion this person is feeling. He says that his heart is so sick that he doesn’t even have an appetite. There have been few occasions in my life where I am so distressed that I cannot even eat. The psalmist’s enemies taunt him day after day after day to the point that his tears fill his cup. The NLT has a subtitle for this psalm, and it reads, “A prayer of one overwhelmed with trouble, pouring out problems before the Lord”. This really does sum up the first eleven verses well.

This is not the only psalm out of the one hundred and fifty where we read someone in distress crying out to God for help. David, on multiple occasions, would pour his heart out to the Lord in despair and ask God these very deep questions like why the wicked prevail over the righteous. We should all take note of this. There is a time to ask God questions and to have raw emotion with Him. He wants real you, not fake you. With that said, we should not just stay in our emotion and questions. Likewise, we should not make master’s out of our feelings.

The psalmist does not only write from the emotion he is feeling, but he writes from His knowledge of who God is as well. In verse 12 he proclaims that God will sit on His throne forever and all generations will remember His name. In verse 17 he states that God will hear the prayer of the destitute. In verse 25 he remembers the power and majesty of God by recalling His creator status. Finally in verse 27 he exalts God as the eternal God whose years will have no end.

It is important for us to have raw emotion and to acknowledge it and share it with our God, but we should not sin against Him. Bring your questions during your suffering and pain, but remember Pastor Chuck Smith’s words, “Never trade what you do know for what you don’t know.” What he means is if God does not answer your questions remember the promises that He has given you in His word. That he cares for you and is preparing a place for you and if He is preparing a place for you, He will come back for you (John 14:1-3).

Psalm 97

God is King. Jesus is King. Holy Spirit is King. Does your life reflect that? Who calls the shots?

Psalm 97 is a royal psalm declaring God’s justice, sovereignty, and righteousness. The first five verses set the scene as you would in an intense thriller movie. Dark clouds are surrounding him, the base of His throne is righteousness and justice, fire spreads ahead of Him and destroys His enemies, lighting flashes, and finally mountains melt. If you don’t have a picture of the awesomeness of God after reading those verses, I’m not sure you ever will.

Verse 6 reminds me of Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the Lord’s in all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein”. God is sovereign. The heavens declare His righteousness and all the people’s see His glory!

Idolatry has always been a practice throughout all of world history. The heart of flesh that we all have is futile and exceedingly wicked (Jer. 17:9). Humanity always wants to worship something they can see and handle. We know that any idol is utterly useless (Ps. 115:4-8). This same line of thinking is what led Israel to want a king and is what led Catholicism to have a pope. We want to see our “king” with our own eyes. We want him to protect us and to speak for us. We want to be able to actually see him, not just see the evidence of Him. Don’t put your trust in the pope, in any king other than THE KING!

Know that God still reigns and is still sovereign. The political climate may lead us to think that there can’t be a God who is directing all authority, but there is. His name is Jesus. Obey His commandments for He is King. You can’t call Him King if you don’t obey Him. Someday, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess. Don’t wait until that day, for it will be too late. Trust in Jesus today and obey Him.

2^nd Thess. 1

Both Paul’s first letter and his second letter deal heavily with eschatology, or the study of end times. Paul is trying to clarify some misunderstandings that the believers in Thessalonica had about the rapture and Jesus’ second coming to the earth. The emphasis of this first chapter of Paul’s second letter is to provide some comfort and hope for this church which is suffering some intense persecution. Despite the hardship, persecution, and suffering this church was facing, Paul commends them for their growing faith and love for one another. A common theme throughout the church in history is that when persecution runs rampant, faith grows. When persecution is nonexistent, faith is weakened. It is because persecution refines the faith of the church the same way that fire refines and purifies gold. It makes you worthy of the kingdom of God in the sense of sanctification, not justification (v.6).

Sometimes it is hard to trust that God is just when you are suffering persecution and you don’t see immediate vengeance. Passages like this help us to cling to the truth that God will make every wrong right when He returns. Sin requires a punishment. Either you pay that punishment or you let Jesus pay that punishment on the cross by surrendering your life to Him. God promises that those who do evil and don’t obey the gospel will suffer a painful punishment from Jesus’ presence and from the glory of His power. What does this passage encourage the believer who is suffering persecution to do?

1. Cling to the hope of eventual rest (v.7)
2. Consider your persecutions an opportunity to witness (v.4)
3. Count your persecutions as a purifier of your faith (v.5)

God will take vengeance. He is a just God. Be patient in your tribulation. He has overcome the world (John 16:33).