October 26

Jeremiah 49:23-50:46, Titus 1:1-16, Psalm 97:1-98:9, Proverbs 26:13-16

Pray: You cannot read Psalm 97 without a sense of awe. The Lord is proclaimed as King, earth rejoices, fire is around him, lightning flashes, the earth trembles, mountains melt, etc. It’s an incredible scene. As you pray today, ponder the majesty of the Lord and give Him praise.

Read: Did the Israelites deserve forgiveness? Did they warrant God’s favor? Consistently, they rebelled and were found in habitual sin. Yet, in our reading today, we find hope for them (and for us). Jeremiah, speaking on God’s behalf, says, “no sin will be found in Israel or in Judah, for I will forgive the remnant I preserve.” God’s grace is infinitely greater than our sins! For that, we ought to be eternally grateful.

Edify: Proverbs has been about fools for several days now. Today, we hear about lazy people. Chapter 26 verse 15 says, “Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.” I wonder, do they also complain about being hungry? Often, when people are experiencing marital issues, spiritual struggles, or even life problems, they eventually confess that they don’t pray, worship irregularly, don’t come close to tithing, wouldn’t consider a life group, and they’re not serving in any area of the church. I wouldn’t call such people lazy, but it does seem that the food is in their hands, and they simply won’t lift it to their mouth.

Practice: The Apostle Paul has a phrase in Titus 1 that ought to stop every believer in his/her tracks. He writes, “Such people claim they know God, but they deny Him by the way they live.” How do you measure up when you examine your life against what Paul says? If you’re reading this, you probably claim to know God, to be a believer. What about the way you live? Does your life, your actions show that you are a believer?