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Ecclesiastes 3:9-15 – Enjoy Life

Read Ecclesiastes 3:9-15

God wants us to enjoy life, not trudge through each day just going through the motions. We often set unrealistic expectations on ourselves for what we can accomplish in a day and end up feeling like we failed. Here we’re told that God has given us the work we are to do. What is that work for you?

If we’re focusing on what God wants, and we already know that his timing is perfect, then our day should go exactly like it should. If we are enjoying the life God has given us, living it to please him, then we have accomplished something very great. There are plenty of people who don’t have this connection to God and are not feeling fulfilled.

Zephaniah 1:7-13 – A Moment of Silence

Read Zephaniah 1:7-13

Zephaniah asserts that judgment day is coming soon, and he is not referring to the end times here but to a specific time in history yet to come for those first hearing his words. Zephaniah is not the only prophet talking about it either. God is using many “mouthpieces” to get the message out that he is not happy with his people.

It’s good to take a moment of silence in our own day to take an account of what’s going on in our lives. Do our actions glorify God or disappoint him? Do we see chaos, worry, doubt, thrill, busyness, fear, loneliness, great success, embarrassing failures? What is happening in your life right now? Is God part of the picture? If not, invite him in!

Nahum 1:12-15 – Hope & Doom

Read Nahum 1:12-15

Our last reading set the theological context for what Nahum’s message is all about. In this reading, we see clearly two messages, one to Nineveh and one to God’s people, Israel. The same message was heard differently, depending on the perspective. God’s promise of hope and doom were wrapped up in this communication.

Despite the viewpoint, God’s prophecy must have sounded unbelievable. The might of the Assyrian empire was seemingly invincible. The people would see this prophecy play out and realize that God was not only true to his word, but that he was truly invincible. That’s the picture I have of God and I don’t need to witness the crumbling of a mighty nation to understand. The oracle pronouncing this judgment on Assyria would bring peace, freedom, and restoration from the oppression God’s people had endured.