Daily Devotional from Ezra 4--Verse 4“Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build…”When God directs his people to do a work for him, there are often detractors, hold-ups, bumps in the road, and all manner of distractions to discourage us from completing the work. But perseverance is built when you have to work against forces that are working against yo...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Ezra 3--Verse 3“They set up the altar on its foundation and offered burnt offerings for the morning and evening on it to the LORD even though they feared the surrounding peoples.”Sometimes, we need to do what God instructs, even when we are scared.Fear can rob us of walking in obedience and ultimately freedom, found only in the LORD.Is God asking something of you? Are you app...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Ezra 2--Verse 1b“They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town.”Did you know that the commute from Babylon to Jerusalem was 900 miles? That’s about 4 months of travel on foot for the people to get back to their homes! Based on what we see in this passage, we know that the first thing some of the families did when they arrived in Jerusalem was give freewill offeri...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Ezra 1--Verse 1“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:”To fulfill the prophesies of Isaiah and Jeremiah, God “stirred the heart” of King Cyrus, which prompted hi...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Chronicles 36--Verse 15“The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people.” It’s interesting that the Lord should even use messengers. I mean, he can take care of it himself, but often doesn’t. He sends other people to get the message through. And I can’t tell you how many times the Lord has sent his mes...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Chronicles 35--Verse 18“No Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as was kept by Josiah, and the priests and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”King Josiah is celebrating the Passover unlike any other since Samuel was Israel’s p...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Chronicles 34-- Verse 26b-27“Thus says the LORD…because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the LORD.” Josiah was a very young king, but he deeply desired to honor God. E...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Chronicles 33--Verse 13“He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.”Manasseh’s sin was great. Based on the description, I’d say he was Judah’s most evil king. And his sin deserved consequences. Probably worse than he got. But a taste of those consequence...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Chronicles 32--Verses 25-26“But Hezekiah did not make return according to the benefit done to him, for his heart was proud. Therefore wrath came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem. But Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.”Even though King Hez...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Chronicles 31--Verse 21“And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.”I would love for someone to say that about me when remembering my life. If I am to be known for anything, I want to be known for seeking God and working for him with all my...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Chronicles 30--Verses 18-20“A large number of the people...were ritually unclean, yet they had eaten the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah had interceded for them, saying, ‘May the good Lord provide atonement on behalf of whoever sets his whole heart on seeking God, the Lord, the God of his ancestors, even though not according to the purification rules of ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Chronicles 29--Verses 1 & 2“Hezekiah…did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,”When Hezekiah became king, he quickly went about restoring the temple, calling for the consecration of the priests and Levites, cleansing of the temple, and repentance of the people. He moved with urgency so the Lord’s “fierce anger” might be turned away. It was “in his heart to make a covenant...  Read More