Devotional

Review: 365 Bible Answers

February 1, 2018 By Annette1 2 Comments

You know how important it is to have daily devotions right? As Christian parents we know how important it is to get our children off on the right foot when it comes to knowing God and understanding his best plan for us. 365 Bible Answers for Curious Kids is an excellent way to get your children started on having daily devotions.

Bible Answers is a book built around this premise: If I could ask God anything? What might that answer be? Children might ask such questions as Who is God? When God looks at me what does he see? Did Jesus know ahead of time he was going to die? What are the 12 tests of Abraham? Why does the word Selah appear in the margins of the Psalms? What are some tips for praying with others? All these questions are indexed in the back of the book so you can easily refer to them.

Each page follows a similar format. Daily question in bold at the top, followed by a scripture reference. I found most of these references to be spot on. Followed by the devotional. Each day closes with a very short prayer, along with a want to know more section with references other devotionals within the book.

There is one devotional on each page. This is what a two page spread would look like. As you can see, each page is done in various shades of blue/blue-green. If you read the scripture reference in context, each devotional would take 5-10 minutes.

My thoughts:

If you want to get into having regular devotions with your children this book will help. As with all devotionals there are devotions that will be better than others, and this book is no exception. Some of the answers given where spot on. There were some questions I have a hard time imagining children asking. I appreciated the bigger topics were spread out over of a few days (such as the Lord’s Prayer, growth of the christian church, is the devil real etc). I do wish they had made the prayers a bit longer, but understand the space limitations of the book, it would be easy enough to use the prayer provided as a starting place to teaching children how to pray effectively. All in all, if you are looking for a devotional to use to help your children, and your family, get into the regular practice of knowing God more, this book will be of aid to you. You may even, as a parent, find some of your own questions answered. I know I did. 🙂

You do need to keep in mind when buying a generic devotional that it will cover different aspect of faith in God. Such as the various branches of the catholic and protestant faith. As such, some topics might not be in-line with the doctrines of your church. I saw this most clearly in some of the prayers taught, and how holidays were covered. As with ANY devotional you need to use your God-given discernment on each days reading, and if reading with young children, read the passage first to yourself, and then choose how you will cover that days reading. You could simply use the question as a jumping off point to talk about it with your family.

Be wise and use this devotional to help further your children’s understanding of God. If the daily devotional doesn’t work for you, bypass it, move on to the next, you have a handy bookmark to keep your place. Never be afraid to skip or change a message to avoid confusing your children. Help them to look to God’s word for the answers to them.

Picture Cover of 365 Bible Answers for Curious Children

365 Bible Answers for Curious Kids
Kathryn Slattery
Tommy Nelson
Hardcover, page marker, devotional, children

Reviewed for: BookLookBloggers.

Where to find: Amazon Link.

For the Lord Made Them Joyful

January 31, 2018 By Annette1 2 Comments

A huge party with a dedication was the topic of our last devotion, today we learn about the Passover being kept in Ezra 6:19-22.

19 On the fourteenth day of the first month, the returned exiles kept the Passover. 20 For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves. 21 It was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and also by every one who had joined them and separated himself from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to worship the Lord, the God of Israel. 22 And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

So the temple dedication was celebrated third day of the month of Adar, which is the last month of the calendar year for the Jewish people, and they celebrated Passover on the 14th day of the first month. So basically what? Three weeks later or so?

I thought this was an interesting verse: It was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and also by every one who had joined them and separated himself from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to worship the Lord, the God of Israel. So not just by the exiled Israelites, but also by those who separated themselves from the unclean people around them. Did the Israelites gain members? Was their diligence to the word of God, that task that he had set them to, something that reaped spiritual rewards? Could people see that they were set apart by the Lord?

And then there is this line: And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel. Can’t you just see their joy? Their work was done. God filled their hearts with joy. Did you see that? God made them joyful! Do you remember the pain from earlier? When they had built up the foundations? And here God has made them joyful. They also knew that God had turned King Darius’ heart toward them. That action had helped them to finish the task God had set them to. Therefore there was rejoicing to be done. Ergo… the week long Passover celebration.

I’m sitting here and I’m just seeing the laughter and the singing, the feasting, and the good cheer. Their work of building the temple was finished, God had been good to them, and so there was joy. I can also see exhaustion on the faces of the moms, the grammas, and the daughters as they provided meals, mixed with happiness of their kinfolk gathered round, with their hearts joyful for all that the Lord has done. I can see dads sitting around the fires with their boys, reminding them of all that the Lord had done. God was good. They were joyful. Let’s celebrate and remember all that the Lord had done.

Isn’t it a grand thing to do? To remember all that the Lord has done? Do we tell each other? Do we celebrate? Do we recognize when God is at work? Celebrate! Be Joyful!

The Temple is Completed

January 30, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

Yesterday we learned about the decree that Darius came up with in response to the letter sent him. Today in Ezra 6:13-18.

13 Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates carried it out with diligence. 14 So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. 15 The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

16 Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy. 17 For the dedication of this house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel. 18 And they installed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their groups for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.

Tattenai and Shethar-Bozenai carried out the instructions that King Darius laid out in his decree. We are told they did so with diligence.

To do something with diligence means that one engages in careful and persistent work or effort.

Therefore, these two men carefully and persistently engaged in the task that Darius set before them. With the end result of that “the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo.” And WOOT WOOT…They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.

Can you imagine it? FINALLY! The temple is rebuilt! I bet you can guess what happened next! A huge party was thrown! A dedication of the house of God was put on, and boy oh boy, it was a joyful time of celebration. Not only was it a celebration, but they also offered sin offerings and installed the priests into their divisions, and the Levites into their groups so they could serve God as written in the Book of Moses.

They covered it all in one big ‘ole party!

Isn’t that the way it always is? When you complete a work of the Lord, doesn’t a big party result?

When missionaries complete a translation of the bible for a given people group… don’t they have a party and a dedication? When a new church is built… isn’t there a party and a dedication? It only makes sense. If you complete a task the good Lord has laid out before you and you manage to finish it, this is a task worth celebrating!

Makes me wonder, are there tasks that we are failing to celebrate? Are we starting to see it as silly if we celebrate a task completed for the Lord? Are we failing to dedicate our completed tasks to the Lord?

I am thinking of how it’s a task God places in front of us, to raise children to know and love him, and if they are believers when they are adults, isn’t that something to celebrate? To dedicate that young person to the Lord? Or when a person finishes an important paper in school, or a job assignment or …. just fill in the blank. How many of our tasks that God sets before us do we dedicate to him?

The celebrations in our lives don’t have to be huge, noisy affairs like the big celebrations of building a church or temple, or a graduation party, but those little tasks God gives us… are we dedicating them to the Lord as we finish them? Aren’t they just as important? Just has me wondering….

Photo by Nienke van Tellingen on Unsplash

Darius’ Decree

January 29, 2018 By Annette1 2 Comments

The last time we met we were left waiting, wondering what the king would say to the most recent letter. Today in Ezra 6:1-12 we get the answer.

Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in Babylonia, in the house of the archives where the documents were stored. 2 And in Ecbatana, the citadel that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written: “A record. 3 In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations be retained. Its height shall be sixty cubits and its breadth sixty cubits, 4 with three layers of great stones and one layer of timber. Let the cost be paid from the royal treasury. 5 And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple that is in Jerusalem, each to its place. You shall put them in the house of God.”
6 “Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates the governors who are in the province Beyond the River, keep away. 7 Let the work on this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site. 8 Moreover, I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God. The cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River. 9 And whatever is needed—bulls, rams, or sheep for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, as the priests at Jerusalem require—let that be given to them day by day without fail, 10 that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons. 11 Also I make a decree that if anyone alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled out of his house, and he shall be impaled on it, and his house shall be made a dunghill. 12 May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who shall put out a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God that is in Jerusalem. I Darius make a decree; let it be done with all diligence.”

Darius got the letter and instigated a search of the records. And in Ecbatana, the citadel that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found. On this scroll was the information that Darius sought. “A record. 3 In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations be retained. Its height shall be sixty cubits and its breadth sixty cubits, 4 with three layers of great stones and one layer of timber. Let the cost be paid from the royal treasury. 5 And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple that is in Jerusalem, each to its place. You shall put them in the house of God.”

Vindication for the Israelites eh? I can just see it coming. The proof is in the writing! The governors and leaders were told to leave the Israelite people alone. The work the Israelites were doing they were commissioned to do. On top of that Darius made an additional couple of decrees.

The Decrees

The first: Pay them the tribute they are supposed to have.

Second: Give them items they need to make their sacrifices. Let those sacrifices be pleasing.

Third: If anyone hinders them, he’ll die by impalement on a beam from his own house, and then his house destroyed.

All these decrees were to be done with due diligence.

I have to admit, part of me reads these words and I am flabbergasted.

Darius didn’t NEED to honour the words of a previous king. But he did. Moreover he made up for the delay caused them. Giving them what they needed to make sacrifices, making sure their work would no longer be delayed and that they had the funds to do the job right.

The Israelites had waited, and been patient. Then they were straight-forward about their needs and duties. And King Darius answered them well.

Isn’t it interesting how God works things out for his people? It’s amazing if you let it be eh? Two letters, two very different results. I am kinda wishing I could have been there when the Israelites got the news. Did they jump for joy and celebrate or did they just grin and get on with their work? Part of me really imagines the second…hoping they had that faith that God would work things out.

Makes me think you know, how easy it is to take God for granted. To just figure he’ll work it out, but it also takes faith, faith we don’t always exercise. Take for example, Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead. He was the perfect bridge between us and God, and how many people fail to see their need for faith. Or how many believers are so ho-hum about this pivotal event in our lives. Failing to really see the cross. Failing to really see how God worked things out with his beloved people. The Israelites couldn’t afford to be ho-hum know you? King Darius DIDN’T have to let things go their way but he did. God made it so.

We need to remember this. To think on it. God worked it out, let’s rejoice in it!

Another Letter

January 24, 2018 By Annette1 2 Comments

We know from meeting last time that the opposition had succeeded in getting the work stopped. Today in Ezra 5 we discover what happens next.

First up we learn who the prophets were of the day. Haggai and Zechariah (descendant of Iddo). They prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem and stayed among them supporting them. Zerubbabel and J0shua were the leaders of the people, and they set them back to work to rebuild God’s house in Jerusalem.

The rebuilding caught the attention of the local governor and his people, so they asked “Who authorized you to rebuild the temple?” And then get this line:But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.

Isn’t that cool? God’s eyes were on his people, minding them. They continued doing their building until they would hear back from King Darius.

A letter was sent

by the governor Tattenai to King Darius. Very much a report so that the King would have all the information he needed.

⁸The king should know that we went to the district of Judah, to the temple of the great God. The people are building it with large stones and placing the timbers in the walls. The work is being carried on with diligence and is making rapid progress under their direction.

⁹We questioned the elders and asked them, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?” ¹⁰We also asked them their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.

This is the answer they gave us:

“We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished. ¹²But because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon. Do you see how they admitted whose they were? Servants of God! They also admitted their guilt and subsequent punishment.

Then they gave the particulars of how they came to be rebuilding the temple. Orders of King Cyrus.

Last came the request: Now if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to see if King Cyrus did in fact issue a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.

So again we’ll have to wait. The work will continue, but they still await an answer. What will King Darius have to say?

I don’t know about you, but I feel gratified that they started the work again. I wonder if the previous king had died and so they started the work shortly after? That determination eh? They didn’t give up. They knew what their task was, and though it was stopped for a while, it started up again as soon as they could. Now all they have to do is wait for a reply. They knew the facts, and presented them succinctly to King Darius for his decision making. In the meantime…the Lord’s work will continue.

Isn’t that the way it should be? Shouldn’t we be determined to just be about the work that the Lord has set for us…regardless of the circumstances? Obeying the law as needful, but otherwise, just doing what needs doing. It’s a good mindset to be in eh?

Original Photo by Gustavo Belemmi on Unsplash

The King Makes a Ruling

January 23, 2018 By Annette1 2 Comments

Okay, last time we met we talked about how the opposition sent a letter to the King. Today in Ezra 4:17-24 we learn the result of that letter.

17 The king sent an answer: “To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River, greeting. And now 18 the letter that you sent to us has been plainly read before me. 19 And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it. 20 And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, who ruled over the whole province Beyond the River, to whom tribute, custom, and toll were paid. 21 Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt, until a decree is made by me. 22 And take care not to be slack in this matter. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?”
23 Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease. 24 Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

I read through these verses and you know what my first thought was “those dirty rotten stinkers! They got their way!!!!!!” Makes me angry! I KNOW.. silliness on my part this is all so in the past.

But the fact remains they sent a letter and the king did his due diligence and decided the work was to stop. He didn’t want trouble during his reign. I can’t really fault him for that. He was alerted to a potential problem and stopped it from becoming a problem.

I think the part that really made me think of them as stinkers is this part “Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease. 24 Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.“

It’s the “in haste and by force and power” part. It’s like they could hardly wait and now they had a reason to use force. All because the Israelites chose to be obedient and work on the temple by themselves.

It makes me wonder you know…what causes such animosity? Is it the history of the Israelites? How they were supposed to be dedicated to God and they kept getting sidetracked by the things of the world? And here they were being very focused on keeping themselves safe and staying true to what the God has called them to do.

The work stopped. Completely. No building. Just living.

Was this a surprise to God? Of course not. He knew this would happen, he asked it of his people anyways. God does that. He asks us to do things that are hard, he helps us to become better than what we are, he allows us to face opposition and he still says “STAND”. The Israelites stood.

I have to tell you.. it’s not an easy thing to stand, to face up to opposition, to face up to being stopped, to know you can’t finish what God put you to task on. It’s hard to deal with that disappointment eh? Though at times it can be a relief, to know you don’t have to work on a given task, to just get on living your life, doing what you want.

It’s a hard thing… cause if you feel relief…it would be easy to also feel guilt. You can’t win… so it’s character building and trust making, and learning to wait…it’s all they could do, continue to wait on the Lord.

Isn’t that just a kicker? To spend all that time in captivity waiting for the Lord. Then you finally get your working papers and you get the foundations built, the walls are well underway and…you have to wait.

Remember….God wasn’t surprised. So when you or I have to wait for the right time, or feel put on hold, or things don’t go the way we thought they might, God is NEVER surprised. So remember to trust, to wait, to have faith, to know that the time will come, God is still in control. What else can we really do?

God’s control remains, build your faith.

Rebuilding the Foundations of the Temple

January 16, 2018 By Annette1 2 Comments

Do you remember the people have completed building the altar? Today in Ezra 3:8-13 we learn about the building of the foundations of the temple.

Now in the second year after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their kinsmen, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to supervise the work of the house of the Lord. 9 And Jeshua with his sons and his brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together supervised the workmen in the house of God, along with the sons of Henadad and the Levites, their sons and brothers.
10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the directions of David king of Israel. 11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord,
“For he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”
And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.

In the first part of this passage we find a lot of organization going on. Zerubbabel and Jeshua made a beginning of it all. They appointed the adult Levites to watch over the work on the house of the Lord. Then Jeshua along with Kadmiel and their male family members supervised the workmen in the house of God. Busy people keeping other folks on track with what needed to be done.

These men were all very busy working that it didn’t take long and the foundations for the temple were laid. The priests came out with their trumpets, the Levites with their cymbals… praising the Lord. They sang a song of Praise “for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel“.

Can you just see their excitement?

The first step is done! The foundations are laid, that hard, back-breaking work of laying it all out, clearing away rubble and uneven ground is FINISHED!!! Praise the Lord!!!!

But along with the joy, along with the praise, was the sound of weeping. This weeping done by the old men who knew what the first house of the Lord had looked like. Knowing this was a poor substitute. They wept with the knowing. So with the joy, was sorrow mixed in.

And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.

I can almost hear it you know? The shout for joy that ran across the land…a sound so loud you could hear it from miles away. And if I had listened closely, the weeping, the sorrow would have been known as well. Oh that sorrow, that longing for what once was.

It happens you know?

It happens that great things can happen, you can see the Lord at work, and at the same time have immense sorrow. Joy doesn’t take the sorrow away, but it does mingle with it, making it indistinguishable. God is still seen at work, helping his people, in through their sorrow. Helping them see the promise of a new start. It’s a good thing eh? To have that promise? Otherwise we could get so lost in the pain, and that’s not a good thing is it?

This passage reminds me of that eh? To see the past, to recognize it for what it is, but to also see GOD at work NOW. Right now. To see the saving he does, to see the help he offers, to rejoice in hard work accomplished, and the promise of a new day to come. WOOT WOOT! 🙂

Devotional