Latest Thoughts of the Day

Nehemiah 13:19

3/5/2026

When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened again until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gate so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day.

The resistance and the wrangling that was present when Nehemiah tried to implement anything at all makes one think of the kind of thing that goes on today in Washington. Always there is opposition and always it is motivated by a clash that involves money. Human nature has not changed. We are thankful that Nehemiah did not lose his focus and did not simply throw up his hands in exasperation. Standing for the principle was important to God’s purposes in that time and in that place. Are there principles that we must defend to the glory of Jesus?

Ezra 10:19

3/4/2026

(They all gave their hands in pledge to put away their wives, and for their guilt they each presented a ram from the flock as a guilt offering.)

Marrying of foreign wives had brought terrible spiritual declension and even apostasy within Israel, and had led to God’s severe judgment of seventy years of exile for the nation in Babylon. Now some of those who had returned to resettle and rebuild Jerusalem had taken this lightly and were beginning to do the very same thing themselves. Ezra spoke with the strongest words against this, and the Lord had brought about a sincere repentance. This would involve a costly sacrifice being offered to God and a putting away of the foreign wives, along with children that had already been born to them. A necessary refocus had been accomplished, which would ultimately lead to the coming into the world of Jesus.

2 Chronicles 36:19

3/3/2026

They set fire to God's Temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there.

Every expression of restraint that Babylon had shown with regard to the leadership in Jerusalem had caused the Jewish leader to solidify their opposition. Finally the breaking-point was reached and Babylon determined utter destruction to the Temple and to every vestige of Jewish control or direction. They left in their wake rubble. For the seventy years ordained by God the city of Jerusalem would lie in waste, until God was pleased to restore His people to His land. All the accoutrements of Temple worship had been carefully catalogued and transported to the treasury in Babylon, but some things of value that could not be transported yet remained. These were systematically destroyed by the invader. We tremble at God’s judgment, and look to Jesus.

1 Chronicles 29:19

3/2/2026

"And give my son Solomon the whole-hearted devotion to keep your commands, requirements and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided."

David’s final public prayer for his son Solomon includes David’s two most important personal desires—that his son truly walk with God and that he build the Temple that David has done everything he could to anticipate. God denied David the chance to build the Temple himself, but David had been indefatigable in his determination to provide materials. He had amassed a fortune in gold and silver and building materials and he had devised and laid out plans as to how God wanted the Temple to be built. The project was dear to his heart, but not as dear as the spiritual walk of his son. The most important thing about any of us is closeness to Jesus.

2 Kings 25:19

3/1/2026

Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men and five royal advisers. He also took the secretary who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land and sixxty of his men ho were found in the city.

The Babylonian official in charge of putting to a final end Jewish leadership of the nation has chosen the remaining ones clearly in charge, along with a sizeable representative group to be taken out and killed. All of these people had supported the Jewish resistance, even though God’s clear direction to them had been to surrender and submit to the invading force. Jeremiah will sincerely lament their death, but though his tears, he will sing “Great is Thy faithfulness.” That which God had promised, He had brought to pass. We see Your hand in our afflictions, Lord Jesus.

I Kings 22:19

2/28/2026

Micaiah continued, "Therefore hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on Hi throne with all the host of heaven standing around Him on His right and left."

Wicked King Ahab has amassed 400 prophets, and they all agree to encourage him in a disastrous move. The one prophet he really does not like us Micaiah, who declares Ahab to be deceived and doomed. What Micaiah declares is that he has witnessed an interchange in the presence of God Himself where the doom of Ahab has been decreed. Paul the Apostle has told us that we struggle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual hosts in the unseen world all around us. Lord, grant us courage to believe and trust in You. You are in control of every detail of our lives. Grant us Your Spirit, and keep our hearts fixed on Jesus.

2 Samuel 24:19

2/27/2026

So David went up as the Lord had commanded through Gad.

David had foolishly and stubbornly insisted that his commanders take a census of the fighting troops. God’s judgment had brought about the deaths of seventy thousand Israelites. God stayed the hand of His angel of death just at the threshing floor of Arunah, and it was there that the Lord commanded through Gad that David build an altar and offer sacrifice. David saw his guilt, was stripped of all trust in his own strength, and was willing immediately to obey God’s command. This altar would mark the place where the Temple would be built in the days of Solomon, David’s son. Deliver us from willful sins, O Lord. We can bring dreadful consequences on our loved ones by our stubborn pride. Keep us humble before you, leaning day by day and hour by hour on Jesus.

I SAMUEL 30:19

2/26/2026

Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else tey had taken. David brought everything back.

God had gotten David off the hook as far as fighting against Israel was concerned, but when he and his men returned to their camp at Ziklag, they found is burned and everything living take away captive. David sought guidance from the Lord, and was told to pursue those who had captured his people. They encountered someone who could guide them to where the captors were reveling, David entered into battle and killed all the enemy except those who had camels on which to flee. All the goods and all the people who had been captured were won back. God’s hand had guided, helped and granted success. We have personally been rescued and returned to our rightful fold by the victory of our Lord and Savior Jesus.