Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone
Today I’m sharing a weekend audio teaching as we continue our study of Habakkuk in the First 5 app. You can listen to the teaching here, and I hope you’ll check it out! When we truly understand the seriousness of God’s judgment, the gift of His mercy becomes even more precious.
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Today I have the privilege of sharing over at First 5 about God’s justice as we walk through the book fo Habakkuk together. Here’s a preview . . .
Today’s Reading: Habakkuk 2:6-8
Habakkuk 2:6 (ESV) “Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say, ‘Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own-for how long? -and loads himself with pledges! ‘”
I’ve been a parent for 17 years, which means I’ve come up with a few responses to the cry, “That’s not fair!” Sometimes I respond with a shrug and the parenting classic “Life isn’t fair.” Sometimes my child is truly hurting and needs a compassionate hug. Sometimes I remind them that they don’t want what’s fair – they’ve received so much that they don’t deserve in this life, including God’s mercy.
With today’s passage, we start our study of five woes that God gave Habakkuk in response to Habakkuk’s cry of “That’s not fair!” (Habakkuk 1:12-13; Habakkuk 2:6-20) God knew His people would have questions when they watched Jerusalem fall and were carried away in defeat by the Babylonians. Centuries earlier, God promised Abraham that his children would live in this land. (Genesis 15:18-21) God promised David that one of his descendants would reign forever on the throne in Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 7:8-16) Had God failed to keep His promises?
God knew the people might conclude that God had abandoned them, that He was powerless compared to Babylon or that He was unjust. These woes gave Habakkuk and the people of Judah hope that God was still righteous, just, all-powerful and faithful to His promises.
You can head over to First 5 to read the rest of today’s teaching, and I hope you’ll consider joining us in the First 5 app for the rest of the study of Habakkuk. There’s also a study guide that I had the opportunity to write for this study of Habakkuk. You can find it here on the Proverbs 31 Ministries website.
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I love the book of Habakkuk, so when the team at the First 5 app asked me to write a study guide for a First 5 study of Habakkuk, it was an immediate “yes!” Now the study guide is available for purchase as we start the study of Habakkuk in the First 5 app. If you’d like a copy, you can purchase one here at the First 5 website.
(Photo credit: Proverbs 31 Ministries)
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Today I’m sharing a teaching in the First 5 app over part of Hebrews 12. Here’s a preview . . .
Today’s Reading: Hebrews 12:18-24
Hebrews 12:22 (ESV) “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering…”
Many years ago, I met the president of the United States. It was a momentous occasion because you can’t just stroll up to the White House and ask to chat with the president. An entire building of staff and Secret Service agents guards access to him. So when an ordinary person like me gets to meet the president, we wear our nicest clothes and think about what we want to say as we shake his hand. We walk away from that moment with a memory that lasts for decades.
Most of us can’t approach our country’s leaders any time we choose. But in the new covenant, our Savior has made a way for us to have access to the Lord of heaven and Earth. Today’s passage highlights this access as one of the benefits of the new covenant compared to the old covenant.
In simple terms, a covenant is a promise or a contract between God and His people. The author of Hebrews wanted his readers to embrace their new covenant home in Mount Zion rather than pitch their tents next to Mount Sinai. In other words, he wanted them to understand the unique access they had to God through Christ.
You can read the entire teaching on the First 5 website. I hope you’ll check it out!
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