Author: Dave M Price

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The Path of God

Daily Reading

Micah 1-7

Daily Thought

Micah, like ever-so-many prophets of God before and after him, called out God’s word to God’s people, “Hear, you people, all of you; pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it” (Micah 1:2). It was a message of judgment, a message repeated as often as needed, which is why there are seventeen books of the prophets in the Hebrew Bible. The prophets rebuked the people and the people rebuked the prophets, “One should not preach of such things; disgrace will not overtake us” (Micah 2:6). Actually, it will, and it did–the Assyrians destroyed Israel in 722 BC, the Babylonians took Judah into captivity in 586 BC.

“Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who detest justice and make crooked all that is straight” (Micah 3:9)–you had it coming. But every prophet of judgment brings a prospect of hope, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths” (Micah 4:2).

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel” (Micah 5:2). 

When God considered Christmas, when God thought about entering into our world, sending his Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, he made an amazing decision about his home for Christmas. It was not to be a palace, fit for a king. It was not to be a mansion, worthy of his glory. It was not to be a temple or a church, a place you might expect to find God. God’s choice of a home for Christmas was a cold manger in a dirty stable in a little town called Bethlehem. 

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” ~Micah 6:8

To walk with God is to walk in justice and kindness and humility for that is the path he chooses.

Daily Prayer

Lord God, Lest I say to myself, “I have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry,” may I never forget that each day is a gift from You. May I store up treasures in Your Kingdom, may I be heavenly minded, may my first love always be You and may I always walk humbly, display kindness, pursue justice, fully showing your love to others. Then truly will I have life and life to the full. Then truly may I eat, drink, and be glad.

Amen

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The Image of God

Daily Reading

Obadiah 1; Jonah 1-4

Daily Thought

Of Ninevah had been written, “Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and plunder–dead bodies without end–who betrays nations with her whorings, and peoples with her charms” (Nahum 3:1, 3-4). Ninevah was an evil nation, hated by Israel, and God called the prophet Jonah to “arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me” (Jonah 1:2). Ninevah was 500 miles east. Jonah immediately boarded a ship for Tarshish, two thousand miles west, the opposite direction. Jonah hated evil Ninevah, so he also hated a good God who is “slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster” (Jonah 4:2). Jonah disobeyed God and set sail to remove God’s mercy as far from Ninevah as possible.

It did not work, of course. God sent a storm to get Jonah tossed from the ship, “so they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging” (Jonah 1:15); and God sent a great fish to swallow him up and deliver him back to Israel, “and the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land” (Jonah 2:10). “Let’s start over,” God said. “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you’” (Jonah 3:1-2). Jonah obeyed this time, “and the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them” (Jonah 3:5), and God relented, just as Jonah had predicted, “when God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry” (Jonah 3:10-4:1). Jonah would prefer a god made in his own image, a god who would hate the same people he hated. But that is not God.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:43-45). It turns out, the way you can tell God has made you in his image is how much you love the same people he loves.

Daily Prayer

Savior God, You are full of mercy and grace. My love for You is displayed as I love people. In fact, You said it will be apparent that I am Your disciple by my love for others. God, help me improve at love. Teach me Your ways. May I be a servant like Your Son.

Thank You for Your salvation. It has changed my heart. If You can show that kind of love for me, can I not love others the same?

Amen

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Done Talking

Daily Reading

Amos 6-9

Daily Thought

Amos did not ask to be a prophet, especially a prophet to neighboring Israel. “I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel’” (Amos 7:14-15). God said go, Amos obeyed, and the people of Israel should have listened, but they refused, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, but never again prophesy at Bethel” (Amos 7:12-13). Israel should be careful what she asks for.

My dad could lecture, “I’ve talked to you and talked to you.” We knew we had more time. Dad could talk; truly an artist at work. “I’ve talked to you and talked to you until I’m blue in the face.” This was the high point of the lecture. He really did turn blue. Still, no worries, as long as he kept talking. “I’ve talked to you and talked to you until I’m blue in the face, and now I’m done talking to you.” Uh oh.

God had talked and talked to Israel. Amos cries, “Thus says the Lord,” eight times in the first two chapters (Amos 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6). Each of the next three chapters begins with God speaking to Israel, “Hear this word.” Israel did not. She will wish she had. If you stop listening to God, it is bad, but if God stops talking to you, it is over. “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land–not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord” (Amos 8:11). God was done talking. “They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it” (Amos 8:12).

As long as Dad was talking, he was still trying to straighten us out. There was still hope. When the talking stopped, hope vanished. Then came judgment.

Daily Prayer

Lord God, thank You for Your Word. It guides me in life, leading me down the right path.

Too often, though, it may appear that I’m not listening to You. Probably because I’m not. I take You for granted, or I follow some silly notion that I have a better idea about life than You do. Please, God, do not give up on me. Thank You for Your patience and endurance. I need Your Word. Keep speaking, and I will develop the heart of Your Son, who said He does not live by bread alone, but by every Word You speak.

Amen

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The Heart of Worship

Daily Reading

Amos 1-5

Daily Thought

Amos has a knack for straightforward simplicity. He is clear and to the point. “Seek good, and not evil” (Amos 5:14), Amos demands of Israel, “Hate evil, and love good” (Amos 5:15). It is a two-pronged approach, with gusto. Good health is not merely the absence of illness, but the presence of wellness. The bad must be expunged and the body must be strengthened. Israel needed a radical remedy.

“Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.” ~Amos 5:23

Mike Pilavachi, pastor of Soul Survivor Church in London, England, realized his church had lost focus, “We seemed to be going through the motions. Our hearts were far from Him. We needed to take drastic action.” So he fired the band and the band leader, Matt Redman. 

When the music fades,
All is stripped away, and I simply come.

Out of this time of silence arose a beautiful song of praise, “The Heart of Worship.”

I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about you, all about you Jesus.
~Matt Redman, fired (then rehired) band leader, Soul Survivor Church, London, England

It is not music that praises, but the heart, and no bad heart can fill a song with worship.

“But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” ~Amos 5:24

Then you can sing.

Daily Prayer

My Lord and My God, if my words mean anything, it will be because they are a reflection of my actions. May my life display your lordship. With gusto. 

I know what that looks like, it looks like the cross. Jesus showed me the heart of worship when he said, “Not my will, but yours be done.” It is such a better way to live. 

Amen

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God’s Love Never Ends

Daily Reading

Joel 1-3

Daily Thought

God’s promise to Israel had two parts. If you obey, God will shower you with blessing, “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit” (Leviticus 26:3-4). If you disobey, judgment. “But if you will not listen to me…  then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache” (Leviticus 26:14, 16). We like the first part. The book of Joel begins with the second. 

What the cutting locust left,
the swarming locust has eaten.
What the swarming locust left,
the hopping locust has eaten,
and what the hopping locust left,
the destroying locust has eaten. ~Joel 1:4

Locust, locust, and more locust follows disobedience, disobedience, and more disobedience. God was patient, but Israel’s disobedience persisted and then came the locust. Israel had tested God’s patience, over and over, until it ran out. Now, God says, test my love. 

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. ~Joel 2:12-13

Beware, God’s patience has its limit. Be glad, his love does not. 

Daily Prayer

Righteous God, You have given me Your commandments, not as a burden, rather, they are a blessing. They give life and show me the way to live. Even the littlest commandment. Every Word You speak, God, is valuable and true. May I learn Your Word and keep it in my heart, so that it will guide my steps. 

You are a gracious and compassionate God. Thank You for so great a salvation through Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen

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Hungry Rats

Daily Reading

Hosea 8-14

Daily Thought

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1). God recalls his love and care for Israel, rescuing them from slavery, feeding them in the wilderness, leading them to a land he specially prepared for them. And yet “when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart became proud; therefore they forgot me” (Hosea 13:6). They were fat and happy.

I was pre-med for a year, before I discovered my powerful dislike for biology. I did have fun with rats, though. I learned that if you want to teach a rat something, it better be hungry. It is the “90 percent rule.” Feed a rat, weigh it, then diet it down 10 percent. Hungry rats solve mazes faster, click pedals more often to get food and generally behave better than when they are satisfied. If they are not hungry, they are not that eager to learn.

Israel had much to learn. Perhaps when Mick Jagger wailed, “I can’t get no satisfaction,” that was a good thing, if we are looking only to the here and now, for the here and now cannot satisfy. We are made for so much more. “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14). All of life is lived on the edge of eternity.

“Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.” ~Luke 6:21

Daily Prayer

Father God, May I be satisfied in Your love, and unsatisfied with anything less. You created me to live in a close relationship with You. May I hunger, starve even, when I neglect to nurture and feed that relationship. God, keep me forever eager to grow in the knowledge and love of You. May I live always in the light of eternity.

Amen

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The Lady Is a Tramp

Daily Reading

Hosea 1-7

Daily Thought

Hear the exasperation of God in the words of his prophet Hosea:

What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, O Judah?
Your love is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that goes early away. ~Hosea 6:4

This, however, is not despair, but hope, for Israel is not the subject in this question, but the object, and God is the subject. It is he who will act and answer.

Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have slain them by the words of my mouth,
and my judgment goes forth as the light. ~Hosea 6:5

A prophet need not speak to be heard, and the Lord commanded Hosea to act out the love of God toward an unfaithful Israel; “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord” (Hosea 1:2). A word is repeated for emphasis, but certain words need no repetition to stand out. God called Israel a whore. Three times. If Israel knows nothing of love, God does and he will show her.

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. ~Hosea 6:6

Hosea was commanded to “go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods” (Hosea 3:1). The lady is a tramp, yet the story is not about the morning cloud of Israel’s faithlessness, but the sun that shines forth when the mist burns away. God is faithful even while we are faithless. Our sin is less about the whore we become, but the God we betray. Fortunately for us, God’s love does not depend on who we are, but who he is.

God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ~Romans 5:8

Daily Prayer

Wonderful God, You are my Creator, but how often I love the world you created rather than You. All the while, You pay attention to me. You humbled Yourself in love for my sake. You sought me and saved me with amazing grace and mercy, and the more I know You, the better I love You.

May I be not only an object of Your love, but a giver, as well. of grace and mercy to others. May I take this good news of Your steadfast love to a world that needs Your salvation.

Amen

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The Unseen Battle

Daily Reading

Daniel 10-12

Daily Thought

Kings and kingdoms of earth play king of the hill, Persia and Greece, Syria and Egypt, until one alone stands on top, and that “king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods” (Daniel 11:36). He thinks he won, because he only knows what he knows and supposes that is all there is. And Daniel prays because he knows there is more. 

As Daniel prays, God answers and opens his eyes to see things unseen, “and behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees” (Daniel 10:10). While our kingdoms battle, heaven wars. An unnamed angel explains to Daniel, “I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come” (Daniel 10:20). This angel of heaven unveils the unseen but very real battle against spiritual princes of darkness behind our fleshly kingdoms, “for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Daniel engages in the otherworldly battle, as well, when he drops to his knees and prays.

We think we are in charge, except God gives Daniel an amazing play-by-play description of world events. “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come” (Daniel 10:12-14). God knows what will happen ahead of time, because God does as he wills, and we only think we do.

Daily Prayer

Righteous God, the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, Who was, Who is, and Who is to come, You are sovereign over all things. How much better I get along each day when I remember this. This is Your world, so I shouldn’t be surprised that life works when I live according to Your ways.

May I confidently live knowing You are on the throne and will be forever, that nothing on earth can touch my eternity in You. May I make choices based on knowing You, reflecting Your character, serving others instead of self, loving truth and promoting righteousness, giving grace and forgiving others, and humbly recognizing that You forgave me first.

Amen

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Thy Kingdom Come

Daily Reading

Daniel 7-9

Daily Thought

Daniel, the interpreter of dreams, had his own, and they are terrifying. The latter half of the book of Daniel is filled with wild visions of future events. The course of history is contained in dismaying images of kingdoms, the first “like a lion and had eagles’ wings” (Daniel 7:4); the second, “like a bear, raised up on one side, it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth” (Daniel 7:5); next, “like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back, and the beast had four heads” (Daniel 7:6); and, finally, “a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet” (Daniel 7:7). Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, we know their names. But there is another.

“Behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him. ~Daniel 7:13

A keen awareness of sin accompanies Daniel’s vision of a righteous King, and he makes no excuses, “we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled” (Daniel 9:5). God hates sin, but loves repentance more, and grace the most, and Daniel appeals to God’s mercy, “O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name” (Daniel 9:19). This is the call to another kingdom and a righteous king. There is a future for Israel and all called by the name of God,

And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.” ~Daniel 7:14

Empires will rise, and all will fall, except one, one that rises not from the dust of earth, but comes down from the heavens.

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. ~1Timothy 1:15-17

Daily Prayer

God, full of righteousness and grace, justice and mercy. It is a wonder that I can approach You. It’s wonderful that You listen. My life does not warrant Your attention, but through the goodness of Your Son and the righteousness He gives me through His death, I can speak with You. I can even speak confidently. I have Your promises, written in Your Word, and I trust You completely.

So, God, I bring You praise, and I also bring the needs and concerns that surround me. I lay them at Your feet, and I pray in the Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, Your will be done.

Amen

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Predictably Godly

Daily Reading

Daniel 4-6

Daily Thought

Talk is cheap only if actions do not follow, but otherwise, talk is a good place to begin. It makes public our heart and intention, and Daniel’s was to follow his God. Early on, Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself (Daniel 1:8) and put it into words. “He asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself, ‘Test your servants for ten days’” (Daniel 1:8, 12). This short test grew into a lifelong obedience and Daniel’s consistent character was evident through several generations of kings, always to God’s glory. King Nebuchadnezzar said of Daniel, “the spirit of the holy gods is in you” (Daniel 4:18); then came to acknowledge Daniel’s God is special, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven” (Daniel 4:37). King Belshazzar saw the writing on the wall, but did not know it spelled his doom until Daniel spoke, “God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end” (Daniel 5:26). Finally, King Darius observed that “Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom” (Daniel 6:3).

Jealousy ensued. The high officials, now below Daniel, sought grounds to discredit him and concluded, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God” (Daniel 6:5). They convinced King Darius to establish a silly statute, “For thirty days, no one can pray to any god or man except the king.” Then they sat by Daniel’s window and waited. “When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God” (Daniel 6:10-11). The wait was not long. Daniel was predictably godly.

Our talk and our walk go together. Daniel walked well and kings thought him a good guy. Daniel talked well and they knew why. Daniel followed a good God. “Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, ‘May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!’” God did and the king issued a new statute, a better one, “I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever” (Daniel 6:26).

Daily Prayer

My Savior, my God, my Friend. Yes, You call me friend. I love You so much. How can I not speak of You?

I thank You so much for Your care for me. You gave me parents and friends, a neighborhood and teachers, many people have had an incredible influence on me. But You, most of all. If I talk of my friends and family, how much more shall I shout Your Name. You are the One who gives meaning and purpose, who fills me with love and compassion, who teaches me about life. You are my God, my Father in Heaven, my Savior and Lord.

Amen