Reality is 90% perception, or so they say. I don’t know who comes up with these statistics, but it makes a lot of sense to me. When I was in sales, I led my district one year, but also went through a three-week drought with no sales at all. So what was my reality? Was … Continue reading –>
“‘The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.’” (Zeph. 3:17, NIV). In the closing section of his book (Zeph. 3:9-20), Zephaniah turns from a theme of anger to one of … Continue reading –>
Key Thought : Zephaniah’s message shows the nearness of a universal judgment including God’s own people, and a promise that the saved from all nations will enjoy God’s blessings.. [Teaching plan for The Day of the Lord May 27, 2013] 1. Have a volunteer read Zephaniah 2:1-3. A. Ask class members to share a short … Continue reading –>
A Chinese proverb says that the darkest spot in the room is located right under the candle. This proverb could be applied to the moral state of Jerusalem in Zephaniah’s time. The prophet just has completed the pronouncement of divine judgments on Judah’s neighboring countries (see Zephaniah 2) such as Philistia in the west, Moab and … Continue reading –>
Probably all of us can remember a time when we were homesick. Can you remember coming home after being away for more than just a weekend? You just can’t get there fast enough, right? I’ve even read that animals can sense when they are going home. “Shepherds say that sheep that have spent the summer … Continue reading –>
In Zephaniah 2:1-3, we see the prophet’s call to repentance. Even though the destruction is imminent, there is still time to be sheltered from calamity, but only if the nation will repent. The wicked who refuse to repent will be consumed on the day of judgment like chaff. In Psalm 1:4 the wicked are also likened to chaff … Continue reading –>
The focal point of Zephaniah’s message is the “day of the Lord” (Zeph. 1:7). For biblical prophets, the day of the Lord refers to a specific period of time in which God intervenes in human affairs in order both to save and to judge. Most people in ancient Israel believed that on this day the … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Zeph. 1:14-18, Joel 2:1-11, Zeph. 2:1-3, Isa. 11:4, Zeph. 3:1-5, Isa. 62:5, Nahum 1-3. Memory Text: “The Lord will be awesome to them, for He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth; people shall worship Him, each one from his place, indeed all the shores of the nations” (Zephaniah 2:11, NKJV). Key Thought: Judgment is coming; but … Continue reading –>
Read the following comments and discuss how they help us to understand better Habakkuk’s messages. “There is an answer to Habakkuk’s question. It is an answer, not in terms of thought, but in terms of events. God’s answer will happen, but it cannot be spelled out in words. The answer will surely come; ‘if it … Continue reading –>
Recently Joshua’s family moved from their country home into a new home in town. Joshua wondered how he could tell the children in his new neighborhood about his friend Jesus. When he heard that some children would be going from house to house collecting treats to celebrate Halloween, he wondered what he could do to … Continue reading –>
“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 2:14 NASB [Thought Questions for Trusting God’s Goodness May 22, 2013] 1. Filled with God’s knowledge. Remember reading a few weeks ago about the time in the future when people will be gnashing … Continue reading –>
“Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; . . . Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; he will make … Continue reading –>
