Daily Dose of Hope

December 17, 2024

Day 3 of Week 38

Scripture: Nahum 1-3; Psalm 149; 2 Corinthians 4

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that goes along with the Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.

Today, we start the book of Nahum. Nahum was another minor prophet and his book is a collection of poems and writings that announce the destruction of Judah’s enemy, Assyria, and its capital city of Ninevah. Keep in mind, it was the Assyrian empire that conquered the northern Kingdom, Israel, and they were well-known for their brutality. But while Assyria is called out explicitly in this small book, there is really a bigger message and that is that God will not allow violent and brutal empires to last. Ninevah and Assyria are simply an example in this book. We know that there have and will continue to be horrible governments around the world. God will, in fact, have the last word. When I think about some of the horrors occurring around our world today in places like Russia and North Korea, I get some sense of peace. God is going to take care of things.

Let’s move on to the New Testament. Our scripture for today is 2 Corinthians 4. Jars of clay would have been a fairly normal sight in Paul's day. They were basic, earthenware vessels, used for everything from cooking utensils to toilets. They were inexpensive but breakable, and could easily be knocked over and damaged.

Paul is saying that the Gospel is an amazing treasure. And we, as Christ-followers, get to be the vessels that hold the Good News of Jesus. God chooses to store his greatest treasure in our own weak and flawed human bodies. They aren't too unlike the clay jars, common and fragile. Yet, God chooses us. In all our brokenness, God chooses us. In the mess of the world, God chooses us. In the midst of hardship and oppression, God still chooses us. We get to be the bearers of the greatest news in the history of all humanity. God chooses us. Just let that sink in a bit.

Today’s devotional is pretty short. Take a moment and use this extra time to catch up on your reading if you need to. It’s getting close to Christmas. If you have a few spare moments, I would also encourage you to read Luke 1-2 and Matthew 1-2. I promise you will be blessed.

Let’s chat tomorrow,

Pastor Vicki