Glendale Baptist Church

08/26/2026

August 26 — Day 237
Reading Through the Bible in a Year
Ezekiel 26:15–21; 27–28; 2 Kings 25:3–7; Jeremiah 52:6–11; 39:2–10
Comments by Barbara Warner

My Takeaway

Anything built without God can eventually fall apart. Success can sometimes give us a false sense of security, and when things are going smoothly, we might start to think our own wisdom, wealth, talents, or connections will keep us safe. We may even see someone else’s hardship as an opportunity for our own advancement.

Wealth, success, and confidence aren’t bad in themselves, and God never said we couldn’t have them. The trouble starts when we think we don’t need God anymore or believe we’re the ones solely responsible for our blessings. Pride can make us feel like we’re great all on our own.

Ignoring God’s warnings carries consequences. God spoke through His prophets for years, but the people refused to listen. His patience wasn’t approval, and their walls could not protect them from the results of continued rebellion.

Our security doesn’t come from everything around us staying strong. Cities fall, wealth disappears, leaders fail, and circumstances change. Our security rests in the God who remains when everything else is shaken.

Build your life on Him. He is the only foundation that will never fail.

08/25/2026

August 25 — Day 236
Reading Through the Bible in a Year
Jeremiah 32–33; Ezekiel 26:1–14
Comments by Barbara Warner

My Takeaway
Jeremiah bought a field while enemy soldiers surrounded the city. His faith was stronger than the destruction that was coming.

Our hope in God is not pretending that the walls are not falling. It’s trusting His promise, even while present circumstances appear to contradict it.

We should be careful not to measure God’s faithfulness by what our lives look like in one painful moment. A closed door, broken plan, or season of loss may feel final to us, but God sees beyond the moment.

Sometimes faith looks like prayer. Sometimes it looks like waiting. And sometimes it looks like buying a field in a place everyone else believes has no future.

Nothing is too difficult for God. He can restore joy where sorrow has settled, bring life from what appears ruined, and create a future where we can presently see only loss.

08/24/2026

August 15-24 — Day 225-235
Reading Through the Bible in a Year
2 Kings 24; 1 Chronicles 3; 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 27–28, 37–38, 51–52; Ezekiel 1–25, 26:1–16, 29–31
Comments by Barbara Warner

A One-Week Devotional Summary

Judah’s last kings continued rejecting God’s warnings. Babylon conquered Jerusalem in stages, capturing King Jehoiachin, the nation’s leaders, skilled workers, soldiers, and treasures from the temple. Zedekiah was placed on the throne but later rebelled against Babylon.

Jeremiah repeatedly warned that resistance would bring greater destruction. Wearing a wooden yoke, he told Judah and the surrounding nations to submit to Babylon for a time. The false prophet Hananiah broke Jeremiah’s yoke and promised that Babylon’s power would quickly end. God replaced the wooden yoke with one of iron, showing that His words could not be changed.

When Babylon returned, Zedekiah secretly sought Jeremiah’s advice but was too afraid of others to follow it. Jeremiah ended up imprisoned and lowered into a muddy cistern, where he would have died if Ebed-Melech hadn’t bravely rescued him.

Eventually, Jerusalem fell. The temple was burned, the city walls torn down, and many were taken into exile. Zedekiah was blinded and brought to Babylon. Jehoiachin was later freed from prison, the royal line was preserved, and King Cyrus allowed the exiles to return and rebuild the temple.

During his exile, Ezekiel had a vision of God’s glory, revealing that God was not limited to Jerusalem or its temple but was with His people even in Babylon.

God appointed Ezekiel as a watchman and told him to warn the people. He exposed Jerusalem’s idolatry, corrupt leadership, violence, and false worship. Each person was responsible for responding to God, turning from sin, and choosing life.

God’s glory departed from the polluted temple, but He promised to remain a sanctuary for the exiles and give His people new hearts and spirits. He also announced judgment against Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, and Egypt. These nations had trusted in wealth, power, location, and pride, but none was beyond God’s authority.

My Takeaway

Jerusalem didn’t fall because God abandoned His people. It fell after countless warnings went unheeded. God’s patience was mistaken for approval, and people chose comforting lies over hard truths. Zedekiah heard God’s instructions but let his fear of people outweigh his trust in God. His story shows that seeking guidance means little if we’ve already chosen not to follow the answer.

God gave judgment after years of His people refusing to obey and follow Him. But even through His judgement, He didn’t disappear. His glory appeared to Ezekiel in Babylon. He preserved David’s family line, remained a sanctuary for the exiles, and eventually opened the way for His people to return.

Sometimes the structures we rely on may crumble, but God isn’t confined to them. Buildings can burn, governments can fall, leaders can fail, and circumstances can shift, yet God remains present and in control.

His correction is real, but so is His mercy. He doesn’t reveal sin just to condemn us—He calls us to turn back, be renewed in heart, and truly live. We are a joy to His heart when we follow His commandments.

08/24/2026

I apologize; I should have posted that I was taking a week off from posting. I had a very busy week. I will post scriptures for the week, but I am not going to make them individual, but instead I will be doing one comprehensive post for the week. Tomorrow I will resume. If you are not reading along, I encourage you too. Immersing yourself in God's word is a blessing.

08/14/2026

08/14/2026

August 14 — Day 225
Reading Through the Bible in a Year
Jeremiah 31:15–40; 49:34–39; 50–51:14
Comments by Barbara Warner

Takeaway

There is a difference between God’s discipline and His rejection.
Exile brought grief, loss, and consequences. God did not pretend that the pain was small. He pictured Rachel weeping and Ephraim grieving over his choices. Yet He spoke hope into the sorrow: “There is hope for your future.”

God’s goal was not merely to bring His people back to the same place so they could continue living the same way. He wanted to bring them back with changed hearts. The greatest promise was not simply a restored city, but a restored relationship: “I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

God desires more than outward obedience. Rules can show us what is right, but only God can transform our hearts, forgive our sins, and create within us a genuine desire to know Him.

God’s use of a person or nation does not mean He approves of everything they do. Babylon served a purpose in Judah’s correction, but it was still accountable for its own pride and cruelty. No earthly power is beyond God’s authority.

Sometimes we go through seasons that feel like exile, when life is nothing like we imagined and God’s promises seem far away. But pain doesn’t mean His plan is over. He can use it to turn our hearts back, heal what’s broken, and lead us into something richer than before. God’s promise isn’t just to bring His people out; it’s changing them from the inside out.

08/14/2026

August 13 — Day 224
Reading Through the Bible in a Year
Jeremiah 23:33–40; 24; 29–31:14
Comments by Barbara Warner

Takeaway

The good figs weren’t those who escaped exile, but those God sustained through it. We often think God’s favor means hardship, but sometimes He works within challenges we’d never pick for ourselves. What feels like abandonment might actually be where He’s protecting us, shaping us, and drawing us closer to Him.

The people were told to settle in, remain faithful, wait seventy years, and pray for Babylon, the very place holding them captive. They were to live a full life: build, plant, marry, and have children. They were told to increase, not decrease, and to seek Babylon’s peace and prosperity, knowing that if it thrived, so would they. God didn’t ask them to approve of Babylon’s sin but to bring His goodness into the place where they lived. To many today, this seems odd praying for a country we claim to despise? Yet praying against the place where we live might ultimately harm us too.

Waiting is not wasted time when God is present in it. We may feel far from where we expected to be, but we are never beyond His ability to work. God’s promise was not simply, “I will take you out.” It was also, “I will be with you here, and when the time is right, I will lead you home.”

Sometimes we have to walk away from places or situations that hurt us. There are countless reasons—someone lost in alcohol, someone tangled up with the wrong crowd, and so many more. We often see the Bible describing God punishing His people for turning away from Him, but maybe He’s actually pulling them away from what’s harming them. Maybe it’s His way of hitting the reset button to bring about goodness and obedience.

08/14/2026

August 12 — Day 223
Reading Through the Bible in a Year
Jeremiah 22:24–30; 23:1–32; 49:1–33; 2 Kings 24:5–9; 2 Chronicles 36:6–9
Comments by Barbara Warner

Takeaway

Jehoiachin had a royal name, a throne, and a place in David’s family line, but none of that could replace obedience. Being near holy things doesn’t automatically make our hearts holy. What God looks for is our obedience and love for Him. While He won’t force us to follow Him, He also won’t tolerate defiance forever. Correction will eventually come.

False prophets present another kind of danger. They use God’s name to tell people what they want to hear. Just because a message sounds spiritual, hopeful, or reassuring doesn’t mean it’s from God. Sometimes we can’t tell if we’re being misled, which is why it’s important to compare what we hear with Scripture instead of clinging only to the words that make us feel comfortable.

God’s Word can bring comfort, and at other times, it hits hard, shattering our pride and false ideas. Both are ways He shows His love. God doesn’t break what is whole; He breaks what stands in the way of healing and restoration.

No leader, government, nation, or human source of security lasts forever. Kings lose power, great nations crumble, and trusted systems change. Yet God’s plan stays constant, even when human leadership falters.

God will never forget us if we turn away. He will always be there where we can find Him, and when we do, He will welcome us back and restore us to Him. But how much more blessed is it to stay in his fold?

08/11/2026

Pray for our Church Tuesday.

08/11/2026

August 11 — Day 222
Reading Through the Bible in a Year
Jeremiah 16–18; 35
Comments by Barbara Warner

My Takeaway
What is the difference between wanting God to bless the lives we are living and allowing Him to shape the life He wants us to live?

Jeremiah’s obedience came at the cost of many things most of us would see as normal. God told him not to marry, have children, go to funerals, or join in celebrations because his life was meant to be part of God’s warning to Judah. This was a unique calling for Jeremiah, not a rule for everyone, but it shows that obedience isn’t always easy. Sometimes following God means letting go of things we thought would be part of our lives.

God sent Jeremiah to the potter’s house, where the clay became flawed in the potter’s hands. Yet, instead of discarding it, the potter reshaped it into something new. In the same way, we often think our mistakes make us useless or too broken for God to fix. But the clay remained in the potter’s hands, its first form ruined, but still malleable. Judah longed for God’s protection yet resisted His guidance.

Being clay in God’s hands doesn’t mean we lose our value or sense of self. It means trusting that the One who made us sees what we can’t. He knows our weaknesses, where pride has made us stubborn, and what needs to change so our lives can fulfill His purpose.

Jeremiah compares those who trust God to a tree planted by the water. Even in times of heat and drought, its leaves stay green because its roots tap into a reliable source. Trusting God doesn’t shield us from hard seasons, but it determines where we find strength when they come.

The Rekabites are a great example of what happens when you follow God’s command. They honored a family rule passed down for generations, while Judah kept ignoring God’s voice. God said he would bring every disaster he declared on Judah and everyone in Jerusalem, but Jehonadab son of Rekab would always have a descendant to serve Him. In short, God’s protection stayed with the Rekabites because of their faithfulness.

God’s warnings throughout Jeremiah seem severe, but they were also invitations. God explained that if a nation turned from evil, He would reconsider the judgment He had announced. God never wants to destroy His people. He always gives plenty of opportunity for us to change our direction and follow Him.

Letting go and allowing God to guide your life can be intimidating. We sometimes imagine He’ll lead us down an extreme path, and for some, that’s true. But for others, it’s simply about following His commands. God loves us, yet He is also a jealous God, as Scripture reminds us. Think of it like a parent and child—we want what’s best for them and try to steer them in the right direction. As they grow, it gets harder. We’ve given them values and morals, but when they stray, it hurts because we know they’ll face pain. We can’t force them to choose the right way, and neither does God. But He will give warnings before taking action.

The potter is often used as an example to show how God can reshape us, but I prefer the image of a tree.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”