UntoGod1

Zechariah 2:7-13 NKJV

[7] “Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.”

[8] For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; FOR HE WHO TOUCHES YOU TOUCHES THE APPLE OF HIS EYE.

[9] For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. THEN YOU WILL KNOW THAT THE LORD OF HOSTS HAS SENT ME.

[10] “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord.

[11] “Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. THEN YOU WILL KNOW THAT THE LORD OF HOSTS HAS SENT ME TO YOU.

[12] AND THE LORD WILL TAKE POSSESSION OF JUDAH AS HIS INHERITANCE IN THE HOLY LAND, AND WILL AGAIN CHOOSE JERUSALEM.

[13] BE SILENT, ALL FLESH, BEFORE THE LORD, FOR HE IS AROUSED FROM HIS HOLY HABITATION!”

As a follower of Jesus, you've probably wondered this at some point: "Am I actually supposed to share the Good News?" And if so... what does that even look like? What exactly is the Gospel? When and why do we share it? And how do we talk about Jesus in a way that truly stays faithful to Scripture?

Over the next five days, we'll walk through these questions together biblically. In this Bible plan, we'll look at:

• What the Good News actually is
• Who is called to share it
• When and why, we share the Gospel
• How to stay true to the Bible when telling the Good News
• Being led in the Holy Spirit

Ready? Let's go with Day 1

Day 1:

What ls the Good News?

The word Gospel literally means "Good News”

In greek its -ebayye入LOV (euangelion)

• eu = good
• angelion = message / announcement

The Bible teaches that every human being has sinned. (the bad news)

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

一Romans 3:23 Sin separates humanity from a Holy God.

For the wages of sin is death“

一Romans 6:23 But this is where the Good News begins

Our Heavenly Father did not abandon humanity in our brokenness. Because of His love, God sent His Son, Jesus.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life"

- John 3:16 Jesus lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose from the dead.

The apostle Paul summarized the Gospel clearly:

"Christ died for our sins... He was buried, and He was raised on the third day”

- 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 Through Jesus, forgiveness, reconciliation with God, and eternal life are offered to everyone who repents and believes.

That is the Good News.

The Gospel is not just information. It is the announcement that Jesus has defeated sin and death and opened the way for us to be restored to God.

Today's Challenge

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you today and give you an opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus with a friend or family member who already knows the Gospel. As you do, pay attention to how the Holy Spirit leads your words and fills you with joy in the message of Jesus. This can be one of the first moments where you begin to recognize the Holy Spirit guiding you and rejoicing in the Good NewS with you.

Prayer

Jesus, thank You for Your sacrifice and resurrection. Help me understand the Good News deeply so I can share it faithfully, in Jesus name, Amen.

Zechariah 2:1-5 NKJV

[1] Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand.

[2] So I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.”

[3] And there was the angel who talked with me, going out; and another angel was coming out to meet him,

[4] who said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying: ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it.

[5] For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ ”

A Prayer for Protection

When it comes to your children's safety, there can be so much to Worry about.
Injuries Sickness Peer pressure Bad drivers Bad actors On and on.

This concern is a natural part of loving and caring for children, and in controlled doses, it's both helpful and good. But it can be tempting to let it consume you. For some, it leads to overprotection- hovering over every playdate, Iying awake rehearsing worst-case scenarios, dreading the day they're old enough to drive. For others, it can produce a kind of emotional fatigue that whispers, "Why try at all?

But Scripture gives a much simpler - and better - middle ground: care through prayerful surrender.

In Psalm 121, the Psalmist sets Yahweh as the ultimate and unmatched protector. He doesn't sleep or drift. His attention never wavers. He sees everything, knows everything, and rules over everything.

Many affirm these truths theologically but miss them relationally. This Psalm brings the two together.

He's near and present for every one of us, including your children. He knows every danger before it arrive and holds the power to guard against it. That's not just a comforting idea. It's the ground we stand on when we pray.

With that in mind, let's lift the protection of your children up to Him today.

Prayer

Dear All-Powerful Father, You alone are capable. You alone hold the world in your hand. I thank you for the children you have given me. There is no earthly gift I hold more dear. Lord, this world is full of dangers for them. From the start of my day, to when I lay down my head, their safety is only a thought away for me. But although this is true, I also know you are the Ultimate Protector. Unlike me, your attention doesn't wane. That you can go with them to school, activities, car rides, and one day, out into a world I can no longer follow them into. Father, I ask that you protect my children today and every day. That you will keep them from all harm and watch over their coming and going like the loving Father you are. In Your heavenly name, Amen.

Numbers 5:12-31 NKJV

[12] “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and behaves unfaithfully toward him,

[13] and a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and it is concealed that she has defiled herself, and there was no witness against her, nor was she caught—

[14] if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife, who has defiled herself; or if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife, although she has not defiled herself—

[15] then the man shall bring his wife to the priest. He shall bring the offering required for her, one-tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering of jealousy, an offering for remembering, for bringing iniquity to remembrance.

[16] ‘And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the Lord.

[17] The priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water.

[18] Then the priest shall stand the woman before the Lord, uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering for remembering in her hands, which is the grain offering of jealousy. And the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that brings a curse.

[19] And the priest shall put her under oath, and say to the woman, “If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone astray to uncleanness while under your husband’s authority, be free from this bitter water that brings a curse.

[20] But if you have gone astray while under your husband’s authority, and if you have defiled yourself and some man other than your husband has lain with you”—

[21] then the priest shall put the woman under the oath of the curse, and he shall say to the woman—“the Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the Lord makes your thigh rot and your belly swell;

[22] and may this water that causes the curse go into your stomach, and make your belly swell and your thigh rot.” ‘Then the woman shall say, “Amen, so be it.”

[23] ‘Then the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall scrape them off into the bitter water.

[24] And he shall make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter her to become bitter.

[25] Then the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy from the woman’s hand, shall wave the offering before the Lord, and bring it to the altar;

[26] and the priest shall take a handful of the offering, as its memorial portion, burn it on the altar, and afterward make the woman drink the water.

[27] When he has made her drink the water, then it shall be, if she has defiled herself and behaved unfaithfully toward her husband, that the water that brings a curse will enter her and become bitter, and her belly will swell, her thigh will rot, and the woman will become a curse among her people.

[28] But if the woman has not defiled herself, and is clean, then she shall be free and may conceive children.

[29] ‘This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, while under her husband’s authority, goes astray and defiles herself,

[30] or when the spirit of jealousy comes upon a man, and he becomes jealous of his wife; then he shall stand the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall execute all this law upon her.

[31] Then the man shall be free from iniquity, but that woman shall bear her guilt.’ ”

"The rich would have to eat money if the poor did not provide food."

If farmers stopped working, the rich would be starving with full wallets Food doesn’t grow in bank vaults.

No matter how much money someone has, they still depend on the hands of others to survive. It’s easy to get caught up in wealth, status, or success—but at the core of every functioning society are the people doing the essential work: the farmers, the harvesters, the cooks, the cleaners, the builders.

If those people stopped showing up, money would lose all meaning. You can’t eat cash. You can’t cook a stock portfolio. It’s human effort—day in and day out—that puts food on tables, keeps lights on, and keeps the world moving.

We often treat wealth like the measure of value, but it’s the ones doing the work—often unseen and underpaid—who hold the real power. They are the roots of security and survival.

True wealth isn’t about how much you can buy. It’s about recognizing and respecting those who make life possible.



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Numbers 5:5-7 NKJV

[5] Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

[6] “Speak to the children of Israel: ‘When a man or woman commits any sin that men commit in unfaithfulness against the Lord, and that person is guilty,

[7] then he shall confess the sin which he has committed. He shall make restitution for his trespass in full, plus one-fifth of it, and give it to the one he has wronged.

Life began with water

Before the first day of creation, water covered the earth-and God's Spirit covered the water (Genesis 1:2).

Life depends on water--which is another way of saying that life depends on God, since it is God who gives water. When Hagar and her son Ishmael were exiled to the desert, God showed them a well (Genesis 21:8-21). When the lsraelites wandered a barren wilderness, God led them from one source of water to the next (Exodus 15:22-27). When there was none to be found, He brought water from the sunbaked rock (Exodus 17:1-7).

God used water to rescue people from oppression and injustice. The baby Moses escaped genocide among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. Years later, as he led a nation of just-freed slaves through the Red Sea, the waters crashed down behind them on 400 years of oppression. In John's Gospel, which we'll explore further in this series, Jesus described salvation as being "born of water and the Spirit" (3:5).

It's no surprise that water features prominently in the Bible, since all the Bible's stories took place in part of the world where access to water could not be taken for granted一as in many parts of the world today.

Even a relatively short period without water exposes the extent of our fragility. Without water, flesh and blood turn to dust. For we are dust, and to dust we will return (Genesis 3:19).

But there is a hopeful answer to this sobering reality: God is the Giver and Sustainer of all things. He is our true source of refreshment. He brings life to dust. God sent Jesus to unleash streams of living water within us (John 7:37-38), just as He unleashed water from a rock in the desert. He wants people to experience fullness of life-in this world and the next.

Over the next few weeks, we'll explore what it means to see Jesus as "living water" looking at six stories from the Gospel of John. We'll see how God invites us to be part of His thirst-quenching endeavor, sharing the gift of water with those in need, both physically and spiritually.

We can be renewed when we drink- and share-God's living water.

DEFERRED REWARD IS CONTROL DISGUISED AS GENEROSITY

A squirrel once served a lion. Not briefly, not casually—closely enough to earn favor. And favor, in proximity to power, feels like progress. The lion was pleased. The squirrel was seen. And in return, a promise was made: a full wagon of nuts.

Not given. Promised.

Time passed the way it always does—quietly, without announcement. The squirrel kept serving. Hunger came and went. In the lion’s presence, it smiled. Outside that presence, it endured. The promise remained intact, always ahead, never present.

In the forest, nothing was delayed. Other squirrels cracked nuts daily. No ceremony. No approval. No waiting. They ate as they worked. The system was immediate. Effort converted directly into reward.

The serving squirrel could see them. That was the problem.

It watched from a distance, called back whenever it lingered too long. Service does not tolerate distraction. The closer you are to power, the less you belong to yourself.

Years passed. The lion’s needs changed. The squirrel aged. Usefulness declined the way it always does—gradually, then suddenly. And when the time came, the lion honored the promise.

The wagon arrived.

Full. Perfect. Abundant beyond expectation.

And unusable.

The squirrel had lost its teeth.

Nothing was missing from the reward. Everything was missing from the recipient.

This is where most people misread systems of power. They assume delay is neutral. It is not. Delay is a mechanism.

When reward is pushed into the future, behavior becomes easier to control in the present. You tolerate more. You question less. You stay longer than you should. Not because you are forced to—but because you are expecting.

Expectation is the cleanest form of control. It requires no enforcement.

The structure is consistent. Value is extracted in real time. Compensation is deferred until your leverage declines. By the time you are paid, your ability to benefit has already been reduced.

Nothing is technically withheld. But everything that mattered has already been spent—time, energy, optionality.

The forest never stopped producing. The alternative was always active. But proximity to power narrows vision. You begin to measure progress by approval instead of outcome.

That is the shift. And once it happens, you no longer notice the delay. You justify it.

This is not an argument against employment. Most people are not built for uncertainty, and stability has its place. But there is a specific group this applies to—the ones who already feel the friction. The ones who talk about building something of their own, yet remain where they are because the timing is “not right.”

For them, the promise becomes the excuse.

You tell yourself you will start later. After the next promotion. After more savings. After things settle. But systems built on deferred reward are designed to keep “later” permanently ahead of you.

You are not being stopped. You are being extended.

And extension, over time, becomes quiet elimination.

If you recognize yourself in this, then the constraint is no longer external. It is structural. You are operating inside a system that benefits from your delay more than your departure.

Not everyone needs to leave. But those who know they should, already know why they haven’t.

The system is comfortable. The promise is convincing. And both are working exactly as designed.

If you want to understand how these structures operate beyond surface-level motivation—how power delays, redirects, and controls without appearing to—then study it properly.

Because once you see the mechanism clearly, you stop negotiating with delay. And you stop waiting for rewards that arrive when you can no longer use them.



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