This Hallelujah Banquet – Spaces of Beauty, Grace, Prayer, and Mercy

Christ Died for the Ungodly

March 13, 2021 Jeff2 Comments

Today is Saturday, the thirteenth of March, 2021, in the third week of Lent.

Peace be with you!

Day 23,011

Oddly, that number of days does not divide equally by 63, which is how many times I have traveled around the sun, as of early this morning.

22 days until Resurrection Sunday

We had another great time, yesterday. After a brunch of eggs and accessories (and a somewhat failed experiment with an egg bite maker), C and I headed up to the Electric Starship Arcade, where we spent a couple of hours playing various video games and pinball machines. It was great fun! They have a Tempest game, which is one of our favorites. The pinball machines were also fun, but I have to say I miss the days of the more simple machines. These days, there are so many flashing lights and things to hit and ramps to aim for . . . it’s really hard to tell what’s going on.

We also played Guitar Hero for about a half hour, which was also fun. I played Pac Man, Centipede, Q-Bert, and a few others, including a golf game and a bowling game. It was great fun. It only cost us $10 to play all we wanted. I’m sure we will be back.

Today, we will attend our WW Workshop at 10:30, after which we will figure out our lunch plans. Right now, I think Hoffbrau Steakhouse is in the lead, but I’m also thinking about seafood/pasta, as well. I’m probably planning to go into my “weekly” points for the day.

At this point, however, there are no other plans. I need to get the oil changed in my car, and C has said she would do that for me today, since it’s my birthday.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS

Giver of all good things, we thank you:
for health and vigour,
for the air that gives the breath of life,
the sun that warms us,
and the good food that makes us strong;
for happy homes and for the friends we love,
for all that makes it good to live.

Make us thankful and eager to repay,
by cheerfulness and kindliness,
and by a readiness to help others.

Freely we have received;
 let us freely give,
in the name of him who gave his life for us,
Jesus Christ our Lord.  
Amen.

(Giver of All Good Things, Thomas Ken (1637-1711)

But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”
(Psalms 50:23 NLT)

Today I am grateful:

To be beginning my 64th time around the sun, today
That I am alive and breathing
For Tempest, Pac Man, Guitar Hero, and pinball
That Christ died for us while we were “still sinners”
That, because of this work of Christ, our Father is not angry with us any more

Scriptures and Prayers from Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year

LENT – DAY 22

INVITATION

They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
(Isaiah 6:3 NLT)

Take a moment to quietly express gratitude to the Lord for something in your life.

BIBLE SONG

A psalm of David.

Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever. The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.
(Psalms 29:1-11 NIV)

BIBLE READING

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
(Romans 5:6-11 NIV)

DWELLING: SILENCE AND MEDITATION

There was a course that used to be taught at The Exchange Church. It was called “Equipped for Life.” I never went through the course (mostly because they insisted on having it at 7:30 on Saturday mornings), but I know a few of the principles involved.

One of those was a loose, perhaps over-simplified, definition of “propitiation.” EFL stated that propitiation means that God is not angry with us any more.

This is a hard pill for some of us to swallow, who were raised believing in an angry, wrathful God. And, while it is true that God is angry at sin, I now believe that the Scriptures teach us that, once we have received the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as our own, and believed in Him for our salvation, God is, in fact, no longer angry at us for sin. If He were, there would be something amiss in the sacrifice of Jesus, and we believe, of course, that there is nothing at all amiss in the completed work of Christ.

And, while the definition is, as I said, a bit over-simplified, it is not inaccurate. This astonishing passage from Romans 5 bears this out. “Christ died for the ungodly,” we first see in verse 6. Verses 7 and 8 explain why this is so amazing. In human terms, it would be rare for someone to die for another person, even one who is “righteous.” Paul does allow that someone “might possible dare to die” for a “good person,” whatever that means.

But Christ died for us while we were “still sinners!”

It would probably do us well to sit on that thought for a few minutes.

God does not wait for us to get our lives together before offering salvation to us. He does not wait for us to become “good” or “righteous.” In fact, the only way that we are considered “good” or “righteous” is because of the fact stated in Romans 5:8, that Christ died for us while we were still sinners!

This is, and always has been, most astonishing to me. It is a powerful verse and displays perfectly an important piece of the Gospel message.

Then, Paul goes on, though. Since we are justified by the blood of Christ, we are also spared from the wrath of God, hence the simplified definition of propitiation, that God is not angry at us, any more. We are saved from God’s wrath. Once and for all.

Before being brought into Christ, we were enemies of God. But we have been saved through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and will be His enemies no more. Ever. And this is the only grounds we have for boasting.

Father, I praise You for these truths. I am grateful that You are not angry with me, because of the work of Jesus Christ. Help me to remember this, each day, as I walk in Your kingdom. Thank You for the fact that Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and that You didn’t decide to wait for us to become “good” or “righteous” on our own. Because that simply would not have happened. All glory to You, Father!

Jesus,
Son of God and Son of Man,
I praise you,
worship you,
and love you.
On the cross you shouldered the weight
of God's just anger against my sin
and restored for me the righteousness
and life,
setting me completely free
and making me right with God.
There are not enough words
to thank you,
my Savior.
Amen.
(Heidelberg Catechism 17-18)

BLESSING

Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.
(Psalms 32:1-2 NIV)

“But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin.”
(Revelation 2:14 NLT)

John begins the letter to the Pergamum church by displaying Christ as having a double-edged sword. If you recall, this sword was coming from the mouth of Jesus, earlier, in chapter 1. This tell us that He will have “something decisive to say,” words that will make a difference.

Eugene Peterson refers to the writer of Hebrews, who told us this:

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
(Hebrews 4:12-13 NLT)

Peterson surmises that, because Jesus is introduced in this way, the Pergamum Christians had “become sloppy with their words . . . their faith had become fuzzy.”

However, Jesus does begin with some praise, showing that He knows that they have held fast to His name, even though they live “where Satan’s throne is.” They, just as the people of Smyrna, were experiencing persecution. This was illustrated through the life of one Antipas, a martyr from Pergamum. This church was heroic.

(From This Hallelujah Banquet, by Eugene H. Peterson)

Father, I pray that You help us with our words. Give us wisdom to know what words to use when talking about our faith. May our words be salt and light to the world around us. All too often our words are brutal attacks on those who don’t believe like we do. We criticize and shame; help us, rather, to edify; to build up; to be uplifting and encouraging. There are plenty of critical words being spewed in the world, plenty, more than enough, hateful words. Let the words of Your people be good and true, but also filled with love, not hate. Help us to love as Jesus has loved us.

Lord, I pray diligently for unity and holiness within Your Church. We are divided, sadly, and most tragically, it is politics that divides us. I pray, Father, that Your people would get their eyes off of men and put them on Christ, the hope of glory, and our only hope of salvation. I lift up the families in our little church community, Father, that You would keep them under Your protection in whatever they need to do in their lives. I pray for wisdom for those of us who are leaders in this little band of believers. Help us to know how to best serve You and others.

I pray for peace in our nation, peace in our world. I pray for racial injustice to end, and I pray for the pandemic to be over. Above all else, though, I pray for Your will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Lord, have mercy on us
Christ, have mercy on us
Lord, have mercy on us

Grace and peace, friends.

Come; Listen; Seek

March 12, 2021 Jeff

Today is Friday, the twelfth of March, 2021, in the third week of Lent.

Peace be with you!

Day 23,010

23 days until Resurrection Sunday

Yesterday was a wonderful day! After I finished blogging, C and I got bowling gear together and headed up to the local Bowlero house. I know. It’s a stupid name, and I hate it. But they pretty much rule bowling, now, having even purchased the PBA. I had a fourteen-pound ball that needed drilling, so we started at the pro shop. We had to wait a little bit, as there were people already in there, and a sign on the door said only two customers at a time. Masks were “suggested” at the front door of the bowling alley, but required in the pro shop.

We finally got inside the pro shop, and the young man inside took measurements and told me to give him around a half hour. We both figured he was being a bit liberal with that estimate, and it turns out, we were right. It took closer to an hour, but that’s okay. We went ahead and started our two hours of bowling with another ball I had brought along.

Ironically, I bowled a 235 in the first game, starting out with four straight strikes. With no warming up. It was crazy. And the thumb hole on my older ball was too big, because, you know, I’m down a hundred-plus pounds. We finished two games before the new ball was done. The second game, I bowled 166, which is more realistic. Then I got the new ball. It’s an Ebonite Nitro, and it’s pretty porous, even more-so than the Hammer I was using. But it fit perfectly! I bowled a 186 with that ball. It felt great.

However, by the end of that game, I had a muscle in my forearm that felt strained or pulled or something, so I only made it through about four frames of the last game, which C finished out. I think the pain was starting before I got the new ball, because I noticed some pain between my ring finger and pinky finger on my right hand, due to the way I was having to try to grip the ball, because the thumb hole was too big.

It was a great time, though, and I have a great new ball to use. And, bonus, my left knee never hurt at all. Oh. That reminds me. I remember mentioning the possibility of drilling the new ball for left handed. I decided not to try that.

After bowling, we ordered Applebee’s for whatever meal you want to call that (it was somewhere around 3:00 PM), and picked up Sonic. We ate our food, and then I settled in for some Playstation time.

Today, we plan to check out the Electric Starship Arcade, during the early afternoon. I have also done prep on a new recipe we are going to try for dinner tonight. From the Emily Bites website, it’s called “Crispy Onion Dip Chicken.” The “onion dip” is made from fat free Greek yogurt, onion powder, and chives. The chicken needs to marinate in the dip for a few hours (up to eight), so I’ve already prepped it and have it in the refrigerator. I will update tomorrow on how it turns out.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS

God, my Father,
You have promised to remain forever with those
who do what is just and right.
Help me to live in Your presence.
The loving plan of Your Wisdom was made known when
Jesus, your Son, became man like us.
I want to obey His commandment of love
and bring Your peace and joy to others.
Keep before me the wisdom and love
You have made known in Your Son.
Help me to be like Him in word and deed.

(Prayer to Live in God’s Presence)

for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
(Psalms 63:7-8 ESV)

Today I am grateful:

For the wonderful day we had yesterday; thank you, C, for what is going to be a wonderful birthday weekend!
For my beautiful and marvelous wife, and the wonderful marriage we have
For bowling; that was great fun!
That You extended the invitation to come to You
That You gave me ears to listen to You
That You caused me to seek You and call upon Your name while You can still be found
That You have had mercy and have freely pardoned me
For Your wonderful words of life!

Scriptures and Prayers from Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year

LENT – DAY 21

INVITATION

And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
(Isaiah 6:3 NIV)

Spend a moment in silence, resting in the shadow of His wings, enjoying His presence.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
(Psalms 16:11 ESV)

BIBLE SONG

Of David.

To you, LORD, I call; you are my Rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit. Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.
(Psalms 28:1-2 NIV)

Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
(Psalms 28:6-7 NIV)

BIBLE READING

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.”
(Isaiah 55:1-3 NIV)

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
(Isaiah 55:6-7 NIV)

DWELLING: SILENCE AND MEDITATION

As I sit in His presence, I see some beautiful words, this morning. The entire passage in Isaiah 55 is an invitation. It is threefold, at least. For the moment, I’m focusing on three words. You might be able to guess what they are.

First, is “come.” To all who are thirsty, and to all who are hungry, the Lord says “come.” Come to the waters; and if you have no money, it doesn’t matter. The word “come” appears four times in verse 1. The door is open, the invitation is given. God does not make Himself hard to find. It is human pride that makes God hard to find.

The second word is “listen.” Between verses 2 and 3, “listen” occurs three times, and a once, it is repeated immediately. “Listen, listen.” The fact that it is directly repeated like that adds emphasis. If you include “give ear” in verse 3, then that invitation is also given four times. The reason is found in verse 3. “Listen, that you may live.”

There’s another old hymn that I remember. I grew up Southern Baptist in a small town in north central Texas, minutes away from DFW. All we sang were hymns. Worship “choruses” and contemporary worship music didn’t come on the scene until at least eighties, at least as far as adult “church” was concerned. We had our youth songs, like “Pass It On,” and “I Wish We’d All Been Ready.” But in “church,” we only sang hymns.

Where was I? Oh, yes. Here you go. By the great hymn-writer, Philip P. Bliss.

1. Sing them over again to me,
wonderful words of life;
let me more of their beauty see,
wonderful words of life;
words of life and beauty
teach me faith and duty.

Refrain:
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
wonderful words of life.
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
wonderful words of life.

2. Christ, the blessed one, gives to all
wonderful words of life;
sinner, list to the loving call,
wonderful words of life;
all so freely given,
wooing us to heaven.
(Refrain)

3. Sweetly echo the gospel call,
wonderful words of life;
offer pardon and peace to all,
wonderful words of life;
Jesus, only Savior,
sanctify forever.
(Refrain)

I know some of you are singing this, right now.

I love that line, “wooing us to heaven.” God’s Word is life. The words that He speaks are words of life! And He bids us come and listen to Him, that we may live! To refuse to do so is simply and utterly foolishness!

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
(Psalm 14:1 NIV)

The third word is “seek.” Only used once in verse 6, we are encouraged/admonished to “seek the Lord while He may be found.” This, of course, implies that there will come a time when He will not be found. When will that be? After the final judgment, when everything is said and done. Then, and only then, will there be a time when humanity will not be able to seek and find the Lord. Until that day, there will always be a chance. As Led Zeppelin famously sang, “There’s still time to change the road you’re on.” I suppose I should clarify that it is also too late, once one has passed on from this life, at least as far as I understand things.

The final result of all of this coming, listening, and seeking is found in verse 7.

Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
(Isaiah 55:7 NIV)

He will have mercy, and He will freely pardon.

FREELY!! Liberally! At no cost to us, because the high, high cost of salvation has already been paid!

Father, I praise You, this morning, for the truth of these words, these “wonderful words of life.” I thank You that You bid me come, so many years ago. I thank You that You gave me ears to listen to you (although they still fail to do so, at times). And I thank You that You led me to seek you and call on Your name, before it was too late. Thank You for Your great mercy, and Your free pardon! Thank You for Your Wonderful Words of Life!

True God,
who can save?
So many pretenders
serve up hollow promises,
but it's all foolishness.
No one else can release me
from my punishment;
no program can set me right with you.
Turn me again to Jesus,
the only true deliverer,
and clear me from my sin.
Amen.
(Heidelberg Catechism 14)

BLESSING

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
(Psalms 145:18 NIV)

You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows.
(Job 22:27 NIV)

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
(Psalms 17:6 NIV)

“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.”
(Revelation 2:12-17 NIV)

The chapter of This Hallelujah Banquet that treats this letter to the church in Pergamum is called “The Test of Our Truth.”

We live in an age where “word making” is a huge enterprise. It’s one of the biggest businesses going. The computer age hastened this along a great deal, and, now that they are everywhere and small enough to hold in the palm of your hand, making words is even easier.

“Words are big business.”

Says, Peterson, “With this great emphasis on words, you might think they are studied and valued and understood more than ever before.” (Keep in mind that these words were part of sermons preached in the 1980s!) Unfortunately, that is not the case, and it is even more true than ever, today, in 2021. Social media has exacerbated this problem, along with the ignorance of the masses.

Words are used “badly, sloppily, carelessly.”

In fact, the actual words seem less important than the effects they can cause. “Words are used in order to influence, to sell a car or a candidate, to seduce, to persuade, to win for propaganda, or for advertisement. The skill of our times is not using words as words but using them as weapons, as tools.” (Emphasis mine)

“One of the large and persistent tasks of living the Christian life is learning to tell the truth.” Unfortunately, we continue to lie quite a bit, even when we don’t realize it. “Lies are not usually blatant falsehoods. In order to be successful, they have to be mostly truth.” And, the root cause of most lies is laziness. “Most people tell lies with the best of intentions. They think they are helping the cause of their country or company or their own fortunes and that this is the best way.” Lying is easier than doing the work to make sure we are telling the truth.

(From This Hallelujah Banquet, by Eugene H. Peterson)

Father, I pray earnestly for us, Your people, today. Help us discern truth. As we deal with people on social media, may we be more diligent to do the work to make sure that we are always telling the truth. Help us to stop spreading lies because of our affinity to a political party or candidate, or because of our support for some “cause” that is not You. We have fallen far, Lord, in the cause of truth. Jesus is The Truth! Help us to always remember this, and to make sure that we are not telling lies, even unintentionally.

Lord, I pray that, today, You might cause me to think seriously on the Cross of Jesus Christ, and its benefits to my life. I pray for all who are currently living in poverty and suffering injustice. May Your people rise up and help, Father, and may we send more than “thoughts and prayers.” I pray for all who face temptations today (that should be everyone, right?), that You would give us all the strength to withstand the temptation and find the escape route that You promise.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness.
(Isaiah 51:11 NLT)

Grace and peace, friends.

Stop Whining!

March 7, 2021 Jeff

Today is Sunday, the seventh of March, 2021, the third Sunday of Lent.

Peace be with you!

Day 23,005

28 days until Resurrection Sunday

We had a nice day, yesterday. My results at WW were that I stayed exactly the same as the previous week. No worries, there. Maintaining is better than gaining, and I did post an almost five pound loss the previous week. I’m also not on the verge of a mini-goal, so I’m not sweating this. C was a fraction of a pound (.2) over her goal weight, which is fantastic. That was her fourth week of maintenance . . . only two more to go, and if she stays within that two-pound range (plus or minus) she will obtain lifetime membership!

We picked up our grocery order right after our WW Workshop (with the obligatory stop for Sonic drinks, of course). I had received notification of substitutions, via text message and had responded to those. What I did not see, though, was a number of items that they claimed they were out of. No green grapes, no bananas (!!), and a few other things. C likes to go out and run around on Saturday afternoons, anyway, so she went and picked up at least some of the items, and found a few other goodies, as well. She also took advantage of the nice weather and walked for a little while, at a park.

We had our left-over Pecan Crusted Chicken for lunch, and each of us had our own accessories (I suppose I should call those “sides”). Later, in the evening, I cooked burgers for S and me. I use the leanest beef I can get, mix in a variety of seasonings, and bake them in the oven. I don’t put bread on mine, so the burgers (two patties) and one slice of regular sharp cheddar cheese cost from seven to nine WW points. I also cooked some frozen crinkle cut fries in the air fryer, for an additional four points. I sprinkled several different seasonings on them, and they were delicious.

We have our church Zoom gathering, this morning at 10:15. We will be starting, today, with Psalm 10, and probably get through three or four chapters. I expect that some might encourage meeting in person next weekend, after the governor’s lifting of all pandemic restrictions. I’m not sure I’m ready for that, unless people will continue to wear masks. I realize that I went to an in-person church last Sunday, but all restrictions were still in place, and people stayed distant. We will see how it goes.

After church, I am sure we will order Applebee’s for lunch. The rest of the day will be spent resting, preparing for the work week ahead. I’m going to try to get PTO for Thursday and Friday, so we can have a couple extra days off for my birthday.

Enough of that. On with the devotional. Right after I get a second cup of coffee.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS

Another poem, today, by Daryl Madden, called “Really To.”

To gaze, to dwell, to draw deep
Really just to be
To hear, to taste, to feel now
This moment to be free

To soak, to breath, to savor
Really to receive
Presence that’s abundant
This moment to believe

To give, to yield, surrender
Really to let go
Freedom in releasing
This moment of the flow

To meld, to bind, embracing
Really to be here
Love within of knowing
This moment is a prayer

I really love the first line of this one, and it’s pretty much why I’m here, every morning. “To gaze, to dwell, to draw deep . . .”

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.
(Psalms 62:5-6 NLT)

Today I am grateful:

For what promises to be a beautiful day outside, today
For the opportunity, this morning, to dwell in Your Word with other believers
For the faithful leaders and ministers You have placed in the midst of Your people
For the words of the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the One who died and was raised again
For the strength and hope and eternity that those words bring to our lives

Scriptures and Prayers from Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year

Third Sunday in Lent

INVITATION

And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
(Isaiah 6:3 NIV)

Take a moment to meditate on the holiness of the Lord.

BIBLE SONG

A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David.

I will exalt you, LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. LORD my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. You, LORD, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit.

Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
(Psalms 30:1-5 NIV)

BIBLE READING

The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”
Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?”
But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
The LORD answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”
(Exodus 17:1-7 NIV)

DWELLING: SILENCE AND MEDITATION

Moses was God’s faithful and chosen leader for the people of Israel. In today’s passage, though, not long after escaping the slavery of Egypt, the people quarrel with and complain against Moses.

We haven’t changed much in several thousand years. I have been attending Southern Baptist churches my whole life (so far), and time after time, I have watched (and, sadly, I confess, even participated) as congregations seemingly do nothing but whine, moan, criticize, and complain to their pastor/leadership. The music is too modern. The music is too old. The music is too loud. The sermon is too long. There’s not enough evangelism in the sermon. There’s not enough hellfire and brimstone in the sermon. There’s too much hellfire and brimstone in the sermon. We don’t like this. We don’t like that. We can’t agree on what color the carpet should be. We can’t agree on pews vs. chairs. The pews are too hard. The pews are too soft.

You know I could go on and on and on, right?

May God have mercy on us. How He managed to not destroy the stiff-necked people of Israel is beyond me. Although, I know that He is faithful to His covenants, and that, perhaps, is the sole thing that saved their wretched necks. That and the constant intercession of Moses. Even Moses snapped a few times, demanding an answer from God as to why He had saddled him with these ridiculous whiners.

I confess. I’m a complainer. And I’ve done more than my fair share of it in the past. But I have also become convicted that there is no room for complaining in the character of a child of God. There are legitimate reasons to point out things that are wrong, for sure. But when I say “complain,” I’m referring to a specific kind of critical nature, and you all know, I bet, what I mean.

We owe respect and submission to the leaders that God has placed in our midst (I’m referring only to Church life in this). If the leader proves himself to be not worthy of either, that’s a different story, but that unworthiness had better come from something heretical or unbiblical that has happened, not just because we didn’t like the way he preached last Sunday.

Moses was doing his best to obey God and lead the Israelites, but it was never enough for them. May we not be guilty of the same, in our churches today.

Father, I thank You for faithful leaders/pastors/priests/ ministers in Your Church today. I pray for Christian fellowships all over the world, this morning, that they would unite in support of their leaders, submitting to what their leaders believe to be the plan of God through His revealed Word. May we stop the incessant whining and moaning, and believe in YOU! May we have faith to believe that You know what You are doing! May we be fully persuaded that You have the power to fulfill all of Your great and precious promises, given in Your Word.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Your Name. 
May Your kingdom come, and Your will be done, 
on earth as in heaven. 
Give us today our daily bread. 
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. 
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; 
for Yours are the kingdom and the power 
and the glory forever and ever. 
Amen.

"Patient God,
even on this journey of faith,
where I experience your presence and provision,
I grumble,
gripe, 
and turn away from you.
Today,
may I know the embrace of your grace
more than the grip of sin,
and may my complaints be turned to praise.
In Christ's name,
amen."
(Canon of Dort 5.1)

BLESSING

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”
(Matthew 25:40 NLT)

When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
(Romans 12:13 NLT)

“Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life. “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.”
(Revelation 2:10-11 NLT)

There is a distinct promise at the end of this letter to the Church at Smyrna. And, as we continue on through these letters, it will be noted that each promise is unique to the church being addressed.

To Smyrna is promised “the crown of life.” And then, “Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.”

There are two Greek words for “crown.” The first one has to do with what is worn by a king or queen, and the second is a prize “given to an athlete after winning a race or an honor bestowed on someone by the community for valorous service.” As expected, it is the second word that is used here.

When we are a participant in suffering, we are, in a sense, competing “in a contest for faith.” We are not, rest assured, calling suffering a “game,” for it is most certainly not. But when we come through this “contest” with the praise of God on our lips, we are “crowned with the prize of life.”

What is meant by “second death,” according to Peterson, is “the death that separates us from God.” We all must meet the first death (unless we happen to still be alive when Christ returns, I suppose), and the first death cannot separate us from the love of Christ. Those who keep their faith through suffering will never suffer that separation, either. We may suffer separation from “health, from friends, from children, and from this beautiful world, but we will never be separated from God.”

The words of the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the one who was dead and is now alive, gave strength and hope to people such as Polycarp and the “suffering Christians of Smyrna. And they have the power to give strength and eternity to our lives too.”

(From This Hallelujah Banquet, by Eugene H. Peterson)

Father, I praise You for the faithful and true words of the First and the Last, He who died and was raised again. May His words give us strength; may His words give us hope; may His words bring down eternity into the lives of Your people, the Church. All glory to You, Lord!

I pray, this morning, for increased and more intense fellowship with the crucified and risen Christ, my Savior. I pray for ongoing spiritual renewal and refreshment.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
(Revelation 22:13 NLT)

Grace and peace, friends.

In Life, In Death, In Suffering, “Fear Not, For I Am With You”

March 6, 2021 Jeff

Today is Saturday, the sixth of March, 2021, in the second week of Lent.

Peace be with you!

Day 23,004

29 days until Resurrection Sunday

It’s the weekend! And, as is my custom, I find it hard to sleep past 6:30 in the morning, these days, even when I stay up until midnight playing games. So I’m up early, blogging. This doesn’t mean I will finish early, as I typically dawdle and get distracted by other things on weekend mornings. I’ll probably be hurrying to finish in time to go to our WW Workshop, which happens at 10:30, this morning.

We will also return to our practice of picking up the grocery order from Walmart Neighborhood Market immediately after WW, since C has returned to the office for work. Grocery runs, while she was was working from home, could occur at random times, usually dependent on our supply of grapes and bananas, our two favorite fruits.

Last night, we made our Pecan-crusted Buttermilk Chicken for dinner. It’s been a while since we made that. We haven’t forgotten how, though, and it is still delicious. And, as always, we have leftovers for lunch today.

There are no other plans for the day, nor are there any for tomorrow, outside of our 10:15 church on Zoom gathering. We have been discussing plans for next weekend, as I seem to have a birthday coming up. Next Saturday is my birthday. We have not managed to come up with anything, yet, and, at this point, don’t even know what days we might plan to take off from work. The problem is two-fold (at least). One is that, in the past, celebrations and trips always centered around food and eating. Or at least that was a major part of the planning. Our eating habits have changed drastically in the past year, obviously, so there is not so much excitement surrounding that. The other thing is that I’m not terribly enthusiastic about going anywhere a few days after the Covid restrictions in Texas have been lifted. I have no desire to be around the masses of people who will, no doubt, be flooding places.

Also, the week after my birthday is Spring Break for most places, which is why we decided not to go to Glen Rose or Galveston for part of the week. So, we may just take off a few days and hang around the house. Maybe try to play a round of golf or go bowling, even. Of course, another issue (did I say “two-fold?”) is that, after sixty-something birthdays, they just don’t mean as much any more. I don’t even have a wish list for birthday presents. And, of course, the Friday after my birthday is the day I get part two of the Covid vaccine. So there’s a chance I will not be feeling well Friday night into Saturday of that weekend.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS

"Father, I abandon myself
into your hands.
Do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you.
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me
and in all your creatures.
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul.
I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord,
and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands
without reserve
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father."
Charles de Foucauld

Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the earth and all living things join in. Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joy before the LORD, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with fairness.
(Psalms 98:7-9 NLT)

Today I am grateful:

For the weekend, to rest and refresh for the upcoming work week
That, when I am tempted, You always give me a way out
That I have been born from above, born of the Spirit
That You have shown me the path of life
That all suffering will eventually end

Scriptures and Prayers from Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year

LENT – DAY 16

INVITATION

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.
(Psalms 145:13 NIV)

Spend a moment thanking God for His trustworthiness and faithfulness.

BIBLE SONG

The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever. The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.
(Psalms 29:9-11 NIV)

BIBLE READING

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
(John 3:1-8 NIV)

DWELLING: SILENCE AND MEDITATION

There is a lot of depth in this passage from John. The phrase “born again” became very popular when I was a teen, in the mid-seventies. But even then, I don’t think we quite understood what it meant. It was just a euphemism for “saved.” What was “saved?” It meant that we had “invited Jesus into our hearts.”

At the risk of upsetting some folks, there are problems with that whole philosophy. For one thing, there is nothing in Scripture about “inviting Jesus into your heart.” But we are people who need formulas; we need things to be simple and “boxy,” so it’s easier to “sell.” It’s easier to market something that has one, two, three easy steps, and you’re done.

Unfortunately this does not reflect the truth of the Christian life. It may be “simple,” to a degree, but there are no quick and easy steps to it, as it is a lifetime of struggle, kind of like the ups and downs of a roller coaster ride.

But back to the Scripture above. The phrase “born again,” would be more literally translated “born from above.” Jesus even explains it, in verse 5, as being “born of water and the Spirit.” Being born of water is the first birth, the human birth. Being born of the Spirit is the second birth, “born again,” or “born from above.”

And there is a chilling pronouncement made by Jesus, here. First, in verse 3, as He says, “no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

One who is not born of the Spirit might be walking around in the middle of God’s kingdom, and never see it.

Then, in verse 5, He goes even further to say that, unless one is born of the Spirit, one cannot enter God’s kingdom.

This is why I have long believed that, without the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to fully understand the Bible. Sure, there are parts that a non-believe could read and grasp. But the deeper things within, the deeper aspects of God’s kingdom, cannot be seen, cannot be grasped, cannot be entered into, unless one is born of the Spirit.

How, then, does this occur? If it doesn’t happen by inviting Jesus into my heart, as we were so fond of saying, then how?

That’s where it gets more complicated, and yet so simple. It happens by believing. Believing and embracing. If you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved, says Paul, in Romans 10. And, there is the declaration that Jesus is Lord, as well.

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
(Romans 10:10 NIV)

But even the faith to believe and declare is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Father, I praise You for the gift of faith and belief. Everything came together in my life to lead me to this point. I could have easily not been born into a family of faith, or even in a country where faith is encouraged. I shake my head and wonder, sometimes, at how You worked my life out. Forgive me for not being more serious about it, and for not living to my potential in Your kingdom. As I recall yesterday’s readings, I am, indeed, fully persuaded that You have the power to accomplish everything that You promise. Your will will be done, on earth as in heaven. How much involvement I have in that is entirely up to me, it seems. Strengthen me to do the right things; draw me closer into You, Lord, through the life of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. I wait for You, Lord, my whole being waits, and in Your Word do I put my hope!

"God of new birth,
may the mysterious wind of your Spirit
blow in my heart today.
May new life,
born again in the womb of the Spirit,
grow in me,
as I live my life in the presence
and power of your kingdom.
Amen."
(Canon of Dort 3/4, 12)

BLESSING

I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.
(Psalms 130:5 NIV)

“Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the LORD says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.'”
(Jeremiah 21:8 NIV)

See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
(Deuteronomy 30:15-16 NIV)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
(John 10:10 NIV)

And there it is. Life and death. There are two roads; two choices, and this is a choice that is made once, but it is also a choice that is made daily. For even though I have made the permanent choice to walk in the way of Christ, who is The Life, I must also daily choose to remain on that path.

Don’t misunderstand me . . . I don’t believe I can lose my salvation. I am, once again, fully persuaded that God is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him. But I can most certainly leave the path by making poor choices each day. He will always guide me back, sometimes gently, sometimes not so gently. I have, in my lifetime, experienced both.

But here’s the thing. 1 Corinthians 10:13. I have no excuse. “I couldn’t help myself,” is never a true statement.

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
(1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT)

Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.
(Revelation 2:10 NLT)

Christ tells the Christians at Smyrna the same thing that He has told us, time and time again, throughout the Bible, and throughout history. “Don’t be afraid.” But fear is part of suffering, is it not? “Fear of the unknown, fear of isolation, fear of death? But Christ is with us. Do not fear.”

What does the psalmist say in Psalm 56?

But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.
(Psalms 56:3 NLT)

Any suffering that we may encounter is temporary. “Ten days” is just an expression for a “brief time.” Our suffering is limited, temporary.

Even if it ends in our death, it ends. And our death is the gateway to our eternal existence. “Suffering has an end because Christ suffered, died, and lives again.” This is not a call to stoicism; it is not a call “just to grit our teach and carry on; it is a promise of a companion and a presence.”

(From This Hallelujah Banquet, by Eugene H. Peterson)

Thank you, Jesus, for Your promise to always be with us. This promise gives us hope, and gives credibility to Your command to fear not. I am less likely to be afraid when I remember that You have promised to be there. “Fear not, for I am with You,” the Father says. May You help me always remember this, no matter what I am going through in my life.

This morning, Lord, I pray that Your Church would work more intentionally for the common good and benefit of all people. Sadly, there are many, today, who insist on holding on to their “rights” to do whatever they want. Change our hearts, Lord, that we may surrender those rights to You and do what is best for all people. I pray that all who are part of Your kingdom would experience the deepest sense of love and community. And I pray that, as it is that time of week, that Your Word would be preached effectively wherever it is spoken over the next few days.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
(Isaiah 41:10 NLT)

Grace and peace, friends.

With Us in Suffering

March 2, 2021 Jeff

Today is Tuesday, the second of March, 2021, in the second week of Lent.

Peace be with you!

Day 23,000!! Today, I have been alive on this earth for 23,000 days!

33 days until Resurrection Sunday

C’s first day back at work was okay, but she said she got less accomplished than she normally did on a day working from home. That figures, because some of her previous work time was spent driving to the office, and, when working from home, she would stay on her work computer later in the day.

There’s not a lot to share, this morning, no real significant news or anything. It’s 40 degrees outside, which is, in my opinion, close to where it should be. We are expecting a high in the low sixties today, with plenty o’ sunshine.

Baseball is being played at the Spring Training locations. The rules are weird, though. I listened to part of a game Sunday afternoon, Rangers v Royals. They only played six innings, and when the Rangers did not catch up in the top of the sixth, instead of the game being over, the continued to play the Royals’ half of the inning. It was explained that this was so the Rangers could have another pitcher get in some work. That makes sense, being that is what Spring Training is all about. It’s just weird.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS

Lord Jesus, let me know myself and know you, and desire nothing save 
only you. 
Let me hate myself and love you. 
Let me do everything for the sake of you. 
Let me humble myself and exalt you. 
Let me think of nothing except you. 
Let me die to myself and live in you. 
Let me accept whatever happens as from you. 
Let me banish self and follow you, and ever desire to follow you. 
Let me fly from myself and take refuge in you that I may deserve 
to be defended by you. 
Let me fear for myself, let me fear you, and let me be among 
those who are chosen by you. 
Let me distrust myself and put my trust in you. 
Let me be willing to obey for the sake of you. 
Let me cling to nothing save only to you, and let me be poor 
because of you. 
Look upon me, that I may love you. 
Call me that I may see you, and forever enjoy you. 
Amen.
(Prayer to Forsake Myself for Jesus, by St. Augustine of Hippo)

The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
(Psalms 97:1-2 NIV)

Today I am grateful:

That I am alive and breathing
That righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne
That, if I walk humbly before You and fear You, You will instruct me, guide me, and confide in me
For the places where Your glory dwells
That You, Jesus, are always with us, most especially should we have to suffer

Scriptures and Prayers from Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year

LENT – DAY 12

INVITATION

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.
(Psalms 145:13 NIV)

Meditate for a moment on the enduring kingdom and dominion of YHWH.

BIBLE SONG

Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant. For the sake of your name, LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

Who, then, are those who fear the LORD? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land. The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
(Psalms 25:8-14 NIV)

BIBLE READING

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”
(Genesis 17:1-7 NIV)

DWELLING: SILENCE AND MEDITATION

There are several words in the psalm that catch my eye. “Instruct,” “guide,” “confide.” All of these things that the Lord will do with those who humble themselves and fear Him. Twice, it is said, of those who fear the Lord, that He will instruct them and confide in them. And in the middle of this passage, the psalmist shows his own humility by interjecting a prayer for forgiveness for his “great” iniquity.

Abram, as he became Abraham, showed equal humility, falling facedown before the Lord when it was declared that God was making a covenant between them and that his (Abram’s) numbers would increase. Abraham would be the father of many nations, and God would be the God of Abraham’s descendants for many “generations to come.”

Abraham walked humbly before the Lord, and the Lord kept His promises. If we walk humbly before God, and fear Him, He will, according to Scripture, instruct us in His ways, guide us in what is right, instruct us in the ways we should choose, and confide in us, making His covenant known to us.

Father, I thank You for these promises and truths, this morning. Help me to be one who walks humbly before You all the day long. Some days I fail miserably in this quest for humility, getting agitated and aggravated when my work is interrupted by more work, or when I get requests from people that I think are silly. It is not up to me to decide what requests are silly or what is or isn’t important. Grant me humility today, as I work, that I might fear You, and that You might instruct, guide, and confide in me throughout the day. Teach me Your way, that I may walk in Your truth. Unite my heart to fear Your name, O great YHWH!

"Covenant God,
thank you for your promises,
which are full of blessing and life.
Thank you most for your promise to send your Son,
the powerful Jesus,
to crush the head of the devil
and to bring my life blessing.
In the strong name of Jesus,
amen."
(Belgic Confession 17)

BLESSING

I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.
(Psalms 130:5 NIV)

LORD, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory dwells.
(Psalms 26:8 NIV)

“Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.”
(Isaiah 58:5-8 NIV)

She must be well respected by everyone because of the good she has done. Has she brought up her children well? Has she been kind to strangers and served other believers humbly? Has she helped those who are in trouble? Has she always been ready to do good?
(1 Timothy 5:10 NLT)

Recently, we talked about how we speak to people who are suffering, and that sometimes, the words we might say could be resented, as we do not share the experience of those who suffer.

However, the words of Jesus in these letters are not like those words. He has felt everything that we could possibly feel. He is the first and the last, the beginning and the end. He is the Source and He is the destination. He knows what has gone before, and He will be with us in the days to come, whatever they may bring.

This is the One who speaks to those who are suffering. He has the authority to speak, because He has endured the suffering.

In the case of Smyrna, we can piece together the nature of their suffering. They lived in the Roman Empire. They were pressured to worship Caesar. They could do anything they wanted, worship any other “gods” that they wanted, as long as they proclaimed their initial allegiance to Caesar.

The Christians at Smyrna refused to do this. “Christ is Lord,” they proclaimed and would not compromise to even give Caesar “half a place.” This created an atmosphere of persecution and extreme anxiety. They suffered economically, as well, finding it difficult to do business as merchants.

One of the hardest parts of suffering is thinking that we are suffering alone. No one wants to suffer or die alone. Jesus assures His people that this is not the case. He is with them, because He has experienced it. He will never leave or forsake anyone. “We are not isolated. We are not separated either from God or from his people. He knows, and he is with us.”

(From This Hallelujah Banquet, by Eugene H. Peterson)

Father, I have not gone through anything, recently, that I would call “suffering.” Even the time that we were without power in the sub-freezing temperatures week before last, I would not consider suffering, especially since there were many, many people who had it much worse than we did. But I thank You greatly that You are always with Your people during our suffering. Help us, though, to know this truth. Help us to have the constant knowledge of Your presence, so that, should we have to suffer, we will not forget, and we will not complain, nor will we give up hope, thinking that You have abandoned us. Praise Your great Name, that You will always be with us, and that You, Jesus, have suffered everything that we could possible go through, and that You will always share this in our lives with You. All glory to You, our great King!

Lord, I pray that we, Your children, would love and commit our best to the communities in which You have placed us. May You equip us to serve in unique ways as we live in these communities, helping us to not hide our light under a basket. I pray especially today for teachers, administrators, and all others who work in education. Give the teachers strength and patience. Give the administrators wisdom (some of them need a lot of this). Give aides and other workers love and compassion for those whom they serve.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Grace and peace, friends.

Exit to Enter; End to Begin

February 28, 2021 Jeff

Today is Sunday, the twenty-eight of February, 2021, the second Sunday of Lent.

Peace be with you!

Day 22,998

35 days until Resurrection Sunday

Are you observing Lent? How is it going for you? How does it look different, this year?

I registered a loss of 4.8 pounds at the WW Workshop, yesterday! That’s awesome, even for a two-week stretch. Perhaps I have managed to get off of that plateau upon which I seemed stuck for a couple months. The topic of discussion, yesterday was “non-scale victories,” otherwise known as “NSVs.” #nsv on social media.

A non-scale victory can be anything that is not related to numbers on a scale. It can be changing clothing sizes, being able to physically do something that one couldn’t do before losing a significant amount of weight, or reducing medication dosage, like I have, recently. So I’m going to try to focus on those, during the coming week. C will need to work on that, as well, as she is now three weeks into her quest for lifetime membership.

As previously mentioned, I plan to be “going to church,” this morning, as Jacob and I will be attending St. Barnabas Anglican Church for their 10:00 AM service. Should be interesting.

I’m looking forward to a restful afternoon. C may go out and do something. I know she is restless because she is having to go back to the office starting tomorrow. She has really enjoyed her time at home, and is having to come up with a different exercise schedule. That is probably the most difficult part, besides spending sixty to ninety minutes driving every day.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS

"Open, Lord, my eyes that I may see.
Open, Lord, my ears that I may hear.
Open, Lord, my heart and my mind that I may understand.
So shall I turn to You and be healed."
(Traditional)

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David.

How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe. Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the LORD has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting.
(Psalms 133:1-3 NLT)

Today I am grateful:

That today is the last day of February
For an opportunity to experience something new in worship, this morning
That my heart will sing your praises and not be silent (Psalm 30)
That death is not the end, but the beginning of something new
For Your kingdom, in which I am currently dwelling in my “home” away from Home

Scriptures and Prayers from Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year

Second Sunday in Lent

INVITATION

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.
(Psalms 145:13 NIV)

Meditate for a moment on the everlasting kingdom of God.

BIBLE SONG

A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David.

I will exalt you, LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
(Psalms 30:1 NIV)

When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.” LORD, when you favored me, you made my royal mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.

To you, LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, LORD, and be merciful to me; LORD, be my help.”

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. LORD my God, I will praise you forever.
(Psalms 30:6-12 NIV)

BIBLE READING

The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.
(Genesis 12:1-4 NIV)

DWELLING: SILENCE AND MEDITATION

These are some pretty incredible promises made by God to Abram. But we know from the rest of the story that they all came true. Most people in the world today know who Abraham was. And he was actually made into more than one great nation. Some say that the nations of Islam are descended from Ishmael. This may or may not be true. But we do know that the descendants of Ishmael, as well as the descendants of Esau (also a descendent of Abraham) are not considered part of Israel. We have to consult non-biblical history sources to trace all of that.

But the most important of those promises, in my opinion, is “all peoples on earth will be blessed by you.” This was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who is, also in my opinion, the primary reason for the existence of Israel.

Note Abram’s age when this all began. He was seventy-five years old!!

Father, I thank You for blessing all peoples of the earth through Abraham and his obedience to you. Will I get to meet him someday? I’m not sure how all of this post-resurrection stuff will work, honestly. It’s also not really a primary concern. But it would be nice to get to chat with Abraham. I’m sure there will be a waiting list. Hahaha! As I sit here and ponder eternal life, I am almost overwhelmed, though. It will be such a shift from what we are used to, here. Everything here is finite. Everything here has a beginning and an end. Eternal life will, at least, have no end. You have no beginning, another thing which my mind cannot comprehend at all.

But my prayer is rambling, and I think there is nothing wrong with that. Maybe that’s the best kind of prayer. I thank You for consistently lifting me out of the depths, throughout my life, because I always manage to find myself in some kind of pit or another. I have, like David, felt secure and boasted that I would never be shaken. Usually, in minutes, I have been shaken, and no longer feel secure. But You always draw me back in to Yourself. All praise and glory to You for that! My heart will sing Your praises and not be silent.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Your Name. 
May Your kingdom come, and Your will be done, 
on earth as in heaven. 
Give us today our daily bread. 
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. 
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; 
for Yours are the kingdom and the power 
and the glory forever and ever. 
Amen.

"Good God,
you didn't turn you back on a world
plunged up to its neck in physical and spiritual death
but set out to rescue it.
I worship you for your resolute goodness
and wisdom that sought and found me;
I thank you for the blessing
that has comet o me in Jesus,
and pray that my life may be a blessing
to others.
Amen."
(Belgic Confession 17)

BLESSING

I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.
(Psalms 130:5 NIV)

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
(Proverbs 17:17 NIV)

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
(Proverbs 27:17 NIV)

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NIV)

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
(Matthew 18:20 NIV)

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
(Revelation 2:10 NIV)

What is the best thing to say to someone who is suffering? “What is the true thing to say?” One of the most awkward situations to be in is being in the presence of someone who is suffering, for whatever reason. You feel like you have to say something. But then, that is a human characteristic, isn’t it? Especially a Western human characteristic. (These are my words, not Peterson’s.) We always feel like we have to be talking!

But in the presence of one who is suffering, when I am not suffering, it is a great challenge. What do I say? They might respond by saying, “It is well enough for you to talk like that, but it is not you who are suffering.” Also, there is the danger of saying the absolute wrong, worst thing. You don’t want to give false hope; you don’t want to cause disillusionment. You don’t want to completely miss the mark and cause hindrance in the person’s journey.

In John’s letter to the Smyrna Church, Jesus first describes Himself as “the First and the Last, who died and came to life again” (verse 8). In saying the words “first and last,” Jesus “includes everything within himself. He is at the beginning and at the end; all that occurs between occurs in the context of his presence.” Peterson believes, and I agree, that this is important for the church that is suffering.

Christ is at the beginning, and He is here with us until the finish. He will not go off and leave us in the midst of our suffering.

Consider also the order of the words, “who died and came to life again.” We humans don’t think of existence in that direction. We are born and then we die. Life is the beginning; death is the end. One of the things that makes suffering so frightening is that it “threatens to bring the end closer.”

Ponder that last statement for a bit, as it is a key point in this discussion. We fear suffering because it threatens to bring our lives to an end.

But in describing Himself as He “who died and came to life again,” Christ calls out death as a beginning! “Instead of disaster, it became resurrection.” This person speaks living words of life to us!

(From This Hallelujah Banquet, by Eugene H. Peterson)

The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
(Genesis 12:1-3 NLT)

On that very day the LORD brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt like an army.
(Exodus 12:51 NLT)

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
(2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT)

Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
(Ephesians 4:21-24 NLT)

In a rare moment of congruence, my last resource echoes my first one, this morning, as it speaks of Abraham leaving his home in order to eventually find the Promised Land.

Israel is called “Ivrim” in Hebrew, which means, “Those who cross over.” The point is made that, not only did they cross over the Jordan to get to the Promised Land, but they also crossed over the Red Sea to leave Egypt. Before they could enter the Land, they had to exit another land.

“You can’t enter unless you leave.” This most simple of statements is a deep truth. Every time you enter a room, you leave another room. When you exit your house, you enter the outdoors.

When we enter the break room at work, there is a button we must press to unlock the magnetic security lock going in. But it says “Push to exit.” I always thought it was wrong. I’m not exiting! I’m entering! But, when this truth is considered, I am also exiting!

This goes for our spiritual lives, as well. “If you want to get to the place where you aren’t, you must first leave the place where you are. Leave the old, and you will enter the new. Cross the Red Sea out of your Egypt, and you will also cross the Jordan River into your promised land.”

“The Mission: Where do you need to go? What promised land has God called you to enter? What must you first leave? Begin your exodus today.”

(From The Book of Mysteries, by Jonathan Cahn)

Father, these are things worthy of pondering, this day. How do we approach suffering and the ministry to those who are in the midst of it? How do we consider this idea of exiting and entering? For, in order to enter eternal life, we must leave something else. Death is the beginning; eternal life is the end that never ends. Give me wisdom as I ponder these things today. I pray for Your Church all around the world. Help us to get it right. And by “it” I mean everything that relates to You, eternal life, Your Kingdom, and the Holy Trinity. All praise and glory to You, Father!

Lord, may You give us all hope and joy in the resurrection, both in that of Jesus Christ, and the one we will eventually experience in Him. Give us all confidence and encouragement to share the testimony of the living Christ in the world in which we live.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:
(Revelation 2:8 NLT)

Grace and peace, friends.

The Word, the World, and Sacrifice

February 27, 2021 Jeff

Today is Saturday, the twenty-seventh day of February, 2021, in the first week of Lent.

Peace be with you!

Day 22,997

36 days until Resurrection Sunday

I will start out by reporting on my vaccine experience, yesterday. I arrived at the Baylor Scott & White location (they are my health care provider organization) right about 12:00 PM. My appointment was for 12:15.

As I was approaching the parking garage, I was initially panicked by the number of cars parked in a grassy field across the driveway from the building. These turned out to be not related at all. But, since I was in a mild state of anxiety, when I found a parking place on level 2, I grabbed it, and headed for the elevator to go to the sixth floor, where the vaccines were administered.

The good people with BS&W have this down to a well-oiled system! There must have been at least a hundred staff people (I wonder how many were volunteers) on site. There were at least three in the hall, as soon as we stepped off the elevator, directing us in the right direction immediately. Just around the corner, a gentleman was scanning people for temperature.

As I approached the first area of a large room (this appeared to be happening on the top floor, in an area that was yet undeveloped), a friendly person directed me to one of many tables set up in the area. Within seconds of when I sat down, a young lady was in front of me, handing me a form to fill out, along with a fact sheet about the vaccine. I would be getting the Pfizer version.

After filling out the form, I was directed to the next area, where another friendly staff person directed me to another table, at which was sitting a lady at a computer. She quickly registered me, explained the vaccine card to me, and provided me with my next appointment, exactly three weeks in the future, same bat-time, same bat-place (I know . . . I’m showing my age with that, but I’ve never tried to hide it, anyway). She then pointed the way to an exit door and told me they were waiting for me, as she handed me my vaccine card and form. I thanked her as I stood, barely able to hold back tears.

I found that I was way more emotional than I expected to be, as this process progressed.

I went through the door, into yet another large room, where another friendly staff person directed me to a table staffed by a couple of health care professionals. I sat down, and the lady courteously spoke with me about the shot, asked a few questions (have I ever had a reaction to a vaccine; which arm, and so on), and explained that I would be asked to sit and wait for fifteen minutes after the shot, to insure that I did not have any serious, immediate reaction. And just like that, it was done. I never even felt the needle.

As I got up and moved to the next area, filled with chairs for the fifteen minute wait, I was greeted by gentlemen handing out stickers declaring that I had been vaccinated against COVID-19. I found an empty chair and sat down to wait, fighting back (not necessarily successfully) tears the whole time. The time went quickly, as I watched, in a bit of amazement, the buzz of activity around me.

As I left, I thanked every staff person/volunteer I could see, thanked them for being there. I do believe that a few of them were quite surprised by that. I hope it made their day.

As to any reactions or side effects, the only thing that I can say for certain is that my arm hurts like a son-of-a-gun! Up until about four hours after the shot, I was wondering if I even really got a shot! After that four hours, though, there was no doubt, and it still hurts pretty bad, this morning. Otherwise, I have had no other effects that I can say for certain are related to the vaccine. I had a very mild headache for a little bit, yesterday evening, and, at one point, my fingertips on the arm where I received the shot were a little tingly, but who knows if either one of those were related.

It was a fantastic experience. My thanks go out to the good people at BS&W for how efficiently they worked this. There was literally never any time where I was standing and waiting, except for when I was waiting for an elevator. And that’s not their fault, is it?

My appointment for the second shot is at 12:15 PM on March 19.

We have our WW Workshop, this morning, at 10:30. We didn’t get a weigh-in last week, because of our week of winter, so I should definitely lose a little. At this point, I’m not sure how much, but it should be at least a couple pounds. Looking at my weight from two weeks ago, I suppose it might even be as much as four pounds.

Tomorrow morning, our little church will be taking a break, as the other two leaders and their wives are on a hunting trip. They tried to act like they weren’t going to be together, but some of us knew better. So, I’m going to take this opportunity and do something completely different. Our form pastor, Jacob, and I will be attending St. Barnabas Anglican Church tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM. I am really looking forward to this. I’m not sure what to expect, other than a lot of liturgy/ritual, and a bit of responsive recitation back and forth with the priests. It should be quite interesting, especially considering that this will be the second Sunday of Lent.

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, the Anglican Church is Protestant, born out of the Reformation. But a lot of what happens in their service still resembles Catholicism.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS

This new day You give to me
From Your great eternity
This new day now enfold
Me in Your loving hold

You are the star of the morn
You are the day newly born
You are the light of our night
You are the Savior by Your might

God be in me this day
God ever with me stay
God be in the night
Keep us by Thy light
God be in my heart
God abide, never depart.
(David Adam)

The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.
(Psalms 121:7-8 NLT)

Today I am grateful:

That I successfully got my first COVID-19 shot
That I have had no adverse effects, other than my arm hurts pretty bad
For the weekend, to rest and refresh for another work week
That the Word precedes the world
For the example of hundreds of years of Christian martyrs

Scriptures and Prayers from Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year

LENT – DAY 10

INVITATION

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
(Psalms 34:18 NIV)

As this first full week of Lent comes to a close, take a moment to reflect on your closeness to the Father, and His great salvation in Christ Jesus.

BIBLE SONG

BIBLE READING

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
(1 Peter 3:18-22 NIV)

DWELLING: SILENCE AND MEDITATION

“Ascribe . . .” what does that mean?

It means “to attribute” something to someone. So when we ascribe to God glory and strength, the “glory due his name,” we attribute these characteristics to him. In other words, we acknowledge His glory and strength.

His holiness is indeed full of splendor, and worthy to be worshiped. The rest of that psalm proclaims the power of His voice over creation. And if His voice thunders over the waters, how incredible must be the strength He gives His people?

Considering this, it is not unbelievable that He brought Jesus Christ back to life, following His great sacrifice for us on the Cross. He was raised, and now sits at the right hand of the Father, with all things in submission to Him.

Also important is the word “once” in verse 18 of the 1 Peter passage. In contrast to the Hebrew sacrificial system, which had to be performed on a daily basis, Jesus died once. He “suffered once for sins.” The NLT says “once for all time,” nailing it down even more explicitly.

So when Jesus said, “It is finished,” on the Cross, He meant it.

The reason is also made clear. “To bring you to God.” And contrary to what many people seem to believe, that is the only way to get to God. There are not “many roads” to the Father. There is one. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Father, I praise You, this morning, for Your great glory and strength. I lift up Your Name because of Your great holiness, the splendor of Your majesty. Thank You for the strength and the peace You give Your people. I also thank You for the sacrifice made for sin, once for all time, by Jesus on the Cross. I thank You that, in this sacrifice, I have been brought into Your presence, so that I can truly worship You in spirit and in truth. I long for the day when Jesus will return to lead us into our Home forever.

"Persuasive God,
I know it sounds odd,
but sometimes my sin seems
too big and ugly even for you.
Keep me from adding to my sin
by thinking that your power can't forgive me now.
Convince my unbelieving heart that
through Christ's sufferings
I'm forgiven and forever right with you.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
amen."
(Heidelberg Catechism 21)

BLESSING

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:8 NIV)

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
(Psalms 139:11-12 NIV)

The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.
(Deuteronomy 28:7 NIV)

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.
(2 Thessalonians 3:3 NIV)

In contrast to Ephesus, who got a warning about abandoning their first love, Smyrna got a promise. But it’s not the kind of promise that we like to hear. “Things are going to get worse,” they were told.

One wonders if Jesus’s words to the church at Smyrna were echoing in Polycarp’s mind as he burned to death. And, then, one wonders what lead a group of early American to name their Delaware town after Smyrna. “Perhaps to keep before them the example of the person who was faithful to death and fearless in the face opposition. To remind them that the sequence is not life to death but death to life.”

Says Peterson, “I live in a culture and a society where hardly anyone knows the meaning of the word sacrifice, where suffering is something to be avoided at all costs and complained of when it can’t be avoided, and where it is unthinkable that there is anything more important than preserving and extending my life.”

In contrast to our modern culture, for three hundred years, the church’s “most important model of the Christian life was that of a martyr – the person whose witness was authentic to the point of death.”

This is the great paradox of the Christian life. In order to truly live, we must die. Not physically, of course, not literally. But we must die, as Paul repeatedly says, to ourselves. If we use all our energy trying to preserve our lives, the opposite will happen. “But if we live at risk, giving up all in witness and commitment and love, we are released form death to live in the power of the Resurrection.”

(From This Hallelujah Banquet, by Eugene H. Peterson)

The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. Let the whole world fear the LORD, and let everyone stand in awe of him. For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.
(Psalms 33:6-9 NLT)

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.
(John 1:1-4 NLT)

By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
(Hebrews 11:3 NLT)

The Word preceded the world. In fact, it was the Word which created the world. God spoke, and everything came into existence. By His Word, the universe was created ex nihilo, out of nothing.

According to Jonathan Cahn, the world, the creation, is the olam. The Word is the Davar. The Davar came before the olam.

God’s Word stands forever, and never changes. It will accomplish all that it is set forth to accomplish. Even more importantly, that Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

We must stand on the Word, regardless of what we see in the world.

“The Mission: Choose the Word over the world, over your circumstances, your problems, and everything else. Let the Davar rule your olam.”

(From The Book of Mysteries, by Jonathan Cahn)

Father, I praise You for the truths presented this morning. I thank You for Your Word, both spoken by You and the Word become flesh, that we might be drawn to You and Your kingdom. Help me to stand on Your Word each day as I walk in this world. May Your Word guide me over my circumstances; may Your Word rule over my problems. And may I be willing to sacrifice for Your sake and the sake of the Gospel in this world.

Lord, I pray for the mission-mindedness of the Church, these days. There seems to be a bit of an identity crisis in recent years. Help us to remember what we are about. I also pray for “servant leadership, kingdom vision, godly stewardship, and effective organization” in the local church. Especially that “servant leadership” part. It is way past time for our pastors to stop acting like authority figures and start acting like servants, mimicking the life of Jesus. Likewise, I pray for deacons and other servants in the local churches, that they, too, would transition from thinking that they are a governmental body, into realizing that their original purpose was to “wait tables.”

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Grace and peace, friends.

Rivers of Living Water From the Wells of Yeshua

February 24, 2021 Jeff

Today is Wednesday, the twenty-fourth of February, 2021, in the first week of Lent.

Day 22,994

39 days until Resurrection Sunday!

I woke up to a message from my doctor’s office, this morning. I had gotten test results throughout the day, yesterday, all of which were good. Finally, at the end of the day, they sent comments and instructions for going forward. The best part is that my A1C is 5.4, which is normal. It’s not even in “pre-diabetic” range. This is great news. Of course, I have been taking 1000 mg of Metformin twice a day for a while, now. The plan is to reduce that in half. As soon as I get my new prescription, I will begin taking 500 mg twice a day. No doubt, the glucose readings will be a bit elevated, at first. But hopefully, as I continue my healthy journey, they will also continue to trend downward.

It is 6:00 AM, time for the daily devotional.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS

Love the LORD, all you godly ones! For the LORD protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes the arrogant.
(Psalms 31:23 NLT)

The people will play flutes and sing, “The source of my life springs from Jerusalem!”
(Psalms 87:7 NLT)

Today I am grateful:

That I am alive and breathing
For another new day, and this time of prayer and meditation
For Your covenants with mankind and creation
For the stories of people like Polycarp
For the living water of Your Holy Spirit, drawn from the wells of Yeshua

Scriptures and Prayers from Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year

LENT – DAY 7

INVITATION

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
(Psalms 34:18 NIV)

Take a moment to meditate on the Lord’s closeness. Is He close to you, this morning?

BIBLE SONG

Of David.

Vindicate me, LORD, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the LORD and have not faltered. Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.
(Psalms 26:1-3 NIV)

Do not take away my soul along with sinners, my life with those who are bloodthirsty, in whose hands are wicked schemes, whose right hands are full of bribes. I lead a blameless life; deliver me and be merciful to me. My feet stand on level ground; in the great congregation I will praise the LORD.
(Psalms 26:9-12 NIV)

BIBLE READING

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”
(Genesis 9:8-17 NIV)

DWELLING: SILENCE AND MEDITATION

I confess that, when I read the above psalm, my initial reaction is skepticism. My thought is, “Oh, really?? You’ve led a blameless life, have you?” I know I could never pray that prayer with any amount of sincerity, and I’ve got the salvific work of Christ behind me.

But here’s the thing. As far as we know, David was honest about all of his sins and confessed them all to God. As far us, this “salvific work” of Jesus has removed all of our sins from us. So, technically, yes, I can pray that prayer, because of Jesus!

It’s a bold prayer, but it also speaks confidence; confidence that our Father is just, and that He will not punish us along with the “sinners,” with “those who are bloodthirsty.” The older I get, the more my confidence in my Father grows. That’s a correlation, not a causation. My confidence is not growing because I’m getting older. It’s growing because, as I age, I am seeking God more diligently. And even this is because of His grace in drawing me closer to Him.

We see in the Genesis passage, God making a covenant. And this covenant He made was with all living creatures, not just man. Perhaps I have noticed that before, but it seems fresh, today.

The covenant has been confused, over the years. God did not promise to never allow a flood again. Nor did He promise that the earth would never be destroyed again. He only promised that it would not be destroyed by a flood.

We get twisted around, sometimes, in proclaiming God’s “promises.” A big one in recent years has been “God will never give you more than you can handle.”

Balderdash! Fol-de-rol and fiddledy-dee fiddledy faddledy foddle.

The Bible most certainly never says that! The opposite is true. If God never gave you more than you can handle, you would never need God, would you?

We must be careful in declaring these “promises;” careful to be sure that they really are promises.

In my most recent favorite book, Prayer In the Night, Tish Harrison Warren wrote that God cannot be trusted to keep bad things from happening to us. This would make some peoples’ heads spin, because they would stop reading after “God cannot be trusted.” But the statement is true, because God never promised to keep bad things from happening to us. God didn’t keep bad things from happening to God!!

But God did make promises! And one of my favorites is in Isaiah 41.

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
(Isaiah 41:10 NLT)

Father, I thank You for Your promises, most especially that one in Isaiah 41:10. Over and over in Scripture, You tell us to fear not; You promise protection; You promise deliverance from the bad things. You don’t promise to keep the bad things away, and that’s okay, because that’s where we learn to trust You. If we never went through the darkness and the cold, we would not appreciate the light and the heat. Help us to know Your truths and Your promises, and teach us to trust You through all things.

"Forgiving God,
the world is bent over with brokenness,
weight down with sin that spreads
through the human race
and sprouts up misery everywhere.
It's a wonder you don't uproot
the whole tangled mess and end it all - 
but you promised not to do that.
I praise you for your bow of mercy
that is now bent over the world,
for the freedom from sin I can know
in the grace of Jesus Christ.
Amen."
(Belgic Confession 15)

(Note the reference of misunderstanding the Genesis covenant in that prayer.)

BLESSING

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:8 NIV)

Know that the LORD has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.
(Psalms 4:3 NIV)

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
(Matthew 7:11 NIV)

“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
(Matthew 21:22 NIV)

That last one is tricky. But one thing I have learned is this, and Carol Kuykendall points this out in today’s Daily Guideposts reading. God doesn’t always answer prayers in the way we are expecting. He will answer. That He does promise. But it may not quite be what we wanted or expected. And we need to be okay with that.

Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. . . . But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.
(Revelation 2:10 NLT)

We left off, yesterday, with Polycarp, in Smyrna. Polycarp is not mentioned in the Bible, but history tells us that he was one of John the Revelator’s disciples, and was part of the church in Smyrna when John wrote his letters.

Polycarp was eventually arrested and “was taken to an arena where great crowds gathered to see Christians burned.” He was placed in the middle and commanded to curse Christ.

His reply: “Eighty-six years I have served him, and he never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”

The proconsul continued by demanding that Polycarp swear by Caesar. Again, he refused, proclaiming his Christianity. The proconsul threated to release wild beasts upon Polycarp, to which Polycarp replied, “Call them. For repentance from the better to the worse is not permitted to us; but it is noble to change from what is evil to what is righteous.”

The proconsul threatened fire. Said Polycarp, “The fire you threaten burns but an hour and is quenched after a little. . . . Why do you delay? Come, do what you will.”

The flames were lit; “Polycarp burned while the world watched.”

Who are your heroes? “The self-indulgent or the self-sacrificing?”

Here’s the thing. “We don’t get the Christ-life without the self–death.” Based on historical evidence, the faithful in Smyrna were exactly that; faithful through suffering, faithful to the death.

(From This Hallelujah Banquet, by Eugene H. Peterson)

In that day you will sing: “I will praise you, O LORD! You were angry with me, but not any more. Now you comfort me. See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The LORD GOD is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.” With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!
(Isaiah 12:1-3 NLT)

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)
(John 7:37-39 NLT)

Here’s something I just learned today. In that passage from Isaiah, the last word is “salvation.” The Hebrew word there is “yeshuah!” That is also our name for Jesus. The passage from John takes place during the Feast of Tabernacles, during which a water drawing ceremony took place each day. Fascinating.

“The Mission: Today, come to the wells of Yeshua, and in joy, draw forth and partake of the rivers of living waters of the Spirit of God.”

(From The Book of Mysteries, by Jonathan Cahn)

Father, I thank You for the living water of Your Spirit, drawn from the wells of Yeshuah, wells that are infinitely producing. I praise You for Your covenants with us, and that Your promises never fail. Help me to walk in those promises, and may those rivers of living water flow from me to all around me, today. All glory to You!

Lord, I lift up prayers for governments and leaders all over the world. May Your Holy Spirit be present in every form of government, and may You be in total control of all things. Please give the resources to Your people, world wide, to meet needs in their communities and cities. I pray specifically for the Asian continent, this morning. May Your presence be known in their countries, states, cities, and communities. I also pray for areas of hunger and disease throughout the world, Lord. Please be Provider for all who hunger, this day.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
(Romans 12:12 ESV)

Grace and peace, friends.

No Short Cuts

February 23, 2021 Jeff

Today is Tuesday? Yes. Tuesday, the twenty-third of February, 2021, in the first week of Lent.

Peace be with you!

Day 22,993

Forty days until Resurrection Sunday!

Yesterday didn’t seem like a day off from work, really. But I got a lot accomplished. The doctor’s visit was good. She was pleased, naturally, with my continued weight loss progress, and spoke positively about the potential to reduce medications, pending, of course, blood work results. I have already seen several test results, but not the one we are all waiting for, yet, which is the glucose level. Hopefully, that one will appear today.

I had a nice visit with my mother, in Mineral Wells. We were not able to have Subway for lunch, because the store was closed when I arrived, due to the boil order still in force in MW. They had several water mains break over the past week. However, Mesquite Pit was open, so I stopped there and got some take out food. I had their grilled catfish, which was good, and low in WW Smartpoints.

After lunch, I was able to successfully get my driver’s license renewed at the DPS station in MW. It was much less stressful and crowded than the local ones around where we live. In fact, there were never more than four customers in the building while I was there, and, with a 1:00 PM appointment, I was out of there before 2:00 PM. My new license will not expire until 2030, so apparently, I did not lose the year that was left on the current one, which pleasantly surprises me! And it will have that silly Real ID star on it, so I will be able to board an airplane, should we elect to fly somewhere later this year.

I was also able to stock up on Crazy Water #4, picking up two cases of liter bottles at the Famous Water Company store.

It was a lot of driving for one day, and I was ready to hit the sack before 8:00 PM. But it was a good and productive day. I was also able to help my mother (hopefully) with some technical issues she was having.

Back to work, and, hopefully, back to whatever passes for “normal” these days. It’s really bad when your abnormal becomes abnormal, and you’re happy just to get back to “normal abnormal.”

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS

Lord, have mercy on us
Christ, have mercy on us
Lord, have mercy on us

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever!
(Psalms 30:11-12 NLT)

Today I am grateful:

For the good, productive day I had yesterday
For Your constant presence in my life
That there are no shortcuts to true spiritual transformation
For Your peace
That You chose to include Gentiles in the company of faith

Scriptures and Prayers from Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year

LENT – DAY 6

INVITATION

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
(Psalms 34:18 NIV)

Take a moment to meditate on the Lord’s closeness to the brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. Embrace that closeness if you fall into one of those categories.

BIBLE SONG

Of David.

In you, LORD my God, I put my trust.

I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.

Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, LORD, are good.
(Psalms 25:1-7 NIV)

BIBLE READING

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'”
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'”
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
(Matthew 4:1-11 NIV)

DWELLING: SILENCE AND MEDITATION

Verse 4 of the Psalms passage is one that I have memorized in the past. In the ESV, it says, “Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.” This is a worthy prayer to pray on a regular basis. I always need God to reveal to me His ways and teach me His paths.

Most of us are familiar with the Matthew passage, which, by the way, contains the whole logic behind the Lent season. Even though the concept of Lent, itself, is not exactly biblical, it is taken from the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness before His temptations.

We are also familiar with the fact that Jesus uses Scripture to answer every temptation, which speaks of the value of Scripture memorization.

But what stands out to me, today, is the idea of shortcuts. Every temptation offered to Jesus by the tempter is a shortcut. “Turn these rocks into bread; because You can!” “Jump off of the roof and show everyone how much God loves You; because You can!” “Bow down to me and gain the kingdoms of the world, so You don’t have to go through all of that suffering (and death) to get them!”

We are often tempted to take shortcuts. It happens as early as elementary school when we are offered a way to cheat on a test or project. And it continues throughout life. How often does a shortcut pan out the way we hope, though? I’ve seen many a vehicle get stuck in the mud on the median between the backed up freeway and the service road.

Shortcuts rarely work, and, even if they do, the work is not as complete as it would have been, had the complete process been followed.

And, regarding spiritual growth, there ARE no shortcuts! The only way to achieve true spiritual formation is through rigorous discipline. There are not “spiritual steroids,” no “holy PEDs.” We must do the work to enjoy the benefits.

And Jesus showed us that in this great testimony, when He declined the devil’s offers.

Father, thank You for showing us Your ways and teaching us Your paths. Thank You for showing us the truth that there are no shortcuts to true spiritual formation and transformation. If we are to follow in the footsteps and ways of Christ, there are not shortcuts. Help me to be more faithful to practice the disciplines required to reach the goal.

"Suffering Savior,
thank you for the confidence I have
to come to you when I stumble in sin.
You're not shocked by my sin,
and you don't turn away from me
because of my weakness.
You know the lure of sin because
you were tempted in all things,
so you can help me in my struggle against sin.
I turn to you,
compassionate Savior:
help me today.
Amen."
(Belgic Confession 26)

BLESSING

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:8 NIV)

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
(John 14:27 NIV)

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:
“I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan. Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.
“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.”
(Revelation 2:8-11 NLT)

The chapter on the letter to Smyrna is called “The Test of Our Suffering.”

Eugene Peterson writes about being surprised when he moved from the western US to the East coast. In the west, the towns were named after Native American things and places. But when he arrived in the east, the names of the towns followed “the map of faith.” There were places like Bethlehem, Nazareth, Salem, and so on. And there was a town in Delaware names Smyrna. Why is there a Smyrna in Delaware? “Smyrna is where Christians suffered and went to their death rather than deny Christ.”

John told them, in his letter to them, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. . . . Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)

One of the martyrs in Smyrna was a man named Polycarp.

(From This Hallelujah Banquet, by Eugene H. Peterson)

Father, my gratitude this morning, that You chose to include us Gentiles in Your family of faith, cannot be adequately expressed. You could have easily blessed only Israel and left the rest of the world to be damned and doomed. But You gave Jesus to us, as well, and granted faith to us, that we might also believe and possess eternal life in You. Thank you, Lord! All glory to You!

I thank You, Lord, for the calling on my life to serve and follow You in my home, neighborhood, and workplace. Help me, by Your Spirit to fulfill that calling. I pray for our capacity to serve the common good, as we follow You. Help us to love our neighbors. I pray especially, today, for all involved in medical practice, especially those involved in the fight against COVID-19.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world, 
have mercy upon us.
O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us.
O, Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world,
grant us Your peace.
(Agnus Dei)

Grace and peace, friends.

Walk In the Light

February 22, 2021 Jeff

Today is Monday, the twenty-second of February, 2021, in the first week of Lent.

Peace be with you!

Day 22,992

41 days until Resurrection Sunday!

I have scheduled PTO today, but I’m up early, as I have a 9:00 AM doctor’s appointment, followed by a trip to Mineral Wells to, hopefully, get my driver’s license renewed. I think I have all of the documents required to do that, now.

It is currently 35 degrees outside, quite a bit warmer than predicted. I’m hoping it didn’t get below freezing again, as we are trying to get all of our pool stuff thawed and running again. The pool, itself is thawed, but it wouldn’t circulate water, yesterday, which makes us think that there is still some ice somewhere between the pump and the pool. But it got up to 72 degrees yesterday (yes, it went from 3 degrees to over 70 in less than a week), and the projected high for today is 69 and 78 tomorrow! As we roll toward March, the temps seem much milder than last week, which is good. Hopefully, we have had all the “winter” we’re going to have for this year.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, you heavenly hosts;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
(Traditional Doxology)

You can be sure of this: The LORD set apart the godly for himself. The LORD will answer when I call to him.
(Psalms 4:3 NLT)

Today I am grateful:

For an extra day off from work, even though it will be busy with tasks
For above-freezing temperatures
For the book, Prayer in the Night, by Tish Harrison Warren
For the forgiveness of sin; the purification of my heart
For the Light of the world

Scriptures and Prayers from Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year

LENT – DAY 5

INVITATION

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
(Psalms 34:18 NIV)

Spend a quiet moment meditation on the Lord’s closeness to the brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. Embrace His closeness if you are one of those today.

BIBLE SONG

Of David. A psalm.

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.

Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.

They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob.

Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— he is the King of glory.
(Psalms 24:1-10 NIV)

BIBLE READING

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
(1 John 1:5-10 NIV)

DWELLING: SILENCE AND MEDITATION

If we have clean hands and a pure heart, we may ascend the mountain of the Lord, says the psalmist. How do we accomplish this? By walking in the light, as He is in the light. As we walk in the light, we also have fellowship with one another, and we are purified from “all sin.” If we are purified from all sin, then we have clean hands and a pure heart.

Let us not, however, claim that we are without sin. I am not without sin. But my record of sin has been expunged; wiped clean. My past has been changed; God is making all things new.

1 John 1:9 is a favorite memory verse, and with good reason. It proclaims forgiveness and purification. But we must confess our sinfulness; we must “own it,” as they say, acknowledging that we are sinners in need of purification.

Father, I praise You for the truth of this passage. I thank You for forgiveness and purification, which has already taken place in my life. I thank You that You are still making things new, in present tense, and that I do not have to worry about the effects of past sin on my life. All glory to You, Lord. Now, give me strength to not sin more, in the future. I will, of course. It is my human nature. But my spirit can be stronger than my flesh, through prayer and meditation on Your Word, and by ascending Your mountain to fellowship with You in Christ.

"Bright God,
shine your light into my darkness;
although I'm home,
the lights are out.
I'm scared in the dark, 
and yet I avoid your demanding light - 
who knows what it might reveal in me?
Who knows what you might ask me to change?
And so I choose darkness over your light.
Only the light of your love can change me.
Jesus, shine in me.
Amen."
(Belgic Confession 14)

BLESSING

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:8 NIV)

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
(Isaiah 40:29 NIV)

The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.
(Psalms 29:11 NIV)

Yet [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
(Romans 4:20 NIV)

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.
(Revelation 2:4-5 NIV)

We are called by Christ to remember; we are called to repent; we are called to return to our loving ways. But remembering is pointless if the result is “indifference or rebellion.” “The days of our history may rust and corrode the best realities of our lives, and we need to get cleaned up once in a while. Some changes have to be made. We have to return to what Christ first meant to us.”

Being examined is more important than passing the exam. By subjecting ourselves to the examination of Jesus, we acknowledge that this is the standard by which we are willing to be judged. “By taking it, we grasp the God of love openly, receiving him and sharing him as if nothing else in the whole world matters, for in truth nothing else does.”

As will be the case in all of the letters, there is a promise at the close of the exam.

“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.”
(Revelation 2:7 NLT)

And what a glorious promise this is! To eat from the tree of life! Adam and Eve never got a chance to eat from that tree, because they disobeyed God’s command and ate from the other one. This tree bears fruit which “enables us to live eternally with God . . . By returning to the first love, we are rewarded with the first food.” I like that!

(From This Hallelujah Banquet, by Eugene H. Peterson)

Father, I pray for myself, as well as all of Your children, that we would daily return to that “first love” that we initially had when we first discovered Jesus. Show us this love again; help us to love You and love one another with the love that Jesus has loved us. Help us to walk in the light, as You are in the light.

Lord, I praise You, this morning, for the wonders of creation. Even through the horrors of the previous week, there was still beauty in the ice and snow of creation. But through the beauty, I also see brokenness in creation, and I pray for it to be redeemed, as You continue making all things new. May we have the capacity to see You in all things, “every creature a word or book from” You!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world, 
have mercy upon us.
O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us.
O, Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world,
grant us Your peace.
(Agnus Dei)

Grace and peace, friends.