Tag: grace

Devotional 224: The Best & Bitter Wines

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John 2: 6-11 6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. 9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

John 19:29-30 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

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How very like our Lord Jesus to give His best to others.

He gave the best of Himself to those of who followed in faith (Luke 5:28), to those who sought Him in ‘chance’ encounters (John 4:46-54) to those He encountered by ‘chance,’ (John 4: 7-15) and to those who rejected Him. (Matthew 19:16-24)

We’re not told if He ever got to drink the best wine, but we are told He sent it away to be enjoyed by others at the feast before Himself.

What He got from us at His death was the sour wine of our sins, and the hint of a taste of Death, though it wouldn’t hold Him long. (John 10: 14-18)

As for us, we make our vows just as the disciples made theirs to remain vigilant, and not to let the the soldiers assail their rabbi. And like them, we fail, if not daily, then soon after.

Through grace, we repent, reflect, and renew, taking strength from the Good Shepherd who leads us on the narrow path to green pastures as spiritual sheep, and sets tables in the presence of our enemies as we go about doing good while goodness and mercy trail in our wake, removing the stains of our sins. (Psalm 23: 5-6)

In this, we are told to be cheerful and not grow weary. (John 16:33, Galatians 6:9)

We are told to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and crucify our own flesh to do the work to which we’re called free of hindrances, lest our souls be spotted, our fruit unharvested, and our rewards burned as field stubble. (1st Corinthians 3:13)

Impure offerings and motives in our lives, minds and hearts, and the works of unclean hands will not stand the test of holy fire.

As the newly faithful enter into the Covenant, and the elders fall away through compromise, temptation and defeat, let us remember what happens to the chaff at the white harvest. Your spiritual condition will be aided by the words you’ve spoken in faith or disbelief, which will justify or condemn you. (Matthew 12: 33-37)

Let us be reminded today that the last wine He drank was sour, and it will be His last until the Father’s kingdom is established anew (Matthew 26:29).

While He enjoys the new wine with His disciples again as he rules (Luke 22:28), we too, at the end of our earthly lives and trials will be able to sample the best wine of all, made the Vine Himself.

Therefore I pray:

King Jesus,

The horror of the cross and all its shameful blasphemy yet eludes us, because You lifted from us and carried it, knowing only Your blood could redeem the promise, re-establish our connection, and renew our lives that we might once more dwell in a global Eden worshipping the Father in His own light, living forever.

As He has given all authority to You, and You obey His word without question or pause, it is comforting to know the beneficence of grace in a kingdom without end.

Holy fear of Him who can cast soul and body into Hell will be replaced by joyful reverence, pure worship, and sincere praise for the mercy we received at His command, and Your obedience to it. We bless Your Name for the atonement, that we might be redeemed and reconciled to our Creator.

Today, we ask forgiveness for all we’ve done in defiance of His will. We grieve that we denied and betrayed You. We repent of acting in rebellion, asking why the Father doesn’t just purge the evil from this world, even though He said He would heal the land if we truly repent. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Unfortunately, our hearts are far from Him though we praise Him with our lips, and the filthy rags of self -righteousness, soaked in vanity.

A nation under judgement has rejected the beginning of signs on the earth, and will doubtless scoff at the signs in the heavens.

As the nation falls, ruled by the whims of vainglorious men, let us seek You in the silence of our homes, proclaim You boldly in the streets, purify ourselves for greater works, and prepare our souls for greater persecution. (Matthew 10:19)

May those of us who profess Your Name in spirit and truth be the remnant that saves the cities and those we love from holy wrath (Genesis 18:26-33), or be caught up to be spared.

But if not, let us rest assured that according to Your word, no one can snatch us from Your hand because our names are written in the Book of Life, seeded and sealed by the Holy Spirit in our bodies which are temples to the Father. We walk by faith as our minds, focused on You, tell us to boldly act as priests and ministers of the Gospel.

Let us work out our salvation as You finish the work through our faith in You, now and forever, on earth as it is in Heaven.

May it be done to us as You have said.

Amen.

Devotional 222: And When Jesus Found Him

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John 9:35-38

True Vision and True Blindness

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”

36 He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?”

37 And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.”

38 Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.

Luke 15:4 The Parable of the Lost Sheep

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 

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After Jesus healed Bartimaeus the Pharisees excommunicated him after hearing his testimony about the miracle of receiving his sight.His cowardly parents, looking to maintain their place in the synagogue and avoid embarrassment, gave the Pharisees consent to question him.

For all their reviling, Bartimaeus didn’t waver in his answer, and indeed, countered them with a question of his own, which prompted his being cut off.

Jesus, learning of the excommunication, went looking for him.

Let’s be clear that Jesus didn’t have to do that. As far as Bartimaeus was concerned, his business with Jesus was finished. As far as Jesus was concerned, there was more to do, and it’s probably why He lingered long enough to do what followed.

He freed Bartimaeus from the bondage of legalism, and the healed man happily, gratefully professed his faith in the Son of God.

Jesus, our Good Shepherd, and the light of the world, will always look for us and replace our spiritual darkness with his holy light, leading us on the narrow path to our salvation and eternal life.

Let us, like Bartimaeus, gladly profess our faith in Him once more, even daily, or as many times as we feel we’re straying from the path and out of the light. We know when we are, because the Spirit warns us, and if we rebel, it convicts us to bring us back to the flock to be washed by the blood of the Lamb.

Let’s adhere to the Word and abide in the Savior before He returns as the Lion.

Let’s give Him thanks for His sacrifice, granting to us the Father’s mercy instead of His wrath, and continue to walk in the light, and work while it is yet day. He tells us when the night comes, no one can work.

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus,

Today I ask You to open my spiritual eyes to discern the Father’s will for my life, and to walk in its purpose while it is yet light and the bridegroom is far off.

Heal my wretched flesh of rebellion, then place a guard over my mouth to stop justifying the evil I’ve done in the sight of all Heaven.

Grant me grace once more, to withstand the temptation of popularity, or falling into false teaching that doesn’t align with Your holy work.

Free me from my sins, and replace my weak and wretched will with Yours, that I may remain spotless and blameless before Almighty God, speaking in truth in love, and truth to power, and truth to my own heart.

And once again, O Lord, I gladly profess my faith out in the open.

Lord, I believe!

Amen

Devotional 219: Come to Yourselves

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2 Chronicles 6:36-38

36 “When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive to a land far or near; 37 yet when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, and have committed wickedness’; 

Luke 15:17-20

17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”

Each of these examples was followed by two things: Confession, and repentance.

The acts of our worldly indulgences catches us up and takes us out of the center of the Father’s will, and it can do that for a variety of reasons, all of which culminates in one: we don’t abide in godly thought.

If thought is the catalyst to action, like faith is to miracles, then our thought patterns lead us astray, and we act accordingly.

Under the covenant and dispensation of grace, Paul tells us we are not to keep sinning so we can keep receiving grace. The Lord Jesus would rather we believe, obey, and work out our salvation with our only fear being of God casting soul and body into hell, out of His presence to be destroyed as if we’d never existed.

Yet as horrible a thought (and reality) as that may one day be, we go on sinning, small and large, greater and lesser, all of which will be summed up in another way if we don’t confess and repent:

“Depart from me. I never knew you.”

Whether we have let ourselves become spiritually weak, or act out being carnally rebellious, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we are out of God’s will, and we need to get back to the safety, assurance, and salvation of it.

We need to get back to ourselves while it is not to late for Jesus to restore us back into fellowship with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Yet to give us a heart of flesh and renew a right spirit within us, He will break our hard hearts open with the same words He used to restore Peter:

“Do you love me?”

What will you say?

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus, I confess my sins, repent of my wrongdoing, and grieve that I grieved the Holy Spirit and turned the Father’s face from me by returning once more to seek worldly accolades from those who would lead me astray because they’re faithless.

As You reminded those who walked with You that satan had no part in You, remind us of that as well through the Holy Spirit, that we might remain in the fold of Your hand, knowing he can’t take us out of it unless we wander according to our own will. As we follow You, and You alone, Lord Jesus, He has no part in us save that which we surrender when we are covered in circumstances that take all we have to survive.

Then increase our faith and help our unbelief, for the Father sees us on the wrong path and sends You (once more) to get us.

We are grateful the angels celebrate, and the Father rejoices over us with singing and renewed fellowship, as if we’d never sinned. Indeed, as we plead Your atoning work over our lives, He has said He will remember it no more, and we won’t have to hold it to account.

While I am yet myself, help me to stay on the narrow path, guided by You, that I may find life eternal. I would hear You bid me enter into my Father’s rest, and my works withstand the refining fire.

And when I once again return to myself, hear me from Heaven, and restore me once more until You call me home.

By faith I ask, believing I’ve already received.

Amen.

Devotional 217: Of Spirits and Stones

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2 Chronicles 24:20-22

20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.’ ” 21 So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. 22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, “The Lord look on it, and repay!”

Acts 7:57-60

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

In our flesh, we wish to respond to those who do us wrong like Zechariah, or better yet, be like James and John who wanted to call down holy fire (Luke 9:50-55).

But being called out of the world by the Son, sent down to tell us that it’s the Father’s will to see us restored and reconciled, we are to follow another way.(Matthew 5:43-48)

Lest we excuse ourselves from keeping his command, let us also be reminded that before Stephen, Jesus set the example for him. (Luke 23:34) Indeed, Jesus stood up that He might welcome Stephen’s spirit.

Though the circumstances were different, the hearts of the men who spilled innocent blood after being shown kindness were all committing apostasy and evil.

In our humanity it would be satisfying if we could exact our own vengeance, sanctioned by G-d and anointed by the Spirit, but we’re not.

The fact is that G-d will repay (Romans 12:19-21), but the problem we have is that maybe it’s not immediate, or done in a manner or with the intensity that will gratify our vision as to how it should look. Let us be cautious, however, that while we are free to respond in the flesh, we don’t have to guess G-d’s will in the matter.

But our faith in Him challenges us to leave the consequences of up to Him to visit on those who’ve wronged us. We are told to pray for them and keep moving in the work we’re called to do, using our gifts to do it.

Another earthly problem is that we are reminded that judgement isn’t swift to come either, so mankind continues to serve itself to the peril of their souls. (Eccles 8:11-13)

So brothers and sisters, let’s keep our vows to follow and serve, to do and obey, to hear and to tell, and keep to the narrow road. We do well to remember that our Shepherd, Brother, King, Judge and Savior gives us the comfort of the Spirit, and repeats to us in times of fear, doubt, and even rebellion, these words: “Assuredly, I say to you….”

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus,

In our hurt, pain, and anger when those we trusted betray us, we thank You for understanding that in those moments it will be difficult to say as You did to Judas, “Friend…”(Matthew 26:50)

We thank You for giving us grace when we respond to such circumstances as Zachariah, John, and James did, wanting to be immediately gratified to see ourselves avenged by the Father, through Your oneness with Him.

And we thank You also, for not revoking the covenant of grace when we respond in our flesh, not to bless and forgive, but to lash out in our hurt, when we turn physical, judgmental, accusatory, and angry. It is the very thing Your enemy and the prince of this world does to us regarding You, and tells us there are sins You can’t, and indeed won’t, forgive us.

Have the Spirit bring to mind that You have called Him the father of lies, and told us his intentions. (John 10:10)

So today Lord, let us abide in You, renewing our minds and spirits with knowledge of the joy to come in a new and purified world, in the light of G-d shining in a glorified Heaven as we worship You, our High Priest and King who reconciled us by taking our place, praying for his enemies even as He died.

May it be done to us as You have said, as we, in faith believing, affirm it by agreement.

Amen.

Devotional 216:His Angels Will Gather

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Matthew 13:41

41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

It stands to reason that if the responsibility of judgment has been given to the Son (John 5:22), and He is one with the Father (John 10:30), then Jesus is allowed to be as sovereign as G-d would be in overseeing who will be allowed into His Kingdom.

As the end-time prophecies of Christ begin to unfold, there are those in the world who believe that Jesus, having been among sinners, will tell them that the things they’ve done are forgiven and everyone will make it into the kingdom. They believe this will extend even to those who don’t follow Him, or believe He was simply a ‘good man’ who ‘taught love’. They believe they will stand in their own righteousness as ‘good people,’ yet reject Jesus as Savior, King, and Judge because that would mean His call to repentance, obedience, and action carries authority over their own lives and they don’t want to change.

It not only carries weight and authority, it is the ultimate authority, declared by the Alpha and Omega. To use a phrase from the Old Testament, ‘not one of His words will fall to the ground.’

To their eternal peril, they assume a familiarity with Jesus they don’t have, and believe they will carry their sin nature into Heaven, into the presence of G-d without need of cleansing. In their error, they don’t know that Jesus declared He did not come to abolish the Law or the prophets (Matthew 5:17)

That the angels were assigned to Him we see in at least two instances: one in which they came to take care of Him after His testing by Satan in the desert (Matthew 4:11), and again when He was arrested and told Peter to put up his sword, because if He asked, the Father would send twelve legions of angels to rescue Him. (Matthew 26: 52-53)

In this fallen world full of humanity with sinful natures, let us not remember, as G-d does, that we are dust, and to dust we shall return.

Let us remember there will be no hiding place when the angels come to carry out the destruction of this corrupted world before the new one is created (Rev 6:15-17. Rev 9:6) Let us remember that even in the midst of the destruction, angels will call to repentance, and humanity will harden their hearts. (Revelation 9:20-21, Rev 16:8-11, Rev 16: 21).

It is when the Father decrees that the chance for repentance is at an end, and removes the restraints, giving those who refuse His gift over to the one they chose to serve (Rev 22:11) that the results of the Harvest will be set.

In the end, will our names still be in the Book of Life, or will we, or perhaps our loved ones be gathered out by His angels?

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus,

Today I ask for a renewed spirit of discernment and conviction, that I not use the grace you’ve given me to let sin increase in my life. (Romans 6:1) Let my times of rebellion not affect the lives of those you’ve given me through blood and brought to me in fellowship.

Let me be reminded that not all who say ‘Lord’ to You shall enter into the Father’s rest, and that You will exercise the authority given to You by the Father, whom You chose to reveal to us as Truth when You called us out the world.

Let us remember with reverent fear that Your judgements rightly divide, and are just.

We will have no answer for our sins, our idle words, our hard hearts, our lusting, our backsliding and rebellion when we are called to give account, and it is no small thing to fall into the hands that will dispense G-d’s wrath.

So today, Lord Jesus, I seek You again to confess to You that I’ve failed in my own strength because I did not abide in You, and so accomplished nothing of my own will.

Let me not hide my talents, and be unfruitful like a cursed tree that will be cast into the fire because it did not fulfill its purpose.

Let me not be gathered out, weeping before the outer darkness, for it is written to be the Father’s will that none perish and all repent (2 Peter 3:9). Thank you for the opportunity that is today to change my direction and return to the narrow road.

Today, Lord Jesus, renew a right spirit within me, give me a heart of wisdom, set a guard over my mouth, and let my words and meditation please you so that I may do the work You’ve given me, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and quench the enemy’s fiery darts, and enter into my Father’s rest through Your blessings of “Come forth!” and “Well done.”

Let it be done to me as You have said.

Amen.

Devotional 214: The Power to Lay Down My Life

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John 10:14-17

14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

This encounter with Jesus confused and saddened the disciples, because despite all they’d seen him do, and all they heard, they still had no idea of the true power of His divinity because it was offset by His humility, kindness, compassion, and mercy.

He was also not above rebuking them for wavering in their faith or their sense of entitlement (Luke 9:54), but since He always did it with love as well, it left them unprepared for His appearance at Passover after He rose.

The religious leaders, the Pharisees in particular, kept a close watch on Him, and likely knew of the miracles He performed with the son of the widow of Nain, and His friend Lazarus, as well as Jairus’ daughter, so they all believed on Him doing it for others, but didn’t believe He could do it for Himself.

Brothers and sisters, let’s be encouraged that as He did it for Himself, it did not reduce or remove His power to do it for us. It is a confirmed event both in the Old and New Testaments. (Hosea 6:2, Matt 27:52-53, John 6:40).

Most importantly, He will not only do it for his own sheep, but for those who’ve gone astray, lost, and not of the Chosen of Israel, but called out of the world to serve the Kingdom according to the Father’s will and because of His great mercy toward us.

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus,

We long for the day of the great shout to come forth, greater than the one you used to call Lazarus, for had You not named Him, many more would have come out. It will be as compassionate as Your speaking to the son of the widow, and it will be such that all the unbelievers who died faithless and in their sins will be sent out, as with those gathered around Jairus’ daughter.

Let us then, as Your people, do likewise and send them out from us if they interfere with our relationship with You, so that we might know Your voice even if we aren’t part of Your fold.

Remind us that the Father’s long-suffering will not be eternal, and He will, through You, see His people reconciled and purified, as we are covered by our faith in the power of Your blood to free us from sin, and be forgiven by Him as if our sins never happened.

Help us to abide in You, believing also in the Father who sent You, that we might deliver the Gospel’s message, which is our hope and restoration to put us back on the narrow path.

Let there be reconciliation and restoration as You honor our faith, and let us act while there is yet time, so that we too, like King David, can dwell in the House of Lord forever.

Let it be done to us as You have said.

Amen.

Devotional 213: The Truth of Our Betrayal

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Matthew 26:20-25

22 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?”

20 When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. 21 Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

23 He answered and said, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”

25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Rabbi, is it I?”

He said to him, “You have said it.”

Judas had seen what all the rest had seen. He walked the same paths, sat at the same feasts, heard the same teachings, had the parables explained to him, and witnessed all the miracles, in the presence of the Promised One.

If Jesus foreknew these things, why choose him? This question is the same as, “If G-d knew that Adam and Eve would disobey Him, why put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in Eden in the first place?”

Love cannot be forced, and choosing someone to love is a risk, and love is a decision and commitment that is chosen every single day. It is not a feeling, and we do G-d a disservice to say we love Him and receive His Son yet betray Him through our disobedience, lack of spiritual growth, and yielding to temptation.

To choose to submit to authority and yield your will to someone who loves you is not an easy thing. Trust is not easy, nor is it easily earned, yet more than once our Savior says to us, “Assuredly…”, and even more importantly of the kingdom, “If it were not so, I would have told you.”(John 14:2)

Judas, as Paul said of Demas, loved the world. His own declaration, when he came back to himself condemned him. “I’ve betrayed an innocent man.” Too much had been set in motion because of him, and the hearts of the men he sought to give back his bribe were too hard and set against Jesus to receive him.

With every act of disobedience, rebellion, backsliding, and yielding to temptation, we betray Him too.

And like Judas, and the prodigal son, and Saul with the scales of the Serpent blinding his eyes to the Truth, we lose fellowship and place ourselves under wrath.

And again like the prodigal son, and Paul with the scales of the Serpent removed, we are received once more by the grace of our Lord.

Judas, up until the moment he left the room, still had the choice to not go through with what he did, having seen all the rest of them had witnessed walking with the Promised One. Jesus knew at that point the cup of the Father’s wrath and the filth of all our worldly sin would not pass from Him, and G-d would provide no other lamb.

This is why our minds must be renewed: we must think on Him before we act. If I do this, whom does it serve? And our spirits must be refreshed, for He will not despise a contrite spirit. (Psalm 51:17)

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus, there is no defense or excuse I can offer for myself for my acts of betrayal. I can only thank G-d that You were sent to provide for me a new covenant of grace and a second chance to be reconciled and enter into my Father’s rest by the power of Your holy blood, shed for me and all who believe.

Today, Lord, I meditate on the message of the Cross and rejoice at the power of the Resurrection on the last day when I too can walk with You and hear all that You would say to me, praising the Father in His light on the new earth for all eternity.

I thank You for redeeming me from being a son of perdition to a son of the Kingdom. Renew my mind, refresh my Spirit, heal me from all my diseases, and grant me boldness to spread the good news that those who believe in You and the One who sent you will, like Lazarus, be free of the grave when Your great shout of ‘Come forth!’ tells us the day of judgment is at hand.

I would enter into my Father’s rest, so I yield to Your authority and love, and trust that if it were not so You would have told me.

Forgive me and receive my repentance. My broken heart is grateful, and my contrite, renewed spirit rejoices in Your victory.
May it be done to me as You have said.

Amen.

Devotional 211: Witnesses Against Ourselves

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Matthew 23:29-31

29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

John 1:11

11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

Jesus revealed to the disciples all that would happen, but they were unlearned and mostly afraid to ask him about what his leaving would actually mean for them.

In contrast, the Pharisees also saw what Jesus did, heard him, saw the people respond to his miracles and messages, and couldn’t deceive him using their knowledge.

They were also offended by his youth and charisma, not believing his claims. (John 8:57)

Still he ministered to them as much as he ministered to the crowds about them, grieving that they would would not repent and do better by the people. To the last, their jealousy and hatred plagued Jesus even as they watched him dying on the cross, still looking to trap him if he saved himself. (Matthew 27:42)

They would have still found a way to say he deceived them, since they had seen everything else and didn’t believe. They would have gloated, died in their sins, and rendered the atonement void if Jesus had given in to their taunting. This is why Jesus put no effort into watering down or stopping the message in spite of their constant attacks, nor accepted the praise of fickle hearts that followed him to see him do miracles, or receive them. (John 2:23-25)

So when our own faith wavers, our prayers are denied (they are never unanswered), or our petitions granted and manifested in ways we thought would be different, have we ever not been witnesses against ourselves when we ask him to do it our way? Have we never said “If he really loved me, he wouldn’t let…”?

In those moments, we are now witnesses against ourselves, and in those moments of crisis we convince ourselves that His covenant of grace, promises, and assurances are invalid, don’t apply to us, or that there’s more we have to do because we were not delivered.

Let us be reminded that the ‘others’ in Hebrews didn’t surrender their faith in the midst of their trials (Hebrews 11:36-38)

As they did, let us do likewise, not putting ourselves and our descendants under the the curse of our shame. (Matthew 27:23)

Let us rejoice then, that the shedding of His blood was not for covering, but for removal, not as Abel’s blood crying out from the ground as a witness against Cain’s sin of fratricide, and by proxy, our sins against each other, whether in the body or not.

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus, I thank you praying that the Father’s wrath not come upon your most relentlessly attacking, religious minded enemies that delivered you into pagan hands to be mocked and murdered.

In and of ourselves, we are convicted in our hearts that we are unprofitable servants and unworthy sinners. Despite our best efforts, we are yet prideful, hard-hearted, stone-eared, stiff-necked and rebellious.

Yet You took our place and suffered the Father’s absence as He covered Heaven with clouds to block You from sight as You took the penalty for our sins, though You knew restoration through resurrection was the final result.

And in that way, Lord, we are much like David in the gratitude and worship of Your sacrifice, asking what are we that the Father is mindful of us.

So in gratitude for the gift of today’s blessings and the promises of tomorrow, Lord, I bow my stiff neck to Your easy yoke, my rebellion to Your forgiveness, my repentance to Your healing power. In faith, I declare that I believe as You ascended back to Your place at the Father’s right hand, so too, we will be restored and raised by the power of Your great shout to come forth, commending our spirits into Your hands, as You gave Your own to God, that we may dwell in His eternal light, under Your eternal rule, forever.

May Your words be sealed to my spirit, now and forevermore.

Amen.

Devotional 210: The End of All

We must remain mindful that we are only passing through before we pass on.

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Psalm 119:33

ה HE

33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes,
And I shall keep it to the end.

Psalm 119:112

112 I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, to the very end.

Psalm 119:75

75 I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right,
And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.

We were called out of the world for the salvation of our souls, the redemption of corrupt flesh, the renewal of our hard hearts, that we might dwell eternally in the presence of Jesus and the light of G-d, yet there are days when we fall short and begin trying to serve two masters.

The thing to keep in mind is that one of them is already vanquished by our Savior, and that the King of Kings and His angels will purge the spirit realm of the Father’s enemies.

When He afflicts us, it is so that we may be reminded of what awaits those who don’t put their trust in the Son, and that without His protection and mercy, we are under His wrath.

For those who might be facing their mortality through aging, sicknesses, or both, we would do well to remember what Jesus told the disciples: “The things concerning me have an end.” (Luke 22:37) as well as what Jesus said about staying the course: “He who endures to the end shall be saved.” (Matthew 21:13)

Indeed, King David compared being out of G-d’s will to a wineskin in smoke: once useful when it was full, now empty and left to dry in the heat from hearth fires. Knowing he’s being tested, he still promises to keep G-d’s statutes. (Psalm 119:83)

Let’s reflect on how we’re going to keep to the narrow road and fit through the Gate, that we might enter the Father’s rest.

Therefore I pray:

Father in Heaven,

As Your children here on earth, getting caught up in worldly things despite being called out, we forget that in the light of eternity, this world is temporary, and all of the problems we face are the result of letting our guard down in the silences and long days that sometimes follow our prayers as we wait for You to answer.

Send Your Spirit to remind us that when we are afflicted, it is because we’ve strayed, or because You’re pruning us for the next level of service to glorify You, that humanity might look on our works and glorify Him too.

Grant that I would be as a new wineskin, a profitable servant, a willing son, a humble leader, a hard worker, a seed planter, and when I am a prodigal, be one who’s returned to his senses and receives mercy in his father’s arms, as a sheep returns to follow a Good Shepherd.

May Your words be sealed to my spirit, now and forever.

Amen.

Devotional 198: A Two-Way Filter

As G-d cannot look on sin, we would do well to remember the reverse is also true. It’s why many won’t believe, but accountability is inevitable. So are the consequences.

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Genesis 3:6-8

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was  pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Exodus 20:18-19

The People Afraid of God’s Presence

18 Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. 19 Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”

Luke 5:6-8

6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

As believers, we know we serve a holy G-d who cannot look on sin in any form, no matter how small, no matter our own rationale for performing it outside of the fact that we allowed something other than the Holy Spirit to guide us away from that which tempted us to fall.

G-d walked freely with Adam. How that looked, we have no idea, but the word says nothing of veiling His presence from the first man until his mate fell to the serpent’s temptation, and he followed suit. It was only when they covered themselves that G-d stopped walking with them, and veiling and the shedding of blood became necessary (to make the skins that covered the rest of them).

The Israelites, whom G-d actually chose, were so prone to sin and backsliding that they left it to Moses to go speak to G-d rather than collectively stand in His presence, as they saw Him making thunder in the mountains.

Peter, after the great haul of fish that almost broke their nets, asked that Jesus depart from his sinfulness, as his own mercurial nature got convicted in the presence of Christ’s steadfast holiness.

Again, we see it when the demons asked Jesus if He was there to torture them before the appointed time. (Matthew 8:29) They also know there will be a day and time for their own end, regardless of their master’s power.

The witch of Endor rebuked Saul when he told her to bring forth Samuel. (1st Samuel 28:9-19)

James tells us blessings, praise, and curses shouldn’t issue forth from the same mouth. (James 3:10).

But they do, and more often than not. It’s the very reason we must plead the blood of Christ over us, for there’s no withstanding His judgement if we don’t. Think on this: if G-d put dark clouds around His Son as he took on our sins while on the cross, how much more will He condemn the enemies of the Kingdom who don’t believe they are sinners, and accept the message of forgiveness before Christ comes again in glory?

Yet there are those who say that in their humanity they’ll stand before G-d, hurling accusations and questions. And there are those believing He is only all love for love’s sake, and will not hold them accountable for their sins. Indeed, they seek preaching that reinforces unaccountability. More likely, they will be like John, falling at His feet as though dead. But unlike John, they will be cut off, to use Solomon’s phrase, ‘without remedy.’ (Proverbs 29:1)

As holiness cannot abide sin, sin can not abide with holiness. In us, it may move faith aside, but never replace it. It can cause us to stumble, but never to fall. It can break off our fellowship, but not destroy it outright. We’re under the covenant of grace, written by the Almighty, signed by the Son, and sealed by the Spirit. Let us remember to rejoice in the day, to walk in the light, and to seek the Lord while He may be found. He will not cast out any who come seeking.

Shine your light in a dark place today, take the outstretched hands, and lead them as far as they wish to walk. Let the Spirit of G-d do the rest.

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus,

As we reread and study the horrible manner of your death in our place, we cannot begin to imagine the pain of being cut off from the Father’s sight, whom you’ve always known and never been without until that moment you took our sins, and He could not look and still be G-d.

Forgive us, Lord, that we continue to call on You for mercy, grace, understanding, compassion, and power, while we continue to fall into sins of rebellion, backsliding, compromise, and spiritual dullness.

As the prince of this world has no part in you, may we too, with your guidance and power, send him away from us and all those we hold dear in like manner: by the power of the Father’s word.

Let us respond in love to Him, who knew us long before He formed us, knowing we were weak, knowing we would suffer when we were called as you, Lord Jesus, revealed Him to us.

If we must be in rebellion, let it be toward the darkness that seems ever ready to snatch us off the path of righteousness and cast us into the darkness of sinful pleasure or the panic of frantic desperation, taking our eyes off you to indulge in worldly behaviors.

We are disobedient, but yet You walk with us.

We are fearful of G-d’s thunder, but You take us by the hand to come toward Him, knowing He is good.

We are sinful and treacherous, but You look on us with love, and don’t leave us to our unrighteousness. (Luke 22:54-62)

Today, in Your presence, we, like Zaccheus, call Your attention to what we have done to cast out the darkness in us. (Luke 19:1-10) In so doing, we return (once more) to reconcile with the One who loves us for all eternity. Even so, to share it with us as we continue to weave a three-strand cord of righteousness, holiness, and purity.

May Your words be sealed to my spirit, now and forever.

Amen.