Tag Archives: salvation

September 12

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Zechariah 10:1-14:21

So Zechariah shepherded a flock of sheep that had been marked for slaughter. He must have been kinda tough on the sheep because Scripture says the flock detested him. You can read the account for yourself but in the end, Zechariah quits his job.

He tells the flock (which tells me we’re not talking about wooly sheep here) they could pay him if they think it best. If not, he said, then keep it. 

So… they gave Zechariah thirty pieces of silver. You heard me right. Thirty pieces of silver. Hmmm.

Now here’s where I think it gets interesting. God told Zechariah to throw the silver to the potter. God called it “the handsome price at which they priced me.” Past tense.

Zechariah takes the thirty pieces of silver and throws it into the house of the Lord. Did Judas and the priests read this portion of Scripture hundreds of years after it was written and follow it like a script? Or does God see the end from the beginning?

Is God ever surprised at the events of our lives? The answer, of course, is no. But that doesn’t mean he stops wooing us, calling us, trying to get our attention until the last second. Some of us can get pretty fearful of the future. But rest assured God knows. And in the end, he is going to win and those of us who know him will be on the winning side. 

Father, I pray that your children will trust you with today, tomorrow, and all the tomorrows after that as long as you give us life. Thank you for reminding us that you know the number of our days and that you promise to never leave or forsake us. May we find comfort and confidence in knowing you. Thank you, too, for demonstrating that your written Word is true and that we can put our trust in you because you are who you say you are. And thank you that, as one sheep who was marked for slaughter, you sent Jesus to die in my place so that I can fellowship with you here in this life, and spend eternity with you in heaven.

September 7

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Daniel 11:36-12:13; Psalms 93, 94, 95, 96

Daniel continues to share his vision about the future. And a verse I read today really frightens me.

The man clothed in linen tells Daniel in the end, some people will wake up in heaven, others in hell. Daniel asks when this is going to happen and in Daniel 12:7 the man says something that took my breath away:

“When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these thing will be completed”.

Now I totally trust God with the future and I don’t spend a lot of time trying to figure out who I think the antichrist will be or if the rapture will occur before or after some great time of tribulation. But what that man told Daniel really scares me.

What is “the power of the holy people”? I believe the power we have is in the winning of lost souls, of allowing the Holy Spirit to use us to lead people to Christ. It’s in our willingness to live lives set apart so that the world can recognize Jesus in us and want him in their lives, too.

The possibility of this power being finally broken scares me. Can it really happen that one day our choices in this life will once and for all prevent the Holy Spirit from changing lives? Is it possible that our children’s children may have hearts so hard they won’t respond to God’s voice? Are we raising a generation that won’t recognize sin because we are teaching them “tolerance”?

Don’t think that can’t happen. Scripture says it will.

I know in my heart Jesus won’t come back until the last person who would be saved comes to him for forgiveness. But Daniel’s vision tells me that there will be be that last person, then the power of the holy people will be broken.

Someone said we are one generation away from godlessness. Parents, are you teaching your children to recognize sin? Are you teaching them there are consequences for disobedience? Are you showing them what a godly lifestyle looks like and that it’s better than anything the world can offer?

There are influences in our world that would take our focus away from our need of God. And those influences are targeted on our children. Will they be the generation that shuts out the Holy Spirit? They will be if we don’t step it up.

Are you talking about your Savior to your neighbors and friends? Is Jesus reflected in your daily choices? Do they see in you what they lack? They won’t if you don’t do something about it.

If we go through this life trying to fit in, to look like the world, to not offend someone by pointing out their need of a Savior, then we are taking part in binding the Holy Spirit. Every time we ignore him we add another link to the chain that will eventually render him unable to save.

Then the end will come.

And we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves because he is not willing that any should perish. Can we say the same?

Dear God, forgive your people for our lack of zeal. Forgive us for sitting back and expecting someone else to share you with that person you’ve laid on our hearts. Forgive us for expecting a Sunday School teacher to show our children their need of you. And forgive us when we ignore your prompting. God, I pray for an outpouring of your Holy Spirit on willing hearts. May your Spirit have your way in our homes, in our churches, in our towns, in our world. May you find your children faithful and may lost souls find you through us. Hold off on returning, Lord. Because if you do come back today, that just means we haven’t done our job. I pray that you will find us willing to listen and eager to obey for Jesus’ sake.

September 5

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Ezekiel 2:21-70; Nehemiah 7:26-73

Today’s portion of scripture includes a list of people who traveled to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. And we read that list two times. It was very important that all the families were represented.

Did you notice that the list also includes over 600 people who came to Jerusalem but couldn’t prove they were descendants of Israel? These people no doubt came with good hearts and intentions. But because they couldn’t produce the right paper-work, they were kept separate. Even if they claimed to be priests, they still weren’t permitted to eat the sacred food until they had gone through the proper channels.

It reminds me that there will be people with good hearts and intentions who will go to hell. They will stand before God on that day only to hear him say -“I never knew you”. I can’t think of anything more frightening.

You might think that’s unfair. But Jesus made it clear when he said, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life and NO ONE goes to the Father except through me. It doesn’t say you can’t get to the Father unless you are a good person.

It would be unfair of God to make that rule and not provide a way. So Jesus died that WHOEVER believes in him will have eternal life. 

The wages of sin is death. If you sin, you pay with your life. The Bible says we all have sinned, have fallen short of God’s standards. No one is exempt. And we all deserve hell.

Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead has paid the debt in full. But it’s not a blanket provision. There are conditions to receiving it. It’s not church attendance, it’s not clean living, it’s not kindness or helpfulness.

It’s saying “yes”. It’s recognizing our sinful state and asking God to forgive us, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. It’s accepting Jesus as the only way to the Father. It’s saying “yes” to his offer of grace.

Don’t think you are good enough without that personal encounter with Christ. You aren’t and you never will be.

Dear God in Heaven, may we grasp the urgency in your message today. May we realize the truth and run to you for your forgiveness. May we accept your provision of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Then may we live lives that honor you and draw others to you, too. Thank you for grace, for the cross, for your dear Son, and the presence of your Holy Spirit in us when we accept you for our own.

August 30

4 Replies

Ezekiel 40:28-43:27

God inspired Ezekiel to record minute details about the temple he saw in his vision. Every brick was measured, every corner, every board and door are listed here. Why?

It may seem over-simplified but as I read today the thought occurred to me that in the New Testament we are called God’s temple. And God impressed on my heart that as careful as he was to show how invested he was in every detail of Ezekiel’s temple, he is even more invested in the temple known as Connie.

Every hair on my head, ever cell in my body is known to him, is cared for by him, and loved by him, too.

I understand that the temple is where God resides on this earth. It was a building in the Old Testament. It’s in the hearts of believers since the cross. 

So I loved reading about God entering the temple in chapter 43. Read it and picture yourself the moment you accepted Jesus as your Savior. God’s voice like the roar of rushing water. His radiant glory. He enters your heart and lifts you into the inner court. His glory fills you.

Now we don’t have to rely on a priest to enter the throne room on our behalf. We approach that throne on Jesus’ shoulders.

How awesome it is to know that the Holy God of Creation lives in me!

August 29

4 Replies

Ezekiel 32:1-33:20, 40:1-27

Our responsibility as Christians is to warn unbelievers about the danger ahead. God calls us “watchmen”. 

A watchman stands guard, alert and prepared. When he sees the enemy approaching he shouts his warning, blows his trumpet. Danger! Danger!

What the townspeople do with that warning is up to them. But the watchman will not be held accountable as long as he is faithful to warn, even if they don’t listen.

There is danger ahead for those who don’t now Jesus as their Savior. Hell is real. We might, on occasion, think someone deserves to go to hell. Maybe they have wronged us. Or committed a horrible crime. Or live blatant ungodly lives. There are evil people in this world.

But you know what God thinks about those people? 33:11 says “…As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from  your evil ways!…”

Whether it’s a government official who favors legislation against Bible standards, a cult leader, an abusive parent or a neighborhood drug pusher – God want them all to come to him through Jesus. Christ died for every one of them. And, in reality, no one deserves hell more than me. I am a sinner myself, saved by grace.

I am thanking God for grace. And I want to be a faithful watchman who does her job and warns unsaved people about the danger ahead. It’s serious business. If I don’t warn them the Bible says I will be held accountable for their blood. 

Dear God, who is it that needs to hear a warning today? Let me be sensitive to your leading and may I be faithful. Help us Christians to not be ashamed of the Gospel because it really does have the power to save. May we allow you to speak through us and may lost souls recognize the danger ahead and accept your grace. May your watchmen do our jobs today.

August 25

5 Replies

Jeremiah 30-31; Ezekiel 26

God is talking about making a new covenant with Israel. He tells them in the past they were punished for the sins of their parents and grandparents. “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge”. One day, God says, if you eat sour grapes you will be the one who puckers up. Everyone will die for their own sin.

In the Old Testament, prophets were continually reminding generation after generation the many sins committed in the past. So it must have come as quite a shock when Jeremiah said God, in his new covenant, would forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.

We who live after the cross have a clearer picture of this new covenant. Jesus taught us about sin and repentance, responsibility and choice. And when he tells us he throws our sins into the deepest sea or removes them as far as the east is from the west, when he says he’ll remember them no more – he means it.

I know there are many who believe, because Scripture tells us we will be held accountable for our thoughts and actions on judgment day, there will be a big screen TV playing blue-ray videos of our lives for everyone to see. I know in my heart that won’t happen to me.

You know why? God tells me when I repent of sin he marks the account paid by the Blood of the Lamb. He tosses that sin into the sea and will remember it NO MORE.

So here’s what I see happening. I stand before the throne and look my Holy God in the eye. He says – give me an account of your life, Connie. And before I can utter a word, Jesus steps up beside me and says, “Account paid, Dad.”

Me, standing there remembering my sins, the times I failed God, dishonored him, threw his Word right in his face. Me, remembering the times I could have and should have done more to further his kingdom. God, opening his arms for me and welcoming me home dressed in Jesus’ righteousness.

So does that mean I can live my life any way I want and I’ll get a free pass? Not at all. Every sin I commit comes with a price tag. Every one. If I want Jesus to stand up for me in that day I need to be sure I’m wearing his righteousness. I need to repent, be holy and set apart, I need to be obedient to God’s Word. I need to recognize sin and accept the forgiveness that is mine when I ask him to forgive me.

I’m so thankful God forgives and forgets. But I don’t want to forget. While I’m on this earth I want to remember my failures so I don’t repeat them. I want to remind myself the lengths to which Jesus had to go to wash me clean. I want to live my life out of gratitude, humbly aware that I am a sinner saved by grace. 

Holy God, I know there will be an eternity free from the memories of the sins I’ve committed, compliments of a crucified Jesus. But until that day, Lord let me remember. Let me use those memories to make me want to serve you better, love you more, and run from the temptations that lure me into sin. And thank you, God, for your selective memory. I love you.

August 22

2 Replies

Lamentation 3-4

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father.
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not.
As Thou hast been Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness. Great is Thy faithfulness.
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hands have provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.

Who doesn’t love that old hymn? If you get the chance, why don’t you look it up and read all the verses sometime? The language is dated, but the truth is for today.

The writer of Lamentations kind of sang this hymn in the midst of his sorrow. He looked around and saw the devastation and suffering, he felt the sting of God’s correction.

But in 3:22-24 he states that God is good and God is all he needs. There is hope in these words and if you continue to read you will see even more hope.

God doesn’t like to see his children suffer. In verses 40-42 the writer gets to the heart of it. The truth is, Israel sinned and is experiencing the consequences. Repent, the writer says. Return to the Lord.

If you are experiencing the consequences of sin in your life I would say the same to you. Repent. Return to the Lord. You will receive so much more than you ever imagined:

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth.
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide.
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.

August 21

2 Replies

Psalms 102, 120, 137; Lamentation 1-2

There is a lot of heartache in these verses we read today. They may have been written after the fall of Jerusalem but I imagine if you have experienced loss or hardships you relate to at least some of what the writers are saying. I know I did.

Have you ever felt God is out to get you? The writer of Lamentations said, “The Lord is like an enemy.” (2:5) How can that even be? Isn’t he the God of love and the giver of good things?

We aren’t fighting the flesh and blood battles Lamentations is talking about. But we can be battling wars as devastating. Depression, unfair treatment, alcoholism, pornography, self-pity. You can add your battle to the list.

And in the midst of that battle we might feel like God is leading the attack. 

Here’s what I believe is true according to Scripture. God created us with the ability to choose. And he wants us to choose him. But if we don’t, he “gives us over” to our choices. And he allows consequences to occur with the purpose of driving us to him.

That’s where he might seem like the enemy. 

We may be suffering because of our own choices or because of the choices of someone else. We may be even suffering because of the simple fact we live in a fallen world. I have a dear friend whose new-born granddaughter is experiencing some serious physical problems. I don’t believe that precious one’s illness is a punishment. But it is a circumstance God can – and wants- to use to draw that family, those friends, and hospital staff, to him.

But if sin is at the root of our battle today, I pray each of us will allow the circumstances do what God intends for them to do – cause us to repent and open the doors to fellowship with him.

I am reminded that God is zealous about your soul. And about mine. He will use any and all means to get our attention. He’s not the enemy. In fact, he wants to be on your side to fight the enemy. 

If your heart is broken today, I pray you will take inventory. If you recognize sin that needs to be confessed, do it. Ask God to forgive you. Trust him. Allow him to fill you with his Presence and give you hope and peace.

If God is for us, who can be against us?

August 15

2 Replies

Ezekiel 20:30-22:31

When you read Ezekiel you just can’t deny that God hates sin. Not only that but God punishes sinners. And everything he does is intended to show himself to the world as the One and Only God, the God to be feared and obeyed.

You know there can be only one Truth, right? Either God is who he says he is or all religions are true. You can’t have it both ways. Christianity can’t be one of many avenues to God. Nothing in the Bible even suggests that possibility.

So once again God is asking me if I really believe that. And if I do (which I do) then what am I going to do about it? Because the One True God who hates sin and will punish sin, loves sinners. He is not willing that any should perish or have to endure his wrath. He wants everyone to come to him through the precious blood of his Son Jesus. And he wants those of us who know him to allow ourselves to be used by him to draw others to the salvation he provides.

Let’s determine to live in obedience. The One True God is the God to fear. But he’s also the God who took on himself his own wrath so that we can walk with him as sons and daughters. Let’s enlarge our family today as we share God’s Truth with our loved ones, our neighbors and friends.

Father, may your people obey you today. May we put aside doubt or insecurities and share your Truth with boldness and love. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one can get to you any other way except through Him. Help us to recognize that Christianity is as inclusive as it can be because you so loved the entire world you gave your son that whoever believes, no exceptions, will have eternal life. Show us where to go today and who is ready to hear your Truth. And may you find us faithful.

August 14

3 Replies

Ezekiel 17:1-20:29

I was raised in a Christian family. My mom was raised in a Christian family. I went to church three times a week and I had Christian friends. Went to a Christian college. Got involved in a Christian church and have pretty much lived a Christian life-style (some years I was better at that than others).

Being surrounded by believers my whole life has been a blessing I don’t take lightly. But in the end, God won’t look at the way I was raised or the people I held dear in this life time.

My dad was not raised in a Christian family. In fact, their life style was just about as ungodly as it could be. Dad came to know the Lord late in life. And when my dad died last September and met Jesus face to face, God did not read a list of the sins his family had committed. Dad was not required to account for his dad’s drunkenness or his grandfather’s unfaithfulness. 

Every one of us will face eternity based on what we did with Jesus in this life time. I won’t get a free pass because I was raised going to church and praying over meals. Dad won’t get a seat in the back because he wasn’t.

None of us will be able to point a finger at parents who raised us badly or people who have wronged us as an excuse why our walk with God wasn’t all it should have been. There won’t be an excuse if you were raised not going to church or if your parents took you to a church that didn’t claim the Truth of Scripture.

The question will be… do you know Christ as your Savior? Period. No excuses. No explanations. No exceptions. 

I pray that you have accepted Jesus’ work on the cross as your own. I pray that you value your relationship with him, that you talk to him, read his love letter to you. I pray that you are an obedient child of the King.

Because one day you will meet Jesus face to face. When you look into his eyes I pray you will see Someone who knows you personally and intimately. The love will be there. Ezekiel tells us God loves even those who don’t love him. But eternity with him is reserved for those who have decided for themselves to accept him.

Loving Father, I thank you for my family, for those who cleared the path for me to know you. I pray for those whose journey hasn’t been as smooth. But help us all grasp the importance of making a personal decision to follow you, to believe in Jesus and accept his provision of forgiveness. May we really understand that we are accountable for ourselves before a holy God. May we choose Jesus.