Tag Archives: salvation

October 20

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Luke 12:22-13:17, !3:22-14:24

Sometimes I think God gets a bad rap. I read a blog the other day questioning why God would stand by and watch people destroy the earth. God gets blamed when someone shoots up a mall or when a loved one gets cancer. Many of those same people who point an angry finger at God when bad things happen neglect to acknowledge him in good times.

So what is God’s reaction to the human race? Read what he said about Jerusalem in Luke 13:34. Hear in his voice the pain of a father who watches a son turn his back and walk away.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”

That’s what God thinks about us. He is not up there, angrily trying to get even with those who reject him. His heart is broken. He longs to take the worst of us and gather us into his arms. Jesus, in Luke 12:49-50 tells us that going to the cross is something he was anxious to do. He was eager to complete that work so that God could draw us to himself like a hen gathers her chicks.

But, Jesus tells us, we were not willing.

The state of the world is on us. And hear me when I say, dear Christian, rampant sin is on us, too. Unsaved people are going to act like unsaved people. If we continue to hide our heads in the sand, if we sit comfortably in our pews each Sunday but don’t share Christ with lost people during the week, we are the ones to blame for the moral decline of our world, the acceptance of sin as normal, the evil that would drive a person to kill another. 

It’s not God’s fault. It’s ours who know him and don’t do anything about it.

Father, I am convicted this morning. I am one who will shake my head at the sin on TV or complain about the ungodliness in our society, the corruption in our government. But you are asking me today to look at what I am doing about it. Am I just complaining? Or am I sharing the Gospel with the people in my world? Am I planting seed? Am I praying with someone to confess sin and accept you as Savior? I pray for your church today, Lord. May we do what you intended for us to do all along. May we be willing to be gathered under your wings and bring our neighbors and friends along, too. Save our world, Lord. One soul at a time.

September 13

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Esther 1-4

Why is the book of Esther included in Scripture? God isn’t even mentioned in its chapters. Yet Esther’s life paints a beautiful picture of some important spiritual truths.

For instance, Vashti refused to obey the King so her position as  queen was snatched from her and given to someone else. Could this be a picture of the nation of Israel who refused to obey God or accept Jesus only to see their position given over to the New Testament Church?

Is Hamar a picture of Satan who would try to trick us into honoring him? And in the next few chapters will we be encouraged by his defeat?

Are we to learn to depend on God, to go to him boldly after spending time fasting and praying? At the end of chapter 4 Esther is ready to do whatever it takes, even if it results in her death. Can we learn the same determination to obey God?

Esther’s story is a good one and it has even inspired several movies, including one of my favorite movies. But while we read this story of love and bravery, let’s ask God what he wants each of us to learn. There are lessons here for us in 2013.

Dear God, I thank you for including Esther’s story among those you’ve preserved as Scripture. As we read this book I pray that you would speak to each of us and teach us what you would have us learn. May we love you, trust you, stand up against Satan, and be the Queen… the people… who make a difference in our world. And may you get the glory!

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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?