Zechariah 3 - Joshua/Yeshua; God Saves!

The accuser, Satan, stands at the High Priest Joshua's right side before the angel of the LORD to accuse him. But, the LORD rebukes Satan. The LORD will take away the filthy garments that the priest is wearing, even as He has removed Joshua's sin from him. He will clothe him with new, clean garments, with holiness. This man, Joshua, along with the other priests are symbolic of things to come. They are symbolic of the High Priest, the very Son of God, Jesus the Christ, who is to come and who will lead the people in holiness and righteousness. In the same manner, Jesus came to take away our sin so that we would be clothed with His righteousness and His holiness.

May we all live in the righteousness and holiness of Jesus the Christ, our LORD and Saviour.

God's Peace - Pr. J

A bit of a language lesson:  Joshua and Jesus are actually the same name... Joshua is Hebrew for "God Saves." Jesus (Yeshua) is Greek for "God Saves." God indeed saves His people. He saves us through the blood of Yeshua.

Nahum 1 - Avenging God

"The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
    the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance on his foes
    and vents his wrath against his enemies.
The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
    the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.
His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
    and clouds are the dust of his feet." (Nahum 1:2-3 NIV)

Nahum prophesies against Nineveh. He warns that those (in this case Nineveh) who go against His people will not go unpunished. Sometimes, in reading some of these prophesies it sounds awfully vengeful and hurtful. Well, vengeance is the LORD's to take and while it may appear to be really bad news to those who worship false idols and persecute those who worship the LORD, it is good news to the people of God. Those who find themselves attacked and persecuted by God's enemies have no other place to turn for hope except in the LORD and His promise that He will deliver them from the hands of their enemies.

He will deliver us! It is the LORD who saves! Thanks be to God!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jeremiah 5 - One Honest Person Saves the City

A litany of sins... that's what we have this day in our reading... So sad! So very sad! We could pray that it not be the way it is. Yet, it is the truth. We like sheep have all gone astray... No one looks for the truth. Everyone has their own truth, according to the false gods that they worship.

According to the Word of the LORD:
“A horrible and shocking thing
    has happened in the land:
The prophets prophesy lies,
    the priests rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
    But what will you do in the end?" (Jer 5:30-31 NIV)

What indeed will we do in the end? How can one know the truth if even the prophets and priests allow their personal false gods to guide them? We must lean on the word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah:

"Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem,
    look around and consider,
    search through her squares.
If you can find but one person
    who deals honestly and seeks the truth,
    I will forgive this city." (Jer 5:1)

Sounds pretty hopeless... But, is it? There has been one found who deals honestly and seeks the truth. His name is Jesus and He has come to save us. Thanks be to God for His mercy is great!

Have a blessed Christmas day!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Proverbs 21 - The Kingdom Cannot be Bought

"A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart." (Prov 21:2 NIV)

So many excuses... We use them all in order to not do what is right. How often have we written a check to some charitable agency to assuage our guilt? The LORD knows why the offering or sacrifice is given. It is so much easier for many of us to write a check rather than actually get involved.

I remember, years ago, offering to pick up an elderly woman so that she could attend worship. She no longer drove and was pretty much a shut-in. I visited her regularly. I was floored when my offer was received with a short, "I paid my dues." In other words, she was telling me that she had spent enough time worshipping God. That was her sacrifice: attending worship and making her weekly offering. For some reason she rationalized that she had earned her way into heaven by faithful church attendance in previous years. Somehow, she had even built up a reserve!

She had presented herself as a faithful Christian for many, many decades. Yet, the question remains: was she faithful to God or to herself? How, can one spend so many years hearing the Word in a Lutheran church and come away thinking that we can buy ourselves a way to heaven by attending worship and paying our tithes. The only way to the Kingdom of God, is through faith in the one who died and yet lives for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. So how is it that there are so many "Christians" who feel that they have paid their dues, paid the debt? Jesus paid the debt. You and I cannot even begin to pay the ransom for our own lives. Jesus already paid the ransom. It is a free gift to you. Receive it and quit your futile attempts to save yourself. We worship God, not to save ourselves, but because God has already saved us through His Son. Worship is an act of thanksgiving and praise for what He has already done, not to get Him to do something to benefit us in the present or future. Jesus said on the cross "It is finished!" Indeed, it is. It is finished and we rejoice. We show our gratitude by worshipping Him and by sharing the Good News of what He has done with others. God knows whether we are being faithful to Him or faithful to ourselves. He weighs our hearts. He knows whether we worship Him or ourselves, our own lives and good works.

If you consider worshipping God as the sacrifice you make; then the next time you're at Worship, it might be good for you to actually listen to what your Pastor is saying. Jesus made that ultimate sacrifice that you might live eternally in our Father's Kingdom. You cannot, by your good works, by your sacrifice of time or money, earn your way into His Kingdom. Whether you attend worship or stay at home, no matter what excuse you use, the LORD weighs your heart and knows the truth.

God's Peace - Pr. J
 
P.S. Don't forget to read Proverbs 21 today, it is full of wisdom to help guide you in your journey.

Psalm 106 - Remember, But Don't Live In the Past

Over and over again, the people rebelled against God.  Over and over again, they suffered because of their rebellion.  Over and over again, the LORD saved them from their own iniquity.

It's the same old story.  It's not just Israel's story.  It is ours.  All of us have gone astray.  All of us have experienced the consequences of our sins. Yet, God, whom we have offended most, continues to forgive. He continues to give to us salvation through Jesus Christ.

As often as we turn and call out to Him, He hears. We remember our past sins and God forgives.  Remembering where we have been is a good thing.  It reminds us who we are not.  We are not God. It reminds us who it is that saves. It is not us.  Only Jesus can save.

But, sometimes we have a different motivation for remembering - especially remembering the sins of others. That motivation is sin itself. It is sin when we remember the past sins of others to make ourselves feel better about our own sins. "I'm not as bad as so and so...."  It is sin when we remember the sins of others, but cannot acknowledge the sin within ourselves.  It is sin when we live in the past and refuse to live in the day that God has given us to live in today, when we do not receive the gift of light and life today; rather choose to live in the darkness of yesterday. They seek to destroy the lives of others, but only end up destroying their own.

Remembering the past can be a good thing.  Remembering can help us live fuller lives in Christ today as we remember not to turn our backs on the One who has had mercy on us. But, if you choose to live in the dark past, stop trying to drag others back there with you. There are those who prefer to follow Jesus and now live in the light of God's grace.

"Praise the Lord!

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever."  (Psalm 105:1 NIV)

 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 106:3 Septuagint, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read those who do.
2. Psalm 106:32 Or Meribah

Psalm 60 - God Has Not Rejected Us

Most of us encounter times of exhaustion - times when we feel like we can do no more - times when we feel just about defeated.  In times like these we might feel like God has turned His back to us.  But, like the Psalmist rather than give up, we place our trust in the LORD.  With His right hand, He has delivered us.  The LORD saves us.  He has lifted us up.  Even as Christ has been raised from the dead and lives, so shall all members of His Body be raised.  We shall live and triumph over all that threatens to keep us buried in the muck and mire of sin.

God has not rejected us, we have rejected Him.  Turn and trust in the LORD that you might be saved. Trust in Him that you might be lifted up from the dead and live life more fully as you live your life in Christ, even now.

God's Peace - Pr. J