Guilt free living
Isaiah 33: Best of all, they’ll all live guilt-free.
Jerusalem is conquered, now condemned by Assyria to bow and scrape to those in control of their holy city. Isaiah promises that things wonāt remain as they are. As the citizens turn back to the Lord, the Lord will turn back to them. The day is coming when the Assyrian tax collector will be gone and their new masters’ foreign language will no longer be heard in the streets of Jerusalem. It won’t be King Sennacherib whoāll be in charge, instead, Isaiah promises it will be “God who makes all the decisions here” and itāll be God whoāll be king. Isaiah adds, describing his people, “Best of all, they’ll all live guilt-free.” This is such a wonderful promise. You see, the people hearing these words are really guilty. Itās their abandonment of God that brought this calamity on them in the first place. The good news is that the only One who can forgive them is willing to do so. Itās a great thing when God removes the “foreign kings” from our lives and forgives us our sins. One lady told me that when she confessed her sins and received Christ into her life that she “felt lighter.” In other words, having the sin burden lifted from her was just as real as if a 40 pound backpack had been lifted from her shoulders. Only God can make that kind of difference in a life or in a nation. The Good News is that he wants to do just that.
Take Away: How wonderful to realize that the only one who can forgive us our sins is willing to do just that.
Tag: forgiveness
Devotional on Isaiah
Admitting personal failure
Isaiah 59: There’s nothing wrong with God; the wrong is in you.
Ever since Adam blamed Eve, and in reality, blamed God, people have tried to pass the buck for their sin. “Godās too strict” or “the temptation is too great” or some other lame excuse is used as a defense for spiritual failure. As a pastor I’ve probably heard more than most. I immediately think of lines like: “I was absent from church for two weeks and no one called me” or “the church just isn’t as spiritual as it ought to be.” Isaiah has heard enough and he reacts especially to excuses that place the blame for spiritual failure on the Lord. He tells his people that the thing that has come between them and God is none other than themselves. Itās their sin that has messed things up and until they admit that things are only going to get worse. Listen, I know that the church has a responsibility to reach out to people; even people who know better than what theyāre doing. The church is accountable before God when it fails along this line. However, Isaiah’s message places the blame for personal failure directly on the shoulders of the one who willfully sins against God. Don’t blame God, the church, your spouse, your boss, or your friends for your sin. Take responsibility for your own actions, confess, and make it right. You’ll find that the grace of God is sufficient and that brings a whole lot more peace than making excuses does!
Take Away: Take responsibility and make things right.
Devotional on Jeremiah
Death sentence reprieve
Jeremiah 31: I’ll wipe the slate clean for each of them. I’ll forget that they ever sinned.
A few years ago I developed an itching rash on the lower right side of my back. I had some other stuff going on so when I went to the doctor I asked him about it. He took one look at it and said, “You’ve got shingles.” I thought, “Shingles? Old people get that!” Honestly, at the time, I didn’t worry too much about it. I could handle the itching. However, I had no idea of the journey I was about to take. The itching gave way to sleepless nights of burning pain. For days I was homebound, unable to get dressed. Now, at the beginning, I knew something was wrong but I thought it was going to be a minor inconvenience. Only in the mid-term of the illness did I grasp just how bad things were. I’ve seriously wondered if Job was given a full body version of shingles. When the Lord tells me I’m a sinner my reaction is something like what I had at the doctor’s office. It’s too bad; I’ll have to try harder to clean up my act. What I don’t realize is that I’ve just been given a death sentence. This isn’t just bad news; it’s the worst news possible. Itās only in this light that statements like the one I’m reading from Jeremiah carry the force theyāre supposed to. Otherwise, we have God just helping us along in doing what we can pretty much handle for ourselves. When I realize that being a sinner is to be broken beyond repair; to be, for all intents and purposes dead already; and when I realize that God, in his mercy is willing to “wipe the slate clean” and to “forget” it all…well, itās then that I begin to grasp the meaning of grace.
Take Away: Thank the Lord for his grace ā without it, thereās no hope whatsoever.
Devotional on Ezekiel
Accepting fault, doing something about it
Ezekiel 18: The soul that sins is the soul that dies.
A common saying in Ezekiel’s day is that “the parents ate green apples and the children got a stomachache.” That saying describes the current plight of the people of Judah. Their nation has been defeated and many have been exiled far from home. They blame it all on their parents and consider themselves to be victims of the failure of others. Ezekiel says that isn’t so. While it’s true that their ancestors failed God, the current generation has plenty of failure of its own. Ezekiel wants them to understand that when a wicked person turns from his or her wicked ways that God is gracious and rich in forgiveness. God, he tells them, doesn’t hold a grudge. On the other hand, if a righteous person abandons that righteousness he or she stands guilty before God. Past righteousness doesn’t make a person immune from current failure and judgment. The bottom line is that the Lord will “judge each of you according to the way you live.” The spiritual principle here is that it’s our current relationship with God that really matters. Ezekiel’s advice is still good today. He says since it’s “right now” that counts, those who are living apart from God and blaming their parents (or someone else) for it need to “turn around…make a clean break” and “live!”
Take Away: It’s our current relationship with the Lord that really matters.
Devotional on Ezekiel
Good news for people who need a Second Chance
Ezekiel 33: None of his sins will be kept on the books.
Since Ezekiel’s mission throughout most of his ministry is to warn people of pending destruction, and since he is about as rough and tumble a guy as you’ll ever meet, his messages are generally not especially uplifting. He’s like a doctor with a poor bedside manner: he isn’t especially interested in dressing things up but for the good of his patient he tells it like it is. Still, as I journey through the book of Ezekiel, I find plenty of sunshine along with his gruffness. At one point he tells people that they can’t rely on past goodness to cover current sin. If even the most pious person turns from God’s ways to sin he or she will be judged not for their past, but their current life. However, there’s good news in flip side of that situation. If a person who’s living a sinful life hears Ezekiel’s hard message and decides to pay attention and straighten up there’s a real possibility of life. God will gladly give that individual a second chance. Now that’s a message for any day. The Lord loves it when sinners turn to him. He doesn’t hold our past against us and is more than willing to forgive sins and transform lives. That’s good news for every one of us who has made bad choices and wishes life had a rewind button. We can’t go back but by God’s grace we can go forward. If a person turns to God, Ezekiel tells us, “He’ll live.”
Take Away: We can’t go back but by the grace of the Lord we can go forward.
Devotional on Hosea
A love that never gives up
Hosea 2: Then I’ll marry you for good – forever!
The book of Hosea is a book of extremes. There’s nothing mundane or middle of the road here as everything is at one end or the other end of the spectrum. Here we see powerful love and painful betrayal. We see the beauty of tender, marital sex and we also see the brutal, cheapening side of sex in the market place. In one place we see the anger of God as he declares the coming destruction as a result of their sin but we also see God’s mercy as he promises restoration. There’s nothing in Hosea that lends itself to a relaxing late night read before sleep. This book is an emotional rollercoaster. God’s people have betrayed him and, because of that betrayal he’s rejected them, kicking them out. Israel has committed spiritual adultery against God and God has issued a decree of divorce against them. Then as we’re emotionally ready to close the book on this relationship the tone of the Lord changes. He’s kicked them out and declared his anger with them and judgment on them. Just as I get my mind around that the landscape suddenly changes. The Lord declares his intentions to clean them up, to romance them again and ultimately to reinstate his marriage to them. The sweep of all this is stunning and I realize I’m reading about a love that never gives up. God is truly the God of Second Chances.
Take Away: God is the God of Second Chances.
Devotional on Joel
Praying in catastrophes
Joel 2: And hereās why: God is kind of merciful.
The prophet sees the natural catastrophe of the locust infestation as a judgment of God. It may be that the Almighty manufactured these bugs specifically to cause the people to stop their march to wickedness. God is God and he has ability to do stuff like that. On the other hand, it may be that the locusts are just a natural phenomenon that God is using to get their attention. Either way this is all under his authority. Joel tells his people that in the face of all that’s happening itās time for a national turn around. He calls for more than a surface makeover but a real change in which they return to God with their whole hearts. If they do that, Joel promises, they’ll find God to be kind and merciful and they might just see the Lord intervene to cancel the catastrophe that has them reeling. One response to personal disaster should be a reexamination of our lives. If things arenāt as they should be this is a good time to ask the Lord to forgive us and ask him to help us get our act together.
Take Away: One response to personal disaster should be a reexamination of our lives.
Devotional on Micah
Yes, thatās good enough for me!
Micah 7: Youāll sink our sins to the bottom of the ocean.
āGone, gone, gone, gone, yes my sins are gone…buried in the deepest sea, yes, thatās good enough for me.ā You have to have been around the church awhile to recognize the words to the childrenās chorus I sang back in the āgood old days.ā At the time, if I thought about such things at all, I got the message of the song: when God forgives my sins, they are āgone, gone, gone.ā However, the mercy being described here isnāt childlike at all. Micah talks to adults who are committing adult-level sins. The result of those sins will be not a slap on the wrist, but national destruction with pain and death everywhere. It doesnāt have to be that way. Micah tells his people that mercy is a specialty of God and that the Lord much prefers granting mercy and forgetting sins to destroying those who live in rebellion against him. Micah assures his listeners that the Lord anxiously waits to forgive and forget; to show mercy and compassion on them. I sang the chorus as a child but as an adult I realize what an amazing offer it is. Thereās hope for a new start with God in this passage: āpraise God, my sins are gone!ā
Take Away: Mercy is a specialty of the Lord.
Devotional on Haggai
My attitude toward things that matter to the Lord
Haggai 1: Iāve matched your tight-fisted stinginess.
Jesus taught his disciples to pray, āForgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.ā Generally, I put about 95% of the emphasis on the first part of that statement. I certainly know I need the Lordās forgiveness for the many ādebtsā of my life. It makes me a bit uncomfortable to realize that the Lord uses the level of my forgiving attitude toward those indebted to me as his measure of his forgiveness in my life. In the passage before me today the Lord uses Haggai to deliver a message concerning current events in the lives of the people of his day. Theyāve been stingy in their support for rebuilding the Temple. Now, the Lord says heās treating them with that same level of stinginess. Theyāre holding back in supporting the rebuilding of the Temple and the Lordās holding back in his provision of rain for their crops. Iām glad today for the abundant generosity of God. His provision in my life greatly exceeds all that I do for him. Still, thereās a time to be reminded that some of the Lordās blessings to me are linked to my attitude toward the things that matter to the Lord. Jesus teaches me to pray, āLord, forgive me to the same extent that I forgive others.ā Today, Haggai adds that I should be able to pray, āLord, care for the needs of my life in the same way I care for the place in which I worship you.ā If that makes me squirm a bit, well, maybe itās supposed to!
Take Away: Remember that some of the Lordās blessings to us are linked to our attitude towards the things that matter to him.
Devotional on Matthew
The Perfect Sermon
Matthew 5: Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.
In one glorious Sermon Jesus sums up the life to which God calls us. In every word we hear pure gold. Itās in retrospect that I realize that this beautiful, perfectly constructed Sermon challenges me at every level of my life. This chapter of the Sermon touches on everything from how to be blessed, to heavy topics like murder, adultery and divorce. Jesus deals with the promises we make and our relationships with our enemies. Obviously, the religion he teaches isnāt merely about āme and God.ā Just about every word in this perfect Sermon is about āme and you.ā It concerns my relationship with people I like (and maybe like too much according to the section on adultery) and people I donāt like (Iām to settle things with my old enemy quickly before things get even worse). He sums up this first part of the Sermon by teaching me to live āgenerously and graciously.ā Rather than protecting my turf Iām to think the best of people and be generous in my dealings with them. This pretty Sermon has teeth. Itās supposed to work out here in the real world. And, just so I clearly understand the measure of this gracious, generous life style, Jesus tells me that Iām to treat others in the same gracious, generous way God treats me. I need to spend a whole lot of time here at the Sermon on the Mount.
Take Away: The Christian life is as much about āme and youā as itās about āGod and me.ā
Devotional on Matthew
The way to forgiveness
Matthew 12: If Satan banishes Satan is there any Satan left?
Itās really about the Sabbath. The religious leaders have taken āRemember the Sabbath dayā and turned it into a heavy burden laid on the backs of the people. Even picking a piece of fruit to eat is considered to be a transgression. Jesus responds with examples from their own law and history proving that theyāre wrong. He goes on healing people, even on the Sabbath. When a demon-afflicted woman is set free the critics of Jesus sputter that he must be in cahoots with the devil. Our Lord responds that if they say that about him what do they say about their own exorcists? Beyond that, itās a silly contention anyway. If Satan casts out Satan there wouldnāt be anything of Satan left. He then deals with the opposite side of the same coin. If the Holy Spirit is the One who forgives sins and we cast the Holy Spirit out of lives, how can we ever expect to be forgiven our sins? Its serious business isnāt it. Weāre sinners in need of forgiveness. Thereās one who forgives. Throw him out and weāre left without hope. Stated differently, thereās one road to forgiveness, if I refuse to travel that road, thereās no way I can ever arrive at forgiveness. The way to God is abundant and grace-filled, offering hope to the worst sinner. Still, itās the only way. I can take it or leave it, but if I leave it, Iām left with nothing.
Take Away: We have, in Christ, hope abundant, but aside from Christ we have no hope at all.
Devotional on Matthew
The Christian way
Matthew 18: If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him ā work it out between the two of you.
We Christians claim to be followers of Jesus but we tend to overlook some of the inconvenient things he teaches. Jesus says that if thereās something going on between me and you that my first order of business is to go to you and explain to you how Iāve been hurt. If that doesnāt work out there are further steps Iām to take in seeking reconciliation with you. The thing is we Christians seldom follow these clear instructions. We go around with a chip on our shoulder, talk about people (otherwise known as gossip), start lining up our allies and identifying our enemies and, in general, toss aside this teaching of our Lord and Master. When thatās done, a rift in the church is formed that draws people into the fight and drives people out of the church. Energies that should be spent in winning the lost are wasted in attempts to win the fight. Still, for those of us who canāt imagine dealing with a broken relationship like Jesus says, Iām going to offer an alternative approach. Just forget it. Stop being hurt, stop āremembering,ā stop talking, and forgive from the depths of your heart. Apologize to Jesus for being so shallow as to be hurt about whatever it is and ask him to forgive you as youāre forgiving them. This alternative is almost implied by the rest of this passage in which Jesus talks about the unforgiving servant. So, when Iām hurt and upset about something, as a follower of Jesus, I have a couple of options. I can go to you and begin the reconciliation process Jesus described or I can stop being so sensitive and let it go, forgiving as Iāve been forgiven. Responding to hurts in these ways is how Christians do things.
Take Away: A Christian with a chip on his or her shoulder isnāt behaving like a Christian at all.
Devotional on Luke
A ruined dinner party
Luke 7: I forgive your sins.
Itās intended to be a formal dinner in the home of a community leader. However, some of the formality is waved off. After all, Simon thinks Jesus ought to be impressed and humbled that a common person like Jesus is even invited to the home of a Pharisee. Then, to Simonās surprise this disgusting woman has managed to slip into the room. Some servant will pay the price for that! She ruins Simonās nice dinner party. Not only is he scandalized that such a person would dare enter his very house, but sheās dominating the moment. With all this foolishness going on how can he properly impress his guests? Jesus is obviously uncomfortable with her groveling at his feet, but heās clearly moved by her sorrow. Maybe Jesus doesnāt know her story? Its then that Jesus speaks first as a teacher and then as a Savior. This woman is overwhelmed by her sins. Simon has missed the point because he doesnāt see himself as a sinner. Jesus then turns his attention to this poor, grieving woman and says the greatest words sheās ever heard: āI forgive your sins.ā Simon hears blasphemy, she hears salvation. In this story, do I best identify with Simon or with this miserable sinner?
Take Away: We tend to see ourselves as the āgood peopleā in Gospel stories, maybe, though, weāre supposed to recognize ourselves as those who arenāt so good.
Devotional on 2 Corinthians
God is the God of Second Chances
2Corinthians 2: Getting you to take responsibility for the health of the church.
This is likely a reference to the situation described in the first letter. Apparently, one of the members of the congregation at Corinth was living in an immoral relationship with his stepmother. Now, Paul has received word that the church took action on this. There has been, first: discipline, and then, second: repentance, and now, forgiveness. Paul tells them that thatās good enough for him. He stands by their handling of things and now counsels them to add a double portion of love for the one who had been involved in the immorality. Otherwise, he cautions, the enemy of their souls will use the situation to work against them, doing more harm than good. It seems to me that the church generally errs on the extremes of issues like this. Sometimes, weāre so open minded that we just go with the flow. People behave in immoral ways and āwe just love them anywayā never getting around to pointing out that their behavior will destroy their lives and damn their souls. In other situations, the church is so intent on ātelling it like it isā that we drive away the very people for whom Christ died. We think weāre being spiritual, but really weāre just being hateful. In the middle thereās loving people enough to tell them the truth in such a way that they know we love them. God is a God of Second Chances and the church should be a Church of Second Chances.
Take Away: We need the help of the Lord to find the middle ground when dealing with sinners who are loved by Christ.
Devotional on Genesis
More on āGod did itā
Genesis 50: Donāt you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my goodā¦.
For over 20 years Josephās brothers carried the secret guilt of what they did to him. Now, even though Joseph has forgiven them we see that they havenāt yet forgiven themselves. The reason for this is that, if their roles were reversed, theyād still be holding a grudge. When their father dies theyāre afraid that it was for the sake of Jacob that Joseph never took revenge on them. When Joseph realizes whatās happening he assures his brothers that he has no intention of striking out at them. Through the years Joseph has had lots of time to think about the flow of events in his life and heās developed an insightful theology about it all. On one hand, he knows that it wasnāt God who planned evil things against him. Clearly, it was his brothers who did this and Joseph makes no attempt to say the Lord was behind their evil deed. On the other hand, Joseph sees that when his brothers did their worst that they couldnāt derail Godās ultimate plan. God moved in and redeemed their evil act, turning it into good for Joseph and even for those evil-deed-doing bothers. Earlier, Joseph told his brothers, concerning his being sold into slavery, that āGod did it.ā Now we see that, while this statement isnāt wrong, it’s incomplete. When people act in their own free will to do the wrong thing God has a knack of stepping in and transforming it into something good. My friend, considering that this conversation takes place over a century before the Ten Commandments are given thatās a pretty mature theology.
Take away: God doesnāt do bad things to accomplish his will, but heās capable of working through bad things to bring his purposes to pass.
Devotional on Leviticus
The Day of Atonement
Leviticus 16: In the presence of God you will be made clean of all your sins.
Built into the Law given in Leviticus is a special annual event called the Day of Atonement. Both priests and people are to prepare themselves for this event by fasting. The High Priest is to follow a precise ritual and on this day only he is to enter the most sacred part of the Tabernacle, the Holy of Holies. Here, in the Presence of the Lord his, and the sins of the whole nation, will be cleansed. Once this is done a great celebration of thanksgiving takes place. I find it interesting that after all the sin offerings with all the shed blood that there remains the need for a specific encounter with the Almighty for their sins to be wiped out. In this I see that, in the end, these ancient Israelites rely, as I do, on the grace and mercy of God. As this High Priest in his colorful and strange garb prepares to enter the most holy place on the face of the earth, I think of my own approach to the Throne of God. When the Priest comes in humility the result is cleansing from sin. Itās also that way for you and me. We approach the throne humbly but in expectation of receiving grace, mercy, forgiveness, and cleansing. Itās only in the presence of God that we are made clean of all our sins.
Take Away: When all else is said and done, we rely on Godās grace and mercy.
Devotional on Leviticus
The God of Second Chances
Leviticus 26: On the other hand, if they confess their sinsā¦Iāll remember my covenantā¦.
I canāt imagine anyone enjoying the middle portion of Leviticus 26. Itās the ācurseā part of the chapter in which God lists all that will happen if they break their promises to God. Like anyone else, I enjoy the āblessingā section and can happily skip the ācursingā part. However, thereās more to the chapter than those two elements. The final section is about Godās faithfulness. You might say that itās the best part of all. God says that even if they utterly fail and if the entire ācurseā comes to passā¦even then, heāll be just a prayer away. These words are all about grace and mercy and faithfulness. In this the Lord opens his heart to us. When it all falls apart because of sin the Lord waits to reestablish the covenant relationship with them. Hereās a clear view of the Lord as the God of Second Chances. Thereās unbelievable power in the words, āIāll remember.ā In spite of failure, in spite of the feeling of a people being utterly rejected ā in spite of it all, God remembers. Iām thankful, so thankful, that I serve the God of Second Chances.
Take Away: We all need this God of Second Chances in our lives.
Devotional on Numbers
Making restitution
Numbers 5: Tell the People of Israel, When a man or woman commits any sin, the person has broken trust with God, is guilty, and must confess the sin.
The book of Numbers is about naming names. It also contains considerable practical instruction on how this nation of former slaves is going to function as a People of God. Reading Numbers is not always the most uplifting devotional reading one might do. However, that doesnāt mean thereās nothing worth reading here. Instead, we have to do a little prospecting to find the gold. This statement from Numbers 5 is a good example of that. Moses explains to the people the true nature of sin; that it is a breaking of trust with God. It isnāt a mistake and it isnāt human shortcoming. Rather, itās behaving in a disloyal way toward God. Still, thereās hope rather than condemnation here. In spite of the guilt, thereās the possibility of restoration. First, the sinner must acknowledge his sin by confessing it. No excuses are allowed. The offender must meet the issue head on. Second, restitution is to be made. True to the nature of the book, a practical approach is outlined: restore the full amount of the offense plus 20 percent. The concept is even expanded to include just who is to receive the compensation in extenuating circumstances. As a person who lives under the New Covenant, Iām not bound by the letter of the Law. Still, though, the concepts here apply. To sin is to break trust with God. The first step to restoration is to acknowledge my failure. The second is to make things right. The specific steps to a remedy are different but the concept sounds a whole lot like the Sermon on the Mount.
Take Away: Confession and restitution lead to restoration.
Devotional on Deuteronomy
Thereās a remedy
Deuteronomy 4: If you seek Godā¦you’ll be able to find him if you’re serious, looking for him with your whole heart and soul.
Again, Moses is no stranger to spiritual failure. As the leader of this people heās seen repeated failure. Even as he warns them against trifling with God, even as he cautions them about having wandering hearts — even then, he knows that they’ll mess up again. The thing is, not only is Moses familiar with spiritual failure, heās also familiar with God’s grace. Time after time heās seen God reach out to these people in mercy, love, and forgiveness. In this, Moses has learned some important things about the God who called to him from the burning bush decades earlier. He tells them, “Before anything else, God is a compassionate God.” Even if his warnings to these people go unheeded, God’s character will be unchanged. People, even people who have miserably failed, who seek God whole-heartedly, find God. Thereās so much hope here that it takes our breath away. Thereās a remedy for spiritual failure. Thereās hope for the fallen. Thereās a God of Second Chances and if we seek him with all our hearts weāll find himā¦and in finding him weāll find hope and restoration.
Take Away: God is the God of Second Chances.
Devotional on 1 Samuel
The good, the bad, and the ugly
1 Samuel 27: The best thing I can do is escape to Philistine country.
One thing about the narrative of the Bible is that weāre told the whole story, both good and bad. I think that David’s time in Philistine country is, for him personally, what the book of Judges is for the Israelite people as a whole. David does it and weāre told about it, but none of itās to his credit. Right off, David says that he thinks sooner or later that Saul’s going to capture him, so he needs to escape the country. Whereās his faith in God who’s proven faithful to him across the years? Has he forgotten the incidents at the cave in En Gedi and at Hakilah Hill? Then we see him go to the enemies of Israel and of God, the Philistines, for refuge. King Achish foolishly thinks to himself that, “An enemy of Saul is a friend of mine.” Thatās a major mistake on his part but David’s decision stinks to high heaven. Itās unworthy of one anointed of God. Once he settles in Ziklag, David starts raiding small towns. When Achish asks him where heās been he lies and says heās been raiding his own people, Judah. Instead, he raids Philistine towns and hides it by killing everyone living in them. When I read of mass killing during the occupation of Canaan Iām uncomfortable, but at least that they felt they were doing God’s will. In David’s case, heās just making a living off of raiding villages and killing people. The writer of the Scripture just tells us what happened, but I come away from this passage thinking that this isnāt of David’s proudest moment. Later on, when David wants to build the Temple heās told he has too much blood on his hands. I think this incident is an example of that. I understand that David was living in different times and that beyond that Iām not David’s judge. I also remember here that even biblical heroes (not to mention me) stand in great need of God’s mercy, grace, and forgiveness.
Take Away: Even heroes of the Bible need Godās mercy.