Tag Archives: grace

Day 93: Absolute power

Judges 9:1-10:5; Luke 8:22-9:9

In these two passages we see God’s absolute rule and power over all… Luke demonstrates through short narratives Jesus’ control over nature (vs. 22-25), demons (vs. 26-39), disease (vs. 40-48), and even over death (vs. 41-56). In each scene, Jesus is moved by compassion.

In Judges, we read of evil, pure and fearsome evil. God brings judgment by commanding an evil spirit to cause discord between the two evil players, Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. Consequently, they turn on one another – and they both come to ruin…

Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers. And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal (Judges 9:56-57).

Both accounts are narratives of God at work. He is both compassion and judge. He rules over all. Even the demon He keeps on a leash. It is only a fool who would not fear this God – this wonderfully awful and loving God!

Consider then how terribly far He has stooped to rescue you. We must not belittle the Sacrifice.

Day 92: Diluted faith

Judges 6-8; Luke 8:1-21

In the time of Gideon, the people had fallen so far away from the Lord that Gideon was threatened by his neighbors for destroying the altar of Baal and cutting down the Asherah pole. No longer did the people fear the God of Israel.

God showed amazing grace to Gideon – stooping to fulfill Gideon’s requests for signs and compensating for Gideon’s fear. Gideon was so tainted by his culture that his faith was diluted and weak at best.

In spite of himself, Gideon was used by God to defeat the Midianites and the people enjoyed rest from oppression for 40 years. Truly, Gideon showed great heroism…but in the end, Gideon gave in to pride and led the people away from true worship of their God.

With each subsequent judge, the people fell further and further away from the standards of the Mosaic law – and became even more addicted to “whoring” after other gods.

Judges should serve as a warning to us… How diluted is our faith because of the culture in which we live? Do we compromise our beliefs to avoid conflict or hardship? We will be held accountable for our actions and choices.

Listen to the parable of the sower in Luke 8 and ask yourself… What kind of soil are you? Only by God’s grace can we be the good soil that upon “hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.”

God, I ask for the privilege to hear your word and the grace to obey it. Please, open my eyes to see how the culture dilutes my faith. And grant me the patience to persevere and the discipline to worship you alone.

Day 91: The Deliverer

Judges 3:7-5:31; Luke 7:31-50

The Deliverer

Where is our deliverer? Our enemies are pressing in.
“I will give you a Deliverer to deal with your great sin.”

But Lord we are oppressed, we are slaves in our own land.
“I will send you my Servant. He sits at my right hand.”

But God we need a warrior! We are surrounded from all sides.
“Your Deliverer is before you, yet you follow your blind guides.”

Please God, Deliver us. We need to see your face.
“Bring your jar of ointment and celebrate my Grace!” 

Day 27: Crossing the Red Sea

Exodus 13-15; Matthew 19:1-15

Today’s text is rich in detail. We learn about the faith of Joseph and the maturing leadership of Moses. God’s holiness is revealed as he calls Israel to consecrate all of the first born. We observe the weak, grumbling faith of the Israelites. And we are awestruck by the sheer power of God to control the Sea and destroy Pharaoh and his hosts.

If you skim to the end of today’s reading… past the crossing of the Red Sea, the destruction of the Egyptians, and the beautiful praise Song of Moses to verses 15:22-27, you will read of the people grumbling against their faithful God.

The people had just witnessed the most amazing display of power as God parted the Red Sea. This was the dramatic finale to the orchestra of the 10 plagues – each designed to mock the Egyptians’ gods, and to clamor that the God of Israel is supreme over all. Can you imagine the elation, the absolute relief and happiness that the Israelite people must have felt in their deliverance? Their joy is expressed beautifully in verses 15:1-18. Hear just a few…

“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them.

“You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode (Exodus 15:11-13).

But after three days, only three days… The people’s faith is tested. They have no water and they come to Marah, where the water is bitter. The people grumble against Moses. Do they think God is that fickle? Do they think God would bend the waters of nature for a people just to let them die of thirst three days later? We know that God doesn’t let them die. He shows Moses how to make the water sweet and the people have their fill…

But I wonder…. Read these words of God spoken to the Israelites just three short days prior…

“Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Exodus 14:13-14).

How would your life be different if you believed these words…I mean really believed these words? Who or what are the “Egyptians” in your life?

For me, it’s my daughter’s brain injury – and all the baggage that comes along with it. Will she ever walk again? Will she be able to read? Will she ever be independent? The uncertainty can drive me to panic. But. My faith in God’s goodness and faithfulness keeps my anxieties quiet. I choose to trust that God will work for my daughter. He will fight for her.  And I will pray and watch for the Lord’s salvation – for His work to unfold in her life.

Know that God works for you. That He is mighty to save and tender in his dealings with you. Amen? Amen.

Day 22: God is sufficient

Exodus 1-3; Matthew 15:21-39

During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew (Exodus 2:23-25).

God saw, and God knew. And God set in motion his rescue plan. It involved a most unlikely hero. Just look at Moses’ qualifications…

  1. He should have been killed as an infant, but was saved by an Egyptian princess (2:5-6).
  2. Even though he was born Hebrew, he was raised as an Egyptian by Pharaoh’s daughter (2:10).
  3. He murdered an Egyptian for mistreating a Hebrew slave (2:11-12).
  4. He ran away to Midian because he was rejected by both the Hebrews and the Egyptians (2:13-15).
  5. He failed to circumcise his own son, and if not for the help of his wife, would have been killed by God (4:24-26).
  6. God called him to be his mouthpiece, but he was slow in speech and of tongue (4:10).

Moses was chosen so that it would be clear exactly who was sufficient to save the Israelites. God, alone, is sufficient to save.

And for the first time, we, along with Moses, learn God’s name… “I AM WHO I AM.”

There are so many conclusions we can make from this name… He is self-existent; He is eternal; He does not change… But I doubt Moses was thinking so deeply in that one moment… I think Moses learned that God was personal. That He had a name and He chose to share it with him… Even though Moses had done nothing to earn God’s favor, God chose him anyway.

Just as the Israelites could not save themselves, I am unable to save myself from the consequences of my sin. And even though I have done nothing to earn God’s favor, He gives it anyway. That’s good news! That’s the gospel.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Day 13: A humble messenger

Matthew 11

Yesterday we touched briefly on the surprising group of men Jesus chose to be his disciples. The fact is: Jesus wasn’t what anybody expected the Messiah to be.

The Jews expected the Messiah to be king and save them from the tyrannous rule of Rome. They expected him to be a strong, military leader – not a poor humanitarian with a rag-tag group of followers.

Even John the Baptist questioned whether Jesus was really the Messiah (11:3). Jesus patiently answered John’s questions by referring back to the Messianic prophesies from Isaiah.

Jesus warned that this world would naturally not understand (11:16-19). And he went so far as to denounce the cities in which he’s preached for rejecting Him and his message (11:20-24).

But.

He turns and says something remarkable. It could be so familiar that it’s lost its impact. But the idea is otherworldly. He reveals that God has hidden understanding of His Kingdom from the wise – but revealed it to children (11:25). Typically, Jesus is not speaking in physical terms, but spiritually. In other words, you must have a child-like faith to hear, understand and receive Jesus’ teachings. Then he offers an invitation – but only to the humble of heart…

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

These words are like a balm to my soul. I am heavy laden. I want rest. Could Jesus really be that gentle? Could he be that kind? I believe He is. I guess that makes me like a child :-)

Day 12: A Surprising Choice

Genesis 29-30; Matthew 10

Genesis continues with more family drama, and this story seems especially sad to me. But God, in his wisdom, knows how to bring good out of our hardships. He does this for Leah in today’s reading.

If you don’t know the story from Genesis 29, you must read it. It’s filled with bitter irony, as Jacob (the cheat) met his match in his Uncle Laban. Laban, agreed to let Jacob marry his younger daughter, Rachel (who was beautiful and whom Jacob loved) after SEVEN years of labor. After the seven, long years, the big wedding day approached and Laban tricked Jacob into marrying his older daughter, Leah (who wasn’t as beautiful as Rachel). Jacob didn’t love Leah. After a week, Laban allowed Jacob to marry Rachel too – but only if Jacob agreed to work another seven years. “And he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years” (Genesis 29:30).

This sets the stage for a bitter sister-rivalry. But God was kind to Leah…

When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

Jacob chose Rachel, but God chose Leah.

Leah’s 4th son, Judah (whose name sounds like “praise”) continues the lineage of Christ.

Why Leah? Why Judah? We see throughout Scripture that God often chooses the ordinary to accomplish the extraordinary.

One of the best examples is found in Matthew 10 as Jesus appoints his disciples. Jesus didn’t choose powerful, influential men. Just look at the list of disciples in Matthew 10:2-4… They are not just ordinary; in some cases, they are lower than ordinary. Fishermen, a tax collector, a radical zealot are not the types we would choose to lead the largest religious movement in history. But God loves to surprise us.

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

Day 11: A Royal family

Genesis 25-28

It was God’s plan from the beginning to preserve a family from which the promised savior would come. The entire world’s survival depended on this family’s survival… All seemed lost when Cain killed Abel – but God knew that the promise would continue through Seth. We follow this family, the royal family line, through Seth and then 10 generations to Noah. It goes through Noah’s son, Shem, and then 10 generations to Abraham. And the drama heightens as we see the very family that God had chosen to carry the blessed seed – threaten God’s plan with their faithlessness. Yet, God’s faithfulness overruled.

God’s promise passed from Abraham to Isaac:

“I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws” (Genesis 26:3-5).

Then Isaac and Rebekah had twin boys, Esau and Jacob. Which son would carry the promised seed? Isaac wanted Esau, but God’s choice was Jacob. Family dysfunction took center-stage as Rebekah manipulated, and Jacob deceived so that Isaac’s blessing was passed to Jacob instead of Esau.

It’s always been a mystery to me how God uses imperfect people to carry out his good plan. God had always planned for Jacob to receive the blessing from Isaac. And God carried out his good plan in spite of Jacob and Rebekah’s deceit and manipulation.

Jacob, whose name meant “heel-grabber” or “cheater” had spent his life striving to receive this blessing. Nancy Guthrie writes in her book The Promised One, “Jacob wanted the right things. His desire was for the blessing of being in the line of the Promised One. But there was no sign he wanted God. There was no reaching out for God but only grabbing for God’s blessings.” God, because of His faithfulness (not because of Jacob’s faith), extended His original promise that He gave to Abraham – to Jacob:

“I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (Genesis 28:13-15).

What do I learn from these chapters?

  1. God is faithful and good.
  2. Man… not so much.

Just like Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Esau, we are in desperate need of God’s grace. Thankfully, this family’s faithlessness could not thwart God’s plan to bring the promised savior. That’s good news to me…. because it teaches me that my faithlessness will not hinder God’s plans in my life – just like your faithlessness will not hinder His work in yours. He is the Lord.

Day 7: The meticulous, kindness of God

Genesis 18-19; Matthew 6

For the last few days, Matthew’s readings have been from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus’ sermon makes me very uncomfortable.

Jesus takes the Old Testament law – which was barely attainable – and makes it completely out of reach.

  • Old Testament says: Don’t kill anyone. Okay, I can manage that.
  • Jesus says: Don’t get angry at anyone because you’re committing murder in your heart. Uhhhh. That’s impossible.

Ahhh… the heart. Jesus is shining a magnifying glass on the state of the heart. Ultimately, He wants good actions to flow from the righteousness of the heart as opposed to performing good works to mask the darkness of the heart. Jesus wants us to be convicted… so we will turn to Him to do what we cannot do – NOT change our hypocritical behavior, but change trust Jesus to change our hearts.

Genesis 18 is the story of the Lord visiting Abraham and again promising him a son through Sarah. This time, however, many years have passed (since Abraham first heard the promise), and Sarah is past the age of child-bearing. Sarah overhears the promise and laughs, and God answers…

“Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”

Changing Sarah’s anatomy to open her womb was an easy task compared to changing the darkness of a sinful heart. But I ask you… “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Indeed, nothing is too hard for our God!

For me, this change has happened slowly… moment by moment, choice by choice, so that after years have passed, I can look back and see the slow work of grace in my life. The more God changes my heart from dark to light, my eyes are opened to even more darkness that resides in me. God is merciful and only shows me what will not send me into despair. For if I saw too much at once, I would become hopeless, and lose heart. God is meticulously kind. Thank God.

A great example of His meticulous kindness is seen in his conversation with Abraham about saving the city of Sodom (Genesis 18:22-33). On first glance, it seems like Abraham is negotiating with God, but a pastor explained the passage the opposite way…. God is meticulously expanding Abraham’s heart to be more compassionate.

Abraham: would you destroy the city if you found 50 righteous men?
God: No. I will save the city for 50 righteous men.
Abraham: How about 45?
40?
30?
20?
10?

God conforms Abraham’s heart to be closer to His own. He makes Abraham more compassionate. He does it slowly. He does it meticulously. He does it kindly.

Day 6:Relentless help

Genesis 15-17; Matthew 5:27-48

“Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great” (Genesis 15:1).

God made a promise to Abraham, and Abraham lived in the tension between faith and doubt – between belief and unbelief. Just listen to the narrative…

  • Abraham questioned how God would give him descendants since he had no children.
  • God promised that Abraham would have a son and his descendants would be as numerous as the stars.
  • Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
  • Abraham waited for God to fulfill his promise of a son. He got impatient and slept with his wife’s servant, Hagar, and Hagar bore him a son.
  • God reappeared to Abraham and reaffirmed his promise of a son from his wife, Sarah. He restated his covenant promise and instructed Abraham to be circumcised along with every male in his family as a sign of this covenant.
  • Abraham “fell on his face and laughed to himself” at the thought of his wife, Sarah, bearing him a son. But he obeyed the difficult command of the Lord to circumcise his household.

Do you see the ebbs and flows of faith in Abraham’s life? I can totally relate. It reminds me of the father who cried to Jesus… “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

My life is filled with the responsibility of caring for a disabled child. This responsibility is relentless. It never goes away. It causes me to long for relief – to long for heaven. I need help from God to fulfill my responsibilities with joy and gratitude. Thankfully, God’s help to me… his grace toward me is also relentless. It never goes away. Even when my faith ebbs and flows, God continues to fulfill His promises to me. His promise to never leave or forsake me. His promise to work all things for my good. His promise to conform me more into the likeness of Jesus. His promise to give comfort and peace. His promise. His promises. They never fail. They are relentless.