Category: Uncategorized

Isaiah 1:16-20

Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Put away the evils from your souls before My eyes. Cease from your evils. Learn to do good. Seek judgment and redeem the wronged. Defend the orphan and justify the widow. Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “although your sins are like crimson, I shall make them white like snow, and although they are as scarlet, I shall make them white like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good things of the land. But if you are unwilling and disobedient, you shall be devoured by the sword,” for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Encouraging Words

Because of God’s great love for us and His mercy and grace, our sins will be forgiven and we will stand purified before our God cleansed by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. His desire is that all of His creation will turn to Him and away from the ways and desires of the world. But our life in Christ does not stop there. When we truly turn our lives over to God, we will desire to serve Him. We will desire to wash and become clean. We will desire to put away evil from our eyes and our minds. We will desire to defend the orphan and justify the widow amongst us. God forgive me of my pride and arrogance that constantly puts me and my desires before You and my neighbor. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

1 Corinthians 10:3

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Personal Challenge

This is quickly becoming a lost part of our modern world. When God was more important in people’s lives and in the mind of society as a whole, people knew that what they did either glorified Him or offended Him. Artisans plied their trade so that God would be glorified. Workers did their jobs, not only to provide for their families but so that God would be pleased with the fruit of their labor. Now, people so often just do things to get ahead or to get by. There is becoming less and less pride in one’s workmanship because people don’t think God is watching, let alone even in the picture. Paul reminds us that no matter what it is that we are doing in our lives, no matter how spectacular or mundane, we are doing it for God’s glory. When we go to work each day, we are not working for our employer, we are working for God. When we spend time with our family and loved ones, we have God in the midst and want to glorify Him in our actions. When we volunteer our time at our churches and other institutions, we work as if God is the recipient of the fruit of our labors, as well as those around us, and our desire should always be to give Him our best. There really is no room in the kingdom of God for shortcuts, laziness, sloppiness, or apathy. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Malachi 3:1-5

“Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come into His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, whom you desire. Behold, He is coming,” says the Lord Almighty. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can withstand His appearance? For He enters like a refiner’s fire and as soap in one’s wash. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver and gold. He will purify the sons of Levi and pour them out as purified gold and silver, and they will bring an offering to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in the days of old, as in former years.

“And I will draw near to you in judgment, a swift witness against sorcerers, adulterers, those who swear falsely by My name, those who exploit wage-earners, those who oppress widows and afflict orphans, those who pervert the justice due foreigners, and those who do not fear Me,” says the Lord Almighty.

Personal Challenge

We, as a post-modern culture, have developed a “familiarity” with Jesus. We act as if He is just one of us and in that process, we minimize His God-ness. In this prophecy of Malachi, Jesus is presented as our coming Messenger of God. As with many of these prophecies, both His first coming and His second coming are comingled. When Jesus first came, He came to be the Savior of the world, to provide us the way to eternal life with Him in heaven. When He comes again He will be judging the world, especially His church on how well we did His work. And what is that work? How well do we love our neighbor? Do we treat those who work for us with honor and respect? Do we take care of the widows, the orphans, and the foreigners amongst us? And the hardest part of all of this is how well do me treat those who do not fear Him. He wants us to be His salt and light in the world for these people so that the might see Him and turn to Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

1 Corinthians 10:24

Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.

Personal Challenge

If you had to sum up the responsibility of a follower of Christ in a simple and succinct statement, it would be, “Put others before yourself.” Isn’t this what God did went He sent His son to be incarnated? Isn’t this what Jesus did when He willingly went to the cross? Isn’t this what Mary did when she said, “Yes!”? Isn’t this what the prophets and the martyrs did when they died for our Lord? Isn’t this what Jesus asked us to do when He asked us to take up our cross and follow Him? Lord, have mercy! Lord. have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Malachi 1:6

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then, I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is the reverence due to me?” says the Lord Almighty. “You priests are the ones who disparage My name, yet you say, ‘In what way have we disparaged Your name?’”

Personal Challenge

So many of us today proclaim that we are Christians, yet if we watch the news, read the feeds of “social” media, and observe the behaviors of us, then we can see how God might accuse us of disparaging His name today. As Christians, we are commanded to love the Lord our God above all else. Do we really do that? Do we participate in our churches, practice prayer, do almsgiving, and do His works on a regular basis? Do we execute His second commandment to love our neighbor as much, or more, than we love ourselves? I don’t think we do. I know that I don’t. We disparage His name by living the way that we do. We cast a bad, dark light on who God is to those around us who do not know Him. We are called to honor Him and to glorify Him. That means in all aspects of our lives. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Zechariah 9:9

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Proclaim it aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you; He is righteous and saving; He is gentle and mounted upon a donkey, even a young foal.”

Encouraging Words

Even though this prophecy was given to God’s chosen people in the day of Zechariah, we can claim this for ourselves. God’s chosen people have always been the entire population of His creation. Israel was chosen to be a light to the rest of the world. We, the church, are His daughter of Zion, His daughter of Jerusalem. He, the King, came to us upon the young foal to give us life and claim us for His own. Glory be to God!

1 Corinthians 9:25-27

And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Personal Challenge

As we strive to discipline our bodies and our passions through ascetical practices we must remember that it is not about just doing these things because they are there for us to do. Paul reminds us that we live this life of discipline with purpose and focus. We target those passions and sins that we know we need to take care of. We confess those areas of our lives, read scriptures that guide us through our discipline and do the right kinds of “exercises” to heal that part of our lives. My flight instructor from many years ago told me, “Practice does not make perfect! Perfect practice makes perfect!” Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner and correct my vision and focus!

Zechariah 8:7-8

Thus says the Lord Almighty: ‘Behold, I shall deliver My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west. I shall bring them in and settle them in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be to Me a people and I will be to them a God in truth and in righteousness.’

Encouraging Words

Israel had been living in exile from their promised land for a long time. They desired to be home again. It was their sin that got them exiled and their continued sin that kept them there. Aren’t we in a similar situation? Jesus proclaimed the He was establishing the new, heavenly kingdom with His incarnation. Heaven exists today and we can be living within its spiritual boundaries, yet we choose to sin and be exiled from it. Just as God promised the Israelites that He would bring them back to their promised land out of exile, He also promised us that through Christ, His incarnation, His sinless life, His death, burial, and resurrection, that we too will be brought out of exile into His present kingdom. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner, and bring me home.