Filthy Rags
Father, there is such great assurance in Your presence. Thank You for going before me yesterday. I realize that it is an everyday occurrence but I don’t ever want to take it for granted. I am blessed. Amen.
Matthew 3:7-10 (<<click the green)
Wow! Reading what John had to say the religious leaders of his day makes me step back a bit. He sure didn’t sugar coat it. He pretty much laid it all out and they, within just a few moments, knew exactly what he thought about them.
In our Bible study last night we discussed people of “religion” if you will. Many feel that they have the bases covered because they are so diligent in following the rules and regulations. Many feel that their eternal destiny is secure because their daddy was a believer and his daddy before him and his daddy before him, etc., etc. But John made it very clear that none of those things proved anything.
As Isaiah proclaimed “our righteous deeds…are nothing but filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:5-7) Nothing we are, nothing we can say, nothing we can do is worth anything in regards to our standing before God – it is all worthless. The only thing that is worth anything is when we turn from our way and give ourselves over to God’s way. John calls to us as well, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.”
We cannot earn our salvation by our deeds – that is a gift from God alone – but we must show by our deeds that salvation has taken place.
Lord, I am grateful that You have offered me salvation. It was at great cost to You – your very life. You gave Your life when mine should have been forfeit – my sins should have resulted in my death. But You took my place. Lord… may I “prove by the way [I] live” that I have turned from my sinful ways and turned to You. May my life be living proof of that relationship. Amen.
Sept 26th, Tues, 6:47 am
Lion Ahead of Me
There is such a peace that passes understanding being in Your hands, Father (Philippians 4:7). Help me to remain in the center of Your will this day and every day. Amen.
“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
At many periods in our lives, we can look ahead and begin to feel overwhelmed. There is no end to the many things that could be included on this list. And they can be quite different for each of us. But, Lord, as I look ahead to what this week may hold, I turn to You.
This verse from Deuteronomy is part of Moses’ farewell speech to Joshua and the people of Israel. This was a time of great transition. There were on the verge of stepping into the land promised them. There were some “knowns” but many unknowns. Moses was driving home the fact that they were not going it alone.
He proclaims, “For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you.” God, himself, was personally going ahead of them! Anything and everything they would come up against would have to go through God first. There was no reason to be afraid. There was no reason to panic. It was proven over and over again that He would “neither fail…nor abandon” them.
Lord, this week is really no different than the 54 plus years of weeks I have gone through before. It is full of “knowns” and unknowns but regardless of what lays ahead absolutely everything I will come up against has to go through You first…and You have never failed or abandoned me. Help me to boldly go forward. May I be “strong and courageous” as I walk in Your strength and Your courage for there is nothing to fear, for You, Lord, the Lion of Judah, are personally going ahead of me! Thank You, Lord! Amen.
Sept 25th, Mon, 6:37 am
Deep to-the-Core Cleaning
Father, I am thankful for Your presence this morning and through the night. I was up and down a fair amount but I feel rested and ready to go for the day. May we be attentive to what You would have for us today as we gather for times of worship. Amen.
Matthew 3:1-6 (<<click the green)
John the Baptist, a man whose personality seemed as coarse as his attire, was the forerunner of Christ. He got the ball rolling, by calling people to “repent from [their] sins and turn to God…” and then gave them the opportunity to publically proclaim their repentance by being baptized in the Jordan River.
He was swayed by no one. Everyone was called to repentance from the lowliest of the low to the highest of the high – religious and public leaders included. Much as his attire would have been, he was abrasive.
If I was trying to clean a well-used shower, I wouldn’t go about cleaning it with a handful of tissues. They would not be able to handle the job, they would just fall apart. I would use a stiff scrub brush or a sturdy wash rag of some sort.
John the Baptist was out to bring people to repentance. He wasn’t a warm and fuzzy kind of guy. Sin is not something that can be handled with a “tissue”. Only God, the most powerful being in the entirety of all that is, can eradicate its stain. And John was His front man. John set the stage for who was coming. And he wasn’t out to tickle anyone’s fancy – he was prepping for a deep to-the-core cleaning that only Jesus could bring about.
Lord, I am grateful for the sacrifice You made so that I could be made clean from the stains I placed upon myself. I could in no way apply that deep to-the-core cleaning to myself. Only by repenting of my sins and turning to You did that take place.
Yes, I am grateful that even today when I get myself into things that require Your cleansing touch, that You do not hesitate to offer to scrub me clean. Help me to submit to You. May I not put it off. Make me clean even now. Fill me. Use me. Amen.
Sept 24th, Sun, 6:29 am
Clouds Obscuring the Moon
Father, I would ask that You would continue to draw me into Your presence. My bed was enticing but I want to see what You have for me today. I earnestly pray that I will never grow weary of our time together.
Philippians 2:14-18 (<< click the green)
Lord, I love the symbolism that is brought out in my study Bible, that I am called to not let the cloudiness of complaining and arguing to hide the light of our response to Your Word. Or maybe a little better way to say it is that if we let negative emotions control us it’s sort of like us being the moon, which reflects the light of Your Son and then letting clouds (negative emotions) obscure the light that we are to reflect. It diminishes our light, our witness and instead of drawing people to You the focus is shifted to our negative emotions.
You’re helping me address this in my public life (work, church) but I’m definitely squelching Your aid in my private life. It’s bad enough that I let the negative dictate my “reflection” when I’m alone (driving comes to mind) but it’s really bad when it happens and I’m around Karen. She way too often gets an obstructed view of You in my life – sometimes a little but many times it is so strong that it leaves us in total darkness. This is a “me” thing that I cannot bring under control by myself – I’m blind and weak Only Your intervention can help me get a handle on it. Lord, please “pierce the darkness” in this area of my life with the radiant glory of Your presence and Your love in my life – shine through!!
Lord, I want to be an uplifting (i.e. lifting up to You!) influence in my role as a husband. We have too much darkness in our lives which we have little control over (work, family issues, health, etc.) So I don’t need to add to it. Shine through me, please, I pray. Help me to reflect Your glory, Your mindset in a crooked world.
May 20th, Wed, 6:26 am
Hide it Under a Bushel…NO!
As I come to write this morning, Father, it is pitch-black dark outside. The only light, beyond the occasional passing vehicle, are the lights in the room where I sit.
This is the world in which I find myself.
Even after the sun comes up, from a spiritual perspective much of the world around me will be pitch-black dark. There are many others glowing with Your love but so, so many are not. They are lost. They are searching. They are stumbling around trying to find their way, many not even knowing for what they are looking. May I steadily and brightly shine, glowing with Your love within me, that they may be drawn to You. Amen.
14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:14-16
Lord, You said that I am the “light of the world.” You shining forth through me is a powerful force. That, in and of itself, can have great impact…but is there more required of me? Your love glowing in me will attract others to its light but I do believe that You call me to “let [my] good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
I am not called to just be a passive light shining in the darkness. You have given me a clear call to action! What all that means specifically I am going to have to think on some.
Lord, may I shine brightly, with Your love and presence in my life radiating for all the world to see. And once You have the world’s attention may my “good deeds” impact them, as well, so much so that they want to know more and most importantly, that they want to know You! Amen.
Sept 20th, Wed, 6:28 am