Today’s reading is Hebrews 11:1-12:29.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” (Hebrews 12:1).

What a cloud of witnesses: Able, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. Here are children of God that wrestled with different issues, committed different sins, struggled in different ways. But they all had one thing in common. They believed God. Because they believed God, they cast off their sins, their doubts, their hindrances and they grabbed hold of God.

Instead of letting the obstacles get in the way, they held on to God and received His blessing. I can’t help but think of Jacob wrestling with the angel as a very literal example of this. Here are people just like me who increased their faith and through that cast off their weight and sins. Because they removed the excess baggage, they were able to run with endurance the race God set before them. I can do the same. The fact is I can’t become more like Christ if I continue to feed the obsession with sin. I have to stop feeding it, cast it off, quit pursuing it. I have to let it go even if it means cutting off my own hand or plucking out my own eye. Half measure will avail nothing.

Today, instead of hanging on to my sins, I must lay them aside, no matter how closely they cling. Then I will be able to run with endurance.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Hebrews 9:1-10:39.

“How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14).

I see that I have a problem. Even though I’m in Christ and have received forgiveness, I allow my conscience to be plagued by my past sins instead of purified from them. I know there must be a balance here. If I completely forget that I’ve sinned, I will forget my need for Jesus. However, when I allow my past sins to plague me, I generally get sucked back into them because of the guilt and shame they carry.

The Hebrew writer demonstrates that Jesus’ death cleanses and purifies my conscience. The part of me that considers right and wrong and chooses to act is set aright by Jesus. As it is purified, I’m set free from the bondage of dead works in order to serve the living God. That is exactly what I want.

If I am going to serve the living God today, my conscience must be purified by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. If Jesus is going to purify my conscience, I need to quit dragging those dead works back into my conscience. Instead, I need to let them stay in the past, purified by Jesus and His death so that today I can serve the living God. Dwelling on those past mistakes doesn’t help me. It hurts me. Jesus has dealt with them. I need to let it go at that.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Hebrews 3:1-4:16.

“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:12-13).

I must take care that I do not fall away from the living God. I must do that. But, I can’t help but see that I don’t have to do it alone. Instead, we must do it together. We must encourage one another. We must exhort one another. We must help one another. Otherwise we will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

I need others. I need others to encourage me. I need others to build me up. I need others to exhort me. But, of course, if I will gain this from others, I have to open up to them. Certainly, the general nature of encouragement can be helpful. But I do know I receive a lot more help from those who know what I deal with in specific rather than just the general. I’m so glad I’ve got brothers who know me and still are willing to encourage me.

Thank you, God, for brethren.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Hebrews 1:1-2:18.

“For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18).

For the longest time, I thought the help I needed from Jesus was forgiveness after I’ve already sinned. I do need that help, but that is not the help the Hebrew writer talks about. He says Jesus can help me when I am being tempted. I do not have to face the temptation fight alone and then turn to Jesus if I failed. Rather, when I’m in the temptation, I can turn to Jesus.

I can turn to Jesus by getting into His word. I can turn to Jesus through prayer. I can turn to Jesus by getting help from Jesus’ people. I can ask for strength. I can ask to find in Jesus whatever I’m looking for in the proffered temptation. I do not have to wait to receive God’s grace through Jesus after I’ve sinned, I can seek His grace to have the strength to overcome my sins.

I’m not facing temptation alone. I’m facing life with Jesus at my side.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is 2 Peter 2:1-3:18.

“Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment” (2 Peter 2:9).

God was able to rescue lot from Sodom and Gomorrah. But that rescue was not simply from the destruction that would come upon them. No, it was rescue from their perversity and sin. Lot was tormented by their unrighteousness and God delivered him from that. In the same way, though we are surrounded by temptation and trial, God can keep us and protect us.

Instead of facing my temptations and trying to overcome them on my own. I need to flee into God’s arms and let Him protect me. I need to simply find His direction and follow it. He will be able to protect me from my temptations. He will be able to protect me from myself. As long as I’m fighting the battles with my own strength, I will fall. But when I rely on God and turn to Him for protection, He will give it. I can take comfort knowing that God is actively working on my behalf to protect me from sin.

Today, I need to get into God’s word, find His direction for me and follow it. That is the only way I’ll overcome.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

PPS: For all you sticklers out there, I know we have no idea what the fruit in the garden was. If you find a picture that represents temptation without an apple, send it my way.

Today’s reading is 1 Peter 1:1-2:25.

“…knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

Too often I’ve thought that grace was God’s ability to overlook my sins. But that is not true. God has not overlooked my sins. He hasn’t winked at a single one. Rather, He has stared at them in all His glory and all my horror. He could not help but see them glaring from my heart.  He does not dismiss them; He deals with them. He does not wink at them; He washes them away. He does not pass over them; He pays for them. What is the purchase price for my sins? Not gold. Not silver. Not all the money in the world. The purchase price was Jesus’ blood.

No longer can I dismiss my sins with a wink and a nod toward God’s grace. “Oh well, we’re all human, that’s what God’s grace is for.” God’s grace is not some ethereal force out there wandering around looking for sins to cover up from God’s eyes. God’s grace is the blood of Jesus Christ. Every sin I commit costs Jesus’ life. Every lie, every idle gossip, every look of lust, every cheat on a test, every rebellious notion is only paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ.

How can I turn a blind eye to my sins when God did not? How can I wink at my wrongs when the cost is so great? How can I dismiss my defects when Jesus’ death is the purchase price for them? Today, I’m going to throw myself into Jesus’ hands to grow in Him by His grace so I am not asking the price to be paid again.

Yes, when I fail, I know the price has been paid and I’m eternally grateful. But I will not devalue that price by assuming Jesus paid it so I could sin as much as I wanted.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Mark 9:1-10:52.

“And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. and if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell” (Mark 9:43-47).

Is it a sin to have hands, feet, and eyes? Of course not. But this is often my problem. I legalistically want to hang on to anything and everything you can’t prove is sinful. I don’t want to consider if it’s helpful or a hindrance to glorifying God. I just want to know, “Can you prove it is a sin?”

If I would overcome my sins by the grace of God today, I need to see what is leading me to sin. Is going to the same parties causing me to cave to drunkenness? Is walking down certain store aisles leading me to lust? Is hanging out with certain friends causing me to mistreat my wife? Is it wrong to go to any parties? Is it a sin to walk down certain aisles? Is it error to hang out with friends? No. No. And no. But should I stop? Absolutely. I can’t keep preparing the way for sin and then think I can keep from sinning.

Today, I must not only keep from pursuing the lusts of my flesh, I must not make provisions for them either. If something leads me to sin, I need to cut it off. Get rid of it. I must do this whether the thing I’m casting away is a sin or not. That is the only way to take God’s gracious way of escape.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Mark 7:1-8:38.

“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:35).

The depth of scripture is astounding. The layers in one verse amazing.

Those who preserve their physical lives by stepping off of God’s path will lose their eternal lives. Those who so surrender to God even to the point of physical death will be granted eternal life.

Those who want to hang on to their lives by hanging on to their goals, wants, desires, plans, possessions at the expense of God’s goals, wants, desires, plans, possession will lose the life that matters. Those who give up their own ends for God’s will gain an abundant life they cannot imagine.

But today I recognized a third layer. Those who believe they can save themselves by their own strength, power, will, self-discipline, strict adherence, will lose their lives. Only those who understand they cannot save themselves and therefore give control of their life to Jesus (cf. Galatians 2:20) will gain eternal life. As long as I think I will save me by doing God’s will good enough, I will never make it. Once I concede I won’t do God’s will good enough and just give myself to Jesus, then God will grant me the grace, by faith, to overcome and be victorious.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Colossians 3:1-4:18.

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him…Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:17, 23).

Whatever I do. That doesn’t mean half of what I do, some of what I do, what I do on Sundays, what I do when people are watching. It means whatever I do. I know that second statement was written specifically to slaves, but I can’t help but see the connection between the two verses. Further, I can’t help but think the second statement doesn’t only apply to those ancient slaves.

Whatever I do, I must do it in the Lord’s name. I must do it by His authority. I must do it by His power and empowerment. I must be confident that I can look at Jesus and claim, “Lord, I’m doing this because you have granted that I can and should. I know you are happy that I’m doing this.”

Whatever I do, I must do it heartily, as for God and not men. I’m walking through life. I do things for family, friends, neighbors, brethren, employers, the government. Who am I really working for? Who am I really serving as I live. I’m serving God. I can’t help but think of Daniel who did his work well, without any neglect. Why? Because he knew he was working for God.

Whatever I do, I’m serving God.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Galatians 3:1-4:31.

“So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:7).

This is great! Do I need to obey and honor my Father? Of course. That is what sons do. But I don’t have to crawl around on my hands and knees in constant fear of getting whipped because I’m a slave. In fact, my great privilege is there is an inheritance waiting for me because I’m a son.

How did I get to be a son? Because the Father sent His only begotten Son into the world to redeem me, to purchase me, to adopt me. God wanted me to be His son so badly, He let his “biological son,” if you will, die so I could become His adopted son. I get the inheritance and I don’t have to pay for it. I simply need to live like a son. I need to revel that i’m part of the family of the king of the universe. I should honor and glorify Him for bringing me into the family.

Wow! What a privilege I’ve been given. I need to remember that privilege today.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?