Today’s reading is Revelation 21:1-22:21.

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates” (Revelation 22:14).

Who is blessed? Not those who kept their robes free from every stain. Not those who never fell, soiling their robes in the mud. Not those who never rubbed their robes against the dusty earth. Rather, those who have washed their robes. Those who have surrendered to the Lamb and to His blood (Revelation 7:14). His blood does not leave an uncleanable stain, but rather makes us unstainably clean. 

We are blessed not because we have kept ourselves clean but because we went to Jesus to be cleansed. He grants us the right to the tree of life. What Adam lost, we regain in Jesus. While Adam was cast out of the garden and held at bay by the angel with flaming sword, we may enter the city of God through the gates by the blood of Jesus Christ. We may splash in the living water and sup from the tree of life. We may sing praises with the angels of God.

Keep the faith and keep reading.

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is John 7:1-8:59.

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

Jesus did not say, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you right.” For far too long that is how I’ve read this verse. It was as if the issue was simply knowing the truth. If I knew the truth, I’d be right and that was better than being wrong. But the point of the truth is not just to know the truth. The point of the truth is to be set free from my sin.

When I know the truth, it will set me free. I need to learn the truth not to be smarter than someone else, righter than someone else, better than someone else. I need to learn the truth or I will forever be in bondage to my sins.

Thank you, God, for revealing your truth. Sanctify me by your truth.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is 1 Timothy 4:1-5:25.

“For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:10).

Why can I strive and toil today? Because my hope isn’t based on my striving and toiling. If it was, I’d be in trouble. But, my hope is set on the living God. He is the Savior of all who will be saved. He has the ability to save. He has the love to save. He has the plan to save. He wants to save me. He will save those who believe.

Because he is worthy of my hope, I can do my part today by striving and toiling for Him. I know that through His power, my striving and toiling will actually accomplish something. I know that He will accomplish something in me and through me.

Today, I want to focus on godliness, reverence toward God, because I know by God’s power it will actually be helpful to my eternity.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Mark 11:1-12:44.

“And they brought one. and he said to them, ‘whose likeness and inscription is this?’ They said to him, ‘Caesar’s.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they marveled at him” (Mark 12:16-17).

The denarius was Caesar’s because it had his likeness on it. If I want to know what is God’s, I must discover what has His likeness on it. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). Where do I find God’s image inscribed? Not on 10% of my income or possessions. I find God’s image inscribed on me.

I may render taxes to the government. I must render me to God. When I give myself to God, the issues of money, behavior, allegiance, service, relationships, will follow naturally.

I must give myself to God today. Everything else will take care of itself.

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 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?

Today’s reading is Galatians 1:1-2:21.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

I think I get it now. I’ve not allowed this verse to have its full impact in my life. I was baptized, crucified with Christ (cf Romans 6:1-6). Since then I’ve been telling Christ, “Watch this, see how I can live my life for You.” I was certainly sincere in this. I have wanted to serve Christ. I’ve been doing my best. But wasn’t that the problem that led me to Christ in the first place? My best only put me right back into sin (cf Romans 7:14-24). Why would it do any different now?

Paul doesn’t say to tell Jesus, “I’ll do my best to live for You.” Rather, Jesus is saying, “Quit trying to live. I’ll live my best for you.” I need to quit trying to live my life and simply start letting Jesus live through me. What does He want? Do that. Of course, that is going to take faith. Jesus won’t treat me like a puppet. It’s my choice to let Him live through me by my faith. But I have to make a conscious decision to quit trying to live my life, even if I’m trying to live it for Him. Instead, I need to let Him live my life through me. I need to surrender myself to Him, His will, His goals, His life.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Romans 13:1-14:23.

“The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (Romans 13:12-14).

I needed to read this today. Thank you, God, for the reminder. Some days are harder than others. Some days are fraught with temptation. Today is one of those days for me. I needed this reminder that my job today is not to make provision for the lusts of my flesh. Today, I need to put on Jesus Christ. I need to wear Him like clothing, like armor of light. I need to surrender the works of darkness that are tempting me to Him. I need to throw them away from me and just let Him guide me into the next right thing.

As Galatians 2:20 says, I need to let Jesus live in me today. I need to work on increasing my faith in Him today. I need to understand that pursuing orgies, drunkenness, immorality, sensuality, quarreling, jealousy, et al, will not draw me closer to God, but drive a wedge between us. These will not make me the man I want to be but will lead me further down a path of guilt, shame, and slavery.

Today, I’m going to wear Jesus.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Romans 9:1-10:21.

“What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law” (Romans 9:30-31).

Does that passage really say that? does it really say that the ones who did not pursue righteousness attained righteousness and the ones who did pursue righteousness did not attain it? That is exactly what it says. How many times have I stumbled over this very stone?

But here it is, plain for all to see. As long as I’m trying to pursue a law to lead to righteousness, I’ll fall short. I won’t succeed in reaching the law. In fact, I’ve already botched the law. However, if I quit my personal pursuit of my own righteousness, filled with struggling and white-knuckling my way through each day, but instead pursue faith in Jesus, then I’ll actually get the righteousness I’m so hungry for. That doesn’t seem quite right in my mind, but perhaps that is why God has told me to trust Him instead of leaning on my own understanding.

Today, then, I’ll focus on building my faith in Jesus. If I pursue that faith, then I’ll attain the righteousness I want.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 25:1-26:32.

“They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee. And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers” (Acts 26:7).

What a turn around for Paul. For a long time his hope was in his ability to live according to the strictest party of his religion. However, on this day, he was on trial because his hope had changed. No longer was his hope in himself. No longer was it in his religious party. No longer was it in keeping the law. His hope was in God’s promise of eternal life in Jesus Christ, the resurrected Savior.

Where is my hope today? In me? In my church? In keeping God’s law? Or is it in the promise of Jesus Christ? When it is in Jesus Christ, what will that look like in my life? Today, I need to put my hope in the resurrected Savior and live like that is where my hope is.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?