Matthew 3-4 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Matthew 3:1-4:25.

“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Be gone, Satan! for it is written, ” ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve” ‘ ” (Matthew 4:8-10).

Don’t miss the real temptation. Satan is not tempting Jesus with kingship, rule, and power. According to Psalm 110:1-7, Jesus was already promised all this from His Father. He was going to rule all the kingdoms of the world anyway. The temptation was that God’s way to the throne was going to be hard. He had already had to leave heaven to accomplish it. He was going to spend 3 years wandering as an itinerant teacher. He was going to be rejected, mocked, ridiculed, and eventually crucified to get to rule. Satan essentially said, “Hey, why bother with all of that? Here is an easier, softer way. Just bow down and worship me once. Just once. You don’t have to do it for the rest of your life. If you just worship me here and now, you won’t have to take up that cross.” But Jesus refused. He chose God’s way, though it included the cross. And I’m so thankful, because God’s way allowed me to be saved. Satan’s way might have given Jesus rule of the world (though I’m convinced Satan is a liar and would have yanked it out from under Jesus instead of really giving Him the rule), but it would have kept me and you from being saved.

I’m so glad to see this. First, because it lets me know I’m not alone. Satan tempts me all the time. Sometimes I begin to think I’m the only one going through this pressure. But even Jesus went through it. Second, it lets me know how to defeat the temptation. Just rely on God, His Word, and His way. God’s way always works. Third, I’m glad to read it because it helps me really identify Satan’s temptations. I often overlook temptation and sin with a dismissive, “Oh, surely God wouldn’t have a problem with that.” What I need to look for is when my choices include God’s way and the easier softer way. Satan often promises me the very same thing God does. He simply says I don’t have pick up my cross to get the promise. I need to be able to say, “Not today, Satan. I’m going God’s way. It may be harder, but it works.”

Which way are you going today? God’s way or the easier softer way?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? Add your input by clicking the following link: Post a Comment.

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*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Mark 1-2 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Mark 1:1-2:28.

“And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners’” (Mark 2:17).

Can you imagine going to the doctor because you are not feeling well, but covering up the festering wound that is the heart of the infection because it embarrasses you to actually be sick? That would be ridiculous. And yet, that is exactly what I want to do with Jesus.

I need to rethink the advice I hear from my constant internal image consultant. That little inner voice tells me I need to cover up my sinfulness. I need to hide it. I need to present myself as righteous. I need to demonstrate that I’m good enough. Then Christ will want me. But that is not at all what He says. He wants sinners.

That is great. That means He is calling me. I can run to Him. I can show Him my sins and He will work on them. I can let Him in to see the real me. More than that, I can let me see the real me. I can pull off my blinders, take a long hard look at what I need to hand over to Jesus to clean up.

He is not asking for the few, the proud, the righteous. He is calling those who will admit they are sinners in need of a Savior.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? Click here to add your input.

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*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

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 5:1-6:20.

“He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness” (Hebrews 5:2).

No doubt there is a time to rebuke the arrogant and impenitent sinner. Those who wish to treat God with disdain need to be chastised and disciplined. But through all of this, I need to have a healthy respect for my own sins. I cannot stand up as anyone’s judge and jury. After all, if I were living under the Old Covenant as a priest, I would have to offer sacrifices for my own sins as well as everyone else’s.

When I have a healthy recognition of my own sins and struggles, I can deal more appropriately with the sins of others. This doesn’t mean ignoring the sins of others. That would be wrong. But it does mean dealing gently with the ignorant and wayward. After all, aren’t I in the same boat as they are? Should I act as if I have the right to blast and belittle? Or should I recognize we both need the same thing? We both need Jesus to be our guide and strength.

Today, I need to think about my own weakness before I start commenting on someone else’s. That is when my comments will be appropriate.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

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 13:1-14:72.

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.’ But he said emphatically, ‘If I must die with you, I will not deny you.’ And they all said the same” (Mark 14:30-31).

How many times have I told Jesus I will not commit some sin ever again? How many times have I done it again? But I am not alone. Even Peter, the great apostle, did the exact same thing.

Of course, this doesn’t give me permission to go out sinning today. It simply reminds me that if Peter did this and Jesus accepted Him, providing Him with progressive victory and growth, Jesus will do the same thing for me. I must not revel in my failures. They are not a badge of honor, but a cloak of humility. However, I do not have to linger in despair over them either.

I will still make my commitments to overcome. But, when I falter, I will not turn away from Jesus but turn back to Him. 

Thank you, God, for you grace in Jesus Christ.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Romans 7:1-8:39.

I hadn’t read 5 verses before I was given some direction for today. Paul said, “Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God” (Romans 7:4).

Why did Jesus redeem me? Why did Jesus die for me? Why did Jesus save me? Not so I could carry on with life as usual. Not so I could sit on my thumbs in His name. Not so I could go to church every week. Not so I could keep on sinning but get forgiveness with a prayer every night. Jesus did all this so I could bear fruit for God. While living in the flesh, my sinful passions worked in my members to bear fruit for death (Romans 7:5). I must not continue in that.

I have two options today, submit myself to the slavery of sin again or submit myself to slavery to God. Today, I need to bear fruit for Him, not just sit on my thumbs thinking I’m saved just so I can lounge about.

I’ll put a question to you, what can I do to bear fruit for God today?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 5:1-6:15.

To me, Acts 5 contains one of the most shocking stories of the entire New Testament. Ananias and Sapphira lied about the price of their property when they laid the money at the apostles’ feet. With very little time to repent, God took extreme measures and killed the couple. Admittedly, that seems a little harsh to us. Death for lying? When some read this today, they believe God is immoral, hateful, cruel. That is sad, because they are missing the point.

The story is not to teach us that our God is an immoral killer. The story is to teach us exactly how bad sin is. Ezekiel 18:20 had said, “The soul who sins shall die.” Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.” 

Here, at the beginning of the new covenant, God gave a great demonstration. Our sins are not light matters. Our sins make us worthy of death. God, as judge of the universe, has every right to meet out that judgment immediately. The fact is with every lie we’ve told, we deserved death from God for sinning against Him. When we think that is harsh, that doesn’t mean we are more enlightened than God; it means we lack the understanding of how tragic every sin really is. Have you ever lied? Then you need a Savior.

What is truly amazing is not that God struck down Ananias and Sapphira immediately. Rather, it is amazing that the pages of Scripture are not covered with the blood of sinners. It is amazing that you and I are still standing, having been given time to repent and receive the free gift of God which is eternal life (Romans 6:23). The pages of the New Testament are not covered with the blood of sinners because they are covered with the blood of Jesus who died so we don’t have to. Praise God!

***Question: What are some other shocking things you find in Scripture and what do you learn from them?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Today’s reading is Romans 5:1-6:23.

I can’t help but see how folks can easily ride the pendulum of extremes from Romans 6:1. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?”

Keep in mind that Paul spent most of the first five chapters dealing with the objection, “I’m no sinner.” He pointed out whether I am a Gentile or a Jew, I sinned. The Gentiles turned from God’s natural revelation to worship the creature rather than the Creator. The Jews, despite having the oracles of God, broke their commands. 

For all those people claiming they aren’t that bad, Paul wrote Romans 3:10-18, 23. He then started talking about the salvation offered through faith in Jesus because of His obedience and life. Is he able to just move on and delve into awesome teaching about spiritual growth? No.

First, he has to deal with the objection from the opposite extreme. People go from trying to claim they aren’t a sinner to saying, “Dude, I’m a sinner, but that’s okay. The more I sin the more I rely on God’s grace. So, actually I should just keep on sinning so God’s grace can abound. (hiccup) Hand me another beer.”

Paul’s answer: “By no means! how can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:2).

We need to walk away from the extremes and instead walk on Christ’s strait and narrow path between these extremes. If we want to claim we have no sin, we’re liars (cf. I John 1:8). On the other hand if we want to embrace and continue in sin even if it’s for the seemingly noble reason of honoring God’s grace, we’ll still die (Romans 6:23). Jesus’ middle path is to recognize we are sinners and need a Savior. Then we honor His grace by using the freedom from sin it gives us to pursue the things of the Spirit.

Certainly, it’s a growth process. We won’t be perfect today. But we’ll grow in the Spirit as we stay in God’s word.

By the way, I can’t get past this passage without pointing out part of the Roman Road to Salvation that is usually left out of the tracts.

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”–Romans 6:3-4

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Romans 3:1-4:25.

I’ve been a Christian for almost 23 years. In that time I’ve fought with varying degrees of success against sin. However, in that fight, for a long time, I maintained that really I had never been that much of a sinner. I had done a few things here and there, but it’s not like I was a murderer or anything.

As you can see, I was easily growing into the Pharisee who looked at the publican and essentially said, “Hey God, be thankful I’m not like that guy.”

All that changed when I was encouraged to actually write out an inventory. Go through my history and write down the sins I’d committed. Pick the top couple and give as complete a history of my involvement in those sins as I could. I was amazed. No, I didn’t suddenly remember that I had in fact murdered someone. However, I was brought face to face with the fact that I don’t just kind of need a Savior, I absolutely need a Savior.

Of course, this is what Paul is driving at in Romans 3:10-18. No one is righteous. We’ve all turned aside. Our throat is an open grave. Venom is under our tongues. Our feet are swift to shed blood. We have no fear of God in our eyes. That is exactly where we were before Jesus came on the scene. Even if you really can write out your list and it only contains a handful of minor infractions (though I doubt you can do that), sinning at all puts us at odds with God. Jesus is the one who reconciles us.

If you haven’t done it, I encourage you write your own inventory. Be gentle with yourself. Make sure you have someone you can call when the emotions overwhelm you and make you want to escape through your favorite sin. Come face to face with how much you really need Jesus. It is humbling and helpful.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of today’s reading?