Breaking through

God created the way to enter into fellowship with Him.

God took the form of a man – Jesus – and took on all of sins of the world to pave the way, to make the path, to secure salvation for us.

He sees what we cannot see. He gives what we cannot give.

And He loves in ways we cannot comprehend.

This Jesus, our Jesus, took on the sin, pain, guilt, and shame. It is challenging enough for me to think about it in terms of my own sin.

But what about that one who hurt my loved one, did something vile to me or my family, has no remorse or regret, is blind to the consequences of their sin — and isn’t even convinced they have sinned?

Jesus died for all – even them.

Our sin is heavy, it can be debilitating, it can be suffocating. It is a burden.

Drag your burdens to the cross. Leave them there. Trust in God — He is working on your behalf. He has provided the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Jesus can carry it all.

Sacrifices

Some sacrifices hold more weight than others.

We might come close to imagining the weight of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. But it is heavy.

Jesus took on all of our

missteps
mistakes
selfishness
arrogance
rebellion
insistence
anger
hatred
violence
lies
deceit
cheating
unbelief
denial
sins

Our list alone is enough. And then multiply it by all of humanity. All that has and all that will happen.

All for us.

This is a gift from God. This is sacrifice. This is Jesus.

Setting the tone

It’s a heavy week in the Christian world. There are so many moments — highs and lows — and I feel them.

From Jesus coming to the people, riding on a donkey…

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!”

to the dark days of deception and distance and darkness and death…

to the Resurrection!!!

And everything in between! So much is happening.

And while we can read about it sometimes we can even feel it. It may feel more real as we sit in a worship service during this week and hear The Word preached or it may be wrapped up in our confession or creed or a hymn. It can also be felt and, maybe, better conceptualized when we see a re-enactment or watch a film about it —

For me, at least, it is so hard to imagine the triumph of this week in the midst of the deep darkness, but it is worth wrestling with. It helps me understand just a little bit more about the depths of God’s love for me and what He has done for me.

The sacrifice. The death. The resurrection.

God’s provision for us is all encompassing. It is the beginning and the end.

He is the beginning and the end. And everything in between.

May your week be filled with awe and wonder at the heights and depths of God’s love and provision for you!

By Situation

Sometimes you might notice that a lot of people in your world are struggling with similar things. Or there is something big happening in the world.

Present those people to God by situation.

You probably already do this. I mentioned yesterday that sometimes we drive by an accident and we have no idea who is involved. But you can be sure God does.

And when you know of big things happening in your community, state. country, or our world it is easy to think we have so little to offer. But I would like to challenge that. Of course, prayer is the first place we should turn to. Interceding for situations — whether they are within our reach are not — should always be our first step of action.

Then, as we bring the circumstances before God, He may give you ideas about how you can go beyond the intercession and contribute tangibly to the solution. Sometimes we are encouraged to take the next step and make a donation of money/goods or we might decide to volunteer for a day, a season, or a year. It’s hard to say. There are so many ways for us to serve. I believe God puts things on our hearts and then He is happy to help us discern our next moves.

As I think about bigger situations, and my goodness, there are a lot of them happening now with war and wildfires and outbreaks and so much division on so many levels.

I pray for the leadership of the bigger situations, whether or not I agree with them. I pray for God to work through the circumstances so people can see His provision and recognize God for who He is and to become aware of their contribution to the problem.

I pray for those who are decision makers to be humble and to really take stock in what they are doing (or not doing) for the good of the people.

And, I pray that those with their hands in the situation will have a moment where they really see God has loved them all along and that He desires for them to know the Truth.

What situations are heavy on your heart right now? Go straight to God with them — even if you don’t know what to say. I often will pray for peace – even though I have no idea what it will take for the circumstance to reach peace. God knows. And I know He has been working on it. He sees the much bigger picture. He sees these situations through the eyes of generations. I get glimpses of that when I read the Bible and see how many years people were in captivity and how many years they wandered in the dessert. Some things take a long time to come to fruition.

We are in a world that is full of sin and selfishness. My own included. Taking time to intercede for bigger situations helps me remember that life isn’t all about me. There is a bigger world out there that needs our prayers!

It’s personal…

It might be easy to look at the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion and be shocked and disappointed about the betrayal by those who had a role in this agonizing and heartbreaking moment as it unfolded.

How could they?

How could God?

Jesus’ disciples, friends, and family had a front row seat. I can’t imagine watching it all. It’s easy to point an incredulous finger and have a look of disgust. But I have to remember that even though this took place before I drew my first breath, God’s plan was laid out…

…for me and my rebellion…

….for you and yours…

It’s personal.

God’s love came down and took our sins on as His own.

God provides all that we cannot: love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, and salvation.

I can be insensitive

I have noticed lately that I my tolerance for people has dropped a little. It might be the space I am in, but I usually can give the benefit – of – the – doubt to most people, until I can’t. It is at that point I know I am stretched too far and need some rejuvenation from God’s Word and time in prayer.

If I don’t heed the warning signs: hasty judgements, snappy comebacks, a feeling of general agitation, I am bound to misunderstand, misinterpret, and fire back a woefully insensitive, and probably rude, statement.

I have seen it happen before. And then there is the cycle of feeling terrible about it when it happens. The key is to head these types of things off way before they are able to take root and grow like crazy.

Being in close communication with my Creator helps quite a bit. But it isn’t just at the start of my day — I need close communication throughout the day. Given the pressures of the day and this life, it is easy to slip into a unbecoming attitude. The closer I am tethered to God, the greater the grace that comes out of my life.

The work…

The work has been done.

God’s work has been done — it is full and complete. Jesus did it all for you and for me.

We don’t have to strive. We don’t have to figure out how to be acceptable. We don’t have to beat ourselves up. We don’t have to listen to satan’s lies and deception any longer.

It is finished. We are free to rest in God’s goodness, and in God’s deliverance. Jesus bore the brunt of it all and paved the way for each of us.

It is a relief that, because of Jesus, I am worthy. I am God’s creation. And yes, of course there is sin and sadness, there is pain and regret. But, there is salvation. There is more to come.

Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for walking that walk. Thank you for your sacrifice for me. Thank you for the gift of New Life! Amen.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness.

Psalm 51: 13 – 19

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
¹⁴Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
¹⁵O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

¹⁸Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
¹⁹then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness.

Sin is sin. The earthly consequences often differ, but in the end, we are all guilty.

I believe satan loves to poke and needle the guilty. He wants us to never forget our sins. And his goal seems to be to interrupt or delay the recognition of our sin as sin and distract us from going to our Deliverer.

Have you ever been stuck in the cycle of sin-guilt-shame-hiding-isolation- discouragement-frustration-anger-distance-sin? It might look a little different in your life, but this type of cycle does not produce healing. Somewhere in the cycle needs to be the confession-forgiveness-deliverance!

Don’t let yourself be fooled by satan and his tactics. The world certainly gives us every reason to justify our behavior. We have been through a lot recently and it looks like things aren’t easing up just yet. But God — He longs to restore and renew us. Daily confession brings daily deliverance. What a beautiful way to start a new day!

Take not your Holy Spirit from me

Psalm 51: 7-12

⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
⁹Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.
¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right spirit within me.
¹¹Cast me not away from your presence,
    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Take not your Holy Spirit from me.

Another gut wrenching plea. The weight of our sin in unbearable except for Jesus’ work.

But, if I am honest, sometimes the weight of my sin doesn’t impact me to the core as much as someone else’s. How could that be? I think it is my sinful nature coming through along with the whispering lies of satan.

I am confident in God’s love, care, and provision for me. I am very confident. And yet I vacillate between the gravity of my sin and the work done for me. It’s difficult to hold both of those at the same time.

Do you struggle with this, too?

Restore to me the joy of your salvation.

Psalm 51: 7-12

⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
⁹Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.
¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right spirit within me.
¹¹Cast me not away from your presence,
    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation.

It’s been a long few years. And things are getting a little more unsettled with what is happening in Europe. Whether or not we are experiencing the same challenges as our neighbors, it is disheartening to watch things around us.

Internal joy is not dependent on external circumstances. And, of course, the joy of salvation is such a different thing altogether. It’s above and beyond and yet I don’t think I consider it on a daily basis.

The joy of your salvation.

The word restore indicates that the joy has been there. Being separated from God should break us. And that brokenness makes us miserable. And that is evident to those around us.

Joy is contagious! And the joy of salvation? It’s certainly a cause for celebration. And once you know that particular joy, knowing that you have separated yourself from it can rock you to your core.

Lord, let me comprehend the weight of my sin but, in confession to You, bring it all. And allow You to wash it clean, renew my spirit, and restore my joy! Amen.