Isaiah 1:18 – Reasoning With the Lord

Isaiah 1:18
18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
 
-There are times when it is important to simply follow the Lord no questions asked.  Thankfully, the Lord doesn’t hold us to such a standard when it comes to developing our belief in Him.  Instead, He asks us to come to Him and reason the whole thing out.  Bring your doubts, bring your concerns, and talk them out with Him.  He doesn’t forbid your questions and doubts and He isn’t afraid of them either.  A faith that stays quiet and conforms is no faith at all because, if you really think about God and His Word, you will have questions sooner or later.  Talk them out with the Lord; you’ll find that believing Him is perfectly reasonable.

John 13:3-10 – Washed by the Lord

John 13:3-10
3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;
4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
 
-Jesus, our Lord and Creator Himself, uses a great act of humility and service to illustrate an essential doctrine of Christian faith.  Even for those who have been washed in His Blood, the very act of walking in the world stains us.  We must continually seek the Lord to scrub away the filth represented here by dirty feet.  Upon realizing that we must be continually cleaned to remain close to Jesus, our zeal could lead us, just as it did Peter, to request a full cleansing all over again.  But once you have been fully cleaned, once you have been saved, you never need to be fully cleaned again.

Peter 4:12-4:19 – For the Sake of Others

1 Peter 4:12-4:19
12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.
16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
 
-Suffering exists due to man’s rebellion and the curse.  God could end all of it by returning and setting up His kingdom, but that would cut short the chances of many to be saved.  God allows evil and ungodliness to continue because He “is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)  In the time that God continues to show forth mercy, suffering will continue. But, if we want the Lord’s will to be done, we should suffer gladly just as His Son chose to suffer, not for His sake, but for the sake of others.  “Knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” (Romans 5:3-5)  Be mindful never to mistake God’s longsuffering for slackness, just as Peter warns, for the day is drawing near that God will return in power and glory and end the pain and tears of His own while sending those who rejected Jesus into eternal torment.

Matthew 27:15-16, 21-26 – Whose Cross?

Matthew 27:15-16, 21-26
15 Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.
16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
21 The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas.
22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.
23 And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.
24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
26 Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
 
-The Romans didn’t know that Jesus was going to be crucified that day and yet they had a cross prepared.   The cross had to belong to someone who was already condemned.  This cross was most likely for Barabbas, the man who was set free in Jesus’ place.  The scripture tells us that Barabbas was guilty of murder and sedition (Mark 15:7).  That means that Jesus died on a murderer/seditionist’s cross.  When Adam and Eve rose up against God in the Garden, they committed sedition and by eating the fruit they brought death upon all of mankind which made them murderers.  To Roman eyes, that cross may have belonged to Barabbas, but to God’s eyes that cross belonged to every single man and woman from Adam and Eve right on down the line.  Jesus did more than just take Barabbas’ place that day, He took your place and my place.  

Mark 7:1-3, 14-15, 21-23 – That Which Defiles

Mark 7:1-3, 14-15, 21-23
1 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.
2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
14 And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:
15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
 
-At first glance you may think that Jesus was accused of being unsanitary, but the key phrase here is in verse 3– “holding the tradition of the elders.”  It was common teaching among the religious authority of Jesus’ day that devils and evil spirits would lie in wait on cups or pots or even hands and then when a person ate using those cups or hands, the demon would be ingested thereby allowing evil into that person’s heart.  The solution involved a long, ritualistic cleansing in an effort to scrub the demons away.  Jesus derides the Pharisees and Scribes for allowing such teachings to gain prominence and then goes on to say that men and women are not corrupted by outside forces pushing their way in, but rather we all become defiled by the wicked thoughts and desires that originate from our hearts.  Make no mistake, even lacking any outside influence, we all have more than enough evil in our hearts to land us in Hell.

Proverbs 19:11 – Gloriously Forgiving

Proverbs 19:11
11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

-If there’s one biblical teaching that’s bound to quiet even the loudest-shouting Christian, it’s the idea of turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:39).  If we feel like we’ve genuinely been wronged, it opens a door to all manner of wicked thoughts, emotions, and even actions that we find ways to justify.  It may seem impossible to let go of anger sometimes, but let’s consider what the Bible is telling us in this Proverb.  The word “glory” used here is the Hebrew word “tipharah” and here are some of the English words associated with it: beautiful, brave, comely, fair, glorious, honor, and majesty.  We may feel as though we are missing out on something if we don’t get back at someone, but considering what’s at stake, it’s actually the other way around.  Are we really profiting if we gain a moment’s vengeful satisfaction but lose out on the chance to be beautiful, brave, comely, fair, glorious, honorable, and majestic?

Psalm 42:8 – A Song in the Night

Psalm 42:8
8 Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

-Have you ever heard the song “It Is Well With My Soul”?  The opening lines say, “When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know, It is well, It is well, with my soul.”  Horatio Spafford penned these lyrics shortly after his four daughters perished in a shipwreck while crossing the Atlantic.  As he traveled the same path across the Atlantic to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write as his boat passed the area where his daughters had drowned.  To sing joyfully about sorrows rolling like waves of the sea as you float across the spot where your children just recently drowned seems unnatural and impossible.  Indeed it would be impossible with men, “but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)  Only the Lord could provide such peace, and even a song, in the midst of such a circumstance.  Thankfully the Lord is ready to provide that very peace to each and every one of us.  Salvation by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ does more than just cleanse sin, (although that’s plenty) it also provides grace for every aspect of life.

James 4:10 – He Shall Lift You Up

James 4:10
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
 
-Elijah the Prophet, Paul the Apostle, Charles Spurgeon.  Throughout history, there have been those individuals who have had a profound and lasting impact on the Lord’s work.  What makes them so special?  Did they go to some super-elite college to get a degree in Biblical Studies?  Were they born with a prophet gene that allows them to better understand God’s Word?  No, the only thing unique about them was that they showed great humility and diligence before the Lord and the Lord was able to use their lives in great and mighty ways.  Any one of us could be the next great man or woman of God whose work is remembered for generations.  Not because we need the glory, but because the Lord’s work demands such laborers.  

Genesis 6:5-8 – Noah Found Grace

Genesis 6:5-8
5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
 
-In Noah’s day the whole world was judged and found to be wicked beyond measure.  With the exception of Noah and his house, every single person on the face of the earth died when God passed judgment.  How did Noah manage to come by such mercy?  It is the very first part of verse 8 in which I am interested, “Noah found Grace.”  Notice that the Bible doesn’t tell us that Noah earned grace or that Noah was rewarded with Grace; he found it, much like stumbling upon something of great value while taking a stroll through the fields. (Matthew 13:44-46) Noah found something precious that he didn’t even realize he was searching for.  You might even say that Grace found Noah.

Hebrews 11:1 – Faith is the Substance

Hebrews 11:1
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
 
-What is substance?  The dictionary defines it as “the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists and which has a tangible, solid presence.”  The most important things in life, the things of God, cannot be touched, tasted, or held in the same sense as non-spiritual things.  Faith exists to bridge the gap between what is seen and what is known.  It is more than just an acknowledgment that “God is up there”; rather, faith enables us to hear the voice of God in His scripture and gives us the assurance that God walks beside us in our darkest night.  It is easy to mock or dismiss faith, but that’s only for those who have never truly experienced it.  For those who have experienced it, it transcends any earthly experience and makes us so certain of the Lord’s abiding presence, that we could almost reach out and lay our head on His bosom.