Month: November 2025

On Grace, Grace, Grace

Hebrews 4:14-16 (MSG). Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

Hebrews 4:14-16 (Phillips) Seeing that we have a great High Priest who has entered the inmost Heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to our faith. For we have no superhuman High Priest to whom our weaknesses are unintelligible—he himself has shared fully in all our experience of temptation, except that he never sinned.  16 Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with fullest confidence, that we may receive mercy for our failures and grace to help in the hour of need.

“What could be better than a grace that washes all our shame away?  What could be better than Your great love?  What could be better than a grace that leads us home and makes a way?  What could be better than Your great love?”  From Sing and Shout by Matt Redman, Willie Weeks & Jorge Monders (c) 2013

Observation

We have been reading through Ezekiel.  This book always reminds me of Magical Mystery Tour by the Beatles.  I didn’t understand the imagery in those psychedelic songs and I don’t understand the imagery in Ezekiel.  Wheels within wheels, 4-faced flying creatures and an angry vengeful God keep me off balance and feeling dizzy.  God had extended grace and mercy over and over again to this ungrateful, disrespectful and unfaithful people,

  • a people who took Him for granted,
  • who ignored His commands in order to service their own pleasures,
  • who only sought Him when circumstances were dire,
  • who thought He could be fooled by insincere repentance, imperfect sacrifices and empty promises,
  • who treated Him like a servant at their beck and call. 

Ezekiel was prophesying judgment day for them, the end of grace and mercy, the harvest of what they had sowed.  As it was in the days of Noah, God had reached His limit. 

We live in a culture that struggles with the temptation to create a vanilla god (like the idols of old) whose character is suspect, and standards are shaped by our individual pleasures, selfish desires, and profit-seeing agendas.  This is a hedonistic pursuit of living for the day, seeking after pleasure, thrills, and power, blurring the lines between good and bad, right and wrong, truth and fabrication.  The old covenant (the blessings and curses of Deuteronomy 28) was made with Abraham, a covenant that could be broken by the human side of the agreement. So, our God, the One True God, whose character is holy and standards are the highest, is ever faithful to keep His promises, so God kept to His side of the agreement and delivered His promised blessings and curses upon the nation.  When I wonder if God will also find an end to grace and mercy for this day and age, I remind myself that those of us who belong to Christ are in a new covenant, one that makes us family.

Impact on Me

Whenever I am reading through the Old Testament prophets, I am so grateful for the Cross, the new covenant in Christ and grace, grace, grace.  People are no different now than they were then; there will always be the faithful and unfaithful, grateful and selfish, greedy and generous (sad to say, I am a human and subject to human inconsistencies, failings and just plain sinning).  However, the old covenant was based on an agreement between God and Abraham with blessings and curses affecting the whole community; violation brought separation, destruction and other undesirable consequences to the nation.  The new covenant is based on a covenant between God and the one man, Jesus Christ, Who will never violate the agreement, Whose performance is perfect, Who will never again be separated from God; in Him, we find an ever-loving merciful advocate, free access to the throne room, a patient, loving, merciful Father and gushing waterfalls of grace, forgiveness, and restoration based on Jesus’ faithfulness. 

This new covenant is for each individual who comes seeking this grace and redemption.  In this there is hope for us!  

  • In Him, I have free and forever access to the presence of God;
  • in Him, I have an advocate Who will fight for my redemption, restoration, and reputation when the enemy accuses and tries to shame me before the Father;
  • in Him, I am adopted as a child of God, not just a subject of the Kingdom. 
  • In Him, I am so greatly loved that I am assured of great, gushing waterfalls of grace and mercy, not because of me, but because I am in Him. 
  • In Him, I can do all things He asks of me through His presence and power strengthening me. 

Devotion

Lord God, Merciful Father, Redeemer, Constant Companion, Teacher and Lover of my soul, You are worthy of all honor, glory and praise.  I am not sure that I can ever fully comprehend the height, depth and expanse of what Jesus has done for me, what He has provided for me, what He will do in and through me if I allow Him the freedom to do so.  I want to be that living sacrifice that makes my life of maximum impact and effect in bringing others to the knowledge of and surrender to Him.  May I be faithful to follow well, love well, serve well and finish well in His name so that my life gives God joy in His heart.  Make it so in the name of Jesus.

On The Lord Has No Equal

Isaiah 40: 12-31

Who else has held the oceans in his hand?  Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?  13  Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord?  Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?  14  Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice?   Does he need instruction about what is good?  Did someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice?

15  No, for all the nations of the world are but a drop in the bucket.  They are nothing more than dust on the scales.  He picks up the whole earth as though it were a grain of sand.  16  All the wood in Lebanon’s forests and all Lebanon’s animals would not be enough to make a burnt offering worthy of our God.  17  The nations of the world are worth nothing to him.  In his eyes they count for less than nothing—mere emptiness and froth.

18  To whom can you compare God?  What image can you find to resemble him?  19  Can he be compared to an idol formed in a mold, overlaid with gold, and decorated with silver chains?  20  Or if people are too poor for that, they might at least choose wood that won’t decay and a skilled craftsman to carve an image that won’t fall down!

21  Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand?  Are you deaf to the words of God—the words he gave before the world began?  Are you so ignorant?  22  God sits above the circle of the earth.  The people below seem like grasshoppers to him!  He spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from them.  23  He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing.  24 They hardly get started, barely taking root, when he blows on them and they wither.  The wind carries them off like chaff.

25   “To whom will you compare me?  Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.  26  Look up into the heavens.  Who created all the stars?  He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name.  Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing.  27  O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles?  O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? 

28 Have you never heard?  Have you never understood?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary.  No one can measure the depths of his understanding.  29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.  30  Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.  31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.  They will soar high on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not faint.

Observation

“To whom can you compare God?“  The questions in this passage are still relevant to us today.  It is easy for us to forget Who our God is.  When we call Him Father, are we comparing Him to our earthly father?    When we call Jesus our Savior, Redeemer, Advocate, are we equating Him with people who have helped to rescue, support or defend us?  When we call Holy Spirit our Teacher, Advisor, Comforter, are we comparing Him to a person who has stood in that place for us?  Whether our experience was good, bad or non-existent, there is no comparison.  There is no doubt that the anointing of our God flows through people into our lives, but they are instruments of His grace, His love, His power. 

“13  Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord?  Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him? 14  Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice?   Does he need instruction about what is good?  Did someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice?”  The temptation is to make God more like us, to humanize Him, to expect Him to downsize to our human condition and motivations.  This allows us to be “mad” at God for not living up to our expectations, our wants, our fixes for the challenges we encounter.  Instead of the questions above, some ask, “How can God be good if He allows …..”  The blank can be filled in with pain, suffering, death, evil to persist and so on.  The truth is that He sees all of time and is still working His original plan instituted in the Garden of Eden.  He also sees each one of us and, if we allow, will lead us, support us, strengthen us on the pathway He has marked out for us.  “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.  They will soar high on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not faint.”

Impact on Me

I am always arrested by verses like these – ones that remind me of the awesome holiness, greatness of majesty and immeasurable power of our God.  I am marvel at His love and care for each of us, and reminds me where I should always put my trust regardless of my best plans.  Isaiah is speaking from the experience of God’s presence when he says, “Who is like God?”  You can “hear” the wonder in his words, how small and insignificant he feels before Him (“God sits above the circle of the earth.  The people below seem like grasshoppers to him!”).  How humbled, how small, Isaiah is as he contemplates the vastness, greatness and overwhelming presence of our God.  YET we are assured that we are the apple of His eye, His beloved, His children, His focus in all the universe.  There is no way that we deserve or can earn this, no way we can ever be like Him, no one to compare to Him.

There is a real difference between acknowledging this only in my head and living it out in my life by actually giving myself into His control regardless of whether I understand or not, being content to wait on and trust in Him, giving Him the freedom to use me as a blessing or a sacrifice to accomplish His will and purpose.  Head knowledge alone will struggle to make comparisons and eventually strip Him of His omnipotence, His incomparable majesty, wonder and power by ranking Him with earthly powers, what can be achieved by human means, allowing us to rationalize that He is more like us than we are like Him, that we can somehow manipulate Him to please us, that He is our servant rather than ours to serve. However, this is impossible to do if ever you actually enter into His presence, approach His throne, are overwhelmed/humbled by His Holiness, and then see His eyes look upon you with recognition, tenderness, and love. It is an awesome and life-changing experience to enter the throne room of grace and find yourself an honored guest.  

Devotion

Lord, You are the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. You never grow weak or weary.  No one can measure the depths of Your understanding.  I marvel at how far above my understanding is Your glory, might and wisdom and, yet, You see and know me personally.  I want to soak in Your presence which is without compare.  Help me to live in Your throne room, always bowing my will and my choices to Yours, trusting in Your plans and pathway for me regardless of the personal cost to me. Just to see Your face and know that My life gives You joy in Your heart will be enough. Make it so in the power and authority given to me in the name of Jesus.

On Being Completely Confused

Luke 23:44-49 NIV  It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice,  “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”[e] When he had said this, he breathed his last. The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Luke 23:44-49 MSG  By now it was noon. The whole earth became dark, the darkness lasting three hours—a total blackout. The Temple curtain split right down the middle. Jesus called loudly, “Father, I place my life in your hands!” Then he breathed his last.  When the captain there saw what happened, he honored God: “This man was innocent! A good man, and innocent!” All who had come around as spectators to watch the show, when they saw what actually happened, were overcome with grief and headed home. Those who knew Jesus well, along with the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a respectful distance and kept vigil.

Observation

I wonder what it was like to be there watching all of this without the hindsight of the Resurrection. Was the Centurion questioning the decisions of his superiors?  How many cruel and unjust acts had he seen done or been ordered to do?  Was this a last straw?  What about those who had mocked and spit on Him as He carried the Cross, those who had allowed their religious leaders to whip them up into a frenzy demanding Jesus’ crucifixion?  Had the deep darkness at midday caused them to reconsider, to wonder if this Man on the Cross really was  innocent, a true prophet or even Who He said He was – the Son of God?  Were these questioners some who subsequently became followers of Christ because they were so moved by the crucifixion? 

And “those who knew Jesus well,” what were their thoughts as they watched Him humiliated, cruelly tortured and dying on the Cross?  Were they thoughts of despair or anger or hope?  I can imagine some of them.  “I really believed He was our long-awaited Messiah, but, seeing Him crucified with criminals in such humiliation, how can that be?”  “Any moment now, He will miraculously step down off that Cross.”  “He raises the dead; He can’t die like this!”  “I hate the Romans and the Sanhedrin!  How can they treat this good and innocent man like this?”  “I don’t understand any of this, but I know He is Messiah!”

Impact on Me

I don’t know what I would have been thinking at that moment, but I often find myself thinking the last one. There are so many times that the circumstances seem overwhelming, unbearable, unfathomable or just too bad for a good God to allow. Often, I don’t understand why I am where I am, why bad things happen, why my prayers seem ineffective, why God doesn’t intervene in the way I think He should, BUT I always want to remember that He is God (not me!) and, in faith, continue to “keep vigil” and trust in His plan.  

My father was paranoid schizophrenic. He abandoned our family when I was twelve because his voices said it was dangerous for us if he stayed. I felt as though I was one of those looking at the Cross and crying out with tears and heartbreak, “God, I don’t understand why this is happening, but I am left with only my faith that You are not willing for any to perish, so You have a plan for his life and future.  I trust that Holy Spirit is working to draw him into Your freedom.  I trust that, regardless of how heartbreaking this is and has been, You can turn all of this around for good because I am Your beloved and this is Your promise to those who love You. I know that You know the number of his days, that You will give us grace and strength to endure, that You are a good God.”  Lord, I believe; Help my unbelief. 

We go through fire (dire circumstances and tragic events) in our lives and are given choices.  We can become bitter, defeated, angry and abandon our faith or choose to be molded, shaped, refined and strengthened by faith for God’s purposes and to fulfill His plan.  So, I try to remember that, no matter where life takes me, I never go alone. My Redeemer, Friend, Counselor, Comforter, Advocate is with me and for me – just as He is for all who call on and rely on Jesus as Savior. He understands my suffering, but He also modeled for me how to trust God to use our sufferings to change us and impact the world around us.

Devotion

Lord God, I praise You for Who You are!  You are Eternal Father, Redeemer, Holy Spirit – the only Wise God.  I submit my expectations based on my limited understanding to Your eternal perspective.  Just as the Cross was completely confusing to those who were there to see it, the journey I traveled seemed to twist and turn between the good times and the bad.  Nonetheless, I have come to know that I do not require understanding of the moment to hear and obey Your clear instructions without question.  I pray that my perspective, my thinking, my actions will always be grounded in faith in You, Your plan, Your goodness, Your heart to see none perish, Your love for me.  I pray that I will not so much need to understand and approve Your plans but, rather, hear and obey regardless of the cost to me. I pray this all in the name of Jesus. Make it so.