Ezra 8,9,10; Revelation 15

After contributing to and reading this blog for three years, I settle in on my comfy couch for my final post. I reflect on a beautiful Christmas service and pause to soak it in. I am loved and pursued by the God of the Universe. He makes all things new. No matter what happens, my hope is secure and I will live one day with the angels in Heaven.

I am blessed.

After church we went to Hampden (in Baltimore) to see the Christmas lights. While the crowd added a bit of stress to the situation I still enjoyed the sights and sounds. Then I had a wonderful dinner with my family, the four of us, laughing and enjoying what will be one of the few dinners together before my daughter heads off to college.

Again, I soak it in. I am so very blessed.

In Ezra we read of the Israelites turning back to God after a period of exile and disobedience. They have hard work ahead of them, righting wrongs, changing their lives, even breaking apart from unbelieving women they married during their exile. Obedience is demanding, but they know what must be done. I ponder the trust they have in their God, and what they give up because they know it is the right thing to do. Life on earth can be hard.

Then we turn to the New Testament. In Revelation we get a peek at heaven, with the angels dressed in white linen and gold sashes. The redeemed sing with the angels, as we will one day:

 “Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the nations.^[a]
4 Who will not fear you, Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.” (Revelation 15:3-4)

Amen.

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PS – Merry Christmas everyone!

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Zechariah 9,10; Revelation 1

I have always been fascinated with how prophecy has been fulfilled. While you can chalk some of the prophecy proclaimed in the Bible to coincidence, I don’t see how anyone can explain away all of it. I remember hearing the long list of the prophesies of Jesus. How many of them there were, and how they were all fulfilled. Amazing.

Today we read of the prophecy of Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem just five days before his crucifixion:

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)

In the next verse we read about Jesus’ message of peace:

¹⁰ I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River^[b] to the ends of the earth. (Zechariah 9:10)

Not only do prophesies help build our faith in the truth of the Bible, but they give us vital information to read and heed:

³ Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. (Revelation 1:3)

Can you imagine being John, receiving the vision of what he writes in Revelation? But God speaks those ever reassuring words: “Do not be afraid.”

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸ I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Revelation 1:17-18)

As I enter this week full of anxiety over many things, I will keep these simple words close at heart: “Do not be afraid”. I will remember that I already know the end of the story, and there is victory.

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Ezekiel 27,28,29; 1 Peter 3

⁸ Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. ⁹ Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:8-9, NIV)

Is it my imagination, or am I getting an awful lot of those tough commands on my assigned writing days? I approached today’s reading with a hope of meditating on some feel-good verses, to quiet my soul at this hectic time of year. While God provided that as I read verse 8, dreaming of a world where everyone was like-minded, sympathetic, loving, compassionate and humble, I read on in verse 9 and I am hit with one of those hard sayings: “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing…” Replay evil with blessing.  Really??  Come on!!

I remember several times when this was certainly a challenge. I remember one time in particular; my husband gently reminded me of this when I was fuming at an injustice done to me at work and what I was planning to do about it. I was five timezones away, and I wanted to pretend I couldn’t hear what he was saying. I mean, come on, this person declared war!! I was fed up, hurt, angry, and exhausted. It took everything I had not to seek revenge. But to repay with blessing?  I don’t think I managed to go that far.

I will say, though, that my husband is one of the best people I know at living this principle (along with several others of these “hard sayings”). It used to make me crazy, but as I mature in my walk I am coming around. Maybe as I get older I can see the wisdom in this firsthand. I have seen situations escalate, and I can see where if this principle had been applied it would have avoided a world of hurt. I also see how the “evil” done to us is often a perception problem or a miscommunication. Other times it is done as a reaction of pain by the other person. Inflicting pain back does not accomplish any good. I can start to see how our lives would be so much more peaceful if we not only avoided revenge but paid it back with a blessing. It also makes me wonder how many blessings that others have bestowed upon me were actually a response to a perceived evil on my part?

Lord, strengthen my resolve to seek peace and pursue it by repaying evil with blessing. You are close to the brokenhearted and save those who are crushed in spirit. You promise that I will inherit a blessing by trusting you in this. Let me find my peace in that.

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Daniel 5,6,7; Titus 3

Daniel is truly to be admired. He is a strong example of how to live in a society that is not in sync with our beliefs. He reminds me of Joseph in that he is able to not just survive but succeed in such a society. I love how he quietly goes about doing what is right, without hoopla or fanfare. Without trying to fight a losing battle explaining to everyone else why what they are doing is wrong. He simply does what is right and good, and strives for excellence in everything he does. He doesn’t compromise his values to fit in, and he gains the respect of many. King Nebuchadnezzar even appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. Imagine having that job!!  Darius appointed him as one of the top three administrators, and was about to make him the chief ruler. Those that were envious of him did try to get him killed, but he stood firm and God saved him in the lion’s den. Daniel’s time had not yet come; there was more for him to do.  By surviving he was able to be an even more powerful witness for God, influencing an entire nation.

Daniel didn’t have the opportunity to read the Apostle Paul’s instruction to Titus, but as a true man of God he exhibited the same characteristics that Paul described

Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.  […] And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.  (Titus 3:1-2, 8-9 (NIV))

Daniel is an inspiration to us all. May we all learn to stand firm in our faith, and yet be peaceable, considerate, and always gentle toward everyone, slandering no one. May we avoid foolish controversies and arguments and instead strive to do what is excellent and profitable for everyone. Just think of the impact that each one of us has the power to make!

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Jeremiah 23,24; Hebrews 4

²⁴ Who can hide in secret places
so that I cannot see them?”
declares the Lord.
“Do not I fill heaven and earth?”
declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 23:24)

²⁹ “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? (Jeremiah 24:29)

¹² For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,^[f] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:12-16)

In both Jeremiah and Hebrews we are reminded that nothing is hidden from God. I don’t know about you, but that makes me squirm sometimes.  The word of God is alive and it goes deep. It exposes my sin. Nothing is hidden. If it wasn’t enough to know the outright sin in my life, I am reminded of Isaiah (64:6) who says that our righteous acts are filthy rags, or Paul, who counts all his works as loss (Phillipians 3:8). Even the good I do is often motivated by pride. And while sometimes I enjoy celebrating the accomplishments of my good works, I usually feel uncomfortable with this. It just doesn’t feel right.  I am reminded that I am to do these things in secret, and my reward is in heaven, not here on earth.

In Hebrews I am so glad to get to verse 14, after feeling convicted in verses 12-13. I have a great High Priest, Jesus, so I can approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, and receive mercy. How comforting. The squirming subsides. God watched over the Jews that were exiled to Babylonia, and He  watches over me and cares for me, even in my periods of exile. He gives me a heart to know Him. And he saves me. He brings me back. My great High Priest.

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