Threads of the Divine Nature of Jesus | Week 3 | The High Priest

Saturday! The Sabbath day! A day of rest and worship. The day to refocus your attention on the Most Hight and to evaluate your past week and your priorities. The day to really spend time focusing on the eternal and not temporal.

Yet, we live in the temporal and still have temporal needs. The disciples, spending time walking around with Jesus on the Sabbath, were no different. They got hungry! While walking through a grain field, they took some of the heads of grain and ate them.

 

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The problem with this? They were Sabbath breakers! Or, so said the Pharisees. Jesus chides these leaders and explains that neither he or his disciples broke the Sabbath. They just didn’t abide by the rules set by the Pharisees regarding the Sabbath. These are very different things. Jesus ends this part of the conversation by saying that he is the Lord of the Sabbath. Now, there is much there that speaks to the divine nature of Jesus, but I want to touch on something a bit more subtle.

Here is the passage in view; Matthew 12.1-8:

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

I find verse three very interesting. Jesus is making the point to these leaders that what the disciples are doing is okay because, well, David broke the rules and ate food he wasn’t supposed to eat, so why can’t the disciples, right?! At least, that’s how it seems to read to us. However, it is highly likely these leaders knew the details of this David story well and caught some of the subtleties of it. Let us go to that story and see what takes place. We find it in 1 Samuel 21.1-6:

Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” ² And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. ³ Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.” ⁴ And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women.” ⁵ And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” ⁶ So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.

Did David eat bread that he wasn’t allowed to eat? Yes, he did! However, did he unlawfully go into the Temple and take the bread, breaking God’s holy Laws? No, he did not! He beseeched the priest for bread and the priest granted David the shewbread – the bread that was consecrated only for the priests. David received permission from the one that had lawful access to the bread, took it as a gift and then he ate it. So, what are we seeing with the disciples?

 

Picture used from bcooper

 

We see the disciples being accused of breaking the laws of the Sabbath. We see Jesus standing up in their defense. We see Jesus make a parallel to David, lawfully beseeching a priest for bread and the priest making the decision to grant David bread that he did not have access to.

Jesus, by his actions and then his defense, is declaring, as the Lord of the Sabbath, that he is the priest granting permission to his followers access to what was “not allowed” for them. He granted them legal access to partake. He is the eternal and divine priest. He is the one who was serving when the Father showed Abraham the pattern of the Tabernacle in heaven. As declares Hebrews 6.20, “where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

He is the eternal one! He is the divine one! He grants us legal access to places we dare not tread alone. Indeed, the vail is torn asunder!

May your thoughts abide in Christ on this day. Shabbat Shalom!

 

[Scriptures taken from the ESV]

G.O.S.P.E.L | Spoken Word

For today’s post, I would like to share another video. This is Propaganda with his work “G.O.S.P.E.L.”. I hope you enjoy!

 

Threads of the Divine Nature of Jesus | Week 2 | Winds & Waves

In the distance, menacing clouds arise. Upon seeing them, they scurry trying to prepare themselves, but the world around them begins to stir more and more; the clouds leap upon them rapidly. The vehement wind blows with great violence! The water around churns in anger at these disturbing touches. The sea – in it’s blind rage – takes it’s frustrations out on their small boat. The wood moans and creaks, seeking mercy under the onslaught of savage waves and ferocious gusts. Ropes shake and clamor as they smash against the sides, beams and supports. Everything dripping, both fresh and salty. This boat, containing several professional fishermen, has never seen a storm rage such as this. Danger is a foregone conclusion as at the moment death begins to sweep across the stressed boards. These fishermen know all too well.

In a last effort of hope, they realize they are missing a companion – their Leader. Ah, these disciples go looking for the one they claim and call, the Messiah; the Savior of the World. They dearly hope, but also have faith, that this title suits him well in this moment. But, where is he?! Then they find him, fast asleep! They rouse him – “We are dying!” as the boat conintues its chaotic dance across the white foam. This Teacher arises, comes out to the deck, looks at the storm, and says, “Stop!”

Immediately, the winds and the waters become quiet and calm…

 

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In just five verses…an entire narrative; a movie being played out in front of the Disciples eyes. Here is the Word, from Luke 8.22-26:

22 One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, 23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. 24 And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him? 26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.”

What is obvious in the passage is certainly Jesus just did something amazing! How many people do you know that would (1) soundly and peacefully sleep through a storm that is on the brink of killing you while you are on a boat, and (2) he commanded – and was obeyed by – the winds and the water. Amazing!

However, for this series, as you well know, we are looking into things that show Jesus to be both eternal and divine. Do the claims that he is God hold true and what does this passage show in regards to this issue. Something quite amazing actually.

In order to see this, we have to remember something important Jesus said. In John 5.19, “So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.'”

With this in mind, let us turn our attention to the Psalms. In Psalm 65, we see something truly remarkable. Here, in verses 5-8 we read:

“5 By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; 6 the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; 7 who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, 8 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.”

Jesus, thousands of years after this passage was written, under impectable circumstances to carry this out, literally does “what he saw his Father doing.” What’s more, he does acts that are clearly contributed, according to the Psalm, only to God…

Below, I am going to show each verse again, but color code the connections.

I hope you enjoyed this second installment and look forward to meeting you here next week. Shabbat Shalom.

 

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Luke 8.22-26 & Psalm 65-5-8 (ESV):

22 One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, 23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. 24 And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”
26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.

“5 By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; 6 the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; 7 who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, 8 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.”

 

Tapestry

This home you’ve given me – such beauty!
No! You know you don’t deserve this place!
The designs, furnishings and décor of tapestry!
Remember who you are – you cannot embrace.

So warm and clean; built for a king.
A king?! No, stick to what you know!
It’s a glorious gift I can hardly fathom.
Because it’s not for you – it’s all show!

But He calls me to this place – it’s mine.
Isn’t better to stay where you feel at home,
But he has graciously given us much more,
No! You need to make your own shalom!

Father, this home is so wonderful,
Come back to the comfort of the dark.
Thank you for being so merciful and kind,
NO! Don’t do it! It’s too glorious; too stark!

But, look at …
Stop talking now! It’s built with light,
Furnished in such beauty, full of majesty
Look at your wretched and filthy plight,

You don’t deserve something with such tapestry,
Furnishings built for kings, a place so warm,
You sinner! You don’t deserve his grace!
Come back home and prepare for this storm –

It’s funny you thought you could live in that place!
Take my embrace! Yes this place is dark and dank,
But it’s our home. Remember your place; your rank.
Remember your vile thoughts? My how they stank!
Still denying and setting your hopes? I’ll be more frank!

Remember when …
No, stop! You’ve said enough…much of it is true,
I don’t deserve it; my heart is sick like the flu,
I shouldn’t long for such glory, but stay here with you.

But, like always you miss the point that’s so clear,
And you don’t see or perceive what’s reality,
Open your eyes to the beauty; dissolve that fear,
What you keep thinking is that all of this is about me!

Look at the King – the glorious One who gives the gift,
It’s Him you need to again clearly see and bend your knee,
It’s about his faithfulness and promises – He’s done the work –
The sin in me – you – I flee and trust His word; His guarantee!

My King – may all these voices be silenced inside of me,
Please forgive me of my sins I continue to choose,
All of you – here at your feet – is all I want to see,
In your home, full of peace, arrayed in such beauty!

Threads of the Divine Nature of Jesus | Week 1 | The Eternal Ladder

Isaac was tricked! With the help of his mother, Jacob slid quietly into the room, arrayed in a disguise to make his father think that Jacob was actually his brother. The result? Jacob received his brother’s blessing – the blessing of the firstborn. This is after Jacob already tricked his twin brother into selling his birthright. He’s at it again, as Isaac’s wrinkled hand reaches out with dimmed eyes, but words full of life. Esau had enough! He wanted to kill his brother. Will this be a retelling of Cain and Abel? Not if Rebekah can help it!

She sends Jacob away until Esau can calm his fury. Jacob receives another blessing from his father with instructions on getting a proper wife for himself and he sets out. He comes “to a certain place” between Beersheba and Heran as the sun is setting. He sets up camp for the night and lays his head down on a rock.

Genesis 28.10-11, “10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep.” Yet, according to Hebrew tradition, this was the most special “certain place” in all of the earth. This is the exact location of where the Temple – and specifically, the Holy of Holies – would stand in the future. Thus, what happens next may not be too much of a surprise. He has a most vivid dream of the Heaven’s opening, seeing magnificently angelic beings, and the Lord of Hosts beaming down upon the Earth.

 

Genesis 28.12-17: 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

 

What a view! What a promise! Jacob saw the Stairway to Heaven, and Led Zeppelin had nothing to do with it! He saw the access point, or the way, in which the angels come into our realm and return back to Heaven; how they came to us and back to the feet of the Lord of lords. He saw God, and God used this channel to communicate a message directly to Jacob. Talk about a moment in one’s life that’s impactful!

Yet, what in the world does this have to do with Jesus? Jesus who came into the world thousands of years after this event. Jesus of the New Testament. Jesus who is never mentioned in this story at all – how could he since he was born so much later, right? In fact, on the surface, this story really doesn’t have anything to do with Jesus! However, what if I told you that Jesus was actually a central character in this story? You think that’s crazy right? “Obviously, this guy can’t read very well – it doesn’t mention Jesus at all!” I know, and yet…it does. How do we know? Because Jesus tells us it does!

Let’s move forward a few thousand years into the future. There’s a Rabbi walking around Israel who is ready to start his teaching ministry and is gathering some other young men to be his disciples. As he’s walking around, some disciples of another prophet ask if they can go follow this Rabbi instead and this prophet gives his blessing. These two hustle to follow this man. The next day, they are walking through a town and this Rabbi tells a man named Philip to follow him and Philip runs and tells his friend Nathanael to come with him and follow this Rabbi too. Philip also tells him they have found the Messiah. Nathanael is suspicious, but comes along to what all the fuss is about.

When Nathanael meets this Rabbi, he is blown away. Jesus tells Nathanael what he was doing while alone before Philip found him – prophetic! Nathanael declares – “You are the Son of God!” Jesus tells Nathanael, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” (This is my translation, by the way.) He tells Nathanael something very intriguing… “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Here’s the entire exchange:

 

John 1.43-end: 35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

What is going on here? Jesus is declaring exactly who he is! He is telling them that he was the central – quiet – character in Jacob’s story. He is the avenue between Heaven and earth. He is the one whom angels use come and go in and out of our realm. He is the One whom the Father looks along to communicate with his children. He is the eternal connection. No mere mortal could ever claim to be the avenue in which angels come in and out of this world! He is the eternal access for us to ascend to the Father. Here, he is showing them that he is eternal and that he was there with Jacob and led him to the Father. He showed Jacob he has authority over the angels of Heaven. He gave Jacob the vision that he is the “ladder, staircase; way” to the Father. Later, Jesus tells his disciples directly and clearly that he is way. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14.6)

According to Christians, Jesus is the way to God. We claim that Jesus is the only path to get to God. Why do we make this claim? Simple: it’s the claim that Jesus makes himself. However, with this story in view, we see that Jesus didn’t just say he was the way at one moment in history, but rather showed that he is the eternal access point to the Father. He is the Stairway to Heaven. He is the ladder that will lift us up to the glories of the Father’s throne, if we allow him to do so. However, if this is the case, we must also realize that it is an assent we cannot make on our own. We assume that we can make the assent ourselves or that there are other “ladders” to lead us to the Promised Land. This simply is not the case. We need divine help from the eternal One!

 

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I hope you all enjoyed this first installment of “Threads of the Divine Nature of Jesus”. Please leave your thoughts on these passages. Hope you join next week for installment two – it may be a stormy ride…

Blessings,
Joshua

 

Journey of Words

As I embark on this journey,
Into the unknown I depart,
I endeavor to be smart,
Relatable and cleaver.
Speaking with pen –
Your spirit and soul, the mark;
Ink spilling in linguistic art.

I yearn for my words to sing,
Lives to guide and forge.
To your life I hope to bring Love & Light –
Majesty & Peace like a Lion and a Dove.
“God, shove my pen to the bend of your Spirit’s sway.”
Like teeth on a comb, to part the way,
I hope to make you feel warm, like home.

“Father, please allow my words to engage,
To be full of life, truth and be sage.
Stage I do not need, just for words like these
To flow with ease and for you
To take them to the ones that need them, please.”
On my knees, “May my words always bring you praise; …
I’m awestruck as you leave me left in a state of amaze…”

© Joshua Curtis, 2020

The Appearance!

A magnificent display lit up the night sky! A star that could only come out of folklore and prophecies from peoples around the world. A star of significance for many…as many others, like many of us today, see an extraordinary event unfolding before us as we glance and carry on with our lives.

 

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Yet, there were men who were sky watchers; the students of the stars. These men knew the stars well and knew when something significant was taking place. Like Centaurs, watching and waiting.

They witnessed this event unfolding and were well aware of the significance; a baby, the King of all kings, had been born west of where they lived. They gathered their belongings, along with extraordinarily precious gifts and set out with a large company of others.

 

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After crossing the desert and arriving in Israel, they went to the place of kings – Jerusalem. They entered Herod’s Palace, but alas, the King was not there. As they departed, behold the star appeared to them again and stopped in the sky over the head of the King – a servant, leading the way for other servants to come and enter into the magnificent presence of the child King.

 

Matthew 2.9-10 “9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” (ESV)

 

These Gentile Wise Men found the King and they worshipped him and gave him great gifts. Although they saw, traveled, searched, and found, they did not appear to this child King, but rather, this child King appeared before them – the Light of the World!

 

Luke 2.25-32 “25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

29  ‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.‘” (ESV, emphasis mine)

 

John 8.12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'” (ESV, emphasis mine)

 

God has always loved and been after all people – even while creating Israel (Caleb, Rahab, Ruth, etc.). The Hebrews came out of Egypt with a “mixed multitude.” Ahh, but this moment was something altogether special. The world came to the feet of Jesus – Yeshua – the King of kings, and laid down their most precious gifts and worshipped. A proper response and a foreshadow of the life Jesus would lead, and of events still to come!

 

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Church, have a blessed Epiphany!
– NoblemanWarrior

 

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Epiphany

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EPIPH’ANY, noun [Gr. appearance; to appear.] A Christian festival celebrated on the sixth day of January, the twelfth day after Christmas, in commemoration of the appearance of our Savior to the magians or philosophers of the East, who came to adore him with presents; or as others maintain, to commemorate the appearance of the star to the magians, or the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. Jerome and Chrysostom take the epiphany to be the day of our Savior’s baptism, when a voice from heaven declared, ‘This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.’ The Greek fathers use the word for the appearance of Christ in the world, the sense in which Paul used the word. 2 Timothy 1:10. – from the 1828 Noah Webster dictionary

Introduction | Threads of the Divine Nature of Jesus

As a Christian, I believe whole-heartily that Jesus is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, the Incarnation of God who is fully God and fully man. The reason I believe this: personal testimony and the authority of Scripture. When is comes to the witness of Scripture, there are numerous places in the Gospels where Jesus comes right out and says who he is, and other places the Scriptures testify directly to the fact that he is God.

However, there are also several places in Scripture where the message is still quite clear, but it’s not quite as obvious. In other words, there are times when the proclamation of Jesus’s divine nature are present, but more hidden in the actions – or taken for granted by those present in the story, but we miss in our cultural shaping – than obvious in the words spoken. These are the types of instances I would like to look at more closely together. Over the next 12 weeks, I will be posting about instances like these I see unfolding in the Gospels.

 

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I hope you join me on this journey. If you are a Christian, I hope that this will provide you some encouragement and maybe some new insights into our Lord. If you are not a Christian, but following this anyway – thank you! I hope that this will provide a spark for you to consider again the claims of Jesus and the hope of his mercy.

Thank you for your time in reading this. I hope to hear from you soon and look forward to your insights along the way. Let us grow together and I will see you back here next Saturday for the first look into the “Threads of the Divine Nature of Jesus.” 

 

 

Homily | Installment 4 | “The Master Speaks”

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Holy Scriptures for Sunday, 11 August 2019

• Isaiah 1.1, 10-20
• Psalm 50.1-8, 22-23
• Hebrews 11.1-3, 8-16
• Luke 12.32-40

 

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At the outset, I must confess, this group of Scriptures is very dense indeed! I cannot presume to be able to do it justice, especially in a short blog. Truthfully this is also always the case, but seems even more the reality for this group. However, since my goal with these is not really to be an authoritative teacher, but rather to just try and pull together threads I see in an attempt to encourage you. In that case, there is something I will share that will hopefully be a blessing.  Regardless, please click on the link above and read the passages for yourself. Especially if you give them a good 2-3 readings through, they will do much more for you than what I will be doing.

Praise be to God for his Word that he shares with us!

The one thing I really want to drive home for today’s “homily” is that God certainly speaks! He speaks to us all of the time! Most of the time, we just miss it. The reality is, he is reaching out for us. This is a great blessing, but we must not mistake what is taking place in this interaction. He does not speak to us and reach out for us as a beggar in search for crumbs, but rather as a King imploring his subjects to stop their rebellion! We make it seem as though he will have consequences if he does not stop pursing us – like a pestering beggar on the street. On the contrary, he is imploring us to put down our arms and submit again to him while he allows us to do so! He will be returning; there will be a reckoning… Let’s look at some of the passages:

• Isaiah 1.12, 15-17 – “¹² When you come to appear before me who has required of you this trampling of my courts? ¹⁵ When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. ¹⁶ Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of our deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, ¹⁷ learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”
• Psalm 50.3-6 – ³ Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest. ⁴ He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people: ⁵ “Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!” ⁶ The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! Selah
• Luke 12.33-35, 39-40 – ^{33 “}Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. ³⁵ “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning,”
  ^{39 “}But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

We see here that God indeed is paying attention to what is going on. Not only that, but he speaks into our situations. He desires and demands that we repent of our sin (any act or commission or omission that is contrary to his Law) and turn to him. To follow him and become his faithful servants that will be awake and watchful for is certain but unexpected return. He is coming back. We will all stand before him. We, all of us, will kneel before him and confess his majesty. What will be the condition of our hearts on that faithful hour? How are we living today to meet that certain reality that none will escape?

• Isaiah 1.20 – “but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Yet, in his abundant mercy, he calls to us now, before that day, to participate with him in making things right! He calls us to make things right in ourselves first and then to allow that power to work through us to change the world back to how it should be.

• Isaiah 1.18-19 – ¹⁸ “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. ¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;”
• Hebrews 11.1-3, 13-16 – Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. ² For by it the people of old received their commendation. ³ By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
  ¹³ These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. ¹⁴ For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.¹⁵ If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
  
• Luke 12.32 – “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

What we can plainly see, is that God is rich in mercy and calls out to us. He speaks to us! May we have ears to hear! This reminds me of a story. I was speaking to one of my friends one day who is not a Christian and she told me that while getting ready for the day she just felt like she wanted to call out to God. So she did. She said, something along the lines of, “God, if you’re real, come to me.” She said, nothing happened… I thought about this for a while before the reality struck me and I then explained to her, that the Scriptures – and our natures – teach that we do not seek God. The only way people even come to him is by his grace and he allows them to wake up to his presence (we just often hit the snooze button!). So, I tried to relate this and to not be discouraged and even though she didn’t get the response she wanted, the reality of the situation was that she was really the one who was responding. He was already there and was drawing her heart to seek him. She was responding to that pull and he was the initiator, not the other way around. May we all be perceptive and responsive.

How do you see God working around you?

© Joshua Curtis, 2019

7-Word Story | Erev Shabbat

 

 

As Friday dwindles, may worship be sweet!

 

© Joshua Curtis, 2019