Discovered Faith Foundations, Part 3: God's justice and holiness in the Book of Exodus

One of the things that the Bible Recap (my designated Bible reading program through 2024) talks about daily is a “God Shot.” A God Shot is a glimpse of the Lord, drawn from the current day’s reading, and where He was in this particular bit of history and how He moved or impacted the people in the story. Throughout the Book of Exodus, I found that my God Shot often was His justice.

I’ve wrestled with God’s justice a lot in my life. This has shown particularly in my strong feelings and convictions about undergoing trials and tribulations, something that I still struggle with even now. But I hope I can show that, even with all my thoughts and feelings on the matter, I still want to know God’s justice even when it appears that He may not be moving. The Book of Exodus has been providing that.

Contrasted with that of two years ago when I last really dug into this particular book, my attention is less on the Israelites’ grumbling, complaining, and rebellion, and more on where God is in the midst of all the activity going on. (To be clear, I still notice their rebellion!) I’m seeing more and more of His longsuffering than anything. Already, just seeing that is helping me understand and apply His patience to my current circumstances in life, as well as some potential future circumstances.

There were a few passages I wanted to highlight in this post:

And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” Exodus 19:3-6, NKJV

When I read the above, it shows me that God has a plan and a purpose for those who love Him. And this is the old covenant! We haven’t even gotten to the new covenant yet, and His desire to have a close relationship with His people is starkly evident.

Further down the chapter, God spoke something to Moses that really stood out to me on the day this appeared in my reading.

And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.” So Moses told the words of the people to the Lord. Exodus 19:9, NKJV

The underlines in the above passage are mine. This was a case of God really trying, really stooping, really wanting to get through to the rebellious, complaining, ungrateful Israelite people that God Himself chose to rescue them from captivity. These Israelites were not believing Moses generally, but here, after God had given the first of His commands (this took place before the Ten Commandments were revealed) and the people’s response was that they would obey whatever He tells them to do. The verse above is His response to that.

And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” Exodus 34:6-7, NKJV

The above passage states God’s justice quite clearly, I think. He’s a just God, and He’s also a God who is slow to anger and quick to mercy, as stated more succinctly here:

The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. Psalm 103:8-9, NKJV

My frustration historically has been why, to my perception, He doesn’t punish the evil. But the passage from Exodus clearly states that He does punish the evil, and there are countless spots especially across the Old Testament where he not only punished the evil individuals but completely obliterated them (Sodom and Gomorrah, King Belshazzar of Babylon, and Jezebel, just to name a few). However, what is also true is this:

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9, NKJV

The other thing that stood out to me about God in Exodus was His holiness. A more in-depth analysis on His Holiness can be found in the link here.

The author and narrator of the Bible Recap daily videos also had this to say, specific to animal sacrifices (because God is holy), which I found quite helpful:

By the way, if the idea of animal sacrifice bothers you, here is something that may be helpful to remember: God isn’t the One causing it; man’s sin is. Hebrews 9:22 says: “under the Law, almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” This is His provision. We should never be angrier at God’s provision for our sin than at our sin itself.

The narrator went on to spell out how being holy means to be set apart. As I continued reflecting on this, I thought about the following Bible verse:

For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. Leviticus 11:45, NKJV

Another way to think of this is: “You shall therefore be set apart, for I (God) am set apart.”

The Bible Recap host continued, saying:

Nothing is going to stop Him from being near to His people, not His holiness, not their sin, nothing, because He made a way to draw near and for His people to draw near.

(At the time, that way was through the Ten Commandments (and other commandments), all the various animal sacrifices and other rituals, not to mention the construction of the Tent of Meeting, the Ark of the Covenant, and all the clothing required of the priests. Today, it’s through Jesus Christ, specifically His blood sacrifice on the cross.)

Another part of recognizing God’s holiness is by honoring Him, specifically by giving Him our first and best:

“You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe produce and your juices. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. Exodus 22:29, NKJV

(Hint: here is where Cain initially went wrong, even before he went and murdered his brother Abel.)

To wrap up my thoughts on Exodus, I’ll share this passage:

Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” Exodus 33:19, NKJV

This was God’s response to Moses’ request to see His face. (Spoiler alert: God said no. But He did say the above instead.)

God is good. God is just. God is holy. And He is worthy of all our honor.

One of the best ways to honor God is by giving your life to Him by receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior, Lord, King, and Master. Why not do it today?

Discovered Faith Foundations, Part 2: The Ten Commandments

Another foundational piece to our Christian faith is the Ten Commandments. So, by this point in the Bible it has been clearly established that sin is serious business. The fates of Adam and Eve’s first two children were the result of grievous sin: one child was dead (murdered), and the other (the murderer) had to live on the lam. And all of the surviving child’s descendants (Cain’s) proved to be debased, depraved, and outright evil. Adam and Eve did have more children afterward, and it is through their later son Seth’s line that we eventually get to Noah, where out of necessity, God killed all of humanity except Noah and his immediate family, and a whole bunch of animals. Again, just like all of the descendants of Cain (who had murdered his brother), the rest of humanity had also over time become debased, depraved, and outright evil.

Although God promised to never again send a flood to kill all of humanity (and I need to note that He has indeed kept His promise!), humanity has once again become debased, depraved, and outright evil.

I should pause here for a minute. I don’t know who my readers are. I’m writing as if you already know the definitions of “debased” and “depraved” (hopefully knowing the definition of “evil” is a gimme). On the off-chance that a reader comes across this page not knowing those words, I will need to therefore provide dictionary definitions of those words before we go any further:

Debased

adjective

1. lowered in quality, character, or value:

Part of the reason for the rise in commodities and oil is the debased dollar.

Even in the debased conditions of wartime, people had dreams of a beautiful future. 

2. lowered in rank, dignity, or significance: 

In the 1800s, many people considered show business to be a debased profession. 

 

verb 

1. the simple past tense and past participle of debase.

Debase

verb (used with object),de·based, de·bas·ing.

1. to reduce in quality or value; adulterate:

They debased the value of the dollar.

2. to lower in rank, dignity, or significance:

He wouldn't debase himself by doing manual labor.

Now, I’m aware that the dictionary definitions of “debased” and “debase” kind of give a mild, sterile picture compared with what the Bible describes. Typically, “debased” in the Bible has been used in context with a “debased mind,” and this article (click the link here) explains in much more comprehensive detail than I really have time to research. (Plus, my passion for evangelism is more geared toward those who already know about Jesus but have not quite embraced Him, or even have walked away from Him.)

Now to the definitions of “depraved” and “depravity”:

 

Depraved

adjective

1. corrupt, wicked, or perverted.

Depravity

noun, plural de·prav·i·ties. for 2.

1. the state of being depraved.

2. a depraved act or practice.

Similarly, click the link here for more reading on the Biblical definitions (and accompanying Bible verses) of “depraved” and “depravity.”

So, if depravity and having a debased mind are that bad, then what’s good? That’s where the Ten Commandments come in. (In a minute.)

To finish telling the story leading up to God sharing the Ten Commandments with His people, the Israelites (and much later, to all of us non-Jews), post-Noah, God made a promise to Abraham (one of Noah’s descendants) that He would make his bloodline a great nation. It took a few generations for this to come to fruition, but by the time his great-grandsons were full-grown adults, 1 man’s seed had grown to over 70 people. A few generations further down the line, that 70 grew to ultimately around 3 million people. But they had been in Egypt (and were oppressed as slaves by the Egyptian rulership) and, after God had shown them signs and wonders, displaying His miraculous power over and over, they were still grumbling and complaining and rebelling a short while later, after they had been freed from Egyptian rule, by way of (what else?) God’s miracles. It was Noah’s descendant, Abraham’s descendant, Jacob’s descendants, led by God via Moses, that were starting to head down the path toward depravity yet again. But this time, God intervened earlier than before. This time, instead of killing them, He enacted laws that would help them see that, without Him they were hopeless, and without Him their eternity was hopeless. God the Son hadn’t come down to earth as Jesus Christ yet, but they were still hopeless, rebellious sinners who needed to be made right with God. And the first key step toward that reconciliation with Him was the Ten Commandments.

If you want to read the passage in its entirety, please click the link attached to the Bible reference (Exodus 20:2-17, NKJV). What I’m going to do instead in this post is list out the commandments without the commentary. But what I’m also going to list with the Ten Commandments are a couple things that Jesus later said that are critical for following those particular laws:

Commandment #1: I am the LORD your God. You shall have no other gods before Me. (Exodus 20:2-3)

Commandment #2: You shall not make for yourself a carved image – any likeness of anything that is in heaven above… or in the earth beneath… or in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them. (Exodus 20:4)

Commandment #3: You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. (Exodus 20:7)

Commandment #4: Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. (Exodus 20:8)

Commandment #5: Honor your father and your mother. (Exodus 20:12)

Commandment #6: You shall not murder. (Exodus 20:13)

Commandment #6A: Whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. (Jesus, in Matthew 5:22)

Commandment #6B: Whoever says to his brother “you scoundrel” shall be in danger of the council. (Jesus, in Matthew 5:22)

Commandment #6C: But: whoever says [to his brother] “you fool!” shall be in danger of hell fire. (Jesus, in Matthew 5:22)

Commandment #7: You shall not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14)

Commandment #7A: Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Jesus, in Matthew 5:28)

Commandment #8: You shall not steal. (Exodus 20:15)

Commandment #9: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (Exodus 20:16)

Commandment #10: You shall not covet… anything that is your neighbor’s. (Exodus 20:17)

These Ten Commandments are the Terms and Conditions of God’s covenant with Israel. Although today we are under the New Covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ, the Commandments still hold as the standard of righteous living, especially considering the passages from the Gospel of Matthew that record Jesus’s commentary on two of them. I wanted to add them in, 1. Because God has brought them to mind before, and 2. Because with murder and adultery, most people will not likely actually physically commit those sins, but they’ll fantasize about it. According to Jesus, that’s just as bad. After all, God knows our thoughts, and He knows our hearts. It is ultimately the condition of our hearts that matters, because “out of the abundance of the heart one’s mouth speaks,” (Jesus, in Luke 6:45B, NKJV) and because our actions do ultimately show what is truly in our hearts.

Note of confession: I have broken all ten of the Commandments. I shared this in the virtual group a couple years back when I was leading the group through this passage in Exodus, and I repeated it in an email to the same aforementioned friend from yesterday’s post. First, I did so because it’s true, and, due to what 1 John 1:9 (NKJV) says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Second, I suspect that a lot of people that are on my heart fit into this same category as my friend. They do know the Bible, at least intellectually, but they haven’t grasped the seriousness of what the Bible says. I’ll admit I’m still working on grasping it, myself. There’s so much more to God’s Word than sin and hellfire, but without getting this right, and without getting right with Him first, the other stuff almost doesn’t matter. The foundational stuff must come first: understanding the seriousness of sin and the seriousness of its consequences, and also understanding and believing that Jesus’ blood sacrifice on the cross is enough to satisfy God’s wrath against you and me.

After all, God is a just God. What does that mean?


Just

adjective

1. guided by truth, reason, justice, and fairness:

We hope to be just in our understanding of such difficult situations.

According to the above definition, it means that God Himself is guided by truth, reason, justice, and fairness. It also means that He is the Truth and the source of all Truth, the source of all Reason, the source of all true Justice, and the only reliable judge of Fairness.

More to come in my next post, which will go deeper into other reflections from the latter half of the Book of Exodus.

Discovered Faith Foundations, Part 1: The Creation Story And The Fall Of Humanity

I’m beginning this post with a sort of disclaimer: I include the label “Part 1” in today’s title because, as I have been going through writing my thoughts, I’m realizing that there are many things that I could be led share in future posts. As of the writing of this post, I anticipate a “Part 2” and a “Part 3” to be forthcoming, but there is the possibility of a “Part 4” and beyond, especially as I continue to go through Scripture and God continues to reveal more things to me.

A couple years back, I led a pair of Bible studies (which I later consolidated into one) upon the Lord’s leading. I was going through some challenges at the time in which it was becoming really easy to fall into despair. Gathering with other believers to encourage one another was the way out of that trap, and every time we met it was a blessed time.

At the same time, a friend and I were reading through the Bible chronologically (at least, I was attempting to). I unfortunately wasn’t faithful to the program, even though I kept up the meetings, by midyear I had completely fallen off the daily program. But early in the year, when I was reading faithfully I was also examining which passages to highlight for the month’s meeting. January’s was simple: Genesis 1 (the creation story) and Genesis 3 (the fall of humanity into sin) are critical passages for understanding key aspects our faith. For February, it was the Ten Commandments. And as I continue to go through the Bible, whether it’s the Law, the Prophets, or the New Testament, it all boils down to sin and where we need to ask God for forgiveness.

When thinking of people to witness to, I’ve never gravitated towards people who grew up atheist or followed some other religion. The simple reason is that I could never relate to them. How can I preach Christ to them if they don’t even have a frame of reference for Him? Similarly, how I can effectively preach Christ to them if I don’t have a frame of reference for their system of beliefs that prevent them from taking that first leap? However, the group of people I have felt a desire to try to reach are those who grew up in the church and have at least a basic knowledge of Jesus and the Word, but for some reason either fell away, or still attend church but feel disillusioned, or attend church and even have an interest in their faith but lack certain critical knowledge.

I think back on my salvation story: I grew up in the church. I knew about Jesus, about His birth, His crucifixion, His death, and His resurrection. But nothing about a personal relationship with Him, not until I was in college, and even then it took almost another decade before I realized that following Christ was an actual decision, a commitment. (Back then, I thought believing simply meant agreeing factually the things I knew about Christ.)

When I left my most recent former church for my current church, there was another critical layer that I realized regarding living the Christian life: the message of Christ needs to be in everything that we speak, preach, and believe. Social injustice as a general concept is wrong – the Bible even makes that clear. But our response as Christians to social injustice needs to be seasoned with salt. (Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Colossians 4:6, NKJV) I didn’t see that with folks from my previous church. When they expressed outrage over what they called “wrong,” their outrage was purely emotional and rooted in the flesh, and not at all rooted in Biblical moral standards. (To be clear, a case could have been made for the object of their outrage; they simply chose not to go that route.)

I have a longtime friend that I do believe God has put on my heart to witness to. He was part of my virtual Bible study for the first half of the year before his schedule made it unfeasible for him to continue attending. I still remember being led to set up the focus passages for the first two meetings in part because they are foundational to our faith, but also because of him. He’s a lifelong churchgoer. But God revealed immediately in our first meeting why I needed to focus on the foundational passages to our faith. For that meeting I had focused on the following passages:

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. Genesis 1:1-5, NKJV

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Genesis 1:26-31, NKJV

1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:1-6, NKJV

I had the group take turns reading through each of the passages out loud, one verse at a time. In this group, I invited a second friend who is a believer, 1. Because I wanted this Bible study to bless him, and 2. As I would come to discover, my first friend was likely unsaved, and I wanted to have a second friend in the faith to come alongside as support if needed. As it turned out, right after reading through the above passages, my first friend commented something along the lines of “God created this world with evil in it.” In retrospect I should have spoken up right away and corrected him. I wasn’t expecting that comment, especially considering what we had just read and studied together. As believers know, God did not create the world with evil in it. Genesis 1 repeatedly comments that “it was good” every day that God saw what He had made. It’s only when Satan tempted Adam and Eve to eat the fruit from the knowledge of good and evil, that evil entered the world.

What’s remarkable too, as I am attempting to go through this chronological reading program for the third time, that on the very first day out of 365, we cover the entirety of creation and the fall of humanity all in one day! Even though God did not create evil, nor did He create the world with evil in it, right away we go straight to, the world and humanity are corrupted. We don’t even get to enjoy only the first two chapters of Genesis for a day before finally moving into the horrible reality of sin on Day 2. It goes to show (me, anyway) how critically important it is to understand the reality of sin in our lives. In my two main previous churches (the one at which I grew up, and the one at which I finally received Jesus as an adult and was water-baptized) what proved to be missing was the reality of the Bad News. Yes, the Good News is that Jesus loves you and me and everyone else. But: if we don’t receive Him as our Savior and especially as our King and Lord, we’re basically rejecting His love, and we’re rejecting His blood sacrifice on the cross in our place due to, yup, our sins. The Bad News is that God hates sin so much that no one can enter heaven unless by Jesus’ blood our sins are blotted out and we are thereby purified. And yes, the Bad News means that any person who has not allowed Jesus’ blood to cleanse and purify them will be cast in to hell for Satan and his demons to devour and torment.

The Bad News is not: this racial injustice is so bad that we need to punish all the descendants of the purported perpetrators until we get the payback that we deserve. (Excuse me?? Who is judge here: you, or God?)

Note of confession: I have my own version of this feeling of outrage, less so regarding racial injustice, but more so with what I’ve experienced in my life as personal injustice against me. And the Lord has made it clear to me that He is to be Judge, not me. I say this to point to God’s justice: He holds the same exact standards for you and me both. I will explore this further in Part 3 when I share what God has been pointing out to me through the Book of Exodus.

I do believe that the creation story and the fall of humanity are foundational pieces of our Christian faith 1. Because this is reality, regardless of whether a person wants to acknowledge it or not, and 2. Because without these pieces the impact and necessity of Jesus Christ as God the Son who was sacrificed as a sin offering in our place (not to mention rose again from the dead less than 48 hours later, thereby conquering death itself!) is nullified. After all, if everyone really made it into heaven when they died, no matter what, then what’s the need for Jesus? The answer is, we need Jesus because without Him we all are lost and without hope. But with Him, we get to enjoy eternity with Him, with God the Father, in heaven, with new resurrection bodies that will never die nor fade away.

After all, eternity lasts a long, long time. Where would you rather be? 

Devotionals from my Bible app: Help for the Weak (Psalm 121:2)

Note before sharing the devotional: my answer the question at the end is this: I can begin to trust God to help me when I am weak by first learning to be ok to be weak. The Bible makes it clear repeatedly that God is the most reliable helper ever. I am able to put my trust in that. But being ok being weak, that's where the challenge is. I really appreciate the devotional's reference to 2 Corinthians 9-10, that in our weakness Jesus is strong. It gives a whole new look at a verse that appears to contradict this (but really doesn't): Joshua 1:9 (NIV) says “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” But the key in this is that it is not in our strength that God calls us to be strong and courageous; rather it's in His strength and His courage.

Help for the Weak

Sometimes, in our fast-paced world, admitting vulnerability seems like admitting defeat. But if you've found yourself feeling weary, overwhelmed, or unsure of yourself, there's good news to cling to: “Our help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:2 NIV)

For those in Christ, we’re not in this alone; God is our help. God’s Spirit is working in us and through us to accomplish His purposes—even when we don’t see it or feel it. He’s bringing things to mind, putting people along our path, and stirring up our hearts with that which matters to Him.

God’s Word says that His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), and it’s actually in our weakness that He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).

So the pressure to do everything, have everything, and be everything is off. You have a Helper who meets you in your vulnerability and offers you strength in every moment. So, how can you begin to trust Him to help you when you are weak?

https://bible.com/bible/114/psa.121.2.NKJV

Devotionals from my Bible app: Light It Up. (Matthew 5:14)

Light It Up.

Picture it: a big city with tall buildings, a hilltop village surrounded by vibrant farms, an oceanside community on top of a giant bluff. Cities are impressive on their own, but they’re undeniably radiant when they’re high upon a hill. And, they’re extra brilliant when they’re saturated with light.

Speaking to the crowds and His disciples in His famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told them:

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.”
Matthew 5:14 NLT

As He continued His message, Jesus explained, like a city on a hill or a lamp on a stand, “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16).

Jesus often used metaphors to get people thinking, so here are six things to consider as you reflect on that verse:

1. It’s all His. We are only a light when we have the light—His light—shining through us. Anything good is first given by Him, and this should empower us with humble confidence.

2. We’re chosen. We can’t do anything to earn the honor and responsibility of being a light-reflector. It’s a title that’s given to us because it should be truth that’s self-evident.

3. Don’t hide it. God’s light inside of us cannot be hidden. When we’re truly following Him, it is obvious and undeniable. So we can boldly and unashamedly shine brightly for Him.

4. Light it up. While we don’t want the world around us to grow darker and darker, the Bible teaches that it’s inevitable. And yet—His light will shine best in the dark.

5. No more darkness. Christ's followers are meant to be a beacon of light, illuminating God’s truth and shining His love. Whoever follows Jesus will never walk in darkness (John 8:12).

6. Compelled to worship. The purpose of carrying this light isn’t to draw attention to ourselves but to compel others to worship God. The global Church is meant to be the brightest light the world has ever seen, and you get to be part of that city, the Church.

Though the sun may sink beneath the horizon and the world may become increasingly dark, the glory of such a city cannot be missed.

What about this message stands out to you?

https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.5.14.NKJV

Devotionals from my Bible app: Hearing vs. Listening (Mark 4:9)

And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Mark 4:9, NKJV

Hearing vs. Listening

Throughout the pages of Scripture, there’s a word that gets repeated:

"hear," or a related word, "listen." In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word "Shema" translates into English as "hear" or "listen" and is often used to emphasize the act of listening, understanding, and obeying.

Today’s culture places value on doing many things at once; we often try to listen while focusing on other tasks, which divides our focus. The sound of someone’s voice might come into our ears, but if we’re also scrolling social media, doing schoolwork, or making a meal, we might not fully understand their words.

But in the biblical context, "hearing" does not simply include sound reception; it also involves active obedience and an effort to understand.

In Mark 4:9, Jesus invites us to listen—to hear and obey, encouraging us to pay careful attention to His words: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Jesus isn't just asking us to audibly hear His words and carry on with our personal agenda; He's urging us to actively listen and obey, to live by His truth. Listening and obeying are what build our faith in Jesus Christ. Hearing the Word of God should lead to a transformed life marked by fruitfulness.

As you reflect on the idea of listening in Scripture, consider your heart and spiritual receptivity. Are you attentive to God's Word, allowing it to transform your life, or is your hearing divided, causing you to resist His call?

https://bible.com/bible/114/mrk.4.9.NKJV

Devotionals from my Bible app: The Unconditional Pursuit, A Call To Belong (Matthew 18:12)

“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? 

Matthew 18:12, NKJV

Note before sharing the devotional: there are two parts to this parable. One is captured quite well in the devotional below, highlighting how God cares about us, reminding us that we once were that one sheep that had wandered off. To know God's beautiful yet reckless love that He would go to all lengths to pursue us when we've wandered off is one of the most powerful things. Although I grew up in the church, I wasn't saved until 2013. And even then, as a "baby Christian" (a common term for someone who received Jesus but is still very new to the faith and doesn't yet have the maturity that the Bible also calls for a person to develop over the course of time) I still wandered off into some deep ravines. To know that God loves me enough to leave the others and look for me in the ravine is wonderful and everything I needed at that time.

The second part is not captured in the below devotional, but was captured in the video portion of the devotional that YouVersion (my Bible app) provides: what about when there's someone in your life who is that one sheep that's gone astray? After all, Jesus commands us to love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34-35). You might have a reaction to the above question: resistance, anger, fear, shame, etc. I know I had a reaction! One of the things that God impressed on my heart some years back when I was wrestling with a key relationship that was, to put it mildly, disappointing, was that while Jesus did indeed die on a cross for my sins, He did the same for this other person that I was wrestling over while in prayer. Jesus died on a cross for your sins; He also died on a cross for the sins of your worst enemy. Yes, God is still a just God who will not let the wicked go unpunished, but He wants all a chance to come to repentance.

So, a challenge for me as much as it is for you: who in your life is God highlighting that may have walked away from Him that He wants to use you to help bring back to Him?

The Unconditional Pursuit: A Call To Belong.

Relentlessly pursuing Jesus? Wandered off the path from Jesus? On the fence about Jesus?

Here’s what’s true: You matter to Jesus. Yes, you.

There are no qualifications for God’s love and pursuit of you. You matter to Jesus; He calls you by name to come to Him, and He desires you to be with Him.

Reread those words: He desires you to be with Him. In Matthew 18:12, Jesus shares this parable:
“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?”

It’s not just a story; it's a reassuring reality of Jesus’ love and commitment to every single one of His own. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, never gives up on His sheep. Never. He diligently seeks out the one who wanders.

We all have moments when we feel like the wandering sheep. Sometimes, we feel like we’re straying off the path. But remember this: you are not forgotten, and you matter to Jesus. He cares for the one who has strayed just as much as He does the ninety-nine who stayed close (Matthew 18:13). So draw near to Him today.

Because no matter where you are on your spiritual journey, Jesus is seeking after you, calling you by name to not only follow Him but to be with Him.

How will you respond today?

https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.18.12.NKJV

Devotionals from my Bible app: Unity Beyond Conformity (Mark 3:25)

And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. Mark 3:25, NKJV

Note before sharing the devotional: One of the devil's tactics is to divide and conquer. But if we stand strong together, humbling ourselves before God and resisting the devil (James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:6-9) we can stand united in our faith in Christ and stand against the devil.

Unity Beyond Uniformity

Can you imagine living in a house with a cracked foundation? Over time, the walls will begin to cave in, and the ceiling could buckle or split in two.
It might not happen right away, but eventually, everything slowly falls apart. In Mark 3:25, Jesus vividly portrays the impact of division…

"If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand."

Jesus wasn't merely discussing political entities or physical homes. He was teaching a powerful principle applicable to every area of life: where there is unity, there is strength. But when division seeps into a social structure—a family, a community, a neighborhood, a workplace, or a church—it weakens.

Division often feels inevitable, but Christians are called to examine our lives to see how we can be agents of unity. But not uniformity—unity doesn't demand that we all sound and act the same, but it does mean we should strive for harmony amidst diversity.

So, consider this: How can you begin to foster unity in the spaces and relationships God has placed you in? It could be overlooking a minor offense (Proverbs 19:11), listening with understanding to someone with differing viewpoints (Philippians 2:3-4), redirecting a conversation rooted in gossip (Proverbs 20:19), or apologizing for a hasty response (James 5:16). Every day you have a choice to pursue unity. So, how is God calling you to foster the spirit of unity today?

https://bible.com/bible/114/mrk.3.25.NKJV

Devotionals from my Bible app: The Empty Pursuit of More (Luke 12:15)

Note before sharing the devotional: There's a lot more I'd like to reflect and expound on this topic and how God has been shaping my heart. It's been a slow process. Compared with people in third-world countries, I'm fabulously wealthy; compared to fellow Americans my age and my generation, I'm still far behind them, well into adulthood. The devil, of course, tries to lure us into the trap of comparison, a trap into which I've fallen many times. The Bible has some great things to say about contentment, which interestingly includes a verse I've mentioned quite a few times before:

for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11b-13, NIV

I've often found God's peace the most when I practice contentment. The times I've had the most money, or my often-idolized possession: "my own place," were in times of intense trial. Whenever I did end up with whatever I coveted, tended to occur when just about every other area of my life involved a hardship of one kind or another. But God's peace came when I decided to be content, regardless of where I was or what I had or didn't have.

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:15, NIV

The Empty Pursuit of More

Greed.

It wears like an invisible cloak, blending seamlessly into the fabric of modern culture. It silently seeps into our desires, clouds our judgment, and distorts our values. Greed always seeks more—more validation, more status, more comfort, more things.

But the irony of greed is this: the more earthly possessions, status, or validation we gain, the more we are left dissatisfied.

In Luke 12:15, Jesus warns how this illusion of fulfillment through relentlessly collecting more blinds us to true contentment and purpose and is an empty pursuit:

“Then he said to them, 'Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.'”

True fulfillment doesn’t happen when we store up possessions or pursue unending comfort. True fulfillment is found when we’re anchored in contentment, gratitude, and a deep relationship with God that leads to seeking His kingdom and righteousness (Luke 12:31).

Where do you have an endless craving for more—more validation, more comfort, more possessions? Are there areas of your life where the constant pursuit of more might be overshadowing the pursuit of God’s kingdom and His righteousness (Luke 12:31)?

https://bible.com/bible/114/luk.12.15.NKJV

Devotionals from my Bible app: The Unknown Day and Hour (Mark 13:33)

Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.
Mark 13:33, NKJV

The Unknown Day and Hour

Imagine you work in someone’s home. One day, the master of the home leaves and entrusts you to steward their property, and you have no idea when they will return. What would you do?

Take a nap? Throw a party? Eat all the food in the pantry? Ignore instructions?

No. A faithful servant would follow their master’s directions and keep the home ready for their return.

Jesus’ parable in Mark 13:32-37 illustrates that the same is true of what our Master, Jesus, has given us—possessions, gifts, talents, and the like. It’s not really ours, after all—He left it in our care temporarily. We don’t know when He will return, "whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn" (Mark 13:35, NIV). But God’s Word tells us what we should do in the meantime. Here are a few tasks our Master has for us while we wait:

• Stay alert and vigilant. (Mark 13:33)
• Pray for all the Lord’s people. (Ephesians 6:18)
• Serve one another with our spiritual gifts. (1 Peter 4:10)
• Care for the needy. (James 2:14–17)
• Practice humility. (Philippians 2:3–4)

Let’s stay on guard for when “someday” becomes “today.”


https://bible.com/bible/114/mrk.13.33.NKJV

Devotionals from my Bible app: Pray Persistently (Luke 18:1)

Note before sharing the devotional: today's post will kick off a week of devotionals focused on Jesus' parables. Considering today's parable, I'd like to also add a supporting Bible passage to buffer the message:

The verse from today's devotional:

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,

Luke 18:1, NKJV

The added passage, which also contains a promise from God:

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 

Galatians 6:9, NKJV

Pray Persistently

“Don’t give up.” These are the words every tired marathon runner, every exhausted parent, and every weary heart needs to hear. It takes courage to start a project, but often, it takes even more courage to persist when we are stuck in the middle, and we’re not sure we will make it to the end.

In Luke 18, Jesus taught the parable of the persistent widow. Through this story, Jesus teaches us how to pray persistently because He knows how easy it is to get weary and discouraged. He shows us that tirelessly bringing our needs and concerns to God is not nagging or irritating to Him, but rather a sign of faithful trust in Him.

Are you weary of praying for something? Relief from some hardship? The salvation of a loved one? Justice, peace, or deliverance? Imagine Jesus Himself standing on the sidelines of this long, long race and whispering to you: “Don’t give up talking to me about this.”

There are some prayers God will answer immediately, while others may take days, weeks, months, years, or even lifetimes. While it might seem like those requests have been forgotten or denied, Jesus’ challenge to us is this: if He were to return right now, would we still trust His faithfulness?
Will you offer Him your praise, gratitude, trust, and needs today and every day that comes after? He is faithful and just and will not leave your petition unanswered.

https://bible.com/bible/114/luk.18.1.NKJV

Sermons from Good News: The mission of love

Church 2/10/2024

Offertory scripture:

Jesus is the answer no matter what.

2 Corinthians 9:7-8

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

When you allow God’s Word in your heart it will transform you. Money challenges are really a matter of the heart.

It isn’t about whether your “luck” will change; it’s about God’s grace transforming your life.

Sermon message:

Thesis: The mission of love.

Alternatively, the purpose of love.

Love would not exist in this world without God.

1 John 4:8

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

With God there is love.

Point #1: The mission of love is to create good things.

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:4

God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

Genesis 1:12

The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:18

to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:21

So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:25

God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

When God created something at the beginning, it was good. (Before Genesis 3 and the fall of man.)

God creates good things, and love creates good things.

Genesis 1:31

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Point#2: The mission of love is to instill hope

Genesis 3:15

And I will put enmity

between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

he will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel.”

God instilled hope from the very beginning.

Psalm 119:49

Remember your word to your servant,

for you have given me hope.

1 Timothy 1:1

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

Our hope is in Jesus Christ. We can always give someone hope because of what He was done for us.

Philippians 4:13

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

God is a good friend and One who gives hope and help.

Point #3: The mission of love is to give life.

Love gives life. Love doesn’t take life; it gives life.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Point #4: The mission of love is to restore.

Love restores. God is a restorer.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

God’s love restores, not condemns.

Luke 4:18-19

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

2 Corinthians 5:18

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

Sermons from Good News: God rewards kindness

Church 2/3/2024

Offertory scripture:

Offering is a continuation of worshiping God. It’s a form of worship.

1 Samuel 2:30

Therefore the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’ But now the Lord says: ‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.

God is obligated to His Word. When you do what He says, when you do His will, He is obligated to do His end as His Word says (see both the above passage and the below passage):

Proverbs 3:9-10

Honor the Lord with your possessions,

And with the firstfruits of all your increase;

So your barns will be filled with plenty,

And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Sermon message:

Thesis: God rewards kindness.

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

God diligently rewards those who diligently seek Him.

Last week we focused on God rewarding humility.

Tonight the focus is kindness. Kindness is God’s way, just like humility

Kindness by definition is the quality of being friendly, generous, considerate, and compassionate. It’s also one of the fruits of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

There’s the fruit of the Spirit. And then there’s the works of the flesh. There’s a battle inside us. Or we going to sow to the flesh or to the Spirit?

Below are examples of the works of the flesh:

Galatians 5:19-21

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 4:30-31

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

You could have the Holy Spirit in you and still grieve Him, by not allowing Him to rule in your life.

Kindness is not optional when it comes to doing the things of God. It’s a command by God to do this.

Ephesians 4:32

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Reminder: God’s commandments are designed to help us and not to hurt us.

Kindness and unkindness are both seeds.

Galatians 6:7-8

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

You will reap what you sow.
If you sow to the flesh you’ll reap destruction.
But if you sow to the Holy Spirit you’ll reap everlasting life.

Eventually the seed grows.

Galatians 6:9-10

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

• Focus verse to apply to oneself:

Ephesians 4:29

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

Grace is a free gift. Yes someone may have messed up, but we give them grace and forgiveness.

When you are kind to others:

Point #1: You position yourself to be blessed by God.

Consider Rahab. (Hebrews 11:31)

Consider Cornelius a Gentile to help the Jews (Apostle Peter, etc) (Acts 10)


Point #2: You may be used to bring a miracle into their lives.

Consider the little boy at the feeding of the 5,000. (John 6:1-14)


Point #3: You may help someone choose to be kind.

Consider Zaccheus. (Luke 19:1-10)


Point #4: You will get God’s attention.

Consider the woman with the alabaster jar and anoints Jesus with its oil. (Mark 14:3-9)


Point #5: You increase your ability to hear God.

The kindest thing God ever did was give us His Son Jesus Christ. And Jesus laid down His life for us. And it’s important to know where we will be going when we die.