A Piercing Thorn

From: Our Daily Bread

  October 18, 2018  

Read: Isaiah 53:1–6 | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 53–55; 2 Thessalonians 1

But he was pierced for our transgressions . . . and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

The thorn pricked my index finger, drawing blood. I hollered and then groaned, drawing back my hand instinctively. But I shouldn’t have been surprised: trying to prune a thorny bush without gardening gloves was a recipe for exactly what just happened.

The pain throbbing in my finger—and the blood flowing from it—demanded attention. And as I searched for a bandage, I found myself unexpectedly thinking about my Savior. After all, soldiers forced Jesus to don an entire crown of thorns (John 19:1–3). If one thorn hurt this much, I thought, how much agony would an entire crown of them inflict? And that’s just a small portion of the physical pain He suffered. A whip flogged His back. Nails penetrated His wrists and ankles.

But Jesus endured spiritual pain too. Verse 5 of Isaiah 53 tells us, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him.” The “peace” Isaiah talks about here is another way of talking about forgiveness. Jesus allowed Himself to be pierced—by nails, by a crown of thorns—to bring us spiritual peace with God. His sacrifice, His willingness to die on our behalf, paved the way to make a relationship with the Father possible. And He did it, Scripture tells us, for me, for you.

Father, I can’t imagine the pain Your Son endured to wash away my sin. Thank You for sending Him for me, to be pierced for my sins that I might have a relationship with You.

Jesus allowed Himself to be pierced to bring us spiritual peace with God.

Entertaining Angels

From: Our Daily Journey

  Oct 17, 2018  

Read:

Hebrews 13:1-15
Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels (Hebrews 13:1-2).

During a hard time for my family, tears came to my eyes when Alabama’s hit song “Angels Among Us” came on the radio. The song describes how, in our darkest times, when we feel lost and alone, God can use the kindness of others to give us just enough hope to keep hanging on, to keep believing in a God of love. As the words washed over me, I was reassured by remembering how in the hardest times God has always reached out to me through others’ love.

The lyrics allude to Hebrews 13:2’s promise that sometimes when we show kindness to strangers, we may actually be showing kindness to God’s angels. But the words also point to the way in which God works in our hearts through the love of other followers of Christ.

This fits with the emphasis of Hebrews 13. Although when we show hospitality to strangers, we might serve literal angels (Hebrews 13:2), the chapter doesn’t emphasize our hospitality to angels but the way in which God uses believers to care for others. When others are in prison, for example, we’re encouraged to feel their pain “as if . . . in [our] own bodies” (Hebrews 13:3). When we “do good and . . . share with those in need” (Hebrews 13:16), we’re told, we’re following Jesus’ example of carrying the suffering of His people (Hebrews 13:12-13). And Jesus even said that when we care for others in hard times, we’re actually serving Him (Matthew 25:34-36).

Sometimes during difficult days, it seems that on our own all we can feel is despair. But God never meant for us to be on our own. Instead, He’s put us in community with others made in His image. Through their tender touch, kind eyes, and loving embrace, we can feel just a hint of God’s never-ending love for us. And we can pass this love on to others.

Forever the Same

From: Our Daily Journey

  Oct 16, 2018  

Read:

Genesis 15:1-21
Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses (Genesis 15:17).

When I Googled “God in the Old and New Testament,” the results included questions such as “Why is God so different in the Old Testament than He is in the New Testament?” and “Why was God so harsh in the Old Testament, but more forgiving in the New Testament?”

Some would say they see a different God at work in each of the Testaments. But is that true?

When God, in the Old Testament, called Abram, He promised that he would become a great nation, and his descendants would inherit the Promised Land (Genesis 15:1-7). To show Abram that what He said would indeed occur, God made a covenant with him. In keeping with the practices of the day, animals were sacrificed and the halves laid out in a row to document the binding relationship.

Both parties of the covenant walked between the pieces, symbolizing their willingness to accept the fate of the animals if they violated it. But while Abram slept, only God passed through the pieces (Genesis 15:17). God took on the responsibility of fulfilling both sides of the deal; Abram just had to believe and accept.

The Old Testament covenant with Abraham’s descendants required recurring blood sacrifices to cover their sin. In the New Testament, Jesus laid aside His divinity to walk the earth and make a new, final covenant. Representing both God and man, Jesus became the sacrifice that permanently reconciled humanity to God (Hebrews 2:16-18, 10:12). Once more, God took on the responsibility of the covenant; we merely need to believe and receive His gift.

Two covenants and two Testaments, but one God. The same requirements, fulfilled by the same merciful and holy One. God isn’t different in the Old and New Testaments—He’s forever the same.

Priceless Prayers

From: Our Daily Journey

  Oct 15, 2018  

Read:

Luke 19:41-48
He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer’ ” (Luke 19:46).

Imagine receiving clothes you chose to never wear, cars you didn’t ever drive, or houses you never lived in. What would be the point? If we’re not going to use those things, we might as well not possess them.

God has given us a priceless gift for communicating with Him—prayer. Through it we worship Him, confess our sins, and tell Him what we need. As we spend time talking with God, we come to know Him better.

I’m inclined to focus on tangible things that are costly because I don’t want to waste what’s valuable. But what value can be placed on prayer? Jesus announced, “My Temple will be a house of prayer” as He drove “out the people selling animals for sacrifices” (Luke 19:45-46). He was offended by the buying and selling, “You have turned [the Temple] into a den of thieves” (Luke 19:46), but He understood the need for animal sacrifice. Lambs were sacrificed every morning and night at the temple so the Israelites could be in right relationship with God. Animal death was a cost of prayer.

But that was only the down payment. The book of Hebrews says animal sacrifice was consummated in the sacrificial death of the Lamb of God. Jesus ripped open the curtain that separated us from the Father and now raises His scarred hands to intercede for us before Him (Hebrews 7:25, 10:19-22). His death is the final and ultimate cost of our prayers.

I wouldn’t refuse the gift of a Versace suit, Mustang convertible, or an upscale condominium; I’d enjoy possessing them. But prayer is worth far more; nothing is more valuable. And it doesn’t cost “mere gold or silver,” but “the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

After the Storm

From: Our Daily Journey

  Oct 14, 2018  

Read:

Psalm 107:22-32
What a blessing was that stillness (Psalm 107:30).

My family and I exhaled as our little boat glided to a halt. Since the start of our amusement park ride, we’d “sailed” through dark caverns, where trolls and saucer-eyed monsters jeered at us. We’d hit rough water and felt waves slosh into the boat as we flew over a waterfall! Finally, we’d drifted into the calm water where we could disembark.

A group of ancient sailors had a similar experience, but without the assurance of a happy ending. The psalmist described what happened when they faced a storm at sea. “Their ships were tossed to the heavens and plunged again to the depths” (Psalm 107:26). The terrified sailors grew desperate.

Amid the chaos, they called out to God, and He tamed the thrashing, howling storm—to a whisper. “What a blessing was that stillness as he brought them safely into harbor!” (Psalm 107:30). In the calm, the sailors were able to pause and think clearly. They could see where they were headed and look forward to replenishing their supplies.

Something else happened in the stillness. They praised God for His great love and the wonderful things He’d done for them (Psalm 107:31).

Sometimes life seems as overwhelming as trouble at sea. Trauma tilts our world, and before we can stand up, we’re blown over by yet another problem.

But God is there in the midst of the instability—and He’s also there in the moment when the clouds part and the sun breaks through. It’s often then, in the stillness after the storm, that our faith becomes sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). As we reflect on how God’s promises carried us through difficulty, we rejoice as we see how He lovingly met our needs.

May we remain faithful to God as we enjoy the blessing of His faithfulness to us.

He Carried Our Burden

From: Our Daily Bread

  October 13, 2018  

Read: 1 Peter 1:18–25 | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 41–42; 1 Thessalonians 1

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

It’s not unusual for utility bills to be surprisingly high. But Kieran Healy of North Carolina received a water bill that would make your heart stop. The notification said that he owed 100 million dollars! Confident he hadn’t used that much water the previous month, Healy jokingly asked if he could pay the bill in installments.

Owing a 100-million-dollar debt would be an overwhelming burden, but that pales in comparison to the real—and immeasurable—burden sin causes us to carry. Attempting to carry the burden and consequences of our own sins ultimately leaves us feeling tired and riddled with guilt and shame. The truth is we are incapable of carrying this load.

And we were never meant to. As Peter reminded believers, only Jesus, the sinless Son of God, could carry the heavy burden of our sin and its weighty consequences (1 Peter 2:24). In His death on the cross, Jesus took all our wrongdoing on Himself and offered us His forgiveness. Because He carried our burden, we don’t have to suffer the punishment we deserve.

Instead of living in fear or guilt, the “empty way of life handed down to” us (1:18), we can enjoy a new life of love and freedom (vv. 22–23).

Lord, sometimes our guilt and shame can feel so heavy. Help us to release our past and its pain to You and experience Your peace, knowing You have carried it all and have set us free.

Jesus carried the burden of our sin so He could give us the blessing of life.

Safe In His Arms

Safe in His Arms

October 12, 2018

Read: Isaiah 40:9–11 | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 39–40; Colossians 4

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart. Isaiah 40:11

The weather outside was threatening, and the alert on my cell phone warned about the possibility of flash floods. An unusual number of cars were parked in my neighborhood as parents and others gathered to pick up children at the school bus drop-off point. By the time the bus arrived, it had started to rain. That’s when I observed a woman exit her car and retrieve an umbrella from the trunk. She walked towards a little girl and made sure the child was shielded from the rain until they returned to the vehicle. What a beautiful “real time” picture of parental, protective care that reminded me of the care of our heavenly Father.

The prophet Isaiah forecast punishment for disobedience followed by brighter days for God’s people (Isaiah 40:1–8). The heavenly dispatch from the mountain (v. 9) assured the Israelites of God’s mighty presence and tender care. The good news, then and now, is that because of God’s power and ruling authority, anxious hearts need not fear (vv. 9–10). Included in the announcement was news about the Lord’s protection, the kind of protection shepherds provide (v. 11): vulnerable young sheep would find safety in the Shepherd’s arms; nursing ewes would be led gently.

In a world where circumstances aren’t always easy, such images of safety and care compel us to look confidently to the Lord. Those who trust wholeheartedly in the Lord find security and renewed strength in Him (v. 31).

Father, in a world where we are sometimes threatened, we are comforted because of Your gracious care for us—in and through the Lord Jesus Christ.

The good news is that God cares for us!