Preparing the way

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TODAY’S SPECIAL: Mark 1:1-18

TO CHEW ON: “As it is written in the Prophets:
‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You
The voice of one crying in the wilderness
“Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.”’”  Mark 1:2,3

Mark’s quote is straight from Isaiah 40—part of our reading three days ago. As we complete reading today’s passage we discover that the author is referring to the message and messenger John the Baptist, Jesus’ way-preparer.

In Mark John’s message was to get ready to meet Someone mighty and worthy who had spiritual power. In Luke, where John’s beginning and ministry are described in more detail, we discover his message of preparation focused largely on getting his audience to repent. He even detailed what repentance would look like to various of his listeners in real life:
- To the general public: give to the needy.
- To the tax collector: do your work honestly.
- To the soldier: don’t abuse your position or power and be content with pay
(Luke 3:8-14).

During Advent, as we review the story Jesus coming to earth as God in human flesh we also focus on our readiness. How do we ready our lives for Him to live with us and in us more fully?

Of course we know there is nothing we can do to earn His presence and our salvation. It is a free gift. But we also know that there are things we can do to prepare a comfortable home within us for Him.

I like the four Steps of Readiness  suggested in my Thompson Chain Bible. To make a comfortable home for Jesus with us, we:

1. Abandon idols

“Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only…” - 1 Samuel 7:3 (emphasis added).

2. Cleanse the temple (our lives)

 “And they gathered their brethren, sanctified themselves, and went according to the commandment of the king, at the words of the Lord, to cleanse the house of the Lord.  2 Chronicles 29:15. 

The whole story (2 Chronicles 29:1-17) is of Hezekiah the king purifying the temple so that Yahweh would again be among them and help them defeat their enemies in.

3. Return to the Lord

"He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” Luke 1:17 (emphasis added).

Here’s that “repentance” that John the Baptist admonished the people of his time to do. The words  quoted are what the angel told John’s father Zacharias, what his (John’s) role would be.

4. Pursue personal purity

“ Now in a large house there are not only vessels and objects of gold and silver, but also vessels and objects of wood and of earthenware, and some are for honorable (noble, good) use and some for dishonorable (ignoble, common). Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things [which are dishonorable—disobedient, sinful], he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified [set apart for a special purpose and], useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. 2 Timothy 2:20,21 AMP (emphasis added).

PRAYER: Dear Holy Spirit, please help to make my life a more welcoming and comfortable home for Jesus this Advent. Amen. 

MORE: Second Sunday of Advent

Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. The liturgy for the day begins with this prayer:

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified^® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Treasure hunt

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 119:161-176

TO CHEW ON: “I rejoice at Your word
As one who finds great treasure.” Psalm 119:162


I love the metaphors the psalmist and other Bible writers use for the Word of God. In our reading today the psalm writer likens it to “treasure.”

So I have just been on a treasure hunt, looking for Bible passages that speak of treasure and how it relates to the Christian life.

Where is this treasure?

When you hear the word “treasure,” does the image of treasure maps come to mind, and mines deep in the earth from which miners hack out gold, diamonds and other precious stones? That’s what I think of.

Isaiah references treasure in that way. Speaking as the voice of God to HIs chosen servant Cyrus, Isaiah says:

“I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden riches of secret places” - Isaiah 45:3.

Jesus too implies the hiddenness and value of treasure when He talks about the Kingdom of Heaven:

“‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field’” - Matthew 13:44.

In several places Bible writers refer to those deep things at the center of our being—our hearts—as treasure, and it’s not always good. Jesus again:

“'A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things'” - Matthew 12:35.

Another aspect of this inner treasure is its use as a description of the impact and value of our lives. Jesus warns about the futility of living life consumed with storing up treasure on the physical plane and concludes:

 “...‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’” - Matthew 6:19-21.

To the Rich Young Ruler, who had supposedly done everything else, Jesus said:

“‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven and come, follow Me’” - Matthew 19:21.

What is this treasure?

Our focus verse (Psalm 119:162) equates it with God’s communication (word) to us. That certainly includes the Bible.

Solomon pairs it with wisdom:

“There is desirable treasure
And oil in the dwelling of the wise” - Proverbs 21:20.

Isaiah says “The fear of the Lord is His treasure” - Isaiah 33:6. 

Jesus speaks of the kingdom of heaven in terms of treasure. In one parable he likens the kingdom to a valuable pearl:

“'Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it'" Matthew 13:45,46.

Paul writing to the Colossians speaks of this treasure as Jesus:

“… of Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” - Colossians 2:3.

A lovely sidebar to this is the wise men who acknowledged this treasure with their gifts to the baby Jesus: gold, frankincense and myrrh - Matthew 2:11.

Paul speaks of this treasure as something we believers can possess:

“But we have this treasure (Christ—“…the light of knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” - 2 Corinthians 4:6) in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” - 2 Corinthians 4;7.

So let’s live consistent with our wealth today, in deed and word. In Jesus’ words:

“‘Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old’” - Matthew 13:52.

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for the treasure of Your word, and of Jesus whose Spirit lives in me through the Holy Spirit. Help me to live consistent with the knowledge and in the power of this wealth today. Amen.

MORE: Second Sunday in Advent
On this second Sunday of Advent, churches may celebrate in various ways. Some may light the second candle representing JOY. Others may pay special attention to the players in the incarnation story, like the prophets, angels, shepherds and magi. The prophets appear to be the focus of the collect part of the liturgy for this day:

"Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Practical repentance

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TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 3:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "And he (John) went into all the region around Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." - Luke 3:3

By the time Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke he had made the connection between Isaiah's prophecy (what he quotes in Luke 3:4-6 from Isaiah 40:3-5) to the coming of Jesus as Messiah and the role that John the Baptist played in preparing the people for Jesus.

Luke saw John as that "voice of one crying in the wilderness." The preparation that he preached was repentance (metanoia). As we saw a few days ago, repent means to feel remorse, change one's mind, and reform.

When John's convicted hearers responded to his message with "What shall we do then?" John gave practical examples. Repentance would be evident when they…

• Turned from selfishness to generosity to the extent of sharing life's everyday stuff of food and clothes - Luke 3:11.

• Turned from using questionable business practices to being honest - Luke 3:13.

• Turned from using intimidation, bullying, and lying to practicing honest justice - Luke 3:14.

• Turned from whining about wages to being content with them - Luke 3:14.

In these weeks of the Advent season, we also prepare our hearts. As we let the Holy Spirit shine His light into their farthest corners, what do we see that we need to repent of? Perhaps we need to deal with some of the same vices John pointed out of selfishness, dishonesty, bullying and intimidation, injustice, discontentment. Or maybe it's something else—fear and anxiety, distraction, sensuousness, envy, lust…

Whatever God shows us, let's deal with it in repentance (feel remorse, change our mind, reform) as we prepare to celebrate Jesus coming to make His home within us.


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this clear and practical example of John the Baptist, who took repentance out of the realm of theory into real life. Please show me where I need to repent.

MORE: Second Sunday of Advent

Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. Today's liturgy begins with this collect:

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.