God-Who-Forgives

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 99:1- 100:5

TO CHEW ON: "You answered them, O Lord our God;
You were to them God-Who-Forgives,
Though you took vengeance on their deeds." - Psalm 99:8


Imagine you're a kid and have been caught in a rainstorm walking home on a country road. Soon the ground underfoot is soft and squishy. Clay clings to the soles of your feet, encrusts your pant cuffs, and you have grungy spatters all up your legs. Then a car motors by, splashing mud all over you. Finally you reach home, but there your mom bars your entrance. She has just washed the floor and vacuumed the white carpet. "You can't come in like you are!" she says.

That person covered head to foot in grime at the door of a clean house is a crude picture of us before a holy God. It brings to mind Isaiah standing at the entrance of the temple. Inside the angels are praising: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord." And Isaiah becomes keenly aware of his filthiness: "Woe is me for I am undone. Because I am a man of unclean lips" - Isaiah 6:1-5.

In this psalm the focus on God's holiness (Psalm 99:3,5,9) brings up thoughts of mankind's unworthiness in the writer. But then he remembers that God spoke to Moses, Aaron, and Samuel despite their imperfections. He was to them the God-Who-Forgives, though He didn't overlook their sins ("... You took vengeance on their deeds").

[Forgive: 1) to grant pardon for or remission of something and cease to demand the penalty for; 2) to grant freedom from penalty; 3) to cease to blame or feel resentment against; 4) To remit as a debt; 5) To show forgiveness, grant pardon; absolve.]

That's what God still does for us. No matter how dirty we are when we come to Him, or how much we mess up, He continues to be the God-Who-Forgives. Of course He doesn't overlook our sin-besmirched selves. He has made a wonderful way of dealing with our filthiness.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for being a God who forgives. May the love of Your holy presence be a hedge about me, keeping me from conscious and wilfull sin. Amen.

MORE: God cleans us up!
God not only forgives our sin but He cleans us up!

"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols" - Ezekiel 36:25.

"...how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" - Hebrews 9:14.

"But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" - 1 John 1:7.

"... and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood" - Revelation 1:5.

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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.

Spiritual weapons for spiritual battles

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 12:1-14

TO CHEW ON: “‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.’” Exodus 12:12

What I find interesting in this passage is that this night was to be a night of judgment “against all the gods of Egypt.” God’s pronouncement here reminds us of the war between God and Satan declared in Genesis 3:15 when God told Satan:

"'And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise your head
And you shall bruise His heel.'”

I believe that spiritual battling continues to be present in the conflicts around us in greater measure than we realize or like to admit. From petty arguments between individuals to national riots and international wars, there is a “gods of Egypt” (read ‘spirit of whatever country and age we’re in with its accompanying deities’) element involved.

God judged these spiritual “gods of Egypt” with spiritual weapons—a slaughtered animal, blood, food prepared in a prescribed way, eaten within a time frame, and then the leftovers burned. Who would predict victory from this? It makes no logical sense.

Are there spiritual weapons we can use to oppose the “Gods of Canada” (or whatever place you live)?

Yes there are. Here are some of the verses that speak of the weapons we use to confront the spiritual foes in our lives and the world system around us, collected from the “Victory” section of my recipe card verse collection:

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”- 2 Corinthians 10:4,5

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" - 1 John 5:4,5.

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts" - Romans 13:14

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  Ephesians 6:10,11,13-18.

"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  James 4:7,8

And finally, here’s one that takes us right back to today’s passage:

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" - Revelation 12:11

PRAYER: Dear Father, please open my eyes to the spiritual battle behind the conflicts in my life and world. Help me to habitually pick up spiritual weapons to fight these battles. 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.

Meditate on creativity

A Bible journal meditation on Psalm 104 - V. Nesdoly

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 104:19-35

TO CHEW ON: "O Lord, how manifold are Your works!In wisdom You have made them all" Psalm 104:24


Do you know what happens in your body when you do something as simple as cut your finger?

The first thing you'd probably notice is that your finger bleeds. In the blood are cells called platelets which begin to stick onto the ragged edges of the skin cut.

The blood plug that fills the cut soon changes from liquid to jelly -- a clot. In the clot another type of blood cell -- fibrinogen -- lets out strings or fibers. They attach to the sides of the cut, holding them together. They also form a net which collects more blood cells needed for healing. As the clot dries it forms a hard crusty covering called a scab.

Under the scab white blood cells attack and engulf any foreign invaders that might have entered via the object that cut you. They also eat the old damaged skin and remove all the garbage through the blood stream.

At the same time skin cells begin to fill the space that the cut made. They slide over each other, soon forming a bridge over the cut. In about a week the scab falls off, revealing a patch of new skin.

Drilling down into even one tiny aspect of how the human body works is enough to fill us with awe. As we explore the vastness of creation, we keep finding design features that boggle the mind (which is one reason I think it takes far more faith to believe that all this came about by chance, than that it was created by a very intelligent creator).

The complexity, intricacy and sheer wisdom of creation is one of the reasons I love studying and writing about it (the above facts, for example, were gleaned for writing a kids' article "As Good As New - How Skin Heals"). If we acknowledge God as our creator, our study of creation will probably do one thing above all others: stimulate us to awe, praise and worship.

Psalm 104 is a list of creative acts and creatures, which the psalmist ends in just such praise:

"I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
May my meditation be sweet to Him.
I will be glad in the Lord."

Next time you have a free hour, why don't you do a little sleuthing around about some natural process or creature that has piqued your curiosity. From finding out about your blood's ability to wage war on disease, to a woodpecker's bony tongue, I guarantee you will be filled with amazement, delight and admiration at such a Creator!

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for creation. May my knowledge of it result in thoughts, words and songs of praise and worship. Amen.

MORE: Reverse side of the tip in above...

Reverse side of the globe tip in, above - V. Nesdoly

 

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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.

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The river of God

Bridal Falls - BC, Canada

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 46:1-11

TO CHEW ON: "There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High." Psalm 46:4.

Though there was no actual river flowing through Jerusalem, it seems the city had a subterranean water supply that was the source of various fountains and pools throughout the city (K. R. Dick Iverson - study notes on Psalms, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 723).

That unseen river makes a wonderful symbol of the hidden life of God for believers then and still today. All three members of the Godhead have a part in that flow.

God the Father: He begs the wayward to come back to Him as their life-giver - "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water" - Jeremiah 2:13.

God the Son: After a chapter in which the prophet Zechariah foresees Jesus' death (specifically Zechariah 12:10) he says: "In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness" - Zechariah 13:1.

God the Holy Spirit: Jesus' offer of life-giving water to the Samaritan woman:
"'…but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life'" - John 14:4,

This is elaborated on later as the fountain of the Holy Spirit:
 "'He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified" - John 7;38,39.

What a picture of God's refreshing supply of life for us.
1. We leave our own stale cisterns of self-help and self-determination and turn to God.

2. We are cleansed from sin in the fountain of Jesus' blood:

"There is a fountain filled with blood
drawn from Immanuel's veins
and sinners plunged beneath that flood
lose all their guilty stains" - from the hymn by William Cowper.

3. We now live this new life by the power of the Holy Spirit. Its evidence is joy (Acts 13:52; 1 Thessalonians 1:6).

I ask you, have we taken advantage of this cleansing river? Is it refreshing and renewing us? Is living water flowing from our lives?

PRAYER: Thank You for this beautiful picture of life in and with You. May streams of living water flow from my life today. Amen. 

MORE: "There is a Fountain Filled with Blood"

 

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New King James Version (NKJV) Used with permission. The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Power of blood

"Red Christ" by Lovis Corinth

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 9:11-28

TO CHEW ON: "Almost everything is cleansed by blood, according to the Law's regulations, and there is no forgiveness without blood being shed." Hebrews 9:22 (Common English Bible)

Two facts about physical blood help us relate what the writer says here to our spiritual state.

1. Blood is a cleanser. Not the kind of cleanser that you pre-soak clothes in—do that with blood and you'll get a worse stain. But it is a cleanser within our bodies loading up with proteins, minerals, hormones, carbon dioxide, and toxins, which it then pumps to the transfer depots, the lungs to be exhaled or through the liver to be cleansed.

2. Blood is essential to life. When people lose all blood they die because blood delivers to the cells its fuel of oxygen and nutrients.

God's design for our salvation includes these two aspects of blood. The sentence in our focus verse: "There is no forgiveness without blood being shed" is another way of saying, 'there is no forgiveness without the payment of a life.' And that's what Jesus did for us when He paid the penalty of our sin with His life so God could forgive us without violating His holy, just character.

His blood also cleanses us, first in that we are clean before God, and, second, by flowing within our spirits in a metaphorical way, producing the desire to please Him resulting in repentance and surrender (exhaling the bad stuff, so to speak, and allow Him to purify us).

As I'm writing this, an old hymn is playing background music in my mind. It expresses these spiritual truths about Jesus' blood so well:

    1. What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

2. For my cleansing this I see—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

For my pardon this my plea—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

3. Nothing can my sin erase

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Naught of works, 'tis all of grace—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

4. This is all my hope and peace—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

This is all my righteousness—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Lyrics by Robert Lowry, from Hymnal.net

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the way You have designed spiritual truth to reflect physical phenomena (or is it the other way around?). Thank You for my blood, working tirelessly to keep me alive and healthy. And thank You for Jesus' blood, poured out so I could have forgiveness and spiritual life and health. 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.

Blood

"Blood of the Passover"
by Ted Larson

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 12:1-14

TO CHEW ON: "Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt." Exodus 12:13

If you ever do house renovations or watch them on TV, you will know that all walls are not created equal. People who look at a fixer-upper with an eye to knocking down walls must do at least one thing before they get busy with the sledge hammer—check to see whether or not the wall they're planning to remove is load-bearing. If it is (i.e. supports parts of the house's basic structure) they know they can't remove it without compromising the soundness of the whole house.

Blood is that kind of load-bearing wall in Christianity. In today's reading we see the beginning of its importance in the Passover. It plays a key role in this ritual which God instituted through Moses just before the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt after 400 years of slavery.

The instruction about how it was to be used was particular. The blood of each household's sacrificed animal was to be painted on the sides and top of their entryway. God promised it would act as a barrier to "the plague" and "the destroyer."  When the death angel saw the blood, he would pass over that doorway, as he was not allowed to enter that household to do his deadly task (Exodus 12:13,23).

The blood "wall" doesn't only provide a protection, but it does much more. Some of the things it supports, as seen through the Bible:

• Atonement - Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 17:11

• Liberation - Zechariah 9:11

• Pardon - Hebrews 9:7

• Cleansing - Hebrews 9:22.

Centuries later Christ came and offered Himself as our Passover lamb. He shed His blood for each one of us.

We must never let the criticism that Christianity is too bloody cause us to look for ways we can remove that supporting "blood wall" from our faith.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the rich images resident in the Passover story and especially the blood. Thank You for being my Passover lamb. 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.

What your speech says about the state of your heart

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 15:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "'But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.'" Matthew 15:18

I wonder if the Pharisees ever regretted criticizing Jesus' disciples for their non-hand-washing? The hand-washing they were talking about was part of Jewish oral tradition which had developed into a set of extra rules to help preserve the integrity of the law. The hand washing here was not for cleanliness but was a religious ritual (J. Lyle Story, notes on Matthew, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1317).

Jesus, recognizing this clash as a teaching moment, went to great lengths to explain to His disciples how silly this rule was in the scheme of things. Food that was touched and brought to the mouth with unwashed hands was soon eliminated, He said. But the real defilement came from what issued out of their mouths in speech. That originated in their thoughts - Matthew 15:17-19.

And here all of us, listening in these many generations later, are implicated. Who of us hasn't entertained thoughts of one or more of:

• murder (hatred - 1 John 3:15)?

• adultery?

• fornication [porneia compare pornography. Illicit sexual intercourse… The word describes both physical immorality and spiritual, signifying idolatry - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1318 -- emphasis added]?

• thefts?

• false witness (lying, non-verbal deception)?

• blasphemy ("slanders" - NASB) [Blasphemia: 1. Slander, detraction, speech injurious to another's good name; 2. impious and reproachful speech injurious to divine majesty]?

And so we agree with the prophet who said: "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked—who can know it?" - Jeremiah 17:9.

And we echo the confession of Paul: "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!" - Romans 7:24,25.

PRAYER: Dear God, before I disdain the scribes and Pharisees, I'd better examine my own heart for the defilement living in me, proved by my speech. Thank You for Jesus' blood that washes away my sins. 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.

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Blood: a cleanser?

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 John 1:1-2:2

TO CHEW ON: “…and the blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7b

I used to think it strange that blood was called a cleansing agent. We’ve all dealt with the aftermath of a bleed and know that blood dirties. Unless tackled immediately it leaves a stain that is hard to ever get out.

Then I did a little research and discovered that blood is indeed a cleanser–a powerful one which our bodies can’t do without. Besides doing many other things, like carrying nourishment, regulating body temperature and aiding in healing, blood cleanses. It cleans out waste made through body processes by picking up carbon dioxide from our cells and carrying it to our lungs to be exhaled. It also cleans out invaders like bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites that get in through our orifices or broken skin.

Of course I am aware of the cleansing aspect of Jesus’ blood in the way He died as our substitute – taking the punishment for our sin. The shed blood of an animal sacrifice was vital because it proved that animal had given its life. When Jesus’ side was pierced and blood poured out, it was proof that He was indeed dead. The punishment for sin was paid. You and I are now pure before God because the sinless Jesus shed His blood in our stead.

But maybe we could look at His blood giving life another way too. For it is His presence or life force within us (and “the life...is in the blood”) that cleanses our everyday lives, just like our human blood cleanses our bodies. As we give Him control over all the aspects of our living, we become aware of unworthy thoughts, attitudes and actions. As we live in obedience, changing our ways and conforming ourselves to His standards, His life in us (His blood) is cleansing us from sin.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for my blood – so vital to health and life. Thank You for Your blood, poured out in death for me and cleansing me as You live in me now. Amen.

MORE: Did you know…

• Blood makes up about 7% of your body's weight.
• An average adult has about 14 to 18 pints of Blood.
• One standard unit or pint of Blood equals about two cups.
• There are about one billion red Blood cells in a few drops of whole Blood.
• Red Blood cells live about 120 days in our bodies.
• Red Blood cells can be stored under normal conditions for up to 42 days.
• Frozen red Blood cells can be stored for ten years, and more.
• Platelets must be used within five days.

Many more blood facts here.

Blood: a cleanser?

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 John 1:1-10

TO CHEW ON: “…and the blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7b

I used to think it strange that blood was called a cleansing agent. We’ve all dealt with the aftermath of a bleed and know that blood dirties. Unless tackled immediately it leaves a stain that is hard to ever get out.

Then I did a little research and discovered that blood is indeed a cleanser – a powerful one which our bodies can’t do without. Besides doing many other things, like carrying nourishment, regulating body temperature and aiding in healing, blood cleanses. It cleans out waste made through body processes by picking up carbon dioxide from our cells and carrying it to our lungs to be exhaled. It also cleans out invaders like bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites that get in through our orifices or broken skin.

Of course I am aware of the cleansing aspect of Jesus’ blood in the way He died as our substitute – taking the punishment for our sin. The shed blood of an animal sacrifice was vital because it proved that animal had given its life. When Jesus’ side was pierced and blood poured out, it was proof that He was indeed dead. The punishment for sin was paid. You and I are now pure before God because the sinless Jesus shed His blood in our stead.

But maybe we could look at His blood giving life another way too. For it is His presence or life force within us (and “the life...is in the blood”) that cleanses our everyday lives, just like our human blood cleanses our bodies. As we give Him control over all the aspects of our living, we become aware of unworthy thoughts, attitudes and actions. As we live in obedience, changing our ways and conforming ourselves to His standards, His life in us (His blood) is cleansing us from sin. What do you think – is this too far-fetched and fanciful a thought?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for my blood – so vital to health and life. Thank You for Your blood, poured out in death for me and cleansing me as You live in me now. Amen.


MORE: Did you know…

• Blood makes up about 7% of your body's weight.
• An average adult has about 14 to 18 pints of Blood.
• One standard unit or pint of Blood equals about two cups.
• There are about one billion red Blood cells in a few drops of whole Blood.
• Red Blood cells live about 120 days in our bodies.
• Red Blood cells can be stored under normal conditions for up to 42 days.
• Frozen red Blood cells can be stored for ten years, and more.
• Platelets must be used within five days.

Many more blood facts here.

Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.