When your belly is full of tears

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Chronicles 35-36; Psalm 80

TO CHEW ON: "Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts;
Look down from heaven and see,
And visit this vine." Psalm 80:14


From the vantage point of hindsight we know the "vine's" story—the ups and downs of Israel's history. It's easy for us gloss over generations of slavery in Egypt, the back-and-forth between oppression and freedom of the judges' period, the waves of invaders that led to the exile of the Jews in at the end of the Old Testament.  Our Bible reading takes us through millennia in mere hours. We readily forget how horrible it must have been to live in any one of those dark times.

This psalm, however, seems like a cry from the middle of one of them:

"O Lord God of hosts,
How long will You be angry
Against the prayer of Your people?
You have fed them with the bread of tears,
And given them tears to drink in great measure" - Psalm 80:4,5 (emphasis added).

One of the powerful things about the psalms is how they express the experience and emotion we all go through, no matter when we live. Can't you just hear the Christians of Syria, hounded and killed by ISIS terrorists weeping these verses, or the family in Africa devastated by the  Ebola virus, or the family in North America cut apart by cancer, or…?

In this psalm there is only one resolution to whatever tragedy the pray-er is experiencing. It is God.

Our prayers can echo the psalmist's as we cry from whatever dark place we're in:

"Restore us ... Restore us ... Return we beseech You...
Restore us, O Lord God of hosts,
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved" - Psalm 80:3,7,14,19.

PRAYER: Dear God, please restore and return to those with their bellies full of tears who call on You today. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 80

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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.

God is never shocked

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ezekiel 9-12;  Psalm 33


TO CHEW ON: "The counsel of the Lord stands forever,

The plans of His heart to all generations ....

From the place of His dwelling He looks

On all the inhabitants of the earth;

He fashions their hearts individually;

He considers all their works." Psalm 33:11, 14,15

On April 28, 2012 three families traveling on the highway between Fort McMurray to Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) were all but wiped out in a head-on collision. In an instant nine (and a half) dwindled to two. Only the three year-old son of Pastor Shannon Wheaton's family and Mark Penny (whose pregnant wife was killed) survived the crash. The three family members in the other vehicle were also killed. (Read about the accident here.)

Why, we ask? To us the shattering of these families makes no sense. Predictable questions rise in our minds:
- Couldn't God have prevented the accident?
- Didn't evil triumph over good here?

In answer to that last question—yes. In one way every time someone dies evil triumphs over good. For death, from whatever cause, is part of the curse that came on earth because of mankind's first choice to defy God and do our own thing, i.e. sin.

But looked at another way, such happenings never shock God. He is aware of each event. He is more than aware. In a way, He planned them (or maybe better said, 'planned for them') in the first place:

"The counsel (that is the whole program for mankind in history) stands forever;/The plans of His heart to all generations" - Psalm 33:11.

Neither is He just a God of the big plan, but He knows each individual:

"...He looks / on all the inhabitants of the earth;/He fashions their hearts individually;/He considers all their works" - Psalm 33:14,15.

If God knows, plans and ok's each event in my life, your life, the Wheaton's and Penney's lives, from the wonderful to the tragic, and He is good, you and I need to keep trusting Him even in the circumstances that seem like they got away from Him for a minute. Because they didn't.

And so we find hope and comfort in the very God who permits tragedy to touch our lives. As Gerry Bridges explains it in Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts:

"All people—believers as well as unbelievers—experience anxiety, frustration, heartache, and disappointment. Some suffer intense physical pain and catastrophic tragedies. But that which should distinguish the suffering of believers from unbelievers is the confidence that our suffering is under the control of an all-powerful, and all-loving God; our suffering has meaning and purpose in God's eternal plan, and He brings or allows to come into our lives only that which is for His glory and our good" - Jerry Bridges, Trusting God Even When Life Hurts, p. 33.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to trust Your sovereignty and goodness in situations that feel all wrong. Amen.


PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 33

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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.

Cry out!

Migratory Locust (from Pestproducts.com)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Joel 1-3; Psalm 125

TO CHEW ON: "Consecrate a fast,

Call a sacred assembly;

Gather the elders

And all the inhabitants of the Lord your God,

And cry out to the Lord." Joel 1:14

Not much is known about the prophet Joel except that his father's name was Pethuel and that he prophesied to the southern kingdom of Judah. And we know too that he wrote against the backdrop of overwhelming devastation.

Waves of locusts had swept over the land. In a matter of hours the countryside had been stripped of all greenery. They had even eaten the bark off the fig trees (Joel 1:7). Drought added to the ruination so that the planted seed shriveled under clods, the seed grain was dried up (Joel 1:17), and orchards of every kind withered under the fire of the unrelenting sun (Joel 1:12).

Joel responded by calling the people, especially the priests and leaders, back to God. This was not for lackadaisical prayer, but for desperate pleading, fasting, and repentant praying: "...lament you priests, wail you who minister before the altar, come lie all night in sackcloth...consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; ...cry to the Lord" (Joel 1:13-14).

I have never gone through such a devastating time as Joel describes, though I can think of modern equivalents: acts-of-God-type tragedies perhaps, such as an earthquake, tornado, or personal trials like a house burning down or loved ones killed in an accident.

At such times you and I may feel like questioning God's goodness. We may be tempted to lash out in anger and confusion, and allow the event to make us bitter.

Or we could cry out to God. I can imagine myself, pouring out my grief and puzzlement, pleading for the trial to cease, begging for God's help to bear up and live through the practical and difficult day-to-day aspects of it. I hope I would view it too, as discipline, causing me to examine my life for areas where I needed to repent so that the tragedy would mature me and draw me closer to Him.

PRAYER: Dear God, it's easy for me to tell others to go to You in desperate times. But I wonder, would I do that with the vulnerability and humility that Joel describes? Please prepare me now for whatever I have yet to face, knowing that nothing can touch my life without Your permission, and that You are big enough to see me through it all. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 125

The Bible Project VIDEO: Joel (Read Scripture Series)







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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.

Cry to the Lord!

Locust  (Image from Pixabay)

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Joel 1:1-20

TO CHEW ON: “Consecrate a fast,
Call a sacred assembly;
Gather the elders
And all the inhabitants of the land
Into the house of the LORD your God,
And cry out to the LORD.” Joel 1:14


In the next days we’ll be reading the entire book of Joel. So a little background is in order.

Joel was a prophet to Judah. The introduction to the book in my study Bible dates his ministry during the reign of Joash when, under the high priest Jehoiada, the worship of God had been restored (2 Kings 11:1-21; 2 Chronicles 23:16).

The catalyst event to writing the prophecy was a locust plague so bad there was nothing left. Fig trees were ruined, offering grains cut off, wine (grapes) dried up, oil (olives) failed, vine, pomegranate, apple all withered - Joel 1:7-12.

Joel interpreted this as the judgment of God. He did not pick that idea out of the blue, for Moses had warned in one of his Deuteronomy sermons of just such a curse as a consequence of disobedience - Deuteronomy 28:15, 42.

And so Joel summoned the priests, elders, and people to radical repentance: “… lament, Wail… Come, lie all night in sackcloth, consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders…. And cry out to the LORD” - Joel 1:13,14.

Might we do something similar when the bottom falls out of life for us, personally, for our family, our city, our country? We probably won’t experience a literal locust plague but some modern events are just as devastating: fires (who can forget the horror of last summer’s  wildfire in Fort McMurray), hurricanes, earthquakes, ice storms, vehicle accidents, cancer diagnoses, the death of a loved one…

Or we may be grieved by the moral locust plague that is destroying our society’s foundations. It's an attack:

• On the family (new definitions of marriage, fluid sexual identity, pornography). 
• On life (abortion, legal euthanasia, homelessness). 
• On law and order (rampant rebellion, disorder, and violence under the guise of “free speech,” drug permissiveness and addiction, a lax judiciary which is often more lenient toward the perpetrator than the victim),
• On thought and speech (as political correctness which claims to understand the motivation behind actions and to silence speech that would challenge society’s changing mores).

I’m not saying that when tragedy strikes we’re necessarily to blame or that we should take that responsibility on ourselves. It may not be our fault.  But let’s let our understandable panic, desperation, confusion, lack of solutions, even despair draw us to God and prayer with the fervor of Joel in his summons to the locust victims of his day.

Charlie Hall’s song “Holy Visitation” (sung here by Rita Springer) is a modern invitation to such a passionate encounter with God over these things.




PRAYER: “O LORD, to You I cry out"...for my country and this generation.”Amen. (Joel 1:19)

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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.

Color trouble good

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 107:1-22

TO CHEW ON: “Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men.” Psalm 107:8,15,21

When we take today’s verse (a refrain that is occurs three times in this psalm) out of its context, we could assume the psalmist is drawing our attention to God’s general character of goodness and His amazing creation. But when we pay attention to the verses around we see the writer is looking at quite a different side of God’s goodness. Each repetition of the refrain comes after the memory of a nasty situation.

1. A time of loss and homeless (Psalm 107:2-7)
The Israelites wandered around in the wilderness after Egypt, hungry, discouraged, lost and homeless. But this bad scene became good when it caused them to look to God for direction. Then He settled them in a land they could call home.

2. A time of rebellion (Psalm 107:10-14)
Israel was often in a state of rebellion. God’s remedy – hard labor – didn’t look like a blessing on the surface. But it was, because it sent them running back to God for help.

3. A time of foolishness (Psalm 107:17-20)
The picture here is of trouble brought on oneself because of dissipation, addiction, or any kind of self-destructive behavior. Not a good thing. But again it is, when such a thing draws us to God.

Looking back, perhaps we can see evidences of trouble, or rebellion, or foolishness in our lives. Did they draw us closer to God? Let's take a few minutes today to review how God has turned trouble into blessing in our live. We could personalize our thankfulness to God.

PRAYER: I thank You, God, for Your goodness in ___________(name the bad situation), and for Your wonderful works to me. 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.

In a time of trouble

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Daniel 12:1-13


TO CHEW ON:"...And there shall be a time of trouble,

Such as never was since there was a nation..." Daniel 12:1

"Times of trouble" run through the Bible. They relate often to the Israelite nation and come as the consequence of abandoning Yahweh for idols. Such trouble in the form of the nation being displaced and distressed was Moses' warning way back in Deuteronomy as a consequence of turning from the worship of God to idols (Deuteronomy 4:30-31).

Jesus referred often to trouble-filled days.

• He told about the trouble that comes to all of us in the course of life and how the foundation we choose will determine whether our life-house will withstand the storms of circumstances or be battered apart by them (Matthew 7:24-28).

• In His story about the sower and the seed, tribulation and trouble destroyed the faith of the believer who was only shallowly rooted in the God's word (Matthew 13:20-21).

• He also talked about end-time tribulation, referring specifically to Daniel's prophecy (Matthew 24:15). He described this trouble as a time of emergency, terror, flight, and life-snuffing ferocity (Matthew 24:15-22).

• Jesus described these end-time troubles as "birth pains" - Matthew 24:8 NLT. We know how a mother's contractions accelerate as the birth of the baby nears, until the little one is finally delivered. That's how Jesus describes the  troubles on earth as they crescendo until "the end" - Matthew 24:14.

It's easy to feel we're in the middle of those birth pains. As I write, Earth is staggering under numerous political, humanitarian, and health crises. There is war in the Middle East as ISIS terrorists overrun Syria and Iraq, while thousands flee. Rocket fights between Hamas and Israel keep erupting. In African whole classrooms of girls are still being held captive by terrorist groups.  Tensions between Russia and Ukraine mount daily. Thousands in West Africa are dying from the ebola virus. There is unrest in Hong Kong as China restricts their democracy.

Let's take to heart Jesus' words of advice for such trouble-filled times:

• Don't be deceived - Matthew 24:4
• "Be ready..." Matthew 24:44.
• "Endure to the end" - Matthew 24:13.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I don't like to contemplate trouble. But when I view it through the lens of Your word, I see that it shouldn't surprise or confuse me. Help me to live alert and prepared through trouble-filled times. Amen.

MORE: Today is the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels

Michael is the archangel who Daniel describes in our reading as "The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people." Find out more about the archangel Michael here.

The liturgy for the Feast of st. Michael and All Angels begins with this collect:

"Everlasting God, you have ordained and constituted in a wonderful order the ministries of angels and mortals: Mercifully grant that, as your holy angels always serve and worship you in heaven, so by your appointment they may help and defend us here on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and 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.

Color trouble good

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 107:1-22

TO CHEW ON: “Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men.” Psalm 107:8,15,21

When we take today’s verse (a refrain that is occurs three times in this psalm) out of its context, we could assume the psalmist is drawing our attention to God’s general character of goodness and His amazing creation. But when we pay attention to the verses around we see the writer is looking at quite a different side of God’s goodness. Each repetition of the refrain comes after the memory of a nasty situation.

1. A time of loss and homeless (Psalm 107:2-7)
The Israelites wandered around in the wilderness after Egypt, hungry, discouraged, lost and homeless. But this bad scene became good when it caused them to look to God for direction. Then He settled them in a land they could call home.

2. A time of rebellion (Psalm 107:10-14)
Israel was often in a state of rebellion. God’s remedy – hard labor – didn’t look like a blessing on the surface. But it was, because it sent them running back to God for help.

3. A time of foolishness (Psalm 107:17-20)
The picture here is of trouble brought on oneself because of dissipation, addiction, or any kind of self-destructive behavior. Not a good thing. But again it is, when such a thing draws us to God.

Looking back, do you see evidences of any of these things in your life? Did they draw you closer to God? Take a few minutes today to review how God has turned trouble into blessing in your life. You could personalize your thankfulness to God.

PRAYER: I thank You, God, for Your goodness in ___________(name the bad situation), and for Your wonderful works to me. Amen.

MORE: In “Man of the Tombs”  Bob Bennett writes of the Gadarene demoniac  – a man whose life was a mess because he was controlled by demon spirits. Even that was a blessing in disguise when his condition drew Jesus' attention and He delivered the man from those monsters. The line of Bennett’s song: “He…mistakes his freedom for being free” can be said of most of us before Jesus liberates us.

“Man of the Tombs” by Bob Bennett




(From the archives)

Fireproof

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Corinthians 3:10-23

TO CHEW ON: "Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is." 1 Corinthians 3:12-13

Who of us hasn't seen video clips on the evening news of people sifting through the charred remains and ashes of their burned homes? Each time I am chilled by their, "This was all I had. My whole life was here. I lost it all."

That's the scene these verses from 1 Corinthians bring to mind. And I just know I don't want that to be me on "the Day" (of Jesus' return). I'm sure you feel the same way. So how do we avoid this? How do we leave a life-legacy that doesn't go up in flames?

As I view the rubble of the scene, I think of the warning Jesus gave:

"Don't lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal" Matthew 6:20.

Expending our efforts on things that last beyond this life, pouring ourselves out for the well-being of peoples' souls instead of amassing physical stuff and building monuments to ourselves is certainly one aspect of this.

But it seems that Paul is talking about more. The implication is that these people are all busy in spiritual work, building on Jesus, the right foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11). We can conclude that even in that there is a right and wrong way to build, a way to build with lasting materials or flammable ones.

Read any book describing cults and you will, I think, be struck by how many start with Jesus. He is part of their foundation. But somewhere their leaders and/or followers have used other materials than the Word of God, or stressed one part of the Bible ignoring other parts, or compromised in their lifestyles necessitating rationalization with its accompanying potential for false teaching.

A footnote in my Bible says about these building materials:

"To build on the foundation a building of durable material (gold, silver, precious stones) is to teach sound doctrine and live a life of fidelity to the truth, thus leading converts to spiritual maturity. To build with perishable material (wood, hay, straw) is to provide inadequate or unsound teaching or to compromise the truth by demonstrating a lifestyle that contradicts or fails to model it" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1583.

So how do we make sure we "teach sound doctrine and live a life of fidelity to the truth"? I would submit it's by getting very familiar with the building supply depot — the Bible (all of it, not just the red-letter parts, or the gospels, or the epistles, or the Psalms...) and by giving the Holy Spirit permission to apply it to our lives, even when it wreaks a little havoc with our current building projects.

PRAYER: Dear God, I don't want to stand before You someday next to a pile of smoking rubble, having accomplished nothing that lasts. Help me live my life with today's warning in mind. Amen.

MORE: Learning about world religions

There are thousands of belief systems in the world, hundreds of which name Jesus as part of their foundation. One book that helps the layperson through this maze is James Beverley's Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions: A Comprehensive Introduction. A part of the book that makes it useful is Beverley's evaluation of how each belief systems relates to Christian orthodoxy. This book would be a valuable addition to any home library.

(My July 2009 review of Nelson's Illustrated Guild to Religions is here).

(From the archives)

Dissolved

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Peter 3:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "Therefore since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness." 2 Peter 3:11

To the nine people that boarded a charter flight from Vancouver to Kelowna, Thursday October 27th, 2011, started out as an ordinary day. But halfway through their trip captain Luc Fortin knew something was not ordinary about that flight.*

Passenger Carolyn Cross remembers his announcement. Though his words downplayed the gravity of their situation: ("...there is a small leak on the left side of the engine... he's sorry but it shouldn't take that long to get back,") the way his hands shook told her this was serious. "I knew we were going to die," she said. Her response was to take out her iPhone and write goodbye letters to her kids. She managed to hit "send" seconds before the plane crashed onto a highway 900 meters from the runway. Captain Fortin died that day. Others were badly injured.

This scenario is a dramatic illustration of how suddenly life can change. It is also a reminder that we will all someday come to our moment of "all these things" being "dissolved."

Peter talks about that time for planet earth as it melts under God's judgment. Such a scenario may seem far off  and vague incentive for us to change our ways. But when we translate it into a warning of how unexpected yet imminent is the dissolution of one's personal world, it feels like reason to pay attention.

Let's follow Peter's admonition to spend the time we have left getting ready for that inevitable dissolve: "And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight" - 2 Peter 3:14 NLT


PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to live with the reality of life's end in mind. Amen.

MORE: Only 22 more sleeps till Christmas! (if the Lord wills)

Advent Calendar - December 3

Christmas Fact: 

Advent wreaths are a church and family tradition. Made out of greenery these round wreaths sit flat or hang horizontally.

The wreath holds four candles and another sits in the center. Tomorrow in churches around the world, people will be lighting that first candle on the wreath (signifying Expectation or Hope) because tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent.

Open December 3

Find out more about Advent wreaths, their beginnings, their significance and their uses, here.

* Read entire article: "Passenger on doomed flight sent goodbye message to her kids."

Know, remember, drink and be still

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 46:1-11
 
TO CHEW ON: "God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble...

Be still and know that I am God..."

Psalm 46:1,10a


The Sons of Korah wrote Psalm 46 to encourage and give hope to people who were in trouble. By the things the psalmist mentions it seems the trouble was war with another nation. The writer begins with a declaration about who God is:

"God is our refuge  — shelter, protection, fortress, hope, place of trust — and our strength  — power, security — in trouble" 

He reminds the people about the security of the city (vs 4-5). It has an underground stream that provides water even if the water supply is cut off by siege. (Though there is no actual river flowing through Jerusalem, "it is believed by many that there is a subterranean water supply that is the source of various fountains and pools in Jerusalem" New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 723.) God's presence in her makes her unshakeable, in case of battering. He will help her at sunrise, which is a likely time for the enemy to attack.

He says more about the identity of God (vs 7-9). He calls Him Yahweh Sabaoth — the Lord of Hosts. I am reminded of the story of Elisha, when the King of Syria comes to capture him, surrounding the city with his army. In the morning, Elisha's servant sees the army and is afraid. But Elisha draws his attention to another army — an army of heavenly warriors: "Do not fear for those who are with us are more than those who are with them" - 2 Kings 6:8-17.

He also calls God the "God of Jacob." This reminds them of their history with God when, in the past, He has preserved their forefather Jacob and his descendants, causing havoc to enemy weapons and transportation.

In the light of all this, God Himself steps to the mic, telling the readers/listeners: "Be still and know that I am God."

The comment writer of my Bible suggests this is "God addressing the wicked warring nations." That may be so. But I think it is also God addressing the worried, wailing people. He tells them to still the fearful voices around them and in their own heads, perhaps even to the extent of silencing their own ideas and suggestions to God about how He could help them.

We may not be living in a city surrounded by an enemy army but our lives can feel just as attacked. Circumstances, demands of home, family and church, sickness, sandwich pressures (simultaneously looking after kids and parents), the clamour around us (internet, TV, radio, the constant demands of social networking via the phone, Facebook, Twitter) can make a mighty din, causing us stress, anxiety and fear.

At such times, let's use the encouragements of Psalm 46. We can:

• Know our God — a shelter, strength, the Lord of Hosts.

• Remember our history with God. ("He is the God of ___" [insert your name here]).

• Drink from the river that flows within — get strength from the Bible and the Holy Spirit's application of what we read.

• Be still — turn off the noise in our environment, refuse to listen to the chatter in our heads, even silence our own suggestions to God while we wait for His solutions (Exodus 14:13-14).

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to take advantage of what is available in You when I'm feeling stressed, anxious, surrounded by demands, or trouble. Help me to be still and wait for You to work.  Amen.

MORE: "Be Still" the song

Canadian singer-songwriter Carolyn Arends has written a song based on this verse. It's on her newest album Love Was Here First.

I can't post the actual song but if you go to this page, that songs starts playing when the page loads.


I love these lines from the bridge section:

Oh how I need a vacation

‘Cause it’s so exhausting pretending I’m God

There would be much less frustration

If I would let you do your job

All lyrics are here

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

Whose fault is it?

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 13:1-9

TO CHEW ON: “Or of those eighteen on whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed then, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:4-5

We will not soon forget scenes of the Haiti earthquake of January 12th. A disaster like that gets people questioning why and inevitably someone makes the suggestion that Haitians were in some way to blame. I’m not going to argue the point one way or the other. We find instances in the Bible where the moral life of a nation and subsequent disasters they suffered were interpreted as God’s judgment. We see just as many examples of God apparently withholding His judgment even though it would seem deserved. And we could well ask, which nation or individual doesn’t deserve judgment?

Jesus here answers questions about two local tragedies, where the word going around was that the victims were to blame because they were “worse sinners” than those who were spared. Jesus said no. He doesn’t explain why these tragedies happened, but rather points out that we’re all sinners and unless we repent we’ll all perish.

Of course we know that we’re all physically terminal and will someday perish physically. So Jesus, by implying there is an out from perishing shifts our attention from physical perishing (death by whatever means) to the spiritual realm and the possibility not perishing.

We’re all disqualified from this, though, because we’re all sinners. A “sinner” (opheiletes) is a debtor, one who owes a moral obligation, a defender, a delinquent, a moral transgressor. “We are morally bound to live a life free from violation of God’s commandments; failing in performance we become delinquent transgressors and debtors to divine justice.” (New Spirit Filled Life Bible p. 1415). As sinners, we’re all headed for an ultimate disaster that will make Port-au-Prince, Phuket, and New Orleans look like a picnic.

The only escape is to repent – a decision that means a change of mind. We change our mind about trying to earn God’s favor our way (earn our way to heaven by being good enough, for example) and accepting Jesus as our substitute. Then we give Him the controls of our lives, no longer living to please ourselves but Him. And guess what – that new imperishable life begins now,  at the moment we make that decision!

PRAYER: Thank You, Jesus, for dying for me so that I can have eternal life and not perish, as I deserve.

MORE: Kristian Stanfill sings “Jesus Paid It All”