Romans 4:13-17

 “If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.” vss. 14-15

There is much to be said for operating under the rule of law in our world. It’s what enables businesses to flourish and governments to be trusted. Without it markets are quickly taken over by cartels and politicians rake in billions from pay-offs and blackmail. We particularly like living in a country with well-defined laws and rigid enforcement. Unless we are criminals the law gives a sense of security and safety.

Because we know the benefits of law and its effects on society, it’s easy to see how precious the law was to the Jewish people. It not only covered religious dealings and matters of worship, it could easily be stretched to include all aspects of human interactions. So when Paul came proclaiming grace and faith as the way of salvation, those who loved the law were shocked. It appeared to them that living by grace would be infinitely more difficult than living under the law. And they were right! 

But Paul wasn’t advocating the abolition of the law! He fully realized the importance of rules and ordinances in ordering society. But he also knew that all the law could do was reveal sin, it couldn’t heal sinners! Only grace and faith could bring reconciliation–and that’s still the way it is today!

Thought for the Day: Why is living by grace so difficult?

Romans 4:1-5

“But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.” vs. 5

Most people have a pretty good sense of how they have lived their lives. Oh, we forget some things, but in general we know exactly what we have done and what we have not done, and we’re particularly aware of our shortcomings. That’s why many folks find it really hard to believe that they are worthy in the sight of God. Even though they’ve heard about grace, and maybe even like to sing “Amazing Grace,” when it comes right down to it they think of themselves as being undeserving.

And that’s okay! In fact, Paul would say that this is exactly where we need to be in relationship to the Divine. It’s the arrogant and presumptuous who miss out when it comes to the righteousness that comes from God. If in our ungodliness, with no merit of our own to lean on, we put our trust in God, we receive restoration and healing through the Holy Spirit. Our pasts do not define our futures! 

Of course this can’t happen just once in our lifetimes. Because time passes so quickly and new circumstances rapidly redefine us, our faith decisions will be a continuing part of our spiritual growth. Day by day, confessing our sin, we will turn again to the promises of God and be born again to new life.

Thought for the Day: What shortcomings do I regularly bring before God?

Psalm 121:5-8

“The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.” vs. 7

Sometimes it’s hard to believe the things we read in scripture, and that’s particularly true with verses like this one. We wonder how the psalmist could speak with such certainty! Surely he must have known people whose lives had been turned upside down by the evils of this world. Sometimes good and decent people have awful things happen to them and to their families, and their lives are devastated. How is it even possible then to say that the Lord will keep us from all evil? That’s a hard question. And yet people of faith keep on saying such things. When we worship generally the last words of the service are a benediction, “The Lord bless you and keep you.” It’s one thing to say that we wish the Lord will keep us from all evil, but can we really say that the Lord will do that?

And the answer is yes! No matter what happens to us in this mixed up and broken world, the Lord will keep us. Our lives are forever safe in the hands of the Creator! Nothing, not even death will be able to separate us from the love of God! That’s a basic Christian belief, and it’s the bedrock of our faith. Even when it seems that all hell has broken loose, our lives are precious to our Maker and our Redeemer, and we will be preserved from all evil.

Thought for the Day: When do I doubt the power of God?

Psalm 121:1-4

“I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” vss. 1-2

Humans take great pride in being self-sufficient. We’re taught from an early age to take care of ourselves, and, if we have a problem, to find a solution. We like being in charge of our destiny and love being able to choose professions or careers. Those same feelings even carry over into our mental and physical well-being. We count it a blessing to handle health problems with a change of routine or exercise. 

The problem is that life in our good and broken world is not that easy, and we’re regularly stymied when we try to “go it on our own.” Seldom do things turn out as we intend and sometimes problems are so immense that there seems nowhere to turn. Often we don’t know what to pray for! And what’s worse is that sometimes we don’t even know who to pray to! We know that God is, but there seem to be so many options. And sometimes our notion of God changes–the God who seemed so real in our childhood can seem naive or primitive when we’re adults.

The psalmist was in one of those tough spots. We don’t know what was going on but he did know where to turn for help. The Creator God, the one who’d made the mountains and everything else could certainly be his strength. It was simply a matter of falling on his knees and asking for help!

Thought for the Day: What if prayer doesn’t seem to work?

Genesis 12:1-4a

“I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” vs. 3

Some have experienced what it’s like to have a “chosen one” among our siblings. This is the child who, at least from our perspective, has gotten all the advantages while growing up. They’re pampered,  protected, and given the best of everything. That seems to have been the position of Abram as reported in Genesis. In this text God’s preference is obvious. Those who bless him will be blessed, and those who curse him will be cursed. There is little doubt about it, Abram and Sarai’s progeny would be the “Chosen People.”

Sometimes we wonder about things like this. Does God really play favorites? And if that’s the way God is, no wonder some folks don’t like God very much. Playing favorites is never a way to win friends and influence people. It’s important to remember here that our ancient scriptures were written by Hebrews who were the descendents of Abraham. And they really did believe that they were special. That’s one of the reasons they were able to hang out to their ethnic and religious identity in the midst of the tribal warfare of those days. 

But scripture also reports that attitudes gradually changed and that ultimately the prophets proclaimed a more inclusive message. Yes, Israel had indeed been blessed, but those blessings weren’t just for them, they were actually for all the families of the earth!

Thought for the Day: What’s it like to have a “chosen one” in the family?

Matthew 4:1-11

“Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”’”vs. 10

Having savored the love and the goodness of God in his baptism Jesus was led into the wilderness for a taste of the world’s brokenness. And as he prayed and fasted he pondered the direction of his ministry. There were so many possibilities. We know this part of the story well. Everywhere we look there are tests and temptations, all promising the best that the world can offer. 

In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ wilderness stay, the temptations are whittled down to the big three: satisfaction of personal desires, fame and fortune, and unlimited power. None of them appear to be particularly evil, and many of us eagerly adopt one or more of them as a part of our personal aspirations. But Jesus saw them all as diversions, symptoms of brokenness masquerading as good. None of them met the standards of the peaceable kingdom he had been called to establish.

In the end Jesus chose the path of humility and service, saying no to creature comforts, popularity, and domination. He determined that he would be a servant and look to his loving God for daily direction in bringing healing and restoration to the world. He would model the sacrificial love of God even if it meant that he would die! And in his life, death, and resurrection, salvation has come to our good and broken world.

Thought for the Day: What have been my aspirations?

Romans 5:12-19

“For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” vs 19

While we may not agree with Paul’s interpretation of Genesis 3 we have to rejoice in the way he uses the story to proclaim the gospel of grace. His logic is impeccable. As in Adam the many were made sinners, in Jesus Christ the many are made righteous. He recognized that from the very beginning humanity has lived in a good and broken creation, and he believed that in Christ that brokenness has been healed. We can now live in this beautiful world and fully enjoy the incredible life that God intends for us.

Unfortunately, as all have experienced, that brokenness persists. Indeed, it will endure throughout our lives. There will always be times of pain and suffering. But in Christ we need not be overcome by the ugliness. Even death is a defeated enemy and will one day be overcome. And by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit we can know love, peace, and joy in abundance. In other words, we can know the delights of the peaceable kingdom now!

As we move through the weeks of Lent we have the opportunity to daily draw closer to Jesus in our worship and prayer. And as we do we won’t have to worry about our flaws. All that has been taken care of, and abundant forgiveness belongs to us. As Paul says, in Christ we have been made righteous!

Thought for the Day: How have I experienced healing?

Psalm 32

“Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” vss. 1-2

There is perhaps nothing better than having a clean conscience! It just feels so good to have no burden of guilt weighing down our walk through this complicated world. It’s bad enough to have worries and anxieties, and we’ll always have plenty of those. But to have no guilt or shame about the past is an incredible gift! 

There are some who question whether it’s even possible to live that way. They have the mistaken impression that no guilt or shame means we will have lived a perfect life, and that, they will say, is impossible! And that’s right! It is impossible to live a life without sin! Often not a day passes in which we don’t screw up in some significant way. But people of faith have a secret! They know about the power of confession and forgiveness! They know that if we confess our sin, God will forgive our sin, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That’s the way it’s always been with God because that’s how God is. Not only is God slow to anger, God is full of love and compassion, and gladly forgives our sin.

And once God forgives sin, sin is forgiven, and there is absolutely no reason to carry its burden for one moment longer. With forgiveness we are given a clear conscience, and what a gift that is!

Thought for the Day: When does my conscience trouble me?

Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.” vs. 6

One of the great tragedies of life in our world has been the continuing relegation of women to a subservient role in almost every culture. While situations do vary by regions and ethnicities, women are regularly discounted and regarded as inferior in nearly every land. Almost always they are regarded with suspicion and their attempts to claim equality are considered a threat to male dominance. Even though Paul wrote that men and women should be considered as one in Christ Jesus, the Church has made little progress in erasing this stigma. Only recently have women been welcomed as pastors and bishops, but even then, there is often an undercurrent of suspicion.

Those prejudices are often traced to particular scriptural passages The woman, it is said, was seduced by the serpent, and she in turn seduced her husband. No end of misery has come from interpretations of these few words and the resulting prejudices against women can even be found in other world religions. 

But there are signs of hope! Barriers to full inclusion for women are falling! Both men and women are now being seen as “very good,” and the old distorted myths are finally being abandoned. Praise God! 

Thought for the Day:Why do some men delight in putting down women?

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

“Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” vs. 1

When Ash Wednesday arrives there is a sense among believers of all stripes that we are entering a season of opportunity. We know that this is a fixed time during which we can practice spiritual disciplines and take time to reflect on the state of our souls. Perhaps in previous years we’ve elected to “give something up for Lent,” and then lost interest after a couple of weeks of going without coffee or chocolate. It’s likely that we know that a real Lenten discipline means more than giving something up.

Jesus’ words here give a hint. Of course he wasn’t thinking about Lent, but he was speaking about spiritual discipline, namely the practicing of piety. It seems that he was all for such a thing. He knew from his own life that there was a place for fasting, prayer, and the giving of alms. Those practices, he says, will add blessings in our lives. But he does have a caveat! Beware of practising them before others in order to be seen by them! We know what he means. There is nothing more off-putting than hearing someone crowing about their latest spiritual triumph. Lent isn’t a time for showing off!

That doesn’t mean we will never talk about our spiritual life! Of course we will share our piety with others–and it wouldn’t even hurt to mention the blessings that have come our way!

Thought for the Day:How have my spiritual disciplines been a blessing?