May the mumbling commence!
Let’s rejoice in the salvation God has worked for
us. But let’s not get caught up in the
thought that we are saved through our own efforts or worth. God saves us for God’s own honor. For the children of God, there is salvation…
or God’s promises mean nothing. God
cannot and will not go back on the Word of the Lord. Read from Ezekiel chapter thirty-six:
"Therefore, give the people of Israel this message
from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back again but not because you deserve
it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, which you dishonored while you were scattered among the
nations. I will show how holy my great name is – the name
you dishonored among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you
before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations
will know that I am the Lord. For I will gather you up from all the
nations and bring you home again to your
land.
Then
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will
be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart with new and
right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony
heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will
obey my laws and do whatever I command.” (Verses 22-27)
Gather us, O God.
Bring us home to Your Kingdom. Do
these things for the sake of Your Name.
Help us to be obedient to You.
Grant us Your Holy Spirit so that we might follow you aright.
Protect us from being blinded by our own conceptions of
the way things are. Open our eyes to the
movement of Your Spirit in the world around us.
May we not be like the religious elite of Jesus’ day who refused to see
and didn’t recognize their own spiritual blindness. Read from John chapter nine:
When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and
said, "Do
you believe in the Son of Man?"
The man answered, "Who is he, sir, because I would like to."
"You have seen him," Jesus said, "and he is speaking to you!"
"Yes, Lord," the man said, "I
believe!" And he worshiped Jesus.
Then Jesus told him, "I have come to judge the world. I have come to give sight to the blind and to show those
who think they see that they are blind."
The Pharisees who were standing there heard him and
asked, "Are you saying we are blind?"
"If you were blind, you wouldn't be guilty," Jesus replied. "But you remain
guilty because you claim you can see.” (Verses 35-41)
So let’s open our eyes to the bountiful mercy and grace
the Lord has extended to us in our salvation.
Let’s open our eyes and rejoice in what God has done for us. The Lord has not given us what we deserve…
that’s mercy. The Lord has given us what
we do not deserve… that’s grace.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
No comments:
Post a Comment