Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Faithful God's sovereign love sets us free forever

Tuesday, February 21, 2017 - Devotions: Ps 121-126; Prov 4:1-27; 1Jn 4:7-21; Jn 11:30-44

I raise my gaze to the hills: where will my help come from?  It comes from YHWH, creator of heaven and earth.  He never sleeps, and He will keep me from stumbling or being pushed around.  YHWH is my Keeper; He shades me from the hot sun, protects me in the moonlit night.  He keeps me from all evil and sustains my life.  YHWH watches over my going forth and returning home, for ever.  So I am thrilled when it's time to go to God's house for worship.  I was blessed to visit the Holy City, Jerusalem, to which the nations make aliyah, going up in pilgrimage.  I pray for the peace of Jerusalem, Lord, and of all the holy land; indeed, Jesus, You have made all the earth holy ground, the kingdom of our God.  Let there be peace on earth and with those who please our God.  I turn to You, Lord, for succor and for strength.  Have mercy on us and free us from the contempt of the proud and wicked.  If You had not sustained us, the hostility of evil men and evil spirits would have swallowed us alive.  Blessed be the Lord, Who has not given us up to enemies.  He has broken the snare and set us free!  Those who trust in Him are like Mount Zion--immovable, abiding forever.  As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so YHWH is round about His people.  Let there be peace for the Israel of God.  When God acts to deliver us, we are enraptured--laughter fills our mouths, and we shout for joy. YHWH has done great things for us; we are restored, as streams restore the Negev.  May all who sow with tears, reap with shouts of joy!  We go out in tears to sow; we return home with the harvest, proclaiming the praise of our God.

Listen to the wisdom of our elders; obey the commandments of our God.  Pursue wisdom; get insight--for Wisdom will guard you and exalt you, crowning your life and work with beauty.  Follow in the paths of righteousness; hold onto godly instruction.  Shun the paths of the wicked; turn away and move on with the Lord and His people.  Evildoers cannot rest; they cannot sleep apart from doing wicked things.  They devour wickedness and drink the wine of violence.  But the path of the righteous is like dawn, shining ever brighter till noonday, while the way of the wicked is in deep darkness--there is no telling what will cause them to stumble.  Hold fast, dear ones, to wisdom; hide these words in your heart; they are life and healing for anyone who does this.  Keep your heart with all vigilance,  Separate yourself from deception and lying.  Look forward; look up.  Do not swerve right or left; the Way is straight and narrow; the ditches are wide and treacherous.  Turn from evil; hold fast to wisdom, and do what is good.

Let us love one another; love is of God, and by loving we are born of God and know God.  His love is manifest in the advent of His Son, and we may live through Him.  Love is God's expiation for our sins through the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus.  And if God loves us so, we also must love one another.  If we do, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us.  We can know this because God the Holy Spirit is in us. The eternal Father sent His Son as Savior of the world.  God abides in all who confess that Jesus is the Son of God; and this perfects love in us, swo that we may have confidence for the Day of judgment--as He Is, so we are in this world.  Perfect love casts out all fear, for fear springs from punishment, and anyone who fears is not perfected in love.  We love because God first loved us; and we must love our brothers and sisters, whom we can see--if not, we lie when we claim to love God.  This is His command: that all should love God, and all should love our brothers and sisters also.

Jesus had waited several days after receiving news that Lazarus of Bethany was dying.  Then, He made His way to visit that household.  Martha hurried out to meet Jesus, and He affirmed to Her: 'I Am the resurrection and the life.  Anyone who believes in Me, even if they die, will live--and never be separated from Me in death.'  Then Jesus called for Mary and she hurried out to meet Him.  She fell at His feet and said, 'Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.'  Seeing her tears and the grief of other mourners, Jesus was deeply moved and stirred in His Spirit.  He asked where they had laid Lazarus; they said, 'Come and see, Lord.'  And Jesus wept.  The Jews were divided--some touched by His grief; others miffed that Jesus had not prevented Lazarus' death.  Jesus came to the tomb and directed that the stone sealing its opening should be moved aside.  Martha remonstrated--her brother had been in the grave four days, and she expected a foul odor.  But Jesus said, 'Did I not tell you that ifyou would believe, you would see the glory of God?'  So they rolled away the stone, and Jesus lifted His eyesw and said, 'Father, I thank You have heard Me.  I now that You always hear Me, but I say this for the benefit of bystanders, that they may believe that You have sent Mer.'  Then, Jesus cried aloud, 'Lazarus!  Come forth!'  And the man came out of the cave, hands and feet still bound with bandages and his face covered with a cloth.  Jesus directed those standing by, 'Unbind him, and let him go.'  

  

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