Choose life

New Guest: Like this one, most posts are devotional; those related to CAR BIZ can be found by searching for that title. You might read 'Welcome,' the first post, dated November 12, 2008, in the archives.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Devotions: Ps 61, 62, 68; Deut 30:11-20; 2 Cor 11:21b-33; Lk 19:1-10

Lord, I cry to You, mindful of my weakness and of Your strength. Lead me to the Rock, my Refuge. Let me dwell in Your tabernacle forever; I share the heritage of all who fear Your Name. Let godly love and steadfast faithfulness rule over our human leaders, and I will ever praise Your name. I wait on God alone, my Rock and Salvation! There is no other refuge, no other hiding place. YHWH alone is my trusted Lord. I set my heart on God alone; power belongs to Him. So let the mighty God arise and scatter His enemies! Let the wicked perish as smoke in the wind, as wax in the flame! I sing praises to God; I exult before the Holy One. My God is Father to the orphan, Home to the desolate, Freedom to prisoners, and Judge to the rebellious. How creation quakes before its Maker and Master! Blessed is YHWH, Who daily bears us up, our Savior. He destroys His enemies and preserves His people. Let Your salvation, O God, set me on high! I praise and magnify God; let all creatures praise our Lord and King; He is our Home!

Moses proclaims to Israel: ‘The commands I give you are not too hard or too distant for you—it doesn’t require heroic means: the word is very near you, in your mouth and your heart, so that you can understand and perform it. I have set before you life and good, death and evil. If you obey by loving God and keep His commands, you shall live and flourish. If you turn to other gods, you will perish. Choose life, that you and your descendants may live, loving YHWH your God, obeying Him and cleaving to Him. That means life and length of days for you, as YHWH swore to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'

Paul reviews his resume: An Israelite and Hebrew, servant of the Messiah, working harder, facing greater trials and difficulties than other disciples: whipped five times with the maximum of 39 lashes; beaten three times with rods; stoned once; shipwrecked three times, adrift at sea a night and a day; constantly on the road in danger from rivers, robbers, Jews and Gentiles, in cities and wilderness, on land and sea, endangered by false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many sleepless nights, without food, warmth or shelter—and constantly anxious for all the churches, and constantly in danger of execution by the religious and civic authorities opposed to Christ.

As Jesus passed through Jericho on His way to Jerusalem and the cross, He encountered Zacchaeus, a wealthy tax collector of small stature. Zacchaeus ran ahead of Jesus and climbed into a sycamore tree, so he could see Jesus as the Lord passed by. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry; come down, for I must stay at your house today.’ The little man hurried down and welcomed Jesus to his home with joy. The onlookers murmured: ‘Jesus has gone in to be guest in the house of a great sinner.’ Zacchaeus, meanwhile, stood up among his guests and said to Jesus: ‘Look, Lord! Half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone, I will restore it four times over.’ Jesus replied to Zacchaeus, ‘Today salvation has come to this house; this man also is a son of Abraham, for the Son of man came to seek and save the lost.’