Humility and Sovereign Grace

New Guest: Like this one, most posts are devotional; those related to CAR BIZ can be found by searching the blog archives for that title. You might start with 'Welcome,' the first post, dated November 12, 2008, where I introduce myself and the blog. As you read, I encourage you to record any reflections or comments you may have, for the entries here serve best as the first remarks in a conversation.

Blessings and best wishes,
Dr. Will

Thursday, June 24, 2010
Devotions: Ps 105; Num 17:1-11; Rom 5:1-11; Mt 20:17-28

Let God’s people praise YHWH; let us glory in His name and recall His mighty acts of power and goodness. Seek YHWH and His strength; seek His presence continually. He is YHWH our God, Judge of all, Creator and Master of everything. He makes and keeps covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He promised Canaan to His people; He brought them to the land, then sent them to Egypt for more than four centuries. God then set His people free, utterly mastering Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt. He sent Moses and Aaron, and led forth His people with silver and gold. He led them to His holy mountain and gave them the Law. He provided manna and quail and water in the desert, and kept them alive until they came into the land He had set aside for them. Let us now praise the Lord and keep His commandments!

After a plague that killed nearly 15,000, YHWH told Moses to bring the rods from every tribe’s leader, write each man’s name on his staff, with Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi, and deposit these in the tabernacle before the testimony. The rod of the man elected by God would sprout, and God would use this miracle to silence the murmuring of the people against Moses, Aaron, and God Himself. Moses and the tribal chiefs did as YHWH had commanded. The following day, Aaron’s rod alone had sprouted, and had put forth blossoms, and bore ripe almonds! Moses brought the rods forth and displayed them, returning each to its owner. YHWH told Moses to put Aaron’s rod back in the tent of meeting in front of the testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebels, to silence their murmurs and quash their rebelliousness—so that they might not die. Moses did as YHWH commanded.

Paul continues his teaching: We are justified by faith alone, and have peace with God through our Lord Jesus the Messiah. Through Jesus we have obtained access to this grace in which we now stand. We rejoice in our hope of sharing in God’s glory. We rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces character, character produces hope, and hope will be fulfilled, ‘because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit Whom God has given us.’ While we were still powerless, at just the right moment, the Messiah died for the ungodly. Consider: it’s unlikely that someone would be dare to die even for a righteous man, though that is conceivable. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, the Messiah died for us. Therefore, since we are now justified by His blood, how much more will we be saved by Him from God’s wrath. If we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son at a time when we were still enemies, now that we are reconciled to God, we are saved utterly by Jesus’ resurrection and enduring life!

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the Twelve aside to tell them, ‘Look, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes; they will condemn Me to death, and deliver Me to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified. And I will be raised on the third day.’ After this announcement, Zebedee’s wife, the mother of James and John, came with her sons and knelt before Jesus. He said, ‘What do you want?’ The woman petitioned: ‘Command that these two sons of mine may sit at Your right and left sides in Your kingdom.’ Jesus replied, ‘You don’t know what you’re asking. Can you drink the cup that I Am to drink?’ They replied, ‘We are able.’ So Jesus said, ‘You will drink My cup, but to sit at My right and left is not Mine to grant; those places are for those chosen by My Father.’ When the other apostles heard what James and John had done, they were indignant, but Jesus called them all to Himself and said, ‘You know that rulers among the Gentiles lord it over them; their great ones exercise power and authority. But it won’t be that way among you; whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant; and if someone wants to be first among you, he must be the slave of all. Even the Son of man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.’