No condemnation for God's chosen

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, July 1, 2010
Devotions: Ps 131, 132, 134, 135; Num 23:11-26; Rom 8:1-11; Mt 22:1-14

Lord, I keep my aspirations under control; I don’t occupy myself with things too great or wondrous for me. I have stilled and quieted my soul like a weaned child, content at its mother’s breast. I wait upon God. I will trust the Almighty, for He is faithful and keeps His word. YHWH has chosen Zion and the house of David through which to bless humanity with His own presence. Let all who serve YHWH bless Him, lifting our hands in praise and praising our God. Let us praise the name of YHWH, for He is good and gracious. He does whatever pleases Him; He directs all the creation. He has chosen and delivered His people, bringing them out of Egypt and into Canaan. YHWH will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants. Other ‘gods’ are simply man-made idols, and those who make them and worship them will become more like them. Let all God’s people bless the Lord.

Balak complained to Balaam, ‘What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies and you have only blessed them!’ Balaam replied, ‘I must take heed to speak only what YHWH puts in my mouth.’ So Balak tried another angle: ‘Come with me to another place, where you can see only part of this horde; try to curse them from that point.’ They went to the top of Mt. Pisgah, and again built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each one. Balaam left Balak standing beside his offering, and went apart to confer with the Lord. God gave His directions, and Balaam spoke as God directed: ‘Rise, Balak, and hear me, son of Zippor: God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill? Look here: I received a command to bless; God has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob nor trouble in Israel. YHWH their God is with them, and the shout of a king is among them. God brings them out of Egypt, with the horns of a wild ox. There is no spell against Jacob, no divination against Israel. What has God accomplished? See this people: as a lioness arises and a lion stands up, it does not lie down till it devours the prey and drinks the blood of the slain.’ Balak entreated Balaam, ‘Neither curse them nor bless them at all.’ But Balaam answered, ‘Didn’t I tell you, that I must do all that the Lord says?

There is now no condemnation for those who are in the Messiah Jesus: for the law of the Spirit of life in the Messiah Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh could not do: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law could be fulfilled in us who walk, not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on fleshly things; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set one’s mind on the flesh is death; but to set one’s mind on the Spirit is life and peace. The mind set on the flesh is hostile ot God; it does not and cannot submit to God’s law, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God lives in you. Whoever does not have the Messiah’s Spirit does not belong to Him. But if the Messiah is in you, though your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness. If the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He Who raised the Messiah Jesus from death will give life to your mortal bodies also, through His Spirit Who lives in you.

Jesus’ teaching parables continued: The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son. He sent his servants to call those who were invited, but they would not come. He sent other messengers, telling them, ‘Tell those invited, Behold I have made my dinner ready; my oxen and fatling calves are slaughtered and everything is ready. Come to the marriage feast!’ But they only made light of the invitation and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, and the remainder seized his servants, treated them shamefully and killed them. The king was furious; he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he addressed his servants: ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Therefore, go out into the highways and invite to the marriage feast as many people as you find.’ The servants scoured the streets and gather everyone they found, good and bad, so that the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in, he saw a man there who had no wedding garment, and he addressed that man, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ The man was speechless, and the king told the attendants, ‘Bind this man hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; there, men will week and gnash their teeth.’ Jesus concluded: ‘Many are called, but few are chosen.’