Heart
So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.” Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart. ” (Mark 7:5-7, 14, 15 NLT)
Grace
Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:18-21 NLT)
There is only one who can save us.
We come from a long line of broken people. We continue to be broken. We continue to fall short.
Yet, God’s grace continues to abundantly bless so many people. Because the perfect Son of God has come to not only teach us about God but to redeem us in his sacrifice, we are made whole. We are healed. We are The Lord’s. We are His.
Not by us. But for us.
Filthy
Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” (Isaiah 6:5-8 NLT)
What a painful way to cleanse sin from the body. Imagine if we were to burn the sinful parts of our bodies. What would be without scars?
But, imagine our God who is so loving to cleanse us through His love? To cleanse us through His own pain and sacrifice? To cleanse us through the death of His Son, Jesus?
We sin. But we are also forgiven when we faithfully come to The Lord. A gift we are given without even asking. We just need to open our hearts to the gift giver.
Listen
Come, let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,
for he is our God.
We are the people he watches over,
the flock under his care.
If only you would listen to his voice today!
(Psalm 95:6-7)
Psalm 95 reminds us God is the creator and holder of all things. We are just part of His creation, yet a big part because we have been chosen by God as His children.
Throughout the Old Testament we read of when people turned their back on God and things turned out badly for them. Psalm 95 reminds us of the doubts and arguments during the time the people walked the wilderness with Moses, questioning whether God really cared for them. And in His mercy, God once again provided for them.
We belong to God. Even in our questions and doubts, God is here with us. Sometimes we just need to open our ears and our hearts and listen for the still small voice calling to us.
Helper
Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. (John 4:5-8 NLT)
These verses begin the encounter between Jesus and a Samaritan woman. I could get into the situation and how Jesus broke a bunch of rules by talking to her, but I won’t.
Jesus simply reached out to a person in need. She was alone, rejected. Yet Jesus took time for her. He shared with her. He took interest in her. He saw her flaws, and he ignored them because she needed more than someone else to judge her.
Jesus knows our fears. He knows we struggle. Yet he still reaches out to us in our times of need.
Thanks. I need it far more often than I realize, so I’m glad he’s here for me too.