Tag: Jesus

I Am Nothing

Job 40-42

Our reading in Job is coming to a conclusion with these chapters. Yesterday we heard God show Himself in the power and breath of creation.   In chapters 40-41 we see that now God Himself is answering Job about His power and majesty and challenges him to answer.  Job is completely overawed by God and finally sees the folly of his positions and arguments.  He reacts as the lesson teaches us that God is everything, all power, all majesty, all strength and all knowledge.  We in all our human strength and knowledge are nothing compared to God, and this is Job’s confession that turns the whole narrative. 

Job 40:1-5(NLT) Then the LORD said to Job,
2 “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?
You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?”
Job Responds to the LORD
3 Then Job replied to the LORD,
4 “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?
I will cover my mouth with my hand.
5 I have said too much already.
I have nothing more to say.”

Proverbs 1:7(NKJV) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge

Fear here is not that of a frightened mind, but an overwhelmed, overawed understanding of the power of God and the feeble strength of man.

Our ministry today is to explain to a fallen world what the message of God is, showing others the way to the truth.   Our message is now in the cross of Christ and what God has done for us in Jesus’ life and death.  Our responsibility is to show an Invisible God to a hurting world. 

1 Corinthians 1:18-25(NLT) The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” 20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. 24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

Job 40:6-11(NLT) The LORD Challenges Job Again
6 Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:
7 “Brace yourself like a man,
because I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.
8 “Will you discredit my justice
and condemn me just to prove you are right?
9 Are you as strong as God?
Can you thunder with a voice like his?
10 All right, put on your glory and splendor,
your honor and majesty.
11 Give vent to your anger.
Let it overflow against the proud.

Job 42:1-6(NLT) Then Job replied to the LORD:
2 “I know that you can do anything,
and no one can stop you.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’
It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about,
things far too wonderful for me.
4 You said, ‘Listen and I will speak!
I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.’
5 I had only heard about you before,
but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
6 I take back everything I said,
and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”

Then we come to the end of the book.  In only a few short verses with little explanation or elaboration we see Job pray for friends and then he is restored to life, health and position.  Even double the wealth that he had before.  What brings this amazing turnabout?

Job 42:8-10(NLT) My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the LORD commanded them, and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer. 10 When Job prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes. In fact, the LORD gave him twice as much as before!

The ”miserable comforters” do a sacrifice where they lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, transferring their sin to the animals.  Then Job changes from self-justification and promotion to making humble prayer for the friends.  When we are right with God then He is able to bless us because of His decision to do it, not because of our merit, works or traditions.

What is the conclusion of the matter?

With God I am everything, Without God I am nothing!

James 5:10-11(NLT) For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.

-Tom Siderius

Questions for Reflection:

Did you have fun reading the book of Job and the lesson in it?

Has the reading changed your thinking about the “Oldest Lesson in the World”?

Has your heart changed about who God is and who we are?

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When God Answers with Some Questions of His Own

Job 38-39

Acts 17:24-27(NLT) He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. 26 From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. 27 “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us.

God answers Job

In our chapter reading today we come to the point where it shows us that God Himself challenges Job and his friends.  How this happens, in audible words, or an angelic herald, we don’t know because it doesn’t say.  Remember that this is an epic poem which is told as verbal story to people at that time.  It is to give us understanding of who God is and how He deals with us in our lives.  God starts by challenging Job with the majesty of the physical creation and how Job not only has nothing to do with it but does not begin to understand it.

God is Greater than Man

God starts first with the geological and astronomical pages of creation. 

Job 38:1-7(NLT) The LORD Challenges Job
​1 Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:
2 “Who is this that questions my wisdom
with such ignorant words?
3 Brace yourself like a man,
because I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell me, if you know so much.
5 Who determined its dimensions
and stretched out the surveying line?
6 What supports its foundations,
and who laid its cornerstone
7 as the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?

Job 38:19-21(NLT) “Where does light come from,
and where does darkness go?
20 Can you take each to its home?
Do you know how to get there?
21 But of course you know all this!
For you were born before it was all created,
and you are so very experienced!

Now in chapter 39 God shows the majesty of the work of His creation in the zoological and botanical realms. 

Job 39:1-4(NLT) “Do you know when the wild goats give birth?
Have you watched as deer are born in the wild?
2 Do you know how many months they carry their young?
Are you aware of the time of their delivery?
3 They crouch down to give birth to their young
and deliver their offspring.
4 Their young grow up in the open fields,
then leave home and never return.

Job 39:19-21(NLT) “Have you given the horse its strength
or clothed its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Did you give it the ability to leap like a locust?
Its majestic snorting is terrifying!
21 It paws the earth and rejoices in its strength
when it charges out to battle.

The object of most religious teaching today is to bring mankind to a better moral and ethical point in their lives.  This is not God’s teaching.  God’s teaching is that we need to come to Him and believe, and that the way to believe Him is through the lord Jesus Christ.  When we confess Jesus as lord we are saying in our hearts that I am no longer the god of my life, I am no longer the one who decides good and evil, that I am subject to a different ruler than my own heart.  We must confess the sinful nature of our hearts to get to this point.  Not to just confess the individual sins we may have committed. 

True Christianity is our relationship with Jesus our lord and God our Father, not in trying to fix the sins of our lives.  This is truly the greatest lesson from the book of Job that we can learn.  Stop looking at the morality of this world and events here and look to our Father who is He that has set it all in motion.  Our strength is in Christ not in our own arm and power.

Our true ministry is to convey to others the God of grace that we have experienced and walked with.  This is to be like Christ in what we do and speak.

I pray as we come to the end of this study of Job that it opens our hearts to hear God as we will see Job hear God.

-Tom Siderius

Questions for Reflection:

Do you truly believe that God has created the heavens and the earth and all that is here? 

Have you grown in your understanding of the confession of Jesus as lord?

Do you better see the difference between religion and Christianity?

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The Righteousness of God

Job 11-15

Our reading today starts with Zophar’s reply to Job’s defense of his righteousness. 

Job 11:1-6(NLT) Then Zophar the Naamathite replied to Job:
2 “Shouldn’t someone answer this torrent of words?
Is a person proved innocent just by a lot of talking?
3 Should I remain silent while you babble on?
When you mock God, shouldn’t someone make you ashamed?
4 You claim, ‘My beliefs are pure,’
and ‘I am clean in the sight of God.’
5 If only God would speak;
if only he would tell you what he thinks!
6 If only he would tell you the secrets of wisdom,
for true wisdom is not a simple matter.
Listen! God is doubtless punishing you
  far less than you deserve!

Job fires right back at Zophar with a defense of his words and his position.

Job 12:1-5(NLT) Then Job spoke again:
2 “You people really know everything, don’t you?
And when you die, wisdom will die with you!
3 Well, I know a few things myself—
and you’re no better than I am.
Who doesn’t know these things you’ve been saying?
4 Yet my friends laugh at me,
for I call on God and expect an answer.
I am a just and blameless man,
yet they laugh at me.
5 People who are at ease mock those in trouble.
They give a push to people who are stumbling

Job continues to plead with the comforters and God that he has no iniquity in him for God to judge him so harshly.  As the book goes on, we see these themes repeat with the “comforters” replying.

Job 13:20-24(NLT) “O God, grant me these two things,
and then I will be able to face you.
21 Remove your heavy hand from me,
and don’t terrify me with your awesome presence.
22 Now summon me, and I will answer!
Or let me speak to you, and you reply.
23 Tell me, what have I done wrong?
Show me my rebellion and my sin.
24 Why do you turn away from me?
Why do you treat me as your enemy?

Job 15:1-6(NLT) Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2 “A wise man wouldn’t answer with such empty talk!
You are nothing but a windbag.
3 The wise don’t engage in empty chatter.
What good are such words?
4 Have you no fear of God,
no reverence for him?
5 Your sins are telling your mouth what to say.
Your words are based on clever deception.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, not I.
Your own lips testify against you.

The direction that all these discourses are going is to bring us to an understanding of what is the essence of the book.  Job is without “sin” it says in Chapter 1.  Job 1:1(NLT) “There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil.”  But this verse focuses on the works of man in relationship to God, not the righteousness of God and the justice that His righteousness demands from us.  We can never accomplish by our own effort or will the goodness or perfection of the righteousness of God.  We have a rebellious sin nature that needs to be paid for and atoned for.  In order to have a relationship with the just God we need to be changed from what we are.  Today we see this section of Isaiah 53 fulfilled in our lives because Christ is the way that God has made payment for our rebellious nature.  Only by being changed in Christ can we overcome the crushing defeat of our best efforts to be good.  Our lives thankfully are subject to God’s mercy and grace in all we do. 

Isaiah 53:10-12 But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him
and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
for he will bear all their sins.
12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

Praise God for the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ that has given us new life in him.  Have a great day with God today.

-Tom Siderius

Questions for reflection:

Do you understand the statement about our “bent” nature and what does that mean (hint Rom 7:17-20)?

How can we start to see God in all His grace and mercy today?

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Joy of Every Longing Heart

Job 1-5

Students may feel time stands still, waiting the release of a school day, but where reality is truly suspended is at a school dance.  I am no scientist, but I believe Albert Einstein must have been chaperoning teenagers when he discovered the theory of relativity.  It isn’t just one thing that makes it feel like you are locked into an eternal session on “Cotton-Eye Joe” on a Friday afternoon, but the combination of the shouting,  the music, the shouting, the running, the shouting, the smells, and the shouting, create a enormous sense of anticipation and longing for escape.

Today in our chronological study, we end up in a completely different book. Job is thought to historically settle in and around the time of Abraham, but there is room for debate. Personally, I like the fade to black, and the entry into another storyline.  Multiple narratives, whether in our texts or as we edify one another today, demonstrate that God is working to bring all things to one conclusion or resolution, which indeed is our great joy as we consider his uniting Kingdom.

Conversely, the vast majority of Job’s story is within the walls of great suffering, where time seemingly stands still; the playlist is that of devastating loss. Job’s health, his wealth, and his family are stripped from him.  He slowly and surely unpacks the persistence of physical and emotional pain, reminding us of the sovereignty of God: it is His prerogative to give and to take away.

Nonetheless, Job continues to seek joy and restoration with God, though time stands still in agonizing sorrow.  Leaning, reclining, and collapsing on God are the only available avenues to move forward through the most intense trials and longest of sufferings.  David says in Psalm 16:11: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” We long for security, satisfaction, and meaning, but the answer to these needs  do not come from momentary allowances. We can only attain this through God, who freely gives this and more through Jesus Christ.

Through His  life, death, and resurrection, we have abounding grace.  Through trials of every kind we can receive joy and develop perseverance because we know that our narrative is only one of many, tied to a single storyline about our Savior.  Though at times it feels like we will never move again, seeking God, we will be inspired to join in the conga-line with those before us who have died longing and waiting for their joy made complete.

Revelation 21:4 reminds us that eventually the noise and the music will stop, and we can finally go home  – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  Blessed be the name of the Lord! What great joy there is in eternity, to sustain us through the most taxing times where we feel the ticking of every second.  We will be in the presence of God. We will be made perfect and whole.  We will be reunited. Oh come, thou long expected Jesus.

-Aaron Winner

Reflection Questions

  1. What has God given to you? What has He taken away? Why and how can you praise Him for both? What “negative” things has He also taken away for you?
  2. Who or what else also shares responsibility for the suffering Job endures?
  3. Who do you know who has suffered much and continues to praise the name of the Lord?
  4. How can joy and perseverance grow in the face of trials, tears and suffering?

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Dear Desire of Every Nation

Genesis 8-11

If you have ever spent time in an airport terminal, you know how truly small the world can be. Travelers from all walks of life, zoom around in every direction.  Despite differences in cultures, status, and language, there is a common purpose among all: a deep desire to get somewhere.  While that “somewhere” might be to make a business deal, take a vacation, visit family, or relocate, each of us move to add value and meaning to our lives, to move to be a part of something greater than ourselves.

In Genesis 9, the world is a small place in a much different way. Those who survived the flood all belong to Noah’s family, who moved with a single purpose, obedience to the Creator.  God restored the connection in a covenant with all of creation.  A rainbow in the clouds became a sign of His promise, a reminder of both His faithfulness to a world, to redeem, restore, and sustain life, but also a reminder of the single sustaining purpose of humanity, to serve the Almighty God.  While God continues to uphold his side of the bargain, humanity once again falls into the trap of sin.  Noah and his family, like Adam and Eve, and like each one of us, are tempted by the self-serving desires of value, meaning, and knowledge that leads them astray from God’s command.

In Genesis 11, we see a culmination of humanity’s desire becoming misplaced. At Babel, people attempted to build a tower that reached the heavens. It is not to honor a God who created the Earth and flooded it at His command, but to make a name for themselves because they had moved some earth.  Was their longing for unity wrong? Absolutely not. God has given us an inmate desire to be connected, but the work of man without God, will never lead to Utopia.  Repeated time and again in history is the danger of groupthink that allows for and even endorses the most despicable behavior.  God’s response is to scatter these people and confuse their languages, reminding them that true unity and purpose can only be found in Him.

While the world still speaks some 7,000 languages, there is still a desire that binds each one of them. Jesus Christ has become the purification we receive in the flood and the desire for connection displayed in Babel.  He is both the covenant that brings us back to God, and the one who unites us as brothers and sisters in Him. The single purpose sought in Babel is now realized in the Church, where people of every nation, tribe, and tongue are united.  Like the airport, with a much greater sense of purpose and much less baggage, Jews, Greeks, slaves, free, men, women, impoverished and wealthy, and every other intersection of society are brought together.

Jesus Christ, and the purpose he brings to life, is the dearest desire of every nation.  The hope he brings, no matter the direction we are moving or even the trespasses accumulated against him, is the groaning inside each one of us. More than any other other time since Babel, we have an opportunity, to connect with people, nations, and even languages far beyond our own. Whether it is to our neighbor or the ends of the earth, let us continue to move for a single purpose, seeking and building the Kingdom of God.

-Aaron Winner

Reflection Questions

  1. Do you sometimes get moving…but forget what your purpose is? What is your greatest purpose today – and this year? How will you work towards fulfilling it?
  2. What went wrong at Babel? Have you ever been a part of a venture that crashed for the same reason? How do we proceed more carefully in the future?
  3. How might the stories of the flood and the tower of Babel have been different if Jesus had already been born, grown, baptized and was ministering at those respective times? How would your story be different if you had been born before Jesus?
  4. What do you desire that Jesus gives? What does your neighbor desire that Jesus has made available?

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Let Us Find Our Rest in Thee

OLD TESTAMENT: Malachi 3-4

POETRY: Psalm 150

NEW TESTAMENT: John 21:15-25

Our bodies were designed to rest. It is a precedent set by the Heavenly Father on the seventh day and continued through the Law on the Sabbath. Whether it is sleep, a cup of coffee at work, or a walk between sets, taking a break gives us refreshment, repair, and a chance to catch our breath. Without this all-important pause, our bodies and minds suffer, leading to exhaustion, reduced cognitive function, and weakened resilience. But like all things, even our rest must be found in Jesus Christ.

In today’s reading, Peter has emerged not only from a day of hard labor but easily his most tumultuous season of life. He took up arms for Jesus, denied Him, went into hiding, grieved, and then saw his Risen Savior. Now, a moment to rest presents itself with a warm meal, a fire, and friends. Jesus seizes this restful moment to restore and recenter Peter. Rest and relaxation do not always go hand-in-hand.  A volley of questions and the allusion to a martyr’s death may seem more stressful than restful, but Peter receives His commission in a fireside chat—not in the labor of picking up loaves and fishes or walking on water. We need time to unpack the hard things away from the hard labor so our weary, heavy-laden souls can respond to the kindling of Christ’s call.

One of the most important elements of this rest is stillness. Unfortunately, distraction, coping, or physical stillness alone is incomplete when compared to God’s command of stilling oneself. Many times, we choose spiritual brain rot to fill our thoughts, keeping our minds occupied and leaving no vacancy for our Heavenly Father to speak. Today, in the repeated reading of Psalm 150, we have an opportunity to be still in the words and to meditate upon them. Just as sleep provides an opportunity for our brain to repair—removing waste, mitigating damage, regulating our mood, and increasing immune activity—meditation upon the words of God doesn’t ignore life’s challenges. Instead, it reframes our circumstances within the glory of God, offering many of the same benefits.

Finally, in God’s rest, there is peace—which is like rest, but sustainable alongside the most dire of circumstances, experienced by His treasured, faithful remnant. In the chaos of Judah and Israel’s departure from God, there is still a promise that our Heavenly Father will send His messenger to prepare the way for the Lord – and he did.  Now, we are now the messengers who battle with our own time and culture. Because we too have been filled with the Holy Spirit, we receive one of its many gifts, a peace that passes understanding. We can stand as the harbinger for the return of Christ in the unfair, the overwhelming, and the disastrous, because these things run parallel to our peace. Thank you, God, for standing as a defense and a mighty tower, so we can retreat into Your promises and find our rest in the arms of Jesus Christ.

-Aaron Winner

Reflection Questions

  1. How do you give your body rest? What can you do to improve in this area?
    How do you give your mind rest? What can you do to improve in this area?
  2. How can you/do you find rest in Scripture?
  3. If Jesus met you on the beach after one of your biggest failures what questions and directions do you think he would have for you?
  4. How can you tend/feed/shepherd Jesus’ sheep?

BE WATCHING FOR ANOTHER POST/EMAIL TO COME LATER TODAY WITH THE 2025 SeekGrowLove BIBLE READING PLAN! One little teaser word: chronological. Thank you for reading in 2024! May we continue to Seek Him, Grow in our faith, and Love the Almighty God, His Son, His people and His word – more and more!

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From Our Fears and Sins Release Us

OLD TESTAMENT: Malachi 2

POETRY: Psalm 150

NEW TESTAMENT: John 21:1-14

“Each of us shoulder an invisible backpack,” I recently heard this statement during a professional development session about trauma-informed practices for students. While the idea of carrying emotional baggage is not new, the thought that this load is often imperceptible to others—visible only to the one who bears it—has lingered with me. As we consider our own baggage, the persisting heaviness of personal sin, trauma, and fear becomes clear, especially when these burdens are held within. If we choose to bear this weight alone, it can become a crushing load. In a prayer, a plea, and the prompting of a promise, I encourage each of us to begin unpacking the deepest and darkest longings and aches of our hearts, asking for release from our fears and sins.

In the second chapter of Malachi the Lord continues to call out Israel’s priests for persistently violating His law and covenant with the tribe of Levi. Two important takeaways emerge from this passage. First, no one is above submitting to Christ – or in their case, the law- and leaning on Him to carry their burdens. Second, choosing the perpetual path of personal sin wearies the ears of God. An unrepentant heart leads to the removal of protection and blessing, leaving us despised, humiliated, and metaphorically (or even literally) covered in our own filth. While we may not feel ready to announce our shortcomings to the world, we can no longer justify our sin or allow ourselves to call what is evil, good.

Psalm 150 reminds us (and speaking to myself here, mostly) that picking up an instrument means momentarily setting down the fears we carry. As stated yesterday, when we offer worship to the Lord, we reconnect with Almighty God. Praise is not merely a response to blessings but a declaration of trust in His sovereignty and goodness. I think of Joseph, Paul, and Silas, all of whom used worship to transform their injustices into testimonies (Gen 40; Acts 16). What we carry may be truly terrible and meant for evil, but with praise to our Heavenly Father, our overwhelming emotions can become a weaponized testimony that God uses to free others from similar circumstances.

Finally, in our New Testament reading, we see Jesus transform fear and failure into fruitfulness. After a night of empty nets in the Sea of Galilee, Jesus directs His disciples to cast their nets on the other side of the boat, resulting in an abundant catch. Onshore, Jesus awaits them with a prepared meal, inviting them into His provision and rest. When our doubts and frustrations run high—when we find ourselves spinning our wheels without results—we must seek the voice of the greatest Fisher of men. Only He can tell us where to cast our nets. Without His guidance, we labor in vain. Moreover, Jesus not only encourages but nourishes, reminding us that if He calls us to a task, He will also provide for it.

Carrying the weight of fear and sin is paralyzing. We will never feel adequate, and we will remain distant from God if we leave these burdens unaddressed. Ironically, when we unpack and expose these things to the Light, we receive freedom and restoration through Jesus Christ. As we reflect on the year that has passed, this is the invitation: begin digging through your invisible backpack, identifying the objects that hold you captive. Turn your failures and frailty over to Jesus, allowing Him to shoulder your burdens with the payment of His blood. Trust that His Father is faithful and forgiving, ready to release you from the weight you carry and restore you to the lightness of His yoke.

-Aaron Winner

Reflection Quesions

  1. What do you carry in your backpack? What has been the result of carrying it? What would it look like to start unpacking it?
  2. Pray for direction on where and how to cast your nets. Where and when have you previously had the most success fishing for men? What might the Greatest Fisher of Men be asking you to do next?
  3. How has worship brought you closer to God? How can you worship Him better today? What will you worship Him for?
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Born to Set Thy People Free

OLD TESTAMENT: Malachi 1

POETRY: Psalm 149

NEW TESTAMENT: John 20:24-31

While there are many who find their religion in removing Christmas decor before the New Year, no such tradition exists in our home. Oftentimes, Christmas decorations linger well into January (or even February) before finding their way back into totes and closets. With these symbols close by, we try to cling to the lingering sentiments of the season. Unfortunately, there is a sobering of one’s mind from the blinding joy of Christmas spirit as we return to work and school, say goodbye to family and friends, and begin to eat our vegetables again. In this in-between season, we must wrestle with more desperate realities; we are still in the thick of things in the present evil age. Grief, illness, relational discord, anxiety, and stagnation find footholds to beckon or challenge us with a candid question: “Jesus, where are you now?”

If we say this, we are not unlike the captive Israelites of the Old Testament crying out. We are not unlike the apostles or those we have witnessed fall asleep in faith in our lifetime, all holding onto the promise of a soon-coming Savior. This week, as we transition our calendar from one year to another, our study and prayer echo the words of a three-century-old classic Christmas hymn, “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.” The first of these reminders, as we commingle a season of great joy with that of longing heart, is that Jesus was born to set God’s people free.

Looking at today’s reading, we start with the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi. This book addresses Israel’s increasing spiritual despondency. No doubt, we can connect this to some season we are currently weathering—whether it be the day on the calendar, within our own walk with Christ, or the physical location and time we find ourselves. Malachi begins with the Lord God responding to the question, “How have you loved us?” Spurgeon states in his sermon, “God’s Love Shamefully Questioned,” that the gratitude we give to God is similar to a hog who eats acorns which have fallen from a tree, yet never once lifts its head to bless the tree that has provided the food. The Sovereign God promised a Messiah and delivered, born on the other side of the Silent Years (the time between Malachi and Jesus). His love was demonstrated in the fact that while Israel, and truly each one of us, acted as pigs in our incompetence, lackluster faith, misplaced priorities, broken offerings, accumulation of sin, and running away, He still miraculously gave us Christ to set us free (Rom. 5:8).

We may know this truth, but honestly, it may show that we carry our concerns closer than our Christ when we ask for Jesus to show up in our prescribed time and location, much like Thomas.  We request to put our hands on His scars, or some other litmus test, as proof of His message, so we can freely live in faith.  Jesus replies to this skepticism, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). While there may be times of confirmation that the hand of Jesus is in our life, it is impossible for us to see, to hold, or to understand the preparations that have been made for our future hope.

In this way, our response of faith does not require more evidence of God’s faithfulness to us; we are already redeemed. Instead, we should declare the joy and triumph that is found in the daily redemption that comes through the advent of Christ. Singing a new song and bringing a sacrifice of praise equally remind us of the promises of God, how He has loved us through redemption in His Messiah, and draw us closer to Him. The very words of God we use to sing give voice to the silence as we wait for an answer, an intercession, or the coming of our Lord Jesus. Our present circumstance may tempt us to despair, but the act of praising God rekindles our faith and recenters our thoughts on the saving power of our Heavenly Father.

The challenges we may face in this coming season may have us crying daily, “Come, thou long expected Savior,” but know that God’s plan set you free long ago. Jesus is now interceding, preparing, and indeed, residing in our hearts as we carry our cross. We have yet to see our faith made complete in the second advent, but we can pray that our next year is the first within eternity. Until then, let our pining become our praise because God so loved us, He sent His Son.

-Aaron Winner

Reflection Questions

  1. How have you acted as a hog eating the acorns and never giving thanks? What can you do to change hog-like behavior?
  2. What are you waiting for? What is your relationship with God and His Son Jesus right now?
  3. How would you answer the question, “How has God loved you?”
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One King One Lord

OLD TESTAMENT: Zechariah 13-14
POETRY: Psalm 146
NEW TESTAMENT: John 18:28-40

Zechariah 14:4-9 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. And the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west. Half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south. 5 You will flee through this valley, for it will reach across to Azal. Yes, you will flee as you did from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all his holy ones with him.
6 On that day the sources of light will no longer shine, 7 yet there will be continuous day! Only the LORD knows how this could happen. There will be no normal day and night, for at evening time it will still be light.
8 On that day life-giving waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half toward the Dead Sea and half toward the Mediterranean, flowing continuously in both summer and winter.
9 And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one LORD—his name alone will be worshiped.

Psalm 146:5-10(NLT) But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the LORD their God.
6 He made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.
7 He gives justice to the oppressed
and food to the hungry.
The LORD frees the prisoners.
8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down.
The LORD loves the godly.
9 The LORD protects the foreigners among us.
He cares for the orphans and widows,
but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.
10 The LORD will reign forever.
He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations.
Praise the LORD!

John 18:33-37(NLT) Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked him.
34 Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?”
36 Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”
37 Pilate said, “So you are a king?”
Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”

The amount of prophecy and it’s meaning in these passages we read are amazing.  We don’t begin to have the space and time here to do them any justice.  The pictures of Jesus standing with the authority of the king and also the priest which intercedes for us is amazing.  The picture of the water going over the earth is life giving and symbolic of God’s love.  Jesus’ kingdom is one of worship of the God Yahweh and His love and light which comes to all the earth and it’s people.

Look also at the section of the Psalms from 146:7-9:

7 He gives justice to the oppressed
and food to the hungry.
The LORD frees the prisoners.
8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down.
The LORD loves the godly.
9 The LORD protects the foreigners among us.
He cares for the orphans and widows,
but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

Where else in the Word do we see these wonderful words of promise of life in Christ Jesus?

Luke 4:16-19(NKJV) So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”

This is a quote from the scroll of Isaiah found in chapter 61 but also in chapter 49.  Please read these today if you have time. 

Our prayer today:  Father God we thank you for your love and mercy bringing us to this time and place.  Let the truth of your Word go out to all the earth today and always.  Give us the bread of our need this day to keep us strong.  Show us your paths of righteousness to give direction to all we do.  In the wonderful name of Jesus Christ we pray.

-Tom Siderius

Reflection Questions:

Who are the blind, the captives or the broken hearted of today?

How does our gospel change the equation for those we witness to?

What are the truths we need to tell the world?

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30 Pieces of Silver

OLD TESTAMENT: Zechariah 11-12
POETRY: Psalm 146
NEW TESTAMENT: John 18:12-27

Zechariah 11:10-13(NLT) Then I took my staff called Favor and cut it in two, showing that I had revoked the covenant I had made with all the nations. 11 That was the end of my covenant with them. The suffering flock was watching me, and they knew that the LORD was speaking through my actions.
12 And I said to them, “If you like, give me my wages, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to.” So they counted out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
13 And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—this magnificent sum at which they valued me! So I took the thirty coins and threw them to the potter in the Temple of the LORD.

Zechariah 12:10(NLT) Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died.

Psalms 146:1-4 (NLT) Praise the LORD!
Let all that I am praise the LORD.
2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.
3 Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
there is no help for you there.
4 When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
and all their plans die with them.

John 18:19-23(NLT) Inside, the high priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them. 20 Jesus replied, “Everyone knows what I teach. I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the Temple, where the people gather. I have not spoken in secret. 21 Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said.”
22 Then one of the Temple guards standing nearby slapped Jesus across the face. “Is that the way to answer the high priest?” he demanded.
23 Jesus replied, “If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?”

What an intense experience Jesus Christ has that we are reading this week.  The tears come to my eyes when I read what they do to him and what they say about him.  Jesus all through this ordeal keeps his eyes and heart steadfast on the truth of what God is planning to do.  God is the author of salvation, which is to make people whole or healed.  Jesus many times in his ministry corrects the Jews in their thinking about earthly kingdoms and power with what God really wants from people. 

Once again in this reading today we see two significant prophecies which are fulfilled in the passion of Christ.  Zechariah prophecies the payment of the thirty pieces of silver as the price for the life of Jesus.  Judas goes to the authorities and makes the arrangements to betray Jesus to them.  He demands that they pay him and they agree.  The price which is set is the thirty pieces of silver.  This price is the amount that would be paid for a slave.  The most precious Son of God who is without price has his life sold for the common price of a slave.  Judas then when things don’t go well comes back to the temple and throws the thirty pieces to floor.  The money is used to buy the potter’s field and used for a burial ground for poor people.

The other prophecy that we see in this section is that “we will look on him who is pierced” which foretells the spearing of Jesus at the end of the crucifixion.  

John 19:37(NKJV) And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”

His bones are not broken, foretold in Psalms, but he is pierced with a spear and blood and water come out, which is an indicator of heart failure.  Jesus dies of a broken heart on the cross for you and for me.  What love God has to let Jesus who knew no sin be the sacrifice for us today. 

Christmas is coming soon and our thoughts in this season are on his birth.  But here we see greater evidence again of who he was, and what is accomplished on the cross.

-Tom Siderius

Reflection Questions:

What is the value of a man’s soul?

Who can we tell this good news gospel message to today?

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