Category: Devotion

Matthew 2:1-12

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men^[a] from the east came to Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose^[b] and have come to worship him.” ³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵ They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

⁶ “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” ⁹ After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹ And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

 

I consider myself to be a glass half full kind of person. But when given the “injustice” of the Christmas story… the more I researched, the more I realized we are looking from a glass half empty view for this discussion, if not a glass completely empty view.

Jesus often found himself in unfair situations from the very beginning. He faced many challenges and obstacles that no adults must face. These challenges start with Mary & Joseph. They were faced with Poverty and Hardship. Joseph was stripped of his job. Mary most likely dealt with gossip and rumors being unmarried and pregnant. They had to walk 70 miles to Bethlehem to be counted in the census. They were greeted upon their arrival with no room to be found in a foreign land with just what they had carried with them. They were forced to seek shelter in a stable surrounded by animals.

Jesus was born to face a life full of challenges. He would face hatred towards him, questioning his every move, his every word. He would experience denial of who He was and ultimately betrayal by one closest to Him.

Faith in God’s plan led Mary and Joseph to positive things, their faith rested solely on the first coming of Jesus. They were reassured by God that “everything” would be ok. The new parents still rejoiced even though their situation wasn’t fit for a king. This unfair journey leads to phenomenal things you and I know.

Luke 6:20

Blessed are the poor, for they will inherit the kingdom of Heaven.

 

Jesus Christ, in the flesh, as a defenseless infant had an army of angels who appeared on His behalf. Not to fight with violence but with courage and kindness. Jesus brings promise with him. Jesus brings Hope. Jesus brings Joy.

We live in an unjust world. We all experience injustice at some point. This Christmas season we must remember that Jesus faced the toughest situations. The worst injustice that could happen to someone, happened to Jesus, and He volunteered for it. He volunteered himself to take on the sins of the world so that you and I can receive the gift of eternal life through the cross. I, myself, think that it is unfair for my lord and savior to do that for me. I’m excited because I no longer must be incomplete, but I am allowed to become complete in Christ. In fact, we all become complete when we trust Christ because the most beautiful thing is the hope and joy that came with Jesus.

That’s what we truly needed. Not “materialistic things.” Our hope rests solely on His second coming.

How can so many unfair and dark situations be accompanied by the brightest star in the sky, by the brightest light of our life, and by paving the way for our Savior? That is what Christmas is all about. All of us can know that we received Hope when Jesus was born, but it’s also important to remember the injustice that Jesus had to endure from the very beginning.

Jesus is our Hope today. Jesus is our Joy today. Jesus is our light today and tomorrow.

Oh, come let us adore him, for He is Christ the Lord.

When I was in my early twenties, my grandma was diagnosed with Stage 4 COPD and given only one year to live. I remember how scared she was knowing that her time would be coming to an end. But she wasn’t in despair. She had hope in Jesus. At the funeral, one year later, my stepdad preached the Gospel. The crowd was full of all sorts of faiths and beliefs. Most everyone had heard the message before. What was interesting was the response. The people who didn’t believe in Jesus were hopelessly in despair over the loss of my grandma. While the Christians in the room were understandably grieving, but not to the point of despair. They had hope in Jesus.

We see Jesus bring hope visibly throughout the Bible.

In Luke 2:25-33, we see a short excerpt about Simeon who lived in Jerusalem during the time when Jesus was just a baby. Jerusalem had been waiting for a messiah to bring them comfort. What is unique about Simeon is that the Holy Spirit had told him that Jesus would come to save Jerusalem before he died.

Luke 2:25-33

²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷ And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, ²⁸ he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, ²⁹ “Lord, now you are letting your servant^[a] depart in peace, according to your word; ³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation ³¹ that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, ³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” ³³ And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.

 

As you can see, Simeon (and all of Jerusalem) had hope for a savior, and that hope was fulfilled. Now, Simeon could die in peace. This is one of the greatest pictures of hope.

As we wait today for the second coming of Jesus to restore the Earth, where do we find our hope? The fears and struggles we face daily often take over our lives. Sometimes we feel alone or abandoned by God.

Jeremiah 17:7

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.

 

Do we put our hope Jesus?

I know some of us also struggle with hoping in Jesus because we haven’t seen Him work (however, I promise if you look back over your life, you’ll see visible evidence of the Lord working in your life). Yet, some of us struggle with even believing that the Lord exists.

Romans 8:24

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope.

For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

 

Regardless of if you believe the Bible or not, that’s just common-sense psychology right there. But the Bible is a great place to find more stories about people who have persevered by putting their hope in Jesus.

Romans 15:4

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

I’ll ask this again, where do we find our hope?

 

 

Matthew 1:18–23 ESV 

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

Joseph had a plan. He was going to wed Mary, settle down, raise a family. He thought he had the details of their future all worked out. But word got around to him, before the Angel arrived, that left Joseph wounded and his dreams wrecked. Heartache can be a loneliness that seems to be endless, dark, confusing, and questioning your self-worth. And the moment it hits, it feels like eternity.

Matthew 1:33

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name, Immanuel.” Which is God with us!

 

Matthew was repeating the prophecy spoken by Isaiah nearly 800 years before the birth of Jesus. During that time, God had given this as a sign to Isaiah for the future remnants of Israel. They were to be scattered and separated far from home. God is with us even when the world feels as though it abandoned us. David expressed his loneliness as he ran from Saul.

Psalms 142:4

Look to the right and see; there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul.

 

David might have been surrounded with 400 men at this time to serve under him, but that did not stop the feelings of being unheard, unknown, and uncared for. The impact of social isolation and loneliness is also extremely harmful to our physical and emotional health. It can decrease life expectancy to the same degree as smoking and is two times more dangerous to our physical health than obesity. Loneliness can also lead many people to lose the sense of purpose and meaning of life. Elijah asked God to take his life as he fled from Jezebel. His state of mind was desolate.

1 Kings 19:4

“It is enough; now, O Lord; take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.

He was depressed, he was desperate and had no one to help deal with the cares of life. Elijah’s torment in isolation had been amplified by exhaustion and hunger. To be widowed can usher in extreme loneliness, not only from death of a loved one but the silence in the home and change of daily activities and constant reminders our beloved is no longer with us. Naomi anticipated bitter loneliness, having already lost her husband and sons; grief is desperately lonely even if her daughters-in-law remained. Ruth was facing possibilities of isolation in a foreign land that could exist beyond her childbearing years. People can be lonely while surrounded by others. Jesus experienced true loneliness at the cross while numerous spectators watched Him die. No one could take His place or share the suffering that was to come. The numbers of people around him only amplified His isolation. Psalm 22:1 was a prophetic note from David that passed from him to his precious descendant on the cross.

Psalm22:1

My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?

The words of Jesus puzzled me for several years. Why would God forsake His own son at such a sad moment? Why? Because it was what I deserved. Jesus took it all, my pain, my punishment and finally my separation. He redeemed me! He restored everything to me and to you. Immanuel, God with us. Even the disciples needed a gentle reminder. Jesus promised his disciples

John 14:18

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

When we turn to Him, God nurtures relationships, build trust, and demonstrates practical mercy for our good and His glory. Don’t take your eyes off Jesus, don’t lose your focus nor yourself.

Hebrews 13:5

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

God is with us. In our darkest hours of isolation and loneliness, He will never desert us, and He will always see us through. Our Heavenly Father delivered our most cherished gift to us on earth over 2000 years ago, Himself. God was born to us in a humble manger. We have something followers of no other religions have. God truly understands me and understands you from the depths of our soul. No other religion has a god who suffered, who had to be courageous, that knows what it is like to be abandoned by friends, crushed by injustice, tortured, and gave up his own life. He is our Comforter and Counselor, Immanuel. When we talk to Jesus, He knows what we are going through even when we do not have the words or strength to articulate and express our inner most needs. Immanuel, God with us. Jesus is our perfect comforter. He has been there and done that.

Hebrews 2:17-18

Therefore, he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

This verse means that God suffered, and Jesus triumphed through suffering. Jesus has the infinite power to comfort. Have you been betrayed, lonely, destitute, ignored and just left in a place where you can’t comprehend your surroundings? God has been there when we venture off course. We can trust and rely on Him because He has the power to comfort, strengthen and bring us through. He calls us friend and offers to be with us and never forsake us. Jesus gives us the gift of His presence, His love, His peace, and His joy every day and in every situation for eternity. Even before God made the world, he decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. The creator of the universe loves us that much! Immanuel, that baby in a manger, grew and chose to sacrifice Himself so that we could be in His presence. What an unspeakable joy it is to know His love for each of us yet how difficult sometimes it is to grasp the concept that as unworthy as I am, He wanted to do that for me! No matter how lonely we feel, we are never alone.

Romans 8:38-39

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angles nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord

The knowledge that God is with us changes everything. Immanuel’s presence provides joy, even in the mist of our loneliness. It does not matter the exact date of the birth of Jesus or that we celebrate a certain date of the year. What is truly important is that You and I accept the gift. The gift that personally changes everything, especially in our loneliest moments. It will never be lost if we choose to receive it. Immanuel, God with us!

The most incredible gift ever given from the most incredible person that loves me and loves you, our Abba Father!

 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

Easier said than done right? It took me a looonnnnnggg time to learn this. I still struggle every day with this because I’m the type of person that likes to have control of everything in my life. I’m sure that most people are like this as well. When we have control over certain things, we know (more or less) what the outcome will be, or how to get it done “the right way”, or blah blah blah. But that isn’t life though and that’s not what God wants. He wants us to trust in HIM.

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. Psalm 33:20

Now-a-days, trust is far and few between and when you grow up in a certain way, it may be hard to give. But, learning more about God and His word is amazing. The more you dive in and develop your relationship with God, you see just how much He loves you. However, I do know that it does take time because we are human, we are sinners, and we often doubt ourselves. But immerse yourself in the word every day, pray, talk with the Lord, and see how God’s love fills you. When you completely trust in God and His word, you see how much He works in your life every single day.

 

And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10

We still must make decisions in life, we still will go through trials and tribulations, and it won’t be easy sometimes. But give God control and your trust and let Him guide you. When we come to those hard times or if you are currently experiencing them, we must first seek the Lord. Honestly, we should seek the Lord all the time.

 

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3

If you aren’t already, just try to devote 5 minutes of your time each day to pray, read the Word, or just have a conversation with the Lord. Build your relationship with Him, immerse yourself in the Bible, and see what God has done for us. When you realize that, your eyes AND heart are opened, and you can see that God is ALWAYS there. You will see that God loves us so much and He wants us to trust, put our faith in Him, love Him, and give Him control.

“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” – ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:12‬ ‭CSB‬‬

“For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.” – Matthew‬ ‭6:14-15‬ ‭CSB‬‬

“According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” – Hebrews‬ ‭9:22‬ ‭CSB‬‬

“But with you there is forgiveness, so that you may be revered. I wait for the Lord; I wait and put my hope in his word. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning — more than watchmen for the morning. Israel, put your hope in the Lord. For there is faithful love with the Lord, and with him is redemption in abundance. And he will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.” – Psalms‬ ‭130:4-8‬ ‭CSB‬‬

If you have lived for more than 15 minutes, you will find that this life is marred by disarray, sadness and hurt- some of which has been inflicted upon us by others and some of which we’ve inflicted upon ourselves and those around us. This is yet another sign of evidence of the fact that we live in a broken and dying world filled with deeply-flawed people like you and me.

We live within a reality that constantly displays a sharp contrast between life and death. We see loved ones grow old and die or untimely catch ill and pass on. We see the vibrant autumn fade into the seemingly-perpetual gray of winter where the bud of the trees die, showcasing an illustration of the pronounced sadness of death.

We find ourselves thrown into this tapestry of tension- of life, death, joy and sorrow. How will we frail creatures make sense of all of this?

How do we endure?

Many of us today have been walking around this earth for quite some time with the pain of past sins. Many of us have struggled to release the offense done unto us and therefore we struggle to forgive as our Lord commands us to.

Though we constantly pray that we forgive our debtors and that God would forgive us our debts, the anger and hurt just won’t go away.

Or, we pray the previously-mentioned prayer, only to, days later, have the emotions wash over us afresh. Or even worse, many of us don’t want to bother engaging with this process because we are more content to walk through life offended rather than forgive an offense- eventhough our Lord has offered us forgiveness for our offenses.

I know many of us struggle with this topic.

Brothers and sisters, speaking to those who would rather not forgive your debtors, and walk around life with a spirit of offense, do we not understand to do so is an offense to God? Do we understand that is ultimately sin against God? May we not stay in that place!

To be clear, I am not advocating that we don’t deal honestly with the hurt in our lives or we don’t have accountability, but I am advocating that you take that hurt directly to God in prayer as His child and plead with Jesus our great High Priest to take said pain away from us. That He would help that gaping wound become a grace-covered scar.

Even we Christians often forget that to forgive those who have wronged us is pleasing to God and healing for us. To forgive is to walk all the more in the new life offered us in Christ Jesus.

I love something my Pastor said at last week’s service, and I’m paraphrasing here- he said that everything in creation screams resurrection. Just consider again how the trees die and bloom again in the spring.

To forgive is to walk in love, and to walk in love, is true life for this was modeled by Christ who is the way, the truth and the life.

To not forgive, leads to bitterness, and unrepentant bitterness ultimately leads to death.

We often forget forgiveness, resurrection and redemption are very close siblings.

So how do we forgive and continue to walk in forgiveness towards those who have wronged us? By continual surrender of our offenses unto Christ and the Cross.

When the sting of bitterness and un-forgiveness try to force their way into your heart once more, immediately run to the Cross in prayer say, “Lord I give this hurt over to you. I choose to forgive because you forgave me when I was most against you in my former darkness.”

When this happens we also do well to confess out loud, “Lord, I believe your blood is more than adequate to cover this sin too! Cleanse my heart afresh once more and help me walk in forgiveness so that I may not sin against you nor my neighbor!”

If we need the Lord’s grace moment by moment, then that includes Him helping us walk in godly, deep and otherworldly forgiveness moment by moment.

You may still be asking, “…but how do I really do this?”

To that question, based upon the accounts we are given in Holy Scripture- we can know with full assurance that when we forgive, we truly let God do what He does best: Bring redemption even into the most broken of situations.

Further, we forgive by acknowledging and confessing we do not have the right nor capacity to hold onto an offense. We confess that the blood of Christ can blot out the sin that has caused us such pain.

When we forgive, we choose freedom for ourselves from the offense. It’s life-producing freedom.

As it was once said, “if God forgave the inexcusable in us, then we ought to forgive the inexcusable in each other.”

We must not forget that this is part of loving one another, and our witness unto the wider world. With that, may we be known by our love.

“I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John‬ ‭13:34-35‬ ‭CSB‬‬

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;” – James 1:19

It’s likely we’ve all heard this phrase a lot over our lifetime, but it’s rarely something that is put into practice (even amongst Christians).

Admittedly, I’m a pretty bad listener. My wife will tell you that I tend to cut people off in conversation to inject my own thoughts. It takes some real restraint to actively stop and listen to what someone else has to say.

But I must remember this: people want to be known, heard, and valued.

That doesn’t mean that I should simply listen to others. I should also hear what they have to say. And that means hearing points of view that might be wildly different than mine.

What we are seeing today is not a Biblical view of how we should handle our demeanor.

Instead, we see shouting matches from everything ranging from politics to how we raise our kids.

What ends up happening is the opposite of what our intentions are. Everyone shouts their way deeper and deeper into their own convictions and beliefs. Minds and hearts aren’t changed.

How do we win people to Jesus Christ if we’re too busy turning people away during an argument?

As James 1:19 says, we must listen and hear what people have to say, wait to say our own opinions until we’ve heard the other person, and we must refrain from becoming heated in the conversation.

My challenge for you is to not avoid having difficult conversations with people you know you don’t agree with. Listen and hear what they have to say.

What happens when a CSI-style forensic detective goes to Calvary to investigate what transpired after Jesus’ crucifixion? J. Warner Wallace is a forensic detective specializing in cold-case investigations. As an atheist Wallace became intrigued with the Gospels and their account of Jesus’ resurrection because “the most important question I could ask about Christianity just so happened to fall within my area of expertise. Did Jesus really rise from the dead?” It would prove to be the ultimate cold-case forensic investigation because eyewitnesses and material evidence that could be used to prove or disprove what happened have been gone for nearly 2000 years. As an atheist, Wallace had always assumed that the resurrection was a lie, believing that the twelve apostles “concocted, executed, and maintained the most elaborate and influential conspiracy of all time.”

I want to ask you a simple question: Do you believe in the Resurrection?

And if so, do you believe in your resurrection? Many people will mumble yes but question the idea. I want to clear up one thing about the English language:

There is a dramatic difference between what you believe and what you believe in.

What I believe can mean that I believe my car is parked outside and will be there when I go outside. What I believe in is something different.  It’s what or who I trust.  This is not believing like my car is parked outside, it’s more like how I believe in my marriage.  You see, we invest our time in what we believe in.  We change our life for what we believe in. This helps us understand the most popular verse in the Bible:

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

The most difficult problem plaguing Christianity today is not a quantity of belief, but a quality of it.  Many Christians have donned bumper stickers, necklaces, tattoos and T-shirts, but the quality of belief has suffered in modern Christianity.  Most Christians cannot tell another how to be saved or how to live out the Christian life with any sense of accuracy.

We have substituted the idea of “believing” something for “believing in” something.  Ask a happily married couple how much they know about each other.  Ask a couple married for decades what they know about each other.  The details are significant because decades of two people believing in each other will reveal a great number of details.

We may begin our Christian walk in belief, but as we walk, we not only believe Christ, we believe in Him and as we believe in Him, we come to know Him.  It is the entire point of the Christian walk that belief becomes “believe in” or in another word:  trust.  Trust is a key component for any relationship, even your relationship with God.

The outcome of the investigation of Calvary by J. Warner Wallace led to his transformation:

Wallace concludes: “The resurrection is reasonable. The answers are available; you don’t have to turn off your brain to be a believer.” Wallace went from being a skeptic, to having belief and entrusting his life to Jesus Christ.

The question for us is simple but not easy:  Do you believe in the Resurrection?  Do you trust it?  Do you trust it, not only for your eternity, but for your life?  Your answer will have a tremendous impact on the Christianity you live out.

The question of late that is asked is simply this:  Does God hate the sin and not the sinner?

To answer this, I believe, requires something deeper than the question itself.

Jesus demonstrates love for the sinner while alive by sharing a meal with them, but that was in order that they would repent.  John 3:16 gives a classic picture of God loving sinners when He declared, “For God so loved the world…” 

Conversely, God is very clear in His judgment of sinners.  I believe the cross is evidence that God loves sinners and the final judgment is evidence that those who remain in their sin will not be judged separate from their sin.

If I look at the final outcome, God “hating the sin and not the sinner” is not feasible. God doesn’t distinguish between them in His final judgment.

However, He longs for all to repent and loves them enough to make a way through His Son in order for us to do so.  Scripture declares that God wishes that none should perish but people willingly choose death.

Because the original question is not clear enough, a legalist will focus on the judgment of God towards sin where a liberalist will focus on God’s love despite their sin and I think both are wrong.  Both God’s love and God’s wrath are necessary for genuine righteousness and God upholds both love and wrath because He is righteous.  I am glad God loves the sinner, because it was the means by which He could love me and love you and everyone else, so much so that He pays the price for His grace and mercy in order that we would not experience His wrath.

God both loves the sinner and hates the sinner.  The cross is a great picture of this truth.  The cross is a horrific way to die and in Christ, God’s wrath against sin is satisfied, yet at the same time, the length that God goes to in order to demonstrate His love is just as great. All of His attributes make sense when we consider God’s plan of salvation.  The ultimate love of God saves repentant sinners and God’s wrath is at the same time, poured out on those who ultimately choose their sin over grace.

God “hating the sin and not the sinner” is such a simplistic statement that it cannot describe the depth of God’s character.

A Few Verses to demonstrate these facts in Scripture.

2 Peter 3:9  The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Psalm 5:4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. 5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.

Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

In the end, God is righteous and that is our comfort.  It is why we can trust His promises.  As God stands for what is right and what is good and punishes evil, all of His attributes are expressed in full from the God of the universe who loves more than we ever could and His wrath is evidence of His righteousness and we rest knowing that God is good and will do all things well.

¹⁰ But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” ¹¹ Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹² Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” Exodus 4:10-12

⁵ And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” ⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” ⁸ And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” Isaiah 6:5-8

Here in Exodus God has just appeared to Moses in the burning bush and Moses tries to make excuse’s as to why He cannot lead the Israelites out of slavery. God tells Moses that He should say the I AM sent me. God does signs through Moses that will let the people know that it is truly God that sent Him and Moses still make’s excuse’s that he isn’t able to speak well. The importance of God telling him to say the I AM sent me is huge if you understand Hebrew culture.  This is what was translated as Yahweh, the actual name of God. This name was considered so sacred that it was not to be spoken. There was immense power in God telling Moses to tell the people that the I AM sent him. God answers Moses when he says he cannot speak with the question. Who made man’s mouth?….I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.

It is important that we understand that those God calls He also equips. That when we share the the Gospel with others, we have the Holy Spirit, the 3^rd member of the trinity, God Himself, with us and He will guide our words and our actions. We must surrender just like Isaiah. Isaiah sees the holiness and the majesty of God and cries out in anguish that he is unworthy and must surely suffer the wrath of God for being in God’s presence. Yet, God sends an angel and in a picture of what Christ would do for us the angels actions result in Isaiah’s guilt and sin being taken away. Isaiah’s response when this happens is crucial; “Here I am! Send me.”

⁶ The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully^[c] will also reap bountifully. ⁷ Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency^[d] in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:5-8

Paul writes to the Corinthians that we must cheerfully give of ourselves to the work of God. When we do this God will give us grace, He will make sure we are sufficient in what we are doing, so that we can give glory to Him.

We must stop making excuses and like the words of Isaiah say Here I am! Send me. We cheerfully answer the command of God to go into the world and share the Gospel, that God’s wrath must be satisfied for our sin but that He made a way for that wrath to be satisfied by giving Himself, through His son Jesus, to take our place. This realization gives us freedom, it gives us confidence, it gives us assurance that no matter what may come our way, God is in control, and He will use us for His glory.