December 5 - 2 Corinthians 5-9: Ambassadors for Christ Even in Times of Persecution

Today’s Reading: 2 Corinthians 5-9

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

We are Ambassadors for Christ helping prepare others for the Resurrection.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Someday we will have God-made bodies. We work to prepare people for that day.
One Man died to set everyone's relationships with God right. We represent Christ by calling people into a reconciled relationship.
People watch what we do in bad times. Don't partner with people who reject God. Be God's Temple—holy inside and out.
I am glad my letter helped with your purity. You impressed Titus.
The Macedonian Christians want to help poor Christians. We hope you will follow suit. Be ready with the contribution. Remember, blessings breed blessings. It helps physically and spiritually with gratitude all around.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

We are Ambassadors for Jesus—the one who set all of our relationships with God right.

God sent Jesus to be the sacrifice which would set all of our relationships right. As God's Chosen People, we are His ambassadors to the world, calling them to set their relationships with God right. Being God's Ambassadors is not a new job for God's Chosen People. God wanted Israel to be lighthouses to the nations from the time He called Abraham. The reason is simple—one day, everyone will face God and answer for their actions. We help prepare people for that day. If we want bodies that will never decay we must prepare to be with the one who makes them.

The way we reach our goal as God's Chosen People is to live holy lives even in bad times.

Paul wants the Christians in Corinth to realize people in the world look at God's Chosen People when bad things happen to them. To be honest, this is the time when they learn how we really act. Anyone can be for God when it's beneficial. Only true Disciples of Jesus stay with Him when times get rough. Holy living requires staying with God even when it doesn't pay.

Don't partner with people in the darkness—even when it may help prevent persecution.

It is interesting that this comes directly after Paul tells them that the world wants to see what God's Chosen People will do in times of persecution. It is very tempting to work out a deal for peace. Paul says we do not need a peace deal because God lives among us. Don't partner with people who are not committed to God setting all things right. They will corrupt you.

Paul's previous letter (assuming its 1 Corinthians) worked—the church changed.

The church in Corinth had a lot of problems. As I wrote earlier, they had more issues than Time magazine. It was very difficult reading through the book because I could see myself and the church—local and worldwide—within each of his critiques. Today's reading gives us wonderful news—the letter worked! The Corinthians took Paul's challenges and made changes to their lives. Change can happen if we trust God and His Chosen Messengers!

When God's Chosen People help poor Christians they help far more than physical issues.

It is today's reading which explains why I wished more people spoke of helping the poor individually instead of through donations to institutions or by taxes and government programs. When God's Chosen People give to others, they know God is their Provider and give thanks to Him. The person giving learns how to be God-like. Gratitude comes from both directions—the givers because God blessed them with enough to live and give and the receivers because God supplied what they needed. This is why Paul ends with extravagant praise: "No language can praise it enough!" (9:15, The Message).

Are you an Ambassador for Christ?

July 19 - 2 Kings 18:1-8; 2 Chronicles 29-31; Psalm 48: Hezekiah Reinstates God's Reign over Judah

Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 18:1-8; 2 Chronicles 29-31; Psalm 48

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Hezekiah removed most (but not all) of the things Judah used to worship other gods.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Unlike his predecessors, King Hezekiah removed the Asherah shrines. He destroyed Moses' bronze serpent. Hezekiah trusted God and was greatly blessed.
First, he restored the Temple in Honor of God. He knew God's wrath came because they worshiped foreign gods. Hezekiah wanted to set right their relationship with God.
The Levites and priests carried out Hezekiah's orders. They rededicated the Temple with sacrifices and music. Everything returned to normal!
For the first time since Solomon's rule the Passover was celebrated fully. Hezekiah asked God to accept those who had clean hearts. Out of joy, they extended Passover for a week.

Psalm (P)Synopsis

Psalm 48

The sons of Korah praise God because He has made Jerusalem safe. God protected it from many kings. They call Judah to dance because God would protect them long enough to tell the next generation the story of God.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Hezekiah removed the shrines that had become part of their culture.

I love Hezekiah. He is a man I can respect and appreciate. He reinitiates God's reign over Judah. His willingness to remove not only his father's idols but also the shrines laid by Jehoram and Ahaziah centuries earlier shows moral courage. Then he did the unthinkable, he removed Moses' bronze serpent
more than a thousand years old! These shrines had become normal to Judah and taking them out may have caused quite a stir within the country. "We've always worshiped this way! Why are you changing it?" However, Hezekiah was not willing to let this stop him from obeying God. He knew these foreign gods caused God to punish Judah and Israel. He saw them take something from their past (Moses' bronze snake) and worship it instead of the God who healed Israel. He had seen with his eyes what happened when God's Chosen People do not worship Him. We must be willing to remove all things which prevent us from setting all things right with God, even if it is centuries-old and the only way we know how to do it.

Hezekiah invites Israel to join in the celebration of the Passover.

Hezekiah does not want Israel to be left out of the reinstitution of the Passover. He wants them to worship God again. Unfortunately, they are too far gone to return to their god. They mock Hezekiah and ignore his requests. We know how that ended.
Unfortunately, not all people will join in worshiping God, especially some of His Chosen People.

Hezekiah prays for the ritually unprepared to be forgiven.

I love that Hezekiah gives mercy to the priests and Levites who are unclean during the Passover. They have been lazy. They procrastinated preparing until it was too late. So Hezekiah prays that God would overlook the literal conditions stated in the Law of Moses. Guess what, God healed the people! Why did God do this? God cares more for the heart-state than the physical-state.
What does that mean for today? We should not worry about crossing every "t" or dotting every "i" when we think to worship. We should first fix our heart, try our best to be acceptable to God, and then ask for forgiveness for anything else. If our hearts are clean, eventually the rest will become clean. Until then, God will overlook our uncleanness.

When God's Chosen People worship God correctly with clean hearts, they do not want to quit.

One more thing I enjoy reading in the life of Hezekiah is their enjoyment of the first Passover. Hezekiah had offered so much food to the celebration (most likely because he expected Israel to join them) they decided to extend it another week. There was so much joy at finally worshiping their god with a clean heart that no one wanted to go home. So they all stayed. When we have clean hearts, we never want to stop praising God! Think about that the next you start looking at your watch when the service is going long. Is it because you have somewhere to be or because you feel exposed before a God who can see your unclean heart?

Are you ready to reinitiate God's reign in your life?

July 18 - Isaiah 23-27: God Purifies His Chosen People and His Earth

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 23-27

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

God punished Israel to take their guilt away.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Tarshish would return to a bankrupt city along the sea.
Tyre's earnings from prostitution would go to God.
No green leaf would survive. Polluted by its people's sin, the earth would be silent.
Some praise God, but not in Israel's neighborhood.
"God, my god, how wonderful is Your Name! Your enemies are in ruin! The poor will stand in comfort before You."
God's people will praise Him for their salvation!
God's people sing of the easy path for God-followers. The dead are gone, but God makes the living larger than life.
Israel would return—their punishment took their guilt away.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Earth would be purified from human sin.

In the Garden of Eden, God told Adam to take care of His Earth. When humans take dominion over the earth, it becomes like us—righteous or polluted. God told Israel the earth would join Him in removing the Canaanites. Now the earth is joining God once again, this time against Israel. When we sin, the earth is polluted. Eventually, it will be punished along with us.

"When your decisions are on public display, / everyone learns how to live right" (26:9, The Message).

We have recently lived through the controversial verdict of a very public trial. Although the debate is highly emotional and there are too many unsettling details which will never be fully known, one thing remains sure—when the world sees God's justice, it understands righteousness. There will be no arguments against God's decisions. All learn how to set all things right through them.
What does this mean for us today? We do not need to "defend" God's decisions to those who do not like or appreciate them. If we publicize God's decisions to the world, they will know how to set all things right. However, we must separate God's decisions from our own. How can we tell which is which? If it is plain in God's Word, it is God's decision. If we have to use logic or reason to get there (or a few verses here and there), it may be ours.

Israel has their guilt taken away.

Israel's enemies were punished and wiped out completely. Israel, however, was purified of their sin. They had a harsh punishment, true, but they were able to live and stand before God once again. God's Chosen People will never be completely destroyed. God will purify them to take away their guilt. We should stand before God as purified people, not beggars hoping for a handout! Our guilt is gone!

Are you showing everyone God's decisions?

March 17 - Deuteronomy 17-20: Moses Reminds Israel to Purge Evil from Among Them

Today’s Reading: Deuteronomy 17-20

The Message

English Standard Version

The next three days' readings are chocked full of laws, many repeated from Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers with some new wrinkles added. I will not comment on the same laws as before but try to discuss the new wrinkles.

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Moses uses the rhetorical device of repetition to ingrain the most important laws into their minds.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Moses reminded the people to execute anyone worshiping another god—only by the testimony of multiple witnesses who start the execution. The priests and judges would try difficult cases. Their verdicts were final.
Kings must not use their position for gain but study God's Law.
The priests would receive part of every sacrifice. No child sacrifice or any type of dark magic was tolerated.
God would provide prophets for Israel.
Accidental killings were forgiven.
Only willing warriors entered battle. Enemy cities were offered peace. If they fought, only their men should die. Others became servants—except the people in Canaan.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

The multiple witnesses to a crime were to be the first to throw the stones, in other words, start the execution.

This law is what Jesus referenced (and modified) when He shows mercy to a woman caught in adultery. Those who see what happen should be the one who punish an evil act.
God will not allow one person to pervert justice. There are too many variables which could prevent justice from happening.

A priest's and a judge's verdicts were final. Anyone caught changing the punishment was to be purged.

Priests were God's chosen people to represent Him on the earth. Judges were the people's choice to make decisions. Therefore any person who disagreed with their decisions went against both God's and Israel's leaders. This would not be tolerated. God demands respect of His Chosen Leaders and the people's chosen leaders.

A king must not use his position for personal gain.

In what could amount to the most neglected and ignored part of the entire Law, this section (17:14-20) may have never been read and obeyed. It is ironic that God would push the people against having a king (in 1 Samuel) but include this section in the Law. It is almost like He did not want them to have a king but knew their hearts that they would want one anyway.
The problem with having a king is that the king believes he is above everyone and the law and takes control over God—which is sin. This is why God writes this law—to force the king to remember that he is under God's Law. By building a massive army he begins to think he guarantees his own strength. By sending trade emissaries to other nations he begins to think that peace comes based on his own diplomacy. By collecting gold and silver he begins to think his wealth comes from his own greatness. By marrying many women he begins to think his popularity comes from himself. And these wives would lead him to worship other gods. Power tempts a heart to leave its dependence on God. Studying God's Law prevents a heart from usurping God's control.

God provides a test for potential prophets.

God wanted to make sure the people could tell the difference between His Prophet and a fake prophet. So he gave them a test—if what the prophet says came true they were to believe him/her. If what the prophet says did not come true, they were to execute him/her. It was quite simple. Why would a person imitate being a prophet if they knew once being caught they would be executed?

God wages a peaceful and brave war.

First, God will allow anyone who wishes to go home to leave. Those who have just built a house, planted a vineyard, or recently become engaged are allowed to go home. Then He tells anyone who is afraid to go home so as to not make others afraid.
God's battle plan is peace because Israel must first offer terms of peace. If the enemy rejected peace then bloodshed came. God's way of war is to prevent bloodshed unless it is absolutely necessary.

God will not stand for evil to live among His Chosen People.

God repeats the idea at the end of several laws that the Israelites were to "clean" or "purge" themselves of evil, meaning the person who had done the evil must be executed. This repetition is to make His point clear. God will not stand for people who willingly do evil to live among His Chosen People.

What do you think of the command to "purge the evil from your community"? 

February 18 - Leviticus 16-18: God Provides a Scapegoat for His Pure People

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 16-18

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

God is both telling the people how to live and why he has rejected the people currently living in Canaan.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

God spoke to Moses telling him how Aaron should perform the annual sacrifice for the sins of the people. There would be two goats—one to be killed and the other to be released as a scapegoat.
God gave warnings against sacrificing to other gods. If anyone ate blood they were to be cut off from the community.
God told the people not to act like the Egyptians or the people in Canaan. These included certain sexual partners and offering children to gods as sacrifices. Anyone who did these things would be cut off from their community and their land.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

The scapegoat took the sins of the people into the wilderness.

All my life I had been told the people needed to remember their past sins every year, like rolling out a carpet with all of the past stains there. However, God set the sacrifice for the sins of the people so that the people knew their sins (which were not taken away completely) were no longer with them. So each year they would bring the sins that they committed during that year. God always gives a scapegoat that will bear the sins of the people into the wilderness.

Blood = Life

God is very clear—blood represents life. No one is to eat the life of another animal. Blood gives life literally within our veins and figuratively by washing away sins. That imagery will stay throughout the entire Bible.

God wanted the people to have drastically different sexual (and sacrificial) lifestyles than the others around them—pure lives which did not pollute the land.

Chapter 18 is very thorough but also self-explanatory. God places the impetus for these instructions at the beginning and the end:

Don't live like the people of Egypt where you used to live, and don't live like the people of Canaan where I'm bringing you. Don't do what they do." (v. 3, The Message)
Don't pollute yourself in any of these ways. This is how the nations became polluted, the ones that I am going to drive out of the land before you. Even the land itself became polluted and I punished it for its iniquities - the land vomited up its inhabitants. (vv. 24-25)

The people in these nations had polluted the land by their sins and God would punish the people. God will reject a people if they do not set things right and expects his Chosen People to live lives in stark contrast to those who do not set things right.