Tag: blessed

Categories
Isaiah Devotionals

Blessed

blessing

All who see them will recognize 
that they are a people the LORD has blessed. 

I rejoice greatly in the LORD, 
I exult in my God; 
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation 
and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness…” (Isaiah 61:9-10)

Usually when I read this passage, most of my focus is on the first three verses because Jesus applied them to himself. (Luke 4:18-21)

But today my eyes focused on verses 9-10. And I realized just how blessed I really am.

I see all my flaws, all my failures, all my sins. But by his grace, God has clothed me with his salvation and Christ’s righteousness.

Father, I am blessed.  I rejoice in you, I exult in you, because you have clothed me with the garments of salvation and wrapped me in Christ’s robe of righteousness.

I didn’t have to make those clothes. I didn’t have to buy them. Jesus, you purchased them with your blood and you clothed me. All I can say is, “Thank you.”

Categories
Numbers Devotionals

Confusing God’s grace with his approval

Numbers

One thing that God has been reminding me recently is that just because my ministry is blessed, this doesn’t necessarily mean I have his approval.

This passage is a perfect example of that.

Through Moses, the people of Israel were given water. But Moses most definitely did not have God’s approval.

God had told him to speak to the rock and that God would cause water to come out of it to quench the people’s thirst.

But in a fit of anger because of all the people’s complaints, Moses struck the rock instead.

And…water came out. Everyone was satisfied.

Had God not said anything, Moses might have deceived himself into thinking he had God’s approval. After all, God had used him, and the people’s need was met.

But God was not pleased with Moses.

He said,

Because you did not trust me to demonstrate my holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them. (Numbers 20:12)

We must never confuse God’s grace in our ministry with his approval of us.

For the sake of his people and his kingdom, in his grace, God may use us to bring blessing to many, even when we’re being unfaithful to our call.

But the fact that he blesses our ministry doesn’t mean that we have God’s approval.

That makes me tremble. What will God say to me when I stand before him?

Will he say, “Well done?”

Or will all I have done be burned away? (1 Corinthians 3:15)

God, you have entrusted me with this ministry to your people. Not for my sake. Not for my glory. But for the sake of your people to bless them. And for the sake of your glory.

Forgive me for the times that I have forgotten that. Help me to always be faithful as your steward.

Thank you for your grace that always picks me up and sustains me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Categories
Ephesians

Chosen and blessed in love, by God’s plan and for his glory

chosen and blessed

As I look at the first two chapters of Ephesians, I can’t help but marvel all over again at all that God has given you and me who have put our faith in Jesus.

Paul starts this letter to the Ephesians in worship, saying,

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)

How have we been blessed?

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will — to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. (Ephesians 1:4-8)

That’s a mouthful. Paul tells us that before this world was ever created God had a plan. He chose us to be a people that are holy and blameless in his sight.

This despite the fact that he knew we would be a sinful, rebellious people who would turn our backs on him.

But though he knew all this, he made a plan to save us and make us his own. He sent Jesus to die on the cross and take the punishment for our sins that we might be forgiven.

By his blood, he bought us out of slavery to sin and did not merely make us his own slaves, but adopted us as his beloved sons and daughters.

More, he has put his seal on us, guaranteeing our inheritance with him.

The Holy Spirit both protects us and holds us from anything that would tear us apart from God, and his presence and work in our lives is a foretaste of what we will have someday in heaven when we see God face to face.

All this was not because of anything we did, but rather it was entirely because of his own pleasure and will.

And when God chose us, this was by no means some random or capricious choosing of who to save and who not to save. Rather, Paul tells us that “in love” he chose us.

Though we were totally undeserving of it, he looked on us with love and lavished his grace upon us.

How and why he decided to choose us, we will never know. All we know is that for some reason, God chose to set his love upon us.

Because of this, the glory for our salvation does not at all go to us. Rather, Paul says three times that this is all for the praise of God’s glory (verses 6, 12, and 14).

In short, we are a part of God’s incredible plan, a plan to unite this rebellious, sinful, and dysfunctional world under Christ.

And while he could have done so by simply wiping us out as we deserved, he chose to set his love on us and make us a glorious part of his plan for this universe.

Honestly, I feel totally incompetent to express this all. All the superlatives in the world could adequately express how awesome God and his grace is.

So I think I’ll just stop here and take more time to wonder at it all.

Categories
Luke Luke 1

Blessed

Mary

When Mary heard that her relative Elizabeth was pregnant, she quickly hurried down to see her.

This is quite understandable considering Mary’s own unusual circumstances. She probably wanted to confirm that this wasn’t just some kind of delusion or dream.

Any such thoughts were quickly dispelled the moment Elizabeth saw Mary. Because Elizabeth’s baby leaped within her, and filled with the Holy Spirit, she said,

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?…

Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her! (Luke 1:42-45)

There was no human way for Elizabeth to know that Mary was pregnant nor was it possible for her to know that Mary’s baby was to be the Messiah. The only way that she could know was if God told her.

And because of this supernatural knowledge, all remaining doubt Mary may have had dissolved, and she sang,

My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name. (Luke 1:46-49)

As I look at her words, it reminds me of how God has blessed us as well.

Like Mary, it’s not because we are deserving of anything of God. We are simply his humble servants. It’s not because of the things we have done that we are blessed, but because of the great things God has done.

What has he done for us?

1. He has extended his mercy to us. And not only to us, but to those who came before us, and all who will follow after. (Luke 1:50)

We deserve punishment for all the sins we have committed, but God instead shows us mercy.

Why could he show his mercy to us? Because all his wrath was poured out onto his Son when he died on the cross. And because Jesus took our punishment for us, we can receive God’s mercy instead.

2. He has acted on our behalf. (Luke 1:51)

When Israel was in slavery to Egypt, God humbled Pharaoh and lifted up Moses and the Israelites.

He also cast down nations and rulers that were more powerful than them, and brought them into the land he had promised.

And though his people failed him again and again, nevertheless, he never forgot his promises to Abraham, and has preserved them to this day.

That’s amazing, considering not only how many other races have perished in that time, but also how many times other nations have tried to destroy Israel, even up to the present time.

Just as God has acted on the behalf of Israel, he has acted on our behalf as well. He did so by sending Jesus to die on the cross for us. But even now, he continually acts on our behalf.

When our problems are bigger than we are, he brings us victory. When we are in need, he meets those needs. And when Satan seeks to destroy us, God watches over us and preserves us.

So as Mary did, especially in this Christmas season, let us magnify the Lord. For he has done great things for us. And we truly are blessed.