Why we need Jesus

“The soul who sins shall die. . . . But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? 
But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die. 
“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 
Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.” And you, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, (Ezekiel 18:21–19:1)

If salvation depended on doing good things, then everyone is doomed. No unsaved sinner can claim eternal life on a few good deeds. No believing Christian can claim eternal security for a life of many good deeds yet with the occasional sin. 

For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. (Romans 3:22–28)

Being created in His image does not do it. Doing one’s best to follow His laws does not do it. Continually offering sacrifices and confessing sin doesn’t work either. In a sense, having a new heart doesn’t make us sinless. We still fall short. We need Jesus to be our substitute and God to put us ‘in Him’ and see us ‘in Him’ and that happens as we trust Him to have done what we could never do — take our punishment for sin, give us the ability and willingness to obey Him, and intercede for us when we fall short, even when we don’t notice or will not admit that we have.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44)

We cannot even come to Christ without being drawn there by God, and we cannot respond and come to Him any other way but through Jesus. And we cannot be forgiven, cleansed, made new, and live forever without Jesus. Saying NO to Jesus is saying YES to depending on ourselves, an impossible task and folly.

Jesus, this is why I love and worship You. My life is not perfect. My obedience is iffy at times. I forget You or neglect You at times. But You never fail me. I need You all the time and for all of life… and worship You for being there, always, with me.

Jesus is the way and leads the way

 

I’ve a calendar that is more like a journal. It asks questions that prompt plans, reflection, and priorities. It is also secular. One page asks about what didn’t work last month and how I could do better. In answering, my focus is on the leadership of Jesus. He has a plan for my life and it is in listening to Him and doing what He says. I don’t like the idea of trying to improve my failures because figuring things out by myself causes most of them in the first place.

Today’s devotional puts a focus on the plan of God, not on a to-do list for each day but His goal for me and how He accomplishes that goal.

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. (Hebrews 2:10)

Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, (Hebrews 5:8–9)

Basic to daily direction is this main objective: He is taking me to glory — to be like Jesus for all eternity — and He will do it through the life, death, and resurrection life of Jesus Christ, summed up in these words “the founder of my salvation who was perfected through suffering.” It was by His death that Jesus became my perfect leader. He leads the way because He is the way:

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

While it makes no sense to those who reject Him, Calvary was God’s great wisdom. It displays His holiness and hatred of sin, but also His power. As MacArthur writes, Christ endured in a few hours what it would take an eternity to expend on sinners and even then, we could not atone for our own sin. His suffering also displayed God’s love for mankind and points to His great grace in that the death of Jesus was substitutionary; He died for me so I can live forever.

The Greek word translated “founder” or “author” in some translations is archēgos. It means “pioneer” or “leader” and used of someone who blazed a trail for others to follow. This person did not stand behind giving orders but was always out front leading the way. In that sense, Jesus is the One who goes before me as my trailblazer. When I write my plans on my calendar, I’m trying always to listen to Him for direction.

The older I get (and the more my body yells at me) the more I agree with MacArthur’s statement that life seems most anxious and fearful when death seems closer. As he says, this is a trail I cannot travel by myself. I worshiped this morning singing several songs. Three of them had words about dying and going to glory. This devotional reminds me of what Jesus said to His disciples:

Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. (John 14:19)

He is the perfect trailblazer and can lead me and all His people out of life here, through the shadow of death, and into the presence of the Father. As He holds my hand, He will lead me to the other side and I will know the reality of these NT words: “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55)

Our family is busy making plans for the coming year including a major reunion, a smaller one with just our adult children, trips and other events. My hubby is working (part-time from home) on projects that could run until 2029. Some days, I feel my age and want to curl up and be done. Other days, I’m ambitious, but not too energetic. In all of this, the sense of being led by Jesus is an incredible comfort and encouragement.

PRAY: Lord Jesus, You are the Master of my fate and trusting You makes the fears go away and anticipation take over. At the same time, my hubby’s words about “someday God will say I am done” are often on my mind. As You take me through this life and toward the next, grant me the same peace and joy as You always have. I see You blazing the trail, opening doors, granting abilities and strength. My heart is entirely grateful and always amazed that You love me so much.

PONDER: The world is filled with people who have no confidence in their future nor any idea that they can have eternal life with their Creator. Think about ways to share that with those He puts in my path.

 

 

Being Like Jesus

 

Some people are stuck in the past. My husband thinks ahead. I’m a ‘right now’ person. For that reason, the last part of today’s verse isn’t as important to me as the first part.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)

MacArthur writes that someday God will reverse the curse and return the earth to His people. I’ve never been a ‘someday’ person so am far more interested in what it means to be meek right now. The dictionaries say gentle, mild, strength under control. Google says it is being too submissive; easily imposed on; spineless; spiritless, and does not have force or is willing to give into others. Jesus called Himself a meek person, so Google needs to take another look. Being meek is not being weak. Rather, it is yielding to the needs of others by giving up what I would rather do. it is giving in for the sake of others rather than being spineless.

Sin messes with meekness, especially using the biblical definition of sin:

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

Sin is going my own way instead of God’s way. It is the opposite of:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. (Proverbs 3:5–12)

If anyone thinks meekness is a weakness, they have never tried it. Being meek takes so much power that I cannot do it apart from being filled with the Spirit of God. Yielding to Him is not easy; it is very difficult, even when the rewards are offered, like inheriting the earth.

Meekness could be described as childlike. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14) He also said that childlikeness is required to enter His kingdom as well as live in it.

Children today are likely not the same as children of His day. Now even the very young can operate electronics. Some play piano or violin like adults. Some curse and use foul language and dress like gang members. But thinking younger, watching children look in wonder at creation, or asking questions, or sitting on mom’s lap, or holding daddy’s hand, I get what Jesus meant. He wants me to be like that as I love and serve my heavenly Father, not like those who ‘go their own way’ and ignore Him.

Meekness means bearing patiently with the hurtful actions of others and dealing gently with their failures, not only in the assurance that all of these are under God’s providential control, but realizing that, left to myself, ‘I have no claim to be any stronger than the weakest of my friends or any better than the worst of my enemies.’

That quote and this story illustrate meekness: A noted preacher was walking with his son. A man approached them and started talking. He asked the preacher his opinion of another man that had been at great odds with him. The preacher said something like, “I think that he is a good man.” After the father and son were alone again, the son looked up and said “I thought that man hated you and couldn’t stand you. Why were you so complimentary toward him when you were asked what you thought of him?” To which the preacher said, “Because son, I wasn’t asked what his opinion was of me, but what my opinion was of him.”

Lord Jesus, You are “gentle and lowly in heart” and told Your disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) That means dying to the things I might want and being like You, not thinking too highly of myself but considering others. Being meek is not easy. Only in You is it even possible. Again, I’m not focused on inheriting the earth but on letting You transform my life.

Read Philippians 2:1-11 with meekness in mind. What does it look like — for Jesus? for me? 

HAPPY EASTER! He is risen! What a glorious truth and hope for all who trust Him!