Help us help the children of Lesotho. Make a secure online contribution.
Joy On Their Faces
Our Advocate
And he spoke and said to those who were standing before him saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.” (NAS) Zechariah 3:4
In Zechariah 3, God gives us a picture of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross. . .
Joshua, the high priest (not the Joshua at Jericho), has returned from captivity in Babylon. He stands before God and Satan in filthy garments. Joshua is representing the sinful people. God is there to judge him. Satan is there to accuse Joshua – he’s like the prosecuting attorney with a seemingly open and shut case. But Joshua has an advocate, Jesus Christ, acting as the defense attorney. Jesus stands at God’s right hand, and silences all the accusations of Satan. Christ has already served the sentence for the peoples’ sin. Instead of condemnation, God removes Joshua’s filthy clothes, symbolizing his sinful nature, and replaces them with clean, rich garments. Joshua is made clean. He is forgiven.
This is what Jesus Christ has done for us. He has already paid the price, on the cross, for our sins. God removes the filthy garments of our sin and clothes us in His righteousness.
God’s desire is that we repent of (or turn away from) our sins and turn to Him. Have you, in faith, turned to God? confessed that you have sinned? and believe that Jesus’ death on the cross is payment for your sins? If not, please don’t waste another day, investigate Jesus Christ. Why not trade in those “old dirty rags” for a set of “clean royal garments” given by the King of Kings?
Those who wait. . .
Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up {with} wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. (NAS) Isaiah 40:31
Except for the Garden of Eden, never in history has man escaped troubles, suffering and trials. Oftentimes the world seems to be without meaning or purpose, but God promises the people of Judah, as well as Christians today, that He will give hope, strength and comfort to those who trust in Him. But, the key to receiving God’s strength is revealed in Isaiah 40:31. Isaiah states that those who hope, or wait in the Lord, are the ones who renew their strength. But, “waiting” as used here, is not meant to suggest a neutral position. The verb means to wait with confidence, in expectation, trusting in God.
Waiting for men is difficult. In a society where instant gratification is expected, it is against human nature to patiently wait. Instead, we try to make things happen in our own way, by our own doing. But, as Christians, waiting on God is the rule, not the exception. We must learn to accept the fact that it takes time to grow and become the product that God desires for us. As David tells us in Psalm 62, we should wait in silence, in stability, and in confidence, which comes only from God.
The Hebrew word to “wait” is “qavah,” meaning “to bind together,” perhaps by twisting. It is by twisting ourselves around God’s strong nature that we ourselves receive strength and confidence in Him. We do not possess these traits ourselves, but God makes them available to those who wait and hope in Him. In return, God promises to “renew their strength.” The Hebrew verb used here for “renew” means to “exchange power or strength,” indicating that God will exchange man’s weakness for His strength.
Are you in a waiting mode? Are you waiting in silence, in stability, and in confidence? or have you given up hope? Try “twisting” yourself around God’s strong nature and in turn, receive His strength!
Written by Marji “Mike” Kruger
What kinds of things are you waiting on? What do you do while you’re waiting?
Love Incarnate
God’s Heart on your Heart
Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. (NIV) I John 2:10
I have a friend that has a huge heart. It is evident to anyone who spends even a short amount of time with her. People are quick to say, “She’s so nice” or “I really like her”. I imagine that’s how people felt when they encountered Jesus. Just as my friend has a special ability to extend her heart to people, Jesus perfectly and consistently extended love to everyone He came in contact with, regardless of how they felt about Him.
How have you experienced the love of Christ through others?
Horses and Chariots
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD. (NIV) Isaiah 31:1
Israel, under the leadership of King Hezekiah, once again ignored warnings from God and from history, and went their own way. In terms of protection, the people chose to place greater value on Egypt’s alliance and army than on the living God. They did not look to God for protection nor seek His help.
Today we wouldn’t rely on horses or chariots for security, but we still have the tendency to rely on things seen, rather than on the living God!
What are your horses and chariots? What are you depending upon instead of trusting God? Money? A secluded neighborhood? Your income level? Your good health? A pollyanna attitude? Your intelligence? Your job security? Your retirement fund? Your spouse? Your inheritance?
No matter what you’re depending upon, if it is anything other than God, expect to be disappointed! There is nothing in life that is dependable and unchanging in nature other than God Himself!
What do you depend on?
Written by Marji “Mike” Kruger
Disable The Connection
I recently read this post on Lifehacker.com:
When it’s time to dig deep and do some serious focusing on a task—and refrain from surfing or checking email entirely for a block of time—you want temporary internet disconnection utility Freedom. Freedom serves a simple purpose: It disables all wireless and Ethernet networking on your Mac for up to six hours at a time. After the time you specify is up, Freedom re-enables your network adapters and display a confirmation. The point is to make it difficult for your internet-addicted self to override your sensible “must focus” self.
There are times that I’d like to use this little utility in my life instead of on the computer. Imagine it…want to temporarily disconnect from suffering? Enable Freedom. Want to temporarily turn off the irratations from relationships? Enable Freedom. Want to temporarily disable financial pressure? Enable Freedom. Want to temporarily turn off the distractions of interruptions? Enable Freedom. Want to return to life? Disable Freedom.
The idea of disabling what is difficult in life contradicts the sovereignty of God. If we believe that God is in control of all aspects of life. Within His puposes nothing that happens in life is accidental nor incidental.
Written by Marji “Mike” Kruger
Calm
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. (NIV) Matthew 8:26
It has been storming all day today and even now as I write this. We’re feeling the effects from Gustav as it heads toward the Gulf Coast. Storms are common here in Sarasota, Florida. During summer months we often have late afternoon thunderstorms. The sky darkens, the thunder rumbles, the wind starts to whirl, the waves start to churn, visibility decreases and before you know it, the rain is coming down in sheets.
As it rains, I’m reminded of another storm on the Sea of Galilee. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat (Matthew 8:24). The disciples went and woke Jesus who was asleep. They were fearing for their lives, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
(Matthew 8:25-27)
Jesus, so strong and so powerful that He stood up, rebuked the winds and stopped the storm. All power belongs to Christ. And yet, how often do I wonder if He can calm of the storms of my life?
The rain I heard when I started to write this is getting stronger; the winds are blowing and I hear thunder. Now picture that storm stopping dead in its tracks with the command from Jesus. One word from Him and the winds stop. There is no lightning, no thunder, no rain, no high seas, just calm.
This is the Jesus who calls us into relationship with Himself. He and He alone can bring calm in the midst of a storm. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to sit in His presence for awhile and enjoy the peace that only He can bring.
Hurricane Warning!
Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea– the LORD on high is mighty. (NIV) Psalm 93:4
I live in Sarasota, which is located on the west coast of Florida. After living here for 29 years, I have a tremendous respect for the power of nature. I’ve seen the devastation that storms can cause in our area. Sarasota has been fortunate in dodging storm after storm but, I’ve learned to take the warnings seriously. Once again we are preparing. This time for tropical storm Fay. Because I live near the water, I left my home today for the safety of higher ground at my parents’ home.
I am always amazed at the power of storms. Huge trees fall…some with trunks as much as two feet thick, are uprooted. Many times it looks like the root systems are ripped up with what looks like a carpet of sod along with them. Large sailboats are scattered on the banks of the bay looking like they are toys that are easily tossed onto shore. The raw power of creation is obvious to all. It is a reminder of how little control we really have in life. No one can harness a storm and make it subside. . .no one that is except God.
- And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. (NIV) Genesis 1:9-10
- He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. (NIV) Job 9:8
- He spreads out the northern over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing. He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight. He covers the face of the full moon, spreading his clouds over it. He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters for a boundary between light and darkness. The pillars of the heavens quake, aghast at his rebuke. By his power he churned up the sea. . .(NIV) Job 26:7-12a
- God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters, when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm, then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it. (NIV) Job 28:23-27
As you go through the storms of life, look to the One who can harness the wind and the waves.
Written by Marji “Mike” Kruger