Exodus 12:12-13 – “For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. 13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”  NKJV

As God prepared Israel for their deliverance from Egyptian bondage, the one thing they had to do to be spared was take the “blood of the sacrificial lamb” and place it on the doorposts of their houses.  When the destroying angel came into the land and saw the BLOOD, the inhabitants would be spared; otherwise, Death would be the result. 

This was symbolic and pointed to the time when Christ, our sacrificial lamb, would offer up His innocent blood on the Cross for the sin of mankind.  In our reception of His sacrifice and grace, the Holy Spirit applies the Blood of the Lamb to our hearts, and we are spared from the plague of sin.  Only by the blood are we spared!  It is not by works, not earned, not deserved; it is “by grace, through faith” that we enter into the family and kingdom of God.  

NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD!  The old gospel song says it perfectly:

            “What can wash away my sin?

             Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

            What can make me whole again?

            Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

             Oh! Precious is the flow.

            That makes me white as snow.

            No other fount I know,

            Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

The prophet Isaiah penned it perfectly in Isaiah 1:18 – “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.   If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword.”

Some in today’s Politically Correct faux tolerant world do not like the mention of The Blood.   They consider it too vile for polite society and seek to eliminate it from religious conversation.  Unfortunately for them, the Blood opens salvation’s door!  Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission, as declared by Paul in Hebrews 9:22.  Forgiveness is impossible without the Blood of Christ shed for sin.  He paid the divine penalty, and we have HOPE and LIFE through His sacrifice!

What can wash away my sin?  NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS!   So today, if you have not received Him, I urge you to listen to the nudging of the Holy Spirit and allow God to apply the blood of Jesus to the doorposts of your heart.

May you walk in the rich blessings of the Father today and every day!

2 Kings 5:9-14 – “Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ 12 Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So, he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”  NKJV

This account of Naaman, the Syrian commander, is one of several in the Bible that reflects ‘unrealistic’ or ‘unfulfilled expectations’ and the problem therein.  Naaman had leprosy, which was a virtual sentence of death.  His wife had a slave girl from Israel, and she said to her master’s wife, “If only my master were with the prophet in Samaria!  For he would heal him of his leprosy.”  Naaman’s wife relayed the information to Naaman, and he relayed it to his king.  The story begins with a letter sent to the king of Israel to heal Naaman. 

Imagine, if you will, receiving a directive from a powerful enemy to do something you could not do.  How would you view it?  The King of Israel considered it a provocation to war and was distraught.  Elisha heard about the King’s hysteria and directed that Naaman be sent to him.  Naaman followed the king’s directive, and his entourage proceeded to Elisha’s house; the problem opened in a major way and revealed the “Problem of Human Expectations.”

Elisha told the commander to go to the Jordan river and dip himself seven times.  Naaman was furious! He considered it an insult for someone of his stature to be instructed to do that.  He expected pomp and ceremony. He expected the prophet to stand before him, wave his hands over the leprosy and heal him in a dramatic fashion.  He expected something that, in his mind, would be fitting for someone of his stature.  He left furious, and one of his servants took his life into his own hands and approached Naaman asking if Elisha had instructed him to do something great, difficult, or monumental, would he not have attempted it?  As a result, Naaman realized he had nothing to lose and obeyed.  The result was a complete cleansing of leprosy and restoring his flesh.

Had he allowed his ‘unrealistic’ and ‘unfulfilled expectations’ to rule, he would have died in Syria a Leper! How often do we fix in our minds how things should be and reject everything that does not fit that image and fulfill that expectation? Could it be that we fail to receive answers to our prayers because we ‘predetermine’ how we expect things to be, and when they do not satisfy those expectations, we reject all else? 

Isaiah 55:9 reminds us that God’s ways are higher than ours, and when we attempt to subrogate our ways over God’s, we are doomed to the realm of ‘unfulfilled expectations.’  I see it in relationships, businesses, churches, and spiritually that ‘unrealized, unfulfilled and unreasonable expectations’ bring disappointment and failure.  We do not have to live at that address, for we can subject our expectations to God’s will and ways and allow the Holy Spirit to birth in us the purposes of God. 

Demanding from others that they meet our expectations can and often is unrealistic and a catalyst to difficulty.  I am human.  You are human.  We are flawed vessels! If we expect perfection from flawed vessels we are not being realistic.  We need to be like the Naaman who went down into the Jordan, not the Naaman that drove off in a huff, wounded because his expectations were not satisfied.  I am learning daily how Paul could say he was content wherever he found himself.  His expectations were God, not his preconceived ideas of how things should be.

God bless you as you go through this day!

John 15:13-16 – “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.  14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.  15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”  NKJV

There is an overriding reality that is inescapable as we study Scripture.  It leaps forth in the 66 Books of the Bible and is visible page after page and passage after passage.  It is something almost impossible to explain and almost inexplicable.  That of which I speak is the Incomparable and Incomprehensible Love God has for mankind! 

We are His creation, but our history has been one of rejection and rebellion.  He would have easily been justified in smashing the race like bugs and virtually did that saving only Noah and his family.  He has demonstrated His incredible patience and willingness to give us second, third, fourth, and fiftieth changes, yet mankind continues to seek something other than Him.

The work of Christ on the Cross is a testimony of the depth of God’s love for mankind as is revealed in John 3:16.  Jesus, in our text, testifies that He considers us His friends! In laying down His life, He has demonstrated the “no greater love.”  Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3:9 that God “… is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”  Paul wrote in Romans 8:37-39 regarding God’s love for mankind and declared that Nothing could separate us from God’s love.  In Ephesians 2:4-5 he reminds us of the depth of God’s love.

God’s love is unconditional, whereas human love is conditional.  If others reject us and spurn our demonstrations of love by disrespecting, disappointing, and turning their backs on us, love would not describe our feelings toward them.  But with God, He loves us regardless.  His unconditional love will not vacate His holiness or judgment.  He has promised that if we ‘come to Him,’ He will not reject us, but if we reject Him and die in that condition, He cannot overlook our sins. 

Jesus wept over Jerusalem because of the inhabitants’ continual rejection. I believe God weeps over our world today.  There have been at least three times in my life when I heard God weeping as I was in prayer meditating on the Word. It was one of the most disturbing experiences I have ever had. I sensed His heartbreak, and I was broken.  The Omnipotent One could crush us like aluminum cans and remove us from the planet with the stroke of His finger. Yet He chooses to Love us and demonstrates longsuffering beyond human comprehension.

We can never merit that love, but through grace, He extends it.  As I meditate on this today, I tremble, realizing the times I have taken His mercy for granted.  How could anyone reject such incomparable love? 

How?  I believe that to reject God’s love, we must become so self-absorbed that our love for ourselves overpowers our reason.  I believe that to reject God’s love; we must believe the Lie of the devil and elevate ourselves to be equal with God in our minds.  Jesus said in John 8:32 – “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  If we truly SEE the finished work of Christ on the Cross and God’s Love, we will respond and be made free.

I pray that if anyone is teetering on the fence, undecided about God, His mercy, grace, and love, you have your eyes opened and See.   I pray that each of us gains spiritual sight to a greater measure and Sees God’s, Great Love!

God bless you as you go through this day!

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 – “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”  NKJV

I have long believed through my study of Scripture and watching people that generosity or the lack thereof reveals a person’s heart.  I am convinced that if God does not have our pocketbooks, He does not truly have our hearts, for where the treasure is, the heart is also.  I know the context of this passage is focused on money, but I want to press it beyond that and do not believe that I am violating truth in doing so.

The Law of Sowing and Reaping goes far beyond monetary consideration.  The principle of reaping what we sow, later than we sow, and more than we sow, whether it is money, time, patience, or love, is a fact of life.  In this truth, God Promises that He will cause All Grace to abound to us so that we have All Sufficiency in All Things and have an abundance for Every Good Work!  That is an incredible promise!

Sadly, some have taken it as a promise of personal wealth and attempted to manipulate God through their giving.  God is interested in the gift and the motivation behind the gift, and His blessings are in accordance with that principle.  It would behoove us to examine what we are giving, why, or what we are not giving and why.  It will reveal our hearts, either good or flawed.

I have personally experienced times when I desperately needed finances and had no means of acquiring those funds.  I recall one such incident where I had a $500 need and 55 dollars to my name.  I do not mean I had that amount of ready cash; that is ALL I had in this world. 

The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said tithe on my need.  My response was, “What? God, I have $55 to last me a whole week, a wife, and two small children to care for.  If I give the $50 you are asking for, I will have $5 left.”  Three times I heard ‘tithe on your need.’  I took the $50 and planned to put it in the offering on Sunday morning, and as the plate came around, I tried but could not turn it loose. 

I spent a miserable Sunday afternoon, and on Sunday night, when the offering took place, I threw the $50 in the offering plate.  It felt like a hot potato that I had to get out of my hand.  I believed God would care for us, but my humanity kept me awake all night battling thoughts of my failure in my responsibility to my family, and they would have little to eat this week if…  That is the problem IF…  

I was in the condition of the man that said to Jesus, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.”  The next day after a time in prayer, I went to town to run an errand for the church, and a person walked up to me on the street and said, “The Lord spoke to me last night to give you this.”  They placed an item in my hand and walked away.  I sat in my car and opened my hand, and it was a check for $550.00. 

God met my need and gave me back the $50.00 above the need.  My family was cared for, the need was met, and my faith was given an adrenaline shot that has never been forgotten.  God responded to my obedience and blessed me despite my fears, questions, and doubts. Since then, my giving has been cheerful, and I have not given out of necessity since that day but out of a desire to honor the Lord and help others.

I have faced times when I desperately needed someone to assist, comfort, love, or counsel me and found that the return on my investment in others came back to me many fold.  God Never fails to send help in the time of need, and if we allow Him to control our time and treasure, we will find that Grace will Abound to us in a mighty manner.

God bless you as you go through this day!

Galatians 6:9-10 – “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”  NKJV

We all know people who are always doing good things for other people.  It was or is their heart, no matter the recognition or reward.  They did it.  Then we know those who do good things if the recognition or reward is there.  They continue their efforts and actions as long as the accolades roll in.  I’ve known parents, spouses, and even workers and bosses express their weariness at doing good things for others only to have it go unappreciated.   And frequently, I have seen them cease their actions, and some even fall into bitterness over it.

If what you are doing is based on the immediate gratification of recognition, then you are doing it for the wrong reason.  If you do what you do “in the name of the Lord” and “for the Lord,” your reward is beyond this life and in this life. 

Paul encouraged us not to give up and not grow weary in our efforts to do good things.  He assures us what we should all have settled deep in our hearts – GOD SEES ALL!  Like farming, there is a time of preparing the soil, a time of planting the seed, a time of germination, a time of growing, and then finally, a time of harvest.  We reap What we sow, we reap Later than we sow, and we reap More than we sow. 

According to Paul, this is especially noted when we do good things for anyone; God sees it.  When we are doing good things for those of the household of faith, let me give you a Roy reason for this:  Those of the household of faith are already in the fight and are either sowers of the Gospel or potential sowers of the Gospel.  They are laborers in God’s harvest, and when we do good things for them and help them continue their efforts, we are furthering the cause of the Kingdom in a very tangible way. 

No matter if anyone recognizes your efforts or even expresses appreciation for what you do – Do Not Lose Heart!  God will never forget what you do or have done, and even if it is in Heaven, He will honor your labors, especially if they are labors of love out of a pure heart for the right reasons.

Therefore, as you go through this day and this year, look for opportunities to bless others, especially those of the Household of Faith!  

May God be with you, guide, guard, protect, and richly bless you in all things and at all times!

Mark 8:34-38 – “When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel will save it.  36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” NKJV

I find the words of our Lord penetrating and thought-provoking.  Jesus can speak a few words that would require volumes to dissect and digest and yet are so clearly understood and simple.  One of those passages that contains so much that one could spend a lengthy amount of time meditating upon each line and sentence and yet not exhaust what is said.

We spend much of our lives trying to get ahead and carve out a niche for ourselves.  But Jesus said that if we follow Him, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.  Our ambitions must become secondary to His desires, goals, and plans for our lives. 

We spend significant time trying to preserve life or give ourselves a platform, condition, and cushion upon which to live the good life.  Yet, the Master said that if we “seek to save our life, we will lose it.”  If our singular drive is “storing up for ourselves, we will find that we are putting money in bags with holes, and in the end, our lives will come to naught. 

Most people want to reach the place where they have arrived, their ship has come in, or some other description of success materially and monetarily.  But Jesus said, “So what if you manage to gain all the world’s wealth and its power and prestige but lose your soul? What have you accomplished?”   What will a man give in exchange for his soul?

He clarifies that it is possible to have Everything in this life and yet have Nothing eternal value.  I’m not suggesting that having money, possessions, or even position is in itself a bad or evil thing; I am suggesting that if that comes between you and God, it is.  The Scripture clarifies that we are to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness,” In so doing, He will provide whatever we need when we need it, in the amount and timing that we need it.

I don’t know about you, but I desire to have Eternal Worth rather than Earthly Wealth.  If I can have both and use that wealth for the cause of the Kingdom, I will rejoice, but if I have to choose one or the other, I will choose GOD!  I rather have Jesus than wealth or fame.  I’d rather have Jesus than be the king of a vast domain.  I rather have Jesus than anything that this world can offer, and in having Him, I have everything that this world can afford.

May God be with you as you go through your day!