Author: astherainandsnow

“In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. He brought in the priests and the Levites and assembled them in the square on the east and said to them, ‘Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the Holy Place. For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs. They also shut the doors of the vestibule and put out the lamps and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the Holy Place to the God of Israel… My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him and to be his ministers and make offerings to him.’ Then the Levites arose… They gathered their brothers and consecrated themselves and went in as the king had commanded, by the words of the Lord, to cleanse the house of the Lord. The priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and they brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the Lord into the court of the house of the Lord. And the Levites took it and carried it out to the brook Kidron. They began to consecrate on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the Lord. Then for eight days they consecrated the house of the Lord, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.” 2 Chronicles 29:3-7,11-12,15-17

A new king, new reign, new perspective, new mission. Hezekiah would set Israel on the right path by restoring worship in the sanctuary to its rightful place. After the priests had done their cleansing and preparatory work, the new sovereign rose early to bring sacrifices and lead worship with song to the LORD. His leadership and example of humble, joyful adoration of God was contagious, and set a focus of God-centered rejoicing for the nation. (2 Chronicles 22:20,24-31,36)

As we begin a new year, holding all its promise and unknowns, hopes and plans, what will take first priority? As priests of the King of kings entrusted with much, how faithfully will we tend to our first responsibility, that of His sanctuary? Where have disordered wants or affections upended first right things? What self-stroking, what depleting or unfruitful habits, what long-held resentments or prejudices need to be discarded? What will we do in our schedules and our hearts to open wide doors to true, Christ-centered sacrifice and trim the lamps of grateful praise? (1 Peter 2:9)

Sovereign Lord Who bestows my royal priesthood, may I be faithful today, and this year, to maintain pure and glad worship, and to proclaim Your excellencies in all I do and say.

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
    the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my song,
    and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
    my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power,
    your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.
In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries.

Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
    Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
    awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?

You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed;
    you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.

The Lord will reign forever and ever.” Exodus 15:1-2,6-7,11,13,18

“And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered.., standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,

Our mighty Lord, Who is the same from first to last, does not change in any facet of His character, any manner of working His perfect will, any fulfillment of His promises. He is exquisite and exact in all He does, never easing in purpose, wavering in love, or waning  in power. He can be trusted, He deserves exaltation. Every moment, every day. (Hebrews 13:8; 1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 22:13)

As one year comes to a close, will I take time to reflect back and trace His glorious deeds in my life, in those I love, in His church, in the world? Will I count displays of His grace, light shed in understanding, new lessons learned, deliverances from habits or sorrow’s choke? Do I recognize He is the Mighty One behind conviction, inspiration, enabling? Will I praise Him for immovable peace in storms, inexplicable songs in the night, bountiful provision in my meager desire, energy, offerings?

Will I choose to close this year with praise that covers all its shocks, losses, wastes, disappointments, regrets, and griefs? Will I gratefully sing of the omniscient, loving hand that gripped mine intractably through them all, and leads forward with hope and promise? The LORD Who has triumphed gloriously will ever do so, forging with us into a future He orchestrates with sovereign favor.

I lift high Your majesty and worth, O God. May I ever marvel and sing at Your glorious deeds.

“And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him. He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the Lord gave him peace… [Then] Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. And Asa cried to the Lord his God, ‘O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.’ So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive, for they were broken before the Lord and his army.” 2 Chronicles 14:2-6,9-13

Asa did everything right as he established his reign, and all was well. Until it was not. Against his world, trouble brewed. Even though he pleased his Lord, still the enemy snorted, pawed the dirt, and came in full aggression. He always does. Asa met his adversary in the best way possible, relying on and fighting in the powerful name of his unique, unassailable, victorious LORD.

When we plan and faithfully build our good kingdom, do we believe we deserve a specific outcome, that our efforts should reap our desired rewards? When formulas have been followed, rules obeyed, and prescriptions filled, do we chafe when God does not keep peace and bring our expected results? Are we subconsciously determining expectations that do not align with His? “In me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” My chosen behavior must be for the Lord, not myself, and my treasure fixed in Him, not any earthly prize. (John 16:33)

“There will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions… who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Conflict in this world is a given, no matter what, but we have divine security and unshakable hope: “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 18-21,24-25)

Let kings and warriors say amen!

“After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him… Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, ‘Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?’ Jesus said, ‘Have the people sit down.’ Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number.  Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.” John 6:1-3,5-13

Spending time with Jesus takes us into many situations that to our human eyes look impossible. His way is to teach us of Himself, and to engage us in His supernatural workings. And He always nourishes us by our communion. When He presents an opportunity, and nudges me to accept, I can expect His grace to abound. When He calls me to a new task, I can bring my inadequacies and fears and watch Him replace them with His sufficient provision. He gives so much more than I can imagine.

I have Jesus, abiding with me. I have His voice, His instruction. I have resources He has provided, and His shared passion for people and their spiritual hunger. I have His questions that drive me to discover, to dig, to look around and understand in context and use what is available and thus grow in faith. I have His clear, often specific word. I have the gumption to listen and follow, by His grace. I have the example of those who have gone before, and of how God has worked in the past. I have a God to thank for every good and perfect gift. In His name, I can offer all I have and watch Him multiply and feed, in the green grass of His pasture. And He will give leftovers of sustenance, thankfulness, and joy. (2 Corinthians 9:10; James 1:17)

Will I take up the challenge? What loaves and fish have I to offer for His divine multiplication to the hungry?

Father, You call me to a work that above all is believing in You. Teach me so to feed on You that all I give out is spirit and life, and others see You are the Holy One of God. (John 6:29,63,69)

“And I will put [them] into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’” “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The Father… will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you… Because I live, you also will live… Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Zechariah 13:9; John 14:1,6,16-17,19,27

The celebration is over. All cheerily wrapped promises have been opened, the joy of anticipation resolved in met (and unmet) expectations; tinsel that held luster now dimly whines to be taken down. The brightness and wonder of the Christ child’s birth has somehow faded to stark reality again, and a dampness can set in. But Jesus lives on, and the sun still shines!

Jesus came to bring light to the world, not just at Christmas but in Himself, Immanuel, and the glad wonder of Who He is remains to be savored, explored, known as a living breathing part of our every day. Tho fog may cover our outlook for the impending future,  though challenges we faced before the holiday are still a very present trouble or conundrum, though physical or emotional ache still lingers as a part of our very fabric, the Savior is alive and well. He is the way for us to rise every morning and greet the gift of a new day. He is the truth by which we think and process our world and understand the spiritual meaning behind physical roadblocks, political dissension, relational confusion, and emotional chaos. He is the life, the energy and breath and hope of eternity right now, our ‘joie de vivre’ no matter what is going on. (Psalm 46:1; John 1:4-5,9)

Our Lord has made us to thrive, wherever He places us, whatever our limitations, opportunities, or obstacles. He gives us life that we may know full joy– deep, abiding joy that is unshaken by circumstances or troubles. He chose us to bear everlasting fruit, regardless of who attacks us, condemns our every effort, or cheers us on. He gives His word, as our guide and confidence when tested. He abides in us by His Spirit, Who counsels, convicts, reminds, comforts, and gives peace. (Psalm 119:105; John 15:11,16,18,20; 16:1,4,7,13,33)

In other words, every day in the Lord is a holiday, a ‘holy day,’ when lived unto and along with Him. Will we let loose of our flesh fog that creeps and clings? Will we persist in looking for the clear edges of His sun through the fog of disappointment or pain or fear and unknowns?

Lord, strengthen my faith in Your abiding presence, even when I do not feel or see You. Show Yourself glorious through the fog of this world.

“I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness… Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. ‘If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you…’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 12:46; 13:3-5,14-15,34-35

To look out through a screen across the street on a frigid morning, and see the blaze of a welcoming fire through a front door, does something to the heart. It brings a warm smile. How captivating, how attractive is a flickering glow of flame to the cold and wandering. Come out from behind your protective screens, it beckons. Come in from your cold, it says. Come sit by my warmth and be comforted and know you are loved, the light invites. What a lovely picture of how our lives should be, burning bright with welcoming hospitality and the love of the Savior.

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly… Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” Romans 12:10-11,13; 1 Peter 4:8-10

If this is our call, how do we keep the fire stoked, guard against slothfulness and complacency, overcome selfishness, remain earnest and fervent? How do we deal with our desire to manage perfectly, control our surroundings, and keep on our schedule? Are there demands I make that prohibit my welcoming others in, lines the cannot be crossed, tasks I must perform, rules that must be followed? What in the way I order my life is a turnoff to others participating in it? Are there belongings and structures I hold so closely I am closed to those with whom God would disrupt my life?

To serve and show hospitality with genuine love requires a yielding of a lot of what I may hold dear, and actually treasure more than I prefer others. Walls and boundaries that I’ve constructed must be yielded to the Lord Who welcomed me in all my mess, and bids me do the same.

Redeemer, make a difference in me so You can make a difference through me. Stoke Your Spirit’s fire in my heart and life to warmly and irresistibly welcome others who need to see and know You.

My progress through the expedited line at airport security was slow. After being called back twice for beeps of unknown reason, the alarm sounded again for my bag. The culprit? My Bible. The worn gold on the edges of the worn pages had triggered the alarm for metal. Ah, the Word is indeed powerful and active! (Hebrews 4:12)

The pair discussing Jesus’s crucifixion were deep in concern and opinion and suppositions until Jesus opened the Scriptures to them. Even then, though intrigued and attracted, they were too in-the-moment to recognize Him. It was not until at their meal when He blessed and broke the bread, which they had likely seen or heard of before, that they recognized who He was. Sometimes it takes an alarm, or an alarming act, to arrest our attention and point us to the Word. (Mark 6:41; 8:6; 14:22)

Does it always sound an alarm in our hearts? Does it trigger passion? Desire to grow? Does is jolt us in conviction? Devotion? Warning? A hunger for more? When faced with confusion, exasperation, or temptation, do we consult the signals of Scripture?

Is the Living Word so alive in me that others take notice and recognize Him?

Father, may Your golden words ever call to me and awaken me from worldly stupor to hear and see my Savior. Sound Your alarms in the areas of my life that need Your holy touch, keep Your word working in me, and keep my heart burning with whole-hearted devotion for You. (Isaiah 50:4-5; Zechariah 4:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 2:13)

“Rejoice greatly! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he,[and] humble.” An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’” “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 1:20-21; John 8:32,36; 14:6

“The grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” 1 Timothy 1:14-15

Anyone who has witnessed a baby’s arrival into the world recognizes the robust will and utter miracle of a tiny life being pushed into its new world, and the amazing helplessness that is then reality for this one utterly dependent on its mother in the womb. The starkness of Jesus’s birth to His young mother is a beautiful backdrop of the power He embodied to unleash grace to all mankind and set sinners free unto eternal life. This babe in a feeding trough? The agent of salvation in a manger? A king in a crude shelter in swaddling cloths? Yes!

And this is no dichotomy. Jesus, while ‘above and beyond’ all creatures, “for whom and by whom all things exist,” willfully became one of us as our brother to be able to bear the penalty of our sin. “Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” “He had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” (Philippians 2:6-8; Hebrews 2:10-17)

“Mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth.  

Hark! the herald angels sing,
‘Glory to the newborn King!'”  ~Charles Wesley (1739) with George Whitefield (1714-1770)

This Savior has come into our earthly mangers to save us, to give us daily power over words that bite, attitudes that muddy the atmosphere, criticisms and superior airs that demean. He came to lift us from shame and regret that impede our progress, despair that weighs down the heart, disappointment in unfulfilled dreams, and tight fists of self-interest that cripple our fruitfulness. He came as truth to set us free from uncertain belief, distorted thinking, insecurity, confusion.

Lord on high, may the lowliness of Your manger stoke humble gratitude and ever lift my sights to glorify You as King of kings.

“O LORD, our LORD,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” 2 Peter 1:3-10 

Reading this passage I am stoked by a chug-a-chug, chug-a-chug train sound, steady rhythm of moving, moving, moving ahead. There are many components to our growing in godliness, and we are urged to make every effort to keep on, put the right pieces together, continue on track, and reject what is false and ruinous while adding good upon good.

The Christian life is a relentless pursuit of godliness as we appropriate all God has given us in our salvation. We navigate through false teaching, destructive heresies, temptations to sensuality and greed, and every time we say no and plug ahead in virtue, we build spiritual strength and progress further. We are tested, as Noah was, by lonely faith, by having to stand alone on the side of truth against the crowd, and the Lord bolsters our character and understanding. We may be blasphemed along with our Savior when we deny revelry, but learn to stand firm and steady. We are trained by practice to discern false boasts, and what true freedom won in Christ means. We persist in diligently applying what we know to be true from God’s promises in scripture and from His marvelous working in our personal experience. Every bit of energy invested partaking of the divine nature builds holiness and godliness. (2 Peter 2:1-3,5,10,12-14,18-19; 3:2,11)

So where will my efforts be spent today? Will I get distracted by pieces of sparkle and temporary pleasure, weighed down by doubt and self-interest, or will I decide, first thing, to make every effort to heed God’s call to glory and excellence? How will I act, where will I add, what will I supplement, to assure I am moving ahead in His divine power on His track of sanctification?

Lord, while You tarry, keep me diligent in appropriating Your character and growing in Your grace and knowledge. Stir me up, and keep me stirring up my comrades in faith, to steadfastly partake of and add to everything divine You have given. Ever increase Your qualities in us that bear and multiply eternal fruit, so You are glorified now and for eternity! (2 Peter 3:1,14,18)