Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.
Genesis 8:20

Noah Built an Altar

Noah built an altar. People familiar with the story of Noah and the flood know Noah built an ark. But Noah also built an altar. For about a year, Noah and his family lived on the ark while it floated on top of the flood waters. Death and destruction swirled around them.

What thoughts went through the minds of the eight people on that ark as the rain waters fell and the flood waters went up? Every creature outside of the ark lost its life. Were Noah and his family horrified at the carnage?

When it was time to leave the ark, how did Noah feel? Thankful. Noah built an altar. And then he offered up a great sacrifice to God.

There were only seven of each clean animal saved on the ark, and Noah took one of them, fourteen percent of the living population, and offered it as a whole sacrifice. Every part of that sacrifice was offered to God. Noah didn’t save any of it to feed himself or his family, but with gratitude in his heart, he offered it all. It was Noah’s way of saying thank you and dedicating his whole self to God in gratitude.

Noah’s sacrifice was great, but it wasn’t the greatest sacrifice this world has seen. The flood waters purged a wicked generation, but sin remained. God knew the only solution to that sin was a sacrifice, the sacrifice of Jesus on a wooden cross. God gave all of himself as the sacrifice for sin; he didn’t hold anything back. The result? Your sins are forgiven. All of them. They are purged by the blood of Jesus.

God doesn’t ask his people to offer animal sacrifices as a show of thanks anymore. Instead, God asks them to show gratitude in the way they live their lives. God’s people show gratitude when they follow God’s commands and will; it’s their way of offering their whole lives in heartfelt thanks for the saving sacrifice of Jesus.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for your great sacrifice for my sin on the cross. Give me a grateful heart that lives for joyful service to you. Amen.

This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.
2 Thessalonians 1:7

Final

By the early 1990s, the popularity of Johnny Cash had faded. To be sure, the older generation still enjoyed hearing him in concert, but he hadn’t had a hit song since the 1970s. And the younger generation just looked at him as an interesting country singer from a bygone era.

Then there came into Johnny’s life a man by the name of Rick Rubin. Rick Rubin was a star producer for some of the biggest names in the music industry. Rick, however, was mostly known for his work with hard rock bands and rap artists. Nevertheless, he sought Johnny out. He wanted to work with him. He told him he was convinced that Johnny still had some things to say.

Rubin’s instincts were right. Together, he and Johnny Cash produced a series of albums entitled American Recordings. They sent shockwaves throughout the music industry. Critics wrote rave reviews about the unprecedented quality and substance of the songs. To a new generation the songs were edgy and fresh. And through those volumes, Johnny Cash took the opportunity to say some things that he wanted to say.

Shortly before he died, Johnny Cash released one more album with Rick Rubin. For the title track he chose a song he had written entirely on his own, a song that reflected his Christianity and his reverence for God’s Word. The title of the song is When the Man Comes Around.

When the Man Comes Around is about judgment day. It’s about the return of Jesus Christ. Filled with biblical references and pictures, the song radiates with the certainty that the final day is coming, that Jesus will return, that time is short, and that the moment for serious reflection is right now.

And so, it is. This simple reality—the reality of Jesus’ return—gives urgency to our work of proclaiming sins forgiven through faith in Christ. And it gives each of us good reason to set aside our everyday busyness to consider what you and I possess in the only Savior this world is ever going to have.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, the Last Day is coming. You will return soon. Fill me with urgency and eagerness. Fill me with anticipation and joy. Amen.

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”
Luke 17:5,6

All It Takes Is a Little Faith

Have you ever tried doing what Jesus says here? Have you ever tried using nothing but your faith to uproot a mulberry tree and launch it into the ocean? Should be easy, right? All it takes is faith as small as a mustard seed!

If you haven’t been able to uproot a mulberry tree with your faith, what does that mean? Does that mean you don’t really have faith? If that’s the conclusion you’ve come to, don’t worry! That’s not the point Jesus is trying to make here.

Jesus is trying to show us the power of faith. He indicates that even with a little faith, great things can be done. That’s because, ultimately, it’s not our faith that does anything. It’s the one we’ve put our faith in who does the impossible.

God does the impossible. He takes away every single sin of every single person in the world through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. He allows sinners like us to stand innocent in his presence. He allows us to talk directly with him in prayer. These things should not be possible for us but because of God’s love for us, they are possible.

If God found it necessary, he would allow you to uproot a mulberry tree and hurl it into the ocean. God could make that happen for you. But God probably doesn’t need you to do that. Instead, he has given you faith to be able to forgive those who sin against you, just as he forgave you. He has given you faith to persevere through difficult seasons of life and moments of great loss. He has given you faith that clings to Christ so that salvation and heaven are yours. What once sounded impossible has been made possible, through faith in the all-powerful Lord.

Prayer:
Lord, increase my faith. You work the impossible and so I put my trust in you. Amen.

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”
1 Chronicles 29:14

Generosity Made Possible

Maybe you’ve heard people say the phrase, “Who am I that God would bless me so much?” But maybe you haven’t heard anyone say the phrase, “Who am I that God would allow me to be so generous?” Yet, that is what King David says in our Bible reading for today.

God had blessed David with a prosperous kingdom and amazing wealth. The people of Israel also gained the blessings of being part of David’s rich, powerful kingdom. David and his people turned some of the wealth back over to God as they donated supplies to build him a magnificent temple in Jerusalem. David knew that the only reason he and his people could be so generous in giving for God’s temple was because God had first been generous to them.

God has also given you a generous mountain of gifts. He’s given you his undeserved love in Jesus, forgiveness and peace with him, and a home in heaven. On top of all those generous gifts, God has also blessed you with earthly gifts: food, drink, comfort, and financial resources.

Because God has been so generous to you, he has now made it possible for you to be generous in return. You now have a heart that wants to be generous toward God with your time, talents, and treasures. After all, everything you have is a gift out of his hand! All you’re really doing is giving good gifts back to the one they belonged to in the first place.

Who am I that God would be so generous to me? Who am I that God would give me the ability to be so generous to him and others? I am someone loved by my Father in heaven. That’s who I am.

Prayer:
Thank you, heavenly Father, for generously giving me so many spiritual and earthly blessings. Work in me a generous heart that loves giving good gifts to others. Let me give back to you with my time, talents, and treasures. Amen.

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come.
2 Thessalonians 2:1,2

A Glorious Return

There was confusion among the members of the church in Thessalonica. A report circulated that Jesus had already returned; his second coming had already taken place. This information had allegedly come from Paul himself, so these Christians were led to believe that it was true. The impact on their faith and life was obviously distressful. If Jesus had already come, then they were left behind. Their hope for heaven was shattered. They were haunted by the fear of what was going to happen to them.

But the message that Jesus’ second coming had already occurred was false. It did not come from Paul. God did not lead him to proclaim that kind of message because it would have contradicted the truth. The word of God that Paul and other holy men of God were inspired by the Holy Spirit to proclaim clearly testified the truth about the coming of the Lord. This great event will take place on the very last day of this world’s existence. Jesus will appear, all the dead will be raised, and “every eye will see him” (Revelation 1:7).

No one will miss out on the second coming of Jesus. The hope and anticipation that we have for his glorious return rest on his first coming. Humbly he came to bear the guilt of our sins and suffer the punishment we deserved. He came to forgive us and give us the gift of eternal life. And he will come again to take his faithful people home with him forever in heaven. No child of God will be left behind. That’s the truth!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, fill me with the peace of your forgiveness that you accomplished when you came to this world as my Savior. Establish my hope in your glorious return when you will bring to an end all things here and receive me into the joys of heaven’s eternal home. Amen.

If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.
Luke 16:31

The Word is Enough

My father is a man of few words, but he is also a man of his word. As a child, I learned that when he had something to say, I had better listen and obey.

I remember once, we were on a road trip, driving across middle America. I was sandwiched between my two sisters, and I was getting on their nerves. We bickered back and forth for a while. And then dad spoke.

“That is enough!”

And that was enough. Just like that, the argument was over. The fighting stopped. Peace was restored.

Jesus once told a story about a man whose soul went to hell after he died. Not wanting his still-living brothers to suffer the same fate, he asked that a dead man whose soul was in heaven be sent to earth to warn them. The answer he received is striking.

“They have God’s Word. That is enough.”

That Word is enough. This is because the Bible tells us all we need to know. It tells us all about Jesus and what he did for us. Jesus became earthly poor so that you might become eternally rich. He took on our debt of sin, paid for our guilt with his blood, and suffered our punishment with his death. And he rose from the dead to prove that he is our salvation.

Knowing these truths, recorded in the Bible, is all you need because it proves how much God loves you. No matter what you may be facing, you can go back to the Bible and be reminded again and again. This is why you do not need something more than the Word of God. You do not need something better than the Word of God. The Word is enough.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for showing me your love in your Word. Amen.

Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.
Hebrews 13:1

A Strange Kind of Love

Jesus had loved his disciples for the three years he was with them. Now that his death was near, Jesus showed just how much he loved them. Jesus got up and took off his tunic. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he washed their feet.

He stooped down and scrubbed the grime from between his disciples’ toes. One by one, he washed their feet—the feet of the one who was about to betray him, of one who would deny him, of one who would doubt him, of a skeptic, a tax collector, glory-seeking twins, a zealot.

The disciples thought this was strange. Washing people’s feet was a dirty job often given to servants. But here was their rabbi, showing them what love is by serving—a love that gives. But they were about to see stranger love than this. They would watch him give his head to thorns, his hands to spikes, his side to a spear, his life for ours.

It is a strange kind of love. Jesus’ love is foreign to this world. It is unlike anything that the human heart generates. His is not a love that acts only if he gets what he wants from us. He loves to help without expecting or demanding anything in return.

When he gives his help, he gives nothing less than his love. And because love is who he is, he gives us nothing less than himself. When we have him, we have his help. We have his love. We have everything we need to love as he has loved us.

That is what the writer of the book of Hebrews encourages us to do in today’s Bible reading—love one another the way Jesus has loved us. Love with actions–serving, sharing, helping. Look for opportunities to do this today.

Prayer:
God of peace, equip me with everything good to do your will and work in me what is pleasing in your sight. Amen.

[Jesus said to them] “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.”
Luke 16:19-21

Looks Can Be Deceiving

There was a rich man whose life appeared perfectly fabulous in every way. He wore the finest clothes, and every meal was a feast.

There was a poor man whose life appeared perfectly miserable in every way. His clothes were dull. He never had enough to eat.

The poor man’s name was Lazarus. Though the world did not know him as anything special, God knew him well. And Lazarus knew his God well. It was in God that he trusted, in spite of his circumstances. So, while it looked like he had nothing, in God, Lazarus had everything.

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Your eyes may see a nobody, someone overlooked or forgotten, but Jesus knows your name, and he has your number! Your eyes may see someone whose life is defined by countless bad decisions, but Jesus has already done all things well for you and purified you completely with his blood. Your eyes may see someone who is struggling, but you are more than a conqueror through Christ who loves you. It may feel, at times, like you have nothing, but in Jesus, you have everything.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, open my eyes to see my wealth and my worth in Jesus, my Savior. Amen.

[Jesus said] “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Luke 16:13

Merciless Master

We tend to live urgently. Deadlines, high-priority messages, and target dates have many of us working at an unsustainable pace. When we finally catch our breath, we wonder how we’ll survive the next big push.

Pressing deadlines and demanding supervisors make it challenging to have a life outside of work. Often, we try to do two things at once—or more! We bring our phones to the dinner table. We reply to emails during soccer games. Even when we’re finally unplugged, date night is ruined by the overflow of office stress. What is the return on our investment? Divided attention, disappointment, and sometimes even divorce. Our closest relationships suffer the most when work and life are not properly aligned.

So why do we live this way? Money is enticing because it offers potential. If we had more, we could do more. More money means a better house or car. To us, better stuff means a better life.

Jesus warns that money is a merciless master. Serving money will destroy you because it always demands more. More of your time. More of your skills. More of your energy. More of you.

Money wants exactly what God wants—you. That’s why Jesus says, “You cannot serve both God and money.”

Moved by our Lord’s unconditional love, our eyes will be locked on Jesus; not on our hectic schedules. Our closest relationships can blossom because work and eternal life are properly aligned. Even when the pace quickens, God directs our focus heavenward and transforms our attitudes toward the temporal. We’re content with our present circumstances. We’re excited about our eternal future. We rest without anxiety. In Christ, we enjoy unmatched peace.

Prayer:
Lord of life, you continue to take care of all my needs. Thank you. Give me peace and fulfillment as I serve you in my workplace, my home, and my community. Amen.

People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap . . . For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
1 Timothy 6:9,10

Trap

A man by the name of Hansie Cronje [pronounced HAHN-see CROHN-yah] is not familiar to many of us. In South Africa, where the game of cricket is a dominant sport, Hansie Cronje was a household name. Imagine a person with the superstar talent of a Michael Jordan, the universal popularity of a Tom Hanks, and the integrity of an Abraham Lincoln all rolled into one. In the 1990s, when racial divisions were fierce, black and white citizens alike revered Hansie, a white man, for his sense of fairness and his strength of character.

Therefore, when a report with evidence appeared that Hansie was taking money for match-fixing, almost everyone dismissed the report as outrageous. His reputation for honesty was impeccable. How could anyone even suggest such a thing?

A few days later, however, Hansie cracked. He confessed that the substance of the report was true. Later, in a legal hearing televised live to the nation, Hansie told what he had done. He also answered the question: “Why?” The reason he gave was simple. It was, he said, “an unfortunate love of money.” Authorities later banned Hansie Cronje from cricket for the rest of his life. He died in a plane crash two years later.

Hansie was honest as to the trap into which he had fallen. God’s Word, through the apostle Paul, is honest too. Across the centuries, Paul is looking us straight in the eye when he speaks to us. The love of money has always been a trap for our fallen, sinful natures. In our culture that is materialistic and money-centered, the trap is insidious. But such a trap cannot just ruin reputations and careers. Far more lethal, such a trap can pull the soul away from our Savior-God.

Are you in such a trap? Even now, Jesus reaches for you. He calls you to repentance. Be refreshed in his forgiveness purchased at Calvary’s cross. Be empowered to replace your love of money with God’s love for you in Christ.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I think about money so much, and think about you so little. Forgive me. Refresh me in your Spirit. Dominate my thoughts once again. Amen.

They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.
Ecclesiastes 5:20

Reflections

A question. If Satan were to get you to reflect on your life, what kinds of reflections would they be?

Reflections from Satan might include the following: I made it. I’m a success. I’ve done what I set out to do. I’m now enjoying the things that make life worth living. On the other hand, reflections from Satan might also include thoughts like these: My life is a disappointment. I should have achieved so much more. I cannot forget the people who’ve hurt me, and I cannot forget all the people I’ve let down.

Such reflections from Satan have one thing in common. They all focus on the self. They all fail to acknowledge the reality of our Savior-God.

The story of your life is not you in a vacuum. It includes your Creator-God loving you so much that he chose to mount a rescue mission to save you from yourself. To do this, God became one of us. In the person of Jesus, he lived the kind of life you know that you should have lived. Then he took upon himself all the ways you have let him down and blotted them out for all time through his blood on the cross.

And now he lives. He lives to delight in you. He delights in you because, through faith in him, you are forgiven, cleansed, precious in his sight. And because you are, he has saturated your every moment in this life with a kind of significance and purpose that nothing else can match.

You are God’s special creation through faith in his Son, Jesus. He is using every moment of your life to carry out his good will in your corner of his Kingdom. He sees your fruits of faith. He employs your fruits of faith. Regardless of your outward circumstance, what you do matters. It matters because God himself is working through you.

In Jesus, you and I can shake off the distracting reflections that Satan tries to slip us. In Jesus, God keeps us occupied with gladness of heart.

Prayer:
Lord, when Satan slips his reflections into my mind, replace them with gladness of heart in you. Amen.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
1 Timothy 6: 6-9

Contentment

Few things are more difficult to attain than contentment. No matter how much we have, we would like more. And when we are not content, we are miserable. Even worse, our Bible passage for today says, “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.”

We don’t want that. What we want it to be content. The apostle Paul told his young friend Timothy that godliness with contentment is great gain. When we are content with what God has given us—knowing that everything we have is an undeserved gift from him, knowing that he was willing to sacrifice his own Son for our sins and assure us of eternal life when his Son was raised from the dead—when we are content with these great gifts, it is a great gain for us. We are happier, lighter on our feet, less jealous, and more joyful. Isn’t that great?

Prayer:
Lord, let me see all the blessings you have showered on me so that I am content. Amen.

You ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.
2 Corinthians 2:7,8

We Find Comfort

Eureka! I found it! It is such a relief to find something that was lost. But there is no joy greater than when a lost soul is found.

Today’s Bible reading is about just such an event. A man in the Christian congregation in Corinth had been so lost in sin that he refused any correction. To warn this man of his lost condition, his church had to declare that this man was outside of God’s kingdom and destined for eternal death. Can someone get more lost than that?

Thankfully, the congregation’s act of love achieved its goal. By the grace of God, the man repented and returned to the Lord. A heart that was once calloused to the Word and warning of God was now broken and longing for comfort. And that’s what the apostle Paul instructed his church to give him—comfort through complete forgiveness.

Think of how our world treats someone who has done something it considers shameful. So often, there’s no coming back. The person is written-off, canceled—that’s it. But this man returned and was restored. No hoops to jump through. The one who was once lost found comfort and relief, and heaven rejoiced over one sinner who repented—he recognized his need for forgiveness and trusted in Jesus for complete forgiveness.

That same comfort is yours! Jesus does not shame us when we come to him in humility, recognizing how much we need him. Jesus doesn’t cancel us and cut ties. He does not give us hoops to jump through to earn back his love. He reaffirms his unconditional love for us and reassures us of his forgiveness. In that love and forgiveness, we find eternal comfort.

Prayer:
Jesus, lead me back always to your love and forgiveness to find comfort that lasts. Amen

[Jesus said] “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?”
Luke 15:4

He Doesn’t Cut His Losses

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day wondered why Jesus was interacting with sinners. Jesus answered with a parable. One sheep out of one hundred got lost. The shepherd left the ninety-nine to go after one sheep. It was just a one percent loss—seems like a low attrition rate in a business like that. Was it wise for the shepherd to go after one lost sheep, or should he have just cut his losses and rejoiced that he still had ninety-nine?

Jesus wasn’t talking about sheep. He was talking about souls and his concern for every lost soul. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, didn’t cut his losses. He didn’t write us off as a lost cause. When it came to saving us, Jesus didn’t run a cost-benefit analysis before he came to seek and to save. He knew it would cost him his life on a cross. The Shepherd laid down his life for you to bring you to heaven, rejoicing over one precious soul.

Remember this if you still seem lost and confused at times. Remember that you have a Good Shepherd who, without a second thought, comes after you to seek, save, and keep you.

Prayer:
Jesus, my Good Shepherd, keep me always in your tender care and open my eyes to see and reach out to the lost around me. Amen

The Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days.
Hosea 3:5

What are you looking for?

What are you looking for? Is it a lost set of keys or something more? Are you searching for peace in troubling times? Are you seeking comfort and security? Whether it’s a lost item or something more, we do a lot of searching.

In the days of the prophet Hosea, the Israelites were looking for something more. Sadly, they were looking in all the wrong places. They were looking for peace and hope in false gods. They were looking for comfort and security in cozy homes and cushy lifestyles. The more they searched, the more they got lost. They lost sight of the only true God who rescued and blessed them.

Ironically, in our searching, at times, we lose sight of the only one who can provide that something more. Thankfully, we have a God whose searching skills are far greater than our own! Imagine a child lost in the grocery store. He panics and tries to find his mother. But then his mom come from behind, calling his name. He turns and runs into his mother’s arms and says, “I found you!” Really it was his mother who found him. She came searching and calling her child’s name.

The Israelites would return and seek the Lord because the Lord, in his searching love, came after his lost children and called them back to his love. This is what it’s like for us. If it depended on our searching skills, we would still be lost looking for that something more in all the wrong places. But the Lord is the God who searches. He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to seek and to save the lost. He called you by name. And like that boy, you can exclaim, “I found you!” when really he sought you and found you in his love. And in him, we find that something more—peace in troubling times, comfort, and security now and forever.

Prayer:
Lord, in your love, you sought me when I sought you not. Now that you have found me by your great love, may I always come to you to find what my searching heart is looking for. Amen.