July 5:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS LAVISHNESS.
"Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me."  So he divided his wealth between them.--Luke 15:12

"My lord, my daughter is getting married and I don't have money for the wedding.  Could you help me, sire, with the expenses?"  The king asked, "How much do you need?"  The official named what seemed like an astronomical amount.  The king granted the request on the spot.  Later a confidant of the king asked: "My king, why did you grant this outrageous request?"  "This man honored me in two ways: he believed that I am incredibly wealthy and astoundingly generous," was the king's response.

When Jesus was being friendly with sinners, the Pharisees objected.  In response, Jesus told them a story.  A wealthy father had two sons; one of them was very good but the other was very bad.  The good son was working hard, while the bad one was dreaming about running away.  He did not care much about the farm nor the harvest that needed to be gathered.  Outrageously, he demanded his inheritance.  No doubt, this was extremely insulting to the father because the inheritance was given only after the father had passed away.  In effect, he was saying, "Dad, I want you dead."  The father, however, displayed amazing patience and generosity.  Completely overlooking the insult, he "divided his wealth [From the Greek bios: livelihood, property, possessiona]" (Luke 15:12).  The father in the story represents God.  And, thus, we learn from the opening part of the story that our God is incredibly wealthy and astoundingly generous.  He lavishes His wealth of grace upon all of us, sharing His possessions, even when we run away from Him and squander it as we see further in the story.  Jesus died for us to secure our part of the inheritance, even though we do not deserve it.  In Christ, we find indescribable riches: love, grace, acceptance, patience, salvation, et cetera.  Our incredibly wealthy God, Jesus Christ, laid down his life for us, and lavishes us with His grace today.  "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us" (Ephesians 1:7, 8).

July 4:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS SCEPTER.
Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion.--Revelation 14:1

There are no celebrations like the celebration of freedom and deliverance.  In the United States, the Fourth of July, Independence Day, is an occasion of great festivities.  But I was amazed when I saw century-old photos of a massive crowd celebrating the Fourth of July, 1918 in Paris.  The French were celebrating the official end of the war, expecting a victorious outcome that was still four months away.  Thousands of Parisians took to the streets to watch the parade of the American soldiers.

Yet nothing we have experienced on this earth can compare with the joyful celebration of the victory of the Lamb described in Revelation 14.  John looks and catches a vivid scene, unparalleled in the final book of the Bible: "Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads" (Revelation 14:1).  The number of the complete spiritual Israel that was introduced in Revelation 7:4 is the same number as the group that is now standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion; not one has been lost in the final tribulations.  Revelation 14:1 is the only time that Mount Zion is mentioned in the book of Revelation.  Throughout the Bible, Mount Zion was the center of the rule of the kingdom of God (see Psalm 2:6, 48:1, 2), and was the place that pointed to the ultimate delivery of His people (Isaiah 52:7; 59:20).  Also, in the New Testament Zion represents the final victory of Jesus and those who trust in Him (Romans 9:33; Hebrews 12:22; 1 Peter 2:6).  Now the Lamb is standing victorious as the triumphant King in Zion, and His very own are with Him forever.  The Lamb is triumphant over evil, and we, the redeemed, gather around Him to celebrate, because His victory has purchased our freedom!  This portrait of Jesus comforted and sustained the people of the first century and it still comforts us more than two thousand years later when we face difficulties.  We know how the story ends: Jesus wins!  Start celebrating now!

My Response:________________________________________________________

July 3:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS FREEDOM.
"To set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord."--Luke 4:18, 19

My heart was racing excitedly as I was walking the few blocks from my hotel to the Liberty Bell.  I was attending some academic meetings in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and this was my chance to see what I had heard, and even taught, for years.  Let me explain.

When I studied the public discourse of Jesus, recorded in Luke 61:1, 2 on that occasion, I learned that this quotation of Isaiah alluded to the year of jubilee (see Leviticus 25:8-55).  This was the favorable year of the Lord, when once every fifty years all slaves were to be set free, all debts were cancelled, and all property returned to the original owners.  On that momentous Sabbath in Nazareth, Jesus was proclaiming that He was fulfilling His role as the real jubilee and ushering in the age of salvation.  He was the agent through which the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed were to receive really good news, release, and freedom. 

When the United States was founded, the dream was that it would be the land of the free.  I had been told that Leviticus 25:10 was engraved on the Liberty Bell as a reminder of this fact: "Proclaim a release (or liberty) through the land to all its inhabitants."  That's why it is called the Liberty Bell.  I could barely contain myself as I finally stood in front of the impressive cracked bell, examining every inch of that piece of history.  And there it was: "Lev. XXV:X."  It was true!  Liberty for all was the dream, the promise, and the hope.

If you are carrying a load of guilt and shame from the past, pause now and accept Christ's freedom!  Burdens can paralyze us and prevent us from living a life of purpose for the glory of God.  Jesus carried our burdens to the cross so that we may live an abundant life!  You are one choice away from freedom.  The favor of God through Jesus Christ, our jubilee, is ours, even though we don't deserve it!

Accept it today!  It is true. We are free!  Jesus is our jubilee.

My Response:________________________________________________________

July 2:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS RESCUE.
"He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.  He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives."--Luke 4:18

The aftermath of the epic accident of August 5, 2010, when a Chilean mine collapsed, dragged on for sixty-days, while the rescuers relentlessly continued their efforts.  The thirty-three miners trapped under seven hundred thousand tons of rock could do absolutely nothing to save themselves.  Help could only come from above, and it did.  On October 12, global audiences in the hundreds of millions, including myself, watched the live TV coverage of the first rescuer arriving at the spot where the miners were trapped.  Twenty-four hours later, all thirty-three miners and all the rescuers were on the surface. *  Two words kept coming up in the interviews that followed: all and joy.  All had been rescued, the healthy and the sick, the strong and the weak.  All had been saved through the plan designed from above.  And at the end, only pure joy remained.  

The Gospel of Luke was written to announce a rescue of even greater magnitude!  The Savior of the world came down to fulfill Heaven's plan to rescue the world!  As you can imagine, Luke's Gospel is filled with joy and excitement as a response to such great news of salvation.  Luke narrates his Gospel in a way that makes his point loud and clear: salvation was achieved, for ALL who would accept it: the fearful, the anxious, the poor, the enslaved, the marginalized, and the destitute.  Luke intercalates stories of men and women, Jews and Gentiles, religious people and public sinners.  He excitedly announces that Jesus offers salvation for all.  If someone says that you don't qualify for salvation because of the color of your skin, your gender, your failures, your past, your family circumstances, or anything else, tell them:  "You are right...none of us do, that's why the Savior came down to rescue us."  If you are buried under an overwhelming burden of sin, anxiety, or fear, remember how Jesus started His Sabbath sermon in His hometown of Nazareth: He reminded us that He came for "the poor" the "captives," "the blind,: and "the oppressed" (Luke 4:18).  In other words, He came for you and me!

My Response:________________________________________________________
* Richard Pallardy, Encyclopedia Britannica, "Chile mine rescue 2010," modified April 11, 2019, https://www.britannica.com/event/chile-mine-rescue-of-2010.

July 1:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS MISSION.
"It is expedient for you that one man die for the people."--John 11:50

A close relative told me of the impact a particular lecture had on him many decades ago.  In order to visually illustrate the inclusivity of God's grace, the professor took a piece of chalk and started walking  all around the room, drawing a straight horizontal line on the walls, doors, windows, the complete circumference of the venue, until everyone in that audience found themselves sitting inside the parameters of the line.  "All are included in God's grace" the professor said.

So what, exactly, qualifies us as recipients of God's grace?  After the resurrection of Lazarus, the chief priests and Pharisees got together and planned to kill Jesus (see John 11:47-53).  The chief priest, Caiaphas, said to them, "You know nothing at all nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people" (verse 49, 50).  John adds an extremely important note: "Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad" (verses 51, 52).  Caiaphas, unknowingly, had just prophesied what the mission of Jesus was!  To die for the people!  His statement is repeated after Jesus' betrayal: "It was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people" (John 18:14).  Jesus died for the human race to undo what Adan and Eve had done.  Jesus is the Second Adam, whose victorious death on behalf of the human race was even more complete than Adam's utter failure as representative of the race.  Paul explains: "So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.  For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous" (Romans 5:18, 19).  It's not about what qualifies us, but who qualified for us!  He died for the people.  And that, my friend, includes you!

My Response:________________________________________________________

June 30: Enjoying His Peace.

HIS UNDERSTANDING.
When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, "He has lost His senses."--Mark 3:21

Philip Yancey tells the story of a woman who was experiencing real difficulties.  She had made some bad decisions that had led her down a slippery slope into sin.  When someone invited her to church, she replied, "I am already feeling bad enough about myself; why would I want to go there?"  Confronted by our pain and darkness as a result of abuse, our own sin, illness, or addictions, we often choose to run away from God, thinking that He couldn't possibly understand or accept us.

Yet we can approach Him with the assurance that Jesus knows and understands us.  Jesus was born under difficult circumstances.  His mother got pregnant before she was married, but people didn't believe the miraculous virgin conception.  Furthermore, He was born in poverty and placed in a manger, with no appropriate resources to support Him.  And if those circumstances were not enough, the king wanted Him dead, so He lived His early childhood hiding from those who were supposed to protect Him.  Are you starting to feel that He may understand you after all?  But there is more!   When He started His public ministry of preaching and healing, His own kinsmen, "went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, 'He has lost His senses' " (Mark 3:21).  Has anyone you care for ever called you crazy?  Well, Jesus knows how it feels.  Not only that!  The religious authorities declared that He was possessed! (verse 22).  Even His church didn't understand Him!  And I could tell you much more about the difficulties and temptations He went through, even before heading to the cross to give His life for the human race that had utterly and completely rejected Him!  Yet He loved us so much, with all of our dysfunctional thinking and compulsive behaviors, that He died for us!  "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of needs" (Hebrews 4:15, 16).  Amen!

My Response:________________________________________________________

June 29:  Enjoying His Peace.

HIS CURE.
He said to him, "Do you wish to get well?"--John 5:6


I have two distinct memories from the archaeological site that is believed to be the Pool of Bethesda (also called Bethzatha).  First, the impressive ruins of the pools, much larger than I had anticipated.  The second recollection is precious, and I have a video recording of it.  Our tour group got together inside the church right next to the twin pools, and we sang "Amazing Grace" a cappella.  The sound filled the church, and the words filled my heart because it was such an appropriate song for the location: "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me...." *

The pool, as described by John, had five porticoes or colonnades.  It was an impressive structure.  In contrast, its dwellers were most wretched: lame, paralyzed, blind, and suffering from other types of sicknesses (see John 5:3).  There was a belief that the waters were stirred supernaturally, and that the first person to get into the pool after the disturbance would get healed.  Among the sick there was an extreme case: a man who had been ill for thirty-eight years.  That's a very long time!  Jesus went to that man, desiring to heal him but not wanting to impose His way.  He asked him: "Do you wish to get well?" (verse 6).  It seems like a strange question...who wouldn't want to get well?  But since the man was probably lame, by being well he would have had a hard time adjusting to a new lifestyle after thirty-eight years of total dependence on others.  Instead of simply responding affirmatively, the man presents his own understanding of the remedy needed: "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool" (verse 7).  Perhaps Jesus could help  him to get to it on time....However, Jesus had something better in mind.  He doesn't do things the way we do, and He has a thousand resources where we see none.  Jesus simply commanded the man to get up and walk, and he did! (verse 8).  Many of us have been suffering with emotional and spiritual diseases for decades; trying the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.  Today Jesus comes to us with the ultimate cure.  Do you wish to be made well?

My Response:________________________________________________________
* John Newton, "Amazing Grace," 1779, public domain.

June 28:  Enjoying His Peace.

HIS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
"Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."--Mark 14:38

When I was young it sounded simple.  It was explained to me that I had two natures: spiritual and carnal, like two lion cubs.  The advice I received seemed black and white: I was to feed the spiritual cub and starve the other, that way the spiritual lion would grow more powerful than the carnal one.  Simple, right?  What I didn't know then was that the two natures would always be at war within me, until Jesus comes.  So, how can we be at peace with God?

When Jesus was in Gethsemane, He asked His disciples to keep watch with Him (Mark 14:34).  But as the cup of salvation trembled in His hands, the disciples kept falling asleep.  When Jesus came back from praying, He addressed Peter: "Simon, are you asleep?  Could you not keep watch for one hour?  Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (verses 37, 38).  In the midst of His suffering, Jesus acknowledged the war between the spiritual and carnal natures of His disciples.  They had failed Him in His most crucial hour!  Can you imagine how Peter must have felt?  All of us have moments in which we become painfully aware of our failures, times when the carnal lion seems to be winning, whether in thought or in deed.  Perhaps the most honest confession of this inner war came from Paul: "I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.  Wretched man that I am!  Who will set me free from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:23, 24).  Then his response: "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (verse 25).  When you discover how weak you really are do not despair.  Don't hide from Jesus but run to Him!  "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus....For what the Law could not do...God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Romans 8:1, 3).  He is the Reason why we can be at peace with God!  And He will not abandon us!

My Response:________________________________________________________

June 27:  Enjoying His Peace.

HIS AUTHENTICITY.
These have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.--John 20:31


The reality that I discovered that day far surpassed my expectations!  When I visit a new place, I often find that the pictures I've seen before are nicer than the actual site in real life, because pictures are taken from favorite angles, in optimal lighting, using special lenses, and are often photoshopped.  But this was not the case when we got to the picturesque Cesky Krumlov, a small Bohemian village in the Czech Republic.  The authentic beauty I saw in reality far surpassed the charm that could be witnessed in the photos.

John describes why he decided to write his Gospel.  First, he tells us that his purpose is not to have an exhaustive biography of Jesus and His ministry on earth: "Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book" (John 20:30).  Then he unveils his purpose: "But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name" (verse 31).  Oh, how I love this verse!  John wrote his Gospel so that we may believe that Jesus is actually who He says He is!  He is the awaited Messiah!  The Christ, the Anointed One!  The Son of God!  John wrote that you may be assured that He is authentic, and that you may believe that you have life in His name.  It is not a hoax.  The gospel is not a photoshopped, made-up picture of a Savior who might give us eternal life. Some Christians believe in a pseudo-gospel, and therefore they don't live with peace and assurance of the future.  The pseudo-gospel proclaims the possibility but not the assurance of eternal life through Jesus.  Yet the reality that Jesus offers us is greater than we even imagined!  When we believe in Jesus as our Savior, even though we have a sinful nature, we can live with the peace of knowing our eternal destiny is secure, because He carried the penalty of our sin to the cross.  Some say it can't be that good!  Yet it is real, my friend!  Jesus is who He says He is, and He has done what He says He has done!  Believe!  And live in peace, resting in Him!

My Response:________________________________________________________

June 26:  Enjoying His Peace.

HIS PARDON.
Then He said to her, "Your sins have been forgiven....Your faith has saved you; go in peace."--Luke 7:48, 50

We excused ourselves and went to a separate room in the house.  As a minister, I was about to anoint a man with oil (as instructed in James 5:14, 15), asking God to heal him, if it was His will, and to provide His peace, no matter the outcome.  Privately, he discussed with me things that he had done in his youth, which he knew were against God's will.  Then he proceeded to tell me that he was in total peace, because he knew that God had forgiven him his sins through Jesus' sacrifice for him.  He passed away a few months later.  In complete peace.


In the story found in Luke 7:36-50, we meet two main characters: a Pharisee and a sinner, an immoral woman.  The Pharisee had invited Jesus to dine with him, but the sinful woman came to Jesus with an alabaster vial of perfume to anoint His feet.  This provoked a dark thought in the Pharisees' mind: "If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner" (verse 39).  Jesus then told him a parable of two debtors, high-lightening the woman's actions as an act of love in response to the great forgiveness that she had received.  Jesus not only accepted her gift of love but also addressed her directly, publicly proclaiming her newly-found wholeness: "Your sins have been forgiven....Your faith has saved you; go in peace" (verses 48, 50).  Even if you have been a public sinner, and everybody knows about it, God's pardon offers you peace and wholeness in the place of shame and despair.  He has paid the price of your sins at the cross!  Therefore, go in peace!

My Response:________________________________________________________