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Monday, December 14, 2020
“When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.” —Isaiah 26:9
Do you remember the feeling of getting a bad grade on a school assignment? (Assuming this is something you’ve experienced.) I sure do. Sometimes these bad grades were completely expected; I’d done poor work and I knew it. Other times, bad grades came as a surprise. It turned out that my instructor was less impressed with the quality of my work than I was. Of course, in these moments I’m sure I questioned the wisdom of the instructor: “Maybe he doesn’t know this subject as well as I thought!” “Did she even bother to read this?” But in the long run, these times when I’d done poorly and been told I’d done poorly served as opportunities for reevaluation, for recommitment, for growth.
As I’ve gotten older, I’m not sure I’ve gotten much better at handling negative evaluations. As a kid, you get used to a daily stream of grades. As an adult, direct evaluations seem to come less frequently, and sometimes less welcomely. It’s one thing for a teacher to deliver judgment on a student’s work, quite another for a fellow adult to let you know you’re falling short of the mark (especially if they don’t really know the whole situation).
It’s not surprising that we tend to react negatively to judgment. But this verse from the book of Isaiah paints judgment in a much more positive light. When God’s judgments are present, people learn how to live rightly.
This makes sense, of course. Learning happens when our attempts are evaluated and improved. If we didn’t have God’s judgments, we would be blind to how he expects us to live.
Sometimes we think of Jesus as being about grace as opposed to judgment. In fact, the death Jesus took upon himself was itself an act of judgment, a real life painting in bold colors revealing how lost humanity was and is. The human race killed the one through whom it had been created. If that’s not a negative evaluation, I don’t know what is.
But, of course, the fact that Jesus took this death upon himself also reveals God’s righteousness and allows us to learn about right living. Right living is humble, not arrogant. Right living is repentant, not prideful. Right living is self-giving, not selfish. Right living is merciful, not vindictive.
God’s judgment allows us to glimpse God’s view of the world, and of us. And while that rightly fills us with awe and trembling, it is also a very, very good thing.
Friday, December 11, 2020
Today’s reflection is written by Deacon Karen Katamay.
“He is the living God, enduring forever. His kingdom shall never be destroyed.” —Daniel 6:26
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” —Hebrews 13:8
The first verse for today comes from the story of Daniel and the lion’s den. King Darius had been tricked by some people who were jealous that the king favored Daniel over them, and they got the king to issue an edict that anyone who worshipped a god or human other than the king would be cast into the lion’s den. Of course, Daniel did not obey the rule and continued to worship the true God. The king loved Daniel and did not want to hurt him, but he could not go against his own edict, so Daniel was cast into the lion’s den. God watched out for Daniel, though, and kept him safe throughout the night. When morning came, King Darius hurried to the den and was amazed that Daniel was untouched by the lions. He had Daniel removed from the lion’s den and then issued a new edict for all near and far praising the God of Daniel and recognizing Him as the living God. The verse for today was part of the praise by King Darius.
We may think that our faith has little effect on those around us, but people do notice when we are steadfast in our faith, especially when it carries us through difficult times. One of my favorite sayings is “Speak the Gospel and, when necessary, use words.” When people see us putting our faith into action, it shows how our faith can change lives. And when we share the Gospel message with others, we let our faith shine so that it lights a path for others to follow Christ. We may not have to face lions like Daniel did, but we can face our lives with confidence in our living Lord and Savior, and that makes all the difference in the world! Amen.
Wednesday, December 9, 2020
“God who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?” Romans 8:32
In this verse Paul alludes to the famous story from the Old Testament where God calls on Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. If you don’t know or don’t remember, Abraham and his wife Sarah longed for a child but couldn’t have one. God gives Abraham and Sarah a son and says that through their family the world will be blessed. Fast forward a few years and now God calls on Abraham to sacrifice the very son he longed for, the very son who would be the first of a long line of descendants. But right before Abraham sacrifices Isaac, God intervenes and stops it. Abraham’s faith in listening to God is fundamental to his relationship with God. Abraham’s obedience to God’s command is seen as key to this covenant promise between God and Abraham.
This challenging passage of near sacrifice is a stumbling block for many. You don’t have to go far to hear someone challenge the goodness of God based on this story. You might find yourself challenged, wondering, “If God was going to intervene, why did God ask in the first place?”
The unbelievable act of sacrificing one’s own son should be shocking. It’s a terrible position to be placed in. And on this side of the resurrection, that’s kind of the point.
God intervened and Isaac was spared. Fast forward to Good Friday and we see God did the very thing he did not require of Abraham.
Today let’s remember that God understands exactly what we are struggling with right now. God understands it because God came into this world as a human being and experienced the pain and trouble that comes from living in a broken world. God gave of Himself what he never required of anyone else.
Today, let’s trust in the God who gives.
