Good Morning Friends,
Just because God loves us does not mean he will not judge us… and perhaps sooner than we think. Of course, we want to be ready for Judgement Day, but we also tend to avoid the reality of life on the journey. Unfortunately, every time we hear God’s truth and do not affirm it, it makes our coming judgment a little harder. Every time we see God’s power manifested in a believer’s life and do not encourage it; it makes our coming judgment a little more difficult. Friends, we need to understand the nature of God’s power in a relationship that actively seeks a reward and not be delusional or depressed about it. We need to realize that the reality of the coming Judgement Day is to be like a reunion. Friends, God has given us a life for a purpose that is to be reconciled in connection with the lives of others. We are to make something of the life we have been given. God can overcome all the obstacles, even those of our misplaced emotions. But there will be tears that are unavoidable. So, as we mature in this relationship, I wonder, Is Our Love Working To Reconcile Others To God So That Grace Might Eclipse Judgement?
Scripture: Then Judah stepped up to him and said, “O my lord, let your servant please speak a word in my lord’s ears, and do not be angry with your servant; for you are like Pharaoh himself. My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a young brother, the child of his old age. His brother is dead; he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’ Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, so that I may set my eyes on him.’ Then you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’ When we went back to your servant my father we told him the words of my lord. And when our father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little food,’ we said, ‘We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother goes with us, will we go down; for we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons; one left me, and I said, Surely he has been torn to pieces; and I have never seen him since. If you take this one also from me, and harm comes to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in sorrow to Sheol.’Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.
Genesis 44:18-21, 23b-29; 45:1-5 (NRSV)
As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
Matthew 10:7-15 (NRSV)
Message: We read in Matthew about it being more bearable for Sodom than for the Day of Judgment for those who reject Jesus. That, of course, means that it will be a harsher judgment for those who are lost and, in a sense, those who do not evidence God’s power in their lives and worse yet for those who claim to be religious experts and then fail to honor God. As Christians, we are to be good stewards who manage what belongs to God. But we are also to be about reconciling relationships. You see, everything that we have ultimately belongs to Jesus and we are responsible to Him for it. And that is just one reason we are to share the message of Christ. We have not been given our time, talents, or money to just go do whatever we want with them. We were “bought at a price” and are expected to serve Christ. The good news of Jesus is much greater than we could have hoped for. It is a great gift to hear how great God’s love is for us. God’s relentless, faithful, and enduring love is a model for how we are to live in each of our relationships. A friend of mine often uses the words “hesed ve shalom” to close his correspondence. I think these words describe the relationship we are to have with God. We have been chosen to be in relationship with God’s lovingkindness forever. And this loyal covenant of compassion is to be shared. Friends, God’s heart is for people not against them. We have been set apart for God to nurture and cherish and to share the blessings we have received as we collectively experience the very powerful love of God. Jesus modeled this submission to His Father, and it is seen in the story of Joseph that instructs us as to the nature of our relationship with Christ so that on judgement day who we really are will be revealed in the presence of Jesus and because of our relationship with him saved by God’s merciful love.
And So, the stories of Joseph as with Christ share a similar message that can guide how we should live our lives. Joseph is a kind of Christ figure. There are many similarities. Joseph like Jesus was favored by his Father. Both were betrayed for silver and falsely accused. But both were also sent by God to preserve the posterity of a people. Given up for dead both proved to be very much alive and a salvation for those who hunger. The stories teach us that people will intentionally do evil things, but God somehow can use it all for something very good. Friends, when it comes to God’s grace we should be amazed and thankful. Even the grace of the cross. We need to realize that people do evil things in this world. We need to trust God so that our relationships might be reconciled for good realizing that God can use it all, each and every day of it, if we but love. And that is perhaps the test of the ultimate judgement we must face in part each day.
Pray that on judgement day we hear the words…” well done.” Pray we share the message of love. Pray we are not crazy or bitter or fearful or angry about unreconciled relationships but hopeful. Pray we realize that we are responsible for what has been entrusted to us and that only if it is submitted to the will of God will it be fully developed. Pray we are not afraid. Pray we realize that God is not waiting to condemn us for our present or past but wants to offer us love and forgiveness so that we can enjoy a glorious future in Him. Pray therefore we see evidence of God’s power in our lives. Pray we have spiritual authority. Pray we see God’s love for mercy. Pray we are ready for judgement not because we have done the best we could, (though we should do that), but because Christ has done a work in us that is worthy of praise. Pray we realize that Godly love is a very powerful thing and can in fact change us…transform us and save us. Pray we believe in the vital union of the believer in Christ all held together in love. Pray we reflect on the ways and kinds of love people have for each other and the model of love that Jesus shares and know that love for God will translate into love for others and might well help reconcile them to God.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 