THE CHRISTIAN WALK

Monday, March 27, 2017

REQUIREMENTS FOR GOOD STANDING

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.’”

Zechariah 3:6-7

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Am I in good standing with God?

Perhaps it’s a question any of us would want to know, unless of course we don’t care and that would be a very foolish notion.

So how could we find the answer?

Well, we could ask God ourselves, coming before Him in prayer and asking Him to assess our lives, exposing the bad and complimenting the good.

Or, we could look at today’s verses from the third chapter of Zechariah and see what God had to say to His people who had just returned from a lengthy exile in Babylon. Look again at these words here:

You’ll recall from yesterday’s devotion that the name “Joshua” was referring to the Israelites as a whole within the context of this prophet’s fourth vision as God promised to cleanse His people from their sins and dress them in clean garments.

In other words, God’s people had been renewed and stood before the Lord in a state of redemption.

How would they stay in that state? How would they have to live to ensure they remained in God’s good standing?

The Lord gave them the requirements within today’s scripture passage and those requirements were very fundamental in nature. For all the Israelites needed to do is “walk in obedience” to His ways and keep themselves aligned with requirements, with His will, word, and way.

If the people did this, then the Lord promised they would be given the privilege to govern His house and be in charge of His courts before adding they would gain a place of standing with Him and among whomever He placed them with.

The bottom line is that the Lord blesses those who stay true to Him and place His desires ahead of their own, desires that will always result in someone walking away from sin as they travel the path of righteousness.

The people of Israel had not done a very good job of doing this in the past, angering God and leading Him to imposing harsh punishment in response to their willful and willing disobedience. They had chosen the world over the Lord who made the world and that was not going to have a positive outcome for the Israelites for the Lord will not be opposed by anyone.

Hindsight being twenty-twenty, the Israelites would be able to see the stark contrast and comparison of their behavior and God’s reaction to that behavior.

Obey Him and all was good as God blessed their compliance with His favor.

Disobey Him and consequences would follow as God punished their wickedness.

Here’s the thing about all this:

Nothing has changed regarding God’s requirements to be in good standing with Him. Nothing.

Obey Him, strictly following His word, will, and way, and you can expect to live in His favor and the blessings that come with it.

Disobey Him and you can expect He will correct you in ways intended to teach you obedience and respect for Him, the Lord God Almighty who is your Maker and Master.

Given these truths, only one question remains:

Which way of living are you going to choose?

The answer will determine whether or not you meet the Lord’s requirements for good standing.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
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Sunday, March 26, 2017

CLEANSED

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”

Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.”

Then He said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”

Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by.

Zechariah 3:1-5

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we begin the study of Zechariah, chapter 3, we find the prophet having a fourth vision, one that will have three main players: the Lord, Israel, and Satan. Look again at the opening five verses here:

Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.”

Then He said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”

Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by. Zechariah 3:1-5

As the scene unfolds, it has the feel of a court setting as Joshua, representing the Israelite nation, and Satan, serving as prosecutor, stand side by side before the Lord. The scriptures tell us that Satan had it in mind to serve as Israel’s accuser but notice he never got the chance. Instead, the Lord, the Supreme Judge over all things, swiftly rebukes Satan with authority and fervor, not just once but twice, while making it clear that He had chosen His people, referring to them as Jerusalem.

Now, note that all this wasn’t because the Israelites were squeaky clean and righteous standing before their divine and holy Judge. They weren’t even close.

In fact, the Lord reminds us in this vision that His people were just recently within the fires of His judgment during the Babylonian captivity and that it was only by His choice that He “snatched” them “from the fire” like a “burning stick”. It was imagery that beckoned us to remember the saving nature of the Lord and I’ll come back to that thought in a moment but before that, we need to see what else the Lord did within this vision.

For after rebuking Satan and essentially dismissing him from the proceedings (we don’t find him mentioned again), the Lord fully turns His attention to the Israelites, His people who were standing before Him dressed in filthy clothes, This was representative of the sinfulness of God’s people and how far they had failed and fallen in being obedient to His will, word, and way.

Now the Lord could have left His people filthy before Him, clothed with the filth of their transgressions, but as we know, the Lord is in the business of helping His people cleaned up, showing us His desire is for all His children to become cleansed. And so the Lord commands that Joshua (Israel) be stripped of “his filthy clothes” and dressed with “fine garments” which included a clean turban on his head.

In other words, the Lord wanted to take away the sins of His people so they could be seen as clean. It was true at the time that Zechariah had his fourth vision and it’s still true today.

For the Lord God Almighty is still rebuking Satan as he tries to come against any of God’s children to accuse, and God continues to take away the sins of His people to cleanse them and wash them white as snow, doing so through the shed blood of His Son Jesus, the unblemished Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world by bearing them all in crucifixion on Calvary’s cross.

It was Jesus who modeled Zechariah’s vision in the parable of the lost son (Luke 15:11-31).

You remember the illustration, right?

The son of a man asks his father for his share of the inheritance before the father had even died. The father gives it to the son who promptly runs off and blows the money within a lascivious lifestyle. Bottoming out, the son finds himself working in a pig sty, so hungry that he wished he could just eat the pea pods intended for the pigs themselves.

Well, in the midst of his poverty, the son comes to his senses, realizes the wrongs of his ways, and decides to return to his father with the intent of apologizing and asking if he could at least be one of the father’s servants. And with that, the son started home.

Before he gets back, we shift scenes in the parable to the father who has been watching and waiting for his son to return. When the son was in view, the father ran to him, embraced and kissed his son. And much to the son’s surprise, the father didn’t rebuke or condemn him. Rather, he called for the finest garments to be placed on the son and for a great feast to be held in celebration for his son who had once been lost had returned, cleansed of his past iniquities by the pardon of his father.

Friends, the parable of Jesus represented the Heavenly Father who made us and loves us as His children. Yes, we sin as it is an affliction we all have, an affliction which has no cure here on earth. But our God is a God of compassion and love and mercy, He is a God who cherished us so much that He did not want us to perish but rather live with Him forever. And so He sacrificed His Son Jesus to die in our place, pay the price for our sins, and in doing so, justify anyone who believes in Him as Savior (John 3:16).

In other words, when we place our faith, hope, and trust in Jesus, our filthy clothes are removed and we are adorned in clean ones, cleansed by the shed blood of our Savior who makes His followers white as snow before the Father, freed from the destruction of the coming judgment.

Thanks be to God for the cleansing provided through Jesus His Son and if you have not yet received your cleansing, won’t you receive Jesus as your personal Savior today?

You’ll never regret that you did.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
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Saturday, March 25, 2017

COME HOME

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.
In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the Lord, “for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven,” declares the Lord.

“Come, Zion! Escape, you who live in Daughter Babylon!” For this is what the Lord Almighty says: “After the Glorious One has sent Me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye—I will surely raise My hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent Me.”

“Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord.

“Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become My people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent Me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as His portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling.”

Zechariah 2:6-13

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In yesterday’s devotion, we looked at the opening verses of Chapter 2 of Zechariah and the third of prophet’s eight visions within this book. You’ll recall the news was good for the people of Israel for the Lord was not only going to restore them to their homeland but He promised to place His hedge of protection around them and envelop them in His glory.

As the chapter finishes, the Lord, after the assurances of prosperity and safeguarding, send a message to all the people of Israel, no matter where they had gone.

What was the message?

It was simply, “Come home.”

Look again at today’s scripture passage:

“Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the Lord, “for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven,” declares the Lord.

“Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord.

The first call for homecoming was addressed to all the Israelites, no matter where they ended up after God’s judgment.

“Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the Lord, “for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven,” declares the Lord.

The devastation and destruction of Israel resulted in the people being driven away in all directions as the Lord scattered them to the “four winds of heaven”. But now, we find God calling the Israelites to come home, to return to Israel and dwell once again as His people and He their God.

Following this, we find God appealing to a specific location, to the Israelites still living in Babylon.

“Come, Zion! Escape, you who live in Daughter Babylon!”

You see, not everyone decided to return to Israel after the seventy year exile. Some of God’s people had settled in and were comfortable with their new home. There was no demand from The Lord that they return. Rather, He left it as an option for the Israelites but now we see God urging the people to leave Babylon and come home.

Why?

Because as we know, God was readying judgment for Babylon. In other words, the empire the Lord used as an instrument of His judgment would now face judgment themselves. God did not wish for those Israelites in Babylon to experience punishment again and so He urged them to return home to avoid it.

This brings us to the final call to come home, a call that is not looking toward to present but the future.

For this is what the Lord Almighty says: “After the Glorious One has sent Me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye—I will surely raise My hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent Me.”

“Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord.

Note the language used here as it is important. For who else would say that they were being sent by the “Glorious One” than the One, Jesus, who God sent and gave authority over all creation. Jesus was coming as the Great Deliverer of God’s people and not just the Jew but the Gentile was welcome in His company. Indeed, the Messiah was coming to rescue and save God’s people, no matter what nation they live in. For if a person believes in Jesus as Savior, they will be saved and joined together as one people at the time of Christ’s return and the subsequent eternal life that will follow.

Of interest, where is Jesus taking those who placed their faith and trust in Him on the day of His return?

Isn’t it Jerusalem? Not the Jerusalem of Zechariah’s time or ours but rather a new Jerusalem which will exist upon the new earth that will come into being with the new heavens as God hits the reset button on creation and starts over (Revelation 21). It will be a new holy land, a land pristine and rid of sin and suffering and hardship and affliction. Obviously, it will be the best home ever to come to.

This begs the question:

Will you be able to come home and abide with God and Jesus forever when this worldly life is over?

If you believe in Jesus as Savior, you will.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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Friday, March 24, 2017

TO OVERFLOW

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.
In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then I looked up, and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked, “Where are you going?”

He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.”

While the angel who was speaking to me was leaving, another angel came to meet him and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory within.’”

Zechariah 2:1-5

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

When you follow the Lord and have Him involved in your life circumstances, you will always find yourself fulfilled and blessed abundantly as He fills you to overflow with His provision and providence.

This truth is at the center of today’s devotion, the first from the second chapter of Zechariah, where we find the prophet having the third of eight visions, visions which concerned the restored nation of Israel. Look again at these opening verses:

Then I looked up, and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked, “Where are you going?”

He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.”

In the second vision, Zechariah saw visions of horns and craftsmen who hammered the horns into oblivion, representative of the Lord raising up forces to defeat any enemy of His people.

Today, we see the vision involving something markedly different as Zechariah sees a “man with a measuring line in his hand”. We sense the man, identified specifically as an angel, was on his way somewhere because Zechariah asked about where he was going. The angel told the prophet that he was going to “measure Jerusalem” in order to “find out how wide and long” the city was.

In other words, the angel wanted to measure the city to discover its boundaries, seemingly in admittance that there would be a limit to how many people and animals might reside within.

Well, Zechariah no sooner discovered what the angel was up to that we find another angel come on the scene with a message for Zechariah, the “young man” mentioned. The message was as follows:

“Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,” declares the Lord, “and I will be its glory within.”

The message contained nothing but good news for the Israelite remnant who had just recently returned from the seventy year Babylonian captivity, settling back in their homeland which included the holy city of Jerusalem. That good news included not only full restoration to the nation but a total repopulation of it. Jerusalem in particular would be filled to overflow with people and animals, so much so that there would be no boundaries to contain the abundant flourishing the Lord was promising to bring.

But a flourishing Israelite population boom wasn’t the only blessing God was bringing to His people. We know this because He said so, vowing to also bring protection to His burgeoning people (the Lord would be “a wall of fire” around them) and surround them with His glory.

Indeed, God was back with His people and back in a big way.

Maybe you have strayed away from the Lord in your own life, held captive and separated from Him by sin. If so, God has a message for you today:

He wants to restore you to His favor and bless you to overflow in your life.

All you need to do is repent, return to Him, and commit to be fully obedient to His word and will.

Do so and you, like the Old Testament Israelites of Zechariah’s time, can expect to experience complete reinstatement into good graces with Him, revel in the assurance and comfort of His protection, and be surrounded by His glory

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com