March 20, 2025

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Thus declares the Lord GOD, who gathers the exiles of Israel: ‘I will gather to them still others besides those already gathered.’” (Isaiah 56.8)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

His people. Yes, His people and more who made the choice to be His people. As Joshua paused the nation of Israel, God’s people, on the precipice of receiving the land promised to them, he said, “Choose, therefore, this day whom you will serve (or, worship). As for me and my house, we will choose to serve (or, worship) the Lord our God.” (Joshua 24.15) The choice to orient one’s life toward God is critical to one’s life on earth and in Heaven. We do not live by our choices alone but by the consequences which follow the choices we make. The question is “Are we willing to live with the consequences?” Further, “Are we willing to live with the eternal consequences of our choices?” We do not always make the best choices nor the right choices in our lives here on earth. There is only once choice which stands alone as the best and right choice in the midst of all others. That choice is spoken of by Joshua and those who followed him across the Jordan into the Promised Land. It was the choice made by Abram of the Ur of the Chaldees and those who followed him from Babylon to Haran to Salem. It was the choice of Jesus of Nazareth who endured the cross and the grave for our sake and those who follow Him all the days of their lives to live with God as their God, Jesus as their Christ and the Holy Spirit who ministers to us in our daily walk in wisdom and truth.

Does this choice make us perfect? Oh, that we would make one choice that would create a default thought process in our lives so that all other choices which followed would fall into the “best and right” choice. It doesn’t always happen that way. While we are made perfect in Christ, we are still “working out our salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2.12-13) Our choice to follow Christ for all our days engages our decision to grow into His image of righteousness. The gospels reveal what His life looked like as expressions of faith to believe that “…in all things God works it together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8.28) This is the defining identity of those who shall be called “His people.” They are those “called according to His purpose.” What is that purpose? It is the purpose of trusting God to lead us as we are into doing that which glorifies Him and serves one another in authentic love. Keeping God first. This promise was extended to the “foreigners” and to the “eunuchs.” These were terms given to “outsiders” whose lives would not produce “children of God.” For the “outsiders,” those who worshipped other gods, that would seem obvious. Even the call to show compassion on them did not legitimate their actions which did not serve God with all their heart, mind, body and soul. But, as we see in the story of Ruth, the choice to become a follower of God brought blessing, mercy and a more certain future of eternal life. For the “eunuchs,” a certain caste of men who had been physically altered so they could not bear children, it is obvious they could not “produce” children of God. Yet, their faithful service to the people of God would be sufficient to warrant God’s blessing and their place in His Kingdom. As these two groups of people are brought into the social, and thus religious, conscience of the nation of Israel, the focus is highlighted by their choice to serve God first. That choice would define their future actions within the community of faith which served God and others.

We would do well to ask ourselves this same question. Amid the many “orientations” presented by the world, what is our singular orientation and focus of purpose and meaning? Is it defined by the world standard or by the kingdom standard? In our search for meaning, purpose and identity are we finding it in God’s truth and Word or in the opinion and derision of the world. As I heard in a message recently, we should be devoted to praying for and pursuing God’s purpose for our lives. Fundamentally our purpose is to live into “the good and very good” as God had declared it over Adam and Eve and the whole of creation. We are blessed to have been given the model of Jesus as the Christ to align our thoughts and actions. Paul the Apostle wrote that we should use our gifts to build one another up until we reach the full measure and stature of Christ Himself. (I Thessalonians 5.11) It should be our first and best calling. It should be the benchmark by which we determine the choices we make so that it is His image which lives in us and through us. It is about choosing “Him” first and always. We will not always choose perfectly in the ways we should go. That is part of the maturation process called life. But we can keep our “eyes on the prize” which awaits us in Heaven where we have set up our true treasures of faith, hope and most of all- love.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness which we know is folly but righteous works which declare Your glory and further witness the truth that can set all who believe free from death. So may we live by the name of Jesus our Christ. AMEN.