August 8, 2025

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.’” (Malachi 3.17B-18)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD TO US:

Jesus said to His disciples during the Seder meal preceding His arrest, trial and crucifixion, “I AM [is] the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father save by Me.” (John 14.6) In our pluralistic world such a claim is even more challenged than in the day when Jesus first made this declaration. In the gospel of John, images of Jesus being a door, a sheepgate, a light are the counterpoints to what the world believed. Doors were shut. Sheep were scattered. Lights were dimmed. Jesus opened the doors so that all might come in and worship God. Jesus sought out the lost, wandering and cast off and brought them back into community. Jesus retaught the Word of God as it had first been given and allowed the truth of it to be heard without the burden of self-interest. As God’s Son, Jesus was presented to the world as the solution to the age-old problem of dealing with and overcoming sin. The people begged for freedom without truly knowing which freedom their heart, mind, body and soul longed for. They substituted things of this world for things of the Kingdom. They worshipped the lesser gods, which included themselves, instead of the One True God. They exhibited trust in themselves and their abilities (and the assumption that their abilities could overcome all wrongs) instead of putting their faith in God and keeping it there. Despite the efforts of “prophet, priest and king” to maintain the path of righteousness for the sake of God’s name, the penchant for “to thine own self be true” was their “serpent in the Garden.” Instead of walking with God through the world, they slithered their way through life believing that tempting ideal of self-righteousness. It had proven and continued to prove a false concept which bore bitter fruit or no fruit at all. Mighty ones of God, that pursuit continues to this day. It has even found its way into the Church just as it found its way into the Temple. Both prove that without that right relationship with “God our Savior” we can do little good and are little good to ourselves and anyone else. Only by Christ and Christ alone do we have any hope for salvation, for authentic freedom and eternal life free from the angst of death and dying eternally in Hell.

So, we read in Isaiah 45, Romans 14 and Philippians 2 this descriptor: “On that day [when God appears in fullest glory] every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.” Do not think for one moment, mighty ones of God, that Isaiah or Paul or Christ believed that everyone “on that day” would suddenly, completely and honestly become a Christ follower. That is not the meaning of that descriptor. It is the means by which the “heart, mind and soul” of every person will be judged. Only God and the person will know the person’s true answer to the question “Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God; do you accept Him as Lord and Savior and commit your ways to be His ways and your thoughts to be His thoughts?” What a powerful question! And remember, Jesus did not accept anyone’s confession at “face value.” He clearly pointed out that the root of sin exists in the heart of a person. All the bells, whistles and accoutrements of our lives mean absolutely nothing if our reason and meaning is not found in God. We are called to depend on Him for our existence. It is to Him that all glory should be given. When Jesus called out the Pharisees as “white-washed tombs,” this is in great part what He was speaking to. They looked holy, sacred and pure on the outside but the true intent of their lives internally was in conflict with what God had created and called them to be and to do. Therefore, “on that day” every person is said to call out the name of Jesus as the Christ. The words may be the same. The sound of them may be different. The purpose of them will be in conflict with the internal truth. This is what is judged by the Holy One of God. In the end, this is what matters most for our personal lives. What matters most in this world is what we do with our lives. Are our words and actions for us or for others? For God or for ourselves?

NOTE: Spending time attempting to look acceptable in the world, to blend in with the hope that we might win some to the cause of Christ, may put us (or any religious organization) in conflict with God. The truth will be made known. It is time we truly focused on “Seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” and leave the rest to God’s direction.

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 but as righteous works which bring others near to Jesus in faith, hope and love. AMEN.