2023-02-24
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Both the OT and the NT describe the judgment of God fair and equitable. What a wonderful truth this is! PS 98: 7-9, “Let the sea resound and everything in it, the world and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy, let us sing before the Lord for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.” PS 89:14-15, Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before you, who walk in the light of the presence, Lord.” AC 10: 34-36, “Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears [has reverence for] Him and does what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the Good News of peace through Jesus Christ, Who is Lord of all.’” Paul wrote in COL 1: 22-23, “But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the Gospel. This is the Gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and to which I, Paul, have become a servant.”
Frankly, it feels pretty good to be reminded of the hope we have of resurrection, the hope Christ’s Atonement has given us. For some people, having that hope meant they would have to give up their physical lives, e.g. the Roman priest, Valentinus, who died in the third century A D under the persecution of Christians by the Roman emperor, Claudius Gothicus, who ruled from 269-270 A.D. Emperor Gothicus put the priest in the custody of an aristocrat named Asterius. Asterius made the mistake of letting the priest speak. Valentinus expounded on Christ leading pagans out of the shadow of darkness and into the light of truth and salvation. Asterius’s foster-daughter was blind. He offered to convert if the girl’s sight would be restored. Suddenly, she could see, and his entire family was baptized. When the emperor heard the news, he ordered them all executed. However, Valentinus was the only one to be beheaded. A pious widow made off with his body and had it buried at the site of his martyrdom.
We must remember, REV 6: 9-11, “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until You judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’ Then, each of them was given a white robe , and they were told to wait a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.” Directly afterward the sixth judgment ensues. Being given a white robe is the Father’s way of deeming the individual martyrs as righteous and eligible to gain eternal life with Him. Once this wholly unfair martyring of Valentinus took place, others assigned a romantic tag on this story, and the holiday Valentine’s Day, began and was remembered on Feb. 14th each year.
We learn more about the cost to us of proclaiming Christ as our personal Savior, in EPH 2: 11-22. Prior to this decision, we, who believe in Christ, were excluded from citizenship in Israel, ostracized for our beliefs, and were apart from the blessings of faith in Jesus Christ. (I have been in this status and remember how alone I felt). But now with the Lord Jesus in our lives, we are brought near to Him and the blessings of faith in Him. He has become our peace, has destroyed the barriers that mankind set up, and through His Atonement has reconciled us with God. We are no longer foreigners but are now fellow citizens in the house of God. Its foundation is built of prophets and apostles. We have been spiritually adopted by Him and are connected to each other by His love. Christ is the Cornerstone of this house, the holy temple of God, built together in which God lives by His Spirit. We are now parts of God’s family!
PRAYER: O Lord, what a blessing it is to have abiding faith in You! Without You in our lives, we are foreigners, without the privileges that come to us as believers. But You possess the power to bring even the most unexpected people near to You. When You make this decision, our lives are forever altered to ones You bless in so many ways. You equip us to serve You with our various skill sets given to us. As we mature, You make our task assignments clear, so that will use the skills You have given us to further Your goals. You become our loving Parent, Who rebukes and corrects us as needed, and Who demonstrates what love is. We are given forgiveness for our own sins and taught how to forgive others. Some of us will be martyred. Some will live out their lives to old age, but all will be blessed in the end based on how we lived our lives and our relationship with You. You are a fair and equitable Judge, and no stone will go unturned in Your efforts to teach us to “Love one another, as Christ’s new commandment. JN 13: 34-35, “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” Peter asked Jesus where He was going. And Jesus said, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” It’s an answer for all living believers to understand. It meant that all the Father has for us to do isn’t yet finished. But the promise of resurrection gives us the hope we have in Jesus Christ. There is nothing more precious to Him than our abiding faith and willingness to obey the new commandment. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: God is Near” is the subject of next week’s devotion. The Holy Spirit directs me to ask, “How much does access to the Father mean to you?” We will also look at the concept of God’s presence in one’s life. The impact on our sense of peace and love is sometimes tested, and we are then, called upon to recognize the blessing of strong faith. I spent more time with the OT in my life than the NT, because I was raised in a conservative Jewish home. However, my faith journey evolved in some most unexpected ways, causing me to be ostracized by some, questioned by others, enter in a long, happy marriage while serving God, and to adjust to widowhood and the grieving that has gone with it. With all of this, I claim PS 145: 18-21, which will be worthwhile to consult and discussed in next week’s devotion. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2023. All Rights Reserved.
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