He will not break a bruised reed, and He will not put out a smoldering wick; He will faithfully bring justice. He will not grow weak or be discouraged until He has established justice on earth. The islands will wait for His instruction. (Isaiah 42:3-4 NET)
God is speaking through the prophet Isaiah about the coming Messiah. He would be a man of compassion. He would also be relentless in His task to bring justice to all the earth. The islands that wait for His instructions, represent the foreigners, the Gentiles who will also be included in His salvation. This, of course, is our Lord Jesus who would be born in Bethlehem hundreds of years after this was written.
The gods of all the nations around Israel at that time, and even leading up to the birth of Jesus, were generally demanding, ruthless and unpredictable. They were (and are) demonic spirits masquerading as “gods” to keep their followers in bondage, because any spirit that is not the Spirit of the One True God, is a spirit of evil. Even though these gods could grant favors and even perform supernatural signs and wonders, they were always selfish. The kings and rulers of these nations behaved much as their gods did, as money-hungry, power-grabbing tyrants.
The idea that God Himself would come to earth as the Messiah to establish justice for the worthless and rejected, was unheard of. He cared even about the one who was barely alive. The smoldering wick represented the life that seemed completely hopeless, about to be snuffed out. A common weed that grew in the wilderness would be noticed and cared for, even though it was bruised and wounded. This God and King was to be a Savior whose eyes of compassion were on every creature great and small, ready to give aid to the needy and new life to everyone who accepted it.
No matter how successful a person may feel about himself, there are always aspects of weakness in everyone. Often the most confident looking people have deep hidden failures and frustrations that they would never dare reveal. We are all bruised reeds, and we are all smoldering wicks without the new birth that comes from the Messiah, Jesus Christ. We all need justice established in our lives, because the devil has made sure to find ways to steal, kill or destroy whatever he can from the time we enter this world.
Jesus promises to be caring and compassionate, to fight for our freedom, to make sure justice is done. God’s justice is very practical, and spiritual, higher that the worldly idea of politics or crime fighting. Relationships that have been stolen from us, our health, peace of mind, opportunities, approval, and sense of self-worth that the devil has torn to shreds, are to all be restored to an even greater degree than that was taken. And our tormenters, the devil and his demons, will face the wrath of God’s punishment. But we who live for Jesus as our Lord, become new creations, where everything is changed and healed.
Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this household, because he too is a son of Abraham! For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. (Luke 19:9 NET)
Jesus spoke these words to one of the most unlikely people. In fact, when Jesus invited Himself to this man’s house, the crowd complained, asking how He could sit down and eat a meal with such a sinful, corrupt man. But throughout the Bible, God picks some of the most unpredictable people to do His greatest work. He chose Moses, a stutterer, to go and speak to the leader of the world at the time. He chose David, an inexperienced boy of around fourteen, to fight a trained and seasoned warrior-giant, a man that no one else in the army of Israel had the courage to fight. He chose an eighty-nine year old woman, whose body was as good as dead, to give birth to a boy that would become the heir to God’s promises to Abraham. And this is only three examples… there are so many more scattered throughout the Bible.
Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector, which means he was a traitor to his people, had turned his back on God and the Temple, and was a thief. Most people would have turned up their noses at him, and refused to be his friend, but Jesus saw that he had climbed a tree to catch a glimpse of Him, and so He stopped to invite Himself for lunch at his house. Immediately we see why Jesus picked him out of the crowd, because he quickly accepted the invitation and invited a lot of other needy people to the join them (his tax collecting colleagues). Then, in the middle of the meal Zacchaeus stood up in front of everyone and declared that he would immediately give half of his possessions to the poor, and that he would pay back anyone he had defrauded, four times the amount they had lost. According to the Law of Moses he only needed to give back what he had taken with 20% added to it, but Zacchaeus went much further than that.
This was a litmus test moment. From that moment on Zacchaeus’ life must have taken a radical turn for the better. Jesus saw such a transformation in his inner being as he stood up and made that public declaration, that He made a bold declaration Himself, that he and his family were saved. Even before his family showed any signs of wanting to change, Jesus knew that they would. What their father and husband had just done was so earthshaking that it was guaranteed to effect his entire home.
By speaking that one sentence Zacchaeus had made a 180 degree change in his life. A man who had once loved money and done anything to get it, and who had become rich, was ready to lose it all in exchange for salvation. During Jesus’ dinner conversation he must have realized that he was a poor man and needed to become rich, spiritually rich. And because he gave up his greatest love and was replacing it with God, Jesus knew that he was saved, and would eventually save his entire family.
This is what happens when we experience the new birth. Whatever used to be number one in our lives is demoted to some other place, and God is put in first place. Radical changes like this are hard, but they bring amazing results. No one I’ve met who has truly been born of God has ever regretted giving up their old life and treasures in exchange for salvation and becoming a child of God.
So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away - look, what is new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17 NET)
The message that Jesus came to proclaim to the world was that it is now possible to be born a second time and become a new creation. This was not possible in the Old Testament, even though we have examples of men and women of faith who lived before the Lord Jesus came to the world, that did great things and who lived holy lives even though they were surrounded by unholy people, and lived in pagan societies. Though they serve as examples for us, and manifested courage, determination, and faith to a very high degree, they had not been born a second time. They were spiritual, but we cannot say that they were born of the Spirit because that only became possible with the life and death of the Lord Jesus. How blessed we are to live in this age, in a time when we can all be born of God and receive the baptism of the Spirit.
Only after Jesus had made His sacrifice on the cross and defeated sin and the devil, was it possible for people to be born of God. But we cannot become new creations unless we are willing to die to our old lives, just like Jesus did. Though many people call themselves Christians, and say they are born again and filled with the Spirit, these things cannot happen unless we die to our own will and to the flesh. The idea that a person can go to church, confess his sins, sing hymns to God, greet his friends with a smile, and then go home or to his job and be the same old person that he has always been, is a lie straight from the pit of hell. God demands that we take on His nature and become brand new creatures. He cannot, and will not, be content with our old lives that easily fall into sin and crave the things of the flesh. God forgives our sins and loves the sinner, but despises sin itself. So if we are complacent about sin, thinking that He will always be there to forgive us no matter what we do, and if we expect His total forgiveness even though we are not even trying to live new lives, we are being deceived by the devil.
We are not saved by our works. Salvation is a free gift for all who place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But, a sign of salvation and of being close to God is good works. If we are baptized in the Spirit we will have the fruit of the Spirit, and if we have experienced the new birth, we will have our Father’s nature — His mind, His desires — because every true child resembles his parents.
If you cannot say that you are a new creation, and if people around you cannot confirm this about you — your family, friends, neighbors and coworkers — then there is something seriously wrong with your life and with the way you are serving God. Being new creatures is the most natural thing for people that surrender their lives to God. It takes work, but it is something that we desire, something we cannot be content without, something we are ready to sacrifice for.
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation… and if anyone is the same old creation, he is NOT in Christ. If you find that you are not in Him, run to Him now. Repent of your sin and pride, and grab a hold of the Lord Jesus with all your strength. It’s the most important thing in life.
Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24 HCSB)
Today as you are busy about your usual routine, stop and think about your attitude and motives. God is telling us to be enthusiastic, whatever you do. Whatever, basically means everything. Many Christians know this verse and wish that their children or spouses or coworkers would put this into practice, but how many of us convince ourselves that God couldn’t possibly expect us to be enthusiastic in the situation we are in right now.
“Yeah, but I have a boss that is so unfair.” “Yeah, but my mom is so annoying,” “Yeah, but this job is so oppressive.” Every “yeah, but…” is just one more way for the devil to steal away the reward God wants to give you.
The key is in knowing that whatever we do is to be done for the Lord and not for men. If you have an unkind boss who is difficult to work with, put your best into the job anyway with a smile and a determination in faith to resolve all problems and issues that crop up, and do it not because your boss deserves it, but as an offering to God. If you, as a student who still lives at home, has to deal with parents who don’t understand you, be the most thoughtful and obedient son or daughter you can be – not to win brownie points with them, but with a pure heart of offering your life to God.
God wants us to raise our eyes above all the pettiness of this crooked world and see that there is a world of perfect peace and justice that we can be a part of. When we work for Him, we allow Him to rescue us from injustice or misunderstandings or any kind of oppression. But when we operate in our flesh, we have a huge battle against the negative thoughts that flood our minds when we see the sinful behavior of others around us. And who knows, maybe even you are a frustrating and difficult person to be around too!
This may sound hard to do, but it actually lessens your load. As you practice doing all you do as an offering to God, you no longer have to agonize over the bad attitudes of everyone around you, because your attitudes have become pure. God takes care of the rest. The promise is that you will receive a reward of an inheritance from the Lord. An inheritance is only given to rightful heirs of a kingdom or estate. God will look at you as a true heir who He can reward with His own riches and blessings. You become royalty in His eyes, and have access to power and opportunities that faithless people can’t touch.
God loves to reward His children, and asks us to seek His rewards by obeying Him. Let’s all do an experiment throughout this week by choosing (not an emotional exercise, but a mental one) to be enthusiastic about all we do as an offering to our Lord Jesus Christ who we love, and just watch how very different our lives become.
I testify to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this prophetic book, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, written in this book. He who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:18-20 HCSB)
This is the risen Jesus speaking through the apostle John, about 60 years after Jesus had returned back into heaven. He is now on the throne at the right hand of the Father, glorified and exalted above all powers. His promise to us here, is, “Yes, I am coming quickly!” Time in God’s eyes is not the same as for us. Many other verses in the Bible urge us to be ready at any moment for His return, because He is coming like a thief in the night. Many will be unprepared for Him. Eternity will be before them, and it will be too late. Our task is to live in total surrender to Him now, so we won’t be among those who say, “Wait! I’m not ready!”
But I wanted to include these verses that precede this promise. They are the strongest warnings about how we are to treat the Word of God. We are not to add to, or subtract from God’s Word. Everything that we are to base our lives on should be in line with the entire teachings of God’s Word. We are not to pick and choose the comfortable sections and ignore the challenging ones like we would pick over produce at the supermarket. We have an obligation to know who God is and what He wants from us by knowing the entirety of His Word.
Sadly many Christians make it a practice to exclude the commands of God that don’t mesh with their lifestyle. Tithing, sacrificing their old lives, striving to obey, pursuing holiness, faithful commitment to the gathering of believers, submitting themselves to the authorities God has placed over them, and many other inconveniences are simply ignored. But for us to be welcomed blameless into God’s Kingdom, it is of utmost importance that we treat His whole Word, both Old and New Testaments, as holy and vital for daily life.
There are various religions, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Catholics and others, who have actually inserted extra writings and books into the Bible that are not God’s Word at all. The proponents of these religions will have to deal with the implications of God’s warning sooner or later. But this warning is not just for organized religions who physically insert pages into the Bible. This is for anyone who refuses to acknowledge the entirety of the Word of God. For those who choose to ignore God’s teachings, or reinterpret them to agree with their fleshly desires will have these plagues to face. Salvation can be removed from them because they traded what was true and holy for their own foolish version of “wisdom.”
Jesus is coming soon, it’s a promise! Let’s be vigilant to know Him and serve Him to the best of our abilities. No one wants to be caught off guard on the day that will change all that exists. Let’s all be able to say, Amen! Come Lord Jesus!
May the Lord reward you for what you have done, and may you receive a full reward from the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge. (Ruth 2:12 HCSB)
This was a blessing spoken over Ruth, a destitute widow born into a pagan home and brought to Israel by her mother-in-law who had also lost her husband and sons in a foreign land. In the social ranks of Israel, you could say that Ruth was at the very bottom of the totem pole. A gentile, widowed, childless, and dependent on a woman who had also suffered terrible losses. They both appeared cursed by God. But Ruth was an extraordinary woman. Instead of focusing on her horrible misfortune (as her mother-in-law tended to do), she was grateful for her amazing good fortune to be allowed to live in the land of God’s chosen people.
Ruth knew she deserved nothing, but she had the greatest respect for the God of Israel. She didn’t waste time moaning out of pity, or waiting for others to give her charity. When her husband died, she could have returned to her parents’ house, but she wanted to find and know this God of Israel. She worked diligently, served her mother-in-law with great respect, and consistently behaved with good character and integrity. God noticed, and made sure that His people noticed as well. As usual, God turned everything around because of her pure heart. Ruth married a wealthy and godly man named Boaz, a leader in the line of Judah, and she entered into the ancestry of King David, and Jesus Himself. The verse above records the words of her future husband Boaz when he first spoke to her.
It’s so common for us to waste vast amounts of time on petty complaints and self-pity. We may not speak these complaints outwardly, but we mull over them in our minds, allowing them to ferment and poison our emotions so that real faith has no room to take root. Ruth had every reason to wallow in self-pity, but instead she only thought of the blessing of being in the land that worshipped the true God, and she did all she could to immerse herself into that world. Each of us has the same opportunity to immerse ourselves into God, into His Word, into His ways. We have His principles laid out before us, and if we delight in practicing them, we are promised to be rewarded.
God was speaking this blessing through Boaz, so pleased that this young widow from a far-away land chose to seek refuge under the wings of the God of Israel. When we consistently run to God and seek his protection, and do all we can to obey and honor Him, He is truly pleased. That simple decision gives us favor with both God and with others. Rewards, blessings and honor beyond our expectations are given to us in return. And if you want, the story of Ruth can become your story as well.
For who is going to harm you if you are devoted to what is good? But in fact, if you happen to suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. But do not be terrified of them or be shaken. (2 Peter 3:13-14 NET)
Have you ever found yourself in a position where you were being accused unfairly? Have you felt anger and frustration at the fact that evil was appearing to win while goodness and truth seemed to be tossed to the side? Well, this is nothing new. The Christians in the first century went through much worse hardships for their faith that we ever have. Peter is teaching a truth here that we all need to hold onto and believe in the darkest and heaviest moments of our lives: who is going to harm us if we are devoted to what is good?
God promises that if we are devoted to Him, to His truth, to His ways and to His honor and glory, than nothing can harm us. Our blessings and our favor with God can never be destroyed because He sees all that is going on, both in public and in secret. We may suffer being misunderstood or falsely accused, and even though to all appearances we may look as though we are defeated, we are in fact the most blessed of all people, and we need to hold onto that promise with all we’ve got. If we are being persecuted for what is right, God will see to it that the truth will be made known.
Peter knew exactly what he was talking about. He had been imprisoned for his faith, but had seen an angel unlock the doors of his prison and lead him straight past the jailors who didn’t even see him walk by. The angel led him right out of the city gates to be able to safely escape to the local church where the members had been fervently praying for him. He had suffered injustice, but he ended up being blessed and honored by God. This is our God today! He is telling us not to fear anything or anyone who comes against us unfairly. The promise is not just for those who “do good,” but is for those who are devoted to what is good - devoted to living in God’s ways and principles.
Your safety against the evil and injustice of this world doesn’t just come from a good lawyer or a family that will stand up for you. Our only security comes from the Spirit of God, and that can only happen when we are first and foremost devoted to Him. If you treat God as your sovereign Lord and Master, than you can take this promise literally in every situation. Don’t be terrified, and don’t be shaken. You have a mighty God fighting for you and who promises to bless and protect you from all harm.
