Righteous Branch

Have you read God’s promises? Have you read the fulfillment of those promises? Do you know about one of the most important promises God made to humanity? Have you taken his promise to heart? Have you accepted his invitation? Will you stop living in fear?

God has made many promises. Perhaps the most important one was the promise of his Son coming to redeem us from our sins. One recording of that promise came from the prophet Jeremiah about six-hundred years before Jesus was born.

We are told that Jesus would execute justice and righteousness. We often long for justice. Especially if we feel we or a loved one has been wronged. Yet, God’s justice is not the same as human justice. God has his own set of rules. Rules that we don’t always understand. His justice includes offering the offender an opportunity to accept his plight and to turn to Jesus for redemption.

It is only by God’s grace that we are offered righteousness. We do not and cannot obtain righteousness on our own. We obtain righteousness through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. So, when God sent his Son to this earth to redeem it, his wonderful character is put on full display. It is justice married with mercy. And because God works in this manner, we can become righteous through the atoning blood of his Son, Jesus Christ.

God promised to send a descendant of David to execute his will. We see in the lineages of Jesus in both Matthew and Luke that He was a descendant of David while also being the Son of God. Jesus is the righteous Branch promised. He is our redeemer. He is the only one who can save us from our sins.

I pray we all trust in God’s promises. I pray we know we are righteous by the blood of Jesus. I pray each one of us see that God fulfilled his promise of sending a righteous Branch for our good. Trust God’s promises. Know you are righteous in Jesus. Know God fulfills his promises.

Jeremiah 33:15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

Promises Made, Promises Kept

How good are you at keeping your promises? Do you consider saying you will do something a promise? Or do you only consider it a promise if you say the words “I promise”? How do you feel when someone breaks a promise to you? Are you upset, let down, or depressed?

Keeping promises can be difficult to do. And sometimes we make promises we shouldn’t make. We promise to do something for someone or to be somewhere when we either don’t mean it or are not sure we will be able to follow through. Not keeping promises ruins our reputation.

When others do not keep the promises they have made to us, we get upset. Our emotions run high. We may get angry, frustrated, feel let down, or be depressed. If it has happened many times, we may think, “Here we go again” or “It never fails.” The person who has constantly failed to deliver on their promises becomes untrustworthy.

God has made promises, and he keeps them. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God said the promise he made to Israel and Judah would come to pass. God fulfills his promises. When he told them they would be turned over to foreign nations due to their turning away from him, he delivered. He also delivered when they turned back to him.

We can rely on God to keep his promises. As we read Scripture, we see many times God has made promises, and we see when he has kept them. We can read books that are dedicated to nothing more than God’s promises and how he has kept them. Perhaps taking time to read just a few of God’s promises and how he kept them would increase our faith in him.

I pray we all know that God keeps his promises. I pray we read God’s promises and how he kept them. I pray each one of us know God has made promises to us and will keep them. Trust in God’s promises. Trust God will fulfill his promises. Hold onto God’s promises.

Jeremiah 33:14 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

Unseen Hope Saves

What is your biggest or most important hope? How many hopes do you have? Do you hope for your family? Do you hope for material possessions? Are you hoping for something new and grand? Have you put your hope in God?

We all hope for a variety of things. There are hopes for family, friends, material things, jobs, relationships, and many others. Yet, those hopes are generally more like wishes than true hope. Those hopes typically do not include a full expectation.

The hope we have in God, in Jesus Christ, is a hope full of expectation. We have hope of an eternal life. We have hope of blessings from God. Our hope feeds into our faith and is a product of our faith. Where does our hope come from? God’s promises.

As we hold onto God’s promises and see them come to fruition, our hope increases along with our faith. It is God’s promises along with the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that gives us cause for hope. It is not mere wishful thinking, but an expectation that God will fulfill his promises.

We know not all his promises will be fulfilled in our lifetime. Some of them will come long after we are gone. Yet, our hope tells us they will be fulfilled, nonetheless. It is with this hope that we live confidently in this world. For we know there is nothing that can stop God from fulfilling his promises. With this knowledge, our hope increases.

I pray we all put our hope in God’s promises. I pray we hope with a full expectation that God will fulfill his promises. I pray each one of us will live confidently with the hope we have in God. Hope in God’s promises. Expect God to fulfill them. Live with confidence in your hope.

Romans 8:24-25 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Spoken Truth

Do you seek to know the truth? Do you research to dig to the bottom of a story to uncover the truth? Are you normally skeptical of what you hear from others or read online or read in books? Are you gullible and willing to believe whatever someone tells you?

Being either always skeptical or gullible does not work well for our lives. We need a healthy balance of both. There are times to we should be skeptical and times being gullible is fine. But when we are seeking truth, leaning more toward being skeptical is more likely to help us discover it.

Pilate was certainly skeptical yet seeking to understand why Jesus was brought before him. Pilate wasn’t necessarily seeking truth. He was seeking to know motive. Motive of the Jews and Jesus’ motive. In fact, Pilate was skeptical of what someone professed to be truth to him. His cynical nature was always seeking to protect his position as ruler over Jerusalem.

Yet, Jesus states His purpose was to come into the world and testify to the truth. What truth was He testifying to? The truth of God. He spoke the true interpretation of God’s commands given to the Jews. He spoke truth to His disciples and the crowds who came to hear Him. He spoke truth about what was going to happen to Him. He spoke truth about His return.

Seeking the truth of God by listening to (or reading) the words of Jesus is in our best interest. We are not to be gullible, but we do need to have faith that Jesus is speaking the truth. It is by listening to Him that we get to know Him better and learn the truth of God.

I pray we all seek to know the truth. I pray we spend time reading God’s Word. I pray each one of us will trust in God’s Word and build our faith in Jesus by listening to Him speak to us. Seek the truth. Read God’s Word. Trust God’s Word. Put your faith in Jesus. Hear Him speak.

John 18:37 Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Be Honest with Jesus

Why do you seek to know who Jesus is? Why do you ask questions about Him? Why do your friends ask questions about Jesus? Who else have you met who asked questions about Jesus? What is their motivation? Does it matter? What do you think?

People ask questions about Jesus for a wide variety of reasons. Some are earnestly seeking to know about Him. Some are trying to trip us up, cause us to doubt. Some are trying to prove Him wrong because they don’t want to believe. Others are only doing so to join a conversation.

Pontius Pilate was questioning Jesus in part to adhere to Roman justice and in part to determine if He was a threat to his throne. Pilate had no interest in becoming a follower of Jesus. As far as he was concerned, the Jews were a conquered people, and they were lesser people than him. He was the appointed ruler in Jerusalem by Rome. He had the seal of Caesar on his appointment. Pilate merely wanted to stop a riot before it got started.

We don’t want to be like Pilate. We should want to ask questions about Jesus to learn more about Him. We should ask questions to seek a deeper relationship with Him. After all, don’t we ask questions to get to know people we want to build a deeper relationship with? All good relationships are built on honesty and knowledge of one another. As we seek to know more about Jesus, we also must be honest about the reason we are seeking to know Him. We must be honest with ourselves and with Jesus.

I pray we all seek to know more about Jesus. I pray we seek a deeper relationship with Him. I pray each one of us are honest with ourselves and honest with Jesus as we seek to know Him. Seek to know Jesus. Seek a deeper relationship with Him. Be honest with yourself. Be honest with Jesus.

John 18:33-34 Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?”

Priests of God

Do you consider yourself to be a self-made man or woman? Do you believe it only by your own hard work that you have achieved all you have achieved? Do you believe you are the only one you can count on to get things done? Have you considered giving God the glory?

Some of us like to think it is through our hard work and persistence that we have climbed up the ladder of success. We believe the harder we work, the more successful we will be. I know that attitude. I have been there and still go there at times myself.

Yet, when we take time to think about it, really dig down to the bottom of our success, we did not do it on our own. Even if we did not believe in God, we cannot take all the credit. There are others who contributed to it. But those of us who believe in God know it is God who has given us our talents. It is him who has guided our steps, even if we didn’t realize it. It is God who has guided us to the success we have.

What are we to do with that realization? We should praise God and give him the glory for his guidance and blessings. We know that Jesus loves us and freed us from our sins when He went to the cross. But have we thought about being a kingdom? We are a kingdom. Not one identified by land boundaries but one defined by the blood of Christ.

Not only are we a kingdom but we are priests who are to serve God. We do that by continuing to seek his guidance and following his will for our lives. As priests, we are to give God the glory for all he has done and continues to do in our lives. We are to praise him and realize he is the ruler of all and has dominion over everything in this world.

I pray we all know that Jesus has freed us from our sins. I pray we know we are part of God’s kingdom. I pray each one of us will give God the glory, praise him, and know he has dominion over everything. You are freed from your sins. You are in God’s kingdom. Give God the glory. Praise God. Know God has dominion.

Revelation 1:5e-6 To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Change Your Perception of God

Have you spent much time thinking about who God is? Have you wondered want the heavenly kingdom is like? Do you wonder who is standing before the throne of God? How would you describe Jesus, if you were asked to do so? Have you read descriptions of Him in Scripture?

God can be difficult for us to describe. It can be challenging to think about who he is, how magnificent he is, how powerful he is, and how he can know everything. We may be baffled by what we read of him in Scripture. We may be confused when our pastor tries to explain who he is.

Jesus is a little easier to identify with. We know quite a lot about Him from His time spent on earth. We know about His teachings, miracles, and interactions with people. We know He went to the cross for us, that He died, was buried, and rose again on the third day. We can identify with His human side, even if we can’t identify with His divine side.

But take a moment to read the description John gives in today’s passage. God has always been and always will be. Though we don’t know much about the seven spirits around the throne, we know they must be important to God. They serve a purpose, fulfilling God’s will in one way or another.

Jesus is described as the faithful witness. He is the One who came down from heaven to witness to God’s magnificence on earth. He is the firstborn of the dead, meaning He died and yet rose to reclaim His eternal life. He is also the ruler of the kings of earth. We may wonder about that with the state of our world. Yet we are told that God chooses the rulers of the world and uses them for his purposes. Knowing all this, perhaps our perception of God should change.

I pray we all take time to think about who God is. I pray we seek a better understanding of who Jesus is. I pray each one of us will change our perception based on what we learn about God. Think about God. Seek to know Jesus better. Read descriptions in Scripture. Change your perception of God.

Revelation 1:4b-5d Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

Heart and Soul

Where does God fit in your list of priorities? Is he near the top? Or does he dangle near the bottom? Do you merely give lip service to him? Or have you given your heart to him? Are you somewhere in between? Will you choose to make God your top priority every day?

Our priorities can change at a moment’s notice. A chance encounter with someone we haven’t seen in years can alter our plans for the day. An emergency becomes the number one thing occupying our attention. We may simply decide to move a lower priority up our priority list.

Often our priorities are based on one of two things—needs and wants. We make keeping a job a priority to provide for our needs such as housing, food, and clothing. We make seeking a better paying job a priority to allow us to fulfill our wants. We often justify it by saying we want to better provide for our family, but if truth be told, in most cases, it is more about fulfilling our wants and what our culture tells us we deserve.

King David made God his top priority. He desired to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. His priority was to bring the presence of God into the holy city. It weighed on his heart so heavily that he could not sleep. David first attempted to move it his own way, but it quickly turned into disaster. Only when he chose to move it in the manner God had instructed was he successful.

We, too, should make God our top priority. Yet, we cannot go about it our own way. If we do, we will meet with disaster just as David did. Only when we come to God in the manner he has instructed will we find success. What is that manner? Bowing humbly before him and obeying his commands. We must submit our life to him, giving our heart and soul to him. Without doing so, we will continue to stumble down a path that leads to disaster.

I pray we all make God our top priority. I pray we seek to obey his commands. I pray each one of us will come humbly before him, submitting to him, giving him our heart and soul. Make God your top priority. Humble yourself before him. Obey God’s commands. Give God your heart and soul.

Psalm 132:3-5

“I will not enter my house 

or get into my bed; 

I will not give sleep to my eyes 

or slumber to my eyelids, 

until I find a place for the Lord, 

a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

Speak as God Guides You

Who is speaking through you? Do you believe your words are your own? Have you considered how many times you are repeating or paraphrasing what you heard from others or read elsewhere? Who do you quote or paraphrase most often? Is it important?

Few of us have an original thought or idea, which makes it near impossible to speak something that has not previously been spoken. We repeat what we see and hear on the news. We repeat what our parents taught us. We repeat what we were taught in school. We quote what we have read.

Do not mistake the repeating or paraphrasing as being bad. Depending on who we are quoting, it can be very good. We choose who we will repeat or paraphrase. Therefore, it is very important we are careful who we listen to and how we evaluate what they are saying. The filters we use to discern what is best for us to repeat are often taught to us at a young age. However, we can learn to be better at it as we grow older. In fact, through experience, it often does.

King David, Israel’s most famous king, states it is the spirit of the Lord who is speaking through him. We know that when Samuel anointed David as God’s chosen king that the spirit of the Lord came upon him. We might think of it now as the Holy Spirit being gifted to David much as the Holy Spirit is gifted to us. David didn’t always listen to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. He ignored it at times, just like we do. Yet, David also listened and followed the Holy Spirit’s guidance often.

When we read God’s Word and listen for his Holy Spirit to guide us, we, too, can have God’s words on our tongue. We can speak the truth of God. The only question is, will we? It is our choice to speak God’s word to others or to ignore his guidance. May each of us choose to speak as God guides us to speak.

I pray we choose to read God’s Word. I pray we choose to listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I pray each one of us will choose to speak as God guides us to speak. Read God’s Word. Listen for the Holy Spirit. Follow God’s guidance. Speak as God guides you.

2 Samuel 23:2

The spirit of the Lord speaks through me, 

his word is upon my tongue.

Believe Jesus

What have you heard or seen that is hard to believe? Was it something someone told you? Was it something you saw that was completely unexpected? How did you handle it? Did you come to believe? What is it about God that you find hard to believe?

Sometimes we are told things we find hard to believe. We may decide to research what we’ve heard to verify it. We may see something we think is unbelievable. It may take us a while to process what we saw and come to terms with it.

God wants us to believe what is written about him in the Scriptures. He wants us to believe what is written about Jesus. We may not fully understand initially. We may need to study and research what is written. It may require us to dig into the original languages a bit to better understand. We may even need to research history books to understand what else was going on during that time period.

Jesus tells His disciples and many other people He encounters to believe in God and believe in Him on multiple occasions. He tells us to believe in His works. He tells us to believe His promises and to follow His commands. Jesus performed many miracles, which may be hard to believe, but we are asked to believe them.

Believing in God and Jesus can be challenging. God has done things we cannot do. Jesus did things we cannot do. But just because they are impossible for us does not mean they are impossible for God. In fact, we are told all things are possible for God (Matthew 19:26). Our belief in Jesus is one expression of our Love for Him.

I pray we all choose to believe in God. I pray we believe Jesus’ teachings and His miracles. I pray each one of us will believe Jesus is who He says He is and choose to follow Him. Believe God’s Word. Believe God’s promises. Believe Jesus’ miracles. Believe Jesus’ teachings. Believe Jesus is the Son of God.

John 4:50 The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way.