Praise

I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord, the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, because of all that the Lord has done for us, and the great favor to the house of Israel that he has shown them according to his mercy, according to the abundance of his steadfast love. For he said, ‘Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely’; and he became their savior in all their distress. It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. (Isaiah 63:7-9, NRSV)

The Lord has done great things for us. He has saved us from the wrath we deserve, by sending His son to dwell among us, and to be one of us. To know our lot and experience what we experience. He has given us more than any of us have deserved and saved us from our worst enemies: ourselves!

His steadfast love and mercy outshine our evil and He has given us more than we could ever ask for! Praise Him as He is worthy of our praise!

stumble…

‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling-blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling-block comes! ‘If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire. (Matthew 18:6-9, NRSV)

Have you ever tripped over something?

When I trip over something I usually stop and look back at where I tripped to see what I tripped over. Sometimes I can see what made me trip, but sometimes I can’t…

Today’s text is one of the texts that haunts me. We are not to be a stumbling block for others, or place before our brothers and sisters stumbling blocks, yet being ourselves, we can cause others to question and wonder about things. I wonder if I have ever caused someone to stumble and I am sure the answer is yes.

I also know that my eye has caused me to sin, and my hand, and my feet… Yet I still have both eyes, hands and feet…

We are a stumbling block for some to come to God, yet others make there way to a relationship through us. So how do we take this verse then. Much like yesterday’s verse, we are not able to make it on our own. Only through Jesus do we find a way to stand before the throne, and only through Jesus do we find a way to not make it necessary to tie a millstone around our necks and throw ourselves into the sea…

All have sinned…

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:5-10, ESV)

If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves.

When we say some don’t  belong because of their sin, we are not walking in the light of our own sinfulness and seeing the only way we stand is through Him. He is the one who makes all able to stand before the throne, for without Him we are all buried deep in our sin.

We must walk in the light and see ourselves and others as God sees us, through the life of Jesus!

not willing…

Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation. ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” ’ (Matthew 23:34-39, NRSV)

The Lord wishes to gather us under His wing as a mother hen gathers her chicks to protect them. But when He does this, we say, “Why is she here?” And someone else says, “Why is he here?” “They don’t belong here, do you know what they have done?”

We get so hung up on pointing out the sins of the other, we over look the things that they would see in us that would keep us from being included. We kill the prophets and stone the ones who will help us see God. We can not see things different from what we know to be the truth, yet God is the only one who knows the truth and who is welcome. We need to not look at others sins, but look at the one that makes us worthy to be under His protection and allow Him to protect who is there with us.

The prophets and the ones sent are there to help us know God better. Let’s listen to them, and learn with them who we are all in God!