My daily shower is a must. A habit of cleanliness. Actually, the only ones missed were when I was in the hospital a few years back. Otherwise, I need that everyday spotless feeling from head to toe.

Spiritually, we need God’s cleansing power even more so. He’s Mr. Clean par excellence. The old hymn asks, ‘Have you been washed in the blood, in the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?’ A strange image, when you first hear this. Somewhat off-putting and bizarre. Washed by blood?

But when you realize what it cost God to disinfect us of sin and make us right with Him, then the fog clears. Jesus loves us so much that He’s willing to shed His very blood and die on the cross to make us His own. Clean as a whistle. Pure as the driven snow. Spotless, forgiven, and, best of all, a member of God’s family.

In the Old Testament book of Zechariah, chapter 3, we see the High Priest of the Temple. He’s not dressed in amazing, eye-catching, and immaculate garb. On the contrary–‘ Now Joshua (the High Priest) was…clothed in filthy garments’ (v. 3). Cruddy. Mucky. Grungy and yucky. What a sight. And this is the High Priest, no less?

Now I’m no High Priest, but on the inside, I resemble the one in Zechariah, much to my shame. Sin has wreaked havoc in my life, most willingly. Some due to others, but the vast majority lie in my column.

So, what’s our escape route? Is there a way to get free from the mess we’re in? Of course, it’s Jesus. What He did on the cross. The love and forgiveness He passes our way if we’d only seek Him out, ask, and believe in Him. He has so much to give. And the longer you’re a follower of Jesus, the more you come to appreciate His goodness and faithfulness. For Jesus is our hope. There is no other. We need no other.

Later in Zechariah 3, we read about when sin is wiped away once for all. Hear what’s said–‘…and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day’ (v. 9). A single day? Can you imagine? When was that? The day Jesus died on the cross. That very day. To take away our sins. Forever. What a day!

Let’s thank Him all this week. By the way, it’s now my shower time!

Thank you, Jesus, for all you’ve done for me on the cross. Amen.

A pastor friend maintains that God in the Old Testament is one of wrath. More judgment than love. Less easy to be around, I guess. We’ve had rip-roaring debates, but he remains unmovable. He’s not alone in categorizing God in the Old Testament as different from the way Jesus acts in the New. God’s Son comes across as more accepting, more flexible than His Father. Or so it seems to some. But not to me.

For God is the same in both testaments. He’s consistent from Genesis to Revelation. Forget that stuff about the wrathful One here and the forgiving One there. As if we worship two separate but not equal gods. God forbid.

Here’s what Jesus says–‘For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him’ (John 3: 17). Note that when the Nazarene, our Lord, says this that none, underscore none, of the New Testament has been written. Only the First Testament, the old one, which was Jesus’ Bible, may I add. The Father sends His own Son as our Savior. Can you imagine such love?

For Jesus yearns for us to know Him. To be forgiven and given a new life. A new name, so to speak. Second, third, and fourth chances to start over for Him. On top of that, He makes a home for us in heaven. A security found nowhere else.

But if someone thumbs their nose at God and wants nothing more to do with Him, He’ll honor that and remove Himself from their lives. What remains is a handful of ashes. Disappointment forever. Regrets unending. An unsavory nothing-burger.

Does God in the Old Testament relish such a final judgment? That wrathful God who tosses salt willy-nilly in their wounds? Here’s a verse from that part of the Bible as found in Ezekiel–‘But if the wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; he shall not die. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?’ (Ez. 18: 21-23). Chew on that for a while.

Our God yearns, most of all, to save, help, and love us. It’s a seamless story, fixed and unchanging all through your Bible.

P.S.–My concordance lists more words for ‘love’ in the Old Testament than in the New!

Thank you, God, for your consistent love and forgiveness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

How I love it when God’s blessings flow my way. Those goodies from above. When extra money lands in my wallet. Legally. The latest health report alleviates my fears. For the moment. My political party dominates, this time around, and I feel so smug that others, those roustabouts, get smattered. When our children and grandchildren are on top of the world in every way. As more and more people, from over 60 countries, read these devotionals. God’s blessings–how sweet they are!

But what about those other times? You know what I mean. Not blessings but troubles, downturns, and hellish moments that inevitably find me hiding and terrified, hoping beyond hope that the hot seat where I’m mistakenly parked will soon correctly accommodate somebody else. How cowardly can I be?

Shame on me when I also scowl at God, putting blame squarely on His shoulders. Why me? What gives? Answer up, God. Or else. Or else what? That you’ll have one less follower? Such a threat causes harm only to me.

You may be familiar with the conclusion of the Old Testament book of Habakkuk. The part about trusting God no matter what. When God’s blessings go on vacation in the desert where they dry up and blow away.

Habakkuk doesn’t require God’s freebies to trust Him. This Old Testament prophet’s faith shines even in the dark. Especially there. An ‘in spite of’ confidence and hope, which allows him to cling to his Lord, even as troubled winds blow his way.

How about you? And me? Only true blue when the good times roll? A ‘Real McCoy’ follower, if I get exactly what I want from Jesus? And while He’s at it, how about lots more and nothing less!

Here’s what Habakkuk says–‘Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herds in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation’ (Hab. 3: 17-18).

Oy veh, what a dyed-in-the-wool believer. I’m far from being in Habakkuk’s league. I need to trust Jesus, not only for the blessings, but when some vile calamity hits me square in the face. Not a fairweather Christian, but an all-weather one. That’s the prayer of my heart. Join me?

Thank you, Jesus, for loving me just as I am, helping me grow in my faith, and making me more like you. Always for your sake. Amen.

War has been declared. Battle lines drawn. Armaments ready and terribly able. Troops on highest alert. To fight who? Where? What’s its cause?

No, not traditional warfare, but something with spiritual roots. It’s a battle we Christians can sense heading to our shores. Other earthly regions have been in the thick of it as if forever. I’m referring to the fight to follow faithfully our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and God’s Word, as found in the Bible.

It’s never easy to take an unpopular stand for our Lord. And you know what those issues are at the moment. Where we could compromise to better fit in. To avoid criticism and ostracism from family, friends, and even the church. In many ways, we are up against a wall. Either take a stand or be pushed over it.

St. Paul in 2 Corinthians makes a bold statement that we need to hear–‘We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…’ (2 Cor. 10: 5). Is this too out of reach? Impossibly unrealistic? To put Christ at the forefront?

If so, hotfoot it to boot camp. Open your Bible and dig in. Deep, deeper, deepest. And when you note something that’s contrary to modern culture (and it won’t take you very long to land on some doozies!), then decision time knocks at your door. Who will you let in? The Lord Jesus? Or an ungodly society? Which will it be?

Take every thought captive. Make a prisoner of what has violated God’s ways. Lock it up and throw away the key. Now I know that this is no easy-peasy business, and that I fail as much as the next; but, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the fact remains that we’re in a battle. Christian author C. S. Lewis says that we believers have been parachuted behind enemy lines. Hostile territory requires us to be on high alert. Dangers lurk everywhere, even in the safest of places.

This is no Mickey Mouse business. It’s real. Get ready. Take sides. Battle on. Weary not. Read the last book in your Bible to see how tough life can become, but also note who wins the final battle and war. Any guesses?

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for victories in your name. And all for your sake. Amen.