The Joy of Glory

Discovering endless joy in the boundless glory of God…

Tag: Devotional

February 24, 2015

Lent Devotional: Judges 2:11-19

Judges 2:11-19 (click here)
And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.

So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them.

Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. (Judges 2:11, 14, and 16-17)

Reflection
So quickly…so quickly we turn from the Lord.

The people of Israel had not been in the Promised Land long at all before they began turning from the Lord to serve the gods of those who had inhabited the land before them. Yet, the speed of their unfaithfulness is not the truly amazing thing. What is amazing is the speed of God’s faithfulness.

So quickly…so quickly we receive grace from the Lord.

Yes, the people of Israel experienced God’s just judgment as he turned them over to plunderers. But even in this he was being faithful to his Word, for he had promised this very response to such rebellion.

Yet, he never abandoned his people. He graciously raised up judges, warriors, saviors for this rebellious undeserving people. They would continue to quickly turn from the Lord and he would continue to quickly show grace.

This is our story…is it not? Oh how quickly we turn from the Lord, and yes, as his children we may experience his good, faithful disciplining hand…but even that is a great grace! Oh how quickly we receive grace from the Lord through the savior he has raised up for us…through Jesus.

We may be quick to turn from the Lord…but the Lord is quicker to turn to us in grace.

*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

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February 23, 2015

Lent Devotional: Joshua 9:1-27

Joshua 9:1-27 (click here)
Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.

Joshua summoned them, and he said to them, “Why did you deceive us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you dwell among us?

They answered Joshua, “Because it was told to your servants for a certainty that the LORD your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you—so we feared greatly for our lives because of you and did this thing. And now, behold, we are in your hand. Whatever seems good and right in your sight to do to us, do it.” So he did this to them and delivered them out of the hand of the people of Israel, and they did not kill them. (Joshua 9:15, 22, 24-26)

Reflection
This is one of the more interesting stories in the Old Testament, and it really doesn’t get that much attention because people don’t know what to make of it.

God had commissioned his people to take the land of Canaan. They were not to make peace with any of the lands inhabitants for they were all falling under the just judgment of God for their sin.

However, the Gibeonites deceived the people of Israel into thinking they lived far away. So, Israel made a covenant with Gibeon. They soon discovered the dishonesty of the Gibeonites, but remained true to the covenant they had made.

Covenant is the key.

Grace was extended to the Gibeonites through a covenant. The Gibeonites certainly didn’t deserve it… nor had they earned it. In fact, they were deceivers, liars, and tricksters. Why should Israel be bound to keep it’s word with such people?

Because it was a covenant and there was supposed to be no stronger promise than that.

God’s grace toward us in Jesus is known as the new covenant. It is a promise of God’s unmerited favor toward us, not because of us, but because of Jesus.

We certainly don’t deserve such grace… nor have we earned it. In fact, we could be called deceivers, liars, tricksters, and many other applicable things. Why should God be bound to keep his word with such people?

Because his grace comes to us as a covenant through Christ… and there is no stronger promise than that.

*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

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February 22, 2015

Lent Devotional: Jonah 1:1-17

Jonah 1:1-17 (click here)
Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. (Jonah 1:1-3)

Reflection
This is not a book about a big fish. It’s not even ultimately a book about Jonah. This is a book about God. It is a book about God’s grace. It is a book about God’s heart.

The very first words which come from the mouth of the Lord reveal his heart, “Arise, go to Nineveh…” Jonah knows what this means. Nineveh was an evil Assyrian city known for flying captives and draping their skins on their walls. They were cruel, bloodthirsty, and built their entire kingdom on violence.

This violence had affected Jonah’s own people and would eventually consume the entire Northern kingdom of Israel. Jonah knew that the Lord sending one of his prophets to this city could only mean one thing…God must be giving them an opportunity to repent. “Go to Nineveh” reveals the gracious heart of God and Jonah knows it (just read Jonah 4:2).

Yet these words reveal not only the heart of God… but they reveal Jonah’s heart as well. Jonah does not desire grace for Nineveh, but judgment. He wants to watch Nineveh burn. We all have our own Nineveh…don’t we. We have a place, a person, a people whom we would love to see as the recipients of divine judgment.

Jonah is meant to be a funny character. We smile at him as we see him try to oppose the will of God almighty and run from him. We laugh at this man…until he becomes a mirror. We are Jonah.

The whole point of this book is to reveal the gracious heart of God and to question the hardness of our heart. The whole point is to show us whether or not we have merely understood grace with our heads or whether we have been transformed by it in the depths of our hearts.

How can you know if grace is merely a head concept or if it has changed your heart?… You can know if you’ve been changed by grace not by how you react when it is extended to you, but by how you react when it is extended to others…when it is extended to Nineveh.

You’ve been changed by grace if you’re willing to extend it to Nineveh…because you know that you were Nineveh first.

*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

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