TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 18:10-14
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. - Luke 19:10
TODAY IN THE WORD
The top-grossing film in the United States in 1990 was an improbable tale of a boy who found himself in a reversal of the typical “young hero lost in the world” adventure. Instead of running away like Pinocchio or suffering from amnesia like Anastasia, Kevin McCallister finds himself abandoned in the place he knows best. Upon realizing his absence, his mother spends the entire film scrambling to reunite with her son who had been left sadly (and comically) Home Alone.

Regardless of the circumstances, loving parents will do anything to find a child who is lost or separated from them. In today’s reading, Jesus compared that love and longing to a shepherd searching for a lost sheep. The specific relationship of which He spoke was the Father’s love for “these little ones,” the children he had gathered around Him as He discussed the kingdom of heaven (see v. 2).

Speaking of searching for lost things, as you read you may find yourself searching for verse 11. Most ancient manuscripts do not include the verse sometimes included there (probably erroneously), a transcription of Luke 19:10: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

But the “lost” Jesus referred to in this case is probably more an example of a young child being led astray than a wayward believer or a prodigal son equivalent from recent studies—although God’s love for anyone of any age would be exceedingly great. The point here is that the Father would rejoice greatly specifically for a young child brought to the knowledge of Him.

It’s possible that “the other ninety-nine” refers to those already secure in their faith. God has a special happiness reserved for those at a fragile age of impressionability (vv. 13-14). Jesus also mentioned an interesting point about angels—some commentators believe that He indicates that children have angels watching over them (v. 10). Though other scholars aren’t sure that this points to some notion of guardian angels for children, the larger point of God’s deep love and care for children is clear. If our Father devotes such concern for little ones, we certainly should value young people as well.

APPLY THE WORD
Much attention and resources in church planning are devoted to adult ministries and outreach, which are crucial to the Great Commission. But after reading of the special love God has for young children, we should also desire to bring boys and girls to faith and to foster their spiritual development. Consider supporting the children’s ministries of your church, whether by volunteering your time to teach, make snacks, or even pray for the children involved.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 19:16-30
Sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. - Matthew 19:21
TODAY IN THE WORD
Countless children and adults have learned the alternate meaning to the famous “eye of the needle” restriction barring the rich from the kingdom of God. The most infamous suggested explanation of this phrase (vv. 24) is that a narrow gate into Jerusalem was known as The Needle’s Eye. After dark, that smaller gateway was the only possible entrance to the city, forcing a camel to unload its cargo and enter on its knees. (Camels the world over laugh at this suggestion.) The biggest problem with this explanation? No such gate existed in Jesus’ day.

Perhaps the problem that led to the manufacture of such a story is the apparent finality and exclusivity of the statement, which is hyperbole. Jesus made His point clearly at first (“It is hard”) and then added emphasis to accentuate the difficulty. The disciples stumbled over this metaphor as well, but notice that Jesus clarified by saying that with God, this seemingly impossible act was possible.

Embracing the kingdom is difficult for the wealthy, but possible through the grace of God. The rich often fail to seize the kingdom because their arms are full of useless possessions. It’s likely that this passage sends us scrambling for an alternate interpretation because we struggle with letting go of what we have.

The rich young man had done a good job of keeping the letter of the law. Where he struggled was the spirit of the law. Loving God with all we are demands that we surrender all we have. Does that mean that the rich must give away all their possessions to allow their entrance to heaven? Not at all. Everyone ultimately surrenders all they own when they die. The choice the rich young man faced was how he would value his possessions now, in the moment.

To truly enter God’s kingdom, the rich man should have recognized the temporary nature of his earthly wealth and instead sought the treasure in heaven that lasts forever. He could have experienced the power of kingdom living on earth, but he had a modest kingdom of his own with which he was unwilling to part.

APPLY THE WORD
Are you willing to sacrifice possessions or relationships for the cause of Christ? If anything overrules your allegiance to the Father, it will challenge your obedience to His will. It is no easy task to fully release attachments that we have spent our whole lives developing a fondness for. Spend time today expressing your love for God’s spiritual provision in your life and ask for opportunities to stockpile heavenly treasures.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Isaiah 40:30-31
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary. - Isaiah 40:31
TODAY IN THE WORD
At their top speeds (sometimes upwards of 100 miles per hour), eagles fly with minimal effort. They use their strong, lengthy wings to climb to great elevations, sometimes over a mile high, then they soar for great distances or dive with ferocious velocity. During migration, they can soar for hundreds of miles without exhausting their energy. Their flight is majestic and seemingly effortless.

Isaiah gave hope to the remnant in Israel that had suffered through terrible times in a spiritually downtrodden land. He reminded them, and he reminds us, that those who trust in the Lord can achieve spiritual flight comparable to the lofty, soaring arc of the eagle.

We have read about many animals illustrating our enemies, our Lord, and our circumstances. The animal most frequently applied to us as believers is the sheep. It is not the most flattering image, but it’s an accurate one. We are dependent. We aren’t self-sufficient. We make better followers than we do leaders. But in today’s passage, we see a comparison that can inspire us, something that is only possible if our hope is in the Lord.

The beginning of the passage draws our attention to age. All of us are subject to the wearying effects of growing physically older, but Isaiah reminded his audience that even those in the prime of life are subject to limitations. The energy we supply and manufacture on our own is not enough to soldier through this life. We need something more. We need the hope of the Lord.

And to those who seek it, God gives an ample supply of strength. When we seek Him, spiritually we can soar like eagles. We will run without fatigue and walk without growing tired. Isaiah 40 is filled with the message of eternal hope in the coming Messiah and the temporal existence of our material world. The aches, pains, and struggles of our physical existence will eventually give way to the everlasting rest and strength offered in Jesus, by whom all things were created and are sustained (see Col. 1:16-17). May we soar on the wings of His strength today and always!

APPLY THE WORD
It is inevitable that on occasion we will feel the weariness of life weighing us down. If you find yourself in that place today, ask the Lord to renew your spiritual strength. Whatever stands in your path, God can give you the strength to face it and rise above it. And if you know someone who is struggling, pray that prayer on their behalf—then tell that friend or loved one that you have done so, encouraging them to soar on eagle’s wings.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Mark 1:14-28
The time has come . . . and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news! - Mark 1:15
TODAY IN THE WORD
Anyone who has taken children to an all-you-can-eat buffet knows they can create concoctions few adults would eat. Young ones let loose on the dessert bar delight in mashing together ice cream, pie, cookies, and soda. What might have been delicious and refreshing has become entirely unappetizing to most of us.

Has the church done the same with repentance? Why do so many view the idea of repentance as the spiritual equivalent of a visit to the dentist? How can we reorient ourselves? This month in Today in the Word we will examine repentance and attempt to understand this important topic from God’s perspective in Scripture.

In our reading today we first note that both John the Baptist and Jesus began their preaching ministry with the words, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!” (Matt 3:2, 4:17). Mark’s account includes Jesus’s words, “Repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:17). The word translated here from Greek as “good news” is euangellion, the same word used for our English word gospel. Why does Jesus link “good news” and repentance so closely? To use our analogy of a dentist visit, would anyone greet the words, You need a root canal! with joy? Would you take spiritual counsel offered this way?

A sense of the depths of our own sin can often be spiritually healthy, but if repentance only involves our past—whether recognition of the sorrows we caused or the guilt and horror we feel—we will not understand Christ’s command. In Greek the word for repentance is metanoia, which means “change of mind.” Interestingly, it has little direct association with feelings or emotions. With this in mind, we begin to glimpse the goodness God has for us.

Repentance involves transformation. It is not about the past, but the future. It is not focused on what we have done, but what God will do in us. It is not about God laying a guilt trip on us so much as it is about God showing us how to be free from a past that enslaves us. This truly is good news!

APPLY THE WORD
Even when it comes to our own sin, we can still struggle to take the focus off ourselves. Unfortunately, it is not hard for us to be self-centered, even with important aspects of the Christian life such as prayer requests and testimonies. Sometimes even thinking about our sin can be a way to bring the discussion back to ourselves. This month let us seek to see God’s work in us. Reflect on these words: Blessed are those that bring the euangellion of metanoia! (see Isa. 52:7).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 4:12-17
The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in . . . the shadow of death, a light has dawned. - i
TODAY IN THE WORD
In a famous Greek myth, the god Zeus banned any other god from giving aid to mankind. Prometheus had pity on humanity, however, and gave them fire and other gifts of civilization. But he also gave mankind the so-called “gift” of ignorance of their mortality. Otherwise how could any human be happy, knowing that nothing would truly last? The ancient Greeks probably thought Prometheus did the Greeks a favor. Would this kind of ignorance be a blessing?

This month we seek to open our hearts to God’s command to repent. Seeing our failures and foibles should give us pause. Every sin emphasizes our own incompleteness and indeed, our own mortality. This recognition, however, should ultimately not lead to despair, but to joy.

We saw yesterday that in Matthew’s Gospel Jesus began His preaching ministry with a call to repent. This call is preceded by a quote from Isaiah 9:2: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light” (Matt. 4:16). For all humanity, who dwell in the “shadow of death,” this recognition of mortality is the beginning of good news. We begin to see that we need rescue from this condition of death (see Rom. 7:24).

This becomes clearer as we look at the context from the passage Jesus quotes. Isaiah 9 rings with hope and joy, but this hope does not come in a vacuum. In the preceding chapter the prophet warns of the coming destruction of Israel by the dreaded Assyrians. The chapter concludes saying, “Then they will look to the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness (Isa. 8:22). Only after establishing the reality of their dark predicament does Isaiah proclaim, “The people in darkness have seen a great light” (9:2).

God will send rescue, but only when we see Him, and not ourselves, in the midst of our pain. As scholar Kallistos Ware put it, “To repent is to look, not downward at my own shortcomings, but upward at God’s love. It is to see not what I have failed to be, but what by the grace of Christ I can yet become.”

APPLY THE WORD
The apostle Paul stands as wonderful example of a Christ-centered reflection on his past. His lament in Romans 7:24 quickly transitions: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). For Paul, dwelling on his deeds—past or present, good or bad—distracted him from seeing God’s love. God wants us to experience this same freedom from obsessive focus on self. Let us hope to imitate Paul, as he followed Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 11:1).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Genesis 1
God called the light “day,” and the darkness . . . “night.” There was evening, and there was morning—the first day. - Genesis 1:5
TODAY IN THE WORD
“Begin at the beginning, then go on till you come to the end: then stop.” So said the King to the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. Nearly all of us associate beginnings with possibilities; note, for instance, how we view the seasons. Poet Dylan Thomas wrote that we should “Begin at the beginning: It is Spring,” because we think of spring as a time of new birth. Frank Sinatra sang of Fall as the “September of his years,” which fits with our view of winter as time of death. But what if we were wrong about the beginning? What if, like Tweedledee and Tweedledum, we had it contrairiwise?

The story of Creation in Genesis 1 gives us more than a mere factual record of how the universe began. Understanding creation gives us insight into how God ordered reality itself. The chapter contains a great deal of language indicating patterns of order, such as the repetition of “God saw that it was good,” and significantly for us today, that evening and morning were the first day. Interestingly, these passages describe the days beginning at night, not in the morning. This is no coincidence, so let us consider its importance in light of our focus this month.

The pattern established in verse 5 makes more sense when we look at it in context. In 1:2 we read, “The earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep.” Light is not created until verse 3. Darkness comes first, then God brings light and order out of the chaos. Right here in the first few verses of the creation story, God tells us that He brings good out of evil, wholeness out of a void. Though Sarah be barren, though God’s people be enslaved in Egypt, though Mary be a virgin, redemption will come.

When faced with our sin and the misery and destruction it caused, we may be tempted to despair. “Darkness” may seem triumphant. Yet, this is just where God begins His work. Repentance can mean a new day for all of us. Tomorrow we will continue to unpack the importance of this “night and day” pattern in Genesis.

APPLY THE WORD
Each morning can promise new hope, but how often are hopes disappointed! Hope can be renewed when we see that God brings help often at our lowest ebb. As one commentator states, “If creation began in the dark, can it be wondered that our [new birth] will be begin there also?” Today let us not shy away from the darkness of our souls, knowing that God’s “new creations” are made through repentance.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Genesis 1
Go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” - Matthew 9:13
TODAY IN THE WORD
Beginnings can be difficult for most of us. For example, our culture is permeated with anecdotes about first days on a new job. Search “first day of work” on the Internet and most results include anecdotes about unexpected tasks or bad bosses. Of the millions of options, though, probably none say, “On my first day of work I was shown my office and told to sleep.” Such an experience would go against all of our expectations.

Yesterday we found a similar unexpected twist when we noticed that in Genesis 1 days begin at night instead of the morning. Unpacking this seeming flip-flop of our expectations can help us understand God’s love for us and our need for Him.

Thanks to electricity, we can be active 24 hours a day. But before artificial light, after sundown it was simply dark. Activity needed to cease. What could one do except sleep? Sleep should remind us of our finitude. Our bodies weaken and must “shut down.” Without sleep we would die, and yet sleep itself foreshadows death.

We can make no new beginning with God unless we see that all we can bring is our tired and broken self to Him. Jesus’ words to the Pharisees in Matthew 9:11-13 must have been hard for them to hear. As religious leaders in Israel, they believed they brought something valuable to the table. Not so, says Jesus. And until they saw this, He would remain irrelevant and even threatening to them.

Repentance does involve a kind of death. We must kill any grand notions we harbor about ourselves. We often think this is too hard, but who among us, when we are tired, would not want sleep? This is all God asks of us when we approach Him, for He “desires mercy, not sacrifice.”

God knows our weakness, and He will not ask for more than we can give. Christ’s words in Matthew no doubt seemed harsh to His audience, but they are imbued with love and compassion. He is the boss who wants you to start the day with a nap.

APPLY THE WORD
None of us enjoy failure, yet it is inevitable. The test is in what we do with failure. God offers forgiveness to those who fail. Author Shirley Carter Hughson once wrote to a friend, “All He asks is that we repent, and then go straight forward trusting in His love.” Let us pray for this contrite spirit, one that will not hide our sin from ourselves or God. He waits for us this day with open arms and loving forgiveness.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Genesis 41:1-40
God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. - Genesis 41:25
TODAY IN THE WORD
It was almost two years after a cow in Britain died of an unknown illness before the disease responsible was diagnosed as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad-cow disease. Because the disease went unchecked for so long, an epidemic erupted, killing hundreds of thousands of cattle and passing a similar disease on to humans who had eaten beef from infected, undiagnosed animals—166 people in Britain died as a result, and the impact to the British economy was in the billions of dollars.

Pharaoh dreamed of the livelihood of his nation being gobbled up. The cows that appeared in his dream symbolized the fruitfulness of Egypt. He may not have deciphered the specifics of the dream, but Pharaoh knew the symbol of livestock well enough that he was deeply troubled by what he saw. Paired with the vision of the grain, the picture of healthy cows being decimated by gaunt ones filled the leader with fear.

Just as Pharaoh, his wise men, and his magicians were unable to interpret the dream, Joseph confessed his own inability to do so (v. 16). The difference was that Joseph trusted God’s ability to solve the mystery because God had given Pharaoh the dream in the first place (v. 25). How ironic was it that Joseph, once hated for the audacity of his dreams, would so humbly present the message of the Lord as it appeared in the dream of a king (cf. Genesis 37)?

Joseph didn’t just reveal God’s message behind the dream, he also immediately laid out an action plan to help Egypt survive the coming famine. Again it’s ironic that the man his brothers called “that dreamer” would prove to be a brilliant strategist with the capacity to save the economy of Egypt from certain doom. No wonder Pharaoh chose Joseph to fill the positionhe described. He had shown, yet again, that he was “discerning and wise” beyond measure (v. 39). Even more impressive, though, was the way God used something as insignificant as a strange dream to promote Joseph, save Egypt, and open the door to reuniting His chosen family of promise.

APPLY THE WORD
In this story, we see God using everything—nations, leaders, trials, even symbols of animals and plants—to fulfill His plan. Like Joseph, be attentive to God’s message wherever He reveals it, and do so with wisdom and humility. God can use the strangest or simplest methods to deliver His message, and He is glorified greatly when His Word is proclaimed and His plans are implemented by those who humbly and obediently submit to His will.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 11:1-26
I praise you, Father . . . you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. - Matthew 11:25
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his book Orthodoxy, G. K. Chesterton explains that he loves fairy tales (“entirely reasonable things,” he assures us), partly because of one basic law of the universe they teach: Joy is conditional. Cinderella, for example, can have the time of her life if only she will be back by midnight. Pinocchio can be a real boy only if he will not lie, and so on.

Matthew 11 teaches us that God’s grace is free, but not without conditions. As the chapter begins, Jesus assured people of the validity of John’s message (v. 10), but the problem for His audience was not lack of evidence. Verse 17 indicates that the people maintained an aloof detachment from events they witnessed. John the Baptist and Jesus had brought their messages, but their hearers missed the point (vv. 18-19). All they had witnessed should have led them to repentance.

Many of us grew up with an image of “gentle Jesus, meek and mild,” but He minced no words here. Jesus comparedthe Gentile cities of Tyre and Sidon favorably with the Jewish cities of Bethsaida and Chorazin (vv. 21-22). Sodom, a city that did not recognize the presence of God’s messengers, will be better off than Capernaum (v. 23), a city who had an even greater witness. Only after these judgments and warnings does Christ then begin to speak of blessings. And, curiously enough, these blessings go to the “little children” (v. 25) who can receive the revelation of God the Son.

Fairy tales do possess a bit of magic, for when children read them, they never question the world portrayed. They never think to ask, “Why must Cinderella be back at midnight? Why not 12:30?” This passage shows that Jesus wants this same attitude from us. Great rewards await us. But if we mimic Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, if we stay aloof “adults” in the face of the gospel, we will lose everything. “Then He began to denounce the towns . . . because they did not repent” (v. 20).

APPLY THE WORD
Repentance is the key, or condition, of God’s blessings. Many may fear what God has for them, and perhaps this is why they, like the audience in chapter 11, assume an aloof posture. But the wise know that nothing matters without repentance. We cannot work our way into God’s blessings; like children who bring their boo-boos in order to receive the biggest band-aid in the house, we bring our repentance before God knowing that He will heal us.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 11:27-30
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. - Matthew 11:30
TODAY IN THE WORD
Those with children know that mealtime can be an adventure, with new foods sometimes creating a great crisis. For many young ones, the unknown must by definition be horrible. It may take all the patience, bribes, or threats in a parent’s bag of tricks just to have one bite even attempted. Finally, the child obeys. The dreaded vegetable or casserole turns out not to be so bad after all. The anticipation and dread turn out to be far worse than the experience itself. Reality, once feared, now becomes pleasant once actually tried.

Yesterday we saw Jesus issue some of the sternest words in the Gospels. Those who reject His message face a fearful judgment (Matt. 11:21-24). But He follows this stern message with some of the most delightful words in the Gospels in verse 30. We often think of God like a tyrannical coach: playing for Him will be misery, but at least it’s better than being His enemy. Jesus explodes this insidious lie.

Life for many Jews at the time of Christ must have seemed burdensome. They experienced Roman occupation, with all the spiritual failure that implied. But this did not compare to the burden imposed by many religious leaders. While scholars debate the exact nature of Pharisaical teaching, a clue comes in Jesus’s own words in Luke 11:46: “You load people down with burdens they can hardly carry.” Clearly God had been made into a taskmaster, and following Him was turned into assuming dreadful duties.

As we saw yesterday, Jesus spoke the harsh words of verses 20 through 24 to people who stood by, perhaps out of fear, clinically evaluating Him. His message in verses 28 through 30 show us that His judgments are meant not to scare us into abandoning personal happiness, but to lift the burden of living life on our own terms. He welcomes us to His rest. His yoke is so much lighter than the ones we give ourselves.

APPLY THE WORD
In his classic Mere Christianity C. S. Lewis writes, “The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand our whole self . . . to Christ. But that is far easier than what we are all trying to do instead.” Repentance will not always be easy. But Scripture tells us that keeping the burden of guilt makes us far more miserable. The glory of the gospel is that God promises so much more than we could ever make for ourselves.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 27:3-10; Acts 1:10-15
So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. - Matthew 27:5
TODAY IN THE WORD
Today we look at Judas, one of the more heart-rending characters in Scripture. Author Dorothy Sayers, in her play, The Man Born to be King, speculates that Judas “means to be faithful—and he will be faithful—to the light which he sees so brilliantly. What he sees is the true light—only he does not see it directly, but only its reflection in the mirror of his own brain; and in the end that mirror will twist and distort the reflection.” Sometimes we don’t acknowledge the fact that we really serve our own idea of reality.

Because we know the end of the story, we begin reading the Gospels with Judas as the villain. But we must remember that Judas gave up a great deal to follow Jesus, just like the other disciples. He stuck with Him when others left (John 6:60-71). He must have had many gifts and the trust of the other disciples to serve as treasurer. To see Judas with no good qualities reveals only what we hope for, because that would make his betrayal easier to explain.

The problem of Judas does not get easier if we look at Judas’s reaction to events. He “was seized with remorse” (v. 3) and even returned the money he received. He knew that he betrayed “innocent blood” (v. 4). This certainly looks like repentance. Why was he condemned?

Despite all appearances, Judas did not repent. This makes sense only when we remember that repentance is not about our sin, but God’s grace. Judas’s death evidences his failure. While suicide has many possible motives, one can be a kind of narcissism. Judas could not escape his shame and misery because his world was not big enough to let God in. Judas’s actions echo two Old Testament passages (vv. 9-10). Matthew first cites Jeremiah 32:6-9, where the prophet bought a field on the eve of exile. The Zechariah passage (Zech. 11:12-13) prophesies an ultimate rejection of the Good Shepherd. One can see why Matthew uses these texts. Judas had much promise, but rejected the One who could have truly saved him.

APPLY THE WORD
In the myth of Narcissus, the nymph Echo truly loved Narcissus, but he disdained her. She is, after all, not himself. Judas’s failure to see God’s love in the midst of his sin doomed him to a prison of his own making. We ourselves may never repent unless we realize that no sin is beyond God’s forgiveness, and none of us is beyond Christ’s redemption. Nothing this day should keep us from the throne of grace.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 21:1-14
As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he . . . jumped into the water. - John 21:7
TODAY IN THE WORD
Charles Dickens’s famous line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” begins his novel A Tale of Two Cities. Key events turn on the question of identity. One character has a “body double” with an uncertain role. Throughout the novel the reader seeks to discover characters’ destiny, and the actions of this mysterious “body double” propel the story to its thrilling climax.

Yesterday we looked at the tragedy of Judas Iscariot, and today we look at someone much like him, the apostle Peter. Both served from the beginning with Jesus. Both had important roles in His ministry. Both, at the moment of crises, sinned greatly. Peter’s denial of Christ (John 18:15-18, 25-27) cannot have been much worse than Judas’s own actions. Both expressed regret for their deeds (Matt. 26:75, 27:3). But as we saw yesterday, Judas destroyed himself while Peter became a leader of the church. What was the difference?

Before the events of John 21 we have many signs that Peter will turn out differently than Judas. First, we note that Peter rejoined the disciples. After all of Peter’s boldness proved worthless (see Luke 22), he had the guts to return to his friends. Because of this he could witness the resurrection. We note his excitement as he ran to the empty tomb. Again we see that Peter did not obsess over his sin, and this freed him to focus on the wild hope of what God might have in store.

This same self-abandonment is revealed in our passage for today. Heedless of his dignity, Peter hurled himself into the water far ahead of the other disciples (21:7). Jesus mirrored Peter’s threefold denial with three questions of His own. Crucially, He showed His confidence in Peter by giving him the task to “feed my sheep” (v. 17).

Peter’s actions should remind us of another story. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the father runs toward his son upon his return, an “unseemly” move for a prominent village elder. So great is God’s love for us, that He abandons all claims to injury, all concept of His own dignity to receive us back in the fold.

APPLY THE WORD
God did not see Peter’s sin as an irreparable disaster, but as an opportunity to conform Peter more to the image of Himself. We cannot deny the misery our sin causes, but we must not stop there. Like Peter, we need a greater vision of how God can fill us with His love, even if we have walked away from Him. God still has work for us to do, and our repentance and His forgiveness prepare us to fellowship with Him and others.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Genesis 38
“She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not sleep with her again. - Genesis 38:26
TODAY IN THE WORD
Count Philippe-Paul Segur, personal aide to Napoleon, wrote a memoir of the disastrous campaign in Russia in which Napoleon suffered 500,000 casualties. Segur said, “We said among ourselves as we watched this stubborn, unbending giant wrestle . . . with the presentiment that this first step [of leaving Moscow] would be his ruin. . . . He dreaded above all to be giving way. Any risk was preferable to that!” Not even Napoleon’s brilliance could outfox the snares of his ego.

Today we examine an episode in the life of Judah, whose thoughtless behavior ensnared and embarrassed him. But unlike Napoleon, he used a moment of self-revelation to allow God to transform him.

After helping to sell Joseph into slavery (Gen. 37:26-27), Judah’s decisions went from bad to worse. He married a Canaanite (v. 2). His sons were a disaster (vv. 3-10). While traveling with his friend Hiram, he slept with his daughter-in-law, who posed as a prostitute, then covered his tracks, “or we will become a laughingstock” (v. 23). Judah used the word we, though there is no indication that his friend Hiram had sinned! Judah did not own up to his deeds, and remained blind to who he was.

When the people brought a pregnant Tamar before Judah and accused her of prostitution. Judah self-righteously pronounced judgment, proclaiming, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!” (v. 24). Tamar’s subsequent revelation, however, provoked this extraordinary statement from Judah, “She is more righteous than I.”

We know that this was more than mere regret, and it truly became a moment of transformation. The definitive evidence appeared later in his life. Some time later when Jacob’s children ventured to Egypt for food, it was Judah who offered himself as a substitute for Benjamin (cf. Genesis 44). He had sold his brother, married a Canaanite, had wicked sons, and fathered a child through his daughter-in-law. But repentance enabled him to be transformed into a man who could make selfless decisions.

APPLY THE WORD
Repentance is about hope, and Judah’s example should give hope to all. The “Shepherd” of Hermas, a Christian in the second century, helps us to reflect on God’s grace in repentance: “The Lord appointed repentance . . . for the Lord knows the heart . . . [and] the weakness of man. The Lord, being compassionate, dealt kindly with creation and established this repentance.” Take time today to praise God for not abandoning us to our sins.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Genesis 48:14-22; 49:8-12
The scepter shall not depart from Judah. - Genesis 49:10
TODAY IN THE WORD
Experienced educators know that at times, “the rabbit trail is the lesson.” When they change their plans to fit the interests of the class, the greatest amount of learning occurs. Genesis 38, which we read yesterday, represents one of the more unusual rabbit trails in Scripture. The diversion should catch our attention.

As the oldest son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel, we know that Joseph was special to his father. This status as the favorite son (see Genesis 34) is fully confirmed in chapter 37. We can surmise that Joseph may have been foolish and naive with his brothers, and not malicious. Unlike them, Joseph seems like a good guy. When they sell him into slavery in Genesis 37, we are left begging for the story to continue.

At this moment the story stops. By switching so abruptly, God tells us that something important is happening with Judah, something so monumental that we need to turn our focus from Joseph. We saw yesterday how Judah’s repentance changed him personally, and today we see what role he played in Scripture’s grand gospel narrative.

Before chapter 38, Judah is hardly mentioned. When Jacob blessed his sons (Genesis 48), surely we expect that the messianic thread (developed since Gen. 3:15) would continue through Joseph. He is the good and obedient son. If we read carefully, we should be a little shocked when this does not happen.

Jacob does honor Joseph greatly by giving him a double blessing (48:14-22). Judah’s blessing, however, has distinct christological overtones. From him the “scepter shall not depart” (49:10), and the themes of wine and blood hint at the sacrificial imagery of the Lord’s Supper (49:11-12).

We have our “aha!” moment when we look at the genealogy of Jesus recorded in Matthew 1, with special care to mention Tamar (Matt. 1:3). Surely, Matthew intends to recall Genesis 38, and Judah’s repentance echoes in our brains as John the Baptist cries, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!” (Matt. 3:2). Repentance is at the heart of the gospel. The rabbit trail has become the lesson.

APPLY THE WORD
Facing the crisis of our sins may look like a breakdown, but it is in reality a breakthrough of God’s love. Like the publican (Luke 18:9-14), when we repent our downcast eyes will lead us heavenward, and “those who will humble themselves will be exalted.” Take some time today to repent before God, opening your heart to a breakthrough of His love. By relinquishing pride, shame, and sin, we allow God’s good gifts of reconciliation and forgiveness to fill our lives.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 John 1:5-10
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves. - 1 John 1:8
TODAY IN THE WORD
Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax once commented, “Those who say spring training is unnecessary have never tried to throw a baseball.” It seems the great ones may be great because they never feel they have arrived and never grow complacent.

The same holds true of repentance. The fifth-century Christian Abba Sisoes told friends as he lay dying that he was asking God for more time to repent. “You do not need to repent,” replied his followers. “Truly,” Sisoes said, “I don’t know whether I have even begun to repent.” This sounds depressing if we think of repentance as focusing on our sin. As we have seen, however, true repentance focuses on God with eager expectation. This makes repentance a way of life, not an action confined to certain points in time.

Our passage in 1 John today at first glance may unsettle us. In verse 5 we see the declaration that “God is light,” and cannot have fellowship with darkness. We may desire to “walk in the light” (v. 7) but what of our sin, and the darkness that arises in our own hearts? Do we have hope?

Some attempt to escape the dilemma by arguing that John means only our initial confession of sin at conversion. Justified, we now will walk in light, which means that John addressed unbelievers. In fact, this is the very attitude John wants to counteract in these passages. The verb John uses for “confession” in verse 9 has a present or ongoing tense. Christians stand justified before God, but are not perfect. There are times when we “walk in darkness.”

The dilemma posed by verse 6 is resolved through confession and repentance. Denial of our sin does indeed put us at grave risk, as verse 8 indicates. But verse 9 gives us a great promise and great hope. God will forgive, and “purify us from all unrighteousness.” God has “no darkness at all,” but His cleansing grace allows us to dwell in His formerly inapproachable light.

APPLY THE WORD
Redemption is not without cost and can at times bring pain. Paul often uses the imagery of a long race as an illustration of the Christian life (2 Tim. 4:7; Phil 3:14). We might find this sobering, but only if we think we have already arrived. If we know that we still sin, we can find encouragement. As our reading today says, living in the truth must be practiced (v. 6). Like Sandy Koufax and Abba Siseos, we are on the right track when we realize we still have a ways to go.