Forever Fair

October 26, 2012

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Scripture

Ezekiel 18:25-26 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair?”

Observation

In this passage of Scripture, the prophet Ezekiel is confirming by the Spirit of the Lord that His way is fair and our ways are not fair.  The people in Ezekiel’s day were thinking that their righteous deeds without repentance would somehow cover their inequity and they would live; however, the Lord says that they would surely die.  On the other hand, the Lord also says that if the wicked man turns and repents from his sin, he would surely live and not die. The people were having difficulty understanding that both the righteous and the wicked needed a Savior.

Application

Unfortunately, many people in our day can have the same difficulty understanding that both the righteous and the wicked need a Savior.  There is no amount of self-righteousness we can have that will replace our need for a Savior.  Plus, there is no amount of wickedness that we can do which our Savior cannot cover with His righteousness when we repent.  Romans 3:23 states that “We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and 2 Corinthians 5:21 states, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Through Jesus Christ, the Lord is forever fair to all who call upon His Name and repent.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise You for You are Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our Righteousness! Thank You Lord for shedding Your blood on the Cross to pay the debt for my sin and for giving me Your robe of righteousness that completely covers my sin in repentance. I am grateful Lord that Your ways are not my ways and Your way is forever fair! I love You Jesus! Amen!

Forever Fair Copyright 2011, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, Forever Fair, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

The Lord Delivers

December 1, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , , , 1 Comment

Scripture

Psalms 34:7 “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.”

Psalms 34:17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.”

Psalms 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

Observation

In this psalm, David declares three times that the Lord delivers the righteous out of all their troubles and afflictions.  By declaring this promise of the Lord three times in the same psalm, David is saying that this promise is BIG and means a lot.  According to Bartlett’s Roget’s Thesaurus, this means that when the Lord delivers me, He saves me, rescues me, comes to my rescue, throws me a life-line; snatches me from the jaws of death, saves me at the last second or minute, rescues me at the eleventh hour, saves me by the bell; extricates me, unravels me, untangles me, extracts me, gets me out; unfastens me, unlooses me, unties me, unbinds me, unfetters me, unchains me; unburdens me, disburdens me, disencumbers me, rids me of, saves me from, relieves me; releases me, emancipates me, liberates me, frees me, declares me free, sets me free, sets me at large; unlocks me, unbars me, lets me out, lets me go, lets me off, gets me off, reprieves me, acquits me, exempts me, excuses me, dispenses me from, spares me; redeems me, ransoms me, bails me out, buys me off, purchases me; salvages me, retrieves me, recovers me, brings me back, and restores me. There is no promise bigger or better than the Lord’s promise to deliver the righteous!

Application

Personally, “by not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith,” I am declared righteous in the Lord’s sight (Philippians 3:9).  Therefore, “being the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus” (2 Corinthians 5:21), the Lord’s promise to deliver me applies to me and everyone else who calls upon the name of the Lord and is righteous in His sight through faith in Christ. This is good news!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise You for You are Jehovah Tsidkenu, The Lord our Righteousness!  Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for me so that I could be delivered from the power of darkness and brought into the kingdom of Your Son whom You love. I am forever grateful for Your promise and Your faithfulness to deliver me in Christ! I love You Jesus! Amen!

The Lord Delivers Copyright 2011, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, The Lord Delivers, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

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