Dare To Hope

March 29, 2013

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Scripture

Lamentations 3:21-24 “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!’” New Living Translation

Observation

In these verses, Jeremiah, also known as the weeping prophet, refuses to succumb to utter gloom and despair over the sin and rebellion of the people of God in his day. Although the sin and rebellion committed by the people deserve God’s full judgment, Jeremiah reminds himself that the Lord’s unfailing love, His unending mercies, His faithfulness, and His tender mercies are new every morning. As a result, he throws himself on the rock of God’s love and faithfulness where he dares to find his hope in the Lord.

Application

Even though my sin and rebellion against God deserve His full judgment, like Jeremiah, I will remind myself of the Lord’s unfailing love, never ending mercy, faithfulness, and new mercies every day through the complete and total forgiveness of my sin by my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. No matter what, I throw myself on the rock of His love, faithfulness, and inheritance of my salvation in Him which is where my daring hope comes from.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise You for You are Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our Righteousness! Thank you Lord for Your faithfulness that reaches to the heavens and Your tender mercies that are new every morning. Despite my failures, sin, and rebellion against You, I dare to place my trust and hope in You, the Lord my Righteousness in Christ Jesus, because You are good, You are faithful, and Your word is true. I love You Jesus! Amen!

Dare To Hope Copyright 2012, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, Dare To Hope, 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.

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.

Faithful To Forgive

August 14, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , , , , Leave a comment

Scripture

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Observation

In this passage, the disciple whom Jesus loved and whom was so close to Jesus that he leaned his head on the Lord’s shoulder at the last supper, the apostle John, shares one of the most incredible aspects of God’s unconditional love for us. Regardless of our sins, if we confess them to Jesus, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. It’s almost too incredible to believe that Jesus loves us so much that He will forgive us and cleanse us from our sins, even when we sin as one of His disciples saved by grace through faith, but it is true because Jesus is faithful even when we are unfaithful. 

Application

I can personally know and experience the depth of Jesus’ incredible unconditional love for me in the same way that John knew and experienced the Lord’s incredible unconditional love for him as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”, despite my sin, because Jesus is faithful to forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness when I confess my sin to Him. In truth, Psalms 36:5 states, “Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds” and Psalms 103:12 states, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise You for You are Jehovah Tsidkenu, The Lord Our Righteousness! I thank You Lord for Your faithfulness to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness when I confess my sin to You. I am so grateful for Your incredible gift to become the righteousness of God in You, my Lord and Savior. I love You Jesus! Amen!

Faithful To Forgive Copyright 2010, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, Faithful To Forgive, 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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