JANUARY 9 READING…PSALM 11 & GENESIS 19-20 & MATTHEW 3
The theme from today’s reading is God’s righteous judgment. The Psalmist tells us that God will protect those who belong to Him, but He will also judge the wicked. God is holy, and He will not accept anything less than that which is holy. This is why in Christ Jesus we are made holy…this makes us acceptable to God. Not our holiness, but the holiness of Christ in us. In Genesis we read of the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham pleads for them to be rescued from God’s judgment, and God tells Abraham that if there were ten people in both of the cities who were righteous, He would not judge the cities. There was not even ten people, but God does rescue Lot, his wife, and his two daughters. Lot’s wife cannot take her eyes off the sin she was rescued from and is turned to salt. Sadly, even though Lot was rescued, he and his daughters enter into incestuous relationships, with the offspring from these relations being trouble for God’s people. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for going after strange flesh…men with men, and women with women…doing that which is an abomination to God. God’s righteous judgment fell. We are not any different from these cities, for our cities and our country now endorses, celebrates, and demands the acceptance of perversion…God’s righteous judgment is coming!
In Matthew we are introduced to John the baptizer. His message is a warning to the world in general, and to Israel specifically. He warns them of the coming judgment of God…and calls them to repent. God was using John to call people to turn around and return to God. We need to hear this message again today…repentance is needed in our churches. We have gone far from where God has called us…and it is time to return. We cannot rely on our religious heritage…we must get right with God, now! John spoke of Messiah Jesus who was coming to baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. The fire of God in the Scripture refers to one of two things. The first is the cleansing fire of God to those He redeems…the Holy Spirit dramatically cleanses and changes us. The second is the fire of God’s judgment. To believers the fire of God purifies us…to those who reject God, and walk in wickedness, the fire of God consumes them.
Please share your thoughts.
TOMORROW’S READING…GENESIS 21-23 & MATTHEW 4
Comments