Friday, October 13, 2017

Four Confession Booths; No Waiting!

Friday, October 13, 2017
Praise the Lord!  Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!  His faithful love endures forever.  Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?  Who can ever praise him enough?  There is joy for those who deal justly with others and always do what is right.  Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people; come near and rescue me.  Let me share in the prosperity of your chosen ones.  Let me rejoice in the joy of your people; let me praise you with those who are your heritage.  Like our ancestors, we have sinned.  We have done wrong!  We have acted wickedly! 
Psalm 106:1-6(NLT)
Scripture records how, in the Garden of Eden God held Adam and Eve accountable for their actions of disobedience.  In the entirety of the rest of Scripture there is an unmistakable pattern of:
·       God’s ways being clearly laid-out,
·       followed by humankind’s disobedience and rebellion,
·       and that followed by God’s invitation to return to fellowship. 
The Psalmist’s pattern is no different. 
When we read Psalm 106 we can stop short with praise the Lord and thanking Him for his good and faithful love.  We can be mesmerized by his glorious miracles.  We can (and do) spend much time in asking to be remembered in his favor and rescue (including tons of prayers for Aunt Susie’s toenail infection, heart procedures and gastric problem relief).  We pray heartily for participating in the prosperity of the chosen ones.  We want to take part in the joy of [God’s] people.  We want all of that!
But too often we forget the final verse of that praiseworthy litany:
Like our ancestors, we have sinned.  We have done wrong!  We have acted wickedly!  Psalm 106:1-6(NLT)
I was having a discussion with other pastors on a Facebook page this week about the Matthew 22 passage where Jesus is teaching about the kingdom gathering for the celebration of the Bride (church) being married to the Bridegroom (Jesus, the Son).  One man shows up without a robe, and is kicked out of the party.  The discussion centered around why the man wasn’t accepted; obvious (and orthodox) theology tells us it was because the robe is required.  That robe represents righteousness, and it is only available through faith in Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection.  The man without the robe sauntered into the banquet hall in his own costume (self-righteousness), and God, the Father of Christ the Bridegroom, had the arrogant one ejected. 
This is a picturesque and common teaching method to get across the point – we aren’t connected to God or His salvation in any other way than the way God has proscribed.  We come to Him on HIS terms, not ours.
And that way is still the cross, by way of humble confession of our sins

For You Today

The title of this devotion is somewhat misleading, or under-stated; there are more than four confession booths…there’s one for each human who has ever lived.  Yours is in the same place mine can be found…in our hearts and minds.  When you confess Christ as Lord and Savior, he dresses you in a robe fit for the wedding feast of the ages!
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!
Go To VIDEO

[1] Title Image: Courtesy of:  Pixabay.com

No comments:

Post a Comment