Day 300

Jeremiah 51:1-53; Titus 2:1-15; Psalm 99:1-9; Proverbs 26:17

Christians Under Attack

The Spectator, a British publication, noted that “According to the International Society for Human Rights, a secular observatory based in Frankfurt, Germany, 80 percent of all acts of religious discrimination in the world today are directed at Christians. Statistically speaking, that makes Christians by far the most persecuted religious body on the planet.”1 A few years ago at a conference on discipleship, the speaker challenged the audience with this question: “If you were to live in a country where Christians were persecuted for their faith would your life betray you as follower of Christ?” The question was not about whether or not we were seen attending church, or whether or not we wore a cross, but whether or not our very lives bore witness to our faith in Christ.

This is the point that Paul is making here in his letter to Titus: “Make sure you present yourself as a pattern of good works. Your teaching must be consistent and serious, in healthy speech that is beyond reproach. That way, our opponents will be ashamed, since they won’t have anything bad to say about us.” Do our relationships within our families bear a resemblance to the sacrificial love that Christ demonstrated on the cross?

Heavenly Father, help us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for Himself a people of His own who are zealous for good deeds. Amen.

The Rev’d Sarah Bronos

1. https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-war-on-christians

Day 299

Jeremiah 49:23-50:46; Titus 1:1-16; Psalm 97:1-98:9; Proverbs 26:13-16

A Just God

In Psalms 97 and 98, we read of justice and righteousness. This makes me want to pause. God is a just God, and we, who are His people, are often neither just nor righteous. The justice that is spoken of in these Psalms is more than honesty or fairness. This justice is an active intervention on behalf of the poor and the helpless. Our own judicial system appears to fall far short of the biblical definition of justice.

Biblical justice speaks of restoration and vindication, seeking to restore balance to a situation that has become imbalanced through the excesses of one party or another. Vindication does happen for some. It appears that restoration is more difficult to come by. Once a serious wrong is done, our lives are forever changed. To restore, in this case, may mean to make the situation better with God’s help and wisdom. This blessed restoration can cause us to be wiser and more patient.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” – Matthew 5:6

The Rev. Patricia Acker

Day 298

Jeremiah 48:1-49:22; 2 Timothy 4:1-22; Psalm 95:1-96:13; Proverbs 26:9-12

Holding on in Hope

If there was an Old Testament writer who saw things at their very best, it was Solomon. Nonetheless, he knew how upside-down life is this side of the Fall: fools pass off “wisdom” that should be marked “DANGER – FLAMMABLE!” (Prov. 26:9). Jeremiah saw things at their very Old-Testament-worst when, in exile for her sin, Israel came to know what it was to be a laughingstock among the nations (Jer. 48:16). At the end of an amazing career of launching the gospel in Europe, Paul writes his last words in prison (again!) for the Gospel. He tastes as much emotional pain from friends who have deserted him (2 Tim. 4:16) as he does antagonism from the “lions” who seek to destroy him (4:17).

How do you not lose hope? You remember that God has always shown patience that outlasts His anger. Psalm 95 calls on Israel to let the years of rebellion stay in the past (v. 8-11) and live joyfully in the presence of His shepherding care. You remember that God is always working a plan that will see perfect equilibrium established (Ps. 96:10), through the coming of that psalm’s promised King (v. 10,13). You recall that God promises that one day He will both restore faithless Israel and also heal the prideful nations through whom He has judged His people (Jer. 48:47; 49:2,6). Finally, you recall that Paul held out for himself – and for all who “long for Christ’s appearing” – the hope for “the crown of righteousness” from the Righteous Judge (2 Tim. 4:8). There is always cause to keep holding on in hope!

Reggie Kidd