Standing Before God 17th Day in Lent (Monday) Read: Romans 5:1-11 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” Romans 5:1-2a (NIV) ‘Grace is the basis for our standing before God’. What does it mean to ‘stand before a King’? I enjoy reading the historical fiction books by Philippa Gregory. It is obvious in these books that there was a hierarchy in society in the Middle Ages. There was the upper class consisting of the kings/monarchs, nobles, knights, and clergy. Then the middle class tended to be the merchants, doctors, and those with important jobs; and then there was the lower class – the peasants and serfs who performed all the menial tasks and jobs. Firstly, to see the king you had to get through all the secretaries and make an appointment – only if you had an important issue. If it wasn’t important or considered necessary or beneficial to the kingship, there would be no way to stand in the king’s presence. Through the saving action of God in His Son Jesus Christ, God has allowed us to come directly into His presence and talk to Him freely. Back in the Old Testament times, the common people had to talk to God through the priests and offer sacrifices to make themselves worthy. Now we are reconciled with God. Reconciliation is talked about quite freely in society and between cultures and nations, but the essence of reconciliation is to bring people together with differences or conflicts and help them understand each other. Being reconciled with God means that He has come to us directly and made us clean through the act of Jesus on the cross. He opened Himself up for us to understand more of the nature of God. So, we can stand in His presence – the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We don’t have to ask for an audience from a priest or secretary. Through the grace of God, we can stand in His presence and ask Him for whatever is on our minds. We can understand and accept the grace and love that He offers us every day. Jesus’ act of suffering allowed us to stand before God. Prayer: Dear Lord God, thank you for your reconciling love and act of grace toward me. Being able to stand in your presence is humbling, helps me always to be appreciative. Amen. 2
Where is the treasure?
by Sue Smith
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..that is, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:2b,3).
Read Colossians 2:1–7
Here, Paul is writing to a church that he has not yet visited. They are being bombarded by all sorts of teachings and ways of being spiritual. He wants to encourage them to continue walking in the way they were taught and to know that they are in his prayers and are not alone, even when he can’t be with them.
Riches and treasures are mentioned here – riches of assured understanding in God and the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, but they are found only in Christ. Don’t be tempted to search anywhere else! Knowledge requires wisdom in application; seek the Holy Spirit in this. This comes by being deeply grounded in Christ and built up in him. Continue to take in God’s word every day.
Seek to support and encourage others you may not see physically, just as Paul did with this body of believers.
‘O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God’ (Romans 11:33a)!
Lord God, we praise you for sharing the mystery of Christ with us, in whom we have all the treasures we need. Help us to live in Christ in every aspect of our lives, share with others, build up the body of your church, and through this, come to overflow with thanksgiving for being in union with you. Amen.
Sue Smith recently retired from the oil industry and lives with her husband, Peter, in Port Macquarie NSW. She enjoys knitting, the gym and ocean swimming. She serves in her local St Peters congregation and on the LCANZ’s Commission on Social and Bioethical Questions (CSBQ).
Treasure in clay jars?
by Sue Smith
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But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us (2 Corinthians 4:7).
Read 2 Corinthians 4:3–12
Would you keep your treasure in clay jars? Can you imagine your most precious and important items being kept in a clay jar?
In biblical days, clay jars were important vessels that held liquids necessary for life: water, wine and oil. They would have been in constant use. These pointy-bottom amphora jars can still be seen in the ancient countries of Türkiye and Greece.
At home, I associate clay jars with the terracotta-coloured pots seen in the garden – left outside, grimy, mossy, exposed to the elements and, therefore, a little worse for wear … and, if they get knocked over, they break quite easily, and then usually are of no further use or worth – except possibly as pieces in the bottom of the next garden pot.
God has decided, however, that the precious lifesaving message of Jesus Christ should be conveyed through us. We are the clay jars existing on Earth. And there is no greater contrast – that God be glorified and proclaimed through the weak clay jars we are. Paul wanted to assure the Corinthians that they have an important role to play in spreading the gospel.
So, for myself, I’m no longer going to worry if I get the occasional chip around the edges, so long as Jesus is glorified.
Can we accept this?
Lord God, thank you for using us as we are – simple clay jars. Help us to show your saving love in every interaction with others, so that you shine through. May you always be glorified in all that happens in our everyday lives. Amen.
Sue Smith recently retired from the oil industry and lives with her husband, Peter, in Port Macquarie NSW. She enjoys knitting, the gym and ocean swimming. She serves in her local St Peters congregation and on the LCANZ’s Commission on Social and Bioethical Questions (CSBQ).
Eternity – what a concept
by Sue Smith
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And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
Read Ecclesiastes 11:9–12:7
Having recently retired after more than 38 years working at one company, I thought I was quite aware of what this next phase would mean and bring.
I have watched others go down this path. I’m well aware that you need to have other goals and activities in your life. I regularly exercise and have formed good connections in all the groups to which I belong.
I note with a little chagrin that my body isn’t quite the same as it was 10 or 20 years ago, when everything seemed achievable. I like to think that I am emotionally aware. I also participate in several committees, which keep my brain active. People have told me that it takes a year – and I thought that seemed a little too ‘over the top’. But I have been struggling a little to rediscover my identity in this world.
Today’s passage reminds us of just how quickly life and its twists and turns come and go. It points out quite clearly that this body will return to where it began – dust returning to the earth. Our lives are finite and constrained by what we know of this world.
Recently, when driving on a highway, I was reminded of Keith Green’s song ‘I can’t wait to get to heaven’. He opens it by saying that God made Earth in six days, but Jesus has been working on heaven for two thousand years – so can you imagine what that will be like? There is so much more out there!
Everything starts and ends with God. Take pleasure in what he has given to us here and now, and know that there is even better waiting for us in heaven. Our identity rests in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, which completes the yearning of our souls.
Lord God, thank you for fearfully and wonderfully making us to be in communion with you. Help us to surrender and centre our identity on Christ alone, in whom we find the peace our souls long for. Thank you for all the beauty that surrounds us here on this earth, and we look forward to heaven, where we will be with you. Amen.
Sue Smith recently retired from the oil industry and lives with her husband, Peter, in Port Macquarie NSW. She enjoys knitting, the gym and ocean swimming. She serves in her local St Peters congregation and on the LCANZ’s Commission on Social and Bioethical Questions (CSBQ).