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Proverbs 21

Is it a joy for you to live justly? When I think of justice, I immediately am reminded of athletics. Many years ago, there was a commercial running by The Foundation for a Better Life promoting the #PassItOn sportsmanship campaign. A youth basketball team is in the championship game and the ref calls an incorrect turnover but Alex, the player who actually hit it out, tells his coach “I touched it”. His teammates start ragging on him to get him to quiet down, but he knew the just thing to do. He went and told the ref and had the call reversed.

You see in these silent situations, our character is tested. Are you going to do the right thing or quietly do the thing you know you ought not do. I think of situations in school when the innocent loner is getting relentlessly bullied. If you say something, the crosshairs are now on you. Are you going to do the right thing and step in or quietly allow the injustice to continue? Maybe you are at work and you find the paper trail of a coworker stealing money from the company. Do you stay quiet or do you do the just thing and turn them in? “But It’s a huge corporation! The rich just always get richer! They won’t notice it’s even gone!” How would you like it if someone took it from you? Treat others as you would want to be treated.

Not only is it a joy to live justly, but it’s a joy to not come to destruction as the workers of iniquity do. Sin must be punished. The question is who is going to pay the punishment? If you don’t trust in Jesus, the one who bought you at a price by paying for your sin on the cross, then you will pay the just punishment by spending eternity in Hell. The beautiful thing about Jesus is that God’s mercy and justice cross perfectly in His atoning work. Sin is punished while we don’t get what we deserve. His grace is shown by offering us the free gift of salvation by trusting in Him. I want to leave you with Proverbs 21:3, “To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” God wants your heart more than He wants your religion. Continue to abide in Him.

Today’s Reading: Psalms 97

“Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. 

Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around. 

His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. 

The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. 

The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭97‬:‭2‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The imagery that is conveyed in this psalm is so spectacular. It shows the full power and majesty of God. It also shows his power over all creation. 

There is a beginning of many prayers that also reflects God‘s majesty and raining over everything. 

 Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, which translates to Lord our God, King of the Universe.  

This is the beginning of many Jewish prayers.  It reminds us of the excellence and awesome and awe-inspiring nature of God. The psalms and the prayer beginning reconnect us with God’s place in nature and how he has created everything.

So many times we see these big amazing works of God and then God also shows his majesty in smaller works.  

Just a couple days ago. I had a patient who came in and was ecstatic about the news that he had received from his physician.  Over the last several months, he’s been coming to the pharmacy and picking up medications. Each time he comes, we chat and discuss his plan for his overall health. This past week he came in ecstatic, he had lost over 50 pounds in a couple of months. The physician decreased his blood pressure medication and also stopped using his insulin.  He reset his diet and his exercise plan and went from about 500 pounds down to 450 pounds. 

If I was a typical Pharmacist, this would be a point of congratulations and move on. But God has shown me that he still reigns in “the small things”.  It is not by coincidence that this gentleman has reset his life and has reset his future. God has allowed me to be in his life to encourage him and to give him tough love. This patient has in response has changed the trajectory of his future.  Now this patient can walk several miles without becoming winded, when only a couple of months ago he couldn’t walk to the door without being winded . He can stand at the counter and not have to hold onto the counter for support. His face is beaming with happiness and joy. 

He informed me that so many people in his life have passed away and he has not had that connection. He has found a connection through me. But God has given me the opportunity to be there in his life.  God is showing me how he reigns in everyday life. This is a monumental miracle similar to that of the mountains being melted.

I see  the reflection of God’s reign in seeing my daughter play softball two months after she had a traumatic injury. She was able to play a game this past weekend with the full stamina and energy and resilience that she had two months before. She showed God‘s radiance. God is performing miracles daily. God is showing that he still reigns in everybody’s life daily.

Sometimes it doesn’t have to be a big spectacle to see how God is moving in your life. If we are opening up our minds and our spirits to receive God‘s blessings, then we are able to recognize the miracles that are happening in our daily life.  

Be blessed

Psalm 72

We are right to be wary of kings. Samuel warned Israel that kings take: they take sons and daughters, fields and vineyards, servants and livestock, only  to increase their own power. Kings often make rules that benefit themselves while burdening the people (1 Samuel 8:10–18).

Psalm 72, however, gives us a picture of a different kind of king.  This King we would gladly embrace.

He is filled with righteousness.
He rules with justice.
He brings prosperity to the people.
He defends the poor.
He delivers the needy.
He crushes the oppressor.
His dominion has no boundaries.
He subdues his enemies.
Other kings bow before him.
He rescues the weak because their lives are precious to him.
Under his reign, the land flourishes.
His name endures forever.
Through him, all nations are blessed.

Israel asked for a king like the nations. Psalm 72 teaches us to long for a King unlike any the nations have ever known.  A King of kings.

We have that King. His name is Jesus.

In 2 Samuel 12, the prophet Nathan confronts King David after his adultery with Bathsheba and the arranged death of Uriah. Nathan’s parable exposes David’s sin, and David immediately responds, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13, NKJV).

This chapter reveals that God’s justice and mercy are never in conflict—they work together. God’s justice requires that sin be exposed and addressed. David, though king, is not above God’s law. He experiences painful consequences for his choices, reminding us that forgiveness does not always remove earthly consequences.

At the same time, God’s mercy shines brightly. Nathan declares, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.” David deserved judgment, yet God spared his life because of His grace. David’s genuine repentance opened the door to forgiveness, even while discipline remained. Justice upheld God’s holiness; mercy restored David’s relationship with Him.

The cross of Christ is the fullest expression of this same truth. God’s justice against sin was satisfied through Jesus’ sacrifice, allowing His mercy to be freely extended to all who repent and believe. We never have to hide our failures from God. Like David, we can confess honestly, receive forgiveness, and trust God to redeem even the most broken parts of our lives.

Reflection: How does God’s justice and mercy meet in this passage? God’s justice confronts and disciplines sin because He is holy, while His mercy forgives and restores the repentant because He is loving. Both reveal His perfect character and point us to the grace found in Jesus Christ.

Revelation 1

This final book of the Bible is a prophetic one. John says that whoever reads this book and whoever hears it will be blessed by it. Yet many people don’t want to crack it open because of all the symbolism, the doom, and the gloom. It is also important to note that this is the singular Revelation of Jesus Christ. This book, while it does display God’s wrath and judgment, is a book of God’s grace and mercy to an unbelieving world.

This book is about Jesus, the One, “who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father” (Revelation 1:5-6). This Jesus I speak of has made us a royal priesthood by atoning for our sin. Jesus is the beginning and the end. He is God. He is infinite and eternal.

One of the greatest promises of the Bible is that Jesus is coming back for us. The theme of Revelation is found in verse 7, “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.” The Old Testament connections in Revelation are beautiful. Read Daniel 7:13-14, “As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.” Sounds like Jesus to me.

But why is He delaying? Why doesn’t He just come back now on the clouds? Jesus is waiting for the fullness of the Gentiles to be saved. In other words, let me plagiarize what Peter has to say, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). This mercy and grace are what God is displaying all throughout Revelation. He breaks the seals, blasts the trumpets, and pours the bowls trying to wake up a people who are dead in their sin without Jesus. Many people will be saved in the tribulation, but many will shake their fists at God. In the fourth bowl judgment one of the saddest Bible verses reads, “And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory” (Revelation 16:9).

Our God is one who is just, merciful, gracious, and loving. Trust in Him today and receive the grace that He is offering to you. Read Revelation and you will be blessed by it.

Today’s Reading:  I John 1

Who needs me to extend grace?

Over the last couple weeks, we have been reviewing God‘s grace, and how we can extend it to individuals. In today’s question of the prompt it says “who needs me to extend grace? “ To that question, the answer is to everyone. Grace should not be only given to certain individuals, but everyone that you come in contact.

When trying to search for the ones to extend grace to,  I started having certain people in my mind. But then  I understood and realized that grace is something that we give continuously without measure or regard to the individual. Each person needs to have grace. When we start to delineate who gets grace and who doesn’t, then we are not a reflection of God‘s grace to us.

Walk in the Light

5 This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there’s not a trace of darkness in him.

6-7 If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin.

8-10 If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—simply come clean about them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.

I John 1:5-10 MSG

In the first letter of  John, chapter 1, it shows that everyone has sinned  and everyone has been given grace. No matter how much we believe that we are not worthy, we are examples of God‘s grace. Each one of us is a reflection of the grace that God has given to all humanity. We all are to be that reflection, and to be the example that God has created us to be.

John is an eyewitness of Christ. He has seen the beginning and the fullness of God‘s love and grace. We have been given the opportunity to open up our hearts and our minds and our spirits. This is an opportunity that many individuals do not understand that they have. We have the ability to brighten up someone’s day and to give hope. 

How can we go intentionally to share God‘s grace? Has someone wronged you and you can give them God‘s grace? Have you hurt someone and asked for forgiveness and grace? Is there a possibility that you have said something or done something unintentional, and has caused suffering? And all these things that we can look at as an examining of our lives in these areas that we can have an intentional deliverance of God‘s grace to others. 

May you have a great and blessed week

1 Peter 1

Peter says we can live with “great expectation” (1 Peter 1:3, 13). Are you?

Expectations matter. Great change is usually pursued by people who believe change is possible. Martin Luther King Jr. expected a future in which people could live with greater freedom and equality. That expectation shaped everything he did.

Guess what? Your expectations shape everything you do too.

My expectations aren’t always so great. When Monday arrives, I expect it to be miserable. By the time Friday rolls around, I’m not anticipating a meaningful weekend; I’m just expecting to unwind.

Our expectations are often shaped by our limitations. Intelligence, health, age, energy, experiences, and disappointments all play a role. We look at what we have, measure what seems possible, and adjust our expectations accordingly.

But what would happen if we allowed God to shape our expectations instead?

Moses expected God to lead His people toward the Promised Land because God had promised it. David expected an enduring kingdom because God had made a covenant with him. Neither expectation rested on personal strength. Both rested on the character and promises of God.

What did Jesus expect?

He expected rejection, suffering, and a cross. More importantly, He expected resurrection. He also expected a handful of imperfect disciples to carry His message into the world. He looked at something as small as a mustard seed and expected a kingdom to grow from it.

Do you think Jesus has expectations for you?

That is Peter’s invitation. Great expectation doesn’t mean expecting an easy Monday, a trouble-free life, or every personal ambition to succeed. It means expecting God to remain faithful—especially when life is difficult.

So, what do you expect this week?

Are your expectations being shaped by your present limitations or by the promises of God?

Are you living with great expectation?