Welcome Home - Day 302, Month 10-28 Week 42-1
Welcome Home
Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year)
2 Chronicles 22, 23, Job 20, Amos 6, Hebrews 9
As I was considering the words from the Scriptures we read today, I could not help but recognize the sadness.
We read often in 2 Chronicles how many kings “did evil in the sight of the LORD.” I know that we will read about a king in the next chapter who “did what was right in the sight of the LORD,” but it seems the bad kings far outweighed the good kings. Then we read in Job how his friends continue to judge him, suggesting that he is hiding his evil and that it will eventually be exposed. Then we read in Amos about how God “loathes the arrogance of Jacob (Israel).”
Finally, we are reading in Hebrews that people will die once and then face judgment. But Hebrews also tells us that Jesus offered Himself once to bear the sins of many. Today, before I started reading, we received an email with the sad news that our dog, Jake, has been diagnosed with cancer. A couple of days ago, I mentioned that Sylvia and her brother Stan are cancer survivors. The word cancer brings much fear when mentioned, so once again we are facing that difficult word.
I'm not really good at living in the sadness of bad news, so here's the good news. I know I'm jumping ahead in the Scriptures to some conclusions that I already know from reading Scripture and living life.
The next king does what is right in the sight of the LORD. Job eventually is restored to health, has more children, and sees his fortunes return. Jake would have been gone in two to three months if his cancerous growth had not been discovered when it was. We had taken him in for a teeth cleaning when they found it. Finding the growth will likely give us more time with him, and that is something we can be thankful for. Jake is already a senior, so we want to enjoy whatever time we have left with him. We never want to see a dog suffer just so we can keep him with us, but knowing that we may have more time together is a reason to be happy.
I've skipped over a lot to get to this point. However, I have talked about John 3:16 for the last couple of days, so you can go back and read what I said there.
There is the judgment when we die and stand before God. But Hebrews gives us hope. If we choose to follow Jesus, we can have confidence that our sins are forgiven. Why? Because, as it says in Hebrews 8:12, quoted from Jeremiah 31, “I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
All these difficulties in life will seem insignificant when we stand before God. As a Jesus follower, I believe I can stand before Him forgiven. I can imagine hearing those wonderful words: “Welcome home.”
Have a great day!
Steve
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