Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule: Zechariah 13-14; Luke 24
Devotional Thought:
Title: “The Picture of Atonement” Zechariah 13
“In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.” (vs. 1) The prophet Isaiah preached, “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 27:12-13) In yesterday’s devotion, we saw how God will give to Israel the “spirit of grace and of supplications…” (12:10) as they repent of their sin and place their faith and trust in the Messiah which they crucified. The only thing that was standing in the way of Israel’s cleansing was their own pride that caused them to refuse to confess or agree with God and His word. However, when Israel confessed their sin God wonderfully and completely forgave them and cleansed them of their sin. The same is true for us today. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) When Israel confessed Jesus as Lord, they exposed the deceit of false teaching, they expelled the devotion to false gods, and they got excited about being dedicated to the truth of the Messiah. That is what repentance looks like today as well. When we confess our sin, we acknowledge that we have been deceived, disobedient, and disloyal. We make a decision to accept what God has said as truth, to agree with what God has said is truth, and to put into action what God has said is truth. When we do this, we elevate the Lord Jesus Christ to His rightful place in our hearts as King of our life. There is no safer place, happier place, or fulfilling place than when King Jesus is in His rightful place in our hearts. The Jews will one day experience what we have the joy and opportunity to experience every day. Through repentance that brings cleansing, we can experience the joys of a personal, perpetual, and perfect walk with the Lord. It starts with our salvation and continues throughout eternity. “And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.” (vs. 9) What a great way to decide to start 2016, by deciding to humble ourselves and allow the Lord to have His rightful place as preeminent in your heart and life.
Personal Requests:
• Lord, please help me to enjoy the relationship I have been given with you at my salvation. Thank you for your patience with constant confrontation and your conviction with me and comfort that you give. I am so thankful to call you my Heavenly Father!
• Lord, thank you for your grace and mercy that are available for the asking. Thank you for the access into your throne of grace that I might find grace and mercy in time of need.
• Lord, please help me to never make excuses for sin, but to humbly deal with it and accept the fresh cleansing that comes from repentance.