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My last devotion was about God’s provision for the widow of Zarephath during a drought as she provided for Elijah, the prophet of the Lord. The story continues…

1 Kings 17:17–24 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?” “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Then he cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!” The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!” Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”

In Bible Class, we were asked to share thoughts about how we have heard people respond to having troubles piled up on them. This woman lost her husband, was raising a child alone, had no income, endured and drought and was about to run out of food. She was not part of God’s Chosen people, but this man who served the God of Israel came and brought her some relief from the shortage of food. However, now her son was dead. Did you note her reaction? She blamed Elijah, and by extension, his God.

A lady at our table shared this thought: Why do we always blame God? Why do we ask, “How could God do this to me” instead of asking “Why did Satan do this to me?” Good point. We know that Satan is still operating in this fallen world. We also know that Jesus conquered Him with His perfect life, His crucifixion, and His resurrection from death.

Elijah took the situation of the widow’s dead son to the Lord. He didn’t understand why this had happened, but He pleaded with the Lord to spare the widow this loss and raise her son from death. And the Lord did just that. God used this situation to show His glory, His power, His strength, His control.

Once again the woman recognized the blessing she received and responded with gratitude. She acknowledged that the word of the Lord from his mouth was the truth.

We are quick to blame God for our problems. A friend in that same Bible Class shared that he had a stroke while touring with his motorcycle group earlier in the month. He and his wife were riding their three-wheeled cycle. He didn’t realize he had a stroke, and continued on the trip of over one thousand miles, returning home safely. He then said, tongue in cheek, “I have no one to blame for that but God.”  He recognized the blessing he had received as was grateful.

We need to acknowledge the one who is “the Way, the Truth and the Lfe” in our lives. He has blessed us beyond anything we could have imagined, giving us life instead of death, raising us from spiritual death to new life, giving us the certainty of life forever with Him because He took our punishment. Instead of trying to blame Him for our problems, let’s “blame” God for all the blessings He has given us, especially the gift of Himself as our Savior.

1 Kings 17:8–16 Then the word of the LORD came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food.” So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.” “As surely as the LORD your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.’ ” She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.

Our Pastor’s Bible Class yesterday had us consider this account of the Widow of Zarephath. Elijah made it very clear that God would provide for her and her son if she would provide for him, and that is what happened. As the discussion progressed, I wondered how she reacted that first day when she realized the flour and oil were not consumed. I would imagine she was overjoyed, ecstatic and grateful. The next day, she likely had similar feelings about the blessing she received. However, as time passed, I would guess the newness wore off and she came to expect that the flour and oil would never run dry. She took it for granted. In fact, I am sure she would have been upset if she went to the jars and found them empty!

I think we all get that way about the blessings we receive from God, don’t we? The children of Israel were grateful for the manna they received from God in the wilderness, at least at first. But then they started grumbling that they were tired of God’s gracious provision and wanted a variety in their menu.

Imagine I had someone who graciously decided to give me $1000 a week. I didn’t ask for it or do anything to deserve it. It was simply a gift. Week after week it was given to me. I was extremely grateful for it at first. But after a while, I planned on it being there and expected it to show up at the beginning of every week. Then all at once it stopped. I would grumble and complain about not getting something I never worked for, that had been a blessing, but I came to think I deserved it. I took it for granted, thinking it would always be available.

I fear we are in danger of being too complacent with the greatest blessing God has given to us, the forgiveness of our sins for Jesus’ sake. He earned it, not us. He gives it freely, we do nothing to merit it. We need to see it as the precious and tremendous blessing that it is. God will not take it away, because He has promised it to all who put their trust and faith and confidence in Jesus as Savior. I’m just giving you a reminder to see it for the undeserved blessing that it is. Offer a prayer of thanks today for the God’s gracious provision in your life.

1 Corinthians 1:18-24 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

While taking a prisoner from a correctional facility to be arraigned on robbery charges, the constable noticed a cross around the neck of the prisoner. Knowing the man was not religious, he took a closer look. The prisoner attempted to conceal something protruding from the top of the cross. When questioned, he said it was a good luck charm designed to look like a spoon for sniffing cocaine. But the constable was sure it looked like a handcuff key. By experimentation, he found that the protuberance would indeed open most handcuffs. His discovery led to the exposure of an attempt by prisoners in that correctional facility to make a number of these “cross keys.”

There is a cross that truly sets men free: free from the fear of death, free from guilt for past sin, free from the power of the devil. That cross is the cross of Calvary. Unfortunately, many are more concerned with freedom now for their body than they are about eternal freedom for both body and soul. All people need the cross of Christ, because it alone sets us free.

In the early days of the automobile a man’s Model T Ford stalled in the middle of the road. He couldn’t get it started no matter how hard he cranked or how much he advanced the spark or how much he adjusted things under the hood. It wouldn’t start. A chauffeured limousine pulled up behind the stalled car and a wiry, energetic man stepped out of the back seat and offered his assistance. After tinkering for a few minutes, the stranger said, “Now try it.” Immediately the engine jumped to life. The well-dressed individual then identified himself as Henry Ford. “I designed and built these cars,” he said, “so I know what to do when something goes wrong.”

The one who designed and built you knows what to do for you. He knew exactly what was needed to take care of sin, no matter how simple or foolish it may appear to us. It took the cross. And it was there that God fixed things. Jesus took care of sin once and for all. His sinless life was offered there as your payment for sin, the only payment that would be sufficient to satisfy God’s justice and righteous demands. He has bridged the gap of separation that your sins caused between you and God. The cross is your constant reminder that God now sees you as forgiven, redeemed and restored because of your faith in Christ Jesus.

We all have the tendency to be hyper critical of those who sin differently than we do. We can quickly point out what other people are doing wrong while ignoring our own faults. It has been this way since the Fall. Jesus spoke of it this way.

Matthew 7:3–5 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Even when our sin is much greater and more visible than our neighbor’s, we still focus on theirs. I recognize this tendency in my own life. I think we become comfortable in our own sins and dismiss them as no big deal, which allows us to justify our critique of others.

The truth we know from God’s Word is that we all have plenty of sin in our lives.

Romans 3:23 “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

We need to be careful to not just think of other people when we read those words. I need to understand those words hit me hard. Like a slap in the face hard. They are calling me to pay attention, wake up and REPENT.

When we repent, we take the plank our of our own eye, trust in Jesus and are assured of forgiveness. Listen to a little more of the context of Romans 3.

Romans 3:23–24 “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

That is Good News for everyday.

James 4:13–17 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

Those are some hard words to hear and take to heart. Not only do they remind you that you won’t be here forever, but they confront you with the reality that you spend a lot of time and effort doing things that are not God’s Will for your life. And they even tell you that you sin by NOT doing things.  Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

Are you convinced of the truth of those words? You should be. You all have things you know you should do. You should spend more time with your spouse and family. You should help your widowed neighbor with things he or she has trouble doing on their own. You should befriend those less fortunate with the wealth God has entrusted to your care. You should be a better steward of everything God has given to you. We all fall short in so many ways.

If these words make you feel uneasy, then the Law has done its work. The purpose of the Law is to show us our sin and our need for a Savior. And God has just what you need. The Gospel message is that He has provided the Savior you need in sending Jesus to be one of us, take our sin on Himself, and rescue us from what our sins deserve. Read these comforting words from St. Paul.

Romans 8:35–39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We have the victory over sin, including the sin of not doing the good things we know we should do, because of what Jesus did for us. That certainty gives me the motivation to try to do the good God wants me to do.

Jeremiah 31:31–34 “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

This is the Old Testament Lesson assigned to Reformation Day. It speaks of God’s New Covenant, fulfilled in the coming of Jesus to live without sin and offer His perfection as payment for our sins. That is why God will, for those who put their faith in Jesus, “forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” That teaching was restored to the Church through the Reformation, so this was and is an appropriate reading for that celebration.

But this reading is also a good fit for the season of Lent. Our focus during this penitential season is to remember that it was our sin and disobedience that demanded the awful payment that Jesus willingly made for us and the whole world.

When God speaks of His people here, He says His law will be in our hearts and minds. That only happens when we spend time in His Word. We can’t meditate on it if we don’t read it and know it. The world does not know the Lord and His goodness and mercy. That is why panic and evil are so widespread all around us. You and I know better. We have seen the love of God in the face of Jesus. We are confident of forgiveness, life and everlasting salvation, not because we have tried hard or done well, but all for Jesus’ sake. It is God’s covenant with us, based on what He has done for us. Live this week with that confidence.

Isaiah 50:4-10 The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God helps me; who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up. Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.

When I read this passage from Isaiah, the first phrase jumped out at me: “The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught.” And I asked myself that catechetical question “What does this mean?” The passage itself explains that one who has been taught should use his tongue to sustain those who are weary. But taught what? “Behold, the Lord God helps me.”

Do you know what it means to be weary? In my mind, it is more than being tired. It is an ongoing state of being tired, spent, and worn out with no relief. People can become weary in different ways: jobs, the strain of raising kids, or caring for an aging parent. Others are weary of the way things are going in our world today: divisions, racial tensions, political shenanigans and the like.

I am weary of sin as a whole. I recognize it as the cause of all the problems we have in this world. Then I remember that I have been taught what I need to know. And what have I been taught? That Jesus paid the price for my sins so that I could be forgiven. Jesus took my place in punishment so that I would not have to pay for my sins myself. Jesus has conquered death and the grave so that I am assured of eternal life. Jesus gives me what I need for my weariness.

Isaiah wrote for us “He who vindicates me is near … Behold, the Lord God helps me; who will declare me guilty?”  Those words of promise were fulfilled and embodied in the Word made flesh, our Lord Jesus, who said plainly and clearly:

Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  

As one who has been taught this, I am to use my tongue to share this message with others who are weary to give them the rest only God can provide.

“Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.”

This week Cheryl and watched our youngest daughter’s children, Iris and Simon, so that she and her husband could get away for a few days. They went to Key West. I know we had a good time, and I hope they did, too. Our middle daughter brought her two kids to join us part of the time, so Grandma and Papa got to spoil all of them a bit.

Because they were in Key West, I remembered the first trip Cheryl and I took to the Florida Keys about twelve years ago. Cheryl was still teaching school at the time, but they had a four day weekend during February and we took advantage of it. During that trip a winter story named “Nemo” hit much of the country, but we were enjoying a tropical climate.

While we were there, we went to Bahia Honda State Park to enjoy the beach. After paying the entry fee, we drove in, parked our rental car, and went to change in the bath house. As we walked back to our vehicle, a man called out to me and asked me if I was from Texas. That startled me a bit, but I said that I was. He said, “I think I have your wallet.” At that point I felt my pants pocket and realized that it was indeed missing. When I paid the attendant at the gate, I must have laid it in my lap, and then it fell out when I got out of the vehicle. Not only had this stranger found my wallet, but he and his wife went on a mission to find me. He was walking through the parking lot searching for me while his wife was going up and down the beach trying to find someone who looked like the photo on my driver’s license.

I thanked them profusely. In our brief encounter, I found out they were from Southern Illinois, near where I lived while attending Seminary. From the time I spent there, I know there are a lot of good, God-fearing, honest folks in that part of the country, and these folks fit that category nicely. Unfortunately, I was so mortified by my boneheaded stunt that I didn’t even get their names! However, I offered several prayers of thanks to God for them.

What could have been a terrible incident was averted thanks to these fine people going out of their way to be kind and decent and find me. We would have gone to the beach for several hours, blissfully unaware that anything was wrong, enjoying the sun and sand and water and trade winds. Only later when we were at a restaurant or hotel would we have realized how bad our situation was.

I was reflecting on this while sitting in the airport waiting for our flight home. As thousands of people walked past me, all busily going somewhere, I wondered how many of them were blissfully unaware that they are lost?

The fifteenth chapter of Luke is about folks like that, folks that are lost and need to be found, folks that may not even know they are lost. They may never know how bad the situation is until the end of their lives and they are called to give an account before their Lord. At that point, it will be too late, like it would have been for me showing up at the airport to go home with no ID and no means to pay for anything!

Thankfully, we have one who is relentless in his pursuit of the lost. Our Lord came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). He lived and died to pay for sin. But He doesn’t stop there.  He is like the shepherd that realizes one sheep is missing, and leaves those who are already safe to get that lost one (Luke 15:4).

Jesus is still seeking out people who don’t even know they are lost. He does that through those who follow Him. If you are one who has been found, you should be seeking those who are still lost. We want to ensure that they be given the opportunity to join us in eternal life with Jesus. That will be cause for even more rejoicing and celebration. (Luke 15:7,24).