Chaplain’s Corner – Jesus’ Promise: He Is Our Great High Priest Forever

“Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood”(Hebrews 7:23-24).

Most of you probably will not understand this, but one of my primary requirements for medical professionals is youth. Not because I necessarily think that youth has more current knowledge (though they may have) or is more compassionate (though they may be). It is for the simple reason that I want them to outlast me. I do not want to keep on finding replacement doctors. I want to find the one I like and have them with me for the rest of my life.

Maybe this is something you do not concern yourself with now, or that you take for granted. But if you have a critical medical condition, regardless of your age, I bet you take comfort in the security of having a competent doctor and that he or she is walking along side you all the way.

Now think about this in the context of Jesus, our Savior. Jesus is our Great High Priest, meaning that he is our intercessor and mediator before God. He knows us fully and intimately. The High Priests of the old covenant only served to age 50, then they retired and ultimately died. Jesus is our eternal Great High Priest. It is such a relief to not have to start over again and again to develop a relationship with the One who holds our future.

This also brings to mind the situation one of my sons found himself in during his college years. He played college football. He worked really hard as a first-year student to earn his place on the team. Then the coach abruptly left at the end of the season, and my son realized he would have to start all over to prove himself worthy to the next head coach. It was quite discouraging. Most of us do not compete at that level, but perhaps we are in situations where we feel we must constantly prove our worth. Similarly, the Israelites before Jesus’s time were required to offer continual sacrifices because the sacrifices were not meant to be enduring. Also, the priests themselves had to offer continual sacrifices to purify themselves before God before they could offer sacrifices on behalf of others. That is really the way of the world. But Jesus atoned for our sin once and for all with His death on the cross. It is finished.

We must never take for granted that our most important status in life is already secured and cannot be lost, because it was secured by Jesus on our behalf. Jesus, the only God our Savior. Jesus, King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God. Jesus, Lord of Lords and King of Kings. You do not have to keep looking for another new priest, who has to continually purify himself. You do not have to keep proving your worth. All we have to do is accept Jesus. What a beautiful condition we find ourselves in, because of the grace of God, that we can be secure in our salvation.

As we prepare for the season of Advent, let us first look back with grateful praise for victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – God’s Promise: He Is Our Help

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Maybe you have not thought of this verse as a promise, but it certainly is. God assures us that he is always working for the good of those who love him. And even though we cannot always understand His ways, we can trust Him that He is working for our ultimate good. We know this because of His sovereignty, His ability, and His goodness.

First, God is sovereign:

• “Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?” (Deuteronomy 3:24).
• “Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant” (2 Samuel 7:28).
• “Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death” (Psalm 68:20).

Second, God is able:

• “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand” (Daniel 3:17).
• “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).
• “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

Finally, God is good:

• “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34.
• “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him” Nahum 1:7).
• “No one is good but One, that is, God” (Mark 10:18).

God is sovereign, God is able, and God is good. The work he is doing in us is a good work. And do not miss the references to “all” and “always.” God is not just sovereign and able some of the time. God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good.

John’s Gospel tells of a time when many of Jesus disciples were turning away because of their lack of faith. Jesus asked The Twelve if they also wanted to leave, and Peter, speaking for all of them, said: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69). In this time of Thanksgiving, thanks be to God for who He is and for his gift of salvation.

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

In Christ,

Judy

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1).

What a world we live in! Listening to the news can nearly put me into panic. The cost of everything is increasing. Family members are sick, both physically and mentally. Traffic is a nightmare. Kids. Parents. Politicians. Natural disasters. Violence everywhere we turn, even in places we consider to be sanctuaries. We are assaulted on every side. And then there is the craziness of the holidays. I do not have to tell you what you already know. We see it at home. And we see it at work. We truly can all say that we know someone who has it much worse than we do. And then we agonize over their situations. But that is not the reason I am writing.

None of this is a surprise. The point of my writing is to bring assurance. What is going on the world is not a surprise to God. Yes, the enemy is at work, unleashed by the Fall. Satan is at it–wreaking havoc until the day that even he knows is coming, when Jesus will put him under His feet. But Jesus assures us: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

So, my devotional for this week is a reminder. My brothers and sisters in Christ, I pray you will take comfort in the words of this beautiful song.

Psalm 46

¹God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

³ Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

⁴ There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
⁵ God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
⁶ The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

⁷ The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

⁸ Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.

¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

¹¹ The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

And in the final chapters of the Book of Revelation: “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” (Revelation 17:14).

In Christ,

Judy

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).

Several of these devotions have focused on spiritual warfare. We know that God fights for us, that He protects us. Last week, the devotion described how sometimes God provokes the enemy to destroy itself through confusion. We continue this theme this week by focusing on how Jesus promises to equip us for battle. There is a very important underlying assumption in this opening verse. The assumption is about who we regard as our enemy. Sometimes we overlook the real enemy by focusing on the people around us that we think have wronged us in some way. It is these people that Jesus tells us to love. In this case, our divine power comes from love.

Peter points out our actual enemy. He warns: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). This describes a powerful and evil force, one that would require special weapons for defense. And in fact, Paul writes in Chapter 6 of his letter to the Ephesians exactly how we are to be equipped against this type of enemy. He describes it as putting on “the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” 

1. “Stand firm, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist” – When we recall that Jesus called Satan the “father of lies” and how God considers deception to be an abomination, we realize how a zealous pursuit of truth will make us strong in the Lord. Jesus is the Truth, so when we trust Jesus, we are secure in our defense.
2. “…with the breastplate of righteousness in place” – The breastplate is designed to protect our hearts. What is righteousness? “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Therefore, we have the protection of righteousness when we have accepted Christ as our Savior.
3. “…and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” – We must be ready to share in the message of salvation; that is, to go on the offense with the good news of the saving grace of Jesus.
4. “Take up the shield of faith” – Our faith in the power of Holy God will “extinguish the flaming arrows” that Satan sends our way.
5. “….and the helmet of salvation” – The helmet guards our head, that is, our minds, our way of thinking so that we can distinguish between truth and deception. God is the author of salvation. When we accept that only by the grace of God through Christ Jesus are we saved, then we know the Truth, and the Truth will set us free.
6. “…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” – In other words, study and meditate on the Word of God so that it is ever on your mind and on your tongue, so that you can call on the Holy Spirit to tell you what to say and what to do. Follow Christ’s example: when He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness He quoted Scripture, to which Satan had no defense.
7. “And pray in the spirit on all occasions” – This means that we pray with the mind of Christ, we seek His will and desire to align our heart with His.

This sounds complicated, but it really boils down to the simple (not necessarily easy) message of grace. ^“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9). And when we accept this marvelous gift, Jesus also promises “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Satan has no power over Jesus! And when we receive the gift of salvation, we are protected by Jesus, our mighty King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Take comfort in that wonderful fact.

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2: 9-11).

In Christ,

Judy

“I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run” (Exodus 23:27).

We have just experienced Halloween with its diverse cast of characters, some cute and some devilish. Halloween seems to bring out the dark side. As I reflected on this, my mind turned to depictions of “bad guys” in the movies and on television. Have you ever noticed that so many times, their ultimate demise is the result of their own stupidity, their selfishness, and/or their lack of unity. For example, the three bank robbers all try to get more of their share of the loot at the expense of the others and end up killing off their partners or getting themselves caught.

Whether or not the writers of these dramas know it, they are following a script we see in the Bible numerous times. For example:

• During the time of Gideon: “When the threeunits blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and shouted, ‘A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!’ And each stood in his place around the camp; and all the army ran, crying out as they fled. And when they blew the three hundred trumpets, the Lord set the sword of one against another even throughout the entire army; and the army fled” (Judges 7:20-22).
• During the time of King Saul: ^“While Saul talked to the priest, the commotion in the camp of the Philistines continued and increased; so Saul said to the priest, ‘Withdraw your hand.’ Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and came to the battle; and behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow Philistine, and there was very great confusion” (1 Samuel 14:19-20).
• During the time of King Jehosaphat: “’Listen to me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: Put your trust in the Lord your God and you will endure. Put your trust in His prophets, and succeed.’ When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the Lord and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for His faithfulness is everlasting.’ When they began singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were struck down. For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, completely destroying them; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. (2 Chronicles 20:20-23).

The assumption is that there will be battles during our lifetime—whether military or interfamily, financial, physical, emotional, spiritual, or cultural—and we will face the enemy. In fact, the more we are attuned to God’s holiness, the more likely we are to sense the presence of evil because it becomes even more abhorrent to us.

The message is that God is faithful, and good will win over evil. God uses different means to accomplish his good purposes. Sometimes he allows evil to just play itself out. We can trust in God’s victory over evil.

What is instructive is that we all have a role to play in the battle. Sometimes our role may seem irrelevant or ineffective in the face of conflict. In Gideon’s case, the people were to carry a torch and a trumpet, shout, blow their trumpets, and stand in place. Saul’s people had to show up for the fight and watch the Philistines fight with each other. The subjects of King Jehosaphat were to sing and praise and give thanks. I think that’s great advice to live by. In any event, we must trust in Him. In this day, as in the days of old, battles are being fought both here and abroad, even in the Holy Land. The battles are sometimes physical, always spiritual. We must be prepared to do whatever is required of us. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).”

Lastly and most importantly, we must not be anxious or fearful. Remember, Jesus said in John 16:33b “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Notice the verb tense: The present perfect is a grammatical combination of the present tense and perfect aspect that is used to express a past event that has present consequences.) Our confidence in the sovereignty and victory of our Lord and Savior is a powerful testimony to others.

“Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’” (2 Chronicles 20:15).

In Christ,

Judy

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

In our American culture (and it may be true of other cultures-I just don’t know), we tend to be selfish. This is a human trait, and it seems to be manifest, or strangely obvious, in our land of plenty. We are competitive, or I am, anyway. And for me to win, I used to think that meant everyone else had to lose. Some days are better than others, but honestly, don’t we want what we think we deserve, whether it is first place in line, the first cookie (and maybe the last also), the top recognition? Our culture tends to value this competitive spirit, this ambition to win, whether it is in business, sports, the battlefield, or academia. This competitive spirit can also lead to what Steven Covey has labeled a scarcity mentality. We are afraid there is not enough to go around, so we had better get ours while the gettin’ is good. This is also referred to as a zero-sum mentality, meaning that for me to win, you must lose, so the net result overall is still zero.

I realize that I am writing to some incredibly godly, generous, big-hearted coworkers for whom this opening paragraph does not apply as much as to others in our culture, but you know what I mean. And I bet you can identify at some level if you are honest with yourselves.

This striving is not all bad.

• The Apostle Paul urges us: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).
• Jude writes “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend (fight strenuously) for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people” (Jude 1:3).

When Jesus promises an abundant life, of course he means a life full of riches, blessings, contentment, and security. But even more than that, he promises that this abundant life is not limited to just a few selective, deserving people. In fact, God desires that all be saved. For God so loved the world!! Jesus desires that all that the Father gives him will be saved, regardless of who they are or what they have done. “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37).

This grace that Jesus so generously gives means that we, too, may receive it no matter who we are or what we have done. It is a gift, and whether we are first or last, if we believe and receive, we are as eligible for the crown, the faith, as anyone else. We do not have to be concerned whether Jesus notices, because like God He is all-seeing. We do not have to be concerned whether Jesus is in a good mood that day, because he does not operate out of feelings but only agape love. And we do not have to be concerned whether a quota has been met and we lost out. In fact, we know that the last will be first in God’s economy. We also do not have to be concerned about who else is getting this grace and whether they deserve it as much or more than we do, because we know that sharing love, compassion, and faith multiplies rather than divides. Jesus is about multiplying, not dividing. He is the definition of abundance.

“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” (Romans 5:17).

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

In Christ,

Judy

“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

If Jesus’ promise that He is the Life were not true, then we would all be doomed to death. Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you die—meaning that this life would be all we could ever look forward to. There is another word for this: Hopelessness.

This verse spells it out a little more clearly: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25). This statement is a paradox. It seems to contradict itself, but it actually reveals a great truth.

There is an assumption in this verse that death is inevitable, which is also true. Physical death is an inevitability as a result of the curse pronounced by God upon Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). “And the Lord God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” (Genesis 3:22).

Throughout the Bible we see darkness, sin, and death together juxtaposed against light, goodness, and life. Satan represents darkness, sin, and death. Jesus is light, goodness, and life.

When we die, our bodies are separated from our souls. Our bodies return to the earth as ashes and dust. Our souls go to heaven or hell, depending on our relationship with Jesus. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

How does Jesus change this; how do we have eternal life through Him? Jesus is the fulfilment of the promise God made way back in Genesis chapter 3. After Adam and Eve’s disobedience and the resulting curse of death, God makes a stunning prophecy, or promise: that a descendent of Eve (Jesus) would ultimately defeat the serpent (Satan). Through Jesus’ birth, life, and death on the cross, he paid the penalty for our disobedience (atonement) so that we could go free. Through his resurrection, Jesus defeated death and made it possible for us to enjoy eternal life with Him.

God’s prophecy in Genesis 3:15 was fulfilled in Jesus. God made another prophecy which we read in Revelation 21:3-4 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” The curse will be overturned, and with the defeat of death, we will have life everlasting. The tree of life which God planted in the Garden of Eden, freely available to Adam and Eve until their sin and banishment from the Garden, we will experience in even greater magnitude in the New Heaven and New Earth. No more curse, no more darkness, no more night. Only light and life, eternal life.

“And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bondservants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:1-5).

In Christ,

Judy

“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

I do not know about you, but I have come to rely upon my GPS for navigation and traffic. All I do is put in the address and “she” tells me how to get where I need to go. But then, I might also check Google navigation just to be sure, and often they disagree. And then, someone will recommend Waze which may suggest an alternate route to avoid a slowdown. So, do I take the one that says it will get me there quickest? Perhaps I should take the one that is the most conservative estimate. Or maybe it is the one that has proved most reliable over time. The problem is that not one of my devices is 100% accurate. So, you say that’s because conditions are changing all the time—traffic, road construction, weather, etc.

And even worse—have you ever fought to get somewhere and found when you got there that they had moved????  One time I was going to a play at TPAC. I had parked and was rushing down the street, cutting it close (and it was cold that night). When I arrived at the door, the sign said the entrance had changed to the other side, in essence, I still had two more blocks to go. UGH! BRRR! Conditions change all the time. What does not change is that I need to be at work at the start of my shift, or at my doctor’s office at the appointed time, or in my seat before the show starts. Those things do not change.

In life, we all have a final destination, and we are headed there now, if we have not already arrived. Our destination is the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is right where it has always been and always will be, in other words, you can count on it to not move or be moved. Heaven is where God is, and Jesus is sitting at His right hand.

“Forever, O Lord, thy Word is settled in heaven. God’s Word, or Law, is eternal and unchanging – fixed and established forever in the heaven of heavens” (comp. Psalm 89:2; James 1:17).

Not only is Heaven unchanging, the way to get there is described in the Scriptures and has not changed since they were written more than two thousand years ago. In John 6, we have two amazing miracles: Jesus feeding the five thousand, and Jesus walking on water. The next day, the crowd came looking again for Jesus.

“Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:24-29).

 Jesus is very clear, He is the only way to the Father in Heaven, and the only way we will stay on The Way to arrive in Heaven is to believe in The Way.

To continue with the logistical analogy, even though I happen to live on a dead-end road, I am fortunate in having more than one way to get to get to my road from wherever I am. Some of us pride ourselves on always having a Plan B, a backup plan if the first one falls through. Some of us have multiple options in play all the time, juggling and grabbing whichever seems the most profitable or expedient at any given time. And that is sometimes good; however, not when it comes to our path to the Kingdom of Heaven. In those cases, there is only one Way. To count on other things, to hope a Plan B will work, is to take our eye off our ultimate destination. Let us remember:

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

In Christ,

Judy

 “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin” (Exodus 34:6-7a).

The words above describing God’s steadfast love and faithfulness are an attempt to translate the Hebrew word “hesed,” which appears 248 times in Scripture. According to various lexicons, when this Hebrew word is used in Scripture, it is translated as one or more of the following words: grace, kindness, goodness, piety, beauty, favor, good deeds, lovingkindness, mercy/merciful. Sally Lloyd Jones talks about “hesed” as God’s never-stopping. never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever kind of love. Is that not beautiful? I cannot read or repeat this without a catch in my throat.

This love is ours for the asking, for the receiving. Notably, Jonah, in the belly of the fish, said, “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace (hesed) that could be theirs” (Jonah 2:8).

Jonah was learning. He knew intellectually about the grace of God, but he did not want it extended to Nineveh. He felt they were undeserving. The problem here is that it is not up to us as to who is deserving of God’s grace and mercy. (Thank God!). Jonah tried to run from God, both literally and in his disobedience. But God pursued him and yet allowed him to reach the depths of his mess in the bottom of the sea in the belly of the fish. Finally, when ‘Jonah could run no more, he prayed to God. “In my distress, I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry” (Jonah 2:2).

And when Jonah prayed, God answered. “And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land (Jonah 2:10).

God loves us with an everlasting love, yet we must realize our desperate need for him. We must cling to him only. If we grasp for other sources of help, we will miss the grace, the hesed, of God. Remember, in the words of the Apostle Paul: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).

“Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.” (Jonah 2:8-9).

In Christ,

Judy