John 19:30 Jesus says from the Cross, “It is finished.”

The mission of taking the burden and accountability for our sin, that he came to earth to accomplish, was finished. Then, as described in Matthew 27:51, “At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart”

The curtain was what separated the sanctuary from the “Holy of Holies” where only the Jewish High Priest was allowed to enter to be closest to God. Now with the curtain torn, there is no special place to be close to God. Now Jesus is the connection that all of us have.

Dear Lord, How wonderful it is that, “It is finished” are not words of death and despair for us, but words of forgiveness and peace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

In order to purify gold; to take it from ore found in the ground to high enough quality for use for jewelry, electronics, and other things, it is heated to melting. When this is done, the impurities and other metals separate and the pure gold can be removed.

Peter uses this illustration in 1 Peter 1:6-7, he says “although you may have to suffer for a short time in various trials. Such trials show the proven character of your faith, which is much more valuable than gold – gold tested by fire. ”

God lets us experience trials, setbacks, disappointments, to develop us and make us better. Our job is to stay in faith and use these trials to refine our faith and character, so we come out of it stronger and more capable.

Dear Lord help us remember that you are there to help us through our trials, and You are refining us so we can be a better Christian person. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Just before the Jews entered the land God promised to them, modern day Israel, after they were led out of Egypt by Moses, Moses gave them something we might call a charge, or duty which is applicable for us today.

He said in Deuteronomy 4:40, “I am giving you these instructions so you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”

The commands Moses gave them, recorded in Deuteronomy 5, were what we call the Ten Commandments today; In my words, Put all your trust in God and don’t make other things more important than Him, show respect for God’s name, go to church, respect and honor your parents and authorities; Don’t murder, commit sexual sins, steal, lie, or desire something so much that you would do wrong to get it.

In Deuteronomy 5:33 he tells them, “Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives.”

Dear Lord, Your directions are clear; Help us follow them, because they are the instruction manual for our lives, to make it work well. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

You have probably heard someone use this expression when they seemingly have tried everything to get something accomplished, “What’s it going to take to…….”

In the Old Testament, God sent prophets to the people to try to get them to change their ways. One of these prophets was Amos.

In Amos 4:6 he tells the people God’s message saying, “I brought hunger to every city and famine to every town. But still you would not return to me. says the Lord.”

God is saying in essence, “what’s it going to take to get you people to return and follow me?”

We cannot know if the causes of problems in our lives are put there by God to get us to return to him, but they may be. Either way, however, we should turn to him for help, comfort, and resolution of the struggles in our lives.

Dear Lord, When we have negative experiences, may they remind us to return to you. You are our strength, protection and salvation. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I think humans have an inherent desire to know how things work, and why things are the way they are; So much so that we guess, which in Science we call a “hypothesis.” Many people who want to rule out God’s design, and His creation as a reason, conveniently use the word “theory” for their guess.

As Christians, we accept that there are many mysteries we do not yet understand, and may never understand.

In John 3, Jesus says that we must be “born again” to enter the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus, a Jewish scholar or Pharasee, questioned what Jesus meant. Jesus replied in John 3:8, “The wind blows where ever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but cannot tell where in comes from, or where it is going, so you cannot explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus doesn’t understand, and Jesus tells him, like he tells us about our “theories,” in John 8:12, “But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things?”

Dear Lord, You give us so much of your wisdom in the Bible, much remains a mystery, but some we just choose to question. Open our eyes and hearts to see your meaning and believe your message. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.