God Knows Our Hearts

Readings:
II Chronicles 6:22-42
Acts 18:1-11

Focus:
II Chronicles 6:30b: "As you know a person's heart, reward him according to his deeds, for you alone know the hearts of all."

As Solomon continues to pray that God will consecrate the new temple he has built, he asks that God will hear the prayers of the Israelites and that he will forgive their sins.

For each person to be rewarded according to his own deeds was a somewhat revolutionary concept in the ancient Middle East, where people were punished not just for their own sins, but also the sins of their family members. But Solomon asks that God will consider the heart of each person who prays, and judge each person on that basis, on the basis of what each person has done. This is greater justice than what the Israelites may have been used to.

Even so, in the long run it is not enough for salvation, not for anyone. If we were all judged by God according to our deeds, compared to the righteousness that is necessary to measure up to God's righteousness, we would all fail. As Solomon says in verse 36, who is free from sin? Every one of us is guilty of at least petty sins such as selfishness or unfair anger. Yet we must be free from sin to enter salvation.

That is why God provided Jesus to be the sacrifice for our sins, instead of us. All we have to do is to acknowledge our sins and acknowledge what Jesus has done, and God counts that then as if it were our own righteousness. God knows our hearts, and he knows if we love him and acknowledge him. This is good news!

It Was Accomplished

(My posts may be somewhat sporadic in the next week to 10 days due to the holidays and my vacation.)

Readings:
II Kings 16
John 19:16b-30

Focus:
John 19:30a:"Having received the wine, he said, 'It is accomplished!'"

Jesus knew the purpose for his death. He was not a great teacher with a vision, who somehow failed in the end. No, he was God himself in human form, having come to earth in order to die instead of us, so that he could accept the punishment for our sins. He himself committed no sin, but he bore the blame for every single sin, little or big, that every single person, past, present, or future ever did or ever will commit. This is so that when any one of those people was or is or will be sorry for their sins, and turns to God, and intends to commit sin no more to the best of their ability, then they will no longer have to suffer the punishment for their sins, because Jesus already did. That's how much God loves us.

That's why Jesus was born at Christmastime. He came to earth as a little baby so that he could grow up and die in order to take the punishment for our sins. O come, let us adore him.