Issue 1653 – Saints – January 22, 2025

The canopy of trees over the trail reminded me of an archway.  Each leaned in a bit to cover the trail.

As I walked the trail, I thought of the arches of palms and willows waved over Jesus as He entered the city of Jerusalem in the days before His crucifixion. The crowds adored Him, worshipped Him, and boldly proclaimed His name.

As we know, that adoration didn’t last very long. Many of those same people were likely in the crowd that a few days later cried out to Pontius Pilate, “Crucify Him!” He went from hero to zero in the space of a few days.

People are fickle. If you don’t believe that, look at most sports fans. As long as the team is winning, it is the greatest. Start to lose, however, and watch the crowds get the scent of blood. 

Watch politicians and actors move in and out of favor as the crowd sees fit. Today’s great is tomorrow’s has been. Yesterday’s loser is today’s winner.

The line between hero and zero is thin. 

There is a case where that doesn’t apply. You see, without Jesus, we’re all going to lose. We have sinned, and we’re kept apart from God. With Him, even the worst of sinners can become a saint for eternity. 

Let’s clarify that last sentence: saint is a word often misunderstood in Christian circles. A saint is any believer in Jesus Christ. The tradition of elevating specific individuals to “sainthood” has no biblical foundation.

If you know Jesus, you’re a saint. We’re made right with God and reconciled to Him because of His sacrifice. The Father sees us through the righteousness of the Son and declares us set apart, holy.

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood, not his own, or then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:24-28

Fortunately, unlike us, He’s not fickle. He’s steadfast and will stick by us for all eternity. Once we’re under the blood, we’re there to stay. That’s a good thing.

Until next time, rejoice. God is good!

Be blessed

Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

Kevin

Gleanings From The Word

Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)

Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.

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Arch of trees