Salty Zebra

  so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28  When I was a kid, we had a candy called Now and Later. They were a taffy candy that advertised their long-lasting flavor. You could enjoy them now, and still be enjoying them later. Turns out they are pretty long lasting because when I searched for them just now they’re still around, quite a few years later! These came to mind when I was reading our verse today about Jesus’ first and second coming.   I discussed last week how Jesus came the first time to pay the cost of our sins through His perfect sacrifice on the cross. This was necessary and important, a finished work in itself, but not everything that God has planned for Jesus to do. Jesus paid the cost for our sins and purchased our redemption on the cross. That’s the Now. Right now, our sins are forgiven when we confess them to Hi...

  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted yet he did not open his mouth; he was like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.   Isaiah 53:5-7  Jesus didn’t live an easy life on earth. When He was a baby, His family had to flee to Egypt to escape Herod’s wrath. Once Herod died they returned to Nazareth where His earthly dad, Joseph, presumably resumed his work as a carpenter. This would likely have provided sufficiently for their family, but they would not have any luxuries of this world. The Bible doesn’t explicitly state what happened to Joseph, but all circumstances point to him dying before Jesus began His ministry at about the age o...

  The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”  John 1:29  God knew that sin would be a problem for us before He even created the world, and that’s why He had a plan to take care of it, but He had to bring us along with Him. If God had shown up in the garden of Eden one evening for His walk with Adam and Even and told them, “There’s going to be this issue called sin, but I’ll take care of it,” they never would have understood the weight or importance of it all. Instead, they had to experience personally what the cost of sin would be, most directly their separation from God. I’ve got to figure that throughout all of human history, Adam, Eve and Jesus are the only ones who fully comprehend this as they experienced perfect communion with the Father and then lost it. This is a real problem, but we had to experience it to realize that.   Over the course of time, God has patiently held humanity’s ...

  In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!   Philippians 2:5-8  Have you ever stood in line at a soup kitchen and eaten dinner there? If so, was it because you didn’t have the money for a meal, or because you wanted to identify and engage with others who were there? Have you ever even considered it? Pro tip, you’re not taking food away from someone who needs it more. Every time I’ve served in the kitchen there has been more than enough for the people in line, usually allowing them to offer seconds to those who want it. Sometimes they’ve even sent food home with my husband when he serves because there is so much le...

  “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”   Isaiah 1:18  I messed up in my parenting a lot. I tried; really, really hard, but I still messed up a lot. And sometimes I messed up bad. My daughter has been so gracious in recent years. She has been willing to be honest with me about things that hurt her, ways that I didn't meet her needs as a child. She has been willing to converse, and to forgive. While it is not comfortable or fun, it's certainly not the most enjoyable part of our relationship (of which there are many), I think it might be the most important. We were making dinner together last month and I mentioned how much I enjoy cooking with her now. We did not enjoy cooking together when she was younger for a variety of reasons. I don't think I handled those reasons as well as I could have, and that weighs on me. It piles guilt an...

  Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”   Luke 19:9-10  The story of Zaccheus reminds me a little of A Christmas Carol and Ebeneezer Scrooge. Zaccheus was hated and despised, and for good reason. In the eyes of his neighbors, he had collaborated with the enemy, the Roman government. He worked for them, their oppressors, and collected the people’s taxes. But he didn’t just do that, he added a little on the top for himself. He had cheated them all for years and kept the profits for himself. But God didn’t see fit to send three spirits to open Zaccheus’ eyes to his deplorable condition and desperate need for a Savior. No, God sent the Savior Himself!   We don’t know what God had been doing in Zaccheus’ heart leading up to this day, but something had to be at work there to have him be so desperate to see Jesus as He passed by. The crowd was thick a...

  Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.   1 Timothy 1:15-16  I think I need to borrow this line from Paul. How often do you go to share something with someone knowing that they will nitpick it and argue with you? Paul knew that his audience would poopoo his confession of being the worst of sinners – but he also knew that it was true. Paul knew his own heart, really Saul’s heart from whom he had been converted and changed into Paul ( Acts 9:1-19 , Acts 13:9 ). Paul knew what he had done, thought, and intended to do further. Everyone he was talking to today only knew him as Paul the apostle, the guy who has devoted his life to Jesus and spends every moment serving Him. But Paul...

  You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:6-8  Raise your hand if you’ve ever thought you needed to do something to earn God’s love, if you ever thought that you had to “get right” with God before you could accept Jesus as your Savior. Ok, now don’t you feel silly raising your hand while you’re sitting there reading on your phone or computer? 😂😂 Yeah, me too. There was definitely a time in my life where I thought I had to clean up my act, quit drinking, quit cussing, quit smoking before I could come to God and humbly ask for His forgiveness and presence in my life. I mean, how could I ask a perfect, righteous God to associate with someone like me? I knew the things I had done and said and thought. I k...

ChatGpt's interpretation of this event But the Pharisees and their experts in the law complained to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered them, “Those who are well don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”   Luke 5:30-32  Have you ever met someone for whom nothing is good enough? It seems like they can find fault in anything and everything around them exists only to disappoint them. They wouldn’t compliment you on the hairstyle you carefully arranged, they’d point out the hair out of place. They wouldn’t appreciate the feast set before them, they’d complain about the lack of options they’d prefer. This might not even be the way they are all the time, just some of it. Sometimes they are quietly appreciative, and others they are vocally disapproving of everything . I feel bad for them. I think they’re missing out. I try not to let them bring m...

  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.   John 1:14  Have you ever been on a mission trip? Even just a short term one for a week or two? It is life changing, not just for you, but for the people you visit. My friend, Sackie, was the head of operations in Liberia for Serve the Children, a ministry that our family has been involved with for more than 20 years. He came to the US to visit one time in the early 2000s and spoke at our church. Afterwards I felt a tug on my heart to go on a trip to Liberia, to experience what he talked about, to do something . But, and this will not likely come as a surprise to you, I recognized that travel to Africa is expensive and I wondered if my personal contribution to a mission team would be worth what it cost. Would me giving $3,000 be worth more than me showing up for a couple of weeks and playing with some kids...

  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”   Luke 2:10-11  My husband is the consummate provider. Taking care of those around him has been his hallmark characteristic for as long as I can remember. He has worked hard his whole life to take care of me and our children, making sure we had everything that was good for us, including time and access to him as he prioritized family vacations and being there for important events like recitals and graduations. He even saw family time as such a priority that thirteen years ago he bought us a house out by the ocean so that we could have a place for focused time together! He went on to echo this caring instinct in his career with Microsoft where for years he was in charge of first making sure things worked right for people around the world and then making sure that they w...

 Have you ever looked up at the sky and it was almost green? Clouds, dark and swirling, hover on the horizon and you're absolutely certain - there's a storm a brewin'!  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).  Matthew 1:22-23  You’ve got to figure one of the first things on Mary’s mind when she heard from the angel and then found herself to be pregnant as she had been told, was, “What will Joseph think?” Their culture was not like ours today. If an unmarried woman becomes pregnant today, people hardly bat an eye. Yes, there might be some judgement or condemnation from uber conservative people around them, but for the most part people will think nothing of it. In Mary’s day, a woman could be stoned to death if she was found to be unmarried and pregnant. At the very least, her upcoming marriage, for which she was already ...