'Listen to me, you stubborn of heart, you who are far from righteousness: I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off, and my salvation will not delay; I will put salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory.'" - Isaiah 46:8-13 ESV
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John bore witness about him, and cried out, 'This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.' ')
For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known." - John 1:1-18 ESV
A transgressor (Pasha - Strong's H6586) is someone who break away and goes where they shouldn't because of disconnection. Someone who is 'stubborn of heart' (Abbiyr H3820 - Leb H3820) and far from righteousness has a firmness that has not broken away... it is just a firmness that is misplaced.
As the old hymn says 'Prone to wander. Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.'
God sent a shepherd to gather his wandering lambs. To bring us in and move us to the right place. Our weakness can cause us to fall out of place and our native strength can cause us to stay where we shouldn't stay but God has sent a Saviour.
Grace is not wagging a finger at us calling us transgressors. No. God understands us and sent us a provision. Do we understand ourselves? Do we understand our constant need?
Jesus becomes our bridge back to the eternal. By one moment of faith in God Son we were translated out from under darkness and into His Son but we need a daily salvation from our own thinking and mindsets. A Shepherd who will lead us out and bring us to good pastures and clean waters.
"Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:" - Philippians 3:2-4 KJV
We have no confidence in what we have done or even how we think. Our confidence does not lie inside of ourselves. It resides in God. Our salvation sits at the right hand of the Father. Jesus is the one who Is before the beginning but came into time and space to save us from ourselves.
"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus," - Philippians 2:4-5 ESV
Move us today God. Move us from our own interests. Let the freedom we have in grace cause us to abandon thoughts of condemnation because we fall short and convince us and cause us to walk on the upper highway of your thinking.
Thank you God for sending us a Saviour.
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