wait on Him... Isaiah 26:7-8...

The path of the righteous is level;

you make level the way of the righteous.

In the path of your judgments, O Lord, we wait for you;

your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul.

Isiah 26:7-8 ESV

Who are the righteous...? whose path is level...?

Those who trust in the Righteous One...

who give their life to Jesus...

are righteous...

The Lord makes their way smooth...

no worries of condemnation...

no fear of stumbling blocks...

pitfalls...

or perils...

The righteous have no fear of His judgment...

they wait in the path for His judgment...

trusting it to be right...

just...

true...

When His judgments come...

His name... His character...

will be recognized for what it truly is...

by ALL...

None will dispute...

none will argue...

none will deny...

He is the Righteous Judge...

of all creation...

God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name

that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father...

Philippians 2:9-10 ESV

Those of us in Jesus...

Believers in His Name...

wait with hopeful expectation...

for Him to be honored...

praised...

glorified...

for Who He is...

and what He has done...

Waiting for His judgment...

and His glorification...

should be the desire of our soul...

How do you feel about waiting in the path of His judgment...?

anticipating... His return...

Anticipating the return of a loved one currently traveling abroad...
following him and his friends on Instagram...
as they post snaps of their adventures...
each brings joy... and questions...
(where exactly...? who...? what in the world...?!)

I dreamed of him last night...
his return...
the tales he would tell...
the hugs given...
his smell...
his laugh...

And I wake wondering...
Do I anticipate His return...? Jesus's...? do you...?
Am I following Him...? while I wait...?

Following His Way... increases anticipation...
deepens connection... desire...

I see how following brings joy...
reveals bits of who He is... what He's doing...

But following also raises questions...
what is He up to...? when...? why...?

I know the better I follow...
the more I know... and see...
the greater urgency I feel...
that His return could be...
any moment...

I used to fret over His coming back...
knowing all will be fixed...

When you have loved ones far from Him...
lost...
their eternal destiny being fixed...
at this moment...
causes angst...

Yet... I've grown to trust Him more...
I know His desire for all to be saved...
He will not return... till all He knows are coming...
have returned to Him...

His judgment... His timing... perfect...

I trust... and anticipate... (to some degree...) His return...
not as much as I should...

So... I will continue to follow...
hopefully closer... better...
and maybe one day...
I'll dream of His return...

...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 9:28 ESV

freedom... from judgment...

On the morning of jury duty...
I open my prayer guide...
where I read...

Honor God, praise Him as Judge...

Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Genesis 18:25

He is the Judge of all creation...

the only Judge who judges perfectly...

Only He sees... knows... all the evidence...

the motive of every heart... behind every action...

He knows the rule of law perfectly...

because He defined the law...

With God... Truth always rules...

He cannot be swayed... manipulated... deceived...

He is the Judge of all the earth...

Because He judges rightly...

and brings all things into judgment...

I do not have to judge...

Vengeance belongs to Him...

Grace belongs to Him...

Forgiveness belongs to Him...

And praise God for His judgment...

and praise Him for His Son...

who came to receive judgment...

for those who trust Him... 

By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh

and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,

in order that the righteous requirement of the law

might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh

but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:3-4 ESV

Because of Jesus...

and the blessing of faith...

I am judged righteous...

He is my righteousness...

Today I see... freedom... from judgment...

both passing judgment on others...

and receiving it from Him...

Freedom from judgment...

makes room for us to walk in grace...

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ

to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned

and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace

through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:22-24

Are you free from judgment...?

The Journey Readings: Week 106... and God is God...

The Journey this last week traveled through 2 Thessalonians... Zephaniah... and entered into the book of Daniel...

All three share the same clear message... God is God...!

And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted

and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven.

He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire,

bringing judgment on those who don't know God

and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus.

They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever

separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 NLT

Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands;

seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden

on the day of the anger of the Lord.

Zephaniah 2:3 ESV

Daniel answered, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever!

For wisdom and might are His! He changes the times and the seasons;

He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom

to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding!

He reveals the deep and secret things;

He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him!

Daniel 2:20-22 Amp

God is God...

the One who judges hearts...

has mercy on the humble...

knows what is in the darkness...

Nothing is hidden from God...

all His judgments righteous...

no one can dispute...

no one can hide...

Be silent before the Lord God!

For the day of the Lord is near;

the Lord has prepared a sacrifice

and consecrated his guests.

Zephaniah 1:7 ESV

In His mercy... He made the Way...

prepared a sacrifice... His Son...

He alone consecrates those invited to His table...

Knowing Him... who He is... and who we are before Him...

knowing our need for His salvation...

humbly submitting to His Way...

prepares a place at His table...

For those who refuse...? well... 

God is God... and there is no other...

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords,

the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows

no partiality and accepts no bribes.

Deuteronomy 10:17

This week's readings...

Monday                   Daniel 4:19 - 5:31

Tuesday                   Daniel 6

Wednesday              Daniel 7

Thursday                  Daniel 8

Friday                      Daniel 9-10

mercy triumphs

God includes everyone in the death sentence in Exodus 11:5: "Every firstborn son in Egypt will die." God must do the just thing because He is God, but He balances His righteousness with His loving mercy. He decrees judgment for all sinners; then He provides a way of escape, a kiporah, or covering. While rain falls on everyone, those who have an umbrella do not get wet. For those who seek His way to satisfy the demands of His Law, God provides the blood of the lamb as a covering.

---Ceil & Moishe Rosen, Christ in the Passover

Mercy... fulfilled the law...

Mercy... defeated death...

Mercy... saves...

Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James 2:13 ESV

longing...

My soul breaks with longing

For Your judgments at all times.

Psalm 119:20 NKJV

longing... noun... a strong desire especially for something unattainable: craving

---Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (Eleventh Edition)

I've come to a place where I no longer desire... trust... my own judgments or opinions. I don't even want them anymore.

My soul breaks with longing... for His judgments... I long for them... crave them... regarding several issues in my life right now.

Webster's definition of longing includes the air of unattainability...

Are His judgments unattainable?

I don't think so...

In this world... they may feel unattainable... inaccessible... too many other voices... the enemy deceiving... our own hearts... flesh... desiring what we want... willing to be led a stray... wanting to be right... His judgments may seem out of reach...

But He tell us...

"Ask and it will be given to you;

seek, and you will find...

Matthew 7:7 ESV

So today I ask... and wait... with open ear... knowing He is faithful... trusting His Word to be true...

Lord... tell me Your judgments... I want to be in agreement with You... You alone can give trustworthy judgments... You alone know each heart... the heart of individuals and the heart of the law... I long for Your opinion... decision... pronouncement...

[Note: The two weeks away with family were good... a blessing... yet on return... I'm still left with longings... a reminder that this world is not my home... and my journey incomplete...]

This week's readings for The Journey...

Monday                  Leviticus 8

Tuesday                  Leviticus 9-10

Wednesday             Leviticus 11

Thursday                 Leviticus 12:1 - 13:27

Friday                     Leviticus 13:28-59