The
removal of sin (Zechariah 3:4,9) and the restoration of glory: Here, we
have a great description of salvation, wiping out the sin of the past,
giving an anticipatory glimpse of the glory to come. The past is
forgiven. The future is promised. What about the present - "Not by
might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord" (Zechariah 4:6).
This life in the Spirit - lived between the forgiven sin (the past) and
the glory to come (the future) - is to be a life of "working together
for the truth" (3 John 4). As we live this life in the Spirit, we enjoy
the "peace" of God (3 John 14). This peace arises in our hearts as we
learn to praise God. we praise Him for His work of creation - "I praise
You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." This praise - "Your
works are wonderful" - causes us to reflect also on His works of
providence - "All the days ordained for me were written in Your book
before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:14,16). It also causes us to
reflect on God's work of redemption. The thought of creation leads on to
the thought of re-creation: "If any man is in Christ, he is a new
creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17). The thought of providence also leads us
to think of redemption: God's "book" (Psalm 139:16) turns our thoughts
to "the book of life" - the book of eternal life which we receive
through faith in "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world"
(John 1:29).
Psalm 48:1-14 Lord, we worship You in the place of worship – “Within Your Temple, we meditate on Your unfailing love.” Help us to go out from there, and play our part in seeing that Your praise “reaches to the ends of the earth” (Psalm 48:: 9-11). How will other people know of Your love, if we don’t tell them? How will they find their way to Your House, if we don’t invite them? When we share Your Word with others, help us to remember Your promise: “My Word… will not return to Me empty, but will… achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
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