Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Offer Joy this Advent (12/18/25)

This week, our family devotional time concluded with joyfully singing “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!”

I associate this carol with joy, and it fits perfectly with the focus on joy this third week of Advent. Jesus came to offer us eternal joy, surpassing any fleeting earthly happiness. He came to reconcile sinners, extend His righteousness and give us eternal life.

Some of the lyrics in “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” seem to be inspired by the following passage:

Luke 2:9-14     ⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

The angels announced good news that would bring immense joy – a Savior had been born! As we navigate this Christmas season, how can we extend that joy in Christ to those around us?

The next time we hear “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” let’s reflect on the significance of the lyrics - the joy Jesus offers – and sincerely give Him glory as we sing!

Forgiving Old Grievances

There is a sense in which our Savior holds grudges. It’s always confused me why certain people groups hold grudges from previous generations, sometimes hundreds of years. It’s not just Asia or Eastern Europe or Ireland; it’s West Virginia for Pete’s sake. What’s wrong with us?

In Deuteronomy, we have this directive from Yahweh to the people through Moses:

No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the LORD; to the tenth generation none of their descendants shall ever do so, for they did not meet you with food and water on the way as you came from Egypt, and furthermore, they hired Balaam son of Beor of Pethor in Aram Naharaim to curse you. But the LORD your God refused to listen to Balaam and changed the curse to a blessing, for the LORD your God loves you. You must not seek peace and prosperity for them through all the ages to come. 

Deuteronomy 23:3-6 NET

The story of this offense is in Numbers 22 and 25. It’s a long story, but there’s a talking donkey, so I highly recommend it, although it’s kind of confusing. Anyway, Moab=bad in Yahweh’s eyes, so don’t go there, befriend them, or help them in any way…

During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land of Judah. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah went to live as a resident foreigner in the region of Moab, along with his wife and two sons. (Now the man’s name was Elimelech, his wife was Naomi, and his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were of the clan of Ephrath from Bethlehem in Judah.) They entered the region of Moab and settled there. Sometime later Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, so she and her two sons were left alone. Both her sons married Moabite women. (One was named Orpah and the other Ruth.) And they continued to live there about ten years. Then Naomi’s two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, also died. So the woman was left all alone—bereaved of her two children as well as her husband! 

Ruth 1:1-5 NET

Well, clearly, this cannot end well. Yahweh cannot possibly accept this, in fact isn’t obvious that He’s punishing this family for going to Moab? What did they think would happen? And yet, this sets up one of the most beautiful stories in Scripture. 

Our Creator makes rules. He seems so stern and harsh at times. And yet, after making such a thoroughly imprecatory rule, we have an entire book, one of the most elegant, named for a Moabite woman…MOABITE and a WOMAN! Rahab got a good story, a few chapters of Joshua, but Ruth get’s a whole book. Actually, Ruth gets much more than a whole book.

So Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law is returning to her people and to her god. Follow your sister-in-law back home!” But Ruth replied,

“Stop urging me to abandon you!

For wherever you go, I will go.

Wherever you live, I will live.

Your people will become my people,

and your God will become my God.

Wherever you die, I will die—and there I will be buried.

May the LORD punish me severely if I do not keep my promise!

Only death will be able to separate me from you!”

When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped trying to dissuade her. 

Ruth 1:15-18 NET

This is read at weddings to describe the devotion and commitment between spouses. Yet it is actually the devotion of a woman to her mother-in-law through a deceased husband. By any law of any culture, any obligation between Ruth and Naomi is over. And yet it’s not.

Long, beautiful story, short; girl meets boy, boy falls in love with girl, family inheritance problems arise, boy overcomes them with a sandal, and marries the girl.

But here’s the kicker:

So Boaz married Ruth and slept with her. The LORD enabled her to conceive and she gave birth to a son. 

Ruth 4:13 NET

Naomi took the child and placed him on her lap; she became his caregiver. The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. Now he became the father of Jesse—David’s father. 

Ruth 4:16-17 NET

But wait, there’s more!

This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Matthew 1:1 NET

Salmon the father of Boaz (by Rahab), Boaz the father of Obed (by Ruth), Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. 

Matthew 1:5-6 NET

So, Yahweh broke His own rules on the pathway to save His human creatures through Jesus. For Jesus, forgiveness was literally in His genes.

Grace to the Embarrassing

I have not posted to this blog in a very long time, and I apologize for that. Now, my last day with Thomson Reuters is January 2, so this has become my only means of sharing with my colleagues still at TR. My intent is to post here and on my personal blog. I hope these bless you. 

Family history can be fun, or, depending on who’s in it, embarrassing. Did you have someone to be proud of or ashamed of in your genealogy? Mine is a mess of both. No sense being embarrassed, ashamed, proud or confused. I have Zachary Taylor and the Martin clan (West Virginia feuds) in mine. All distant, all confusing, and not sure which is important.

For some cultures, ancestry is crucial. In some it’s important. There are probably some who don’t care, honestly, but I don’t know of any. For the Jews, knowing which tribe you came from was important. Knowing your Levitical lineage was important. It became more and more difficult over time, but even in Jesus’ day, it was a major part of their lives.

Which makes Jesus’ genealogies in Matthew and Luke very interesting. As was said before, purpose drove who was on it and where they started. Matthew and Luke both include the same names from Abraham to David, but it is interesting who Matthew notes in addition.

This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah (by Tamar), Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz (by Rahab), Boaz the father of Obed (by Ruth), Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.
Matthew 1:1-6 NET

This translation notes the additions in parentheses. Obviously Matthew doesn’t call out all the various mothers, only the ones where there’s an interesting story in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Tamar was having trouble with the “levirate marriage” rule and finally deceived the father of her former husbands into having a child with her. Rahab was the Canaanite “prostitute” who betrayed Jericho into the hands of Yahweh’s people. Ruth was the Moabitess who should never have been accepted by the people of God, not for ten generations.

Tamar’s story is found in Genesis stuck in between two parts of the story of Jospeh. It kind of…makes everyone look bad, so let’s jump to Rahab.

Rahab has “the prostitute” as her last name throughout English translations of Scripture. There’s a lack of clarity about her “role” as the labels are…not precise, a common problem when the topic is indelicate, inappropriate, or embarrassing.

First, let’s look at what she did. When the spies are sent out by Joshua (Joshua 2:1), they enter Jericho and stay with Rahab. When the king is informed that he has spies in the city, he immediately goes to Rahab. Rahab tells the king that, yes, the men came, but they left immediately and he can still catch them before they cross the Jordan. She has hidden them on her roof.

But why? Why lie to her king? Why betray her city? Why help the enemy of her people? But even more important, why be faithless to her gods? Well, let’s look at what she says.

Now before the spies went to sleep, Rahab went up to the roof. She said to the men, “I know the LORD is handing this land over to you. We are absolutely terrified of you, and all who live in the land are cringing before you. For we heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt and how you annihilated the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, on the other side of the Jordan. When we heard the news we lost our courage and no one could even breathe for fear of you. For the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on earth below! Joshua 2:8-11 NET

The adventures of the Israelites made it into the local papers in Jericho. Even more, Yahweh made it into the local papers all over Canaan. From the crossing of the Red Sea forty years ago, to the defeat of the local kings across the Jordan just recently, word was getting out.

Look carefully at what Rahab says about Yahweh. Yahweh is Elohim. That is the confession of faith of the Hebrew Scriptures. That confession is an expensive confession of faith. It rejects Rahab’s culture, her people, her city, everything she has known to this point.

She has looked at what is happening in the world around her, just like everyone around her, and made the decision to leap into what Yahweh is doing. The rest of her people resist what they see Yahweh doing to threaten their culture. She repents; they do not. And that makes all the difference.

Prostitute, innkeeper, or whatever, embarrassing, inappropriate, or shameful, it doesn’t matter. Yahweh accepts this confession of faith from this Canaanite woman and uses her to fulfill the promises He made to Abraham. She becomes part of His salvation of all humanity, warts and all.

Now seriously, what is holding you back? This world, our cultures, successes, failures, families, or friends; what can hold you back from your confession of faith in the Creator of the universe? Are you really that successful? Have you truly made that many mistakes or are they that significant? Why not influence your friends rather than the other way around? Why not become the catalyst for your whole family coming to faith?

Make the leap. Take the step. Drop the luggage and jump into His arms.

Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Offer Hope this Advent (12/4/25)

As we enter the Advent season, which literally means "coming," we're reminded that this time of year is all about preparing to celebrate Jesus's arrival on earth. Our church is focusing on passages from Isaiah that speak to both Jesus's first coming and His second coming. This week, with Hope as our theme, we reflected on the hope that Jesus's first coming brought, particularly through His death on the cross, which paid the price for our sins.

This hope not only brings forgiveness but also gives us Jesus's righteousness, allowing us to join Him in Heaven for eternity when He returns.

On Sunday evening, as we enjoyed dinner together, we delved deeper into the concept of Jesus's Hope and lit our own Advent candle (part of a wreath my Mom gave us years ago to help us worship). We read passages from Matthew and Isaiah, including:

Isaiah 9:2    The people walking in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
    a light has dawned.

As we discussed ways to share the light of Jesus with others and offer them hope, Alexis suggested that we could share the gospel with those around us. In God’s perfect timing, my niece and nephew were having a similar conversation about the gospel with their mom (my sister) on the other side of town. They blurted out that they needed to pray and ask Jesus to come into their lives. So, they made the decision to receive Him as their Lord and Savior!!! We all praised God when we heard the wonderful news!

The kids’ Bible study memory verse for this week was:

I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

My niece and nephew’s decision to confess their sins and invite Jesus into their hearts is a powerful reminder of the gift of Hope Jesus offers. They can now look forward to the day when they will be completely purified in Heaven.

Who do you know that needs the Hope of Jesus this Advent Season? Will you pray for opportunities to share Jesus with them?

Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy of Undistracted Worship (11/20/25)

How would you define worship of Jesus and what does your worship look like?

In our family Bible study time last night, we discussed what worship of God includes and whether all prayers are worship or only those prayers where we are praising God for His attributes. I said God always wants to hear from His children, but some of our prayers are often selfish. Sarah asked if her prayers for help on her school work were selfish. I said partially, because we often want help first for ourselves and then for God’s glory. God wants to help us accomplish the things He has purposed for us to do (such as school and work). So, our prayers for help can be worshipful if we truly desire the help so we can honor God and bring Him glory.

Later last night, Sarah stayed up to finish some math homework, and I sat beside her, reading Kent’s devotional from earlier in the day. I shared some of his devotional with Sarah, as his discussion about the difference between asking God to improve our situation versus asking God to transform our hearts tied right in with our earlier discussion during family Bible study! How often we get distracted, though, and aren’t living life with the purpose of worshipping God.  

If we aren’t living life worshipping God, then we are distracted by the world. However, the world can’t eternally satisfy and will come to an end, as Revelation describes.

Revelation 18:1-8 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. ² With a mighty voice he shouted:

“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’
    She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit,
    a haunt for every unclean bird,
    a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
³ For all the nations have drunk
    the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,
    and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”

⁴ Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

“‘Come out of her, my people,’
    so that you will not share in her sins,
    so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
⁵ for her sins are piled up to heaven,
    and God has remembered her crimes.
⁶ Give back to her as she has given;
    pay her back double for what she has done.
    Pour her a double portion from her own cup.
⁷ Give her as much torment and grief
    as the glory and luxury she gave herself.
In her heart she boasts,
    ‘I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow;
    I will never mourn.’
⁸ Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:
    death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,
    for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

The world, Babylon the Great Prostitute (as we saw in Revelation 17), all those opposed to God and His ways will be consumed by fire. God’s judgment will fall.

As verse 4 calls, where do you and I need to come out of Babylon? What is distracting us from true worship of Jesus? I pray you and I will desire to live a life that is worshipful to God and undistracted by the shallow and temporal lures of the world. Jesus is worthy of undistracted worship.  

Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy as Lord of lords (11/13/25)

In a former job, I knew someone who buttered up a co-worker, manipulated them to bend over backwards for them, gave them rave reviews, promoted them, but then left them hanging out to dry. Ultimately, it led to the burnout of a great worker. On a grander scale, the beast will do the same with the woman (Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes from 17:5) and the ten horns.

Last week we saw how the woman delighted in the destruction of God’s people while luring everyone else astray. The beast will use the woman until he has no more use for her. Then, he will bring her to ruin as she brought people and nations to ruin. The ten horns (or rulers) will work for and submit to the beast, destroying people and nations, until they themselves will be destroyed.

Revelation 17:15-18 ¹⁵ Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. ¹⁶ The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. ¹⁷ For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled. ¹⁸ The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

Evil rulers exploit, abuse and destroy those who follow them. In stark contrast, Jesus does the opposite. He shares His victory, inheritance and royal status with His faithful followers. As we read last week…

Revelation 17:14 They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords and extends that privilege to His people! We don’t serve someone who will take advantage of us and then discard us. We serve the One who doesn’t need us, but chooses to work through us. He doesn’t use us to gain success; instead, He gives us the success He’s already accomplished. So, why wouldn’t we want to faithfully follow the One who has our best interests at heart? What or who can offer us a better promise than Jesus? I pray that in our daily choices, you and I remember that no one offers better promises than Jesus, the eternal Lord of lords.

Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy as King of Kings (11/6/25)

Last week, we saw how “Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes” delighted in the destruction of God’s people and lured the rest of the world into abominable acts. She represents centuries of evil powers in the world. She and the beast will deceive many, but not those whose names have been written in the book of life – those who are faithful to Jesus, the true King of kings.

Revelation 17:6-14 ⁶ I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. ⁷ Then the angel said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns. ⁸ The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.

⁹ “This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. ¹⁰ They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. ¹¹ The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.

¹² “The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. ¹³ They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. ¹⁴ They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

As believers, we are called to be wise and discerning, so we won’t be deceived by the woman (Babylon the Great) or the beast king. We gain this wisdom by daily studying and apply God’s truths from His Word.

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

I want to have a mind with God’s wisdom so I can faithfully follow Jesus, the triumphant Lamb who is Lord of lords and King of kings! He will rule for all eternity, while the woman and beast will go to eternal destruction.

How are you preparing now to remain faithful to Jesus and not be deceived by the things of this world?

Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy of Our Blood (10/30/25)

This past Monday, our kids had a day off from school, and we finally had a chance to take them all in for routine blood work. Let’s just say they weren’t thrilled! One of them was especially nervous about the needle and watching the blood flow out. What if someone were to drain not just a little blood but all your blood? Revelation chapter 17 talks about that!

In Revelation chapter 16, John concluded his vision with the seven-sealed scroll, seven angels, seven trumpets and seven bowl judgments. Chapter 17 takes John to a new vision, which seems to layer similar truths from the previous vision – wickedness in the world continues, Satan covers sin in luring appeal to deceive many, God’s people can expect oppression and even death, yet all false detractors will face God’s judgment.

Revelation 17:1-6 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. ² With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”

³ Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. ⁴ The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. ⁵ The name written on her forehead was a mystery:

babylon the great

the mother of prostitutes

and of the abominations of the earth.

⁶ I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.

When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.

The ancient nation of Babylon took Judah into captivity and destroyed the Jerusalem temple in 586 BC. Since then, “Babylon” has often been used as a term to refer to staunch enemies of God and His people. Babylon will fall, facing not just earthly destruction but eternal punishment.

As we reflect on this passage, we can ponder some important questions: What things in this world lure you and me away from the things of God? What’s your “Babylon,” and what’s mine?

I think most of us don’t want to be matyrs, but I pray we will all be faithful to Jesus to the very end, no matter what. He shed his blood for you and me so we could have eternal life! So, He’s worthy of our total devotion, whether it’s sacrificing a small comfort or giving our earthly blood. Where will you choose faithfulness to Jesus today? We can pray and ask for God’s strength to turn from temptation and remain faithful.

Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Finish Judgment (10/23/25)

What’s the largest hail you’ve ever seen? I've witnessed some impressive hailstorms in my time, but the largest hail was about 4 inches in diameter. The 1995 Mayfest Storm in Ft. Worth, TX, with similarly sized hail, left a lasting impact on my car – literally. The hailstones, which weighed about 1 pound each, may not have seemed heavy, but they cratered plenty of dents with their force. In fact, I saw some of the damage to the rubber seals daily for the 17 years I had the Tempo.

The Bible, however, paints a far more intense picture of the end. In Revelation, we read about extreme earthquakes and hailstones that weigh 100 pounds for the final judgment on earth.

Revelation 16:17-21 ¹⁷ The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” ¹⁸ Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. ¹⁹ The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. ²⁰ Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. ²¹ From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.

Again, I love how God is still gracious, even to the last moment. He doesn’t zap everyone, but as these plagues are unleashed, people have opportunities to repent, turn to God and submit to His will. However, most will use their last breath to curse God rather than humbly call out to Him.

This 7^th bowl of wrath from the seventh angel completes God’s wrath, as proclaimed in Revelation 15.1 (I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed.) The voice from heaven also announced “It is done!” (Rev 16:17). Jesus’s last words on the cross come to mind – “It is finished” (John 19:30). Jesus completed the work of paying for our sin. In contrast, the bowl judgments in Revelation bring about the end to earthly judgment.

In thinking about the end, how do you want to use your last breath? Cursing God or claiming Him? If you have accepted and value Jesus’s completed work on the cross to pay for your sins, then you can look forward to claiming Him and enjoying His blessings for all eternity!

Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Clothe in Righteousness (10/16/25)

Do you lay out your clothes the night before? I often remind our kids to lay out their clothes the night before so they are ready to get dressed quickly in the morning. However, Edmund couldn’t find his favorite pair of shorts last night. He wanted to lay them out to wear for today, but he couldn’t find them in his closet, drawer, hanging up in the basement on his clothesline, or in the basket of dirty clothes. He had to settle for a different pair.

As Christians, we’re commanded to remain “dressed” and ready for Jesus’s return, which could happen at any moment. By staying close to Jesus and His Word, we won’t be caught off guard, unprepared, or deceived by Satan and his spirits. In contrast, the rulers at the end of the world will be arrogantly deceived by Satan, foolishly gathering for battle against God.

Revelation 16:12-16  ¹² The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. ¹³ Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. ¹⁴ They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.

¹⁵ “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”

¹⁶ Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

The blessed in verse 15 have repented and remained faithful to God. They are clothed in Jesus’s robes of righteousness. We can’t earn our place in heaven before a Holy God, but we can accept Jesus’ sacrifice in our place and His garments of salvation.

Isaiah 61:10   I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Have we humbly accepted Jesus’ robe of righteousness, so God sees us as He sees Jesus? Or, do we arrogantly think we can outsmart God, like the kings gathering for a doomed battle against God Almighty?

Instead of fighting against God, we can enjoy Jesus’ victory over Satan through accepting His salvation via the cross. Jesus has laid out His righteous clothes for us, so we are ready to be clothed for the New Day when He takes us to Heaven.