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This week we lost a friend, actually a family member, a joint heir in the kingdom of God. In trying to express how this man impacted my life this week, all words have seemed to fall short, until today when I was re-reading this blog I wrote. If an earthly person could epitomize the word grace, then he would be that person! He offered grace to everyone he came in contact with. Out of his abounding grace was a wellspring of love and joy! As I said in this writing, even in the midst of trial, there is victory because there is joy in accepting grace, just as there is joy in extending grace. If we can learn from his example, we can also have joy and share God’s grace with others! He truly understood and fully accepted the grace that he received from our Savior, Jesus Christ and shared it freely, up until the end of his earthly life. I count it a privilege and honor to have known this man, he was truly an encouragement to me and my husband and everyone that knew him. He will definitely be missed on this earth but his impact will stay with all of us who knew him and for that we will be forever grateful. I know that Heaven is rejoicing today and the shouts are resounding as Nat Rand has joined his family in eternity. With Joy we celebrate your Life, your Grace, and your Joy, which you so freely shared with us! Thank you for showing us a glimpse of Heaven on Earth and teaching us how to live on Earth as if we were in Heaven, because HIS mercies are New every morning! (I feel a shout coming on! 😉

Katie Storme

The majority of my friends and family members are Awesome and help to maintain my Faith in humanity. Then there are those few that stretch me. At times, they really tttrrrrry my pa-tience and offers of grace, or even desire to show grace! Jonathan, my husband, will sometimes say the latter are the ones who are there for our “perfecting,” meaning that they make our faith grow. And I think, ‘Gee, how much more does my faith need to e-x-p-a-n-d?!!’

He’s right though, because if they are irritating me by the things they do and/or say, it shows I have not reached my own maturity in Faith. If and hopefully when I’ve come to a point that their actions, which are intended to provoke, do not irritate, but bring forth a response of love and compassion, then I’m getting closer to the patterned son, who treated sinner and redeemed alike…

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The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:10 (NLT)

Accuse verb def: to charge with crime; to impute guilt or blame. Jesus took accuse out of accuse(r) and left us with His Righteousness. See John 16:9-11

Who is stealing from you?

Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against Jeshua. And the Lord said to Satan, “I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.”

Jeshua was a high priest who was standing before an angel of the Lord. What did God say to Satan, the accuser? “I reject your accusations!” If we take this personally, ‘Where are our accusers?!’ See John 8:7-10 They are rebuked when seen through God’s eyes. Nobody or nothing can steal our salvation except who and what we allow! Only the thieves we allow into our house (our temple) can rob us of joy or our relationship with God. We are the burning sticks which have been pulled out of the fire by Jesus Christ’s ultimate sacrifice.

Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. So the angel said to the others standing there, “Take off his filthy clothes.” And turning to Jeshua he said, “See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.”

But Jesus didn’t stop there. Not only have we been redeemed, he looks past our filthy clothes (our sins) and removes them! Plus he has given us new clothes – a New image! A reflection of God! Who are your accusers? Thoughts? Self?

Then I said, “They should also place a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the angel of the Lord stood by.

Things just get better with God. They placed a covering on his head. As in Ephesians chapter six, we are given the helmet of salvation. What is the helmet of salvation? It is the mind of Christ. It is placed on our heads. It is our responsibility to keep it, by renewing our minds to the Word of God.

Then the angel of the Lord spoke very solemnly to Jeshua and said, “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: If you follow my ways and carefully serve me, then you will be given authority over my Temple and its courtyards. I will let you walk among these others standing here.

“If you follow my ways …” We are instructed to follow God (in His way – in His will) and he prepares our paths before us. See Proverbs 3:5-6

“Listen to me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of things to come. Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. Now look at the jewel I have set before Jeshua, a single stone with seven facets. I will engrave an inscription on it, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, (which says)* and I will remove the sins of this land in a single day.

“Listen…” it says, the Branch is Jesus Christ who bore our sins on the cross. “I will remove the sins of this land in a single day.” Day here is yowm in the Hebrew. I find the definition of day here very insightful. It comes from a root word ewy which means to be hot (in the heat of the day) or from sunrise to sunset. Jesus’ crucifixion only took one day – his sacrifice which gave us a new covenant all occurred in one single day. The trial, the beating, the cross all occurred in the span between sunrise and sunset. See Matthew 27:1 & Matthew 27:45-46 During the light portion of the day, the “light of the world” was squelched but Not destroyed!

“And on that day, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, each of you will invite your neighbor to sit with you peacefully under your own grapevine and fig tree.” Zechariah 3 (NLT)

The last verse in this passage of Zechariah three talks of the day when we will all follow God in unity of faith. In That day, (when we are unified by the Spirit) we will live peacefully. See Ephesians 4:3 and Ephesians 4:13

I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!
      For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation
      and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
   I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit
      or a bride with her jewels.
The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world.
      Everyone will praise him!
   His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring,
      with plants springing up everywhere. Isaiah 61:10-11

Prayer: Father, help me to know who I am through your enduring Word. Help me to see myself as you see me and not as any thief sees me. Help me to keep my eyes focused on you. Thank you for your love for me and all of your people, which is everyone. Thank you for a rich and satisfying life! Thank you for my salvation! Amen.

*Added for clarification from other translations.

The song I Am Who You Say I Am by Kelanie Gloeckler captures the essence of what I wrote @ kelanie.com:

I Am Who You Say I Am