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What would God show someone if God wanted to convince a person they're truly forgiven? Probably something like the vision we see in Zechariah 3. Here we see God shut Satan's mouth by giving a filthy man new clothes. For any person who feels filthy in their sin, this passage points to the work of Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest, who cleans us up and dresses us in clean clothes forever - with the promise of eternal joy and friendship in the age to come.

We are messed up people living in a messed up world. The Bible is unflinching in this diagnosis. But the Bible is also unflinching in its promise of hope: through the Messiah, God will set this world right and cleanse unclean people forever. We see these promises previewed in the message of Haggai - we see them come to fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. If you are a person discouraged by the state of the world or burdened by your own sin, there is rich encouragement for you in this message from Haggai and the gospel of Jesus.

Prophets serve as God's confronters. And in this passage, we are confronted with the consequences of disobedience, the significance of our priorities, and the necessity to respond in repentance. But ultimately what emerges is a portrait of the persistence of God's desire to dwell with His people in unity and peace - a desire that leads to the manger and the cross.

Psalm 127 is the medicine our anxious, harried hearts need. And what better time to look at this than right before the rush of school, busy schedules, autumn work deadlines, and everything else that arrives at the end of summer? The message from God we need is this: relax. Not because we tell ourselves, "I've got this!" But because we recognize our limits - and we likewise recognize the active care of God in all aspects of human life. So consider this your pre-autumn pep talk, from the scriptures. And then respond by resting, thanking God, and working hard.

Psalm 146 is a call to praise God. So what should I say to my soul when I'm not doing that? To answer this question, the writer invites us to look at a contrast: the frailty of people vs. the power and care of God. Even the best people will let us down. Even the strongest person will someday die. But God? Never. What we see in the Psalm's final stanza is a portrait of a God who is infinitely powerful, yet also cares personally for the weakest and lowest among us - a God we see most clearly revealed in Jesus. Hallelujah!

As modern people, we don't know what to do with our feelings. Do I stuff them? Do I numb them? Do I wallow in them or let them define me? The ancient wisdom we see in Psalm 42 and 43 models something better: expressing and examining our feelings in the presence of God. As we examine this Psalm together, we'll consider how to incorporate this pattern of lament into our personal life of prayer and see how the good news of Jesus provides the ultimate promise to stand on in times of sorrow.

Last week, we examined what the new life in Jesus looks like at home. Here, Paul points our eyes to look outside the home and ask: how are we supposed to live in the world? What principles should guide our interactions with our neighbors, coworkers, family members - anyone who doesn't yet believe in Jesus? Contrary to mistaken extremes some Christians have adopted (withdrawal, antagonism, accommodation, etc.), what we see commended by Paul is a model of prayerful, careful, winsome engagement. And once again, it's a model that looks like Jesus himself.

What does love look like in action? It's easy to believe in the idea of love, or "love" in the abstract...it can be really hard to love the real-life people you live with. Here, Paul describes what love should look like in the typical Roman home. The categories may be different today, but the relevance remains. As does the goal: to live our lives in way that ends up looking like Jesus Himself.