Jesus Calls Levi at the Tax Booth, “Follow Me” (Mark 2:13–17)

 

Jesus Calls Levi at the Tax Booth, “Follow Me” (Mark 2:13–17)

“There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). In other words, every person is a sinner. But the one who realizes before God that he is a sinner receives the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven. The one who considers himself righteous has no share in that inheritance.

In Mark 2:13–17, Jesus saw Levi the tax collector sitting at the tax booth and said to him, “Follow me.” Then Jesus went to his house and shared a meal and fellowship with many tax collectors and sinners. God welcomes anyone who repents of sin and comes to Him, giving them the banquet of the kingdom and pouring out His divine grace.

Jesus Teaches the Good News of the Kingdom

“Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them” (Mark 2:13).

Jesus went out again by the lake, and a large crowd gathered around Him. He taught them the truth of the good news of the kingdom. He opened His mouth and explained the mysteries of the kingdom.

God is the Word (John 1:1). By His Word, He created all things; by His Word, He rules and sustains all things. His Word drives out darkness and shines light.

God is light (1 John 1:5), and in Him there is no darkness at all. Just as the darkness disappears when the sun rises in the morning, God’s Word shines into the places in our hearts where pain and hardship bring a kind of darkness. His Word drives out that darkness and fills us with light.

God is life (John 11:25), so in Him there is no death. It is like springtime, when dry branches suddenly sprout leaves, flowers, and fruit. In Him there is no death, only life in fullness. Jesus died on the cross, but God raised Him on the third day. When the difficulties of life bring despair or hopelessness to the heart, God’s life–giving Word drives out death and fills us with the power of resurrection life.

This is why Jesus never stopped teaching the good news of the kingdom—whether in homes, in the fields, or by the lake. Anyone who hears His Word and opens their heart comes to understand the secrets of the kingdom.

Jesus Calls Levi: “Follow Me”

“As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him” (Mark 2:14).

Jesus saw Levi sitting at the tax booth. Levi became one of Jesus’ disciples, later known as Matthew, the writer of the Gospel of Matthew. As a Jew who had aligned himself with Rome, he was called a traitor. Yet he felt trapped, unable to escape that path. The harsh looks and rejection from his fellow Jews were unbearable. Tax collectors were viewed as public sinners, mentioned alongside prostitutes. For a Jew to be treated like a Gentile was deeply shameful.

But Jesus saw him sitting at the booth—He saw Levi’s pain and sorrow. God heard the groaning of the Israelites under Pharaoh’s oppression (Exodus 2:24). Jesus looked at the crowds and had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd (Mark 6:34).

God called Moses and saved His people from Pharaoh’s hand. In the same way, God does not ignore our pain or hardship. Israel’s exodus from slavery pointed forward to Christ saving humanity from the chains of sin and death.

Job’s story makes this clear. God Himself said that Job feared Him and was upright. Satan insisted that if God took away his blessings, Job would curse Him (Job 1:11). But Job did not sin (1:22). Then Satan insisted that if Job’s body were afflicted, he would curse God (2:5). But Satan was proved a liar and suffered defeat (2:10).

God knew Job’s suffering from the beginning, and it was God who allowed Satan to strike him (Job 1:12; 2:6). So suffering is not accidental and not the result of bad luck. Behind it is the deep love of God who trains His children. Our trials are evidence that He loves us.

“‘The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.’ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all” (Hebrews 12:6–8).

“Follow Me”

Jesus said to Levi, “Follow me.” This was both a command and a heavenly invitation. Jesus invited Levi—who had lost his way and was sitting in darkness—into the path of salvation. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). He is the door, the way by which we come to God (John 10:7).

“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:9–10).

Jesus’ call to Levi was to bring him from destruction into life. But this world is full of deception—false promises of salvation. Drugs, for example, promise sweetness but end only in devastation. Everyone knows their dangers, yet countless people fall into temptation.

Levi would have fully understood what it meant to become a tax collector. There is no way he didn’t know how tax collectors were treated by their own people. Even so, Levi became a tax collector. That’s how strong the temptation of worldly success and wealth is. No one is an exception. Now Levi could not undo what had already been done. He was sitting at the tax booth again, doing what he normally did every day, but his heart was troubled, anxious, and dark.

So then, what does it mean to follow Jesus? First, it means responding to His invitation by faith. “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Heb 11:1). Levi did not know how following Jesus Christ would straighten out his tangled life or bring him peace. But he believed the Lord’s word and followed Him just like Abraham did.

Following Jesus also means listening to His words and putting them into practice. “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall” (Matt 7:24–25). And those who hear and obey His words bear the fruit of love, joy, and peace.

Above all, following Jesus is not a one-time event but walking in His way every day. The Lord’s way is the way of the cross. It is the way of being the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world through sacrifice. That’s why the path of following Him is entering through the narrow gate, and few choose it (Matt 7:13–14). Many people initially follow the Lord, but when the way of the cross feels shameful or burdensome, they turn back (John 6:66).

Among Jesus’ disciples, Judas Iscariot had no faith and hated the cross, so he ultimately betrayed the Lord. In his final farewell message, Joshua told the people to choose the LORD and serve Him alone, to throw away the foreign gods among them, and to turn their hearts to the LORD the God of Israel (Josh 24:22–23). The people answered that they would serve the LORD their God and obey His voice (24:24). But it wasn’t long before they abandoned the LORD and served foreign gods (Judg 2:11–12).

Following the Lord Jesus Christ is sharing in what is still lacking in Christ’s sufferings (Col 1:24). Jesus commanded us to love our enemies, to turn the other cheek when someone strikes the right one, and when someone forces us to go one mile, to go with them two miles (Matt 5:39, 41). Jesus told His disciples that because they do not belong to the world—because He chose them out of the world—the world would hate them (John 15:19).

But following the Lord is the way to life. After our days on earth are over, there is God’s judgment (Heb 9:27). That judgment means eternal punishment for those who do not believe and eternal reward for those who do (1 Cor 1:18). Therefore, those who are not ashamed of the gospel of the cross of Christ and continue to believe will inherit the kingdom of heaven through the power of the gospel (Rom 1:16). Levi received grace to choose the path of following the Lord.

Jesus Eats with Levi

“While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him” (Mark 2:15).

Jesus sat in Levi’s house and shared a meal and fellowship with him. At that time, many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and His disciples and joined the meal. Here, “sinners” refers especially to prostitutes. For any Jew, this would have been shocking enough to fall over in disbelief. But Jesus welcomed those who came to God by faith and filled them with heavenly blessings that come from above. It is like the heavenly banquet we will enjoy in the future (Rev 19:7–9).

I Have Come to Call Sinners

“When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners’” (Mark 2:16–17).

But when the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors, they rebuked His disciples. In their eyes, such a thing should never happen. They could not see Levi’s faith, nor God’s grace, love, or forgiveness. All they saw was their own standards and their own thoughts. They hated that Jesus was with tax collectors and sinners. They did not understand why He would do such a thing. In the end, they wanted to kill Jesus because He did not fit their ideas.

So Jesus told them that it is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. Jesus did not come to call the righteous but sinners. There is no one righteous on this earth. Jesus became flesh to save all people (John 1:14).

Therefore, anyone who refuses and does not believe in Jesus is like someone who thinks he is righteous on his own. The Pharisaic teachers saw themselves as separate from tax collectors and sinners and condemned them. They did not believe in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, but rejected Him. They considered Jesus unnecessary.

Anyone who rejects Jesus and does not believe cannot receive God’s grace or the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven. But the one who admits his sin and follows the Lord receives the inheritance of the kingdom as a reward. God, in His mercy, sent His one and only Son Jesus Christ and gives every spiritual blessing through Him. By the merciful blood of Christ, God washes away the disease of sin within us. Amen!

December 7, 2025

Buffalo Livingstone Church ©2025, David Lee Ministries ©2025 – All Rights Reserved.

Scripture quotes are from the NIV.

 

Child, Your Sins Are Forgiven (Mark 2:1–12)

 

Child, Your Sins Are Forgiven (Mark 2:1–12)

What is the good news we can ever hear? It is receiving the forgiveness of sins. When a prisoner finishes a sentence and walks out of prison, we cannot even imagine how long he has waited for that day. But even that cannot be compared with receiving God’s forgiveness.

To be forgiven of sins is to fully restore the love-relationship with God that had been broken. It means receiving eternal life and inheriting the everlasting kingdom of heaven. Now, in Christ, we stand boldly before the throne of grace and share fellowship of love, joy, and peace.

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1–2)

In Mark 2:1–12, when Jesus saw people bringing a paralyzed man to Him, He saw their faith and declared forgiveness of sins. The paralyzed man represents Israel and all humanity, because every person desperately needs the grace of forgiveness.

People bring a paralyzed man to Jesus

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. (Mark 2:1–4)

Many people came to Jesus, listened to His teaching, and were healed. His fame spread quickly. When people heard He was at a house in Capernaum, huge crowds gathered. There was no room left at all. At that moment Jesus was teaching the gospel of the kingdom.

In that sea of people, His teaching came as a fresh, piercing word of truth that opened the mysteries of God’s kingdom. The Word who created heaven and earth became flesh and spoke directly into the hearts of the listeners. People were amazed because Jesus taught with authority and power (Mark 1:22).

This same word is the Bible we read every day. God has revealed His word through the prophets long ago. Themes of creation, fall, and restoration run through all of Scripture. We hear the unchanging voice of God’s love, promises of blessing for those who obey, and warnings and discipline for those who do not. Above all, through the sacrificial love of giving His own Son, God brought the light of salvation to countless people who were wandering in darkness.

At that moment, some men brought a paralyzed man to Jesus. But because of the crowd, they could not get near Him. Paralysis then was similar to what we call stroke today—a cerebrovascular condition caused by blockage or rupture of a vessel, resulting in paralysis and speech impairment.

Since they could not reach Jesus, they opened the roof above where He was and lowered the mat. Houses then were built differently, so making an opening was not as difficult as it would be today. Still, the act itself was bold and surprising. No matter what it took—even if it meant damaging someone’s roof—they had to bring the man to Jesus.

Why? Because this is what life is like. There are moments when friends, family, society, and wealth are no help at all. Everyone reaches such moments eventually, though many do not recognize it because their eyes are still blind. Life is not a picnic. After all our days are done, the day of reckoning comes before God, the Lord of all. Therefore, God calls everyone to come to Him.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)

Child, Your Sins Are Forgiven

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5)

Jesus saw their faith above everything else. What God looks for, in any circumstance, is that we come to Him by faith. What kind of faith? They believed Jesus could heal the paralyzed man. They didn’t know how it would be possible, but they believed that the Lord of love could do what they could not.

Abraham was counted righteous by faith. What did he believe in his situation? God promised that Abraham would become a great nation and that his name would be great. Yet he had no children. Then God took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:5). “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’” (Romans 4:18)

Jesus called the paralyzed man “son,” or “child,” referring to one chosen as a child of God, like Israel (Mark 7:27; 10:24).

Then Jesus declared, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” On what basis is forgiveness given? Faith. Believing in the Christ whom God sent is the way of salvation. Christ shed His blood and died for the sins of the world, and through His sacrifice He atoned for all sin. Jesus’ declaration of forgiveness pointed forward to His death on the cross. Forgiveness comes only through the blood of Christ.

Why must we receive the forgiveness of sins? Because sin blocks the way to God. When we cannot come to God, we have no true life, and we face eternal judgment. Few things are as painful as being abandoned like an orphan. If we do not receive forgiveness through the blood of Christ, we are cut off forever from the love of God. There is nothing more urgent than receiving the forgiveness of sins.

So why do we receive forgiveness by believing in Christ? Because salvation does not come from people but only from God. Human beings cannot save themselves; we are completely unable. So God gave his Son Jesus Christ as the sacrifice to redeem the sins of the world. Whoever trusts in this love of God receives the grace of forgiveness from now through eternity, overflowing without ceasing. From beginning to end, we enjoy God’s grace of forgiveness only through faith.

“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life” (Romans 5:10).

And we don’t stop at simply receiving the forgiveness of sins. We go further by forgiving and loving our neighbors. God’s forgiveness isn’t a one-time event—it's something we need every day and every moment. Peter asked Jesus if he should forgive his brother up to seven times. Jesus answered that he should forgive “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21–22). So we live by God’s merciful and gracious forgiveness, and by that same grace, we forgive our neighbors.

Who can forgive sins but God alone?

“Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ‘Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, ‘Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up, take your mat and walk”?’” (Mark 2:6-9)

The teachers of the law sitting there thought Jesus was committing blasphemy. They believed that no one could forgive sins except God alone. They did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. They did not believe in the Christ whom God had sent. That is the same as not believing in God. It makes no sense to say one believes in God while rejecting the Son he has sent.

There is no other way to receive forgiveness of sins except by faith. In the end, because they did not believe in God, they arrested Jesus, put him on trial, and sentenced him to death. Unbelief does not receive forgiveness, and it sets a person in opposition to God. Not believing God is the work of the evil one.

Jesus knew that there was no faith in their hearts, so he asked them a question: Which is easier, to tell the paralyzed man his sins are forgiven, or to tell him to get up, pick up his mat, and walk? He wasn’t asking for a verbal answer. He wanted them to think deeply.

For human beings, both are impossible. If we compare, maybe a doctor could treat paralysis under certain circumstances, but no one can forgive sins. Jesus wanted them to consider why forgiveness is necessary. He wanted them to look at why the God they claimed to serve sent his Son into the world, and how the works Jesus was doing were the works of God. They didn’t like that Jesus had suddenly appeared and was ministering throughout Judea and Galilee. They believed he violated the Sabbath commands given through Moses, so they resented him and plotted to kill him (John 11:47-53; Mark 3:6; Matthew 12:14; Luke 6:11).

But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.

“‘But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ So he said to the man, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!’” (Mark 2:10-12)

Jesus asked them that question so they would think first about why people need forgiveness, and then so they would know that the Son of Man, who came as the Son of God, has authority on earth to forgive sins. Jesus came to this earth as the Son of God (Mark 1:1). God has given the Son all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Jesus is equal with God (Philippians 2:6).

Yet when he came to this earth, he revealed the authority and power of his Father by offering his own body as the living sacrifice (John 5:19). God forgives sins because Jesus Christ, his Son, redeemed the world’s sin with his own blood. When Jesus told the man to get up, take his mat, and go home, he got up and walked out. Everyone was amazed and gave glory to God. Jesus offered his body entirely to the Father to reveal the glory of God.

This is God blessing us. We offer our bodies to God as a living and holy sacrifice. God has given us neighbors: some who are ignorant of the gospel, some who don’t care at all, some busy with money and business, and some who are even hostile toward the gospel. Our lives are full of responsibilities, yet God has given us the grace to offer ourselves so that his glory may appear in the forgiveness of sins.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1)

November 30, 2025

Buffalo Livingstone Church ©2025, David Lee Ministries ©2025 – All Rights Reserved.

Scripture quotes are from the NIV.

 

Job Curses the Day of His Birth (Job 3:1–26)

 

Job Curses the Day of His Birth (Job 3:1–26)

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

Scripture was written for people, and especially given as the truth that saves those who are in suffering. Job lost all his possessions, his children, and his health, yet he did not blame God (Job 1:22; 2:10). He confessed that God gives blessings and He also allows trouble. Job 3 expresses, in poetic language, the thoughts and emotions of his heart in unbearable pain. He cursed the day he was born and wished he could die.

Job Curses the Day of His Birth

After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. He said: “May the day of my birth perish, and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’ That day—may it turn to darkness; may God above not care about it; may no light shine on it. May gloom and utter darkness claim it once more; may a cloud settle over it; may blackness overwhelm it. That night—may thick darkness seize it; may it not be included among the days of the year nor be entered in any of the months.” (Job 3:1–6)

Job, in his suffering, cursed his own birthday. He thought that if he had never been born, he would not have had to endure such grief and devastation. He went even further and said that he wished he had never been conceived. Job did not accuse God. Instead, he cried out because he could no longer bear his situation. Is this wrong? No. Many Psalms pour out deep anguish and distress:

“My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.” (Psalm 22:2)

“My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’” (Psalm 42:3)

“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” (Psalm 13:1–2)

“Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.” (Psalm 38:3)

Of course, these are all from the beginning portions of the Psalms. Later in each psalm we see the writers turning to praise God’s help and His unfailing love.

We respond to pain and suffering. We cry, groan, and hurt. We lament and even express our struggles with our bodies and our words. Language is the way our thoughts and feelings come out. God made people in His image and His likeness, and one aspect of His image is communication through language.

Jesus also expressed His emotions. When He saw people trapped under the power of death and unaware of the power of the resurrection, He was moved and wept (John 11:34–35). Most of all, Jesus proclaimed truth with a gracious voice, rebuked when necessary, and even showed righteous anger. He did this to rescue people trapped in ignorance and darkness. Whoever hears His words and believes receives the gift of salvation.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24)

However, Job’s words contain an error. Conception, birth, and death are not in human control. They belong entirely to God’s sovereign rule. God created all things and said that it was good. This means everything He made was accomplished according to His will and plan. God never regrets what He has done.

“He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.” (1 Samuel 15:29)

Salvation also does not depend on the hands of people. By God’s sovereign grace we come into the salvation He gives. God desires all people—regardless of race, culture, or circumstance—to come to salvation. For this purpose He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world and placed on Him the sins of all. God sacrificed His Son, offered the grace of Christ’s blood, and draws people to come to Him. Anyone who responds to God’s love receives forgiveness through the blood of Christ and receives eternal life as a gift (John 3:16).

My Eyes Have Seen Trouble

“May that night be barren; may no shout of joy be heard in it. May those who curse days curse that night, those who are ready to rouse Leviathan. May its morning stars become dark; may it wait for daylight in vain and not see the first rays of dawn, for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me to hide trouble from my eyes.” (Job 3:7-10)

Those who “curse days” refer to sailors in ancient myths. Leviathan means a sea monster or dragon, and it represents Satan (Job 41:1; Isaiah 27:1; Psalm 74:13–14). In myths, sailors believed Leviathan stirred up storms, so they cursed him with all their strength. In the same way, Job wished the day of his birth would be cursed.

Job said that if he had never been born, he would never have seen all this suffering. Is that true? It is true that a person who never exists has no pain. But we do not have the power to decide our own existence or death. So Job’s thought cannot stand. This simply shows how unbearable his pain was.

Job’s mistake is often ours. When facing unbearable suffering, we also think, “It would have been better if I had never been born.” Or we look at others who seem to live comfortably and wonder why we alone suffer.

“But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” (Psalm 73:2–3)

If I Had Died, I Would Be at Rest

 “Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb? Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed? For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest with kings and rulers of the earth, who built for themselves places now lying in ruins, with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver. Or why was I not hidden away in the ground like a stillborn child, like an infant who never saw the light of day?” (Job 3:11-16)

Job lamented that he did not die at birth. If he had died, he believed he would be lying in peace, resting with kings and rulers, and would be like a stillborn child who never saw the light and did not exist. There is much we do not know about what happens right after death—especially for infants who die at birth. But one thing is clear: human existence does not end with death.

We do not remain asleep after death. All people will rise again. Those redeemed by Christ will be changed “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet” (1 Corinthians 15:51), receiving a resurrection body that never decays (2 Corinthians 5:1–4). But those who do not believe will rise to face God’s eternal judgment (John 5:29).

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17)

Why Give Light to Those Who Suffer?

“There the wicked cease from turmoil, and there the weary are at rest. Captives also enjoy their ease; they no longer hear the slave driver’s shout. The small and the great are there, and the slaves are freed from their owners. Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, to those who long for death that does not come, who search for it more than for hidden treasure, who are filled with gladness and rejoice when they reach the grave? Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in? For sighing has become my daily food; my groans pour out like water. What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.” (Job 3:17-26)

Job said that because of his suffering, he sighed even in front of food. He had no peace, no quietness, no rest—only trouble. He wanted to die but could not. Yet he believed that if he died, he would rejoice when reaching the grave. When people face deep suffering, they often feel exactly as Job did.

But death is not the solution that ends everything. “People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). God judges each one according to what they have done. For the wicked, there is trouble, distress, and the punishment of hell. But those who do good may suffer briefly in this world, yet they will receive rest, peace, and the glorious reward of heaven (Romans 2:6–8).

Today is Thanksgiving. The life, peace, and rest we enjoy come entirely from God’s grace. So we offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, because through Christ’s blood all our sins are forgiven, and we now share in the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven.

With this hope, we daily receive the life God gives as we “eat his flesh and drink his blood” (John 6:53)—meaning we follow the way of Christ’s cross. The cross of Christ is the only path leading to resurrection life. Remembering and holding to this truth confirms that we now belong to God the Father and to Jesus Christ as His children.

Amen!

November 23, 2025

Buffalo Livingstone Church ©2025, David Lee Ministries ©2025 – All Rights Reserved.

Scripture quotes are from the NIV.