C-L-E-A-N. You may not understand this string of letters, but the Great Judge pronounces you as such—if only you will believe in His love… if only you will seek His forgiveness… if only you will surrender your life to Him.
Then you will understand. YOU. ARE. CLEAN.
Regardless of who you were and who you have become. Because the blood of Jehovah M’Kaddesh can wipe away every stain, every filth, every imperfection, every sin.
So plunge deep into His sanctifying blood and be… clean.
Jehovah Sabaoth. He afflicted Egypt with the severest of plagues to free the Israelites from miserable slavery… armed little David with a giant courage to slay mocking Goliath… and held the sun still to warrant Joshua’s victory against Canaan.
Jehovah Sabaoth. He beat the Pharisees with silence… defeated sin with His blood… and slayed death with His life.
Jehovah Sabaoth. He can grant you that most sought-after promotion… revive that failing business… prevail over that disease… and rebuild that waning relationship.
JEHOVAH SABAOTH. His was the voice that boomeranged into the empty universe, ‘Let there be’ and there was. And His is the same voice that whispers into your ear this very moment, ‘I care for you.’
Won’t you allow His mighty arms to lift you up from that dark pit you are in?
If there was someone whom the general public disdained, it was him. He was, for them, a sinner beyond forgiveness—a money-whore. So everyone was shocked when, amongst the throng of crowd, he was singled out and told, “I must stay at your house today.” What was more shocking was the event that ensued: “Today salvation has come to this house…”
The bleeding woman… the grieving mother… and the corrupt Zacchaeus. They were all sick: one with a terminal disease, the other with bereavement, and the last with sin. Everyone thought that theirs was a hopeless case—until Someone came.
JEHOVAH RAPHA, the Lord who heals.
He who heals the gravest of diseases, the deepest of heartaches and, even, the vilest of sinners—not just because He can but, also, because He cares.
So believe in His power and His love so that, like them, you, too, will receive the healing that you need.
Through Him we are sanctified. From sinner to saint, not only are our sins forgiven, but our records wiped clean—from charcoal black to pristine white. Because His blood does not merely cover, but washes our sins away.
Through Him we are accepted. Instead of being doomed for death and eternal punishment, we are now welcomed into His kingdom—as His sons and daughters. Because with arms wide open, He was hung on the most horrible cross, to His scorn and shame.
JEHOVAH TSIDKENU.
He did not merely call us from darkness to light, He also transformed us from filthy to pure—even promoted us from beggars to eternal heirs!
And for what purpose?
That we may have the right to be called a chosen generation… a royal priesthood… a holy nation… a people belonging to God.
JEHOVAH TSIDKENU. The God who is not only righteous, but is also OUR righteousness.
Yet, we must also consider that truth that we can never be God’s agents of righteousness in the world if we ourselves are not living in His righteousness. This is the reason why He Himself redeemed us from the power of sin and made us new persons. Because of this, we can “…draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:22).
We were born sinners and lovers of wicked deeds because of the sin of Adam and Eve. But we have been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ which made us righteous before God’s eyes. As a result, we have been saved from the punishment of sin which is eternal death and separation from God. Of course, to save us from eternal punishment is not the only purpose of God in redeeming us from sin. In the same way, He also bestows upon us the hope of being transformed unto His likeness day by day.
Knowing all these, we are called to do two non-negotiable things in our Christian walk. First, we must boast only of the righteousness of Christ. In Philippians 3:9, Apostle Paul expresses his desire to “…be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.” We must never covet any credit for the goodness that is reflected in our life. It is only because of Jesus Christ that we can walk uprightly.
Second, we must live in righteousness as determined followers of Christ. We must exemplify God’s word in James 1:22: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” It is never enough that we know what pleases our God. We must act on every word and every command that He gives us through the revelation in His Word. If we live contrary to His will, we cannot be considered genuine believers, and in doing so, we are piercing the heart of God who gave Himself up for our complete redemption.
Hence, brothers and sisters in Christ, I sincerely urge you to continue living in God’s righteousness that He might be glorified in your life. Always remember that He Himself has promised the great reward in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Whatever we want for our country – freedom from wickedness, oppression, injustice – we can definitely receive if we choose to live according to the will of God and walk in His righteousness.
God bless you all and God bless the Philippines!
Yet amidst this saddening reality, the Almighty God reveals Himself to us as Raah, the Lord our Shepherd. Out of His love and compassion for us, He invites us to utter the words of the psalmist, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23). Doesn’t this give us overwhelming assurance and hope? The message is crystal clear: If we let Him be the Shepherd to guide us as a people, we will surely experience the abundant and prosperous life that He has planned for us.
Not only does the promise entail abundance and prosperity. We must also remember that our Living God is not a negligent shepherd without deep concern for the sheep. He is the Good Shepherd who stays with us in the face of all kinds of danger. The psalmist talks about the “valley of the shadow of death” yet remains steadfast in his faith by saying that there is no reason to be afraid while walking through this dreaded place. Why? It is because of the abiding presence of the Good Shepherd. Like him, we are called to possess that kind of faith. Despite all challenges and trials our country might face, we must continue to believe that our Loving Shepherd Himself will keep us safe from all harm.
Above all, we must keep ourselves reminded of Jesus’ words in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” This points us to His supreme sacrifice at the cross of Calvary. There, He proved His willingness to die to redeem us from sin and save us from eternal punishment. This is the ultimate evidence that He is truly our Good Shepherd to whom we can entrust our individual lives and our beloved nation as a whole. The God who gave His life for us is the only One who can bestow eternal life, lasting peace, enduring strength and authentic freedom for each and every one of us.
Hence, my challenge for all of you, fellow Filipinos, is to faithfully follow Raah, the Lord our Shepherd. John 10:4b says, “the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” As a nation, we must seek to know the Good Shepherd who holds the answer to our every need and has the power to unite us towards genuine change and progress. And may we, as one family, declare with faith: the Lord is our Shepherd, we will not lack any good thing.
God bless you all and God bless the Philippines!
