Red: A Devotional

Red

A year of weekly devotions from the authors at Pelican Book Group

Red

COPYRIGHT 2013 by H.L Wegley, Michael Duncan, Mary Manners, Sharon Srock, LoRee Peery, Delia Latham, Davalynn Spencer, Robin Bayne, Carla Rossi, Marianne Evans, Tanya Stowe, Jody Day, Marian Merritt, Anne Greene, Clare Revell, E.A. West, Susan Lyttek, Pamela S. Thibodeaux

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or Pelican Ventures, LLC except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

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Contact Information: titleadmin@pelicanbookgroup.com

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version (R), NIV (R), Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Cover Art by Nicola Martinez

Pelican Ventures, LLC * www.pelicanbookgroup.com

PO Box 1738 *Aztec, NM * 87410

Publishing History

First Edition, 2013

Electronic ISBN 978-1-61116-366-7

Published in the United States of America

Dedication

To Nicola Martinez and the Pelican Book Group editors and staff who make it possible for us to call ourselves published authors. But even more importantly, these talented and hard-working individuals value and cherish the Blood of Christ.

Working with a Christian staff makes writing a special joy. The contents of this book are a tribute of praise to our Redeemer, Who alone is worthy of all the praise. But on this one page, wed like to extend our gratitude to and love for the PBG staff. Thank you for doing what you do!

Overview of Contents

Week 1: When God Sees Red (Wegley)

Week 2: The White of Red (Duncan)

Week 3: The Treasure Box (Manners)

Week 4: Red + Red = White (Srock)

Week 5: Once Upon A Time (Peery)

Week 6: The Ultimate Valentine (Latham)

Week 7: If You Were God (Spencer)

Week 8: Beautiful Blood (Peery)

Week 9: Family Blood Lines (Bayne)

Week 10: A Fountain Filled with Blood (Rossi)

Week 11: KerplunkSplat (Latham)

Week 12: Earning Gods Forgiveness (Evans)

Week 13: A Thin Red Shell (Stowe)

Week 14: Love-colored Glasses (Day)

Week 15: Red Lilies (Merritt)

Week 16: Wet Towels (Bayne)

Week 17: Cleansing Blood (Greene)

Week 18: Blood Vessels (Latham)

Week 19: Caught Red-Handed (Duncan)

Week 20: Fire Light (Lyttek)

Week 21: The Blood-Bought Relationship (Wegley)

Week 22: Stolen Miracle (Latham)

Week 23: Blood Bath (Srock)

Week 24: The Blood of Redemption (Evans)

Week 25: No More Tears (Revell)

Week 26: Giving BackGiving Beyond Belief (Peery)

Week 27: Reflection of the Heart (West)

Week 28: The Red Effect (Lyttek)

Week 29: Big Red (Merritt)

Week 30: Boundaries (Manners)

Week 31: The Fragrance of Forgiveness (Latham)

Week 32: Flames of Jealousy (Revell)

Week 33: Seeing Red (Lyttek)

Week 34: Beyond Seeing Red (Lyttek)

Week 35: Less Than Red (Lyttek)

Week 36: Seeing Through Red-colored Glasses (Lyttek)

Week 37: A Walk Through the Blood (Latham)

Week 38: Reading the Red (Day)

Week 39: Sin & Judgment (Evans)

Week 40: Do Not Weep for Me (Revell)

Week 41: No Scarlet Robes (Day)

Week 42: The Cross Within (Lyttek)

Week 43: Scaling the Mountain (Manners)

Week 44: Suffering (Stowe)

Week 45: Healing Hands (Revell)

Week 46: Forgive & Forget (Rossi)

Week 47: A Continual Washing (Thibodeaux)

Week 48: Blessed to Be Different (West)

Week 49: Song of the Cardinal (Peery)

Week 50: A Christmas Eve Vigil (Bayne)

Week 51: How Sweet it Is! (Latham)

Week 52: I Owe You One (Rossi)

Week 1

When God Sees Red

H. L. Wegley

Exodus 12:12-13On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.

1 Peter 1: 18-19 (KJV)For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

Hebrews 10:12 (KJV)But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God.

When I see red, its usually not a pretty sight. It was worse years ago. Objects might fly across the room, or regrettable words would fly from a poison tongue. With God, however, His wrath is preceded by opportunities to receive grace and mercy. I am so thankful that He doesnt see red in the sense that I do.

We see red in another context, one that is often disturbingthe sight of human blood. It seems that God has placed something within us that instinctively realizes life is in the blood, and so we have an aversion to seeing blood spilled out. Even small children become frightened at the sight of blood. My son-in-law passes out. More than half of all human beings are thought to be genetically predisposed to this physiological reaction. Fortunately, not all of them actually pass out.

When God sees the red of blood, His reaction depends upon the source of that blood. After Cain murdered Abel out of anger and jealousy, God said in Genesis 4:10-11 , What have you done? Listen! Your brothers blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brothers blood from your hand. But even in punishing Cain, He was merciful in that He marked Cain so no one would kill the outcast man.

God also saw red at the original Passover, a foreshadowing of the time He would see Jesus blood. God sent the last and most terrible plague to the Egyptians, killing the firstborn of every Egyptian household. Only the Hebrew firstborn were spared by painting the blood of a lamb on their door frames, as God had instructed them.

In the church age, when God sees red it is but one shade of red, the red of Jesus blood, that one sacrifice made for sins forever. We are truly blessed to be able to approach a righteous, holy God by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

Reflection:

Are you truly thankful that your sins are covered forever by the blood of Christ and that you have access to a loving heavenly Father? Or perhaps you have never painted the blood on the doorposts of your heart, never trusted Christ and His sacrifice as the payment for your sin. If so, then trust Him now. Your faith in Christ and His sacrifice will paint His blood over you so that when God sees you He sees, not your sin, but that one shade of red.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we are forever thankful that You have redeemed us not with perishable things, or an empty way of life, but with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without spot or blemish. And because of His sacrifice, that is how You see us. Thank you! Thank Youin His name. Amen.

Week 2

The White of Red

Rev. Michael Duncan

Isaiah 1:18Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be white like wool.