April 2019: 

4/1/19                                          From Success to Significance                             1 

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.
Daniel 4:37

RECOMMENDED READING: MATTHEW 6:32-34  “³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble..”

COMMENTS:  Nebuchadnezzar was the greatest and most feared tyrant king of his day.  He ruled the greatest kingdom with the most wealth and power of his day.  The gardens of Babylon were one of the recorded “wonders of the world “God used Babylon to judge Israel’s sin by enslaving them and taking them away from their land to indoctrinate them in Babylonian culture and pagan beliefs.  Daniel and his 3 friends were among them taken from their home and family as children or at most young teens.  But their upbringing was solid as was their deep faith in God, resulting in a solid resolve to not defile themselves with customs or beliefs contrary to God’s laws and ordinances.  Their resolve put them in great danger but God consistently protected them from Nebuchadnezzar’s anger and rash judgments.  Slowly over time Nebuchadnezzar learned to trust and respect and even rely on the wisdom and integrity and dependability they demonstrated above all his other advisors and subjects.  But he still succumbed to his own pride and arrogance and lifted his own accomplishments above God and praised himself over God.  God had used these 4 men to reveal Himself to Nebuchadnezzar so such an offence was no longer tolerated by God, who immediately struck Nebuchadnezzar with insanity and caused him to act and eat and function like a wild animal.  But God was merciful and preserved His life and kingdom for him for the 7 years he endured insanity.   But one day he lifted his eyes to heaven and submitted   to God and gave God praise and worship. He surrendered his pride and will, as must we all to find and have a real relationship with Him too.  Daniel 4 records his experience and his surrender.   God then restored his kingdom and sanity to him, but with a new outlook and personality and purpose.  I can only imagine how his rule changed after that, changed for the good!! AMEN?

Many successful men and women have discovered midway through their careers that power and wealth and popularity and respect and even health are not enough to fulfill a deep hunger in our souls for value and purpose and fulfillment of a deep calling.  All too many go through their entire lives tragically never discovering and fulfilling that purpose and calling they ached to do.   They either refused out of fear or pride or selfishness or failed to seek from the source of their purpose that loves and knows them like none other.   Christ has our best in mind and knows we are mind set on going down a dangerous self-destructive path with no good conclusion.

If God is God and man is made in His image, then each man is significant.
Os Guinness

4/2/19                                           Fight to Life – Learning to Forgive                                      2 

As we forgive our debtors.  Matthew 6:12

COMMENTS: Today I read a moving story about a cancer patient.  Mike Veley and his wife decided to take a trip to Europe, which they had dreamed of all their married life together.  Mike was battling cancer, going through chemotherapy treatments, which drained his energy and ability to live a normal life.  They didn’t know how much longer he would be able to make that trip nor if he would recover and be able to make the trip later, so they decided to make it together while they still could. 

The trip was wonderful until a pickpocket robbed them in Venice.  Their trip was cut short and had to waste time and grief in order to replace credit cards and passport s needed to return home.  They both felt cheated and angry but decided to write a letter to the robber in order to help them forgive and heal.  They knew it would not be likely the letter would ever find its way into the thief’s hands, but released that to God and wrote it anyway.

They wrote, “This is my last trip with my wife.  I’m dying from cancer. You left me with no money and no credit cards.  Imagine for only a moment what this does to your victim.  I have been praying for forgiveness.  I also pray forgiveness for you.  Michael Veley, USA.”

The local Italian paper published their letter.  They were showered with hospitality but had to return in short order to USA for further chemotherapy.  The initial memory of the trip was ruined but was quickly replaced with love and support from strangers.  After writing this letter, their memory went from anger and frustration to joy.

When we focus on forgiveness instead of revenge or anger, we unchain the shackles of imprisonment that anger binds our souls and minds and, yes, our joy with.

Mike and his wife didn’t not experience the “last trip” they dreamed of, but experienced a trip beyond their hopes.  They missed some memorable sights, but discovered a loving caring people they would not otherwise have met. 

Neither they, nor we know if the culprit was caught or how he used his spoils.  God is not only a forgiving – compassionate God but a just God would one day will make unforgiven sinners and satan and his evil demons pay eternally for their sins and evil schemes.  BUT THAT NEED NOT BE FOR YOU AND ME OR FOR ANYONE WHO COMES TO HIM TO RECEIVE HIS MERCY FREELY OFFERED.  BUT MERCY ONLY MADE AVAILABLE BY HIS OWN LIFE SACRIFICED TO PAY FOR OUR SINS.

Mike may not live to see another Christmas or New Year.  His wife and family will feel his passing for many years to come.  But his eternal home and life with Christ will be secure and the confident hope of his wife and family is they will see him again and will be with him also in new young better bodies in their new eternal home.  BUT EVEN MORE, THEY WILL ALL BE WITH THEIR LORD AND SAVIOR WHO HAS BEEN PREPARING THEIR HOMES AND WILL BE WITH THEM  FOR ETERNITY FREE FROM THE TEMPTATIONS OF SATAN AND HIS INFLUENCE.

100 years from now, we will say “It was worth it all”.  We will see short term pain and suffering and persecution and loss then from the perspective of eternity.  I like to say, the view through the rear view mirror is different than the view through the windshield.  So will our view of things be when we look at them from eternity instead in present or uncertain future.  God always keeps His promised.  He always has and He always will!!  AMEN!!

 “I don’t know the source of your betrayal, hurt or disappointment. But I do know that there is a way to get rid of those seeds of anger, and that it all relates to forgiveness.”
Gary Smalley

 

4/3/19                                    Temple Duty                                       3

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  1 Corinthians 6:19

RECOMMENDED READING: John 14:19-25  “¹⁹ Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.²⁰ At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.²¹ He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.²² Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?²³ Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.²⁴ He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.²⁵ These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.”

COMMENTS:  I don’t know about you, but the attribute of God I struggle the most with is His Eternal perspective.  I don’t mean the infinite wisdom He implements His Will with.  I don’t mean even the way He answers our prayers using us to impact the lives of those affected by our prayers.  I   mean His timing based on His eternal perspective.  Sometimes His hand of justice and mercy seems to move painfully slowly.  So slow I can’t see any evidence while seeing suffering and uncertain that stills seems to demand an urgent response.  Healing that seems to elude those we care about.  Joni Eareckson Tata is a well-known example.  She has endured over 50 years as a paraplegic and even cancer.  You and I can’t help but wonder why God has placed such a heavy weight of physical suffering on her.  But none can deny what that suffering has done for her faith and ministry.     She may depends on her husband and other caregivers to sustain her physically, but with the suffering has come a much deeper and richer and  more powerful and more joyful relationship that has lifted her to be a modern day Daniel or Mary to us.   Her wisdom and life of integrity and witness exceed most if not all evangelists and ministers today.   The impact of her life and ministry has changed more lives than she could have done if her health had been restored to her.  Now that she is seeing her approaching death, we witness a peace and wonderful anticipation towards God instead of the anger or disappointment you or I would likely still be struggling with.  She is quick to share that she would far rather endure all she has in order to win the millions she has for Christ.  Her reward is great but she will finally receive a far greater healing and new body that she could imagine.  God has it all figured out and timing as well as His infinitely wise Plan will amaze us when it is fully fulfilled.  An infinite wise Plan not just for Joni but also for you and me.    We need reminded anything we give us in the  few brief years while here on earth are insignificant compared with what He is preparing for us and blessings such suffering is doing that will be revealed on that day.

Scripture tells us to treat and appreciate and use our body to worship and honor Him.    When scripture was written, little knowledge or understanding of the complexity of the body was known.  Today we have more, which only serves to increase our wonder of God’s handiwork in creating our bodies. For example, if our body’s blood vessels were laid end to end, they would stretch 100,000 miles or 4 times around the world.  WE ARE, INDEED FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE!

God has graced each of us with a marvelous body.  A body we do not appreciate during our youth but discover in our elderly years just has wonderful they were in our youth.   Yet even in our elderly years our bodies continue to serve us in amazing ways.  Yet our confident hope and promise Christ gives us is that the home He is preparing for us and the bodies He is preparing for us exceeds our imagination and are infinitely better than our current body and home.  That does not mean we should abuse our body or home so we can receive our eternal body and home sooner.   No!  He still tells us that even our elderly body is His temple worthy of taking care of and using to praise and worship Him.  Evidence of impact of doing time is best demonstrated by Joni’s example but know there are countless other examples more personal to us of those who are using their bodies and time wisely to praise Him and share His Good News.

WE are midway through Lent and quickly approaching Easter.  Christ, of course, revealed the most impactful and important example of using His earthly body as God’s temple.  He used His body to bear our sins and provide redemption for all in all generations who will receive the redemption He bought.   Pentecost is the Day when the Holy Spirit descended on believers who met together in worship and empowered them to share His Word – His Gospel – His Words of Life. Acts 2:3-4 give the account and impact on those who experienced it as well and those impacted by their transformed lives.  We are saved to worship and praise Him.  We are saved to share His Good News with others too.  Our words will explain the path to receive His redemption.  Our lives will convince them to seek that redemption.

When we see someone who obviously have neglected or abused their bodies or a church building dilapidated and in decay, we grieve or feel remorse for loss.  But we need to realize the only way to restore our bodies or church building or, especially our soul, is to draw close to the source of life, to Jesus.  To allow His abiding Holy Spirit into our minds and souls to guide and lead us to follow His council and instruction.

To let our bodies go or to let our church building or gathering place to digress into disrepair is to convey the wrong message to the world, which needs a Savior and the Message He has given us to share.  He we conduct our daily lives convinces them to seek Him.  The Message He gives us to share gives them the path or way there.  AMEN?  AMEN!!

Christ wants to sanctify our body and fill it with the Holy Spirit so that it can be a vessel for Him.
Watchman Nee

4/4/19                                              Better to Obey                                            4

So Samuel said [to Saul]: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.”   1 Samuel 15:22

RECOMMENDED READING:  Psalm 40:1-10  “⁹ I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.² He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.³ And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.⁴ Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.⁵ Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.⁶ Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.⁷ Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,⁸ I delight to do ⁹ I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.¹⁰ I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.”

COMMENTS:  Saul was a tragic example of a king who had everything and enjoyed a close relationship with God but through His faithful prophet, Samuel.  Saul followed the rules but lacked an obedient heart.  He was willing to do what brought good fortune and blessing.  He believed in God and God’s blessings but didn’t understand God’s heart and God’s need for a personal relationship with everyone, including Saul.  Saul was content with his own state but God wasn’t.  Saul’s true nature and sinfulness was revealed when He faced God’s judgment and his replacement God had chosen.  Saul still thought he could force God’s hand or change God’s Will.  He should have repented, as David did years later, when he encountered God’s judgment too.   David repented and was forgiven.  Saul refused to repent and gave only excuses to justify his actions.  God accepted David’s repentance but Saul excuses did not carry any weight.

Saul died in battle and his son, Jonathan, died with him.  Saul’s son was impacted by Saul’s sin and God’s judgment on him.  But Jonathan had a choice too.  He chose to protect David from his father’s jealous attempts to kill David, but remained obedient and faithful to his father and went with his father into battle that fateful day.

A pastor, Ben Patterson, went mountain climbing with 3 friends but chose to take a short cut.  That short cut lead him to a deal end on an icy ledge with no way out. When his friends found him, they were unable to reach him but convinced him to follow their instruction.  That instruction meant taking each step without seeing where to step but each step at place they instructed him. He had to trust them completely, knowing a false step   would mean falling to his death.

He knew and trusted his friends but this required a much deeper level of trust.  His foolish choice seemed right to him, but know he was forced to follow instruction every part of his being resisted, shouting to him not to.

He chose to follow his friend’s instruction and was spared, living to share this experience with others.

We may criticize Ben for his foolish choice.  Staying with the group and following the path defined by experts is vital.   We simply can’t trust our own wisdom and logical reason in such situations.  Trusting God always is best, but all too often He instructs us in a different direction and a direction less appealing to us.  But that is where past experience, both personal and of those who lived long before us and of those who we know too.  The examples are unique but outcome the same.  Obeying God’s call and instruction may mean a difficult road but always leads to the best result. Disobedience or following our own choices may be smoother for a while but always leads to a disappointing or disastrous destination. 

There is value in obedience. Often we think we have a better idea or plan than God. But once we execute our plan we lose the opportunity of seeing how beneficial God’s plan would have been. Saul, the first king of Israel, learned the hard way that God delights in obedience more than anything else. When Saul substituted his plan for God’s, it cost him the throne of Israel (1 Samuel 15).

One of the greatest challenges of the Christian life is to learn that God says what He says for a reason. Better to take Him at His word.

“Beware of reasoning about God’s Word—obey it!” Oswald Chambers

 

 

4/5/19                                          Fairweather or Faithful?                                               5

Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
1 Corinthians 4:2

RECOMMENDED READING: GENESIS 39:1-6  And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.² And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.³ And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.⁴ And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.⁵ And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.⁶ And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured. ⁷ And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.⁸ But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;⁹ There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?¹⁰ And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.”

COMMENTS:  Joseph was faithful to God both during fair weather times and during times of tests and trials and unjust punishment.   In sports, wee know the difference between  a faithful fan and a fairweather fan.  A fairweather fan only is committed during success and winning periods of  time but is absent during times of failure.  Fairweather Christians crumble into complaining – bitter – weak – defeated followers when times get hard.  God always offers preparation for trial but seldom explains why or the good that He intends to come from those trials.  Joseph enjoyed his childhood until his brothers thrust him into slavery out of jealousy for their father’s love and favors.  But Joseph’ s integrity won him favor and prosperity and freedoms in his Egyptian master’s home.  He was still a slave and was still separated from his family, but being trust worthy served him well.  We also learned his integrity was due to a deep personal relationship with God even at his young age.  There is no short cut or substitute for that same personal relationship God desires and we desperately need to also have with Him. 

Yet, as we see from today’s scripture, such fair weather  seldom last without seasons of trial and hardship.   Joseph was to again discover that would happen again, casting him into one of pharoah’s famous prisons unjustly accused and without defense.

Such accusations usually resulted in immediate death, but God was still in control and spared Joseph’s life.   God had a purpose in this dark season, which would last 2 years. 

God’s was are logical and infinite insightful and wise, but commonly makes no sense at the time to us.   When we look back at this story, God’s plan for Joseph makes perfect sense and the actions of Potifer’s wife and Joseph’s brothers seem so foolish.   But temptation always deceives and makes us think sin is logical and beneficial.   It is during those times, it is vital to remember past examples and put our eyes and thought on Jesus seeking His council instead.

The main characteristic of a steward is faithfulness (1 Corinthians 4:2).    He persists in doing his duties and fulfilling his commission regardless of obstacle or cost.  He may solicite help when necessary, when he is not physically able to overcome or remove obstacles alone. 

If you read on in today’s story in Genesis, you will discover how God used Joseph to save his famiy as well as his captors.  You will also discovered storing enough food to feed a great nation and his own family could not be accomplished by home alone.  But Pharoah gave him authority to order workers to do the work.  Joseph also sought and received wisdom and council from God sufficient to understand what was coming and what needed to be done to prepare for a coming drought.  

You and I are stewards of God’s gift of salvation.  We are Ambassadors of His Kingdom with calling and commission to represent and tell His Good News.  We are to invite all to become citizens of His Kingdom.   We are to do so with joy and integrity and love.  Compassion for others and integrity in our actions and conduct  are rare qualities today, but are what Jesus exampled for us.  We have many such examples from Old Testament scripture too, of which Joseph is one.  You and I likely have some in our own family or church or community too.  Are we among them for others?   Being so is our obligation but IT IS ALSO OUR PRIVILEGE! Who else better deserves our allegiance and obedience and our faithfulness.  WHO ELSE DESERVES OUR LOVE AND DEVOTION? NO ONE !  SO WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?  LET’S USE THIS LENT SEASON TO SEEK HIS COUNCIL AND HIS INDWELLING PRESENT TO ANOINT AND INSPRIRE AND PREPARE US  as He did for Joseph long ago and with countless millions of Christians since Pentecost.  AMEN?  AMEN!

God has made every Christian a steward of the gift of salvation by grace, a gift we are to use for His glory. Pray today to be a faithful steward.

“Faithfulness in little things is a big thing.”  John Chrysostom

 

4/6/19                                      Tipping the Scale                                  6

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.
Proverbs 21:2

Recommended Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:16-17  “¹⁶ And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.¹⁷ I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”

COMMENTS:  Tipping the scales refers to a centuries old practice of merchant putting his finger on the scales of a food or product he was weighing to determine selling price.  Buyer would be required to pay based on scale weight, which was more because of this subtle way of cheating the customer.   Since practice became common and then accepted and then expected, customers were left at the mercy of unscrupulous merchants.  A fair ethical merchant would either be pushed or forced out.          It would take a revolt from customers to stop and restore integrity to merchants. 

The exception was when revival came into a community or nation.  John Wesley and many others were instrumental in bringing community revival all over Europe and in American Colonies during 1700’s and 1800’s.   When God moved in these communities, merchants started charging fair prices and showing compassion and generosity to customers.  Giving to charity and helping neighbors became common.  Violence and crime became non-existent.  Stories were told of police departments practicing for choir for something to do and spent time helping neighbors in needs instead of tracking down criminals.  Jails stood empty in several large cities at height of revivals.  Churches were packed and bars stood empty.

WHEN GOD TIPS THE SCALES, IT IS NOT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OR CHEAT HIS CHILDREN.  WHEN GOD TIPS THE SCALES, IT IS TO STOP SATANS CHEATING AND RESTORE THE JOY AND BLESSING OF FELLOWSHIP HE CALLS US TO AND AWAY FROM SATAN’S SCHEMES AND DECEPTIONS AND LIES.   LIES THAT PROMISE FUN AND RICHES BUT ONLY DELIVER DEATH.

GOD PROMISES LIFE ETERNAL AND A WONDERFUL HOME WITH HIM.   When we trust in Him, He tips the scales to make sure we get what He promises no matter what.  HE ALWAYS DELIVERS WHAT HE PROMISES.  SATAN NEVER DOES.  HE DOESN’T KNOW HOW AND HE CERTAINLY DOESN’T WANT TO!!

Why doesn’t God bring revival everywhere all the time?   NOT BECAUSE HE DOESN’T WANT TO.  We must want Him to before He will.  We must invite and sincerely want Him to.  He never comes uninvited or unwelcome.  He leaves when we push Him out by opening ourselves and changing our interest back on satan’s lures instead.  We leave Him instead of He leaving us. 

From our perspective it may appear that the unrighteous prosper, while the righteous experience trouble and pain. But when the scales seem incorrectly tipped in this life, remember that God not only created the entire universe, He sees the invisible motives of every heart. He will execute justice. We can trust Him to not only balance the scales of life but to also extend mercy. His plans and purposes are often hidden from us, but God is faithful. Yes, we will face challenging circumstances in life, but we are never alone or out of God’s sight. God sees our hidden tears and listens to our whispered prayers—we can trust that when the scales of justice are weighed righteousness will reign.                                                                                                       “The state of your heart dictates whether you harbor a grudge or give grace, seek self-pity or seek Christ, drink human misery or taste God’s mercy.”  Max Lucado

4/7/19                                    “STEADFAST”                                                 7                   

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.  1 Corinthians 15:58

Recommended Reading: JOHN 17:17-26 –“ ¹⁷ Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.¹⁸ As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.¹⁹ And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.²⁰ Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;²¹ That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.²² And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:²³ I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.²⁴ Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.²⁵ O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.²⁶ And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

COMMENTS:  The dangerous but inspiring times of the early church transformed the apostles, those who knew Jesus, those who were transformed by His message and sacrifice, and those who then witnessed the miracles and explosive growth of the church Jesus identified when He changed Peter’s name to mean “the rock”. Roman soldiers, under the orders and authority given by their Caesar, did their best to stop Jesus’ message and powerful affect it had on Rome’s subjects.  The most powerful army in the world could not stop it.  The Jewish leadership tried and could not.   The more they oppressed Jesus’ followers, the deeper their faith became and the more joined them. The next 150 years of Roman rule included unbelievable times of persecution and suffering and death for countless millions of Christians.  To be a faithful Christian during those times would automatically land you in prison with a death sentence.  Those were the “lucky ones”.  The “unlucky ones” enduring repeated beatings and imprisonment for the rest of their lives.  John was one of them sent to Patmos where he lived out the rest of his life.  But because he lived, we can enjoy what he wrote during those years and have further example of a life well lived to follow. 

But because he and countless millions of others were faithful during those years, they bear evidence their message was true and there is power in those truths and in the God they speak of.   Finally by 300AD, Caesar’s mother became a Christian, resulting in Caesar’s tolerance softening.  She was the one that established all the important land marks of the Holy Land that are present day tourist traps.  She also was influential, playing a key role in eventual shift of Christianity becoming the official religion of Rome.  Out of that the Catholic Faith developed with the Pope as leader and Rome as ruling capital.  Corruption and abuse hurt but Christ prevailed and true believers and His message prevailed over the centuries and will through today’s attempts of satan to corrupt and suppress that message.

Our present day Bible prevailed, including the newest addition (New Testament) preserving Christ’s life and the first century journey of new believers during that time. God may be mocked or suppressed for a time, but He will not for long and those who attempt will be humbled and suffer greatly if unrepented.  He has a consistent but wonderful way of using satan’s evil intent and misguided – deceived followers to do great good and bring redemption to those misguided – deceived followers who do repent.   Paul was one of those stories of redemption who recorded much of the New Testament which is priceless to every one of us 2000 years afterwards. 

Joshua had the confidence and courage to lead God’s people into the Promised Land because He believed in God’s promise and presence. We serve the same God who said: “And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

When we face life’s trials and dangers and temptations and world’s pressures and demands, we have repeated choices to make.   Choices based on what others are wanting us to do.  Based on consequences we weigh based on logical conclusions of paths those choices would put us on. Choices to follow our faith both  when choice is  easy and when choice is unclear or even highly consequential, like it was in that early church time.  Many of those early Christians lived in hiding in the Catacombs of Rome, burial caverns dug so precious land in Rome would not be wasted in making cemeteries.  Living in caves like David did while be sought by King Saul. God was faithful to David and was faithful to those early Christians.  HE WILL BE FAITHFUL TO YOU AND ME IF WE REMAIN “STEADFAST” IN OUR FAITH TO HIM TOO!!  AMEN?  AMEN!

“When we find a man meditating on the words of God, my friends, that man is full of boldness and is successful.”  Dwight L. Moody

4/8/19                A Biblical Course in Anger Management                    8            Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?  Genesis 4:6

Recommended Reading: Colossians 3:8-17  “⁸ But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.⁹ Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;¹⁰ And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:¹¹ Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.¹² Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;¹³ Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.¹⁴ And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.¹⁵ And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.¹⁷ And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

COMMENTS:  Anger is a terrible and powerful cause of destructive and impulsive behavior.  Anger inspired and motivates and drives criminal and both self-destruction actions and words, but also permanent destruction to others, even to innocent individuals and even families and communities and beyond.  How many deaths and broken marriages and even wars that killed millions.  Anger was behind Cain killing Seth and facing permanent exile from his family and from God’s blessing.   Anger motivates and empowers and continues to energize poor and destructive behavior and words and is contagious as others respond to unrestrained actions and words of anger.

So what sparks anger in you and me and why do we respond as we often do?

1. Past offenses and memories from past offenders and circumstances leave scars and unhealed wounds that fester.
2. Angry responses, likewise, make future angry responses to similar stimulus from the same people or from similar circumstances. For examples, abuse of children from one person may make us quick to anger from the same offender in other situations or cause our anger to well up when we see similar abuse from others to other children with similar circumstances.   Even righteous or justified angry responses without prayer and forethought and discernment can quickly result in improper or foolish or harmful results that are more easily repeated if repeated.
3. The natural human response to respond in kind with an angry response to an angry action. To respond with angry words when angry words are given.  To respond with angry actions when angry actions are given.  Stop and reflect to examples from your experience both as givers and as receivers.

Are there good features or benefits of anger?

1. Anger can provide motivation and energy and mental focus to productive action against destructive or harmful affect from injustice or harm directed toward others or even to ourselves. Anger that is under control and resulting energy not tapped into until a foundation of wise thinking and committed choices and proper planning and accountability are already in place and being implemented.
2. Anger must remain under control and be of limited duration. Scripture warns us to “Be angry and sin not” Ephesians 4:26.   “Do not let the sun go down on your anger, giving satan a foothold” Ephesians 4:27

What causes the angry we all struggle with and how should we deal with it? 

1. Well, we know Jesus got angry when He encountered the money changers in the temple, who were cheating the sincere impoverished Jews seeking God’s mercy and forgiveness and who came to the temple also for worship and praise. They were asked to give more than God required in order to line their own pockets.  Jesus’ anger was JUSTIFIED, UNDER CONTROL, LIMITED IN DURATION.  His thoughts and words and actions were well thought out and under control but given with great power and authority.  We are not told His actions angered those money changers and certainly did not anger their victims.  But it did anger the Jewish leadership who benefited from Temple business and had authorized those merchants to do business there.   That leadership felt conviction from Jesus’ response and responded with anger instead of repentance and remorse for their sinful contribution.
2. Evil Anger is motivated by satan! He always tempts with lies and emotions that inspire us to say and do harm that hurts instead of heals, that focus’ on short term gratification instead of long term healing, that tears down healthy relationships instead of building long term or eternal relationship, and that spreads anger and hate in others instead of demonstrating and spreading love toward self and others.

What can we do to deal with sinful anger and properly manage and control anger?

1. Confess our anger to Christ and ask Him to show us the roots and source of our anger and rage.
2. Give our sincere apology and remorse to those we expressed anger towards.
3. Study scripture and Christ centered anger management materials and see wise council from church family and pastor and other Christians of good reputation.
4. Memorize a handful of key Bible verses on anger and keep reminders in key places so will come to memory frequently and quickly during times anger flares up during day.
5. Pray for God’s council and guidance to someone to become a helpmate and person to become accountable as a Christian you can depend on to help you through this as someone wiser and stronger, at least in areas of weakness for us.

This March, stop the madness and learn the power of spiritual patience and divine mercy.

“Without mercy, all of us are without hope.”  Charles L. Allen

 

 

     
4/9/19                                      Our Go-Between                                  9                   

“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”  Hebrews 7:25

Recommended Reading: 1 JOHN 2:1-2  “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ² And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

COMMENTS:  Sports events are intended to be a form of entertainment and enjoyment for the spectators and a source of exercise and building team cooperation working to a common goal.  Professional sports have greater expectations and costs due to expense of spectator ticket costs and player and support employee costs and salaries.   Equipment and playing fields all add to cost and value placed on game.  But game is not an end and  even winning game is not the most important goal of  the game, even though winning is the driving force to work and effort and time devoted to preparing for and playing the game.    High School and summer community or school sports and even backyard games played by children and teens during the summer months all have an underlying passion and drive to win.  To score more points or play better than competing team.   Yet, there is always another game and another opportunity to win or lose.  Winning is a quick lost or forgotten goal.  Even major successes or wins like the “Super Bowl” or “World Series” or “Pro-Cup Series” or “Stanley- Cup” or … is a lifelong goal and dream for individuals in competing teams.  Great wealth and status and recognition are enjoyed by those who planned on winning teams. But the next year, they all start over and must climb the mountain of winning over other playing teams in order to scale that mountain again to the top again.  Some teams have been able to do that several times in a row.  Most achieve it once or twice over many decades.   Then after age has taken its toll, what are left are memories of past glories along with regrets too.  What tends to then become more important are relationships built and sustained over goals and successes?

But what becomes more evident in news reports are selfish – passionate fights and arguments and abuses that render participants divided against other teammates, or even ejected from their team and participating in sport with them.  Even jail and other penalties become an unplanned consequent of bad behavior and poor choices.  Indulgences in partying and drunkenness and adulterous – abusive relationships are all temptations and snares such successes give opportunity too.  Today’s society holds the popular in greater esteem than the righteous among us.  We idolize sport players more than firemen and paramedics and doctors and nurses and teachers.   Even movies and TV programs depict out heroes with far poorer characters than depicted in similar movies and TV programs of 50 years ago.   Why is that?   Most would say such is more realistic, but I believe the more honest and factual answer is we would rather rationalize sinful behavior than admit and repent of it.  We would rather convince ourselves the best of us do it, so is ok for us to do it.   We would rather ignore God than face Him and seeing how perfect He is and how imperfect we are.

Sports require referees as “go betweens” to stop player conflicts.   Anger and passions generate powerful forces and actions and words that tend to be very destructive if left unchecked.  But the referee has authority to render judgment and punishment, but also authority to stop fights.  He goes between players who are much stronger and taller and who could easily overpower the referee.  But they won’t because they know there are others who will reinforce and come to the aid of that referee if they try.   They retain enough control to submit to intervention of the referee and stop actions their anger is generating.  It may take a while for their anger to cool, but restraining actions and harsh words become possible with sufficient motivation.

Jesus is our referee!  He is our Go Between! He is our intercessor with the Father.  He is also our redeemer who paid the penalty of our offenses, our SINS.

When we offend and hurt others, we hurt God – we hurt Jesus too.  Jesus said “Matthew 25:31-46 “³¹ When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:³² And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:³³ And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.³⁴ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:³⁵ For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:³⁶ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.³⁷ Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?³⁸ When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?³⁹ Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?⁴⁰ And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.⁴¹ Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:⁴² For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:⁴³ I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.⁴⁴ Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?⁴⁵ Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.⁴⁶ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

Jesus makes it more personal and easier to love those we don’t like or who abuse or hurt us.  He gives us greater motivation to do so.  He also offers us greater reward for doing so than those we are commanded to love can.  He does so by simply saying what you do for the least of them, you do to Me.  This means acts of love and kindness we do for those who are not able to repay, we do for Jesus Himself, who is able and willing to repay far beyond our wildest dreams.  

Now, we need to be careful.  Obedience, for us, must be far more than just playing a game or winning a reward or prize.  Obedience, for us, must be more than winning the praise of others or satisfying other selfish appetites we may have.

Jesus is our best example.  He served out of a motivation of love and compassion and desire to bless those He loves.  His love was not limited to the loveable or even to those who responded in kind.   His love was consistent for all but only enjoyed by those who received His love.  But His love continues with hope it would one day be accepted.

Consider and reflect on those you love and care about who are rebelling and rejecting your love.   Was it because of something hurtful you said or did, justified or not?  Was it because of something hurtful said to you? 

Jesus came and taught and showed and paid the ultimate sacrifice for all.  Those who accept that sacrifice are given His mercy and benefits no matter how long and deep and destructive the path of sin has dug.  Likewise, obedience and surrender in response opens each to receive much more.  To receive healing in body and relationship with Him and with so many hurt by our offense and who hurt us by their offenses.  Heaven will not only be where we enjoy fellowship with Christ and enjoy the home and bodies He will house us in, but also restored and new relationships with loved ones, with past adversaries or even enemies, with people we knew only by reputation or from history, with people we never heard of yet who impacted us or us them while alive.

So what is the alternative choice?   It is a choice of facing God’s justice and judgment equal to the condemnation He has placed on being sufficient payment for sin.  If we don’t accept His payment, than that payment must be made by the offender.   It won’t matter if we believe it or not.  It won’t matter if we accept it or not. Those facing God’s judgment will not have any power to refuse or resist.  We are told suffering will be permanent and beyond our worst fears or terrors.  There will be great suffering and wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Regrets will be rampant but will no turning back or opportunity to repent then.   Jesus showed us this with the parable of Lazarus and the rich man “Luke 16:19-31”. 

We are given ample opportunity and encouragement but also ample warning to repent while still have opportunity because there will come a time when that opportunity will be gone forever.  Missing a school bus or airplane flight or train or important appointment all bring consequences or regrets depending on importance of destination or significance of appointment.   So we have no excuse to not understand or motivation to follow Jesus’ instruction and council and direction.

Lent is a very important time to remind us how precious Jesus is and how important His message is.   It is just as important today as it was on Resurrection Day.  It always will because more are yet to be saved even though millions or billions have been saved already over the centuries.  BUT THERE IS ROOM FOR MORE AT THE CROSS!   THERE IS ROOM FOR US AND FOR OUR LOVED ONES!  THERE IS ROOM FOR OUR ADVERSARIES AND EVEN OUR ENEMIES TOO!  BUT IF THEY COME, THEY WILL NO LONGER BE OUR ENEMIES AND WE WILL NO LONGER SEE THEM AS OUR ENEMIES! 

We only have one adversary and one enemy, SATAN!  All others are only his pawns used with intent of hurting Jesus by hurting those He loves.

Jesus Christ is the intercessor for the Church and for every believer. He stands between us and the Father as our personal advocate—pleading our case.  If we sin, Christ “speaks to the Father in our defense” (1 John 2:1).  He declares our sins having been atoned for at the Cross. If satan accuses us before the Father, as he accused Job (Job 1:9-11; 2:4-5), Jesus defends us (Romans 8:34) since there is “now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

 “We are never more like Christ than in prayers of intercession.” Austin Phelps

 

4/10/19                                             Souls for Christ                                              10

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God…is that they may be saved.”
Romans 10:1

Recommended Reading  Psalm 126:1-6 “When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.² Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them.³ The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.⁴ Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south.⁵ They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.⁶ He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”                                                                                                                                COMMENTS: This morning I read about a young evangelist named David Brainerd.  In spite of being chronically sick and weak in body, he continued to carry a burden for the Native American Indians he encountered.  On July 21,1744, he wrote in his journal, “Towards night my burden respecting my work among the Indians began to increase much… I began to be in anguish…. I withdrew for prayer, hoping for strength from above.  And in prayer I was exceedingly enlarged, and my soul was as much drawn out as ever I remember it to have been in my life… I was in such anguish, and pleaded with such much earnestness and importunity, that when I rose from my knees I felt extremely weak and overcome, I could scarcely walk straight… the sweat ran down my face and body.”

David Brainerd lived 3 more years, living only to age 29 (1718-1747), dying of tuberculosis.  But David lived long enough to see evidence of a great revival and salvations beginning among the colonists and also among the native Indian tribes.  David’s journal and biography inspired many more to continue his work and add momentum to the missionary movement of the 19^th century that was beginning as his life was closing.  Truth is his writings had greater impact than his work and actions and still do for those who take the time to read his story and read his journals.

His story encourages me and reminds me of importance for me to not only write and live a life worthy of example, but to carry the burden and responsibility of prayer for others as he did.  His life changing work began on his knees early in the morning and is preserved to minister to us and motivate us to do the same.  Prayer is where fellowship with God is current and powerful.  It is in prayer scripture and our relationship with Him becomes current and persona and real.  It is in prayer His Holy Spirit speaks to us directly and action commands and instructions become more specific and clearer. It is in prayer our spiritual eyes open and our souls are made tender and our spiritual ears are opened to hear His Small Voice speaking to us.  It is in prayer we gain a hunger and heart for lost souls, but it is in prayer we discover how God would have us reach them.   It is in prayer we become prepared for daily opportunities He gives us to give words of encouragement, words of redemption and forgiveness, words of hope, and words of life only He can give and only He can pass on that life as we share them.

We read the great words of Ironside or Wesley or Spurgeon or Billy Sunday or Billy Graham or other great evangelists and convince ourselves we lack their gifts or passion.  We convince ourselves we are not gifted or able or even called to such work.    We convince ourselves we can only settle in to our comfortable lives content to enjoy Christ’s redemptive words of life alone and just to feed ourselves.

I too feel temptation to be so content and selfish. But then I read about men like David Brainerd and am re-awakened to my responsibility to pray for my friends and neighbors and family and co-workers and everyone whose path I cross.  To fill my day more prayerfully and leaving more time to stop and visit and share with others both along my daily path and a few He would have me go out of my way to  visit as well.  AMEN?  AMEN! “I cared not where or how I lived, or what hardships I went through, so that I could but gain souls to Christ.” David Brainerd

4/11/19                                                Pleasing God                                                       11   

This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!  Matthew 17:5

Recommended Reading:  Hebrews 13:9-17 “⁹ Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.¹⁰ We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.¹¹ For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.¹² Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.¹³ Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.¹⁴ For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.¹⁵ By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.¹⁶ But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.¹⁷ Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”

COMMENTS:  The practice of animal sacrifice was instituted by God with Adam, becoming necessary for Adam’s and his family’s redemption after Adam and Eve’s initial sin.   The practice continued until time of Christ.  There were times the practice was suspended due to God’s judgment and captivity.  After the temple was destroyed 70AD by Rome, The practice was again suspended due to absence of the place to do sacrifice.  Yet until 70AD, the annual practice of sacrifice continued annually in Jerusalem even after Christ’s sacrifice, which eliminated the need for animal sacrifice.  But Jewish leadership and most Jews rejected Christ’s sacrifice as being sufficient and continued old traditions believing they were serving God.  Saul was one of them until Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus with purpose of persecuting Jesus’ followers.  Saul was sincere but sincerely wrong.  He sincerely believed he was passionately doing God’s will and felt fulfilled in the work and duties the Jewish leadership had even commissioned Him to do.  But when he encountered Jesus, everything changed even to point of changing Saul’s name to Paul.  He became blind until the scales of his blindness could be removed and he could see himself for who he was and Christ for who He is.

Who do you and I most want to please and not disappoint.   For children it is commonly our parents.  For adults it is often a boss or employer.  It may be a spouse or a pastor or a teacher or a coach.  Wanting to do so isn’t a bad thing if set in balance and set with appropriate goals and priorities.  Even Jesus had such a desire and goal as stated in John 8:29 “The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”

Jesus pleased the Father and we please Him in these ways:

1. We please Him when He trusted Him with our burdens and exercise faith in Him. Hebrews 11 tells us Enoch was taken without dying because God took him.  But we are told Enoch had great faith in God and pleased God, but vs 5-6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please HIM.
2. Hebrews 13 tells us God is pleased when we generously share with those in need. “But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased”  Hebrews 13:16.

Take some time to list all those you desire to please and work to please.  Then list the ways and time spent each day doing so.  Then list results and successes and failures in doing so.  Then relist them in priority of most important to least important.  Then, finally, put pleasing Christ at top and spend some time listing both current and new ways of doing so. After doing that, then go back to others on list and see if  doing so changes the ways and purpose for pleasing others and  even improves ways and accomplishments for doing so.

You see, we can’t successfully serve and bless others unless we first serve and obey Christ.   When we serve and obey Christ, we are also serving and blessing others.  Christ told us what we do for the least of his children; we do so for and to Him (Matthew 25).

Is there something you need to commit to God in faith? Is there someone who needs your act of kindness today?

“It should be our greatest desire to please our Redeemer.” R. C. Sproul, in Pleasing God

4/12/19                                     Undistracted                                                     12

Serve the Lord without distraction. 1 Corinthians 7:35

RECOMMENDED READING: Hebrew 12:1-14 , ” Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.³ For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.⁴ Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.⁵ And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:⁶ For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.⁷ If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?⁸ But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.⁹ Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?¹⁰ For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.¹¹ Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.¹² Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;¹³ And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.¹⁴ Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”

COMMENTS:  Life is so full of distractions and obligations, some of which are important and valid needs.  Distractions come in the form of less important or urgent demands on our time.  Distractions also come in the form of very important or urgent matters that need to wait or be delayed until more urgent or greater needs are satisfied.  The most important need each morning is our need for fellowship and devotion with our Lord and Savior.   When we fellowship with Christ, we are also fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit and Father too.  When we allow the Holy Spirit to guide and council and speak to us, we are also allowing Christ and the Father do so too.  Even though God reveals Himself to us primarily through the Holy Spirit and through His Word, we also are receiving fellowship with Christ and the Father at the same time.  One does not work independent or isolated from the other.  So we need not fret about neglecting One over the Other when our thoughts and prayers and meditations are centered with One of the God Head.   THEY ARE NOT JEALOUS OF EACH OTHER, NOR ARE NEGLECTED WHEN WE FOCUS ON EACH.  But we need to be aware and open to any and all opportunities and ways God reveals with and fellowships with us. 

Also, be aware that satan does not like it one bit when we fellowship with Him and will use any good or evil distraction to tempt us to delay or forget our time of fellowship and devotion and praise to Him.   That can come in the form of substituting sleep for getting up early.  It can come as an unplanned or unexpected visit or delay or schedule change or???   Satan is very resourceful and created, sometimes using well-meaning and familiar and even unaware circumstances or people to hinder our time with Him.   But a healthy and regular worship and fellowship time with God daily requires discipline but also planning to give and maintain priority to that time but also to keep it sacred and achievable.  Picking a time with least regular distractions and best opportunity to delay those distractions reasonably is vital.  That is one big reason why early morning devotions usually work the best.  But non-morning people tend to migrate to other times like evening or mid- afternoon or???   The specific time may not be as important as the discipline and making it enough of a priority to let it be known by others to honor and schedule around that time is also key.

What a testimony it can be to honor that time.  Daniel prayed 3 times each day at the same time and at the same place.  His friends and enemies knew when and where he prayed.  His friends honored and respected that time and didn’t try to distract or hinder that time.  His enemies tried to use that predictable practice to destroy him, but not only failed but doomed the fate they tried to put on him back onto themselves.  God honored Daniel’s faithfulness and used that practice both to strengthen him and expand his influence and impact on his field of influence.   WON’T HE DO SO FOR US TOO, IF WE TOO ARE FAITHFUL AND AS DILIGENT?   I’m sure it wasn’t easy for Daniel, especially at first until everyone knew how important it was to Him and the resolve he had.  It will be difficult for us too.  But it got easier as practice become more a habit not only for him but for those who knew and depended on him.  It   will for us too.  AMEN?  AMEN!

Consider this.  As cell phones and texting has become so integrated into every waking hour, dangers of texting while driving and even using cell phones while driving or doing other focus necessary tasks, the dangers of distractions or loss of focus are devastating.  How many deaths or permanent handicaps or other disasters have been caused a second of distraction on a cell phone.  Police are increasing penalties and frequency of issuing citations for this very cause and violation.

Setting aside time to address cell phone conversations and texting is the responsible and safest way.  Stopping to take more urgent calls is likewise the responsible and safest way.   SO WHY SHOUL DN’T WE TREAT COVERSATION WITH OUR GOD THE SAME WAY?   Even though we can talk to Him while driving or working or doing other tasks.  Even though we can be mindful of Him while carrying on a conversation with others or working on team  tasks, we still need to give Him 100% focus regularly so distractions will not keep us from fully hearing and receiving His response.

After all, consider how rude and disrespected it is for you and I to only give Him brief and partial attention, THE CREAT OR OF ALL AND LORD OF ALL AND PROVIDER OF ALL AND OWNER OF ALL AND SAVIOR OF ALL WHO RECEIVE HIS REDEMPTION.    If we wouldn’t be so rude to a famous celebrity or a great ruler or a loved one we  hadn’t seen for a long time, why would we be so  rude to Him, who has done so much and continues to do  so much for us, and who is far greater than everyone else?

So, consider all this and join me in covenanting to make some changes to devote and honor our time with Him each day.  AMEN?  AMEN!

Hebrews 12:1 tells us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race set that is before us.” Jesus warned us that if we aren’t careful, the “cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches” can choke the work of the Word of God in our lives (Matthew 13:22).

“I learned early in sports that to be effective—for a player to play the best he can play—is a matter of concentration and being unaware of distractions, positive or negative.”
Coach Tom Landry

 

4/13/19                               Life to the Fullest                                        13      

The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:23

Recommended Reading: Romans 6:12-23  “¹² Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.¹³ Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.¹⁵ What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.¹⁶ Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?¹⁷ But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.¹⁸ Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.¹⁹ I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.²⁰ For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.²¹ What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.²² But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.²³ For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

 

COMMENTS: You and I have no comprehension of eternity, but as we get older we discover the 70-90 years most consider a full life span to be way too brief as time seems to flee past faster and faster.  Yet for those enduring physical sickness and handicaps, time seems to drag with a future that only seems to offer more of the same. 

Yet, God promises us an eternity of life either of joy with Him, if we accept His redemptive sacrifice for our sins, or an eternity of suffering in judgment for our sins and deserved punishment.  It does not matter if we agree or if we think His judgment is fair or not.  Truth is God has the authority and ability to enforce His decisions.  So to resist or deny or dispute His authority or decisions is folly.  Yet, truth is we desperately depend on Him every day and only are alive because of His love and mercies.  Yet, He continues to warn us that His mercies will not be available forever.  A time of reckoning and judgment is coming when the offer of redemption will no longer be available.  The offer only is available while we are alive and we are only open enough to accept His offer of forgiveness and redemption then.  His passion and desire is for all to accept His redemption and millions do in every generation.  But far more refuse and go to their graves lost and facing God’s judgment.  Not because He wants to but because they refused or followed a lie satan has deceived them with.  Free will and choice are given to all but offer of redemption is entirely up to receiver instead of the giver.  He offers to all but receiver must accept Him to receive.  

God not only offers forgiveness but a new eternal home and body designed for heaven and designed beyond what we can imagine.  Our corrupt frail bodies are a marvel of design and manufacturing and serve us well for many years in spite of abuse and age and sickness.   The smartest and best educated of us still find our bodies to be a mystery and enjoy them in spite of not understanding how they work.  BUT GOD DOES AND GOD CONTINUES TO BUILD AND SUSTAIN OUR BODIES. 

His word and past history should prove to us He dearly loves and cares for us and offers us joy and fulfillment and a wonderful future.  He offers us life with Him, life full of fulfillment, life eternal.  Life beyond our wildest hopes.  The alternative is a life satan doesn’t  want us to believe, a life he denies and hides from us.  A life of torment and regrets and misery and loneliness for an eternity.  You may say such a punishment is far worse than the crime.  You may say any crime carries a far punishment if has a defined end and way of redemption.  But realize, God is perfect and has provided a way to redemption so we can avoid such a punishment.  To believe deceptions presented by satan as temptations to us or through other religions is to deliberately reject Him and choose judgment.   Truth is, God must not allow sin and corruption in heaven, so He needs to cleanse and restore and perfect any who will enter His prepared place.  Satan left and took 1/3 of heaven’s angels who chose to go with him.  Millions in each generation have chosen to follow satan too.  But millions have also chosen to accept Christ’s redemption too and millions more will in time remaining until He returns.

A car is not designed to fly in the sky and an airplane is not designed to drive on a back road.   A pencil is not designed to dig dirt and a shovel is not designed to write a letter.  We recognize a skilled designer and builder and honor the tool’s use for how it was intended.  We only need to look around to discover how amazing God’s designs and building skills are and also to discover how much He desires for us to enjoy His creation but also to enjoy His creation with Him.  If heaven is far better than earth and if our new heavenly bodies are far better than our earthly bodies.  If we will enjoy both without aging and decay and disease and weeds, how much more wonderful will it be to enjoy such with the One who has done and continues to do so much for us?

According to Scripture, eternal life begins the moment a person enters a relationship with the everlasting God through Christ. The Bible says, “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eternal life that begins with Salvation and goes on eternally.  Sure, our bodies will continue to age and die.  We still will face temptations and sometimes make poor choices and face regrets from them.  W still will endure persecution and mischief inflicted by others on us and on those we care about.  BUT HE OFFERS MORE THAN ETERNAL LIFE.  HE OFFERS A PERSONAL ONE WITH ONE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIMSELF IF WE LET HIM INTO OUR SOUL AND LIFE.  Christianity is not just a religion but a relationship with the Creator of all.   Jesus is His Name and All Mighty God is His Title and Position.  When we pray to Jesus, we are praying to the Holy Spirit and Father too.  When we let the Holy Spirit guide and council and speak to us, we are also following Jesus and the Father.  They are one in thought and in goals and plan.  Like our bodies, we don’t need to understand them in order to enjoy and use them.   We don’t need to understand God in order to have fellowship with Him and follow and obey Him.  He makes that easy for us by His sacrifice and His Word and His abiding Holy Spirit available 24x7x365.  We only need to pray and seek Him.  He is there waiting to be invited.  AMEN?  AMEN!

We live life to the fullest, not because we are dying, but because we are truly living in Jesus.

“Eternal life does not begin with death; it begins with faith.”  Samuel Shoemaker

 

4/14/19               We Celebrate His Resurrection and the Life Eternal                     14                                                                       

When Jesus heard [about Lazarus’ illness], He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”  John 11:4

Recommended Reading:  I Thess. 4:13-18  “¹³ But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.¹⁸ Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

COMMENTS: There are a number of examples of Jesus demonstrating authority over sickness and even death.  The raising of Jarius’ dead daughter and Lazarus are proof of this.  But Christ’s own resurrection is the greatest demonstration of not only His authority and power over His Creation, but also over His own death and resurrection.  He chose to lay down His life in order to bear our sins and become our perfect sacrifice for sin.  He rose again in order to demonstrate and fulfill the completed redemption and restoration of the prefect relationship He intended to have with each of us.  He took the keys of sin and death from satan and unlocked the binds of sin and death we had no hope of overcoming or becoming free of. 

Yes, we must allow Him to unlock our chains and prison door, but we must also invite Him into our lives to guide and council and strengthen and lead us.  Every step in our relationship with Him comes with His invitation and with our acceptance.  The first and biggest step is accepting His forgiveness and inviting Him into our lives. 

Surrender to His Will and Plan is a lifetime endeavor.   We are not strong enough or insightful enough to grasp or surrender every sinful corner of our lives, but He is wise and compassionate enough to be and stay on focus to clean us at the pace and degree we are able to receive.   Granted, when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, He then sees us as forgiven and perfect in His sight.   That is because the Father then sees us through Christ’s blood instead of through our sins.  The restoration of us to being perfect through and through begins then and continues until we see Him face to face in heaven.  But while living on earth, the corruption and temptations of life continue to soil us and require His continual cleansing and guidance to grow deeper in faith and obedience.

Sanctification is a term used especially by John Wesley to describe the act of surrender once the Christian accepts Christ.  It is a second act of Grace involving the indwelling and active involvement of the Holy Spirit in relationship with and living within the believer.  Such is more than a onetime encounter but a lifelong relationship and pursuit and growth process.   Truth is, we can and should make progress to goal of being Christ-like each day.  But it is also truth His perfection is so far about our human comprehension and capability; such can only be a lifetime pursuit and growth process.  But then again, isn’t all worthwhile relationships also a growing – living – developing process?  Are good marriages also growing relationships?  Aren’t children – parent relationships growing relationships?  Our relationship with Christ is a growing relationship too!   He grows closer to us and we grow to be more like Him as we grow closer to Him.

Some of the many wonderful – confident – assurances we have are:

1. We will have new – better – perfect bodies in heaven that will not age or get sick and will last forever.
2. We will know and see Him without sin and evil influences in our hearts and minds and environment
3. We will see and enjoy heaven with all its splendor and beauty and vastness forever
4. We will be in continual and deeper relationship with Him
5. We will see and know and be with our loved ones and friends and family who accept Him
6. We will be able to meet and spend time with all those we read about in scripture and others who were faithful from Adam to our present.
7. We will discover their impact on us and impact our lives had on others and on future generations.
8. We will sing and worship Him without getting tired or distracted.

This list is infinite.  I invite you to add to it based on scripture.  Below are some to assist in that quest:

Revelation 22:1-5
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Revelation 21:4
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Luke 23:43
And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Hebrews 11:16
But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

Revelation 21:22-27
And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.

1 Corinthians 2:9
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—

John 3:13
No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

Revelation 21:21-25
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass. And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.

Revelation 21:1
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

2 Peter 3:13
But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Hebrews 13:14
For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.

Revelation 21:18
The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass.

Revelation 21:1-5
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Revelation 21:19
The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,

Revelation 21:27
But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Matthew 25:46
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

John 10:28
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Luke 12:32
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Matthew 18:10
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

Revelation 4:1-11
After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God,

Psalm 19:1
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

2 Kings 2:11
And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

Revelation 22:15
Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

Revelation 12:7-9
Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Revelation 21:1-4
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Hebrews 12:22-24
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Hebrews 11:10
For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

2 Corinthians 5:1
For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

John 3:1-36
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Matthew 13:43
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Revelation 20:11
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.

Romans 5:17
For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:18
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

John 6:47-50
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.

Jeremiah 10:12
It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.

Isaiah 45:18
For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the Lord, and there is no other.

Nehemiah 9:6
“You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.

Revelation 21:1-27
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Revelation 11:19
Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

1 John 5:5-8
Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.

2 Peter 3:10
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Psalm 33:6
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

Colossians 3:4
When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Colossians 1:12
Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Acts 7:49
“‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest?

John 6:50-71
This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

Matthew 3:12
His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Job 22:12
“Is not God high in the heavens? See the highest stars, how lofty they are!

2 Chronicles 6:30
Then hear from heaven your dwelling place and forgive and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways, for you, you only, know the hearts of the children of mankind,

Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

Ephesians 1:18
Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

Luke 15:10
Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;

Lamentations 3:41
Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven:

Psalm 103:11
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

Job 9:8
Who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea;

1 Peter 1:4
To an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

Luke 12:33
Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

Psalm 73:24
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.

Psalm 20:6
Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand.

Revelation 14:13
And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

Revelation 7:9
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

Titus 3:5
He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

John 13:36
Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.”

John 5:29
And come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Luke 20:34-36
And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

Matthew 19:21
Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

The promise of Scripture is that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. All who believe in Him, though they die, will live to the glory of God (John 11:25-26).

“Bless God that there is in us a resurrection life, and that there awaits us a resurrection morning!” J. J. Bonar 

4/15/19                                      Joy Now & Forever                      15  

“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

     

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE READING:  Philipppians 4:4-9 ⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

COMMENTS:  We all know people who have or are enduring much physical suffering and pain.   We all know people who have or are enduring other forms of physical or emotional suffering.  Some due to their own foolish choices but often due to either choices of others or simply from living in a broken – sin and disease-ridden world.

Those who believe sickness and disease and death are God’s fault, Romans 5:12-21 “¹² Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and ^udeath through sin, and so death spread to all men⁵ because ^wall sinned— ¹³ for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. ¹⁴ Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. ¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one-man Jesus Christ abounded for many. ¹⁶ And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. ¹⁷ For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one-man Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ Therefore, as one trespass⁶ led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness⁷ leads to justification and life for ^fall men. ¹⁹ For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. ²⁰ Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, ²¹ so that, ^kas sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

God’s creation started out perfect without sin and death and aging and sickness.  But God warned Adam that to sin, to eat the forbidden fruit, would result in death. God’s protection and blessing required obedience.  God did not bring death, but death came from His abiding presence.  It was satan that brought sickness and death when he persuaded Eve and Adam to reject God and choose another way.  God’s judgment is the consequence of disobedience.  But the above scripture from Romans 5 reminds us that God’s Grace provided by Christ’s redemptive sacrifice, which we celebrate this time of year especially, is the one and only way for us to regain the relationship and eternal life He created for us and designed us to enjoy with Him. 

God can not tolerate sin but can forgive and cleanse us from sin when we accept the price He set as payment for those sins. Living in this sin sick world does expose us to much sickness and death and will as long as we live in it.  But His promise and our confident hope is He will return to redeem this world and restore it to the perfect place He designed before satan ruined it.  He will also restore us to be perfect too.  

But in the meantime, why do some endure so much more suffering than others?  Yet, a better question is how some are able to endure so much more suffering and remain filled with joy and hope than do others?  If   we reflect on the army of Christ followers before us who demonstrated this supernatural joy and hope, we discover the difference is a confident trust and faith in Him that motivated them to obey in the midst of great suffering and still have focus on showing compassion and love and generosity toward others.    The impact of their conduct and attitude and witness became much more authentic and powerful because of their suffering. 

Well, enduring suffering is inevitable.  God often heals and removes physical illness and hardships but even when He does, life still exposes us to disappointments and hardship due to sins of others and due to continued times, we make foolish choices.   We need to be reminded often that God is faithful and will always either remove dark times or walk with us through those times.   The only time we feel lost is when we are distracted and take our mind and eyes off Him.

Here are a few scriptures of encouragement: 

I Corinthians 2:3 “I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling”

John 11:4  “But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.””

Matthew 8:17 “This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.””

Revelation 21:4 “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.””

Our ultimate and eternal healing will be when He returns.  Even Lazarus, who Jesus healed by raising him from death, died again.  In the meantime, He will either calm our life storms or walk with us through those storms. 

Jeremiah 29:11  “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and hope.”

Romans 8:28  “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,⁸ for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Below is a meaningful song “Sometimes He Calms the Storm, and Sometimes He Calms Me”                                                                                                                                                           Verse 1:  Troubled waters came my way The angry storms grew near I prayed for God to speak the word, to make it disappear It seemed the waves would not obey the Master’s call for peace But then the Lord spoke to my soul, reminding me He has control And said this time, His Word was meant for me                                                                                                                              Chorus:  Sometimes He calms the storm, sometimes He calms me Sometimes the storm still rages on but I feel the sweetest peace It’s such a joy to know that my Lord knows just what I need Sometimes He calms the storm, and sometimes He calms me                                                     Verse 2: Circumstance may overtake and bring me to my knees But when I feel I cannot cope with this life’s stormy seas I call on Him whose voice can still much greater storms than these But then the Lord speaks to my soul when He says, “child, I’m in control” And with one touch He calms the storm in me

“Sometimes God calms the storm, but sometimes God lets the storm rage and calms His child.”   Leslie Gould , Almish Nanny.

 “Only to sit and think of God, O what a joy it is!”  Frederick W. Faber

 

4/16/19                                       Steadfast Love                                                       16     

He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.  Luke 9:51
RECOMMENDED READING:  John 10:11-18  “¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³ The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷ The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

COMMENTS: The story of Christ’s death on the Cross and His Resurrection include details of Pontius Pilate’s, the Roman Governor of Judah, involvement and role in sentencing Jesus to be crucified.  Scripture was clear but supportive archaeology lacked proof of even Pontius Pilate’s existence until recent years.  An inscription bearing Pilate’s name was discovered when excavating Caesarea and then 50 years ago a ring bearing his name was also discovered when excavating the ancient ruins of Herodium. Credibility of Resurrection story continues to be verified both in history books and in scripture.  But even more important, the Resurrection story continues to be confirmed in lives changed by receiving the redemption Christ offered every         living human. Even though Pilate pronounced the sentence of death on Jesus,  Jesus said, “I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (John 10:17-18).   He chose to enter Jerusalem that last week in spite of  warnings from even His disciples.  He followed through doing exactly what His Father guided Him to do.    Herod and Pilate and the High Priest, Cleophus, all played a part in fulfilling God’s purpose to die on the Cross through God’s Son, Jesus.  But all did so by choosing to reject Jesus’ ministry, Jesus’ message, and Jesus’ mission.  They thought, by killing Jesus, they would bring peace and order back to Jerusalem but instead did the opposite. 

Jesus constantly pointed His disciples toward the cross as the ultimate purpose for which He was living. The redemption of the human race demanded an innocent sacrifice, the shedding of blood, and the power of the Resurrection. That’s why He steadfastly set His face toward Jerusalem.

In view of that, should we not steadfastly set our faces to follow Him wherever He leads?

“The cross of Christ is the only power that can transform the life of anyone who will bend their knees before it and receive the Savior which it represents.”  Tim LaHaye

4/17/19                                                   Bear This in Mind                                     17       Nor give place to the devil.   Ephesians 4:27

Recommended Reading: Ephesians 4:22-32  “²² That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;²³ And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;²⁴ And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.²⁵ Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.²⁶ Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:²⁷ Neither give place to the devil.²⁸ Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.²⁹ Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.³⁰ And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.³¹ Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:³² And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

COMMENTS:  When we choose to repent of our sins and accept Christ’s forgiveness, our journey with Him begins but our work is just beginning too.  

1. We begin to notice His presence and influence but still discovering how to sustain that awareness and will to sustain focus and obedience He desires of us.
2. We still feel and notice satan’s influence along with influence from old “bad” habits and thinking. We still feel the appeal of sinful habits but now with a sharpened conscience that warns us of sin and its dangers and consequences.
3. An awareness of satan’s influence helps us direct anger directed to the source of malicious – destructive – sin, satan, instead of toward those influenced by satan.
4. Becoming more aware of the Holy Spirit’s abiding presence. Then seeking the Holy Spirit’s abiding help and council often and regularly.  By doing so, allowing the Holy Spirit to help us identify and focus on the source of temptation and the unseen battle and impact of outcome of those battles.  Even more, allowing the Holy Spirit to help us identify and focus on positive acts of kindness and obedience He desires us to do instead of just avoiding and resisting sin.  Doing good and not just not doing evil.
5. 1 Peter5:6-10 “⁶ Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:⁷ Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.⁸ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:⁹ Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.¹⁰ But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” Becoming Christ-like is a lifelong endeavor, but one that begins at salvation.  Since we still live in a fallen sinful world and still encounter limits and influence of our flesh and limited insight hindering us.   
6. God intends the journey of growing for us, more importantly, to be a journey of fellowship and relationship with Him primarily but not exclusively. He wants that journey of relationship and growth to include loved ones – family – friends – co-workers – neighbors – AND YES, EVEN OR ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO DON’ T ESPECIALLY LIKE US OR US THEM.  EVEN MORE, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO WISH US HARM.  EVEN OUR ENEMIES!!  Afterall, Christ’s example demonstrates exactly that and so much more.
7. During this journey we also discover victory over temptation and process of becoming more Christ-like gain in success and strength because of Christ’s death on the cross. The power of living a Christ-like life is because of the help and protection the Holy Spirit provides and fellowship with Christ sustainable and accessible to us all the time.  Vigilance from us is essential but not enough. 

 “We don’t have to yield to the power of Satan. We can be victorious over him. Christ has defeated him once and for all. “   David Jeremiah

4/18/19                                            In His Word                                               18                   

If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  John 8:31

RECOMMENDED READING: PSALM 119:89-96 ^“85 The proud have digged pits for me, which are not after thy law.⁸⁶ All thy commandments are faithful: they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me.⁸⁷ They had almost consumed me upon earth; but I forsook not thy precepts.⁸⁸ Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth.⁸⁹ For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.⁹⁰ Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.⁹¹ They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants.⁹² Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.⁹³ I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.⁹⁴ I am thine, save me: for I have sought thy precepts.⁹⁵ The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: but I will consider thy testimonies.⁹⁶ I have seen an end of all perfection: but thy commandment is exceeding broad.⁹⁷ O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.⁹⁸ Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.⁹⁹ I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.¹⁰⁰ I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts..”

COMMENTS:  Knowledge and education is not the same as wisdom.   Universities, especially elite – expensive – exclusive colleges and universities are full of well educated PHDs with impressive diplomas and libraries who deny the existence and any influence God has or had on the world.  The foolishness of their world view and beliefs is a cancer consuming the souls of students and piers they influence and destroy values their parents have tried to pass on to them.   Parents who pay the expensive tuitions for their children to attend those schools while instilling in their children a belief system promoting Godlessness.  Why they continue to do so is beyond me.  Especially sad is every one of those elite schools had their beginning centuries ago as a school of deep Christian beliefs and teachings and standards, established to train teachers and doctors and preachers.  To train youth and young adults to be Godly teachers and preachers and doctors and lawyers.   Not only are these radical professors today deliberately denying and trying to destroy their employer school’s history and roots but instill and different and false and Godless account and belief and vision into everyone they teach and influence.  They teach a Godless humanistic socialistic world view without personal freedoms and rights and independent thinking.  They preach tolerance while being intolerant of those of deep Christian conviction and faith.  They tolerate those with radical beliefs condoning violence while being intolerant of any who opposite that position.  The tolerate those who support who would force children and women to be exposed to any man who says they are a woman no matter what his intent is while being intolerant of anyone who says No because of danger and risk children and women are being exposed to.

We are living in a world that is losing its moral compass and sense of morality and value for life and safety and value of family.   We are losing the moral compass God created and instilled in the soul of every human.   The result continues to be a free fall of changing and darkening standards for moral behavior without restraint and farther removed from God’s standard.  A changing standard where evil (as defined by God’s commands) is defined as good and good (as defined by God’s commands) is defined as evil.  Isaiah 5:20-21 “²⁰ Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!²¹ Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”  reminds us that our generation is not the first to go down this road to judgment and death.    These well-educated PHDs are not the first “smart – educated” teachers leading society down this road of lies and deception to death and destruction.   Scripture and History prove this road always had the same destination while scripture and history always show God’s road always leads to Joy and Life and Freedom.   The US was founded by Christ following believers who instilled God’s Law and God’s moral compass into their families, their government, and into their Laws.  They established schools and hospitals and elected leadership that believed and followed and honored those laws and values and world view and Moral Code.  The country that was established, the prosperity and freedoms its citizens have enjoyed, the way God has protected and prospered and guided this country have all reflected the positive influence God promised and delivered.  No country has equaled the positive influence and impact USA has since it’s beginnings.  No country has evangelized as USA has.

But USA has lost its first love and God centered roots.  USA has gone from being a mission minded country to a wide-open mission field.  Christianity is no longer embraced and followed or even tolerated in government and leadership positions and even in schools.    How did this great country digress so quickly and what does its future hold?  Is this same path being following by the rest of the world?  If this is the same road followed by Israel in past as well as by Babylon and Persia and Egypt and Greece and Rome and countless other countries, then what can we expect?

When we look at world events today, we countries like USA and Russia and most of Europe tolerating Islam’s beliefs and values, tolerating atheistic and humanistic beliefs and values while becoming intolerant of Christian and Jewish beliefs and values.  Countries where Christian numbers are shrinking while Islam numbers are growing.  But many poor countries are experiencing Christian revival along with growing strength and numbers of Christians bringing positive change and becoming missionaries within and beyond their borders and even into these God forgotten countries.

Galatians 6:7-9 “⁷ Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.⁸ For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.⁹ And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not..”

Scripture gives us great hope and confidence, especially during desperate and discouraging, and even during dangerous times.  But even in countries of great persecution of Christians, we have evidence and proof God is faithful and keeps all His promises.  Promises of blessings to those who are faithful to Him and promises of judgment and death to those who refuse and deny Him.     Galatians 6 gives us the ominous promise God has always kept and always will.   The choice of obedience is ours.  The outcome and destination our choice leads us on and to is not ours.  That destination is God’s choice and God’s alone.  His mercy provides a way of forgiveness and escape when we repent.  Yet destruction and death are not escapable by any other way.  Jesus is the one and only way of redemption.  John 14:1-7 “ Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.² In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.⁴ And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.⁵ Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?⁶ Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.⁷ If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him..”

So, what is our goals and what do we have to look forward to or put our hopes and dreams and trust in?   Who do we put our faith in?  What mansion do you want to live in?   What leader do you admire and put your trust and allegiance in?  God’s Word is a dwelling place with 66 rooms (books) filled with life sustaining protection and nourishment from satan’s storms and dangers.    God’s abiding Holy Spirit is our companion and parent and counselor and friend to help guide us through and in those rooms while shielding us from life’s storms.  Christ is our Brother and Lord and Advocate giving us passage and access and admittance into the eternal home and body and fellowship and life He intended at creation and is restoring in preparation for everyone of us.  Everyone willing to accept His wonderful gift and promise.

He offers us a home we can not afford nor earn to live in.  The door is the Cross of Christ and directions and guidance to that door is available to all.  But only He provides accurate directions and the only door accessible is the one Christ made with the Cross.

When we receive Jesus as Savior and begin studying our Bibles each day, trusting His Word and obeying His commands, we are abiding in His Word. And as we abide in His Word, we are learning to abide in Christ. That’s the best address in the universe. 

“The way to get back to reading the whole Word of God, and to reading it with understanding, is to live in Bible territory—to regulate one’s life and experience in every detail by God’s revealed law.”  Oswald Chambers

4/19/19                                     Give Me a Verse                                 19            
All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  John 6:37

 

RECOMMENDED  READING John 6:30-44  “³⁰ They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?³¹ Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.³² Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.³³ For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.³⁴ Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.³⁵ And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.³⁶ But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.³⁷ All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.³⁸ For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.³⁹ And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.⁴⁰ And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.⁴¹ The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.⁴² And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?⁴³ Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.⁴⁴ No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

COMMENTS: Jesus has given us all the proof we need to believe He is the Messiah foretold in Old Testament, that He is God’s Son, that He is the Lamb and ultimate and final sacrifice for our sins, and the anointed resurrected King who will return to judge and transform and rule the world.   There were those who believed then and refused to believe then.  Those who denied believing did so because they refused to change their bias.   They also refused to admit they were wrong. How often have you witnessed some say “don’t confuse me with facts”?  Some today also refuse to admit they are wrong and allow facts to influence their thinking.  They would rather believe lies that support their world view than change their world view change to support evidence.

Well, evolutionists said that of Christians when Charles Darwin was trying to sell his theories.  But then again, very devout Jews struggled with matching Jesus’ ministry and message with their perception and interpretation of old testament prophecies.

Truth is, some scripture is very straight forward in interpreting and understanding while other scripture is more unclear.  Scripture that is prophetic of future events is intended to be unclear until the time being foretold.  They are intended to give hope and confidence in God’s providence and Plan and then give hope and confidence and clearer direction to those who live in that foretold time.  How genuine Jesus was became more evident as His ministry unfolded, and as His life and mission unfolded.  But the greatest proof came from the transformation that happened in the lives of new believers in the centuries after His resurrection and indwelling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and since.

God is more than able to defend Himself.  He does so by logic and by historic evidence.  He does so through His creation evident every day.  He does so by creating and sustaining and healing life.  He does so by influencing and bringing order to His creation.  He does so by wisdom and life-giving way His Commandments and Laws bring sustaining order and peace.  He does so by the transformation in people a relationship with Him makes.  He does so by seeing the confident hope and peace His followers have when death overtakes them while witnessing the fear and hopelessness shown by those who don’t when dying.  He does so through the lives of those who give unselfishly and sacrificially for others.  He does so through evidence history reveals of His intervention and influence.

That evidence is being suppressed today.  American schools no long teach American history that includes the miracles and faith demonstrated and experienced by patriots and citizens and leaders during that time. Same is true of history recorded in textbooks used by previous generations of children.   History is being rewritten by those who do not want this proof to be heard and believed by current generations. 

God does allow deliberate sinful – destructive choices but not without accountability.  But only for a time until He says enough.  We can choose to believe truth or believe lies.  We can choose to tell and influence others to believe truth or believe lies.   We can even deceive ourselves over time to believe the lies we tell.  But Galatians 6:7-9 “⁷ Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.⁸ For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.⁹ And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”  We have a choice to follow Christ and obey His commands and live the way His Holy Spirit guides us each day or not to.  We have the choice to accept His redemptive sacrifice or not to.  We have a choice to take His hand each day or not to.  Life is a constant series of choices.  Most choices are not life changing and significant while some are vitally important.  Yet all bring positive and negative consequences of varying degrees.  Some consequences are easily fixed or corrected or healed while some are very difficult and seldom are fixed or healed.  You and I do have freedom to make those choices but the choice of consequence is not ours.  That choice is exclusively and only in Christ’s hands.  He alone chooses the consequences of our choices.  As we continue to make poor or sinful choices, He alone chooses how to make those consequences worse or stronger in attempt to get our attention and discourage or deter us.  He does so because of His deep and unfailing love for us.  But His love for others affects those consequences, because our actions (good and bad) do impact the lives of others. 

Consider the impact the evil choices of Hitler had on the world.  But his own countrymen followed His leadership and choices and so did those His army conquered.  But His end did come and God’s judgment did prevail.

So, who’s side will you and I choose to be on.   Who will we believe and who will we not follow or believe?  Joshua endured rejection and disbelief of his report and had to endure wondering in the wilderness along with his people because they did not follow his advice.  But at the end of that time, God chose him to lead the children of those people.  They once again had a choice to make – to follow God’s leading or continue to do as their parents.   Joshua was firm but clear on the choice they had to make.   Would they obey God even when odds and evident indicated not to or would they trust and obey God?  History and evidence made choice obvious but Joshua knew time would come when their faith would be tested.   Joshua then said “14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ¹⁵ But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

¹⁶ Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! ¹⁷ It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. ¹⁸ And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”¹⁹ Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. ²⁰ If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.””  JOSHUA 24:14-20.

Those people did obey for awhile and God did great things.  Joshua and his family did remain faithful and God honored their faithfulness.  However, over time the people did forsake God, resulting in prophets coming to warn them but ultimately slavery and misery returning to them due to their disobedience.  That cycle of faithfulness resulting in peace and prosperity and then leading to contentment and indifference and disobedience toward God and then to pagan worship and finally back into slavery and misery until repentance was their response and redemption returned.

It has been said we are either a mission field or a missionary.  We are either part of His Work or confronting His Work.  His Will will be done either with our help or in spite of our objections and resistance.  If we resist, we risk being driven over.  If we get onboard, we will enjoy the fruit and life and transformation in lives of others impacted by His Work.

100 years from now, and likely far sooner, when we are in heaven, it won’t be important how much money or success or popularity or life’s length we enjoyed.  What will be most important will be how well and willingly we followed His Will and council.    Forgiveness and redemption are available as long as life is within us, but the longer we rebel results in less openness and time to change course.  The longer we obey Him, the longer that choice has to change and strengthen and bless us too.  But even more, the longer that choice has to impact the lives of others. 

This Lent and Easter time is a wonderful time to reflect and share His Good News and follow through with good choices to take time to do good and show kindnesses and do His bidding.  NOW IS ALWAYS A GOOD TIME TO DO GOD’S WILL.  YESTERDAY IS NO LONGER A CHOICE AND TOMORROW’S CHOICE WILL ONLY BE EASY IF WE MAKE THAT CHOICE TODAY!!

The objective of discipleship is to become better witnesses for Christ. When you receive Christ, He will give you verses, which will naturally overflow into the lives of others.

“The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become.” Henry Martyn

 

4/20/19                                     Celebrating Palm Sunday                                  20 Then those who went before [Jesus] and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”   Mark 11:9

RECOMMENDED READING Revelation 19:11-16 “¹¹ And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.¹² His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.¹³ And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.¹⁴ And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.¹⁵ And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.¹⁶ And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.”

COMMENTS:  Palm Sunday is the day we recognize Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem for the last time.  He knew the cross awaited Him.  He knew the suffering and separation from the Father was awaiting Him.  He knew that Judas would betray him and Peter would deny Him.  But He also knew He was about to complete the mission He came to earth to do.   A mission He and the Father and Holy Spirit had been planning and preparing for even before creation.  They knew what the cost of redemption would be even before they began creating the universe and everything in it.  They even knew that Lucifer would become satan even before they created him. 

So   why did they do so?   Why did they create Lucifer?  The answer is a mystery.  You and I would have likely not.  But it was important that all be given the freedom to choose.  

When we study Revelation with all its yet to be fulfilled prophecies and mystery behind way those prophecies are explained and described, we discover the time and way the future they describe will remain obscure until that time comes.  But what is clear is satan will be stopped and defeated and judged when Christ returns.

Christ will return to defeat satan and all who follow him and restore the earth to how God intended it to be and place inhabitants who are as He intended them to be.     Inhabitants forgiven and restored to purity and immortality He intended living on a perfect world as He intended.  For an eternal perspective, satan’s time of influence is brief, a few thousand years.  Those who follow and support his destructive work will face God’s judgment with satan.  But God will prevail   and will bring back His creation to become what He originally created and called “Good!” and manage and rule His restored creation and the inhabitance of His creation for eternity free of temptation and sin and the death and evil that result.

Sin and sickness and death will all become a forgotten memory.   Satan will not be allowed or able to do his mischief again.  Those who followed him and rejected Christ will endure eternal judgment as well.  The tragedy will be their eternal future while the wonder    will be the eternal future of those undeserving souls who accepted Christ’s redemption and took His hand and walked a different path with Him.    

Palm Sunday starts on Sunday continues through Maundy Thursday when Christ ate His last meal with His disciples and when Judas betrayed Him and when Peter denied Him and when Jesus was arrested and judged.  The Good Friday when Christ was crucified and died. Finally, this Holy Week end on Easter Sunday with Christ’s resurrection.  

Easter is the most important day for Christians because it is the day when Christ finished His redeeming work that allows every human   opportunity to be forgiven and given eternal life and hope and fellowship with his creator. 

Without Easter, no one has reason for hope.  With Easter, no one need despair or fear the future.

On this Palm Sunday, remember the good news that Jesus Christ is coming to judge the nations and establish His Kingdom for all who believe in Him.

“The subject of the second coming of Christ has never been popular to any but the true believer.”                     Billy Graham

 

 

4/21/19                               Palm Sunday                                                      21 RECOMMENDED READING:  Luke 19:28-44 “²⁸ And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.²⁹ And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,³⁰ Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither.³¹ And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.³² And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them.³³ And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt?³⁴ And they said, The Lord hath need of him.³⁵ And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.³⁶ And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.³⁷ And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;³⁸ Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.³⁹ And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.⁴⁰ And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.⁴¹ And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,⁴² Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.⁴³ For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,⁴⁴ And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation..”

COMMENT:  Have you ever misunderstood or misinterpreted events or conversation or actions and wished later you had listened or waiting longer before responding?  In hindsight, we grieve with regret and vow not to make such mistakes again.  The hurt done was real and words and actions in response can’t be forgotten or taken back.

Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem was such an event his disciples and followers celebrated with him, yet 5 days later denied or hid when crowd turned against Him and supported His arrest and Crucifixion.   But on Easter morning redemption came.  Christ was restored and Good News He brought was so were they.

Truth was the crowd honoring Jesus on Palm Sunday thought they were honoring a great man coming to be their King.  They honored a great man and teacher and not God coming to redeem their souls.   They thought they had figured out the time frame of His kingship but didn’t have a clue that He had a more urgent mission to fulfill first.  One that would cost Him His Life first.  For them, praising Him with palm branches was 2000 years ++ too soon or was it?  If they only knew, would they have honored Him in such a way?   Well, scripture indicates if they hadn’t, the very stones under Jesus feet would have shouted His praise instead (vs40).

The significance of Jesus riding on a donkey represents a King entering His city during peacetime   with loyal subjects honoring Him by covering His path with their coats and with palm branches or fronds.  The Pharisees watched with indignation that kindled an anger than would blind them and like-minded Jewish leadership to seeing Jesus for who He was and only wanting to get rid of Him.

They were about to witness the greatest event of history and the greatest misjustice as well.  They were about to kill their God and King.  They were about to get rid of, or try to, the One they had waited so long for.   But they couldn’t see that and couldn’t embrace the mission this King had come to do.  The mission foretold but not understood.  The mission that would transform His relationship with all people and not just Jews.  

After Easter, the time until Pentecost became a time of preparation for Jesus’ followers and His disciples. They would change from being the fearful weak followed Jesus had invested 3 years into and who had listened to and absorbed His teaching and witnessed His miracles.  But when they not only received Jesus’ forgiveness but also His indwelling Holy Spirit, they changed and became His Bold Messengers leading countless hundreds or even thousands to Christ everywhere they went.  Christianity went from being a few followers to a formidable number and even the dominant religion of the powerful Roman Empire within 200 years. 

This week, take time to pray and reflect on the significance of this time and let Him guide and speak to you.  Let Him prepare you for this Holy Week and this Easter.  I will be doing this as well.  AMEN?  AMEN!

4/22/19                   Our High Priest’s Prayer / Christ’s Gifts for Easter                           22      
“By this [love] all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another”.

John 13:35

RECOMMENDED  READING:  JOHN 17  “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:² As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.³ And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.⁴ I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.⁵ And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.⁶ I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.⁷ Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.⁸ For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.⁹ I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.¹⁰ And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.¹¹ And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.¹² While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.¹³ And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.¹⁴ I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.¹⁵ I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.¹⁷ Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.¹⁸ As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.¹⁹ And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.²⁰ Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;²¹ That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.²² And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:²³ I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.²⁴ Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.²⁵ O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.²⁶ And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”                                  COMMENTS:  John 17 gives us the prayer Jesus prayed to the Father before He was betrayed and Crucified.  Keep in mind that the Father and Christ are One in mind and mission and even in thought.  But while Jesus was living on earth as a human, He was separated from the Father so He had to pray and the Father had to reveal Himself to Jesus in order for Jesus to understand and know His Father’s Will.  This prayer reveals a glimpse or snapshot in time of nature and depth and need for Jesus to pray.  The Trinity is impossible for us, as humans, to understand.  But we can get a glimpse to enable us to have valid faith to believe God is real and Triune in nature.  That means the Father and Son and Holy Spirit are One God and to worship One is to worship God and to fellowship with One is to fellowship with God.  In heaven God the Father is in constant communion and One with the Son and the Holy Spirit is in constant communion with the Son as well.  We don’t have to understand that in order to fellowship and follow the Holy Spirit’s lead and enable the Holy Spirit to help us understand and follow scripture and worship and receive Christ into our soul.  We can approach the Father in worship because Christ is our advocate because He paid the price the Father required for our redemption.  We are bought and adopted as God’s redeemed children and creation.

So, let’s look more closely at this prayer, often called the “High Priest Prayer” in order to understand a bit better the Mind of God the Son and the Mind of God the Father. There is much to explore and discuss in these few verses. 

Revealed is acknowledgement by Christ that He is God and One with and Equal with the Father. 

Revealed is acknowledgement that Christ was One with the Father from eternity past even before and during creation.

He was not praying this prayer to reveal such to the Father but to reveal this to His disciples (and to us).  He was also asking the Father to strengthen the human part of Him to finish His mission.

He is also asking the Father to help His followers (including us) to continue His Work and Mission and overcome the satan’s mischief.   The Comforter or Holy Spirit is not mentioned in this prayer but later is promised and explained briefly by Christ after His Resurrection just before His ascension to heaven.

We need to keep in mind that Christ is God.  He is God’s Son.  He is God.  He has all God’s authority and power and wisdom and insights and experience and knowledge.  He also has all God’s love and compassion for us.  He is worthy of all our worship and praise and devotion.  His is worthy of our faith and obedience too.   His Word gives ample instruction and insights.  His life gives us ample example to follow.  His Holy Spirit gives ample one on one daily help and comfort to maintain the walk of faith Christ followers are called to journey. 

Christ provides mercy and forgiveness to everyone who simply asks and receives.   The Holy Spirit provides sustainable faith to obey and live a Christ centered and Christ-like life each day. 

Christ wants us to understand:

1. His open life and ministry and example give us a clear idea of what God is like and how He wants us to live and conduct ourselves.
2. His dependence on the Father and prayers show us how to have an ongoing relationship and prayer life with Him.
3. He prepared His disciples (and us) to receive the Holy Spirit to continue the instruction and guidance and relationship with all willing going forward like His first disciples had with Him.
4. By having a personal relationship with them, and with us, He is showing us both how to be a good parent and brother /sister as well as how to have a meaningful relationship with a parent or brother/sister.

Consider the significance of God designing and implementing the institution of family into His creation and specifically at the center of the parent/child relationship and maturing process – a process that grows a child to become a parent and parents to become grandparents.    Consider the significance of using that relationship to help us understands our relationship with God but also use our relationship with God to help us understand how we are to be in relationship with each other, especially with parents and children and piers.

God is a vast mystery because His majesty and power and wisdom and perfectness is so vastly beyond us.  We simply can not comprehend a God so far beyond and above us in all ways.  BUT HE CAME DOWN TO US LIKE AND LIVE WITH US!  HE SHED HIS MAJESTY AND POWER AND AUTHORITY IN ORDER TO BE KNOWN BY US AND TO BE AN EXAMPLE FOR US.   HE WAS AND IS “GOD WITH US – EMMANUEL”.

He came to be with us.  He came to be among us.   He came to guide and instruct us.  He came to love us and show us how to love.  BUT MOST OF ALL HE CAME TO REDEEM US BY BECOMING OUR PERFECT SACRIFICE TO PAY THE FATHER’S REQUIRED PRICE FOR OUR SINS.

Easter, and especially Holy Week, is a sacred time and optimum time to reflect and re-discover who God is.  Who Christ is.   What He did and continues to do for any and all willing to receive.

God gives us Gifts for Easter.  Gifts available to any and all willing to accept them.  Gifts that only have value to us if we open them and use them.

1. Christ gives us the gift of Forgiveness.  Forgiveness that must be opened and accepted.  Forgiveness used to forgive ourselves and forgive others.  Forgiveness to motivate us to change our sinful past behavior and weaknesses by surrendering and following and accepting the Holy Spirit’s help and council and encouragement and strength to change from old habits to become more Christ-like.  To become less selfish and more self-less.  John 4:15 “¹⁵ For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
2. Christ gives us the gift of Faith.  We think of faith as something we need to generate and express to God, but Faith is a gift to be unwrapped and used.  A gift God gives His followers and guides them to use.   Faith is a powerful tool enabling us to live a Christ-like life, to conduct and interact with others in a more compassionate and caring way.  To obey His calling and follow His daily “nudging”.   Faith also to resist temptations and recognize and deny satan’s snares and deceptive tricks.
3. Christ gives us Eternal Truth.   God not only gives us faith to believe in and depend on but faith in a Truth that is reliable and dependable and never changes.  Truth that is eternal and perfectly Good because it is Truth He creates.  Truth that reflects His Goodness and Character and Nature.
4. Christ gives us a life to be admired and longed to have.  Christ gives us new life.  A life of integrity and decency and character. A trustworthy life.  A moral life.  A life with the capacity to love like Christ loves and for that motivated love to influence self-less and meaningful conversation and action.  To live a life to be envied and imitated.  A Christ-like life.  
5. Christ gives us a life with eternal purpose and worth. Christ gives us the confident hope and promise of an eternal home with eternal bodies and a mission and purpose to guide and transform others to desire and accept these eternal and good gifts too.
6. Christ gives us an eternal likeminded family.  Christ bonds us to other believers who, as His church, becomes a family designed to and able to strengthen each other, encourage each other, and help each other to become more Christ-like and meet each other’s needs and lift each other up when fail or go through difficult times and situations.
7. Christ gives us confident hope for those who have passed on before us.   He tells us where Christ followers go when they die and what their inheritance is.  An inheritance of a new eternal body (like Christ’s after His resurrection).  An eternal home in heave that He said He is preparing – building for us.  A home filled with loved ones where we will know and love each other.  A home with access to the saints of old and ability share and be encouraged by each other’s stories and memories.  But most of all, a home where we will be able and willing to praise and worship Him without getting tired for all eternity.
8. Christ gives us freedom from sin and sickness and death.   In heaven there will be no more sickness or death or aging.  There will also be no more sin, for all will only be and do good.   All will be Christ-like in character and conduct and integrity and love.  We all will be known and loved by each other but also by Him.  H
9. Christ will be accessible to us and us to Him.  Easter makes God accessible to us more personally and continually.  But in heaven the limits this sinful world and our human bodies hinder will be removed so our access and relationship with Christ and the Father and the Holy Spirit will be deeper and continual and more personal than possible on earth.
10. THIS LIST IS INCOMPLETE.  I INVITE YOU TO REFLECT AND PRAY AND ADD TO THIS LIST.  YOU WILL BE AMAZED AS YOU DISCOVER THE GIFTS AVAILABLE TO CHRIST FOLLOWERS WILLING TO OPEN THEMSELVES TO RECEIVE – TO OPEN – TO USE THEM.

When we demonstrate Christ-like, unconditional love—especially to those who don’t know Jesus personally—we are telling the world to whom we belong. The longer we live with love toward others, the better idea the world will have of who Christ is.

We have a treasure the world needs and longs for.  But a treasure only God can create a desire to acquire.  A treasure the world despised and rejects because satan deceives them.   A treasure we are called to use and share.  That treasure is EASTER.   That treasure is Eternal Life.  That treasure is JESUS!

Eternal life free of sickness – sin – death comes with the His treasured gift.

An eternal home in heaven with our Lord comes with His treasured gift.

Perfect bodies that will not age and last eternity comes with His treasured gift.

Enjoying fellowship and sharing heaven with family and friends known while alive and meeting and developing friendships with Christ followers from ages past comes with His treasured gift.

But most of all, fellowshipping with and worshiping and singing praises to Christ, our Lord and Savior comes with His treasured gift. 

So much more our imagination can not conceive and more wonderful than we can imagine. God’s creation, and us, will be restored to the full beauty and perfection God originally intended during creation.  The brief interruption of a few thousand years satan organized and tried to implement will be but a brief interruption in eternity but only for those who simply and sincerely repent of their sins and accept His precious gift and open and use it.

“The business of the church is to demonstrate God.”  Bruce Hurt

4/23/19                          Protected From the World                                      23   

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love  .Colossians 1:13

Recommended Reading: Ephesians 5:1-11  “  Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;² And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.³ But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;⁴ Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.⁵ For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.⁶ Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.⁷ Be not ye therefore partakers with them.⁸ For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:⁹ (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)¹⁰ Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.¹¹ And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

COMMENTS:   We are living in a world that refuses to even say the word “sin” let alone confess sinful behavior.  In a world in increasing places where it is judged as intolerance to identify or speak of any type of behavior judged by God’s Word to be sinful behavior.  But the world is hypocritical.   Adultery and homosexuality are rights if done consensually and to suggest or offer God’s way of gaining freedom from these behaviors is judged intolerant and worthy of punishment in the form of lawsuits.  In a world where abuse, torture, and killing an animal carries a prison sentence while killing an unborn fetus even in 3^rd trimester, and now even at point of actual birth is judged a human right protected.  Abortion inflicts great pain and torture on the fetus especially after first few weeks since ability to feel pain and respond to such is evident. 

We live in a world where it is better to deny sinful behavior instead accepting the way to overcome and live in a much healthier and life healing way.   Christians to share God’s message of repentance and forgiveness and healing are no longer viewed as loving – caring – decent people but intolerant people worthy of imprisonment and loss of income and possessions.    To be a Christian in most Islam countries and most Communist countries carries the risk of imprisonment and torture and even death.  But to be a Christian in a free country is beginning to carry an unpopular and condemning label of being intolerant and being abusive towards others who are not Christian nor speak of sinful behavior as being wrong. 

Well, like it or not, God is still on His Throne and His Laws and standards have not changed.  They are not dependent nor applicable only when we acknowledge or agree with them.  He does not tolerate our sinful behavior forever.  Instead, He urges and offers forgiveness and warning of coming judgment and a way to life eternal as long as He can so all have opportunity to repent and receive new life – life eternal.  He delays judgment but also allows all to continue to make foolish choices.  But history and His promises confirm He will judge and punish disobedient people and His judgments are severe.  Ignoring history or denying His Word or even His existence doesn’t change anything.   He will not be mocked or ignored forever and His judgments can not be avoided or ignored or prevented.  The only way to avoid judgment is to accept His gift of salvation and putting off “the old man” of sin and death.  

Stop and think about God’s perspective.   He has been alive from eternity past and will be alive and well for eternity future.  He has clear memory and knowledge from eternity past through eternity future. But the few thousand years from Adam to present represent just a second of time compared to eternity past to eternity future.  When we consider such a perspective, how significant is our problems and how important is it to have our own way?  How glad will we be that we refused God and refused to believe His Word come 100,000 years from now?   Hell    will be filled with the souls of billions of humans begging for another opportunity to repent.  The parable Christ told of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31) shows us exactly that.   

So, who is more compassionate, one who warns others of the danger and looming judgment coming or the one who lets others race to the edge of the cliff unaware of the danger?  Who is being intolerant?  Who is being judgmental?  Which is right and which is wrong? 

Easter is the most important day of the Christian Calendar.   Our calendar dates our year based on Christ’s birth and Christian Holidays are honored still.   Most hospitals and schools that have been in existence for more than 50 years all were founded by devout Christian men and women.  

God’s laws of Physics force us to obey certain limits.  Two objects can’ be in the same space.  One must yield to the other.  Gravity demands that we avoid high places without firm footing.  To ignore or challenge any of these laws being tolerant but being very foolish.

God’s laws of conduct – His spirituals laws carry even more permanent consequences too.  Breaking a physical law may bring death more quickly but breaking God’s spiritual laws bring eternal judgment without intervention. 

Take time this Easter season to reflect on God’s physical and spiritual laws as we witness another spring when our world comes back to life again.  Take some time with God in prayer and devotion listening as well as reflecting on His Word.  Take some time to reflect on the path you are on and path God desires you to be on.   If these paths are not the same, seek His forgiveness and council on way to get on path He desires for you.   A path you will be so glad you chose 100,000 years from now and I dare say 100 years from now and maybe even 10 years from now.  Who knows, maybe even tomorrow?   Only He knows when but for sure you will one day soon. 

The Christian has to live in the world, but he must draw all his resources from outside of the world. Donald Grey Barnhouse

4/24/19                                           Diversity and Unity                                       24                          But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Ephesians 4:7

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE EPHESIANS 4:1-32 “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,² With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;³ Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.⁴ There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;⁵ One Lord, one faith, one baptism,⁶ One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.⁷ But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.⁸ Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.⁹ (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?¹⁰ He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)¹¹ And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;¹² For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:¹³ Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:¹⁴ That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;¹⁵ But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:¹⁶ From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.¹⁷ This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,¹⁸ Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:¹⁹ Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.²⁰ But ye have not so learned Christ;²¹ If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:²² That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;²³ And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;²⁴ And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.²⁵ Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.²⁶ Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:²⁷ Neither give place to the devil.²⁸ Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.²⁹ Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.³⁰ And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.³¹ Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:³² And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”..”

COMMENTS:  Scripture tells us to grow up and put away childish behavior and toys and behaviors.   Such things as temper tantrums, selfish preoccupation with getting and focusing on what we want to sacrifice of everything and everyone else.  Focus on self with little time or resource left to help or consider needs of others but also little time and money left to give and share.  Little time and money left to give their tithe to God’s   Work and time left to devote to His Word and to worship and fellowship with Him each day.

Many ways or illustrations have been used in an attempt to explain and understand the Trinity nature of God.  Illustrations like a three-leaf clover, three points of a triangle, three states of water (ice-liquid-steam), three natural equal sections of the meat of a banana, or family (complete when includes father – mother – children).   All may help understanding but come short of accurately describing this attribute of God.

Why?  Because is One as well as Triune.  Humans can comprehend 3 individuals have common goals and common purpose, and even common talents and characteristics and the same appearance.  Twins and Triplets look alike and are difficult to distinguish but when conversing, it becomes evident they are different people with different experiences and ambitions.

For God the Father – God the Son – God the Holy Spirit to be One God and not 3 separate Gods for us.  We need to accept the fact that God is so far above and greater than us, so we can’t comprehend His attributes or abilities.  God has no limits in abilities and is everywhere and anywhere at the same time and all the time.  Father and Son and Holy Spirit know and share identical thoughts and ambitions and goals and actions and insights.  

God revealed Himself as Father in order to give us unchanging but perfect and good Laws / Rules and Commands to guide and set limits / boundaries for us.  As Father, He has a relationship with us as our Heavenly Father and Authorative Figure we look up to and depend on.  As Son, He relates to us as humans, becoming human for 33 years but retaining the influence of that experience.  But He also is our advocate to the Father and our “Older Brother” and Savior and Redeemer.  He fought our battles, as our older brother.  But His death continues to buy our forgiveness and redemption and passage to redemption.   The Father continues to see us through His Son instead of through our sins. 

But, since we are human without ability to see and understand as God does, He provides His Holy Spirit to abide in and through each of us individually all the time no matter what we are doing or where we are or are going to.  The Holy Spirit was fully revealed at Pentecost but has been involved at Creation and involved throughout history.  He also is described as our Comforter and Guide and Counselor.  He provides for us the one – with – one fellowship and relationship much like Jesus was to His disciples during the 3 years of ministry.  They could see and hear Jesus physically but we can’t see and hear the Holy Spirit with our physical eyes or ears.  But that doesn’t mean He is not as real to us.  He reveals Himself directly to our spirits with a voice and with effective ways that are hard to describe but life changing. 

God reveals Himself to us as Our Heavenly Father and as His One and Only Son and as The Comforter in order to benefit us and become real to us and to provide the easiest and more effective way of being in a meaningful loving relationship with each of us, who are so easily distracted and discouraged and forgetful. 

So we need to accept the Triune nature of God by  faith while fellowshipping and enjoying a personal relationship with Him by accepting His Holy Spirit and being open for His Spirit guiding and teaching us as we study and  read His Word and nudging and instructing us as we cross paths and interact with others and encounter temptations as well as opportunities to minister and be ministered  to.

God gives us talents or abilities unique and different from each other.  He gives us opportunities to use these abilities to honor and worship and praise Him and serve Him and to be a blessing to others.  He gives us unique opportunities of eternal importance.  In His Economy, He can and will use modest and insignificant acts of kindness and compassion to do mighty and great things that can and will make an eternal difference in the lives of us as well as in the lives of others.

Take some time to reflect and realize how similar insignificant acts of kindness of others made a huge positive impact on you.  A simple word of encouragement or complement or expression of caring love than   impacted you and changed our outlook and thinking and changed your life for the better.  I dare say there are many such examples. 

Consider then opportunities God has and continues to give you to do so in the lives of others.  HE DOES and WILL DO!  BUT WE MUST BE OPEN AND WILLING AND OBEDIENT!  HE WILL UNITE US INDIVIDUALLY AND TOGETHER FOR ONE PURPOSE AND GOAL – TO HONOR HIM AND SHARE HIS GOOD NEWS AND DO HIS WORK.   He makes our individual obedience work together and accomplish great things – eternal things – things that will last and be carried and compounded.

Are you blending your unique grace-gifts into the Body of Christ in a manner that strengthens the unity of the Church?

“You have a unique position in the body of Christ, with an ability to minister as no one else can.”  John MacArthur

 

 

4/25/19                                       Since We Have Hope                                         25 
Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech. 2 Corinthians 3:12
RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE READING 2 Corinthians 3:1-18  “Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?² Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:³ Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.⁴ And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:⁵ Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;⁶ Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.⁷ But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:⁸ How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?⁹ For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.¹⁰ For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.¹¹ For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.¹² Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:¹³ And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:¹⁴ But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.¹⁵ But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.¹⁶ Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.¹⁷ Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.¹⁸ But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

.”
COMMENTS: Hope is such a vitally important part of live.  Hope makes Faith real and sustainable.  But hope is more than a desire with little likelihood of becoming a reality.  Hope is not a shot in a million like likelihood of winning a lottery drawing.  However, those who play such long shot games of chance do have unjustified hope they will win.  They say they can only win if play the game.  My response is “my chance of winning is just a little worse by not playing than theirs is for playing”.

No, I’m not talking about hope in longshots but Hope of certainty.  Hope in something that will come to pass, but uncertainty is in not knowing when while having certainty that it will come to pass.  God’s promises always have certainty of being fulfilled while some uncertainty of when.   But also, certainty that they will be fulfilled in His perfect way and in His perfect time.

Do you know some who have such Hope in the midst of suffering due to illness of injury or due to family or financial or other crisis?  Do you know any enduring persecution for their faith in Christ?  In USA such persecution is still rare, so not nearly as common or severe as in most Islam dominated or other countries with other pagan world views.  For them, as with most Christians in first Century, faith is real and personal and their Hope is confident and willing to endure suffering for a time knowing it will end while clearly visualizing what awaits them on the other side of the grave.  We too have that same confident Hope and Faith because God’s promise of eternal life with new eternal bodies and a new eternal home in heaven with the saints of old and new saints we knew and loved all waiting and longing for fellowship with us.  Then Our Lord is waiting for us too, also longing for fellowship with us without the human limits and weaknesses we continue to endure while living in this world satan has corrupted by His evil temptations and influences.

So, in the meantime our Hope give us confidence and joy so:

• We are optimists and eager for the future.
• We deal with the troubles of life by focusing on the eternal joys of heaven.
• We go to sleep every night with confidence in heaven and awaken each morning eager for the Lord’s return.
• We use great boldness of speech and look for every opportunity to share with others the reason for the hope within us.
• We are optimists and eager for the future.
• Since we have such hope, we deal with the troubles of life by focusing on the eternal joys of heaven.
• We go to sleep every night with confidence in heaven and awaken each morning eager for the Lord’s return.
• We use great boldness of speech and look for every opportunity to share with others the reason for the hope within us.

Because Christ is alive, we have a certain hope that carries us through life on earth to heaven above.

“Where there is no hope in the future, there is no power in the present.”  John Maxwell

 

4/26/19                               EASTER – JESUS WON!                                 26            

What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?

Luke 24:17

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE READING:  Psalm 5:1-12   “Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.² Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.³ My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.⁴ For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.⁵ The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.⁶ Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.⁷ But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.⁸ Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.⁹ For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.¹⁰ Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.¹¹ But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.¹² For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield..”

COMMENTS:   We serve a Mighty and Wonderful God.  We serve the God who made the universe and all living creatures in it.  We serve the God who sustains His Creation and is actively involved in its well-being.  We serve the God who loved the human beings He created to give them free will and free choice to follow or reject Him, but also paid a great price Himself to redeem and provide forgiveness and eternal life with Him.  We serve the God who passionately desires to be in relationship with us and is preparing heaven for us to abide with Him forever.  We serve the God of eternity past and eternity future.    We serve the God with no equal and no superior.   We serve the Triune God, Father – Son – Holy Spirit.   Holy Week is the most important time for the Christian.  Importance begins with Maundy Thursday with the Last Supper Jesus had with His disciples observing the Passover meal but also Communion with them to remind them, and us, of the importance of what He was about to do.  Then the betrayal of Judas, the time of prayer and preparation in the Garden, the arrest and denial by Peter.  Then the trial and flogging and judgment of crucifixion of Jesus.   Good Friday was anything but good because it was the day Jesus suffered and died on that Roman Cross.   The world of following and serving Jesus fell apart for the disciples and others who followed Him.  It was a terrible day for Jesus because He experienced separation from the Father when He took on the guilt for our sins.  His physical and spiritual suffering was beyond imagination.  Good Friday was the day satan thought he had won but a necessary day in order for Jesus to win our redemption.   Then comes Resurrection Day, Easter Sunday.  The day of days.  The day Christ rose the first.   He rose victorious over satan and death and punishment for our sins.  He rose the first so we all who accept His precious gift of redemption will   follow one day rising to eternal life in eternal bodies to live in our eternal home with Him.   That is the Holiest and most Important of Days we celebrate and remember as Christ Followers.  I encourage and invite you to celebrate this Holy Week worshipping in private and also with other believers.  Remember and worship Christ, who loves and gave up so much for you and for me.  AMEN?  AMEN!  

“Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, lift up your voice and sing / eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ the King!”   Alfred H. Ackley, in the hymn “He Lives!

4/27/19                     Easter Sunday                             27   

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  1 Corinthians 15:20

RECOMMENDED READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:51-58  “⁵¹ Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,⁵² In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.⁵⁴ So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.⁵⁵ O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

COMMENTS:  Paul was at Ephesus for what was to be a 3-year stay building a church there when he heard there was trouble in Corinth.   Disunity and carnality were growing.  Some were not accepting resurrection of the believer’s body.  False teachers were spreading false doctrine, likely either Sadducees or students of their believes, deny the doctrine of eternal life with heaven as the final destination of the believer.   He chose to write this letter to clarify and convince skeptics that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ guarantees that those who belong to Him will also be resurrected with a new body like His resurrected body.

Paul emphasized just how vital resurrection of the believer is to his faith and hope for the future (1 Corinthians 15:2,14,19).  If Jesus hadn’t raised from the dead, the required price of sacrifice would have remained uncertain and Christ’s victory over satan uncertain as well.  Also, hope of eternal life with a new eternal body would be uncertain for the believer too. Even the claims Jesus gave of being God’s Son and equal to the Father would be in doubt. 

BUT JESUS DID RISE FROM THE DEAD AS WITNESSED BY HUNDREDS OF WITNESSES! (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).  Paul also said that the resurrection of our bodies will follow Christ’s “each in his own order” (1 Corinthians 15:23).  Yes, the Resurrection is certain and specifically promised by Christ.  His own resurrection shows us He is able too.

On this Easter Sunday, take heart! Your hope for eternity is certain and so is His promise of a new better eternal body.  A body free of sickness and aging and death, because it will be free from satan’s evil and God’s judgment.    AMEN?  AMEN!

“Christianity is essentially a religion of resurrection.”  James S. Stewart

 

4/28/19                               God Took Care of Everything                        28

Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.   John 17:11

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE PHILIPPIANS 2:1-4  “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,² Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.³ Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.⁴ Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”

COMMENTS:  God had a plan for our redemption He had thought through and in place long before beginning creation.  Lucifer stood out being more beautiful and gifted than the other angels but the seed of choice was planted so His creation was able to choose Him instead of being forced to obey Him and His moral code of conduct.  They could choose Him and begin a wonderful eternal life with Him or choose to rebel with warning of judgment and death.  But when God’s judgment doesn’t come immediately, it is easy to think He has changed His mind or resolve.  Afterall, all the angels, including Lucifer knew how much God loves them.  Lucifer began seeing love as a weakness instead of a strength and convinced 1/3 of heaven’s angels his way was better.    Lucifer has successfully been convincing humans of that lie since Adam.   Pride was the fateful sin Lucifer harbored in his heard, alienating him from a relationship with God and causing God to cast him and his heavenly followers out of heaven.

Satan’s resolve is evident.  His Pride blinds him against seeking the futility of his evil work.  So why does God let him continue and so many suffer from his work?  Well, God hasn’t backed off from His principle of free will.  Everyone has a choice to make and ways satan uses to hide God’s presence and choice from theme seems effective with all the pagan religions that continue to deceive so many who follow those religions faithful.  But even in Muslim dominated countries where Christianity is illegal and no-one available to share the Gospel, Jesus reveals Himself directly to sincere seekers in those countries.  Christianity is growing the fastest in some of those countries.  

No, God hasn’t changed His plan.  There are still battles to be waged.  Satan doesn’t read minds and can’t tell the future, but doesn’t believe what God has a revealed in Revelation and Daniel and Ezekiel and …  God tells us so we can prepare but satan doesn’t believe the outcome revealed.  BUT WE SHOULD AND CAN BELIEVE!   The few thousand years satan has reigned destruction and death on the world is going to get worse because God is going to allow one final thrust by satan.   The believers will be removed or rapture first along with the influence of the Holy Spirit.  It will be a terrible time God so much wants us to avoid but terrible times giving us one final opportunity to repent before His says enough and reigns judgment on satan and His followers.   This is what scripture reveals.

But considered from God’s perspective, the few thousand years of satan’s evil destruction compared with eternity past and eternity future is but a very brief moment.  For God / Father – Son – Holy Spirit to be in personal fellowship with a creation that chose to obey Him and love Him as He loves them for eternity is His plan.    The plan of redemption, implemented at Christmas and completed on Easter, is sufficient for any and all simply willing to repent of their sins and ask for forgiveness.  What is required is easy for us but is essential. 

Satan thought he had outsmarted God on Good Friday and didn’t believe Easter would come.  God has it all figured out so loosing is not an option but some short-term persecution or suffering might.   Being on the winning side is being on the Good Side – God’s side.  The loosing side is being on satan’s side – the evil side that leads to death.   Seems like a no-brainer but most continue to still resist and follow satan.  How tragic and how needless.  You have must choose one for Salvation but obedience is a necessary choice each day so we can grow in strength and wisdom and love and confidence in following and obeying Him.   AMEN?  AMEN!

Christ’s final prayer for His Followers was for the Father to protect them and bond t hem together and to Him.  That prayer was answered but in an unexpected and somewhat delayed manner.  Christ helped in answering that prayer after Easter and before His Assention.  But the Holy Spirit then came at Pentecost to provide a sustainable – individual Help Mate and Comforter for every believer in every generation in every country.  Yes, His Plan and Execution is perfect and Good!  Why would we accept anything less?  Well, we shouldn’t but still need reminded often so we don’t.    He has provided for that too. 

Do all you can to be part of God’s answer to Jesus’ prayer. Do all you can to strengthen the unity of the Body of Christ.

“Unity is the essence of the body of Christ.”  R. B. Kuiper

 

4/29/19                               Holy Pots?                                                 29

 

Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts.

Zechariah 14:21

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE READING:  I THESSALONIANS 3:6-13 “ ⁶ But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you:⁷ Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith:⁸ For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.⁹ For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God;¹⁰ Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?¹¹ Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.¹² And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:¹³ To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.”

COMMENTS:  Acts of love serving others are considered holy to God because He considers such as acts of love to Him.  Cooking and serving a meal or washing dishes or mowing a handicap neighbor’s lawn or taking that neighbor to the doctor or to the grocery store are all considered by Him as holy.   We shouldn’t do them motivated by a desire for reward but because of our love and appreciation for all He has done and continues to do for us.  Jesus said what we do for the least of His children we do for Him.  We can’t out give or out work Him because He extends blessing to those show compassion to others.  But blessings He gives are not always what or when we expect.  Blessings may need to first come in form of more opportunities or even distractions.   Blessings may come in form of short-term hardship or suffering with purpose of preparing us for greater service and credible ministry to some.   But blessing will ultimately come in form of a reward in heaven.   We can’t earn our home in heaven because it is a gift to be received.  But God does desire us to grow in service and love and obedience and relationship with Him, which involves living more and more like He did and exampled while on earth.  He was served but He served more than He was served.  He did without while using His gift to perform miracles to meet the urgent needs of others they couldn’t do for themselves.  He did not allow human weakness and satan’s temptations to have a foothold on Him and always maintained a constant relationship with the Father    He showed us how to do so and promised to both remain close to us and to provide the Comforter (Holy Spirit) to abide in us to be the resource and source of strength we need to live the Christ-like life.  Even more, He forgives when we fail and gives us fresh opportunity to be successful.  

Nothing will bring holiness to our lives like studying God’s Word. Psalm 119, the longest chapter of the Bible, reveals the change that comes over diligent Bible students. According to this chapter, when we devote ourselves to the daily study, memorization, meditation, and obedience of Scripture, we learn how to cleanse our way (verse 9); we avoid sinning against God (verse 11); we are inwardly revived and strengthened (verses 25, 28); our hearts are enlarged (verse 32); our eyes turn away from worthless things (verse 37); and we are comforted in affliction (verse 50).

Nothing can compare to the habit of meeting with God over His Word each day. All it takes is a Bible and a dedicated time (and maybe a pen and notebook). Don’t miss this blessing!  Christ exampled and need to do so many times during His busy day and did so to show us importance and how to.  So, do we, both out of need and importance of exampling for others.    We all have those who look up to us, so responsibility is high.

You and I can walk in obedience to God’s Word and live a life of holiness.
Jerry Bridges, in The Pursuit of Holiness

4/30/19                                   Jesus as Human and Jesus as God                     30

Revelation 1:12-18 – “Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around His chest. The hairs of His head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, His feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living One. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades.”

 

COMMENTS:  How do we visualize Jesus?  We often visualize Jesus as looking like any other male Jew of His day.  Dark skinned and brown eyes and dark hair and, of course, with a beard.  

Above are two pictures showing how artist envisioned Jesus to look like.  The left is an older drawing but right drawing is based on experience of a number of individuals who died for a brief time and returned.  Their account of Jesus seems to concur that He looks like this.  They all commented on impact of His eyes and compassion His eyes show.  Well, no one this side of the grave can tells us honestly and accurately what Jesus looks like, but one thing is for sure.  HE KNOWS AND LOVES US LIKE NONE OTHER AND WILL BE AT HEAVEN’S DOOR TO GREET US IF WE ACCEPT HIS GIFT OF FORGIVENESS. 

But Jesus will have another role and impression, as described by John in Revelation.   Instead of looking like a loving older brother or a dear friend, John describes Him in a more authorities powerful and divine way. Well, those who refuse His mercy will see Him as their Judge instead of as their Savior.  His eyes will not be the eyes of a loving Savior but of the Judge condemning them to hell.  

We hear so many say a loving God will not condemn anyone to hell, but scripture warns us God requires a sinless life in order to gain admission to heaven.   NO ONE IS SINLESS SO WE ALL DESERVE HELL!  Jesus has done all He could and all that is needed.  He paid dearly so we can be forgiven all our sins by simply asking and receiving His gift of forgiveness.  The cost to us is little by great to Him.  His death on Good Friday paid the price required by the Father for our sins.   His Resurrection on Easter Sunday restored Him to His divine position and confirmed His victory over satan and over death.   He is the first Resurrection, so His promise of resurrection for each of us is sure. 

Jesus will justly judge and condemn those who refuse His redemption.

Like it or not, Jesus is God and has full power and authority to forgive or judge who He will.  He will judge satan and his followers to eternal punishment without appeal or opportunity for redemption.   The parable of Lazarus and the rich man Jesus told reveals this.   No, Jesus has given us every opportunity to repent but not without a warning to repent while opportunity is available.  Before death or the hardness of our heart prevent us.  
How are we to respond to such a God? One moment we seek comfort in Him; the next we fall at His feet in awe. It is hard to reconcile these two responses, and yet both are real—both are valid—both are right. And maybe we don’t need to reconcile these responses, but instead to trust the Holy Spirit to guide our entire faithful response to Jesus, at all times and in all places. For Jesus is our awesome God and Maker; He is also our loving Savior, who died and rose for us.

THE PRAYER: Holy Lord, you are both merciful and awesome. Help me to trust in You always. Amen.

 

GIDEON BIBLE REFERENCE SCRIPTURES  6/24/10 Roswell, NM

HELP IN TIME OF NEED:

• The way of salvation:                                   John 14:6, Acts 16.32, Romans 10:9
• Comfort in time of loneliness :                    Psalm 23, Isaiah 41:10, Hebrews 13:5-6
• Comfort in time of sorrow                            2 Cor. 1:3-5, Romans 8:26-28
• Relief in time of suffering                             2 Cor. 12:8-10, Hebrews 12:3-13
• Guidance in time of decision                       James  1:5-6, Proverbs 3:5-6
• Protection in time of danger                       Psalm 91, Psalm 121
• Courage in time of fear                                  Hebrews 13:5-6, Ephesians 6:10-18
• Peace in time of turmoil                                Isaiah 26:3-4, Philippians 4:6-7
• Rest in time of weariness                             Matthew 11:28-29, Psalm 23
• Strength in time of temptation                  James 1:12-16, 1Cor. 10:6-13
• Warning in time of indifference                 Gal. 5:19-21, Hebrews 10:26-31
• Forgiveness in time of conviction               Isaiah 1:18, 1Jn, 1:7-8

 

SUGGESTED READINGS (HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS):

• The creation Genesis 1-2
• The fall of man Gen 3
• The flood of noah Gen 6-9
• The call of Abraham                                 Gen 12:1-9
• Deliverance of Israel from Egypt Exodus 11-14
• Dedication of the temple 2 Chronicles 5-7
• The Babylonian Captivity of Israel 2 Chr. 36
• Revival of Israel after captivity Nehemiah 8-9
• Promises of the coming Messiah Isaiah 9:2-7, Ps22, Is.53
• The Birth of Christ                                 Mtt1:18-2:23, Lk1:26-2:40
• The Triumphal Entry                 Lk19:28-44
• The last supper Mk14:2-26
• The Garden of Gathsemane 26:36-46
• The Betreyal of Jesus                 26-47-56
• The arrest and trial of Jesus Jn 18:12-19:16
• The death of Christ Lk 23:26-56, Jn19:16-42
• The resurrection of Christ Lk24, Jn20
• The ascension of Christ Acts 1:1-12
• The coming of the Holy Spirit Acts2:1-21
• The conversion of Paul Acts 9:1-31
• The heroes of Faith Hebrews 11

 

SUGGESTED READINGS (SPIRITUAL STANDARDS)

• The 10 commandments                                 Exodus 20:1-17
• The sermon on the mount Mtt 5-7
• The golden rule Mtt7:12
• The greatest commandment Mtt 22:36-40
• The righteousness of Faith Romans 3:19-28
• The Royal Law James 2:8, Romans 13:8-10
• Christ’s New Commandment John 13:34-35
• Christian love                               1 Cor. 13

 

DYNAMIC DOCTRINES

• God’s greatness and man’s weakness                                                     Isaiah 40
• The two fold Revelation of God                                                                  Psalm 19
• Man’s universal guilt                                                                                       Rom 1:18-2:16
• Atonement                                                                                                        Leviticus 16, Romans 5
• The new birth                                                                                                    John 3
• Justification by Faith                                                                                       Eph 2:1-10, Gal 2:16-21
• Christ, the Good Shepherd                                                                          Ps 23, John 10:1-18
• Christ’s intercession for His Own                                                               Jn 17, Heb 7:25
• The High Priestly Work of Christ                                                                 Heb. 7:25, Heb. 4:14-16
• Christ’s Humiliation and Exhaltation                                                         Philippians 2:5-11
• Resurrection of the Christian Dead                                                           1 Cor. 16, 1Thess. 4:13-18
• The second coming of Christ                                                                        Mtt 24, 2 Thess. 1:7-2:12
• The Last Judgment                                                                                          Rev. 20:10-15
• The New Heaven and New Earth                                                               Rev. 21-22

 

PRACTICAL PRECEPTS:

• Christian Home relationships                      Eph. 5:22-6:4
• A model wife and mother                             Prov. 31:10-31
• Marriage and divorce                                     Mtt 19:3-9, Malachi 2:14-16
• The sin of adultery                                           Prov. 6:23-33
• The prodigal son                                               Luke 15:11-32
• Employer-employee relationships            Col 3:22-4:1
• Business and prof. principles                       Ps15, Prov. 3:1-12
• Seperation of worldliness                             2 Cor. 6:14-7:1, 1 Jn 2:15-17
• Decisions of doubtful things                        Rom.14
• Christian fruitfulness                                      Jn15
• Heavenly wisdom                                            James 3:14-18
• Christian responsibilities                               Rom. 12-13
• Christian stewardship                                    2 Cor. 8-9
• Christian witnessing                                        Mtt 28:18-20, Jm17:18-20
• Prevailing prayer                                              Mtt 6:5-15, Philippians 4:6-7
• Heavenly priorities                                          Mtt 6:25-33
• Brevity of man’s days                                     Ps 90
• The causes of war                                            James 4:1-4
• The value of the soul                                      Mk. 8:36-37

 

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT ITSELF:

• ITSELF:                                                                  2 Tim. 3:15-16   , Psalm 19:7
• GOD:                                                                     Psalm 99:9, 1 Tim.1:17, Isaiah 45:21-22
• MAN:                                                                    Gen. 1:27, Gen 2:7, Isaiah 43:7
• HEAVEN:                                                              Rev.21:3-4, 21:27
• SIN:                                                                        Romans 5:12, Isaiah 59:2, Romans 3:23
• HELL:                                                                     2 Thess 1:8-9, Rev. 20:15
• CHRIST –HIS ADVENT                                      Micah 5:2, Mtt.1:21-23, Lk 2:10-11
• CHRIST – HIS PERSON                                     John 10:30, 14:6
• CHRIST –HIS WORK                                          Lk. 22:19-20, 1 Peter 2:24, Col.1:14, Isaiah 53:5-6
• CHRIST-HIS RESURRECTION                         Lk. 24:36,39, 1 Cor. 15:3-4
• FAITH                                                                    Acts 20:20-21, Heb. 11:6, Eph. 2:8-9
• LIFE                                                                        John 3:3, 1:12-13, 3:36, 2 Cor.5:17

If you wish, you can access my blog at “https://donsdevotions.wordpress.com“. There you will find 440 blog posts I have made plus a link to my devotional journal material archives from 2013 to present.

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