“If your life consistently bears no fruit, God will intervene to discipline you.” Bruce Wilkinson

This quote is the first secret of “Secrets of the Vine.” Understanding that the “Vinedresser” (the heavenly Father) will not cut us off from the vine, but will take us away from the dust and mud of the ground on which we (as branches) are lying, let’s look at what the Vinedresser will do for us to help us flourish once again. In Hebrews 12:4-13, the writer reminds them that the heavenly Father loves them and treats them as sons (and daughters), and has their best interest at heart. He wants them to succeed in life and in holiness.

⁴ In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵ And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
    and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son” (Proverbs 3:11-12)
⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
¹² Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. ¹³ “Make level paths for your feet” (Proverbs 4:26), so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Overall points are:

1. The struggle is real.
2. God loves us as His children.
3. His discipline is good for us.
4. A harvest of righteousness and peace await us.
5. Our healing is the ultimate goal.

This passage is important to our understanding of discipline and that it is different than the trials we may experience. We will look more closely at it tomorrow.

Abba, we chafe against discipline just like little children. Please help us to learn to move beyond our feelings and see the “long game.” You really do want the best for us! May we submit to Your “teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16), O Lord. Amen.

Our ability to choose is what makes us gods, be it good or evil.*

In the beginning, God created man in His own image,

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” ²⁷ So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27

But, what does that mean? The difference in humans and all other life forms on earth is our ability to choose between right and wrong. Essentially, we prefer to decide what is good and what is evil. The problem is that God has already established what is good and what is evil. We were meant to work together with Him to mature and learn to distinguish between the two. Take Eve for an example. She might have gone to God and asked Him for clarification rather than take the word of a serpent over His. Take Adam as an example. He might have protected Eve, banished the serpent, and reported him to God. Instead, they chose to make their own judgment, and when they realized what they had done, they hid, blamed each other, the serpent, and even God rather than confessing and repenting of their wrong choices. Sound familiar? Haven’t we all done some form of this scenario at some time in our lives? We all have a natural desire to choose for ourselves rather than consulting God.

What is the answer? How do we discern what is best versus what we want? At some point in our lives, the Spirit makes us aware of the choice we must make between His will and our will. What we choose determines how our lives will go from then on. We can:

1. Choose to go our own way, making our own choices of what is right and what is wrong, even knowing that our way will eventually have destructive consequences, or…
2. Choose to believe God, trust Jesus, receive the Spirit, and make His way our way, which leads to life with Him now and eternal life with Him later (it’s actually all eternal life since we’re with Him).

Jesus said it several ways:

1. I am the Narrow Gate (Matthew 7:13-14),
2. I am the Door (John 10:1-3),
3. I am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25-27),
4. And then the classic, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

Once we get it, it’s easy to see–still hard to do, though, because we are so used to doing things according to our limited perspective and according to how we feel. It’s a lifelong process with Him teaching, reproving, correcting, and training us in righteousness so that we may be thoroughly equipped for every good work He invites us to do with Him (2 Timothy 3:16-17 adapted).

Abba, please train us in righteousness. We want to be like You, to please You, and to be with You always. When we turn away from You, we cannot sense You; help us to keep our eyes fixed on You, Jesus. You are our Savior and our God. We love You; thank You for loving us first! Amen.

*Psalm 82:6-7 ⁶ I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you;
⁷ nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.”
John 10:34-36 ³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? ³⁵ If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— ³⁶ do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

Akedah: The Binding of Isaac. Here is another custom that is just too hard to ignore.

The story of Abraham and Isaac can be read in Genesis 22:1-19. In that story, we find:

• God told Abraham to go to a mountain He would show him and sacrifice his son, his only son, to God.
• Abraham, Isaac, and two servants began the journey.
• They traveled three days, and on the third day, they arrived at Mount Moriah.
• Abraham told his servants to wait for them to come back.
• Isaac carried on his back the wood for his own sacrifice.
• Isaac allowed Abraham to bind him.
• As Abraham was about to plunge the knife into his son, the Angel of the Lord stopped him.
• The Lord blessed Abraham–and the entire world–because of his faithfulness.
• Abraham noticed a ram caught in a thicket. He took that ram and sacrificed it.
• They rejoined the servants and went home.

Nearly 4,000 years later, Jews celebrate this event, Akadah, during their New Year, Rosh Hashana, which is usually in September. The account is read during Yom Kippur ten days later (Yom Kippur, Eid, and remembrance of sacrifice).

On fast days, synagogue prayer includes, “Remember for us the covenant and loving kindness and oath that you swore to Abraham our father on Mount Moriah, consider the binding with which Abraham our father bound his son Isaac on the altar, suppressing his compassion so as to do your will, so may your compassion outweigh your anger against us.” Britannica

“Jewish tradition specifically links Isaac and the Passover lamb in the noncanonical Jewish literature popular during the first centuries BC and AD, such as the Book of Jubilees.” In Joseph Tabory’s book, “The Crucifixion of the Paschal Lamb,” on page 396, “Jubilees 17-18 states that God instructed Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on the twelfth day of the month of Nisan. Abraham and Isaac walked for three days to the place of sacrifice, and by Jewish counting (which includes the first day and the last day), Isaac was bound for sacrifice on 14 Nisan, the exact month and day when Passover lambs were sacrificed and Jesus was crucified.”*

Tomorrow, we will look at a comparison of the Binding of Isaac and the crucifixion of Jesus. Today, let’s stand in awe of God’s wonderful Plan and all the ways He pointed to the culmination of that Plan.

Abba, as I read the account of Abraham and Isaac again, I am astounded at the similarity of it and the crucifixion. I had no idea that this story was celebrated every year by Jews all over the world–and has been for nearly 4,000 years. Once again, I am overwhelmed with how much I don’t know! May You use Akadah to reach many Jews for Jesus this year through the wondrous working of Your Spirit. Amen.

*”The Crucifixion of the King of Glory,” page 113, with footnote

Walking with Christ is simple. We defer to Him on everything. Not easy, but simple.

When we ask God questions about our everyday activities, like what we eat and drink and wear, we are stepping back and seeing our circumstances without our “I want” in the way.

The danger is to rationalize what we want. WE KNOW when we are rationalizing. A favorite speaker says that our brains are masters at going out and finding “good reasons.” Here what Jesus told us,

Luke 12:22-31 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? “Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

The key word is “need.” We WANT a lot of things, but what we need He will provide His children. The key is to walk with Him through the celebrations and trials of life trusting Him to provide what we need one day at a time. Let’s let the process of walking with Him be our goal.

Abba, we know that being with You is the best place for us to be. It’s what You have wanted all along. Help us to trust You for all things in all things. Amen.

Being like God may not be as unattainable as we might think. He WANTS us to be like Him!

As we study the character of God, we will be looking at His attributes. We might think them to be high and lofty, and we would be correct. At the same time, the attributes of God are the same as He has commanded us to strive to attain, and He has equipped us because He has made us in His image. And, as His image bearers, the same attributes that He wants us to have are the very ones that describe Him.

³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:36

See?

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34

Told you.

As we look through the Bible at the various descriptions of God, just remember that we are His ambassadors here on this earth. We represent Him. Therefore, it is important that we learn to be just like Him. The reason Jesus came is to show us the Father so that we can be like Him.

⁷ If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:7

Abba, we want to be just like You, which means that we want to be just like Jesus. Help us to learn to be just like Him. May Your Spirit teach us, rebuke us, correct us and train us in righteousness so that we all can be thoroughly equipped for every good work*. Amen.

*(adapted from 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The meeting of Jesus, Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration was not a random event.

Yesterday, we looked at Jesus meeting with Moses in the Tabernacle in the wilderness. As the one who received the Law from God’s own hand, Moses represented the Law throughout Jewish history. In the same way, Elijah was known as the great prophet and represented the prophecies of the Old Testament. When Jesus, Peter, James and John went up on Mount,* Jesus went there for the express purpose of meeting with Moses and Elijah. Let’s read it:

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ² There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. ³ Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
⁴ Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
⁵ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
⁶ When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. ⁷ But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” ⁸ When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. Matthew 17:1-8

Jesus was about to fulfill the Law and the Prophets on the cross and subsequent resurrection, ““Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). A very significant thing is the cloud that came down and enveloped them; it harkened all the way back to the Exodus (Exodus 19:9, 33:10, 34:5) and represented the Shekinah glory of God. When the cloud lifted, Moses and Elijah were gone and only Jesus was left, thus intimating once again that Jesus would fulfill the Law and the Prophets.

Let’s thank God for His continued interaction with mankind even as He prepared the world for His Incarnation.

Abba, we do give You thanks for loving us even in our sinful condition. You created us to be like You and to be with You. Even when we chose NOT You, You came after us! Thank You for the opportunity to celebrate Your Incarnation. We also look forward to celebrating the Crucifixion and Resurrection, Your Mission here on earth. Again, thank You. Amen.

*One possibility– Mount Tabor (575 metres or 1,886 feet high) is the traditional location. The earliest identification of the Mount of Transfiguration as Tabor is by Origen in the 3rd century. It is also mentioned by St. Cyril of Jerusalem and St. Jerome in the 4th century. It is later mentioned in the 5th-century Transitus Beatae Mariae Virginis. The summit of Mount Tabor is also referenced as the place of the Transfiguration according to the Mystical City of God by Venerable Mary of Jesus of Ágreda (1602–1665), who writes: “For His Transfiguration He selected a high mountain in the center of Galilee, two leagues east of Nazareth and called Mount Tabor.” The Church of the Transfiguration is located atop Mount Tabor.

Believing on Jesus is not hard–once we get past our wanting to be the lord of our own lives.

Yesterday, we began a study on the divinity of Jesus Christ. We looked at the term, “Son of Man,” that Jesus claimed as His title. Today, we will look at Jesus’ claim to be Lord of the Sabbath. Let’s read the passage:

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. ² When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
³ He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴ He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. ⁵ Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? ⁶ I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. ⁷ If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,^‘ [Hosea 6:6] you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

As Jesus explained to the Pharisees, that people’s needs overrode obeying the Sabbath, He made an interesting statement, “I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.” What?! What could be greater than the temple where God lived with them? We know that He is referring to God coming down in human form, Himself, and of the coming indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us.

Concerning the statement, “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath,” we need to go back into Hebrew history. Four times in the Torah, three of which are in Leviticus, God says, “Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:30). In claiming to be Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus was claiming that He was God. He even reinterpreted the Scripture for the Pharisees; to them, only God could do that. Too bad they didn’t listen to Him. It is interesting that Jesus used the term, “Son of Man,” while claiming to be God. That’s actually twice in one sentence.

If you are wondering if the leadership caught Jesus’ reference to Himself being divine, read this:

³³ “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” John 10:33

They knew exactly who He claimed to be; they just didn’t want to believe it. In fact, the leadership used His claim to be God’s Son to condemn Him to death, “The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God” (John 19:7).

Tomorrow, we will look at the most condemning term He used to describe Himself. Stay tuned!

Abba, since we know Jesus personally via His Spirit, it’s easy to accept that Jesus is God in the flesh. God the Son, as a member of the Trinity, is easy to accept, as well. What is difficult to accept is people’s unwillingness to consider Jesus’ works that prove that He is who He says He is. If they would allow Him, He would do a miracle in their lives, too, just as He did in us! We pray for them, Abba, that they would do exactly that. Amen.

The Eighth Commandment- Honor Property: When we consider our needs to be greater than our family.

“You shall not steal.” Exodus 20:15

So far, we have honored life and marriage. Today, we look at honoring property. We begin with a definition. From “Ten Words to Live By,” by Jen Wilkin, page 114.

“The lure of stealing is that we might gain ‘something for nothing.’ But all stealing is gain at someone else’s unwilling expense, whether that expense is small or large.”

What people don’t realize is that stealing hurts not only the person whose property one is stealing, but the community. Many times, time is lost as well as resources. The victim now has less with which to work that might add to the community. Trust is lost; steps are taken to keep from the theft happening again, so money and resources are used that could have gone toward something else. What is stolen is freedom to create, to build, and to add to the community without fear of loss.

God knows the hearts of everyone, their actions and the motives behind their actions. The contempt it takes to steal from someone means that the thief does not see his victim as a fellow image bearer or as a fellow “family member” of the community. God sees the deed and He knows the heart. What the thief doesn’t realize is that when we steal from others, we actually allow a part of themselves to be taken away, as well. The connection between people is based on trust. If we can’t trust, then the connection suffers.

Trust is based upon our trustworthiness. Jesus said,

¹⁰ “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. ¹¹ And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? ¹² And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own? Luke 16:10-12“

If we want to be respected and honored by others, then we must be trustworthy with other people’s possessions, which includes their good name. If we want to be like our LORD, then we will be content with what we have and be happy for those who have more. The moratorium on stealing is settled in Paul’s command:

²⁸ Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. Ephesians 4:28

It’s not just about taking something; it’s about adding to the community. Paul wants us to be ready to help those in need out of our own means. This is to be the goal of every Christ-follower.

Abba, it’s not enough to just “not hate;” You want us to go the extra mile and demonstrate love. You want us to consider each other as brothers and sisters, which is what we are in You. Stealing from one of the family hurts the entire family. May we learn to see the bigger picture and love each other. Amen.

The glory and goodness of God–two character traits that we don’t want to miss out on!

Yesterday, we looked at God’s love and compassion, which are clearly demonstrated on the cross of Christ Jesus. As Christ followers, we are to allow the Spirit to teach us how to demonstrate God’s love to others by showing compassion through grace to those who need it–which is all of us!

Two more character traits of God are His glory and goodness. Our key verse is,

³ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3

Today, we will look at God’s glory, which is His radiance. Anyone who is around God is awestruck by His glory,

²⁹ When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. Exodus 34:29

¹In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple…⁵ “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Isaiah 6:1, 5

Notice that Isaiah immediately became aware of his uncleanness. Praise the Lord for the angel who cleansed him with an ember from the altar (one with the blood on it from the “Lamb slain from the creation of the world” (1 Corinthians 2:7, 2 Timothy 1:9, Revelation 13:8).

But, the glory of the Lord does not keep Him from loving us and desiring to be with us. Let’s read the next part of Moses’ story,

³³ When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. ³⁴ But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, ³⁵ they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord. Exodus 34:33-35

In the previous chapter, we find that, “the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend” (Exodus 33:11). This desire of the Father for His children is exactly why Christ came. Through Christ, we are restored to our position as sons and daughters of God, “and we, who with unveiled faces, all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). We no longer need to fear standing in the Lord’s presence. In fact, His glory is in us right now! Warren Wiersbe tells us:

What is the basis for true Christian unity? The person and work of Jesus Christ and His glory (John 17:2-5)*. He has already given His glory to us, and He promises that we will further experience that glory when we get to heaven! All true believers have God’s glory within, no matter what they may look like on the outside.

We are sons and daughters of God because of Christ. Let’s let His glory shine through us.

Abba, we sense Your presence when we feel Your glory. Those “tastes of heaven” make us long to be with You in Your throne room! Until then, help us to enjoy your presence that we feel as we go throughout our day. May all the honor and glory, majesty and authority be Yours, O God. Amen.

*John 17:2-5, “For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. ³ Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. ⁴ I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. ⁵ And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”

The Spirit is constantly calling our attention to opportunities to do good; do we take them?

One of the aspects of Christianity is our desire to do good. God is good, and we want to be like Him. Let’s look at two passages that pertain to the goodness of God and our participation in His goodness.

³ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4

The divine nature is His glory and goodness. We participate in the glory of God through Jesus Christ our Lord and the salvation we have in Him. We participate in the goodness of God when we act according to our new nature that we have through the Holy Spirit. In addition, we share in the resurrection and ascension of Christ, which made possible the coming of the Holy Spirit who lives in our hearts. We share in the ministry of Christ by using our spiritual eyes to see needs and meet them. Our desires are being changed from evil desires (those that focus only on us) to godly desires (those that are like our Father in heaven).

The second passage is Titus 2:11-14, but it’s a little long, so we will look at it tomorrow. Today, let’s look with spiritual eyes for opportunities to do good. It’s the godly thing to do.

Abba, I need Your Spirit to point out needs to me. Sometimes, all You call me to do is pray; other times, You lead me to get in the middle of the need. Sometimes, You lead people to us; other times, You lead us to them. Whatever the case, may we always be ready and eager to do Your will. Amen.

To get down to the “nitty gritty” is to get to the center, the crux, of the matter. What about a relationship with Jesus?

What makes or breaks a relationship with Jesus? Entire denominations have been built around this question. To me, it’s quite simple:

• What makes a relationship is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us.
• What breaks it is the fact that it was already broken.

Once we get past propitiation, sacrifice, rescue, payment, atonement, and all other words that do their best to describe the amazing demonstration of God’s love through what Jesus accomplished on the cross, we come to the resurrection. What Christ accomplished through His resurrection is no less that new life for everyone.

But, what is beyond the resurrection? The Ascension. Here is what Jesus said, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper [Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7). He was, of course, talking about God the Holy Spirit, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come” (John 16:13).

The whole point of Christ’s incarnation, death, resurrection and ascension was for Him to come and live with us and in us! Let’s enjoy our relationship with God through Jesus by way of the Holy Spirit. It’s what we are designed for and His perfect will for us.

Abba, thank You for coming to live in us. Thank You for ALL You did in order for Your desire to be realized in us. May we never take for granted Your presence and participation in our lives. We owe You so much! May we always live in a constant attitude of joyful thanksgiving (Colossians 1:12). Amen.

I leave you today with this benediction:

⁶ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7

Jesus wants us to have abundant life now. How do we have this abundant life?

¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. ESV

¹⁰ The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. NLT

According to the NLT, this abundant life is a rich and satisfying life. Let’s establish something up front: “Rich and satisfying” has nothing to do with material possessions or long life. It has to do with the experience of knowing Christ on a deep, deep level. In fact, Christians throughout history who have faced loss, deprivation, torture or death have experienced a closeness to God that goes way beyond ordinary life.

Our prime example is the apostle Paul. In his life, he experienced,

“…far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. ²⁴ Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; ²⁶ on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; ²⁷ in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.” 2 Corinthians 11:23-27

What is Paul’s response to this kind of life?

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13

²⁴ But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24

How could Paul have such an attitude? It has to do with what he was looking forward to. Here is the desire of Paul’s heart:

¹⁰ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 4:10-11

Paul had been there (2 Corinthians 12:3-4) and knew what awaited Him. The presence of the Lord was with Him, and that presence sustained him through his life and into the next. We may not go through the trials Paul did, but we can experience the presence of Christ as he did. How? By committing ourselves to Christ every day, by studying His Word with Him, by praising Him often, and by aligning our lives with Him in godliness, righteousness and holiness. We need to learn how to practice the presence of Christ.

Abba, I need to heed my own advice. May I commit my life to You today, asking You to help me make decisions based upon how they will affect me concerning godliness, righteousness and holiness. Call me higher up and further in, Lord. I want to know You more. Amen.

HAPPY EASTER! Easter is truly the most important day in history. Christ forgave the world! Who will trust in Him?

Aaron Gann, from CMJ, The Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People, has this to say about Christ’s resurrection:

“While the resurrection has profound implications for salvation – and a focus on this is indeed appropriate – the resurrection is not merely about our justification but is also intimately connected with the kingship of Yeshua [Jesus]. The resurrection proves Yeshua’s claim as the Messiah of Israel since the resurrection of the Messiah was promised as a marker of Israel’s Messianic king.”
“When reading through the pages of the Hebrew Scriptures, one can find many passages that foretell a coming Messianic figure. It can be argued that the Messiah is the central theme of the Hebrew Scriptures as a whole – and by extension, the New Testament as well. Many of these passages – which speak of this figure – speak of a future king whose kingdom would stretch from river to river, who would exercise dominion over his enemies, and who would judge the nations and usher the world into a time of peace never seen before. He is one who would inherit the throne of his father David – being both David’s son and his Lord (Matt 22:41-46) – and whose kingdom would endure forever.”

His kingdom is in our hearts! As we worship our Lord Jesus Christ today, let us greet each other with,

“Christ is risen!”
“He is risen, indeed!”

Lord Jesus, today we worship You as our Lord and King. You are Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, Jesus our Messiah. Thank You for coming to extend Your great love to us and to rule in our hearts until You come to rule in our world. The angels declared that as You left, so You will come. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

How long can a comet last? Not as long as some would like to think. Here’s the scoop:

As we resume our study of the “10 Best Evidences from Science that confirm a Young Earth” from Answers in Genesis, we look at:

#8 Short-Lived Comets

“A comet spends most of its time far from the sun in the deep freeze of space. But once each orbit, a comet comes very close to the sun, allowing the sun’s heat to evaporate much of the comet’s ice and dislodge dust to form a beautiful tail. Comets have little mass, so each close pass to the sun greatly reduces a comet’s size, and eventually comets fade away. They can’t survive billions of years.”

Could it be that the ice that forms comet tails came from earth during the Great Flood? The moon’s surface (the side that faces us) is covered with droplets of water. The energy coming from the underground super-heated water was three times the amount needed to overcome our gravity. Did the earth literally spray the face of the moon? Many meteors and asteroids are comprised of earth’s mantle, so why not water in comets? If so, then comets are around 5,000 years old.

The root of the matter lies in whether a person believes in a young or old earth and universe. God told us in His talks with Moses how He created the earth and how long it took,

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

God was giving us a pattern of work and rest. It’s been this way from the beginning,

2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
² By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

If we can believe God for salvation, why is it so difficult for us to believe Him for creation? About the time I get to thinking that I am smarter and more knowledgeable than God, I read Job. Chapters 40-42 are about God asking Job where he was when Jesus was doing all the creating; He also asked him a lot of questions that only God could know. Here is Job’s answer:

42 Then Job answered the Lord and said:
² “I know that you can do all things,
    and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
³ ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
    things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

Rather than letting the origin of comets burn brain cells, why don’t we give God glory for His creation, whether it was in the first creation or because of the Great Flood? All natural events find their origin in God. Let’s glorify Him.

Abba, because I believe that You created the universe and everything in it in six literal days, I tend to think about scientific mysteries from the standpoint of how You did it rather than how something came into being on its own. The neat thing is that inventions and discoveries are being made all the time that shed light on many of these mysteries and how they prove that You really did create everything! Thank You for being patient with mankind. May we all look to Jesus for all the answers concerning salvation and creation. Amen.

Ever sung a hymn about Jesus? You’re in good company. Christians have been singing hymns about Jesus for 2000 years!

He appeared in the flesh,
    was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
    was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
    was taken up in glory.
1 Timothy 3:16
Possibly the text of an early hymn!

From, “Person of Interest,” pages 141-142

Jesus followers were inspired by Jesus to sing songs about Jesus to Jesus. They borrowed these songs from Old and New Testament Scriptures and quickly began to write their own.
Just as the fingerprints of Jesus can be found in the art of the earliest centuries of the Common Era, so too can they be seen in music. Hundreds of historic hymns were written in the first four centuries of the church, most well before Christianity was safe to sing about.

Embedded in these sacred songs were the simple truths about Jesus. The early church hymns are a rich evidential source of information about Jesus. The broad narrative of Jesus’s life, ministry, death, and resurrection can be heard in these songs, along with many rich theological truths that early believers affirmed. In fact, if all the New Testament manuscripts were destroyed, we would still know the following truths about Jesus from Christian hymns sung in the first four centuries.

• The BIRTH of Jesus
• The MINISTRY of Jesus
• The MISSION of Jesus
• The DEATH of Jesus
• The BURIAL of Jesus
• The RESURRECTION of Jesus
• The RETURN of Jesus
• The TITLES of Jesus

The Jesus described in ancient hymns matches the Jesus depicted by ancient artists and the Jesus described by the earliest authors of literature. The fallout in the earliest centuries of the Common Era pointed to the same Jesus described on the pages of the New Testament.

Throughout the centuries, Christian composers, singers, and players were involved with more than just Christian hymns. Because of their influence, “they pushed the envelope of their own contemporary forms of musical expression, making structural and compositional changes even as they invented (or added) new musical instruments” (page 143).

Historic Christian musicians, singers, and performers laid the foundation on which modern music stands. Thousands of years later, Jesus followers are still inspired to sing about Jesus of Nazareth. A brief internet search reveals the depth of the contemporary Christian music industry. In the past fifty years, over five hundred artists have contributed to this industry, recording songs numbering into the hundreds of thousands.

Even pop artists sing about Jesus. Just do a quick internet search and you’ll find singers like Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Smokey Robinson, Simon and Garfunkel, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Michael Jackson, Metallica, Guns n’ Roses, Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, and many others–and we haven’t even listed country singers! “Some of these artists were inspired by Jesus, some were informed by him, and some were infuriated by him. But Jesus mattered to all of them. They saw Jesus as a person of interest, worthy of their attention” (page 151).

Tomorrow: Education.

Abba, for my prayer, I will quote an old hymn, “Why do I sing about Jesus?”

Deep in my heart there’s a gladness
Jesus has saved me from sin
Praise to His name, what a Savior
Cleansing without and within
Why do I sing about Jesus?
Why is He precious to me?
He is my Lord and my Savior
Dying, He set me free!

Amen.

Hearing God’s audible voice must have been incredible! Once was in our John 12 passage. Can you name the other two?

We left off after reading John 12:27, so let’s pick up there:

²⁷ “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 

The crowd was confused at this point, but Jesus set them straight,

²⁹ The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
³⁰ Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 

The three times in Jesus’ life that God spoke out loud publicly were times when Jesus was entering into a new stage of ministry.

1. The first time was at Jesus’ baptism, “And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” Matthew 3:17.
2. The second time was on the mount of Transfiguration, “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
3. The third time was when Jesus was entering into His final stage of ministry, Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again” John 12:27.

Jesus then announced this final stage,

³¹ Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. ³² And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ³³ He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

1. Jesus wanted them to hear His exchange with the Father.
2. Judgment was now coming on this world. Judgment of what? To “break the power of him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil,” the prince of this world (Hebrews 2:14).
3. “Lifted up” means, “exalted.” I believe that Jesus is referring to the raising of the snake on a pole (see Numbers 21:1-9) because of His statement to Nicodemus in John 3:14-15, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

The other word in verse 32 that gives us trouble is, “draw.” The Greek is helskyso, which means, “to drag or pull,” as with a fishing net. Examples are: the disciples’ nets were so full that they dragged (helskyso) the fish ashore (John 21:11); Paul and Silas were dragged (helskyso) before the magistrates (Acts 16:19). Are people dragged into salvation with God? Absolutely not! That would nullify their ability to choose. Here is another metaphor: Jesus was on one side of the Grand Canyon and we were on another side with a half mile down and half mile across separating us, then Jesus reached over and pulled our side up next to His. Now there is NO SEPARATION between us and God. All a person has to do is turn and be saved (Isaiah 45:22). This illustration is by no means a complete picture of what Christ did for us. In fact, we could spend the next 1000 years discovering all that went into the Passion week of Christ, i.e. His entry in Jerusalem, His teaching on the temple grounds, His arrest, trial, and crucifixion, and His resurrection. The assuring thing is that we know it’s all true!

Let’s thank Jesus for all He went through to get us back. He is our Great Rescuer, the Victorious Christ (Christus Victor).

Abba, Your salvation is so big that there is no way for us to get our arms around it. What stands out to me is Your great love for us. May we bask in the waterfall of Your love, O Lord. Amen.

Walking with God is the only safe place to be. To walk in darkness is dangerous; we cannot see what makes us stumble.

¹⁸ The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
    shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
    they do not know what makes them stumble.
Proverbs 4:18-19

We have been looking at four questions I wrote at the end of chapter two of, “A Grand Illusion,” by David Young about what radical progressives believe–or don’t believe.

Why do we need to recognize Jesus as Lord?
Why do we need a Savior?
How can the Bible be “living and breathing?”
What is holiness?

We are on the fourth question,

What is holiness?

Holiness is the character of God. Whatever God is like, that is holiness. Let’s look at some verses that tell us about the character of God.

PART 4

We continue reviewing the Scriptures that list characteristics of God. Yesterday, we continued with Nahum 1:3 and Jonah 4:2. Today, we finish the OT passages with Nehemiah 9:17-18. Nehemiah’s description of God comes 200+ years later than Jonah (around 444 BC) when he left Babylon for Israel to rebuild Jerusalem. Here is a part of his prayer to God,

¹⁷ They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, ¹⁸ even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies. Nehemiah 9:17-18

As Nehemiah reflects on all of the catastrophes that have befallen them, he does not blame God, but gives Him credit for striving with his wayward people. We learn from Nehemiah that God does not desert them. More than that, God’s character is still the same; they are just seeing a different side of it. After all that had happened and all that the people had gone through, they were finally realizing that God’s “wrath” had more to do with the consequences of walking apart from God. He is our light and our salvation. When we walk with Him, we need not be afraid (Psalm 27:1).

Tomorrow, we will step into the New Testament and look at how God’s character is revealed by Mary, Zechariah, and the writers of the NT.

Abba, You continue to reveal Yourself to us daily. May we continue to learn and put into practice what You show us. We want to reflect You to the people around us. Show us the way, Lord, and we will follow. Amen.

Mankind, by ourselves, cannot save ourselves. We need a Savior. Jesus is that Savior!

⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4-5

Several weeks ago, I did a series of posts on the Baptist Faith and Message. In the third section on “Man,” I errantly left out any discussion about the state of mankind spiritually and jumped directly into what God thinks of us (see Proverbs 11 9-11-22). Today, I would like to amend that little oversite with comment and a portion taken from a more recent post (see Proverbs 29 10-29-22). First, the BF&M:

III. Man

Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God’s creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19,21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11.

Mankind can be described as depraved, which means, “corrupt, wicked, or perverted.” We have taken a bite out of the poison apple (to borrow a phrase from “Snow White), and have been corrupted by evil desires (2 Peter 1:3-4). We are wicked in that we do not consider God in any of our decisions, nor do we include Him in our lives. We are perverted in thinking that it’s all about us and our feelings, cravings, fears, and desires (1 John 2:16). We are enemies of God and alienated from Him by choice (Colossians 1:21). We are turned away from Him and turned to darkness (John 3:19). We are at odds with God.

There are three analogies that speak to the human condition:

1. The courtroom scene- We each have sinned against a holy God and can not longer stand in His holy presence in our current condition. We need cleansing. Christ’s blood washes us clean and we are once again welcome at the throne of grace (2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 8:1-2, 1 John 1:8).
2. The hospital emergency room- With sin came sickness to our eyes, our bodies, and our souls. Jesus demonstrated this fact throughout His ministry by healing the body and the soul. In Jesus, we are healed and whole (Mark 2:3-12, Mark 2:17, Luke 4:18).
3. The rescue operation- Sin binds, it addicts, and it controls. Jesus came to break our bonds, pull us out of our addiction to sin, and to wrest control from the one who controls us (Satan). In Jesus, we find FREEDOM (Matthew 12:28-29, Romans 7:24-25, Hebrews 2:14-15)!

But, none of this caught God off-guard. His love for us goes beyond anything we can do, think, see or say. He proved that love on a cross, and died to rise again, thus offering us the gift of life in Him. Aren’t we glad?!

It’s not about us, yet it is. He loves us and has made it all about our salvation. He wants us back! Look at the extent He went through to get us back:

• Leaving His glory in heaven,
• Limiting Himself to a human body,
• Living in the dust of this world with all kinds of people,
• Dying at the hands of arrogant men,
• Rising again to new life, and
• Ascending back to His throne in heaven.

Let’s make life all about Him, shall we?

Abba, it is always good to go back and look at our starting place so that we can see how far we have come by Your mercy and Your grace. In the words of the old Imperials song,

Keep on walkin’
You don’t know how far you’ve come
Keep on walkin’
For all you know it may be done
And the Father
Might be standin’ up right now
To give the call and end it all
So keep on walkin’

Keep On Walkin

I intend to. Amen.

We are either moving toward God with Jesus, or away from God without Jesus. Which is it for you?

¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3:17-18

The battle for our minds has been going on since the Garden of Eden. Getting us to doubt God and His commands and promises is something at which Satan is extremely good. Even with the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit, we still struggle with our thoughts. But, here is His promise:

²¹ Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. ²² But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— ²³ if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.  Colossians 1:21-23

1. We were alienated from God by our evil behavior, but it wasn’t our behavior that alienated us. It was what we thought that alienated us. In order to do evil, we must turn away from God, but He has always loved us. In fact, He loved us enough to come to earth in human form–Jesus–and die for us.
2. Death is the consequence of sin. Jesus took that consequence to the grave and left it there, coming out on the other side and offering us that same experience through Him!
3. Because we have “died” in Christ, sin no longer has a hold on us. From now on, we are training to be children of the King. In Christ, we know that He will present us holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation. His blood has washed us white as snow! We are not covered–we are clean!
4. The “if” here calls attention to the fact that our choices matter. Yes, He will present us without fault and with great joy to the Father (Jude 24), but our choices now matter to our lives and our testimony to others. We are light-bearers; let’s live our lives accordingly.
5. Established and firm, immovable in our faith. How do we get there? By immersing ourselves in all things godly and by abstaining from all things worldly. Sounds impossible, doesn’t it? Even so, it is our goal, our aim, and our highest purpose. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can strive to move “higher up and further in.”

We have the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s rejoice today in Him:

⁵⁷ but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in 
the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58

Abba, I don’t know why, but You love us and have already promised us that when we get to where You are, we will be righteous, blameless, pure and holy. Bless You! Praise You! Until then, we will strive to live with You and for You. May You receive all the glory, Lord. Amen.

Jesus was literally fathered by the Heavenly Father, yet He has always been one with Him. How is that?

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3

As we continue of our survey of the Baptist Faith & Message, we pick up where we left off yesterday with God the Father and move on to God the Son:

B. God the Son

Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.

Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 53:1-12; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16.

Three references are listed above that explain who Jesus really is:

¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel [God with us]. Isaiah 7:14

Jesus is one of the Trinity. He is God with us.

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Jesus is the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.
He IS grace and truth.

² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. Hebrews 1:2

Jesus is how God speaks to us. He is the One to whom we listen.

Jesus is “God with skin on.” He is the exact representation of God’s being, the Sustainer of all things by His powerful word (see Genesis 1:3 and Hebrews 1:3), and the “appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he [God the Father] made the universe (again Genesis 1:3-26).” If we want to know what God is like, we look no further than Jesus Christ. ““Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (John 14:9)

Yet, Jesus showed us His great love for us in that while we were still sinners, He died for us (Romans 5:8). “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1). This is the Good News of the Gospel!

Abba, thank You for coming and taking on the curse of death for us. Only You could be raised from the dead, thus breaking the curse forevermore! You are the firstfruits of many brothers and sisters (Romans 8:29), of which I am one. Amen.

Without the flow of oxygen to our brains, we would pass out in 10 seconds, and die in 5 minutes. Enter: The Heart!

3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart…the Hebrew word for “heart” means with every fiber in our being, with all we have.

Our hearts begin beating about the fifth week after conception. It will beat more than 2.5 billion times for the average lifespan of 79 years (for Americans).

Our hearts are actually double pumps in that they pump blood to the lungs for oxygen and then to the body for the distribution of that oxygen. When a baby is in the mother’s womb, his “heart starts out as a simple, large tube. As the baby grows, however, the Creator designed the tube so that it loops back, forming a kink. The sides fuse together, forming a wall between two separate compartments. As the rest of the heart forms, the two sides remain separate, essentially becoming two pumps.” During gestation, there is a hole (the foramen ovale) between the chambers that allows the flow of blood to bypass the lungs (the baby gets oxygen through the umbilical cord). “At birth, a marvelous transformation takes place. When the lungs inflate and the baby takes his first breath, the pressure in the heart shifts, forcing a flap over the foramen ovale to close the hole. The body also produces chemicals that cause the bypass artery to close.
By marvelous design, the baby emerges from its watery home and breathes the air without a glitch. Blood begins pumping to the lungs to absorb oxygen without a moment’s delay.”
Taken from, “A Pocket Guide to the Human Body,” pages 44-46

How does the heart keep from wearing out, sliding around inside the ribcage or overheating? We will cover these questions tomorrow.

Abba, You are amazing. When we say that we love You with all our heart, we really are saying that we love You like our hearts work: Continuously and with all we have. May we take seriously what it means to love You with all our heart, serving You faithfully even as our hearts do us. We depend upon You, O Lord, even as we depend upon our hearts for the very oxygen we breathe. You ARE our oxygen, Lord Jesus. You are LIFE. Amen.

Oxygen by Avalon

The Good News of Jesus Christ is that in Him, our sins are forgiven. He took care of them 2,000 years ago!

11 Through Me [Christ] your days will be many, and years will be added to your life [extended into eternity]. 12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker [and refuse to listen], you alone will suffer [the consequences].

One of the most liberating passages I know is 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. Christ died for everyone! Let’s read it:

¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

The phrase, “once for all” referring to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is used in Romans 6:10, Hebrews 7:27, Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 9:26 (my favorite), Hebrews 10:2, and Hebrews 10:10. Jesus did away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself (Hebrews 9:26). It’s now a matter of people trusting Jesus enough to allow the Holy Spirit to enter them, cleanse them, and begin the work of sanctification in them (making them to be like Jesus in righteousness and holiness; see Ephesians 4:24).

Want more proof? Here’s 2 Corinthians 5:18,

¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

The whole point of Jesus bearing our sins on the cross was to bury them in death–and leave them there! Let’s look:

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18

²⁴ “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

Just as Jesus died with our sins and then rose again without our sins, we, too, can “die” to sins and live for His righteousness. Our sins are forgiven, buried, forgotten. From now on, it’s a matter of turning to Him for life, fellowship, instruction and training, all for the new kingdom that He is in the process of building right now! Following Christ is not about the hereafter, but the here and now! The hereafter will take care of itself as we walk in step with the Spirit of Christ. Let’s do it!

Abba, I am so excited to have such good news to share with my neighbors! May You orchestrate an opportunity for me to share it with them. Amen.

God is up to something much bigger in the world than we know. He is in the process of saving it!

24:11 Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.

As we continue our study of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, let’s read the passage again:

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

These verses represent our attitude while in this world.

¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not treat prophecies with contempt ²¹ but test them all; hold on to what is good, ²² reject every kind of evil.

These verses remind us to check with the Holy Spirit concerning all teaching regardless of who it is, but to accept all prophecy/teaching that is compatible with the teachings of Christ Jesus.

²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

• May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through- It is God who keeps us concerning our salvation. Christ died for all so that we all died to death through Him. God reconciled the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them (2 Corinthians 5:19). God Himself is our peace, and it is He who is transforming us into the image of Christ with ever-increasing glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). We are receiving a complete make-over spiritually.
• May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ- This verse is a sure thing based upon Jude 24, “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—” Verse 25 tells us who “him” is in verse 24, “to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” It is God who keeps us blameless. Christ gave Himself up for His Bride, the Church, “to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with the water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:26-27).
• The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it- We have this promise in Philippians 1:6, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

These verses are about what God is doing in us. Jesus Christ is adding to His Church daily. His Bride is being washed. The water is the Word of God, which we have established as Jesus Himself. Could it be that Christ regards all of humanity as His Bride and is in the process of cleansing her through His Spirit and the word of our testimony? It would mean that salvation is much bigger than we think! Does everyone accept His offer of matrimony? No, but to those who do, He gives the right to become children of God (John 1:12). That’s a mighty big plan, but He’s a mighty big God, isn’t He?

Abba, may Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Unity in Christ is what Jesus asked the Father for us. What are we willing to do to make it happen?

16:2 All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD.

I heard it said, “What unites us ultimately divides us.” I take this statement to mean that whatever we hold near and dear to our hearts will be for what we fight and die. It also means to me that we need to be really careful about that which we unite, especially concerning Jesus Christ. Jesus prayed for unity (John 17:23); we need to determine what is absolute truth and what is interpretation. Preferences don’t count, and even convictions can be erroneous; they can be like drawing lines in the sand. The following picture gives us an idea of how to categorize our beliefs:

Let’s take them from the bullseye out.

1. Jesus- The Person, Jesus Christ, is our foundation. A personal, ongoing relationship with Him is not only necessary, it’s vital.
2. Dogma- The facts: Jesus left heaven to come to earth to reveal the Father to us; He lived, died on a cross, and rose from the dead three days later; He appeared to many, and then ascended back to His rightful throne with the Father; He promised that He would return one day, for which we patiently wait (for example, the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds).
3. Doctrine- What we believe the Bible says about anything else: Heaven, hell, grace, works, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper are starters. Even our views on the Trinity are our efforts to describe that which is beyond words and human perception. Important, yes; vital, no. Paul said, “All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. ¹⁶ Only let us live up to what we have already attained” (Philippians 3:15-16).
4. Opinion- Our personal feelings, ideas, and concepts concerning all things biblical. Opinion goes beyond the text, which is what puts it in the last circle.

We tend to run with people who think like we do, which is not bad as long as we don’t hold ourselves aloof from other Christian brothers and sisters based upon anything except Jesus and Him crucified (Jesus Christ and Dogma; see 1 Corinthians 2:2). The big questions, those on which we all can unite, are,

“Do they believe that Jesus is Lord?
Do they love Him?
Do they follow Him?”

Abba, reading and listening to people who are Your followers and yet hold different views on doctrine has taught me that I don’t have everything “sewn up theologically”-in fact, can’t. There is so much of church history, what has been believed by church leaders in the past, and on what my own denomination’s beliefs are based that I never knew. In some ways, I feel like I’m beginning my education over–at 61! Rather than be frustrated, I choose to be excited about learning more about You, Lord, and those who have followed You. It’s something like reading a continued version of Hebrews 11, the hall of faith. Grow us, Lord, and make us one in You. It’s important; otherwise, You wouldn’t have prayed for it. Amen.

Which is better, memorizing or knowing? Aren’t they the same? Not necessarily…

1 Wisdom has built her house [preparation]; she has set up its seven pillars [done the leg work]. 2 She has prepared her meat [gathered her sources] and mixed her wine; she has also set her table [laid everything out in a proper order].

There is an old joke that a person took his Bible and opened it to a random page; he closed his eyes and pointed at a random verse, “Judas hanged himself;” He then closed his Bible, opened it again and repeated the process. This time, the verse was, “Go thou and do likewise.” If the person in the joke were to put these verses together and use them to advocate suicide, then the person would be proof texting. What is proof texting?

Proof texting is the method by which a person appeals to a biblical text to prove or justify a theological position without regard for the context of the passage they are citing. 

Proof texting is my taskmaster when reading Scripture because it forces me to know context as well as content. “As the saying goes, ‘a text without a context is a pretext for a proof text.'” Let’s look at John 3:16 as an example since most people are familiar with it–you may even be able to quote it.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. KJV

The first hurdle we come to is interpretation. John wrote his book in Aramaic, the language of commerce throughout the Roman Empire. It was translated into Latin sometime in the 4th Century and then into English in the 14th Century by John Wycliffe. The language, both Latin and English, has been updated, scrutinized, and re-interpreted many times up to today. There is also an ancient Greek version. For us, we will look at several interpretations from several versions:

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. NIV

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. NASB

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. ESV

¹⁶ This, you see, is how much God loved the world: enough to give his only, special son, so that everyone who believes in him should not be lost but should share in the life of God’s new age. NTE

Reading different versions is much like the game we used to play in school where we tried to find the differences in two pictures that looked much alike. Understanding that each version is the interpretation of people who didn’t live in that time, we need an overall approach to whatever version we are reading so that we read it impartially (well, as impartially as we can) to keep us from proof texting. For me, that approach is to run everything through Jesus, both in the pages and at the throne. In other words, The Spirit will help me by explaining what He wants me to know and applying it to my life. It will never be a full revelation, but it will be what I need for today.

As I have grown in Christ, the Spirit has shown me these things about John 3:16:

• He loves me so, so much;
• He came as Jesus–God with skin on–to die for me, come to life again, and offer me that new life;
• Believing in Him as my Messiah (Savior and Lord) means trusting Him with my life;
• Eternal life is life with Him beyond my physical death, but it begins here on earth with Him and me together.

Tomorrow, we will look at context. Do you know the verses around John 3:16?

Abba, I can only trust man’s opinion so far, but I can trust You completely. Your Truth never changes; our perception of it does, though, according to when we live, how we live, and what we know. May You keep revealing truth to me as I study my Bible and listen for Your voice. Help it make sense, Lord. I can’t understand it without You. Amen.

Jesus draws us to others for a “divine appointment,” in which we tell them what Jesus has done for us. He will do the rest.

1. Wisdom has built her house; she has carved out its seven pillars [the Spirit knows what He is doing].

Matthew 28:18-20 is called The Great Commission, in which we get our marching orders to make disciples across the globe. The problem is that it doesn’t tell us what to initially tell them. Let’s look at it:

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

There is an implication of shared authority as we go. Jesus says that He is in control now and He is sending us out as His ambassadors (Ephesians 1:9-10 and 2 Corinthians 5:20). We are to go and make disciples–but what do we say?! How do we get them to listen? For the answer to these questions, we must go back into Matthew to chapter ten when Jesus sent out His 12 disciples/apostles (“apostles” means “sent ones”). Let’s look at what Jesus told them:

⁷ As you go, declare publicly that the kingdom of heaven has arrived. 

1. How are we to go? As we go about our daily lives.
2. What are we to do? Declare.
3. How are we to declare? Publicly.
4. What are we to declare? That the kingdom of heaven has arrived.
5. What is the kingdom of heaven? It’s not a “what,” but a “He.” It’s Jesus!

Jesus IS the kingdom of heaven. I love the hymn, Heaven Came Down, in which the refain says,

Heaven came down and glory filled my soul,
When at the cross, my Savior made me whole;
My sin were washed away, and my night was turned to day;
Heaven came down and glory filled my soul.

Jesus is God; wherever God is, that’s heaven. Jesus is in our hearts, therefore, heaven is in our hearts. Thus, the kingdom of heaven has arrived in us! This is the message that we are to proclaim:

1. Jesus came from heaven to earth,
2. Lived His life in complete obedience to His heavenly Father (something that no one else could do),
3. Died in our place so that we could have eternal life, life that begins the moment that we turn to Him and acknowledge Him as our Lord and Savior, turning from our darkness to His marvelous light. In fact, Peter tells us, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Did you catch it? Peter told us to tell people what Jesus did for us! It really is that simple. What has Christ done for you? To you? With you? Our testimony is our soapbox. Somebody out there needs to hear it.

Abba, may we ponder the questions, “What has Christ done for us? To us? With us?” and formulate a simple, straightforward testimony to tell people. Since it’s our story, there’s no way for a person to convince us otherwise or to contest it. After that, it’s up to You, Holy Spirit. We leave them in Your capable hands. Amen.

A metaphor is a concrete concept that helps explain a larger, abstract concept. Jesus loved them!

1 Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars [the structure of God’s Plan].

Let’s walk through a few chapters of the Gospel of John and listen to Jesus:

³⁵ ‘I am the bread of life,’ replied Jesus. ‘Anyone who comes to me will never be hungry! Anyone who believes in me will never be thirsty!’ John 6:35

⁵³ ‘I’m telling you the solemn truth,’ Jesus replied. ‘If you don’t eat the flesh of the son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. ⁵⁴ Anyone who feasts upon my flesh and drinks my blood has the life of God’s coming age, and I will raise them up on the last day. John 6:53-54

³⁷ On the last day of the festival, the great final celebration, Jesus stood up and shouted out, ‘If anybody’s thirsty, they should come to me and have a drink! ³⁸ Anyone who believes in me will have rivers of living water flowing out of their heart, just like the Bible says!’ John 7:37-38

¹² Jesus spoke to them again. ‘I am the light of the world,’ he said. ‘People who follow me won’t go around in the dark; they’ll have the light of life!’ John 8:12

⁷ So he spoke to them again. ‘I’m telling you the solemn truth,’ he said. ‘I am the gate of the sheep. John 10:7

¹¹ ‘I am the good shepherd,’ Jesus continued. ‘The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11

²⁵ ‘I am the resurrection and the life,’ replied Jesus. ‘Anyone who believes in me will live, even if they die. ²⁶ And anyone who lives and believes in me will never, ever die. Do you believe this?’ John 11:25-26. This metaphor was prophecy, as well. Jesus became our Resurrection and brought us eternal life, life in the next age with Him in the kingdom of heaven.

There are more, but we will cover them another time. My point is this: Whatever we think we know about the Gospel, Christ’s Plan, and the Kingdom of Heaven, we must confess that all we really have conceptually are metaphors. Evidently, spiritual concepts are much larger than our human, finite brains can handle. Jesus hinted at this truth in John 3:12, “If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe, how will it be if I tell you heavenly things? Are you going to believe then?” BTW, Jesus had been speaking a metaphor to Nicodemus about being born again. Peter used the same metaphor in 1 Peter 1:23 and actually mixes two metaphors together, “You have been born again [#1-John 3:3], not from seed which decays but from seed [#2-John 12:24] which does not – through the living and abiding word of God.”

All of these metaphors give us an idea of who Christ is and what He means to us. He is:

• Our bread of life
• Our living water
• Our light
• Our Gate-keeper
• Our Good Shepherd
• Our Resurrection and Life

Let’s praise Him today for who He is to and for us. All that, and also the Fellowship of the Trinity!

Abba, I praise You for Jesus–You in the flesh. It boggles my brain that You, being untouchable by death, would become human so that You could die at the hands of sinful men, allowing Yourself to be killed rather than seeking retribution on them. By taking death to the grave, You conquered death and left sin and death there in the grave. WOW! Your Plan truly is beyond our wonderings! To You be glory and majesty and honor, O Lord. Hallelujah! Amen.

“Listen to Me.” That’s what Jesus says. We must run everything through the filters of what He has told us.

⁹ Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,
Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

Yesterday, we saw where Jesus was giving a whole new perspective on how to interpret the Scriptures. He was saying that from then on, people were to read the Scriptures through the filters He would show them about His Father. There is one more passage that clearly indicates this truth. It is Luke 9:28-36,

The Transfiguration

²⁸ Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹ And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming. ³⁰ And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, ³¹ who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. ³² Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. ³³ And as these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not realizing what he was saying. ³⁴ While he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!” ³⁶ And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.

This story wasn’t a parable, but an account. It really happened. There are several things to note in this passage:

• One is the recognizability of Moses and Elijah. Peter had no trouble discerning who they were. We are given a window into what the kingdom of heaven is like!
• When Peter offered to make three tabernacles (tents), one for each of them, he was putting them all on the same level of authority. He naturally assumed that Jesus would be working within the bounds of the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). WRONG! Jesus came to fulfill it and to finish them. Their work was done, which was to show people that there is nothing they could do to save themselves and to point to His Coming. Jesus came to save the world.
• The cloud is God the Spirit. It’s the same cloud that covered Mount Sinai, led the Israelites in the desert, and filled Solomon’s temple.
• There are three times that God spoke audibly concerning His Son, Jesus: Matthew 3:17 (the Spirit came down in the form of a dove), Luke 9:35 (the Spirit came down in a cloud), and John 12:28 (God’s voice sounded like thunder). God said, “Listen to My Son.”
• When the cloud lifted, only Jesus was standing there, thus indicating that He is the One to whom they were to listen from then on. The authority baton was passed.
• Jesus had already made it evident that the New Covenant was coming. In Luke 5:33-35, He changed the rules about fasting and praying by calling Himself the bridegroom and His disciples His attendants. He then went on to compare the Old Covenant to old cloth and old wine skins and the New Covenant to new cloth and new wine skins (Luke 5:36-39), which was a warning against trying to mix the two covenants. Jesus was bringing in the New Covenant, the covenant of His blood (Luke 22:20).

To recap, there are three major clues for us to discover that Jesus is Lord of the word (to use His own phraseology, i.e. Lord of the Sabbath-Luke 6:5). These clues are: “But I say…” “The seed is the word of God (Me).” “This is My Son. Listen to Him.” Subsequently, we are to now view Scripture through the lens of Jesus. You may be asking, “Exactly what in the Old Testament did Jesus change?” For that answer, go to Matthew 5 and/or Luke 6 and see what Jesus changed. There are other things, as well, like the tradition of fasting and praying, and the way Sabbaths were viewed, for examples. He was also big on seeing God as the loving heavenly Father and not an angry punisher (that’s a big one!).

God is our loving and merciful Father; Jesus is our gracious and truthful Savior. We can confidently give our lives to them. They are trustworthy and true. They love us!

Abba, thank You for loving me! I trust You implicitly. I may not get everything right, but I trust You to help me make things right and to set my sights on next time. You are a patient and kind Teacher and Companion. I love walking with You. Amen.

Where is your darkness? We all have it. It’s where our fears, temptations, addictions, and secret thoughts lie.

¹⁷ “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” ¹⁸ But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.

Revelation. That’s what Jesus was all about. Still is. Jesus came to reveal LIGHT to us. His light. John 3:20-21 describes the world’s present situation,

²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

The way I see it, we have two things wrong with us. One is that we have scales over our spiritual eyes so that we cannot see truth plainly. It’s the reason why Satan has such success with us. The other thing is that we do not face the light; whether we cannot see it or do not want to see it doesn’t matter. We’re all turned away from it. The light is Jesus. We learn this revelation from John at the beginning of his Gospel,

⁴ In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome [comprehend, conquer] it. John 1:4-5

⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. John 1:9

So, the way I see it, we need to turn and face the Father/Son/Spirit. In fact, the first verse of John literally reads, “In the beginning the Word was face-to-face with God.” This kind of relationship is what Jesus came to restore for us! Ephesians 3,

⁸ Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, ⁹ and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. ¹⁰ His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, ¹¹ according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹² In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 

Literal- Paul is talking to the Ephesians, who are mostly Gentiles, about what Christ came to do. These boundless riches have to do with our relationship with the Father, through Jesus, by the Spirit. The administration of this mystery is what Paul is doing: He is sharing it! He is making it known; he is revealing it. We, the church, have been made ambassadors of this great news (2 Corinthians 5:20). This eternal purpose was accomplished in Christ Jesus on the cross, through the grave, and by the ascension. We now have complete access to God our Father!

Moral- We tend to think in future terms when we think about heaven. But, consider this: If heaven is where God and Jesus are, and they are in our hearts/lives/minds (John 14:23), then (the kingdom of) heaven is with us and in us now. Conversely, those who refuse, or do not know to turn, to the light of the good news of this relationship continue to live in darkness, which winds up being a horrible state of loneliness, guilt, shame, hopelessness, etc. Sounds like hell, doesn’t it?

Spiritual- Our darkness is what we imagine when we turn away from the light, the face of Christ. Satan whispers lies and deceptions and our imaginations take off. I talked to a guy yesterday who said that he lives with the feeling that he is getting what he deserves–Not So! Jesus came and declared through the cross amnesty for the entire world! The debt of all sin is canceled! Erased! Expunged! Removed, like a stain from a shirt. From now on, we are to share the love of Jesus and His marvelous invitation to join Him in the Fellowship of the Trinity. In the words of the writer of Hebrews,

¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest [speaking to Jews] who has ascended into heaven [and rejoined the Father and the Spirit], Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest [according to the Jewish system] who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16

The best news ever is that we do not have to stay in darkness. We look at Jesus. He will shine His light on us and in us. He will make quick work of the shadows of lies and deceit about our unworthiness and any price that we think we must pay for redemption–it’s already been paid!

Let’s be face-to-face with Jesus today. Being included in the Fellowship of the Trinity will keep us stoked all day!

Abba, thank You for Your wonderful plan to get us back. You bound the strong man and took us as plunder. Now, O Lord, we can’t help but wonder at the love You have poured out on us. Keep opening our minds, Father. We want to be face-to-face with You today. Amen.

Slaves to sin or slaves to Christ? Sin=deception, bondage, and death. Christ=life, liberty, and acceptance. It’s a no-brainer.

12 If you are wise, your wisdom [choice] will reward you; if you are a mocker [and reject Christ], you alone will suffer [the consequences].

To be free from the law means that we have no other law than Christ Himself. So, we can forget any rules and, instead, focus on what Jesus is saying to us. He is quite capable of keeping us from straying. Here are three versions of Romans 7:4,

⁴ Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you also were put to death in regard to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. NASB

⁴ In the same way, brothers and sisters, you have died to the laws in Moses’ Teachings through Christ’s body. You belong to someone else, the one who was brought back to life. NOG (Names of God)

⁴ There is, I think, a fair analogy here. The death of Christ on the cross had made you “dead” to the claims of the Law, and you are free to give yourselves in marriage, so to speak, to another, the one who was raised from the dead, that you may be productive for God. J.B. Phillips

We are married now to Christ and nothing else. I used to wonder how the first century Christians operated without any type of New Testament Scripture. Well, I don’t wonder anymore. Once they tasted the love of Jesus, they gladly took His yoke upon themselves. In fact, they considered themselves slaves to Christ!

²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29

⁶ Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Colossians 6:6

¹⁶ Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 1 Peter 2:16

Rather than seeing our salvation as a one-time event of having our sins forgiven and being given a ticket to heaven, let’s see it as:

1. The beginning of a conversation with the heavenly Father about His Son.
2. The sprouting of the Spirit of Christ in us (He is the kingdom of heaven-Luke 17:21).
3. The awakening of our souls from the sleep of death to walk in the light of His love.
4. The event of being born again as a child of God.

All four analogies are taken from the Scriptures. Each serves to show that our salvation is the BEGINNING of a relationship. The concept of a transaction leaves so much to be desired, but is still a valid description. Our relationship with Jesus is personal, intimate, and continuous. With Him leading us–and with us following closely–we cannot wander very far from the trail.

What I’m trying to say is that Jesus IS our Bible. We allow the Scriptures to lead us to Him. If we read the Scriptures without consulting Him for interpretation and enlightenment, then we have missed the entire point of the Scriptures! Even then, we must make allowance for ourselves for an incomplete understanding of said Scriptures because we all have filters by which we read the Scriptures; the times we live, the people we live with, and our experiences are three of them. There’s always more to learn.

In the words of Nathan Hamm, a fellow Christian,

“Read the Bible. Follow Jesus.”

Abba, this mantra is how I want to live my life. I want to know You more through study and through experience. I really am willing to give up everything to know You better. Paul said that he considered everything in his world as garbage in comparison to knowing You and your righteousness. I agree. May I know You in the power of Your resurrection, the participation of Your sufferings, and finally, the realization of rising from the dead. You are my Counselor, my Guide, and my King. I will follow You. Amen.

On this day, a certain number of years ago, Robin and I were on our way to the hospital…

9 Instruct a wise person and she will be wiser still; teach a righteous woman and she will add to her learning.

Today is Hillary’s birthday! We are so proud of her.

This week, Robin and I got to attend a Double Honor Minister’s Retreat in Red River, New Mexico. We met with three other couples and the host couple:

• Two pastors and their wives,
• a Director of Missions who started out as a music minister, then pastor, then missionary, and now a DOM, and his wife,
• and the host couple, Andy and Becky Dietz, with whom I was on staff at FBC, Borger, TX, many moons ago.

We had a great time together strengthening each other in the Lord and learning about each other’s ministry, encouraging each other and praying for each other. One of the most fun things we did was talk about our families. Since Andy and Becky knew my girls, it was fun telling them about how they follow the Lord and sing/play with me at church on the Praise Team and in choir. We told them how proud we were of Hillary:

• Her flute-playing ability and the two orchestras of which she is a part,
• Her participation in the Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma,
• Her position in administration at EPIC schools,
• The fact that she is nearly done with her doctorate in (some kind of degree concerning) Education,
• and her two cats, plus one outside cat of which she takes care (she was left by a neighbor who moved).

Andy and Becky rejoiced with us in the girls’ close walk with the Lord. We were reminded of the verse,

Train up a child in the way that she should go, and when she is old she will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

Hillary, you make your mom and dad very proud of you and very humbled at the same time. May God continue to bless you as you seek Him.

Abba, thank You for such wonderful children. Hillary and Hayley have been a great blessing to us–as well as good friends. May You bless both of them, and particularly Hillary today on her birthday. Amen.