Hardship, whether caused by ourselves or someone else, can build character and bond us to the Lord Jesus Christ if we will let it.

As we continue looking at the discipline of God*, we are going verse-by-verse through  Hebrews 12:4-13. Verses 7 and 8 tell us how to view hardship.

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.

Every Christian goes through hardship of one kind or another. There is a kind of hardship, though, that is unnecessary, and that is when we cause our own hardship through willful disobedience. This behavior can be borne out of indifference or anger, both of which are destructive to ourselves and to our relationship with the Father. He only wants what is best for us, but He also knows how other people’s bad choices will affect us. In turn, He promises to walk beside us through those consequences teaching us to be like our Savior, a “man of sorrows” (Isaiah 53:3). When we rebel against His leadership in our lives through our callous indifference to His opinion or through anger caused by “the unfairness of it all**,” we WILL walk through unnecessary hardship.

We never catch God off-guard. He will walk with us until we turn back to Him. In many cases, He rescues us, just like the lost sheep in Luke 15:4-7. Other times, He waits for us to come to our senses, just like the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-24 (especially verse 17). It is always best for us when we turn back to Him. The Father rejoices and we begin to rebuild our lives, our relationships, our testimony, and our walk with Him.

Abba, may we make daily minor adjustments according to Your Word and Your Spirit so that we don’t have to make the big ones that hurt and are such a drastic life-change. Walking with You is not painless, but it is productive as we “endure discipline as sons (and daughters), for You are treating us as Your children” (paraphrased). We trust in Your love for us, O Lord. Amen.

*Concerning the first secret from Secrets of the Vine by Bruce Wilkinson, “If your life consistently bears no fruit, God will intervene to discipline you.”

**Anakin Skywalker Syndrome

I just got in at 1:30am from our last Singing Churchmen concert of the season. I tried what I did last Thursday…

I tried to visualize the auditorium, the singers, and the congregation in the throne room of God, as if the roof had been lifted off and we were in the area directly in front of the throne. We sang to the congregation the message of Jesus in testimony. We sang with the congregation in praise and worship to the Lord. I envisioned the heavenly hosts joining us in that praise and worship.

I couldn’t keep it up for very long because I was having to keep my mind on my music and instruments, but there were moments when I could sense the presence of God and could feel the closeness of the saints. The veil between us and them is truly thin!

May we take seriously Ephesians 3:12, “Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence,” not in an attitude of cockiness, but of thanksgiving and praise (Psalm 100:4).

Abba, we enter into Your presence seeking mercy and finding grace (Hebrews 4:16). We bless Your name knowing that You are good, Your unfailing love continues forever, and Your faithfulness continues to each generation (Psalm 100:5). Help us to get used to regarding You so close to us that all we have to do is turn around in our mind’s eye and we find ourselves at Your throne! May we get so used to it that when the day comes when we truly stand before Your throne, it will feel like home. Amen.

If Jesus was crucified on the day before Passover, when did He and His disciples observe the Passover meal?

Preparation Day was the Friday before Sabbath (Saturday) where Israel would prepare extra food for the Sabbath plus do any necessary chores since no work was to be done on the Sabbath. Most historical documents and calendar records date the crucifixion of Jesus in either 30 AD or 33 AD. In both of these years, Passover landed on the Sabbath, which meant that Preparation Day was on a Friday. We have several time stamps given for Preparation Day:

²⁸ Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover [which was that evening]. John 18:28

¹⁴ It was about noon on the Preparation Day for the Passover. Pilate said to the Jewish leaders, “Here’s your king.”

³¹ It was the Preparation Day and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies to remain on the cross on the Sabbath, especially since that Sabbath was an important day [Passover]. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of those crucified broken and the bodies taken down. John 19:31

⁵² This man (Joseph) went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. ⁵³ Taking it down, he wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid it in a tomb carved out of the rock, in which no one had ever been buried. ⁵⁴ It was the Preparation Day for the Sabbath, and the Sabbath was quickly approaching. Luke 23:52-54

⁴² Because it was the Jewish Preparation Day and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus in it. John 19:42

⁶² The next day, which was the day after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate. ⁶³ They said, “Sir, we remember that while that deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will arise.’ Matthew 27:62-63

What does this mean? It means that Jesus and His disciples most likely celebrated the Passover meal on Thursday night (the beginning of Preparation Day), the day before Passover and Sabbath. More on that tomorrow. For today, let’s make time to read one of the accounts of Passion Week: Matthew 26-28.

Abba, it’s not too early to be reading about Passion Week. The historical clues given in the account are helpful, but so very minor compared to Your glorious plan of redemption. The more we dwell on Passion Week and ponder it, the more You speak to us about Your demonstration of love for us. May we take seriously all You have done for us as we remember Your great sacrifice. Amen.

“In reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself. Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with a myriad eyes, but it is still I who see. Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowing, I transcend myself; and am never more myself than when I do.”* C.S. Lewis

I like Christian fiction. I like to read it and I like to watch it. Christian fiction allows the writer to develop characters who display Christian character. It’s why I like The Chosen. It’s also why I like Davis Bunn and Janette Oke’s series Acts of Faith, particularly the third book, The Damascus Way. In this series, we watch ordinary people be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit while experiencing the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Christ, and then the Coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. We get to see Saul’s Damascus Road conversion, and the healing of many lives as well as limbs.

The relationships are complex, and we get to see the love of Christ transform the lives of the wife and mistress of the same man, who also comes to know Christ. The wife, Florina, says to Helena, the mistress,

“One cannot hold bitterness and anger against another and also have the Lord’s peace.”**

What incredible insight. The two actually become friends by seeing each other as sisters in Christ. Much healing takes place in that family. Another conversation merits mentioning, this one between the man and his daughter by the mistress. Julia, the daughter, says to Jamal, the two-timer,

“The closer we come to Jesus, the more we recognize His perfect love. And the more we see how far removed we are from this perfection. He calls to us with that love and forgiveness. He invites us to grow, to become more than we ever could be on our own.”***

This conversation leads to Jamal’s conversion. When we see failure, Christ sees opportunity. This opportunity is for us to give Him our broken lives and dreams. When we do, He takes them and forms them into holiness: Holy people, holy relationships, and holy lives. Holy lives, relationships, and people honor the Lord God and exalt Jesus. Have you read a good book lately? I know one or two…

Abba, I am moved when the Gospel is presented in such a fine way as it was in The Damascus Way. I also learned much about the customs and the area of Israel in Jesus’ day. Thank You for the research and labor that the authors put into these books. They were truly a blessing. Amen.

*C. S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism pg. 140-41

**The Damascus Way, page 399

***The Damascus Way, page 411

What kind of love can transform the world? God’s love, of course.

⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 

These two verses are John’s way of describing the character of God. The goodness of God is based upon His love for us. We tend to think of love as a feeling, but God demonstrates love through His actions. If we want to know how we are supposed to show love, all we have to do is look at God. So, what does God’s love look like? Paul gave us a description in 1 Corinthians 13. It’s called The Love Chapter for a reason.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸ Love never fails.

Each of these traits display how God treats us and how we are to treat each other. He would NEVER ask us to do something that He Himself wouldn’t do. Here is how it could read:

• Be patient, for I am patient.
• Be kind, for I am kind.
• Do not envy, boast, or be proud, for I am not this way.
• Honor others, for I honor you.
• Do not be self-seeking, easily angered, or keep a record of wrongs, for I am not this way.
• Do not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth, for I am truth.
• Always protect, trust, hope and persevere, for I do.
• This kind of love will never fail, for I never fail.

What if all Christians lived by demonstrating this kind of love? What would our churches look like? Do you think that the world would be busting down our doors? I do! Let’s try it and see what happens.

Abba, teach us to show love like You. Sure, it’s hard, but You give grace, encouragement, and power to do it. Give us the faith to believe that we can with the Spirit’s help. Amen.

Believing in Jesus and following Jesus are not the same thing. They are steps one and two in discipleship.

Jesus calls us to surrender everything to Him, our choices and preferences, our goals and our dreams, and everything that pulls us away from Him. Yes, He is a God of love, but He is GOD; He deserves our loyalty, our devotion, our service, and to entrust all that we love to His will. Jesus told us as much as He was nearing the time for His sacrifice,

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. John 12:24-26

His choice of words left no doubt to His call on our lives, “the man who hates his life will keep it for eternal life.” To “hate” (miseo: to love less, esteem less) our lives means to “esteem less” our will for our lives by considering His will for our lives not just first, but only. Learning to exchange our desires for His desires is a daily and progressive process. As we walk with Him, we are constantly turning away from the “pretty and shiny” things to those things that are eternal as He points them out.

Christ requires us to follow Him in order to know Him and trust Him. Those who do will walk with Him into eternal life. How? The first step is to turn away from the world. The second is to embrace the Cruciform life. The third is to grow in knowledge, and the fourth is to do it daily. We will look at these more closely tomorrow. For today, let’s start with praise and practice: Praise God in all things and practice what you know pleases Him. If you don’t know, ask the Spirit who is with you and in you.

Abba, You gave Your life for us so that we might live. You now call us to die to ourselves and live for You. To that call, we say, GLADLY! We owe You everything, Jesus. You have poured out Your love, joy and peace on us. You have adopted us and given us an inheritance. You have given us life and hope and purpose. Thank You! We love You, Lord! Amen.

The Tenth Commandment – Honor in the Heart: Keeping our expectations sane and plausible.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” Exodus 20:17

We finish Jen Wilkin’s book, “Ten Words to Live By”, today as we wrap up the tenth word about coveting. Yesterday, we talked about renewing the attitude of our minds (Ephesians 4:23). A great word picture is the helmet of salvation from Ephesians 6:17, which illustrates the way we need to guard our thoughts to make them holy. St. Paul told us to take each thought captive to Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). It’s important because we become that on which we dwell. If we dwell on the wealth of others, we will become dissatisfied with our position in life. If we dwell on the possessions of others, we might over-extend ourselves financially trying to “keep up with the Joneses.” If we dwell on another person’s spouse, we might be tempted to try to come between them; if anything, we cross boundaries in our thoughts, whether sexual in nature or in comparison about how “right” this person would be for us and how “wrong” our spouse is for us, which can lead to giving up on our marriage covenant.

Coveting comes when we have wrong expectations. I have found three expectations that lead to wrong conclusions:

1. Unmet Expectations- We set our heart on something that doesn’t come our way, so we get angry or bitter or depressed.
2. Unspoken Expectations- These are dangerous because others cannot guess what it is that we want. Unspoken expectations set up unmet expectations.
3. Unrealistic Expectations- These are the most dangerous of all because they cannot be met, whether spoken or unspoken. When we have unrealistic expectations, we must learn to trust Jesus with those things that can never be. Letting go is difficult and may take time, but our patience comes from Him who has patience with us.

The second part of Ephesians 6:17 is very important to helping us not make unrealistic expectations, “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Our knowledge of God’s Word gives us the knowledge we need to stay away from unrealistic expectations. More than that, the Spirit Himself helps us, “His divine power [the Holy Spirit] 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). We are to fight against these wayward thoughts with the sword of the Spirit, which He helps us to wield.

Coveting is personal; no one may be aware when we struggle with it, but struggle we must, because as followers of Christ, we have His Spirit in us transforming and conforming us into His likeness and image. We must never settle for less than His righteousness and holiness, but keep on striving until we have victory. St. Paul tells us in Romans 8:37 that we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us. We can take His love to the bank. In fact, His love is what the Ten Commandments are all about. In the long run, they are what will make us safest and happiest, both physically and spiritually.

Abba, thank You for this study on Your Ten Words. They make so much more sense now! You gave them to us because You love us and care for us. May we keep them in our hearts and minds, honoring You and honoring others so that we can be the safest and happiest we can be. Amen.

“Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth.” “Sanctify” is the process of becoming righteous and holy; you know, like Jesus.

We finished yesterday with the conclusion that we have a choice to obey the Spirit or to obey our own desires, but that His Spirit, the One in us, offers us the power to overcome our natural desires and to do the right thing according to Him. The Spirit’s intention is for us to know right from wrong, what is good for us and what hurts us. Here are some verses for us to lock away in our memory banks:

⁹ So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Colossians 1:9

According to Paul’s prayer for the Colossians, it is God’s desire to give us knowledge of His will. It comes through spiritual wisdom and understanding. If we ask for this knowledge and seek it in His Word, He will reveal it to us.

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

Because of the Spirit within us, we possess His divine power for a godly life. How do we “activate” this divine power? Through our knowledge of Him. There are two kinds of knowledge represented here. One is intellectual knowledge, that of attaining facts. This kind is essential for the next kind, which is experiential knowledge. By intellectually knowing what God is like, we can experience Him without fear, but with lots of respect! Remember that He has called us according to His glory (His power and might) AND His goodness (His love and compassion for us).

⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, Philippians 1:9

God has created us to be able to learn more and more about Him through our knowledge of Him and our depth of insight. This insight is made possible by the Holy Spirit who lives in us. On our own, we cannot perceive spiritual truths because they are taught by the Spirit, “This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words” (1 Corinthians 2:13).

These verses give us our base for understanding spiritual truths about God, about Jesus, about His Spirit, and about God’s will for our lives, which is to get to know Him better (more on that tomorrow). Let’s get to it!

Abba, You are amazing and wonderful! You have hidden truths about Yourself in plain sight–in Your Word. If only we would open it up and read it, all the while trusting You to reveal truths about Yourself to us. Jesus, You said that Your yoke is easy and Your burden is light, which is so true when it comes to learning about You. You stand ready to share Yourself with all who will ask You to do so as they delve into Your Word. “Open our eyes that we may see beautiful truths in Your Word” (Psalm 119:18). Amen.

Christianity is more a walk than a talk. Our actions speak louder than our words.

For anyone who desires to be a true follower of Jesus Christ, there are preconditions. These preconditions form the parameters of qualifications so that “you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). Preconditions are good because they let us know beforehand to what we are committing.

The first and foremost precondition is Luke 9:23,

²³ Then he [Jesus] said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

The first precondition is to want to learn how to be His disciple.
The second is to deny ourselves by putting His will before our own will.
The third one is to take up our cross, which means that we die to ourselves and live for Christ.
The fourth one is to do it daily. “One and done” doesn’t cut it.
The fifth one is to follow Jesus. There are some beautiful songs written about following Jesus:

1. I Have Decided to Follow Jesus (Sung by Lydia Walker)
2. Where He leads Me I Will Follow (Sung by Lynda Randle)
3. Wherever He leads I’ll Go (Sung by Alan Jackson
4. I Just Want to Be Where You Are (Don Moen)
5. I Will Follow (Chris Tomlin)

If we listen to each song, we would hear that they all have one thing in common: They are all sold out to Jesus. They didn’t come to Jesus, thank Him for salvation and then go live like they always had. It’s more than that. Also, becoming a disciple of Christ is not a one-time decision. It’s a constant decision, one that drives every decision we make. Rather than thinking of salvation as an event, let’s think of it as a journey with Jesus. Yes, we have a time when we turn to Him and commit our lives to Him, but that’s just the beginning. The Christian life is a daily event. Remember precondition four. If we’re not in it for the long haul (yet), then we have a lot of growing up to do!

Tomorrow, we’ll talk about holiness and consecration, and how being like Jesus starts in the heart and carries over to our lives.

Lord Jesus, You are the One we follow. As Peter said, “You have the words of life” (John 6:68). May we take seriously our commitment to follow You. Wherever You are, that’s where we want to be, too, doing what You are doing. Partnering with You is what it’s all about! Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

“To put God on the witness stand and us climb into the Judge’s seat is a dangerous reversal of roles.” Don’t go there.

We ended yesterday’s post with this statement:

The goodness of God is declared in His mercy by giving us what we need rather than what we deserve, and for us not having to live eternally in these sinful “earth bodies” (2 Corinthians 5:1-5). The greatness of God is displayed in the way that He takes the awful things we do or have happen to us and works them into a beautiful tapestry of love and grace, peace and hope (Romans 8:28).

God doesn’t cause sin and death. They appall Him–so much so that He came down and dealt with the consequences of them Himself on the cross through Jesus Christ. He also provided a way to live in us until we can go to live with Him. Therefore:

We cannot blame God for bad things that happen in this world.
Likewise,
We must give God credit for everything good that comes from the bad things that happen.

To put God on the witness stand and us climb into the Judge’s seat is a dangerous reversal of roles. We can’t see beyond our present circumstances, nor can we see the future. We may never understand how God works everything for the good of those who love Him, but we trust in His omniscient (all-knowing) wisdom.

Beth Moore, in her Daniel study, gave a great illustration based upon Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they defied the king’s decree to bow down and worship the idol of himself that he had made. They were threatened with being thrown into a blazing furnace. Here’s how they answered him:

“King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-18

There are three scenarios that could happen to them and to us:

Scenario A: We can be delivered from the fire. Our faith is built. This is what happened to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Scenario B: We can be delivered through the fire. Our faith is refined. This is what happens when we live through tough times with all the scars.

Scenario C: We can be delivered by the fire into Jesus’ arms. Our faith is perfected. This is what happened to Polycarp in A.D. 156. You can read about him at The Martyrdom of Polycarp. Here is the last paragraph from the eyewitness:

This indeed was one of God’s chosen ones—the amazing martyr, Polycarp, an apostolic and prophetic teacher in our time, bishop of the Catholic Church in Smyrna. By his patient endurance he overcame the devil and gained the crown of immortality. Now he rejoices with the apostles and all the saints. He is glorifying God, the Father Almighty, and blessing our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior and Captain of our souls and bodies, and the Shepherd of the Catholic Church* throughout the world.

May we all have the faith and the courage of Polycarp! When we are faced with trials, tribulations, wrongs, and even the consequences of our sin, let us turn to Jesus and, instead of asking, “Why?” let’s ask, “What now, Lord?” Then, we take the next step with Him, that in any scenario we face, we can trust in His deliverance. Whether from, through, or by the fire, He will walk with us each step of the way.

Abba, as Paul said, “To live is Christ; to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). May we see our lives as testaments of Your grace. May we live our lives to show Your goodness. When our time comes to die, may we bravely display Your glory. Whatever advances the Gospel, Lord; that’s all that matters. Amen.

*The word Catholic, derived from the Greek, means “universal.” This was the term used for church in the time of Polycarp.

It’s funny how human nature has not changed over the past two thousand years.

Sunday’s Cool (Sunday School) yesterday was quite interesting. We finally got to read more than two verses in Galatians! There were a few things that I would like to point out, but let’s read the passage, Galatians 1:3-10, first:

³ May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. ⁴ Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. ⁵ All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
⁶ I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News ⁷ but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.
⁸ Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. ⁹ I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.
¹⁰ Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

• God’s goal is to give us His grace and His peace;
• He met this goal through Jesus, who gave His life for our sins to rescue us from this evil world in which we live (rescuing us from the ultimate consequences of sin and death).
• There was nothing wrong with living the Jewish lifestyle concerning circumcision, attire, food, worship, and festivals. The problem was certain leaders were requiring these things in order for Gentiles to be considered true believers. Paul stated his conviction in 6:15, “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.”
• Verse 10 gives the impression that the Judaizers were accusing Paul of being a Gentile pleaser by not making them be circumcised. He let them know in no uncertain terms that he was NOT pleasing people, but was serving Christ.

Paul’s message of the Gospel is wrapped up in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, which we will look at tomorrow. For today, let’s celebrate our Great Rescue by Jesus.

Lord Jesus, thank You for rescuing us from sin and self: sin because of our addictive nature, and self because of our unbalanced love for ourselves. We tend to think like “gods” when we should be thinking like Your children. May we always give glory to You forever and ever, amen.

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”–John the Baptist about Jesus. John 3:30

In learning all I can about God, Jesus, the Spirit, the Bible, and how Christ’s kingdom works, I have to remember that I will always have incomplete knowledge. I am limited by the breadth of my life, my availability to facts and people, my resources, where I was born, when I was born, and what I have been taught both directly and indirectly.

At the same time, I know that the Lord desires to increase my understanding and comprehension as I walk with Him. These verses/passages express that desire:

We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, Colossians 1:9

¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:16-19

What I like most about this last passage is the phrase, “to know this love that surpasses knowledge.” It tells me that whatever our knowledge is, God is beyond it in His love for us. In other words, it’s not WHAT we know, but WHO we know that makes the difference.

Which begs the question: Are we depending upon our knowledge to sustain us or Him to sustain us? The first leads us away from Christ while the second leads us to Him. Let’s be sure in our quest to be right that we do not wander away from our Shepherd.

Lord, I don’t know how correct my understanding of Scripture is, but I trust You to lead me day by day, step by step. I know it’s more about our relationship than my knowledge, but I strive to know more of You, more of me, and more of the big picture. I ask for more understanding and comprehension according to Your Spirit. In Your time, Lord, and according to Your good pleasure. Amen.

Jesus calls us “friend.” But, we must never forget that He is LORD. Never mistake familiarity for license.

⁸ Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead [His Godhood], descended from David [His Kingship]. 2 Timothy 2:8

We live in a tension between Jesus being our friend and Him being our Lord. He is our Lord, yet He has forgiven us. He is our Judge, yet He has compassion on us. He loves us, yet He does not tolerate wrong-doing (because it hurts us). How shall we live? In love? In fear? Let us consider Susan and Mr. Beaver’s conversation about Aslan (the Lion who represents Jesus) in C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” page 80:

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

To me, the best definition of the fear of God in the NT is respect. We need not fear His retribution, but we respect Him as our God and Lord. 1 John 4:18 tells us, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” We are to allow His love to wash through us, surround us, and transform us, shaping us into the image of Christ.

On the other hand, there are people who take Christ’s forgiveness for permission to do as they please. They have missed the most important part. When the Spirit of God is leading our lives, we will be like Jesus. Our desires, plans, and even our wishes are guided by Him. Our own personal feelings always take a backseat to His will. I call it “the higher desire;” Robin calls it “the want-to to want to.” The previous verse explains, “This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.” Walking in step with the Spirit daily frees us from the fear of judgment; He forms, conforms, and transforms us into the image of His Son*. To walk our own way–even after praying “the salvation prayer”–is to walk in darkness and “we do not even know what makes us stumble” (Proverbs 4:19).

Jesus may be our friend, but He is not One with which we can argue, ignore, or contradict without consequences. It’s not that He has to do anything; when we step off the path, we get hurt: thorns, wild animals, cliffs, raging rivers, etc. Jesus wants only the best for us. The path may not be “safe,” but Jesus will keep us to the end of the trail. If we walk with Him, we know that the trail ends at His throne.

Abba, I know that sometimes You deliver us from the fire and our faith is built; sometimes you deliver us through the fire and our faith is refined; sometimes you deliver us by the fire straight into Your arms, and our faith is perfected**. May we trust You for each and every step. Help us to fix our eyes on You, Lord. You are our only Hope. Amen.

*Forms-Galatians 4:19
Conforms-Romans 8:29
Transforms-2 Corinthians 3:18

**Beth Moore, “Daniel Study”

Friends are people you can trust. Jesus calls us “friend.” Learning to trust Him is what this life is all about.

¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:15

Let’s start at the beginning–I mean, the REAL beginning. The Trinity, God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, existed together in complete unity. John 1:1 tells us that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Hebrew gives the picture of them being face-to-face. The three of them were face to face, needing nothing.

Mankind was created to share in their fellowship. John gives us a clue in 1 John 1:3b-4, “And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ” (the Spirit is implied, for He is wherever the Father and the Son are). We are not equal to them, but we do share in their fellowship.

Fast-forward to Jesus’ last night before His crucifixion. He is with His disciples in the upper room giving them last-minute teaching and instructions. He talks to them about love and joy (John 15:9-13), and then drops this bomb on them:

“I have called you friends.”

Jesus came so that we could be friends with Him. WOW! What a concept. I think that sometimes we keep Him at arm’s length as Lord and we forget that His entire purpose was to reunite us in fellowship with the Father through the Spirit. Here is John’s explanation of this concept:

¹³ This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.

The qualifier is our acknowledgement of Jesus’ deity. He wasn’t kidding when He told Philip, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). To know one of them is to know all of them. They are Elohim.

One more verse: For we do not have a high priest 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. Hebrews 4:15

Jesus went through everything we could ever go through–even a gruesome death–so that we could identify with Him on every level. We can trust Jesus. In the Scriptures and in our hearts, we can hear Him saying,

“In following Me there is life.”
“In trusting Me there is life.”
“In walking with Me there is life.”

Our life is in Jesus. Begin to think of Him as your friend. He will soon be your BEST Friend.

Abba, thank You for being so personal with us. It blows me away that You know all about me and yet love me and want to be with me. Thank You for the promise that I will get to be with You forever, glorified and perfected. It is a great comfort to me, Lord. Thank You for being my Friend. Amen.

The evidence for a young earth just keeps pouring in! Today, it’s the Lazarus bacteria DNA.

Our last of the “10 Best Evidences from Science That Confirm a Young Earth” from Answers in Genesis is:

#10 DNA in “Ancient” Bacteria

“In 2000, scientists claimed to have “resurrected” bacteria, named Lazarus bacteria, discovered in a salt crystal conventionally dated at 250 million years old. They were shocked that the bacteria’s DNA was very similar to modern bacterial DNA. If the modern bacteria were the result of 250 million years of evolution, its DNA should be very different from the Lazarus bacteria (based on known mutation rates).

In addition, the scientists were surprised to find that the DNA was still intact after the supposed 250 million years. DNA normally breaks down quickly, even in ideal conditions. Even evolutionists agree that DNA in bacterial spores (a dormant state) should not last more than a million years. Their quandary is quite substantial.

However, the discovery of Lazarus bacteria is not shocking or surprising when we base our expectations on the Bible accounts. For instance, Noah’s flood likely deposited the salt beds that were home to the bacteria. If the Lazarus bacteria are only about 4,500 years old (the approximate number of years that have passed since the worldwide flood), their DNA is more likely to be intact and similar to modern bacteria.”

I found it interesting that they chose a biblical name with a biblical resurrection story to name their bacteria. It’s a bit ironic. Let’s read the passage about the REAL Lazarus:

³⁸ Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹ “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
⁴³ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” John 11:38-44

That completes our look at evidence for a young earth. Of course, the best reason for believing is because God said that He created the heavens and the earth and all that are in them in six literal days. Who are we to say any different?

Tomorrow, we will look at some passages that corroborate a literal six-day plan. For today, let’s praise the Lord for His infinite wisdom, power, and love!

Abba, I praise You for Your infinite wisdom. You knew exactly what You were doing and what we needed. You are still providing answers to man’s questions. It seems that each invention provides new evidence that Your Word is true! May we extol Your mighty works, O Lord. And to think that it’s all because You love us and want a personal relationship with us! May we fellowship with You today corporately. Amen.

Christians led the way in education. Don’t believe me? Read for yourself!

Today we look at, School As We Know It, from, “Person of Interest,” pages 160-170.

The Education Revolution that Jesus ignited grew quickly.

• People like Justin Martyr (100-165) established formal catechetical (relating to religious instruction given to a person in preparation for Christian baptism or confirmation) schools in Ephesus and Rome and became known as the first great scholar of the Christian Church.
• Saint Pantaenus the Philosopher (130-200) established a catechetical school in Alexandria, Egypt.j
• Origen (184-253) known as “prince of Christian learning” took over the leadership at the school in Alexandria and expanded its instruction to include mathematics and medicine.

As catechetical schools populated the landscape of the Roman Empire, they grew in stature and scope. They included universities and had three primary departments: Theology, Philosophy, and Medicine. Later on, the Imperial University of Constantinople (425) included departments for Law, Arithmetic, Geometry, Astronomy, Music, and Rhetoric in both Latin and Greek.

We are going to skip a whole lot of history to get to our topic for today. Even if you haven’t attended a university, you’ve experienced the impact of Jesus followers at some point in your education. Christians have been educational innovators:

• If you were asked to read books as part of your education, you can thank Johannes Gutenberg (1400-1468), devoted Jesus follower and the creator of the printing press.
• If you benefited from an organized, public educational system in your community, you can thank Johannes Bugenhagen (1485-1558), a Jesus follower who pioneered the organization of schools, along with several others including Jean-Baptiste de La Salle (1651-1719), a French priest who promoted compulsory education and spent much of his life educating the poor.
• If you had access to an education as a child, you can thank
  • Martin Luther (1483-1546), the German theologian and religious reformer who argued for universal education and literacy for children,
  • John Calvin (1509-1564), the French theologian and reformer who advocated for “a system of elementary education in the vernacular for all, including reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar, and religion;” and
  • Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852), the son of a Lutheran pastor who is known as the “father of kindergarten education.”

There’s more, but we will have to wait until tomorrow. I don’t want you being late to church because you were reading a long post! May we worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in our respective churches today.

Abba, I realize that I owe my education to these men. I also know that many women were involved in the process. Most of my teachers were women. I know that many of them are/were Jesus followers. Thank You for the legacy. May I be faithful to pass on my faith to faithful people, who will then pass on their faith to faithful people, and so on. Amen.

The question has been asked, “Can a Christian sin and not know it?” What do you think? What does Scripture say? Do they match?

²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24

Before we look for the answer to this question, let me ask another one: Why do we have a sin nature?

When Adam and Eve sinned, they turned away from God and followed a new “master.” In doing so, they estranged themselves from God. They were not designed to be “separated” from God in this manner. Without the partnership of the Holy Spirit in their lives, they became blind; they were poisoned by their rebellion, shackled to their new-found desire for not only the forbidden fruit, but for all kinds of things. Living life without the interaction of the Holy Spirit (God) is what it means to have a sin nature. We cannot see ourselves as we truly are: His children.

Once we turn back to God for life and healing, we are once again united with the Holy Spirit. In our partnership with Him, we begin to learn how to see ourselves as 100% righteous (we have the righteousness of Christ imbued to us, 2 Corinthians 5:21) and holy (set apart as His very own), and then to act accordingly. It’s a lifelong process, one that gets more glorious with each step! We learn to trust Him and to count on Him to tell us the truth quickly and simply.

As for the question, “Can a Christian sin and not know it?” the answer is No. Sin is the willful turning away from the Lord; it is rebellion, a deliberate thought process that leads to action. James describes this process,

¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:13-16

There’s nothing unknowing about this evil desire that drags us away. As Christians, we face the Lord and reflect the Lord’s glory (2 Corinthians 3:18); to sin means that we deliberately turn away from looking at Him. The word, “sin,” is used to describe a person’s arrow when he misses the mark; I personally don’t think that this analogy fits very well. The assumption is that the person shooting the arrow is trying to hit the target of God’s will. I believe a better picture is a person deliberately turning away from the target and shooting at something else.

One more thing: Christians have the Holy Spirit interacting with them, so when they sin, the Holy Spirit immediately, lovingly, and specifically calls it to their attention. His warning may come at the outset of our temptation, somewhere in the process, or even after our commission of that sin–or all three. The idea is that we cannot sin without Him revealing our sin to us. We cannot sin without knowing it. We know when we are ignoring the Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds. Let’s not kid ourselves.

The subsequent question is, “Is it normal for Christians to sin everyday?” We will look at this one tomorrow.

Abba, coming back to You is the smartest, wisest and greatest thing we ever did! Thank You for coming after us, seeking us until You found us and then carrying us home. Thank You for helping us come to our senses and then throwing us a party when we made it home. You are truly a remarkable God. May we keep our eyes fixed on You, Lord Jesus. Amen.

God invites us to join Him in a loving relationship. We can be so close to Him that He actually speaks through us by His Spirit.

¹⁹ But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, ²⁰ for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Matthew 10:19-20

How can anyone be so close to God as to have Him speak through him? It has to do with God’s purpose for us, His children. He wants us to be like Him. We have been studying what it means to be holy, which is, to be like God. 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 7

For our last installment on the character of God, we will look at how Jesus portrayed His Father in Matthew 10:28-31,

²⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.³⁰ And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

In order to discern who’s who in this passage, we must look at verse 31, which tells us to not be afraid of Jesus’ Father, who is God. Knowing who not to be afraid of tells us that the person in in verse 28 must be someone other than God. Since man fits the first description of being able to kill the body, it looks like the devil must be the person who can destroy the body (through addiction, deceit, corruption, etc) and soul (misguidance concerning who Jesus is) in hell. This passage is still about WHO Jesus is.

Jesus was establishing Himself as the Son of God, the Messiah. At the same time, He was tell us about the true character of God, one of a loving Father who cares for His creation (v. 29) and especially His children (v. 30).

To sum up, in order to be like God, we must love as He loves. John identifies God as love (1 John 4:8). Since Jesus is God in the flesh, He loves us, too, enough to die for us. Since we have His Spirit living in us, we now have the desire and the power to love as He loves (Philippians 2:13). What does it mean to love as God/Jesus/Spirit loves? We will see tomorrow.

Abba, as You have loved me, may I love my fellow brothers and sisters. Teach me compassion, O Lord. Amen.

Applying Scripture to our lives is not as difficult as it may seem, but it can be unpleasant.

God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. 1 Corinthians 1:9

We began yesterday looking at Psalm 139:23-24, which said,

²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

In these verses, we used two exercises to help us apply them to our lives,

1. We looked at several different translations;
2. We used synonyms for many of the words;

Today, we will apply the exercise of substitution. “Substitution” is when we find other words that are not synonyms, but are still applicable to the verse. Let’s look at the word, “offensive.” We are asking God to search and know our hearts and thoughts; we want Him to find anything that is offensive; the conclusion of the last line is that we want God to help us overcome these offensive attributes in our lives as He leads us in the Way of His Truth, which leads to eternal Life. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). What are some other offensive attributes?

• Stubborn,
• Willfull,
• Doubting,
• Hateful,
• Irritating,
• Misdirected,
• Insincere,
• Selfish,
• Arrogant,
• Sinful,
• _______ (fill in the blanks)
• _______
• _______

In all of these, we need the help of the Holy Spirit in order to get beyond them. He wants to help! It’s not like He’s going, “I wish he’d hurry up and grow up.” His whole goal is to help us mature. It’s a process called “sanctification.” He enjoys the process–even if we don’t. Why? Because He’s doing it WITH us. We are His kids and He loves us.

Let’s remember that it is Him in us that makes us like God. Here is a passage to remember,

²⁷ To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸ We proclaim Him, teaching and admonishing everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. ²⁹ To this end I labor, striving with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me [through the Holy Spirit]. Col. 1:27-30

Abba, I know You are in me working. The first thing You changed was my desires; I now want what You want, which is holiness and righteousness and peace. You want love to be first and foremost in our lives; so do I. Now, Father, bring to completion what You have begun in us (Philippians 1:6). Amen.

There is a HUGE difference between knowing about Christ and actually knowing Him. I pray you know Him personally.

¹³ This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 1 John 4:13

In the letter to the Colossians, Paul was combatting the Gnostics, who said that Jesus is not enough, that there is a deeper mystery, a deeper magic, so to speak. Paul put that whole idea to bed,

² My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Notice the use of the words, “full,” “complete,” and “all.” These words indicate that there is nothing else than what Paul is naming. He has already revealed to us the mystery, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (1:27). He’s already told us that it’s the Spirit who gives all wisdom and understanding (1:9). Yet, he puts them all into one sentence here in 2:2-3.

1. His goal: Encouragement and unity. He tells us in Philippians, “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind” (Philippians 2:1-2).
2. Full riches of complete understanding-Does anyone really have complete understanding? Evidently, Paul did, and was able to share that knowledge and understanding with his churches. To know the Law as he did, to speak with Jesus on numerous occasions, to walk the streets of heaven and see many things of which he cannot speak…yes, I believe he did know.
3. The Mystery: Christ. Want the deeper knowledge? the deeper magic? Delve into the Person of Christ. Study Him. “Find out what pleases the Lord” (Ephesians 5:10). There is no need to go looking for an even deeper magic. There is none. It is Christ alone. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him. To know all of Christ will take an eternity–I’m glad we have it!

Let’s spend our days growing in Christ. We study His word, we listen for His voice, and we obey His commands. His load is not burdensome, but easy and light compared to the Law. We praise God that we are not judged by our works, but by the mercy and grace of Christ!

Abba, sometimes I want You to speak plainly to me, but then I realize what kind of circumstances and responsibility goes with You speaking plainly to people. So, I will be content with sensing Your nudges, listening for Your whisper, and hearing You speak to my heart. I want to be like You, Jesus. That doesn’t so much take knowledge as it takes obedience. It is as I work with the Spirit that the Spirit transforms me into Your image. I love it! Please, please, please continue! Amen.

Salvation: What will you do with Jesus? There are near and far consequences…

1 John 5:12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

The Baptist Faith & Message is the Southern Baptist doctrinal statement. If we had a party line, this would be it. Today, we look at the subject of:

IV. Salvation

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification.

There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

A. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.

Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour.

B. Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ.

Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God.

C. Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God’s purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person’s life.

D. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.

Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; 5:24; 10:9,28-29; 15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32; Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3ff.; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18,29-39; 10:9-10,13; 13:11-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18,30; 6:19-20; 15:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-22; 3:1ff.; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8,14; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 1 John 1:6-2:11; Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5.

Yesterday, we ended with 1 John 5:12, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” Today, we started with it. This verse sums up salvation like no other. Having Jesus is having God live in us loving us, encouraging us, and empowering us to live godly lives, something we cannot do on our own. To walk with Him now means we walk with Him forever. It’s that simple and that important.

Abba, sharing You is easy when we are walking in step with You. You guide us through every step as if we were blindfolded and only You know the way—which is exactly our spiritual state! We trust You, Lord, to lead us to those who are interested in knowing You. Lead on! Amen.

Bones–God’s Living Girders. Make no “bones” about it. We need them!

3:7-8 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear [reverence, take seriously] the Lord and shun evil.
⁸ This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

I had previously thought of bones as solid. Not So! As we look at their amazing structural design, we will definitely see a Master Designer.

From, “A Pocket Guide to the Human Body, page 49-51

The adult human skeleton consists of about 206 bones. However, the number varies with age. At birth, the human body has about 300 bones, but as the body ages and matures, many of these bones fuse together. The adult skull (without its lower jaw), for example, appears to be one bone, but in fact is made up of 22 fused bones: 8 in the skull proper and 14 in the face. The clavicle (collar bone) is the last bone to completely fuse, about the age of 25.

The mature skeleton has two basic types of bone, compact bone and spongy bone. One offers brute strength, while the other has a sophisticated design that provides strength with the least possible weight.
The strong tubular shaft of long bones, such as our thigh bone (femur), is made of compact bone. Compact bone itself appears to be completely solid, but is actually permeated with many blood vessels running lengthwise within hollow tunnels, called Volkmann’s canals. Surrounding each of these canals are concentric rings, or layers, of bone that form osteons. This architecture helps give compact bone its great strength.

Spongy bone occurs mostly inside each end of long bones. Spongy bone receives its name from its appearance, not because it can be squeezed like a sponge.
The surface area of spongy bone is vastly greater than that of compact bone, so it is mostly in this type of bone that calcium and phosphorus are stored and removed to maintain mineral balance in our body fluids. Each of the little beams of spongy bone is oriented precisely to impart the greatest strength for the load placed on the bone. Amazingly, when the load placed on bone changes, such as during pregnancy, the spongy bone can change its shape to best accommodate the new load.

And, we’re just getting started! Tomorrow, we will look at a bone’s functions. For today, let’s take our Proverbs verse seriously and be wise in how we live. May we depend upon the Spirit’s guidance at all times as we walk life’s road with the Lord.

Abba, the structure You have given us is amazing! It’s strong, but flexible, and can heal itself as well as provide essential nutrients for our bodies. Your Word works in just the same way. What You say to us, either through our Bibles, prayer, circumstances or others, makes us strong and flexible, it heals us even while we provide essential “nutrients” for the body of Christ, like love, comfort, help, advice, and fellowship. You are amazing, heavenly Father! We praise You. Amen.

Everything Jesus did has significance. Even riding into Jerusalem on a donkey was important!

2:6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Sunday in Sunday’s Cool (Sunday School), we discussed the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem that fateful week. But, before we actually read the passage in Matthew 21, we had some Old Testament reading to do:

⁹ Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
    righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
¹⁰ I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
    and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
    and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
    His rule will extend from sea to sea
    and from the [Euphrates] River to the ends of the earth.

There are several things to note in this passage:

1. Daughter Zion is Israel, specifically, Jerusalem.
2. The text proclaims that the person riding on the foal of a donkey is King of Israel.
3. The Jesus Way is Peace. Eventually, Jesus will do away with war. His Church is proclaiming His peace to the nations even today!
4. The imagery in the boundaries of His rule projects to the entire world. The kingdom of heaven is growing like a mustard seed, like yeast in dough.

Another passage to look at before reading about the Triumphal Entry is Daniel 2:34-35,

³⁴ While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. ³⁵ Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

What can we glean from this passage?

1. The Rock was cut by God and is Jesus.
2. Jesus struck the worldview of His day and completely overturned it.
3. The rock is a picture of the Church that became a huge mountain over three centuries and is now in the process of filling the whole earth.
4. Though this passage does not directly speak to the Triumphal Entry, that Entry is the beginning of the Passion Week in which the “statue” of the age is brought down.

Daniel prophesied this event and even gave us the timing of this event:

²⁴ “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city [Jerusalem] to finish sin, to set an end to sin, to wipe out lawlessness, to atone for wrongdoings, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Holy of Holies.” LXX

What weeks? Finish sin? Atone for wrongdoings? Bring in everlasting righteousness? What’s it all about? We will discuss this verse and the following two verses tomorrow!

Abba, Help us to comprehend the magnitude of Your accomplishment that week–or, at least, to begin to start to comprehend (I have the feeling that we will be discovering the magnitude of what You did for us for eternity). Speak to our hearts, O Lord, and help us know and experience the width, length, depth and height of Your love. Amen.

When a person’s drive to know God overcomes all other drives, we know the Spirit is close to winning him over.

²⁶ The appetite of laborers works for them;
    their hunger drives them on.

The key to the Christian life is the in-dwelling Spirit. He gives us the desire to know, to experience, and to share that experience with other believers. If a person is missing this desire, I see two possibilities:

1. He doesn’t have a clear understanding of what is available to him;
2. He has been misled through events, circumstances, teaching, temptation that leads to sin, pride, etc.

The Spirit knocks; will people answer? Jesus has declared amnesty for the entire human race, but people are still infected with the venom of sin; they have scales on their spiritual eyes and veils on their hearts. Jesus wants to heal them, to rescue them and to restore them. If they don’t let Him, they will experience all kinds of hell: A feeling of separation and isolation, anger, bitterness, disappointment and dissatisfaction with life. But, if they do let Him, they will experience all that the Father has planned for them since the beginning:

• His love, joy and peace that come with His presence;
• Spiritual insight, knowledge and understanding that come from listening to Him;
• Wisdom, discernment and prudence that come by walking with Him;
• Goodness, self-control and perseverance as we become like Him;
• A Cause worth living and dying for as we strive to demonstrate His love to others.

Tomorrow, we will talk about what I think is the Number One reason people don’t believe in God.

Abba, as You continue to call people to turn to You, may they turn to You in droves. As we reveal to them how beautiful You are by virtue of our lives, may they want You even as You want them. Pursue them, Lord, even as You pursued us. Amen.

We don’t have to work for salvation. That work has already been done on the cross. Our work starts after that.

^22:17 Open your ears, and hear the words of wise people,
    and set your mind on the knowledge I give you.
¹⁸ It is pleasant if you keep them in mind
    so that they will be on the tip of your tongue,
¹⁹ so that your trust may be in Yahweh.
    Today I have made them known to you, especially to you.

There seems to me to be two kinds of holiness. One is the noble holiness of God, who is set apart from and above humanity in His greatness and goodness. The other is the practical holiness of us setting ourselves apart from that which the Lord has made out-of-bounds for us. Trusting that He has our best interests at heart is key to obeying Him. Satan got Eve to doubt God, that He was hiding something from her, and that He did NOT have her best interests at heart. Let’s look:

⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 3:6

1. The fruit was appetizing; it appealed to her senses.
2. She wanted what Satan said that God was holding back from her: The knowledge of good and evil. The wording says that she desired wisdom, but in actuality only knowledge was mentioned.
3. The desire to be like God and thus making her own decisions was offered by Satan, but wound up being the deathtrap that God said that it would become.

God is a loving Father and He cares for His children. Sin destroys us, so He warns us to stay away from anything that is out-of-bounds (other people’s stuff), excessive (indulgent), for another time (when we’ve grown in maturity), or warped (twisted from its God-given use). Why does the idea of God limiting us chafe us so? We do it for our children all the time. When we boil it all down, what we have is children (humanity) not wanting to be thought of as children, like a young teen who wants to act all grown up. All of a sudden, Jesus’ insight makes great sense:

³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change (repent) and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3

The old hymn says,

“Trusting as the moments fly,
trusting as the days go by;
Trusting Him whate’er befall,
trusting Jesus, that is all.”

Tomorrow, we will look at Galatians 5 and how setting ourselves apart from worldliness will help us to be like God (godly) the right way. Sorry, Eve.

Abba, we are Your children and You love us. May we not think too highly of ourselves and come to You as little children, ready to trust You at Your Word. Amen.

Some teachings are very old. Is 1700+ years old enough? Let’s look at one of them.

24:20 Have I not written thirty sayings for you [3,000+ years old], sayings of counsel and knowledge…

We ended yesterday’s post with this statement, “Since Jesus is life, to walk with Jesus is to have eternal life.” Later in John, Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life“ (John 14:6). John tells us in 1 John 5:12, “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” The verse that we will discuss today is John 3:36, the last verse in that chapter:

³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

The big question to me is, “What is God’s wrath?” In order to answer this question, we go back to Genesis 2:16-17,

¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

The wrath of God, otherwise known as God’s judgment, is death. We could look at death as a punishment, but I see a redeeming quality in it. It’s wrapped up in Genesis 3:22, “…he must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” Death confines sin to this life. When we die, we are freed from its grasp. It used to hold mankind in Hades, but Jesus broke the power of death and took control of Hades when He died on the cross, went to Hades and took the keys of death and Hades away from Satan (Revelation 1:18). He then led a triumphant train out of Hades to His kingdom. There are multiple Scriptures supporting this statement (, as well as the Apostles’ Creed, written and spoken universally even before AD 300. Here’s what it says,

The Apostles’ Creed – Traditional version

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the holy catholic (universal) Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

The point is that Jesus has defeated death for us. When we die, we proceed straight to His throne (2 Corinthians 5:8). We have what we refer to as eternal life, which is life in the Son (we’re already in it). Those who reject the Son* remain in darkness and suffer the “wrath of God,” which is life without Christ (they’re already in it). What about those who never get to hear about Jesus or are taught a wrong image of Him? Well, that’s a topic for another post sometime.

Abba, thank You for revealing Yourself to us so that we can believe in You and have Your life. We pray for those who don’t know You that You would reveal Yourself to them. May we be ambassadors of Your Good News, all the while basking in Your love, light and life. Amen.

*The Son of God, Jesus Christ, i.e. the Anointed One who came from God and IS God

“What’s one little white lie?” Well, it’s DANGEROUS, that’s what it is!

14 From the fruit of their lips [truth] people are filled with good things, and the [righteous] work of their hands brings them reward.

I had a conversation the other day with a young person who didn’t see anything wrong with telling a little, white lie. The goal was one of convenience. The problem is that in the long run, continued practice would cause problems in this area of the person’s life, not to mention the habit bleeding over into life in general.

I DIDN’T want to say that God doesn’t like lying; it’s more than that. So, I explained it like this:

We don’t lie because we have to remember what we said, then people always find out the truth, and we get hurt. God doesn’t want us to get hurt, so He doesn’t want us lying.”

Notice three things in this explanation:

1. We remember truth better than we remember what we said is the truth.
2. We not only face consequences, the people to whom we lie are hurt, too. The trust between them and us is gone, or, at the least, damaged. It’s hard to love when we don’t trust.
3. God knows that sin destroys. He doesn’t want us destroying ourselves.

What does sin destroy? Our trust. Ask Eve. The enemy lied to her and got her to distrust God. The enemy lies to everyone and we all fall for his deceptions, traps and snares sometime in our lives. John said,

⁸ If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 1 John 1:8

The neat thing is that God has already forgiven us for all our sin. He has erased the debt and wiped it–and us–clean. We don’t avoid sin to make the Father love us; we avoid sin because He loves us. He wants the best for us, and since sin destroys (trust), He wants us to avoid it.

So, the next time you’re tempted to lie, twist the truth, censure it, or recreate it, just remember that more is at stake than convenience. Trust is on the line.

Abba, please help us to trust You enough to tell the truth even in awkward situations. Not everything is pertinent or shareable (ours to share), so give us discretion. Amen.

God’s ways are so much higher and bigger than our ways, and His thoughts higher and greater than our thoughts.

15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice [from the Spirit].

We continue looking at Jesus’ claim to be God in the flesh. In chapter ten, He declares His sovereignty over death,

¹⁷ ‘That’s why the father loves me, because I lay down my life, so that I can take it again. ¹⁸ Nobody takes it from me; I lay it down of my own accord. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to receive it back again. This is the command I received from my father.’ John 10:17-18

The willingness for Jesus to die for us takes us back to the Garden of Eden when God prophesied to the serpent (Satan), “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” For Satan, it was a fatal blow at the cross. For Jesus, it “bruised His heel.” In other words, the most that Satan could do to Jesus was to kill the body–and that’s where Satan’s problems started! Jesus descended into hell (Matthew 12:40, Acts 2:31) preached (1 Peter 3:18-20, 4:6), and then led a procession out of hell , unlocking the doors and flinging them wide open (Hebrews 2:14-15), and into His kingdom (Colossians 1:13). It was His plan all along!

Paul, when writing to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:9-10, talks about this amazing plan of Jesus:

⁹ God saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace. He gave us this grace in King Jesus before all time and ages, ¹⁰ but has now made it visible through the appearing of our savior King Jesus, who abolished death and, through the gospel, shone a bright light on life and immortality.

Jesus is the only One who had the authority to abolish death. God’s plan “to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:10) was in place and working outside of time (before all time and ages). Do we know what that looks like? No! But, we can trust Jesus to accomplish the Father’s will.

Abba, Your plan is mind-boggling. I cannot grasp it. At the same time, Your Spirit continues to reveal bits and pieces of it as I read, study, pray, and talk with other believers. All I can say is, “To God be the glory!” Amen.

The three parables in Luke 15 show God in a new and exciting way. They are the lens of Jesus for us to view the Father.

28 In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.

The first parable is The Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3-7).
The second parable is The Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10).
The third parable is The Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32).

Comparisons:

• Each is lost and Someone goes to look for them.
• That Someone looked until He found each one.
• There is much rejoicing when each are returned.

Contrasts:

• The sheep wandered off.
• The coin was lost (it did not jump off the table).
• The son chose to leave.
• The sheep and the coin were rescued; the son chose to go home.

What do these parables tell us about the Father?

Before we answer that question, there is a matter that needs to be addressed. In Eastern culture, relationship is valued above all rules and regulations. There are ALWAYS exceptions to the rules where family is concerned. As we study these parables, let’s remember that Family Trumps Law.

• The heavenly Father is the Searcher in the first two parables and the Father in the third parable.
• He considers each one valuable and worth saving.
• He searches until He finds the first two, and continues to watch the road for the return of the third.
• There is no chastisement of the lamb, the coin, or the son–in fact, just the opposite. The Father throws a party for each of them.

What can we learn about our relationship with God from these parables?

Luke wrote his Gospel around 60 A.D. (before writing the book of Acts , which was written before Paul’s execution in 67 A.D. and before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.). This is 27 years after Christ’s resurrection and ascension. Luke had plenty of time to gather stories, interview people (like Jesus’ mother, Mary), and get his facts right. We can trust the Gospel of Luke to be accurate.

This being said, we can gain quite a few insights into the mind of believers in his day. Consider:

• Everyone identified with one of the three prodigals (lost ones).
• The heavenly Father loves everyone–even those who choose to leave.
• He searches for some (those who lost their way are are waiting to be rescued). Others, He waits for them to “come to their senses.” In fact, I believe that it is God the Spirit who calls to mind their bad choices and the subsequent consequences. He is the One who urges them to turn for home.
• Much rejoicing is in store for each soul that is rescued and returns home (Luke 15:7).
• He continues to search and to wait. How long? That conclusion depends upon how we read the Scriptures. The Old Testament is about the law; the New Testament is about the relationship. Let’s keep this truth in mind as we consider these parables.

As in all things, seek the Lord to open your eyes to His truth. Scripture is like peeling an onion, which has layer upon layer all the way to its core. Let’s keep peeling those layers back through prayer, study, reading and discussion.

Abba, You have so much to show us and we have so little time on this earth. I can only think that our education continues into Your kingdom. May we learn to trust You more, love You more, and follow You more closely every day. Amen.

We sing, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” but what do we know about the birthplace of Christ?

1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge…

The Christmas narrative centers around the little town of Bethlehem. The trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem is a long one if the route by the sea is taken (see Proverbs 10 12-10-21). We get the story of Mary riding a donkey from a “book” written in 145 AD, Protoevangelium of James, :17. I read a little of it and found it to be unrealistic; even so, that’s probably from where the legend came.

Bethlehem (Hebrew for “house of bread”) was the birthplace of King David (1 Samuel 16:1-4). An unwalled village about five miles south of Jerusalem with little more than a hundred persons during the Herodian period, it was, nevertheless, the prophesied place of the Messiah’s birth (Micah 5:2-4).

The phrase “because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7) may better be rendered “because there was no space in the room,” indicating that Joseph and Mary may have found shelter in a relative’s home at the time. Although the New Testament does not mention a cave, a second-century source states that Jesus was born in one. Many homes in Bethlehem were built in front of caves, so we can easily envision Joseph and Mary seeking appropriate privacy in a home’s back area that was used for stabling and storage. Matthew indicates that they remained in Bethlehem for some time, as Jesus Christ is not described as an infant but as a child when the Wise Men visited Him (Matthew 2:11-14).
From 1st Century Bethlehem

In the narrative, the language is such that Mary probably wasn’t in labor as she came into Bethlehem, “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,” (Luke 2:6). Again, the legend from the Protoevangelium of James provides this immediacy. Although none are mentioned, the social customs of the day plus the added family inclusion allow for us to envision several women cleaning the stall and providing Mary with all that she needed for the birth. The Protoevangelium of James even mentions a midwife.

The next aspect of the story is one that is lost in most nativity scenes. We are provided with clues that confirm that Jesus was older when the Magi visited Him.

1. House- The Magi found Jesus in a house (Matthew 2:11a)
2. Young Child- Jesus was probably about six months old (Matthew 2:11b)
3. Conjunction- The third and final conjunction of Jupiter and Venus with Jupiter being in full-grade retro-motion (looked to stand still) happened on December 25, 2 BC, six months after the first conjunction, which was the brightest star in history at that point. See Bethlehemstar.com

The last aspect of Bethlehem is a sad one. The baby boys in the area two years and under were killed in an attempt to kill Jesus. There may not have been many in a town of only 100 (a few more in the outlying area), but it is still considered a massacre. Joseph was warned in a dream to go to Egypt–God even funded the trip!

Satan did his best to keep Jesus from coming and then tried his best to kill Him before His ministry could get started. He finally succeeded in killing Jesus, but it backfired! More on that tomorrow.

Abba, I don’t know how You work when You allow mankind to make their own choices, but You’re God and You are big enough to take everyone’s choices and work them into the beautiful tapestry of Your will. Thank You for the gift of Your Son–when You came to earth as Jesus–and for what You did for us on the cross. We praise You and worship You. Amen.

The Word of God is more than words, more than a book, and more than anyone can capture with pen and ink. He’s a Person!

28 In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality. Just as this “path” is metaphorical and stands for much more than simply a road, the Word of God is much more than a book.

“In the beginning was the Word…” John 1:1. The Greeks translated “Word” as “logos,” which means “a word (as embodying an idea), a statement, a speech.” but the meaning is much more than that! The “Word” is the breath of God that proceeds from His mouth as He speaks creation into existence. That very breath, that life, is God the Son. We are told in Proverbs 8:30-31 that Jesus is the Craftsman at God’s side during creation. In fact, John 1:2-3 says that “He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” This fact is confirmed in Colossians 1:16-17 and Hebrews 1:3.

One may argue that Hebrews 4:12 says that “the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” NIV

There is a problem, though, with that particular translation, as well as New Living Translation, Amplified Version, Holman Christian Standard Bible, Good News Translation, GOD’S WORD Translation, and others in that “it” is not in the original manuscript. The most literal English version we have is the New American Standard Bible, and it doesn’t have the word, “it,” nor do the English Standard Version, King James Version, New King James Version, and several others. What does this mean?

It means that they should have taken the next verse into consideration, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” The “Him” is Jesus, and He IS the Word of God.

In case you’re still dubious, turn to Revelation 19:13. We find:

¹³ He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

The blood is His own, and the name is “The Word of God.” Folks, it doesn’t get much plainer than that.

Does this delineation mean that the Bible is not God’s word? No. It just means that we trust Jesus to teach us truth, for He IS Truth. We trust Him to show us the way as we read, for He IS the Way. We trust Him to give us life, for He IS life. The Bible gives us a written form of our knowledge of Him, His message, and His love, but only Jesus Himself can actually give us those things experientially.

We must seek the Lord each time we open the Scriptures.
He is the only One who can shine light on their meaning.

We begin by picking up our Bibles. We pray and then we read.

Abba, thank You for Your Spirit who guides me into all truth and opens up my heart to Your love. Enlighten me, Lord, even as I read the Scriptures, which point to You. May I find You on every page and in every sentence. Amen.