Category: Bible Study

Posted on

Ultimate Refreshment Today!

For November 17, 2019
The warm Palestinian sun was near its zenith when our Lord arrived at Sychar along with His Disciples as presented in John Chapter 4. Weary from His morning travels—being around noon—the Disciples went to buy food for the group while He sat by Jacob’s Well.

Almost immediately, a certain woman came to the well to draw water. There she encountered Jesus, and her life along with certain cultural mores and traditions would change forever.

It was customary to draw well water during the late afternoon or evening hours when temperatures were much cooler.1 Although Jesus was considered a Jewish Rabbi, He was forbidden to engage in a public dialogue with the woman.2 Nevertheless, He breaks tradition by engaging in public dialogue.

Moreover, Samaritans3 were considered “half-Jews” at the time of Christ. And as such, contact between the two races was discouraged.

However, the Lord ignored the social, cultural traditions and initiated a conversation with the woman that shifted from drinking the water from Jacob’s Well to experiencing eternal ultimate refreshment through the “living water” that only He provides:

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14 (NIV)

The woman accepted Jesus’ invitation to receive His living water because she, like so many of us today, grew tired of her mundane, unfulfilled life. She too discovered that a life of sin does not fulfill the deep longings of the heart as a personal relationship with the Lord does.

Moreover, acquiring the newest, biggest, or best material thing that we can have might feed our egos or tantalize our senses briefly, but they will never fill the spiritual void we have in our hearts for a personal, loving, eternal, relationship with the Lord.

She discovered that only Jesus Christ can give us ultimate refreshment that lasts forever, and she craved His living water, which He offers everyone freely, and without measure.

She came to the well looking for regular water. But, after meeting Jesus, she found living water that provides ultimate refreshment forever. Overjoyed, she dropped her bucket and ran into town, telling others about her encounter with the Lord and of His living water. Her compelling story led others to the Lord that day as well.

Having living water will not exempt us from the adversity or the pain we can experience in this life. Yet, it will ensure our victory just as Jesus promised in John 16:33 (NIV):

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

What a wonderful Savior!

  

Posted on

Trust the Lord Nevertheless

For November 10, 2019
In John 1:29, John the Baptist introduces Jesus to the assembly as “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Shortly thereafter, those who heard His teachings and witnessed His miracles would follow the Lord in droves wherever He went.

One of His more reluctant followers initially was Simon who encountered the Lord near the shore at the Sea of Galilee. On that particular morning, as recorded in Luke 5, a large crowd surrounded Jesus, listening intently to His every word.

Then, stepping into a nearby fishing boat, Jesus asked Simon to pull it away from the shore so that He could use it as a speaking platform to accommodate the large crowd that gathered along the shore.

Simon and his brother, Andrew, along with the brothers, James and John were exhausted after returning from an unsuccessful, all-night fishing expedition. In their minds, they were distracted by this meddling teacher, who kept them from washing their nets and performing other necessary chores in preparation for a more productive fishing expedition that evening,

One can imagine how the entire crew must have dozed off to sleep occasionally while the Lord taught. After all, they were exhausted from the night before. Even more stressful for Simon was when the Lord finished teaching, He instructed him to launch into deeper nearby waters, and prepare to catch fish.

Knowing that Jesus was not a skilled fisherman, Simon’s initial response was: “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything!” (Luke 5:5a NIV): In other words, Simon was saying: “Lord, I realize you are a great teacher, but we are experienced fishermen. We’ve  spent all night fishing and we’ve caught absolutely nothing!” (Your idea does not make any logical sense!)

We can identify with Simon when we feel our efforts have gone for naught. When we have tried to do things “our way” with disappointing or even disastrous results. The anger, frustration, and disappointment can be most unbearable when we have “taken matters into our own hands” and have failed—miserably.

After his initial angry feelings subsided, Simon had the good sense to surrender to the Lord and say: “But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” (Luke 5:5b NIV) In essence, Simon chose not to trust in his feelings, or unfortunate circumstances. Instead, he chose to surrender everything he had to the Lord, and trust in Him for the results.

Then immediately, Simon and his crew were so overwhelmed by the vast number of fish that they had to call James and John on the other ship for help collecting the fish.

When our work yields futility, surrendering to and trusting in the Lord is always the best response. This may require us to:

    • Spend time fasting and praying for clarity of the Lord’s will and purpose for our lives,
    • Perform an honest reassessment of our purpose, mission and goals to confirm they exalt Jesus Christ—not us, or
    • Reverse our current course immediately so that we can conform to the Lord’s divine plan for our lives and others.

Ultimately, we choose to obey the Lord’s instructions and trust Him for the results, nonetheless. Then, we can experience His excellence and our fulfillment just as Proverbs 3:5-6 (N KJV) teaches:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Won’t you trust in the Lord today?

 

Posted on

Nobly And Purposely Designed In The Image of God

For May 20, 2019
In the beginning, as God was completing His Creation of the Heaven and the earth, He created man and woman and placed them in the Garden of Eden. But before performing His crowning achievement, God said:

Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth (Genesis 1:26).

Yet in the grander scale, we humans are separate and distinct from—special from all other created beings just as God is special and unique; separated from all others. When He breathed in us “the breath of life,” He purposely and deliberately imparted this distinction within us giving us an eternal human spirit (Genesis 2:7).

Genesis 2:15 states the Lord placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to manage and cultivate it. Ours is a solemn stewardship because we have dominion over the land, air, and aquatic creatures and the responsibility to cultivate vegetation, minerals, and water for its proper use and our benefit.

Colossians 1:16-17 tells how the Lord created all things, including us. But, we humans are His greatest creation; greater than Mount Everest, the Grand Canyon, Aurora Borealis, Victoria Falls, Table Mountain, the Barrier Reef, the Amazon rainforest, the magnificent Redwoods, and the sun, moon, and stars combined—in God’s eyes.

It is the Enemy’s job to confuse and distort God’s perfect plan by telling us we are flawed and worthless. He has convinced many of us that we “won’t amount to anything.” As result, many of us believe we will be “nothing but failures” in this life. However, these are lies because God created us differently, much like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle; when assembled they create a beautiful portrait of His love, redemption, and glory.

The Psalmist declares God designed us with glory and honor with all things under our feet (Psalm 8:5). Truly, God has given us an amazing pedigree that is up to us to accept. However, we must never let our pride and sense of self-importance deceive us into thinking or feeling we are God ourselves. He is the Creator, and we are the created. Psalm 36:6 tells us God preserves the earth and all that is in it.

Unlike any other created being, we can choose to live a noble life that reflects our Creator’s dignity to affect eternal changes in our lives and others around us. Thus, we should never consider ourselves as mistakes or afterthoughts.

We are special and unique persons who fulfill His perfect, eternal design for the universe. In other words, God created you and I, with all our complexity, to function according to His design: to bring Him honor, not the Enemy.

God’s marvelous creation provides us with the undeniable evidence of His existence and loving care. The Psalmist observes the heavens declare His glory, and the skies above are the visual displays of His awesome craftsmanship (Psalm 19:1). Because of the undeniable witness of His creation, those who brazenly and defiantly scoff at His existence have no excuse on the day when they will account for “every idle word” (Matthew 12:36).

Yet, made in His image also means we can choose where we will spend our eternity; whether in Heaven with the Lord or in Hell separated from Him. Jesus describes Hell as a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth; where the tormenting worms never die and the raging fire is never quenched (see: Matthew 13:42, and Mark 9:48).

I believe the “weeping and gnashing of teeth” will be a self-imposed human torment to some degree. Because unfortunately, Hell is the place where atheism and agnosticism will no longer exist because everyone there will instantly become “believers” in God’s existence and His redeeming love and grace freely extended to everyone through Jesus Christ. But they will spend eternity regretting not taking advantage of it—when they were alive and had the opportunity.

Our minds control our cognitive and anatomical functions. We should use them for proper thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and memories. Isaiah 26:3-4 (NLT) is clear about what happens to those whose thoughts and minds are properly fixed on the Lord:

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.

We also read in Philippians 4:8 (NLT):

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

We are to use our bodies as examples of God’s love and goodness in the world and never as the Enemy’s weapons for death and destruction. We are God’s crowning achievements of creation and salvation. We are to live out—to the best of our ability—the noble plan He has designed for each of us.

Posted on

Blessed We Are!

For March 13, 2019
Some of those who heard the Lord Jesus Christ proclaim the Beatitudes had been disappointed. For it was ancient Palestine around the beginning of the last millennium.  Although Rome was the world power, there were rumors of a promised Messiah who would establish His eternal Kingdom with Jerusalem at its center. But there was yet no Messiah—and no new kingdom emerging—or so they thought.

There were many recognized leaders of the day. One in particular, Jesus of Nazareth, gathered a significant following of anxious people who heard Him promise the following:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5:3-12 (KJV)

Those who were disgruntled and disappointed by these words, expected Jesus tell how He was going to subdue the Romans and establish an earthly kingdom.

Unfortunately, many are still unmoved by His message today because they fail to realize that our Lord’s reign is invisible now (as He reigns in the hearts of His subjects), but it shall be visible later—when He returns!

Thanks be to God for those who heard the Lord’s piercing words and were spiritually transformed by them—as many of us have been today. They, like us, understand and embrace His eight fundamental blessings of Kingdom Citizenship:

    • The “poor in spirit” or those who turn from their pride and humbly seek the Lord Jesus Christ for their reconciliation to God are given eternal access to the Kingdom of Heaven.
    • Those who are truly penitent, who “mourn” over their helplessness (as sinners in need of a Savior) shall find the Lord to be the only means of true and lasting comfort.
    • Those who are the “meek,” who emulate Christ’s selflessness (especially when facing opposition; knowing that vengeance is the Lord’s, and He will vindicate) shall inherit the earth.
    • The Lord Himself shall completely satisfy the cravings of those who “hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness” in their lives, families, churches, communities, and world.
    • Mercy begets mercy. Those who graciously extend mercy to others are assured to receive God’s mercy and grace. Here, we can be merciful because the Lord has been merciful to us.
    • Those who demonstrate sincere desires and motives, who consistently show they have hearts that are pure (no malevolence or duplicity). These people shall see God face to face.
    • The Children of God always seek to preserve peace by living in harmony with others. This is because Jesus, the Prince of Peace lives inside them in the person of the Holy Spirit, who performs the Lord’s perfect peace through them as His “peace makers.”
    • Ill-treatment is a common plight to all humans. But those who inherit the Kingdom of Heaven having been “persecuted for righteousness sake” share an experience comparable to that of the ancient prophets. So when we face rejection, criticism, or isolation because of our Christian testimony, we can rejoice and be exceedingly glad because our reward in Heaven is great!

As Christians, we are the subjects of the Lord’s universal, yet invisible Kingdom where Jesus Christ reigns as both Savior and Lord. As such, we are the living proof of His marvelous plan of redemption. Thus, our faith in Christ and labors for His Kingdom’s benefit are never futile or wasted.

We are the joint heirs in whom the Lord has entrusted the New Birth. This priceless heirloom, which we acquire by faith in Christ alone and share in common, confirms our identity as His followers, allows us to live morally responsible and spiritually astute, and enhances and preserves a civil, global society both now and forever. What a wonderful Savior!

Posted on

Stop! Save a Precious Life…Yours!

For February 13, 2019
Chapter nine of Mark’s gospel narrative has fascinated me over the years. It contains two heart-wrenching stories that evoke poignant visual images that yet resonate with me.

First is the account of the man who asked Jesus to heal his son, whose violent seizures and muted condition threatened his life. When the man asked the Lord to heal his son, the Lord told him that faith would make it possible.

Instantly, the man was overcome with tremendous fear and anxiety because he realized if healing was to occur, he could no longer trust his senses. Instead, he had to rely upon a spiritual reality that could not be proven scientifically or explained logically. This was a state of being totally unfamiliar to him at that moment.

In other words, the man had to put his faith in what he could not see, feel, touch, taste, or smell. But like any loving parent, he wanted his child restored to perfect health. In tearful reverence, he cries, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (Mark 9:24 KJV) That day Jesus healed the son’s body…and the father’s faith.

The second story contains some striking visual images concerning the destructive outcome of sin. Here Jesus teaches:

If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’

And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’

And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire—where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’ (Mark 9:43-48 NKJV)

Jesus is not advocating self-mutilation. He is teaching that sin is a natural consequence of our fallen condition, which produces a lifestyle of self-gratification, rebellion, and death.

As Ephesians 2:1-3 describes, we are content to boldly and shamelessly live out our sinful practices 4; serving our master, the Devil as we follow the lustful yearnings of our sin-tarnished nature. In this condition, and by default, we are subject to God’s wrath—forever.

Jesus cites Isaiah 66:24 in His warning of an actual place called Hell. He uses the word gehenna, (or the Valley of Hinnom); located just outside Jerusalem where the wicked ruler, King Ahaz sacrificed his son in the fiery worship ritual to the pagan god Moloch some seven-hundred years earlier.5 This heinous act was prohibited and condemned by Leviticus 18:21.

Although this valley was used as trash heap during the time of Christ, this graphic metaphor presents a somber warning to those who continue to reject God and practice sin.

Because whether the term is Gehenna as used here, the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19:20, or the Second Death (Revelation 20:14), the outcome is the same: eternal separation from God is the final state of all those who practice sin, and there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” forever. (Matthew 22:13)

Although the warning here is most serious, Jesus provides comfort as well. We can have the power to resist sin’s dominance—if we turn to Him completely. Because He was victorious over sin, He supplies us with the power to resist whatever is causing us to sin (as if it were “cut off”).

Thank God for His patience. He is not willing that we should perish; but that we come to repentance as 2 Peter 3:9 promises. As Romans 5:8 assures us, God demonstrated His wonderful, all-encompassing love for us in this single defining moment in human history:

While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us!

The Lord performed on our behalf what we were unwilling and incapable of doing ourselves. He paid the price of sin by His death on the cross. As a result, the power of sin and Satan, the cares of this world, and our own inadequate strength no longer debilitate us as we operate under His unfaltering might.

We grow to be more like Christ and honor him in everything we say, think, and do. Our new Spirit-driven life is born out of a sincere faith that transforms us while providing us with the clean hands and pure hearts that God requires.

Are we perfect? Absolutely not—but He is!

The Lord provides us with the spiritual strength we need to live nobly for Him daily as holy, acceptable, living sacrifices. Thus, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ; who walk not in the flesh, but in His Spirit. 6

We can represent Him in a manner that reflects His noble character. Like airplanes on a runway before takeoff, we will not achieve flight without our Eternal Pilot at the controls. With humble, reverent, and sincere faith in Christ, we are assured to reach our glorious final destination—eternal life—safely. What a wonderful Savior!

 

 

Top