Category: Christmas

April 16, 2023
The normal, day-to-day occurrences in this topsy-turvy world often obscure our ability to see clearly how good God is to all His creatures, and especially toward His beloved children.

Such was not the case for the Psalmist who observes,

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south. Psalm 107:1-3 (NKJV)

Also,

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. Psalm 100:1-5 (NKJV)

One theologian defines goodness as: “The disposition in God to impart happiness to His creatures.”¹

Another theologian makes this observation about the God’s goodness,

Goodness, in the Scriptural sense of the term, includes benevolence, love, mercy, and grace. By benevolence is meant the disposition to promote happiness; all sensitive creatures are its objects. Love includes complacency, desire, and delight, and has rational beings for its objects. Mercy is kindness exercised towards the miserable, and includes pity, compassion, forbearance, and gentleness, which the Scriptures so abundantly ascribe to God. …The love of a holy God to sinners is the most mysterious attribute of the divine nature. …God saves sinners, we are told, “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us, through Christ Jesus.” (Epj.ii.7.)²

Despite the naysayers of this modern era, God is good, and we can find examples of His goodness in the following,

• • • God created us in His image with self-awareness and self-determination. We can think, reason, and we have free choice.
    • God gave us senses to enjoy this world, as He created it—very good! We can rejoice in the blessings this world offers all of us.
    • God blesses us with a reasonable portion of life, health, and strength.
    • Every day, God shows His patience and long-suffering towards, for all have sinned and come short of His glory. (Romans 3:23)
    • God is merciful and extends His love and forgiveness to us by paying our sin debt through Jesus Christ. Thus, we can be loved and forgiven.
    • We will know God’s goodness in full measure when the Christ returns for us. Then, we will spend a blessed eternity with Him, as He promised,

Jesus Christ gives us access to God’s goodness and mercy by  virtue of our faith in His supreme, vicarious, efficacious sacrifice performed at Calvary. And for those of us who trust Him, He assures us He will supply us with His eternal goodness, mercy, and glory upon His imminent return,

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:1-3 (NKJV)

The Lord has never broken any of His promises. He is the embodiment of  all that is faithful and true. Thus, as James observes, we can know Him as the source of all that is good, pleasant, and wonderful. In Him we can find great encouragement—even in these sin-darkened days,

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17 (NKJV)

God is good, and His mercy endures forever. He especially reveals these characteristics in His longsuffering towards all who remain in pride, rebellion, and sin.

Nevertheless, He is not willing that any should perish, but that all of us come to know Him personally through repentance (from sin) and faith (toward Jesus Christ) as 2 Peter 3:9 teaches. God is good—all the time!

Won’t you give Jesus your heart today, and experience God’s goodness personally?

What a Wonderful Savior!

For April 9, 2023
It was early Sunday morning, the end of Passover Week, and Jesus died and was buried in the tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea. Like any other Sunday morning in Jerusalem, it was peaceful and quiet with the Roman soldiers guarding the tomb to prevent grave robbers, especially the Twelve Disciples from stealing Jesus’ body. They made the tomb as secure as they could to prevent Jesus’ body from being disturbed and the news spreading that He rose from the dead.

Hardened, highly trained, competent soldiers were stationed at the tomb to guard it. In addition, a Roman seal was placed on the stone securing the tomb’s entrance to further dissuade anyone from entering it, since breaking the seal would be in strict violation of Roman law and punishable by death.

All was peaceful and quiet as they all prepared for an ordinary day. The pitch-black sky was changing into shades of orange-red, beige-yellow, and blue with the ever-approaching dawn when Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Joseph, and Zebedee’s sons came to the tomb to embalm their Lord and Savior.

The tomb was sealed and the soldiers were prepared to defend it with their lives. …then it happened,

Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.” Matthew 28:2-7 (NLT)

Some have wrongly speculated that the Disciples overpowered the battle-hardened, Roman soldiers and stole Jesus’ body. This is absurd. Others have wildly conjectured that the women went to the wrong tomb and that mass hysteria ensued about Jesus’ resurrection followed.

However, these flawed theories cannot adequately explain why the New Testament account of the resurrection has never been discredited, nor do they explain how the testimonies of those who claimed to have seen Jesus have not been refuted, as this author notes,

The empty tomb is that silent testimony to the resurrection of Christ, which has never been refuted. The Romans and Jews could not produce Christ’s body or explain where it went, but nonetheless, they refused to believe. Not because of the insufficiency of evidence but in spite of its sufficiency do men still reject the resurrection.¹

In addition, over the past two-thousand years there have been untold numbers of people around the world—like you and me—who have met the Risen Christ and have accepted Him personally. Those of us who know Him have had a complete spiritual overhaul that cannot be explained either.

Thus, Jesus Christ is the “First Fruits” of a new way of living both now and forever,

Christ’s resurrection was not simply a coming back from the dead, as had been experienced by others before, such as Lazarus (John 11:1–44), for then Jesus would have been subject to weakness and aging and eventually would have died again just as all other human beings die. Rather, when he rose from the dead Jesus was the “first fruits” 2 (1 Cor. 15:20, 23) of a new kind of human life, a life in which his body was made perfect, no longer subject to weakness, aging, or death, but able to live eternally.²

Jesus says in John 20:29 (NKJV), “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” We are blessed by the resurrection of Jesus Christ because,

• • • He proved emphatically that He is Savior, Lord, and God.
    • We know that He is the only Mediator between God and humanity.
    • We know that His sacrifice for our sin—past and present—has been accepted by God.
    • We are guaranteed a true, lasting intimacy with our loving Heavenly Father.
    • We know that Jesus Christ lives amongst and within His people by the power of the Holy Spirit who preserves and keeps us until the glorious day when Jesus returns for us.
    • Thus, we know that there is life beyond the grave and that we can live with Jesus Christ forever in Heaven.
    • We have the ultimate victory over sin, death and the Enemy (Satan) because of our sincere, penitent faith in Christ alone, (not our works).

An old familiar hymn expresses how the resurrection of Jesus Christ is yet a blessing to His Believers today, and how it can be a blessing to others as well,

                He Lives
Alfred H. Ackley (1887-1960)³

I serve a risen Savior; He’s in the world today; I know that He is living, whatever men may say; I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer, And just the time I need Him He’s always near.

In all the world around me I see His loving care; And though my heart grows weary I never will despair; I know that He is leading, thro’ all the stormy blast; The day of His appearing will come at last.

Rejoice, rejoice O Christian, lift up your voice and sing; Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ the king! The hope of all who seek Him, the help of all who find, None other is so loving, so good and kind.

Chorus:
He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today! He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way. He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart! You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.

Jesus says in John 16:33 (NLT): “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Our Christian faith can transform a sin-cursed humanity as we enter into the presence of the Living God. Then, changed human lives can think, speak, and act in ways that improve the welfare of others without being motivated by race, gender, culture, social status, or political affiliation. Such is our glorious, eternal destiny,

We don’t have to be victims of our glands. We are not automations or victims. We are free to make choices, whether noble or ignoble. To live for money, power, or pleasure is to die one day and leave it all behind. Indeed, to live for anything except Christ will mean reaching the end haunted by guilt and despair.⁴

Contrary to popular belief, people can change the world for the better—one person at a time. Jesus paid the price for our sin so that we can share in the perfect joy that was set before Him. It is His most exhilarating joy that captivates our hearts and minds today as we receive His unfathomably precious gifts of forgiveness and freedom from sin, because Jesus Christ possesses all power, in Heaven and in earth—to forgive our sins. (Matthew 28:18)

The Greek word used for forgive is aphiemi (Strong-863), which means to let go, send away, to cancel, or to pardon.⁵ Thus in Christ, our sin nature is canceled, let go, sent away, pardoned, and forgotten forever. In fact, our sins no longer define us. Instead, God defines us by His great salvation,

Through his life, death, resurrection, and exaltation, come deliverance from the guilt and power of sin and the gift of new life through the indwelling Holy Spirit. So the believer is saved by Christ’s work on the cross (Acts 4:12); he is being saved now by the work of the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier (Philippians 2:12) and he looks forward to completed salvation in the life of the age to come (1 Thessalonians 5:9, 1 Peter 1:5).⁶

Here, God looks beyond our past to extend us, a people in need of restoration, His mercy.

Now, because He lives, we can become new creatures with a glorious destiny that will never be taken from us. Won’t you give Jesus your heart today and experience His power to transform your life forever?

Jesus Christ is risen. …He is risen indeed!

What a wonderful Savior!

For March 5, 2023
On the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus reassured His Disciples that His followers would continue the Kingdom work He began. His work to bring glory to His Father would not end at His death. Instead, it would continue unimpeded until He returns,

I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. John 14:12-13 (NLT)

The Universal Church or the Body of Christ is comprised of diverse members who show Christ through their effectual love for God and others, demonstrated through benevolent service to God and others. Human beings are ill-equipped to perform such altruism consistently, so God gave us His Holy Spirit to empower us with the spiritual gifts that enable us to perform admirably—consistently,

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. …It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 11-13 (NLT)

When we place our faith in Christ, and are Born Again, the Holy Spirit endows each of us with a spiritual gift we can use to honor Christ and serve others. The local church is the primary agent by which we see the fulfillment of Ephesians 4:12, equip and edify others for service or ministry.

Through our Christian service, many spiritual gifts are displayed, but we can honor Christ and benefit our churches and communities using these eight spiritual gifts,

• • Helpers (1 Corinthians 12:28) unselfishly share their time, talents, and resources to assist others. Easily recognized, they are first to respond to needs. They also shun recognition, because God will reward them. A fine biblical example is Ruth, who helped Naomi.
  • Givers (Proverbs 3:27, Romans 12:8, and Galatians 6:10) share their resources unselfishly to meet needs. They, too, respond quickly and prefer anonymity. Givers delight meeting needs without repayment. God provides them with resources to share with others. Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan shows how givers respond to the needs of others.
  • The Wise (1 Corinthians 12:8 and James 1:5) can see problems from God’s perspective and they respond appropriately. More than human intellect, the wise deliberate and act in ways that glorify God and astound people. Solomon’s resolution to the two prostitutes who claimed to be the mother of one infant astonished everyone because it was from God.
  • Exhorters (Romans 12:8) share Scripture to console discouraged Christians. Without fanfare, exhorters take great pleasure in helping people gain a renewed inspiration and motivation to serve God. Jonathan exhorted David to trust in God and stay on course as the future king of Israel.
  • Evangelists (Ephesians 4:11) can share Christ with positive results. God calls, equips, and inspires people to serve Him in this capacity. The Bible tells about Philip the evangelist at Caesarea.
  • Pastors (Jeremiah 3:15, Acts 20:28, Ephesians 4:11, 1 Timothy 3:1–7, and Titus 1:5–16) nurture people toward spiritual maturity. Not recent converts, they are spiritually mature leaders who serve under the authority of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. God serves as both teacher and leader.
    • As a Teacher (Romans 12:7 and Ephesians 4:11), the pastor explains the Bible so that others can understand and apply to life, just like Jesus, who taught with great effectiveness.
    • As a Leader (Romans 12:8 and 1 Corinthians 12:28), pastors give oversight with tact, vision, and prudence to maximize resources and provide direction.

God used Moses to shepherd and instruct the Children of Israel while leading them out of Egyptian bondage.¹

There will be many fulfilling moments in our lives that show how God loves, protects, and provides for us. We grow confident that He directs our steps and will never leave or forsake us. Our Christian experiences enhance our knowledge and strengthen our faith in God and His Word.

Some believe that ministers are more effective when they have had a troubled past. However, our ministry effectiveness is up to God. It’s always appropriate to acknowledge our sinful past in testimony as we contrast it to the eternal, abundant life that we now have in Christ.

All Christians require accountability, but those who have had years of painful episodes should complete a spiritual treatment program before they engage in ministry, since untreated or unresolved, counterproductive “baggage” can surface and expose others to spiritual, physical, emotional, or psychological injury.

1 Timothy 5:22 (NKJV) tells us not to “lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure.” Thus, taking vetting precautions will help lessen the risk of the server’s relapse and harm to others.

The saving of souls, growing in faith, and the serving others define ministry effectiveness from God’s perspective. This is how we can reveal Christ and glorify God, which is all that matters.

As Enoch walked with God daily (Genesis 5:24), it’s possible to accept Christ and abide in Him for a lifetime. Those of us who follow this pattern are living demonstrations of His amazing grace and miraculous power.

We can reveal Christ today when we sanctify the Lord God in our hearts, so we can give a prompt response to the hope within us with meekness and godly reverence. (1 Peter 3:15) Won’t you give the Lord Jesus your heart today and reveal Him nobly to a lost and needy world?

What a Wonderful Savior!