Category: Encouragement

For July 15, 2020
Musing over the majesty and splendor of our wonderful God and Savior is truly a refreshing and invigorating change of pace to what bombards us each day: Wars and rumors of wars, political/social unrest, coronavirus fact and fiction, political/social animosity, ruthless gun violence, political/social rhetoric, random and senseless murder, condemnation of the President of the United States for what did (or didn’t do), angst over saving the planet, business closings, shelter in place, state shutdowns, country shutdowns, which elicit widespread panic and fear.

Oh, if only we would apply the principles of Isaiah 26:3-4 (NKJV). How much more tranquil and peaceful our lives would be,

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength!

God is watching us, and He sees everything. He created us, and He knows everything about us. We are finite while He is infinite; we are powerless while He is all power; we have limited knowledge while He has all knowledge; we are flawed while He is perfectly holy. He alone is accomplishing His perfect work in all of us, moving us toward His consummation of all things revealed in His glorious return with a new Heaven and Earth,

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:1-4 (NKJV)

Ultimately, Jesus Christ left glory, not because of what we could do for Him but because we needed Him to pay our sin debt at Calvary, and to give us His Holy Spirit to comfort, secure, guide, and sustain us throughout our earthly journey.

The Lord loves us more than we could ever comprehend. It is not our works but our faith in His works that restores and secures our eternal fellowship. We don’t rely on our capricious will and finite human ability to hold on to Christ while facing life’s uncertainties. Instead, we rely on His infinite power and providence.

It’s up to Him to hold on to us and renew us as we press forward,

Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.  Isaiah 40:28-31 (NLT)

Our focus should always be on Christ, our Good Shepherd, whose providence watches over us, and His power keeps us. In Him, we find hope, strength, perfect peace, and victory as we progress through this life toward our glorious reward: Heaven.

Our endurance is more about God’s omnipotence and faithfulness than it is our finiteness and inadequacy. Abundant life now and eternal life later are both certain and secure—through Jesus Christ. Our faith begins and ends with the Him because He is our hope, peace, expectation, and great reward, now and forever.

No one but Jesus Christ loves us so deeply, gives of Himself so freely, and keeps us so completely throughout this life and into the next…Rest in Him,

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Jude 24-25 (AKJV)

Jesus Christ is more than mere “fire insurance” because He is the embodiment of all God’s promises. He’s got it, and He’s got us as well. Thus, we trust Him always, because He delivered us from a life of sin and He presents us before God as forgiven and righteous. Won’t you trust Him today?

What a Wonderful Savior!

For July 12, 2020¹
God created our ancestors, Adam and Eve, and He placed them in the Garden of Eden with everything they could ever want or need forever.

Let’s pause for a moment to explore the actions of our loving Creator as Genesis 1:1 (AKJV) depicts,

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

This foundational passage of Scripture does not defend the existence of God. It merely presents a personal God, who is a loving, caring Creator and Sustainer of everything that has or will ever exist.

God did not choose to express Himself as an impersonal, ambiguous force to be reckoned with. Instead, He chooses to fellowship with the pinnacle of His creation, the human species. God fixed our incomparable destiny forever in the Garden of Eden as we thrived in His loving, holy presence as He supplied our spiritual, physical, emotional, and psychological needs abundantly.

God designated human beings to be separate and distinct by creating us “in His image and likeness.” As such, we can have loving, joyful, fulfilling, fellowship with Him forever, as Genesis 1:26-27 (NLT) relates,

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

Our creation was most distinctive,

It is clear that man, as God made him, was distinctly different from the animals already created. He stood on a much higher plateau, for God created him to be immortal, and made him a special image of His own eternity. Man was a creature with whom His maker could visit and have fellowship and communion. On the other hand, the Lord could expect man to answer him and be responsible to him. Man was constituted to have the privilege of choice, even to the point of disobeying his Creator. He was to be God’s responsible representative and steward on the earth, to work out his Creator’s will and fulfill the divine purpose.²

Through His creation, we see God’s majesty and design to ensure our happiness and well-being in the most intricate detail. Thus, as Genesis 1:31 tells us, God’s creation is “very good!”

Just think! The entire universe, with its galaxies, solar system, and our earth, including everything in the sky, underwater, and on land, was not created for eternal fellowship with God. Only you and I were created to fulfill this uniquely wonderful purpose.

In other words, God esteems you and I greater than Mount Everest, the Grand Canyon, Aurora Borealis, Victoria Falls, Table Mountain, the Barrier Reef, the Amazon Rainforest, the magnificent Redwoods, the entire animal kingdom, and all the sun, moon, and stars combined.

Moreover, God gave us an amazing pedigree when He breathed in us His “breath of life” (Genesis 2:7), thereby purposely and deliberately imparting an everlasting human spirit within us that will continue to live long after our bodies have passed away. (God also gives us the responsibility to choose where we spend our eternity in Heaven or Hell.)

Our sin separates us from God, since He is holy and majestic. Nevertheless, He will forgive our sins—past, present, and future if we place our faith in the vicarious merits of Jesus Christ’s death to pay the price for our sin.

However, we must accept the Lord’s invitation–freely and willingly,

Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends (Revelation 3:20 NLT).

Won’t you accept His invitation today?

What a Wonderful Savior!

For July 5, 2020³
Many years ago, a pastor challenged me to use my gifts, talents, and abilities constructively for the Kingdom, which ultimately beggs this question, “If we were to give ourselves to the Lord completely, living according to the Bible, and trusting Him to fulfill His wonderful promises—what could happen to us and to those around us for our good and His glory?“

Trying to answer this question brought about many life-changing experiences over the years; for it implies we no longer depend on our abilities and enterprises exclusively because Christ is the center of our existence, and we depend on Him exclusively.

But, isn’t this how we as Christians are supposed to live anyway? Proverbs 16:9 (NLT) tells us, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” Moreover, Psalm 37:23 tells us our steps are “ordered” by the Lord, who takes delight in every step we take.

Answering the question means our self-centered, self-glorifying plans, goals, and objectives are “out the window,” since they must be Christ-centered, God-honoring, and Bible-based at all times.

In addition, our thoughts, words, and actions are now filtered through a secondary question, “Will what I’m thinking, saying, or doing in at this moment help point someone to Christ?” Unfortunately, this second question has been answered both yes, and no. 

What could happen…even today?

As finite humans, we will ever experience spiritual and moral completion in this life. Yet, we have a wonderful example in Christ, who redeems and transforms us while providing His support and Spirit-power to sustain us.

The Lord is all-sufficient in supplying things beyond our control—especially, how He protects, provides, and guides us at the precise instant and in the precise way we need Him. The more I live, the more I see His divine truth,

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness (Isaiah 41:10 AKJV).

The Lord is with us; watching over us—even when we are not consciously aware of His presence and providence.

None of our “good” works engender boasting since they are merely what He expects of us,

“When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty’” (Luke 17:7-10 NLT).

Yet, the Lord lavishly provides us with His forgiveness, freedom, and joy, even though we can never be “good enough” to earn His consideration.

Let us continue to do our best each day using our greatest effort to persevere toward the prize He has reserved for all those who love His appearing (Philippians 3:14, 2 Timothy 4:8). After all; this is all He requires from us.

What a Wonderful Savior!