Category: Thanksgiving

For November 20, 2022
The Apostle John was the last remaining of the Twelve Disciples who spent every waking moment with the Lord for three years. He loved Jesus dearly and often sat next to the Lord, where he could lean against the Lord, as the Disciples ate together. Jesus thought highly of John as well, that while being crucified on Calvary’s Cross, He assigned John to care for Mary, His mother.

He outran Peter to the empty tomb and saw the neatly folded grave clothes after hearing about the Lord’s resurrection. He was also with the other Disciples when Jesus appeared to them in the upper room and beside the Sea of Galilee after the resurrection. He experienced the indwelling of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost and saw the rise of the New Testament Church.

He saw the persecution of the Saints, the destruction of Jerusalem, and experienced exile from tyrannical Roman emperors. Yet, while exiled on the Isle of Patmos, the Lord visited him and relayed these comforting words,

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” Revelation 21:5 (NKJV)

To understand why Jesus promises to “Make all things new,” we should start at the beginning, when God created a perfect world where we could share in His eternal bliss.

Before sin, we had intimacy with God as our constant Friend and Companion. We felt His love in full measure, which gave us unending joy and satisfaction. As our Faithful Provider, God gave us all we needed to live in full contentment.

To water the plants and trees that gave us esthetically pleasing, delicious, and nutritious fruits and vegetables, He designed a perfect subterranean irrigation system. Clothing was unnecessary in our climate-controlled environment with neither rain nor storms. In our perfect setting, God protected, nurtured, and provided for us thoroughly.

God created the human species “in His image,” elevated and distinct from all other earthly creatures. He made us perfectly, as male and female, to procreate, to be good stewards over the earth, and to exercise dominion over the animal kingdom. (Genesis 1:27-28) One author relates our being created in God’s image this way,

In making man after his own image, therefore, God endowed him with those attributes which belong to his own nature as a spirit. Man is thereby distinguished from all other inhabitants of this world, and raised immeasurably above them. He belongs to the same order of being as God Himself, and is therefore capable of communion with his Maker. This conformity of nature between man and God, is not only the distinguishing prerogative of humanity, so far as earthly creatures are concerned, but it is also the necessary condition of our capacity to know God, and therefore the foundation of our religious nature. If we were not like God, we could not know Him.¹

In that idyllic setting—free from sin, pain, sorrow, illness, fear, or death—we experienced His holiness, peace, and joy in full measure. In every way, we prospered and flourished abundantly.

There was one caveat. We could not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. (Genesis 2:16-17) Subsequently, we disobeyed God and fell from our perfection. Our ancestors, Adam and Eve, at the fruit and immediately fell from that holy and happy state. Moreover, as their offspring, the entire human race is contaminated by sin and death. Herein lies the Fall of humanity, as one author describes along with its tragic outcomes,

[The Fall is] the original act of Adam and Eve when they disobeyed God and lost their intimate relationship with him (Genesis 3). They fell from perfect communion with God to a state of imperfect communion with him. By this act sin entered into the life of the human race in that instead of enjoying the fact of being God’s creatures, human beings lacked a meaningful and loving relationship with their Creator.²

After eating the “forbidden fruit,” we lost our perfection, exchanging it for sin, decay, and death. The most devastating outcome is universal sin, which results in our separation from God—for all have sinned. (Romans 3:23)

Separated from our Loving Creator, we have a “God sized” spiritual vacuum inside us that yearns to restore our pre-Fall intimacy with our Creator and Lord. As Adam and Eve’s sin-tainted offspring, we tend to reject following the ordinances of God, just as they did. We also rely on subterfuge to avoid personal accountability with impunity. Sin’s insidiousness causes us to behave poorly, even when we have noble intentions,

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9 (AKJV)

Our human depravity prevents us from achieving moral and spiritual perfection, as this author notes,

[Original Sin is] a term to denote the effect of Adam’s sin upon the moral life of his descendants. It is formally defined as “that whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil”… The fact of sin in this sense is plainly proclaimed in Scripture … and borne witness to by history and human self-consciousness.³

Some will argue that we are not inherently hateful, self-serving, or prejudice, and that we can perform good deeds without malice. Although we can perform good deeds, our sin-tainted nature skews our moral compass to produce immoral outcomes—consistently.

There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12)

We all sin, and as the Bible teaches, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8) In addition, “good people” suffer from sin’s collateral damage (e.g., pain, fear, guilt, shame, depression, cognitive failure, doubt, and death).

It is as if Adam and Eve’s disobedience tilted our world forty-five degrees, and we have been sliding down its slippery slope since. Human kindness, technology, wealth, influence, and notoriety can be a productive means to an end, but they will not alter our downward trajectory. We can never escape God’s reckoning. Sin’s price is death, which means eternal separation from God, because He is holy, and His response to sin is judgment (wrath). Thus, we are “children of wrath,” who are sliding toward a fiery Hell where the worms never die, and the fire burns forever. (cf., Ephesians 2:3, Mark 9:48)

To resolve our sin and death dilemma, God became human in the person of Jesus Christ, and paid our sin debt and gave us eternal life,

Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. Romans 5:19 (NLT)

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. John 1:4 (NIV)

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 (NKJV)

Sin restricts our access to God, since only “perfect” people occupy His “perfect” world. Yet, it remains God’s desire for us to live with Him uncontaminated by sin. Thus, the Lord will create a new Heaven and new earth where His righteousness prevails. There, He will reestablish His perfect environment where we can know His loving fellowship, beauty, bounty, and perfection forever, where the wicked will cease from troubling, and the weary will rest. For this fulfillment, His entire creation eagerly awaits. (cf. Job 3:17, Isaiah 65:17, Romans 8:19-23, 2 Peter 3:10-13, Revelation 21:1-4)

In the meantime, by our faith in Christ, we can have a taste of the full measure of our Lord’s eternal redemption through the Born Again experience. Here we acknowledge our sin and separation from God, and place our faith in Jesus Christ to redeem us and make us new creatures suitable for admission to His glorious Heaven forever.

As we trust in Christ as Lord and Savior, our subsequent spiritual transformation is unlike anything we could have ever know or experience in this life. Our lives grow more abundantly each day as His Spirit and His Word (Bible) reveal how we can know and love Him as our Blessed Redeemer and Merciful Savior.

We become His offspring, and like newborn babes, we yearn for more of His presence and a greater level of intimacy with Him. Christ in us is our ever-increasing hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) Our “good” works, which were ”filthy rags” before coming to Christ, now follow us as we express our gratitude for God’s grace and mercy extended toward us. (cf., Isaiah 64:6, Ephesians 2:10)

Jesus is our all and all, in whom we live, move, and have our being. (Acts 17:28) In Him, we can find true joy, peace, complete satisfaction, and eternal fulfillment. Won’t you give the Lord your heart today and experience “all things new?”

What a Wonderful Savior!

For October 30, 2022
In John 8:36 (NLT), Jesus tells us, “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free!” The Born Again experience frees us from sin’s dominion. In this condition, the Lord can teach us how to subdue our carnal thoughts, intents, and desires so that we cause no harm to others and us,

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)

Because God’s holiness mandates ours, we join Him in the process of our spiritual and moral character development through sanctification, which is both active and passive.

It is passive as God uses His Holy Spirit to complete His good work within us. (Philippians 1:6) He shapes us into Christ’s moral and spiritual image by revealing to us things pertaining to Jesus Christ and solid Christian living while imparting God’s holiness within our hearts, as this author observes,

There is no holiness in any human heart until the Holy Spirit produces it. Implanted in regeneration and developed in sanctification … He renovates the soul, purifies it, and prepares it for heaven.¹

Another author frames the Spirit’s work this way,

The Spirit also sustains relations to us, and performs offices which none but a person can sustain or perform. He is our teacher, sanctifier, comforter, and guide. He governs every believer who is led by the Spirit, and the whole church. He calls, as he called Barnabas and Saul, to the work of the ministry, or to some special field of labor. Pastors or bishops are made overseers by the Holy Ghost.²

The Holy Spirit also illuminates the Bible to us so that we can understand God’s plan for us individually. He serves as God’s “seal” to guarantee our eternal salvation, and He helps us to pray when our words cannot express our burdens to God adequately. In addition, He supplies us with the spiritual gifts, abilities, comfort, and strength we need to complete our Christian pilgrimage successfully.

Our sanctification becomes active when we surrender to the Lord daily by forming and performing the ascetic habits of Bible study, prayer, regular corporate worship, fellowship with other believers, financial giving (tithes and offerings), and Christian service that enhance our spiritual and moral vitality.

Over time, we learn to practice characteristics that resemble His holiness consistently, while casting off those problematic traits and habits that resemble this evil world.

We will never become perfect in this life. But as we grow spiritually, we can learn how to replace our desires for the visible, temporal, and earthly with a yearning for the godly, unseen, and eternal as the Scriptures admonish us,

While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (Corinthians 4:8-10, 16-18)

Also,

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:12-17 (NLT)

Now spiritually alive, we commit to being His abundant living, spiritually transformed, and graciously redeemed sons and daughters, who are “more than conquerors” and can “do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens us.” (Romans 8:37, Philippians 4:13)

Just as Jesus surrendered to the will of His Father, we too can yield to God’s will by putting on His holy image, as this author further explains,

Sanctification… is a precious reality, involving holiness of heart, which leads to holiness of life. It has its origin in regeneration, for regeneration is the beginning of holiness in the soul… Now, while regeneration implants the germ of holiness in the heart, sanctification is the unfolding of that germ. This being the case, it follows that regeneration and sanctification are essentially the same in nature, and may be regarded as two parts of the moral process by which depraved man is restored to the image of God.³

The will of God is our sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3), which allows us to grow “in favor with God and humanity” as did our Lord according to Luke 2:52.

It is possible to acquire God’s wonderful character in our process of moral and spiritual growth. Won’t you give your heart and life to Jesus Christ today, so that you can grow to become like Him, and thus please God fully?

What a Wonderful Savior!

For September 25, 2022
Faith is a mystery that is essential to a redeeming fellowship with God. Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) tells us that faith is the “substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,” while Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) teaches,

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him

The Lord wants us to have an unwavering confidence that He will never leave or forsake us and that He will always intervene for us in ways that will promote our best interest,

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

The Father of the Faith, Abraham waited twenty-five years before God fulfilled His promise that Sarah will have a son, Isaac. He depended on the unseen and unrealized, and God rewarded him in due time, as Romans 4:18-22 (NIV) tells us,

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Jesus challenges us to be fully persuaded about trusting Him although no person living today was present during His life, ministry, death, and resurrection two-thousand years ago.

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29 (NIV)

Faith in the unseen is difficult to grasp for a capricious post-modern world. Yet, our Lord wants us to trust Him without wavering,

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. James 1:6-8 (NIV)

Living, a vibrant faith in God is possible when we are confident that He will do exactly what He promised to do. We can abide in the steadfast promises so that we can experience His eternal peace and fulfillment fully.

God is holy, and we are sin-tainted. His response to sin is judgment (wrath). Thus, we are “children of wrath,” who are racing towards a fiery Hell where the worms never die, and the fire burns forever. Yet our God, rich in mercy, intervened by washing away our sins, making us righteous, and restoring our lost fellowship.

A sinless Jesus Christ shed pristine blood to satisfy God’s righteousness and remediate our sin problem forever. By our faith in Christ, we can experience His perfect plan for our salvation,

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16-17 (NJKV)

To receive the Lord’s blessed reward, we must have a tenacious faith and courage to trust God, even when we cannot see the outcome. We can be fully persuaded today, knowing that Christ completed God’s will for our redemption, and He will provide positive outcomes for His precious children. Won’t you trust Lord today and experience His perfect will that can transform your life?

What a Wonderful Savior!

For September 18, 2022
A typical human responses to conflict is to fight, flight, or avoid (suppress). However, Jesus Christ instituted a higher standard that we as Christians are to follow,

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:10-12 (NKJV)

Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior lived a life that fulfilled God’s Law and introduced faith principles that both separate and distinguish His Followers from the world. They also answer these five essential questions,

1. 1. How unshakable is my faith in Jesus Christ?
   2. How important is my relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and my love for God?
   3. Since I have accepted Christ as my Savior, have I made Him my life’s priority?
   4. Am I willing to surrender all my worldly pursuits and possessions to Him?
   5. Am I willing to obey God’s Word (the Bible), and use it as the standard governing my life?

Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek when challenged and not to resist evil. We also go the extra mile, extend ourselves to those in need, love our enemies, and forgive “seventy times seven” even if the offending person does not ask for forgiveness. (cf., Matthew 5:38-48; 6:14-15, 18:21-22) Instead of retaliation, we trust the Lord for justice, since vengeance is His, and He will repay. (Romans 12:19)

Jesus Christ is our supreme role model for expressing these remarkable characteristics our broken world deems as “abnormal.” As the “Body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27), we function at various levels of similitude because of our vastly different levels of spiritual growth. We do not have His innate moral and spiritual perfection, for if we were perfect, we’d have no need for Him as our Savior.

The Book of Acts offers a snapshot of the Christian Church’s formation through the evangelistic work of the Apostles and other First Century Christians. Even the most casual reader must acknowledge the global spiritual, moral, social, and historical impact they made under the Lord’s authority,

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV)

Acts begins with the Lord instructing His Followers to wait in Jerusalem until they receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. Then, it tells how, on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended on them while they were in the upper room, praying in one accord, and waiting for God’s manifestation to appear.

All at once, they proclaimed the message of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life under the Holy Spirit’s power with great boldness, conviction, and courage. Almost overnight, the Gospel or “Good News” of Jesus Christ spread from Jerusalem to every remote corner of the world.

Miraculous signs and wonders followed these Spirit-powered men and women as they shared how they encountered the living Christ individually. His tomb was empty; He was no longer dead, but alive and seated at the right hand of God. Their message “turned the world upside down.” (Acts 17:6)

They encountered severe backlash, as they became a threat to established faith groups and the Roman government. When challenged today, we often become combatant and organize a protest campaign, but not so with these First Century Followers of Christ. As the world ridiculed, criticized, persecuted, imprisoned, condemned, and martyred them, the Christian movement or The Way continued to grow exponentially and flourish spiritually. (cf., Acts 9:2; 22:4)

People noticed how Jesus Christ was with them and that He gave them an unnatural response to hostility (my emphasis),

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)

Further,

So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. (Acts 5:41)

They didn’t evade pressure, run from conflict, hide from their persecutors, or conform to the secular societal demands their enemies had imposed on them. They understood that our battle is not against physical foes, it’s against sinister spiritual ones. (cf., John 18:36, 1 Corinthians 10:3-6, Ephesians 6:10-18) Therefore, they welcomed trials and rejoiced through them, knowing that although we are in the world, we are not of it. As our Master suffered, we too must suffer, just as He forewarned,

If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. John 15:18-20 (NKJV)

They resolved to endure all things for their Savior. Standing firm in their convictions, they continued their normal, day-to-day activities by preaching, teaching, and living out their faith in Christ. Each day they grew more resolute for Christ, fully persuaded that whatever the outcome—good or bad—He was with them, and He was preparing a glorious Heavenly home for them as well. His shed blood and physical resurrection, along with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, made their eternal destiny certain.

This is the core of our compelling Christian witness: Jesus Christ has given us the victory over sin and death,

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33 (NKJV)

Also,

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 (NKJV)

While we tarry in this sin-broken world, we will not triumph over all the conflicts we face. Yet, our Lord will never to leave or forsake us, even in difficult and uncertain times, and whatever trial we face, He will not let us suffer more than we can bear. Instead, He makes the way of escape so we can endure it. (cf., Deuteronomy 31:8, Psalm 23:4, 1 Corinthians 10:12-13)

The Spirit of our living, reigning Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who subjected Himself to every human affliction and overcame, abides within us, and He gives us the ability to rejoice or glory, Greek kauchaomai (Strong-G2744)¹, in our tribulations.

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) Won’t you give Him your heart today so that you can experience His victory over sin and death?

What a Wonderful Savior!