Category: Uncategorized

July 19, 2019
A prevalent misconception links size and scope with the Lord’s association. Perhaps this derives from our interpretation of Scriptures like Ephesians 3:20 (KJV): “Exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,” and Deuteronomy 28:13 (KJV): “The head and not the tail” depicting God’s bountiful grace and providence towards His people.

Linking material prosperity with God is problematic since His Word offers a very different view of His intervention that is independent of our feelings and circumstances. For example, the Lord Jesus taught the meek will inherit the earth. He also acknowledged and praised a poor widow for giving all she had, and He promised there will always be the poor.¹

A similar theme can be found in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (NIV):

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

During that morally and spiritually bankrupt time in ancient Israel’s history, near the end of Ahab and Jezebel’s evil reign, God’s prophet Elijah confronted Ahab and the 450 false prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18. There, the Lord demonstrated His power to consume the water-soaked, evening sacrifice with fire from Heaven after the false prophets and their god failed to consume that same sacrifice.

Yet in 1 Kings 22, the Lord used a lesser-known prophet to declare the exact day of Ahab’s death.²

Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, formed an alliance with Ahab to defeat the Syrians at Ramoth Gilead. Before engaging in battle, Jehoshaphat asked King Ahab for the Lord’s counsel, so the prophet Micaiah was summoned.

Imagine the spectacle as this one man stood alone among the pomp and splendor of two great kings seated on thrones in their regal glory surrounded by hundreds of false prophets who were predicting a resounding victory at Ramoth Gilead.

It would have been easy for Micaiah to follow the crowd and repeat the same false assurance his contemporaries were declaring. He did not, however. Instead, he declared one simple message: King Ahab will die in battle! A few hours later, King Ahab died in battle just as the man of God predicted—even though Ahab changed clothes with Jehoshaphat in an attempt to disguise himself from the enemy.

As Christians, we should never consider ourselves to be mistakes or afterthoughts. We are special and unique persons designed to fulfill the Lord’s perfect, eternal purpose. He created us with all our complexity, to function according to His perfect will.

Our Lord can and will use anyone, even those considered “small or insignificant” to accomplish a great work that will honor Him and benefit others and ourselves. All He wants is our willing and obedient hearts.

We are small yet large!

 

For July 12, 2019
Intimate, loving fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ—especially now, before His glorious return—is of critical importance. Yet it is often overlooked, as there are many who will define fellowship with the Lord within the context of our service performed. This is problematic, because how much we do to help others in need or to point others to Christ do not constitute fellowship.

It’s easy to get caught up in the “stuff doing” routine and lose sight of the relationship the Lord desires for us and offers us freely. Like Martha, as presented in Luke 10:38-42, we can become so focused on the “doing for” Jesus that we miss the “being with” Jesus; the opportunity to sit at His feet, and to feast on His words, as did Mary and others who were privileged to be with the Lord on that marvelous day.

What we do for the Lord reflects the inner work His Holy Spirit is perfecting in us. In this proper context, works rightly serve as the thermometer to reveal our spiritual fervor towards and our growth in the Lord. Since we cannot return to the First Century during the time of Jesus, we pray, read, study, and memorize God’s Word (the Bible), fast, and attend regular worship services to maintain and enhance our fellowship with the Lord.

The Lord wants us to love Him first and foremost.³ But, the Apostle John illustrates how the Lord expresses His pure, self-less, eternal love towards us in 1 John 4:7-10 (NLT):

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

It is comforting to know our fellowship with the Lord is not contingent upon our performance. It is contingent upon His all-encompassing performance on our behalf that reconciles us to Him forever.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord prayed to have “this cup pass”⁴ and to be excused from the cruel death awaiting Him on Calvary’s Cross in a few hours. Nevertheless, His desire to redeem us prevailed as He when on to pray: “Not my will but yours be done!” Thus, beaten, humiliated, disgraced, and mocked, our Lord loved us enough to die for our sins.

Ironically, Jesus foreknew about His death and suffering long before it happened. Yet created His executioners, the hill on which He was crucified, the trees used to make the wooden cross, and the metal ore used to make the spikes that fastened Him to the cross when He created the heavens and earth along with everything in it in the beginning.

Moreover, He died for us although He was innocent of all the charges leveled against Him. Even Pilate, the Roman Procurator over the province of Judea at the time of Jesus stated repeatedly in His defense: “I find no fault in Him.” Yet He was crucified.⁵

Matthew 26:53 tells us the Lord could have commanded legions of angels to destroy His captors and accusers. Instead, He chose to pay our sin debt and restore the fellowship that was lost by the disobedience of our ancestors: Adam and Eve as presented in Genesis 3.

Then He rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven where, at the right hand of God, He continues intercede for us. Hebrews 12:2 (KJV) sheds light on the importance of our looking to Jesus in light of His redeeming, efficacious work:

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Ever concerned for our spiritual welfare and security, He provides us with His precious Holy Spirit to guarantee our spiritual success as we await His glorious return.

A hundred lifetimes of our “good works” will not begin to compare with one instant of the Lord’s perfect work for us. The Lord Jesus Christ left His deity and glory to redeem us, not based on what we could do for Him, but because of the glorious and eternal fellowship He desires for us.

It is amazing how the Lord offers His loving fellowship to everyone everywhere—even to those who choose not to believe in Him just as John 3:16-17 (KJV) states emphatically:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

We are no longer without hope, because God’s love expressed through Jesus Christ lifts us from the depths of despair and raises us to the lofty heights of His love and fellowship forever. Although He is not obligated, The Lord continues to do more than we could ever imagine—just because.

What a wonderful Savior!

 

For July 6, 2019
Although Psalm 136:1 (KJV) reminds us: “O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy endures for ever,” yet we often take His goodness and mercy for granted. Luke 17 illustrates this phenomenon, where the Lord healed ten men who were lepers while passing through Samaria and Galilee. Yet only one returned to thank Him!

We can give thanks unto the Lord for many things today. I am grateful to live in a country He has blessed in many marvelous ways—often taken for granted: to worship freely, to express our opinions without censorship, to elect our representation, to travel without restraint when and where we want, and to enjoy goods and services that enhance our overall standard of living.

Beyond these blessings, the Lord continues to show His goodness and mercy by sustaining our overall quality of life. In other words, He lovingly and mercifully provides us with common, critical events and activities each moment: that breath you just received from Him; the beating of your heart that sustains your life; the ability to think; to speak; to move; etc.

Even more than these acts of goodness and mercy, we can give thanks unto the Lord for His eternal spiritual and moral workings He chose and perfected for us—while we were yet sinners. Here, the Lord Jesus Christ expressed His goodness and mercy by reconciling us to God through His death and resurrection.

Then He provides all we need to experience an abundant, fulfilling life in this world along with an eternal, glorious life in the next. We do not have to work for His reconciling work. We can receive it freely by putting our faith in Him alone.

“Forgiven and free” aptly describes our new relationship with the Lord. Without Him, we are utterly hopeless with hardship now and eternal torment later. We have ultimate victory just as our Lord declares in John 8:36 (NASB):

So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

Truly, when we consider all that the Lord has done and is doing for us, we can give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy endures forever. What a wonderful Savior!

For June 22, 2019
Matthew Chapter Four tells how after John the Baptist baptized him, our Lord Jesus Christ went into the wilderness and fasted forty days. There the Enemy met him with a challenge to transform rocks into bread to satisfy His ravenous hunger. The Enemy also challenged the Lord by showing Him “all the glory” of the kingdoms of the world, and offering them; with the provision  He bows down and worships him. Succumbing in both instances would have meant a renouncing of His divine calling as our Redeemer to fulfill a selfish want, need, or desire.

Parenthetically, it is unfortunate how so many people choose to worship the “god of this world” even today as men and women, both young and old, “sell their souls” to obtain wealth, fame, and/or power.⁶ Although, the Lord—the Creator and Possessor of all world has to offer—was challenged to follow a similar path, He resisted the temptation to do so. We are forever grateful He prioritized our redemption over His self-gratification. Hallelujah!

Undaunted, the Enemy tried another strategy by misquoting a section of a Bible passage depicting the Lord’s watchful care over His children using unforgettably stunning imagery:

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.” Psalm 91 (NLT)

In His reply, the Lord cited Deuteronomy 6:16 to remind the Enemy that God is never to be tempted (by the misuse of Scripture).⁷

Our God is to be loved and obeyed because we are always in His care; even to the extent that He maintains a full inventory of each follicle of hair on our heads⁸, we are assured of His bountiful mercy and faithfulness forever.

This does not mean that we have carte blanche and get everything we want. But, it does mean He always has a better perspective and will do what is best in every situation. His is a better view because His thoughts are infinite, transcendent and flawless. His perspective is loving and omniscient. With goodness and mercy, He acts in our best interest. The Lord gives “good gifts” to those who ask in harmony with His will, which is best for all concerned.

In Matthew 7:11, Jesus teaches how parents instinctively give good gifts to their children, and yet our Heavenly Father surpasses our capacity to give. He provides us with the things that accomplish His perfect will when we ask with a sincere, humble, reverent, selfless, confident, and Christ-honoring disposition. When we seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, we can find true peace, comfort, joy, along with the satisfaction that He will meet our needs as well.⁹

God has always desired to have a loving, eternal relationship with us. Through Adam, we lost that relationship, but Jesus Christ has restored it by His death and resurrection. Through faith in Him, we can experience His love, forgiveness, and restoration. Now as a result, His Holy Spirit comes to live inside us to watch over and provide for us while the Lord dispatches His angels to guard us from all danger as well.

We are certain to experience some form of adversity in this life. And as did the three Hebrew Boys presented in Daniel 3, we too may find ourselves in a “fiery furnace.” During those perilous moments, we may experience strong feelings of doubt and fear, which may cause us to doubt the Lord’s presence and/or His faithfulness towards us.

Nevertheless, He has not abandoned us. He remains with us; faithfully providing the extraordinary “measure of grace” allowing us to “count it all joy,” knowing our final reward is not on earth—it is in Heaven! In other words, hardships are not indicators of the Lord’s desertion, nor do they negate His abundant love, grace, and mercy. As Romans 8 tells us, nothing can separate us from His love,¹⁰ and He causes “all things” to work together for our good.¹¹ Amen!

Our human suffering is a reminder of the presence of sin in our world, which contrasts the magnificent splendor of His glorious Kingdom. There, all memory of toil and suffering will be obliterated by our first glimpse of the Lord in His majestic splendor.

Because He has promised to be with us—through adversity as well as through success—unto the end in Matthew 28:20, we can be sure our Lord, Savior, Creator, and Sustainer shall keep us safe and keep His promises.

What a wonderful Savior!

 

For June 15, 2019
Jerusalem is located approximately 2,500 feet above sea level. In antiquity, travelers would lift their eyes unto the hills as they neared Jerusalem or “Mount Zion,” as Psalm 121 (KJV) attests:

I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.

The Jerusalem Temple represented the Lord’s earthly abode. Association with Him guaranteed shalom (peace), protection and providence.  Thus, the Psalmist asks and answers the central question: “Where does my help come?”  “From the LORD, who made Heaven and Earth!”

For the People of God, looking up evokes great anticipation and comfort because:

• • The Lord is the omnipotent and omnipresent Creator of Heaven and Earth.
  • The Lord is our solid foundation who will not be shaken by our adversity.
  • The Lord is the Keeper who preserves His people forever.
  • The Lord never sleeps while keeping His people secure.

We Christians “lift our eyes” to the cross of Jesus Christ. Because there He reconciled us to God and purchased our eternal peace, protection, and providence:

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3:14-18 (NIV)

In 1913 George Bennard, noted for his work with the Salvation Army and the Methodist Episcopal Church, had an experience that made him look at the cross of Jesus in light of Philippians 3:10: “fellowship of His suffering.”¹² From that experience, he wrote a very popular hymn that raises Jesus’ cross from a trivial religious symbol to the very heart of the Gospel for so many of us today:

The Old Rugged Cross

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame; And I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain.

On that old rugged cross, so despised by the world, Has a wondrous attraction for me; For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above To bear it to dark Calvary.

In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, A wondrous beauty I see; For ‘twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died To pardon and sanctify me.

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true, its shame and reproach gladly bear; Then He’ll call me someday to my home far away, where His glory forever I’ll share.

Chorus:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown.

Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV) reads:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Keep looking up!