December 30, 2015

Deuteronomy 33:25-27 (Modern King James Version)

(All scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated.)

It’s hard to fathom that the year is over – only one more full day before 2016 starts!  What will the new year hold?  And how about the years, months, weeks, and days following this next year?  What blessings will we receive?  What challenges will we face?  It seems like the changing of the calendar from December to January always causes reflection on Facing The Future.  At least it does for me.  And I suspect it does for you also.

Thank God for His Word!  One thing I have learned over almost 50 years of being a Christian is that any challenge in life is addressed in some way in the Bible – by direct instruction, command, example (negative as well as positive), illustration, inference, etc.  Sometimes the answer you are seeking is neatly contained in one passage.  Often you must search a topic throughout the Bible, bringing together several passages to get the clear picture.

Deuteronomy 33:25 through 27 (Modern King James Version) certainly is not the only Scripture that speaks about Facing The Future as we live this earthly life.  But it quite succinctly addresses our questions, uncertainties, and fears!

      Your shoes shall be iron and bronze.  And as your days, so shall your
      strength be.  There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the
      heavens to your help, and in His majesty on the clouds.  The eternal
      God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.  And He
      shall throw the enemy out from before you, and shall say, Destroy!

•      Deuteronomy 33:25 – “Your shoes shall be iron and bronze.”  The Hebrew word for shoes is translated 6 times in the 17 versions I checked as shoes or sandals.  Eleven times it is translated gates, bolts, or bars.  I like shoes because the Israelites had just come through 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.  And, as Moses reminded them in Deuteronomy 29:5 (International Standard Version):  “…neither your clothes nor your shoes have worn out.”  God had given them, as it were, shoes of iron and bronze!  And God will give us what we need when we need it! (See Philippians 4:19).

•      Deuteronomy 33:25 – “And as your days, so shall your strength be.”  I love this verse, and have depended on it many times.  I have shared it with others over the years, especially when they are facing trials.  Basically, this says God will give us the strength to match that through which we are to go!

This phrase also reminds me of what is written in Isaiah 41:10 and 43:1 through 3:

      Fear not; for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will
      strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right
      hand….Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name
      you are Mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and
      through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.  When you walk through
      the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.  For I am
      the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior….

When ‘IT’ happens, whatever ‘IT’ is, God will give us whatever it takes to get us through – including (and especially) His own powerful presence!

Corrie ten Boom was a great Dutch Christian woman who spent ten months in Ravensbruk concentration camp for helping Jews escape Hitler’s purge.  When she was six years old, she visited a neighbor who had just lost an infant to death.  She saw the baby laid out, cold and still.

      That night she could neither eat nor sleep.  “I need you!  You can’t die!  You
      can’t,” she cried out as her father entered her room to say good night.  Calmly,
      he sat on the edge of her bed and asked, “Corrie, when you and I go to Amster-
      dam — when do I give you the ticket?”  Sniffing, she replied, “Why, just before
      we get on the train.”  “Exactly,” her father continued.  “And our wise Father
      in heaven knows when we are going to need things, too.  Don’t run ahead of Him,
      Corrie.  When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into
      your heart and find the strength you need — just in time.” (From Experiencing
      Heaven by Sarabeth Brown).

So, take heart!  The shoes you wear by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are iron and bronze!  The strength you need to face your days will be given to you just in time – not too early, and never too late!

December 28, 2015

Matthew 2:16

(All scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated.)

My daughter has six boys, ages 9 years down to six months – all adopted!  She often has the care of her grandson also – our great grandson – who is four. His mom is a Navy vet going to college full time on the GI Bill.  So you can imagine that our daughter’s home life is rather hectic!  But since they do not live too far away, our home is often in disarray – the result of regular visits by the boys!

On Christmas morning, we made the trek to our daughter’s home for the annual event of opening Christmas presents, followed by breakfast.  But after seven little boys exuberantly open their gifts, the living room is a major mess!  So we all pitch in and attend to the matter of Cleaning Up After Christmas!

King Herod tried to Clean Up After Christmas too!  It says in Matthew 2:1 and 2, “…wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’ ”  Herod was insanely jealous of his position as king of the Jews, and so he sought to correct the problem – as recorded in Matthew 2:16:

      Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was ex-
      ceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children
      who were in Bethlehem and all its districts, from two years old and under,
      according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

Herod was Cleaning Up After Christmas by trying to get rid of the very reason there is a Christmas!  He tried to get rid of Jesus Christ!  Of course, we would never do anything like that!  I mean, kill baby boys?  Try to kill Jesus?  No way!

But folks, don’t be too hasty to dismiss the sinful condition of human beings!  Let’s build a Biblical case for our dilemma as God sees it:

•      Paul wrote in Romans 3:10 and 23, “There is none righteous, no , not one…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  How far short have we fallen from God’s glory?…

•      The apostle, quoting Psalm 14:1 through 3 in Romans 3:11 and 12, says, “There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God.  They have all gone out of the way; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.”

•      And in Colossians 1:21 he tells us, “…you…were alienated and enemies [of God] in your minds by wicked words….”

•      Jeremiah nailed it in Jeremiah 17:9 by saying, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? ”

But also, as part of the passage in Colosssians 1 quoted above, it is written in verses 20 through 22:  Christ “…made peace through the blood of His cross….[although] You… alienated and enemies…now He has reconciled [you] in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and irreproachable in His sight….”

What has this got to do with Herod trying to Clean Up After Christmas and kill Jesus Christ?  It it written in John 3:19 through 21:

      And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and
      men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For
      everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest
      his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light,
      that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.

There are only two choices you can make when confronted with the claims of Jesus Christ:

•      You come to the Light, confessing and repenting of your sins, and accepting Jesus as your Savior.  Or…

•      You hate the Light and try to get away from its revealing brilliance.

And there are two things you can try to do if you have chosen the second option:

•      You can flee from the Light – which is useless because, as it says in Hebrew 4:13, “There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”  Or…

•      You can try to destroy the Light, as Herod tried to do – and as so many others have tried to do over the centuries – but all have failed!

So do not fight the Light of the Lord Jesus Christ!  And do not run from Him!  Instead, let Him do the Cleaning Up After Christmas – cleansing away your sins (see Isaiah 1:18; I John 1:7) and giving you the best Christmas gift ever – eternal and abundant life in Himself! (See John 3:16; 10:10; Galatians 5:22, 23).

December 25, 2015

Isaiah 9:6, 7

(All scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated.)

The Scripture for our Christmas day blog is one of the greatest Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming Messiah – Isaiah 9:6 and 7:

      For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government
      will be upon His shoulder.  And His name will be called Wonderful, Coun-
      selor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase
      of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of
      David, and over His kingdom, to order it, and establish it with judgment
      and justice from that time forward, even forever.  The zeal of the LORD
      of hosts will perform this.

The Infinite Infant – how can a newborn human infant be at the same time infinite?  Our Scripture in verse 6 definitely includes both ideas:

•      “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given….” I once read a tract by a Catholic society – I can’t remember the name of the group – that said something like this:

      The Child Jesus was not born into the world the way ordinary people are born. 
      He just passed through the wall of Mary’s womb, the flesh of her belly, and ap-
      peared in the world.

But it says concerning Jesus in Hebrews 2:14 and 17:  “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same….  Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren….”  And in Hebrews 4:15 it is written that He experienced all that we, as human beings, could ever experience!  It reminds me of the opening two lines of a 1974 folk rock song by Harry Chapin called Cat’s In The Cradle.  “My child arrived just the other day. He came to the world in the usual way.”  And Jesus came into the world in the usual way also!  He was a fully human infant, born the usual way after nine months in the womb of Mary!  But He was also God…

•      “And His name will be called…Mighty God, Everlasting Father….”  All the names given in verse 6 are amazing!  There are four or five titles here, depending on if Wonderful, Counselor is considered one or two.  But these two especially – Mighty God and Everlasting Father – I have chosen to feature speak of His infinite nature!  As Paul wrote in Colossians 2:9:  “For in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily…” – even in the tiny body of an infant!  Yes, Jesus Christ was and is infinite!

But it is written three times in the Bible – in Psalm 2:7, Acts 13:33, and Hebrews 1:5 (the Father speaking) – “You are My Son, today I have begotten You.”  It sounds like the Son had a beginning.  And if He did, He could not be infinite!  But Paul clears this up in Colossians 1:18 where he says, “…He is…the beginning, the firstborn from the dead….”  Jesus is the first to be resurrected from death to a glorious eternal body perfectly adapted for spiritual living!  And we will someday have the same! (See I Corinthians 15:49; I John 3:2).

Jesus told His listeners in John 8:58, “…before Abraham was, I AM.”  Abraham lived about 2,000 years before Christ was born.  Before that, He is still I AM!  I AM is the name by which God revealed Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14.  The note page, “THE NAME OF THE LORD” in The New Open Bible says this:  “‘I AM’ and ‘LORD’ are both probably derived from the Hebrew verb ‘to be’ (hayah) because God is the ever-present One, ‘the Eternal’ ”  So Jesus, saying that He is I AM, is identifying Himself as the Eternal One! (See also John 6:35, 48, 51; 8:12; 8:24, 28; 9:5; 10:7, 9; 10:10, 11; 11:25; 13:19; 14:6; 15:1, 5; 18:5, 6, 8; Revelation 1:8, 11, 17; 21:6; 22:13).

How can it be?  How can a tiny infant contain the infinite God?  Jesus told the Samaritan woman in John 4:24, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  The Lord said to His disciples after He appeared in the upper room in Luke 24:39:  “…a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”  A spirit does not have physical qualities as do human beings!  So God – in all His fulness – can indeed be contained in a tiny infant born in Bethlehem!  And God – in all His fulness – can indeed be contained in the human spirit of every believing human being! (See Ephesians 1:23).

This is the miracle of Christmas – The Infinite Infant!  This is the One who – by His death and resurrection – procured salvation and eternal life for us all!  Open your heart and life to Him!

December 23, 2015

Micah 5:2

(All scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated.)

It seems like quite an obvious question – Where Was Jesus Born?  The Bible tells us in more than one place that it was Bethlehem:

•      The prophecy of it is in Micah 5:2 (King James Version) – “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

Twice this verse identifies the location of Bethlehem.  It says this little town is located in the tribal allotment of Judah.  Ephratah means fruitfulness, and Bethlehem means house of bread – so it is the fruitful house of bread!  The designation, Bethlehem Ephratah differentiates this town from another town to the north – in Galilee – named Bethlehem.  So this prophecy – more than 700 years before Christ was born – is very specific!

•      The fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy encompasses the second and third references.  It is found first in Matthew 2:1, where it says, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem….”

The third reference is just four verses later.  Herod received the wise men and inquired of them whom they were seeking. It then says in verse 4 that “…he gathered all the [Jewish] chief priests and scribes…together, [and] he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.”  Their answer is in verses 5 and 6:  “In Bethlehem of Judea….”  And they proceeded to quote Micah’s prophecy:  “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.”

•      The forth reference we will look at is in Luke 2:4 – concerning Joseph having to go to his ancestral town to be registered for a decreed Roman census.  “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David.”

•      The last reference considered is found in John 7:42.  Some of the Jews who were interacting with Jesus thought the Lord had been born in Galilee, because He was becoming known as “…Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” (Matthew 21:11).  So they questioned the possibility of Him being the Christ, saying, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee?  Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was? ”

All this to say that it is indisputable, according to Scripture, that the answer to the question, Where Was Jesus Born? – is Bethlehem!

But this is not the most important birthplace of the Lord Jesus Christ!  For it says in John 1:12:

      But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children
      of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor
      of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

It is called in John 3:3, 5 & 7; and I Peter 1:23 being born again.  But being born again is actually the event where – by the Holy Spirit – Jesus Christ is birthed in your human spirit!  Paul refers to this when he wrote to the Galatian church in Galatians 4:19:  “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you….”  And in Colossians 1:27 he writes, “…Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  Just as the Holy Spirit conceived divinity in the womb of Mary, so He also conceives within us that same divine nature of Christ!  Paul says Jesus is “…all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” (Colossians 2:9).  And Peter reminds us in II Peter 1:3 and 4, “…that through…the knowledge of Him…[and His] exceedingly great and precious promises…you may be partakers of the divine nature…” – the very nature of God birthed in you!

So when we ask the question, Where Was Jesus Born? – the most important place in which He could be born is inside you!  Have you been born again?  Has He been born in your spirit by His Holy Spirit?  And is His life then living through you so He can be seen in all you do, say and think?

This Christmas season, seriously consider this question:  Where Was Jesus Born?  Your eternal destiny depends on it!

December 21, 2015

Matthew 2:9-12

(All scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated.)

Let’s continue with the wise men going Home Another Way.  The scripture is Matthew 2:9 through 12:

      When…[the wise men] heard the king [Herod], they departed; and be-
      hold, the star which they had seen in the east went before them, till it
      came and stood over where the young Child was.  When they saw the
      star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.  And when they had come
      into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell
      down, and worshiped Him.  And when they had opened their treasures,
      they presented gifts to Him:  gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Then, being
      divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they
      departed for their own country another way.

What Way did they go Home?  We don’t know the route they took coming to Jerusalem – and then Bethlehem – or the route they took going home.  If they were from Babylon, they probably arrived by following long-established trade routes northwest up the Euphrates River and then south to Jerusalem.  But it says in verse 12, that they went Home Another Way:  “…being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.”  The another way was probably a short route from Bethlehem in a different direction, soon accessing the traditional trade route – the way they arrived.

But let’s explore a different meaning of Home Another Way:

•      In our last blog, we discussed how these magi probably found in the Jewish sacred texts the prophecy of Balaam in Numbers 24:17:  “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel….”  This ancient prophecy links a Star and a Scepter – the Scepter being the symbol of authority for the One who is God’s choice to rule the world!

And when they arrived at King Herod’s palace in Jerusalem, we are told in Matthew 2:2, the wise men asked, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? ”  They must have read other prophecies such as Psalm 2:6 through 12; Isaiah 9:6 & 7 and Zechariah 9:9 & 10 to know the King of the Jews had been born!

The point is this:  It takes God-given faith to believe – to even comprehend – the Scriptures!  As it says in I Corinthians 2:14 (God’s Word to the Nations):  “A person who isn’t spiritual doesn’t accept the teachings of God’s Spirit.  He thinks they’re nonsense.  He can’t understand them because a person must be spiritual to evaluate them.”  God was obviously working in their lives and giving them spiritual understanding!

•      The magi also told Herod in Matthew 2:2, “…we have…come to worship Him…[this One] born King of the Jews….”  And in Matthew 2:11 it is written, “And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshiped Him.”

But worship of anyone or anything other than God Almighty is forbidden in Scripture! (See Exodus 20:3-5; Leviticus 26:1; Matthew 4:10).  And did not Paul write this related truth in I Corinthians 12:3? “…no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.”

In bowing down and worshiping the Child Jesus, the wise men were acting upon their God-induced faith in the Messiah/King!  They were, in effect, calling Him Lord!  So if they came with any doubts about their journey to find the King of the Jews, they left changed by their successful quest!  They truly went Home Another Way!

Do you need to go Home Another Way?  Have you been trying to find your way in life, but have run into dead ends?  Then try what the wise men did – “…they…fell down, and worshiped…” Jesus Christ! He is “…the way, the truth and the life…” (John 10:10)!  And He can produce in your life – as He has in many others – “…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.” (Galatians 5:22, 23 – Lexham English Bible).  You will find no other who will lead you home!

This Christmas, follow the wise men!

December 18, 2015

Matthew 2:9-12

(All scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated.)

The last blog was from the Scripture that tells of the wise men visiting the Christ Child – Matthew 2:1 and 2.  This blog will be about that visit and then the trip home.  Here is Matthew 2:9 through 12:

      When…[the wise men] heard the king [Herod], they departed; and be-
      hold, the star which they had seen in the east went before them, till it
      came and stood over where the young Child was.  When they saw the
      star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.  And when they had come
      into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell
      down, and worshiped Him.  And when they had opened their treasures,
      they presented gifts to Him:  gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Then, being
      divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they
      departed for their own country another way.

First, let’s clear up some misconceptions that have become Christmas traditions:

•      These were not three kings!  They were Magi – wise men who were court advisors and counselors to the king – probably from Babylon.  They were trained in many disciplines including astronomy and astrology, and believed that significant world events were accompanied by signs in the heavenly bodies.  And it does not say there were three of them!  They just brought three types of gifts, “gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

•      They did not come to the stable to see the new-born Jesus.  It says in verse 11 of our Scripture, “…when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother….”  Also, King Herod had found out from the wise men that the guiding star they were following had appeared two years before.  How do we know it was two years?  Because it is recorded in Matthew 2:16 that…

      …Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceed-
      ingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who
      were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under,
      according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

Also, in Luke 2:22 and 24 it is written:

      Now when the days of…[Mary’s] purification according to the law of
      Moses were completed, they brought…[Jesus] to Jerusalem to present
      Him to the Lord…and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in
      the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

According to Leviticus 12:2 through 8, the parents of a newborn were to offer a lamb for sacrifice – if they could afford it.  Verse 8 says, “And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons — one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering.”  This was to be six week after the birth of a son! (See Leviticus 12:3, 4).  If the wise men had come with their rich gifts to the stable on the night Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph would have had the means to offer the more expensive sacrifice of a lamb!

•      The wise men did not blindly follow the star of Bethlehem!  Six hundred years before, the first Jewish prisoners of King Nebuchadnezzar – the elite of Jewish society – were deported to Babylon, about 800 miles to the east.  Daniel was one of them.  He rose to be a court counselor and advisor to the king – a magi – even the chief of all Babylon’s magi! (See Daniel chapters 1, 2, 6).

When these pious Jews went as prisoners to Babylon, they carried with them the sacred writings of Scripture.  In those Scriptures was the prophecy of Balaam in Numbers 24:17 through 19 (Modern King James Version):

      I shall see him, but not now.  I shall behold him, but not near.  There shall
      come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall
      strike the corners of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult.  And Edom
      shall be a possession.  Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies.  And
      Israel shall do valiantly.  Out of Jacob shall come He who shall have do-
      minion and shall destroy him who remains of the city.

This powerful prophesy, and others like it (see Genesis 49:10; Isaiah 9:6, 7; Zechariah 9:9, 10), combine to tell of the birth of a powerful King who will rule the world and be the Savior of mankind!  But especially Balaam’s prophecy (quoted above) link a Star and a Scepter…out of Israel!

Since Jerusalem was the capital of Israel – where the King would naturally be – the wise men showed up at King Herod’s palace, “…saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’ ”

We haven’t even gotten to Home Another Way yet!  We will continue on Monday.

December 16, 2015

Matthew 2:1, 2

(All scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated.)

Christmas is only nine days away!  So I am going to blog for this and the next four blogs on Christmas themes.  This one is called How Did He Get Over There?

A little girl was listening to the Christmas story involving the wise men from Matthew 2:1 through 12.  Here are verses 1 and 2:

      Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod
      the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,
      “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen
      His star in the east, and have come to worship Him.”

She asked her mom “Where is Bethlehem? ”  So mom explained it was a long way off on the other side of the world.  The little girl thought about that for a bit.  And then she asked, “How did He get over there? ”

I love this story and the little girl’s second query, because it suggests that she knew without a doubt that Jesus was with her here!  So how could He be over there?  Which leads to a question that has very much to do with Christmas:  “Do you know, Christian, that Jesus is with you here and now? ”

This also involves some other facts concerning our faith:

•      Jesus Christ came for all of us!  There are some who say He only came, lived, died and rose again for the elect – those who become saved. – and it is called Limited Atonement.  But I will point to a couple of verses that I believe prove otherwise.  The first is from I Timothy 4:10:  “…we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.”  Consider also II Corinthians 5:14 and 15 (Contemporary English Version):  “We are certain that if one person died for everyone else, then all of us have died.  And Christ did die for all of us.”  So He came for those over there in Bethlehem as well as those in Pittsburgh – and every other place!

•      Our Lord is alive!  We are told in Romans 6:9 and 10:

      …Christ having been raised from the dead dies no more.  Death no longer
      has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once
      for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

By the way, did you catch the phrase in verse 10?  “…He died to sin once for all…” – more proof of Unlimited Atonement!

But back to Our Lord is alive!  Hebrews 7:25 plainly states, “…He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.”

•      Through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us (see John 14:17; Romans 8:11; I Corinthians 3:16), He is present in everyone!  More than that, one of God’s attributes is being Omnipresent – everywhere at once – including with us!  It is best described in Psalm 139:7 through 12:

      Where can I go from Your Spirit?  Or where can I flee from Your pre-
      sence?  If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell,
      behold, You are there.  If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in
      the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and
      Your right hand shall hold me.  If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall
      on me,” even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness
      shall not hide from You, but the darkness shines as the day; the dark-
      ness and the light are both alike to You.

But consider again the little girl’s question – How Did He Get Over There?  It implies that His presence was so real to her right where she was, so how can Jesus be anywhere else – especially way over in Bethlehem on the other side of the world?

Is His presence that real to you?

I practice touch – especially when I make a visit to someone who is experiencing sickness and trouble.  I often hold their hand as we talk.  I was talking to a woman in the hospital who was going to have a serious operation the next day.  I asked her, “Are you frightened?  ” She responded, “Yes.”  So I said, “If it was Jesus sitting here holding your hand instead of me, would you be scared? ”  She quickly answered, “No, I wouldn’t.”  So I asked, “Do you remember what the Lord said – Hebrews 13:5 and Matthew 28:20? – ‘ I will never leave you or forsake you….I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’  Why are you scared? ”

Is Jesus’ presence so real to you that it seems He could not be anywhere else?  Think about it!

December 14, 2015

Isaiah 30:21

(All scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated.)

Christopher Sterling and John Kitross wrote a book called Stay Tuned – A History of American Broadcasting.  I remember hearing an announcer on radio tell the listening audience before a commercial break, “Stay tuned…,” especially if they wanted to hear more about a news item just mentioned or more of a current show.  The Urban Dictionary explains “Stay tuned ” this way:

      On old dial-tuned AM radios before there were even preset buttons, it was a
      non-trivial task to tune into a particular station.  So radio news announcers
      would tell their audience to stay tuned to the station if they were expecting
      more info on the current story.

Other catch phrases I remember from being a four year old with his ear glued to the big livingroom radio – before the days of TV in our house! – listening to exciting shows like The Lone Ranger – “Don’t touch that dial!” and “Same time, same station!”

But lets stick with Stay Tuned…! and see how we might apply it to our Christian lives.  Stay Tuned…! brings to my mind a verse written almost 2,800 years ago, from Isaiah 30:21:  “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right hand, and whenever you turn to the left.”

First let me say that I love this verse!  In its context it applies mainly to the millennial kingdom when Israel will be the focal point of all the earth because Jesus is reigning as King from Jerusalem!  But it also has application for Christians today, and I depend on this truth to help me walk according to God’s will and way.

Elijah had just won a powerful confrontation on Mount Carmel with “…the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah….” (I Kings 18:19 – read the whole episode in I Kings 18:19-46).  But being threatened by Queen Jezebel in I Kings 29:2, Elijah ran – all the way Mount Horeb (Mount Sinai) where he hid in a cave (see I Kings 19:3-9).  After pulling a confession from the prophet in II Kings 19:9 and 10, God told him in verse 11, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.”  Here is what happened next in I Kings 19:11 and 12:

      And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into
      the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD.  But the
      LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, the LORD
      was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, the LORD was
      not in the fire; and after the fire a still, small voice.

It is the still, small voice of God that we so often miss as we walk through this life!  And it is that still, small voice to which Isaiah is referring in our featured Scripture!  And a still, small voice is easy to miss – unless we are in tune and Stay Tuned… with the Lord!

So how do we Stay Tuned… with the Lord?  Elijah’s experience gives us some answers:

•      He knew the Scriptures!  In I Kings 18:30 through 32 it says:

      …he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.  And Elijah
      took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of
      Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Israel shall
      be your name.”  Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of
      the LORD….

Elijah did this exactly as the Israelites had interpreted what God had said centuries before! (See Exodus 20:25; 24:4; Joshua 4:1-9, 20).

He also demanded that the proper offering be used and at the proper time – the evening offering – in this test with the 850 prophets:  “…let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood….” (I Kings 18:23 – see Exodus 28:39, 41; 29:36).

•      He was obedient!  He testified in his prayer to God in I Kings 18:36:

      LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that
      You are God in Israel, and that I am Your servant, and that I have done
      all these things at Your word.

Elijah’s loyalty and obedience to God has given him the place of the greatest prophet in the Old Testament!

•      When he became discouraged – yes, like the rest of us – He confessed to God, “It is enough!  Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” (I Kings 19:4 – see also I Kings 19:10, 14).

But he was willing to be corrected by the LORD! (See I Kings 19:18).

•      He was also willing to be replaced (by Elisha) when God told him it was time! (See I Kings 19:15-21).

If you heed these points in your Christian life – know the Scriptures, be obedient, confess to God, be sensitive to God’s timing – you also will be ready to “…hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right hand, and whenever you turn to the left.”  So Stay Tuned…!

December 11, 2015

Romans 12:1-3

(All scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated.)

Let’s see if we can finish up our series today on Overcoming The Head Start of the world in our lives.  Our scripture is Romans 12:1-3:

      I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you pre-
      sent your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your
      reasonable service.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be trans-
      formed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that
      good and acceptable and perfect will of God.  For I say through the grace
      given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more
      highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to
      everyone a measure of faith.

We have covered four points from Romans 12:2: First – “…present…our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is…our reasonable service;” second – “…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed…;” third – “…by the renewing of your mind…;” and fourth – “…prove [discern in order to do] that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Now lets look at verse three, which is a warning to those of us who think we have got the first two verses down pat!  And apparently, such thinking is a common problems both in Paul’s day and ours!  The apostle says, “For I say through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you….”

What’s the warning?  I put it in the second person to have it more directly apply to us – Do “…not…think of...[your]self more highly than…[you] ought to think, but…think soberly, as God has dealt to everyone a measure of faith.”  Apparently, Paul knows that everyone of us can struggle with the issue of pride.  He confessed the same propensity in II Corinthians 12:7:  “…lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations [given to me]….”  Paul seems to have had a problem with pride sneaking in!  After all, he tells us in Galatians 1:14, he “…advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” (See also II Corinthians 11:22-28; 12:1-6; Philippians 3:4-6).  He had a lot of which to be proud!  But he reminds us in I Corinthians 1:31, and again in II Corinthians 10:17:  “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” (See also Jeremiah 9:24).

Let’s look at the extended Scripture from I Corinthians 1 – verses 26 through 31 – in which Paul expands on this subject:

      For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not
      many mighty, not many noble, are called.  But God has chosen the foolish
      things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak
      things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and base
      things of the world and things which are despised God has chosen, and
      things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh
      should glory in His presence.  But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who
      became for us wisdom from God — and righteousness and sanctification
      and redemption — that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in
      the Lord.”

So we are identified in this passage as not wise, not mighty, not noble, base, foolish, despised and nothing!  Not very flattering, is it?  In God’s eyes, we don’t have much to brag about!

So how should we think in light of this?  We must think “…soberly, as God has dealt to everyone a measure of faith.”  Sober thinking is the opposite of intoxicated or confused thinking.  God has given each one of us who have put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, “…a measure of faith.”  Going back to the Word of God renewing our minds (see blogs III and IV of this series), remember – it is the Word that strengthens our faith, according to Romans 10:17!  The result of such strengthened faith is to know and understand the mind of Christ and to “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus….” (Philippians 2:5).  In other words, think with the mind of Christ! (See I Corinthians 2:16).  Let Him think through you and direct you! You are to simply obey!

Let’s summarize Overcoming The Head Start of the world as it tries to “…squeeze you into its own mold…” (Romans 12:2 – The New Testament in Modern English by J. B. Phillips).

•      “…present…our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is…our reasonable service.” – reasonable because of what God has done for us (covered by Paul in the first 11 chapters of Romans).

•      “…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed….” – the positive and the negative of what we are to do.

•      “…by the renewing of your mind….”  It is the Word of God that renews our minds!  So we must get into our Bible, and stay in it!

•      “…prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  Prove or discern God’s will by His Word and then determine to do it!

•      Do “…not…think of…[your]self more highly than…[you] ought to think, but…think soberly, as God has dealt to everyone a measure of faith.”

Now go and be a Silky Sullivan (see the first blog in this series from December 2).  The world may have a big head start but, with God’s help, you can overcome it and win for Him!

By the way, a peacock for an associated photo at the beginning of this blog?  Haven’t you ever heard the saying, “As proud as a peacock“?  In this case, Don’t be as proud as a peacock!

December 9, 2015

Romans 12:1-3

(All scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated.)

Let’s go over Romans 12:1-3 again:

      I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you pre-
      sent your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your
      reasonable service.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be trans-
      formed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that
      good and acceptable and perfect will of God.  For I say through the grace
      given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more
      highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to
      everyone a measure of faith.

This Scripture shows us how we are to be Overcoming The Head Start of the world in our lives as it tries to conform you, or “… squeeze you into its own mold…” (Romans 12:2 – The New Testament in Modern English by J. B. Phillips).

We have covered three points from Romans 12:2:

•      “…present…our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is…our reasonable service.” – reasonable because of what God has done for us (covered by Paul in the first 11 chapters of Romans).

•      “…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed….” – the positive and the negative of what we are to do.

•      “…by the renewing of your mind….” It is the Word of God that renews our minds!  So we must get into our Bible, and stay in it!

The next part of verse two tells us that we are to “…prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  Now there are two ways to go about this – a positive way and a negative way!  The will of God will be done!  The question is, will we cooperate with His will, or fight it?  I refer to a blog I wrote April 29, 2013 called The Most Important Prayer A Christian Can Pray.  In it, I said this:

      We want what we want!  Never mind what God wants!  This selfishness lies at
      the root of all sin!  And dying to one’s self is sincerely praying what Jesus cried
      out to the Father in the garden, “…nevertheless not my will, but Yours, be done.” 
      “It doesn’t matter what I want, Lord.  What do You want?  Tell me and I will do
      it!”

The negative way is saying, “Never mind what God wants! This is what I want!”  This way invites pain and suffering into our lives, because – with or without our cooperation, His will will be done!

Saul of Tarsus found this out the hard way.  He zealously tried to stamp out anything that smacked of Jesus Christ (see Acts 9:1, 2).  But in Acts 9:3 through 5, Jesus literally knocked him to the ground!  And the Lord told Saul, “…why are you persecuting Me?  …It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”  A goad was a sharp-pointed stick which was used to get a stubborn animal (ox, donkey, etc.) moving.  Can you imagine the pain – the damage to yourself – caused by kicking against a sharp-pointed stick?!  Since God will not be thwarted in His purpose, we cause ourselves trouble and pain when we fight against His will!

But there is a positive way.  It is written in Psalm 37:4 and 5:  “Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.”  If I align myself to Him and His revealed will, then His will becomes my delight – what I want to do!  And guess what?  It is no problem at all to do something we take delight in and want to do anyway!

So Paul tells us in verse 2 or our Scripture to “…prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  Prove:  the Greek word means to test or by implication, approve.  It is translated also as allow, discern, and examine.  What the apostle is saying is that we are to discern God’s will by studying the Scriptures, and align our will up with His!

And we will find that His will is to “…not be conformed to this world, but [to] be transformed by the renewing of your mind….”  We will also find practical ways to accomplish this, such as:

•      Luke 6:38 – “Give, and it will be given to you….”

•      Luke 18:1 (Jubilee Bible) – “…it behooves us always to pray and not faint….”

•      II Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers….”

•      Philippians 4:8 – “…whatever things are true, whatever things noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things.”

•      II Timothy 2:15 (1899 Douay-Rheims Bible) – “Carefully study to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

•      Hebrews 10:25 – “…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as you see the Day approaching.”

So walk close to the Lord, daily learning more of His will through His Word.  Give yourself to Him and He will give you back your life full and running over! (See John 10:10).