Jesus' Best Day!

Jesus' Resurrection and appearance to His followers removed all doubt that He was truly the Messiah they had long-awaited! He only stayed around 40 days before ascending to His Father, always apparently appearing to believers -- not to Pilate (the governor of Judea who sentenced Jesus) --  not to Herod (the Roman ruler of Palestine) -- not to Emperor Tiberius -- but only to those who already believed in Him.

The period between the Resurrection and the Ascension was just an interlude....

From Philip Yancy's book "The Jesus I Never Knew" --

"If Easter Sunday was the most exciting day of the disciples' lives, for Jesus it was probably the Day of Ascension.

He, the Creator, who had descended so far and given up so much, was now heading home.

Like a soldier returning across the ocean from a long and bloody war... Like an astronaut, shedding his spacesuit to gulp the familiar atmosphere of earth... Home at last!

Jesus' prayer at the Last Supper reveals what He was feeling: 'I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do. And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began.'

Before the world began!

Like an old man reminiscing -- no, like an ageless God reminiscing -- Jesus let His mind wonder back to a time  before the Milky Way and Andromeda.

On an earthly night dark with fear and menace, Jesus was making preparation to return home, to assume again the glory He had set aside."

                              His best, most exciting day!

Give Him All - C S Lewis

From C S Lewis...

"Christ says, 'Give Me all.  

I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. 

No half-measures are any good. I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there. I want to have the whole tree cut down. I don't want to drill the tooth or crown it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires you think are innocent, as well as the ones you think are wicked -- the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. 

In fact, I will give you Myself! My own will shall become yours.'"

                                   **********

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; all things have passed away; behold all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I remember once reading that someone asked William Booth, the famous evangelist and founder of The Salvation Army, what was the secret of his great successful international ministry that so exalted God's glory. He answered, "God has all of me."

God's Makeover

From C S Lewis --

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house.

At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you know that those jobs need doing and so you are not surprised.

But presently He starts knocking the house about in such a way that hurts abominably and does not seem  to make sense.

What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here and putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards.

You thought you were going to make it into a decent little cottage, but He is building a palace.

He intends to come and live in it Himself."

 

Don't Worry About Tomorrow

 Matthew 6:34 --

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for today is its own trouble."

Max Lucado --

"The key is this: meet today's problems with today's strength. Don't start tackling tomorrow's problems until tomorrow. You do not have tomorrow's strength yet. You simply have enough for today."

Psalm 5

 "Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for unto Thee will I pray, My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up" (Psalm 5:1-3 KJV).

What a wonderful song! David sang these words and worshipped his God!

And when he prayed, he "looked up". In expectation? I think so.

The best way to start this day? This is how I did it --

I asked my magical music box to play and sing these words...just ask for the Maranatha Singers to sing Psalm 5....It is a perfect way to face all before us today...some of what we anticipate and some of which will surprise us! Listen to the words and sink deeply into God's love!

And look up!

How to Live in the End Times

Thoughtful words from Jonathan Cahn --

  According to biblical prophecy, the end times will be marked by the increase of evil, but also by the outpouring of God's Spirit. It will be marked by both great good and great evil. 

Thus the end-time believers must aspire not only to goodness, but to greatness. 

They must seek to become great in faith, great in love, great in righteousness, great in prayer, great in purity, great in worship, great in zeal, great in hope, great in goodness and great in God.

      The end times will not only be marked by great evil but great good.

      As evil moves from bad to worse, the righteous must move from                goodness to greatness.

                               ****************

[Are we there yet? I think it's about time we were getting ready!]

Fixing What's Broken

 Everything looks so broken now...seems beyond repair! Such wreckage everywhere ...politics, people, families. 

We caused it ourselves through our own disobedience to our Father, our stupid selfishness, our poor thoughtless choices. 

Remember what Aaron said to Moses when he came down from the mountain with God's Law in his hands and encountered the Hebrews in their acts of idolatry? Aaron said, "I told you these people were prone to evil!"

Looks like nothing has changed. But in spite of the wreckage and ruin we have caused through our sin, God's promise of ultimate restoration still stands.

In Revelation 21 we read about Jesus at His Throne saying, "Behold, I am making all things new!"

How we yearn for that day.

It is coming!

In the meantime we have the unique privilege of partnering with God -- co-workers with the Almighty Creator -- in the beginning of that renewal of creation...starting today. We can help mend what is broken, promote what is good, restore what is missing, and lead the challenge to resist evil. 

We can work on that today! And that means we are partnering with God in bringing His Kingdom to earth. We are helping to answer Jesus' prayer, "Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done. On earth, as it is in heaven." 

Then when  Jesus comes back as the rightful Sovereign King of all creation, His Kingdom will arrive in its ultimate eternal glory!

As we spread the gospel we are recruiting His subjects all over the earth!

A King needs territory and subjects. And we are His subjects and our hearts are His territory.

Until then, we can help get ready for that day! We can start the process!

God's Masterpiece

 "For we are God's handiwork [masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10).

Certainly one of the most amazing verses in scripture! We are saved by grace, not by our good works -- but we are saved so we can do God's good works and glorify Him!

We are here for a reason. So we can do the  service He designed specifically for us to do and bring glory to Him.

(Remember the Westminster Catechism -- Q: What is the chief end of man? A: The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever)

Otherwise He would have just beamed us up immediately the moment He saved us!

(Sort of like what happened to the repentant thief on the cross! Wow...imagine the relief...from the torture of the cross to the unspeakable splendor of paradise!)

Though, I admit, there are times being beamed up immediately sounds like  good option!

Pour Out Your Heart!

"Trust in Him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart to Him. God is a refuge for us" (Psalm 62:8).

"Every once in a while we just need to cry it out. Our heavenly Father is always there, watching and waiting for the opportunity to hold His children. His love is freely given and knows no bounds when it comes to those who seek Him for sanctuary."  Cindy Boyd

He is there - waiting to give comfort...and courage....

The prophet Zephaniah understood it. He know God as his loving Father, holding His child, quieting him and bringing him rest and peace during times of anxiety. As soon as we cry out, He is there -- already there -- watching over us as a parent watches over His beloved child.

"The LORD, your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you in His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)

It's All About Jesus!

 "For in Him  all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers, rulers, or authorities, all things have been created through Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16).

Jesus is the goal of all things. All creation  and all history have been fashioned with Christ in mind, for they achieve their intended purpose through Him and exist for Him. All of life and all creation draw their meaning only from Jesus Christ. That includes us!

It's amazing - the hands that hold history are nail--scarred; the heart from which history beats is love-filled; and the mind that plans history is grace-filled!

And He holds US in His nail-scarred hands!

In face of radical evil we must be radically good!

 I'm still thinking about Jonathan Cahn's words about how we should live for Christ in these evil times:

  "An apostate civilization will depart from the Word. The righteous must do the opposite and hold to the Word all the more strongly.

  An apostate culture bends the Word or the truth to conform to its ways. The righteous must bend their ways to conform to the Word."

In modern America there is a war against God's Word being waged now by attempting to marginalize it, re- and mis- interpreting it, belittling and denigrating it, ignoring it, ridiculing its historical and authentic accuracy, and in general denying its importance. 

The farther a culture departs from God, the more it undermines and suppresses His Word. But also the more the culture ignores God's Word, the more it needs the unadulterated Word of God for its very survival!

So, as Cahn says, we must read it, treasure it, store it in our hearts, share it, proclaim it, act upon it, live by it and make our lives conform to it! We must never dilute it or soften it.

We must treat the Word of God as the  true bread of our lives, partake of it every day. We must remember that before the world was created, the Word was already here and will be when the world is gone. The Word is more powerful than the world. It is the voice of our Almighty God and we are accountable to Him for our obedience to it!

The world tries to bend the Word to conform to the way they want to live. We must change our lives to conform to the Word.

Yes, the more radically evil the world becomes, the more radically good we must become.

We do have a choice!

 

If we feel we are being bombarded daily with messages contrary to God's Word (and we are) -- we can choose to bombard ourselves with messages from God's Word -- words that bring us closer to Him!

We can focus on words that fill our minds and hearts with His specific messages for us.

Philippians 4:8 tells us how to do that: "Whatever is true...noble...right...pure...admirable...excellent...praiseworthy...think about those things."

So just as we carefully choose to eat to nourish our bodies, we must also be intentional about what we consume spiritually and mentally.

It's all about our free choice! We must seek out what is noble and right and pure and praiseworthy. We must align our actions with God's righteous standard.

It is our choice. Let's choose to dwell on things that bring us closer to God and experience the abundant life that Christ offers us.

It's our choice -- good choices become good habits!

A sample -- Lamentations 3

"Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning -- great is Your faithfulness."

There are hundreds more -- why not start a journal and write one down every day? Therefore we have hope....

What Makes America Great?

What has made America so great?

A question that has tormented the world for over 200 years.

In the 1830's the French government sent their acclaimed political thinker and historian, Alexis de Tocqueville, to examine the progress Americans had made in the 50 years since their revolution. 

France's revolution had deteriorated into a blood bath, a nightmare of executions and suffering,  political anarchy, and had lost all pretense of freedom and democracy for the people.

But the US had flourished and enjoyed unprecedented success, growing in wealth and democratic advances each year.

De Tocqueville marveled at what he saw happening here. He couldn't find enough ways to express his words of praise for what Americans had accomplished, producing on his return to France, his now-classic two-volume work, "Democracy in America."

Documents about the US are replete with de Tocqueville quotes. Here is one often quoted by leaders like Eisenhower, Reagan and Clinton. It sums up what de Tocqueville found in the US and spoke of often:

"Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great."

There is also the obvious historical conclusion: The French revolution was started and supported by atheists and agnostics who did not believe in God nor recognize His sovereignty and their accountability to Him.

 The American revolution was the product of believers in the Judeo-Christian worldview that recognized the importance of righteousness pleasing to God and His sovereign rule, the establishment of His kingdom on earth, and our accountability to Him. God created mankind to reflect His image. The exact opposite of the founders of the French revolution!

PS Remember FDR's D-Day prayer? "We know that by Thy grace, and the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph..."

And our national anthem..."Then conquer we must when our cause it is just...and this be our motto, 'In God is our trust'....

We were not (and are not) perfect, but striving to be better stewards of what God has blessed us with...

 

How Dark is the Darkness?

 

These are dark days.

Evil is called good and good is called evil. It feels like we've gone down Alice's 'rabbit hole'. Nothing is determined to be consistently true.

The New Testament asks us, "How should we live in these days?"

Here's Jonathan Cahn's answer:

   "Believers are called to respond to the darkness of their age by becoming the antithesis, its counterforce [opposite].

The believer who lives in an age of heresy must become a counterforce of faithfulness to God's Word. In a culture of immorality, a counterforce of purity and moral virtues. Those who live in a godless culture must become the counterforce of God's presence. And those who live in a culture of radical evil must become radically good..."

Living in darkness requires that we shine more brightly.

In the face of a radically evil society like ours, we must become radically good!

And in a godless society we must always display God in our lives - showing those around us that there is a God and He is always here - He is Immanuel....we are to be His eyes and heart and hands and mind...We are to show Him to the world!

We are to display the presence of God in our lives -- all the time!  Making Him visible!

The more radically evil the world around us - the more radically good we must become!

FDR and D-Day

                                              June 6, 1944 -- D-Day..

Today is the 80th anniversary of D-Day. 

My mother remembered that day most of her life. What she recalled especially was FDR in a radio broadcast praying for our soldiers that day. She reminded us of that prayer often.

Within  11 months the war in Europe was over. Hitler was dead. FDR was dead. Truman was President and the horrors of the Nazi concentration (death) camps for Jews were being exposed and documented.

And the war in Asia was nearing its end.

Here are some words from FDR's prayer broadcast that day -- 80 years ago today.

He began, "In this poignant hour, I ask you to join me in prayer.

Almighty God, 

Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and true, with steadfastness in their faith They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again and we know that by Thy grace and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph..."

(We still refer to these brave men as 'The greatest generation'!)

Today, the 80th anniversary of that crucial day, is another great day to remember to pray for our nation....

The Wisest Decision

What was the message the LORD gave His prophet Zechariah to announce to His people?  

The LORD told him: "You must say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of Hosts: Return to Me, declares the LORD of Hosts, and I will return to you'" (Zechariah 1:2-3).

There is an astonishing truth here. God's people, after pledging themselves to follow Him, to honor and glorify Him, to love Him above all else, rejected and scorned Him!

But instead of punishing them and destroying them, He graciously offers to restore them to a loving relationship with Him -- forgiving forever their sin!

It's an incredible and gracious offer!

In verse 6 we see that the people accepted this offer -- a very wise decision.

Our God is the same today...AND THE OFFER STILL STANDS!

Focus on 1 John 1:9 -- "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

That brings us back into a full relationship with Him....no walls between us, no barriers to keep us away. Forgiven of ALL unrighteousness!

Have you accepted the offer?

It would be a very wise decision...it's for forever...

You can begin right now!

As they used to say, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life."

And it can be the first day of your forever life...

Need Some New Clothes?

Tired of your old wardrobe?  Consider these words from Colossians 3 -- 

"Now you must also rid yourselves of all such things are these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language...do not lie to each other since you have taken off your old self with its sinful practices, and have put on your new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of the Creator...Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, and patience. Bear with one another and forgive one another.

  Forgive as He forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

   So, first, we have to take off the old clothes and then we have to put on the new (after all, we can't wear two outfits at once!).

  So let's change wardrobes today. Take off the old sinful habits and put on the new clothes God has given you.

Yes! Today! Right now!

(And don't forget to clean out the closet)

Is Forgetfulness a Sin?

 "The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle. They did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by His law. They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them" (Psalm 78:9-11).

The men of Ephraim (the northern tribes) adopted idolatry and rejected their true God. They were conquered by the Assyrians, deported, and sent into exile and servitude. Their problem? Spiritual forgetfulness!

We Christians can also suffer the consequences of forgetting God's faithfulness. Peter warns us about this...'Forgetting that we have been cleansed from our past sins' (2 Peter 1:9).

How could we forget? The massive sin problem that Christ took care of on the cross? 

But God can no more forget us than a nursing mother could forget her baby, Isaiah tells us. And even if she did, He never will! (Isaiah 49:15).

Remembering who He is and what He has done is the key to trusting God!

Lord,

I worry because I forget Your wisdom.

I resent because I forget Your mercy.

I envy because I forget Your beauty.

I sin because I forget Your holiness.

I fear because I forget Your sovereignty.

You always remember me. Help me to always remember You.

Amen