Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Nothing can stop it!

The bright Morning Star
Heralds the advent of dawn
Nothing can stop it

The early morning sky these days is crystal clear. I find myself staring at the Morning Star and finding new meaning in its position.

Right now the horizon is just beginning to lighten, with shades of mauve and golden moving upward into the sky. (As Emily Dickinson says about the sunrise: 'a ribbon at a time.')

The Morning Star is still visible though and will be until dawn makes it glorious appearance.

A favorite childhood hymn comes to mind:

Near the cross, a trembling soul,
Love and mercy found me
There a Bright and Morning Star
Shed its beams around me.

To the church at Thyatira, John records God's message --to him who overcomes I will give the morning star. And at the end of The Revelation we see Christ Himself saying ...I am the bright Morning Star.

He is coming and He will herald the New Day of Creation.

And nothing will stop it!

An old hymn:

I was a seeker for light in a dark world
I looked for truth, but settled for lies
I had been blinded, I couldn't see
Till the Star of Bethlehem's sky opened my eyes.


I have seen the Light shining in the darkness
Bursting through the shadows, delivering the dawn
I have seen the Light whose holy name is Jesus
His kingdom is forever. He reigns on Heaven's throne!


It's the Morning Star that announces the coming of dawn.


It's Jesus Himself who will bring in the new day.

And nothing will stop it!

Even so, come quickly! Lord Jesus.

Isaiah 60:22: I am the LORD; in its time I will do this swiftly."

Saturday, June 25, 2022

He Spoke for Himself (US)


It is a story that is hard to believe - that the Omnipotent God, Creator and Sovereign Ruler of the Universe, would come to earth in the body of a human being, live a life of perfect righteousness and obedience, suffer a cruel death -- all to redeem His fallen and disobedient unworthy creatures and save them forever.

I know it's hard to believe.

That's why most people don't believe it.

To millions (billions?) of people it is the most outlandish claim possible.

"God would never do such a thing. Not a real God.
Maybe a make-believe God (on the other hand, who would make up such an outlandish story?) but not a real God," people say to me.

"My God is just too great to do such a thing," a friend told me.


I tried to explain -- that's exactly why He did it - because He is so great!


Wonder if you loved a woman, I asked my friend -- really loved her, wanted to be with her forever -- would you go yourself and tell her, or would you send her a message -- an email or text, or send a friend to tell her.

Of course not! You would go yourself.

God did that. He sent His prophets and His messages, but when it came time to really show His love, He came Himself!

God displays the greatness of His love, not by staying far from us, but by coming directly to us.

There's a great tale from the early Puritan days of America that reflects this.


We all learned it as children.


Henry Wadsworth Longfellow recorded it in verse in
The Courtship of Miles Standish.



     Romantic love was important to the Puritans.

     Miles Standish, the military leader of the Plymouth colony, loved Priscilla Mullins.  He was not good with words and had difficulty expressing himself.

     His dear young friend, John Alden, was a thoughtful and clever writer.

     John was good with words and passionate, and so Miles asked him to go to Priscilla and make his case. To tell her that he loved her and wanted to marry  her.

     The problem was that John also loved Priscilla. But loyal to his dear friend, he went to Priscilla to deliver the love message.

     As he approached the little cabin where Priscilla sat spinning, he could hear her singing. He gathered flowers into a bouquet and listened for a few moments.

(Remember what she was singing? Longfellow tells us it was Psalm 100!)

     He went to the door and greeted her, shared some random conversation and then gave her his important message from Miles Standish, explaining that Captain Standish was very busy and wanted John to deliver his heart-felt desire for her.

     Her answer?

       "Has he not time for such things, as you call it,
     before he is married, would he be likely to
     find it, or make it, after the wedding?

       "That is the way with you men; you don't
     understand us, you cannot.

       "....When one is truly in love, one not only
     says it, but shows it....

       "...Why don't you speak for yourself, John Alden?"


So Priscilla Mullins married John Alden -


If Miles had come himself, Longfellow indicates, the tale would have had a different ending.


When John Alden came to visit Priscilla, he heard her singing Psalm 100 -- a real favorite of the Puritans.

Here are the words of another  hymn - one sung by the early Christians in Philippi -- recorded by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:6-11--

     (5) Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

     Who, being in the very nature God,
     did not consider equality with God something
     to be grasped
     But made Himself nothing,
     Taking the very nature of a servant,
     Being made in human likeness
     And being found in appearance as a man,
     He humbled Himself and became obedient
     to death--even death on a cross!
     Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place
           And gave Him the name that is
     above every name
     That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
     in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
     and every tongue confess that
     Jesus Christ is Lord,
     To the glory of God the Father.
Because of His greatness and His all-consuming love, He came Himself! He didn't send angels or videos -

God spoke for Himself!




PS Wouldn't be great if we knew the tunes the early Christians used to sing their hymns?



Friday, June 24, 2022

Mid-way to Christmas!


Six months from today is Christmas  - the happiest, most glorious time of the year!

I think I "Need a little Christmas now!"

Yes, right now!

I am putting on my Christmas music and singing loudly - and remembering that old wonderful Christmas carol, "What Child is this?"




Remember that 2nd verse:


 Why lies Him here in such mean estate
Where ox and ass are feeding
Good Christians fear:
For sinners, here, the silent Word is pleading.

I had two thoughts:

(1) the glorious fact of our rescue plan...

designed by God before the creation of the world...

described to mankind at the beginning of history...

reminded to mankind continually throughout history....

revealed to mankind in the incarnation of Jesus Christ the Word....

explained to mankind through the
written record of the New Testament...

and finally, totally, accomplished through the coronation of Jesus Christ as Lord of all.

Then "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord." (Philippians 2)

When Mary laid Him there in that manger, when the shepherds came to worship, when Joseph stood by to protect Him, in that tiny Body God's grace was already being worked out.

(2) God loves to surprise us!

Think of it!  The Creator--God--King arriving in Bethlehem of Judea in a stable! Who would ever make up a story like that!
And then in the last days John sees the throne of God and the elders call, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed."

And what does he see: "Then I saw a Lamb, looking as it it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne" (Revelation 5).

Not a fearful mighty Lion, but a wounded Lamb....the Lamb that was slain from the beginning of the world (Revelation 13).

God's amazing rescue plan -- wrapped in a surprise package -- and so we can now begin to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!

May the awe and wonder of Christmas astonish us every day!

Thursday, June 23, 2022

Quoteworthy - Godly answer from an ungodly scientist


Godly answer from an ungodly scientist...


This quote from Robert Jastrow, astronomer and physicist, founder and director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and self-described
agnostic. He died in 2008. But these words will live on for future generations:


For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountain of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

The Problem for Agnostics...Tim Warner

Agnostics - What Kind of God Would You Want?



The question that ought to be asked by someone questioning God's existence is this: What kind of evidence would the God portrayed in the Bible give?

He is presented in Scripture as a God who desires a personal relationship with those whom He created in His own image.

Logically, we should expect the evidence to be the kind of evidence that engenders us to trust Him in a personal relationship. And trust is based on a consistent record -- faithfulness in keeping one's word.

When we look in Scripture we see a  long record of God's interaction with a select group of people [individually and collectively] -- the nation that sprang from the loins of Abraham through Sarah.

And that nation exists today.

It is not difficult to judge whether God's claims about that nation are true, whether Israel's history bears out God's making good on His promises and threats, and whether Israel's modern history is consistent with what God has said.

This historical record is spread over four thousand years. It gives us a very good body of evidence to assess this God and decide whether He deserves our trust or whether He is the figment of a collective consciousness. Israel has survived all these centuries against incredible odds, just as God promised.

Yet she has suffered in exile also, just as He threatened.

She has never had, and will never have, peace and permanent possession of the land until she acknowledges her Messiah Jesus.

Forty years before the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple, Jesus warned,






"If you have known, even you, especially in your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you, and close you in one every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation. (Luke 19:42-44).
Jesus' prophecy was fulfilled to the letter, when Titus and the Roman armies leveled Jerusalem and the Temple. And He predicted that "Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (Luke 21:24).

That has indeed been the state of Jerusalem ever since.

           ---From The Mystery of the Mazzaroth, by Tim Warner



The Bible presents convincing evidence that the God portrayed in its pages is faithful to His Word.

Friday, June 17, 2022

The Joy of the Lord - Where does it come from?


                 A favorite verse - The Joy of the Lord is my Strength!


It's from Nehemiah,  chapter 8. It's a popular verse - and the context in which we find it is even more remarkable.

Here's the rest of the story....

The Hebrews who had returned to Jerusalem from  their Babylonian (and then Persian) captivity in the 6th century BC, began to rebuild their temple which lay in ruins. They started with the altar, but were distracted by other building projects and were challenged by local enemies.  

Ezra, a priest and a "scribe skilled in the law," heard of the problems being faced by his kinsmen and desired to see the matters corrected and the temple finished.

He set out with a large caravan of more returning exiles and arrived in Jerusalem to start the work again.The people were eager to obey God and resume His worship.
They asked Ezra to bring out his copy of the Law of Moses and read it to them. They built a high wooden platform for him to stand on while he read. 

"All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people sood up. Ezra praised the LORD, the great God, and all the people lifted their hands and responded, 'Amen! Amen!' 

Then they bowed down and worshipped the LORD...the Levites instructed the people in the Law while they were standing there. They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so the people could understand what was being read.

Then Nehemiah and Ezra and the Levites said to them all, 'This day is holy to the LORD our God. Do not mourn or weep' for all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

Nehemiah said, 'Go and enjoy choice good and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. They went away to eat and drink and celebrate with great joy, because now they understood the words that had been made known to them.'"

They had joy because they understood God's Word! Understanding God's Word give us joy and makes us strong!

Stop and read Nehemiah 8...and see how His Word does this for us!


 



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Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Charles Spurgeon - The Winter in My Soul - Even in June

You have made summer and winter.
Psalm 74:17


My soul, begin this wintry month with God.

The cold snows and the piercing winds all remind you that He keeps His covenant with day and night and serve to assure you that He will also keep that glorious covenant that He has made with you in the person of Christ Jesus.

He who is true to His Word  in the revolutions of the seasons of this poor sin-polluted world will not prove unfaithful in His dealings with His own well-beloved Son.

Winter in the soul is be no means a comfortable season, and if it is upon you just now, it will be very painful to you: but there is this comfort, namely, that the Lord makes it.

He sends the sharp blast of adversity to nip the buds of expectation. He scatters the frozen dew like ashes over the once fresh green meadows of our joy.

He dispenses His icy morsels, freezing the streams of our delight.

He does it all; He is the great Winter King and rules in the realms of frost, and therefore you cannot murmur.

Losses, crosses, heaviness, sickness, poverty, and a thousand other ills are of the Lord's sending and come to us with wise design.

Frosts kill harmful insects and restrain raging diseases; they break up the clods and sweeten the soul.

O that such results would always follow our winters of affliction!

How we prize the fire just now!  How pleasant is its cheerful glow!

Let us in the same manner prize our Lord, who is the constant source of warmth and comfort in every time of trouble.

Let us draw near to Him, and in Him find joy and peace in believing.

Let us wrap ourselves in the warm garments of His promises, and keep working, unlike the lazy man who refuses to plow because it is too cold; in the summer he will have nothing and will be forced to beg for breed.


---- From Morning and Evening, by Charles Spurgeon

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

We Reap What We Sow



Meantime I seek no sympathies, nor need;

The thorns which I have reaped are of the tree
I planted -- they have torn me, -- and I bleed.
I should have known what fruit would spring from such a seed.

-- From Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, by Lord Byron


And from the New Testament....

Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person
plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others --ignoring God! --harvests a  crop of weeds. All he'll have a show for his life is weeds! But the one plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real, eternal life.
Galatians 6:7 (MSG)

Friday, June 10, 2022

The Way of Wisdom - The House of Mourning


...the day of death is better than the day of birth.

It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man...

Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.


The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.

        --Ecclesiastes 7:1-4


At one time I was confounded by these, what I thought of as dreary, passages.... 

the day of death is better than the day of birth....

{that's sort of 'Jewish' in that it reminds us all of that
old Jewish traditional proverb: 'cry when a baby is born and rejoice when he dies'...a reality certainly played out in Jewish history....}

better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of merry-making....

a sad face is good for the heart....

and that last line...the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning....

As the author focuses on sorrow and mourning, he repeatedly uses the terms good and better. And then tells us that the way to wisdom is through the house of mourning....

The older I get I begin to understand Solomon's philosophy here....it's just the simple truth - real, enduring, life-changing wisdom comes through pain and suffering -

As happy it is to experience the arrival of a tiny baby,
that occasion does not provide the wisdom and perspective that grief and death do.

Death causes us to stop and reflect, at a deeply profound and personal level, on life - its purpose, its journey, and its destination.

Death forces us to focus, at least for a moment, on the frailty and brevity of life.

Death reminds us it exists because of sin and that one day it will be utterly destroyed. Death itself will eventually be shown to be the frail and temporary condition - and eternal life will be the permanent conqueror.

And death reminds us that, ultimately, we have important choices to make.

Reflecting on death is the way of wisdom....Death points us to the Eternal One, who has the power over death and promises us the hope of the resurrection and glorious eternal life for those who trust in the finished work of Jesus.


As I look back on my life I see how much more I learned in those times of pain -- it's obvious to me now -- I experience more of God in the house of mourning than I do in the house of merry-making.

Bringing to mind God's words in Jeremiah 22:21:

I spoke to you in your prosperity, but you said, "I will not hear." This has been your manner since your youth, that you did not obey my voice.

That seems to be my story, too.


This is the journey of wisdom -- we cling to Jesus when we grieve and eagerly await His return.


For on that day, "He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 22:4).

             Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Feeding The World


                                        How To Feed the World   

          Luke 9  --  Great crowds were following Jesus. Late one afternoon the disciples came to Him and said He should send the crowd away so they could go somewhere and find food.

           He replied, "You give them something to eat."

           What a command! He wanted them to feed the crowd!

            As I look around today I see a hungry crowd everywhere I look. I think He's telling us to feed them!

           Gloria Gaither wrote a beautiful song about that. She titled it "I Then Shall Live" and sings it to Sibelius' composition "Finlandia." These are my favorite passages when I think about that event recorded in Luke 9:

I then shall live as one who's been forgiven

I'll walk with joy to know my debts are paid

I know my name is clear before my Father

I am His child and I am not afraid.

So greatly pardoned, I'll forgive my brother

The law of love I gladly will obey.

Your Kingdom come around and through and in me

Your Power and Glory, let them shine through me.

Your hallowed Name, O may I bear with honor

And may Your living Kingdom come in me.

The bread of life, O may I share with honor, 

And may You feed a hungry world through me."


Let's go out and feed our hungry world today!


    

       

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Whose Work is More Spiritual? C S Lewis

                                           

                                                Whose Work Is More Spiritual?

Is your work more spiritual than mine? Is a musician's performance more pleasing to God than a ditch digger's labor?

Thoughts from C S Lewis:

"I reject at once an idea which lingers in the mind of some modern people that cultural activities are in their own right more spiritual -- as though scholars and poets were intrinsically more pleasing to God than scaverners and bootblacks...this is a dangerous and anti-Christian error. Let us clear it forever from our minds.

The work of a Beethoven and the work of a charwoman become spiritual in precisely the same condition: that of being offered to God, as being done humbly 'as to the Lord.'

This does not mean, of course, that it is a mere toss-up whether he should sweep floors or compose symphonies.

A mole must dig to the honor of God and a cock must crow. We are members of one body, but differentiated members, each with his own vocation."

     "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men...It is the Lord Christ you are serving."   (Colossians 3:23)



Friday, June 3, 2022

Memo from God

 

My child,


Don't worry so much about the world. 

Just love everyone.

I'll sort it all out later.

I promise.


Your Father




Thursday, June 2, 2022

That First Morning



That Very First Morning!

It is a beautiful morning. I have filled the bird feeders and all our little flying creatures are chirping their "Thank you's."

Everything is vibrant and green. (I can almost see - and hear- the grass growing!)  Lots of rain and lots of sunshine really work divine magic!

Trying to imagine that first morning Adam and Eve had in Eden.
Were they astonished at the beauty? Did each new scene leave them breathless?  Did they hear God's footsteps as He approached them?  Was He there with them every moment? 

Here's a song we don't sing much any more. It was written by an English Christian, Eleanor Farjean, about 100 years ago:

     Morning has broken, like the first morning
Black bird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!
Praise for them springing fresh from the Word!


Sweet the rain new-fall, sunlit from heaven,
Like the first dew-fall on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where His feet pass.

Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning!
Born of the one light Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's re-creation of the new day!

YES!! Praise every morning! Praise with elation!

And remember, today is the first day of the rest of your life!