Where Is Jesus Right Now?

God gives us some information that brings us great joy! Jesus, our resurrected, glorious Savior, is in heaven, at the right hand of God the Father. Right now!

1 Peter 3:22 -- "Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand -- with angels, authorities, and powers in submission to Him." 

And Mark 16:19, "After the Lord had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven, and He sat at the right hand of God."

Luke 24:51 and Acts 1:9-11 describe His bodily ascent into heaven - while the disciples gazed in wonder.

There are many other references to Jesus' presence in heaven, "seated at the right hand of God."

Acts 7:55 describes Stephen's vision of Christ in heaven as he is being stoned to death -- this one is a little different: Christ is "standing," not "seated," at God's right hand. 

(Maybe He is standing because, as Stephen is dying, Christ is getting ready to receive him into His glory and kingdom - personally greeting him, welcoming him  --- honoring him for his sacrifice.  ?)

Anyway, Jesus is in an actual place called heaven, a place of glory, surrounded by angelic hosts.

He is honored and glorified at God's right hand!

Our Savior, the tortured, mocked and crucified One, is now receiving cosmic glory. (We can only imagine!)

What joy we have! Our crucified Savior is now bring worshipped and adored -- and will be forever. 

And someday we will be there, too!

It's an Upside-Down World!

Things seem so upside-down now, so confused and mixed up. Donald Grey Barnhouse, in his book on Revelation, makes these comments --

  "There are four things out of place in the universe.

   The church is out of place. She should be in heaven.

   Israel is out of place. She should be occupying the land sworn to her and occupying every part.

   The devil is out of pace. He ought to be in the lake of fire.

   And Christ is out of place. He should be through with intercession and seated on His throne, reigning, instead of at His Father's throne, interceding.

   But in Revelation we begin to see all of these things that are out of place being put in their rightful place, right where they were meant to be.

   The church is in heaven.

   Israel is about to  be given back her kingdom and the promised land.

   The devil is going to be bound and cast into the lake of fire.   

   And Christ is about to reign."

And those in heaven know this. They are waiting, too.

And finally everything will be put back the way it was intended to be! 

And we will be where we were meant to be - with God  in our forever home!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!

My Heart - Christ's Home?

"Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.

 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with Me" (Revelation 3:20).

                      Thoughts from Charles Spurgeon --

 "Are you saying, 'I wish that He would live in my heart and make it His dwelling place forever'?

Open the door, beloved, and He will come into your soul. He has been knocking continually.  He wants to eat with you because you provide the home, your heart, and you with Him because He brings the meal.

You would have an empty table if He did not bring the food.

Fling wide then the doors of your soul. He will come with that love you long to feel, that joy you seek to revive your spirit, and that peace to restore your life. Only open the door to Him, drive out His enemies, give Him the keys, and He will live there forever. What wondrous love that brings such a guest to dwell in such a heart!"

     It's time to make your heart Christ's home! (Ephesians 3:17).

[Remember, you have to open the door yourself -- the latch is on your side -- and invite Him in....and there is only room for One - it is not a lodging house!]

The Real Challenge

Yes, The Real Challenge!

Psalm 19:14 -- "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to You,  my Rock and My Redeemer."

  The first part, about my words (all of them?) seems really hard. But the second part seems almost impossible -- my secret thoughts, casual wonderings, mental impulses - how can we make them acceptable to our holy Father God? 

   I remember once someone shared a brilliant thought: 'You can't keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building nests in your hair'! 

   So simple! Yes, sinful thoughts, fueled by envy, anger, hatred and pride, can assault our thoughts. But we can stop them at their first appearance by immediately turning our thoughts to honor and glorify God. 

   Turn to Him with words and thoughts of praise and gratitude. Thank Him for His forgiveness, for His Spirit that is re-creating us into His image, for His righteousness that now covers us because of what Jesus did. (We can tell Satan to shut up and we can start talking to God!)

  Turn the negative unholy thoughts that dishonor God into positive holy thoughts that glorify Him!

   It works -- for sure -- but we have to be vigilant and move fast!

The Miracle We Already Got - Frederick Buechner

For what we need to know, of course, is not just that God exists, not just that beyond the steely brightness of the stars there is a cosmic intelligence of some kind that keeps the whole show going,

but that there is a God right here in the thick of our day-by-day lives who may not be writing messages about Himself in the stars

but in one way or another is trying to get messages through our blindness as we move around down here knee-deep in the fragrant muck and misery and marvel of the world.

It is not objective proof of God's existence that we want but the experience of God's Presence.

That is the miracle we are really after, and that is also, I think, the miracle that we really get.

                          -- From The Magnificent Defeat,
                                              by Frederick Buechner

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  

I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep in the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge

-- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

                                    Ephesians 3:14-19 

                 

But does He really like me?

I know God loves us all.

               I know He loves me.

In spite of all these years of trusting God for my forgiveness and thanking Him for making me a part of His family, I still sometimes wonder, "But does He really like me?"

I remember my mother saying to me, "Yes, you know I love you...but I just don't like you right now!"

As I recall her words, they were certainly justified!
I was not displaying lovable conduct at the time.

Now I think I have brought that idea into my adult life.

Sometimes I wonder, "But God, how can You like me today? I have not behaved in a godly way. I know I disappointed You several times. I keep pestering you with selfish requests.  You must be displeased with me. I keep worrying about things I know You said You would take care of....I am anxious and difficult to reason with...how can You stand it?

This is about sin - not someone else's sin against me and not about my sin against another. It is about my own sin against God, against my Father.

That sin, daily, I am afraid, brings a sense of guilt and deep regret.

I think I know the answer. It's about the gospel -

Too often we are short-sighted when it comes to the good news - we think of it gratefully as bringing us into God's family, as the door that brings the unsaved into His kingdom, but fail to realize the gospel is what we need every day.

We need to preach the gospel - the good news of God's forgiveness - to ourselves - every day!

It's not a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's not for the unbelievers only.

This is what I forget:

     Not only has God forgiven us our sins, He also
     credited us with the perfect righteousness of
     His Son. This is what we call the "Great
     Exchange" - He took away our sins and gave us
     righteousness. This forgiveness includes all sins --
     past, present and future - ALL OF THEM!

PAST - We have been saved (freed) from sin's guilt

PRESENT - We are being saved (freed) from sin's power

FUTURE - We will someday be saved (freed) from sin's very presence.

HAVE BEEN - ARE BEING - WILL BE

Past -  Present - Future

     There is nothing I can do to make Him love me
     less and nothing I can do to make Him love me
     more.


His love is not only eternal, but day to day - He is always waiting for me to return to Him, to run into His arms and seek His love and compassion for our frail, misguided attempts to lead the life He wants for us.

An old popular pioneer hymn, written about the time of the American Revolution, proclaims it:

I will arise and go to Jesus,

He will embrace me in His arms.

In the arms of my dear Savior,

O, there are ten thousand charms.

Why would our loving Savior, who brought us into His family, foreseeing our earthly journey before us, knowing we would constantly fail, not also keep loving us day to day? Yes, loving us, and liking us....day in and day out...always waiting for us to return to His arms.

Every morning when we awake, every evening when we fall asleep, and throughout the day.....let's preach the gospel to ourselves!


Remember 1 John 1:9 was written, not to unbelievers, but to Christians:

           If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
           and will forgive us our sins and purify us from
           all unrighteousness.

That's really good news!

      

How to Get Ready for Church

I get my hair done on Saturday and make certain my clothes are ready, preparing to go to church Sunday. But I don't seem to be  as concerned about preparing spiritually to join my church family in worship of our Creator God of the Universe! 

I fix my hair, but not my heart! I clean my clothes, but not my soul! How silly is that! 

Before there can be honest, true worship, there must be honest, true hearts.

Max Lucado talks about preparing our hearts for worship through cleansing our hearts of sin as we prepare to come before our holy, sinless God, and it begins with confession:

"Confession does for the soul what preparing the land does for the field.

Before the farmer sows the seed he works the acreage, removing the rocks and pulling the stumps. He knows that seed grows better if the land is prepared.

Confession is the act of inviting God to walk the acreage of our hearts. 'There is a rock of greed over here, Father, and I can't budge it. And that tree of guilt near the fence - its roots are long and deep. And may I show You some dry soil, too crusty for seed?'

God's seed grows better if the soil of the heart is cleansed.

Confession invites the Father to work the soil of the soul, digging and pulling, preparing the heart to produce fruit."

                          So now we can get ready for church!

What does 'inspired' mean? James Montgomery Boice

All scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correction, and training in righteousness.

   -- 2 Timothy 3:16 


The first thing 2 Timothy  tells us about Scripture is why it is useful -- because Scripture comes from God.

Old translations of the verse use the word inspired, reading "All scripture is inspired by God."

The Latin Vulgate translated the Greek as divinitus inspirata, and inspirita passed into  English as "inspired" through the translation of Wycliffe.

The interesting thing about the Greek word is that, strictly speaking, it does not refer to inspiration at all.

That is not to say that inspiration is not a valid theological term. It is.

When we think of inspiration we think of the power of God guiding the writers of the Bible so that what they wrote, even though they wrote in their own language and with their own vocabulary and on the basis of their own experience, was nevertheless exactly what God wanted written.

The word inspiration refers to this. Inspiration means "breathed into," from in meaning "in" or "into" and spiro meaning "breathe."  It describes the process of God's revelation of Himself in Scripture from a human point of view. However, this is not the meaning behind the underlying Greek word in 2 Timothy 3:16.

Theopneustos, the Greek word used, combines the word for "God" (theos) and the word for "breath" or "spirit" (pneustos). It means "God-breathed," and

is the translation used by the New International Version.

It teaches that Scripture is the result of this breathing out of God. Much as God created man by breathing into him and making him "a living soul," God also breathed out the Scriptures so they became a living revelation.

Paul is not talking about how human authors of  Scriptures received God's revelation. He is talking about Scripture itself, saying that the words of Scripture are the words of God, and this is what makes Scripture so useful.

A book containing merely human words might be true and useful to a point.

An instruction manual for your new dishwasher helps you run the appliance. The operator's book on your new car is useful.

If you want to learn Latin, a book teaching you Latin will be useful.

But there is no comparison between human books, useful in limited ways, and the Word of God useful in the ways Paul spells out in 2 Timothy 3:16.


   -- James Montgomery Boice, Standing on the Rock,

        Chapter 6, The Most Useful Thing in the World

The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground

and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,

and the man became a living being....

  Genesis 2:7

Enemy-Occupied Territory

From C S Lewis --

   "One of the things that surprised me when I first read the New Testament seriously was that it talked about  a Dark Power in the universe -- a mighty evil spirit who was held to be the Power behind death and disease and sin. 

The difference is that Christianity thinks this Dark Power was created by God, and was good when he was created, and then he went wrong.  

Christianity agrees with Dualism that this universe is at war. But it does not think  this is a war between independent powers. It thinks it is a civil war, a rebellion, and that we are living in a part of the universe occupied by the rebel. 

Enemy-occupied territory - that's what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful King has landed, you might say in disguise, and is calling us to take part in a great campaign of sabotage. When you go to church, you are really listening in on the secret wireless from our comrades, that is why the enemy is so anxious to prevent us from going."

(Note: When the rightful King returns, He will not be in disguise this time -- 'every knee shall bow and every tongue confess' that He is the rightful King!  Come quickly, Lord Jesus!)

Days of Awe - A Life of Awe

Days of Awe

The "Ten Days of Awe," or "High Holy Days," are celebrated by Jews each year in the fall, usually September and early October.

They begin with Rosh Hashanah (New Years, Feast of Tabernacles) and conclude with Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

(This year Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Friday, September 11, and ends at nightfall on Sunday, September 13).

These ten days are celebrated to remember God's powerful holiness,  to worship Him with reverent awe, and to repent of sin and seek and bestow forgiveness. They recognize the incredible truth of God's reconciliation with man -- ten days to focus on bowing down before Him in humility, meditating on Him and celebrating their special relationship with Him, always with great joy.

Reminds me of our childhood catechism -- Q: What is the chief end of man? A: The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!

I love the name of these days: Days of Awe. I can't think of a more perfect title for them.

We Christians can celebrate these days, too -- especially the reconciliation of God and man, accomplished through Jesus -- and bringing us all our Days of Awe! Forever and forever. Amen.

Let's have a  Day of Awe today - and the first day of a Life of Awe!

An Almost Lost (and Last) Song - From Daniel

                                                

                         Almost Lost Song - From Daniel

I ran across this beautiful hymn recently. Legends say that this was the hymn sung by the three young Hebrew boys -- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego -- while they were in the firey furnace in Babylon during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. Scholars date it as over 2000 years for certain (except for the last two lines which were added by early Christians).

Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers;

Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name;

We will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Glory to you in the splendor of your temple,

On the throne of your majesty, glory to you.

Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim.

We will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Glory to you, beholding the depths;

In the high vault of heaven, glory to you.

Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

We will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Remember the story (Daniel 3)?
So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisors crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own god....no other god can save in this way...".

The King's letter "To the peoples, nations and men of every language, who live in all the world: It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.

How great are his signs,
How mighty his wonders!
His kingdom is an eternal kingdom;
His dominion endures from generation to generation

No other God can save this way.......words from Nebuchadnezzar....and he didn't even know the half of it!

What Makes Us Different?

 

                                                     What Makes Us Different?

Other religions tell their adherents to practice righteousness, to try to be good, and then maybe God will then allow you to approach Him. Our God tells us to come as we are, sinful and needy.  Now.  And He will make us good. 

We  don't try to make ourselves good to come to God. We come to Him and He makes us good!

And He is reaching out to us, drawing us to Him. Coming to rescue us.

What a contrast! What an offer!

There is an old hymn, written almost 300 years ago, a favorite among our pioneer  ancestors, that described in detail that message. It was a favorite of Daniel Boone and his people.

It is titled, "Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy" -- here are some of my favorite lines - -- "Come, ye sinners, poor and needy, weak and wounded, sick and sore. Jesus ready stands to save you, full of pity, love, and power. Come, ye weary, heavy-laden, lost and ruined by the fall. If you tarry till you're better, you will never come a all! Let not conscience make you linger, nor of fitness fondly dream. All the fitness He requireth, is to feel your need of Him!"

Chorus: "I will arise and go to Jesus -- He will embrace me in His arms..."

I love this old hymn . Wish I could hear it sung today just as generations did in the past.

We need to remind each other of what it reminds us of.......Now is the day of salvation....don't wait. Come just as we are.

(We would never be good enough! And we can never be too bad!)

As a Father Disciplines His Son

 As a Father Disciplines His Son

"Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you" (Deuteronomy 8:5).

The Bible teaches that God disciplines those He loves -- His precious children. When we suffer hardships and afflictions in this life He uses it to conform us to the likeness of Jesus who suffered indescribably.

God's fatherly discipline never seems pleasant at the time, but when we understand it is for our own good we can submit to it and say with Hezekiah, "Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish" (Isaiah 38:17).

But often we see that only when we look back. In the present, though, we can, if we choose, "Glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us  to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us" (Romans 5:3-5).

It's About Noah!

 

A friend just came back from touring the Ark Encounter in Kentucky. He loved it!

Other popular replicas of the ark are in Hong Kong and the Netherlands -- they appeal to millions of people who are entranced with the account of Noah and the ark that that saved him and his family from the flood!

Great research goes into these replicas: exact wood, measurements, proportions, windows, door, food supply and storage, endless details to present the  models as perfect as possible.

And think about toy stores --they have models children can put together themselves! Games, puzzles, coloring books -- people for years have been fascinated with the ark.

Favorite topics for VBS and Sunday School!

But maybe we should change our focus -- maybe we need to focus on Noah himself. The ark saved Noah's family, but more Noahs could save more of the world! 

Scripture tells us "Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in fellowship with God"(Genesis 6). NLT

Then in Hebrews 11 we read "By faith Noah when warned of things not yet seen, in holy fear, built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith."

We live in a corrupt world, too! Evil is valued as good and good is called evil. Yet in that dark world Noah lived for God and exhibited righteousness.

 So can we -- In our corrupt world we can still have fellowship with God -- we can exhibit righteousness and glorify God ....and condemn the world. 

Let's concentrate on replicating Noah, not the ark!

We, too,  have been warned of 'things not yet seen'. We know what is ahead.

We can help spread God's kingdom right here, right now!

"Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven!"

PS Genesis 6:22 -- "Noah did all that God commanded him to do." Obedience! That will likely not appear on my grave marker!

[If there had been a lot of Noahs, there would not have been a flood!]

The Guilty Woman

She was 'caught in the act.' 

She couldn't claim innocence. 

She was alone! Not even the guilty man was with her! 

She didn't come to Jesus to beg forgiveness -- she was dragged there by her accusers for ridicule and punishment -- and especially to accuse and discredit Jesus. Surely He wouldn't forgive her -- after all, she was caught in the act!  They demanded she be stoned. She had no hope. After all, she was caught in the act!

Jesus didn't pick up a stone. He issued His famous challenge: "Whoever of you is without sin, you cast the first stone." 

They began to walk away.  Finally she and Jesus were alone. "Neither do I condemn you," Jesus said. 

Did she look at Him? I imagine she did lift her downcast eyes to meet His. I imagine she gazed at Him in wonder and amazement. The only one qualified to condemn her didn't. 

He gave her mercy when she was too hopeless to even ask for it! 

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace." 

She could have spoken those words. I do...almost every day! And I, too, have been caught in the act!  But all my sin grows 'strangely dim....in the light of His glory and grace'!

 

What Do We Worship?

Who do we worship?


The gods we worship write their names on our faces; be sure of that.

A person will worship something, have no doubt about that.

We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our heart, but it will out.

That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character.

Therefore it behooves us to be careful of what we worship, for what we are worshiping we are becoming.  

                                  -- Ralph Waldo Emerson



And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 

                               -- 2 Corinthians 3:18

Just Fix It! C S Lewis

Words from C S Lewis:

"Christianity is a fighting religion. It believes and teaches that God made the world. But it also thinks that a great many things have gone wrong with the world that God made and that God insists, and insists very loudly, on our putting them right again."

Sometimes people tell me that they can't believe in our God of love because the world is such a cruel and hateful place. So we need to tell them to join us and help us fix it! 

It is only logical that we put things right, since we are the ones who messed up the good and perfect world He created.

What's first on your list?

It's Beginning Already!

 

                                         Looking for Jesus

As children, we memorized Romans 12.  Verse 2 is still stuck in my mind like a sticky note: "Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..."

I remember reading that verse in the J.B. Phillip's paraphrase: "Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its mold."

It's still a battle. The world is so anxious to squeeze us into its mold!

I remember being taught that "conforming" comes from outside pressure, but "transforming" comes from activity - the Holy Spirit - within.

The Greek word translated "transform" is the same word we translate "metamorphosis."

It's used here in Romans 12:2 and also in the accounts of Jesus when He was "transfigured" when He took Peter, James, and John to witness that special miracle.

We call the place it happened "The Mount of the Transfiguration."

Same word.  Metamorphosis. Same miracle.

Just as the lowly worm  is transformed into a butterfly, we are transformed into the image of Christ.

Same word, Same miracle.

The word is used only one other place -- 2 Corinthians 3:18: "We who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness..."

Sounds like it's beginning to happen already! Let's look for Jesus in each other today!

Love Hurts

  "There is no safe investment.

   To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken.

   If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your  heart to no one, not even an animal.

   Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.

   But in that casket -- safe, dark, motionless, airless  -- it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.

   The alternative to the risk of tragedy is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers of love is Hell."

                                      -- C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves

{1 John 4:19 -- "We love Him because He first loved us"}

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."

A Perfect Prayer

                                         

                                              A Perfect Prayer

The Book of Daniel (in the Old Testament) has some profound prayers.

I am thinking especially of His prayer in chapter 2. 

Daniel had been given the king's malicious command to not only interpret the king's dream but also to remind the king what the dream was about! A humanly- impossible task!

If Daniel failed then he and the others would be killed.

So Daniel prays for God to reveal the dream and its meaning to him. 

He begins his prayer of thanks for God's answer with grand proclamations of worship and praise: "Praise be to the Name of God forever and ever, wisdom and power are His..." he starts.

It is a short prayer.

As he ends he thanks God for answering: "You have made known to me what we asked of You. You have made known to us the dream of the king."

We learn from this that we should be specific in our requests, and then specific in what we are thanking Him for!

Asking Him to bless generally ('bless everybody in the world' we might say) is sometimes appropriate but maybe just a lazy approach when communicating with our loving Father!

Let's be like Daniel and tell our Father exactly what we want from Him and what we are thanking Him for! 

Wouldn't our earthly father prefer that?

What's To Come?

An observation from Eric Metaxas --

"Conversion to faith in God is one of the great mysteries.

The signs of conversion are difficult to pinpoint, but one of them is this:

Many of those who have experienced it seems, now and again, to have a curious, distracted look, as though they have glimpsed something so beautiful they can never forget it, as though they've glimpsed the 'thing behind all things.'

And they have, and now they are turned toward it forever, toward that glorious faraway country that is their true home."

    -- From Everything You Always wanted to Know About God

[Part of that distracted look we display, for most of us, includes a longing, a yearning, a deep eagerness to get all "this" behind us and see Jesus face to face, and be with Him forever! YES, the best is truly yet to come and we know that! How can we help but display that?]

 

For This I Have Jesus!

 I have a new wrist band. I can wear it 24/7! The message works all of the time: "For This I Have Jesus".

If I win the lottery -- if I get cancer -- good news -- bad news -- For This I Have Jesus!

This wrist band is a reminder to me that God is with me no matter what. The question is: Do I let God shine through me in my most difficult times?

Do you?

That's the time people see that He is truly Lord of your life, not just in the good times, but also in the hard and difficult times.

As God works in us through our hardships, we display His perseverance and His character developing in us.

Charles Stanley wrote, "Adversity is not simply a tool. It is God's most effective tool for the advancement of our spiritual lives."

Sometimes we don't see, or understand, how He is working. But we can always trust that He is working for our good.

As the song says:

"God is too wise to be mistaken. God is too good to be unkind. So when you don't understand, when you don't see His plan, when you can't trace His hand, trust His heart."

We can always trust His heart! Always! 

For this we have Jesus!

Don't Think Less of Yourself!

 

                                        Don't Think Less of  Yourself!

Thinking about humility this morning. Praying about it, to be more accurate.

Paul tells us in Romans 12:3 -- "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought to think."

And we have Christ's supreme example of taking a servant's role continually.

So are we supposed to sit around counting our faults, listing our failures, considering how we don't (ever) measure up to what Christ wants?

I turn to C.S. Lewis who says the key is "not to think less of yourself, but to think of yourself less"!

Pretty smart, right?

We should stop thinking of ourselves so much! Keep our focus on Jesus. His beautiful holiness, His humility, concentrate on Him. Just stop thinking so much about ourselves, good or bad.

I think this is good advice! Just think of ourselves less and Him more!

What is Endurance?

 

"Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..." (Hebrews 12:1)

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. Everyone who competes goes into strict training. He does it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever" (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).

I'm thinking about the 1984 Olympic Games held in Los Angeles. An amazing young man, Rowdy Gaines, won the gold medal for swimming the 100-meter race in 49 seconds.

He had worked hard to win -- swimming laps daily for hours. He later figured he had swam over 25,000 miles as he prepared himself for the games. During an interview once, he said, "I swam around the world preparing myself so I could win a race that lasted 49 seconds!"

(The earth is just under 25,000 miles in circumference.)

WOW! That's perseverance! That's dedication! That's commitment! But that's what it took to win "the race set before him."

Who sets the race before us? Do we honor and glorify Him with our dedication and commitment? Or do we give up pretty quickly? Maybe take all the credit for ourselves?

The crown awaits us...that crown that we can someday joyfully cast before Him....

Charles Wesley wrote a hymn about that crown - "Changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place. Till we cast our crowns before Him, lost in wonder, love and praise!"

That's the point of it all -- honoring and glorifying Him!

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus! And all the people said 'Amen'!

What Is God's Will For My Life?

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16).

 Most of us, at some time, wrestle with knowing and doing God's will for us. 

These verses are very clear. You could teach them easily to a small child and they would  understand with no problem! 

Just 3 things to remember: rejoice, pray, and give thanks! All the time!

 That is God's will for us! That is what pleases Him!

Hundreds of books have been written about knowing God's will, thousands of sermons preached, countless study groups organized...maybe we should go back to the beginning and start with what we already know He wants us to do -- do that -- and wait for further steps.

I know that from my (long years) of experience -- obey what we know and then He will lead us on to more knowledge. Why should He give us the next steps if we haven't even obeyed the first instructions?

So today:  Rejoice, pray and give thanks....

[I remember reading a comment from Mark Twain, "It's  not what I don't understand in the Bible that bothers me, it's what I do understand!"]

How Loudly Must We Sing?

Germany - World War II

In at least one German  town the railroad tracks ran behind the church.


An eyewitness stated:


We heard the stories of what was happening to the Jews, but we tried to distance ourselves from it, because, we felt, what could anyone do to stop it?


Each Sunday morning, we would hear the train whistle bowing in the distance, then the wheels coming over the tracks. We became disturbed when we heard cries coming from the train as it passed by. We realized that it was carrying Jews like cattle in the cars!


Week after week the whistle would blow. We dreaded to hear the sounds of those wheels because we knew that we would hear the cries of the Jews en route to a death camp. Their screams tormented us.


We knew the time the train was coming and when we heard the whistle blow we began singing hymns. By the time the train came past our church, we were singing at the top of our voices.  If we heard the screams, we sang more loudly and soon we heard them no more.

Years have passed and no one talks about it now. But  I still  hear that train whistle in my sleep. 

    
        -- From How Do You Kill 11 Million People? by Andy Andrews

Are we doing the same thing now?

Mud Pies or Sand Castles?

Ephesians 3:20 -- "Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly {immeasurably} more than we can even ask or think {or imagine}..to Him be glory...

    Thoughts from C S Lewis --

"If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and to earnestly hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion is no part of the Christian faith.

   Instead, if we consider the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desire, not too strong, but too weak.

   We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday by the sea.

   We are far too easily pleased."

How Do I Get Through This?

The great preacher and writer, Andrew Murray, was once approached by a woman who said she was in dire trouble and needed advice. He handed his assistant a piece of paper, saying, "Just give her this. I have been writing it for myself. Maybe she will find it helpful." 

This is what he had written:

"First, He brought me here. It Is by His will that I am in this difficult place right now. In that I will rest.

Next, He will keep me here in His love and give me grace in this trial to behave as His child.

Then, He will make this trial a blessing, teaching me the  lessons He intends me to learn. 

Last, In His good time He can bring me out again -- how and when He knows.

Say - I am here --

1. By God's appointment.

2. In His keeping.

3. Under His training.

4. For His time."

[This story came from Alistair Begg, and I am grateful. It has helped me. It might not alleviate our circumstances, but I think it enables us to keep the right perspective and glorify God!]

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Pre-tuned Radios

I remember when....


When I was a child, missionaries often visited our church. I remember one couple who worked in Bible translation ministry in South America. They had translated a  tribal language and had small schools set up in the area to teach the residents how to read and write, in their own language,  and to be able to read for themselves  what the Bible said about Jesus.

Some of the tribal people could not come to the schools, however, and were out of contact most of the time.

And so these missionaries were raising money for pre-tuned portable radios to give out to them.

These radios were pre-tuned to the Christian radio station broadcasting the gospel in the native language - available 24 hours a day!

What a great way to reach these people with the gospel message.

Today we would call this an example of intentional evangelism.

Maybe we should ourselves be examples of intentional evangelism-- be pre-tuned to give out the gospel - always ready to broadcast the good news of Jesus - every time we leave the house and every time someone "tunes us in" -- it's the only message we have to share of any real importance!

Someone "turns us on" and we speak about Jesus!

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you...1 Peter 3:15

Can you explain "the hope that is in you" to someone else?

Why now? - Why not now?

 Why now? Having some rough times now?

Sometimes things go nice and smoothly and you soar long with the wind beneath your wings! Then troubles come -- often in multiples! Illnesses,  family conflicts, tragedies, money problems...and you ask "Why me? Why now" and "What am I doing wrong?"

Wrong questions!

When we go through these times, C S Lewis reminds us that God is at work inside us -- forcing us up to a higher level, putting us in situations where we will have to be very much braver, or more patient, or more loving, forgiving, obedient, more trusting than we have ever dreamed of being before.

'It seems to us all unnecessary. But that is because we have not yet had the slightest notion of the tremendous thing He means to make of us!'

We thought He wanted to change some of our habits and make us more pleasant and easier for people to be around.

No! He wants to make us images of His Son! Like a pony who wants to be able to jump a small fence or pull a cart...But God wants him to be a Pegasus -- a flying horse! A winged creature that can fly  over the rainbows and throughout the universe!

God has a bigger plan for us. He wants to make us like Jesus!

There Is No Hurry

A Sort-Of Made-Up Story

Scene: Satan and several of his esteemed advisors are meeting secretly

Satan is worried. 

He is behind schedule. By this time he had planned to have God and His influence completely erased from American culture. But he has met far more résistance than he had anticipated. He calls an emergency conference with his top advisors.

"What can we do to speed up our work?" he begins. "We must get rid of all acknowledgment of our Enemy! We must erase him. We cannot let him win. We are too close to victory!"

One advisor speaks up. "We just keep telling them their god is a myth, that there is no god like that. There is no god at all. We are making progress on the campuses. It just takes longer than we thought."

Satan becomes angry. "That hasn't worked! We have been trying that for decades. The Enemy's followers just come up with more ridiculous propaganda. We need a new plan!"

Another suggests: "Let's discredit the Enemy. Tell people he really doesn't care about them. He does not love them! They are believing in a fairy tale."

"No," Satan booms. "Our Enemy does love them - those ridiculous bi-peds! I don't know why but he does and they know it!"

The last advisor hesitates and then speaks up quietly, "I have an idea. Let's keep them on the fence. Tell  them not to worry about it -- there is no hurry...Just take their time and consider all possibilities. Don't be in a hurry to throw their lives away!"

Satan beams! "That's perfect! Don't make a decision yet. Wait. There is time. There is no hurry! I love it! That is now our official strategy! There is no hurry!"

(2 Corinthians 6:2 -- "Now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation.")

Remember Linus and His Blanket?

                                         Remembering Linus

Remember Linus and his blue blanket?  

Probably Linus, from Peanuts, is best known for that blanket. He carries it everywhere. He doesn't even seem to be embarrassed that he needs it for security and comfort. To calm his fears.

His sister, Lucy, is embarrassed and especially dislikes it. She buries it, makes it into a kite, and tries to get rid of it on various occasions. Even Linus himself, on various occasions, seems to think he is too dependent on it and lets it go from  from time to time, but he always retrieves it.

But then we come to that wonderful movie, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Remember when a frustrated Charlie Brown asks, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?"

Linus, with his security blanket, steps center stage and quotes the angel's message to the shepherds that holy night outside Bethlehem.

              Fear not. I bring you good news of great joy...

Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you;

 He is Christ the Lord.

You will find Him in a manger....

When he comes to "Fear not," Linus drops his blanket...permanently!

I like to remember that those words were spoken to the shepherds...A Savior has been born to you...not to mankind in general, but to you...and you can find Him.

Individuals, like the shepherds, like Linus, and like you and me.

And He is our Savior and we need never be afraid again! 

I have some security blankets  I need to get rid of. Maybe I should make today Christmas!

What Jesus Didn't Say

 "On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the  Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After He said this, He showed them His hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord" (John20:19-20).

   It was too good to be true! He was there - and gave them a loving greeting. What had He said? Did they hear the words correctly?

   What He didn't say was the surprise. Not "What a bunch of cowards you are!" "I  told you so!" "You couldn't even stay awake and pray with Me in the Garden." 
"I called you My friends. Where were you when I needed you? I must have chosen the wrong men for My Kingdom." 

   No. He brought peace. The one thing they needed most. Into their darkness, their shattered dreams, their hopelessness and fears and guilt, He brought peace. 

   He gave everything. They gave nothing.

   Isn't that the way it is for all of us today? Into our messed up lives, our brokenness and desperation, He brings us peace. Even if we have locked the door -- He still enters in.

   He gives everything, We give nothing.

   They call it 'grace.' Its first name is 'amazing'!

How to be Salt and Light

 Jesus tells us to be 'salt' and 'light' in this dark world that has lost its thirst for God.

The more evil this world becomes, the more righteous and holy we should become. (Yes, sometimes it's hard to keep up!)

Paul tells his friends at Philippi that they should "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (2:12).

"Work out" is a Greek term used in farming. It describes how a successful farmer works his soil to produce the best crop possible. He plows it, removes the rocks and weeds, provides nutrients and irrigation -- everything he can do to produce a bountiful, healthy harvest!

We don't work to secure salvation -- that is a gift of God's grace. But we are to live godly lives, producing farm land that provides an abundant harvest for God's kingdom.

Then in verse 13 he says, "For it is God who works in you, both to will and to do what pleases Him."

That's the secret -- God is already at work inside us -- giving us what we need to produce that wonderful harvest of goodness that changes and nourishes our society. God is quietly working inside making us into His image and we demonstrate that -- work that out -- by choices we make, the lives we live, partnering with God to yield the best results possible!

We pray, "Father, I want to live in Your Word today -- be obedient -- to  produce fruit that glorifies You. When people see me at work in Your garden, I want them to praise You!"

It takes effort to live a godly life. We are responsible to set the alarm clock earlier every day; to put down the phone; to turn off the TV; to focus His Word and listen to His voice. 

That's how we work out what He is working in us!

Are you an ordinary person? - C S Lewis

Remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw him now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption that you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare.

All day long, we are, in some degree, helping each other toward one of these destinations.

It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealing with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics.

There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations -- these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat.

But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit--immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.

   -- The Weight of Glory, by C S Lewis

Good Morning! Godly Morning!

 

Scripture tells us that we need to hear from God our Father each morning and He wants to hear from us!

   "Let me hear of Your unfailing  love each morning, for I am trusting You. Show me where to walk for I give myself to You" (Psalm 143:8).

   "In the morning, LORD, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait expectantly" (Psalm 5:3).

  "In the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in the times of trouble...my God on whom I rely" (Psalm 59:16-17). 

   "It is good to praise the LORD and make music in Your Name, O Most High, proclaiming Your Love in the morning" (Psalm 92:2).

Has He heard from you yet?

       "In the morning, when I rise...give me Jesus!"

Have YOU forgotten to ask?

In John 4 we read the famous story of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. He Himself might have told us the story sort of like this:

"Remember the woman at Sychar? She was a Samaritan and I purposed to meet her at the ancient Jacob's well.

I asked her for a drink of water. She was surprised at the request. But she didn't ask Me for anything. Right there -- in front of her-- the Creator and Sovereign Lord of the Universe, the One able to bestow any gift to any humble creature.

But she didn't ask. I had to call it to her attention.

'Look,' I said. 'If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Me and I  would have given you living water.'

She still didn't understand. She didn't 'know the gift' and she didn't know who I was.'

I explained it to her. Just as I have patiently explained it to you.

Now you do know. You know the gift I bring and who I am.

It delights Me to give My children gifts.

So why don't you ask for more?"

[So why don't we ask for more? C S Lewis compares us to children who are content to play in the city ghetto, just making mud pies, when God is offering us a holiday at a grand oceanside resort, and we could be building sand castles!

Maybe we should rethink what we are asking our omnipotent 'wealthiest Father ever' for!

Paul reminds us, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20).]

While You are Seeking Me, I WIll be Found!

                       

                        He promises - If we seek Him we will find Him!

I'm still thinking about how our God is delighted when we seek Him -- how He wants to be found by us!

Some years ago when we were in Israel we went out to the wilderness above the Dead Sea. It was desolate and bleak. We stood on a cliff and looked around the barren landscape. It was breathtaking and somewhat frightening.

Then a woman in our group stepped closer to edge of the chasm and began singing.

Her voice echoed throughout the deep canyons around us.

I can still hear her singing in my God-given miracle of memory. I will never forget the experience. It was more beautiful that any operatic aria I have ever heard...cool and refreshing as a glacial fountain.

I especially remember these words: 

"Ho, everyone who is thirsty in spirit! 

Ho, everyone who is weary and sad!

Come to the fountain, there's fullness in Jesus; 

All that you're longing for -- come and be glad!

'I will pour water on him who is thirsty; 

I will pour floods upon the dry ground.

Open your heart for the gift I am bringing --

 while you are seeking Me I will be found!'"

In our barren lives He daily brings showers of mercy. He is the Fountain that goes on forever and never runs dry. How blessed we are!

Isaiah 55:6 -- Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He Is near.

Jeremiah 29:13 -- You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.

Matthew 7:7 -- Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

[Note: The author of this wonderful hymn is Lucy Jane Rider Meyer. She was born in 1849 and planned to be a medical missionary for the Methodist church with her husband. He died in 1875, before they were married. She decided to go on to  medical school and remained in the US. She also attended the Moody Theological Seminary for Women.  The hymn, written 1884, is in public domain.]