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So it will be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
– Luke 17:30 (English Standard Version)
Add -pocalypse or -mageddon to any event and create your own disaster.
The Long Range Weather Forecast published by The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2017 accurately predicted a bitter winter last year, which dumped so much snow on the country it inspired the Snowpocalypse festival in Milwaukee, Snowpocalypse survivor badges in Boise, and its own Twitter hashtag #snowmageddon. In keeping with our national compulsion to turn every personal victory or trial into a meme, we can now add -mageddon or -pocalypse to a catastrophe for an over-the-top event to post on our favorite social media outlet.
Maybe we do it to thumb our noses at tribulation that comes into our lives.
Maybe we just like drama.
When you hear the word “apocalypse,” do you think of nuclear war, zombies, or superheroes? Perhaps you envision meteors falling from the sky or the moon turning to blood.
Do you cringe at the thought of the end of the world? Are you fearful of what that could mean? Or is all that kind of talk just foolishness to you?
Meriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines apocalypse as “a great disaster,” which is the common usage of the word today.
We get our English word “apocalypse,” however, from the Greek word apokalupsis, meaning “to reveal.” An apocalypse is a revelation, the uncovering of something hidden. It is used in several places in the New Testament, but most notably in the title of the last book of the Bible. It is often called Revelation, but the true title is The Revelation of Jesus Christ, or The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ.
Although the final book of the Bible may be considered one of the most difficult to understand, it is the only book of the Bible promising a blessing to those who read it and take its message to heart. Much of the book describes the judgments poured out upon an unrepentant world, but God inspired it as both a warning and a promise. The warning is for those who reject Christ. The promise is for those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and await His coming.
For now, Christ is hidden from the eyes of man. Those who believe in Him see Him with eyes of faith. Very soon, Christ will be revealed in all His glory to both believer and unbeliever. He will return to earth to claim her back and restore her. He will set up a millennial reign in which righteousness lives, and afterward an eternity of joy for those who love him.
The revelation of Christ is only a fearful thing for those who have lived without Him.
The tribulation of those days is clearly described as a time of God’s wrath (Revelation 11:18; 16:1), and believers are promised we have been delivered from the day of His wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 3:10).
The end of this world is coming. But if that’s all you think apocalypse means, you have an awakening in store for you. The end will only be the beginning, revelation ushering in a genesis. The door is still open to a life without end, where every tear is dried and we will dwell with God and His people forever.
Jesus is coming. Things are about to become…
Apocalyptic.
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For to which of the angels did God ever say: ‘You are my Son; today I have become Your Father’? Or again: ‘I will be His Father, and He will be My Son’?
– Hebrews 1:5 (Berean Study Bible)
God couldn’t have said it much plainer than in Hebrews 1:5.
The question is rhetorical, with God assuming the reader will understand the answer is, “There is no angel whom the Lord has called His Son.” This passage is one meant to address the dilemma posed to the first century Christians, but it is one whom every person must answer in his own heart:
Who is the Messiah?
Jesus didn’t come as they expected. He arrived when the Jewish people were eager to throw off the rule of Rome and govern themselves. Expectancy electrified the air with the belief the promised Anointed One would soon establish His kingdom forever and bring deliverance to His people.
That is exactly what Jesus Christ did. But Israel looked for an earthly ruler to force his will upon their oppressors from without. The Christ came to destroy the oppressor from within. Only Jesus understood the enemy was one much more insidious and deadly than mere Roman soldiers. God’s weapons of warfare were unconventional and infinitely more powerful, because the battle He came to fight was one of cosmic importance.
In the bloody battle for the planet, only one person would die.
Then He rose again, with the keys to death and life in His hand.
Jesus the Christ is neither mere man nor angel.
In the first chapter of John, we learn Jesus existed in eternity as the Word, co-equal with God. He is as far above the angels as an artist is above his creation. Angels are beings who serve God and His people. They do not have the divine nature of God.
Religious groups have seriously erred when they have attempted to either relegate Jesus to angel status or elevate angels to brotherhood with him. This is a dangerous doctrine, because it denies the very essence of Christ.
As the Son of God, the Word, the second person of the Trinity, poured out Himself into a human vessel. He came to win back what we lost at the garden. In His humanity, Jesus Christ inherited the name of the Almighty and a kingdom.
Satan, once the highest of angels, envies the majesty of God and plots to take His throne. But he will never have it, because he, too, is a creation of God and powerless against Him.
Some days, it may feel like the devil has the upper hand against you. Be sure that the battle is very real. But God didn’t trust the gospel to a mere creation.
He sent Jesus.
So He became as far superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is excellent beyond theirs.”
– Hebrews 1:4 (Berean Study Bible)
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The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and remarkable Day of the Lord comes.
– Acts 2:20 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
They came from around the world, transfixed by the spectacle.
They filled motels, jammed the highways, and staked their claim on a piece of history as a rare total solar eclipse turned millions of people heavenward in the United States.
For a few brief hours on Monday, America looked to the skies. August 21, 2017, made headlines as the date of the first total eclipse since 1918 to cross the United States from sea to sea. Its path of totality fell within the United States alone for the first time since the year of America’s independence in 1776. It brought together scientists, school children, families, new-agers, religious folks, atheists, and conspiracy theorists on the nation’s lawns as we donned our solar glasses and enjoyed the show.
One small act from God.
One giant message for mankind.
Events like this remind the thinking man of his fragile existence in a vast universe.
Humanity sits on a planet delicately balanced between a blazing star and the deep cold void. If we were any closer to the sun, we would burn up. Any farther away, and we would freeze. We sit in the perfect spot for an earth full of people to live and grow and flourish, largely indifferent to our dependence upon Him as we take His providence for granted.
It is only by the mercy of the Creator that “we live and move and exist.” (Acts 17:28) The Bible tells us that Jesus, as the Word of God, “existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.” -Colossians 1:17 (New Living Translation) Hebrews 1:3 reminds us that Jesus Christ is “the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.”
God speaks, and life springs up where there was only emptiness. He speaks, and our world is shaken. God warns us a day of judgment is coming, a day so terrible men will be “fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” -Luke 21:26.
In that day, we won’t be eating watermelon and relaxing with our solar glasses in the grass. Those who have not gone to be with God in heaven will face unimaginable suffering as God purifies the world of evil and calls out a remnant for Him.
Because our suffering causes God pain, He waits for any who still might come to Him before the great and remarkable day of the Lord.
If you were impressed with the show in the sky this week, get to know the Creator behind this amazing display of beauty and power. Take that step forward toward deliverance from destruction and everlasting life.
One small step for man.
One giant leap for eternity.
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Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.
– Hebrews 3:1
Some days we can barely hear it. Other days it drives us to our knees.
But it’s always there, a persistent tug in our souls. Whether we trudge through our days or chase the stars of fame and fortune, we can’t drown out the cry in the pit of our being, jarring us with its urgency and moving us with its tears.
Heaven is calling.
In his letter to the Jewish community, the writer of the book of Hebrews addressed a large group comprised of both believers in Christ and those who may have been drawn to the message of the Messiah but had not committed their lives to Him. Then and today, it speaks powerfully to the earnest seeker of eternal life, both Jewish and Gentile.
The letter presents a powerful case for the preeminence of Christ over Moses. It describes His priesthood over the children of God, and it explains how the Messiah fulfilled the old covenant with His people, instituting a new one written in His blood. In Hebrews 11, the stirring “faith chapter,” he explains the concept of faith, recounts the exploits of the Old Testament heroes and heroines of faith, and challenges the reader to join its ranks.
To each of us, he presents his case for Christ and issues this call: Consider Jesus.
If you’ve never believed in Him, it’s crucial to understand His claims and consider the God-man Jesus Christ before you shut down the voice in your soul. You need to know this Man. Whether you are rich or poor, well or suffering, feeling loved or alone, if you don’t know Him, you are lost. You live in peril for your soul, and His is an urgent call to eternal life with Him.
If you already know Him, you realize Jesus takes seriously your decision to follow Him. Your moment of salvation was not the endpoint but the genesis of a new life, opening the door to an adventure culminating in full revelation on the day you stand before His majesty. Then you will fully understand what you once accepted by faith.
Until that day, God continues to call you deeper and deeper into the hard lessons and rich abundance of His grace. He challenges you to live stronger for Him. In every trial, every joy, every step of this life, you will move forward toward the sound of His call deep in your soul.
If you take the time to consider Jesus in every decision you make and with every breath you take, victory will always be yours.
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Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
– 1 Thessalonians 5:11
My father lay propped up in the hospital bed, his face ashen against the white sheets.
My stepmother and I huddled around him in the cramped space of the progressive care unit in which he recuperated. He had suffered three heart attacks in the space of one month. None of us had slept much in the last few days. So far, we had seen little of either the hospitalist in charge of his care or the cardiologist on staff.
We waited all day for the cardiologist. Finally, he appeared, towering above us in his long white lab coat. His aggressive stance, scowl, stethoscope dangling around his neck kept us adequately reminded of his importance as he recited the results of Dad’s tests in rapid-fire secession.
Mentally, he had already left the room for the next patient.
When he took a breath, I ventured a question about one of my father’s lab results. Angered that I dare speak, he shot me down in a spray of loud verbal bullets. I was embarrassed into shocked silence.
I drove home from the hospital totally disheartened, my humiliation churning into anger as the weight of the last month’s struggles crashed down upon me.
Since I had missed lunch, I turned into a local fast-food restaurant and eased into the line at the drive thru. Ahead of me sat a big white four-wheel drive pickup with huge tires. Behind the wheel sat a young Native American man in sunglasses. Emblazoned across the tinted back window of his rig were the words, “REZNECKS.” I smiled, having lived on the reservation for most of my life. The knot in my stomach began to ease as I waited impatiently to get back on the road toward home and my refuge.
When my turn finally came to pick up my meal, the server was beaming. “I have the pleasure of telling you that the man in the white pickup ahead of you has paid for your meal,” she said. “He just wanted me to tell you to have a good day.”
What a beautiful God we serve. I cried all the way home.
Our English word encourage comes from the French word encoragier, which means to make strong or to impart courage.
In a world that values aggression, God calls us to kindness. As the conduit connecting God to His beloved creation, our job in this space in time is to inspire others to greatness. We hold in our hands the power to bring renewed hope to others who are having the life choked out of them. One generous moment can rebuild someone’s world and impart the courage to go on another day.
Yes, I paid for the meal of the man in the car behind me that day. I’m asking God to grant me the grace to extend kindness to people who are hard to like, much less love. And I pray God will remind me to take my eyes off my own troubles long enough to notice others around me and to seize the opportunities He gives me to be an encourager.
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Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
– Isaiah 41:10
On a recent hot July day, we took in an air show in our town.
Vintage planes, including a couple of impressive old warbirds, sat majestically on the tarmac for inspection as we darted from wing to wing to find relief from the withering heat.
These planes are still operable, so although some of them were open for people to walk through, the cockpits were off-limits for obvious reasons. No one wanted a tragedy to happen because an unauthorized person tampered with the controls. People who don’t know what they’re doing shouldn’t be in control.
Years ago, it wasn’t uncommon to see the occasional bumper sticker on a car reading:
God is My Co-pilot
It was a well-meaning acknowledgement God is with us wherever we go. It’s good to look to God when we’re behind the wheel of a vehicle. But do we subconsciously apply that principle to how we run our lives? Do we treat God as the second-in-command and the Bible as a set of guidelines instead of an inspired roadmap for victory?
The person who relegates God to the co-pilot’s seat of life has a fool for a pilot. The journey through this world is a tumultuous one. Numerous hazards and unknown tempests threaten to take us down at every turn. Often the way is obscured by fog or darkness. Even experienced pilots sometimes become disoriented in the sky and fly a plane into the side of a mountain or into the ground.
What novice in his right mind would want to be in the pilot’s seat on a plane when the person who designed, built, owned, and flew the plane is available and eager to take us safely to our destination?
The real issue is trust. Do you believe God can take you home? Do you believe He has your best interests at heart? Have past disappointments made you afraid of letting God be in charge?
Controlling your own destiny is an illusion at best.
Because we are limited beings, we know little of how to negotiate the path ahead. Refusing to give our lives over to God doesn’t protect us from hurt but lands us directly into the path of destruction.
The wise traveler rejects the temptation to control the trip. He rests in the knowledge that the real professional is in charge, and he rejoices in the view from on high.
On this trip, you can relax and take a deep breath.
You’re in good hands.
God…is the blessed controller of all things.
1 Timothy 6:15 (PHILLIPS)
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Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!
– Isaiah 43:1
It must have been a haunting reminder.
For three days his faith lay in the grave with the Savior’s body, tormented by the rooster’s crow mocking his proclamation of loyalty and public desertion.
After the Lord’s resurrection, the impulsive apostle Peter, more than some, could appreciate the concept of grace. His great fall and restoration add poignancy to his epistles in the New Testament. Evident throughout them is the assurance of God’s unconditional love. Here we find salvation is not simply a reasoned decision based upon a theological conclusion, but the heart’s response to His voice reaching out to us through the ages.
In two books of the Bible penned by Peter, we are reminded of both the honor and the challenge of God’s call.
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We Are Called out of Darkness into the Light
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
– 1 Peter 2:9
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We are Called to Receive Power
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
– 2 Peter 1:2-3
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We Are Called to Diligence
Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.
– 2 Peter 1: 10
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We Are Called to Suffer for Christ
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.
– 1 Peter 2:21
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We Are Called to an Inheritance
Not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.
– 1 Peter 3:9
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We Are Called to Glory
After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
– 1 Peter 5:10
What did the rooster’s crow meant for Peter after the resurrection?
It would certainly be a reminder to walk humbly before God. It would surely be both an example of the beauty of forgiveness and the immutability of His calling upon those He has chosen to serve Him.
For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
– Romans 11:29
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So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
– John 8:36
He shouted, “Freedom!” as he plowed his car at twenty-one miles an hour into the granite monument engraved with the Ten Commandments.
A video posted on the suspect’s Facebook page depicted the man in his car facing the monument as a women’s voice, presumably on a car radio, asked, “Where do you go when you’re faced with adversity and trials and challenges?”
He growled, “Oh, my goodness. Freedom,” as he hit the gas pedal.
In a scene vaguely reminiscent of the destruction of the first set of Ten Commandments, the slab crashed to the ground upon impact with the car and shattered into pieces. The privately funded monument had been installed less than twenty-four hours earlier on the Arkansas state capitol grounds, lasting barely as long as the first set on Sinai.
The man who struck the twisted blow for “freedom” was soon behind bars.
Who knows what was in his mind that morning. Who knows what convinced him God was to blame for his troubles. People in general don’t like rules and being told what to do. Our human nature is fiercely independent, often to our own detriment. We react to God’s discipline much like the toddler who only loves the word “No” when he’s the one saying it.
A two-year-old paints an uncomfortably recognizable portrait of will without wisdom. Imagine the frustration we must give God in our determination for independence without the maturity to manage it.
The perfect father, God gives us boundaries for our safety and well-being. He gave us the Law to teach us the hazards of lawlessness. Without the Law, we would not understand transgression, justice, and our need for an advocate and a pardon.
The truth is, we are all slaves to something.
The only question is what we will serve. Satan appeals to our desire for independence and our craving to sin. But when we cross the lines God has set for us, we have not found freedom. Like the monument-smasher, we’ve simply put ourselves behind bars and multiplied our troubles.
God is our protector, our Savior, our Father. His Word is the guide to a life well-lived.
Where do you go when you’re faced with adversity and trials and challenges? The wise person runs to the Rock. God’s Word is not a set of rules keeping us from freedom. It’s the key to it.
The burden of sin is one none of us can carry. Only the Christ can take that millstone from around our necks. Because Jesus has released us from the chains of sin, we can live in abundant freedom as we serve Him and others. The yoke of service to Him is a light one, and one we can wear with joy.
The Son has made us free. How can we repay such a lavish gift? We can honor Him in these ways:
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Rejoice always in our release from captivity.
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Celebrate Dependence Day every day of the year by trusting in Him.
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Worship our God in everything.
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Obey His Word.
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Live like people who are free, indeed.
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The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice.
– Psalm 97:1
He reigns.
Has a more beautiful declaration ever been written? Without that truth, we would have been forever lost to life after Eden. But because all authority belongs to God, Satan has no chance of wresting the universe from Him. Because God reigns, Jesus could heal sickness, forgive sins, and conquer death. Because God is in control, evil has been outwitted. Because He is Lord, there is power behind the words, “It is finished.”
The Lord reigns.
Those words of the Psalmist have crushed every demonic plot raised throughout history against God’s kingdom. Today they strengthen those who are suffering, give hope to those who are dying, and grant courage to the living.
Kings dream of conquest, but the Lord reigns.
Men rage against righteousness, but the Lord reigns.
Prayers may go unanswered, the innocent may suffer, and the harvest may wither.
Still, the Lord reigns.
In a time of His choosing, our prayers will be answered, the innocent will be delivered, and the harvest will be abundant. Only God comprehends the mysteries of the universe.
He alone weaves the intricate pattern of grace and judgment throughout earth’s story.
Nothing can separate us from His will, His love, and His grace. In our hour of despair, He is our resurrection. In our deepest night, He is the lamp from which the darkness flees. He is our revelation, our fortress, our king and conqueror. He vanquishes our tormentors. He lifts us up from the dirt and calls us His children.
He transforms the ragged into royalty, the powerless into conquerors.
We live in His refuge.
We eat at His table.
We walk in His riches.
In that great day He calls us to Him, we will see Him in all His glory. We will fall before the splendor of His majesty and cast our crowns at His feet, giving praise and honor to the King who saved us. With all creation, we will rejoice that it is finished.
Together with all creation we will declare, “He reigns.”
We don’t have to wait until eternity to begin the celebration. There’s no better time than today to declare His lordship over our lives. Today, when we must see Him with eyes of faith and trust our lives to a promise, the declaration of His sovereignty is especially poignant; a beautiful proclamation of a timeless reality soon to be revealed.
He is Lord. He reigns. Let the rejoicing begin!
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Listen to this article:
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.
– Psalm 23:4
The room lay in shadows, the only sound within its walls the rhythmic whoosh of the ventilator beside my son’s bed.
I sat on an uncomfortable chair jammed into one corner of the room. The faint light from the window fell across the pages of the Bible I held as I tried to corral my stampeding fears long enough to find some comfort from God’s Word. Outside the door of his room, a cacophony of voices from the nurses’ station jarred our shattered nerves.
In the darkness, our son lay paralyzed from the neck down, on life support, suffering from pneumonia. We had been given little hope for his recovery and no hope he could go home to live. We stood before a sea of despair with our enemies riding down upon us. There was no way of escape, no place to run.
We were trapped.
We had already fought back a push for euthanasia.
The only path left for us was toward an impenetrable sea standing between death and deliverance. As we stepped toward it in faith, learning to care for our son, watching him regain feeling and movement, learning to trust God’s guidance, the sea of the impossible parted before us.
Our son’s injury was twenty years ago. He came home from rehab with us seven weeks after the accident, and he eventually weaned off the vent except to sleep at night. Today he breathes, moves, and walks with assistance. He lives each day with faith and gratitude. We are blessed to walk with him as he lives the impossible.
As we celebrate two decades of deliverance, I think back on the Exodus of God’s people out of slavery. How frightened they must have been. How confused Moses must have felt when he sought out God and was told, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.” (Ex. 14:15) I try to imagine what it was like for them to walk that fearsome night through the valley of the sea, under the shadow of death, pursued by their enemies. I wonder what it felt like to reach the other side.
And then I remember. In our home, we walk this path every day, a crossing no less miraculous for its repetition. Each day we have many challenges, but we also have many reasons to praise God for His power and grace.
Do you face a fearsome path today?
Take heart. The more difficult the journey, the greater opportunity for God to be glorified. Thank God that it’s not up to us to part the seas. We just need to trust Him and step out with courage into the journey ahead.
Take the first step today toward deliverance. God will do the rest.
Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today.
– Exodus 14:13
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Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.
– Ephesians 5:25-26
They were just turning down the lights in the sanctuary as I slid into a seat near the back of the church.
I was tired and soiled by the previous week. Life had been especially difficult, and I had not handled the pressure well. I felt completely unhinged spiritually and wholly unworthy to be in God’s presence.
The worship team began with one of my favorite songs, and I hoped I didn’t look as vulnerable as I felt.
It would have been easier to stay home. I didn’t feel like opening myself up to the conviction I was sure God’s Spirit had waiting for me. And yet, the yearning to run to my Father was greater than my shame. A desperate hunger for His compassion and holiness consumed me.
The worship was gentle, soothing. The speaker’s message appeared to have been written with me in mind. As I had figured, the Scriptures for the service hit my issues directly head on. Yes, there was conviction. There was also grace, much more grace. God’s compassion bathed my weary feet and anointed them with hope.
I left church revitalized, awed once again at the cleansing power of the Word of God.
The first washing believers receive is the cleansing of our sins by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit through our faith in Christ’s sacrifice.
Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
– 1 Corinthians 6:11
This comes when we hear the Word of God, believe it, and follow Him. One of our first acts of obedience is baptism, the outward declaration of our internal purification and rebirth.
This purification is permanent. Jesus told His disciples that they were clean because they had received His word. The Bible tells us that His sacrifice sanctified and cleansed His Body, the church.
At the Last Supper, as Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, Simon Peter protested that he needed to be completely washed. Jesus replied:
He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.
– John 13:10
In this passage Jesus declared all his disciples except Judas were clean. Their feet, soiled with the dust of the earth, were the only dirty part of them.
We may feel soiled by the fallen world around us and our own struggles with our old natures. But the blood of Jesus has cleansed us from all sins committed in the past, present, and future. Our feet get dirty from the earth in which we shuffle, and that’s why we need to read our Bibles.
The Bible is not just a book.
It is God, written down.
God’s Word is our teacher, healer, and friend.
It holds within its pages the power to unlock the mysteries of mankind’s history and future. It reveals our darkest thoughts and our deepest needs. The Bible opens hearts, renews minds, restores relationships, and imparts life.
Best of all, it cleanses us for a new day and a new journey.
You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
– John 15:3
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I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able to receive it.
– I Corinthians 3:2
The infant finishes his bottle and smiles contentedly.
A trickle of milk courses down from the corner of his mouth. It’s a sweet scene because it’s what babies do. They are born with immature digestive systems and no teeth. Mother’s milk or formula are necessary for the child to survive and thrive. As they grow, their teeth begin to come in, their digestive abilities mature, and they can tolerate solid food.
Babies are supposed to grow up. God expects His children to become fully functioning adults, as well. Anything less is decidedly dysfunctional.
It’s easy to tell a baby from an adult. But what distinguishes a mature Christian from an immature one?
It’s not the achievement of perfection. Even those who have been disciples of Christ all their lives still battle the fleshly nature residing in their mortal bodies. But a mature Christian should exhibit growth.
The Bible tells us the mark of maturity is a lack of carnality. In the Corinthian church, the carnal features of jealousy and strife had rocked the congregation. In his letter to the church, Paul took them to task for creating two competing cliques: those following the leader Apollos, and those following Paul.
This grieved Paul deeply. Not only did this display their childishness, but it also deflected the glory rightfully belonging to Christ. Paul reminded them those working in a field may have different jobs in producing a crop, but only God has the power to give life to the seed.
When God directs the planting, we can expect fruit. We are all co-workers in the field and infighting only delays the harvest. Infants don’t work because they aren’t made for it. They’re totally self-absorbed in their own needs, and they don’t care who they inconvenience along the way.
In the same way, immature Christians accomplish little except making messes for others to clean up.
We all begin as spiritual infants. We just aren’t supposed to stay that way.
One of the greatest qualities of God is His patience. He gives each person what he needs to grow in spirit and in truth. God’s provision for His children overwhelms us in both its simplicity and its complexity. He gives milk to the child. He expands the difficulty of digestion as a person grows in understanding. The message of salvation is simple enough for the babe, yet deep enough for the sage.
And yet, it is not rooted in what we know, but in what we do. Are we the cause of heartache in others or the conduit of His compassion?
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To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
– John 10
All sheep look alike to me.
Defenseless, timid, and nondescript creatures, they tend to wander and get into trouble. When one falls, it needs help to get back on its feet. Its purpose in life is mostly to eat, grow wool, and make more sheep. It’s easy to see why Jesus equated them to humans. A line of sheep looks like a sea of wool and blank stares, huddled in a timid group behind their leader.
I was in one of those lines recently, at a Christian concert.
If you’re a fan of Christian music, you’ve probably been in one of those lines, too. Why not get that CD signed, right? Because the concert I attended was held in a small venue in a small town, the line was a modest, but sincere, one. A little group of us gathered in the church foyer to say hello to the artist, one of the few larger names who scheduled a stop in northern Idaho on his concert tour.
I was probably the oldest person in the line; in fact, I may have been the oldest person in the room.
But something the artist said during the concert had connected with me, and I was determined to share it, so I shuffled in awkward formation with the others. Since it was a small flock, it wasn’t long before it was my turn. Suddenly I felt like a teenaged groupie, only worse, because although my heart is a Panhead, it beats inside a Gaither Trio body. All three of them, poured into a pair of stretchy granny jeans. I’m even sheep-shaped.
The artist was tired, ready to leave, but he patiently bent his head down to hear my request. Then he asked my name.
“Pam,” I answered.
At that, he reared back his head in surprise, startling me.
“No way,” he exclaimed, laughing. “As you were walking up,” he said, “I thought to myself, ‘That looks like Pam.’”
OOOkay. It turns out he knows another senior citizen, who looks just like me, named Pam. We laughed, and I went on my way, feeling weirdly special.
I don’t know what the chances were of that exchange happening, since hardly anyone is named Pam. I guess all sheep do look alike. But it was my reminder that I’m not just a face in a line to God. Although He runs the whole universe, He knows my name. He knows me inside and out, and He loves me.
God saw me before I existed.
He made me the way I am. He picked out the color of my eyes and gave me my dad’s knees. He knows my failures, my pain, and my insecurities. He chooses, however, to remember my faith, my service to Him, and my adoration of all He is.
Out of all the billions of people on the earth, He knows my name. He knows yours, too. We are His possession, and He cares for His sheep.
The Lord is our Shepherd. We shall not want.
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So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?
– Galatians 4:16
The apostle Paul loved the people of God.
After his conversion to Christ, he spent his life not only establishing churches, but also ministering to their needs. He often had the unpleasant duty of confronting issues that threatened the fledgling church, and his letters to the Galatians and to the Corinthians were especially aimed at keeping the churches rooted in the faith.
Paul paid a heavy price for the mantle placed upon him by God. He suffered much for his allegiance to Christ, culminating in his martyrdom. Not the least of the wounds he bore were inflicted by the very people he loved so deeply. His poignant question to the Galatians reveals the depth of the hostility some Christians harbored toward him. How it must have wounded him to be attacked by the people he sacrificed so much to serve.
We often think a loving person is one who never crosses us.
But what is the Biblical definition of love? Isn’t it to seek the highest good of others? Doesn’t love require action on behalf of our beloved? If we care about someone, do we stand by and watch while he walks off a cliff? Wouldn’t we snatch our child off a busy street? Wouldn’t we throw a lifeline to a friend treading shark-infested waters?
Exercising “unconditional love” doesn’t mean we never speak the truth to someone living a lie. The term has become a convenient excuse for avoiding the accusations to be heaped upon us if we have the courage to speak out. It builds a wall behind which to hide from reality and avoid the responsibility of caring for our relationships.
Thank God, Jesus didn’t “love” us according to society’s standards.
Had He done so, we would have never known about sin, nor understood our need for a Savior. Our entire planet would have plunged into hell without so much as a word of warning. Thank God, He loved us enough to come into our space and snatch us from the edge of destruction.
Even today, most people don’t understand that Jesus did not come to “judge” us. He came to save us from judgment. He is not the enemy.
He is the truth that brings deliverance.
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God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then He said, ‘Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ He said also, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
– Exodus 3:4-6
So they were saying to Him, ‘Who are You?’ Jesus said to them, ‘What have I been saying to you from the beginning?’
– John 8:25
The actor Charlton Heston once told the story of meeting a young couple who were ardent fans.
Gushing at the sight of the famous movie star, they breathlessly announced that they had named their son after him.
“Don’t tell me you named that poor child ‘Charlton,’” he protested.
“Oh, no,” they replied enthusiastically. “We named him ‘Moses.’”
The movie Ten Commandments famously depicted the rise, fall, and restoration of the Hebrew man who would one day lead his people out of Egypt. Set afloat as a baby in a basket to escape the wrath of Egypt, Moses was found by an Egyptian princess and unwittingly restored to his family to be raised as royalty. He was a man with a foot in two worlds, and his choice to follow the faith of his birth family cost him a king’s inheritance. But it gained him an eternal one.
Moses was likely taught about his Hebrew roots as he grew with his real mother. He knew the belief system and traditions of his people. He learned about God. But in the one moment God revealed Himself to Moses in the desert, his world was shaken by a divine force so beautiful, and yet so alien, Moses was afraid even to look at Him. This God was no ancient tribal fairy tale.
Who is He?
Thousands of years later, God’s disciples would be confronted again by the shining; the bush burned and not consumed.
They followed the man, but the force of the authority in Him, the beautiful, yet alien nature that He displayed, often left them bewildered. This man was no mere rebel.
Who is He?
I faced this question many years ago when I first began reading the Bible. One by one, my preconceived ideas of God fell before His majesty and mystery as He revealed Himself to me. And in the years since, as I have learned to walk with Him and trust Him and live in the abundance of His grace, I have bowed in awe of this powerful and wise Sovereign. In the complex world around me and the vast universe above me, I see the work of a profound intelligence. The more I know Him, the more I am humbled by just how little I still understand of my Creator and King.
Who is He? He is more than we will ever fathom on this side of the sun. One day, we will know and understand Him fully. Until then, we live in trust, awed by His faithfulness to us in these moments before the moment of His revelation.
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Now the LORD said to Abram,
Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you.
– Genesis 12:1
Today, the ancient Biblical town of Haran sits in ruins.
But in the time of Abram, later given the new name of Abraham, it was a bustling trading town watered by a tributary of Euphrates River.
Abram and his family lived in the wealthy city of Ur until God called him to leave Ur for a new land. God didn’t give him the road map of this journey, but He did give him promises to hold onto during the long journey.
God commanded three things of Abram on this trip:
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Leave his country behind.
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Separate from his extended family.
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Proceed to a land God would reveal to him.
Abram did leave Ur, but his journey to the new land was lengthened considerably when he failed to obey God completely by taking along his father Terah and his nephew Lot. They only got as far as Haran before settling there. Haran means “parched.” During his time in Haran, there is no record of promises or communication Abram received from God. God simply waited for him to act on His original command.
Since Abram had not completely severed the old ties, he was unable to strike out toward the promised land. Terah means “delay,” and Abram was indeed delayed in his journey for years in Haran until the death of his father released him to move forward.
It was not until Terah’s death God again appeared to Abram and repeated His command. In the end, Abram did obey God. He would, in fact, become known as the “father of all them that believe,” (Roman 4:11), a man separated from all he had known. He became a pilgrim passing through one land into the next, learning although God’s commands aren’t always accompanied by reasons, they are always filled with promises.
As believers, we are called to leave our old world behind for the promise of a new life.
When we are bound to the past and unhealthy relationships, we are unable to claim all that has been promised to us. We dwell in a parched land on the brink of despair, unable to move forward.
If we are ever to make progress, we must let God remove what holds us back. Do you stand at Haran today? Have you settled for a dry existence without seeing the promises of God fulfilled, because you can’t let go? Are you fearful of the sacrifices involved in crossing into the promised land?
No matter how long you have lived on the brink, God is still here, waiting for your heart to arise in answer to His call. In the list of faith heroes given to us in Hebrews 11, there is no mention of Abram’s delay in obedience. God’s grace is greater than our fears, our failures, and our doubts.
Take those first steps forward today.
The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, ‘LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME INTO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU.’
– Acts 7:2,3
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I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
-Revelation 1:18
Israel prayed for a Messiah, but God arrived.
They yearned for freedom from Rome, but He offered them deliverance from themselves.
They looked for a new kingdom, but the King came to claim their hearts.
The man Jesus embodied all the fullness of God. They just didn’t know it. Had His followers known, they would have been more saddened at His suffering, but less devastated by His death. On Golgotha, they witnessed a holy sacrifice. As the perfect Lamb offered Himself for their sins, they grieved, dreams in tatters, thinking they witnessed an execution. All they knew was that the man who they believed would redeem Israel was dead. Death had destroyed their hope. And there was no returning from the dead.
For the three long days Jesus’ body lay in the tomb, they wallowed in the finality of their despair, sure all was lost and they, too, would be killed. Even life without Him would be pointless. The darkness in their hearts was magnified by the emptiness.
The day for which Heaven had long waited finally dawned, and with it came a stunning realization for the disciples. Jesus was alive. He who was dead had risen from the grave. He was not the vanquished, but the conqueror.
The understanding came in waves as doubt melted into shock and joy and worship.
In the strength of that knowledge, empowered by the Holy Spirit, the disciples fearlessly proclaimed what they had seen and heard. They gladly suffered and died for His name, certain, now, that pain and physical death were temporary conditions. They turned the world upside down with the joyous news.
This Easter, the tomb is still empty. He is risen, and He holds the keys to death and the grave. Those who believe in His name have been released from the power of sin and given this same life. We live in the strength of this revelation. He is Lord. He is King. He is the eternal God. He is the Living One.
He is risen, indeed!
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If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
– John 14:28
Nuclear reaction:
A process, such as fission, fusion, or radioactive decay, in which the structure of an atomic nucleus is altered through release of energy or mass or by being broken apart. **
Nothing inspires as much collective societal angst as the sight of an atomic bomb exploding.
We know from history the release of energy derived from the splitting of an atom has the power to level a city, vaporize its inhabitants, and bring nations to their knees. We’ve seen the footage of an atomic bomb blasting into the sky and over the land.
Rewind the video. Imagine all that explosive force and power being compressed into one atom. Or one cell.
Or one body.
The declaration of Jesus in John 14:28 was not He was less than His Father in quality. He was less in quantity. In His incarnation, the all-powerful Word was compressed into a single organism, limited to time and space, constrained by the boundaries created by living in a body of flesh in a finite dimension. He only had two hands and two feet. He got tired, frustrated, and hungry. He could only be in one place at a time. It was in this vessel God lived and suffered and conquered the curse for us.
Jesus could have stopped the process at any time. He could have returned to heaven and left us lost. His obedience opened the floodgates of life to us. Like Him, we are called to humble ourselves so that others may live.
How can we better serve our Lord?
Acknowledge the boundless love that drove Christ to limit Himself for us.
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the pint of death, even death on a cross.
– Philippians 2:5-8
Surrender to our limitations, as Christ submitted to His.
Therefore humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exult you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
-1 Peter 5:6
Commit ourselves to His path.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master.
– Matthew 10:25
It is enough to be like Him. To accomplish this, we surrender to living out of His purpose for us, revealed in bodies of flesh, tied to the limits of this space in time. We see what He endured for us and cry, “Lord, I am content with the situation in which you have placed me, for this is the path You have walked before me. If You are better glorified by this, I am blessed.”
**The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved. -
Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For our ancestors won God’s approval by it.
– Hebrews 11:1 (HCSB)
Ever feel like a failure?
I do, and often. My desk overflows with a never-ending pile of unfinished work. My job as a fulltime caregiver is a challenging one. It never feels like I’m smart enough, talented enough, strong enough, or Christian enough to run the race placed before me each day. I know my faith isn’t based on works, but I can add a hearty “amen” to Paul’s letter to the Romans in which he confesses to the warfare in his soul. Maybe it’s just that misery loves company, but it’s comforting to know I’m not alone in my predisposition to miss the mark. The Bible is filled with examples:
Noah obeyed the voice of God and preserved the entire world but couldn’t hold his liquor.
Abraham trusted God enough to leave his home for Canaan but fled to Egypt during a famine.
Sarah had a miracle child but caused a long line of family problems with her unbelief.
Rahab hid Israel’s spies from their enemies but had a checkered past.
Elijah brought down 400 prophets of Baal but was afraid of one woman.
Jacob wrestled with God but feared his brother Esau.
David killed Goliath but hid from Saul. Even worse, he committed adultery and arranged the murder of one of his loyal soldiers so he could have the man’s wife.
Samson was consecrated to God but fell prisoner to the temptations of a girlfriend.
We know these stories. We know the heroes of Scripture had feet of clay. They made some terrible mistakes.
While their exploits are listed in Hebrews 11, their failings are noticeably missing.
Instead, God lists the things they did “by faith.”
By faith they “conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength after being weak, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.” (Hebrews 11:33-35) Some were brought back to life from the dead, some were tortured, mocked, scourged, and imprisoned. Others were stoned, sawn in two, or killed by the sword. And some spent their lives destitute and mistreated for their obedience to God.
These were men and women, utterly human but divinely appointed, of whom “the world was not worthy.” (Hebrews 11:38) The writer of Hebrews assures us who follow in their footsteps that we are part of the great chain of faith, approved by God because we are His children. His sacrifice has cleansed us; His Spirit empowers us to accomplish all He asks of us.
God knew before I was born that I wouldn’t be smart enough, talented enough, strong enough, or Christian enough to run the race He would set before me. No one is. That’s why God offers grace to humanity.
Grace isn’t a license to stray from the path to life, but a gift making the journey possible.
Like Noah, we may have feet of clay, but we have found favor in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:8) Our best will never be enough, but God’s is.
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Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.
– Genesis 6:22
Noah had already lived much of his life when God called him to build the ark.
He was not a young man when the fate of humanity was placed upon his shoulders. It was a fearful assignment, an overwhelming duty. What God had told him in secret, he spent decades building in obedience to His word.
We don’t know how much help, if any, Noah had building the massive ship. He certainly didn’t have power tools or a Home Depot nearby stocked with precut gopher wood and nails. There would be no hamburger drive-thru for him to pick up a quick lunch on a long day. There wasn’t even a hot tub in which to soak his old bones each evening.
How impossible the task must have been, this thing that lay so heavily on Noah’s heart. How crazy he must have appeared to his neighbors and friends. How very alone he must have felt.
There must have been many dark days when doubt raged, and he questioned his own ability to go on. The temptation to quit must have been very strong.
But Noah knew one thing. He knew what God had told him to do. He knew he had to expend every fiber of his being in obedience, trusting God would give him the strength to finish. Nothing else mattered except that the last nail was pounded into the wood, humanity’s preservation complete.
Thousands of years later, another carpenter walked the earth.
His directive from God was much the same. Like Noah, His job would be a lonely one. There would be no relief from the duty, no release from the burden, no call from heaven to stop the judgment about to fall.
When the last nail was in place, humanity’s salvation complete, He cried, “It is finished.”
This is the greater ark, a permanent rescue and safe landing in a new heaven and earth. It is the one-way ride to eternal life through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. As the storm clouds gather around us, as the forces of destruction assemble before us, the door to deliverance stands open to anyone who wants to enter.
But this door will not remain open forever.
Noah’s friends and neighbors must have mocked him as he and his family made the last step of obedience and entered the ark. For a week, the little group waited inside, while God allowed one more chance for others to join them. As the door stood open, the world danced and ate and drank and caroused and wasted their chance to live. Then God closed the door behind Noah and his family, and judgment fell.
A greater judgment is coming soon, more fearsome than anything we have ever known. Society laughs at Christ as she dances on her own grave. Her world is about to fall, but she seems not to care salvation awaits with its door wide open, a door God will close suddenly, in an hour of His choosing.
As followers of Christ, we can’t know the hour or day of His return.
But we can show others the door.
