November 30
World events leave mankind reeling as if in a whirlwind of dire potential eventualities. With the onslaught of nature’s storms and earthquakes and tsunamis and volcanic eruptions compounded by the bellicose rumblings of man, there is no shortage of concerns about which to worry and fret on our unsettled planet.
With all these things to perplex man, he is further left to deal with his own inner turmoil, with the stress of knowing he is a failure at life. Man, in spite of his arrogance and seeming confidence in his ability to handle life, must recognize his failure when he assesses the brokenness he leaves in his wake.
Man is much like a tsunami in that he sweeps over the people he should have loved and protected and leaves them devastated in the aftermath of his indifference. He has likewise left his purported faith in tatters that cause it to be virtually unrecognizable to the observers of his life, for it has rendered him haughty and arrogant in his self-righteousness rather than humble before the Christ who saved him. When he makes his righteousness his salvation, he is lost.
When a man overlooks the factor of love, when he does not allow the love of Christ and the forgiveness He has extended to everyone who believes to govern his life, he makes himself a cast-away. Jesus said, If a man loves Me, he will obey My teaching (to love and forgive). My Father will love him and We will come to him and dwell with him,” John 14:23. When a man has done that one thing, he diminishes the negativity swirling around him in great measure--for he has Christ’s peace within.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
I Stand
November 29
Our God is good at painting word pictures. His Holy Book, the Bible, gives us clear pictures of major events of the past, and impresses us with its insights into current times, as well as shares with us its vivid imagery to portray what will occur in the future.
We feel like we were there when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea (Exodus 14:16). We feel like we overheard the conversation that transpired between the heroic Queen Esther and her husband King Ahasuerus that caused the astounded Jew-hater Haman to be snared by his diabolic scheme against God’s people (Esther 7:4-10).
We feel like we can hear the thundering hooves of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse as they bring destruction and death to the earth in the last days of time (Revelation 6:2-8), and we know that our own day is equally depicted in the scripture, for as we read, we see ourselves and our time graphically portrayed. But the one great truth He would have all mankind to see and to appropriate is that spoken by Jesus to those who will hear.
What our God and Savior wants us to see clearly, to grasp with our understanding and appropriate to our hearts is the picture of Revelation 3:20 where Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him and sup with him and he with Me.” Our loving Savior wants us to know that He, like a gentleman, stands at the door of our heart, the throne room of our lives, waiting to be seated there as our Savior, Lord and King.
Our God is good at painting word pictures. His Holy Book, the Bible, gives us clear pictures of major events of the past, and impresses us with its insights into current times, as well as shares with us its vivid imagery to portray what will occur in the future.
We feel like we were there when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea (Exodus 14:16). We feel like we overheard the conversation that transpired between the heroic Queen Esther and her husband King Ahasuerus that caused the astounded Jew-hater Haman to be snared by his diabolic scheme against God’s people (Esther 7:4-10).
We feel like we can hear the thundering hooves of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse as they bring destruction and death to the earth in the last days of time (Revelation 6:2-8), and we know that our own day is equally depicted in the scripture, for as we read, we see ourselves and our time graphically portrayed. But the one great truth He would have all mankind to see and to appropriate is that spoken by Jesus to those who will hear.
What our God and Savior wants us to see clearly, to grasp with our understanding and appropriate to our hearts is the picture of Revelation 3:20 where Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him and sup with him and he with Me.” Our loving Savior wants us to know that He, like a gentleman, stands at the door of our heart, the throne room of our lives, waiting to be seated there as our Savior, Lord and King.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
He Shares With You
November 28
Called. It’s a word that has varying significance, depending upon your religious affiliation. To people without any particular religious persuasion, it means nothing more than an action involving a telephone: I called you, but you didn’t answer.
To those who deny God speaks to men today, it may be a mere reflection upon the apostles of Christ, who felt they were called to follow Him—in all but John’s case—called to follow Him to their deaths.
The evangelical Christian who hears the word thinks of it as the undeniable touch of God upon the lives of those He selects to serve Him in a special way. Some are ‘called’ to serve Him as missionaries or as pastors or as Biblical teachers. Some are ‘called’ to serve Him with their gifts—to write for Him as Max Lucado does or to share their musical talent for Him as many gifted musicians do. But the Bible tells us we are called to something too lovely to restrict to a few.
It is a calling to which all who own Christ as Savior and Lord may lay claim. In I Corinthians 1:9, Paul says, “God has called you to share everything with His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord—and HE is faithful.” He has called you. Not someone else—you! And He who has called you is faithful to woo you by His Spirit to His Son Jesus Christ who gave Himself on Calvary’s cross to save you from sin and to share with you everything that’s His—His eternal reign in glory.
Called. It’s a word that has varying significance, depending upon your religious affiliation. To people without any particular religious persuasion, it means nothing more than an action involving a telephone: I called you, but you didn’t answer.
To those who deny God speaks to men today, it may be a mere reflection upon the apostles of Christ, who felt they were called to follow Him—in all but John’s case—called to follow Him to their deaths.
The evangelical Christian who hears the word thinks of it as the undeniable touch of God upon the lives of those He selects to serve Him in a special way. Some are ‘called’ to serve Him as missionaries or as pastors or as Biblical teachers. Some are ‘called’ to serve Him with their gifts—to write for Him as Max Lucado does or to share their musical talent for Him as many gifted musicians do. But the Bible tells us we are called to something too lovely to restrict to a few.
It is a calling to which all who own Christ as Savior and Lord may lay claim. In I Corinthians 1:9, Paul says, “God has called you to share everything with His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord—and HE is faithful.” He has called you. Not someone else—you! And He who has called you is faithful to woo you by His Spirit to His Son Jesus Christ who gave Himself on Calvary’s cross to save you from sin and to share with you everything that’s His—His eternal reign in glory.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Happy...
November 27
The God who made us knows our frame. He does not condone our transgressions, but He fully comprehends our weakness where temptation is concerned and He Knows we are totally incapable of overcoming our proclivity to sin in our own strength.
That’s why He says in Isaiah 1:18, “Come, let us reason together. Though your sins may have stained your life as scarlet, they shall be washed white as snow. Though they are crimson, they can be as newly carded wool.”
The God who identifies Himself as our Father has a profound desire for every man who ever lives to receive this cleansing from sin because it is the Father’s will for every man who ever lived to abide with Him eternally. Apart from the forgiveness from sin that is obtained when a man believes in Jesus as Savior and Lord, there can be no cleansing (see I Timothy 4:10).
To accept Christ’s cleansing sacrifice is to attain not only eternal salvation but also temporal joy. As David who was guilty of adultery and murder says in Psalm 32:1, 2, “Happy is the man whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned. Joyful is the man whom the Lord does not consider guilty and in whom there is found no sin.”
The God who made us knows our frame. He does not condone our transgressions, but He fully comprehends our weakness where temptation is concerned and He Knows we are totally incapable of overcoming our proclivity to sin in our own strength.
That’s why He says in Isaiah 1:18, “Come, let us reason together. Though your sins may have stained your life as scarlet, they shall be washed white as snow. Though they are crimson, they can be as newly carded wool.”
The God who identifies Himself as our Father has a profound desire for every man who ever lives to receive this cleansing from sin because it is the Father’s will for every man who ever lived to abide with Him eternally. Apart from the forgiveness from sin that is obtained when a man believes in Jesus as Savior and Lord, there can be no cleansing (see I Timothy 4:10).
To accept Christ’s cleansing sacrifice is to attain not only eternal salvation but also temporal joy. As David who was guilty of adultery and murder says in Psalm 32:1, 2, “Happy is the man whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned. Joyful is the man whom the Lord does not consider guilty and in whom there is found no sin.”
Monday, November 26, 2012
Blood of the Martyrs
November 26
Why do people suffer for their faith? Perhaps that question should be reworded, “Why do Christians suffer for their faith?” Though there may be incidents of religious persecution that include all the earth’s belief systems, the preponderance of religious persecution (it is estimated to be 75%) is perpetrated against Christians. Why?
Much of that persecution, although not all of it, occurs in Muslim countries. In the past 100 years (during the 20th Century) 26,000,000 Christians were killed for their faith (martyred). This is more than the combined total of all previous centuries. It does not count the untold numbers who were persecuted in other ways—those who have been denied employment, imprisoned, tortured, and even enslaved for their faith.
These things are going on right now in certain countries and, in many cases, persecution is worse than it has ever been. Yet Christians continue to proclaim their belief in Jesus in spite of the danger doing so brings upon themselves. Why? Because as I John 1:3 tells us, “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard because we want you also to have fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ the Lord as we do.”
What we have is so precious that we desire all mankind to possess it! We yearn for all our brothers in the family of man to know forgiveness of sin and inclusion in the family of God through the sacrifice of Jesus. And though we be persecuted, we say with Tertullian, “Put us on the rack, grind us to powder, torture us, but our numbers will increase, for the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
Why do people suffer for their faith? Perhaps that question should be reworded, “Why do Christians suffer for their faith?” Though there may be incidents of religious persecution that include all the earth’s belief systems, the preponderance of religious persecution (it is estimated to be 75%) is perpetrated against Christians. Why?
Much of that persecution, although not all of it, occurs in Muslim countries. In the past 100 years (during the 20th Century) 26,000,000 Christians were killed for their faith (martyred). This is more than the combined total of all previous centuries. It does not count the untold numbers who were persecuted in other ways—those who have been denied employment, imprisoned, tortured, and even enslaved for their faith.
These things are going on right now in certain countries and, in many cases, persecution is worse than it has ever been. Yet Christians continue to proclaim their belief in Jesus in spite of the danger doing so brings upon themselves. Why? Because as I John 1:3 tells us, “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard because we want you also to have fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ the Lord as we do.”
What we have is so precious that we desire all mankind to possess it! We yearn for all our brothers in the family of man to know forgiveness of sin and inclusion in the family of God through the sacrifice of Jesus. And though we be persecuted, we say with Tertullian, “Put us on the rack, grind us to powder, torture us, but our numbers will increase, for the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
Sunday, November 25, 2012
One True Thing
November 25
How can man, with his frail, finite mind, know God’s truth which is infinite? Of himself, he cannot—as evidenced by the fallacious thinking evidenced in doctrines that are a hundred eighty degrees apart from the true doctrinal word of the living and true God. If, then, man cannot grasp an understanding of eternal truth on his own, how can he gain it?
The beloved Apostle knew our quandary and he gives us the key to overcoming our befuddlement when it comes to appropriating real truth and holding it close in our hearts. In I John 4:1-4 he says, “Many false prophets have gone into the world, spewing lies about our God. Do not believe them…
“Do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see if they are from God. This is how you can know God’s Spirit: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ came to earth as a Man is from God. And every spirit who refuses to affirm this about Jesus is not from God, rather it is a spirit from Christ’s enemy…
“My dear children, you belong to God and have defeated the spirits of evil because God’s Spirit who is in you is far greater than the spirit of the devil that is in the world.” The true test of TRUTH is Jesus. Those who affirm Him as God in the flesh are of God. They who deny that one true thing are bound in eternal error.
How can man, with his frail, finite mind, know God’s truth which is infinite? Of himself, he cannot—as evidenced by the fallacious thinking evidenced in doctrines that are a hundred eighty degrees apart from the true doctrinal word of the living and true God. If, then, man cannot grasp an understanding of eternal truth on his own, how can he gain it?
The beloved Apostle knew our quandary and he gives us the key to overcoming our befuddlement when it comes to appropriating real truth and holding it close in our hearts. In I John 4:1-4 he says, “Many false prophets have gone into the world, spewing lies about our God. Do not believe them…
“Do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see if they are from God. This is how you can know God’s Spirit: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ came to earth as a Man is from God. And every spirit who refuses to affirm this about Jesus is not from God, rather it is a spirit from Christ’s enemy…
“My dear children, you belong to God and have defeated the spirits of evil because God’s Spirit who is in you is far greater than the spirit of the devil that is in the world.” The true test of TRUTH is Jesus. Those who affirm Him as God in the flesh are of God. They who deny that one true thing are bound in eternal error.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
They Did Not Fear
November 24
How can the enemy of our souls be defeated? How can mere mortals, frail flesh that is only a breath away from returning to dust, hope to curtail, let alone halt, the inroads of the evil one into their lives and into the lives of those they love? What weapon in the arsenal of man can we hope will defeat the schemes and lies of the destroyer?
Of ourselves, there’s nothing. Our weapons of warfare, powerful and destructive though they may be when unleashed against flesh, are as nothing when poised toward the fortress of evil. Our resolve, though a strong tower to which we may flee from the temptations he levels at us, cannot secure us indefinitely against the devil’s determination to destroy God’s finest and most beloved handiwork.
But the Word of God tells us we can overcome him, and we stand upon that assurance when nothing else can give us even a glimmer of hope toward that end. In Revelation 12:11 John says, “Our brothers defeated the evil one by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives to the point of fearing death.” They did not fear death.
When we trust in the blood of the sacrificed Lamb, neither will we love our lives so much that we fear death. We, too will overcome by Jesus’ shed blood, knowing “there is no other name given under heaven whereby men might be saved,” Acts 4:12, so our defense, our confidence will be in the One who can defeat the tempter; who can destroy the destroyer!
How can the enemy of our souls be defeated? How can mere mortals, frail flesh that is only a breath away from returning to dust, hope to curtail, let alone halt, the inroads of the evil one into their lives and into the lives of those they love? What weapon in the arsenal of man can we hope will defeat the schemes and lies of the destroyer?
Of ourselves, there’s nothing. Our weapons of warfare, powerful and destructive though they may be when unleashed against flesh, are as nothing when poised toward the fortress of evil. Our resolve, though a strong tower to which we may flee from the temptations he levels at us, cannot secure us indefinitely against the devil’s determination to destroy God’s finest and most beloved handiwork.
But the Word of God tells us we can overcome him, and we stand upon that assurance when nothing else can give us even a glimmer of hope toward that end. In Revelation 12:11 John says, “Our brothers defeated the evil one by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives to the point of fearing death.” They did not fear death.
When we trust in the blood of the sacrificed Lamb, neither will we love our lives so much that we fear death. We, too will overcome by Jesus’ shed blood, knowing “there is no other name given under heaven whereby men might be saved,” Acts 4:12, so our defense, our confidence will be in the One who can defeat the tempter; who can destroy the destroyer!
Friday, November 23, 2012
Black Friday
Today is 'Black Friday,' the most shopped day of the year. A lot of people begin searching for bargains as the Christmas Season, the season of sharing and loving and giving officially starts.
May we who call His name be mindful of His "unspeakable gift" (II Corinthians 9:15) which is the only gift in time that is eternal.
May we allow Him to use us to shed this priceless gift abroad. May we let the light and power of Jesus' love and truth and salvation to be so evident in our lives that we shall be true bearers of His GIFT to every person we know...
...Not just at this lovely season of buying and exchanging gifts but through all the days of our lives, for it is His GIFT in us that makes our lives valuable and it is His GIFT through us that gives to others forever.
May we who call His name be mindful of His "unspeakable gift" (II Corinthians 9:15) which is the only gift in time that is eternal.
May we allow Him to use us to shed this priceless gift abroad. May we let the light and power of Jesus' love and truth and salvation to be so evident in our lives that we shall be true bearers of His GIFT to every person we know...
...Not just at this lovely season of buying and exchanging gifts but through all the days of our lives, for it is His GIFT in us that makes our lives valuable and it is His GIFT through us that gives to others forever.
Schizophrenic
November 23
A lot of people make no distinction among the various religious systems to which the people of our planet subscribe. They avow that ‘all of them’ have resorted to violence to propagate their sphere of influence (this is not true, but it is widely believed), they believe all of them, ultimately, espouse the same ‘god,’ although many of these observers disbelieve there is a god at all.
The three monotheistic religions bear these comparisons most notably, but in spite of the superficial similarities, one of them differs greatly from the other two. Of course, Christianity is an ‘offshoot’ of Judaism. Christians worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. However, they do believe He came to earth as a Man, Jesus, to save the world from sin. This is a major doctrinal difference, in spite of their many similarities.
Islam, though commonly compared to the other two, is completely separate and different from them. Islam has appropriated many of the prophets of Judaism and names the name of Jesus, but the ‘god’ Allah is the surviving member of an ancient pagan pantheon of gods whose character is nothing like the God of Jews and Christians. The character of Jehovah, of Jesus, is kindness, honor, truth, steadfastness, love. The character of Allah leaves a ‘loophole’ for lying, for manipulating truth, for ruthlessness. Where it is an acceptable tenet of Islam to lie to further that worldview, lies are anathema to Jews and Christians.
While violent conquest is a tool of furthering the power of Islam, Jews and Christians lean only on the power of truth and love to propagate their beliefs. Only if God were schizophrenic could there be such disparity in His character—and HE IS NOT SCHIZOPHRENIC! Jesus has given some guidelines by which we may identify His followers. In Mark 16:17 He says, “Those who believe will do these things in My name: They will cast out devils in My name, they will pray for the sick in My name and they shall recover, they will speak in new tongues,” because they trust the TRUE GOD!
A lot of people make no distinction among the various religious systems to which the people of our planet subscribe. They avow that ‘all of them’ have resorted to violence to propagate their sphere of influence (this is not true, but it is widely believed), they believe all of them, ultimately, espouse the same ‘god,’ although many of these observers disbelieve there is a god at all.
The three monotheistic religions bear these comparisons most notably, but in spite of the superficial similarities, one of them differs greatly from the other two. Of course, Christianity is an ‘offshoot’ of Judaism. Christians worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. However, they do believe He came to earth as a Man, Jesus, to save the world from sin. This is a major doctrinal difference, in spite of their many similarities.
Islam, though commonly compared to the other two, is completely separate and different from them. Islam has appropriated many of the prophets of Judaism and names the name of Jesus, but the ‘god’ Allah is the surviving member of an ancient pagan pantheon of gods whose character is nothing like the God of Jews and Christians. The character of Jehovah, of Jesus, is kindness, honor, truth, steadfastness, love. The character of Allah leaves a ‘loophole’ for lying, for manipulating truth, for ruthlessness. Where it is an acceptable tenet of Islam to lie to further that worldview, lies are anathema to Jews and Christians.
While violent conquest is a tool of furthering the power of Islam, Jews and Christians lean only on the power of truth and love to propagate their beliefs. Only if God were schizophrenic could there be such disparity in His character—and HE IS NOT SCHIZOPHRENIC! Jesus has given some guidelines by which we may identify His followers. In Mark 16:17 He says, “Those who believe will do these things in My name: They will cast out devils in My name, they will pray for the sick in My name and they shall recover, they will speak in new tongues,” because they trust the TRUE GOD!
Thursday, November 22, 2012
O! Give Thanks!
O! Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 107:1
Dear Reader,
May this profound and beautiful truth bless you all the days of your life and one day transport you on wings of faith into His glorious presence eternally.
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 22
It is difficult to celebrate Thanksgiving on this day, for November 22, 1963 is the day America lost her innocence. On this day, forty-nine years ago, John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time, purportedly by a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald, who fired the fatal shots from the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, Texas.
Almost fifty years after the assassination of the young, handsome, vibrant president, much controversy swirls around the event. Conspiracy theories abound these many years later. One other thing that has not abated through the decades is the stunned disbelief of the citizens who lived through that horrible day. No matter one’s politics, the murder of JFK is indelibly stamped on their hearts and minds as a day of tragic infamy.
If this could happen to someone who was a member of the upper strata of society, a hero in war, a proud servant of the Constitution, how vulnerable must the ordinary among us be! Indeed, when we contemplate the exacerbated corruption and observe the ever-widening political divide between the factions of our political parties, we wonder if America can stand. What a horrible tragedy like that of November 22, 1963 could not do might be accomplished through the expanding gulf between members of our voting populace.
But when we put down our fear and lift up our faith, allow our spirits to soar, to take flight from the harsh realities of life and allow our hope to be lifted from the anxiety of time into the promises of eternity, we appropriate the promise of Luke 10:19 that says, “You have power…that is greater than the enemy has! Nothing can hurt you!” We know our security does not lie in the greatness of a nation or in the support of its people for a single political agenda. Our security, our hope is where it has ever been—in Jesus—in the One to whom we ever owe our thanks.
It is difficult to celebrate Thanksgiving on this day, for November 22, 1963 is the day America lost her innocence. On this day, forty-nine years ago, John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time, purportedly by a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald, who fired the fatal shots from the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, Texas.
Almost fifty years after the assassination of the young, handsome, vibrant president, much controversy swirls around the event. Conspiracy theories abound these many years later. One other thing that has not abated through the decades is the stunned disbelief of the citizens who lived through that horrible day. No matter one’s politics, the murder of JFK is indelibly stamped on their hearts and minds as a day of tragic infamy.
If this could happen to someone who was a member of the upper strata of society, a hero in war, a proud servant of the Constitution, how vulnerable must the ordinary among us be! Indeed, when we contemplate the exacerbated corruption and observe the ever-widening political divide between the factions of our political parties, we wonder if America can stand. What a horrible tragedy like that of November 22, 1963 could not do might be accomplished through the expanding gulf between members of our voting populace.
But when we put down our fear and lift up our faith, allow our spirits to soar, to take flight from the harsh realities of life and allow our hope to be lifted from the anxiety of time into the promises of eternity, we appropriate the promise of Luke 10:19 that says, “You have power…that is greater than the enemy has! Nothing can hurt you!” We know our security does not lie in the greatness of a nation or in the support of its people for a single political agenda. Our security, our hope is where it has ever been—in Jesus—in the One to whom we ever owe our thanks.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims
November 21
As we move toward Thanksgiving, we are mindful that this holiday meant a great deal to the Pilgrims. They had endured a tumultuous sea in order to depart the religious persecution of Europe to forge their way to the Americas. They encountered both friendly and hostile natives when they landed on the shores of New England in the autumn of 1620.
They suffered through an extremely harsh winter that saw many of their number perish from the cold and from starvation. They had hardly a reason to stay when the ship set forth for home. But, the one reason they had to remain in Plymouth was that they longed to be free. They were willing to endure continued hardship in order to worship God after their conscience.
So they stayed. They suffered. Many more of them died. But those who remained and survived established a bulwark of freedom that stands yet today! We, their spiritual heirs are able to say with the prophet, “God, You have caused the nation to grow and have made the people blessed. They have shown their thankfulness to You as through their joy at harvest time, as through victory in battle!
“You have removed their heavy burden and have broken the rod with which they had been punished,” Isaiah 9:3, 4. Like our forbearers, we have enjoyed the bounty of the Lord’s hand. We have been shielded from the rod of persecution by His mighty hand. But unlike them, we have turned away from Him. We have disdained His favor. May He have mercy on us, remove our arrogance and revive us so we may be blessed again.
As we move toward Thanksgiving, we are mindful that this holiday meant a great deal to the Pilgrims. They had endured a tumultuous sea in order to depart the religious persecution of Europe to forge their way to the Americas. They encountered both friendly and hostile natives when they landed on the shores of New England in the autumn of 1620.
They suffered through an extremely harsh winter that saw many of their number perish from the cold and from starvation. They had hardly a reason to stay when the ship set forth for home. But, the one reason they had to remain in Plymouth was that they longed to be free. They were willing to endure continued hardship in order to worship God after their conscience.
So they stayed. They suffered. Many more of them died. But those who remained and survived established a bulwark of freedom that stands yet today! We, their spiritual heirs are able to say with the prophet, “God, You have caused the nation to grow and have made the people blessed. They have shown their thankfulness to You as through their joy at harvest time, as through victory in battle!
“You have removed their heavy burden and have broken the rod with which they had been punished,” Isaiah 9:3, 4. Like our forbearers, we have enjoyed the bounty of the Lord’s hand. We have been shielded from the rod of persecution by His mighty hand. But unlike them, we have turned away from Him. We have disdained His favor. May He have mercy on us, remove our arrogance and revive us so we may be blessed again.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
His Dual Mission
November 20
Jesus’ words inspired those who heard Him speak and saw Him perform the wonders that only God could do. Most people who sat under His ministry were transformed in the inner man, they were enlightened in the depth of their soul. However, some were not touched by the joy of the presence of Deity; they were inflamed with wrath at Jesus’ assertions of oneness with God.
And, His assertions were clear. One very pronounced claim to Messiahship came in Luke 4:18, 19 when Jesus said, “The Lord has put His Spirit upon Me because He has appointed Me to tell the Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to tell the captives they are free and to tell the blind that they can see. He has sent Me to preach the year of the Lord’s favor.”
This is almost word-for-word what Isaiah prophecies in Chapter 61, verses one and two; however, Jesus stops short of completing Isaiah’s prophecy. He does not say He will, “…proclaim the day of the vengeance of the Lord.” What He did say was enough to provoke His detractors to wrath, but He did not complete the prophecy because the day of vengeance will not be until His Second Coming.
The Lord gave us in this passage a very clear indication of the duality of His mission. At His first coming, He brought salvation, He tore down walls that separate men and nations from their God. He gave everyone—Jew and Gentile alike—an equal opportunity to receive the message of forgiveness of sins. At His second coming, He will take believers home and leave the lost to the devices of evil men.
Jesus’ words inspired those who heard Him speak and saw Him perform the wonders that only God could do. Most people who sat under His ministry were transformed in the inner man, they were enlightened in the depth of their soul. However, some were not touched by the joy of the presence of Deity; they were inflamed with wrath at Jesus’ assertions of oneness with God.
And, His assertions were clear. One very pronounced claim to Messiahship came in Luke 4:18, 19 when Jesus said, “The Lord has put His Spirit upon Me because He has appointed Me to tell the Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to tell the captives they are free and to tell the blind that they can see. He has sent Me to preach the year of the Lord’s favor.”
This is almost word-for-word what Isaiah prophecies in Chapter 61, verses one and two; however, Jesus stops short of completing Isaiah’s prophecy. He does not say He will, “…proclaim the day of the vengeance of the Lord.” What He did say was enough to provoke His detractors to wrath, but He did not complete the prophecy because the day of vengeance will not be until His Second Coming.
The Lord gave us in this passage a very clear indication of the duality of His mission. At His first coming, He brought salvation, He tore down walls that separate men and nations from their God. He gave everyone—Jew and Gentile alike—an equal opportunity to receive the message of forgiveness of sins. At His second coming, He will take believers home and leave the lost to the devices of evil men.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Who Desires Freedom?
November 19
Do all men yearn to be free? In the Western World, we presume they do. Much of our foreign policy centers around our conviction that people in other parts of the world yearn for personal and political relevance within their societies. Perhaps many do, but there is some indication that this is not a universal desire within some cultures.
Some evidence that suggests there is a different mindset among individuals from other backgrounds than our own might be the fact that Muslim women choose to wear the veil even when they are living in the West as students, where they are not under the scrutiny of their fathers or brothers or husbands.
They do so because of their own deep conviction that their god requires compliance of them to even the harshest of Islamic law. Perhaps this is why Muslim mothers do not protest when female circumcision, which is a devastating surgery, is performed upon their baby daughters. Perhaps this is why they allow their sons to perpetuate the attitude of second-class-citizenship to their sisters and wives without speaking out.
Those of us who live in lands of freedom where Christianity has been the dominant religion and personal value has been attached to every individual assent to the words of the Apostle Paul in II Corinthians 3:17, “…where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” We embrace freedom and we long to extend it to others. We are taken aback when freedom appears to be disdained by those imprisoned by its absence.
Do all men yearn to be free? In the Western World, we presume they do. Much of our foreign policy centers around our conviction that people in other parts of the world yearn for personal and political relevance within their societies. Perhaps many do, but there is some indication that this is not a universal desire within some cultures.
Some evidence that suggests there is a different mindset among individuals from other backgrounds than our own might be the fact that Muslim women choose to wear the veil even when they are living in the West as students, where they are not under the scrutiny of their fathers or brothers or husbands.
They do so because of their own deep conviction that their god requires compliance of them to even the harshest of Islamic law. Perhaps this is why Muslim mothers do not protest when female circumcision, which is a devastating surgery, is performed upon their baby daughters. Perhaps this is why they allow their sons to perpetuate the attitude of second-class-citizenship to their sisters and wives without speaking out.
Those of us who live in lands of freedom where Christianity has been the dominant religion and personal value has been attached to every individual assent to the words of the Apostle Paul in II Corinthians 3:17, “…where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” We embrace freedom and we long to extend it to others. We are taken aback when freedom appears to be disdained by those imprisoned by its absence.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Dwell Where He Is
November 18
We have drifted so far away from our spiritual roots that when we speak of things in the spirit realm, the only thing that comes to mind is scary movies that may jolt us out of our skin with fright but which we relegate to the area of ‘make-believe,’ of fiction, of contrived notions that have no place in reality.
When we think of people who are ‘spiritual,’ we think of mediums who purport themselves to have powers to see into a realm that doesn’t exist. What do we do then with the Christian who claims to commune with the Holy Spirit of the Living God? Often, he, too, is relegated to the category of 'kooks who don’t have their heads on straight'.
But, the Word of God is clear in the matter! In John 4:24, Jesus says, “God is a Spirit and they who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” Man, in his flesh, can have a fervor for the entity he perceives to be ‘god.’ Man, when he pursues this passion, digs himself into a pit of error from which it is very difficult for him to be extricated.
Whether Western man who is immersed in materialism or Muslim man who is deeply into jihad, man who has zeal but does not have the Holy Spirit of God, is in pursuit of a lie. The lie, whatever its nature, will immerse him in error and sin. Only when he receives the Spirit of the Lord and dwells where He is, will he be free (II Corinthians 3:17.)
We have drifted so far away from our spiritual roots that when we speak of things in the spirit realm, the only thing that comes to mind is scary movies that may jolt us out of our skin with fright but which we relegate to the area of ‘make-believe,’ of fiction, of contrived notions that have no place in reality.
When we think of people who are ‘spiritual,’ we think of mediums who purport themselves to have powers to see into a realm that doesn’t exist. What do we do then with the Christian who claims to commune with the Holy Spirit of the Living God? Often, he, too, is relegated to the category of 'kooks who don’t have their heads on straight'.
But, the Word of God is clear in the matter! In John 4:24, Jesus says, “God is a Spirit and they who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” Man, in his flesh, can have a fervor for the entity he perceives to be ‘god.’ Man, when he pursues this passion, digs himself into a pit of error from which it is very difficult for him to be extricated.
Whether Western man who is immersed in materialism or Muslim man who is deeply into jihad, man who has zeal but does not have the Holy Spirit of God, is in pursuit of a lie. The lie, whatever its nature, will immerse him in error and sin. Only when he receives the Spirit of the Lord and dwells where He is, will he be free (II Corinthians 3:17.)
Saturday, November 17, 2012
One Source
November 16
There are a lot of ways to be bound. Of course, there is physical incarceration. Anyone who has been tried and convicted of a crime has experienced this form of bondage. Many people have been arrested and sent to prison for their faith. People who are bold in their conviction of faith in Christ have been incarcerated because of their hearts’ allegiance to Jesus.
The preponderance of people who are captive are those who are bound by sin. Temptation has them bound to practices that are inconducive to their living honorable or fruitful lives, but they cannot find release from the hold their sin has upon them. No matter what chains hold a man, there is a key to unlock them and set him free.
The Bible assures us, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free…if the Son of God makes you free, you will be truly free. You will be free indeed,” John 8:32, 36. Whether one is imprisoned for crimes committed or for convictions of the heart, he is free while bound when he knows Jesus as His Savior and Lord.
People who are bound by sin can be delivered from temptation. God will “…forgive us our sins…and deliver us from temptation…” as the words of Jesus assure us in His revered prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Though a man may be bound for various reasons, his true freedom comes through one Source—and that one Source is Jesus.
There are a lot of ways to be bound. Of course, there is physical incarceration. Anyone who has been tried and convicted of a crime has experienced this form of bondage. Many people have been arrested and sent to prison for their faith. People who are bold in their conviction of faith in Christ have been incarcerated because of their hearts’ allegiance to Jesus.
The preponderance of people who are captive are those who are bound by sin. Temptation has them bound to practices that are inconducive to their living honorable or fruitful lives, but they cannot find release from the hold their sin has upon them. No matter what chains hold a man, there is a key to unlock them and set him free.
The Bible assures us, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free…if the Son of God makes you free, you will be truly free. You will be free indeed,” John 8:32, 36. Whether one is imprisoned for crimes committed or for convictions of the heart, he is free while bound when he knows Jesus as His Savior and Lord.
People who are bound by sin can be delivered from temptation. God will “…forgive us our sins…and deliver us from temptation…” as the words of Jesus assure us in His revered prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Though a man may be bound for various reasons, his true freedom comes through one Source—and that one Source is Jesus.
Friday, November 16, 2012
OOPS!
OOPS! I seem to have gotten the dates mixed up! I will post the entry for November 16 tomorrow. Please be blessed by the early post of the November 17 entry today.
You Choose
November 17
The Law of God is a two-sided coin. On one side it brings death; on the other, it brings life. As we are told in Psalm 19;7-14, “…The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
“The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
“Who can understand his errors? Cleanse Thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my Strength, and my Redeemer.”
To adhere to the law in its fullness is life, but doing so is impossible for man to perform. In breaking the law, even to a miniscule degree, man has broken it in its entirety. Only Jesus has kept the law in our behalf, so it is only, “through Christ Jesus that the law of the Spirit brings life and makes man free from the law that brings sin and death.” It’s not a coin toss—YOU choose which side of the coin will represent you!
The Law of God is a two-sided coin. On one side it brings death; on the other, it brings life. As we are told in Psalm 19;7-14, “…The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
“The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
“Who can understand his errors? Cleanse Thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my Strength, and my Redeemer.”
To adhere to the law in its fullness is life, but doing so is impossible for man to perform. In breaking the law, even to a miniscule degree, man has broken it in its entirety. Only Jesus has kept the law in our behalf, so it is only, “through Christ Jesus that the law of the Spirit brings life and makes man free from the law that brings sin and death.” It’s not a coin toss—YOU choose which side of the coin will represent you!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
My Deliverer Is Coming
November 15
Jesus is the promised Deliverer. The Israelites were promised that One would come who would release them from sin’s vice grip, and they chronicled the promises that spoke of Him throughout the Old Testament. The Promised One would have a heart of compassion for His people, for He would know their frame.
In Isaiah 61:1 the prophet says of Him, “The Lord God has put His Spirit in Me because He has appointed Me to tell the good news to the poor. He has sent Me to comfort those whose hearts are broken, to tell the captives they are free and to tell the prisoners they are released.” We were poor and comfortless, held captive to sin—until Jesus came and set us free as promised.
Some who are reading these words may not yet have experienced the joy of having the key of salvation inserted into the prison of their sin. To them I would share the faith of Rich Mullins who said in his beautiful song, MY DELIVERER IS COMING, “He will never break His promise; He has written it upon the sky! My deliverer is coming, my deliverer is standing by.” You may not see Him but He stands at the ready to release you from sin.
Though it may appear that the Lord is slack concerning His promises, the reality is that there is an optimum time for Him to affect the things He has assured us will come and only He knows that time. In one instance, however He tells us when that time is. In II Corinthians 6:2 He says through the Apostle Paul, “…now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation.” Claim Jesus as your own Savior now. Make Him Lord of your life today.
Jesus is the promised Deliverer. The Israelites were promised that One would come who would release them from sin’s vice grip, and they chronicled the promises that spoke of Him throughout the Old Testament. The Promised One would have a heart of compassion for His people, for He would know their frame.
In Isaiah 61:1 the prophet says of Him, “The Lord God has put His Spirit in Me because He has appointed Me to tell the good news to the poor. He has sent Me to comfort those whose hearts are broken, to tell the captives they are free and to tell the prisoners they are released.” We were poor and comfortless, held captive to sin—until Jesus came and set us free as promised.
Some who are reading these words may not yet have experienced the joy of having the key of salvation inserted into the prison of their sin. To them I would share the faith of Rich Mullins who said in his beautiful song, MY DELIVERER IS COMING, “He will never break His promise; He has written it upon the sky! My deliverer is coming, my deliverer is standing by.” You may not see Him but He stands at the ready to release you from sin.
Though it may appear that the Lord is slack concerning His promises, the reality is that there is an optimum time for Him to affect the things He has assured us will come and only He knows that time. In one instance, however He tells us when that time is. In II Corinthians 6:2 He says through the Apostle Paul, “…now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation.” Claim Jesus as your own Savior now. Make Him Lord of your life today.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Sing
November 14
If one is looking for encouragement from the Word of God, aside from the gospel message that Jesus died for our sins and washed us clean and made us fit for Heaven, there is hardly a better place to look than to Chapter 54 of the Book of Isaiah. Perhaps the first clue that it is going to contain an uplifting message is that it begins with the word, ‘Sing…’
It goes on to indicate that the believer should not be discouraged by past fruitlessness but should be lifted up and encouraged by the promises the Lord makes of expansion and vindication. It assures that believers are watched over by a loving God who will not allow the reproach of past failures to dog their heels. Something transformative happens when we confess our faith in the Lord.
In verses 14 through 17 the prophet says, “I will build you in righteousness. You will be safe from those who would hurt you, so you will have nothing to fear…I will not send anyone to attack you, so if you are attacked, you will defeat your foe. As the blacksmith intensifies the fire to craft his weapons, so I have made the waster to destroy, but no weapon that is formed against you shall stand.
“Every tongue that shall rise against you to condemn you, you shall condemn, for this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, whose righteousness is from Me, says the Lord.” He assures that He will not condemn us and He will not permit others to condemn His blood-bought people. Paul says in Romans 10:10, “We believe in our hearts and are made right with God. As we confess our faith, we are saved.”
If one is looking for encouragement from the Word of God, aside from the gospel message that Jesus died for our sins and washed us clean and made us fit for Heaven, there is hardly a better place to look than to Chapter 54 of the Book of Isaiah. Perhaps the first clue that it is going to contain an uplifting message is that it begins with the word, ‘Sing…’
It goes on to indicate that the believer should not be discouraged by past fruitlessness but should be lifted up and encouraged by the promises the Lord makes of expansion and vindication. It assures that believers are watched over by a loving God who will not allow the reproach of past failures to dog their heels. Something transformative happens when we confess our faith in the Lord.
In verses 14 through 17 the prophet says, “I will build you in righteousness. You will be safe from those who would hurt you, so you will have nothing to fear…I will not send anyone to attack you, so if you are attacked, you will defeat your foe. As the blacksmith intensifies the fire to craft his weapons, so I have made the waster to destroy, but no weapon that is formed against you shall stand.
“Every tongue that shall rise against you to condemn you, you shall condemn, for this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, whose righteousness is from Me, says the Lord.” He assures that He will not condemn us and He will not permit others to condemn His blood-bought people. Paul says in Romans 10:10, “We believe in our hearts and are made right with God. As we confess our faith, we are saved.”
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
God's Great Joy
November 13
God’s intention for man has always been that he should be a reflection of Himself. From Genesis 1:26 where the Triune Majesty says to Himself, “Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness…” it has been His intention that the loftiest of His created beings would be like Him—that man would be the possessor of every godly character trait.
Man has fallen far short of God’s lofty aspiration so He has devised an eternal plan to restore him to his lost estate (Revelation 13:8). God who knows all things was not taken unaware when Adam and Eve succumbed to the wiles of the tempter. He knew from the foundation of the earth that man would require a Savior, so a Redeemer has been eternally provided.
In Romans 8:29, 30, Paul states clearly, “God knew them before He made the world and He decided that they would be like His Son so Jesus would be the firstborn of many brothers. God planned for them to be like His Son, and those He foreordained, He also called; and those He called, He redeemed; and those He redeemed, He also glorified.”
Our Lord, the Majesty on High, does nothing by halves.
He did not take counsel with Himself before the world began in order to create a being who would fall from grace and be eternally unfit for heaven. No! His heart of love required Him to make man, knowing he could not resist the tempter! But He also made him with the power to know and love and receive the Savior. The greatest joy of the heart of God is when a man lays his sin at the foot of the cross.
God’s intention for man has always been that he should be a reflection of Himself. From Genesis 1:26 where the Triune Majesty says to Himself, “Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness…” it has been His intention that the loftiest of His created beings would be like Him—that man would be the possessor of every godly character trait.
Man has fallen far short of God’s lofty aspiration so He has devised an eternal plan to restore him to his lost estate (Revelation 13:8). God who knows all things was not taken unaware when Adam and Eve succumbed to the wiles of the tempter. He knew from the foundation of the earth that man would require a Savior, so a Redeemer has been eternally provided.
In Romans 8:29, 30, Paul states clearly, “God knew them before He made the world and He decided that they would be like His Son so Jesus would be the firstborn of many brothers. God planned for them to be like His Son, and those He foreordained, He also called; and those He called, He redeemed; and those He redeemed, He also glorified.”
Our Lord, the Majesty on High, does nothing by halves.
He did not take counsel with Himself before the world began in order to create a being who would fall from grace and be eternally unfit for heaven. No! His heart of love required Him to make man, knowing he could not resist the tempter! But He also made him with the power to know and love and receive the Savior. The greatest joy of the heart of God is when a man lays his sin at the foot of the cross.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Steeled Against The Evil Days
November 12
Where are we going? Who can we trust? What can we believe in? Is there any integrity in the world today? Politicians say what is expedient without regard to truth. Lovers are unfaithful. Religious conviction has grown lukewarm. On virtually every level of existence, man is confronted with a penury of substantive information on which he can rely.
Nobody seems to have a clear picture of where we’re headed as a nation or as a world. There is a rise in antagonism and an increase of lawlessness. Islamic extremists believe that there is one way to effect their will, to browbeat the world into accepting it—violence. If they are feared, they will be able to coerce everyone into acquiescing to their belief system.
Lawlessness is rampant in America. This is evident when a group of people (any group of people) declares that they will riot, they will assassinate the winning candidate if the man they support is defeated in an election! How we rob ourselves of the world, the life, our God desires us to possess when we settle for the devil’s method—to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10)—rather than the Lord’s way of loving our enemies and praying for those who despitefully use us (Luke 6:27).
If the Bible and the commonly-held explanation of its eschatology is true, things will get worse before they get better. A “man of sin” (II Thessalonians 2:3-12) will appear and he will defy even the deity of our Living Lord and Christ. Believers must allow the Holy Spirit within them to steel them against the evil days ahead, remembering that “he who endures to the end will “receive a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10) that will never fade away.
Where are we going? Who can we trust? What can we believe in? Is there any integrity in the world today? Politicians say what is expedient without regard to truth. Lovers are unfaithful. Religious conviction has grown lukewarm. On virtually every level of existence, man is confronted with a penury of substantive information on which he can rely.
Nobody seems to have a clear picture of where we’re headed as a nation or as a world. There is a rise in antagonism and an increase of lawlessness. Islamic extremists believe that there is one way to effect their will, to browbeat the world into accepting it—violence. If they are feared, they will be able to coerce everyone into acquiescing to their belief system.
Lawlessness is rampant in America. This is evident when a group of people (any group of people) declares that they will riot, they will assassinate the winning candidate if the man they support is defeated in an election! How we rob ourselves of the world, the life, our God desires us to possess when we settle for the devil’s method—to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10)—rather than the Lord’s way of loving our enemies and praying for those who despitefully use us (Luke 6:27).
If the Bible and the commonly-held explanation of its eschatology is true, things will get worse before they get better. A “man of sin” (II Thessalonians 2:3-12) will appear and he will defy even the deity of our Living Lord and Christ. Believers must allow the Holy Spirit within them to steel them against the evil days ahead, remembering that “he who endures to the end will “receive a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10) that will never fade away.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Life Isn't All There Is
November 11
It is the nature of man to cling to life. Under duress, he will betray his convictions—even his loved ones—because self-preservation is deeply ingrained in humankind. There is a reason torture is an effective tool of wicked individuals when endeavoring to break the will of those who possess information they want.
Yet we know life—living, breathing, existing in this realm—is not all there is. We know there is a place beyond the ‘here and now’ to which we will go after this brief, frail existence is over. There may be many vastly differing opinions of the nature of that place, but most of us do anticipate abiding there.
From the religions that believe life is an endless cycle of on-going attempts to rise to higher and higher planes of existence on earth, to religions that believe bellicose exploits in the behalf of god will result in eternal delights, to Christianity that adheres to the promises of Jesus regarding abiding with Him always, most people anticipate living forever.
Yet the Bible, the book that is God’s love letter to man, says, ”Your body will be dead because of sin, but if Christ is in you, then His Spirit gives you life because Jesus makes you right with God,” Romans 8:10. To those who believe in Him as Savior and Lord, Christ is the factor that differentiates between an endless grave and eternal joy.
It is the nature of man to cling to life. Under duress, he will betray his convictions—even his loved ones—because self-preservation is deeply ingrained in humankind. There is a reason torture is an effective tool of wicked individuals when endeavoring to break the will of those who possess information they want.
Yet we know life—living, breathing, existing in this realm—is not all there is. We know there is a place beyond the ‘here and now’ to which we will go after this brief, frail existence is over. There may be many vastly differing opinions of the nature of that place, but most of us do anticipate abiding there.
From the religions that believe life is an endless cycle of on-going attempts to rise to higher and higher planes of existence on earth, to religions that believe bellicose exploits in the behalf of god will result in eternal delights, to Christianity that adheres to the promises of Jesus regarding abiding with Him always, most people anticipate living forever.
Yet the Bible, the book that is God’s love letter to man, says, ”Your body will be dead because of sin, but if Christ is in you, then His Spirit gives you life because Jesus makes you right with God,” Romans 8:10. To those who believe in Him as Savior and Lord, Christ is the factor that differentiates between an endless grave and eternal joy.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Reveals Truth
November 10
Has it ever occurred to you to wonder why the Jew has been so disdained through the ages? Of course, animosities occur in every area of the planet and it is evident that mankind has a tremendous inability to get along with those of our species who differ from the specific ‘branch of the family of man’ to which each is a member.
But the Jew has been the object of almost universal loathing and persecution. At one time or another he has been vilified by virtually every culture of which he has been a part. To name a few of the most horrific: the Inquisition of the Middle Ages in Europe, the pogroms of Russia, and the Holocaust conducted by the Germans during WW II.
How can it be that a race of people that has contributed so much toward the betterment of the lot of man has been so disparaged as its reward? Perhaps a significant aspect of the answer to that question comes in Paul’s letter to the Romans. In Chapter 9, verse 30, he expounds thusly: “What does all this mean? Those who are not Jews were not trying to make themselves right with God…”
Until an individual gives himself to Jesus and is made right by belief in Him, he is an enemy of God and of all He stands for. Therefore, he hates the chronicler of truth who points out his sin! The Jews, the keepers of God’s word, are seen by the unsaved as enemies who have the audacity to point out their sin! But, “…when men are made right with God by their faith,” they love the Jew who reveals truth to them.
Has it ever occurred to you to wonder why the Jew has been so disdained through the ages? Of course, animosities occur in every area of the planet and it is evident that mankind has a tremendous inability to get along with those of our species who differ from the specific ‘branch of the family of man’ to which each is a member.
But the Jew has been the object of almost universal loathing and persecution. At one time or another he has been vilified by virtually every culture of which he has been a part. To name a few of the most horrific: the Inquisition of the Middle Ages in Europe, the pogroms of Russia, and the Holocaust conducted by the Germans during WW II.
How can it be that a race of people that has contributed so much toward the betterment of the lot of man has been so disparaged as its reward? Perhaps a significant aspect of the answer to that question comes in Paul’s letter to the Romans. In Chapter 9, verse 30, he expounds thusly: “What does all this mean? Those who are not Jews were not trying to make themselves right with God…”
Until an individual gives himself to Jesus and is made right by belief in Him, he is an enemy of God and of all He stands for. Therefore, he hates the chronicler of truth who points out his sin! The Jews, the keepers of God’s word, are seen by the unsaved as enemies who have the audacity to point out their sin! But, “…when men are made right with God by their faith,” they love the Jew who reveals truth to them.
Friday, November 9, 2012
The Law of the Lord
November 9
“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul…the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.” This passage in Psalm 19:7-9 establishes the veracity of the law.
There is no denying that it is totally worthy of complete compliance on the part of every individual who ever walks the earth. It goes on to say in verse 10 that the law of God is a richer treasure than much fine gold and that in its compliance is a sweetness that excels that of honey.
But Paul tells us in Romans 8:3, 4 that “The law was without power because it was made weak by our sin. Yet God did what the law could not do. He sent His own Son to earth with the same human life that others use for sin as an offering to pay for sin. God used Christ’s perfect human life to pay for sin. He used a human life to destroy sin.
“God did this so we could be the kind of people the law demands that we be.
"Therefore, we do not live to follow our sinful nature but to follow the Spirit of God who Christ has quickened in us.” By His life, death and resurrection, Jesus brought the love of the law to life in sinful man—and He enabled us to comply with that law by His complete obedience to it.
“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul…the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.” This passage in Psalm 19:7-9 establishes the veracity of the law.
There is no denying that it is totally worthy of complete compliance on the part of every individual who ever walks the earth. It goes on to say in verse 10 that the law of God is a richer treasure than much fine gold and that in its compliance is a sweetness that excels that of honey.
But Paul tells us in Romans 8:3, 4 that “The law was without power because it was made weak by our sin. Yet God did what the law could not do. He sent His own Son to earth with the same human life that others use for sin as an offering to pay for sin. God used Christ’s perfect human life to pay for sin. He used a human life to destroy sin.
“God did this so we could be the kind of people the law demands that we be.
"Therefore, we do not live to follow our sinful nature but to follow the Spirit of God who Christ has quickened in us.” By His life, death and resurrection, Jesus brought the love of the law to life in sinful man—and He enabled us to comply with that law by His complete obedience to it.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Trinity
November 8
The triune nature of the God we serve can be overlooked because it is not concisely stated in scripture. There isn’t any place believers can point, there is no chapter and verse to quote that says, “The Godhead is three in one.” But the intimation of the plurality of His nature is found in numerous places.
Among them are: Genesis 1:26, found on the first page of the Bible, which says of God at the point where He is about to create His highest being, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” If there were not a multiplicity to His nature, why would He consult with Himself on an aspect of His handiwork?
There is the testimony of the enemies of Christ in John 5:18 that Jesus, in asserting that God was His Father, made Himself equal with God. There is also the bold statement of Thomas in John 20:28 when he saw the risen Savior who invited His doubting disciple to touch His wounds. Thomas said, “My Lord and my God!” These verses subtly affirm God’s plurality. Another declaration of the three-in-one nature of our God is found in Titus 3:4, 5.
Here Paul says, “The kindness and love of God our Savior was shown when He saved us because of His mercy. Not because of our good deeds…but through the washing (of His blood) that made us new through the Holy Spirit.” God is declared to be the Savior whose blood makes us clean through the power of His Spirit at work in us. The involvement of the three aspects of His Person-hood is evident in numerous places—to anyone willing to see it.
The triune nature of the God we serve can be overlooked because it is not concisely stated in scripture. There isn’t any place believers can point, there is no chapter and verse to quote that says, “The Godhead is three in one.” But the intimation of the plurality of His nature is found in numerous places.
Among them are: Genesis 1:26, found on the first page of the Bible, which says of God at the point where He is about to create His highest being, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” If there were not a multiplicity to His nature, why would He consult with Himself on an aspect of His handiwork?
There is the testimony of the enemies of Christ in John 5:18 that Jesus, in asserting that God was His Father, made Himself equal with God. There is also the bold statement of Thomas in John 20:28 when he saw the risen Savior who invited His doubting disciple to touch His wounds. Thomas said, “My Lord and my God!” These verses subtly affirm God’s plurality. Another declaration of the three-in-one nature of our God is found in Titus 3:4, 5.
Here Paul says, “The kindness and love of God our Savior was shown when He saved us because of His mercy. Not because of our good deeds…but through the washing (of His blood) that made us new through the Holy Spirit.” God is declared to be the Savior whose blood makes us clean through the power of His Spirit at work in us. The involvement of the three aspects of His Person-hood is evident in numerous places—to anyone willing to see it.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Clean and New
November 7
So, how will you feel when you stand face-to-face with a serial killer in heaven? Or perhaps it will be one who only stood by watching as murder was done—as the crowds described in the horrific story told some years ago of the young woman who was slain as on-lookers neglected to intervene (or perhaps it was Saul—later the Apostle Paul—standing by as Stephen was stoned) Acts 7:55-8:1?
How will you feel when you stand face-to-face with an adulterer? How will you feel when you realize the adulterer is David, one of the great heroes of the faith, the man after God’s own heart who is given the privilege of being the most-named ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ? How will you feel when you realize you are there—and you are the adulterer?
Or the tax cheat? Or the pornographer? Or the slanderer? Yet the reality is that we shall not see these sins in heaven at all, for there is no transgression there! Everyone who stands side-by-side with you will be blood-washed and free of sin. You will be blood-washed and free of sin. Because of the truth Paul proclaimed in Romans 5:17, we will all be clean and new—and fit for heaven! This is what he says:
“One man sinned so death ruled all people…but now those people who accept God’s full grace and the great gift of being made right with Him will have true life and rule eternally through the One pure Man, Jesus Christ.” Anyone, anyone, who accepts the gift of salvation purchased by the blood of the Lord, will be justified in the God’s eyes…as though he’d never sinned! The believer will be pure because Jesus is pure.
So, how will you feel when you stand face-to-face with a serial killer in heaven? Or perhaps it will be one who only stood by watching as murder was done—as the crowds described in the horrific story told some years ago of the young woman who was slain as on-lookers neglected to intervene (or perhaps it was Saul—later the Apostle Paul—standing by as Stephen was stoned) Acts 7:55-8:1?
How will you feel when you stand face-to-face with an adulterer? How will you feel when you realize the adulterer is David, one of the great heroes of the faith, the man after God’s own heart who is given the privilege of being the most-named ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ? How will you feel when you realize you are there—and you are the adulterer?
Or the tax cheat? Or the pornographer? Or the slanderer? Yet the reality is that we shall not see these sins in heaven at all, for there is no transgression there! Everyone who stands side-by-side with you will be blood-washed and free of sin. You will be blood-washed and free of sin. Because of the truth Paul proclaimed in Romans 5:17, we will all be clean and new—and fit for heaven! This is what he says:
“One man sinned so death ruled all people…but now those people who accept God’s full grace and the great gift of being made right with Him will have true life and rule eternally through the One pure Man, Jesus Christ.” Anyone, anyone, who accepts the gift of salvation purchased by the blood of the Lord, will be justified in the God’s eyes…as though he’d never sinned! The believer will be pure because Jesus is pure.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
II Chronicles 7:14
"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land."
Serial Killer--In Heaven!
When I was young, there was a notorious serial killer on the loose. People speculated as to how he succeeded in killing again and again when there were so many incidents of his evil handiwork in the news. His victims, attractive young women, one would think, would be on guard against such a wicked predator.
He was finally captured, after murdering dozens of victims, and prior to his execution, he was interviewed. One of the questions posed to him was how on earth he succeeded in seducing so many to their deaths when his evil activities were well-publicized. The story he told was, of course, one of using deception.
The horrible deeds were facilitated because he placed an artificial cast on his leg and purported himself to be in need of assistance in carrying a load of books to his car. Each unwitting victim rose to the occasion—extending kindness to the one who would soon take her life. His interview was chilling because it revealed the depth to which a depraved individual would go to ensnare his prey. Something else he shared in the interview that was televised the day before his execution was even more startling.
He said that he had found forgiveness for his sins by accepting Christ as his Savior! I admit to having been stunned at this revelation, to being sure that if I were God, there would be no forgiveness for such a one! But it does affirm the truth that is found in Romans 4:5, “People can do nothing that will make them right with God, so they must trust in Jesus who can make even evil people right in His sight…” One thoroughly wicked person who was cleansed of sin, who you may meet in heaven, is Ted Bundy.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Remember, America....
When you are in the voting booth tomorrow, where no one sees but yourself--and God--be sure the lever you pull reflects God's values and Christ's truth. Some day, when you meet Him face-to-face, He will have this information to evaluate in His determination of how you employed the liberty you were given to lift His standard among men.
Quickened to Life
November 5
There are some things that simply cannot be expanded upon from the way they are stated in the immutable Word of God. Perhaps nothing in His Word can be explained or clarified or extended in any meaningful way, although people like me endeavor in our frail way to do so.
One of those beautifully complete passages is found in Romans 3:23-26 where Paul says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has established to be the propitiation for our sin through faith in His blood, we are made clean…
“The remission of our sins is accomplished through the great forbearance of God. Because of the cleansing blood of Jesus, I say, ‘He is righteous and Jesus is the justifier of all who believe in Him.’” Everyone who hears or reads and grasps the magnitude of these words realizes that he is the recipient of an amazing gift!
Anyone who will appropriate the promise of this passage to himself will find himself transformed! He will be new. He will be clean. He will be forgiven. He will be established on God’s path that leads to eternal justification. He who was “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1) is quickened to life! Nothing says it better.
There are some things that simply cannot be expanded upon from the way they are stated in the immutable Word of God. Perhaps nothing in His Word can be explained or clarified or extended in any meaningful way, although people like me endeavor in our frail way to do so.
One of those beautifully complete passages is found in Romans 3:23-26 where Paul says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has established to be the propitiation for our sin through faith in His blood, we are made clean…
“The remission of our sins is accomplished through the great forbearance of God. Because of the cleansing blood of Jesus, I say, ‘He is righteous and Jesus is the justifier of all who believe in Him.’” Everyone who hears or reads and grasps the magnitude of these words realizes that he is the recipient of an amazing gift!
Anyone who will appropriate the promise of this passage to himself will find himself transformed! He will be new. He will be clean. He will be forgiven. He will be established on God’s path that leads to eternal justification. He who was “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1) is quickened to life! Nothing says it better.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Addendum: Vote Wisely, America!
Americans will go to the polls on November 6, the day after tomorrow, to vote for the candidate they feel will be the best president for the next four years. Doing so is a RIGHT, granted to us by our matchless Constitution.
As we assume this right we will vote for the man, the administration he will put together, that we believe will afford us the best opportunity to maintain the “inalienable rights” granted by the superior document that our founding fathers bequeathed to us.
The “inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” have been enjoyed in great degree by the citizens of this nation for over two hundred years. If there is one grave danger to our continuing to enjoy these rights, it is the fact that we have become complacent about them; we take them for granted.
We can’t begin to fathom that we will ever be without them—rather like the frog placed in cold water over a gradual heat that intensifies until it takes his life without his ever realizing his plight, we are in danger of allowing our freedom to be eroded gradually—and we won’t realize we’ve lost anything until our freedom is gone.
As you contemplate your vote, America, require yourself to define the basis for your vote. Is it party loyalty? Is it skin color? Is it perception of personal
expediency (the ‘free phone’ for example)? Is it based on a candidate’s adherence to the Constitution? Is it based upon a candidate’s adherence to the law of God?
Each voter must assess his own motivation—and each voter must be mindful that the vote he casts will impact not only himself, but generations that will follow. Each voter must ask himself if American freedom is worth voting to maintain. Each voter must assure that he does not vote away his children’s opportunity to live in a free nation where every man is limited only by his own resolve.
Those promises of ‘free’ government benefits? Remember Esau who sold his birthright for a bowl of porridge and lentils (see Genesis 25:30-34). What the government can give you, it can take away—and it will, once you’ve sold your freedom for its ‘bowl of lentil stew’.
As we assume this right we will vote for the man, the administration he will put together, that we believe will afford us the best opportunity to maintain the “inalienable rights” granted by the superior document that our founding fathers bequeathed to us.
The “inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” have been enjoyed in great degree by the citizens of this nation for over two hundred years. If there is one grave danger to our continuing to enjoy these rights, it is the fact that we have become complacent about them; we take them for granted.
We can’t begin to fathom that we will ever be without them—rather like the frog placed in cold water over a gradual heat that intensifies until it takes his life without his ever realizing his plight, we are in danger of allowing our freedom to be eroded gradually—and we won’t realize we’ve lost anything until our freedom is gone.
As you contemplate your vote, America, require yourself to define the basis for your vote. Is it party loyalty? Is it skin color? Is it perception of personal
expediency (the ‘free phone’ for example)? Is it based on a candidate’s adherence to the Constitution? Is it based upon a candidate’s adherence to the law of God?
Each voter must assess his own motivation—and each voter must be mindful that the vote he casts will impact not only himself, but generations that will follow. Each voter must ask himself if American freedom is worth voting to maintain. Each voter must assure that he does not vote away his children’s opportunity to live in a free nation where every man is limited only by his own resolve.
Those promises of ‘free’ government benefits? Remember Esau who sold his birthright for a bowl of porridge and lentils (see Genesis 25:30-34). What the government can give you, it can take away—and it will, once you’ve sold your freedom for its ‘bowl of lentil stew’.
What Can Make Me Right?
November 4
Indeed, it is faith that pleases God, yet not all faith has the ability to satisfy His righteous requirement. There are pagan worshipers whose idea of complying with the demands of the cruel, demonic gods they serve is to sacrifice their children to them.
One of the world’s three monotheistic religions teaches its children from an early age that there is no greater way to please their god than to sacrifice their lives for him. This bloodthirsty god demands not only their sacrifice of themselves but the murder of innocents in the process of expediting themselves.
It takes great faith to throw ones children to crocodiles or to detonate a bomb that will leave ones mortal body in fragments. But, if the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the true God; if the God who spoke to Moses and said, “Thou shalt not kill” is the only Deity worthy of worship that He purports Himself to be (See Exodus 20:1-17), then no amount of faith to do heinous deeds will favorably impress Him!
Man cannot make himself right with God through any extreme act of violence or devotion on his own part. The only thing that can wash away man’s sin is that which is stated by Paul in Romans 3:22, “God makes people right with Himself through their faith in Jesus Christ…” Believing Jesus makes man spiritually alive—no one, nothing else.
Indeed, it is faith that pleases God, yet not all faith has the ability to satisfy His righteous requirement. There are pagan worshipers whose idea of complying with the demands of the cruel, demonic gods they serve is to sacrifice their children to them.
One of the world’s three monotheistic religions teaches its children from an early age that there is no greater way to please their god than to sacrifice their lives for him. This bloodthirsty god demands not only their sacrifice of themselves but the murder of innocents in the process of expediting themselves.
It takes great faith to throw ones children to crocodiles or to detonate a bomb that will leave ones mortal body in fragments. But, if the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the true God; if the God who spoke to Moses and said, “Thou shalt not kill” is the only Deity worthy of worship that He purports Himself to be (See Exodus 20:1-17), then no amount of faith to do heinous deeds will favorably impress Him!
Man cannot make himself right with God through any extreme act of violence or devotion on his own part. The only thing that can wash away man’s sin is that which is stated by Paul in Romans 3:22, “God makes people right with Himself through their faith in Jesus Christ…” Believing Jesus makes man spiritually alive—no one, nothing else.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Only Our Faith
November 3
Your righteous works can’t please God. Your generous giving can’t please God. Your preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ can’t please God. Your humility can’t please God. Your exemplary life can’t please God. What can? What can any mortal lay at the feet of the perfect, holy God of Creation that will favorably impress Him?
Faith. For example, Galatians 3:6, 7 says, “Abraham believed God and it was accounted to Him for righteousness. So you should know that the true children of Abraham are those who have faith.” Abraham was a man whose integrity was renown throughout the world in which he lived, but none of that impressed God. His faith did.
God’s regard for faith is stated quite clearly in Hebrews 11:6 where Paul says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for anyone who comes to God must believe that He is God and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. No half-hearted inquiries will suffice. God will not allow His integrity to rise or fall on a man’s opinion of Him.
God is so far above and beyond our frail ponderings regarding Him that, just as there is nothing we can do to impress Him, neither is there anything we can think regarding Him that can impress Him. Because “…things which are impossible with man are possible with God,” Luke 18:27, all we have of value to lay before Him is our faith.
Your righteous works can’t please God. Your generous giving can’t please God. Your preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ can’t please God. Your humility can’t please God. Your exemplary life can’t please God. What can? What can any mortal lay at the feet of the perfect, holy God of Creation that will favorably impress Him?
Faith. For example, Galatians 3:6, 7 says, “Abraham believed God and it was accounted to Him for righteousness. So you should know that the true children of Abraham are those who have faith.” Abraham was a man whose integrity was renown throughout the world in which he lived, but none of that impressed God. His faith did.
God’s regard for faith is stated quite clearly in Hebrews 11:6 where Paul says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for anyone who comes to God must believe that He is God and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. No half-hearted inquiries will suffice. God will not allow His integrity to rise or fall on a man’s opinion of Him.
God is so far above and beyond our frail ponderings regarding Him that, just as there is nothing we can do to impress Him, neither is there anything we can think regarding Him that can impress Him. Because “…things which are impossible with man are possible with God,” Luke 18:27, all we have of value to lay before Him is our faith.
Friday, November 2, 2012
The Great Escape
We have already established that the Apostle Paul (who was originally known as Saul) hated believers in Christ until he had a life-changing encounter with the living Lord on the Road to Damascus. While on his way to arrest those who professed faith in Jesus, he met the Savior face-to-face.
The words he heard arrested him! “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” All the religious zealot could do was stammer, “Who are You, Lord?” The answer was probably the last thing the well-intentioned persecutor of the fledgling faith could have imagined hearing! “I am Jesus…” (See Acts 9:4-16).
Paul’s vantage point on life in general, and on his ability to please God with his righteousness in particular, were changed at that moment. In Philippians 3:8, 9 he says of himself following his encounter with the Lord, “I count all things as dung compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him, I have renounced all those things I once cherished, knowing they are worthless.
“I now have Christ and belong to Him. I am now right with God, not because I follow the law but because I believe Jesus who perfected the law in my behalf. My faith in His finished work makes me right with God.” May we be like Paul, who awakened to the reality that there is nothing a man can do to escape the wrath of our Holy God except to exchange our unworthiness for His righteousness by receiving Christ’s unspeakable gift.
The words he heard arrested him! “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” All the religious zealot could do was stammer, “Who are You, Lord?” The answer was probably the last thing the well-intentioned persecutor of the fledgling faith could have imagined hearing! “I am Jesus…” (See Acts 9:4-16).
Paul’s vantage point on life in general, and on his ability to please God with his righteousness in particular, were changed at that moment. In Philippians 3:8, 9 he says of himself following his encounter with the Lord, “I count all things as dung compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him, I have renounced all those things I once cherished, knowing they are worthless.
“I now have Christ and belong to Him. I am now right with God, not because I follow the law but because I believe Jesus who perfected the law in my behalf. My faith in His finished work makes me right with God.” May we be like Paul, who awakened to the reality that there is nothing a man can do to escape the wrath of our Holy God except to exchange our unworthiness for His righteousness by receiving Christ’s unspeakable gift.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Encounter Him
November1
I Corinthians 1:30 is powerful. In this verse a man who had been a hater of Christ and a persecutor of Christians boldly proclaimed the truth that transformed his life. It took him from being a man who assented to the persecution and death of anyone who named the name of Jesus to being one of the believers who were persecuted for that name that is above all names.
Here Paul says, “Because of God you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God. In Christ we are put right with God and have been made holy and have been set free from sin.” If anyone knew firsthand the fallacy of endeavoring to save oneself through works to please God, it was Paul.
Indeed, Paul thought he did God a favor when he went about breathing out threatenings against the small band of believers who claimed Jesus was the Messiah of Israel. The religious doctrine in which he had been steeped the entirety of his life was being assailed by this upstart religion and Paul was intent that he would put an end to it! But, instead, he was converted to it by a powerful encounter with the living Christ (see Acts, Chapter 9).
He who had persecuted the faithful became a faithful one who was himself persecuted. He who had been a hater of the Lord Jesus became one who loved Him unto death. May our prayers be fervent for those who are today enemies of the gospel of Jesus—that rather than slander or slay people of faith, they may themselves encounter Him, whom to know is life—that they, too, may be transformed from living death to eternal life in Him.
I Corinthians 1:30 is powerful. In this verse a man who had been a hater of Christ and a persecutor of Christians boldly proclaimed the truth that transformed his life. It took him from being a man who assented to the persecution and death of anyone who named the name of Jesus to being one of the believers who were persecuted for that name that is above all names.
Here Paul says, “Because of God you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God. In Christ we are put right with God and have been made holy and have been set free from sin.” If anyone knew firsthand the fallacy of endeavoring to save oneself through works to please God, it was Paul.
Indeed, Paul thought he did God a favor when he went about breathing out threatenings against the small band of believers who claimed Jesus was the Messiah of Israel. The religious doctrine in which he had been steeped the entirety of his life was being assailed by this upstart religion and Paul was intent that he would put an end to it! But, instead, he was converted to it by a powerful encounter with the living Christ (see Acts, Chapter 9).
He who had persecuted the faithful became a faithful one who was himself persecuted. He who had been a hater of the Lord Jesus became one who loved Him unto death. May our prayers be fervent for those who are today enemies of the gospel of Jesus—that rather than slander or slay people of faith, they may themselves encounter Him, whom to know is life—that they, too, may be transformed from living death to eternal life in Him.
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