23 JANUARY 2018, 07:24 AM

I heard the news this morning  - a huge earthquake in Alaska with a tsunami warning as well for Alaska and the northern west coast of the US . 

Our nation has suffered so greatly with natural disasters … Fires, mudslides, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, and now an earthquake .  Someone may look at the natural disasters that occur and say it could be God's judgment to a  disobedient nation . It certainly has my attention!  I am reminded, though, that the word of God tells me that the " rain falls and the sun shines on the just and the unjust alike ". 

I wonder then , could these things be the revealing of the glory of God offered to a nation whom he loves ?  At one time in our nation we put our trust in God . Our currency testifies to that. The Bible tells us that "the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament His power".  Perhaps the Lord wants to reveal Himself to those who don't know him, or who have no longer put their trust in Him. In Isaiah 65:1,2 "The Lord says, 

“I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I Am, here I Am!’ to a nation that did not call on My name. All day long I opened My arms..."

God , in all His glory, is always ready to respond when we cry out for help . He is always ready to be found when we look for Him . He always says, even to those of us who are rebellious and stubborn , "here I Am, here I Am! " . All day long he opens His arms , revealing Himself in so many ways . 

so, as His daughter, I ask for His help . I cry out for my nation and for those who are in trouble , may our Lord Jesus be found by those who are not looking.  May closed ears and blind eyes be opened to see the loving and compassionate God who is reaching out so patiently.  May those of us who are His own be faithful ambassadors, speaking of and living out the Word of God, revealing our Savior Jesus Christ.  

Just as God spoke in Isaiah 65 to Israel , may it be applied to our nation as well - may the Lord relent from devastating destruction.  May it be as in verse 8-9: 

"For just as good grapes are found among a cluster of bad ones (and someone will say, ‘Don’t throw them all away— some of those grapes are good!’), so I will not destroy... For I still have true servants there. I will preserve a remnant of the people...and My servants will live there."

May Christ continue to be ready to respond, ready to be found, opening His  arms to our nation and in His mercy relent from allowing further destruction.

Amen

" There's a lot of water over there ." …"There's a lot of water over there" …

My dad repeated this phrase several times in his final days as he laid in his hospital bed dying . Everyone would comment that he was having hallucinations . But I think he saw something real.  Paul, in speaking to the men of Athens in Acts17:27  said that God was " not far from anyone of us ". Could that perhaps be literal – could that veil that hides us from seeing the eternal rhelm be just across the room? I don't know , none of us will know until the day we shed our earthly shell and enter into the presence of the living God.

But, there is water  "over there" - we can read about it in Revelation 22 . According to the very Word of God there is a "river, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb."  On each side of that river is the "Tree of Life whose leaves are for the healing of the nations"– symbols of grace and healing forgiveness . Could it be that that is what we will see when we approach the Throne of grace? The actual living water that cleanses us from sin, making us righteous to stand before God through our faith in Jesus Christ?    I don't know all that, but I do know this for sure:  THERE'S A LOT OF WATER OVER THERE!... And one day I'm going to see it with my dad!

God has been speaking to us as a congregation. In this last year, among other things, we have been exhorted:

1.  This is a season of change and that "unless you change and become like a child, you cannot see the kingdom of God"
2.  God desires to give us "new wine”. But new wine cannot be poured into old wine skins. We must change.

On a recent Sunday morning, Kourtney had a vision of the glory of God in all His splendor, seated on the throne with majesty.  We all desire to see God's glory – the manifest presence of God. Scriptures tell us that the heavens are filled with the glory of God. We see his glory through things he has created.  But here is something interesting from John, chapter 2:

Jesus, his disciples, and His mother were at the wedding of Cana. They ran out of wine. Jesus' mother was concerned and got Him involved. Even though He had not revealed himself yet as God's Son, she told the servants to "do whatever He says ". He told them to take six stone water jars, each holding 20 to 30 gallons, and fill them up with water. They did what He said, and you know the story – that water was turned to wine. Verse 11 says, "What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory..."

Jesus revealed his glory through something that was changed. He reveals his glory through changed things …through changed people. What had to be done before that change occurred? All six of those huge jars had to be filled with water: 20-30 gallons each - that is 120-160 gallons!  That took serious effort, especially in those days. They didn't just turn on the spigot and fill them with a hose. They had to either go to a well or to the waterside.

God is calling us to, as Mary said, do what He tells us.  What has He told you to do? What is He pinpointing in your life that needs changed?  It may take some serious effort on your part to respond. This is a season of change and calls for listening ears and obedient hearts.  When that happens, we will see God's glory –His manifest presence in our personal lives and corporately in this church as well. 

Remember this – the water would never have been turned into wine if the jars were not filled and Christ's glory would not have been revealed. May He reveal His glory through our obedient and changed lives!

Someone asked me lately to do a blog on marriage and family . They observed the success of my children and thought I might have wisdom . As much as I'd love to take credit for my children's good choices and their paths of success , I know that I cannot .  In the same way, I learned early on in my marriage and child rearing days that I cannot take all the blame for my children's failures as well .  

But as I pondered this, I realized that there were things that I DID do right . There are things that every parent should do that will ensure success in any children who walk in obedience to their parents and ultimately to the word of God.  So, here are the things that I believe I did right...

I YIELDED MY LIFE TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND WAS BORN AGAIN. I believe that this is the only way that we can do anything with any kind of success . Unless our lives are yielded to our Maker who is the creator of life and  family , then we cannot know true wisdom . Jesus Christ has been made for us all wisdom.

I MARRIED A MAN WITH THE SAME YIELDED HEART FOR CHRIST.  The Word of God says that we are not to be unequally yoked . Because following Christ and being obedient to His word was considered to be of the utmost importance by both of us , our convictions were the same .

I DEVELOPED A PRAYER LIFE.  The Bible tells us that the "effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much". The greatest thing that I can ever do for my husband and my children is to pray for them . The Almighty God who holds all things in his hands promised that when I called on Him He would answer and show me great and mighty things that I didn't know . And there is so much to parenting and marriage that we just don't know how to do.

I FILLED MYSELF WITH THE WORD OF TRUTH.  Gods word is alive – it is the very thing and the ONLY thing that will change me and make me into the image of Christ . The Bible tells us that we are to be " transformed by the renewing of our minds" and the only thing that will renew our minds is reading, studying, meditating on, and memorizing God's word , the Bible... Coupled with obedience to follow it .

I WATCHED CLOSELY AND FOLLOWED THE EXAMPLES OF SEASONED MOTHERS.  I had many beautiful examples of godly mothers and wives that were an inspiration to me , teaching me by their beautiful example .  The greatest bonus in my life was having a mom who showing me a tremendous example of how to truly love my husband and children . 

I LEARNED AFTER MANY YEARS THAT I MUST RELINQUISH CONTROL OF MY HUSBAND AND CHILDREN TO THE ONE WHO IS SOVEREIGN, JESUS CHRIST.  He has plans and purposes for my husband , myself, my children, and my grandchildren . Those plans are for good to give us a hope and a future .

FINALLY, I LEARNED THAT I MUST NOT BEAT MYSELF UP FOR FAILURES.  Because when I do , it brings about discouragement, and I grow unproductive. Because of our human nature , marriage and childbearing are full times of trying and failing ... Or even NOT trying and failing . The word tells us that if we put our hands to the plow and look back, we are not fit for the kingdom.  In other words, we lose ground and our paths become crooked.  As Paul has encouraged us, "I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But this one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind, I press on toward the goal" (Philippians 3:13, 14).  I too, always need to remind myself never to focus on the things that I have done wrong but to keep my heart straining toward what is ahead . 

There will always be challenges in every season of family life, and I am convinced that the key to success is in living a life dependent on the Almighty God, His Son Jesus Christ  - being filled with His Spirit , and trusting the divine direction and guidance from His Word, the Bible.

Ordination

We had an ordination at our church recently. Four men stood with grace and dignity , committing their hearts and hands to serve as deacons . It was a solemn event. 

It brings my thoughts to the book of Numbers where God ordained the  sons of Levi to be the caretakers and the keepers of the articles of the tabernacle .  Each of Levi's sons and their descendents had responsibilities in caring for the sacred vessels .  Only the descendents of Aaron could be priests . One of Levi's son's responsibility included carrying the sacred articles of worship upon their shoulders when moving.  Each article had to be wrapped carefully by the priests only - the men could not even touch the sacred vessels . It was an time-consuming and difficult task.  One of the grandsons became weary in this responsibility and began to question why he or his clan could not instead be priests . His name was Korah – he led a rebellion of 250 men against Moses and Aaron. 

When Moses heard of the rebellion , he told Korah and the others to separate themselves along with anyone else who was with them .  That day , God opened up the ground and swallowed them, their households, and all their belongings as well.  That was the end of that rebellion .

But it was not the end of Korah.  Somehow , some of the sons of Korah remained . Perhaps they were little babies , or old enough to know they didn't want to follow in their father's rebellious ways.  The Bible doesn't tell us . But seven generations later, their responsibilities changed to being doorkeepers and custodians of the temple.  At that time , a young barren woman named Hannah came to the temple and wept and cried out for a son.  God granted her prayer  and from her thankful heart , she brought her son as a little boy to the temple to "give him back to the Lord". That child was from the lineage of Levi and descendent of Korah.  Perhaps Hannah gave her son back to the Lord to accomplish the menial task that was his God-given responsibility.  That child grew up to be one of the Old Testament's greatest prophets, Samuel.

Later, from the sons of Korah, came some of David's strong fighting, mighty men of valor in I Chronicles 12:6. 

Further, eleven of the Psalms were written by the sons of Korah . They became choral and literary expressions of worship and praise to God.  Countless generations including our own have been led in worship by these words .

Likewise, the elders of our church ordained four young men to be
"doorkeepers and custodians " of Emmanuel Christian Assembly . They too , like the sons of Levi may have ardous tasks to perform . They may grow weary in the mundane.  They may wish for greater works.  But as they are obedient to walk in their sacred calling, out of them may rise prophets like Samuel ; mighty men of valor like David's ; and those will create choral and literary expressions of praise and worship that may benefit generations to come !What an honor  - May our Lord Jesus Christ gives these men anointing , courage , and creativity as they glorify him in this God-given task.

Prayer Charge

Our church accepted a charge from Love Akron to pray for our surrounding geographical area or "cluster" as well as our nation and its leaders for the month of June. We have been faithful to gather weekly for this purpose . Personally I have always considered myself a woman of prayer, but in the midst of our corporate gatherings , I find myself at a loss . Either I don't have the words to say, or I say too much.  I want to make sure I've covered every topic : from the president, his cabinet, neighborhoods, families, schools,etc ... I have to ask myself honestly, "Are my words meant truly for the Lord, or for the people around me ?"  I want to sound good – after all, I am the pastor's wife .  It is then that I realize I must pray more fervently for a pure heart of intercession . 

I find it labor intensive.  It is!  It is a great responsibility – we must pray for our leaders . After all, we are Christ's and He ever lives to intercede. He calls us to join Him in His work . We must pray for our schools – the teachers and the students... for their protection, provision, and education . We must pray for our neighborhoods that they would be safe . We must pray against the influence of drugs and alcohol . We must pray against the evil ones who would want to harm men, women, and children . And we must pray with pure hearts and proper motivation.

Yet, if all the ungodly practices stopped, it would not bring about a lasting change in our cities . Colossians 3:23 says that if all the rules were followed they would "lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence ".  We must wait upon the Holy Spirit and cry out to Christ who is able to save the souls of unregenerated man . We must cry out for our cities that God would reveal Jesus Christ to the lost and dying and fill them with the Holy Spirit . For without the Spirit's sanctification and regeneration there will be no healing in our land . Salvation through Jesus Christ is what our hearts must cry out for as we pray for Barberton and Norton .  We must "wait" for the Holy Spirit's work in hardened and sinful hearts.  Our prayers must extend to those who are in Christ, yet are asleep - that He would awaken them once again...that revival would come to the Body of Christ. That we ourselves would have pure hearts and clean hands.

Restore us, God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved. Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name. Restore us, Lord God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.
Psalm 80:7, 18-19 NIV

Balaam

I've been thinking about Balaam - (you know, the one who the donkey spoke to).  During my last teaching on the kingdom series I mentioned Balaam to be a "disobedient prophet ".  As I searched the Scriptures I realized that I was wrong – Balaam  was not a prophet of God at all . He was a prophet of Baal. He was a well-known soothsayer of his day who when he blessed others they were blessed, and when he cursed them they were cursed. 

Under Moses leadership, the Israelites were subduing lands .  In Numbers 22 they were surrounding Moab.  They had just defeated the Ammorites . Because the people of Moab were filled with great fear , Balak  their king, sent for Balaam (with promise of great reward) to curse Israel.  Even though Balaam was not a prophet of God, Almighty God spoke to him . God told Balaam that he could not curse what God himself had blessed .  And throughout the course of events Balaam ended up blessing Israel several times and even cursing Moab . King Balak was angry and sent Balaam back without his reward.

What happened next in the book of Numbers doesn't mention anything about Balaam . But I know exactly what he did . I'm sure he must've been angry that he did not get his reward nor could he do what the king desired of him. Maybe he thought, "I know what I'll do. I'll have the women of Moab entice the men of Israel ".  Numbers 25 tells us that the men of Israel began to eat food sacrificed to idols.  They were invited by the women of Moab to offer their sacrifices on their altars. They began to mingle and ultimately commit sexual immorality with those women.  God sent a plague among Israel because of it.  
How do I know that Balaam was behind this?  Because Jesus said so in Revelation 2 . He was speaking to the church of Pergamum saying that some of them held on to the teaching of Balaam, " enticing the Israelites to sin so they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality . "  

Balaam ultimately died at the hand of the Israelites in Joshua 13. His name is also mentioned in Deuteronomy, Nehemiah, Micah, II Peter, and Jude.  In fact , his name is mentioned 57 times in the Bible . That says to me that we need to know about him... More than being the one a donkey spoke to.

Peter warned the church of people among them who had "wandered off to follow the way of Balaam".  Jude said there were people who had "slipped in among them perverting  grace and denying Jesus as their only sovereign". Both Peter and Jude assumed the readers knew all about Balaam . Doesn't that tell us that we ought to as well? 

When we see the name Balaam, we ought to think about two things : 

1.  We are blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places.  The same blessing God gave Israel belongs to us. And nothing and no one can curse what God has blessed . 

2.  Even in the church are those who are living in error. The error of Balaam, I believe, is the enticing spirit of this age that says, "everyone's doing it . There's nothing wrong. " The truth is that premarital sex is sin, living together before marriage is sin, homosexuality is sin.  We can be enticed by those even in the church whom we greatly admire and respect to practice sexual immorality - being disobedient to God's word . God has given a beautiful place of sexual expression and that is in marriage .  We too, must beware of following the way or error of Balaam.

Oh, and here's another thing to think about when you think of Balaam...the GRACE OF GOD....God cursed Moab in such a way that a Moabite could never enter the congregation of Israel.  Yet one of the greatest and, I think, most beautiful love stories in the Bible, tells how Ruth (a Moabite!) became the wife of Boaz an Israelite of great integrity... and ultimately, the great grandmother of David! 

Balaam...definitely more than just a man who conversed with a donkey!

Withered Roots

I have always enjoyed keeping a journal. When the journal is full , I put it on a bookshelf and get a new one . Every few years  I gather those books up, glance through them , and throw them away . I've gotten into the habit of "dog earring " the pages that I wanted to return to . Recently I was cleaning out the bookshelf, gathering the journals of the past 10 or 15 years, preparing to throw them away .  I began leafing through the marked pages of a journal that was 13 years old . 

I was reminded of the intensity of that season of my life .  I remember it clearly . I was offering up long overdue forgiveness to people who had hurt me and my family.  At the very same time the Lord was revealing a deeply rooted sin of insecurity within me.  In one of my entries I had been reading about the life of King Saul. I made  note that Saul was insecure and that insecurity caused him to be a prideful, disobedient, people pleaser.  It revealed to me the sinfulness of my own insecurity. It seemed that that insecurity ruled every decision I made - I was no different than Saul. 

Later on in the journal I was reading in Mark 11 . Jesus was hungry and he saw a fig tree full of leaves.  He wondered if it had any fruit . But when he got to the tree he found nothing but leaves and he said "may no one ever eat fruit from you again " . The disciples took note of what he said and they went on their way . The next morning they walked past and noticed the tree that Jesus had cursed was withered from the roots . Peter said "look, the fig tree you cursed has withered!"  Jesus said, " I tell you , whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours ." 

My prayer entry that day was, " Lord there is a fig tree in me that bears no fruit.  It's a part of me, as if it's in my DNA.  I can't do anything about it, but I believe that you can speak to it just like you spoke to that fig tree, and it will never bear fruit again . I ask you to do it . And maybe one day we might be walking past and you could show me how it's withered from the roots ".

Here I was, 13 years later reading this entry, and God was still answering prayer.  It was as if the Lord and I were walking past and he showed me that fig tree withered from the roots . I can say with certainty that I no longer am ruled by insecurities . Oh, I get insecure . And yes, I can be prideful and disobedient - but that part of me is dead. It no longer has dominion over my decisions and actions . Jesus said that the father cuts off "every branch" "that bears no fruit".  How faithful he is! 

But that wasn't all. When Jesus spoke to his disciples about the withered tree he said " and when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them so that your father in heaven may forgive you your sins ."  The Lord was showing me that my obedience to forgive those who had hurt me aided in the miracle that I had asked for.  Here was God's word revealing itself as truth to me . 

We can be certain that the word of God is true - it is full of life-giving truths...and even death-giving life!

God's Perfect Love

Last fall, Joe and I listened to a book on tape about the Johnstown Flood by David McCullough. There was a scene in the book that described a crewmen on a train who was in charge of a  particular train car full of passengers . Somehow that train was caught on the tracks at the time of the flood . The train tracks were in a low place with hills surrounding it.  When that crewman saw the wall of water coming toward  the train, he ran as fast as he could and made it to high ground .  The passengers of that train car were frozen in fear.  Many lost their lives.  A reporter asked that man, "How is it that you made it to high ground and the others in your train car did not?"  He answered something like, " Well, I saw the water coming and I ran as fast as I could. I had to save my life, didn't I?"

That's scene troubled me, but not because of what that man did . No, I wondered how I would have responded had I been faced with such a life-threatening event . I can't say that I'm very courageous , and I know for certain that I am very selfish at times.  What is to keep me from having the same reaction as the man in Johnstown?  Paul says in Philippians 1:20, " I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body whether by life or by death ".  Paul faced death many times and had an eager expectation and hope that he would not be ashamed, but that God would give him the courage that he needed either to live or die . 

Over a month ago our dear brother Art Belcher faced a similar situation . Not allowing others to be endangered , he heroically protected them to his own hurt . He was stabbed several times and nearly died . Thanks be to the grace and favor of God, Art  is recovering and growing stronger every day . 

I thought it interesting on the first day Art came back to church – the testimony was that when he first took the security officer job , he confided in his friend that he wasn't sure if he really had the courage to do the job required .  The Lord proved to Art that he did have the courage – but that courage did not come from himself, it came from the spirit that fills him . 

This world can be a dangerous place and we can be tempted to walk in fear . John the beloved in I John 4:18 says this , " perfect love expels all fear . If we're afraid, it's for fear of punishment and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love ".  I think Paul must have experienced that perfect love that he could be so confident to eagerly expect and hope that he might be filled with courage . 

And, come to think of it , I can't say I know too many others who are more filled with the love of Christ than Art Belcher.  Perhaps his courage came from a deep experience of God's perfect love . 

I think that in the future I will not pray so much for courage, but for the experience of God's perfect love.  May the Lord grant us all the experience of his perfect love so that we may "eagerly expect and hope that we will have sufficient courage" … So that Christ may be glorified in our lives

Fly Away

I'm going to be traveling soon.  The thought of flying on an airplane really troubles my mind. No matter how hard I try to understand it , I don't know how such a huge thing can carry so many of us through the sky and land safely.  You may tell me that the law of "lift and thrust" supersedes the law of "gravity" and allows the plane to fly.  But my imagination goes wild, and the thought of something interrupting the superseding law causes me torment.  

These are natural laws that CAN be interrupted , but I am reminded of another law in Romans 8:2 ..." through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death".  That law can never be interrupted because I have received Jesus Christ, and nothing can separate me from His love.  His spirit gave me life and set me free from the law of sin and death . Perhaps I should let my imagination go wild at the thought of the freedom that Jesus Christ has given me:  Freedom - not to sin... Freedom - not to fear... Freedom- to face the unknown - knowing whose I am...Freedom!  Yes, that's what I will do: I'll consider that freedom  on my trip - and I'm sure my worries will "fly away"!

Prayer

I’ve been reading Psalm 90.  It’s a Psalm written by Moses.  I think knowing that it was written by Moses makes me stop and take notice.  I expect the Psalms to be written by David (most are) so when I see Moses’ name, I draw near in curiosity much like he did when he saw the burning bush.  I think to myself, “here’s something to pay attention to, it’s out of the ordinary.” 

It’s a prayer…by the man who communed with the Almighty God “face to face”…by the one whose face glowed with the glory of God after spending 40 days on Mt. Sinai…the most humble man who ever lived…a friend of God…who spent hours of time in the holy place before God.

Remember how Joshua would camp outside the tent while Moses communed with the Lord?  Was Joshua trying to hear what Moses said or how he communicated with the Awesome and Glorious Lord?  Probably so – I’ve wondered myself.   Yet we have a sample, right here in Psalm 90.

In the first 11 verses, Moses reveals his understanding of who God is.  God is a “dwelling place throughout all generations”...has “brought forth the whole world”…He is infinite: “from everlasting to everlasting”…He sees “our secret sins in the light of (His) presence”…”a thousand years are like a day” to Him…what great “fear is due” Him.

God is eternal and man is finite.  Moses was experienced with people – after all, he lead over a million stubborn, stiff-necked people out of Egypt and through the wilderness for 40 years!  He was aware that our days are “like the new grass…springs up new in the morning, but by evening is dry and withered”…”our days finish with a moan”…”even the best of our days are trouble and sorrow – they quickly pass and we fly away”…and that our “iniquities are ever before” God.

In these first 11 verses, Moses is saying, “If only we knew the Lord and His awesome power, greatness, and authority, we would live out our days in greater fear and reverence for Him. And if we consider the fleeting, troublesome years of our short lives, we would see our great need and the serious dilemma we face in this life.”

Yet, Moses gives us the answer to this dilemma: Prayer.  Here in verses 12-17 we have the privilege of entering into the secret place between Moses and the Almighty.  Let’s listen quietly and respectfully to the cry of Moses’ heart in light of the frailty of his life.  Let’s glean wisdom from one who spoke face to face with God.

1          1.V. 12 “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”  The great sage, Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes that “death is the destiny of everyone” and “the living should take this to heart.” In Psalm 139 we read that “all the days ordained for us were written in Your book before one of them came into being.”  We live in greater wisdom when our eyes are focused on eternity – and the uncertainty of tomorrow.
 
      2. V 14 “Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.”  Even though our lives are a “vapor” and “the best of our days are trouble and sorrow”, Our Lord will grant us satisfaction, joy, and gladness ALL our days.  Yet, we must ask.
 
      3. V 16 “May Your deeds be shown to Your servants, your splendor to their children.”  We must ask the Lord to show us His works, for when we see His working or deeds in our lives we are more aware of His constant care and provision.  Faith is built and His glory is revealed not only to us, but to our children or loved ones after us.
 
      4. V 17 “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands.”  Moses worked hard to follow God’s leading and obey His word.  But he needed God to grant him favor and success to furthering the Kingdom.  So do we.

How amazing and wonderful God is to have given us a glimpse into the prayer life of a great man of God!  Let’s follow Moses’ lead to pray more diligently in the light of our own fleeting lives.  

Sometimes when I’m reading the scriptures, verses seem to be “out of place”.  In Luke 9:1-6 Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them “power and authority over all demons and power to heal diseases.  Then He sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”  They obeyed by “proclaiming the good news and healing everywhere”.  Four verses later, they reported back to Jesus - later that day, Jesus fed the 5,000 with the five loaves and two fishes. 

But sandwiched in between those verses is the following:

v.7-9   Herod, the tetrarch heard about everything that was going on.  He was perplexed, because some had said that John had been raised from the dead…”I beheaded John,” Herod said, “but who is this I hear such things about?”  And he wanted to see Him (Jesus).

So, why did Luke choose to make mention of Herod right here in between this account?  I don’t think it was a mistake.  After all, Luke was writing under the inspiration of the Almighty.  Perhaps we are to consider our own “summons” by Christ.  He has called us, just as He called His twelve disciples to “proclaim the Kingdom of God” wherever we go.  We must remember that everywhere we go, there may be people just like Herod, who are “perplexed” about what is going on in the world – people who really want to “see” Jesus.

The word “perplexed” means “filled with uncertainty…bewildered, confused, disconcerted, baffled, confounded – full of difficulty”.  How could the good news of the gospel and healings cause someone to be perplexed?  In Herod’s case, he thought he had destroyed that “repentance message” by destroying John the Baptist.  After all, his message was “repent, and be baptized”.  Maybe Herod thought his guilty conscience over his own sin would be erased when he got rid of the “cause”.  But the call to repentance continued to resonate even as Jesus’ disciples proclaimed the Kingdom and healed the sick.

Even on the Day of Pentecost, Acts 2:12 tell us that all of the people from every nation who heard the disciples speaking in tongues by the Spirit of God in their own language, “were astounded and perplexed”.  That day, Peter stood before them and preached a message of the Kingdom with power and authority.  The people’s hearts were pierced and asked “what must we do?”   Peter told them in Acts 2:38 “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”. That day, 3,000 people were saved and “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, and to the breaking of bread, and to prayers”. 

Repentance – a must if we want to follow Christ. 

Even Herod got his chance.  In Luke 22, Pilate passed Jesus off to Herod just before His crucifixion.  v. 8 tells us that “Herod was very glad to see Jesus; for a long time he had wanted to see Him, because he had heard about Him and was hoping to see some miracle performed by Him.”  Herod kept asking Jesus questions, but He did not answer.  Neither did He perform a miracle.  Jesus’ silence revealed Herod’s hardened heart.   Herod only wanted to see the miracles – he did not want to repent of his sins.  “Then Herod, with his soldiers, treated Him with contempt, mocked Him…”

Two examples of people who were perplexed, confused, baffled, confounded…3,000 repented.  One did not. 

We must call the world to the Cross of Christ through faith and repentance.   When we are obedient to Christ’s commission to preach the Kingdom, we may encounter some “Herods” along the way.  The Holy Spirit may keep us “silent” so that He might do a greater work.  He may also give us boldness to preach to crowds as Peter did.

So, I guess I am no longer “perplexed” with a scripture that seems out of place – It’s right where it belongs!

Fishers of Men

I love when I read the Bible and find out something that I never knew before.  I have been reading the scriptures now for 38 years – and it amazes me the things that I continue to learn.  I am a slow learner at times, but I do know that the Word of God is living - wisdom and understanding flow freely from the Bible’s pages.  Just this week I experienced that in Luke chapter 5…

The crowds, longing to hear God’s word, are pressing in on Jesus.  He is standing by Lake Gennesaret.  Lake Gennesaret is actually the Sea of Galilee.  Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John (fisherman at trade) are there on the shore cleaning their fishing nets with their boats at the edge of the lake.  They had been fishing all night long without catching a single fish.  Jesus asked Peter to let him put out his boat a little from the shore so that He could be heard by the crowd.  Jesus sat in the boat and taught the people that day. 

This was the same account that was told in Mark chapter 1.   I didn’t know that.  Mark tells a more condensed version:  Jesus passes by the men and says “follow Me and I will make you fish for people” and immediately they leave their nets and followed Him.  I have often read Mark’s account and wondered how they just upped and left everything just like that??  I never questioned it much, though – just believed it. 

But it makes sense now. Luke’s account gives us more details… In the preceding chapter, Luke tells that the people who heard Jesus speak “were amazed at the gracious words that came from His mouth” (Luke 4:22) and “they were astonished at His teaching because His message had authority” (Luke 4:32). 

So as this scene opens Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John are there.  I’m sure this was not coincidental.  It was a divine appointment.  Jesus knew they’d be there.   Maybe they didn’t even pay much attention at first – they were exhausted from working hard all night long. But Jesus had a captive audience.  They couldn’t help but hear His gracious words and His message of authority.   They were experiencing the very presence of God – in His Son Jesus Christ and His words.

Luke 5:4 says “When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”  Simon Peter’s reply is “we’ve worked hard all night long and caught nothing!  But at your word, I’ll let down the nets.”   They realized after hearing Jesus that He spoke with a greater authority than anyone they’d ever met.  It was right to listen to this One who spoke the oracles of God.  So they did what He said.  And their nets were so full of fish that they began breaking.  James and John in the other boat had to come and help them.  Both boats were so full of fish they began sinking!  This blessing of obedience to God’s word brought Simon Peter to his knees in repentance…”Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!”   But Jesus assured them, “Don’t be afraid, From now on you will be catching people!”

“Then they brought the boats to land, left everything, and followed Him.”

Jesus didn’t just walk by and say “follow Me.”  He spoke words of life to them.  He proved His authority over even the fish of the sea.  He revealed to these men that obedience to God’s word brought abundance and blessing.  The goodness of God led Simon to repentance. 

So what is the message to us?  God’s Word prepares us for the Great Commission that is given to us to go into all the world and make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to obey what He commanded us. 

11.      We must first hear, listen to, and obey God’s Word.  This is fundamental and foundational to our walk with Christ.  We will never have a desire to follow Him if we do not hear His word.  Daily time in His word and in His presence is imperative.

22.      Christ may tell us to go back out into “deep water” – to places we have not had success in the past and let down our nets again.  Perhaps there are people that you have witnessed to in the past without seeming to succeed – The Lord may be encouraging you to do it again.  You will never know until you take the step of obedience.  Or maybe you are weary from “working hard all night” without any fruit from your labors.  Christ encourages us to press on.

33.      Just as Simon, Andrew, James and John “left everything, and followed Him”, so must we.  From what I read here, it’s not hard when you have met Jesus and experienced His living Word and the blessings in obeying it.  By doing this, we will truly become fishers of men.

44.      Our hearts become humbled and repentant when we observe the truths of God’s Word.  When we experience the blessings in obedience, it begins a process that changes us – we are humbled before the great and Awesome God who shows us that everything is under His authority.  We see His greatness and we bow down.

Lord, open our ears to hear Your voice, our eyes to see You, and our hearts to obey.  May our obedience to your Word bring many people into Your Kingdom as we become humble and repentant fishers of men.

Two Encouraging Words

Skimming my e-mail before work one morning, I saw a message from a church member with these two words:

                                            “Excellent Blog!”

In the hurry that I was in, I quickly responded, “Thanks, that’s encouraging!  I didn’t think anyone even read it!” …then off to work I went. I was so excited that someone had enjoyed my blog.  All day long, I was planning in my head what the next subject matter would be.  I hadn’t been blogging in recent months.  I can’t say I was discouraged, but it took a lower place on the “priority list” – after all, who reads it???  But I was psyched up and ready to roll once again after those two encouraging words!

Later on that evening when I had more time to read my e-mail, I realized those two words were not actually about my blog!  – It was one of those spam advertisements that uses one of your contacts!  It referred to another website blog about some kind of vitamin.  After a dose of humiliation…and a great deal of belly laughter, I realized something.  Just two words, two encouraging words stirred my heart to do greater things.  Those two words caused enthusiasm to return and a new zeal to do the work of ministry. 

I am reminded of how important it is to say a kind word of appreciation when someone deserves it.  So many people do “behind the scenes” work and just a “thank you” would make their spirits soar.  The Bible tells us to “encourage one another daily.”   It doesn’t take much or even a lot of effort.  Just two words could lift someone’s spirit and give them new zeal for the Lord.  I will make the effort, how about you?

                                       “Excellent lesson learned!”

Jesus, the Hope of Glory!

I understand “hope”, but what is GLORY?   What exactly is the “Glory” of God?  The glory of God is His splendor, His abundance, His fullness His honor…everything that embodies a perfect holy God.  The Glory of God has been revealed to this world through His Son Jesus Christ.  The Bible tells us that the “Son (Jesus) is the radiance of God’s Glory and the exact representation of His being”.

Yet, God’s glory was revealed from the beginning of time.  The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus, the second person of the triune God “laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens were the work of His hands.  The Psalmist tells us that “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.  There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. 

And throughout the history of man, God continued to reveal His glory to a people He called out to be his own – Israel.   God revealed Himself – His splender, His abundance, His fullness - to His people through His prophets at many times and in various ways.  He revealed Himself with a cloud, or a fire, or wind or earthquake – He revealed His will and His heart by speaking to His prophets, who would then speak the Word of God to the people. Nearly 800 years before the Jesus’ birth, a promise was given through the prophet Isaiah.  He wrote, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of peace.  Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end….”    A sign would be given: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel”, meaning “God with us”!  God spoke through other prophets of His promises for hundreds of years.

But there was a day and time when God was silent.  He hadn’t revealed Himself corporately to His people for several hundred years.  Yet, God’s people Israel  – Generation after generation had heard the reading of Isaiah’s scrolls and continued to hope in the promise that he spoke of:  One who would bring a government of peace, bearing it on His shoulders:  They were waiting for the Christ, the Messiah, Savior – a Deliverer for His people. They had heard of the God of Glory – but had not seen with their eyes…

But in the fullness of time… 

 God had sent an angel to a young girl, Mary, betrothed to be married,  from Nazareth a town in Galilee.  He said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.  You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  He will be great and  will be called the Son of the Most High. … ” …the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God”.  Mary believed and humbly received this announcement, then faithfully – “ May it be as you have said”…

Jesus, The Hope of  Glory  – His fullness, His spender brought to earth, in the womb of a virgin just as Isaiah had prophesied!

Mary’s betrothed husband, Joseph, had also had been spoken to.  “The Lord appeared to him in a dream…do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins”.

Jesus, The Hope of Glory  – The Redeemer of Sins Revealed to a faithful man – confirming again Isaiah’s prophesy

So when she was great with child, because of Caesar’s decree for a census, they had to make the trip to Bethlehem… and Mary went into labor – And because of the crowds, there was no room in an inn –.  So the child of promise was born in a stable. Such a lowly and humble beginning for the One who was the “exact representation of the Father” – the Son of God –Immanuel - God Himself in incarnate!

That night, like every other night, there were shepherds in the fields keeping watch over their flocks. The occupation of shepherd was a very lowly occupation.  In fact, watching over the flocks in biblical days was usually the job of the youngest child in the family.  It was his or her first family responsibility. These shepherds were most likely raising the very lambs that were used in the temple sacrifices.  It was their job to ensure “lambs without spot or blemish” for the atonement for the sins of the people.  I read that often when a lamb was born out in the fields, it would be in danger of being trampled by the flock, so the shepherds would wrap them up in rags and place them in the animals’ feeding trough to keep them safe and from breaking their legs – so that they would be without blemish.    We all know the story – they were in the fields when  “an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified…Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you: He is Christ (messiah) the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger”…then ‘a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace to men on who His favor rests.”  Once again, the prophets very words are confirmed .

So they hurried to find the baby – and I wonder if as they looked upon that child, wrapped in swaddling clothes (or rags), lying in a manger …Did they make the correlation?  Did they see their own little lambs wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger – the spotless lambs being being prepared for sacrifice for the sins of the people?   This moment would be forever etched in their minds – Perhaps 33 years later they would look upon that child as a man hanging on the cross and truly understand the….

The Hope of Glory, Jesus – The Lamb of God that takes away the sins of all mankind – Once again, the words of Isaiah confirmed, revealed to the young, poor, and the lowly

Then there were Wise men from the east – the Magi.  They lived in a far east land who know nothing about the God of Israel – if they did, it was only by word of mouth – He may have been a curiosity to them – they may have even heard of God’s promise of a deliver in Isaiah’s prophesy.  But they worshipped something else – the stars.  Their God was the earth and sky.  But remember, “The heavens declare the Glory of God and the earth displays His power.”   God revealed His presence, His glory, His splendor to earth by a star in the sky – The Magi were certain (not just hopeful), but certain that the brilliant star was a sign that a great king was born.  So sure, in fact, that they followed it to Jerusalem and asked where he was!  When they found Him, They gave gifts fit for a King, yet most importantly they bowed down and Worshiped Christ, the Messiah… no longer the earth and sky – but Him who made them!

Jesus, The Hope of Glory – revealed to wealthy kings and pagan worshipers –searching the creation, and finding their Creator!

Eight days later, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple to be circumcised.  “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout.  He was waiting for the consolation of Israel.  It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.  That day, moved by the Spirit he went into the temple courts.  When the parents brought in the child Jesus …Simeon took him and took Him in his arms and praised God saying:  I can now die in peace - “for my eyes have seen your salvation”…

Jesus, the Hope of Glory revealed to a devout man- watching and waiting, believing a promise of God

There was also a prophetess there in the temple, an 84 year old widow named Anna.  She never left the temple, but worshiped day and night, fasting and praying.  At that very moment she gave thanks to God and prophesied that Jesus would bring redemption to all people.  God, revealing Himself with the voice of a prophet once again!

Jesus, The Hope of Glory - revealed once again through a prophetess - an old widow who worshiped day and night – wholeheartedly giving herself to the Lord.

Jesus Christ, the Hope of Glory – God’s fullness and splendor revealed to planet earth!  That first Christmas – Wouldn’t you have loved to be there?  What a beautiful story and a beautiful message to remember each Christmas. 

But where is Jesus, the hope of Glory now?  The Glory of God is still being revealed to us today… Jesus is still revealing Himself to us today.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes on Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.”  It is God’s desire that all would see His glory…His fullness, His splendor…

He still reveals Himself in the places that seem just as impossible as a virgin conceiving a child…

He reveals Himself to the young, the old, the poor, the lowly…

He reveals Himself to the wealthy kings…the pagan worshiper

The devout and righteous

The ones who fast and pray…

 Jesus Christ has come to the world for all.  It doesn’t matter who you are or where you came from, the message that came through Israel, is now offered to all  the world:  whether you are young or old, rich or poor – You could be looking for God in all the wrong places, worshiping the creation and not the creator: 

Yet, He didn’t come to earth just to display His splendor; in fact He humbled himself and laid down His deity… He came to die.   Why? - In our place, so that we wouldn’t have to.  The bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the GLORY OF GOD. And the wages of our sin is death – In the presence of a perfect holy God, we cannot stand righteous.  Jesus came to earth to give us hope – He was tempted just like we are - yet He was without sin.  Therefore He could become the perfect sacrifice for our sins. 

Do you think reaching God is IMPOSSIBLE?…  What is more impossible than a virgin conceiving a child?

Do you think you are too young or unimportant, lowly or poor?  God first entrusted the message of the good news of Christ’s birth to the young and lowly and poor. 

Have you been worshiping the wrong god?  Looking to the creation and not the Creator.  Maybe He is shining the light of His glory in your heart tonight, the star in the sky – and now He’s brought you understanding, like the Magi.

I can tell you for certain that you are not too wealthy, too important, too devout, or too righteous to be touched by the Hope of Glory – Jesus Christ. 

Do you know that you could have, just like Simeon at the Temple, been “moved by the Holy Spirit of God” read this today – so that you too could behold your salvation?

There is one thing I notice about all the biblical examples I have just given you. They all came from different walks of life, yet none were proud.  All humbled themselves and believed God’s message….

Before Jesus went to the cross, He prayed for all those who would believe: “Father I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world” John 17:24

Christ doesn’t just want to give you a place in Heaven – He wants to show you His glory here on earth.

Have you believed?    Just as Mary had to believe, Joseph had to obey, the shepherds had to seek, and the Magi had to bow down in worship to the True God – so do you.  Has God revealed Christ the Hope of Glory to you just now?   The Bible says “Today is the day of salvation; now is the acceptable time”.  .  It’s simple, just believe and receive.   Just pray a simple prayer: “Lord I humbly come to you.  I believe that you are the Son of God – and I am a sinner in need of a Savior.  Lord Jesus, Come into my life, and I will worship you” …AmenI

If you prayed that prayer a new life will begin for you – you’ll be a new creation – your sins are forgiven, eternity awaits you, a new hope will fill your heart…

                                                   THE HOPE OF GLORY, JESUS CHRIST!

 

Hezekiah (Continued)

So, I continue to consider our friend Hezekiah in II Kings 18.  Let me remind you that the scripture tells us that “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord…trusted in the Lord…held fast to the Lord and did not stop following Him; he kept the commands…And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook.” (vv 5-8)

 I noticed something interesting in v.4:   Hezekiah’s rule began with a spiritual cleansing of the places of worship.  He had “removed the high places, smashed sacred stones, and cut down the Asherah poles”.  All of these places of worship were directed at the gods of the day – not Jehovah – the One True God.  But the Bible tells us also that “He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made”.  That bronze snake, though, was a symbol of God’s deliverance.  I’m sure you remember:   God led His people by Moses out of Egypt, through the Red Sea and into the wilderness. He provided water from a rock and  He provided good, nourishing “manna” daily for them to eat. He destroyed enemy armies all around them, He led them faithfully through every trial – kept them warm with a pillar of fire by night and cooled with a pillar of cloud by day in the desert.   But the people grew tired of it and began to grumble and complain.  They spoke against God and against Moses.  So, God sent venomous snakes that bit the people and many died.  But, the people repented and begged Moses to pray to the Lord for deliverance.  God spoke to Moses and told him to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole.  Anyone who was bitten could merely look at it and live.  That bronze snake saved their lives.  It was also a type and shadow of Christ and the deliverance that He would bring to all mankind.  Just as the Israelites could be delivered from the curse of their sin, we too can look to Christ and live. 

That bronze snake was meant to be kept as a reminder of the forgiveness and faithful loving kindness of the Lord.  So, why would Hezekiah destroy such a good thing?  The answer is in the latter part of v. 4: “for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it”.  They were worshiping the bronze snake rather than the Lord Himself.  Matthew Henry in his commentary says, “good things, when idolized, are better parted with than kept.” 

Are there “good things” in your life that you have idolized? – a husband, a wife, a child, a house, a job, a church, a ministry,?…The list could go on.  All these good things in our lives have been given to us by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He desires to bless us with all good things, but is a jealous God.  Our hearts must be totally surrendered and our worship must be always and only to Him.   Perhaps today, we need to search our hearts and “break into pieces” any “bronze snakes” that we are worshipping.