A Parent’s Perspective of Psalm 119

Recently, I have had the privilege of being the temporary sole caregiver of three of my eleven grandchildren. Being older and having enjoyed a season of being an empty nester, I noticed how much I value the moments of peace, harmony, joy and love when they occur. This being said, I read Psalm 119 with a parent’s perspective, that is, what if these were my grandchildren making such statements and behaving in accordance with these words? I would be so happy!

“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the Law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!” [1]

Shunning defiling influences! Seeking the Lord and His goodness with the whole heart!

“How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your Word. With my whole heart I have sought You; O, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. I will meditate on Your precepts and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your Word.” [2]

Imagine if your children did not want to wander from the path of obedience! That they delighted in your commandments! Now, imagine how it delights the heart of God to have a son or daughter here on earth like that!

“Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your Word. Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your Law.” [3]

Abundance mercy from God to help us heed His Word! Seeing things in His Word that we never noticed before! Having an appetite for listening to Him and following Him!

“Remove from me the way of lying and grant me Your Law graciously.” [4]

No delight in what is false or deceptive! Leaning on God’s grace to embrace and keep His laws!

“Turn away my eyes from looking at Vanity and revive me in Your way.” [5]

This is the TV verse… T-urn and V-anity. Don’t let my eyes feast on that which defiles me!

“Those who fear You will be glad when they see me, because I have hoped in Your Word.” [6]

It is wonderful to be with a group of people who love to meditate on and delight in God’s Word, and to be one of them because of the transforming work of Christ in your life.

“Unless Your Law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction.” [7]

It is good to store up faith in God’s promises during the easy days so that when difficult days come you are ready to triumph over them.
“O, how I love Your Law! It is my meditation all the day.” [8] Amen!

“I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your Word. I have not departed from Your judgments, for You Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your Words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore, I hate every false way. Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, to the very end.” [9]

Knowing that God’s Word is the lamp for my feet and that false words do not yield light, I want to always yield to Christ!

“Depart from me, you evildoers, for I will keep the commandments of my God!” [10]

I do not delight in the freedom to rebel against God and against good commandments. I delight in the freedom and will to obey Him!
“The entrance of Your Words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” [11]

I need the light of God’s Word otherwise my life will descend into chaos and destruction.

“Great peace have those who love Your Law, and nothing causes them to stumble.” [12]

Love for His Law yields peace. Breaking His Law yields problems.
“Let Your hand become my help, for I have chosen Your precepts.” [13]

I recognize my need for God’s grace to forgive my past sins, and to transform my desires so that I love Him more than all else, and in the process I do what is best for me and for those around me. Amen.

[1] Psalm 119:1-2
[2] Psalm 119:9-11, 15-16
[3] Psalm 119:17-18
[4] Psalm 119:29
[5] Psalm 119:37
[6] Psalm 119:74
[7] Psalm 119:92
[8] Psalm 119:97
[9] Psalm 119: 101-105, 112
[10] Psalm 119:115
[11] Psalm 119:130
[12] Psalm 119:162
[13] Psalm 119:173

Compassionate Confrontation

“Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night.” [1]

Joseph and Nicodemus were members of the Sanhedrin, which was a judicial council made up of leading citizens, including the chief priests, elders and scribes, and presided over by the high priest. They were responsible for keeping public order and were answerable to the Romans.

Actually, many in the Sanhedrin believed in Jesus but were afraid to come out in the open, because the Pharisees had threatened that any disciple of Jesus would be put out of the synagogue. [2]

Joseph and Nicodemus honored Jesus.

During His earthly ministry, Jesus continuously confronted the religious leaders of their sins against God and people, so much so, that some said He was the prophet Jeremiah. [3] Jesus called them blind guides. [4] He called them vipers and children of hell. [5] These were not “mean tweets” as one might falsely suppose but acts of compassion. He could have avoided them. He could have chosen to say nothing, but instead, like the prophets before Him, Jesus spoke the Words of God that they needed to hear.

The Words of Jesus to the religious leaders were divine assessments of where they stood in their relationships with God. They needed to be convicted of their sins. They needed to repent and believe in God’s Messiah. Jesus let them know it.

Compassionate Confrontation! Two Pharisees named Joseph and Nicodemus were with Jesus in the hour of His death. Serving Him! All the mistreatment Jesus endured for speaking to the evil religious leaders about their sins had prevailed for them.

Paul the apostle testified that he had been a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisees before Jesus confronted him. But since He met Jesus and believed in Him, the things he previously counted for gain, he now counted as dung for the sake of knowing Christ. [6]

Knowing Christ! That’s it! It’s not where you’ve been, or what you’ve done in the past, but receiving Jesus Christ now. Ask Him to forgive your sins. Believe and receive! He is your Savior. He is the Son of God and Messiah.

Our Lord’s discipline is love. He doesn’t want us to be lost. He wants you and me to be with Him and with His Father forever. Praise the Lord!

[1] John 19:38-42
[2] John 12:42,43
[3] Matthew 16:14
[4] Matthew 23:16, 24
[5] Matthew 23:15, 33
[6] Philippians 3:5-10

Compassion for Rebels is Needed

The Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel while in exile with the people of God. This Word began with a vision of four winged-creatures. “I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty...” And continued with a vision of the Lord Himself. A vision of the pre-incarnate Christ who is the Word of God. [1]

The Lord said to Ezekiel, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” The Spirit entered Ezekiel when He spoke to him and set him on his feet. He said to him: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.” [2]

God anointed Ezekiel to speak to people who esteemed themselves to be God’s people, but did not want to hear or obey Him! The Lord said to him, “though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house. You shall speak My Words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious.” [3]

Briers, thorns and scorpions are metaphors for painful responses that God’s messengers sometimes experience from their listeners.

“Open your mouth and eat what I give you.” The Lord gave Ezekiel a scroll with lamentations and mourning and woe written on it. God gives us the free will to disobey Him, but the universe has been ordered by Him in such a way that in due season rebellion against Him and His ways yields painful hurts and losses. [4]

The Word of Lord in his mouth was like honey in sweetness. [5] In God’s presence, His Word is sweet, but among rejectors, it can yield bitter feelings.

The Lord told Ezekiel that if he spoke to foreigners, they would listen, but His people would not, because they didn’t listen to Him. They were impudent and hard-hearted. [6] They had the Bible but the Bible did not have them.

The Lord’s remedy for Ezekial’s ministry was to make his face strong. “Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.” [7]

Ezekiel was to say to them, “Thus says the Lord God!” “Whether they hear, or whether they refuse.” If he warned them and they didn’t listen, their blood would be on their own heads, but if he did not warn them, their blood would be upon his. [8]

In the past, I have been threatened to be shot by someone who could not find the gun they wanted to shoot me with. Threatened to be hit with a baseball bat by another if I did not leave his property immediately. Insulted! 

I wasn’t being obnoxious. I was simply trying to tell them in the kindest way possible that if they believed in Christ, their sins could be forgiven and they could inherit eternal life. What is offensive about that? Nevertheless, because the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, [9] they rejected me.

The Word of the Lord to each of us followers of Jesus is to listen to Him, obey Him, stand up for Him, and speak for Him.

Jonah fled from the Lord’s presence when the Lord asked him to speak for Him. He said to the Lord, “I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.” He told the Lord that it was better for him to die than live. [10]

Lamentations and Revelation have lamentations and mourning and woes in them. Jeremiah asked the Lord, “Should the women eat their offspring, the children they have cuddled? Should the priest and prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?” The Apostle John was shown a vision of the kings of the earth bemoaning the loss of Babylon, “Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one-hour your judgment has come.” [11]

Jesus warned of eternal judgment. He said, “If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire—where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” [12]

Horrible woes await those who prefer to be gods unto themselves. God wants them to hear of the one off-ramp option that He offers them: the narrow road in Christ that leads to eternal life.

Compassion for rebels is needed! Like that of Ezekiel, Jeremiah and the Apostle John! Indeed, like that of Jesus Christ. The Spirit says, “Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” [13]

[1] Ezekiel 1:1-24; 26-28; John 1:1
[2] Ezekiel 2:1-5
[3] Ezekiel 2:6-7
[4] Ezekiel 2:8-10
[5] Ezekiel 3:3
[6] Ezekiel 3:7
[7] Ezekiel 3:8-9
[8] Ezekiel 3:11, 16-21
[9] 2 Corinthians 4:4
[10] Jonah 4:2-3
[11] Lamentations 2:20; Revelation 18:10
[12] Mark 9:47-48
[13] Hebrews 12:3-4

If You Love Me

The other night, I pulled the “covenant card” on my grandchildren, and it worked well. I had been serving them the last few days without expecting much in return, but when they were highly wound up at bedtime, I asked them if they understood the term covenant. The oldest one said, “Yes” and added, “it’s about a relationship between God and people.”

Very good! He’s only ten. I added, “In God’s covenants, He promises to do certain things for His people, but He also expects certain behavior from them in return.”

I proceeded to ask my grandchildren if they would like to do something for me? Something that would make me feel so loved? They replied, “Yes.” I said, “It would make me happy and I would feel so loved by you if you would settle down quickly and go to sleep. We have church in the morning, and I want us all to be rested and refreshed when we wake up.” Well, they didn’t wind down immediately, but they did wind down faster than on previous nights.

Later, I thought about how I expected full-service from my parents when I was a child, but when asked to do chores or obey rules, I often groaned or complained, and in some cases needed to be disciplined before I would cooperate. I had to say, “Lord, please forgive my iniquities. My unequal relationship with You and my parents, in which I expected much, but only gave back begrudgingly in return.”

God is a God of covenantal relationships. He gives us guidelines on how to maintain a healthy and happy relationship with Him and with one another. His guidelines can be summed in two themes which are to love Him and love people. Don’t kill and hate one another! Get along! To do otherwise is to take benefits from others and to only give heartaches in return.

Now, in a parent to child relationship, things are not always fair. Parents tend to give more to their children than they get back in return, but they do so out of love, and out of the realization that without giving them grace and good guidance, they will not be sufficiently provided and protected. A parent must forgive and love in a similar fashion to the way God loves, forgives, and serves people daily without receiving much in return for His investment.

Jesus said to His disciples, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” [1] God’s commandments are based on mutual love and respect for one another.

What’s more, God has poured out His Holy Spirit into us who believe in His Son Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit reminds us of God and God’s ways. He fills us with love for people which helps us to be patient and forgiving to others, and to ourselves.

Praise God that He took the time and the effort via the Bible to teach us how we ought to live and worship. Praise God that He gave us His Son as our Savior to save us from the penalty our sins deserve. Praise God for His gracious Holy Spirit to work in us and through us to help us be more like our Heavenly Father.

[1] John 15:10

Love Flourished Babylon Perished

Once upon a time, Babylon was the reigning empire over the people of the earth. No one could contest her military might without being punished. But Babylon became proud against the Lord, and the Lord brought her down.

“I have laid a snare for you; you have indeed been trapped, O Babylon, and you were not aware; you have been found and also caught, because you have contended against the Lord.” “…She has been proud against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel.” [1]

The Lord declared a day of judgment upon Babylon: “I will send winnowers to Babylon, who shall winnow her and empty her land.” [2]

God had used the Babylon to bring about repentance among His people.

Previously, the people of Babylon could say of God’s people, “We have not offended, because they have sinned against the Lord, the habitation of justice, the Lord, the hope of their fathers.” [3] This was true. However, God is full of compassion and tender mercy. He forgives the sin of those who turn to Him in repentance.

“In those days and in that time, says the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together; with continual weeping they shall come, and seek the Lord their God. They shall ask the way to Zion, with their faces toward it, saying, ‘Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that will not be forgotten.’” [4]

Now, they wanted to be close to the Lord. They wanted to take refuge under His wings. They wanted to dwell under the shadow of the Almighty. Like a child under a father’s loving arm! Enjoying being with Him! They wanted to be close with Him always.

“In those days and in that time, says the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found; for I will pardon those whom I preserve.” [5]

God forgave their sins. Reconciliation happened!

As for Babylon, God said, “Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain [Babylon], who destroys all the earth, says the Lord. And I will stretch out My hand against you, roll you down from the rocks, and make you a burnt mountain.” [6]

Similar destruction will come to the ruling empire of the world in the last days before the Lord returns, “And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.” [7]

“The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one-hour your judgment has come.’” [8]

As deep love between God and His people flourished, Babylon perished.

[1] Jeremiah 50:24, 29
[2] Jeremiah 51:2
[3] Jeremiah 50:7
[4] Jeremiah 50:4-5
[5] Jeremiah 50:20
[6] Jeremiah 51:25
[7] Revelation 16:19-20
[8] Revelation 18:9-10

Prodigal or Prudent?

“A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So, he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.” [1]

How many are spending their earthly inheritance from God on pursuits that have no eternal value?

How different would the nations be if we lived in light of eternity? Instead of being so focused on pleasing ourselves, we looked for ways to express the love of Christ to others?

“God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His Name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” [2]

Be of good courage you who are living for Christ and others amidst those who think you are foolish. I like what Jim Elliot once said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

[1] Luke 15:11-13
[2] Hebrews 6:10-12

Faith and Love

“Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

Without faith that Jesus will be with me, I fail to do the loving thing, like reach out to someone who needs to be introduced to Jesus, but with Jesus, I am able to walk in love to those around me, even to the person that I have never met before.

God is love. To walk with Him is to walk in love.

21st Century Jeremiah Introduction Video Link

In an effort to herald the message of God’s Word via the Prophet Jeremiah, I have recorded a video of me sharing what I have learned.

Please click on the attached link below to view the introductory video of 21st Century Jeremiah.

https://youtu.be/cAaNHlKcPgw?si=ZdI0Ke9or0ycUUuj

I hope to create and post more videos in the weeks to come.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Faith in Christ Alone

“By one offering He [Jesus Christ] has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

The Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,’ then He adds, 'Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’” Hebrews 10:14-17

I am grateful to Jesus Christ for offering Himself up for my sins and yours so that God remembers our sin no more when we believe in and profess His Son Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

I am grateful that once He forgives our sins, we receive His Holy Spirit who helps us to believe and enjoy the Word of God.

Otherwise, we would have no hope of being with God forever after we breathe our last breath here on earth.

But has it is, God has done everything necessary for our salvation by sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins, raising Him from the dead, and giving us His Holy Spirit to help us believe and profess God’s Word. HE, not us, saves us as we surrender our hope of salvation to faith in Christ alone.

To God be the glory!

How My Heart Yearns Within Me

“Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing out the honor of His Name; make His praise glorious.” Psalm 66:1-2

It is good and appropriate to shout to sing to and praise the Lord each day. There is much to be grateful for every day.

I have been thinking lately about being with the Lord forever. Why should I wait until I get to heaven to start making the lifestyle change? I can live with joy, gratitude and rejoicing TODAY because Jesus has done all that is necessary to bring me there.

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” Job 19:25-27

In His presence is fullness of joy. His kingdom is a kingdom of love and peace. There is harmony. There is forever happiness.

Broken Hearts and Bodies Healed

They asked Jesus, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” —that they might accuse Him. Jesus asked them if they rescued animals on the Sabbath, which obviously they did. He asked them, “Of how much more value then, is a man than a sheep? Therefore, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Jesus healed. They plotted to destroy Him. [1]

The love of Christ for hurting people offends certain types of mindsets, but this does not stop Jesus from healing those who want to be healed.

A day is coming when those who seek to hinder and to halt healing will be over.

At the end of the age, “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” [2]

In a sense, offending those who oppose Jesus is also a ministry of love. How will they ever be convicted of their offensive behavior towards God and how they will ever have an opportunity to see themselves for what they really are unless someone demonstrates God’s unconditional love for them? They need Jesus.

The love of Christ is good news for those who want Him and can be good news for those who oppose Him, that is, if they repent and ask the Lord to forgive and save them.

Jesus invites us to ask Him for help: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” [3]

Jesus invites us to persist in asking for His help until His answer is manifested in a tangible way for us. See Luke 18:1-14.

“He [the Lord] heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” [4]

[1] Matthew 12:10-14
[2] Matthew 13:41-43
[3] Matthew 7:7-11
[4] Psalm 147:3

Reach Out

"Reach out touch somebody's hand. Make this world a better place if you can."

Or better yet...

"Reach out with the Gospel to somebody's soul, Jesus can renew them and make them whole."

Believing in Jesus Christ

Praying that many will come to know the blessing of faith in Jesus.

Faith in Christ is about receptivity, that is, to receive Christ’s sacrifice for our sins (so our sins are forgiven) and to receive His Holy Spirit who fills His believers with love, joy and peace.

To be convicted of not believing in Jesus is good thing because it is an opportunity to repent and to start believing in Him. It is an opportunity to know what is right and wrong by God’s Spirit and by God’s Word. It is vindication to know that the one who has caused all the evil in the world, namely the devil, will be condemned and neutralized. It is to know that a day of righteousness, peace and joy is coming and it will never end.

Following Jesus

I heard a needed message last night from Mark 8:34-38. I developed the attached slide to share just a small part of the message.

This morning, I heard Adrian Rogers speaking on the radio about the Apostle Paul's ministry style.

The conclusion of the matter is that sharing the saving Gospel with people who need it but don't prefer to hear it may involve hardships, but when we get to heaven and see people who we shared the Gospel with there, it will be worth it.

Power is from God

“We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” [1]

Have you a hunger and thirst for God and a desire to feed others with His Word even as He feeds you? In the passage below, the Apostle Paul speaks of the grace that he received from God to help others be fellow heirs and partakers of salvation by sharing the Gospel with them. His ministry was given to him as a gift of God’s powerful and effective grace.

“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the Gospel, of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.” [2]

[1] 2 Corinthians 4:7
[2] Ephesians 4:1-7

Redeemed – How I Love to Proclaim It!

What a wonderful thing God has done for us!

“In Him [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” [1]

We were guilty. We committed sins against God and against people. God responded to our dilemma with grace. He sent His Son to take the condemnation and punishment that our sins deserved.

“In Him [Jesus Christ] you also trusted, after you heard the Word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” [2]

After forgiving our sins, making us aware of what He did for us, and bringing us to faith in Him, He sealed our inheritance by giving to us His Holy Spirit to live and abide in us. Such grace! Praise the Lord!

“God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” [3]

Dead in trespasses means that we were unable to rescue ourselves. We were not even aware of how grievous our trespasses were to God and to those around us. God’s wealth was revealed to us not with silver or gold, but with the blood of His Son who died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. Then, Christ resurrected from the dead on the third day and revealed to us that there is life after the grave… a good life… a never ending life! A Promised Land better than any place on earth!

“You were once without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” [4]

Not just a Promised Land, but also a promised home. A home with God! Accepted into His family, loved, honored and enjoyed! Praise the Lord!

[1] Ephesians 1:7
[2] Ephesians 1:13-14
[3] Ephesians 2:4-5
[4] Ephesians 2:12-13, 19

A Beautiful Savior in a Beautiful City

A Beautiful Savior in a Beautiful City who paid the price for our sins on the cross so that by simply believing in Him and receiving His shepherding help we receive a lifetime membership with Him forever.

“The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city [New Jerusalem] was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the 1st foundation was jasper, the 2nd sapphire, the 3rd chalcedony, the 4th emerald, the 5th sardonyx, the 6th sardius, the 7th chrysolite, the 8th beryl, the 9th topaz, the 10th chrysoprase, the 11th jacinth, and the 12th amethyst. The 12 gates were 12 pearls: each individual gate was of 1 pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” Revelation 21:18-27

How do you get your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life? By having a relationship with Him here on earth.

Grateful to Be Forgiven and Livin’ for the Lord Jesus Christ

Like Hezekiah in the Bible passage below, I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for bringing me to a place where I knew I needed Him to save me. When I asked the Lord Jesus to forgive all my sins, He did. He cast my sins behind His back. His atoning blood washed them away. They are forgiven. His Holy Spirit has brought such peace, joy and love into my life. Today, I plan to go to the house of the Lord and sing His praises.

“Indeed it was for my own peace that I had great bitterness; but You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back. For Sheol cannot thank You, death cannot praise You; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth. The living, the living man, he shall praise You, as I do this day; the father shall make known Your truth to the children. The Lord was ready to save me; therefore, we will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our life, in the house of the Lord.” Isaiah 38:17-20

Come Lord Jesus!

The destruction of Babylon precedes the return of Christ.

The attached picture illustrates some of the ways in which Babylon (kingdoms defiant of God’s rule) treat people. The bodies and souls of people are marketed like farm animals.

Have you noticed that many visions (movies) out of Hollywood involve the breaking of the Ten Commandments? Either with no mention of God (godless) or blaspheming His Name! Murder! Lying! Adultery! Covetousness! Defiant children! No sign of Sabbath (resting and trusting in God). Casting a vison of a world where evil runs rampant instead of the Biblical vision of the coming kingdom of Christ where there is no more hatred, division, crying, pain, war, death. Love, joy, and peace rules in the Kingdom of God.

When Revelation’s 7th angel sounds his trumpet, “The kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15)

This morning, after praying much in the night, I read Isaiah 25:1-9...

"O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your Name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. For You have made a city a ruin, a fortified city a ruin, a palace of foreigners to be a city no more; it will never be rebuilt. Therefore the strong people will glorify You; the city of the terrible nations will fear You. For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; for the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. You will reduce the noise of aliens, as heat in a dry place; as heat in the shadow of a cloud, the song of the terrible ones will be diminished."

"And in this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all people a feast of choice pieces, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of well-refined wines on the lees. And He will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken. And it will be said in that day: ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.’”

“Even so, come Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20)

Christ’s Return – Solution to Pollution

The worst pollutant in the world is rebellion against God and against God’s ways. Breaking covenant with God! Marred humans trying to tell God what is right and what is wrong! Trying to exclude God! This pollutant destroys the earth.

“The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.” [1]

When Christ returns, creation will be set free from the defilement of sin. “The whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” [2]

The solution to personal pollution is faith in Jesus Christ. Each of us needs to bring our sin to the foot of the cross, and ask Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to forgive us. Cleanse us from the guilt we bear! Give us new hearts to know and praise Him!

“The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” A sinful heart does not realize the depths of its sinfulness before God. We need the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins. We need the Holy Spirit to help us repent of our sin. “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise.” [3]

The second coming of Christ is the solution to creation’s pollution. Asking Christ to forgive our sins and to save us from our sin, as well as believing in Him, and professing Him as Lord and Savior, is the solution to our personal unholiness.

Jesus Christ is returning. He is the solution to earth’s pollution. Thus, the next to last verse of the Bible exclaims, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” [4]

[1] Isaiah 24:5-6
[2] Romans 8:22
[3] Jeremiah 17:9, 14
[4] Revelation 22:20

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever [1]

Many have sought to cancel God’s Word from being published, proclaimed and appropriated, but His Word still stands, and His Kingdom will outlast all the kingdoms of this world.

“The dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” [2]

The dragon loses. [3]

Those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ win. [4]

Before Jerusalem fell before the invading Babylonian army, her king [Jehoiakim] had been warned to listen to the Word of the Lord that was proclaimed and published by the prophet Jeremiah. He chose to burn God's Word. Later, Jerusalem was burned to the ground, but the prophet [Jeremiah], was still standing and still proclaiming God’s Word. In fact, Jeremiah's words from the Lord are still with us today. He is still an inspiration for God's servants to never stop believing in God and to never stop speaking up for God.

[1] 1 Peter 1:25
[2] Revelation 12:17
[3] Revelation 20:10
[4] Revelation 21:7

Wheat, Good Fish, Sheep

What’s your relationship to Jesus Christ?

Your eternal destination is determined by what you do with Jesus Christ since He is the only Savior from sin.

There are many forms of sin, but the summation of all sin is rebellion against God. God gave you a Savior. His very own Son. He became a living sacrifice for the sins you committed. After He died, He resurrected on the third day, which set Him above every other name of those who claim (falsely) they can save you.

God’s Word explains your eternal salvation in very simple words below:

“And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the Name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the Name of the Son of God.” [1]

On the last day, the tares will be separated from the wheat, the bad fish from the good fish, and the goats from sheep. If you repent of your sin against God, believe in Jesus Christ and have His Holy Spirit abiding in you, you will be deemed by God as wheat, good fish and sheep. You will be welcomed into eternal paradise. Tares, bad fish and goats are cast into the fire where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. [2]

[1] 1 John 5:11-13
[2] See the attached picture for the references

Good Change for the Changed

The ability to get along with one another broke down. They turned to their idols, charmers, mediums and sorcerers for help, but they were no help. Their nation fell into the hands of a cruel ruler…

“I will set Egyptians against Egyptians; everyone will fight against his brother, and everyone against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel, and they will consult the idols and the charmers, the mediums, and the sorcerers. And the Egyptians I will give into the hand of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them,” says the Lord, the Lord of hosts.” [1]

What should they have done that they did not do? They should have repented of idol worship and of occultism. Destroyed the objects connected to false gods and occultic practices! That’s what the Ephesians did after they heard God’s Word…

“Many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled 50,000 pieces of silver. So the Word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.” [2]

When irreligious leaders commanded the apostles not to share God’s Word with people, Peter responded, “We are His [God’s] witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” Rather than succumb to the apostasy that was destroying people, Peter and the apostles declared, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” [3]

The Lord has promised in His Word that proud propagators of evil will be brought low. A day is coming when they will no longer be able to hurt those who serve Him.

“There shall by no means enter it [the celestial city] anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” [4]

The Lord is going to separate the bad from the good. The good being those who profess God’s Messiah Jesus and have His Holy Spirit abiding in them.

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” [5]

[1] Isaiah 19:2-4
[2] Acts 19:18-20
[3] Acts 5:29, 32
[4] Revelation 21:27
[5] Matthew 13:47-50

No More Night

During His experience in the belly of a great fish, Jonah declared, “Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own mercy.” Thank You Lord for Your mercy!

Once upon a time, a king was urged by a prophet to ask for a sign from the Lord. He did not want to ask, but the Lord gave him the sign anyway. It was a prophecy about the coming Messiah.

“The Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, ‘Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.’ But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!’ Then he said, ‘Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His Name Immanuel.’” [2]

How often do I refuse to listen to the One who is trying to bless me? Lord, please continue to give me signs pointing me to You.

“The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the hearts.” [3] Thank You Lord for helping me to know where my heart is in relationship to Yours.

“There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.” [3] Thank You Jesus Christ for saving my soul and for bring me into Your kingdom of light and love.

For those who have had traumatic experiences in the night, how great will be there joy to enter Your kingdom where there is no more night.

[1] Jonah 2:8
[2] Isaiah 7:10-14
[3] Revelation 22:5

https://youtu.be/ZNE--CphCm8?si=VZE_aFYK420hv01T

Woe or Wow

The Lord says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! [1]

God’s pronouncement of “woe” means an undesirable consequence is on the way. God maintains the “good” standard recorded in His Word though mighty empires try to change it. He judges evil. In Isaiah’s day, God whistled for nations to bring judgment against the sin of his nation. [2]

Though a nation seems invincible, if it continues to propagate evil, God will bring it down. “Though you ascend as high as the eagle, And though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down, says the Lord.” [3]

Let us pray for God to bring down evil schemes against the souls of people, and to give grace, faith, protection and wisdom to those who care about the eternal salvation of souls. God does more than we can ask or imagine with our prayers, so let us pray. Pray, pray, pray, and then, pray some more. Pray for a “Wow.” A wow because God will hear our prayers, and bring about a return to His ways so that our nation dodges a bullet once again.

[1] Isaiah 5:20
[2] Isaiah 5:26-29
[3] Obadiah 1:4

The Way to Know You Have Eternal Life

The way to know that you have eternal life is to ask God to forgive your sins, to believe on and profess Jesus Christ as the Savior sent from God to save you from your sin, and welcome His Holy Spirit to fill you and anoint you to serve God.

In other words, be converted by God... born again by His Spirit... and you will know that you have eternal life.

The Word of God verifies your new identity as a citizen of the Kingdom of God. All who believe in and profess Jesus Chirst as their Lord and Savior HAVE eternal life.

The Almighty more Precious than Gold or Silver

“When they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’” [1]

The religious and political leaders with the support of a mob criminalized the perfect Son of God. They crucified Jesus the God of love between two criminals.

Recently, as I was spending time before the Lord in prayer, He said to me, “This is the only way to exist among My people. You must forgive their failures and yours.”

The Lord also showed me that though serving Him involves conflict, He is with us in those moments. When Jesus ministered in synagogues of Galilee, despite the hostility of some towards Him, He still did miracles in those settings. He urges me to focus on the captives who were set free during the ministry, and not on those who chose to remain in bondage.

Job spoke of mining. “Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. Man puts an end to darkness and searches every recess for ore in the darkness and the shadow of death. He breaks open a shaft away from people; in places forgotten by feet they hang far away from men; they swing to and fro. As for the earth, from it comes bread, but underneath it is turned up as by fire; its stones are the source of sapphires, and it contains gold dust.” [2]

God has designed the earth’s soil as a location to grow food, and below the soil a location to find hidden treasures. Yet, God has in His reserve a greater treasure than delicious food, precious stones and rare metals.

“But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. The deep says, ‘It is not in me;’ and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ It cannot be purchased for gold, nor can silver be weighed for its price. It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. Neither gold nor crystal can equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral or quartz, for the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.” [3]

God’s wisdom and understanding are of more value than delicious food, precious stones, and rare metals.

Where is wisdom and understanding found? The answer is: “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.” [4]

The Lord Jesus shows us what the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord and the Spirit of understanding look like when robed in human flesh. Jesus Messiah is the One of whom the prophet Isaiah wrote: “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” [5]

While seldom valued by political and religious leaders, and definitely despised by self-serving mobs, Jesus demonstrated for us that God’s wisdom and understanding are worth more than a pearl of great price. Of greater worth than a treasure hidden a field! [6]

Wisdom and understanding are treasures that God gives to His servants.

God’s wisdom and understanding help us avoid an eternity in hell and to inherit an eternal happiness with God forever in His kingdom of love. God’s wisdom and understanding help us to navigate trials and come out finer than gold.

God is so good: “He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the Words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” [7]

Comparing ourselves with those who live to gratify the flesh is not helpful. Keeping our focus on God as the treasure we seek is helpful.

“To you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,’ and ‘a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.’ They stumble, being disobedient to the Word, to which they also were appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” [8]

“Yes, the Almighty will be your gold and your precious silver.” [9]

[1] Luke 23:34
[2] Job 28:1-6
[3] Job 28:12-19
[4] Job 28:28
[5] Isaiah 11:2
[6] Matthew 13:44-46
[7] Job 23:10-12
[8] 1 Peter 2:7-10
[9] Job 22:25

Share the Good News

When I was a teenager, the church I attended did an evangelism training. In the process of learning how to share the Gospel with others, I received the blessed assurance of knowing that I was saved by God's grace and not by my own works. That is why the Gospel is good news.

Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins so that we who believe in Him do not have to pay that price. The price of unforgiven sin is death and after that judgment, and being cast into the place of darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth and the fire is not quenched. The gift of God is eternal life in paradise with Christ and with all the joyful people who have believed and received Him.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Acts 16:31

I have attached pictures of God's words about sin and about salvation, as well as some illustrations that I memorized as a teenager for the purpose of sharing the Gospel with others. I am praying for opportunities and boldness to share this good news with people who have yet to hear, understand and believe it.

Jesus Christ is the Hero of the Story

I praise the Lord for including and preserving the writings of the prophet Jeremiah in the Bible.

I was an avid comic book reader during the early years of my life. My favorite genre of movies was about people who did great things to help others and prevailed against all the odds.

I like that God includes Jeremiah's inner thoughts as he serves the Lord. Just like in those comic books that I read so long ago, he has to weigh the cost of continuing in his service of others, 

I like that Jeremiah neither had a personal agenda for self-aggrandizement nor to make a business out of serving God. He served the Lord because he loved God and he loved people. 

Jeremiah ran the race that God set before him and finished well. The One he sought to please above all others is well pleased with him. He is with the Lord but his story continues to inspire thinkers, writers, speakers, and me to love God and love people for God’s glory alone.

Amidst warnings to his people of a coming invasion of their nation by the Babylonians, Jeremiah spoke of a day when they would enjoy a personal relationship with God.

 “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” [1]

 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and He shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’” [2] (A prophecy fulfilled by Jesus Christ.)

“This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” [3]

Thanks be to God; He sent His Son into the world to atone for our sins and has given unto us in Him the gateway to enjoy an everlasting personal relationship with God. Praise the Lord!

The hero of our story and the Savior of the world is Jesus Christ. God gives a hero’s welcome into His eternal kingdom to each person who embraces Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

[1] Jeremiah 31:3

[2] Jeremiah 33:14-16

[3] Jeremiah 31:33

Love God Love People

Jesus taught: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” [1]

As I was praying about the prophetic ministry this morning, especially thinking about the prophet of Jeremiah, the Lord reminded me of the passage above. “Love God. Love People.” That’s how the Lord summed up the passage for me!

God’s love is bigger than the moment. God’s love is about eternal life. Jeremiah warned people because God loved them. He did not want them to suffer the consequences of sin. He pointed them to the Lord. May the Lord open doors for us to do the same and graciously grant us the boldness to love as He loves.

Pray “for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” [2]

[1] Matthew 22:37-40
[2] Ephesians 6:19-20

Wisdom is to Hold to God and to His Word

“Turn at My rebuke; surely I will pour out My Spirit on you; I will make My Words known to you. Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out My hand and no one regarded, because you disdained all My counsel, and would have none of My rebuke, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, when your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call on Me, but I will not answer; they will seek Me diligently, but they will not find Me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would have none of My counsel and despised My every rebuke. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way and be filled to the full with their own fancies. For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to Me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.” [1]

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones. Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” [2]

“The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the just. Surely, He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble.” [3]

“The path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.” [4]

“He who despises the Word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.” [5]

“A true witness delivers souls, but a deceitful witness speaks lies. In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.” [6]

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” [7]

“The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” [8]

[1] Proverbs 1:23-33
[2] Proverbs 3:6-10
[3] Proverbs 3:33-34
[4] Proverbs 4:18
[5] Proverbs 13:13
[6] Proverbs 14:25-27
[7] Proverbs 14:34
[8] James 3:17-18

Praise the Lord!

Has someone ever advocated for you? They spoke up for you? They defended you? They asked those in authority to open a door of opportunity for you? Perhaps, you only discovered years later that your advocate was not the person who you imagined it was.

During an extreme trial, one man lamented, “Oh, that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleads for his neighbor! For when a few years are finished, I shall go the way of no return.” [1] He felt his life was at its end. Could someone pray for him?

Someone was advocating for him. God was! At the end of his trial, he received a double blessing from God (See Job chapter 42).

God is our advocate. He is for us. Daily He is on our side.

Three simple and often repeated words in the Bible are: “Praise the Lord!”

Good advice! As we praise the Lord, His light brightens our day.

PRAISE THE LORD! He knit me together in my mother’s womb! [2]

PRAISE THE LORD! I am fearfully made! [3]

PRAISE THE LORD! He knows my name and the number of hairs on my head! [4]

PRAISE THE LORD! He meets my daily needs and gives me extra to share. [5]

PRAISE THE LORD! He walks and talks with me. [6]

PRAISE THE LORD! He sent His Son into the world to atone for my sins. [7]

PRAISE THE LORD! He gives His Spirit to advocate for me. [8]

PRAISE THE LORD! He has given me eternal life. [9]

I like what the Apostle James wrote: “Of His [God’s] own will He brought us forth by the Word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. Therefore… receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls.” [10] Praise the Lord! He brought me into His family by revealing Himself to me via His Word – the Bible.

Personal Testimony:

Once while my family was serving the Lord in Hong Kong, our financial resources were down to 100 Hong Kong dollars (US$12.50). We were a family of six. A fellow missionary noticed that I was looking downcast and asked me what was wrong. After I told her our situation, she remarked, “Well, let’s stop and thank God for that 100 Hong Kong dollars, that’s more than enough for today.” so, we did, and it was, and here I am more than 30 years later doing just fine. Praise the Lord!

[1] Job 16:21-22
[2] Psalm 139:13
[3] Psalm 139:14
[4] Matthew 10:30
[5] Matthew 6:25-33
[6] Luke 24:13-17
[7] 1 John 2:2
[8] John 14:26
[9] John 3:16
[10] James 1:18, 21

Face towards the SON

“Heavenly Father, please give us the grace to keep our eyes on Your Son, and please help us to help others focus on Your Son Jesus as well. It is in His Name, Jesus Christ, I pray this. Amen.”

Jesus is the Answer

“They said to Him, ‘What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.’” John 6:28-29

The One whom God sent to save us is His Son Jesus Christ.

Feed My Sheep

The God who is love wants to be loved. Loving Him is the first commandment. Loving people who He created in His image is the second commandment.

Jesus prepared Peter for ministry by asking Peter if Peter loved Him. When Peter affirmed to Jesus that He did, Jesus asked Peter to feed His lambs and sheep. Jesus wanted Peter to feed His flock the Word of God even as Jesus had fed Peter and His fellow disciples. Feed them the Word of God so that the sheep grow in their love for God and in their love others.

Later in his life, Peter wrote to church leaders, saying, “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” [1]

Peter got it. Peter passed on what Jesus had taught him to do. Toward the end of his life, Peter was still loving Jesus and still feeding the flock. Praise the Lord!

“When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs.’”

He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’

He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed My sheep.’” [2]

[1] 1 Peter 5:2-3
[2] John 21:15-17

Mourning into Dancing

As Job grieved due to his losses, his friend Eliphaz spoke of a vision he had in the night. A scary spirit had made the hair on his body stand up, and his bones to shake. It spoke to him. It was from this spirit’s word that the trajectory of Job’s three friends got off on a wrong foot. This spirit led them to believe that Job was suffering for some crime he had committed against God. Their misinterpretation of Job’s suffering added greatly to his grief, and severely tested his faith in God.

Eliphaz: “Now a word was secretly brought to me, and my ear received a whisper of it. In disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake. Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair on my body stood up. It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; there was silence; then I heard a voice saying: ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker?” “Remember now, whoever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright ever cut off?” [1]

Job was a type of the coming Messiah Jesus. His losses came not because of any crime before God on his part. The Lord had said of Job, “there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil.” Job was suffering from a satanic attack against him. “So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.” The suffering of Christ was also an attack from Satan. [2]

Yes, a Righteous One has suffered unjustly. “For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” [3]

The sufferings of Christ were due to His love for us sinners.

“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” [4]

Job received a double blessing from the hand of God after his trial was over. He also had peace with God once again. This too is a foreshadowing of Christ, because after Christ’s death on the cross, after being momentarily forsaken by His Father for our sakes… Christ resurrected from the dead, ascended to heaven, and is enthroned in glory at the right hand of His Father. [5]

This is wonderful news for us! As we trust in Christ, we who are subject to death, shall also resurrect and enjoy eternal blessings with God forevermore. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [6]

“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.” [7]

[1] Job 4:12-17; 4:7
[2] Job 2:3, 7; Luke 22:3, 53
[3] 1 Peter 3:17-18
[4] Romans 5:6-10
[5] Job 42:12-17; 1 Peter 3:22
[6] Romans 6:23
[7] Psalm 30:11

My Redeemer Lives

A lone survivor of disaster number one told Job that robbers stole his oxen and donkeys and killed his servants. While he was still speaking, another arrived with news of another disaster. One disaster was followed by another until after four waves of destruction, Job tore his robe, shaved his head, fell to the ground and worshipped God. He declared: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the Name of the Lord.” [1]

In Leviticus 26:18-28, God speaks of four waves of disasters coming upon those who choose to defy obedience to His laws. In Matthew 24:20-22, Jesus speaks of the tribulations of the last days being shortened lest even in His elect would give up the faith. In Revelation 6-16, God speaks of three waves of judgments being executed against sin, namely, the seven seal, seven trumpet and seven bowl judgments. This is one wave of disasters short of the four waves of judgment that defiance against God deserves.

Job is a type of Christ in the Old Testament. God said of Job, “There is none like My servant on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil.” Job was not suffering four waves of judgment because of a particular evil in his life, but because there is evil in the world, and sometimes God allows evil to test the faithfulness of His servants knowing that it will impact the lives of many people for His glory. Our Lord Jesus Christ was treated horribly in this world. He was beaten, spit on, scourged, verbally abused, and crucified between two criminals, yet He had done no wrong. His only crime per-se was to love God and people. Such love draws the ire of Satan.

Thus, Jesus says, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” [3]

The Apostle Peter wrote, “For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly.” [4]

Sherry and I work with small children at a school. Certain ones more than others struggle with not getting what they want when they want it to the point of falling on floor, curling up in a ball, and crying like a baby. Then, in our society there are adults who protest and commit acts of violence when forbidden do whatever evil they want to do against others. Where is love in all of this?

How did Job face his test? What bit of truth amidst lies and confusion helped him to keep going forward in his relationship with God? It was this truth, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” [5]

Knowing that God will make all things right when we see Him face to face, helps us to keep on loving Him and people. This world is passing away, but God’s kingdom is forever. Thanks be to Christ, our wonderful Redeemer, we also shall live with God forever.

[1] Job 1:13-21
[2] Job 1:8
[3] Matthew 16:24
[4] 1 Peter 2:19-23
[5] Job 19:25-27