Revelations 22: Trustworthy and True

The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”
“Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.”

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”

Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy."

"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
 -Rev. 22:6-13 NIV

Years ago, I had a friend tell me, "There are no honorable people left."  He was referring to those in the business environment, but it seems to me that can be said of the whole of society now days.  History has shown that the human race cannot be trusted.  We all operate out of our own selfish motives. Even those of us who claim to be followers of Christ.  There is only one who is honorable, worthy of honor.  There is only one who is trustworthy and true.

We have a tendency to look at the Bible in respect to ourselves.  Am I living the life I am called to?What are the promises for me?  How am I supposed to live?  How do I get healing?  How do I become prosperous?   How do I remain faithful?  What is going to happen to this world?  And on and on and on.  But, Revelations, as John states in Chapter one, and I would assert, the entire Bible, is not about us.  It is God's story.  It is the story of a being with such power and majesty that the ancients found themselves unable to utter his name.   It is the story of creatures who would forever try to usurp his authority, who would forever imagine that they were operating on the same plane.  It is the story of a creator and his unfailing love for his unfaithful creation. 

Yet for all our misappropriation of the true story, one fact remains.  These words are trustworthy and true...he is the Alpha and Omega, he is the First and the Last,  he is the Beginning and the End and he is coming soon!

Revelations 10: Hallelujah!

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.” And the twenty–four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. -Rev. 10:15-16 NIV

The Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah is nothing compared to the praises which will be heard in heaven at that moment in time when the kingdom of this world, as it has been known for centuries, is transformed into the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ.  All other earthly kingdoms will pale by comparison.  The Babylonians, the Roman Empire, the Aztecs, Great Britain, even the United States, any and every civilization that has ever existed, will become insignificant, will not even be retained in memory.  There will only be one reality, the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and those of us who are believers get to be part of that everlasting kingdom.  Bask in that for just a moment.  Close your eyes and imagine the heavenly choruses singing and praising God.  Imagine yourself surrounded by your loved ones, each of them enthralled by the presence of God and his Son.  Imagine the heavenly orchestra, the trumpets, the drums, the harps, playing music more glorious than any that has been conceived on this earth, with a range of notes we cannot comprehend.  There is nothing on this earth that can compare. Handel caught a glimpse of it when he penned The Messiah, but it was only a glimpse. There is nothing under the sun that compare to being in the presence of the Creator and his Son. Hallelujah!

Revelation 9: There's Still Hope

And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury. The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts. -Rev. 9:20-21 NIV

It's hard to believe that, even after witnessing a third of mankind being killed, that people will still not repent of their evil ways.  So, it should not be surprising to see any society, even one such as ours, conceived with mostly Godly intentions, pursuing a path of destruction.  God has always known the hearts of his creation.  From the moment that Satan fell from heaven, all of God's creation has been subject to his temptation, the temptation to believe that this life is all there is, that there is nothing else, and for many, that there is no redemption.  Some realize that there is redemption but refuse to pay the price of giving up the ability to live their life the way they choose.  Others, who for one reason or other, were not born at the right time, in the right place, or into the right circumstances, may not know that there is any other way.  These are the ones we should be pursuing as God pursued us.  They are the suicidal, the addicts, the self destroyers, the ones who see themselves without hope. Like all of us, who came to belief out of dire circumstances, they are the ones to whom the gospel offers hope even for this life.

Revelations 6: It Is Well

The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” - Rev.6:14-17 NIV

Revelations 6:14 brings to mind the last verse of the old hymn, It is Well.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul. - Horatio G. Spafford, 1873

Without reading the verses that follow in Revelations, the last phrase doesn't have much meaning.  Hearing the trump sound and seeing the Lord descending from the clouds should be a glorious day, not one where we have to proclaim 'even so, it is well with my soul'.  The verses that follow, however, paint a story of destruction, the enormity of which has yet to be seen.  Everyone, the rich, the mighty, the kings and generals, the poor, the slaves, none will be immune from the destructions that will accompany that great day of wrath.  The day when everyone cries out for the rocks and mountains to fall on them to hide them from God's judgment.  This must be the scene that Horatio Spafford imagined when he penned the words, 'even so'. 

It's a horrible thing to contemplate the enormity of God's wrath which will be poured out on the unbelievers.  It's even more difficult to contemplate if some of those unbelievers are our own friends, family, and acquaintances.  For believers, the carnage of God's wrath will be overshadowed by being in the presence of the one we love.  We will truly be able to say it is well with our soul.  That thought should not lessen our efforts now to bring all those we love into the light that will save and protect them from the events to unfold. 

We live in a world where many are hoping for Christ's soon return.  I share that hope, but I pray that it is not before all of my loved ones accept the salvation accorded by Christ and his sacrifice on the cross.  In a lot of cases, that is not going to happen without some miraculous intervention on God's part, so I pray daily for God's mercy.  Then when the clouds roll back with the Lord's appearing, I can truly say, 'It is well!'

Revelation 3: Buy From Christ

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!
So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 
You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. - Rev. 3:14-20 NIV

There is so much to be gleaned from Revelation.  It is after all, as John says in the introduction, "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.".(Rev. 1:1-2 NIV)  Since It is the word of God, the one who is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, there is no dimension of time as we normally consider.  God's word is as relevant today as it was when John found himself on the Isle of Patmos.  The same truths apply to the church today as when this book was written.  As much as I hate to admit it, the primary letter to the churches which applies to the American church today is the letter addressed to the Laodicean church.  ''You are neither not or cold', we are told and we immediately have the taste of lukewarm tea in our mouth.  It's not hot, it's not cold, it's undrinkable. 

We think we're wealthy, we take up huge collections to pay for the huge churches we build.  We magnanimously send our token missionaries to foreign lands. We entertain the lost with our enormous musical productions.  We give some of our resources to the poor and downtrodden as long was we don't have to come in physical contact with them.  'You think you are rich', God says, 'but you don't know how wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked you are.' 

Meanwhile, Christ is still  knocking at the door. ' Buy from me', he says, 'buy gold that has been refined by persecution, by sacrifice, by blood.  Buy the white robe of righteousness.  Buy the balm that will allow you to open your eyes.  Don't be tempted to buy all the trappings of the world, buy from me!' 

Jude: Faultless

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. - Jude 1:24-25 NIV

Do you know how much I need a savior, how much I needed one in my past and need one for my future?  "Prone to wander," as the song says, "Lord I feel it.  Prone to leave the God I love."  I have nothing in my own power arsenal that will keep me safe from the temptation to stray.  Nothing!  Even when I do not wander off in my actions, I cannot keep my heart safe.  The pull is there:  to take the shortcut, to malign, to despair, to seek my own alternatives.  Thank God, there is a Savior with the glory, majesty, power and authority to keep me safe, to keep me from falling.  Someone who dances and rejoices over me with great joy.  Someone who takes me by the hand and proudly presents me to the Father, as faultless as an unblemished newborn child.

1 John 4: Be Loving

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:7-11 NIV

We have the tendency to think the Christmas message is peace, but in Matthew 10:24, Jesus said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."  Jesus knew that his life and death would always be controversial, that it would cause hatred between nations, between neighbors, even between families.  We cannot be responsible for how the message is received.  We can only be responsible for our response to those who don't want to receive the message and that response must be one of love.  For Christ's message, an amazing tale, one that many find hard to believe, and the one we should be proclaiming this time of year, is a story of love.  God sent his one and only son into the world so that we might live through him.  Are we really proclaiming and showing his love this season, or are we caught up in the norms of society and forgetting the message to be loving?

2 Peter 3: Be Holy and Godly

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives - 2 Peter 3:8-11 NIV

How different our lives would be if we truly understood the temporal, earthly aspect.  All this, everything we hold dear will one day be nothing but ash and rubble.  I am especially mindful of this at this time of year, when we surround ourselves with all of the trappings of the holidays.  Trappings, that's exactly what they are, glitter and gloss that would lure us into believing they tell the story when in truth the story is one that is totally opposite.  It is the story of a baby, born to parents with nothing, in the stable of an inn, with a future that both looked and turned out to be bleak.  What kind of people would his followers be?  When we call ourselves Christians, are we being true to what the name implies?  As we're caught up in all the parties and gift giving, is there something we are missing?  Are we really living holy and godly lives?

1 Peter 5: Be Humble

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Be self–controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. -1Peter 5:6-10 NIV

Like most, I find humility a difficult character trait to master.  I spend entirely too much time trying to justify my actions and proving my self-worth.  It's all in vain...there's that dreaded vanity encircling itself around my thoughts once more.  As much as I try to lift myself up it is a futile exercise.  Only God can lift us up.  Just as Peter says, the enemy is always trying to trip us up, and the easiest course is through our vanity.

It is most difficult to humble ourselves under adversity, especially adversity which is being inflicted on us through no fault of our own, but just because of who we are in Christ.  Our righteous indignation wants to fight back, but that is not the Christian response.  Our response should be to resist the enemies attempt to 'get our goat' and instead stand firm.  As Peter says, the God of all grace, will restore you.  It behooves us to show that grace and humility in all circumstances.  It's a powerful weapon against the attack of the enemy.

James 5: Be Patient

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 
You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. - James 5:7-8 NIV

Like most people in this modern day of microwaves, the internet, and text messaging, I am not very patient.  I operate simultaneously on several planes at warp speed.  So, I confess that I often get impatient waiting for the Lord's coming.  Doesn't he know we need him now?  Doesn't he know that things are almost at critical mass as far as evil is concerned on this earth?  Doesn't he know that we can't hold back the flood gates of debauchery and depravity for much longer before the earth is flooded with society's filth?  Doesn't he know our situation is desperate, that everything could be righted by his appearing?

Of course he knows.  It's all part of his plan, just as we are all part of his plan.  Many of us have been placed here, at this specific time, in this specific place for his plan.  We may be that finger in the hole in the dike that keeps all of the forces of evil from overwhelming the earth.  We can't lose faith, we can't lose patience.  All we have to do is stand firm.  Jesus himself, knew what we would face and addressed it in Luke 21:  “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.  For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth.  Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” - Luke 21:34-36 NIV

Be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.

Hebrews 11: Not Ashamed

He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. - Hebrews 11:26 NIV

This scripture brings to mind the brouhaha now ensuing over comments that Phil Robertson of the television show Duck Dynasty made to GQ magazine concerning homosexuality.  My guess is that Phil is not bothered by what the media thinks.  I don't think he is concerned about the financial aspect of his being suspended from being on the show, in fact, I doubt that any of the family is that concerned with the ramifications of not being in sync with the current standard for political correctness.  A lot of Christians today are afraid of being disgraced by contemporary society when we should be more concerned about being disgraced by God.  It is only because of God's grace that we have anything, that we have our freedom, that we have our financial security, that we have our very life itself.  The Robertson's have been blessed financially, but it is not because of A&E.  It is because of God and in all likelihood, God blessed them because he knew they would give him the glory even in spite of ridicule.  There is nothing to be ashamed of, as the Apostle Paul said, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. - Romans 1:16 KJV

Hebrews 10: Encouraging One Another

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. - Hebr. 10:23-25 NIV

Hebrews is one of the most difficult books in the Bible to digest.  Years ago, our weekly home group in New Jersey decided to do a study of Hebrews.  A year later, we were still slogging our way through the book.  We found that on any given night, we could tackle six to eight verses at the most.  The conversations and questions that arose from just a few verses were limitless.  All of the study did much to build our confidence in the gospel and each other.  If there ever was a time that we should be studying scriptures together it is now.  As worldly events and troubles swirl around us we need the encouragement that comes from the Word and from each other.  Weekly sermons are not enough.  To get God's Word deep inside requires seeking, studying, and questioning.  That is very difficult to do on one's own.  We must encourage each other to meet and work together.

Hebrews 8: A New Covenant

But God found fault with the people and said: “The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.
This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. - Heb. 8:8-10 NIV

We all prove, time and time again, that it is impossible for any of us to keep the terms of the covenant with God without the cross, without Christ's blood sacrifice.  Just like Israel, we are unable to conform to God's laws on our own.  He has set the bar too high.  Not because he doesn't love us, but because he has always loved us and wants us to be complete in him.  The only way to be all that God created us to be is by surrender, surrender to the saving power of the gospel.  Through Christ, the covenant has been sealed.  It is an unbreakable covenant, made possible only by the blood.  Just as the sacrifice of the priests made atonement for the sins of the people and renewed the covenant with Israel, Christ's sacrifice secures the permanency of the covenant for us.

Hebrews 3: Encouragement

See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. -Heb. 3;12-14 NIV

Sometimes, we have a tendency to be short on encouragement and long on judgment.  Is that because critiquing makes us feel better about ourselves?  It shouldn't, because I have found that most often the faults I see in others are manifest even more so in my own life.  If I accuse others of gossip, I need to re-examine my own words and even more importantly my thoughts.  Just as Jesus said that if one looks at another woman, they are guilty of adultery, if I harbor suspicious thoughts about others, even to myself, I am guilty of gossip.  Jesus sets the bar high so that we are forced to examine our own secret thoughts, our wishes, our desires.

The antidote for a criticizing nature is encouragement, lavish encouragement of those we would accuse of sins of which we are just as guilty.  Paul doesn't mean that we are to encourage others in their sins, but that we are to encourage others that they are on the same journey towards righteousness as we are.  Sometimes the best encouragement for someone else is our confession that we struggle with the same temptations.  Sharing in Christ means sharing the truth about ourselves so that others are encouraged and we experience our own growth at the same time.

Titus: It is Not Our Righteousness

Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, -Titus 3:1-5 NIV

When we realize that it is only because of God's mercy that we have been saved, it changes our lives and how we respond to others.  We can no longer be judgmental, because we know the judgment from which we escaped.  We can no longer be disobedient beapcause we have seen the obedience of Christ.  We can no longer be filled with strife, because we have met the Prince of Peace.  We can no longer be proud, because we have met the one who humbly offered his life for us; one who had every reason to be proud and puffed up because he was after all the Son of God.  We can no longer be filled with the lusts and desires of the world because we have been washed clean.  When we realize that if it were left to our works, we would never be able to enter the Kingdom of God, when we let the Holy Spirit renew our hearts and minds, we become the light we were created to be.

2 Timothy: He Will Keep Me

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. - 2 Tim. 4:6-8 NIV

I have finished the race, Paul says, I have fought a good fight.  In spite of persecutions and imprisonment, in spite of being deserted by those who I thought were brothers in the faith, I have not given up on the gospel.  The gospel that was revealed to me on the road to Damascus.  The gospel that changed my life from one of trying to destroy those who believed to one defending those same believers. And now, as this earthly life winds down, I can look forward to seeing the one who called me.  Whatever I have gone through is unimportant.  My circumstances are not the criteria that will be used to determine whether or not my life has been productive.  That lies in the hands of the one to whom I have entrusted my life, my being.  God has called me, he has kept me, he will keep me.

That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. -  Tim. 2:12 NIV

1 Timothy: The Gospel in a Nutshell

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. -1 Tim. 1:15-17 NIV

This is the gospel in a nutshell, at least as far as I am concerned.  Others may have found the truth and never strayed from that path, but it was never that simple for me.  Not only did I have to be shown, but I had to experience the depth to which one is able to sink in order to recognize my need for a savior.  Jesus came for those chief sinners, of whom, like the apostle Paul, I was one.  What I have difficulty accepting sometimes is that he also came for those who never felt the powerful draw of sin, those for whom living a pure life was never an issue.  I may never be able to understand how they could live such blameless lives without succumbing to temptation as I was, and always have been, prone to do, but I know they are no closer to salvation than I am.  We all sin, we all fall short.  Some of us are more outlandish than others, but we all sin and we all require God's mercy and grace.  What a mighty Savior we have, what a mighty God we serve.  One who as Paul says has shown unlimited patience with us.  Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

2 Thessalonians: A Strong Footing

Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.  He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. - 2 Thess.  2:3-4 NIV

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. - 2 Thess. 2:9-12 NIV

We must always remember that, along with the promise of Christ'a return in 1st Thessalonians, there is a promise of destruction as well.   Paul seems to say that, Christ's appearing will be preceded by a rebellion towards all that the gospel stands for.  The rebellion will not necessarily be overt, but one of deception with counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders.

You can see the signs of how that will happen even now.  People are desperate for solutions to the worlds problems, yet refuse to accept the truth that would be the solution, the truth that would set them free.  So when the lie comes along that promises they can have all their needs met without the need for God or his son, they will rush to believe the imposter and as a result, rush to their doom.

We need to take to heart Paul' s admonition to the church at Thessalonica, "stand firm".  That is  all we can do when surrounded by evil, by importers, by those who would twist the truth, stand firm.  We have a strong footing as the world rushes to it's doom.  Hold to the truth.  Stand firm!

1 Thessalonians: Forever and Ever

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. - 1 Thess. 4:13-18 NIV

Can you see that reunion?  With a loud command, the  Lord Jesus himself will lead the great cloud of witnesses, with the trumpet blaring and the voice of the archangel.  The graves will be thrown open to demonstrate how little power death has, and the heavenly throng will be joined by those who have gone on before.  Then those so are still here, on this earthly sphere, will rise into the heavenly clouds, leaving these shattered temporal bodies behind.  All the artificiality will be abandoned.  There will be no need for crutches, wheelchairs, contact lenses, hearing aids, heart stints, or artificial hips.  They will be left behind along with our checkbooks, credit cards, iPads, and iPhones.  All the designer handbags and shoes, sporty cars and utility vehicles will be abandoned.  If anyone left behind wants them, they can have them.  We, all of us either dead or still alive, who have accepted the testimony of Jesus Christ as being true, will be with the Lord forever. Forever and ever, forever and ever, Amen!

Colossians: The Experience of Grace

 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. -Col. 2:8 NIV

Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self–imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. -Col. 2:20-23 NIV

 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. -Col. 4:6-6 NIV

Paul had never been to Colossae, but he writes to the church there as if he knew them intimately.  In the same sense, these scriptures seem to know me as well.  I was raised in a very legalistic environment:  "Don't do this, don't do that." My aunt once told me that my parents believed they were raising the perfect Christians.  We turned out to be perfect all right, perfect sinners.  As if our adherence to the rules would draw anyone to the truth of the gospel.  In fact the very opposite occurred.  My attempts at perfection took me in the opposite direction.  When I realized that one of the rules did to make sense, that by observing that rule, I did not become a better person, all of the rest of the regulations became suspect.

It was years before I realized that I had to allow grace in my life.  I could regret all of those years when I was estranged from God, but he brought me through.  He kept me safe until I could see the truth of the gospel message for what it was:  freedom, freedom from my sins and the burden of those sins.  As Romans 8:20 says, "But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound."  I thank God now for those years.  They have given me the right perspective with which to witness to a hurt and dying world.  A perspective that many Christians, who have never wandered away, do not have.  Like Paul, I truly know what grace is, grace and mercy, because I have experienced it in my own life.

Philippians 3: Do We Really Want to Know Christ?

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, - Philippians 3:10 NIV

We say we want to know Christ, we ask for him to be revealed, but do we really want that?  Years ago, during my devotional time, I told the Lord that I wanted to be like Jesus and ask for him to show me what that would look like.  Immediately, I saw a silhouette of Jesus carrying the cross up a hill.  I'm afraid that's as close as most of us get or even desire to be; a silhouette, or perhaps a bas relief of Jesus' suffering, but nothing more clearly defined.  We don't mind suffering, but don't want to do it that much.  We don't want it to become a habit. 

Few of us have come as close as the Apostle Paul as far as suffering is concerned.  Few of us have been ridiculed, beaten, shipwrecked, jailed, and finally put to death for the gospel.  At the most, we might have our reputation or political affiliation questioned while we continue to live our lives of comfort and downright affluence compared to what Paul endured.  When Paul says, becoming like him in his death, he means being willing to be crucified, to lose our life, when we are not willing to even be crucified on the cross of popular opinion. 

Yes, there are a few martyrs for the faith, even in this day; people who are willing to give their own lives for the truth of the gospel, but I question whether most of us, myself included, have that courage.  No matter how much we say it is our hearts desire, it may not be possible to fully know Christ and the power of his resurrection without sharing in his sufferings.

Ephesians: The Secret of Prayer

 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. -Eph. 6:18

Years ago, my mother and I were on opposite sides of an issue.  She was praying for one thing while I was praying for another.  At the time, the man I was working for was a godly Christian man, so I took the issue to him.  "God doesn't get confused." he said, "Don't you think he gets conflicting requests all of the time?"  His suggestion was that I stop praying for that specific issue because of my prejudices and ask others who were not so partial to intercede on my behalf.  Since that time, I have been keenly aware of my limited abilities when it comes to prayer and how necessary it is to use other sources for my prayer needs:  the prayers of other Christians and the Holy Spirit.  Even the apostle Paul, that brilliant writer and wordsmith recognized how limited our own words are. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. - Romans 8:26 NIV

There is a reason for our limited ability to pray on our own behalf, one Paul recognized in his letter to the Ephesians.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. -Eph. 6:12-13 NIV

There is a spiritual force at work that would like to keep us confused, that wants nothing more than to make us ineffective, the power of this dark world that wants to destroy our testimony and power by making us think that we must be doing something wrong when we pray because our prayers are not being answered.  God has given us two weapons to combat the resistance of the enemy:  the Holy Spirit and the prayers of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Utilizing both of these weapons, we will be able to stand firm.

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel. -Eph. 6:19 NIV

Galatians: He Has Broken the Chains

I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 
I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. - Galatians 2:20-21 KJV

Paul understood the tension between law and grace.  Obeying the law does not give us righteousness.  In fact, the more we understand the law, the more we become aware that we can never meet all of it's provisions.  We can never obtain righteousness on our own.  The law is the standard, but if we are truthful, we will admit that we are hopeless, that all of our attempts to carry out the conditions of the law are futile.  All we can do is confess we are hopeless, cry for forgiveness, and accept Christ's sacrifice as our fulfillment of the law.  Without the cross, we have no hope.  But as Paul says, Praise God that His Son, Jesus Christ, did not die in vain.  By faith, we have obtained the key that unlocks all of the chains of sin that once bound us.  Christ has broken the chains.

Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed.   So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. - Galatians 3:23-24 NIV

2 Corinthians 9: Generosity

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 
You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. - 2 Cor. 9:10-11 NIV

I think a lot of people are confused with the concept of giving and receiving.  Many Televangelists would have you believe that if you 'sow a seed of faith' you will receive, which many take to mean if you send money, you will receive a new Cadillac or house of your dreams.  That is not the point at all. 

We are God's provision to a hurting and dying world.  One of the ways they can be reached is through our generosity, a generosity that comes from God, the supplier. God has a great storehouse that is filled with all the world needs, spiritually and materially.  That storehouse can be accessed by all believers, but in order to receive from that storehouse, we must have hands that have been emptied first.  We must give what we have received away before we can receive more.  The riches from God's storehouse are distributed on the basis of how the recipient will distribute them.  The more we give away, the more we receive to give away again.

I had an aunt who was fairly wealthy.  She was also the most generous person I have ever known.  You learned to not compliment her on anything because she would give it to you.  I once saw her take off the dress she was wearing and give it to someone else.  She was not born wealthy.  In fact, she grew up dirt poor but married a man of considerable means.  I think God knew her heart from the beginning, in fact, I think God created her with that heart so that she could be one of his vessels for giving to those who were less fortunate. 

It isn't just materially that we are to give.  We have been given great spiritual blessings:  wisdom, faith, healing, all the spiritual gifts.  If we don't give these away, we will not have empty hands to receive more from God either.  As Paul says, God will make us rich in every way so that we can be generous on all occasions.  This is a good time to start.

2 Corinthians 4: Renewed Day by Day

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV

I see the preceding verses differently now than I did when I was younger.  When I was younger, I thought that when Paul referenced having these "'treasures in jars of clay", he  was speaking of our spiritual and emotional weaknesses.  When I read these verses now, I see that he is referring to how our bodies eventually waste away.  "Death is at work in us", he says in verse 12.  Paul could see he was wasting away and that everything on the other side of that great divide called death is more magnificent than anything we can possibly imagine with our limited earthly vision.  These troubles here are nothing compared to the glory that awaits us.  Would this world be different if we fixed our eyes on the unseen, on the promise, rather than the poor substitute that surrounds us?   If we could do that, we would not lose heart but would be as Paul stated, "renewed day by day." 

Meanwhile, we live by faith and not by sight, we cannot see the one we love face to face, but we know he is waiting there, our final reward. 

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.  We live by faith, not by sight. - 2 Cor.5:6-7 NIV

2 Corinthians 2: The Fragrance of Christ

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? - 2  Cor. 2:14-16 NIV

This scripture brings to mind the few Catholic or Orthodox services I have attended, where the Bishop or High Priest processes in swinging the incense over the worshippers, with the other priests, acolytes, or altar boys following behind.  I am especially reminded of the pomp and ceremony that is practiced in some of the churches in the Holy Land such as the Armenian and Greek Orthodox church.  Christ is that High Priest.  He is leading us, his church and his fragrance is being spread over the entire world.  We often don't see ourselves as such.  Instead, we see ourselves as the persecuted ones, those left out of the public arena, the ones being cast aside for a different type of world.  We need to see ourselves as what we truly are.  We are Christ's army.  We are his church.  We are being led in procession.  It is a glorious thing to behold.  Just as I experienced in Jerusalem, it is a procession that stops you in your tracks, that leaves you mesmerized, that makes you forget for a minute all the cares of the world and causes you to concentrate on the worship.  We are the fragrance, the perfume, the incense that is being offered to an increasingly foul smelling world.  We can't forget that.  Our fragrance, the fragrance of the Great High Priest covers the stench of death. 

Psalm 90: The Number of Our Days

All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan.
The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
Who knows the power of your anger? For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. -Ps. 90:9-12 NIV

As I watch my ninety-four year old mother struggle with the end of her life, I am reminded of how fleeting and fragile are the years we have been granted.  I have seen many lives of promise cut short before all their dreams and all they could have accomplished came to fruition.  I have seen just as many outlive the promise to become trapped in bodies or minds that no longer function.  What is the sense in all of this?  Would it be better if we were all allotted the same number of years?  Would we all leave nothing undone if we knew exactly how much time we have?  Or would some of us still fritter away the days while those with more ambition burned the candle at both ends?

In any case, the number of our days is in God's hands.  All of us will end our days with a moan.  Either the moan of one dying too soon or the moan of one who's life is slowly draining away.  We all reach the same fate.  The difference lies in  how we number our days.  We have no choice as to how long our lives will be, our only choice is whether we fill them with vanity or productivity. 

Psalms 86: An Undivided Heart

Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. - Ps. 86:11 NIV

God's way is not divided.  As the song says, "there is no shadow of turning with Him."  He does not change,  That is God's way. it is straight, while the crooked appeals to us.  The part that leads to destruction is as appealing as a crooked country lane in autumn. 

I love the crooked tree lined roads of New England.  They are tempting to follow, especially when they are blanked by balling leaves.  However, if you are not careful, and try to follow them to the end, you may get lost.  The same is true of some of the winding streets in Europe.  We were once lost in Dublin.  No matter how we tried, we could not get out of the city.  We finally stopped at a post office thinking that someone there would be able to direct us.  When we asked a lady there how to get to our destination, she told us, 'you're hopelessly lost, you can't get there from here.'  That is true of any of us who decide to follow the crooked paths, who have a heart that wants to follow the dictates of this world while remaining true to God at the same time.  It can't be done, we will find ourselves hopelessly lost. 

The Psalmist knew this truth, only when we have an undivided heart are we able to truly seek after God.  Only with an undivided heart, can we see his face. 

1 Corinthians 12: Standing by the Grace of God

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able - 1 Cor. 12:12-13 KJV

I have often called on this verse when I am tempted, asking God to make a way for me to come through the tempting times to the other side, but seldom have I thought of it in respect to the preceding verse.  Most of the time I think I am standing far from temptation, but is that really the truth?  Am I often standing close to the edge where I may fall at any moment.  Is it the devil that is providing the temptation, or am I the one teetering close to the edge?  Perhaps our greatest temptation is to think that we are standing firm when it is only an illusion.  If my knees are weak, it is from trying to stand in my own power, when I should be falling on the grace of the only one who was able to withstand temptation, the one who, when he was led to the edge of the cliff and tempted to jump off, knew to rebuke Satan and his temptation.  I'm afraid that in the same circumstance, I might have willingly thrown myself off.  If I am still standing after all these years, it is only by the grace of God.

1 Corinthiians 6: It is His

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. -1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV

I frequently realize that I have been bought with a price.  I am fully and painfully aware of the price that Jesus paid for me.  He didn't have to do it.  He could have left me to bear the burden of my sins and the accompanying despair.  But he didn't, he freely gave himself as the purchase price to buy my salvation and to pay for my adoption into the family of God.  He bought me and took that broken down mixture of clay and hard stone and turned it into his temple.

His temple.  That is the thing I fail to remember.  I am his temple.  A place for worship, a place for sacrifice, a place for being brought to my knees in awe.  Too often I see my body as my own, just as I see my mind as my own.  But, Paul says, we now have the mind of Christ. “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.(1 Cor. 2:16 NIV)  It is not our own mind any longer.  In the same way, we have the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. (1 Cor. 2:12 NIV)

There you have it, this temple of the body, mind and spirit, is totally owned by God.  He bought us with a price.  This temple is not our own, it is his.  When it is tempted to do something harmful or shameful, it is his. When it brings glory to him, as that is the least I can do, it is his. When it pains me, or embarrasses me, it is his.  When I reach the end of my days and all fails, it is his. 

Psalm 73: Give Me Jesus

Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.
Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. -Psalms 73:23-26 KJV

We sang this song years ago at our little church in Jockey Hollow, New Jersey.  'Whom I have I in heaven but you O Lord, and being with you I desire nothing on earth. '. It is even more true today.  If you read the words that precede this, you will see that the Psalmist had the same cares that we have today.

I had nearly lost my foothold.
For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

    They have no struggles their bodies are healthy and strong.

They are free from common human burdens;
    they are not plagued by human ills.
Therefore pride is their necklace
   they clothe themselves with violence.
From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
    their evil imaginations have no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice;
    with arrogance they threaten oppression.
Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
    and their tongues take possession of the earth.
Therefore their people turn to them
    and drink up waters in abundance.
They say, “How would God know?
    Does the Most High know anything?”
This is what the wicked are like—
always free of care they go on amassing wealth. - Psalms 73: 2-12 NIV

This reminds me of the words of an old African Spiritual, recently brought to life by several musicians, 'Give me Jesus, give me Jesus, You can have the whole world, but give me Jesus.'
Why would we look on the world with envy when we have the one thing that their wealth cannot buy?  We have Jesus, the Son of God.  Years ago, the African slaves, toiling on the plantations while their owners profited from their labor, in much meaner circumstances than we have ever experienced, knew this truth.  Everything the world has today will pass away.  It will rot, it will decay, it will rust.  Even the greatest monuments to man and his accomplishments will eventually be torn down, replaced by a highway or another housing complex. 

We have something eternal. Jesus kept repeating it, 'Let not your heart be troubled."  We can lose our foothold if we look at what the world has instead of what we have.  Give me Jesus, he's all I need.

1 Corinthians 5: Who Can Point?

What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. - 1 Cor. 5:12-13 NIV

I think we, as American Christians, have been far too lenient with those inside the church while casting harsh criticism on those outside.  This is in opposition to Jesus' teaching of, 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone', and is contrary to the teachings of Paul as well.  We seem to have established degrees of sin, some of which are tolerated within the church like greed, gluttony, envy, strife, gossip, and even robbing from the poor to support our favorite charity which is usually ourselves. At the same time, we damn those outside the church who might be homosexuals, in favor of abortion or on the wrong side of the political fence. 

Shame on us.  In Matthew 5, Jesus said that if you even look at a woman, you have committed adultery, if you're angry it's the same as murder, and if you say 'You fool!' you are in danger of the fire of hell. 

I know that I, myself, am guilty of a lot of sins that would sentence me to damnation.  Some of them were in my past and as I have grown in the Lord, I have put them behind me. Others I have not been so successful with. I struggle with gluttony. I'm afraid I still harbor greed, envy, and malice.  Jesus came to make us whole.  It's an individual thing and each of us must look at ourselves before we point the finger anywhere, especially outside the church.

Psalms 66: He Touched Me

Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. - Psalms 66:16 NIV

Sometimes I think I am the only one who has doubts, the only one who hears that small voice, when I am reading the scriptures, that whispers, 'Is it really true?'   Is there a god that placed the stars in place, that called forth the waters of the deep, that can cause the mountains to crumble?  Is there someone who called the life of this sphere, floating in space, in to being, in to life?   Is there someone who heals the sick and raises the dead?  Is there someone who guides the actions of kings and princes, even presidents?   Is there someone who numbers the days of the mighty, who in fact numbers my days?   Can there be someone that big, that great, that awesome?

As then, as I read on, I come upon the answer..."Let me tell you what he has done for me."  Therein lies the answer.  I am a changed person.  I once was hopeless.  I looked at the future lying before me, and knew it could only end in despair.  There was no hope, no future.  Then I found it, when I let Him find me.  All the running, climbing, clawing, was futile.  It only took me further away from the peace I so desperately needed.  In the midst of my runnung, I was overtaken by his love and life has never been the same.  That little niggling doubt is crushed by the reality of my changed life.  As the Gaither song says, "He touched me and made me whole!"

Psalm 62: How Wonderful, How Marvelous

One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong,
and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done. - Psalms 62:11-12 NIV

It's so hard to get this right, the picture of a loving yet strong God.  For a lot of us, love is a wimpy, soppy, one-sided sort of affair that reduces the lover to mush.  It produces a situation where the person who loves must be ever trying to please the object of their affection in order to win their love and approval.  If the lover was a stronger person, they could live without their beloved, but instead they must bend to the desires of the one they love.  It's always a cat and mouse game where one or the other has the upper hand.

It's not that way with God's love.  He loves us from a position of strength, never a position of weakness.  He doesn't love us any more if we cling to him or run away as far and as fast as we can.  He does not change.  His love is immutable. He is strong, he doesn't need us, but he loves us.  As the old song says, 'How wonderful, how marvelous.'

Romans 12: A Place to Love

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  -Romans 12:9-18 NIV

Sometimes, I think the world does a better job of assessing our love than we do.  If they will know we are Christians by our love as the old song goes, what kind of love is the world seeing from us?  I fear we have become almost as consumed with self love as the world.  People float in and out of different churches as if the relationships that were built there are expendable. That's not love.  That's treating church as if it a restaurant where, if the service or the food is bad, you don't return.   "I'm not getting fed there." I hear people say by means of explaining their absence.  Fed?  Church is not there for our consumption.  It is there for fellowship, for relationship.  It is there because it is Christ's body, with all of it's imperfections.  It is the place where we rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.  Where we share our joys and our sorrows.  It is the place where we get to practice love as demonstrated by Jesus and the Word.  It is a place where we can be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.  A place where we share, where we practice hospitality.  It is not a place where we receive, it is a place where we give...a place where we practice what it means to love.

Romans 7: The Life of the Spirit

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.  - Romans 6:21-25 NIV

I could easily have written these verses instead of Paul.  There are so many things that I struggle with over and over again.  I tell myself repeatedly, I will do differently, but I find my self being easily pulled back into my old habits.  As Paul said, "What a wretched man I am." 

I could spend my time sitting on the pity pot, crying over my inability to do what is right, but that would not change my actions one iota.  There is only one solution.  I go to the rock, the rock of my salvation, the stone that the builder rejected.  I cry out for God's mercy and I receive his grace.  I can hold my head high, in spite of my sinful nature. I am no longer condemned because I have been set free.  In fact, I no longer live according to the sinful nature, but according to the Spirit. 

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. - Romans 8:1-4 NIV

Sometimes, I think we Christians spend too much time apologizing for our beliefs and not enough time exhibiting the life and peace that comes from being redeemed.  If I concentrate on my deeds and my failures, it brings me down, but if I let my mind be godly, one controlled by the Spirit, my outlook and even my actions change dramatically.  I experience what I have been promised:  life and peace.  The lusts of the flesh no longer appeal to me, instead I have the life of the Spirit.

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;- Romans 8:6 NIV

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.- Romans 8:11 NIV

Psalms 51: A Contrite Heart

Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Ps. 51:6  NIV

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. -Ps. 51:10-13 NIV

We wonder why we are not more effective in our witnessing and the obvious answer is there all along.  We need truth.  We need to be the truth, but before we can be that, we need to accept truth and that means looking inward as much as looking outward.  What the world sees and what we know to be true is often the complete opposite.  If we are truly fooling ourselves, even the world sees the truth of our heart.  In either case, God sees it all.  He sees our actions and even more importantly, he sees our hearts.  Scary, isn't it? 

We cannot be used of God as a witness, or as the Psalmist said, we cannot "teach transgressors your ways", until there is truth in all aspects of our lives, until our heart is pure.  It is when our heart is pure that we have the joy of our salvation that draws people to God.  There is nothing else we can do to lead a lost and dying world to the truth.  It requires looking deep inside, to the depths of our heart, where the truth of how much we need the cleansing blood of God's Son and the Holy Spirit's power is revealed.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.  - Ps. 51:17 NIV

Lord God, teach me to be broken, broken and contrite.  To weep for my sins even more than I weep for the sins of my country and of the world.

Psalms 45: The King is Enthralled by Our Beauty

Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father’s house.
The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord. -Ps. 45:10-11 NIV

We hold on to too many things.  It's not just possessions that enthrall us, but people as well.  We hold on to our family, our cities, our schools, our churches our nation.  The Psalmist saw this as an exercise in futility.  None of these persons or institutions will ever love us or give back to us in return for our adoration.  None of them!

But, the King, imagine that, the King of Glory is enthrall end by our beauty.  He sees his creation as beautiful when even our closest friends and family see our faults.  Just as a bride leaves behind all if her family to be joined to her husband, we  as the bride of Christ should leave behind our earthly loves in favor of our eternal King.  He wants to be our beloved, our passion.  He wants the place of honor in our lives.  He wants to be our Lord.

Years ago, after living life on my own terms for years, I was suddenly struck with the truth that, although I had accepted Jesus as my Savior, I had never made him my Lord.  What a difference it made when I gave him first place in my life, when I put him on the throne rather than any other gods.  Even after all these years, I still find myself  sometimes slipping back into old habits.  Does my life get better during those times?  Certainly not!  In fact, the more I pursue my own pleasure, the more miserable my life becomes.  The more I look to friends, family, community, or even Church for my happiness, the more miserable I become.  It is only when I become enamored once more with the one who is enthralled with me, that I find the joy I so earnestly seek.  That God can see me as beautiful is something that I have trouble understanding, but he does, and for that I will be eternally grateful.

Romans 1: Not One Iota

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. - Romans 1:18-25 NIV

For those who  would think that our society is at the tipping point as far as sin and perversion is concerned, one must only read Paul's description of the society around him at the time, to know that man is no different now .  Since the beginning of time, there has been no limit to the depths to which man can sink.  If you question that, consider Cain and Abel, brother killing brother, consider Sodom and Gomorrah.    Because of he technological advances of the last few years, we may feel that sin and wickedness is more prevalent, but it's not.  It is just that our knowledge of it is more acute.

Just as man's depravity has not changed since the creation, so God has not changed as well.  His eternal power and divine nature has always been there and has always been visible to those who would see.   God has given our society and this whole world over to the sinful desires of their hearts.  If they become fools, so what?  They have no excuse and their rebellion will not change the nature of God one iota.

Acts 28: There is Always Hope

Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 
They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. 
But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar —not that I had any charge to bring against my own people. 
For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.” - Acts 28:17-20 NIV

After much opposition in Jerusalem, being brought before the different rulers and being shipwrecked, Paul finally arrives in Rome to learn his fate.  The first thing he does is call together the leaders of the Jews and present the gospel to them.  He is bound in chains, yet he can speak to them of hope, the hope of Israel. 

It is often when we are in chains that we are able to convey hope the best.  Years ago I had a friend who was the only Christian in her family.  She witnessed to them for years to no avail.  Then one, day, she was diagnosed with cancer and began the long and painful process of being healed.  In the midst of her ordeal, one of her family members told her 'you know, we have listened to you talk about your faith for years, but it is now, while you are going through this crisis that we see your faith is real.'  We are called to be witnesses of the good news, and that good news often is most inviting when we ourselves are undergoing our most excruciating trials.  It is in our weakness we display the Lord's power.  As Paul himself said,

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.   That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong - 2 Cor. 12:8-10 NIV

Rather than trying to break our chains, we should remember that often, it is because of the hope of Israel that we are bound in chains...to show that there is hope.  There is always hope.

Acts 17: Noble Character

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. -Acts 17:11 NIV

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ -Acts 17:26-28 NIV

We need to have the noble character of the Bereans.  They heard the message and took it to heart, but they didn't stop there.  They searched.  They examined the Scriptures daily.  They did not accept the gift they had been given lightly.  Instead they knew that this gift required something in return.  They knew that even after finding God, they still had to reach for something higher.  Something that could be revealed only by the scriptures.  This truth was not delivered by any preacher or evangelist, not even the Apostle Paul.  It was not received by reading another Christian novel, not by reading any of the many books that fill the Christian bookstores, it was not even to be found by reading the greatest Christian apologists of the time.  The truth, the closer relationship with  God was only to be found by examining the scriptures. 

God wants his people to reach out for him, to seek him, to find him.  Do we have the noble character which that requires?

Acts 13: Filled With Joy and the Holy Spirit

The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. But the Jews incited the God–fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.  So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
 -Acts 13:49-52 NIV

We expect too much.  We expect for the gospel to be joyfully received by all, but it's not.  While the news of Jesus' death and resurrection is and always has been the good news, some will not see it that way.  Some see it as a fairy tale.  Some view it with suspicion.  Some see it as absolutely archaic.  Some will even take it so far as to persecute those sharing the good news.  What are we to do?

Our response should be what Jesus told the disciples to do.  After all, he predicted that there would be many that would not respond  to him.  'Shake the dust from your feet', Jesus said, so his disciples did just that.  In return, they were filled with 'joy and the Holy Spirit'.  What a marvelous compensation!  We need to remember this when we encounter opposition and even persecution.  We have been warned , we have been given the response, and if we act accordingly, we will be rewarded with joy and the presence of the Holy Spirit.  While it may sting to see others not responding to the gospel, their fate is not in our hands. It should not stop us from sharing the good news and if we do so, it will not stop us from being filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 37: Do Not Fret

Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.
The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them;
but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.
-Psalm 37:1-13 NIV

Do not fret, David says, and Jesus echoes his words centuries later.  How then have we as Christians become such worriers.  We worry about things we cannot control.  We worry about the weather, we worry about the political situation,  we worry about our health, and now Obamacare, as if it was in any one human's hands to control the outcome.  'Do not worry', Jesus says.  To paraphrase His words, 'Not a hair of your head will be touched unless my father wills it.  Who can add one day to his life?'

It is vanity to think that anyone can right a wrong situation, that any politician, doctor, lawyer, soldier or policeman can make our life any better. Our minds invest too much power in those who really have no control of the outcome,  who cannot add even one day to our life.  While most of those who propose hope would have us think they are only considering our own good, in truth, as David says, they are trying to throw off the influence of God in our lives.m They want to free us from the 'shackles' under which we have been laboring....the shackles of His love.

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band against the Lord and against his anointed saying, " Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles" - Ps. 2:1-4 NIV

When Jesus says not to worry, it's not a matter of  'Que sera, sera',  but a matter of  'Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven'.  God's will is being done in heaven and is being done here on the earth if we only have eyes to see it.  It may not be the outcome we imagine, but it is His will none the less.  Not a hair of our head will be touched unless our Heavenly Father wills it. 

Acts 10: Forgiveness of Sins

 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” -Acts 10:43 NIV

Most of the time, I go blithely on my way, doing what I am accustomed to doing, but sometimes something stops me right in my tracks and I have to face the facts.  The fact that I must face today is that I am a sinner.  There is no other word for it.  In spite of all my self perceived good deeds, I am nothing but a sinner; always have been, always will be.  That's why the message of the cross is so important, so liberating.  It gives me something that I can't obtain on my own.  It gives me forgiveness, absolution, freedom...something that is not to be found in all of my good acts.  Just like Cornelius, being good, doing good deeds, even praying is not enough.  That is why he called for Peter to come.  All of us still feel the need for something more and realize it cannot be found in any of our actions,  it is only found by believing in the one about whom the prophets testified. All of us need to hear the truth of Jesus.  There is no other means for finding forgiveness for our sins.

Acts 5: Bold Acts

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men! The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” -Acts 5:29-32 NIV

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. Acts 5:41 NIV

Acts contains exactly what it says it does...the acts of brave men, the followers left behind after Jesus' death and resurrection, who acted in spite of vocal and sometimes life threatening opposition.  It's in contrast with our tepid response to opposition today.  No wonder, we see so few miracles.  We have so little faith.  We don't have the faith that accrues from seeing people healed or raised from the dead.  We don't have the faith that grows from persecution and ostracization, the faith that God's people have had through the years.  Joseph, Moses, the prophets, even, David, felt ostracized, and faced it head on.

Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. -Ps. 36:1-6 NIV

Sometimes, I want to say bring it on.  Bring on the ungodly, unbelieving, unrepentant, society and governments that will cause my faith to grow.  Bring on the persecution that would force me to stand up boldly for my faith.  Bring on opposition and ridicule.  Build my faith, bring it on!

Acts 1: All We Need to Know, All We Need to Do

So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” - Acts 1:6-7 NIV

We spend an awful lot of time worrying about the times and the seasons, when it's really not our concern.  All we need to know is what Jesus promised, and his promises were many.  Most importantly, he promised us he was going to prepare a place and he would come back again.  Knowing when is not important.  Acting is and Jesus told us to be his witnesses to the end of the earth.  That is enough for us to concentrate on.  Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit and the power to do the job.  That's all we need to know, that's all we need to do.

Psalms 36: Immeasurable and limitless

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast. -Ps. 36:5-6 NIV

We know so much more about space than the ancients did.  We have made progress towards exploring it's regions, yet our view of God and his faithfulness is still limited.  We have plumbed the depths of the seas, yet we have little understanding of God's love, his justice, his willingness to redeem his creation.  How different our lives and circumstances would be if we contemplated that love, his majesty, his righteousness, his faithfulness, his justice, rather than our limited view. 

Our limited earthly view sees love as something self-serving.  We see faithfulness as a promise that can be broken.  We see righteousness as something impossible and justice as a concept that often does not work as we think it should.

For today, throw your arms open wide and accept that God's love has no limits.  His faithfulness is all encompassing.  His righteousness and justice are greater than anything the holiest saint or greatest minds can conceive.  His worth is immeasurable and limitless.

John 15: Remain in Me

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 
If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. - John 15:5-7 NIV

Therein lies the root of all of my struggles.  I cease to remain in Him, the vine, and all matter of calamities suddenly make themselves manifest in my life.  I start my days with foolish things, foolish activities, foolish pleasures rather than with my source and then I wonder why my life is out of control.  It's out of control because I am no longer connected. Dietrich Bonheoffer stated it well.  "The wasted time we are ashamed of, the temptations we succumb to, the weakness and discouragement in our work, the disorder and lack of discipline in our thinking and in our dealings with other people․all these very frequently have their cause in our neglect of morning prayer." - 40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Copyright © 2007 Augsburg Books, imprint of Augsburg Fortress.

Prayer, and I would add devotion, is more than asking what we want.  Prayer is remaining in the vine.

John 14: He is the Way

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. - John 14:1-6 KJV

Oh, how I cry out like Thomas. " Lord, I don't know where you're going, how can I know the way?"
I've reached the end of my rope.  I don't know where my next step should be.  To me, it feels as if my next step is going to hurl me into space, into the abyss.  I'm stepping into the unknown.  But, Jesus says we know the way.  He says we know where he is going and that we know the way.  In truth, even when things look bleakest, we still know the way.  We can be sure of that if we are disciples of Christ.  If we are disciples, then we follow him.  We see him and we see thee way.  I am the way, he says.  I am not just the way, but I am truth.  The only truth you need.  Not the world's truth, but the truth for all who believe.  Not only is he the way and the truth, but He is the life.  He is the all encompassing, life sustaining, force that provides for us both now and forever.  Our future is secure, it is already prepared.  He has gone before us and prepared a place. He knows our beginning and our end.  As the Psalmist said,  The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. (Ps. 121:8 KJV)

Forever more, he has prepared that place for us where we will dwell forever more. What do we have to fear, He is the way.

Psalm 27: Seek His Face

Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;
    you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
    God my Savior.
Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.
 Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.
Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

 I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart  and wait for the Lord. - PS 27:7-14 NIV

 

Seek His face!  In times of trouble our options often seem limited.  There is nowhere we can turn.  We long to see light and yet we are surrounded by darkness.  We may feel like there is no one who will understand.  Our friends and even our father and mother have forsaken us.  We are entirely alone, cast out, burdened with no one to help bear the burden.  What do we do?

 

As the Psalmist says, we have only one recourse...to seek his face.  To seek his face means to let go of our preconceived notions of what we need.  It means to let go of our wishes, our heart's desire.  It means to look for nothing more than the comfort of seeing him.  Even in the darkness, his countenance gives us confidence, gives us hope, gives us the promise that we will see God's goodness even here on earth.  In his presence, as the song says, heaven and earth become one..