In his vision, Daniel called Him “son of man”… a divine-human ruler, specifically the God-man, Jesus Christ…Who was fully God, all the while, being fully man. It’s the same title that Jesus used most often to describe Himself. And when asked point-blankly by the Chief Priest of His identity in Mark 14:62…expressly, whether He was Christ the Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus quoted these verses in Daniel, “I am, said Jesus. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming in the clouds of heaven.” For the Son of Man will rule as God intended from the beginning.
Month: October 2023
Matthew 11:25 ” Jesus said, ‘I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.’ “
Here and in Matthew 13:10-17 Jesus is explaining to His disciples the reason why He spoke in Parables. To the Believer, the Spiritual truths revealed in the Parables only deepened and fostered their relationship with their Savior…but to those who had already rejected Him, they lacked divine enlightenment…and no amount of explanation would ever enable them to understand the concepts. Paul wrote about this in I Corinthians 1:26-29 showing that no one can “know” God by worldly wisdom & learning. Nor is His election contingent on the worldly qualities of wisdom, power, pedigree, or purity, that is until God’s grace washes & sanctifies the person in Christ…removing the veil from supernatural revelation.
Galatians 6:7-8 ” Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
It’s all quite simple, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Our sinful nature “pays” us slave wages we’ve earned…namely death. Whereas God graciously bestows on those who trust in Christ Jesus the gift we could never earn on our own…namely eternal life. And no amount of “work” on our behalf will ever get us close to heaven, that’s because the things of this world are incompatible with the Kingdom of God. (I Corinthians 6:9) But the Cross changed all that…breaking not only the grip of the Law, but the flesh, as we are raised to new life through Jesus Christ.
Psalm 119:36 ” Turn my heart toward Your statues…”
Everyday it’s a battle between our faith in God and our mood, feelings, and emotions. We must continually focus and firmly place our faith in Jesus…not the powerful feeling prayer meeting Jesus, nor the super exciting Church Conference Jesus. For we can’t trust all those warm fuzzy emotions to override a strong determined confidence in Him and Him alone. When Proverbs 3:5 tells us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” it means that we are to be obedient with our whole mind, strength, and will…which includes all the rollercoaster array of emotions & feelings we experience daily…taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (II Corinthians 10:5)
Deuteronomy 4:31 ” The Lord your God is a merciful God.”
God’s great love and faithfulness can be found in His great mercy for us. When the Psalmist asks the question in Psalm 77:9, “Has God forgotten to be merciful?” The resounding answer is, “No!” That’s because, even though God isn’t obligated to show mercy, He freely chooses to do so in abundance. However, as Luke 6:36 and James 2:13 warns, we are to show this same mercy by alleviating misery & relieving suffering in our fellow man…but if we refuse to show compassion towards others, we won’t receive mercy from Him.
Psalm 111:10 ” The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
No matter how much we search for knowledge, insight, and sound judgment in the world, it’s only God that can provide the necessary wisdom to properly interpret what’s true reality around us. And it’s only in our reverence of God that we can realize our true need for this type of wisdom. “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.” (Proverbs 4:7) Godly wisdom is also valuable, more valuable than the world’s standard for wealth as Proverbs 8:11 says, “Wisdom is more precious than rubies.” So how do we get this wisdom? The answer is very simple…just ask. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, Who gives generously to all…” (James 1:5)
Psalm 89:15 ” Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your Presence, O Lord.”
Walking with God is a daily session of gaining knowledge & understanding. It’s not running ahead of Him nor lagging behind but following closely beside in the common day to day tasks. And as we do, we find the confidence in His steadfast love & faithfulness to place our hope & dependence in Him & His plan and purpose for our life. Isaiah wrote that God will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths of blessings, Presence, and revelation. (Isaiah 2:3-5) And we will find that as we walk with God our relationship with Him deepens and our lifestyle changes as we learn to give acknowledgment to Him in every aspect of our conduct.
“A Christian grows rich by his losses, he lives by dying, and becomes full by being emptied.” Charles Spurgeon
The world can read this quote and call it foolishness, just as they consider the Cross of Christ foolishness. (I Corinthians 1:18) But what seems like contradictions to them, are in fact truths of a vibrant Christian life. Paul wrote in Philippians 3:8, ” I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ…” In other words, Paul gladly flung away anything that interfered with knowing Jesus…growing rich in spirit as he became poor by the world’s standards. Again in Philippians, Paul gave the reason for his being was Christ, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21) Thus by dying daily to self, we live in Christ. Finally, Jesus tells us in John 10:10 that, “The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Hence by emptying ourselves of pride, arrogance, and rebellion, Jesus gives us life…filling us in ever-growing abundance as we follow Him.
Proverbs 2:12-15 ” Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.”
These verses speak of the importance of obtaining wisdom from God. It will allow us to escape so much hardship and sorrow if we choose the way of righteousness and life rather than be swayed by corrupt and twisted words that seek to overturn the truth. Wisdom will allow us to see clearly the unethical and immoral activity of others and stay far from their actions and behaviors. Proverbs 4:5 is blunt, “Get wisdom, get understanding.” Otherwise, you will be heading down the same rutted path of deceit and rebellion as the wicked around you.
Isaiah 42:12 ” Let them give glory to the Lord and proclaim His praise…”
The height of those mountain-top experiences are in the same measure as the dismal drudgery we experience in the valley below. We witness God’s glory on the mountain-top, but we can never live for His glory there. That must be accomplished in the daily grind down here as we serve others for His glory. Thus, II Thessalonians 1:12 tells us that as we demonstrate the love of Jesus to others, His name is glorified…and that mountain-top experience is then translated into practical application…for our good & His glory.
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