Month: December 2023

God causes all things to happen in their own time…according to His plan, purpose, and timetable. Psalm 31:15 reminds us that all our “times” are in God’s hand. But what about the times when we impatiently wait, asking Him over & over, “When Lord?” Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “Mercy may seem slow, but it is sure. The Lord in unfailing wisdom has appointed a time for the outgoings of His gracious power, and God’s time is the best time.” So remember, most of the time, our timing isn’t God’s timing…and we have to decide to be content with that… knowing that His timing is always proper, appropriate, and fitting.

Jesus gave the common Hebrew word peace a new & deeper meaning when He spoke this to His disciples. When He told them He was giving them “His peace” it meant a true reconciliation with God, purchased by His death on the Cross. But many times as we’re caring for a loved one at home this peace is replaced by worry. It’s as if worry is a intrusive houseguest that refuses to leave…reminding us in detail of every problem, every health concern, and everything we have no control over. But we need to then remember that when our Lord speaks peace, He creates peace…because, “The Words I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life.” (John 6:63) And so with this new found peace, we can push worry out the door, look fully into our Lord’s face, and receive His quiet contentment for another day.

The Cross of Christ not only broke the grip of the Law, but it broke the grip of our flesh…the word crucified here used metaphorically to mean our flesh has been crucified along with its affections and lusts…putting it all to death through our faith in Jesus Christ. What this means is a giving up of my right to myself, my natural independence, and my self-will. But our corrupt nature won’t leave quietly & without a fight…for even a child can tell you what’s evil, morally bad, and wrong…but what we do all the time is debate over what’s good…splitting hairs over our definition of what’s “good & good enough” in order to still have our own way. As Romans 6:6 tells us, sin reigned in our “old self” but it was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with…destroying the reign of sin in our bodies.

In this Scripture the Lord is promising Paul that his labor will be fruitful…for even though many had not yet heard or had the chance to believe in the Gospel Message…God still knew them. But Paul wasn’t the only frightened Believer when it came to sharing the Gospel. In Acts 9:10 we see a fearful Ananias being told in a vision to go and lay hands on a blinded man named Saul, the most ardent persecutor of the fledgling Church. But what if Ananias had allowed his fear to silence him and the conversion of Saul to Paul was delayed or even derailed? When Jesus gave the Great Commission to Go, Teach, and Preach the Good News boldly… remember He has promised always to be with us and that we have nothing to fear.

You’ve probably heard someone say this before, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” And while it’s a stab at comforting a friend or loved one who’s going through difficulties…it’s neither Biblical nor correct. But what it really is, is the idol of our self-sufficiency…hiding behind “spiritual sounding” words that are not found in the Bible. Jesus was very frank with His disciples here in John…you will have troubles. It was realism but with the promised hope that He would be with them (and us) in the midst of all our tribulations. For all we have to do is look at the world today…people are at this very moment dealing with more than they can handle. The only difference being, some are asking for God’s help, but many not. Countless of them are bearing pain, suffering, persecution, and fear alone…while others are patiently enduring with the Presence of God along side them offering peace & comfort. It’s a sure thing…there will be times when all of us will be given more than we can handle. And we can either stiffen our resolve and go it alone…or seek the Lord’s help that He might rescue us. (Psalm 34:19 & II Timothy 3:11)

They longed for the coming Messiah. Isaiah wrote in Chapter 8:22 that the people could only see distress and darkness…fear and gloom. But then on that sacred Christmas night, a tiny cry cut through the silence of oppression, injustice, and abuse of power. Immanuel (God with us) had been born. We then look to Golgotha and hear Jesus cry out in a loud voice from the Cross, “It is finished!” and at that moment the Temple curtain, which separated men from God, was torn in half, from top to bottom allowing us to now have fellowship with our heavenly Father. Finally, some day soon it tells us in Revelation 19:11-16 the heavens will be thrown open wide as Jesus appears, riding on a white horse, to wage the final battle against all the enemies of God.

It tells us in Luke 4:18-19 that Jesus read this passage from Isaiah that Sabbath in Nazareth as the people had gathered in the Synagogue. Little did they know this was the beginning of Jesus’ Ministry, and that the passage was in fact speaking about Him. Many places in the Psalms we read about the Lord being near to the brokenhearted and able to mend shattered hearts. Charles Spurgeon put it this way, “There are many sorts of broken hearts, and Christ is good at healing them all.” And this is so true…whether it’s a broken heart from the loss of a loved one….a failed marriage…or the personal loss of independence because of disease…Jesus can bandage up every heart and make it whole again.

Striving for peace & harmony with all those we come in contact with can be difficult…and then when the Writer of Hebrews throws in, “Oh and by the way, maintain a holy attitude.”…. this can be particularly challenging. That’s because our corrupt human nature always tempts us to repay evil for evil…but this not holiness… for purity of life is as it says necessary to see God, and the goal of our salvation. Thus, as we “See God” through the insight of our faith we will experience and share in His Presence…His Spirit providing an inner, spiritual realm of grace for our soul…and seeking peace will get a little easier.

The Apostle Paul probably raised some eyebrows , not to mention people’s ire when he wrote that statement. But much like today, we like to take it for granted that most people are good people…you know the kind that have never murdered anyone, spent time in prison, or beat their dog. But just because you’re a good person, doesn’t mean you’re going to heaven. When Paul wrote that, “there is no one righteous”, he meant that there isn’t one person who in their own behavior can fully meet the expectations of God…that’s because sin is universal, and thus we all stand condemned before a just God. But this is also the reason (The Good News of the Gospel Message) that God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to take upon Himself our sins and die on the Cross, so that by trusting in Jesus we may become right before God. So remember, there’s no “good” people in heaven…only saved ones.

The apostle Paul was emphatic…his (and our) Spiritual journey is a lifelong process towards perfection… a prize not yet won…The Already and The Not Yet. He wrote about this also in I Corinthians 13:10, “when this perfection comes…” Which is the ultimate heavenly goal as it is manifested in us. Sure, we can attempt to strive for worldly perfection, but we’ll find ourselves in an impossible & unattainable position of failure…for worldly standards cannot be met. (That’s because they’re always changing.) But we have a clear pathway to Christian perfection if we remember that we are a work in progress with a ever perfecting relationship with God. This done through the intimate fellowship of sharing in His sufferings and gaining divine insight into the true reality of His resurrection power.