A Matter of Being Ready
Good afternoon, Father! Even with everything in turmoil in the world around me, You are my ROCK! My trust is in You!
Luke 9:21-22 (<<click to read the passage)
As we are now just past our celebration of Easter – Resurrection Sunday! – and I once more read through the two verses from yesterday’s post and the notes below, and I also have some other things that have been weighing on my mind, I feel that I need to say them.
As I mentioned yesterday, Jesus was not the Messiah that the Jewish nation had anticipated. He explained to his disciples that he would not now be the conquering Messiah because he first had to suffer, die, and rise again. And here is the line that grabbed me. But one day he would return in great glory to set up his eternal Kingdom. *
There are many points of significance in the words God has given us in His Holy Word, the Bible. They are inspirational and give us great, irreplaceable guidance – not a single word of man can do so! But the pinnacle event above them all was the resurrection of Jesus, our Lord and Savior! Everything before His resurrection leads up to that event and everything following that event is in response to it!
With that in mind, we should be diligent on carrying out His command as He left (temporality, mind you!) the disciples with mouths agape when he ascended to the heavens.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (AMP)
One other thing, Acts 1:6-8 also speaks of Jesus’ departure.
So when they had come together, they asked Him repeatedly, “Lord, are You at this time reestablishing the kingdom and restoring it to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority. But you will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses [to tell people about Me] both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.” (AMP)
For some time now, I have heard quite a bit of talk amongst believers that all that we have been experiencing in the past several years seem to be pointing to our Lord’s imminent return. Now unarguably, that is going to happen at some point. But did you catch that interaction in the first lines of the above passage?
…they asked Him repeatedly, “Lord, are You at this time reestablishing the kingdom and restoring it to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority. (emphasis mine)
Church! Quit fiddling around, putting effort and time into something Jesus, our Lord and Master, specifically addressed by saying “It is not for you to know”! Do the work He has called us to do. He said, “GO!” People’s eternal destinies hang in the balance! Nowhere did He say to waste time trying to figure out how it all ends!
I will tell you right now how it will end.
At just the right time, and only the Father knows when that will be, Jesus will most definitely return. We find in Matthew 24:42 (AMP) that Jesus said, “So be alert [give strict attention, be cautious and active in faith], for you do not know which day [whether near or far] your Lord is coming.”
As my study Bible said, one day Jesus will return in great glory to set up his eternal Kingdom. It is not a matter of if Jesus is returning, it’s a matter of being ready when He does!
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Apr 13th, 2020, Mon, 1:32 pm
A Leg Up
It was a different but wonderful day, Father. Thank you for giving me the ultimate reason to rejoice! I was lost but now I’m found! All praise to you!
Luke 9:21-22 (<<click to read the passage)
My son, Massey, is getting very close to completing the work needed for his doctorate in Aerospace Engineering. It has been (and still is!) a long arduous journey (most definitely for him and some for us, too!) As of yesterday, his first major paper to this end was accepted and at some point, it will be published in the ASME: Journal of Fluids Engineering.
Now I am not just putting this out there because we are SO proud of him… (OK to some degree I am!) but it is applicable to today’s passage.
Believe it or not, I actually helped him with his paper but, please, don’t be impressed. Since high school, I have been his proofer, if you will. Most of his paper was way over my head – lots of formulas and a ton of math stuff, equations and the like. (It does have cool pictures!) But my job was to read it through and check for grammatical issues. I found a few things but overall, it was very well written.
Even though Karen and I have accompanied him on his journey, and I have read through a boiling down of all of his work, I really only have a remedial understanding of what it’s all about And that is where the disciples have a leg up on me.
They had journeyed with Jesus from the beginning of His ministry. They had seen the miracles, they had heard Him teach, they had experienced it all. And now, with Peter’s confession of Him being the Messiah, they knew who He was…at least who they thought He was. In reality, they only knew what they knew, which was not a whole lot.
Messianic prophecy was full of hope and expectancy but truly it was full of a lot of speculation. Even scholars – those teachers of the Law who knew the Law frontwards and backward – even they could only conjure up educated guesses. Commonly held concepts portrayed the Messiah as a conquering king…and Jesus was most assuredly that. But…there was so much more to who the Messiah was and what he would do. And that is where the disciples, and all of Israel for that matter, had absolutely no clue.
In Luke’s Gospel, this is the first time Jesus will share with them the truth of who the Messiah is and what He must accomplish. But, like my understanding of much of Massey’s doctoral work, it basically flew right over their heads. What he shared with them was unfathomable. They couldn’t even begin to wrap their finite minds around it. But eventually, and this is where they have a leg up on me in regard to Massey’s work, they will grasp, to some degree, what it was all about, at least enough to fall at Jesus’ feet and give Him the eternal praise and glory, of which He is so deserving.
But, on this side of eternity, can any of us totally understand the whys and hows of the sacrifice Jesus made for all humanity? No, we can’t…but that is all the more reason to give ourselves over to Him, serving Him and loving Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). And that is my goal until He calls me home! Amen.
Apr 12th, 2020, EASTER SUNDAY, 6:27 pm
Square in the Eye
Father, I ask that You calm my mind and my spirit. I am struggling with components for Sunday’s service. I know You have the answer and trust You to guide me. Amen.
Luke 9:18-20 (<<click to read the passage)
As I read through these couple of verses, a saying, about the Church, came to mind and when I Googled it, I discovered the saying in a different context, but it was still very powerful.
On January 5th, 1967 the newly elected governor of California gave his inaugural address. Actor-turned-politician Ronald Reagan stated, “Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation…”
I have heard it said that the Church is never more than one generation away for extinction. Now while I do not believe that will ever happen – for the Church is the body of Christ and it is eternal! – it is still unnerving to see the Church’s ebb and flow over time.
The second sentence in that quote is very applicable to the body of Christ, as well. [The Church] is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation
Jesus pressed his disciples, when they finally had a moment alone together, who they thought He was. He asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
And without the slightest hesitation, Peter replied, “The Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) of God!”
All of us who believe Jesus to be the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed of God have had to come to that point where we own that belief for ourselves. Our parents might have pointed us in the right direction…but that belief was not ours by inheritance.
And as the old song goes, It’s Not an Easy Road. Following Jesus is the most fulfilling, most satisfying, most comforting thing we could ever do with our lives but is far from easy…it must be fought for and defended constantly.
And I’m not even hinting at taking a stand for our faith against forces from without… I truly believe, if we are honest with ourselves, that the fight is most fierce against the forces from within.
The devil and his followers have so warped and distorted this world and have done everything they can to twist the Truth to fit their degenerate mindsets. And we…and every generation that follows…are in the thick of it.
Is it not a challenge to keep ourselves pure as we sludge through the depravity all about us? I tell you from experience…it is not possible! Only as we allow ourselves to be enfolded into Jesus and His power, His love, His strength, can we have hope to be victorious
So, the question remains. Jesus looks us square in the eye and asks, “Who do you say I am?”
Apr 9th, 2020, Thurs, 9:23 pm
A Bag of Prawn Cocktail Crisps
Father, I humbly come before You pleading for Your mercy upon us. So many are either fighting this virus or being called to the front lines as we take a stand against it. Give us the strength to stand and fortitude to stay the course. Amen.
Luke 9:12-17 (<<click to read the passage)
This week I watched a video of a pastor from Ireland who is recovering from COVID-19. He was very close to death’s door and pleaded with God to answer his prayers by sending someone to encourage and bring him through. Now, of course, he was in an isolation ward where no family, no pastor – no one really from the outside – could get to him. But have you ever known God to be stopped by those kinds of things?
That very next day God sent a humble “cleaner” (a hospital janitor) by his room. This cleaner just “happened” to have spent fourteen years as a faithful missionary in Nigeria and though he couldn’t enter his room, they spoke for a time and then the cleaner prayed for God’s healing touch upon this pastor…and God touched him!
Shortly thereafter he was well enough that he was hungry and prayed once more. This time he humbly asked for something a little out of the ordinary – a can of coke and a bag of prawn cocktail crisps (a favorite snack in Great Britain, I’m told). That very next morning the cleaner returned and when he did, he slipped a bag through the doorway and what should be in the bag but a can of coke and a bag of prawn cocktail crisps! As he left, he said, “It’s a gift from the Lord.”
(God Sent a Cleaner <<click to watch his full testimony, it is well worth your time!)
I felt I needed to touch upon this passage from Luke 9 one more time. Jesus could easily have dismissed the huge crowd of people – 5,000 was just the number of men present…who knows how many women and children were there!
A friend of mine posed this question in response to my post from earlier today, “Ever wonder how long it took Jesus to break up that meal which wasn’t enough to start with into enough pieces to feed over five thousand?!” My hands would have been getting tired way before I was done!
But that didn’t stop Jesus. He knows our need. He is concerned about every aspect of our lives – spiritual and physical. He most assuredly has great compassion regarding us…even down to the smallest of requests, a bag of prawn cocktail crisps!
During this time of pandemic, we all seem to be more sensitive to God’s presence in our lives. I pray that we, as followers of Jesus, are more open to touching others – for Him! – than ever before. May that be the case, but…may we not stop with the here and now! As we live our lives may we always be about bringing wholeness to the lives of His children, just as He did and still does for us! Amen!
Apr 8th, 2020, Wed, 8:31 pm
Loaves, Fish, and Giants!
As I come before You tonight, Father, I would ask that I would put all else out of mind but You and Your word. May the reality of both fill my being. Amen.
Luke 9:12-17 (<<click to read the passage)
One of my favorite Bible stories is the tale of David and Goliath. It is one of those stories that we first hear in Sunday School as a child. Of course, I grew up with the high-tech medium of flannelgraph! One-dimensional characters of felt were cut out and placed on a felt background appropriate for the story being told. I tell you; it was highly entertaining! And we learned and remembered important lessons from God’s word! But back to David and Goliath…
Put side by side, there was no comparison. He was a worthy adversary for lions and bears (oh my!) but he, unlike Goliath, was not a battle-hardened warrior. David was probably of average stature but just a youth. Goliath, on the other hand, was a giant – the Bible says he was over nine feet tall!
The Bible says Goliath was wearing a bronze helmet, a bronze coat of mail (125 pounds!), bronze leg armor, a bronze javelin, a spear (the shaft as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam) tipped with an iron spearhead (another 15 pounds!). (1 Samuel 17:5-7 AMP)
And David’s entire defense apparatus? A shepherd’s staff, five smooth stones, and a sling!
Many thought him crazy, but David’s defense was more than staff, some stones, and sling
“You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I will strike you down…so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that this entire assembly may know that the Lord does not save with the sword or with the spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will hand you over to us.” 1 Samuel 17:45-47 (AMP)
So, in the Lord’s strength and power that’s exactly what David did! With a single stone strategically thrown from his sling, he took down the mighty warrior as the stone embedded itself deep within Goliath’s forehead. And he fell dead, to rise no more!
At this point, you are probably wondering, “What in the world does this have to do with Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000?” Well, let me tell you!
David may have been Israel’s lone “warrior”, but he was by no means alone. He proclaimed for all to hear, “I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel”! (NIV)
When asked by His disciples to send the crowds away so they might find food and shelter, Jesus’ reply was, “You feed them.”
Many may have thought (for a moment at least) that Jesus was crazy, but just like David’s mind was not focused on his staff, stones, and sling, Jesus’ mind was not focused on food or money. He was the Lord Almighty! And He plus anything – or anybody – is more than enough!
There may be all kinds of giants around us – especially where we find ourselves today – and yes, we in ourselves are helpless. All we have – maybe! – is a staff, some stones, and a sling…or perhaps “five loaves of bread and two fish”. A paltry defense against the onslaught of this world but, my friend, if we come against those overwhelming circumstances “in the name of the Lord Almighty” nothing – absolutely nothing – can stand against us, “for the battle is the Lord’s”! Take courage, cling to the Lord, for therein is the victory! Amen and amen!
Apr 7th, 2020, Tue, 6:52 pm