Category: Jesus

What Does It Mean to Believe in Jesus?

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The Bible is full of the promise that if a person truly believes in Jesus Christ, he will be saved. But what does that actually mean as lived out in real life? How can a person be sure she believes to the point of salvation?

Let’s use a simple – yet profound – analogy. Assume for a few moments that you are drowning in the deep waters of the ocean. There is no one around you for as far as your desperate eyes can see. The undertow begins to pull you down, and you have never been able to swim. Your strength is waning, and your hope is dissipating. When all of the sudden, a large boat appears and a kind person aboard that craft throws to you a life preserver. You see that preserver and think about how beautiful that red and white round lifeline is to you at that moment.

Now you have a critical choice. You must decide whether or not you are going to place the weight of your body onto that life preserver. You must resolve to actually grasp the device. To simply look at the life preserver – and even adore it to some degree – will not save you. To mutter words through gasps in the ocean waves about how much you appreciate and trust that round lifeline will not deliver you. You can even shout to the people on the boat about the importance of the life preserver and how thankful you are for it. But neither will that save you. There is actually only one thing you can do in order to be rescued; you must put your body on that ring. Until the weight of yourself – not just your mind – but your whole self – rests on that device, you will still drown.

Can you see the parallel here? So many people want to talk about Jesus and say they love Him with their brains and their mouths, but do those same people place the weight of their whole lives upon Him? We can be near to Jesus and near to people who trust Him, we can adore many things about Him, and we can talk of His goodness; but one question remains … are we placing the actual stuff of our own lives onto Him?

When I place my life onto Jesus, it is a different life. I am no longer separated from Him and only talking about Him; I am now talking with Him. My life is now steered by His guidance, not my own. I go where He takes me, into whatever action He deems right. I cling to Him for my life, arms wrapped around Him. This is not “religion” anymore; this is love and life. The moments of my days and the substance of my life have a Lord, and His name is Jesus.

Will you get on the life preserver, or will you only admire it from a distance? The choice is one between life and death. And the actual difference represented here is the difference between mere mental assent and true, saving belief. Will you believe?

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Birth Pains of the End Times

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People and politicians promising deliverance from the ills of the world. War. Threats of war. Entire nations clashing with other nations. Famine. Earthquakes. Persecution of Christians. Betrayal. False teachers making people believe wrong doctrine. Lawlessness. Half-hearted believers. Yet, in all this, the true Gospel is preached everywhere.

Does all this sound like the days in which we live? Surely it does. We do, in fact, live in the last days of which Jesus spoke. Since He left this earth in the early first century A.D., all people have been passing their time in “the last days.” The only question is, “How much longer will the last days … well … ‘last'”? Actually, that’s not the question, because God clearly tells us that we cannot know its answer.

However, our great Savior outlined a pattern we may observe. The pattern does not give us a day, year, or century; but it assures us of the absolute direction of the plan’s fulfillment. We are left with a confidence in the sovereignty of God despite the trouble of the last days.

The troubles and events of the first paragraph of this article are the things of which Jesus spoke in Matthew 24:5-14. He knew that rudimentary methods of war would escalate to more technological and biological methods. He knew that natural disasters would devastate entire regions. He knew that ISIS would drive Christians by the tens of thousands from their homes in Iraq and torture and kill many of them. He knew many false preachers and teachers would water down true Christianity and cause numerous souls to be disillusioned and many hearts to grow cold in their love and faith. He knew that the internet and satellites would make it possible for the Gospel to be preached nearly anywhere.

In speaking of many of these difficulties, Jesus clearly articulated, “All these are but the beginning of the birth pains” (Matthew 24:8, ESV). I want to emphasize His use of the phrase “birth pains.” The Apostle Paul spoke similarly in Romans 8:22 (ESV), “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” So what has this discussion of such a vivid and trying human experience to do with the last days of history and the whole creation?

Birth pains notoriously increase in intensity and frequency as the time for delivery draws near. Clearly, God wants us to know that all of the difficulties and disasters of which we spoke at the beginning of this article have always been with us, but they will happen with greater frequency and greater intensity as the time of Christ’s return draws near. Wars and Christian persecution and natural disasters and the influence of false prophets and the downgrade of Christian dedication will be on the rise. None of this should discourage us, for Jesus said, “See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:6b, ESV). In other words, we are not caught off guard by the daily news; but we grow ever more prayerful and vigilant, as all the news is just a reminder that the time until God’s final judgment grows shorter. However, none of it happens outside the sovereignty and watchful eye of the Lord!

Jesus said of the “labor pains” that “this must take place.” Yes! Just as the labor pains of a mother must occur in order to ensure the delivery of a child, the labor pains of this world must happen in order for the delivery of the new creation. A woman’s body ramps up the production of certain hormones in order to stimulate delivery. Though the process is painful, the process is necessary. The pains are not for the purpose of destruction, but for the purpose of life! So, too, it is with the delivery of God’s kingdom. The New Heavens and the New Earth will only be born after the labor pains of the end times. We are not to be destroyed by these convulsions, but we are to be prepared by these pains. The distress is meant to push forward the process of delivery – not impede it. The pains awaken us to the reality of our own frailty and inability to navigate the judgment of God without the grace of Jesus Christ. The afflictions prod us to witness to those who are lost in their sin. The pains alert us to the short life of this old, sinful world. The pains get us ready for delivery by making us stronger in difficulty and more vigilant in living.

Birth pains lead to life. The contractions result in delivery and new life. And so it is. Jesus endured the greatest pain ever imagined on the Cross. Using the same Greek root for “pangs” in Acts 2:24 (ESV) as is used for “birth pains” in Matthew 24, Luke declares, “God raised [Jesus] up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” In other words, the miseries of death could not prevail when it came to the Son of God. He was delivered! The pain led to victory and new life for all who believe.

This is why Romans 8:29 (ESV) declares that Jesus is “the firstborn among many brothers” (emphasis added). After experiencing the pain of the human dilemma throughout His earthly life, Jesus’ “birth pains” intensified toward the end. Hatred for Him and false accusations about Him grew until He was finally arrested, tortured, and crucified. Nonetheless, the pain led to life and resurrection for Jesus and new, spiritual life to all who believe and walk with Him.

Meanwhile, we remain watchful, guarding our lives carefully as we see God’s plan unfold. The labor pains will lead eventually to life. The pangs spur us on to value what is important – to stay focused on our Hope, our Savior. The contractions grow in intensity and frequency, as they lead to the great delivery of God’s people and this creation. Don’t give up as the pain comes; look up to the Ultimate Deliverer. Jesus said, “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13, ESV).

Stick around for the birth, will you?

How Can I Believe In A God that Tortures People In Hell?

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An unbeliever asks, “How can you believe that God tortures people forever in Hell?” Now, wait a second; let’s think this through. First of all, the most startling thing is that God punished His very own Son (and Self) on the Cross two thousand years ago. In fact, the word excruciating comes from the Latin word for cross. Keep in mind also that the pain God inflicted on His Son was not only physical, but spiritual in nature. Jesus endured the guilt of our sin. He was tormented in body and spirit for our wickedness, though He is God and completely perfect. (II Corinthians 5:21)

Secondly, God “tortured” Himself, if you will, in order that we might be freed from the penalty and punishment we justly deserve. He deserved none of it, for Jesus is the perfect Son of God (I Peter 3:18). In effect, God does not send any person to eternal and tormented separation from Him without first offering the torment of His own Son (and Self) as the primary sacrifice … and the way out of anguish for all believing humans.

Thirdly, we are finite creatures sinning against an infinitely holy God. It is one thing for me to sin against another human being (and God holds us accountable for that), but in every sin we are ultimately offending God (Psalm 51:4). Sinning against an infinitely holy God obviously demands an infinite punishment. And, my friend, only an infinite God could absorb the world’s sin in a moment of time. That’s exactly what Jesus did! His infinitude allowed Him to absorb the totality of sin in one event of history. We finite creatures, however, would have to carry our own guilt on ourselves forever in order to pay it off. (John 3:36) Hence, Hell is an everlasting punishment.

So, before we get disturbed by the concept of Hell, we need to get amazed by the concept of Calvary. There, God inflicted immeasurable spiritual, emotional, and physical pain on His own Self as Jesus suffered and died. Jesus is our Way of escape from the misery of Hell, which is brought on by our own rebellion and refusal to believe in the measureless love and perfectly just plan of God.

First and foremost, we must understand that God placed our well-deserved penalty on Jesus, the Perfect One, who deserved no chastisement. Our punishment rightly follows if we sinners refuse to accept this great plan of unimaginable love. (Isaiah 53:10)

What Demons Know

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There is an appointed time and place of God’s unbelievable judgment. Demons know this. Though they continue to wage war against God, they are fully aware of their own coming demise. Demons also know of the current power of Jesus Christ to command their comings and goings, for they acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God. Demonic powers recognize the God-Man and His dominion. They react to His kingship now to the degree God ordains in this age, and they will finally be demolished to the absolute degree at God’s appointed time.

If only we human beings knew of God’s power and judgment! And, of course, I mean “knew” in the sense of acting upon the information. I fear the people of God live far too timidly in this dark world and experience far too little victory and hope. Jesus is Lord over the domain of darkness and self-destruction. Let’s recognize Him as such and take Him at His Word.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all explain the account of Jesus casting a legion of demons out of a man in the first century A.D. While Matthew tells us of two demon-possessed men, Mark and Luke focus on only one of the demoniacs at the scene. The demons had such horrid effects on this human life that no other people could come near the man. He was violent, self-destructive, out of his right mind, and living among the tombs of the dead due to the influence of Satan’s minions. Matthew tells us of both the demon-possessed men that they were “so fierce that no one could pass that way” (Matthew 8:28, ESV). Mark explains the horror: “He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones” (Mark 5:3-6, ESV). The physician, Luke, informs us that the demoniac wore no clothes while living among tombs instead of in a house. We have, therefore, a terrible and comprehensive description of Satan’s influence on this person. The demons wrought devastation in this life – and the effects were obvious to all.

And yet, despite all the damage the demons could do, they yielded to the awesome power of Jesus. Even though no human could get near these demons inhabiting a man, when Jesus came close, they met Him and cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:29b, ESV) Notice three things about the demons’ knowledge:

    1) They recognize and name Jesus as the Son of God, and
    2) They realize there is a specific, future time of their punishment; and
    3) They admit that Jesus has the power to torment them.

Though Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44), even His demons must acknowledge the Truth of God in Jesus Christ. Satan makes it his business to slander and lie by twisting the truth and withholding it from us, but Jesus stands as the Truth of God in Person. Lies cannot stand up to Jesus, who is the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). Though they rebel against His way, the demons realize their rebellion is, in fact, against the very real God of the universe.

The demons function in futility. They work hard to torment and enslave, knowing all the while the final doom they face. As Matthew recorded, they know the time is coming. Luke says, “And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss” (Luke 8:31, ESV). Satan and his disgusting servants are aware of the material of the book of Revelation, as well they should be; for hell itself was originally prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matthew 25:41)

    Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while … And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:1-3, 7-10, ESV)

The demons’ awareness does not stop them. Jesus made clear that “The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10, ESV). The devil will battle to the bitter end. Knowing his fate is sealed, it appears his goal is to take as many people with him as he can.

We notice that although the demonic forces torment willing humans, demons recognize that Jesus has the power to torment them eternally. For every bit of destruction Satan has brought upon mankind, he will be repaid. His cohorts know this. Justice will be served by the holy God who sees everything and rights all wrongs.

My prayer is that we would act on the knowledge we have. Demons know much, but they have no saving faith. In a discussion about faith and works, James tells us that true faith will result in action. He brings to our attention demons – who believe in the sense of knowing – but are not saved from damnation. He says to the church, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder!” Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? (James 2:19-20, ESV)

James here expresses a vital truth. At the very least, we need to know what demons know about God’s power and judgment. However, we must also ACT on our knowledge, for that is true belief. Angels and demons are who they are from now into eternity; humans alone are the objects of God’s wonderful salvation. In fact, when Peter tells us of this good news of salvation through Jesus, he adds that they are “things into which angels long to look” (I Peter 1:12b, ESV). In other words, angels do not know of the glorious experience of being loved despite sin — to the point of Jesus paying the price for their lives. Only a redeemed human can know the depth of that love. Angles and demons remain who they are – with their end already determined, glorious and damnable, respectively. People, on the other hand, must decide to act on the truth we have been given. We must believe to the point of a changed life.

If we as Christians acted out our belief in 1) Jesus as the Son of God, and 2) His power to bring about His specific, future time of punishment; the world would be different. I would worship Him more intensely and prayerfully witness to unsaved people with increased fervency.

Knowing the fear demons had of Jesus’ power, I should act more boldly in the spiritual realm. Putting on the full armor of God, I should stand firm. (Ephesians 6:13) Waging war against demonic strongholds on a regular basis, I should actively access divine power and begin destroying the work of the enemy in my life. (II Corinthians 10:3-4) After all, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (I John 3:8b, ESV). Obviously, even the demons know that!

Grabbing Lions by the Beard on an Ordinary Day

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Young David – without armor – slays a 9’9″ tall enemy warrior in an amazing and unexpected upset. So what’s actually behind one of the most famous confrontations of history? Believe it or not, this one success can be traced back to an ordinary young man performing seemingly insignificant duties for countless days – but doing so with extreme devotion at great personal risk.

We usually hear preachers talk of or children’s books tell of only the face-to-face encounter between David and Goliath, and we rejoice in God’s underdog seeing victory. We think only of that glorious moment and neglect to consider the tedious preparation that led to the pinnacle experience.

For the full story, we need to take note of David’s response to King Saul when the king tried to discourage David from fighting Goliath since the giant had so much war experience and David had none (I Samuel 17:33-37a, ESV):

    And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has stuck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Let us not carelessly discount the importance of this section of God’s Word! Here we learn that David’s confidence – while ultimately rooted in the Person of God – was directly connected to his endless hours in fields with nothing but sheep for which to care. Although David could have perceived those times as rather unexciting and unimportant, he obviously chose to regard his shepherding assignment as a high calling from His Lord.

The young shepherd testifies that he would risk his life for sheep! He clearly explains that he would go after lions and bears that took his lambs, and David would deliver the sheep directly from the mouths of the beasts! In fact, he goes on to specify that at times he would take a lion by the beard and strike it and kill it. I don’t know about you, but to me, that kind of personal dedication and risk of life and limb for the sake of the job is remarkable … even … supernatural. David took most seriously his care of the sheep to which God had entrusted him.

As he walked the fields each day with his animals, David could not have known about the giant Philistine who he would one day face. His only concern was doing the right thing for the animals to which both his earthly father and his heavenly Father had entrusted him. In the mundane tasks of life, David lived with a God-given passion. And he obviously had a daily trust that the God who called him to watch over the sheep would enable him to protect the sheep, even if wild beasts were involved.

When David arose from the ordinary stream of life to an extraordinary moment such as the battle with Goliath, every ordinary moment’s purpose suddenly became evident. The trust in God that grew each time David saved a sheep from a lion with his bare hands now culminated as David saved the Israelites from the Philistine giant and his whole evil army.

What David practiced daily in the trivial enabled him to succeed in the pivotal, because – actually – the small things are the big things. Our character is formed in the trenches of everyday living and our hope in God is built in the daily grind of life.

Interestingly, David compares those wild beasts that attacked his sheep to the man Goliath who was now attacking Israel. Recall that he said, “Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for h has defied the armies of the living God” (I Samuel 17:36, ESV).

I think one reason David makes this comparison is that even though the lions and bears were only attacking various sheep (which seem of little value in the scheme of things), they were attacking what David was called by God to protect. This defiant giant is no different really; he is attacking what David is called by God to protect … the reputation of His Lord!

And so the trivial is inextricably tied to the pivotal. Living out “regular” days for the reputation of our God produces supernatural victories. We must remember, however, that living with God-given zeal will not be easy. It is costly. It requires great faith. And any time you need a boost, picture the shepherd, David, grabbing the beard of a lion for the sake of a sheep. Then remember that one day he took down a giant enemy of God for the sake of God’s people.

But for the greatest inspiration, we look to Jesus. He willingly chose the title, “Son of David” (Matthew 1:1). One reason I believe Christ chose to associate so closely with David is because of something particular they had in common. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd … I lay down my life for the sheep” (Matthew 10:14-15, ESV). Do you see it? Each time David risked his life to care so much for a little lamb, he was foreshadowing the selfless love of Jesus in dying for us – his sheep!

David functioned as both shepherd and warrior. He was shepherd first, and then became victorious in battle. In the same way, Jesus came first as our shepherd to give His life for us, and He will come again to be the victorious Warrior against our greatest enemy and all his evil army! (Revelation 19:11-21, 1 Corinthians 15:22-25).

I am thanking God today for recording the history of the life of David … and its connection to our Jesus. I am also thanking God for the ability to grab the lion by the beard in the course of everyday living.

Questions for Reflection and Application:

1. What is the “field” in which you work for countless days that makes you feel your life is insignificant?

2. Will you ask God to help you see how your dedication to His calling in these daily tasks will enable you to promote the reputation of God to the world?

3. Though our “Goliath” is ultimately Satan, what “lions and bears” are you facing? Do you see how God empowers us to grab those lions and strike them down?

4. When we care for what God has entrusted to us, we are reflecting the heart of Jesus in His care for His “sheep.” For what has God called you to care deeply and self-sacrificially?

5. Will you rest ultimately in the promise that Jesus is not only our Shepherd, but our Warrior? We will see the conclusive victory with Him!

Confident Conscience

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A tormentor and murderer of believers. A man so fixated on his own, false religious zeal that he despised God’s own people and threw them into prison. This was the apostle Paul in his early days. So, if anyone had reason to bear a guilty conscience and be left in the misery of regret, it was Paul.

I think about the real man, Paul, as he sat chained in an underground Roman prison. The tables are turned, and the redeemed Paul is now the one being persecuted for his faith. He knows his execution is near, and he is left with his thoughts and his God in the dark, damp, disgusting dungeon.

If Paul was a human like you and me – and HE WAS – then his mind had to have drifted back a few years to Stephen, the first martyr of the Church. After Stephen witnessed to the crowds of God’s love in Jesus, the crowd rushed at Stephen and stoned him to death. And guess what leader was there approving of Stephen’s execution? Paul! In fact, as Acts 8:3 (ESV) details, “But Saul [Paul] was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.” With all this in mind, we can only surmise that Paul had to be pondering the irony of his situation. The persecutor has become the persecuted. The murderer is about to be murdered.

Now we might conclude that Paul’s psychological position at this point would be one of weakness. Feeling sorry for himself, he might have thought, “Well, I deserve this.” If I were Paul, I would have been tempted to believe the worst – that because of all my sin, I was finally going to get what I had coming to me. God’s care of me might have been seriously clouded by my own guilt. Could I even call on Jesus now to help me … after all I’ve done? Why should God deliver me from circumstances exactly like those to which I had sinfully committed other people? Why should God help me, when I had been so evil?

Miraculously – and I mean by the actual miracle of God’s grace – Paul’s psychological bent at this point in his life was one of strength … and a confident conscience. Against all odds of human tendency, Paul penned the following words from his dungeon soon before he was beheaded, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:18, ESV).

Can you believe it? Paul was not drowning in guilt or pity. He believed God would rescue him from every evil deed – despite the evil he had done. Paul was fully convinced that Jesus had already taken the hit for his sin when He died on the Cross. Paul – even in his last days – lived by the truth of the full forgiveness we find through Jesus Christ. The blood Jesus shed was truly a healing salve for Paul’s guilty conscience, broken heart, and haunted mind.

Jesus gave to Paul not only a clean conscience, but a confident conscience. Jesus enabled Paul to live above both the physical and psychological circumstances that would seem to hold him down. History upholds the execution of Paul under Emperor Nero. He did not recant. His head was placed on the chopping block, but his conscience was unbroken. At the moment of his death, I wonder if Paul was recalling the words he had written in Romans 5:1 (ESV), “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”?

Personal Reflection Questions:

1) For what sins should your conscience be broken and guilty?

2) Have you really trusted that the substitution of Jesus enduring the wrath of God on your behalf has cleared your guilt before God?

3) Will you, as Paul, trust God today for a clean conscience through Jesus AND a CONFIDENT conscience for all the future holds?

Can You Be Sure?

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Belief in a vague idea of Heaven and Hell is one thing, but confidence in the place to which you are personally headed is another, as I experienced in a recent encounter.

God never meant for our destiny to be unclear in the least. He intends for us to have assurance of the outcome of our lives, and I believe that is one reason the devil tries frantically to steal from humans a true understanding of their eternal condition.

Have you ever heard someone say falteringly, “I hope I make it to Heaven” or “I’m trying to be good so I can go to Heaven”? Those who say such things demonstrate a hesitance to declare with boldness a truth about their future … and their present.

After getting a refill on my iced tea at a local restaurant, I paused at the table of an older gentleman with whom I have tried to have several conversations about Jesus. This dear man struggles with guilt about many things – including his service in Vietnam. In the past, I have assured him that we are all on equal ground as sinners and that I am no better off before God than he is. We all have selfish hearts and are corrupted at the core. The only difference is that I have trusted Jesus to be my righteousness for me, because He bore the penalty of God’s wrath against me at the Cross.

On one particular afternoon, this man was sharing a conversation he had just had with a cardiac nurse who was trying to discern whether or not he understood the seriousness of his condition. He told me that he proudly declared to her, “I am not afraid of dying; everyone has to die.” Then he said to the nurse, “The only thing we have to be afraid of is where we go after we die … and no one can know that ahead of time!”

Wow. This confused gentleman actually had the first part of his idea correct to some degree; for Jesus said, “And do not fear those who kill the body [Satan and his followers] but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him [God] who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28, ESV) Obviously, there is validity to a healthy fear of our soul ending up in Hell.

It is the second part of this man’s thought that I had to immediately and gently confront, for it was way off base. His real fear was in the not knowing that he could know where he was headed.

I looked at him, addressed him by name, and said, “Yes you can know where you are going. I know. I know because I believe in Jesus and trust His sacrifice for my sin.” I could have added, “And I have trusted His life for my living”! However, my hurting friend soon changed the subject – still not ready to deal with the main issue of his soul.

The Bible is unequivocal in its assertion that we can know our destiny. The Apostle John proclaims I John 5:12-13 (ESV), “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Notice – amazingly – that our assurance of our place after death is directly related to our current status of life. Those who are certain of Heaven in the future have that confidence based on the reality of Jesus’ life in them presently. If a man, woman, or child has the Son of God as the source of their forgiveness and hope, then that person already has life. Eternal life is a continuum. It begins with true, life-changing belief in Jesus (not simply mental assent) that continues drawing us closer to Him and His will, and then it culminates in the reality of Heaven.

Do you have the Son of God? Really have Him? For you who want the promise of Heaven, He cannot simply be a mental concept or a part of your life. He must be your life. That life He gives you is eternal. He gives it now, and He sustains it past your death and into an infinite future. Amen!

Who Do We Think We Are?

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In the middle of a Bible teaching session about the Trinity last week, I found myself stopping in my tracks as I read a particular verse to the crowd. The question that immediately bombarded my mind was, “Who do we think we are?” We can be so self-focused. We often look at circumstances with a main concern of, “How will this affect me?”

The problem with that attitude is … the Holy Spirit Himself chooses not to be self-focused – even though He is God! The third Person of the Trinity has every right to receive glory, yet He has chosen to glorify Someone Else!

It hit me right between the eyes – that tremendous statement of Jesus about the Holy Spirit in John 16:14 (ESV, emphasis mine), “He will glorify me.”

If the third Person of the Godhead willingly lifts up Jesus with His very existence, what in the world am I doing? Am I thinking I am better than God, as I attempt to serve myself at any given moment instead of pointing all hearts around me to Jesus?

Does my frustration about situations glorify my own feelings instead of God’s sovereignty? Does my anger at people exalt my wish to be placated more than a longing for God to be obeyed? Does my pride in accomplishment turn people’s eyes toward me instead of toward the Savior? Does my fear glorify ominous circumstances rather than the God of all comfort and hope?

Two of the great mysteries of the Trinity are the willing submission of the Son to the Father and the willing glorification of the Son by the Spirit. We simply cannot get around this clear revelation. And what a loving example for us! The three Persons of the Godhead love one another so much that they willingly do what is essential for our redemption.

Holy Spirit, thank You for making Jesus big for the world. Thank You for lifting Him up that we might be saved by His death and resurrection. And Holy Spirit, please help me to make Jesus the biggest thing in my life. You are God, and You give me the power I need to glorify God. I love you!

Dying Dog On My Trunk

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I paced around the stores asking God to show me a family to help. It was a few days before Christmas, and I was hoping to recognize a family in financial need that I could bless with food or toys. “Please God, lead me to someone,” I prayed to myself. “Show me exactly the right people.” And so it was with disappointment that I left the last store of my shopping spree, not having sensed the Holy Spirit show me anyone for which to buy anything.

I started home in my car and approached a familiar three-way intersection. Just as I began to apply my brakes to stop at the sign, I watched a blue truck ease out of a stop directly opposite me in the intersection, coming toward me. Running beside the large, shiny pick-up truck was a cute dog, a beagle. The driver could not have possibly seen the dog running right alongside the passenger side front wheel, because the truck was so high from the ground.

As the dog continued running near the truck, I whispered to myself, “Get away, little dog. Move away.” My words were to no avail. As the truck sped up to go through the intersection, the dog ran directly under the vehicle and was run over. Every second of this horrific event unfolded before my eyes. When the dog was hit, I screamed. Immediately, I knew I had to stop, though I had no idea what I could do or how I would handle this dog that had been crushed through the middle.

I pulled over into a driveway as the dog writhed in pain in the middle of the road. A man raced to the dog and covered him with his coat. I stood with the man who gently put his hand on the dog and explained through tears and anger, “I am the dog’s owner. I saw him running by the truck, and I jumped out of my car to try to stop him, but it was too late.” The man cried as his pet continued to struggle.

A stranger threw a blanket toward us, and the dog’s owner wrapped it around the poor beagle and carried the animal to my car. He looked at someone else and said, “I don’t know whose car this is, but I want to lay my dog here.” I told him it was mine and he could surely let his pet rest on my trunk. So He did.

Within a few minutes, the dog stopped tossing and died. Right there on the trunk of my car, the beagle perished. Soon, the dog owner’s wife and step-son made their way to the scene, and the woman began to sob uncontrollably. As I put my hand on her shoulder to try to comfort her, she came to reveal a sad fact. At the moment of their dog’s accident, the family was on their way to the hospital to pick up her mother, who was coming home to die of cancer after a long battle. Unbelievable. They witnessed the death of their pet on the way to begin the journey of imminent death of a beloved family member. On top of all this, the elderly gentleman who was driving the truck that hit the dog arrived at the scene, unable to stop apologizing or hold back tears. He was obviously filled with grief about the accident, certainly wishing he could somehow “undo” what had happened.

As I stood in the driveway on this cold, bleak winter day with a dead dog on my trunk whose blood now began to drip down my tail light and a sobbing stranger at my side whose mother was dying, my heart came into focus. I realized God had answered my prayer and shown me a family – and a whole lot more.

We don’t really have to search for hurt; it’s everywhere. Every person we pass in the store is carrying some pain and facing some difficulty. No one escapes the heartbreak of sin’s effects. We drive down the road and meet death and suffering at the intersection, so to speak. The trunk of a car that usually bears the weight of groceries or shopping bags or picnic supplies can also bear the weight of destruction and death. No person, no animal, and no thing evades the clutches of sin’s curse. The devastation is real; do not deny the strength and ugliness of the results of rebellion against God. Know it. Then hate it. Fight against sinfulness wherever you find it. Begin in your own heart. Determine to do battle with sin and its icy cold grasp, for it is the source of all this misery.

That evening, as my husband and I packed up freshly baked cookies, a fruit basket, and a devotional book for the hurting family I had just met hours ago; I asked the Holy Spirit to deliver hope. When we arrived at the home, we were invited in for a few minutes by the family that was definitely shocked to see me again. I expressed my sympathy about the dog and my prayers for their mother who was now already at the house receiving hospice. I just wanted to take a taste of the kindness – the grace – of Jesus to that family. Perhaps the power of sin would be broken in one more little sphere of this world.

Later that evening, my own uncle succumbed to his battle with cancer. I sat with my extended family around his body and once again pondered the agony of the last enemy that Jesus will one day conquer – death. How hideous evil is. How gruesome its fallout.

As I went to sleep that night, I could not get my family, the dog, or the other family out of my head. But I realized that – as Christians – we all need reminded of the ultimate battle that is taking place. In a dark world, we must be shining the light of the hope of ultimate redemption. When I had taken a bucket of soapy water and flushed the remaining dog blood out of my taillight that afternoon, I was reminded of the truest sacrifice of all time – the blood of Jesus Christ. What blood we now see shed as a result of sin is really nothing compared to the blood of the sinless God-Man once dripping from the Cross as the cure for sin.

This cosmic conflict isn’t a game; this is real. Everything is at stake. Death and suffering have come to all because of sin. There is a real problem; there is a real answer. Jesus saves. Jesus delivers a hope that darkness cannot steal from us.

We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. – I John 5:19-20 (ESV)

Far As the Curse Is Found

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Third verse of Joy To the World:
“He comes to make his blessings known far as the curse is found…”

Just exactly how far IS the curse found?

It reaches down every aisle at Walmart in the hearts of frustrated people.
It’s found at every opening of a bottle of medicine at the hands of the sick.
It strikes the houses in the neighborhood in the hearts of lonely people.
It stretches to the office of every person with an unfulfilled dream.
It extends to the corner of the classroom with the isolated child.
It spreads through the community after the devastating storm.
It seizes the face of the hurting as tears run down their cheeks.

Jesus came to bring His redeeming grace far as the curse is found. This grace currently enables us to hold on while we walk in the places touched by the curse. This redeeming power will one day overcome the curse in all places of its grasp.

The God who brought the curse because of our sin, will soon remove the curse because of His Son. The curse does not magically disappear; it has been undone through the curse put upon the Son of God on the cross. (II Corinthians 5:21)

Thank you, Jesus, that one day no person will walk in frustration.
No medicine will ever again be needed.
No person will ever be lonely.
No worthy dream will ever go unfulfilled.
No natural disaster will ever wreak havoc.
And no tear of sadness will ever be shed.

“He comes to make his blessings known far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found.”

(Revelation 21:3)

You Need a Counselor with a Capital “C”

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Do you feel like you need a counselor? Is your heart heavy or confused? Can you picture yourself sitting in a comfortable chair as you attempt to respond to the suggestion, “Tell me all about yourself”?

How could you ever fully explain yourself to someone else? Even if we had an infinite amount of time to reveal what we know of our experiences from birth to present, we could not disclose everything about ourselves; for we do not know! Our memories are not comprehensive or perfect. Our understanding of the effects of life’s experiences on us is severely limited. We cannot possibly tie together the vast intricacies of our emotions, and the motivations of our hearts remain largely a mystery to our frail minds.

Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV) instructs us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Not only can no other human being – no matter how compassionate or educated – comprehend us, but we cannot understand ourselves. Our tainted hearts deceive us, as they are sick from sin. We need Someone greater to figure us out.

That is exactly where the famous Christmas verse comes into play. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; . . . and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6, ESV). In the original Hebrew language, the word “wonderful” means “a wonder, a marvel, an extraordinary thing.” Jesus is the only Counselor who is more than ordinary – greater than human frailty and limitations. He is God the Counselor.

God the Counselor knows everything! Picture the human heart with all its cracks and fissures. Think of all the aspects of your being that you cannot fathom. Envision the hurts and confusion. Now picture God the Counselor knowing every part of your heart – pouring His love into every crevice and filling it with His healing salve.

When Jesus prepared to leave this earth, He said the Father would send us a Helper to be with us forever – the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17). The Holy Spirit is fully God, the third Person of the triune Godhead. He is our Helper – or Counselor. You do not need to go to His office for help; He is with you now. When you sincerely pray, He will intercede for you, since you cannot possibly know how exactly to pray for every circumstance (Romans 8:26-27). He is your Advocate, bringing you closer to God and into His will. He is your Counselor, healing you in ways you cannot see. He drives everything about our personality into alignment with God’s will as we believe and ask Him to. In ways unknown and quite mysterious to us, the Holy Spirit is doing the repair work necessary for our well-being, our wholeness.

Ephesians 3:16-19 assures us that God’s love – through the Holy Spirit – descends deeper into our heart than human comprehension. While we calculate volume in our three-dimensional space as length times width times height, God tells us His love goes to a fourth dimension – a depth beyond our grasp. His healing goes infinitely far beyond the help of any human, to exactly the level we need.

Your proper understanding of our Wonderful Counselor is vital in order for you to act on the promise. Equipped with this truth about our Counselor, meet with Him now – wherever you are. Ask Him to fill in every crack and crevice of your heart . . . and to make you part of God’s unbroken, perfect will.

Unlike any human counselor who can only make suggestions based on severely limited comprehension, God gives commands. He can rightfully tell us exactly what to do, for His knowledge of us and our circumstances is perfect. Rejoice in His Word, the Bible, because its instructions are for your healing. It is the Word of the Counselor, with a capital “C.”

Your Christmas Is Too Small

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Your Christmas is too small. And by that, I do not mean your tree is too short, you don’t have enough lights outside, or your gifts are not expensive. Your Christmas is too small if it leaves Jesus in the manger, or on the Cross, – or even rising from the tomb and ascending to Heaven.

If your “Silent Night” does not give way to “Resounding Day,” then your Christmas is too small. No amount of presents, perfectly placed wreaths, wonderfully decorated cookies, delightful parties, or time-tested traditions can erase the ultimate letdown you will feel when your Christmas is too small and your “Silent Night” does not point you to the greater “Resounding Day.”

See Christmas through to its infinitely, far-reaching end. Let the star of Bethlehem over the tiny manger remind you of how stars, moon, and sun will be eclipsed one day by the light of Christ’s all-consuming glory. He who lay under a star in the prickly hay of a feeding trough will soon outshine every heavenly body He has made! (Revelation 21:23)

Let the fact that He could find no place in the inn at birth (Luke 2:7), and that He had no place to lay his head in life (Luke 9:38), remind you that He is returning to this universe to take over all places. . . . And prepare them perfectly for you! (Romans 8:21, Revelation 21:1-4, John 14:2-3)

Precisely because Jesus walked this broken earth, we can walk the restored earth soon. He came to the real world in order to bring real hope for a new, real world. Though the best of Christmas seasons come and go in this life, we will enter an eternal season of unending joy and activity – never to be bothered again by the stinging pain of sin as it currently invades every facet of living.

Your Christmas is too small unless you connect the message of the angel Gabriel two millennia ago to the future message of the nameless, seventh angel and many loud voices:

    FIRST CHRISTMAS: “And [Gabriel] said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus'” (Luke 1:30-31, ESV).
    FINAL, ETERNAL ADVENT: “Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever'” (Revelation 11:15, ESV).

When Christmas seems too small, remember a line from the third stanza of “Silent Night”: “Radiant beams from thy holy face with the dawn of redeeming grace . . .” Christmas is only the beginning – the dawn of the new Day.

Silent night of long ago will give way to the resounding day of yet-to-come when the humble Jesus of the manger re-enters the world as the mighty Christ of the universe. The story goes from obscure birth without fanfare to angelic trumpets and loud voices proclaiming the inversion of a godless world into the glorious kingdom of God. He who served us with His birth and death will finally rule us with His life!