Healed Bruises

Bruises hurt. The soreness of a significant bruise on my right wrist may cause me to be very careful about using my arm for a few days. I may become apt to slow down, be too cautious, and miss out on activity because of the tenderness.

The Bible tells us that Jesus came “to set at liberty them that are bruised.” (Luke 4:18b, KJV) We humans get bruised spiritually in this life. While physical bruises are ruptured blood vessels resulting in pain that can cause hesitation, spiritual bruises are hearts broken by sin’s effects. These bruises of the heart can stultify our emotional lives and compel debilitating cautiousness.

Whether we read in the King James Version of the freedom bruised ones receive, or we read in the New International Version of the release of the oppressed; the Greek word implies that we are broken, shattered, and blown to pieces in a spiritual sense.

Jesus came to free us from the effects of sin’s bruising. Do you feel stifled by the guilt of your past? Are you hesitant to enter into God’s plan for your life because of sin’s effects? There is no bruising effect from which Jesus cannot set us free!

Some spiritual bruising is the result of our own rebellion against God’s righteousness. Some bruising comes because we suffer under the general effects of sin: broken relationships, illness and disease, disabilities, economic hardship, emotional weaknesses passed down through generations, and dozens of other agonies.

Know this: “Jesus came to set at liberty them that are bruised.” His shed blood and resurrection from death provide the healing for our bruises.

Please do not allow the enemy to steal from you the glory of moving forward each day in God’s plan without hesitation.

Our past sin will not stifle us.
Our former failures cannot make us stagger.
Our undeserved heartache will not command dawdling.
Our suffering bodies will not make us tentative.

We are resolute and ready to pursue every dream and purpose God has for us. Why? Because Jesus has set us free from life’s bruising effects!

He Will Get Us There!

Do you wonder how you’ll get to where you need to go? Do you doubt that you’ll make it to the destination God has for you? If you’re thinking destination with a capital “D” – Heaven – let’s add to that the myriad, smaller harbors along the way as we traverse this life. How will we make it?

We must embrace the exciting truth of one of the most overlooked, under-appreciated verses in the Bible, John 6:21.

Here, John relates to us the power of Jesus to manipulate the very fabric of space and time for the safe transportation of His followers to their destination! Unbelievable, science fiction-like action is displayed here. But this is not fiction. This is the Maker of reality manipulating reality under the feet of His followers!

After Jesus walked on water to get to His disciples’ boat out on that old sea, our Savior was finally invited into the vessel. He had to convince His friends that He was not a ghost, as His supernatural power overwhelmed them.

Although Matthew and Mark focus more on the water-walking, John zooms in precisely on the next miracle: So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

Astounding! That boat was transported supernaturally to the shore. Overpowering space and time, Jesus carried the vessel of His feeble-minded followers! In an instant – without added effort and rowing – there they were, at the other side!

Why did Jesus manipulate the fabric of the created universe that day? Of the infinite number of reasons God may have, we can be sure one is for our current comfort. We need tangible examples of God’s control of circumstance on our behalf.

Who knows how Jesus will transport us to tomorrow, or past this difficult trial, or over this heart-wrenching disappointment, or to the future years of our life, or through the tumultuous times of our culture, or over the anxiety that would destroy us?

But He can. And He will . . . if we will let Him into our boat.

Only Two Options

“I’d rather die than be watched all the time.” REALLY? Because those are the only two options. No kidding.

There exist only two ways a person can live: in alignment with God’s will or out of alignment with God’s will. And let me tell you, God’s will is going to prevail. God’s way is the only way that lasts, and I will explain why shortly.

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” (Psalm 1:6, NIV)

There it is. Black and white. Straightforward. One way – that of righteousness – is watched over. The other way – that of the unrighteous – is destroyed.

If you think about it, the reason is simple enough. I mean, even now, we see God’s natural law (His way of working in this natural world) operating constantly, tirelessly, relentlessly:

  • The law of gravity, for example, always wins out over my rebellion against it. (I wish someone would have told me that when I was five years old and tried to fly!)
  • The laws of logic and mathematics are the statutes according to which we must construct massive buildings and expansive bridges if we wish them to be safe. (Jeremiah 33:25)
  • The laws of planetary motion continue on – night and day – producing the natural rhythm of seasons and days. (Genesis 8:22)

The dependable nature of God’s natural law hints to us of the impeccable reliability of His spiritual law! Jesus once said to a seeker, “I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak to you of heavenly things?” (John 3:12)

God’s moral law is right because it is the way He intended things to be. His “watching over our way” is our hope, not our threat! When I live according to the Bible by the power of God’s Spirit, it will go well for me now, and perfectly for me in the next world.

All rebellion against God’s way ends in ultimate misery. Turning against God begins to make things messy. Then – finally – one day Jesus will come back to clean up the mess of sin and make a home of righteousness that works right and feels right because it is right!

It is not only the wicked who perish; it is the whole way of the wicked. If that way of living lasted forever, things would never be right.

It is not only the righteous God watches over; it is the way of the righteous. Since that way will ultimately prevail, I want to be carefully watched and helped in that way now.

If you need to find that Way, His name is Jesus. Please let Him save you and watch you. It is an understatement to say that the alternative is bleak.

Formality Or Reality: Are You Enjoying Your Relationship With Jesus?

Have you ever been out to lunch with someone for mostly business purposes, or for some other sort of obligation? The fellow diner is not someone with whom you feel very comfortable. And so you provide obligatory conversation, eat very carefully – obeying all the formal dining rules, – and wonder if the impression you emit is quite satisfactory.

On these somewhat nerve-wracking occasions, you discover that even your favorite pasta dish is not as mouth-watering as it usually is. Your smile strains your facial muscles, instead of hearty laughter erupting from the gut.

On the other hand, the steak seems juicier, the conversation flows freely, and laughter is unbridled at the dinner table of two real friends. When genuine companions get together, the dining is sweet because the dining is real, built on the comfort of relationship.

Jesus said in Revelation 3:20 (NAS), “Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with me.”

Why did Jesus add those last four words?

Why did He not just leave it at “I will dine with you”?

At the surface, it seems redundant to say it both ways: “I will dine with you AND you will dine with me.”

But God does not waste words! He added the vital second part because real dining – the kind of dining you want to do – involves not just a guest and a host, but two people in relationship.

When Jesus spoke these pointed words, he was addressing a group of people whose love for God had grown cold, formal, and religious. God despises religion, but adores relationship. And so, our Savior proclaims, “Be zealous and repent” in order that you may invite Me in to eat with you and truly enjoy my company.

Do you enjoy your relationship with Jesus? Or has religious formality crept in as the busyness of your life rages on?

Pray now. Pray sincerely. Be real. Tell Jesus you are sorry that He and you are not connecting at the core.

Then invite Him in to dine with you and you with Him.

“Preoccupied”: A Poem to Help Us Understand the Question, “Am I Ready?”

PREOCCUPIED

Planned a party.
Now I’m waiting
for you to arrive.

Others present;
talking, laughing.
But you
I have not yet seen.

Though I’m with them,
my mind keeps drifting
to thoughts of you.

I hear your voice,
I see your face,
as I imagine
your arrival.

They keep begging me
to join in
with abandonment.

I cannot.

You are all
I really think of.

Please come.
Please come very soon.

This is no real party
until
I am right beside you.

This poem is weighty. It can help our hearts discern their true status. God’s Word says, “So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.” (Hebrews 9:28, NIV, emphasis mine)

Many people ask sincerely, “Just what does it mean to be saved?” Stunningly, it means much more than most imagine. Notice Hebrews 9:28 tells us that while Jesus died for many people (in fact, for the entire world), He is only returning for those who are waiting for Him! Just as Matthew 7:13 whittles down the road to life to only a few travelers, while the road to destruction remains wide; so Hebrews 9:28 confirms and delineates the criteria.

What does it mean to be saved? Deny it however much we want in order to try in vain to produce a sense of security, the answer is clear . . . it means we are absolutely preoccupied with Jesus!

As the host of the party in the poem cannot put first in his heart or mind other people or activities, so the truly saved person cannot put first in her heart or mind other people or activities. Expectant waiting for the One we love the most packs full every moment!

Are we “looking out the window” for Jesus to come?

Are we paying more attention to our television, our cell phone, our ipod, our social time, our facebook account, our children’s activities, our hobbies, or any combination of various distractions “at the party”? Or are we so in love with Jesus that His Word and precious time in prayer with Him are nearest and dearest for us?

He died for the sins of the world, but He is only coming back for those who are waiting for Him.

Are you waiting . . . ?

What’s Faster than the Speed of Light?

Traveling at over 11 million miles per minute, light can circle the earth 7.5 times in one second! Able to cover nearly 6 trillion miles in a year, light surely moves at a rate of speed that staggers the mind. So what is it in this world that is faster than the speed of light? The mercy of God rushing toward the heart that desperately believes. The miracle of Jesus zooming toward sincere and yielded brokenness.

Can you see it now? In your mind’s eye, can you picture the flashing glory of God’s hand setting into motion His lightning-fast mercy on its way to the point of your need? The One who spoke all the molecular structures of the universe into being with an instantaneous word, He is the one that now speaks forth His answers for our desperate lives.

The royal official of John chapter four had access to some of the money, power, and dignity the world could offer. He also had a son who was dying. A stark realization no doubt flooded his soul: “I cannot persuade death with my power, I cannot buy life with my money, and my dignity is not enough to shut the jaws of darkness.” Have we – like the royal official – ever been there? You know, in a place where we finally get it, where we finally apprehend our severe limitations.

The royal official travels some fifteen miles to get to Jesus to tell the Messiah that his son is at the point of death. No doubt having exhausted all medical possibilities and worldly privileges, the desperate man looks to the Savior. Though Jesus chastises the official at the outset for the status of his heart, the man of worldly nobility graciously accepts the rebuke of Jesus and presses forward respectfully with his need, “Jesus – Sir – please come to my town before my child dies.”

Jesus then spoke those words we long to hear, those words of life. At the very instant our Savior tells the official his son will live, the miracle falls all over the boy. The fifteen miles between Jesus and the dying child become a literal nonentity. Smashed to oblivion is the span between the point of need and the Savior of the needy.

Desperation of a broken heart. Realization of the need for Jesus. Activation of something even faster than the speed of light: the movement of God, the Maker of light, toward a heart that yields and hopes in Him.

Nothin’ Wrong With Weary

Even though I feel bone-tired, can God still use me? Is my exhaustion a sign that He is not pleased with me?

Remember the woman at the well – the Samaritan who needed the burden of her sinful past lifted? How did that miraculous, life-changing encounter begin? “So Jesus, wearied as He was from His journey, was sitting beside the well.” (John 4:6)

What? Did I read that correctly? Yes! It was the weariness of Jesus that led Him to sit and rest by the well. It was, in fact, the toiling effects of Jesus’ journey that sparked this eternal event!

Just to be sure that Jesus felt what I feel, I checked the Greek behind John’s writing. This account means that Jesus grew weary, felt tired, toiled; He knew the repercussion of bodily labor.

Ah, Jesus, thank You that You know how I feel. Thank You for showing me that from my life can stream eternal workings even though I have paused in the midst of exhaustion.

I will now trust for the miraculous inner workings of God’s own Spirit to happen through my life, my body, my words, and my hands . . . even though my human frailty is right there with me.

What Is This World Coming To?

“What is this world coming to?” someone might ask in disgust. When we see evidence of the culture’s rebellion against God, when we become frustrated with the circumstances of our own lives, and when we are shocked by bad news; we may ask that infamous question ourselves, “What is this world coming to?”

The world is coming to something. Here it is: God will be all in all! He will have the final word, fulfill the final plan, and give to us who love and serve Him all for which our hearts could possibly long.

One of my favorite chapters in the Word of God is I Corinthians 15. Written by the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul, the chapter emphasizes the resurrection of the dead. Not only does Paul discuss the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, but he assures us that we, too, will rise from the dead because of Jesus!

In I Corinthians 15, God explains that Jesus will conquer every enemy at the close of earthly history. In other words, He will blow away all the nasty plans of the devil and all the ways Satan has tried to destroy us and our faith in God. He will forever rid the universe of heartache, disease, and natural devastation. The last enemy Jesus will obliterate for us is death. After Jesus conquers death, He will undoubtedly hand everything over to God the Father so that God may be all in all (verse 28).

Here is a thoughtful and crucial question: if the final goal is that God be all in all, what should be the goal of every moment? If God Almighty is pushing all circumstances toward His ultimate will, why are we not doing our best to do the same?

The end of the world as we know it is not confusion and chaos; it is the culmination of all things for the glory of God Himself. This will happen no matter how much rebellious humans resist.

But, we – as God’s people – should not only avoid resistance against God’s plan, we should actively work toward God’s goal.

If we could just whittle down every tiny moment to its real purpose – to glorify God – what would happen? How great would we feel as we fall in line with the ultimate, grand plan of God?

If I could think as I walk down the hall, “What kind of smile would glorify God?” or as I work at my job, “What kind of effort would glorify God?” or as I choose my entertainment, “What kind of movie would glorify God?” or as I interact with my colleagues, “What kind of behavior would glorify God?” or as I talk on my cell phone, “What kind of conversation would glorify God?” then what kind of life would I be living? One that aligns with the ultimate reality of what the world is coming to!

What Is the Good Life?

Living in the presence of God. Enjoying His eternal favor because of Jesus Christ. Knowing that the Almighty is moving in all the details of my life. This is the good life – the truly good life.

The Psalmist tells us in chapter four, verse six, that many are asking, “Who will show us some good?” These people have not even an idea of whom it is to which they should be looking. The Continue reading “What Is the Good Life?”

Jesus and Indestructible Treasure

Click below to hear my latest message. If you desire the Holy Spirit to “stir you up inside” by the proclamation of the Word of God with power, you can’t miss hearing this message from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 6!

Jesus and Indestructible Treasure

    Integrity, the Second Law of Thermodynamics, and Jesus

    Integrity is not a boring word. In fact, integrity encapsulates much of that for which we humans long. Integrity is not a fluffy concept; it is a very real and rich component of God’s world. Integrity and the second law of thermodynamics have an all-important, inverse relationship. The importance of integrity is observed in mathematics as well as science, in relationships as well as language. Integrity hints of Heaven, a very real place where all will be as it ought to be.

    Consider the phrase, “My world is falling apart.” When spoken, we realize these words imply something ominous. A common response to the phrase might be, “Pull yourself together.” Note that “falling apart” is associated with something bad and “pulling together” is associated with something good. Why? Even our language reflects the inner desire for integrity – wholeness or the state of being unbroken.

    Consider simple arithmetic. Would you rather add five whole numbers or five fractions? We like to deal with whole numbers or integers because we can easily wrap our minds around these. Fractions are messy and confusing; they take time to digest.

    In much the same way, a human being without integrity is hard to figure. His life is confusing because he is broken. The essence of him is one way in one situation and another way in a different situation. Your mind cannot wrap itself around who the person truly is. This is precisely because we desire integrity; we desire to know people for who they truly are. A person without integrity becomes untrustworthy and easily shaken.

    Lack of integrity – or disintegration – pops up not only in people and mathematics, it is embedded in the fallen universe. Scientific laws reflect disintegration’s reality and, therefore, reflect the very real necessity of integrity.

    The first law of thermodynamics pronounces that our universe is a closed system; the amount of matter and energy in our world is constant. The second law of thermodynamics proclaims that, although the amount of energy in the universe is constant, the amount of useful energy is running down. As energy is converted, waste is produced. The world is – for all practical purposes – falling apart and disintegrating.

    We note the effects of the second law of thermodynamics all around us. Our bodies are wearing out and winding down. Atrophy sets into the muscles unless we act upon them with force and energy. A room left to itself for very long will no doubt become disorganized unless energy is applied to its cleaning. Metal objects begin to rust. Erosion takes place. Everything is winding down and wearing out in its natural state.

    The second law of thermodynamics was set into motion by the sin curse. When mankind gave into sin and rebelled against God’s way, God cursed man and woman, the serpent who deceived them, and the earth. To this very day, we suffer the effects of that curse in our hearts, our minds, our bodies, and in our universe.

    Directly related to the physical effects of sin in this world is the very real effect of brokenness of heart. The curse of sin on us as people who have rebelled against God has produced a state of disintegration in our spiritual lives. For this reason, we tend not to keep our word, we tend to think one way and act another, we tend to portray ourselves one way to others and find ourselves quite another in the quietness of solitude. We are broken people in a broken world. Disintegration and the second law of thermodynamics are related – they both reflect a rebellious state of things. We have failed God. Only God maintains a standard which produces perfection.

    Is there hope? Hope is found only in Jesus Christ, the God-Man. As fully God, Jesus is holy. As fully man, Jesus is able to pay the price for human sin. When a man or woman comes to Jesus and trusts Him as the sacrifice for his or her sinfulness, that man or woman is made right with holy God. At that moment, a person becomes a new creation, fully re-made in his spirit (II Corinthians 5:17). This person is now in right-standing with God because Jesus has settled the sin factor between man and God.

    As relationship with Jesus Christ is maintained, a person continues to grow in righteousness. Righteousness is simply the state of “being as we ought to be” or being as God originally intended. While on this sin-cursed earth, perfection will never be complete. However, the spirit in the new man or woman desires righteousness and knows that Heaven holds the answer to disintegration of the mind, body, emotions, and universe.

    Psalm 1:1-3a says, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.” The withering leaf is a part of the second law of thermodynamics. Death and destruction are built into a fallen, rebellious world. It is quite natural for leaves to wither. What God promises, however, is that the law of nature can be overridden in the human heart when we love His Word and apply it to our lives in the midst of this broken world! A person who makes the law of the Lord his focus in the everyday moments of life will defy the sin curse. The inner man – the essence of who we are – will stand strong. Although disintegration produces confusion and destruction, the person following the Lord will be a person of integrity. We will be clearly understood for who we are, we will bring life and healing as opposed to death and hurt, we will reflect the place to which we are ultimately called – Heaven.

    Remember that Jesus will come back one day to this world in which we live, and after He has brought judgment to those who have rejected Him, He will re-make this world. He will forever destroy the second law of thermodynamics and every kind of disintegration. Wholeness and life will finally prevail.